Jake Kendall took the form, signed it, and nodded. “A done deal, indeed. Did you check out of the Green Gables yet?” he asked. “Do you need a hand bringing your stuff in?”
“I did check out.” Laci and Angela had both promised her that she would love the apartment that Jake Kendall was offering for lease. They’d been right. Her family home had been a three-bedroom bungalow—her mother had used the third bedroom as a sewing room—and really, much too big for just herself. This apartment was the perfect size. “I only have three suitcases, so that will just be one trip. I can manage just fine.”
“You relocated from New York to Texas with only three suitcases?”
Bailey didn’t mind being honest. The wedding ring on the man’s hand and his total forthrightness had set her at ease. She had been approached a few times in her life by “players,” and she’d learned to recognize them on sight.
Jake Kendall was not a player.
“All my furniture and other things from the house that I wanted to keep are in storage. I contracted a real-estate agent to clean out the rest and sell the house, with the provision that his company take care of the property until the sale closes.” Bailey shrugged. “What I didn’t store, I brought with me.”
“Fair enough. I’ll give you a hand with those bags. What time are you due to begin your shift today at Angel’s?”
“It’s actually my day off. I thought to get settled and then explore the town.”
“Perfect. I’d like to invite you to lunch at the restaurant here. It’s called Lusty Appetites, and my wife, Ginny, who works there, is hoping you’ll say yes. She and Laci are good friends, and she’d like to meet you.”
Thanks to Laci and Angela, she’d already received a partial education on the town of Lusty, Texas. She’d never considered herself the judgmental sort, and she wasn’t going to start being that way now.
“I’d like that. After lunch, perhaps you could point me in the direction of the museum? Angela said it’s a place I have to see.”
“That can definitely be arranged.” Jake opened both the apartment door and then the building’s door, accompanying her to her car. He insisted on carrying her three suitcases, not really a difficult feat as they were all on wheels and more or less fit together.
Bailey grabbed the small travel bag herself and held it close while Jake closed the trunk.
“You seem very protective of that.”
“I am. I don’t trust Rufus to anyone.”
“Rufus? A dog? A cat?” He shook his head. “Pets are allowed, of course, but you’re too kind to stuff a live animal into that small bag.”
Bailey just grinned. She got the outer door this time, and when Jake handed her the key, she opened the door to apartment 106.
“Just set them by the table, please,” Bailey said. “I’ll unpack when I get back from lunch and my tour.” She set her small bag on the table and then opened it. Inside, she pulled out a tissue-wrapped object, displaying it for the lawyer to see.
“This is Rufus.” She then set Rufus on the small curio shelf in the living room. She stepped back and sighed. “He’s my spirit guide—or so I like to think. And my one extra thing.”
“One extra thing?”
Bailey nodded. The memory rose up, so clear and vivid, she didn’t even consider not sharing that memory with a man she’d just met. “When my father died, we had to leave where we were living. The house belonged to his mother, and she never did accept my mother, or me.” Bailey hadn’t planned to be so open, but this trek she’d been on had reminded her of that earlier, jarring time. “We had no place to go, and not much money, as my father’s mother used her standing as a so-called pillar of the community, and her gobs of money, to tie up everything, even Daddy’s checking account and life insurance. What she did wasn’t legal, but from what I’ve learned, the question of legality never stopped that woman. Anyway, we could only pack a bag each because we were headed to a women’s shelter, and we wouldn’t have much room. After I crammed all my clothes into a garbage bag, Mom said I could take one extra thing—something that was just for me, something frivolous. I picked my teddy bear. Daddy had given him to me for my birthday, just a few weeks before he died.”
“And then you repeated the tradition when you left New York this time.” Jake’s words held an unexpected kindness.
“Yeah…I guess I did.” Was it a sense of déjà vu that had caused her to grab Rufus up from the warehouse that last morning at her job? Of course, she hadn’t known at the time it would be her last day. She focused her attention on the small curio. He wasn’t colorful or particularly awe-inspiring. She doubted her boss, Dirk, would have gotten more than twenty dollars for him, but she’d been prepared to pay up to a hundred. She was just waiting for the man to make an appearance so she could ask him about it.
Bailey never got the chance to discuss Rufus with Dirk because, just a couple of hours after she’d wrapped up the curio and set him in her purse, the police had arrived to announce that Dirk Townsend was dead. He’d been murdered in what, at the time, the police called a mugging gone wrong. Bailey shivered in response to the memory then forced it away, focusing on the present.
“I suppose if one is to have a spirit guide, a dragon would certainly be a good one,” Jake said.
Bailey grinned. Gregory, her now tattered teddy bear, had been packed in her suitcase, as she’d considered him a necessity. Rufus she grabbed when she did her final walk-through of the house before getting into the car and driving off. Now, she was glad she’d brought him. She nodded. “Even the most unattractive and unassuming dragon is still a dragon,” she agreed.
Jake looked at her as he held the door open, waiting for her to join him. “So, what happened after the shelter? Did anyone reach out to your mother, to help her find justice?”
“As it turned out, Dad’s best friend was a lawyer, a quiet little mouse of a man, my mother told me, until my father’s mother tried to beggar us completely.” She met Jake’s gaze. “By the time that good man was done with the old bat, we had enough money to buy a nice house and to help take care of us for more than a few years. Mom went to work, and we did okay—even after she got sick and I went to work right out of high school to support us.”
“Sounds like your mother had a lot of grit.”
“She did.” Until the end. Brenda James had hated being a burden on her daughter, even if said daughter never considered her to be one at all.
“That’s a heritage to be proud of, Miss James.”
“Please, call me Bailey.”
“Bailey, then.”
They stepped outside, and Jake Kendall opened his hands in a sweeping gesture that took in their surroundings. “Welcome home, Bailey James.”
In that moment, and for the first time since she’d left everything familiar behind, Bailey felt as if she truly could make a new start.
Chapter Three
“It was one thing to listen to Grandma Kate and the others as they told the story of our ancestors,” Logan said. “It’s quite another to see it all laid out like this, a story told in black and white photographs and actual relics.”
They’d spent the day touring the town, meeting an endless number of cousins. They’d just finished a tour of the Lusty Texas Historical Society Museum. Everything they’d seen, heard, and discovered since coming to town had proven to be absolute truth, documented here for future generations.
He and his brother had stopped at a photo showing his grandfather with his parents and brothers. The tiny plaque beneath the photograph stated it was the last one taken of the entire family together before some of the brothers headed to war.
Of those five brothers, only Christopher and Emerson had stayed back; their service to the war effort was given through ranching and farming, two industries deemed crucial at the time.
“I don’t know about you, brother, but I could use some time to sit quietly and take stock.”
Logan looked at his older-by-minutes twin. “I agree. It’s
a lot to take in.”
He turned his attention to their tour guide, Anna Jessop, when she ran a comforting hand down his arm. “That’s not an uncommon feeling for someone taking in all this information for the first time. If you’re looking to have lunch, I can recommend the restaurant here in town.” Anna Jessop’s soft voice matched her appearance perfectly. Logan had liked the woman on sight and had wondered, for just a moment, what Mrs. Santa Claus was doing living in Lusty, Texas.
“There’s just one restaurant in town?” Chance asked.
“In town, yes.” Anna’s smile was as welcoming as the woman herself had been. She’d taken them through the museum and answered every question. “There’s a roadhouse—Angel’s Roadhouse—that’s open for lunch and supper daily, and it’s only a few minutes north of town, on the way to the state highway. But in town, Kelsey’s place is where everyone goes.” Anna nodded. “That would be your cousin, Kelsey Benedict, married to Matt and Stephen, oldest sons of Bernice, Caleb, and Jonathan.”
Logan felt Chance staring at him but didn’t dare, in that moment, meet his brother’s gaze. They’d met so many people and learned so many names over the last few days Logan swore he needed a spreadsheet to keep them all straight. What he didn’t need was to see the comical facial expression his twin was bound to make at him if he met his gaze.
“Thank you, Aunt Anna.” Logan had noticed that one Lusty custom was to address the men and women of his parents’ generation as aunt or uncle. He supposed that now being able to claim dozens upon dozens of cousins also had as much to do with custom, as with blood.
“Yes, thank you.” Chance leaned in and kissed the woman on her cheek.
Logan copied the gesture.
“Oh, you’re both very welcome. I was so pleased to meet you. I hope you’ll stay in town for a while longer.”
“We hope so, too,” Logan said.
Once out on the sidewalk, it was easy to spot the restaurant. They turned left and headed toward the red-and-white-striped awning with the supper-plate-shaped sign overhead. Emblazoned on the sign, in italics, were the words Lusty Appetites.
“Now that’s a catchy name for an eatery,” Chance said.
“It is, and spot-on at the moment. I’m starving.”
They’d had a good breakfast back at the Big House earlier, but it was already afternoon. Logan guessed the nickname for the home Kate and her sons and their wives lived in was appropriate. The only other house in town that was that large was called the New House—where the Kendall family traditionally lived. New, of course, was relative as it was built only a few years after the Big House.
Three days here and we haven’t come close to learning everything.
“While we eat, we have to talk,” Chance said. “I think we have a decision to make.”
“We do.” They’d originally figured a couple of days, max, would be more than enough time to spend here. They’d planned to see more of Texas—points west and north—before flying home.
Neither of them had realized how many family members there were to meet or how much there would be to learn.
They hadn’t taken any vacation time, really, since college. All things being equal, it shouldn’t be a difficult decision to extend their time away from home by a couple of weeks. Most of their clients sent them work via e-mails, sometimes backing those up with actual packages of material sent through the mail.
In the computer age, being in the same space with someone to get business done was simply not necessary. Documents could be faxed or e-mailed, and meetings could take place over Skype or other business-friendly, online computer platforms.
However, their primary client—the one that paid the bills for Benedict CPA—had a new assignment ready for them, and if they were going to extend their time in Lusty, then they needed to check in with their contact. Time was always of the essence with this particular client. They’d already read the notes and introduction to the assignment, something they always did before opening the spreadsheets. Since they both had their laptops, they could easily work on the assignment wherever they were—as long as they could establish a secure connection to the proper server.
But their client had to agree to that, first.
Chance reached for the door handle, opening the door to a whole lot of aromatherapy of the comfort-food kind.
Logan inhaled deeply, and his stomach growled.
“Boy howdy, by the sound of that jungle roar, y’all got here just in time!”
The waitress was cute as hell, with her hair gathered back in a high ponytail and her face bearing scant makeup, a face that could tug at his heartstrings. The wedding ring on her hand stopped Logan before he even thought up a good line. So he smiled at her instead. “Yes, ma’am. That was a close one. If I was still a teenager, I’d order one of everything I’m smelling.”
The waitress laughed. “My Benny is closing in on ten and already has the appetite of a college linebacker.” She held out her hand. “I’m Ginny Kendall. You must be the two New York Benedicts Grandma Kate was telling me about.” She shook each of their hands and then nodded and lowered her voice. “I don’t know if you understand how very happy you made her, coming here to visit. Family means the world to Grandma Kate, and she means the world to me—to all of us, really. So, thank you for visiting.”
“You’re welcome.” Chance looked at Logan then back at Ginny. “She means a lot to us, too.”
“I’m Logan, and this is my brother, Chance.”
“I’m so pleased to meet you. Now, if y’all just come right this way, there’s a table over here by the windows that will be perfect for you.”
“A table for six?”
Ginny laughed. “I reckon, at some point after you’ve finished your meal, folks will stop over to say hi. Or, you might be joined by kin even before your plates are delivered.”
After they sat facing each other, she handed them menus. “Have a look. The special today is pulled pork on a bun with your choice of fries or salad. If you’ll let me have your drink orders, I’ll get those right up for you.”
“I’ve developed a fondness for sweet tea,” Chance said. It had been the beverage served with their conference meals in Dallas, something Logan quickly learned was standard banquet fare.
“I’ll have a Coke, please.” Logan didn’t mind the tea, but he was definitely in the mood for the soda.
“Coming right up.”
The way Ginny would glance out the window every now and then made Logan think she was looking for someone. She didn’t let her pre-occupation prevent her from being efficient.
She served their drinks promptly—then looked up, out the window, and smiled. Logan knew the two men and one woman who entered the restaurant were the reason their friendly waitress had been keeping watch toward Main Street.
The newcomers came right over. The two men—one of them wearing a sheriff’s uniform—had their gazes locked on Ginny Kendall, but the woman appeared to be looking around, taking everything in.
“Seeing you, darlin’, is even better than the prospect of lunch,” one of the men said. He kissed her lips, a light brush that made Ginny blush, despite that it wasn’t an intimate kiss.
“It’s all of that,” the sheriff said. He, too, kissed Ginny. Then he turned his attention to Chance and Logan.
“These are the Benedicts visiting Grandma Kate. Chance and Logan, these are my husbands, Adam and Jake Kendall.” Then she smiled at the young woman who’d come in with the men. “You must be Bailey James.” She extended her arm and shook the woman’s hand. “I sure hope Jake got you settled into that new apartment.” Then her smile went huge. “Why don’t y’all sit together? Seems only fitting since the three of you new-comers are from New York. I’ve heard from others newly arrived that being surrounded by nothing but Texans can be a mite stressful.”
Logan shared a look with his brother. Then he got to his feet, greeted each of the men, and then gave a gentle smile to his fellow New Yorker.
“We’d be p
leased to have you all join us. Are you feeling a mite stressed, Miss James?”
Bailey looked from him to his brother and then around the restaurant. “I’m not sure if stressed is the right word.” Bailey grinned. “I might admit to a slight bit of culture shock.”
Bailey James wasn’t very tall. She barely reached his shoulder in height. Her mid-length brown hair shimmered with auburn highlights Logan felt certain were natural, the result of being out in the sunlight. Her eyes, light brown, twinkled with amusement. The shrug she gave seemed self-effacing. Her grin had suggested a younger age, but those curves were all woman and made his mouth water. Chance moved first and offered Bailey a seat, which she took gracefully.
Logan didn’t have to ask Chance if he’d felt that same little zing of awareness when his hand met Bailey’s. He knew damn well he had. He wondered, in a heartbeat, at the vagaries of fate.
What were the chances, really, that they would come here to Lusty, Texas, end up staying longer than planned, and meet the first woman they’d both instantly felt a visceral attraction to—something that hadn’t happened since college? Probably astronomical.
Then add in one more salient fact and Logan, quite honestly, didn’t know what to think.
The only thing he did know was he was now sitting at a table across from a woman whose name he’d already known, intellectually, because it had been contained in the background information of the latest file they’d received from their one major client—the NSA.
* * * *
“What made you decide to come to Texas, then, Miss James?”
Bailey had to admit that after those two heart-pounding, butterfly-jitter-inducing handshakes not that long ago this lunch hadn’t gone anything like she’d thought it would.
She met Chance Benedict’s blue-eyed gaze, reading only polite interest on his way-too-handsome face. She knew they were twins because they’d told her that much. Both men bore the look of the Benedicts, too. She’d met Laci’s husbands and some of their cousins, and she had to say all the Benedict men had a similar level of attractiveness. Perfectly smooth complexions, cheekbones that were not quite prominent, and noses that were the perfect size for their faces. Chance’s hair was cut fairly short and a color that some called dirty blond while Logan’s was a dark brown and a bit longer. His brown eyes seemed to be trained on her, and even though she only saw them peripherally, their gaze felt intense.
Love Under Two Accountants [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3
