“Just like Robert and Stacey,” whispered Willa. What kind of cruel universe allowed not only Daniel’s parents but his brother and sister-in-law to die so tragically? Her heart twisted. She couldn’t imagine that kind of loss. Her own mother had died when she’d been young, but she still had her father, as frustrating as he was.
DeeDee didn’t seem to notice but prattled on in a matter-of-fact tone. “Terrible, isn’t it? I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news about Robert and Stacey. Were you close with them?” Seeing Willa’s face, DeeDee put a hand on Willa’s arm and said quickly, “Oh, I’m sorry. What a stupid question! Don’t mind me. I have a big mouth. Dougie is always telling me to keep it shut because I’m always putting my foot in it.”
Willa tried to smile. “It’s okay. We were friends. I miss them every day.”
“Of course you do, honey.” DeeDee patted Willa’s arm. “And here you are, still looking after their baby. That says everything.”
Willa winced inwardly. She wasn’t about to tell DeeDee that she wanted to leave, although she’d only recently decided she was going to be staying a while for Bobby’s sake. Grayson had finally responded to her email with a curt, single line saying, Fine, we’ll figure something out. Willa had breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t decided to choose the other candidate, a woman named Paige Laughlin. Willa had met Paige once, and a single conversation with the beautiful, accomplished girl had made Willa want to crawl under a rock. She had wanted to cry when she’d realized they’d be competing for the same position at Sensation.
“Wiwah, look!” said Bobby. He was currently stacking blocks on his own.
“He calls you Wiwah? How cute!” said DeeDee.
“I kinda like that name,” said a voice over the two women’s shoulders.
Turning, Willa saw the diner owner, Sarah.
“Hi Sarah, how’s the diner doing?” said DeeDee.
“It’s going, but today I needed a day off. You gals use the pool here, yet? I can’t get enough of it.”
“Every time I think about using the pool, I feel guilty about leaving Izzy at home when there’s this playground here.”
“What about you, Wiwah?” asked Sarah with a grin. “Are you a swimmer?”
“Sometimes, but I didn’t bring a swimsuit with me.”
“Then you should get one! There’s also an outdoor pool you should take Bobby to. I can give you some free passes.”
Willa couldn’t help but smile at the nickname that the women had already adopted for her. She’d never had anyone give her a nickname. Well, excepting when her fellow students had called her Picasso in mocking tones in high school after she’d worn a Picasso T-shirt at school. It had had a print of Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger, one of Willa’s favorite paintings of all time.
But to the other students at Macon High School, it had been a weird mess of color and naked breasts that had resulted in ridicule. It had marked Willa as an outsider, and after that, she’d made a point to wear shirts with different paintings as much as she could.
She had shirts with Matisse’s Le Bonheur de Vivre, Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas, and Salvador Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory, among others. Her father had hated those shirts and had tried to throw them away, but Willa had saved them from the trash more than once before her father had finally given up.
“Thank you,” said Willa, pushing away the memories. “I’d love to go to the pool with Bobby. Stacey was taking him to swimming lessons in New York, but obviously he hasn’t been in the water for a while.”
“Excellent, I’ll be sure to get those passes to Daniel if I don’t see you again soon.”
“I’m going to go take that swim. I’ll see you ladies around, you hear?” Sarah waved, her braid swishing as she walked away.
At that moment, Izzy swiped one of Bobby’s blocks and Bobby started crying. The adults jumped in, Willa consoling him as DeeDee apologized and scolded by turns.
“We should get lunch sometime!” shouted DeeDee over the crying babies. “There’s a group of us with little ones that goes out for drinks on weekends, too. You should join us.”
Normally, Willa avoided large groups of women who were like DeeDee, but she also knew that if she were going to stay here for any amount of time at all, she couldn’t isolate herself completely. Besides, she needed women to talk to. Daniel and James Gunn were hardly ardent conversationalists.
She put on her best smile. “I’d love to! Do you bring your kids?”
DeeDee threw back her head and laughed. “Oh lordy, no, not to girls’ night! We need a break and some margaritas without babies, no matter how much I love ’em.” She planted a smacking kiss on Izzy’s cheek.
Willa had told herself she wouldn’t get attached to anyone in this town, but it seemed as though, despite her best efforts, she was going to break that promise.
Ten
“Put that table in that corner. Yeah, right there.” Daniel squinted as he looked at the layout of the shed. “Wait, should the table be closer to the window?”
Uncle James huffed in annoyance. “Good Lord, boy, how should I know? This was your harebrained scheme, remember?”
As Daniel had lain in bed wondering how he could take Sarah’s advice and apply it, it had occurred to him that clearing out the shed out back to create an art studio for Willa would be a perfect idea. He’d told Uncle James, who’d harrumphed but had eventually agreed to help, and now they were putting Daniel’s plan into action.
But now Daniel had his doubts. He knew as much about setting up an art studio as he did about toddlers. Nothing.
“Leave the table there. If she wants it moved, she’ll tell us.” Daniel surveyed their hard work and smiled. He couldn’t let doubts plague him. This was the perfect way to show Willa that there were people in this town who cared about her, and that she could make a life here.
You just want her to stay for yourself, his mind pointed out.
Yes, so what? He needed her for Bobby. If a little piece of New York in the form of an art studio could entice Willa to stay, then Daniel would buy her paint and sketchbooks and brushes for the rest of her life. Or at least for the next year as Bobby settled in.
“I still don’t see why you didn’t ask the little lady before doing all of this,” said James after they’d finished, cleaned up after themselves, and settled into the rocking chairs on the porch to catch a bit of the breeze that had kicked up. “Are you sure she’ll like it?”
“She’s an artist, isn’t she? Why wouldn’t she?”
Uncle James shrugged. “Women are strange like that. I swear, any time you think the sky is blue, they’ll try to convince you that it’s pink polka dots.”
Considering that Uncle James had been single for longer than Daniel had been alive, Daniel wasn’t likely to take his uncle’s advice.
Willa was at the rec center with Bobby but should arrive back at the farmhouse shortly. Daniel hadn’t felt this kind of anticipation since waiting for Willa and Bobby to first arrive. This time, though, the expectancy wouldn’t be tinged with sadness at the circumstances. Right now, he could hardly wait to see the surprise and happiness on Willa’s face.
“Can I give you a bit of advice?” said Uncle James as they sat on the porch together. He’d drawn out a cigar and had begun puffing on it, his face contemplative.
Daniel was tempted to say no, so he said nothing.
“I’ve seen the way you look at the little lady. Now, don’t get you dander up—I don’t mean nothin’ by it. I told you before, she’s a pretty thing, and I don’t blame you for being a man. Wasn’t I the one who said you should give her a reason to stay?” Uncle James took a pull from his cigar as he continued speaking. “But she’s also told you point-blank that she ain’t planning on staying around, either.”
“So?”
“My point, my boy, is that you’ll get your heart broken by a woman who was honest with you from the beginning. She don’t want nothing to do with Texas. When a lady tells you somethin
g like that, you better believe her.”
“And you were the one who said I should pursue her.”
Uncle James puffed on his cigar. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not that she isn’t a good catch. It’s just that I think you should be careful, is all I’m sayin’.”
“Thanks for the advice, but it’s not like I’m falling in love with her,” Daniel said, his tone harsh.
Uncle James held up his hands in surrender. “All righty.” He eyed his nephew and added in a mutter, “Just don’t dig up more snakes’n you can kill.”
Some fifteen minutes later, Willa drove up and parked the car. Bobby clung to her hand as they climbed the steps to the porch, and when Daniel rose to greet them, Bobby hid behind her leg.
“Hey, Bobby,” said Daniel softly as he crouched down to Bobby’s level. “What did you do today?”
“We played with blocks, didn’t we?” said Willa.
Sometimes Bobby didn’t mind Daniel’s presence, and other times, like right now, he acted as skittish as a mule with a thunder-booming gully washer on the horizon. Daniel had yet to figure out what made the little boy scared and what didn’t. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for it.
“Played with Izzy,” said Bobby at last before popping his thumb into his mouth.
“Who’s Izzy?”
“That’s the new friend we made,” explained Willa. To Daniel, she added, “I met DeeDee McClair and her daughter at the rec center. Izzy is about Bobby’s age.”
“Ah.” Daniel rocked back on his heels, wondering now how he’d tell Willa about the art studio in his shed. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He started by clearing his throat, and when she looked inquiringly at him, he said, “I want to show you something.”
“I’ll watch Little Britches while you do that,” said Uncle James. He put out his cigar and grabbed a stray toy fire truck that had ended up on the porch. Bobby’s eyes lit up, and like a moth to a flame, he was at his great uncle’s side.
“Oh, well, okay.” Willa’s face crinkled with confusion, but she followed Daniel around the house to the shed out back. When they reached it, she joked, “Do you want to show me your tools?” Then she blushed, and Daniel could almost see the thoughts in her head. Come to think of it, the same thought had crossed his mind in the same moment.
He choked back a laugh. “Nothing like that,” he drawled. He pushed open the shed and beckoned her to enter.
Willa stared. “What is this? Are you teaching art now?” She touched a box of paints on the table near the window.
“Me? Nah. This is for you. To do your art.”
Willa stared at him, blinking in shock, then turned her head to survey the small space. She said nothing as she took in the supplies and the furniture. She was so silent, in fact, that Daniel felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
Shouldn’t she be thanking him? Jumping up and down in excitement? But no, Willa was completely wordless, so unlike her usual self that Daniel knew somehow he’d screwed up. How or why, he didn’t know. Damn Uncle James for being right.
“How do you like it?” he couldn’t help asking.
She bit her lip. “It’s nice.” As if realizing her bad manners, she added quickly, “Thank you for this. It was very kind of you.” Willa went quiet again, and the blush that had colored her cheeks earlier was gone. She looked as pale as if she’d seen a ghost.
As Daniel drew closer to her, he realized with shock that her eyes were shimmering with tears. Oh God, he couldn’t deal with women’s tears. They’d gotten him in a whole host of trouble before.
And seeing a strong woman like Willa crying? It tore at him. He wanted to fall to his knees and beg her not to cry, that he’d do anything, just please, don’t cry.
“What is it? I should’ve asked you, shouldn’t I? You don’t have to use it—”
Willa shook her head, smiling sadly. “No, it was very kind of you to do this. Really. I’m just so surprised, that’s all.” She gulped and added, “I didn’t expect anyone to do something like this for me.”
Daniel could read between the lines of that last sentence: Nobody has cared about me like this before. How had a woman like her not been cherished the way she deserved? She should have all the art studios her little heart desired until that smile never left her pretty face.
She wiped her eyes and blinked at him. “God, I’m a mess. I really do like it. Please don’t think I don’t. It was just a shock.” She turned away to pick up a sketchbook and smiled. “I’d regretted that I hadn’t brought a sketchbook with me here. This is perfect.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
When she smiled at him like he’d given her the moon, he realized that he was catching feelings for her. He’d tried to deny it to Uncle James, but he couldn’t lie to himself.
He wouldn’t have put this all together if he didn’t feel something for her. He suddenly wished with an intensity he could barely comprehend that she wouldn’t stay simply for Bobby’s sake—that she’d stay for him, too.
“Did you really pick all of this out yourself?” she said.
“Yeah,” he said sheepishly, then hurried to explain. “I mean, I asked the lady on the phone what she’d recommend since I don’t know anything about painting. I didn’t even know there were so many types of paints.”
“Goodness, you got every variety? Acrylics, oils, watercolors . . .” Willa shook her head. “How can I repay this? I can’t imagine what all this cost.”
Daniel frowned. “It’s a gift. You don’t have to repay me. I wanted to do it.”
Willa nibbled on her lip, like she wanted to argue but something made her think better of it. “I usually do watercolors, although I’ve done some oil paintings. I haven’t used acrylics hardly at all. I guess this will be my chance to experiment.”
When the two of them returned to Uncle James and Bobby, Bobby shot straight to Willa the moment he saw her.
“Wiwah! Where you go?” The little face was tearstained, his cheeks red.
“Oh, no . . . Bobby, honey, I wasn’t gone for very long.” She picked him up and patted his back as he sniffled. To Uncle James, she said, “Was he crying the entire time I was gone?”
Uncle James let out a sigh. “Mostly. I tried to get the little cowpoke to calm down, but he wasn’t having it. Stubborn as his father, that one.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think we’d be that long.” She swayed, rocking the toddler in her arms, and Bobby put his head down on her shoulder with a hiccupping sob. She smiled down at him and tousled his silky hair, and something inside Daniel twisted at the love in the gesture. “I’ll take him inside.”
Daniel sat down next to Uncle James and stretched his legs out in front of him. He could hear Willa moving around inside his house, and where normally he’d be antsy about anyone messing with his stuff, by now he’d gotten used to her somehow.
Funny how that had happened.
“How’d she take it?” said Uncle James.
“She was happy.”
Uncle James grunted. “Well, I gotta say, she has to stay if Bobby throws a fit any dang old time she leaves.”
Daniel silently agreed, although it just brought up another worry. What if by the time Willa did leave, Bobby hadn’t fully adjusted to his new home with his uncles?
Eleven
It was one of those Texas summer storms that blew in out of nowhere. That morning, the sun had been shining, the sky clear. By afternoon, the blue sky had turned gray with warning, and by late afternoon, it was raining so hard that if Willa hadn’t grown up in Texas, she would’ve been afraid the roof would cave in from how loud it sounded.
At first, Bobby didn’t seem to mind the rain. But when flashes of lightning ended in big booms of thunder, he became fearful, clinging to Willa all afternoon. She could barely go to the bathroom without him underfoot.
Willa turned on the news to watch the weather, but there were no tornadoes nearby—just nasty thunder
storms. She prayed that that would remain the case.
She also hoped that the power didn’t go out, or worse, that she’d lose cell phone service. She had a flight later that day to New York for her first interview with Grayson West. If some stupid tornado kept her from that . . .
“Bobby, do you think I’ll get this job?” she asked.
Bobby picked up one of his cars, paying no mind to her question. “It’s loud,” he repeated. It was all he kept saying, each time the thunder sounded.
Willa glanced out the window. Daniel was still out working, although Willa wondered if that just meant hunkering down in his barn until the storm blew over. He couldn’t work out in the fields in this weather! Besides, the lightning was so close that he’d risk getting struck.
The storm kept on, and when Daniel came inside, soaking wet and fit to be tied, Willa was so surprised by his appearance, she couldn’t speak.
His clothes clung to his muscular frame, and his dark hair was plastered to his skull. He barely glanced at her and Bobby as he fetched some supplies from a nearby closet.
“Are still you working in this?” she asked, incredulous.
He just grunted. “The fence blew over in this damn wind, and now the cows are going to get into the corn field if I don’t stop them. They’ll destroy the plants within minutes.”
Right then, Uncle James drove up in his truck and hopped out, running into the house before he could get too soaked. “What a storm that is!”
But Willa was focused on Daniel. She knew that if his corn crops were destroyed, he’d be hurting for years. That was his livelihood.
“Let me help you,” she said before she could rethink the words. Then she remembered: her flight! But she couldn’t leave Daniel in this. She’d have to figure out a way to reschedule. She’d tell Grayson it had been an emergency.
Daniel stared at her. “You? You sure? Don’t you have a flight out today?”
“It’s okay,” she said before turning to say to Uncle James, “Watch Bobby for us, will you? Turn up the TV real loud so he doesn’t hear the storm. It’ll help. I’m going to help Daniel mend the fence.”
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