“Thanks and I mean that.”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s have a seat, take a load off and eat our lunch.”
Erin was grateful for the distraction, the friendship and the meal.
* * *
Six pies and eight dozen cookies later, Erin plunked down on Chelsea’s sofa, almost too exhausted to put pizza to mouth, but the scent of garlic and pepperoni tempted her growling stomach enough for her to lift a piece out of the box and take a bite. “Oh, yum,” she said.
Chelsea sat on the other end of the sofa, facing the flat screen television flashing a scene from the iconic holiday movie, Miracle on 34th Street. “Oh, that’s good,” she said, chewing her own cheesy piece of pizza. “Nothing like pizza and a Christmas movie to relax you.”
“I know, right?”
“Thanks again for all your help. It’s a daunting job but—”
“Somebody’s got to do it.”
She chuckled along with Chelsea. “I can’t imagine all those desserts going after eating a big turkey meal.”
“Believe me, they’ll go. The club gets a big crowd on Thanksgiving. I’m sorta wondering if we shouldn’t have more.”
“More what?”
She gestured with her palms up. “Everything.”
“Bite your tongue, Chelsea.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll shut up now and watch the movie.”
Two bites later, Chelsea’s phone chimed. “I bet it’s Brandee. We text wedding stuff all the time,” she said. “Excuse me a sec.”
Chelsea was going to be Brandee’s maid of honor. She’d talked about the Christmas wedding on Brandee’s Hope Springs Ranch as they’d baked this morning. According to Chelsea, Shane Delgado, the groom, was a dreamboat. It all sounded so romantic and sweet.
But as Chelsea looked at the screen, reading the text, she shook her head. “It’s not Brandee, after all. It’s Dan. My brother’s on his way over. He says he needs to speak to me about the case.”
“Really? Maybe he’s on to something.” Erin sat upright and grabbed her purse. “I should go.”
“No way. You’re a part of this too. You don’t have to run off. Dan won’t mind you being here.”
But she did. After last night, she found she needed time to sort out her feelings. Whenever Dan was around, her thought process faltered. She stood up. “But it’s getting late. I really should be going.”
There was a brisk knock on her door. “That was fast,” Chelsea said, glancing toward the front door. “And please don’t rush off. Dan will be glad to see you.”
It would look weird if she chose to leave the second Dan arrived. Not that he’d given his sister much notice. She figured siblings could do that to each other, not stand on ceremony and show up at a moment’s notice. “Here, please pause the movie,” she said, handing Erin the remote. Erin sank back down on the sofa, pushed the button and froze an image on the screen of a department store Santa talking to a little girl.
“Something smells good in here,” Dan said, his voice carrying into the room.
“Cookies, pies and pizza. Take your pick,” Chelsea said.
Erin stood up and turned to give him a smile. “Hello, Dan.”
“Hey, Erin,” he said in that deep baritone, and her heart did a little flip. He looked good, as always, but his eyes were rimmed with red, as if he really had worked his butt off today. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Chelsea invited me this morning.”
“You mean, she conned you into baking with her?”
“Erin helped me make every single pie and all the cookies today,” Chelsea said. “She made you pecan pie, bro. But you don’t get to taste it until tomorrow.”
“Mean woman.”
Chelsea gave her brother a grin. He made a face, and then turned to Erin, his eyes softening. “You made me pecan pie?”
“I tried.”
“She did a great job. The pies are beautiful and I know they’ll taste great.”
“I’m sure they will,” he said.
“Hey, Dan, we have plenty of pizza. Have some, if you’re hungry.”
“I think I will. Didn’t have much time to eat today.”
He walked over to a chair, and waited for Erin and Chelsea to sit down before he sat down adjacent to them.
“So what’s up, big brother?”
He glanced at Erin and then focused back to Chelsea. “I stumbled upon something today regarding the investigation I thought had merit. I was speaking to a business associate today, you know Thomas Worley, right?”
“Yes, I know him. He’s an attorney and a member of TCC.”
“Yep, and as we got to talking he mentioned a man from a few years ago who’d been tossed out of the club for unruly conduct. Apparently, this guy was foulmouthed and verbally abusive to some of the women workers. One waitress filed a harassment claim against him, but it turned out he was Brentley Jamison, the son of a US congressman, so he was quietly ejected from the club and his records were wiped clean. Tom doesn’t know what happened to the guy and he didn’t represent either party so he was free to tell me about it. It could lead somewhere, so I gave all the information I had to Royal PD and ran it by Gabe Walsh.”
Dan explained to Erin that Gabe, being ex-FBI and owner of his own personal security firm, The Walsh Group, was more than capable of getting to the bottom of this.
“Chels, I thought maybe you might know something about this guy? Have you ever met Brentley Jamison?”
“No,” Chelsea said. “I’ve heard the name, of course. His father was in Congress a long time, but I never met either one of them before. Still, it’s worth a try.”
Dan began nodding. “This guy’s under the radar and it’s worth checking into. They should know something in a day or two. He can’t be hard to track down.”
“Thanks, Dan,” Chelsea said. “I know you both have tried hard to find the jerk.”
Erin nodded. “I hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
“Yeah, me too,” she said.
Dan reached over to pluck up a piece of pizza and took three bites, nearly inhaling the food and chewing hard. It made her smile, seeing him enjoying the pizza so much. He polished off another piece quickly and then stood. “I should go. Let you two ladies get back to whatever you were watching on TV.”
“Won’t you stay?” Chelsea asked.
“I’m beat, sis.”
“But you’ll be missing out on Miracle on 34th Street.”
He crinkled his nose. “Say no more, I’m outta here.” He gave Chelsea a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for pizza.” Then he swung around to stare into Erin’s eyes. “Walk me out?”
Erin rose from her seat. “Of course.”
She followed behind him, noting his amazing backside. Dan was built solid but all his pieces were beautifully placed and she’d been privy to touching every inch of him. She wanted to do it again and again, but she couldn’t think past the next month, because unless things changed drastically, which was highly unlikely, she’d be gone.
Dan took his soft suede jacket from the coat closet and put his arms through the sleeves. Straightening the collar, he walked to the front door. “You don’t have to go outside. It’s cold out there.”
The wind howled just at the moment as if giving Dan’s comment legitimacy. It was cold and late, but she wasn’t planning on going home just yet. She was looking forward to watching the movie with Chelsea.
Dan wound his arms around Erin’s waist, bringing her up against him, and she glanced behind her to see where Chelsea was. She was discreet enough to keep out of sight.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at four,” Dan said.
She nodded. “Thank you.” She put her hands on the lapels of his fur-lined jacket and stared into his eyes,
and a moment later his mouth came down on hers. The kiss brought warmth and tingles, but it ended far too soon. Was it because his sister was in the other room? Or was Dan finally realizing that she wanted more from him than he was willing to give? She was too tired to dwell.
“Good night, sweetness,” he said, and he walked out the door. She watched him saunter to his car and then turn, giving her a look of longing and maybe regret, it was hard to tell. When he put up his hand she waved back and then closed the door.
She blinked several times, noting something different in Dan tonight. A knot formed in her stomach and once again her heart ached, even though having Dan’s baby would’ve been beyond complicated and blown up her list of Never Do’s while in Texas.
“Hey, you alright in there?” Chelsea asked, coming around the corner to face her.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you ready to finish the movie?”
“Are you?” Chelsea pinned her with a curious look.
She put on a smile. “Sure, I’m ready for a little holiday cheer.”
* * *
“Happy Thanksgiving, Mom.”
“Same to you, honey. Oh, we miss you dearly.” Erin loved hearing the sweet lilt in her mother’s voice. It was hard being separated from her family during the holidays. “Tell me you’ve got wonderful plans for Thanksgiving, sweetheart.”
Wonderful? She didn’t know how wonderful it’d be if her instincts were right and Dan was truly backing away from her. But her mom didn’t know anything about Dan yet. And she felt guilty about that. “I think it’ll be a nice day. Yesterday, I helped my friend Chelsea make pies and cookies at her house. Chelsea, her brother Dan, and I are all going over to the Texas Cattleman’s Club for a Thanksgiving feast later this afternoon. Will and Faye will be there, and Will’s new girlfriend too. I think it’s going to be a large gathering.”
“That sounds lovely, but next year, I hope we’ll spend the holiday together.”
“I’d like that. Remember, I’m going to see you right after the first of the year.”
“That’s right. Your dad and I can’t wait.”
“So where are you having dinner tonight?”
“Sonya and Adam Marino invited us over to their house. They’re marvelous cooks as you know, and we always have a pleasant time with them.”
“Pleasant?” She lowered her voice. “You mean until Dad gets grumpy with all of their grandchildren running around, getting underfoot.”
“I heard that,” her father chimed in.
“Your father’s right here listening in, and they have five little ones,” her mom answered.
She smiled. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, sweetheart. And I’ll have you know I love children, but five under age five, gets a bit crazy. Even your mother admits that. Right, Eloise?”
“Well...now that you mention it, Chuck,” she heard her mom say. “It’s a bit chaotic at times. Not enough to stay away from our good friends though.”
“You’ll have a great time.”
“We hope you do too,” her father said. “Love you to pieces.”
“Me too,” she told them. “Have a great day and we’ll talk soon.”
After the phone call, Erin couldn’t stop thinking about how much in love her parents were. Their love filtered down to her, making her feel special and honored and humbled all at the same time. She’d really been lucky having two great parents and she never begrudged them their retirement time together. It gave Erin some freedom to seek her own dreams.
At least she’d mentioned Dan to her parents, though in a way that wouldn’t brook any inquisition. She didn’t know what she’d tell them about Dan. She’d picked up this amazing guy one night at a saloon and they were having a month long fling?
No, that wouldn’t wash.
So she’d kept them in the dark about a man she had come to love. A really great guy who’d been terribly hurt as a boy and sadly whose scars ran deep. Maybe too deep for her to break through.
Erin moved to the closet and perused her wardrobe. She hadn’t done a lot of shopping in Texas, and now she was kicking herself about that. She had no clue how to dress for a Thanksgiving dinner at an elite club. Was it formal, semiformal or casual?
She made a quick call to Chelsea to get some advice on what to wear to a Cattleman’s Club holiday shindig and after her conversation, Erin felt better about her choices.
She hung up the phone and showered, washed and styled her hair, leaving it down and using the curling iron to make big barrel curls. She gave her hair a fluff and looked in the mirror, satisfied with the results, and then walked to her closet and picked out the one little black dress in her closet, that worked for special occasions like this. She selected her jewelry, a single long strand of silver loops with matching earrings, and set it all out on her bed. Done.
The weather was chilly so she hadn’t gone for a run this morning, but now she wished she had. She had two hours to kill before Dan picked her up, so she donned her pink chenille robe, grabbed her iPad Mini and curled up on the chair near the fireplace to finish the mystery she’d started before she’d met Dan. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately and soon her eyes grew heavy and she closed them, resting her head against the back of the chair.
Loud pounding startled her right out of the nice dream she was having. Her eyes opened and it took her a few seconds to finally get her bearings. “Oh no,” she said, her head coming out of a fog.
The knocking now came with Dan calling her name. “Erin?”
She rose from the chair and walked over to the door, yanking it open. “Dan, I’m so sorry. Have you been out there long?”
“A while,” he said, taking in her robe and disheveled appearance.
Self-conscious, she tightened the lapels on her robe and stroked a hand through her hair. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened, I was reading and I must’ve dozed off.”
“No problem,” he said, stepping through the doorway. “There’s no rush.”
And she was finally able to gawk at him, dressed in crisp dark slacks and a silver-gray shirt covered by a black Western sports jacket, a black felt hat on his head and polished-to-a-shine snakeskin boots. “You look...yummy.”
He grinned, eyeing the ties on her robe. “Get dressed, before I make us really late.”
“Aye, aye,” she said, saluting. “I’ll be just a few minutes.” Yet, a big fat thrill ran through her system at his suggestive comment.
She rushed into her bedroom, glad she had the foresight to pick out her clothes in advance. She slipped her robe off, put her bra on and turned around to pick up her dress. Dan called from behind the door, “You need help with the zipper, I’m on it.”
She chuckled and a flash of heat rose up her throat. “I’ll let you know.”
She shimmied into her dress and reached up, reached down, and couldn’t quite get to the middle of her back. Darn it. She really did need help with the long chic zipper doubling as an embellishment for the dress.
“Uh, Dan?”
The door opened and he faced her, her hands lifting her hair up and out of the way, and she turned around to give him access to the zipper. “Guess I do need help.”
He came up behind her and she sniffed the very subtle, very masculine scent of his cologne. It was unique to him, probably something only rugged manly men wore, and it did things to her immediately.
Dan took his time zipping her up, inch by inch, careful with the lacy material, but he didn’t touch any other part of her body, he didn’t nibble on her throat, didn’t kiss her at all, instead he backed away as soon as he was through. “There you go.”
A sliver of disappointment wormed into her belly. Was it because they were running late? She was getting a weird vibe from him lately and it worried her.
“Thanks.”
She
slipped her feet into black heels and added the silver necklace she’d picked out.
“Do you have a coat?” he asked.
“I do.” She grabbed her fur-trimmed coat, and slung her purse over her shoulder. “I’m ready.”
“You look beautiful,” he said.
He was saying all the right things, but...
“We should head out now. After you.” He gestured with a sweep of his hand and she walked out of the cabin, Dan following behind.
* * *
As soon as Erin stepped foot inside the Cattleman’s Club, she was in awe of the decorations. The entire place spoke of Thanksgiving. Autumn color wreaths decked with burnt orange, gold and purple leaves hung on the walls, plump ripe pumpkins sat on hay bales, fresh herbs flavored the air and overflowing cornucopia occupied the tables in the lobby area. As they walked farther inside, the waitstaff offered tumblers of mulled wine and Dan promptly grabbed two and handed her one.
She sipped gently, enjoying the new taste. They pressed on to the dining area, which was a whole new experience, from the golden candles casting the room in beautiful light to the fireplace crackling in cozy warmth. The tables were set with fresh autumn flower centerpieces and decorated with little touches adding to the holiday ambience. Christmas music played in the background.
“Wow, if the food’s half as good as the decor, I’m gonna gain weight today.”
Dan smiled. “It is. The staff prides themselves on their Thanksgiving meal. It’s become a tradition at the club.”
There were long tables as well as round tables, and they found Chelsea seated at one of the round tables with Will and Amberley and adorable Faye. Brandee was there too with her fiancé, Shane Delgado, and all of them rose as she and Dan approached. Being a part of their Thanksgiving dinner gave her a sense of belonging, a nice way to get to know some of them better.
Amberley held Faye, the baby still wearing a little overcoat, a bubbly pink hooded jacket that made her look exceedingly warm, especially in a room with the fireplace blasting. Will, Amberley and Chelsea each gave her a welcoming kiss on the cheek and introductions were made all around. She chose to sit between Will and Dan, with Chelsea on her brother’s side. It was a lively group of people and as others filed in and took their seats, the room grew a bit noisy.
The Texan Takes a Wife Page 13