After breakfast, before heading to the store, she and Andi had settled down in Tina’s vacant office behind the registration desk. They had gone over the inventory file Cara had started.
“It’s a pretty impressive list,” Andi said again now.
“And it’s not done yet. I’ve still got some things to go through. The rest of the packing boxes, for one thing.” And the closet, for another. She hadn’t mentioned all the baby clothes yet. She didn’t want to talk about them or see them or touch them. Handling all those tiny garments would bring back so many memories she couldn’t face.
“It’s the third house on the right,” Andi directed. “We’re here,” she said to Missy over the back of her seat as Cara parked the car.
While she unbuckled Missy’s car seat, Andi continued, “Your suggestions for prices sound perfect, too. Low enough not to scare away customers, but high enough to bring in a little profit all around—for the store and for Wes and the women who bring things in to sell.”
“You hope the prices are perfect,” Cara cautioned, catching her eye in the rearview mirror. “You may have to make adjustments once you see how everything goes.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll be consulting with my closest advisor on a regular basis.” She closed the car door and settled Missy on her hip. “It won’t take me long to drop this little girl off. Just give me a few minutes.”
“No rush. I’m sure there won’t be a huge crowd lined up at SugarPie’s.”
Andi laughed. “You might be surprised.” She paused. “You know, on second thought, why don’t you come up inside with us?”
“Oh, that’s okay.” She flexed her fingers—visible proof to Andi she wasn’t clutching the steering wheel like a lifeline. “I’ll wait right here.”
Andi pulled her sunglasses down and stared at Cara over them. “Is that really what you want?”
Flexing her fingers again, she looked across the yard to the day care center. A moment passed, then two.
“Wanna go, Mommy,” Missy said.
Cara nodded. “I wanna go, too. I’d like to meet the day care owner.” After all, she had been curious about Mark’s Miss Rhea.
Andi smiled.
The small house they approached looked like any family home—a very large family, considering the row of tricycles lined up at one edge of the walkway and the wooden toy box that took up almost one end of the porch.
She imagined Mark happily drawing at a child-sized table. She could see him sitting amid a group of his friends the way he and Tracey sat surrounded by their stuffed animals in the picture on Wes’s refrigerator.
“Wes told me he brings his kids here to the babysitter’s every day. He makes two trips, actually, to drop them off and pick them up.” He had shrugged that off, assuring her he and the sitter worked things out between them. The woman seemed very eager to accommodate him. Nice of her, since it made life easier for Wes and his kids. “The ride’s not as long as I’d thought, but a half hour or more back and forth twice a day has to throw off his schedule.”
“That’s probably true. But he does what he has to.”
What he wants to.
“You will, too, someday,” Andi added softly.
Cara’s throat tightened so suddenly, she couldn’t risk a reply. Her someday had come and gone. Hopefully, not forever. But it was too soon to think about the future.
“I’m happy Rhea had room for Missy today,” Andi said.
“Yes.” Cara cleared her throat. “It was a good thing she could fit her in. I have a feeling Missy wouldn’t have a bit of interest in helping us clean a vacant store.”
“But she would love to go where we’re going for l-u-n-c-h. So whatever you do, don’t mention that in front of her.”
The petite woman who greeted them at the door had a kind but lined face and salt-and-pepper hair. She also seemed thrilled to see them on her doorstep. “Well, look who has arrived! How is our little Missy?” Rhea took her from her mother’s arms.
Once Andi made introductions, Rhea said, “I was so glad when Jed called yesterday to say you wanted to leave Missy here for the day.”
Cara frowned. Why would Jed call, instead of Andi? Was he somehow matchmaking again? And how paranoid was that idea? More likely, since he knew everyone in town, he wanted the chance to chat—in other words, gossip.
“Andi,” Rhea went on, “the kids haven’t seen this little girl or you here for a while. Y’all come back with me to say hi.”
The small house they entered was deceiving. Rhea led them through the front room and down a long hallway. The hall ended in a huge room overflowing with drawings, toys and child-sized furniture. A wall of windows showed a well-kept fenced-in yard with a swing set and a jungle gym.
No wonder Mark had sounded so enthusiastic about going to Miss Rhea’s.
The room was filled with kids and a couple of older teenagers, probably Rhea’s assistants. A woman around Cara and Andi’s age stood frowning at a wall clock above a dry-erase board.
Cara recognized her immediately as the woman she’d seen outside the Big Dipper, standing close to Wes, clinging to his arm and smiling at him. The friend of my wife’s, as Wes had called her, had looked pretty friendly with him at the time. Not that it was any concern of hers.
Rhea took Missy over to join a group of toddlers sitting on the floor.
The woman spotted the two of them standing near the doorway and came toward them. “Andi. What are you doing here? I would think you’d have your pick of babysitters out at the ranch.”
“Just my luck everyone’s busy today.” Andi spoke lightly, but Cara could see she’d made an effort.
Wes hadn’t seemed enthusiastic about Marianne, either. No wonder, if she turned on that sarcastic tone around him, too.
“Marianne,” Andi added, “this is Cara. She’s here on vacation, staying with me at the Hitching Post.”
Marianne nodded shortly. She looked at the clock again, then at Rhea, now kneeling to help Missy gather a pile of plastic blocks. “I have to get going.”
A few yards past the group of toddlers, Cara saw Mark. Just as she had imagined, he sat at a long table with a group of kids, working on new drawings.
When he spotted her, his eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped, reminding her of the first time she’d gone to see Wes. Mark climbed from the bench seat and ran across the room to throw his arms around her knees in a bear hug. She took a steadying breath.
Marianne’s expression almost matched Mark’s.
“Hello, Miss Cara!” he cried. “Did you come for milk and cookies?”
“No, not today. We just came for a visit.” Too late, she recalled how he’d responded when Wes told him she was only a visitor at their house. As she expected, Mark’s face fell. What if he made a scene? How would Miss Marianne react to that? As tempted as she was to find out, she didn’t want Wes to hear she had upset his son at day care. Recklessly, she promised, “I’ll see you again this afternoon.”
“Yay!” Mark gave her knees another squeeze.
She and Andi had to pick up Missy later, didn’t they? She ruffled Mark’s hair, then froze when she realized she’d seen Wes do the same. “You go work on your coloring. I want to see that picture done when I come back.”
“Okay.” He grinned and hurried to the table.
Marianne’s eyebrows had climbed halfway to her hairline. “I didn’t realize you knew Mark.” She sounded horrified, as if Cara’s association with the little boy might somehow hurt him.
Andi shifted, ready to jump into the conversation—literally. Cara sent her a quick smile indicating she could fight her own battles. Turning to the other woman, she said sweetly, “Since we just met, there’s no way you could have realized anything about me, is there?”
Marianne blinked, then frowned at the clock. “I’ll talk to Rhea later.”
> Cara and Andi smiled their goodbyes.
After they watched her walk down the long hallway, Andi said in a low voice, “Don’t let her get to you. She has an attitude with just about everybody. And to be honest, I almost feel sorry for her now. She was best friends with Patty Daniels. I can’t imagine...” Andi shook her head. “Let’s not even go there. Anyhow, Marianne seems crankier than usual this morning, probably because she saw the way Mark ran up to you.”
Cara shrugged, not caring how Marianne felt about Mark’s welcome. More important, would he remember her own promise to him?
Andi sighed. “She’s a single mom, and I think she’s got ideas about stepping into Patty’s space. She gets...territorial when it comes to Wes and the kids.”
“Really? Mark didn’t even seem to notice her.”
Did his daddy?
The thought suddenly made her feel cranky. “She was awfully clingy when I saw her with Wes.”
“Really? When?”
Wrapped up in her thoughts, she murmured, “Sunday, when I was at the Big D—” She stopped short.
Andi’s eyes rounded. “Sunday? You saw Wes—and Marianne—before you came to the Hitching Post? And you talk about other people being up to things? I won’t even go into the fact you went for ice cream without me.”
Rhea joined them again. “So, you two are off now for a girls’ lunch out?”
“Yes.” Andi laughed. “A long lunch, where Cara and I will get a chance to talk without interruptions.”
Cara laughed, too, trying to ignore the threatening note in Andi’s voice. “And don’t forget that dessert you promised me.”
“Oh, I won’t.”
“Well, you just take your time and we’ll take good care of Missy,” Rhea assured them. “I was thinking, Andi. Since Wes’s place is right near you, why don’t you do your neighbor a favor and take his kids home when you pick up Missy? Save him a trip. I can call him to let him know.”
Andi exchanged a smile with Rhea. “That’s a great idea.”
Why did this suddenly feel like a setup?
Confirming her suspicions, Andi turned to her. “Cara, you wouldn’t mind taking the kids home, would you?”
Where was her steering wheel when she needed it? Yes, she would mind the idea of taking the kids home, helping them into their car seats, carrying on a conversation with Mark. She needed to come up with a way out... “I’m sorry. I’d be happy to help, but we only have one car seat. Missy’s.”
“No worries,” Rhea said brightly. “Parents are always playing musical cars, and sometimes they leave their seats in the wrong vehicle. Or one parent drops the kids off, but the other unexpectedly picks them up. So I make sure to keep a few spare car seats on hand.”
“Very convenient,” Cara said.
And maybe this entire arrangement today had been very convenient, too.
“Yes, isn’t it?” Rhea smiled. “You can just leave the seats with Wes when you take Mark and Tracey home, and he can bring them back to me in the morning. Easy as pie.”
“Speaking of pie reminds me I’m hungry,” Andi said. “Come on, Cara. We have a lot of eating—and talking—to do.”
* * *
“I’LL BE RIGHT BACK,” Andi said. “I just saw a couple of Grandpa’s friends come in and want to bring them up to date.”
Cara nodded. “Don’t rush. I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Left alone at their table in SugarPie’s, she looked around the room. The country-café decor gave the sandwich shop a homey feel. The line of booths running along one wall and the many round tables with pink-cushioned chairs offered plenty of comfortable seating. And as usual, the food had been fantastic—though neither she nor Andi had found much time to focus on what they had ordered.
Andi had been right when she said the size of the lunchtime crowd would surprise Cara, yet she was wrong about their uninterrupted time to chat. Word of Andi’s business venture had reached SugarPie’s before they had arrived. Along with their sandwiches and apple pie, they had spent a long time fielding questions from everyone in the place.
Cara didn’t doubt Jed Garland had spread the news. The man had ties everywhere. Could he really have played a role in setting her up at the day care center?
A well-dressed older woman entered the shop. She had snow-white hair and the prettiest complexion Cara had ever seen. After waving to Sugar, the owner of SugarPie’s bakery and sandwich shop, she approached Cara. “You won’t mind making some room for an old lady, will you?” she asked. Her voice held a hint of a brogue.
Cara fought to keep from looking at the now-vacant tables around them. Back home, she would have been wary of welcoming a stranger to sit with her, but this was Cowboy Creek. Besides, after a second glance, the woman seemed familiar. They must have met at Andi and Mitch’s wedding.
“Be my guest,” Cara said.
“Thank you. My name’s Maureen O’Neill, but everyone calls me Grandma Mo or just plain Mo. I hope you’ll do the same.”
“Nice to meet you, Mo. I’m Cara.”
“Yes, I know. You’re a pretty little thing. And with that hair—are you of Irish descent, by any chance?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Too bad. Well, you can’t be blamed for that.”
Now Cara couldn’t help but laugh. We are definitely not in Phoenix anymore.
“Very exciting about Andi’s new venture,” Mo said. “I hear you’ve been spending time out at the Daniels ranch.”
The change of subject made Cara blink. Thankfully, the buzz of voices all around them guaranteed no one else had heard the woman’s astonishing statement. Maybe the noise had also made her miss hearing it clearly.
“Wes Daniels has had a very hard time,” the woman went on, proving Cara wrong. “I hope you don’t plan to make things any more difficult for him.”
Cara struggled to hide her surprise. This conversation had just gotten better. Or worse.
Noticing her reaction, Mo laughed. “You show nice restraint. A good quality not always attributed to young women with red hair. I should know, as I was once both young and red-haired myself.” She smiled. “Don’t mind my being blunt, love. When you get to be my age, you don’t stand on ceremony. And you don’t stand for much. In fact, in our small community, we all tend to stick together. And none of us wants to see Wes hurt.”
Cara didn’t, either. More than likely, when she and Andi went to pick up his kids later this afternoon, just the opposite would happen. She would be the one to suffer. From the moment she heard Rhea’s plan to save Wes a trip to town, she had doubted the wisdom of the idea. Doubted her heart could stand that much time alone with his adorable kids.
Mo eyed her as if she could read her thoughts, pushing her into a reply. “Why would you think I’m out to hurt Wes Daniels? I just met him.”
“Yes, I know that, too, which is why I’ve come to chat while Andi’s off on her own. To share a bit of Wes’s history with you.”
Cara hesitated. Part of her wanted to wake up and find this surreal meeting had all been a dream. The other part didn’t want to cut the woman off. Not when Mo could help her learn something about Wes.
Except for asking about his wife’s accident, she hadn’t talked to Andi much about him. She didn’t want to give her best friend any ideas—or to give Andi and Jed together any encouragement, if they really did have thoughts about matchmaking. She wasn’t interested in Wes...that way. Yet she couldn’t hide the truth from herself. Concern for him and his family had filled her thoughts almost from the moment she had met them.
“Shall I begin?” Mo asked.
Giving in, Cara nodded—hopefully not too eagerly.
“Wes is the younger of two boys. He has an older brother.”
“I ran into Garrett yesterday.”
“He’s kissed the Blarney Stone, that one.” M
o’s smile erased decades from her face. “He has the gift of gab and lightness in his heart. Wes, poor boy, was always exactly the opposite. Broody as a child and quite a handful for his mother. He hadn’t started grade school yet when she passed on.”
Cara murmured in sympathy. How sad to think of him losing his mother when he was so young, just as Mark and Tracey had.
“They were left, three men on their own—their father, Garrett and Wes. Wes had barely begun high school when their father died. Garrett grew up in a hurry then, stepping in to become a parent to his younger brother. Wes took longer to settle down. He was temperamental as a teen, too. I’m happy to say he’s outgrown all that now—thank goodness, for his own children’s sake.”
Seeing Andi turning back in their direction, Cara spoke quickly, hoping to hurry Mo along to more recent history. “I heard what happened to his wife.”
“A very sad thing. Both boys have dealt with a lot of sadness in their lives. Especially Wes. So you can see why we wouldn’t want him hurt.”
“I wouldn’t, either.”
Evidently hearing the sincerity in her voice, Mo brightened. “That’s very good to know, because it may be you’re just what he needs.”
Did everyone in this town work for matchmaker Jed?
“No, I’m not. Not at all.” She added in a rush, “And please don’t say anything like that to Andi.”
A moment later, Andi took her seat again. “Hi, Mo. Have you heard about my plan?”
“I have. And the ladies of the knitting circle ought to hear about it, too. You’ll come to our meeting tomorrow afternoon, won’t you?”
“You bet I will. Then you think the store is a good idea?”
“Yes. I think it sounds like very good news for Cowboy Creek.” Mo turned, giving Cara a smile. “Just what everyone needs.”
The Rancher's Family--A Clean Romance Page 9
