Finally, a rusted-out old pickup turned off the road and Tessa could see Branch sitting in the passenger’s seat. Only then did she let herself believe that they were really going to get out of this mess alive.
“Mighty fine-lookin’ car,” Oscar said from the sidelines while Branch put the spare tire on the car and then loaded their things back in the trunk. “It’s a good thing to keep cars and stuff around until it wears completely out. Folks these days think newer is better but that ain’t always the case.”
“Thank you,” Frankie said. “My husband bought me this car and it was my first brand-new vehicle. I decided that day I was going to keep it the rest of my life.”
“You done good,” Oscar said. “Now, y’all have a safe trip.”
“Thank you for the use of your barn.” Frankie extended her hand toward him. “And for the help.”
Oscar wiped his hand on his overalls before he shook with her. “You are welcome. The Good Book says for us to help strangers and pilgrims.”
Frankie smiled sweet at him. “Yes, sir, it does. And if a stranger leaves a little something behind on the table in the tack room, then it’s not payment but a gift.”
“I reckon it would be.” Oscar nodded. “And I do like doughnuts.”
“I thought you might,” Frankie said. “You have a nice Sunday now, Oscar.”
They were on the highway headed north toward Perryton when Ivy poked Frankie on the arm. “You reckon he’ll be happy with that Benjamin Franklin you left him?”
“It was worth that and more to get Mollybedamned out of the hail,” Frankie said. “Look, there’s a sign that says there is a hotel seven miles up the road.”
“Still no reception.” Melody sighed. “And it’s Sunday morning and Jill isn’t in school and we could be talking or texting.”
Ten minutes later Branch pulled into the crowded parking lot of the hotel and Tessa almost cried. There was no way that there would be rooms at this time of the morning, not when every parking space except three at the back was already filled.
“What do we do if there are no rooms?” Ivy asked.
“We sit in the lobby and wait until there are rooms, because that hissing noise you hear is the spare going flat again,” Branch answered.
“We barely made it but here we are and I’m going to wish real hard for three rooms in that place. I don’t care how much they cost or what floor they are on,” Frankie said.
Lola was out of the car first. “It’s only ten and they usually don’t stop serving breakfast until ten thirty, so we can eat while we wait.”
The clerk had four rooms left in the hotel, all on the third floor and all high-end suites with Jacuzzi tubs and double queen beds. “You do realize that since you are checking in this early you will have to pay for two nights,” he said.
“Yes, I do,” Frankie said. “You get the keys, Branch, and meet us in the dining room. We’re all going to have some breakfast before we take our things upstairs. And find out what kind of restaurants we’ve got available in this town for later on today.”
“Do we need a password for the free Wi-Fi?” Tessa hung back with Branch.
“Your Wi-Fi ID will be Laveau, since all the rooms are listed under that name. And the password is your room number. Enjoy your stay and please call if you need anything. Here’s a sheet with all the places to eat in Perryton.” He peeled off a piece of paper from a thick pad and handed it to her. “The fitness room and the pool are now open and will close at ten tonight. We do have vending machines and ice machines on each floor and a small assortment of things in the little hotel store available through the door right around the corner. I can charge whatever you get to your room or you can pay for it at the time of purchase.”
“Thank you.” Tessa turned to Branch. “You ready for coffee and breakfast?”
“Yes, I am,” he said.
She took one step, tripped over an ottoman, and fell against Branch’s side. His arms went around her and held her tightly.
His lips grazed her forehead. “Guess that kiss on your knuckles is wearing off. Here, this will hold you until we can take care of it proper.”
She pushed away from him. “You rat! I smell coffee on your breath!”
Branch chuckled. “Couldn’t refuse a cup from Oscar’s wife when he took me inside their home to introduce me, could I?”
“And that’s why you were fifteen minutes later than you’d said you’d be. I was worried about you. What ifs kept playing through my mind and I thought that old man might kill you and come back to take us all out to get Mollybedamned.”
“Frankie has guns and she would have protected you.” He chuckled. “But thank you for caring about me, Miz Tess. Now let’s talk about when you need another kiss to keep you from stumbling around like a drunk. I think I can work you in for an appointment this evening after supper. Maybe we can go skinny-dippin’ in my Jacuzzi pool?”
She started toward the smell of hot breakfast food. “In your dreams, cowboy. Right now I’m going to eat and take a long shower, wash my hair and talk to my mother, who is going to have a hissy because I didn’t call her last night.”
“Do I need to tell her that we slept together but we didn’t have sex? That I held your hand all night so you wouldn’t have nightmares? I could tell her that I’m in the process of curing your clumsiness, too,” Branch said.
She stopped and flipped around so fast that it surprised her that she didn’t tumble through the archway into the dining room. Damn! She might be a believer in his kisses, after all.
“I’m not telling my mother that we slept together or that we didn’t have sex or that your kisses are . . .” She paused.
His green eyes sparkled. “That my kisses are what? Wonderful? Amazing? Breathtaking?” he asked in a lazy drawl. “You are going to smile. I can see it in your beautiful blue eyes.”
“Hey, you two, stop arguing and come get some breakfast,” Ivy called out from a few feet away.
Tessa turned her head slightly. “He had coffee with Oscar.”
“Tattletale,” he said.
“And you didn’t bring me a drop? You rat,” Lola said.
“See?” Tessa faced him again.
Branch slung an arm around Tessa’s shoulders and started walking. “I really wanted to bring all of you coffee, but I didn’t want to be rude and ask.”
“You are forgiven. Now pass out the room keys and go get food before they quit serving,” Frankie said. “Did you get a list of restaurants?”
“Here it is in alphabetical order. Looks like you’ve got your choice of about three dozen places if you count the burger joints,” Tessa said.
“I count them all,” Frankie said. “Look, Ivy, we’ve hit the mother lode. Two steak houses and a couple of rib joints and a Mexican food joint, too. We’ve got a broad choice for dinner and supper.”
Tessa left them with the list and went to the buffet table, loaded her plate with omelets, bacon, sausage gravy over biscuits, and a bowl of fresh fruit while Branch came right behind her doing the same thing.
“Looks like you might be hungry,” Branch said.
“I like food and I am starving. I was too nervous to eat this morning,” she said.
“I like it that you worried about me. It means you care.”
“How do you know that? It might mean that I don’t know how to change a flat tire.”
“Those blue eyes can’t tell a lie worth a damn. You care, Tessa! Your eyes say that you do.”
Frankie had said something about the eyes when she told her the story of Lester coming home from the war. Was it true that when a person truly cared about another one that it showed in their eyes?
Branch stopped in the middle of the floor. “Admit it, darlin’.”
“Of course I care about you. I care about stray kittens, so that doesn’t mean anything.” She smiled sweetly.
“Well, I care a lot about you, Miz Tess. Even more than stray kittens or puppy dogs that get thrown out on the road,” he
said, seductively soft.
“Then tell me who set off the sparks in your world. You said it wasn’t Avery. Who was it?” she asked.
He gazed down into her eyes for several seconds. She should have gone on toward the table, but she couldn’t. For the first time she was drawn to the depths of those gorgeous green eyes, and she couldn’t force herself to blink or move away from him. He was baring his very soul to her. It was powerful yet humbling to have a man like Branch open up like that to her. She’d never felt such a rush, not with Matt, not with anyone.
“You,” he whispered just before he blinked and the moment was gone. “You set off sparks and someday we’ll talk about it.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Thank you, Tessa, for helping Branch bring all this stuff up here. Ivy is taking a shower. That”—Frankie pointed toward the deep tub—“is for Melody, but first she has to take pictures of the room to send to Jill. Set the luggage between the sofa and the wall and we’ll sort it all out later. Tessa, can you meet me in the lobby in half an hour? Oh, and what was that thing between you and Branch in the dining room?”
“Wasn’t much to it since there was a luggage cart,” Tessa said. “Yes, ma’am, I can meet you in the lobby in thirty minutes. That will give me time to get a shower and wash my hair. I feel pretty grimy right now. And Frankie, I’m still trying to sort out that moment myself. It started off as a joke and then it got serious and I don’t know if it ended on a joke or a serious note.”
“If I know anything at all, darlin’ girl, that was not a joke at the end.” Frankie combed back her gray hair with her fingertips. “My hair feels like an oil pit. Me and Ivy would like to get in that tub but we’re afraid we couldn’t get out if we did and besides the hot water would jack our blood pressure up to stroke level.” Frankie lowered her voice. “She’s worn plumb out and Blister was almost empty by the time we got here. I worried about that damn tank going dry all night. Soon as she gets out of the shower, she’s going to take a long nap. I wish we’d never started smoking, but when we were teenagers cigarettes didn’t cause all these problems and it was cool. Even the doctors smoked.”
“You sure you don’t want to take a nap, too?” Tessa asked.
“I will after Melody gets bored with that tub. I figure half an hour will do it and then she’ll have to get out and tell Jill all about it. I can’t sleep with the noise the damned thing makes,” she said. “But Ivy could sleep through a tornado so she won’t have a problem.”
“Then I’ll see you in the lobby as soon as I can,” Tessa said.
She and Branch guided the much lighter luggage cart to the next room, and she fished her room key from the pocket of her denim shorts. She slung open the door and used her suitcase to prop it open while Branch removed everything but his luggage from the cart.
The big tub over there in the corner called to her and she was planning a time to get into it when Branch turned her around and wrapped her up in his big, strong arms. She barely had time to moisten her lips before his lips found hers in a scorching-hot kiss.
Her body was pressed tightly against his when the kiss ended and she leaned in closer for more.
“That should do you for a little while longer, but if you start dropping things or get all clumsy again, knock on my door and I’ll be glad to fix you right up,” he said hoarsely.
“It’s totally medicine, right?” She smiled. “This has nothing to do with an attraction from either of us, right?”
“Of course, darlin’. Just call me Dr. Branch.”
She put her hands on his chest and took a step back. “Well, Doc, I do appreciate your snake oil, but I’m still not a believer that it works.”
“You will be by the time this trip is over, Miz Tess,” he drawled. “If you change your mind about that skinny-dippin’ in my big old Jacuzzi, holler and I’ll start the water.”
“You are one wild cowboy.” She smiled.
His eyes locked with hers. “Maybe I am, but you like it. See you later.”
The door closed behind him and she melted onto the sofa.
“Yay, luggage and clean clothing.” Lola stepped out of the bathroom with one towel around her body and one wrapped up like a turban around her head. “I’m going to do laundry sometime this afternoon. Got anything you want to add to the pile?”
“I did mine on Friday, so I’m good,” Tessa said. “I figured you’d use the tub.”
“I will later. Right now I need to make a couple of phone calls. What about you? Going to take advantage of the tub?” Lola asked.
“Yes, I surely am before this night is done. Right now I’m going to take a shower and meet Frankie in the lobby. She’s pretty worried about Ivy, so I figure she wants to talk about her,” Tessa answered.
Lola nodded. “Those two are like twins. I’m kind of glad I wasn’t there when Daddy died. Ivy said Mama was so deep in grief until I came home that she feared she would die from it. But if Ivy dies first, Mama might not get over it.”
Tessa removed the ponytail holder from her hair, pulling out straw and hay with it. “You ever had a friend like that?”
Lola bent at the waist and rubbed her hair dry with the towel, then tossed it over the back of the desk chair. “Sophie was probably the best friend I ever had, but it wasn’t anything like Mama and Ivy. What about you?”
“Clint, my cousin and partner, has been my best friend since we were toddlers but it’s not like the bond between Ivy and Frankie,” she answered. “What they have is something like magic. I bet they know what each other is thinking.”
“I’m not sure there is another bond like that. Sometimes I think it’s deeper than the one that Mama had with Daddy and believe me, that one was bottomless,” Lola said. “You’d better get a fast shower if you’re going to the lobby, kiddo.”
“Guess so.” Tessa stripped out of her shirt and tossed it on the floor.
Frankie looked up and Tessa could feel the sadness in her eyes. She must’ve found out about Ivy and she needed to talk to someone about it.
“I got us each a cup of coffee and I went outside and had a cigarette while I waited. I’m glad we’re going to sit in here. That damn barn was hot last night. I’m ready for air-conditioned comfort.” Frankie motioned toward the other end of the sofa where she sat.
Tessa picked up the cup and sipped hot black coffee. It had absolutely no taste, none, nada, zilch. And yet the bitter aftertaste it left in her mouth said that it was strong enough to melt the enamel right off her teeth.
“I think Branch likes you, but Ivy says I can’t interfere because I made a mess of Lola’s life. If I’d let her alone about that boy she would have never run off with him and it would have died in its sleep. But then if she hadn’t run away I wouldn’t have you at a time in my life when I need you the most and so does Lola, so who can question fate, right?” Frankie said sadly. “Did you and Branch have time to talk?”
Tessa shook her head and took another sip of her coffee—still no flavor. The lump in her throat was as big as a baseball, and no matter how many times she swallowed it would not go down. She didn’t know what to say to make Frankie feel better, but something came to mind and she spit it out. “My grandmother, that would be my daddy’s mama, says that things happen for a reason. Maybe we don’t understand why but they do, and if we get on down the road a ways, we can look back and see things clearer.”
“I hope that’s right. And I won’t say anything more after this but I’ve known Branch his whole life and he’s never looked at another girl the way he does you. There’s something in his eyes and smile that tells the whole story,” Frankie said.
Tessa began to relax. The next sip of coffee tasted almost like the real deal. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
Frankie’s brows knit together in a solid line. “No, that’s a side trip to avoid what I really have to say. Ivy hasn’t got long to live.”
“You know?” Tessa almost dropped the cup but got a handle on it at the last minute. Thank
goodness for the kiss, she thought.
Frankie’s face registered surprise. “Of course I know. Did she tell you?”
Tessa’s head bobbed once, and she set the half-empty cup on the table between them. “But she didn’t want me to tell you.”
Frankie smiled, but it was still tired and sad. “We promised we wouldn’t tell anyone that this is our last big hoo-rah. The blowout before we really retire.”
Tessa scooted down the long sofa to sit closer to Frankie and laced her fingers with hers. “I’m so sorry, Frankie. You will miss her, but you’ll have the memories of your whole lives and this trip. It’s been fun, even when we had to spend the night in a barn.”
“It has, but I didn’t call you down here to talk about Ivy exclusively. It’s something else.” Frankie laid her other hand over their clasped hands and went on. “It’s about me . . . and the future.”
“Okay.” The word came out as four long, extended syllables rather than two.
“The specialist says my problem wasn’t caused by smoking, but I know better. In twenty years, they’ll figure out that nicotine caused a hell of a lot more than what Ivy has and that it was my downfall as well,” Frankie said in a monotone.
Icy-cold chills danced down Tessa’s backbone. She prayed earnestly that she wouldn’t hear Frankie say the words. If she didn’t say them, then it wouldn’t be true.
Frankie took two sips of her coffee before she went on. “We could quit smoking but we’d be miserable and it wouldn’t lengthen our days at this point, so what’s the use. First question I want to ask you is this. If we cut this trip short for any reason, will you go on and take the whole month off and stay with Lola?”
An acute pain hit Tessa in the temples, but she kept her hands away from her head. Maybe if she ignored it, Frankie wouldn’t say those words. “Why would you ask that?”
“I need to know, because she’s going to need you real bad and I want you to be near to me for the whole month,” Frankie said.
The Wedding Pearls Page 17
