“How’s your dad? Is everything okay?” She set a steaming mug in front of the younger woman.
“He’s good. Ornery as ever. He’s not a particularly good patient—keeps wanting to get out of bed and get things for himself.”
“You look worn out.”
“I’m fine. I didn’t sleep very well the whole week in that motel. Then Sophie kept me awake late last night, catching me up on all of the events of her week. She desperately needed some mother-daughter time. I did, too, for that matter. We’re not used to being apart—ever. Thanks again for watching out for her. She loved her time with you. I hope she wasn’t any trouble.” Melanie emptied her coffee and held it out for Violet to refill.
“She was no problem at all. She even helped out with the dinner rush. I loved having her.”
As much as Violet enjoyed talking with Melanie about Sophie, what she really wanted were details on Howard. She hoped her change of subject wasn’t too abrupt. “So what did Howard’s doctor say? Is he going to be fine?”
“He’s doing great. The doctor’s biggest concern is that he won’t give himself time to fully recover before going back to work. He wants him to rest and take it easy for at least a couple of weeks. At his age, it a relapse could occur if he does too much, too soon. We brought home a nebulizer and he does breathing treatments three times a day. He’s on antibiotics and steroids for ten days. He’s staying at our cabin, at least for now, using the third bedroom. I want to closely monitor his progress and help him out. It’s not what he prefers, though.”
“He’s giving you a hard time?”
“He’s just so darned self-sufficient. He hates that he needs to ask for anything. Has there ever been a woman in his life that you know of? He doesn’t talk about his personal life.”
Violet felt her checks getting warm and turned to grab the coffee pot, so Melanie wouldn’t notice. “Nope, at least not as far as I know. He’s always been a loner. Some even refer to him as a hermit.”
“Well, I’m going to try my best to make sure he gets back to normal, before I back off. He’s got a daughter and grand-daughter now. We both want to spoil him. I just don’t want to crowd him too much. To that end, I stopped by for some yummy homemade soup to take back.”
“You came to the right place. I made a big pot of chicken noodle this morning. I’ll grab a container and dip some up for you.”
Violet entered the kitchen and grabbed a ladle, wondering if she subconsciously chose chicken noodle today just for Howard. She wanted to take care of him—be the one to nurse him back to health. Maybe in some small way her soup would do just that.
“Here you go. There’s enough for Howard and some left over for you and Sophie . Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
“What do I owe you?” Melanie pulled a twenty out of her jean pocket.
“Nothing, it’s on the house.”
“Violet, you don’t have to do that. You’ve done so much for us already.”
“I know, but I want to. My contribution to the Howard get well fund. Don’t be a stranger.”
Oh, don’t worry. I’ll probably come back for more take-out soon. I want to spend some time this week across the street, too. It seems like forever since I’ve done any work at the bookstore. I’m getting so anxious to get it opened. Feel free to stop by the cabin and see Howard any time.”
“I’m pretty busy here at the café, but tell him that I’m thinking about him.” Thinking about holding him and kissing him in a not so platonic kind of way. “Have a nice day.”
***
Howard fell back into the soft mound of pillows piled in front of the rustic pine headboard, already bored out of his mind. Lying in that sterile hospital for a week was bad enough, but now to lie around at home, too. It was more than he wanted to endure. He wanted to get back to the garage. Back to the café. He missed Violet more than he wanted to admit. He kept waiting for her to show back up at the hospital, but it hadn’t happened. Logically, he knew she was busy with the café, and she had watched out for Sophie…. Still, he needed to know she cared. Maybe his illness frightened her away. After having gone through the pain of losing Stan, the last thing she probably wanted was a sick old man in her life. She hadn’t seemed too happy at the hospital. He must have looked a fright. He definitely didn’t want to be a burden for her, or to anyone else for that manner. He needed to get well and get well as quickly as possible, so he could take care of himself. Violet needed a strong, dependable man in her life and, by golly, he vowed to be that man.
He looked up as his lovely granddaughter entered the room. “Can I get you anything Grandpa?”
“Some more juice would be great.” Howard handed her his glass with a smile. Afterall, vitamin C was a cure for everything wasn’t it? He’d drink a gallon of it every day if it would help him get out of this dang bed.
Sophie returned with the drink and sat down in the chair beside the bed. How he loved his newly-discovered grandchild. How did he survive all these years without her? “So tell me what’s going on at Peakview High this week?” Maybe listening to some tales of teenage angst would take his mind off of his confinement.
***
Violet thought about jumping in her car and driving out to the cabin to see Howard after work each day. In fact, it became pretty much all she thought about. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why she held back. She didn’t want to become a pushy female. She’d been raised to believe that the man did the pursuing in a relationship. She already violated that belief on the night she surprised him with the picnic. That seemed like years ago now. And while she that night turned out well—amazing actually, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it again. After all, the cabin had a phone and so did the café. If he wanted to talk to her, all he needed to do was call. But he hadn’t. Maybe he’d a change of heart. Maybe Melanie and Sophie’s attention was enough for him. Nope, no matter how much it hurt, she wouldn’t chase him again. The next move was his.
Friday afternoon, Sophie and Allie ran into the café. “Violet, we need a favor.”
“Anything for my two of my favorite girls. What do you need?”
“Well…” Sophie gave her a hug. “I’m worried about Mom and Grandpa not being able to spend much time working on our house the last couple of weeks. I feel like it’s my fault, if grandpa hadn’t walked in the icy water to rescue me, none if this would have happened. And now that the snow’s melted, we can see how horrible the yard looks. Nothing but overgrown weeds, old junk, and the fence is falling down. We’re organizing a work day. At least fifteen of our friends committed to showing up at 9:00 tomorrow morning to clean it up.”
“Ten of them are ranch boys with lots of muscles,” Allie added giggling.
“We wondered if you’re willing to donate some sweet rolls for breakfast and maybe some sandwiches for lunch?”
Before Violet answered, Jim Peyton and Hank walked in the door.
“What are you girls up to? Violet, we need two quick coffees before I grab my daughter and head back to the ranch.
Violet poured the coffee. “These two young ladies were just telling me about their plan to try and clean up the yard across the street tomorrow. I think it’s an excellent idea.”
Hank frowned as he looked out the window. “You know, that front porch is about to fall right off the house. Melanie definitely shouldn’t open a business if she’s worried that her customers may fall right through those rotten boards. Maybe—if it’s okay with the boss—we could grab a few of the local men and build them a new porch tomorrow, too.”
“That’s a great idea. Not much going on at the ranch until we open for business next week. I bet we can round up Jeff and Luke and a few others.” Jim added. “What do you think Violet?”
“I’m in. Count on me to provide food and drinks. Let’s make this happen for Melanie and for Howard.”
Saturday morning, Violet hummed as she got ready to open the restaurant. For the first time in a couple weeks, her heart was hap
py. She had a purpose today, and though it wasn’t directly to benefit Howard, since Melanie was his daughter, it felt like she was helping him, too. She made sure she got a large stack of to-go cups ready and brewed an extra pot of coffee. She pulled a large sheet of cinnamon sweet rolls out of the oven and set them on the counter to cool. Opening her doors at six, Jim and Hank had already parked across the street and appeared to be sizing up the job. The weather even cooperated. The sky, crystal clear and bright blue. Although a light cover of frost remained on the ground, it would burn off in the sunlight. If clouds didn’t roll over, the day would warm up rapidly. Violet waved, and the two men made their way across to the café.
“Mornin’. What smells so amazing in here?” Jim removed his Stetson.
“Fresh batch of sweet rolls. Would you like one?”
“You bet. And a couple cups of coffee to go. The plan is to get that old porch knocked down, before the rest of the crew gets here. Then we’ll concentrate on building a nice new one.”
Violet stayed extra busy for the next couple of hours with volunteers coming in to grab drinks and sweet rolls before putting their muscles to work. As Sophie had predicted, at 9:00 sharp, the noise level increased dramatically as her classmates showed up to begin the yard work. A town coming together to help one of their own—Violet loved this place. As soon as breakfast slowed down in the café, she retreated to the kitchen to make some huge plates of sandwiches. Once that task was completed, she wiped her hands on her apron and wandered outside to observe the action. The progress made in a few short hours looked truly impressive. Most of the trash and weeds were gone from the front yard, and the rickety fence was nailed back up and strengthened with new boards, with three or four kids busy painting a new coat of redwood stain. Others trimmed the tangled trees and bushes. The former porch was reduced to a pile of weathered boards in the back one of Peaktop’s large ranch trucks. A new porch frame was taking shape, and the planks for the flooring were being unloaded. It appeared that the entire county showed up to help.
Sophie spotted her and ran over, all smiles. “How’s it look, Violet? Do you think Mom will be surprised?”
“Very impressive. And yes, your mom’s going to love it.”
“See that tall, blond boy in the red shirt over there painting the fence? That’s Blake. He asked me to prom.”
Violet hugged the young girl. “I’m so happy for you. He’s very handsome. And it looks like he’s a hard worker, too.”
“He’s the best!” Sophie hurried away, one of the kids beckoning for her.
Shortly before noon, Violet carried the first platter of sandwiches across the street and set it on the edge of the newly constructed porch. “Lunch is ready.” She announced before she headed back to grab the rest of the food. No one remained in the café. The entire town helping with the project. She didn’t mind. Taping a small “back soon” sign to her door, she joined in the fun. She didn’t need a man in her life to feel fulfilled. This town—these neighbors—they were enough. She vowed to stop being a silly fool, wasting her time with romantic fantasies. Her life couldn’t feel more complete, with or without a certain exasperating mechanic.
***
“Hi Sophie.” Melanie said grabbing her phone with one hand, while holding a pot of chili with the other. She glanced down at her watch: five o’clock already. “I haven’t seen you all day. What have you been up to?”
“Can you drive into town and pick me up? Allie left with her dad to go back up to the ranch.”
“Sure. No problem. Just let me turn down the stove and let your grandpa know I’m leaving. I’ll be right there. Where are you?”
“At the bookstore. I’m sitting on the porch enjoying the beautiful afternoon sunshine.”
“Well, don’t fall through, it’s pretty rickety. See you shortly.”
Melanie grabbed her keys and waved to her dad as she headed out the door. While moving to Peakview was arguably a rash decision, it turned out well for Sophie. Her daughter had made some great friends and was adjusting to small town mountain life. Such a sense of peace and safety surrounded them here. No big town issues to worry about. She stopped panicking every time Sophie was out of her sight. She didn’t miss Ohio one bit. She headed toward town singing along to a country station. Life is good. And it was about to get even better when she got the bookstore open and her dad was back on his feet.
She rounded the last bend smiling as the small town came into sight. What was going on? There was a large crowd standing in front of her soon-to-open store. Was Sophie okay? Did something happen to her in the ten minutes since she called?
She parked, jumped out, and stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn’t believe her eyes. “What? How?”
There in front of her stood future bookstore and home—the exterior totally transformed from what it looked like yesterday. Tears ran down her cheeks as she walked toward the throng of people assembled on her porch. A brand new porch—complete with a sturdy railing and a freshly-stained, redwood floor. Large flower pots sat on each side of the massive steps, with colorful pansies spilling over the edges. No more trash or weeds. Instead, green sod covered the once barren ground, and an inviting white picket fence now enclosed the back and side yards.
Sophie jumped down and ran to hug her. “Do you like my surprise, Mom?”
Taking her daughter into her arms, she wiped back her tears. “I love it! How did you do all of this in one day?”
“A lot of help.” Sophie said, circling her arm to include all of the volunteers.
“I don’t know how to thank all of you. With Dad laid up, I wasn’t getting enough done on this place to open next month. But now…it’s absolutely gorgeous!”
Violet walked up behind her, putting her arm around her shoulder. “That’s quite the kid you got there. She organized this whole thing.”
Sophie grabbed her mom’s arm and pulled her around the entire outside of the house, pointing out all of the improvements one by one. Violet walked along with them. It seemed like everyone Melanie knew in Peakview had come to help, and even some people who didn’t look familiar. She loved being a part of this community. Any lingering doubts about moving here vanished in the Spring breeze.
“I bet your grandpa will be so proud of you, Sophie!”
“Speaking of Howard,” Violet interjected. “How’s he doing?”
“Great and getting feistier every day. I doubt I’ll manage to keep him home much longer.” You need to come out and visit us.”
“I’ll think about it,” Violet said, excusing herself to head back to the café.
They rounded the side of the property, and Melanie saw Jim and Hank from Peaktop loading various tools into the back of the ranch vehicle. She walked over to them.
“Thank you so much for helping out today. If there’s anything I can ever do for either of you…”
Hank tipped the front of his Stetson. “Our pleasure ma’am. Just being neighborly. It’s what mountain folk do for their friends.”
“I guess I’m not used to being a part of this community, yet,” She stuttered. She didn’t know what it was about this cowboy, but he made her nervous. He wasn’t her usual type at all. Leathery skin—no doubt from years of working in the sun—and small wrinkles forming around his eyes. Piercing, dark brown eyes. His hat and boots were well-worn, and she’d never seen him in anything other than a flannel shirt and Wranglers. Still, as she watched him load the truck, she couldn’t help but notice how his well-toned muscles rippled under his shirt. He possessed a welcoming smile and a calming demeanor. She bet he was great with horses, and maybe ladies too. Although finding a man was not on her agenda, she wouldn’t mind getting to know this one better.
CHAPTER TWENTY
A few days after the massive cleanup, Violet climbed out of bed in the dark as was usual this time of year. She stretched and headed toward her warm shower, only to stop in mid-step. Was that coffee she smelled? She must be imagining things. She was sure she’d turned off everything in
the kitchen before heading upstairs last night. At her age, she always checked and double-checked. Didn’t want an old lady burning down her own café. It must be wishful thinking. She stood under the hot jets of water, reminiscing about how nice it was when Howard beat her to the coffeepot each morning. She’d taken him for granted—never really appreciated what his presence meant to her. If she got the chance, she promised herself that she would show her appreciation for everything he did for her in the future.
Violet hurried, not fully drying her hair. If she did leave something on by mistake, she wanted to get down there sooner rather than later. Opening a can of food for Lucky, she only paused briefly to scratch him on the head before hurrying down the staircase. She opened the door into the kitchen, and there it was, even stronger now. The distinctive aroma of coffee—but not stale, burnt coffee, instead, the sweet fragrance of a fresh pot. The muscles in her checks stretched from the enormous smile that she couldn’t repress, pushing through the swinging door into the café. There was Howard sitting at the end of the counter sipping from a steaming mug.
“Mornin’, Violet.” He glanced up as though it was natural that he’d be there. He looked a little thinner, but that same wonderful twinkle sparkled in his eyes.
“You’re back!”
“Back? I didn’t go anywhere. Just a few days off to mend. Pour yourself some coffee and join me.”
Violet’s hands shook as she poured herself a mug. How she’d missed this man! She tried to look causal walking around the counter and sitting down on the stool next to him.
“How’re you feeling?”
“Fit as a fiddle. I’d have been back to work days ago if it wasn’t for my daughter and granddaughter worrying over me. I’m not much for just sittin’ around. How’s business?”
“Same as usual. Going to start picking up soon with tourists. Everyone’s missed you.”
Breakfast for Two (Peakview series Book 2) Page 12
