by Laura Marie
Julianna could feel the emotion, and the magnificent sound of the lead performer in his final solo sent chills through her body. Recalling how Lawrence called her a sap and gave her a disappointed look as she cried at the end of any show they had seen together, this time she allowed the emotion she felt from the performers and the music to move her. She cried at the end, she clapped at the end, and she even stood up and yelled, “Bravo!”
That was just the beginning. There was so much Lawrence had denied her to feel. She knew she had to be cautious, couldn’t risk trusting the wrong people so her independence would be kept intact and only shared with her aunt and uncle.
Instantly she thought about Aunt Ellie. Without her and Uncle Roy, she would have never pulled off the funeral plans, selling the house and the farm for top dollar, and saving enough money to pay for college.
By eighteen, she was off to New York, leaving the little freckle-faced country girl behind her.
The ups and downs of the past few years had her hoping for a change, something that she could turn to if things didn’t work out. Her pessimistic side reared its ugly head more and more these days.
When she received the phone call from her aunt and uncle, she followed her gut.
They told her all about their new business venture. Things weren’t going well with Lawrence, and Julianna started thinking about home and the significance of family. She begged her aunt and uncle to be fifty-fifty partners in the horse-training business with the promise that she would visit and perhaps move there for good.
In her heart, she wanted to do just that, but Lawrence wouldn’t allow her out of his sight.
Sighing, she thought about how close she came to an uncertain future and sudden death. If Lawrence had just told her he didn’t want the baby, then she would have brought it here to live. She shook her head, knowing it wasn’t that simple. It never had been.
* * * *
Julianna ditched the sports car day two of her driving trip. She wanted to rid herself of any reminders about New York and the past. Knowing she was headed to Claire County and a small town of ranchers, farmers, and simple folk, she purchased an older model, black Ford F-250 Crew Cab pickup truck from a small-town car dealership off the main highway. Transferring the money directly to a checking account used to support the horse-training business, she said so long to the black Mercedes Benz E-Class sports car. It had cost her a pretty penny but was more Lawrence’s idea than her own. She had called ahead days ago and arranged everything with the owner.
She was a bit obsessive-compulsive and tended to organize everything in her life. This behavior was supposed to steer her clear of trouble and men in general. She had planned out every step of her trip from the motels to the restaurants, even as far as the rest stops for stretching and grabbing a snack.
It was her way of feeling in control of her life, her thoughts, and decisions. No man ever again would have such control over her. Nor would she ever open her heart to trust one ever again.
Smiling wide, she felt right at home behind the wheel of the pickup truck, even though the last time she drove such a vehicle was a good six years ago.
She fiddled with the radio dial, trying to get a station with better reception.
The sounds of country music filled the cab of the truck, and Julianna smiled as she continued her journey to Palmer Place.
Chapter 3
Roy walked outside to the front porch looking for his wife Ellie. She had been a nervous wreck the last week, waiting for Julianna to arrive safe and sound. The last year and a half had been difficult to say the least, and they wanted Julianna back home and safe. The phone conversations were quick, and Julianna always sounded rushed, secretive, and a bit distant. He was old-fashioned when it came to questioning a woman’s emotions, but Julianna was like a daughter to him and he couldn’t help feeling concerned. To have her back home where he could see her, hug her whenever he wanted to, was a relief from the worry.
He approached his wife, assuming by her direct stare at the dirt roadway that she were feeling as strongly about seeing Julianna as he was.
“Ellie, darling, she won’t get here until at least supper time.”
* * * *
Ellie looked towards her husband. The years of hard work and barely making ends meet had nearly caught up to him. The gray streaks now covered most of his natural blond hair. Thanks to Julianna and her financial contributions, the business was finally out from under debt and perhaps on its way to financial success.
She forced the smile to her lips despite the shaky feeling inside. She wouldn’t relax until Julianna was home.
“I know that…I just can’t wait to see her, Roy. I can’t wait to hold her in my arms and know she’s really here.”
Roy smiled as he ran his hands up and down the inside of his red suspenders. It wasn’t so long ago that Julianna left for New York. As much as she wanted her to stay, she knew Julianna needed a better life. It was unfair what she had to go through at such a young age. Julianna was strong, and she surprised them at her ability to organize the funeral, sell the house belonging to her parents, and maintain her grades while mourning their loss.
Her niece was more like a daughter to her, and she wanted her here in Texas where she belonged.
Ellie stared at Roy over her shoulder, the look of concern probably apparent in her facial expression.
“I can’t wait either,” he admitted.
* * * *
She smiled at him then reached her hand out to him. Roy stepped forward, took his wife’s hand, and gently squeezed. Their love for one another had gotten them through a lot over the years. Just her smile or touch gave him joy.
Roy watched her smile, released his hand, then turned back towards the empty road. She leaned her body back against the cushion, continuing to sway in the old brown rocking chair.
“Rooster!”
Their attention was drawn to some noises in the direction of the horse stables just as Rooster Jones and Sammy Lions came into view. Rooster was laughing hard. His face was beet red as he held his sides against the green plaid flannel shirt.
“Ah, come on, Sammy. I said it was an accident.” Rooster tried to maintain some sincerity in his statement, but from where Roy stood it didn’t appear that Sammy bought it.
“You set me up. You knew damn well what ya all was doin’.” Sammy wiped what appeared to be a lot of dirt off of his rear end. He kept swatting it with his hat.
The situation didn’t appear to be anything too concerning. However, Roy decided to find out what had gotten Sammy all worked up.
Roy walked off the porch onto the gravel walkway, meeting them halfway between the house and the barn.
“What’s all the ruckus about, boys?” Roy asked.
Rooster immediately stopped laughing and looked a little guilty. Sammy must have figured that he reprimanded his friend enough.
“We’re just fooling around, Roy. We got the house all set up for your guest. I see the missus is rather anxious,” Rooster stated, tipping his hat towards Ellie and the front porch.
Roy smiled as he absorbed the warmth of the sun hitting his skin then the slight chill in the breeze. Fall was quickly approaching.
“That she is, Rooster.”
“We got the ice box stocked pretty well and plenty of wood for the fireplace…I guess we’ll finish up the chores before supper comes,” Sammy added as he tipped his hat towards Roy then headed to the barn.
Rooster stayed back a moment.
Roy was staring towards the front gate and the entrance to Palmer Place.
“Guess the missus ain’t the only one anxious…”
Roy smiled, about to respond to Rooster, but he was already walking away.
Both Rooster and Sammy were part of the family. They’d been hired on a year after Julianna left for college and New York.
If it weren’t for the money she sent every few months, they wouldn’t have been able to keep Palmer Place, nor employ both Rooster and Sammy. Julianna�
��s idea about going partners finally made him agree to her sending money.
He recalled being stubborn and prideful at first, not wanting his niece to support him, but she was quick to point out that they were family. She reminded him of the two years prior and the death of her dad. Then came the idea of the partnership.
“We’re family, Uncle Roy, and family does anything they can to help. Besides, there may come a time again, in the future, when I’ll need your help. I expect you to be there for me.”
He laughed at the memory and his response to her confident, stern tone.
“You sound like one of those gangsters in an I-talian movie.”
She laughed at his response. “Maybe I have picked up on a few things working in the Bronx.”
He hadn’t a clue what she meant, but those were the days she sounded upbeat and happy.
The last few years, she had changed.
He wasn’t going to ask any personal questions. That was Ellie’s job, and he figured there had to be a man involved. Even when Julianna called to say she was engaged and getting married, Roy had a bad feeling. She deserved better, she deserved happiness, but all that seemed to follow Julianna was betrayal and pain, one worse predicament after the next. If the man she was engaged to was so wonderful, why hadn’t he allowed her to come visit? Better yet, why not come meet her family? They knew nothing about him except that he was wealthy and some business tycoon. Julianna always made excuses, and her calls were fewer and fewer, considering she was a business partner. All Roy could assume was that the man wasn’t worth spit and Julianna was still searching for love and stability but coming up short. He frowned at the thought. Seems his niece had more than her share of disappointing men.
Her father was so wrapped up in his own loss he never once thought about his child.
He tried to clear his mind as he headed toward the stables to check on the horses and the men, and he acknowledged that Julianna wasn’t a child any longer.
He silently promised that he would be the one man she could always count on, no matter what. Ellie had a special connection with her niece and was determined to make Julianna feel right at home and safe.
Glancing around the stables, he hoped that Julianna would be pleased with her business investment as well.
* * * *
“Welcome to Claire County…If you’re looking for trouble, please use the U-Turn just up ahead.”
Julianna laughed as she read the sign. Then drove past the U-Turn.
Trouble she definitely wasn’t looking for.
Peace of mind, a new start, and hopefully some form of happiness would be nice.
The nervous feeling tingled deep within her belly. Happiness—she wasn’t sure what it felt like or if having it was possible, but at least she would be with family. The only family and the only two people in the world she could totally trust.
Smiling, the thought sunk in while approaching town.
I’m part owner of a horse-training ranch.
The words on the sign absorbed in her mind. Welcome to Claire County. Welcome to your new life, Jules. For the twelfth time since leaving New York, Julianna thought about her business with Aunt Ellie and Uncle Roy. A silent partner over the years, she hadn’t had the opportunity to really give the hands-on assistance to the ranch as she yearned to. Now it was right time she started pitching in more than just financially.
She giggled to herself thinking about how she finally convinced her uncle to let her help them. That was a negotiation she never wanted to engage in again.
She pulled out the big guns, claiming it was her way of keeping the connection and her Texas heritage. She missed them both, she missed the country, and she missed the genuinely good people of Claire County.
As she absorbed the outskirts of town, allowing some childhood memories to drift in and out of her mind, she sensed the calm feelings of familiarity begin to form. Then came the memory of her conversation with Aunt Ellie and Uncle Roy.
“You’re sending us money, helping us to keep Palmer Place up and running. You’re my niece and I should be helping you.” She recalled Roy’s stern voice echoing through the phone. He was old-fashioned and felt compelled to state that he should be taking care of her more than a handful of times.
“We’re family, and I’m sure that you want to keep Palmer Place in the family.”
Julianna’s technique worked like a charm. There was nothing Uncle Roy could do but agree. Of course, after the convincing came the insecurity about her decision and the small show of assertiveness. Lawrence entered her mind.
As she took the next main turn, Julianna forced Lawrence from her thoughts and focused on the horses.
It had been years since she was around horses and livestock. She wasn’t sure that she would remember anything about horse training. Roy insisted that she didn’t have to. That was Uncle Roy’s job and the two ranch hands’. But she would insist on earning her keep and not just by keeping the books.
Driving down the road, it appeared to Julianna that Claire County hadn’t changed much at all. The large cattle ranches, small homes on acres and acres of land, neighbors practically miles apart yet close friends.
Back in New York, she didn’t even know the neighbors. The penthouse suite was meant to be isolated and solitary. Many times while she was home alone and Lawrence was stuck at “business meetings,” she thought about the country and its ability to make her feel alive and free.
The thought felt like a smack to the face. He wasn’t at any business meetings. He was with Kate. He was cheating for god knows how long, and she was so stupid, so naïve, and childish.
The tears stung her eyes, and the anger grew along with the weakness.
Would she ever feel strong? Would she ever rid herself of Lawrence and his control?
She feared everything about the man and couldn’t help to think that he would come looking for her, and knowing Lawrence, he would succeed in finding her.
Taking a deep breath and steadying her grip on the steering wheel, she got the shock of her life as she rounded the last dirt road before town.
* * * *
The construction signs were everywhere, and one major structure in the process of being built was a hotel.
To the right of the hotel was an adjacent construction site. She read the large billboard sign as she slowly drove by, and she was dumbfounded. “LOWE’S COMING SOON.”
The center town of Claire County was no longer the small, simple-folk type of town. Instead, blacktopped roadways and paved sidewalks greeted her, and an abundance of flowers, shrubbery, and triple the amount of specialty stores.
“Holy crap!”
She made her way through the little bit of traffic.
“I’ll be damned. Traffic in Claire County? A hotel? A Lowe’s? Holy Lord!”
The flashing colored lights caught her attention as she saw the police car ticketing an illegally parked Porsche. The words Sheriff Department were printed in bold lettering on the side door of the black truck. It was really fancy and nothing like Gerry York’s brown police cruiser from years ago. She wondered if Gerry was still sheriff.
Then she wondered if Gerry was still alive.
A tall, bulky male who filled out his uniform rather nicely was tucking a piece of paper under the windshield wiper of the illegally parked sports car. It wasn’t Gerry, not by a long shot. No short, round, seventy-year-old man and definitely not the same body. Gerry was older than dirt when she was sixteen and still living in Claire. He definitely retired or passed on, but who was this guy?
Julianna was right beside the man as the traffic light changed to red.
She couldn’t help but keep staring. The way his snug uniform pants hung over a perfectly round backside, the large wide frame of his shoulders and back, then of course the way his Stetson sat low over his eyes. She couldn’t see any hair, so either he was bald or had a military cut. Her heart fluttered.
A cowboy.
There was no doubt in her mind that body had seen r
odeo action or cattle running in its time. The next thing she knew, dark black, shaded eyes stared at her and a horn honked. The look was mean and scary. The sensation of guilt consumed her belly.
Was it from the fact that she was caught staring? Or was it the significance of his profession?
Quickly, she looked ahead then stepped on the gas. In her rearview mirror she could see him reading her license plate and writing something down on the ticket pad he held in his hand. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes beneath the Stetson. She was intimidated to say the least as she quickly made her way through town.
‘Shit! I’m not here more than five minutes and I’ve managed to piss off the sheriff.’
Her hopes of a quiet, content new life seemed to dwindle for the remaining ride until she reached the entrance to Palmer Place with no sign of a police cruiser on her tail.
Chapter 4
The sight took her breath away, and the tears stung her eyes. Filled with such emotion, she paused at the entrance and leaned back in her seat, wanting to absorb the most wonderful sight.
Home. She was finally home.
A long gravel road led to the red-brick-wall entrance and the oval sign in burgundy.
“Welcome to Palmer Place.”
She wiped the tears away from her eyes in an attempt to stop the blurriness so she could see clearly, and she made her way through the entrance. The large, old-fashioned farmhouse stood atop the hill. It was picturesque, glorious, and reminded her of some scene created for a postcard.
Julianna instantly remembered the breathtaking views from the various windows of the family home. No bustling traffic like the city, no skyscrapers or rundown apartment complexes or garbage bags scattered along the narrow sidewalks. This was home.
Her eyes absorbed the sights around the perimeter of the property, and as she approached the main yard, she remembered that there was a lake with a wooden dock that she used to swim in when she was a child. There was a white picket fence that ran around the perimeter of the house’s property separating the roadways and the barn areas. It was gorgeous. As she approached closer, the red barn and horse stable came into view. It stood out in a vivid coat of fresh red paint with bright white trim. The large windmill stood about thirty feet to the side of it and was landscaped with shrubbery and an old-fashioned wheelbarrow.