by Pamela Tracy
Chapter Seven
Sutter's Lodge was made of darkened lumber and lots of windows with hunter green accents. A wraparound porch had benches and tables. Daniel hopped out of the driver's seat and hurried around to open the car door and help her out.
She looked more hesitant than surprised, as if accepting his hand might be a trick.
"I don't bite," he said.
"That's not what Brittney said."
He let go of her hand, then caught the expression dancing in her eyes. "You have a sense of humor."
"I do."
"Brittney and Mike will be here any minute. I suggest you not tell Mike what Brittney said about my ability to bite."
Amy laughed. "Really. She didn't say anything."
Saturday nights were eating-out nights, and the restaurant was full. Amy took a seat in a rocking chair on the porch overlooking a tree-filled view, and Daniel hurried in to give the hostess their name and reserve a table for four.
It felt like a date.
He'd double-dated plenty, usually with Dusty. In Pecan, Brittney had always been along too. Only back then, she belonged to him.
Daniel wasn't so sure Amy would want to belong to anyone. Too bad. He was still surprised she'd agreed to come along.
"I didn't even know this was here," Amy said when he rejoined her.
"It's only a few years old. Used to be a pecan farm."
"Like your place used to be. Shirley said it got to be too much for Hank and that none of you boys wanted to take over."
"That's partially true. But there were other reasons." He looked out over the trees. "Apparently my dad hadn't wanted to take it over either."
"Shirley never spoke much about him."
"No, it hurt her too much. Grandpa did all the telling. He'd showed my brothers and me Dad's favorite places and even told about some of the times he'd gotten in trouble. Apparently dear old Dad, at about age ten, liked to disappear into the grove and not come when called."
"That probably scared Shirley to death."
Daniel laughed.
"That might be why my brothers and I didn't do the same."
"Your dad didn't want to own the ranch?"
"No, he wanted to live in the big city. Grandpa said Dad liked being able to choose between a dozen restaurants in a three block area. He wanted a grocery store next door. And, he played golf."
"Pecan has a golf course."
"Yes. But the Pecan golf course is a postage stamp compared to the one my dad preferred."
She laughed, and he thought there was no better sound in the world. He especially liked knowing he'd caused it.
"So," she said, "you and your brothers are like your dad. None of you really want to live in a small town."
It was a sobering thought. Dusty always referred to Pecan as home while Daniel couldn't decide. He'd thought about the places he'd been—Lubbock, San Antonio, Houston, Abilene—but had never made up his mind if they were the right place to settle. Before he had to answer, Mike drove up, let Brittney out by the front, and left to find a parking place.
"I had the best time at the shower." Brittney was all smiles as she slowly walked up the steps.
About the time Mike joined them, the hostess called their name, and they were seated by a large window that looked out over a green meadow.
"Beautiful," Daniel said.
Amy looked at the view, and Daniel was pretty sure she didn't catch that he was referring to her.
#
Through the glass, Amy watched a white-head hawk, with both dark and reddish wings, as it dove straight down before gracefully curving its way back to the clouds where another hawk circled. Then, the two of them glided toward a telephone pole, perched on the wire, and then seemed to cuddle.
A couple? Maybe.
Beautiful? Definitely.
Daniel and Mike began talking golf. Both played but weren't addicted. Amy'd once worked at a golf course. She'd won a free lesson as employee of the month, but after she broke all the wooden tees, the lesson ended, and she'd never played again.
For the next hour, Amy listened to Brittney discuss her college years and the excitement of the new baby. Mike talked work, baby, and football. Daniel impressed her the most. He told stories about his and his brother's years on the circuit. She'd not realized just how good he was. All that he'd given up to take care of his grandma.
Mike knew and mentioned the sacrifice.
"Family comes first," Daniel said. "But there's still a chance I can recover my rankings. My brother and I have been looking at upcoming dates. I'm determined."
"Good," Brittney and her husband said at exactly the same time.
Amy didn't say anything. Shirley'd been at the shower, in a wheelchair, and her hands had trembled. She wasn't well enough to be alone, not for more than a few hours anyway.
"I'm surprised Dusty hasn't been back for a visit." Brittney said.
"He's coming next week."
Amy started. Shirley hadn't mentioned an upcoming visit. Maybe she didn't know. Before she could question, Daniel turned to her. "It's a surprise, and Dusty's half afraid something will happen to change things, so don't say anything."
From there, as if he worried that she'd ask for more information, Daniel quickly switched to giving financial advice that new parents needed to know.
Up until he'd shared Dusty's potential visit, sitting in a restaurant that had giant glass windows that looked over rolling greens and huge trees, he'd seemed content. However, something had changed the moment he'd discussed his rodeo life. Contentment disappeared, and a vague restlessness took its place. Brittney and Mike didn't seem to notice.
But they'd be leaving soon, going back to Abilene, away from the day-to-day events that made Pecan, Texas, tick.
Taking a breath, Amy pushed aside her concerns, unsure why she felt slighted—no, forlorn—by Daniel's thoughts of leaving.
He was Shirley's grandson.
Amy's almost friend. No other designation was possible at this point.
The waitress brought dessert. One huge chocolate creation with four forks. Brittney took one bite and then whispered to Amy, "Your baking is much better than this."
"Thanks," she said. "I'm thinking about starting a bakery. The shop next to mine is empty."
Someone who knew Daniel and Brittney stopped by the table to say hi. Mike looked on, not bothered at all by his wife's shared history with Daniel.
Amy realized two things. One, if she moved forward with her dream of starting a bakery, then she was thinking of Pecan as a permanent home. She was putting down roots, not going to sneak out any back door, aiming for success.
Good.
She wasn't struggling any more. The years of not knowing if she had rent, or money to put gas in her car or buy groceries, had stayed with her. If she were actually considering starting a bakery, then she was learning to think of tomorrow instead of just surviving for the day.
The second thing she realized was that for a moment, this dinner with Daniel, tonight, felt very much like a real date. The kind that happened on the Hallmark channel or in a good romance book.
Not the kind that usually happened to a girl like her.
#
Daniel's cell phone pinged as he opened the door for Brittney and Amy to exit the restaurant. A breeze came from the west, blowing Amy's hair. Mike put a protective hand under Brittney's elbow and helped her down the steps.
Swiping the on button, Daniel checked the number, local, and said hello.
"Your grandmother just fell asleep in the easy chair," Burt said. "A little while ago she said she had a headache, a bad one. She's whiter than I've seen her. I felt her forehead, and she's warm. When do you think you'll be home?"
"We're leaving Sutter's Lodge now. I'll be there as soon as I drop Amy home."
"Everything all right?" Amy asked, after he disconnected the call.
"Gramma's not feeling good."
"Let's get moving."
Daniel almost didn't make it
to the car in time to open the passenger door. Amy was in that much of a hurry.
"I'm so glad Burt was with her," Amy said when they were both in the car. "If she were alone..."
Daniel got the message. Shirley should not be left alone, not like she'd been all those weeks ago when she'd fallen down the stairs.
"You got her up all by yourself?" Daniel remembered as he started the car.
"Yes, and I thought she'd have a coronary when I suggested we call an ambulance. She insisted she could make it to the car. It took us almost thirty minutes to get from the bottom of the steps to my car."
As he pulled out of the parking lot, Daniel started to say, "You should have called an ambulance," but before he got more than two words out, his cell sounded again.
Brittney and Mike passed them, horn honking, hands waving.
He slowed, pulled off to the side, and answered his cell, almost afraid of what he would hear.
"Is this Daniel Starr?" came a voice he didn't recognize.
"Yes."
"I'm Hershal Whitaker. I'm here in Jackson. You and I competed last—"
"Something happen to Dusty?" Saginaw. The Jackson Hole rodeo. Today's date.
"The ambulance is taking him to the hospital now. He's pretty tore up. The bull..."
Daniel heard the words Black Vortex, knee, and collar. "Do you know what hospital?"
"I'll text it as soon as I find out. Just wanted you to know. It…it looks bad."
"Thanks for letting me know."
He ended the call.
"Is Dusty okay?" Amy asked.
He knew he needed to put his foot on the gas, move, get Amy home, get to Gramma, call the hospital in Wyoming. For a moment, he didn't know what to do first.
"Is Dusty okay?" Amy repeated.
"He's been hurt. I'm not sure how bad."
"Are you going to go?"
"I need to…" He hesitated for just a second, then his foot hit the gas pedal and he finished his sentence. "I need to take care of my family."
A short while later, he dropped her at her shop, watched as she let herself in, and drove toward the Pecan Ranch.
He had the feeling he was forgetting something. He just didn't have time to figure out what.
#
Sunday morning, Gramma's doctor called to check on his patient. The night before, he'd listened to Daniel's concerns and said to give Gramma plenty of water, make sure she got plenty of rest, call him if anything changed, and come in first thing Monday. Daniel had done all that. The minute the phone call ended, Burt called promising to put Shirley on the prayer list at church and offering to stop by after services.
After checking on a sleeping Gramma, who was guarded by both Peppermint and Butterscotch, Daniel called the St. Johns hospital in Jackson to check on Dusty. His twin answered the phone but was groggy and only up to a few mumbles, which didn't make Daniel feel any better. He hated not knowing.
Daniel tried Luke's latest number. The woman who answered didn't know Luke and had only had the number for two days.
So, Daniel waited. All Sunday morning, he paced the house. Gramma mostly slept, saying she had a slight headache and refusing to go to the hospital in Texarkana.
Amy came over just before noon, complete with noodle soup and homemade cookies. "Sleep's the best remedy."
"I don't remember a time Gramma sat still," Daniel said, snagging a cookie before Amy could make it to the kitchen. "She was always doing something, either dishes or reading the paper or quilting or feeding her chickens."
"Sounds like a lot of good memories."
Daniel watched as Amy arranged a meal on a tray to take to Gramma. He'd tried to offer breakfast, but Gramma'd just shaken her head and turned over, falling back to sleep. Following Amy into the room, he watched as she gently started talking even before Gramma woke. The dog jumped to the floor, butted Amy with its head, and then exited. Peppermint, however, stayed right where she was, watching Amy's every move.
In the end, Gramma ate one-fourth of the bowl of soup, no crackers, and drank some water.
"The water is probably more important," Amy said. "She's not flushed."
Then, Amy helped Gramma to the bathroom and tucked her back into bed, making it look easy. When Daniel had helped, he'd been so afraid of hurting the woman who'd raised him, whom he loved, that he'd tripped over his own feet.
"You're taking her to the doctor tomorrow, right?"
"Whether she likes it or not."
Once Gramma was back to sleep and Butterscotch had returned to her side, Amy set the table in the kitchen for them. "You need to eat, too."
"Every time you're around, I seem to be eating. Last night, at the shower, at your shop." He patted his stomach, still rock hard from all the years of rodeoing and had a momentary thought of what this trip back home was doing to him. He'd never been so inactive.
He sat and picked up a spoon, bowing his head and waiting for her to do the same. Last night, she'd bowed her head after a moment's hesitation, and Mike's prayer had been brief and mostly about the upcoming baby. Daniel knew he should have been paying attention to the words, but instead, he'd been looking at Amy. She'd been nodding.
After a moment, she bowed her head, too.
He'd had a lot of noodle soup since arriving back in Pecan, but none as good as this. His grandma liked soup, and he knew how to warm it up. From a can. A man could get spoiled being around Amy Benjamin for too long.
"Thanks for coming over."
"I worried all night."
Gramma'd said she was a worrier.
"The doctor didn't seem too concerned. Otherwise, I'd have insisted on taking her to Texarkana."
"I went there a lot with my aunt. It's a nice place, but I like here better."
"So, you like Pecan, Texas?"
"More every day."
He couldn't help but grin. Maybe, just maybe, she liked it more every day because of him. A little premature, he knew, but he'd never suffered from a lack of self-esteem.
"My grandma said that the day you showed up was the happiest day in your aunt's life." He finished the last of his soup then started gathering up their dishes.
She scrunched her face a bit, clearly thinking. "I think the second day was better. The first we were both wary of each other. Was it true that we were related? Would we get along? Looking back, there I stood with a suitcase, a stranger, asking her to take me in."
"You're very brave."
She shook her head, standing to help him clear the table. "More like very desperate. I needed grounding. Seeing that show featuring Abigail was—"
"A God-send?"
"No, just what I needed. It took me about two days to figure out she was really my aunt, and then I scraped together all the money I could and bought a bus ticket. Even then, I didn't have enough."
"For the bus ticket?"
"Not to make it all the way here. I basically got off the bus two towns away and hitch-hiked here." She turned on the faucet and started filling the kitchen sink.
Daniel frowned. He didn't like the idea of her catching a ride with a stranger. He also was surprised by how possessive he felt.
"It was easy enough to find her shop. You know downtown."
He did. Brick two-story businesses lined each side of the streets with parking and a street separating them. When he'd left for college, most had been empty. Craft Away the Day hadn't existed. His sophomore year, the town got a boon. His family wasn't the only one with pecan trees. The Templers were famous for theirs. They had a store on property. At Christmas time, they did a whole Santa's workshop. For Thanksgiving, they had a maze. At Halloween, they had a haunted house. Big time. Daniel remembered how the town had laughed when the Templers went before the zoning board and proposed their ideas.
It had been approved—the town was desperate for tourists—and the Templers put Pecan, Texas, on the map. During the fall and winter holidays, hundreds of tourists came to town. During the summer months, enough came to sustain the small community.
Main Street started to thrive again. Last time he'd dropped Shirley off at Craft Away the Day, he'd noted that there were only a few empty storefronts. One next to Amy.
The power of one family.
Well, Amy was sitting next to him talking about the importance of family.
"I know downtown," he said.
Easily, as if she'd done this before, she started washing their bowls, glasses, and silverware. "I walked in Craft Away the Day and pretended I wanted to learn to crochet. It was Carol who welcomed me first. She looked at me funny, too. Abigail was busy with a customer. I don't even remember who it was. Maybe somebody from out of town. Carol asked me if I visiting somebody. She gave me the opening I was looking for."
He picked up a towel and started drying dishes. "What do you mean?"
"I answered her that I was hoping to visit somebody."
Daniel waited, holding a wet bowl. He could see that she was reliving that long ago day. He couldn't tell if it was a good memory or not.
"She asked, 'Who you hoping to visit?' I turned to Abigail and told her my mom was Jasmine Benjamin and did that name mean anything to her."
"What did she do?" He started drying again.
"She sat on the stool that's still behind the corner and said, 'Who are you?'"
"I'm her daughter. That's when Carol said, in that nasally voice of hers, 'I thought you looked familiar.' Abigail asked them to leave, locked up the store, and escorted me to the Pecan Pie Diner. I showed her a few pictures of my mother. I only have a few. And she started crying."
"Was Abigail older or younger than your mom?"
"Older."
"Had she tried to find your mom?"
"Early on, she did find her, before I was born. Turns out Abigail's always been good with money. I guess my mother borrowed a lot from her, then disappeared."
"You still thinking about trying to find your mother?"
She slowly shook her head. "I'm too afraid it will change things. I finally have a life. I finally have friends and fit in. What if she shows up and ruins all that?"
"I think you'll find," Daniel said, "that the kind of friends and the life you have here are bigger than what one person can destroy."
