Lone Star Longing (Hearts of Broken Wheel, #1)

by Fredrick, MJ

  “Are you hungry? Did you eat? We can go over to the diner and catch up,” Lacey said, standing. “That, unfortunately, is exactly the same as when you left.”

  Her mother made a face. “Not a lot of options here, still, I see.”

  “No. Marianne offered to cook for y’all, but we decided to do that tomorrow night instead, let it just be us tonight.”

  “Who’s Marianne, again?”

  “I told you. Dad’s girlfriend. Retired teacher. She’s one of the hostesses for the shower. But we thought maybe you could meet before the shower, so that’s why dinner tomorrow night at our house.”

  “Ah. She’s comfortable enough to host a dinner at your house?”

  “I don't know. I mean, I just found out about everything a couple of months ago. I think they were dating before that.”

  “And keeping it from you?”

  “I think there was so much going on in my life, Dad didn't want to pile on.”

  “Hm. Maybe. Is she nice?” Tanya asked.

  “Of course. Really down-to-earth, and they seem to read each other pretty well. Which is why I think it was going on for longer than he’s saying.”

  “That’s nice for him. He’s been alone a long time,” Tanya said. “I mean, he has, right? You would have told me if he was dating anyone?”

  “He hasn’t been, until now. They’re both on the town council, and both lonely, I guess. But now they aren’t.” She glanced at her mother to see how she was taking the news. “What about Andrew? Didn't he come with you?”

  “Andrew had work, and your brothers decided they couldn't make it either, though I think they’ll be shocked when they see pictures of how big you are!”

  That was just what Lacey wanted to hear over and over, how huge she was. She supposed she should get used to it.

  “Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

  She wasn't sure how happy Janine was to be invaded by a party of six, though she should be grateful for business. Lacey had debated taking them to The Wheel House instead, but decided since the shower would be there, her family would see it then.

  “Janine, good to see you,” Lacey’s mother said to the hostess/owner who had had the diner for at least twenty years, since Lacey’s family had been there.

  Janine looked blankly from her mother to Lacey, then her face softened in recognition. Not a smile, exactly, but her expression was friendlier.

  “Joyce. It’s good to see you after all these years. Here in town for the shower, I guess?”

  “Yes, I’m very excited to be adding two more grandkids.”

  “How many do you have?”

  “Five already. My son Dalton has three, my son Luke is still single, and Tanya has two.”

  Lacey waited for someone to point out that she was also still single, but no one did.

  The teenaged waitstaff pushed together two laminate tables and pulled the chairs that had seen better days around it. The menus were faded and—why was Lacey seeing all the faults in the town through her mother’s eyes? Yes, her mother had left the place years ago, but Lacey didn't have to judge it the same way. She would just enjoy having her family here.

  Her niece, she discovered, talked just as much as Tanya did, and had opinions on everything, especially the long drive from Houston.

  “I watched three movies in the car. Three!”

  “She watched the same one three times,” her father chimed in. “Three times.”

  “What did you do on the drive?” Lacey asked Leo, who was two years older than his five-year-old sister.

  “I played games, until we didn't have internet, which was a long time. Everything looked the same out the window, which is what Grandma said for me to do while I waited to get internet again. But Grandma told us to leave our phones in the room while we visited with you because she said it isn’t polite to be on the phone during dinner, and when you haven't seen someone in a long time. Do you play games on your phone?”

  “Sometimes. But mostly I read books.”

  “On your phone?”

  “Sometimes that’s the best and fastest way to get them. Do you watch movies, too?”

  “Just YouTube mostly.”

  “They love to watch other kids do things on YouTube. I just don't get it,” Tanya said.

  “Says the woman who likes to watch other people buy houses on television,” Leonard teased fondly.

  “So are you having any cravings?” Joyce asked Lacey.

  “I was craving sour cream for a while. Anything with vinegar. Right now, not too much.”

  “And it’s a boy and a girl?”

  “That’s what the last sonogram showed.”

  “And Jesse is definitely out of the picture?”

  Lacey glanced a little anxiously at the kids, not wanting to have that discussion in front of them. “He made himself clear.”

  “His loss,” Leonard said.

  “Thank you,” Lacey said. “I think so, too.”

  “So your plan is...to raise them by yourself?”

  Lacey had wondered how she was going to bring up Beck to her family. She had kind of thought it would just happen. He had asked if she wanted him to show up tonight, but like with Marianne, she wanted to keep tonight with just her family.

  “My plan is to raise them by myself, with Dad’s help, but I actually am seeing someone.”

  Again, she didn't want to go into details in front of her niece and nephew. Her mother and sister’s reactions told her all she needed to know about how that conversation was going to go.

  “You’re seeing someone? In your condition?” Joyce demanded.

  “Um, yes. We have gotten close over the last couple of months, and he’s actually been to a c couple of my birthing classes and doctor appointments, though I’m sticking with Poppy as my birthing coach.”

  “Who is he? Do we know him?”

  “Beck Conover.”

  “Beck Conover. How do I know that name?”

  “The family’s been here for a long time. They live on the outskirts of town. He’d left town to join the service, then he went to school and worked for Riley Foster a while. He came back to town because his mom wasn't doing so well—she’s one of my patients—and he’s been fixing up her house, and now building one of his own.”

  “And you’re, what? Going to live there with him?”

  “We aren’t sure where we’re at yet.” Okay, she wasn't sure where they were, because she had the same doubts she could see on the faces of her mother and sister. She didn't want to say he’d proposed and she’d turned him down. If they found out, she’d deal with it. But she wasn't going to volunteer the information. “Look, he’ll be around, and I didn't want to blindside you, but I’ve been talking about myself since you got here. Let me hear what’s going on with you all.”

  Her sister, as expected, had tons to tell about her new job as an attendance clerk at her kids’ elementary school, the first time she’d been in the workforce in years, since she had the kids. Now that they were both in school, Tanya was working, and she loved it. Granted, she’d only been working about a month, since Caydence had just started kindergarten in August.

  Her mother filled her in on the social events she attended as a successful lawyer’s wife. She talked about all the shopping she enjoyed as she hunted for new outfits for the different occasions.

  “God I missed shopping when I lived out here. I could shop every single day. What do you do? Where do you get your maternity clothes? I didn't see anything between here and the highway, so I know the selection here hasn’t improved.”

  “Poppy and I go shopping when we go in to San Angelo for my appointments. Otherwise I just order online. There’s never a day you don't see a UPS truck in town.”

  “Yes, but that wasn't so popular and easy when I lived here.”

  That was probably just as well. Lacey didn't think her father had made enough money for her mother to shop online every day.

  “You should have seen all the clothes the two of them bo
ught for Tanya’s new job,” Leonard added. “I don't think she’s worn the same thing twice since she’s been there. Same with Caydence. She’s going to outgrow those clothes before she wears them.”

  “But now we can pass them on to Lacey,” Tanya said.

  Lacey wondered where her kids would have occasion to wear a different outfit every day. Lacey herself wore scrubs most of the time, but now even maternity scrub tops didn't fit her, so she was just wearing tunic tops she’d bought online over her scrub pants.

  “You should come down after the babies are born and come shop with us. We’ll buy you some new clothes for when you lose your baby weight.”

  She didn't want to drive six hours with newborns to shop for clothes she wouldn't wear. But she would like to visit Houston.

  “Maybe when the babies are older.”

  “Or I could come here and drive back with you.”

  “Maybe.”

  She was grateful when the young waitress brought out their meals. She hadn’t even realized how hungry she was, she’d been so excited to see them all.

  She dragged herself home after ten, ridiculously tired. She had to work up the energy to get out of her car and walk to the door. Marianne’s car was there, but Lacey didn't have the energy to talk to anyone. She wished she could sneak in the back door.

  But she was a grown up, and she walked through the front door to see her dad and Marianne on the couch, his arm around her shoulders, as they watched a movie.

  “Hey. How did it go?” her dad asked, shifting forward and pulling his arm away from Marianne.

  “It was good, but it’s been a long day and I ate too much. I’m going to crash. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Oh, hey, what do you want me to make for dinner tomorrow?” Marianne asked, like she hadn’t just heard what Lacey said.

  “We talked about that already?” Lacey said, framing it like a question. “I thought we were going to do enchiladas?”

  “Well, yes, but the tortillas at the grocery store aren’t the ones I like to use, and I want it to be really good to impress your mom and everything, but I really don't feel confident enough to make them with those tortillas and I was wondering if you had any objection to meatloaf.”

  She actually really did. One of the things that gagged her since the beginning of her pregnancy was the smell of cooking ground meat, and the way it changed color from pink to a kind of gray and...ugh, just thinking about it right now was enough to make her want to throw up.

  “I can’t eat ground meat right now. Listen, I’m really sorry, Marianne, I know you want to make this nice, but I’m really exhausted right now and I need to sleep.”

  “Of course.” Marianne’s smile fell. “We’ll figure something out. I just need to get to the grocery store in the morning, or if your heart is set on enchiladas, I can go into San Angelo.”

  “No. No one is driving all that way for tortillas. We can do like a pot pie or something. Just—no ground meat, okay? Good night, y’all.” And she staggered into the bedroom. She wanted a shower so bad, but didn't want to take one with Marianne at the house. She didn't think she could stay awake long enough anyway.

  And yet, once she got into bed, she couldn't fall asleep, her mind replaying all the conversations with her mother and sister, and with Marianne just now. Just when she decided to get up and go into the living room to discuss the menu with Marianne, she heard the car drive off.

  She felt terrible. This situation was hard for Marianne, so of course she wanted to make something she felt confident in. Lacey also needed to let her know that she was inviting Beck to dinner so he could meet her family before the shower on Sunday.

  She shoved her covers back and padded to the living room to see her dad shutting off the television and the lights.

  “Why doesn’t Marianne live here? Or, you know, stay here on nights where it’s so late?”

  “I thought you were tired.”

  “I was until I tried to sleep and then I couldn’t. I was going to talk to her but she left and I was just wondering.”

  “Well, she has her house and I have this house, so that’s why she doesn’t live here, and she doesn't like the idea of not going home to her cats overnight. She likes to be there for them in the morning to give them breakfast.”

  “So why don't you stay over at her place then?”

  “Because,” he dragged the word out, not looking at her, and she thought she saw color suffuse his face in the dim light. “Because we don't want people talking.”

  Like they talked about her, she wanted to ask, but she didn’t. “What does it matter?”

  “It doesn’t, of course, except we’re both on the town council and people might think we start voting the same way because we’re in a relationship, when really we’re in a relationship because we both think the same way, if that makes sense.”

  “But she’s the hostess of the shower. Won’t people know?”

  “I think people know we’re dating, but they don't know we’re serious. My term is up at the end of the year. We’ll get married then.”

  “You’ll...get married.” She dropped to the couch and stared up at her father. “I didn't know. Have you proposed?”

  In the dim light, his face heated. “No. I haven't even talked about it with her. I haven't even said it out loud until right now.”

  “Dad, I had no idea.” Her brain raced. Her father moving forward—about time, but everything she’d thought about her future was shifting. Her father and her working together to raise her babies. She hadn’t factored Marianne in, no matter how kind she was. Now she was going to have to. She wasn't going to want to interfere in the life they needed to build together, if they were going to have a future together.

  She had to find her own way of doing this.

  The temptation was to think about accepting Beck’s proposal. But no, that wasn't fair to him, either. She’d gotten herself into this mess, and she had to find her own way out of it.

  “Lace? What are you thinking?”

  “I am so happy for you. I like her a lot. But what’s important is that you like her a lot. That you love her.”

  His expression softened. “I do love her.”

  “I’m glad.” But boy, she and her father had been leaning on each other so long. Now he would have someone else to lean on.

  “I want to see you happy, too. Beck seems like he wants to be that guy.”

  “Beck feels sorry for me, and that’s not the kind of relationship I want.”

  “I think it’s more than that, but you need to come to that conclusion on your own, not hear me tell you you’re wrong.”

  A strange little bubble rose up in her chest. “Do you think I’m wrong?”

  “I do. But maybe it’s just my perspective, you know. More hopeful.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to sleep. You need to do the same.”

  She nodded as he walked away to head to his room down the hall.

  But she couldn't sleep, not for a long time.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  SATURDAY, LACEY LEFT the house early to get to the motel. She actually had no idea what to do when she got there, but her family had come to see her. And she was going to come back to the house early to help Marianne get dinner ready.

  When she got to the motel, Tanya and Joyce were frustrated with the active kids.

  “Oh my God, Lacey, how can you bear it? There’s nothing to do here,” Tanya said.

  “Let’s go down the street to the park. There’s a playground there.” She hadn’t eaten breakfast. “There’s a taco place down the street. Let’s go get breakfast and watch the kids play.”

  “A park? A real park?”

  “Didn't you see it when you came into town? Dad was instrumental in having that built for the kids in town. He’d be so happy y’all are playing on it.”

  “When are we going to see him? Do we have to wait until tonight?” Tanya asked.

  “No, he’s going to come down a little later. He
had some work to do. I don't know if you heard the wind last night, but it did some damage to some of the lines off the highway, so he’s supervising the repairs.”

  “What’s he doing these days?” her mother asked casually as she looped her designer purse over her shoulder.

  “He’s supervising lineman for the power company. He was really sorry this came up. But he can’t wait to see you guys,” she addressed her niece and nephew. She wasn't looking forward to the clash between her parents. A lot of bitterness remained between them, and to be honest, on her part, too. The resentment always made family gatherings a challenge, for her anyway. She didn't think her siblings saw the same thing. But they weren’t as close to their dad as she was.

  At least he had Marianne now.

  Lacey led the way out the door, down the uneven sidewalk with the grass growing up through the cracks—they couldn't get grass to grow in actual yards in West Texas, but give it some cement and tell it not to grow there, yeah, grass for days.

  She hated looking at her town through her mother’s eyes. She knew her mother hated this place, judged this place, judged who chose to live here.

  “So what are you going to do when you go into labor?” her mother asked. “You’ve been going to San Angelo for your check-ups, right?”

  “Yes, and my classes, but I’m actually thinking about having Austin deliver the babies.”

  “What if something goes wrong? Twins so often come early. They could be preemies.”

  “I’ve discussed it with Dr. Fredrick, and she said a medical helicopter could be here quickly enough to take them to San Angelo, if that’s the case.” Lacey had worried herself to high blood pressure over that fear.

  Her mother shook her head. “You should come stay with me when you get closer to your due date.”

  For just a moment she was tempted. Her mother lived in a beautiful house, luxurious, with a pool. She’d have her own bedroom and bathroom. Her mother had a maid and a cook.

  But she needed to work as long as she could, and she couldn't imagine making that drive now, much less in another month, when she had to stop every fifteen minutes to pee. And she certainly couldn't fly. Then she’d have to drive back with two newborns? No. She couldn't do that.