A Ready-Made Texas Family

by Angel Moore

  She leaned against the desk. “I didn’t know. They told me they were going to celebrate their anniversary. They were on their way home when the train wrecked. Someone didn’t throw a switch on the tracks is the only explanation I’ve heard. I’m still not sure what happened. Only that they’re gone.”

  “Charlotte, I know you’re grieving, but please consider taking me on to manage the hotel. I gave up my job in Dallas because Mr. Freeman assured me that he was in ownership of the hotel due to your parents’ passing.” The offer had come with the promise of bettering himself financially. He’d made his decision based on a strong suggestion that the position could develop into a partnership in the future. “In my five years at Turner Hotels, I rose as far as I could for someone who is not part of the family. The higher positions were saved for Turners. I can’t go back now.” He pointed into the private residence. “You have your hands full here. Your father shared his vision with me. I know how he intended to grow this business. Let me help you.”

  “He borrowed money, but I don’t know where it is. If I had the money for renovations, I could just give it back to the bank.”

  Her dilemma was tragic, but he could help her. If she didn’t have the will of a wild horse, they could both benefit from this arrangement. And, according to Mr. Freeman, she didn’t have a choice in the matter. Whether she believed it or not.

  He looked around to ensure that no one would overhear. “Your father ordered new furnishings with that money. Everything should arrive in six to eight weeks.”

  She shook her head. “How do you know that?”

  “I helped him find the suppliers and place the orders.”

  “Why would you do that? If you worked for Turner Hotels, weren’t you putting your job at risk?”

  “It was the right thing to do. I grew up here. I couldn’t turn my back on him or anyone else in town.”

  “But if you hadn’t helped him, maybe I could have paid back that money and saved the hotel. Can I cancel the orders?”

  “No. The money cannot be refunded.” He tapped his knuckles on the registration book. “Your father knew Gran Colina was growing so fast that he had to make changes to compete with other hotels that are sure to open in town. He didn’t want to lose everything he’d worked so hard for just because this place was older.”

  “It’s too much. I can’t think right now. I have to make sure everything is on track in the kitchen for the lunch crowd.”

  “Let me share the details of it with you. I feel certain you’ll see the wisdom in your father’s plans.”

  She glared at him. “What’s in it for you, Nathan Taylor? What difference does it make to you? After all these years in Dallas, why do you want to be in Gran Colina?”

  “Have lunch with me, and I’ll answer all of your questions.” He hoped what he knew would be enough to satisfy her. He could tell her all the things he had discussed with her father and mother about the hotel. He hoped his experience would turn the small hotel into something he could be proud of—something that would give him the security he’d lost when his family had moved away. Gran Colina was the last place where he’d felt like he belonged. He didn’t want to end up like his father, roaming from one job and town to another.

  The blue eyes that stared at him couldn’t be part of the reason he returned. Charlotte Green had made it plain years ago that he was not someone she wanted for a friend. Her reaction to his arrival today confirmed that her feelings had not changed.

  * * *

  Charlotte carried two plates to the table by the window where Nathan had waited for over an hour. Every time she’d looked at him, he was writing notes in a small book that he closed as she approached. “I’m sorry. I hired more help for the kitchen earlier this week, but she’s still learning how to manage the lunch rush.”

  He stood and pulled out her chair. “Those are the type of problems that I’m trained to handle.” He returned to his seat.

  “I’ve worked in the kitchen here since I was a little girl. I know exactly how to handle that.”

  “Shall I say grace?” At her nod he offered thanks for their food. When he looked up she caught a glimpse of mischievousness. “So,” he said, “you’re finally going to eat lunch with me. After all these years.”

  A vision of Nathan laughing at her came rushing to the front of her mind. He had put a frog on her head, and she’d flailed wildly in the schoolyard trying to free the slimy creature from her tangled braids. The next week he’d asked her to eat her lunch with him. An invitation she’d flatly refused, and one that had not been repeated.

  “Only for work, and you’ll be dismissed instantly if I get so much as a glimpse or hint of a frog.” She smiled at his chuckle.

  “No teasing.” He met her gaze with his clear blue eyes. Eyes so intense they invited her to trust. “I promise.”

  Then he blinked, picked up his glass of water and changed the subject back to the hotel. “Your experience here will make your training much easier, but there is a lot about the business side of running a hotel and restaurant that most people never consider.”

  “You do realize that I only need someone to train me. I won’t be hiring a manager; I will manage the hotel myself.”

  “I assume you’ve handled the registration desk many times.”

  She nodded. “Yes, and I’ve worked in the restaurant. The staff has been here for years. The cook worked with Momma for the last several months, so it seemed natural to move her up to that responsibility. I had to take on a new assistant for her, so I hired her daughter. She peels potatoes and washes up. Things that Momma and I used to do together.” The memories of laughing over the worktable while she made a piecrust and her mother cut up potatoes came flooding back with the force of a river.

  Her father had remarried when Charlotte was seven. His bride, Nancy, had loved and treated Charlotte as her own child. So much so, that Charlotte had decided to call her Momma. In Charlotte’s childish mind, it had seemed right to give her father’s wife a maternal name, but it had to be different than Ma. Ma had nurtured Charlotte until she passed when Charlotte was five. Two years later, Nancy had stepped into their lives, and Charlotte would never forget the love she and her father received from such a fine Christian woman. But now was not a time for fond remembrances.

  She refused to succumb to her emotions. No savvy businesswoman cried in a business meeting. It hadn’t been a week since they’d passed, and her carefree days were over. The details of the work must be done. She finished reciting her list of the hotel workers to Nathan. “There are two maids who make up the rooms, do all the cleaning and manage the laundry. Pa always carried the guests’ cases up to their rooms.”

  “Did your mother order the food for the restaurant?”

  “Yes. She also cooked, but I did most of the baking.”

  “Do you intend to continue baking?”

  “I do. Most of it can be done in the evenings after the children are in bed. I worked hard to master Momma’s recipes. It’s what I do best, and I find it helps me to relax.”

  He held up slice of bread. “Did you make this?”

  “Yes. Last night.”

  “It’s very good.” He spread fresh butter on the slice. “What time did you retire for the evening?”

  Up to this point, his questions had been businesslike. She had no problems answering, but this seemed personal. “What difference does that make?”

  “If you went to bed before midnight, I would be most surprised. How long do you think you can keep up that pace?”

  “I’ll do what needs to be done. Pa and Momma did.”

  He shook his head. “Your pa didn’t intend for you to run this hotel by yourself.”

  “No, he didn’t. According to you, he intended to build it into a much larger and more successful business. But, in the same way he didn’t count on a train wreck, I can’t count on going to bed ea
rly anymore. There are some things about which we get no choice.” She pushed aside the sandwich she’d barely touched. Her appetite was completely gone. It had disappeared on Monday with the news of the death of her parents. She wasn’t sure if, or when, it would return.

  Nathan reached across the table and put his hand on top of hers. The unexpectedness of his touch startled her, but the comfort of its warmth kept her from pulling away. “You’ve suffered a great shock. You’re making the best decisions you can at the moment, but you’ll have time to think back on them later. Do you really want to be exhausted all the time? Your brother and sister need more than the money you’ll make in this hotel. They need you.”

  “My heart is so broken. I am doing my best, but it’s hard to breathe.” Was he right? She looked up at him, not expecting to pour out her heart, but it happened. “Learning about the train wreck on Monday was more of a shock than Ma’s death when I was a child. Pa never expected to marry again, but then Nancy came along and won his heart. And mine. She was as much my mother as the one who gave me birth. I owe it to the two of them to make sure Michael and Sarah are taken care of. And I know how Michael and Sarah feel, because my mother died when I was young. I can’t believe it’s happening again.” Charlotte put her elbows on the table and dropped her face into her hands.

  Nathan didn’t say anything. She hadn’t expected him to. No one knew what to say to her. Almost everyone in town had tried, but she was beyond receiving comfort. No words would heal the aching in her chest or take away the mind-numbing grief.

  Brown boots appeared on the floor to her right, and she heard the wearer clear his throat.

  “Miss Green, I’d like a moment of your time.”

  She looked up to see Gilbert Jefferson standing beside her. “What is it, Mr. Jefferson?”

  The former sheriff stood over her with his hat in his hands. He was shaved and dressed in what must be his best suit. She was surprised, given the unkempt state that was his recent form. His reputation had suffered greatly in recent months after he’d tried to sway the town elections for sheriff and mayor. If not for the mercy of the traveling judge, he might have been sent to jail.

  Jefferson looked from her to Nathan and back. “I’d like to speak to you privately about a matter of some importance.”

  Nathan seemed to sit a bit taller in his chair at the words. “If you have business with Miss Green about the hotel, then, as the hotel manager, I must insist you speak in my presence.”

  Charlotte cut her eyes to Nathan. How dare he make such a statement? The warning he conveyed to her without a word gave her reason for concern.

  “Mr. Jefferson, you may speak freely in front of Mr. Taylor. You may remember him from his time in Gran Colina. He is Doc Taylor’s nephew.”

  A huff and the way Mr. Jefferson tortured the brim of his hat in his fists let Charlotte know she would not agree with anything he shared. “It’s about you, Miss Green. Not the hotel.”

  She couldn’t imagine what business he had with her. “I am engaged in a meeting with Mr. Taylor at the moment. You’ll understand that there are many things I must attend to at this time. Please forgive that I am unable to speak to you now.”

  “Fine. I’ll just come out with it.” Mr. Jefferson looked over both shoulders and lowered his voice. “I’m here to ask permission to come calling.”

  Charlotte choked. A sputtering fit of coughing overtook her at the preposterous words. Nathan put a glass of water in her hand and came to stand beside her and thump her on the back.

  “Try to catch your breath, Charlotte.” Nathan ceased his pounding, but when he returned to his seat, she could see the laughter in his eyes.

  She took a long drink of water and set the glass on the table. “Please forgive me, Mr. Jefferson.”

  “I’d like your answer today.” The man hadn’t moved an inch. “I think now would be best. I’ll be needing to arrange for courting you in the proper ways of a woman of your standing and means.”

  Her standing and means? She felt her face flare hot and her eyes grow wide. Nathan, ignored by Mr. Jefferson, gave a slight shake of his head. It had been years since she’d been around Nathan. He’d always irritated her beyond words, but his signals to her were as clear as if they’d been the dearest of friends. For some unknown reason, he wanted her to refuse with grace instead of the indignation that boiled to the surface on her insides. Caught unawares as she was by the request she considered to be ludicrous, Charlotte heeded his silent warning.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Jefferson. Please understand that I’m in mourning for my parents and cannot at this time entertain a suitor.”

  “Well, sure, you’re still prob’ly crying over your folks, but that’ll end soon enough. I was thinking that spending time with me would help you over it.”

  She opened her mouth but saw the slight lift of Nathan’s finger on the tablecloth.

  Michael and Sarah came through the kitchen door at that moment. Charlotte had left them at the kitchen table to eat their lunch while she talked to Nathan.

  Michael interrupted without excusing himself. “Charlotte, Sarah needs a nap. She’s snapping at me like a turtle.”

  “I didn’t snap. I just told you to quit pulling my pigtails.” Tears clung to Sarah’s blond lashes. Her green eyes were heavy with fatigue.

  Mr. Jefferson looked at the kids. “You two need to head back into the kitchen. It ain’t good manners to talk when adults are talking.”

  Charlotte saw Nathan shrug his shoulders. If she wasn’t so perturbed at Mr. Jefferson’s interference with her siblings, she’d have laughed at Nathan’s abdication from his earlier cautions to guard her tongue with the man. Somehow, knowing that Nathan no longer objected made it easier to ignore Mr. Jefferson.

  “Okay, you two.” She held out a hand to each of the children. “I think we’ve earned an hour or two of time at home. You run along to the parlor, and I’ll be right behind you. I just have to answer a question for Mr. Jefferson first.” She nudged them toward their residence.

  Nathan smiled at her calm tone, but she knew he wasn’t fooled by it. Mr. Jefferson, on the other hand, misinterpreted her to the fullest extent.

  Mr. Jefferson smiled. “I’m glad to see you understand the need for us to make our courtship official today. In spite of the young ones.”

  She stood and took a step toward the man. “I am giving you my official answer now.” She took another step, and Mr. Jefferson leaned back a bit. “I do not do things in spite of my siblings.” She stepped forward again, and this time he moved away from her. “From this very moment, everything I do will be for those two.” She couldn’t help herself. She lifted her hand and would have poked a finger into his chest if Nathan hadn’t hummed a negative note. “My answer to your offer of courtship is a resounding no. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever.” She stepped forward, and Mr. Jefferson stumbled backward. “You may always remember that I reached this decision because of you. Thank you for raising the keen awareness of my responsibilities to my siblings to a new height.” She stopped and took a breath. “Good day to you, Mr. Jefferson. You’re welcome to stay for a piece of complimentary pie if you like.”

  She brushed her hands together as if she were wiping the garden dirt from her palms and left the restaurant.

  Charlotte was almost to her residence when the sound of Nathan’s laughter made her aware that he’d followed her.

  “Wait a minute.” Nathan caught her before she closed the door to the residence.

  “I’m busy at the moment, Mr. Taylor.” In truth, she was trembling. Anger had risen in her with a lightning speed she’d never experienced.

  “I want to offer a word of caution.” His serious tone made her stop to listen.

  “What is it?”

  Nathan paused as if choosing his words with great care. “That incident may be the first of many.”

  “With Gilbert Je
fferson? I think I made myself plain. He won’t be coming back around.”

  “He may not be back, but others will come.”

  “There have not been a steady stream of gentleman callers at my door, Mr. Taylor. I don’t expect that to change. Mother took great pains to shoo away anyone she thought unsuitable.”

  “Things are different now. What he said is true. You have a station in life that makes you attractive.” He lifted his hand to indicate their surroundings. “This hotel is quite a prize for a man. And a young wife in the bargain sweetens the deal.”

  “Bargain? A sweet deal?” She glared at him. “Is that what you think of me?”

  He shook his head. “Not me. I have no intention of marrying.”

  “So you’re saying you don’t think I’m attractive or a good prospect for marriage?” She didn’t know what bothered her more. The thought of being pursued for her worldly goods or the thought that Nathan didn’t consider her worthy of marrying.

  “No. I’m not saying that. I’m saying that you need to use caution. Men who would never have come around if your parents were here will approach you now. They won’t all have pure motives. As to whether or not you are a good prospect for marriage, that is not for me to say. I have no intention of marrying anyone. I have committed myself to a successful career. I won’t be caught in want again. I’ve seen the damage that can do to a person’s health and even their life.”

  No man had ever pursued her with diligence. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.”

  “Time will prove which of us is right.” He shrugged and changed the subject. “If you’ll show me where to find the journals for the hotel, I’ll sit at the desk while you spend time with Michael and Sarah. You can comfort them, and I’ll familiarize myself with the state of the hotel finances and such.”