by Liz Isaacson
Because kissing was fun.
Jarrod broke the kiss and ducked his head as he pulled in a long breath. “All right,” he said. “Dinner at my place tonight.”
“See you then.” She stepped away from him then, her bones feeling a bit like pudding. She smiled him out of the building, and then she sank back into her chair. But she wasn’t going to varnish. Oh, no, not after a kiss like that.
Plucking her phone from a pocket in her apron, she tapped and dialed her best friend, Kara Adrian.
“Hello, Miss Simone,” Kara said, which meant her boss was nearby. Didn’t matter. Simone didn’t even need Kara to say anything else.
“We just hired ten new dreamy cowboys at the ranch,” she said. “And I just kissed one of them.” She sighed and then giggled.
“Wow,” Kara said. “Yes, I can get you in tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” Simone said, and she could definitely get to the salon tomorrow. She didn’t need anything done with her hair though. “What time?”
“Uh, let’s see.” Kara took a few seconds, as she was probably trying to see when Glenda would be out of the salon. Then the rumor mill wouldn’t be as loud, and Simone might actually be able to tell her the story of how she and Jarrod had gone from neighbors to neighbors-who-kissed in just a few days.
“When can you come out to the ranch?” Simone asked. “We should schedule that too.”
“Oh, I’m off on Thursday,” Kara said. “But I can get you in tomorrow at three-fifteen.”
Simone squealed and said, “See you then.”
She sighed as she sat back in her chair. She didn’t even have to worry about hiding her newfound giddiness from Callie, because she had her own place now. Simone adored her little cabin, and she was glad she’d decided to break out of the mold she’d been in for so long.
Of course, she knew why and how she’d gotten into that mold, and it had served her well for a while.
But now…now Simone was ready to broaden her horizons. Expand her world. See what else was out there beyond the borders of the Shining Star Ranch. And she had never been happier about the possibilities.
That afternoon, her phone rang just as she stepped out of the shower. She still had hours before it could be considered dinnertime, but she hadn’t been feeling particularly creative after that kiss.
Her head actually felt like it was bobbing up in the blue Texas sky with the clouds. But she had enough awareness to see her gran’s name on the phone, and she swiped on the call, surprised her elderly grandmother could use her cellphone.
“Gran?”
“Simone, dear,” she said, her voice shaking more than usual. “Your father is ill, and I’m wondering if you can come in and help me get him to the hospital.”
“Ill?” Alarms rang through Simone’s head. “What’s wrong?” She couldn’t go racing into town wearing just a towel, and she hurried into her bedroom to get dressed.
“He’s had a fever for a few days,” Gran said. “And just now he started complaining of chest pains.”
“Gran,” Simone said, straightening. “You need to hang up with me and call nine-one-one.”
“Oh, I don’t—”
“Gran,” she said louder. “I mean it. Hang up with me and call nine-one-one. I’m getting dressed, because I just got out of the shower, and I’ll come get you and we’ll meet him at the hospital.”
“Oh.”
“He doesn’t have time for me to drive in,’ Simone said. “Do I need to call?”
“Could you?”
Simone smothered a sigh, because this wasn’t the time. “Yes,” she said. “I’m hanging up now.” She did, and in the few seconds it took for the call to truly end, she felt like a lifetime had passed. Her heart pounded in an irregular way, and she couldn’t even imagine how her world would be flipped upside down by her father’s death.
She’d never known her mother, and she couldn’t stand the thought of not having a parent in the world.
“What’s your emergency?” someone asked.
“My father’s been having chest pains,” Simone said. “He’s at his home in town, while I’m out on our ranch. I’m too far to get to him quickly. Can you send an ambulance to five-seventeen Lumberjack immediately?”
“Is he conscious?”
“Yes,” Simone said, though she honestly didn’t know. “I’m on my way. Should I meet you there or at the hospital?” It didn’t really matter, because she had to go pick up Gran anyway. They wouldn’t let her ride in the ambulance, Simone knew that much.
Flashes of her fiancé’s body made her vision go black. They wouldn’t let her ride in the back of the ambulance with him, and she leaned over, sure she was about to be sick
“Ma’am?” a voice asked, but Simone didn’t answer it.
She needed to get to her father.
Now.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Liam still had no good ideas for how to get back into Callie’s good graces. He didn’t have time to go to town and buy something, and she wouldn’t have appreciated the gesture anyway.
He thought about simpler times, when he used to go out to the garden at Seven Sons and pull up microscopic weeds in an attempt to see her. She’d wander out to the fence sometimes, and they’d talk. She didn’t know it, but those easy conversations had meant the world to him. They’d given him hope in a landscape that didn’t have much of that, and they’d encouraged him to finally get to know her, ask her out, offer his help.
But their marriage was about so much more than him helping her now. He had spoken true when he’d said he didn’t need rules. He didn’t. Not really.
“What do you need?” he asked himself, the scent of barbecue sauce almost a slow, silent torture device. It had been simmering all afternoon, and Liam couldn’t wait to finish this last scene and go eat with his wife.
Problem was, he didn’t know what he needed. Maybe just for her not to tell his brother that she loved him. Which was stupid, because of course Callie could love Jeremiah. Liam loved Evelyn and Simone as if they were his sisters.
Everything felt confused and muddled in his mind. He pushed it all away by cranking up the volume in his headphones, which forced him to focus on the computer screens in front of him. He generated fire and explosions, made them move in beautiful ways, and set it all against the backdrop of the caped superhero sprinting away from certain death.
With that done, Liam stood and stretched, removed the headphones, and took a moment to appreciate the silence. Before he could think too hard, he knelt down at his desk chair, balancing his elbows against the cushioned seat. He bowed his head and poured out his whole soul to God, begging Him for a solution that would end with both him and Callie happy and thriving.
And for me, Lord, that’s right here at the Shining Star, with her. I love her, and I want to be with her. Give me the words to say. Help me have courage to say them. Provide her with a forgiving heart.
He needed one of those as well, and he actually felt his soften the longer he prayed. For some reason, his brother popped into his head.
Help Jeremiah, he prayed. With whatever he needs. He’s a good man, and he just wants to do the right thing.
Liam knew, because that was what Liam wanted too. He didn’t know or understand everything Jeremiah was going through—or had gone through—but he knew he wanted happiness for his brother too. For all of them.
He got up, his knees not as young as they’d once been. A groan pulled through his throat, and he took a moment to stretch his back really well and readjust his cowboy hat. Drawing in a deep breath and employing as much bravery as he had, he slid open the barn door that separated his office from the rest of the house.
Soft music played down the hall in the kitchen, and he turned that way. He paused to watch his wife, needing a moment to discover how he truly felt.
Callie worked at the stove, sprinkling something over a pan before she bent and slid it into the oven. She wore jeans and boots and a pink blouse that made her see
m younger than she was. Over that, an apron covered her clothes, and she wiped her hands on it as she exhaled.
An overwhelming sense of love descended upon Liam, and he knew he didn’t need fancy speeches or extravagant gifts. Not for Callie.
He strode toward her, glad when she turned at the sound of him coming. “I love you.” He cradled her face in his hands and looked right into her eyes. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I trust you, and I love you.”
Tears filled those eyes, and she said, “I love you too.”
Liam bent down and kissed her, a sweet touch of his lips against hers. “Something smells amazing.”
“It’s Gran’s barbecue sauce,” she said. “Secret family recipe.”
“I’m starving.”
“It’s almost done.”
Liam stepped back and started getting out plates and napkins. “So, did you want to talk rules?”
A few seconds passed, and then the timer on the oven went off. Callie reached for the oven mitts and pulled a glorious pizza out of the oven. The crust was golden brown and crisp, with melty cheese and bright dots of green onion among the dark red barbecue sauce and chunks of chicken.
Liam’s mouth watered, and he retreated around the island and sat at the bar. Callie pulled a bagged salad out of the fridge, still not speaking.
“Silence is never good with you, Cal,” he said. “What’s goin’ on?”
She poured the salad into a bowl and opened a drawer. “Will you cut the pizza while I get out the sweet tea?”
He took the pizza cutter from her, giving her back some of that same silence. He’d made the first, long cut across the pie when she said, “I don’t need rules, Liam.”
“No?”
“No. I know the ranch belongs to us, and even if we did split up, you wouldn’t try to take it from me.”
He had to work to keep his hand steady as he made the second cut.
“Simone will find some amazing man to marry, and she’ll leave the ranch, just like Evelyn did.”
“Probably,” Liam said.
“I like sleeping with you,” she said, and that got Liam to look away from the pizza. Her face reddened slightly, and she shrugged. “So that’s not really a rule anymore. And those were all of mine.”
She’d clearly tossed him the ball, and Liam put the pizza cutter in the sink and stepped to her side. “I like sleeping with you too,” he whispered. “Last night was torture.”
Callie leaned her head against his bicep, and Liam swept his arm around her. “You haven’t fought with me about money and what we choose to spend it on. The affection thing isn’t a problem.”
“It’s just Miah.”
“Yeah,” Liam said. “And honestly, Cal, it’s my problem. Not yours, or his, even.”
“Did you talk to him about it?”
“Yes, a little.”
“And?”
“And it’s…my problem.”
She looked up at him. “And that’s it?”
“I get a little bit too far into my head sometimes,” he said. “But when I stop and think about it, I know you’d never cheat on me. I trust you, and I trust him. I have nothing to be jealous of.”
“You really don’t.”
“I know that.” He touched his lips to her forehead. “I really do. So I just need to re-center my thoughts, and I’m okay.”
“I don’t want this to happen again while you’re re-centering.”
“It won’t,” he said.
Callie’s beautiful eyes smiled at him, and he felt such love for her. He’d never seen her look at Jeremiah like that, and all the jealousy he’d felt over Jeremiah and Callie’s relationship evaporated.
“Let’s eat,” she said.
“Are you as hungry as I am?”
“Yes,” she said. “And the sooner we eat, the sooner we can go to bed.”
“Callie,” Liam said, laughing. Still, it was nice to know she loved him and wanted to be with him.
She served him pizza and salad, and he glanced at her. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“Kids,” he said.
Alarm pulled across her face for a brief moment. She relaxed, but before she could say anything, her phone rang. He saw Simone’s name on the screen as Callie reached for the device.
“Hold that thought.” She swiped on the call and said, “Hey, sissy.” Only seconds later, her eyes widened, and her face paled. “What? When?”
Liam set down his fork, because he had a feeling it was going to be quite a bit longer until he led Callie down the hallway to their bedroom.
“We’ll be right there.” She hung up and sprang from the barstool. “My dad’s in the hospital. He’s had a heart attack.” Her eyes met Liam’s, and he felt her pure panic and fear. Tears streamed down her face, and he gathered her into his arms.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Let’s grab my keys on the way out.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Callie thought her heart might burst from her chest before Liam got them to the hospital. Simone had answered all of her texts, and their father seemed to be stable now.
He’s okay, Simone said. He’s awake. He wants more dinner than they gave him. Gran is asleep in the only chair in the room. You won’t want to stay long.
Callie had asked if Simone had called Evelyn, and she had. In fact, her younger sister had done everything Callie would’ve done.
She was glad she didn’t have to do things alone anymore, and she squeezed Liam’s hand as he pulled into the Three Rivers Hospital. “He’s okay,” she said. “He’s going to be okay.”
“What’s Simone saying?” he asked.
Callie told him as he parked, and they both got out of the truck. He met her at the front, his touch so soothing and so familiar. They walked in hand-in-hand, and Callie paused, the antiseptic scent of the hospital knocking her back thirty-five years.
“Oh, wow,” she said, her stomach heaving. And she’d been so careful not to eat too much pizza. The first time she’d been here, her hand had been laced through her father’s. There had been plenty of tears and drawn down faces as her mother kissed each of her daughters, and Callie barely went to the doctor after that.
She’d associated the hospital with death, and she didn’t want to revisit those emotions. When she’d come for her hysterectomy, Evelyn had held one hand while Simone clutched the other. They’d been there when she’d gone in, and they were both waiting for her when she came out.
This time, with her hand locked in Liam’s, she knew she wanted to always have him at her side. Always and forever.
“This way,” he said gently, tugging her away from the information desk. She hadn’t even heard him ask for her father’s room number. But he obviously had, as he led them into the maze of long, sterile hospital hallways, taking her up to the fourth floor where patient rooms were.
“Do you want to go in alone?” Liam asked, pausing outside a room with all the curtains drawn.
“No,” she said, her throat dry. “Absolutely not.” She stepped toward the door at the same time Simone came out, and the relief in her younger sister’s face triggered Callie’s tears again. “Heya, sissy.” She let go of Liam so she could hug Simone. “How is he?”
“He’s ready to go home, of course.” Simone gave a laugh mixed with half a sob. “The doctor will be here in a few minutes to talk to us about what happened and what he needs to do going forward.”
Callie pulled in a deep breath. “Okay, good.” She went into the room while Liam gathered Simone into a hug, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room quickly. “Daddy.” She hurried to his side, hating how frail and old he looked lying in that bed.
He’d always been the tall, tough rancher who didn’t spoil his daughters. Who expected them to work as hard as he did. He worked from dawn to dusk, made dinner for the girls, and learned how to braid their hair so he could send them to school looking like they had someone who cared for the
m at home.
He bought them cowgirl boots for their birthdays, and he’d paid for haircuts and manicures even when he didn’t want to.
Callie loved him with a fierceness she couldn’t put into words. She wept as she leaned over and touched her lips to his cheek, and that was all she had to do for him to know. His weathered hand covered hers, and she put her other hand on top. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m a little tired,” he admitted.
“Yeah, you had a heart attack, Daddy,” Callie said.
“I feel okay now, though.” His gaze moved from her face as Liam joined Callie bedside. “Liam.”
“Sir,” he said.
Callie wasn’t sure what else to say, and Evelyn came in with drinks at that moment. “Callie,” she said. “Hey.” She handed the drinks to Simone and enveloped Callie and Liam in a hug. “The doctor should be here in a minute.”
“Simone told us,” Callie said. She stood back away from her father’s bed, and sure enough, Gran had snoozed through the whole exchange in the only chair in the room. Callie leaned against the counter and accepted the paper cup of water her sister handed her.
Of course, when a doctor said “a few minutes” that meant a half an hour, and Callie’s patience for standing in a dark hospital room had reached its limit by that point. But she snapped to attention when the man wearing the dark blue scrubs entered. He looked like he could be her son if she’d started having children when her mother did, in her early twenties.
“I’m Doctor Bellamisi,” he said, smiling like they were about to attend a fabulous holiday party. He shook hands with everyone, and Callie looked at him eagerly. “So your father had a CAS, a coronary artery spasm, what we sometimes call a silent heart attack.”
He looked around like Callie or her sisters would know what any of that meant. She sure didn’t, and by Evelyn and Simone’s silence, they didn’t either.
“Basically, there’s no blockage in any of his arteries,” Dr. Bellamisi said. “Which is good. It’s also bad, because it means we don’t know why he had the heart attack and don’t have anything to really fix.” He pulled his stethoscope from around his neck and fixed it on his ears, starting to press the listening pad against her father’s chest. “His heart sounds normal, and our scans and blood work does indicate the attack.” He pulled back, that annoying smile on his face again. “I’m going to monitor him for the night, but he should be able to go home in the morning.”