The Texan Quartet (Books 1-4) Omnibus

by Claire Boston

  “Pass me your plate and go get ready for the shower,” Elle said.

  He slowly got out of his chair and brought his plate over. “Thanks, Mom. I love you.” His smile made her melt. He’d inherited her blue eyes and brown hair and the only echo of his father was a stubborn tilt to his chin when he wasn’t happy. Elle was thankful. She didn’t want to be constantly reminded of that man, but the tilt reminded her of the dangers of giving in and spoiling her son.

  “I love you too.” She washed his plate and put it on the drying rack. “What’s wrong?” she said when he still stood there.

  He held up his arms, his eyes appealing and tired, so she carried him through to the small bathroom. Deciding it would be quicker and easier, she ran the shower and undressed them both. As much as she wanted a long soak, she wanted her bed more and the quicker she got Toby to sleep the better.

  After their shower, she dressed him in his favorite pajamas and tucked him into bed. “Which story would you like tonight?” she asked.

  He pointed to the picture book on the bedside table: the same book she’d read him the previous three nights about cowboys and their horses.

  Elle was tired of reading the story but she smiled and picked it up. Before she’d got halfway through it, he was fast asleep.

  Smiling, she kissed him good night, made sure the covers wouldn’t fall off and turned off the light.

  For all of the trouble she’d had with Toby’s father, she wouldn’t have it any other way. Her little boy was the joy of her life – more than she’d ever imagined before she became a parent. He was the reason she was taking the risk to start her own business; he was the reason she would do everything she could to provide a safe and secure home; and he was the reason she couldn’t go home.

  But she wouldn’t change a thing.

  Although it was still early, she tucked herself into bed and went to sleep.

  ***

  Sunday was normally George’s day of relaxation. He put aside all work and did whatever he wanted to do. Sometimes it meant working in the garden of his newly renovated house, other times it meant sitting on the sofa watching a game – basketball, football, baseball – it didn’t matter which sport.

  Today nothing captured his attention. It was mid-morning and he’d started half a dozen things and stopped them all. He was honest enough to admit it was Elle’s fault. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, worrying whether she’d be as overworked today as she had been yesterday. But hopefully she’d have made sure she’d have enough staff by now.

  He shouldn’t care.

  Maybe it was her vulnerability that had drawn him in, making him want to learn more about her.

  His phone rang, breaking through his thoughts.

  “Georgie boy, we’re going for lunch. Do you want to come?”

  George grinned at his sister Isla’s voice. “Who’re 'we'?”

  “Mom, Dad, Rose, Janice and me. Adrian can’t make it.”

  “Sure. Where are we going?”

  “Not sure yet.”

  “There’s a new bookshop café,” George said, before he thought better.

  “Oh, tell me more.”

  His sister loved all things books and food so it was a perfect combination. He told her about Elle’s café and before he’d finished she said, “We’ll meet you there at twelve.”

  George hung up, satisfied. With a new sense of purpose, he got ready.

  ***

  Elle had been right about Drew. The customers loved her. She’d turned up on time and was busy serving coffees to the morning crowd; the cyclists, dog walkers and fitness fanatics who were out early on a Sunday to get their exercise in before starting their day.

  Toby was playing quietly in the little area Elle had set up for children who came to the café. It was small but it contained building blocks, a chalkboard and a few toys and books for children to play with while their parents had coffee in peace. Harry would be along later to pick both Toby and Miranda up for the day. Meanwhile Elle was preparing food for lunch. The momentary peace was lovely. Her legs still ached from being on her feet all day yesterday, but it was a satisfying ache. The aches had been earned. She was making something of herself.

  At eight o’clock, Sarah, one of the single mothers in Elle’s apartment complex, walked in with her two children. Nora had told her about the waitressing job, so Elle made them both coffee, and hot chocolate for the children, and they sat down to chat.

  By the end of the conversation, Sarah had agreed to work the lunchtime shift, ten until two, during the week. It didn’t help Elle for the moment but was a relief none-the-less.

  When Sarah left, Drew called her over.

  “Are you looking for more staff?” she asked.

  Elle nodded.

  “I have a couple of friends who want weekend work.”

  Elle hesitated. She couldn’t afford for them not to turn up. “I’m not sure. I need people who are going to be reliable.”

  Drew had the grace to blush. “It won’t happen again. I am sorry, Elle. I can vouch they’re more responsible than I am.”

  Elle checked the time. “Do you want to call them in? If they interview all right they can do a trial lunch shift.”

  “Sure.”

  Elle glanced over to check on Toby. After living with his father, he was used to playing quietly by himself. He’d had to when he was inside and she hadn’t been strong enough to stand up for him.

  She pushed aside her shame, reminding herself she’d escaped eventually.

  Toby was reading through a picture book she’d bought for him, but there was evidence he’d been playing with his cars and with the cowboy doll he had. “How are you going, my little man?”

  Toby glanced up and smiled. “I corralled the horses.” He gestured to where his horse was surrounded by books.

  He sounded so grown up. He’d spent hours mimicking his uncles, who, unlike his father, liked having him around and had occasionally taken him out on the ranch with them when Dean had needed quiet.

  “That’s great. Can you tidy up now and take your toys to the store room? Harry and Miranda are going to be here soon.”

  “Can’t I stay with you?” The simple question yanked on her heartstrings.

  “Not today, my darling. You and Miranda are going to have fantastic adventures with Harry. I’m sure you don’t want to miss out.”

  His bottom lip jutted out, but he nodded.

  Elle hugged him.

  “Elle, I need a bit of help,” Drew called.

  She kissed the top of his head and got to her feet. “Love you.”

  There was a line of people waiting. She was pleased her café was so popular in its first weekend, but having to leave Toby to play by himself was so difficult.

  She told herself it was only for a few more months. He’d start kindergarten soon and then he’d be with lots of children his age and enjoy learning new things.

  Still, the guilt was ever present.

  ***

  By lunchtime things were in full swing. Nora had arrived at ten, with Harry close behind her. He had taken the children out for their adventure to the park. Drew’s friend Mary-Beth had turned out to be a lovely girl with experience waiting tables. Elle had hired her to do the lunch shift and she was working out well. With the four of them, they were managing the crowd.

  Thankfully.

  She didn’t have Chris and his friends to help and, while she’d been grateful to them, she was glad she had things under control. Besides, there had been something about George that made her nervous. She’d caught him looking at her a few times during the day, assessing her. She didn’t know whether it was because of the way she was running her business or if it was the more personal attraction she thought might be mutual.

  She didn’t want to know.

  As if conjured by her thoughts, George walked in the door. He glanced around, smiled and grabbed a table from people who were leaving. Had he and Chris arranged to come by again, thinking she couldn’t ma
nage on her own? The idea rankled and she ignored him, keeping herself busy taking payment from the group who had vacated the table.

  By the time she’d finished, others had joined George at his table. There were two women about his age, late twenties/early thirties, and an older couple. The man had the same brown hair and broad shoulders as George.

  His family?

  Why would he bring his family here?

  George caught her watching him. He raised a hand in greeting and smiled. The very appearance of his smile made her heartbeat increase.

  Caught, she had to acknowledge him and smile back. Now she couldn’t avoid going over and saying hello. Not when he’d helped out in the bookshop the day before.

  With a sigh, she gathered up an order pad and walked over.

  ***

  Elle didn’t appear so happy to see him. It was the first thing he’d noticed when he spotted her watching him. The smile she gave him was perfunctory; it didn’t reach her eyes. It was a different experience for him. Usually the women he dated were more than enthusiastic – though of course he wasn’t dating Elle. Yet.

  She reached his table. “Hi, George, what can I get for you?”

  Straight to the point, no chit-chat.

  “Elle, these are my parents, Hank and Marla, and my sisters, Isla and Janice.” He turned to his family. “Elle owns this place.”

  “It’s a lovely café,” his mother said. “Such a great idea having a bookshop with a café.”

  “Thank you. There were quite a few in LA and I thought it would do well in Houston.”

  “Is that where you’re from?” Janice asked.

  Elle nodded.

  “I’m going to have to bring my book club here,” Marla continued. “Maybe we can use it as our meeting place instead of going to each other’s houses. We usually meet every third Thursday of the month.”

  Elle smiled then, a proper smile which lit up her face. “You’re more than welcome. If you tell me how many people, I can set up the tables for you. I was considering starting a book club myself after I settled in.”

  “Let me know when you do,” Isla said. “I’d love to join.”

  “Sure. Now what can I get for you?”

  They gave her their orders with Isla ordering for their sister, Rose, who was always late. George wanted to say something more to Elle, but she was gone before he could comment on how well the café was running.

  She had two college-aged women working. One was taking orders while the other prepared them and took them out.

  “Hey, Georgie-boy, stop checking out our host and pay attention to me.” Isla had a laugh in her voice.

  He hadn’t heard a word any of them had said. He grinned at his sister. “If you want my attention you shouldn’t be so boring,” he joked.

  She rolled her eyes at him.

  “Now children, behave,” his mother said, in the same tone she’d used for over thirty years.

  They all laughed.

  Rose, the baby of the family, came up to the table. “Sorry I’m late, y’all.” She slid into her chair.

  “I ordered for you,” Isla told her.

  “Thanks.”

  It was so typical of Rose to be late she didn’t even ask what had been ordered. She knew it would be something she liked.

  “So where’s Jake today?” George asked Janice.

  “He’s working.”

  Janice’s fiancé was a nurse and often worked weekends and evenings. George liked him – he was glad his sister had found someone she loved and who loved her for herself.

  “Your mother and I have news,” Hank said, reaching across the table to take Marla’s hand.

  George smiled at the love on both of their faces, the shared memories and lifetime of knowing one another.

  “We’re going to Europe for our fortieth wedding anniversary,” Marla said.

  Amid the excited noises of his sisters, George sat back. Forty years and his parents still looked at each other like they were newly in love. His heart tugged. That’s what he wanted. Someone who he still wanted to be with after forty years of marriage.

  “That’s great,” he said. “Do you want me to organize your flights?” He’d spent years helping to arrange Adrian’s tours, so he knew where to go and what to do.

  “Everything’s arranged,” Marla said.

  “They don’t need you to pay for them, Galahad,” Rose said.

  George grimaced at the nickname. As children, his sisters had taken to calling him Galahad because he’d been obsessed with knights and the tales of King Arthur. He’d tried to make them play the damsel in distress, but more often than not, they’d twisted it so they were rescuing him.

  As they grew older he’d kept an eye on them, as brothers were supposed to do, occasionally rescuing them from an unwanted admirer, and the nickname had been given new meaning.

  The thing was he liked helping people, especially his family. He earned so much money, and he enjoyed treating his family to vacations, or helping them out when they needed it.

  He hated the idea of his parents spending their hard-earned money on a trip he could have easily paid for. “Let me know how much and I’ll transfer some money over.”

  His parents simultaneously gave him the same look. The look brooked no argument.

  “Your mom and I have more than enough money to pay for this trip and we want to. It’s our treat to ourselves.”

  “We appreciate your offer, George, but others could do with the help more,” his mother added.

  “Yeah, like me. I could do with a vacation,” Rose joked.

  George knew when to back down. “OK, but we should organize a family vacation. It’s almost summer and we could go somewhere nice for a few days.”

  “Make sure it’s a date Adrian and Libby can come too,” Janice said.

  Aside from being Adrian’s manager, George was also his foster brother. Adrian hadn’t been able to make the lunch because he’d arranged to take his niece Kate to the movies.

  “I’ll organize it,” George said.

  Elle brought their order over to their table and conversation halted while she served them. George examined her. She was tired around the eyes but her smile was fresh and bright.

  She drew him in with that hint of vulnerability. She was lovely, and she was clearly ambitious, but ultimately he was always a sucker for a damsel in distress.

  “You’ve got everything under control today,” he commented.

  She frowned at him, but tempered it quickly. “Drew’s back to full health and one of her friends was after work,” she said.

  He didn’t mean to imply a criticism. “That’s great,” he said, hoping he sounded encouraging rather than patronizing.

  She turned her attention to the rest of the table and finished serving them. When she walked away, Isla laughed.

  “She’s not going to fall for your charms, Georgie-boy.”

  George ignored her.

  He wasn’t going to give up so easily.

  Chapter 3

  George had some nerve. Elle deposited the dirty dishes she’d collected into the sink and let out a long breath to control her annoyance. He seemed surprised she had everything under control.

  Sure she’d made mistakes yesterday – a whole heap of them – but she learned fast and fixed what she could. Today was running much more smoothly than she had hoped.

  She loaded the dishwasher and set it running.

  Drew was making up for her absence yesterday, charming all the customers as Elle had hoped she would. And Mary-Beth, aside from being an efficient waitress, was also well read, and stopped by to recommend titles to customers who were browsing. More often than not, it ended with a sale.

  So George could take his smugness and his surprise, and shove them where the sun didn’t shine.

  Elle laughed and some of the tension left her.

  She wasn’t sure why she was letting him get to her. It wasn’t as if he was anyone who mattered. He was just a guy who’d happened t
o help her out the day before. Now he could tell she could take care of herself, he’d leave her alone and she wouldn’t have to see him again.

  She was fine with that.

  Clearing a few more plates, she unloaded the dishwasher before setting it going again. Calmer than she had been, she went out into her café to keep serving.

  ***

  An hour later, George approached the counter to pay. Elle spotted him rising from his chair and made herself scarce by going to clear some more tables. While she was on the floor, George’s mother stopped her.

  “Do you have a card?” she asked. “I’ll check with my book club and if everyone’s in agreement, we’ll come here for our meeting next week.”

  “Sure.” The idea of attracting book clubs to her café was exciting. Though they might monopolize the tables for a couple of hours, she was sure they would buy enough coffee and cake to make it worthwhile. Maybe even books too.

  Elle went behind the counter and grabbed her business card. “Be sure to call me with numbers.”

  “Absolutely,” Marla said. “I’m pretty sure everyone will agree. It’s become a chore to host the club because everyone’s always trying to outdo each other with the catering.” She laughed.

  “I’m happy to cater for you all,” Elle told her and handed her the card.

  Before she could escape, George came over. Elle stifled her groan.

  “Ready to go, Mom?” he asked.

  Marla nodded.

  He turned to Elle. “Can I grab a business card too? I’ll be in touch this week about the artists.”

  Elle closed her eyes briefly. She’d forgotten he’d offered to find her musicians to do the weekend sets. She really didn’t want to have to deal with him again, but she couldn’t refuse this opportunity. She handed him a card. “Great.”

  He opened his mouth to say more, but his mother took his arm. “Come on, George. Elle has work to do and your father is waiting for us.”

  Relieved, Elle said goodbye and headed to the kitchen to regain her equilibrium. As she unloaded the dishwasher she acknowledged the tightness of her skin and the giddiness of her heart: George was an attractive man but she wasn’t eighteen any more. She wasn’t going to fall for the first man who showed her any attention like she had with Dean. No, she was twenty-five, and a mother. She didn’t have time for that kind of nonsense.