“Yeah,” he said under his breath as he kept his gaze on the sandwich. “She’s going to have me dancing the Virginia Reel for the cotillion and drinking tea from bitty china cups with my pinky finger stuck out like a flag.”
Cary stood and walked over to Byron, placing her palm against his forehead.
He jerked back. “What the hell?”
“Just checking your temperature. You’ve been here four years, and I’ve never heard you say that many words at one time. I’m not sure you’ve said that many words the whole time you’ve been here.”
He stood, shaking his head. “Women. Can’t leave a man alone.” He grabbed a fist full of sandwiches and the glass of milk and hurried out the back door.
Just before the door latch clicked shut, he swore he could hear a snort and a muffled giggle.
What had gotten into him? He never talked unless he had to, and he kept those occasions to a minimum. Somehow, and it pained him to admit this, trading barbs with Vivi had become kind of fun.
Byron detoured around the side of the barn and opened old Chase’s kennel. Settling on a straw bale, he tore off a piece of sandwich and tossed it to the dog then took a bite himself. After they’d finished off lunch, Chase curled up at his feet.
“So the hippy woman has been letting you out, huh?” The dog’s tail thumped a couple of times, and he looked up at Byron, the gray around his face a little more pronounced each month. “What are we going to do with her?”
It took a moment for the question to register. Seemed he’d lost control of his mind. He wasn’t going to do anything with her. He was going back to his quiet life. He was going to hand over responsibility for the woman to Chase. That way everyone would be happy.
“She’s all yours, buddy.” The dog glanced at Byron. The look said it all. You may fool yourself with that, but you haven’t fooled me.
Byron snorted and Chase managed one more wag of his tail. “Come on then. I’ve got a colt to work in the round pen. You can help me with this one.”
Byron set the empty glass on the bale, and made his way around the barn to the horse pens with Chase limping at his heels.
He’d worked the colt about twenty minutes when he saw Vivi approaching. This ranch was too small for the two of them. He concentrated on the horse and continued as if he hadn’t seen her.
“Why are you doing that?” Her voice was loud enough that he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t heard. “Why do you have his head tied to the side with the rein?”
Legitimate question. “He learns to give to pressure. If he turns his head, the rein loosens. It helps for when I get on him.”
“How long do you leave it like that?” She stood on something, making her tall enough to see over the sides of the pen.
“Not too long. Don’t want it to be a punishment. This is the best way to teach them to give.”
“Cool! I didn’t know you could do that.” There was that grin again. “But I don’t know anything about horses.”
“You know how to get on, make them walk and trot and turn and back up. That’s more than most people.” He turned his attention back to the colt, but found himself waiting for her response.
“Thanks.”
“Thanks for what. It’s the truth.” He clucked and encouraged the colt to trot around the pen. This colt was small for his age, but this line of breeding was known for that. By the time the animal was seven, he’d be a big solid horse. For now, Byron was giving him extra time to grow.
Vivi wasn’t talking. She hadn’t been quiet this long since he’d first met her. When he looked up, she turned away. He thought he saw her make a quick swipe at her eyes.
“You okay?”
She looked over her shoulder, bestowing that smile on him again, although it was a little rocky this time. “I’m great. Who wouldn’t be living here?”
“Got something in your eye then?” He stopped the colt and tied his head to the other side. He left the animal standing there to get used to the pressure and walked to Vivi.
“Yeah, that must be it.” She’d recovered from whatever had been bothering her and gave him a light punch in the shoulder. “Must be allergies.”
Byron watched as sorrow then determination raced across her expressive face and decided to change the subject. “You said you were from Massachusetts?” When she nodded, he continued. “What did you do there?”
Her brows drew down, and a frown settled on her face. “Do? What do you mean?” She stepped down off the bucket she’d been standing on and leaned against the fence, her arms crossed.
“You know. You said your mom home schooled you, but you must have had some hobbies, something you enjoyed doing for fun.” He grabbed another bucket, turned it upside down and sat down. “Do you ski?”
Vivi dropped onto her own bucket. A sigh escaped her, and she looked at the sky. “I studied. I guess you’d say science was my hobby.”
Science? Byron hadn’t minded science in school. He’d even been in an accelerated class and had pulled all As, but he’d never in any world consider it a hobby. He studied Vivi’s face and noticed an undercurrent of sadness before she saw him watching and schooled her features. “Science?”
“Yeah. Specifically physics. My mother and father were big on schooling.”
“That’s not big, that’s obsessed.”
She burst out laughing at that. “You’re right. Father was the obsessed one. Mother went along with whatever he said.” Her laughter stopped as fast as it had started. She dropped her chin into her hands and closed her eyes. “Commanded would be a more accurate word.”
“Did you say you have a brother?” The silence drug out until Byron became uncomfortable.
Vivi stood and gave him a look filled with despair. “Had.” Without another word, she disappeared behind the barn.
His happy-go-lucky, free spirited hippy girl was hiding some unhappy secrets.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lester Charters studied the numbers on the computer screen in front of him and nodded in satisfaction. With Charters Asset Management Company calling the shots, Viola Beckett’s accounts were performing well. They were beating the market by several percentage points.
Charters and Charlie Monroe, Viola’s maternal grandfather, met in grade school, and the two men had remained lifelong friends until the day Charlie died fifteen years ago. After years of tinkering on countless inventions, Charlie hit the jackpot when he made a miniature sound recognition device.
Hear Me Now could be attached to almost any item. By tuning it to the sound of your voice, losing things became a thing of the past. Call out to your glasses or keys, and a recorded voice said, “I’m here.” An affordable price made it a must have for nearly every person on the planet.
When the money began rolling in, Charlie hired Lester and his money management firm to set up a trust for his daughter and each of his grandchildren. All the money belonged to Viola now, not that she’d had much use for it.
At the sound of a knock on his office door, he closed the laptop.
“Mr. Charters? I have Ms. Beckett on the phone.” As soon as he nodded, the secretary stepped out and closed the door.
Lester took a moment to collect his thoughts before picking up the phone. “Viola, dear, how are you?” He opened the laptop again and settled back into his office chair.
“Hi, Mr. Charters. I’m good. Is something wrong?”
Lester had always felt a little sorry for Viola and her brother, Sebastian. Their father had been so overbearing it was hard for anyone, including Charlie, to be around him for long.
Charlie’s daughter was the only one who seemed to like the man, but Charlie hadn’t trusted him. Even though his daughter had been married to Beckett for over twenty years, Charlie had set the trusts up so Beckett couldn’t get his hands on the money.
After the accident, the millions became Viola’s.
“No, no, no, nothing’s wrong.” He waited a minute for effect. “The market hasn’t been performing as well as we’
d like. I wanted to check with you once again and see if you’d like me to explain what we’re doing with your money.”
He heard Viola sigh.
“I trust you, Mr. Charters. Grandy trusted you to handle his money, and you’ve always taken care of me.”
“If you’re sure, Viola. I’m doing my best for you. Do you have a new address? We’re getting ready to send out your statement. You’ll notice a small increase in our fees. Not what we’d planned, but we’re working on some new investments, and I’m sure I’ll have better news next quarter.”
To his complete delight, Viola didn’t want anything to do with the day to day handling of her money.
“Just send any correspondence to the PO box you have on file. I’ve seen some beautiful places in my travels, but I haven’t found home yet.”
They said their good-byes and Lester hung up. He’d known Viola since she and her brother were born. She’d been a quiet, studious little girl and had grown into an introverted young woman. Even though Viola was getting out, seeing the world now, he’d often wondered if she’d be happier if she didn’t have any money at all.
~-~
Vivi fitted her toothbrush into the holder and washed out the sink. When she found her home, she was going to paint her bath in the soft sage green of Cary’s guest room walls. The conversation with Mr. Charters the day before was the same as always.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she should make an effort to learn more about her assets. If, for some reason, Mr. Charters couldn’t handle her money anymore, she should have some knowledge of her investments. When she found a home, that is one of the first things she’d learn.
She brushed her hair with more force than was necessary. If it weren’t for her art, she’d have given all the money to charity right after her father died. The money was Grandy’s. He’d earned it, not her.
She’d seen the damage the desire for riches had done to her father. She’d have given it to him, but her grandfather made sure Father couldn’t get his hands on a penny.
The tension between the two men had colored every holiday and family get-together until Grandy died, filled with suspicion and hostility, and she and Sebastian had learned to tread lightly.
She worked several various colored ribbons into the single braid down her back. Pulling on royal purple leggings, she topped the outfit off with a thigh length black and white animal print T-shirt and a wide sparkly belt. Her purple, pink and lime green scarf hung to her waist.
The bright colors helped with the depression she felt whenever she spent too much time thinking of her past. She shook her head, shaking off the bad feelings. Life was too short to spend worrying about things she couldn’t change.
Vivi found Cary in the kitchen putting the last of the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. “So are we still on for a trip to town?” Cary asked as she wiped down the counter. “I need to pick up a few things at Foodtown, and I thought we’d stop in for coffee and something to eat at the café.”
Vivi felt her mood lift on exposure to her friend’s sunny disposition. “I’m ready.”
“I want to introduce you to Pansy. You two are going to be friends the minute you meet.”
“Where is Rodie?” On a usual morning the four year old was in the kitchen, chattering at anyone who would listen. He was one smart little boy and never forgot a thing he heard. She’d noticed the ranch hands were careful of their language when Rodie was around. All the employees seemed respectful of the women and children. Maybe that was Micah’s doing.
“He’s with his dad today. They’re going to the cow sale in Burns. Rodie took some of his savings in case one goes cheap enough.” Cary hung the dishtowel on the hanger and grabbed a jacket from the hook by the kitchen door. “Micah isn’t worried, but I know my son. He’ll find something to buy one of these days and with only forty-seven dollars and eleven cents, I’m not sure we’ll want it on the place.”
Vivi laughed. She hoped Rodie found something to buy. She had no doubt, Micah would make sure the animal was healthy, and as for looks, Rodie would love a runt of a calf just as much as a registered one.
With Willa in school and Rodie with his dad, today would be a girl’s day out. Only three hundred residents called East Hope, Oregon home, but the town had everything necessary for day to day living.
Cary parked the pickup in front of a long, low building with Foodtown in big letters along the edge of the roof.
They hadn’t made it two feet inside the store when a woman came hurrying from the back and wrapped Cary in a big hug. “’Bout time you girls made it to town.” She turned to Vivi. “You must be Vivi Beckett. I’m Millie. I own this place.”
Millie’s hair was a disconcerting candy apple red, but Vivi decided right there she’d try the color on her own hair one day. She held out her hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Millie. This is your store?”
“I’ve owned this place for over thirty years. When my husband died, I thought about selling out, but then what would I do with my time?” Millie turned to the girl at the cash register. “Take care of things, Lilly. I’ll be in the back.”
“Careful here,” Millie said over her shoulder as she pointed at a large crack in the faded linoleum.
They followed Millie down a jam-packed aisle. Walmart this wasn’t, but Vivi loved the small town vibe.
They walked through the narrow aisles and entered a large room behind the meat counter. Millie wrestled a brown corrugated box down from a stack, pulled a box cutter out of her pocket and slit the tape sealing the top. After digging through a pile of things on an old scarred desk, she found a small white paper bag. She pulled on a thin plastic glove and grabbed a handful of something from the box.
“I buy these for Micah, but you can help yourself if you like them.”
Vivi found her hand filled with chocolate covered raisins. She raised an eyebrow at Cary.
“These are Micah’s favorites. Millie takes good care of him.”
“Well, I agree with Micah. These are one of my favorites. I first found them in a little general store in Mississippi.” Vivi popped one in her mouth. The sweetness of the chocolate mixed with the raisins. “My mother wasn’t big on sweets. Said they weren’t good for us.”
Millie’s eyes widened then a smile spread across her face. “Have I got a treat for you.” Millie pulled down three more boxes, opened them and put a handful of each in a small white bag and handed it to Vivi. “There’s chocolate covered cinnamon bears, orange slices and malted milk balls. No one should live their life without these babies.”
Vivi dug through and tried one of each kind. “These are all good, but the orange slices are my favorite.”
Millie filled one of the bags nearly to the top and handed it to Cary. “This ought to keep Micah happy for a while.”
“I’m sure it will.” Cary turned to Vivi. “Try the orange slices and the malted milk balls at the same time. This is gourmet candy at its best.” She and Millie looked at each other and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Vivi popped another candy into her mouth, letting the chocolate melt on her tongue as she rolled the top of the bag closed. She’d missed many things in her very strict childhood. It was difficult to not gorge on things many people took for granted.
Millie wiped her eyes. “Gourmet candy. I buy this stuff in bulk as you can see. Not one redeeming value except the taste. I started buying the raisins because I heard Micah loved them, and the rest of the town requested other flavors.”
Cary rummaged through her purse and handed Millie a list. “I only need a few things today. If you don’t mind, I’m going to introduce Vivi to Pansy. Can I pick this up later?”
Millie ran her finger down the short list. “We’ve got all of this. Come on back by whenever you get done, and I’ll have it packed up. And tell Pansy I got her special order.”
The length of East Hope’s Main Street was less than three blocks long. Situated diagonally across the intersection of Main and First streets from Foodtown sat
the Five and Diner, the town’s only café and main meeting place.
The first time Vivi had been in a small-town café was when she’d left Massachusetts for her trip cross country after father had died. As with every small town, Vivi had fallen in love. The warm atmosphere and good food made her feel at home.
A bell jangled as Cary opened the glass door to the café and heads turned to watch as they crossed the room and took seats at the counter.
“I love these.” Vivi touched the cool metal of the Wall-o-matic Jukebox song selector with reverence. “The first one I ever saw was in Virginia.” She dug a coin out of her purse, flipped through the pages and selected a song. Johnny Cash’s deep voice filled the room as he sang about walking the line.
Cary pointed to several large color photos lining the wall above the kitchen pass through. I Love Lucy, Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra were in full color and costume. “That’s our Pansy.”
“The lady that runs this place? Really?” Before Vivi could ask more, a brunette with a braid down to her waist came through the swinging door from the kitchen. Her face lit up at the sight of Cary, and she hurried down the aisle.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming into town? I’d have fixed something special.” The brunette turned to Vivi and held out her hand. “I’m Pansy.”
Vivi looked from Pansy to Cary to the pictures on the wall and back to Pansy.
“It’s the proverbial long story, but—well, the costumes served their purpose at the time.” Pansy placed a plastic menu in front of the women and pulled a pad out of her apron pocket. “What can I get you?”
Cary looked at Vivi. “Coffee and one of your fantastic sticky buns.”
“For lunch?” Vivi drew her attention back from the photos.
Cary patted Vivi’s shoulder like she was a toddler. “Taste Pansy’s Supremely Sticky buns first then tell me they aren’t appropriate for any meal.”
Vivi thought a moment then nodded. “I’m in, and will you make one to go?”
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