by Debra Holt
“I also remember how the three of you were thick as thieves in the summertime around the ranch. Your father called you ‘the three amigos.’”
“That was a long time ago when we were just kids. We all grew up.” Josie laid her fork on the plate and took a long sip of her tea, a light shadow crossing her eyes.
“Not so long ago. It’s a shame Chance hasn’t found someone to settle down with. He needs a good woman to help him run Braxton Ranch.”
Josie was no fool. Her mother was testing the waters, and she wasn’t about to dip her toe in that particular pond. “Good luck with that. He’s too picky and too stubborn. Most of the girls in school certainly tried to land him. They still are trying from what I hear around town. He’s just too serious all the time.”
“Well, he’s had a lot to deal with beginning at an early age. He had to mature quicker than most. Chance missed out on a lot of things most young boys got to experience for fun. He wasn’t allowed time to be carefree. You know that better than anyone. I think you should take a closer look at the man he’s become.” Dianne smiled at her daughter. “Maybe he’s found the one he wants, but she might be too hardheaded for her own good.”
Josie pushed back from the dining table and stood. “Any female who wants to put up with him is either crazy or a glutton for punishment. I’m heading to the barn to check on Cookie and deliver the apple I promised him earlier for all his hard work today. Then there’ll be more room for another slice of that cheesecake. Love you.” She dropped a quick kiss on her mom’s forehead. “Thanks for another great birthday dinner.”
*
Dianne was finishing up the last of the dinner pots and pans when a swift knock on the back door caught her by surprise. It was followed by a familiar tall figure stepping through the doorway, hat in hand, and a wide grin on his face. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I just came by to drop off a tractor part I told Zeke I would pick up for him when I ran into town earlier. I left it at the bunkhouse and then I saw you through the window standing in front of the sink. I thought I…”
“That you might stop by on the off chance there was a plate of chicken enchiladas with your name on it?” She finished the thought for him with a laugh and shake of her head. “I put it in a container for you already, but I can also heat it up.” Dianne moved to the refrigerator and reached inside.
“Don’t bother heating it. I do need to get back to my place and tackle some paperwork tonight.” His gaze had already traveled around the room when he entered. “Don’t see your daughter around this evening. Guess she had an engagement in town maybe?”
The container was placed in Chance’s hands. “Now you know that Josie has only two interests in her life, the ranch and her horse…and possibly one other.”
“That goes without saying. My brother Dev has always been high on her list.”
“I’ve tried to figure that one out a time or two. It’s been that way almost since the time they laid eyes on each other in elementary school. True, he does have those movie-star good looks and that devil-may-care smile. But I can be honest with you…he wasn’t the choice of either my husband or myself. We just kept hoping, as time passed, Josie would mature and see that looks will fail with time, so there better be some substance underneath it all. I’m sorry if that came out too harsh.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not anything I don’t already know. Dev was always treated special by our parents for whatever reason…things were made easier for him; more allowances were made for his wanderlust. I’ve had to get used to that early on. We all have our own roads to travel. His is just always away from Braxton.”
“And you were always older and wiser beyond the years in your age. And you know how we feel about you. After Josie’s father passed away, without your steady presence in the background, always offering to help wherever needed…well, I don’t know how we would’ve managed. And I’m also mindful of how much patience you’ve had to exercise of late in dealing with my stubborn daughter. I wish we could return to the days when Josie used to follow you around like your second shadow. That would certainly be easier for you.”
“I appreciate your kind words, but my helping is all part of being a good neighbor as far as I’m concerned. You certainly helped both my brother and me when we lost our mother. And as for Josie,” his voice trailed off and he tried to keep things light. “Well, Josie is Josie. I don’t think any of us would change her. Besides…my hide is tough.”
“Good.” She smiled, patting his arm. “Just hang in there. I’m pulling for you. And Josie’s down at the barn if you want to stop by and visit or anything.”
Dianne gave him a knowing smile. He met her steady gaze with his own.
“I think it’s best not to push my luck any more today. Thanks again for the enchiladas. I’ll be on my way home.”
“Don’t wait too long,” Dianne said into the silence of the kitchen after the door shut behind him. “Time is growing shorter by leaps and bounds.” The smile faded within her.
Chapter Two
“Afternoon, ladies.” Chance strode into the hardware store two days later, and when he caught sight of the two women standing at the counter, a grin lit his face, and he swept his hat off his head. “I should come into town for plumbing supplies more often if this is where the prettiest girls gather.”
“Chance Braxton, if you were Irish, I’d say you had kissed the Blarney stone this morning…but maybe you’ve just been out in the sun too much today and it’s gotten to you.” Mitzi Lewis stood behind the counter, shaking her head with a laugh at the cowboy.
“Oh, shush, Mitzi,” Dianne Monroe said, stepping into the circle of the cowboy’s arm and sharing a hug with him as she had done for most of his life. “Chance has never been a flirt,” Dianne went on. “He knows beauty when he sees it…so enjoy the compliment. At our age, we take them whenever we can get them.”
“Too true,” Mitzi agreed. “What can we help you with today?”
Chance gathered the items on his list, and Mitzi checked them out soon enough. He turned to the other woman, who sat on a stool at the end of the counter, joining in their easy banter now and then. Chance had the two women smiling, but his gaze took in certain telltale signs while being unobtrusive in his surveillance. He was well aware of the new paleness in Dianne’s features. She had been more tired-looking than usual two nights ago when he had stopped by and been gifted with the enchiladas. And there was just something that had been “off” in her usual demeanor. She seemed to not be as spry of late as she had once been. Whatever the “something” was had amped his concern level.
“Mama Dianne”, as he and Dev had come to call her after they lost their own mother when they were still young boys, had always been there with words of encouragement, home cooking, and special hugs when needed. There had also been her brand of quiet stare when they needed a reminder to straighten up and fly right.
Chance had taken it upon himself to do as much as he could to always be there to lend a hand after she and Josie lost Ben Monroe to a stroke. That is, he was there as much as Josie would allow him to be. More often than not, she let him know that his presence was neither needed nor wanted. That had been a change over the last half dozen or so years.
When she was growing up, they had been closer. He was like the older brother she never had. At least that was how her mom and dad had treated him to a large extent. Of course, he was glad to not be cast in that role any longer. Being a brother was not the connection he wanted with Josie. And he had a sneaking suspicion that Mama Dianne had realized that fact long before he even had admitted it to himself. She had hinted at that more than a couple of times in recent weeks.
“I’ll have these things picked up this afternoon by one of the hands when he picks up the other items from the lumber yard,” Chance replied to Mitzi’s question about packing the purchased merchandise. His gaze fell on the seated woman and the two bags sitting at her feet.
“How about I take those to your truck for you, Mama Dianne�
��if you’re done visiting?”
Her eyes brightened at his offer. “That sounds like an offer I’ll gladly accept.” She slid off the stool and threw a parting wave at her friend. “I’m going to let this handsome man escort me to my truck. It’ll make all the young females jealous!”
Chance shook his head and returned Mitzi’s goodbye as he followed the woman out of the store. Once on the sidewalk, he offered her his arm, and she slid a hand around his elbow. They walked across the two-lane main street toward the Monroe ranch truck.
“How about you stop by on Sunday afternoon and I’ll make my meatloaf you like so much? Followed up by some blueberry cobbler?” They reached the truck, and Chance placed the two bags into the back bed before he turned and smiled at the woman.
“Hadn’t you better check with your daughter before you issue that invite? I have a feeling she might not be too thrilled to have me at the dinner table.”
Dianne cocked her head to the side and gave him a long, considering look, her hands on her hips. “Since when do I have to check with my daughter about who I invite into my own house? And you aren’t just anyone…you’re part of our family. You’ve done well to keep coming over and helping despite the fact Josie seems to have misplaced her manners. I taught her better.”
“It’s understandable,” Chance replied. “She thinks I’m butting in, and it’s hard enough for her, being a young female and trying to run a ranch and all. I’ve tried to tell her that I think she’s doing a good job, but she doesn’t want my compliments, either.”
“Yet, you keep coming by and doing what you’ve always done. You take a lot from her, and I used to not understand why you would put yourself through it all.”
His eyes focused in on hers and they shared a silent gaze for a couple of moments. “You’re a shrewd woman, Mama Dianne. No one ever could put anything over on you for very long.”
“You know, I’ve missed having you call me that. And I know you try not to do it whenever Josie is around. She’s headstrong. You know that. You can’t break her spirit to your own will. You know that, too. I wish I could say that she’ll lose the blinders where you and your brother are concerned soon enough…but I can’t. I thought it would happen long before now. Just know that both Ben and I have always thought a great deal of you, and no man would be as deserving…or as welcome…as a son-in-law into our family as you would be. I just hope you hang in there and don’t give up on our girl. Promise me that?”
Something in those last words seemed to carry an undertone of a soft pleading. Chance gave a responding nod. He reached over and opened her door for her to step into the driver’s seat. “I made that promise a long time ago. Don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere. Josie’s heart is her own to follow. Maybe it’ll head in my direction one day. In the meantime, you’ll just have to be my best girl.” He gave her a wink and a grin as he shut the door behind her. “See you on Sunday for that meatloaf.”
*
Dianne didn’t head straight back to the ranch. She had another appointment to keep in town. Braxton was a bit on the small side to actually be labeled a “town” by most standards. It had formed over a hundred years back when the railroad put in stock pens and a depot as a regular stop to load the thousands of head of cattle that made their way to markets in the other states. Stores came along to supply the ranches, and then a school, church, and before too long, it had grown to its present-day size of almost four thousand…scattered across a county that was bigger than some states were. Of course, it carried the name of the person who had the most cattle and the most money in the area…the first Royce Braxton. The elder Braxton left not only his sons and his ranch as his legacy, but his family name on the town.
It was the typical small Texas community, centered by a shaded square in the heart of it and then spread out like a wagon-wheel…making use of the tall oak and pecan trees to create an oasis on the southern plains and plateaus of the region buffering both the hill country and the southern plains of the Panhandle region. It was a good, solid small town with big-hearted, hard-working country folk who revered their state, their country, and each other.
Rounding the corner and going three blocks south, she pulled into a parking space in front of a one-story brick building. She fed the old-time parking meter her quarters and went inside. The receptionist smiled and buzzed her straight through and into the office behind her. There was important business to discuss.
“I’m going to die, Phillip.” The spoken words hung heavy in the silence of the lawyer’s office as she advanced and took the chair in front of the large desk.
The man leaned forward, hands clasped on top of the paperwork in front of him. One hand removed the wire-rimmed spectacles from his nose and laid them on the desktop. His shrewd gaze narrowed on the woman seated across from him.
“Of course you are, Dianne, we’re all going to end up that way sooner or later. You’ve got a lot…”
“No, I do not have a lot of anything left. That’s why I’m here. I’ve been seeing Doc Winters for a few years now. He and those medicines of his have done all they can for me. My old ticker is tired out and that’s just as well. I’ve lived a good life. I miss my Ben. I’ve kept him waiting awhile on me now up there,” her head gave a slight nod toward the ceiling and beyond. “But I’m leaving behind an awful mess for my beautiful Josie to have to deal with on this earth. That’s why I’m here today. She thought she was keeping things from me, so I wouldn’t worry. Ben tried that, too.
“But I had my ways of finding things out. We had to make some decisions a while back to keep the ranch afloat. I’m afraid those decisions may prove to be just the opposite. And Josie will be left with a mess. She’s too stubborn to admit when she needs help. That’s why you’re gonna help me do what needs to be done for her own good and protection when I’m gone. There’s no time to waste.”
“I can see where Josie gets that stubborn streak of hers.”
“Stubborn, yes…determined, you better believe it. I’ve given this all a lot of consideration and serious thought over the past few months.” She reached inside the bag on her lap and withdrew a sheaf of papers. She pushed it across the desk toward the lawyer. “This is my will and final instructions. Josie knows nothing about what it contains. Can you see this gets carried out the way I want it?”
Phillip Banks reached for the glasses again and slid them on his nose. He began to read the words she had written. The attorney made no comment until he reached the end of the document. Then he withdrew the glasses and left them to dangle in his fingers as he cast a shrewd gaze in her direction along with a slow shake of the head.
“This is quite something. My first thought is that your daughter is going to go straight through the roof. I can’t say that I want to be the one to deliver this news to her or be anywhere in a twenty-mile radius when she gets it.”
“Can I trust you to do it or not?” She leveled her steady gaze on him.
For a few long moments, the man scanned the paper once more. A sigh left him and then he shook his head at her again. “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this before. However, if all parties involved agree to it, then that’s the way it will be. Have you spoken to Chance Braxton about this? Is he going along with these wishes?”
“I believe he will. I’m going to inform him what I’ve done when he comes over this weekend after I make certain you’ll handle all this just as I have written. If he refuses, which I doubt he will, then I have another will ready to go as a backup.” She sat forward in her chair, ready to move on. “What’s it to be?”
“I’ve taken care of your family’s legal affairs since I became a lawyer almost forty years ago. I’ve known you and Ben since we were in grade school. I’m not about to let you down now. All I ask is, just make certain all the guns in the house are unloaded and ammunition hidden when the day comes that I have to deliver this news to Josie.”
*
Two days later, Josie sat on Cookie, her black Quarter Horse g
elding, breathing in the changing air. Her slate gray eyes were on the darkening, thin blue line approaching steadily from the north, over the flat plains below the ridge where she watched in silence. A cold, “blue norther” was barreling down across the plains between the Canadian border and Texas. Fall was on its way out and winter was coming. Another season was changing, and the unusual feeling of restlessness increased within her. Her thoughts were as bleak as the weather headed their way.
She had just found another section of fence line that had come down with help from the previous night’s strong wind. It seemed like she was standing with her finger in a dam that was springing too many holes all at once. Maybe it was the dull, overcast sky that had her so down in spirit. Or maybe it was reality weighing in on her. More likely, it was a combination of both.
Josie tried to stay positive, if for no other reason than to keep her mother placated. However, when she was alone, she could admit she was lonely and just a bit scared. Okay…maybe more than a bit. In such moments, she missed her father and his large, comforting presence. The missing ache should have lessened with the passing of the years, but it had never done so. He always seemed to know what to do to make things better. But he was gone…much too soon.
The ranch that had been her only home since birth was draining their bank account dry with bad winters and drought-ridden summers. Thirty-five hundred acres didn’t put them on the same scale as many other ranches in their area, or by most Texas standards. But it felt like triple that to Josie sometimes. The writing was on the wall…and on the letter the bank had sent to them last week.
A “friendly” warning notice. Right. Nothing friendly about being told you could lose everything you ever loved in a matter of weeks. Only Josie tried to not look at that wall, and she had crumpled the letter and tossed it into a drawer and locked it. No need to worry her mother with it…not until she could figure something out. Her brain had been on overload trying to do just that.