The Long, Hot Texas Summer

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Warmth flowed through her as she studied the loving way his palm covered her hand. “I don’t know how you manage to do all this.”

  Justin got up and went to the fridge. He came back with a chocolate bar. “Hey, the Alamo wasn’t built in a day and neither was this. And we’re further along than you think. Although, there are a few things that have to be done right away.”

  Amanda accepted the half he gave her. “Like what?”

  “Tomorrow morning you have to go into town to go over your employment contract with the ranch attorney, Liz Cartwright-Anderson. The appointment is at nine o’clock.”

  Glad for the sugary pick-me-up, Amanda savored her share of the dark chocolate. “Will you be there, too?”

  He smiled. “What would you prefer?”

  “For you to accompany me.” The words were out before she could prevent them. She had the feeling that with Justin by her side she would feel less overwhelmed. “That way, if there are any issues,” Amanda continued, a little lamely, “although I’m not sure what those might be...then...”

  “I’ll be there, to help expedite the signing,” Justin promised.

  Nodding in relief, Amanda crumpled the wrapper in her hand.

  “It’s not a problem. I’ll just call Lamar’s foster parents and let them know we’ll pick him up in town. He was supposed to spend the morning at the high school signing up for fall semester classes, anyway.” Justin stood and took his empty mug over to the dishwasher. “So, are you ready to pick out your new quarters?”

  Amanda followed suit. “What do you mean?” Once again, she felt three steps behind.

  “Well, obviously, as director, you’re going to have to reside in the lodge, same as me, so...why don’t we go upstairs and have a look?”

  Amanda had never been in the wing that housed the staff quarters. The only time she’d been upstairs at all was the day they had gone looking for the missing Lamar, and then only so far as the TV lounge.

  A lot was changing, very quickly. She fell into step beside him. “Who else is going to live on the property?”

  “Well, for right now, you and me. Eventually, when we get up to full capacity of 20 cabins and 160 kids, we will have other staff. A registered nurse, an academic or vocational advisor, and if we’re really lucky, and are able to build a barn and acquire some horses, someone to run the stables.”

  “You’re ambitious. I’ll give you that.”

  “Yeah, well, if you’re going to dream, dream big, right?”

  When Amanda smiled up at him, a sizzling look of awareness zinged between them. The moment passed when he motioned for her to follow him. Justin led the way up the stairs, past the common rooms and the library to the door marked Staff Only. “There are five suites. I’ve got the one at the far end of the hall. Which one would you like?”

  Amanda walked up and down the hall. The rooms were all the same and held a desk, queen bed, dresser, reading chair and ottoman. “You can add anything you like. Television, computer, stereo, rugs, curtains, whatever.”

  It was nice, but... “Can I put a kitchen in there?” Amanda joked.

  “No, but you can use the one downstairs anytime you want, since we’re planning to share the cooking and cleanup chores with the kids and the other staff, rather than hire someone to do just that.”

  “Makes sense.” Amanda walked back to check out the rooms once more.

  Justin was at her elbow. “Hard decision, isn’t it?”

  More than he knew. Should she choose the one next to his, or select one as far away as possible?

  “Want to flip a coin?” he quipped.

  Amanda shook her head. “I think I’ll take the one closest to the main hall.” And farthest from you.

  He looked at her, his expression maddeningly inscrutable. Was he disappointed or relieved, she wondered?

  He slid a hand beneath her elbow. “Want me to help you bring your things in?”

  Her pulse quickening, Amanda moved on ahead of him. “Actually, I think I’d rather stay in the trailer for a few more days and not waste time on moving my belongings when we have so many other, more pressing tasks.”

  He gave her a long look. “Sure? I don’t mind. It probably wouldn’t take long.”

  Amanda’s throat felt suddenly dry. Being so close to him was going to be an adjustment. “No, that’s okay.” She smiled briskly. “I’ll get to it eventually.” Just not today.

  * * *

  “OKAY, WE’VE GONE over the duties of the job, and the personal leave and time-off policies,” attorney Liz Cartwright-Anderson said the following morning. She went down the list in front of her. “Which leads us to the fraternization among coworkers policy.”

  Liz’s unexpected announcement sent Justin into a coughing fit. Several board members raised their brows. Amanda worked to contain a flush of embarrassment while Liz handed over papers to both Justin and Amanda. The three members of the board of directors in attendance already had their own copies, it seemed.

  Liz continued matter-of-factly, “We had intended to go over this with you and Justin separately, but since you’re both here today, we’ll go ahead and do it jointly.”

  Which meant what, exactly? Amanda wondered, feeling even more embarrassed. The look on Justin’s face said he was as surprised and uncomfortable with the discussion as she was. Working to maintain her composure, Amanda turned her attention back to Liz, who was still referring to the fine print on the contract in front of her. Liz read, “Dating a coworker is allowed, as long as disclosure is made to the board and a release is signed by both parties stating that both parties accept full responsibility for what does or does not happen within the bounds of said relationship.”

  “And if I were to choose not to disclose?” Amanda asked.

  “Then that would be grounds for dismissal,” Liz informed her.

  Which would not be the end of the world for her, but it would devastate Justin, who had put his heart and soul into building the boys ranch. Amanda flushed. “Then I disclose that...um...Justin and I... Well, we aren’t actually dating or anything...”

  “But there is a spark,” Miss Mim chimed in.

  Amanda looked over at the retired former librarian. She nodded, affirming it to be so. Even though she and Justin had pretty much decided not to act on the chemistry again.

  Libby smiled. “We all realized that the night of the party.”

  “But it didn’t keep you from offering me the job,” Amanda said in amazement.

  Libby exchanged glances with the other two board members. “You’re going to fall in love sometime, somewhere. So is Justin. And the fact is, you two do make a good team. You work well together, you treat each other with respect.” She smiled amiably. “So, as long as your private life remains private, and doesn’t affect your work, then the board has no problem with whatever may or may not be developing there.”

  * * *

  “WELL, THAT WAS interesting,” Amanda said half an hour later when all the papers were finally signed, and she and Justin had left the attorney’s office.

  “No kidding,” Justin agreed. “I wish I could have forewarned you, but I didn’t know it was coming.”

  Now that it was over, Amanda could chuckle. “I could tell that by your coughing fit.”

  He shook his head in comical lament and took her hand in his. “Well, at least we have the approval of the three ladies.”

  Feeling far too vulnerable for comfort, she pulled away. “The only problem is we’re not dating, Justin.”

  He advanced on her, a sexy glint in his eyes. “Right.”

  He had a way of getting under her skin, like no other man. She turned to him in indignation. “We’re not!”

  He took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips. Lightly kissing the back of her knuckles, he teased, “So far
.”

  Tingling from the seductive caress, Amanda disengaged her hand from his. Ignoring the racing of her heart, she stepped back and vowed, “It’s not going to be an issue anyway. We have so much to do to get ready to open.”

  Justin glanced at his watch. “Speaking of which, we better get over to the high school to pick up Lamar so we can take him back to the ranch.”

  But Lamar was not in the school library, where registration was being held. Things went from bad to worse when his guidance counselor said she hadn’t seen him at all. Amanda and Justin looked at each other. “His foster mom said she dropped him off this morning at eight, and that she watched him walk into the building,” Amanda said.

  The guidance counselor frowned. “Well, he must have walked right back out again, because if Lamar had been in this library I would have corralled him right away and signed him up for fall classes. And when you do see him, remind him that tomorrow is the last day for late registration for existing students.”

  “We will,” Amanda promised. “So now what?” she asked Justin.

  He held the lobby door for Amanda. “I’ll call my brother Colt.”

  At the sheriff’s department? Amanda faced Justin on the sidewalk under the portico at the front entrance of the high school. Funny, they weren’t old enough to have a teenage child, but it sure felt like they were parents of the same wayward teen at the moment. “Won’t Colt have to notify the court—which could lead to even more trouble for Lamar?”

  Amanda knew the teenager had broken the rules, but she didn’t want to see him end up in juvie, especially when he’d been doing so well all summer.

  Justin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We can trust Colt to do what’s right for this situation. He may be a sheriff’s deputy, but he’s also the community liaison who runs the department’s outreach program for troubled teens. That gives him some latitude. Not a lot, but enough.”

  * * *

  WONDERING IF HE should have seen this coming, Justin searched the rest of the high school grounds. Amanda went over to Lamar’s foster home to see if he had turned up there. And Deputy Colt McCabe went up and down Main Street, checking out all the businesses. They also scoped out the movie theater, the putt-putt course, the Dairy Barn and the bowling alley. Unfortunately, there had been no sign of Lamar anywhere when the three of them met up in the park at the center of town.

  “He was supposed to work at the ranch this afternoon,” Amanda fretted. It was close to noon.

  Colt frowned. “He doesn’t have a car or a driver’s license, so he couldn’t have driven there on his own.”

  Unless he had done so illegally, Justin thought, with a growing sense of unease.

  Amanda sighed. “It’s too far to walk.” Her delicate brows knit together. “Do his foster parents own any bicycles?”

  “There’s one way to find out,” Justin told her.

  Fifteen minutes later, they knew what mode of transportation Lamar had selected. A blue ten-speed bike.

  “I think we should head back out to the ranch,” Amanda said to Justin.

  He agreed and they walked back to his pickup truck after promising Colt that they would keep him apprised of the situation.

  “You okay?” Justin asked when Amanda hopped into the cab. He slid behind the steering wheel. She looked pale and upset. As if this might be too much for her to handle.

  Her lips tight with worry, Amanda buckled her seat belt. “I’m just beginning to realize what a big responsibility this is.”

  A memory of a past failure assailed Justin. This is not like what happened to Billy Scalia. It’s just a momentary blip in the effort to save Lamar. She knows it. I know it, too.

  “You’re up to it,” he told her finally, determined as ever. “We both are.”

  * * *

  TO AMANDA AND Justin’s mutual relief, the bike was parked next to the steps leading up to the front door of the lodge.

  Lamar was out back with the dogs, drinking water from the hose. He looked hot and sweaty and immediately jumped to his feet when he saw them. “Where have you been? I was ready to work half an hour ago!”

  “We were looking for you.” Amanda put a hand to his face and winced at the heat of his skin. The poor boy was sunburned everywhere.

  “I was supposed to be here,” Lamar insisted.

  Justin shook his head. “You were supposed to be at the high school, signing up for classes.”

  He unlocked the door to the lodge and the three of them went in. The blissful cool of air-conditioning hit them. With a light hand on Lamar’s shoulder, Amanda guided him into the kitchen. She sat him on a stool at the work island and went to the pantry for a big jug of electrolyte drink.

  Justin got down three tall glasses and filled them with ice.

  Amanda rummaged around and brought out some salty pretzels, too. “So what happened?” she asked.

  Lamar was clearly about to prevaricate, but he took another long look at their faces and his shoulders slumped. “I don’t want to go back to that school, okay? It just... The thought of it... I can’t do it. I can’t go there again. That’s all.”

  Which means something is going on. Amanda wrung out a clean dish towel with cool water and draped it over the back of Lamar’s neck. “Are you being bullied?”

  He made a face. “No. Of course not.”

  “Is it because you don’t have any friends?”

  Lamar scowled. “I’m not the rah-rah, join-a-club type. And everybody at Laramie High School does something extracurricular.”

  “It’s a good way to meet people and make friends,” Justin pointed out.

  Lamar snorted and stuffed pretzels into his mouth. He followed it with a long, thirsty drink of Gatorade.

  Figuring it was best to let that go for the moment, Amanda asked, “How long did it take you to get out here on the bike?”

  “Three hours.”

  “It’s thirty-two miles.”

  “I know that now.”

  Alarmed, Amanda continued, “You could have gotten heatstroke.”

  “Yeah, well...”

  Justin went off and returned a moment later with a can of sunburn cream. He handed it to Amanda. Wordlessly, Lamar covered his eyes and mouth and let her apply it. As the medicinal smell filled the kitchen, Amanda continued trying to get through to their young charge. “We were really worried about you, Lamar.”

  The teenager looked her in the eye, near tears. Whether from sheer physical exhaustion or shame, Amanda couldn’t tell. “I’m sorry,” Lamar said thickly.

  Justin stood, arms crossed. “Sorry’s not going to cut it with the judge if it happens again.”

  Flushing, Lamar complained, “I was just trying to get to my community service work.”

  “You were running away from something you didn’t want to face.”

  Like high school. Classes. Studying.

  Lamar turned to Justin. “Can’t I come here, instead of going to LHS during the day? Or keep working with Amanda, wherever she goes next, on more community service or something?”

  Justin shook his head. “Amanda is going to be working here. She’s been named the ranch director.”

  Lamar blinked, clearly surprised to find her the boss. “What does that make you?” he asked Justin.

  As before, Justin took the demotion well, saying calmly, “Founder, CFO and assistant ranch director.”

  Amanda couldn’t help but admire him. In his place, she wasn’t sure she would have been so gracious.

  “Well, between the two of you it seems like you’re calling all the shots,” Lamar pointed out. “Can’t you please talk to Mitzy Martin? And get her to let me stay, even after my community service is up?”

  * * *

  HOURS LATER, JUSTIN stood in the doorway of the administrato
r’s office and asked, “Not quite the way you would have expected your first day as director to go, was it?”

  Amanda looked up from the stacks of papers on her desk. Just reading through the summaries Justin had prepared for her had taken the better part of an hour.

  She dropped her pen, aware she’d never thought she would be a desk jockey, either. “At least Mitzy agreed with us that Lamar should be placed here as a student as soon as the ranch opens.”

  Justin took a seat in front of her desk. “We have our first kid selected, anyway.”

  Amanda smiled ruefully. “Only seven more to go.”

  His gaze trailed over her face and hair as sensually as a caress. “How about you take a break?”

  Amanda threw down her pen. “You’re right.” She rose, massaging her aching lower back. “I should head over to the bunkhouse and get at least a little of the carpentry done today.”

  Justin stood, too. “That’s not what I meant.” He strode toward her, not stopping until he towered over her. “The carpentry can wait till tomorrow.”

  Amanda pushed aside the temptation to fall into his arms. She batted her lashes at him. “Says the person who isn’t responsible for getting it done.”

  He stepped aside to let her by. “As your assistant, I’m responsible for everything you’re tasked with and don’t get done.”

  Amanda paused, wondering where she’d left her purse. “I’m beginning to like the way you think.”

  “Seriously, we should take the night off and do something fun.”

  Was he talking about a date? “Such as...?” Amanda asked, the search for her handbag temporarily forgotten.

  Justin continued, “You’ve met Colt and my dad. I’d like you to meet the rest of my family. Three of my brothers who aren’t normally in Laramie are here for my mom’s birthday celebration. I’d like you to get to know them.”

  Amanda tensed. She’d been unwelcome before at family gatherings. She had no desire to be so again. “I don’t want to intrude.”

  He reassured her with an easy glance. “Other people, friends of the family, will be there, too.”