by R. J. Layer
She had come for the holiday. Since her parents always showed so much love and devotion, Jo was sure they would process and accept what she had to tell them about who she was. Nothing was further from the truth. Her mom flushed deep red and pressed her hand to her mouth, while her dad started reciting scripture. When he finally quit preaching, her mom said, “It isn’t natural behavior, Jo Lynn.” Her dad, furious, stood so abruptly his chair tipped over, and he stormed from the room. Shaking her head, her mom righted the fallen chair and followed him. Jo packed her bags and left. When she returned again at Christmas, she found the welcoming home she’d always known no longer existed. Nothing had been the same since.
She wished now she’d stayed in the closet the last twenty-plus years.
“I know you and Dad can manage fine without me, but I want to be here to help if I can.” Jo saw the sheen of tears on her mom’s cheek.
She patted Jo’s hand. “Jo Lynn, I didn’t mean to imply—”
“I know, Mom.” Jo turned her hand to hold her mom’s. “I know.” She squeezed gently.
They simply were unable to communicate anything meaningful with one another. They swung in silence until it became too cool. Jo lay awake for hours trying to guess how their lives were about to change. And how, if at all, she could help her parents through the inevitable.
In the morning she was again at the kitchen table with her coffee when her dad came in.
“Morning, Pops.”
He sat across from her. “You don’t need to go with us today. Your mother and I can manage this.”
“I know you can.”
He reached for the paper Jo had placed on the table for him. “Well, I don’t know what you think you can do by going.” His words stung.
“Be there. I just want to be there for you, Pops.” She took her empty cup to the sink. “I’m going to get my shower.” She slipped from the kitchen before he could see the tears welling up in her eyes.
Her father sat stoically through the oncologist visit and her mom cried quietly while Jo fumed at her dad’s insensitivity. She tried having a conversation with him when they returned home, only to have him close the den door in her face.
“Stupid old fool,” she mumbled under her breath as she went in search of her mom. Eileen was on the patio, absently swinging and staring at nothing. Jo slipped out to her truck.
“Ms. West, Jo Marchal.”
“Please, call me Maria. What can I do for you?”
“How busy is your schedule today?”
“I have some free time this afternoon. Do you want to look at more properties?”
Jo exhaled slowly. “Actually I was wondering if we could meet somewhere. I have some questions.”
“Where are you now?”
“In Campbell.”
“Let’s see…there’s a diner about twenty minutes outside of Campbell on Route 60. We can meet there if you’d like. What time are you thinking?”
“My schedule is completely open, so whatever time works best for you.” The prospect of seeing Maria raised Jo’s spirit a notch.
“How’s two o’clock?”
“Two it is. I’ll see you there.”
She returned to the patio. Her mom looked so lost and lonely. Jo joined her on the swing and lacking words of comfort, she simply took her mom’s hand.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Jo Lynn.” Eileen’s tears started again.
“We’ll manage somehow, Mom, we’ll manage.” Jo couldn’t stop her own tears from spilling over.
When her mom sucked in a deep breath and expelled a torturous sob, Jo slid her arm around her shoulder and held her.
Eileen finally calmed enough to talk. “I don’t know how I can live without him,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
Jo’s heart was breaking for them both. When Claire had left her two years ago, Jo felt as though her heart was broken forever. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to love and be devoted to someone for over fifty years and then lose them. She hoped somehow she could find the strength to get herself and her mom through this.
Jo was seated in a booth at the front of the diner with a view of the parking lot. It was now almost a quarter past two. Relishing the quiet, she felt the tension knotted in her neck slowly dissipating. She’d give the busy woman a little bit longer. A smile curled her lips as she pictured the attractive dark-haired, dark eyed woman. There was more there than met the eye, she suspected. An inner strength as well as an inner beauty. She’d bet that in a pinch Maria West could roll up her sleeves and change a flat tire on her car. She was petite, but Jo seriously doubted she was helpless in any way.
The jingling bell over the door brought Jo back to reality and to the sight of Maria rushing to the table.
“I’m sorry again.” She dropped her purse and a folder onto the seat and plopped herself down across from Jo.
“Ah, don’t sweat it. I appreciate you takin’ the time to meet me.” Jo realized she sounded like she was back down on the farm in Kentucky. Had she started to feel that comfortable around this woman? Maria smiled warmly as Jo waved at the waitress.
“Just coffee, please,” Maria told the waitress and looked back at Jo. “I’m glad you got my message that I was running late.” Jo patted her pocket. Her phone must be in the truck. She gave Maria a shrug. “Well, thank you for waiting.”
The waitress brought her coffee and refilled Jo’s cup. “You said you have some questions.” She looked all business as she picked up the folder and laid it in front of her.
Jo recognized her dog-eared business card stapled to the top of the folder. She took a sip of coffee. “Only two. What would you consider the lowest offer they might take on the Buck Creek Road property, and how quickly could we close on it if we could agree on the price in the next week?”
Maria’s all business expression became a wide smile as she pulled out the info on the property.
“May I?” Jo asked and Maria slid the sheets across to her. “Do you have a pen?” Jo scribbled on the top edge of the page and pushed it back to Maria. “Can you take this offer to them? I’d like to get my hands on this place as soon as possible.” Jo raised an eyebrow and smiled as if her little flirt would get her what she wanted.
Maria’s smile never left her face. “I assured you of my diligence, so I’ll see what I can do.” She slipped the papers back into the folder.
Jo didn’t want Maria to leave and scrambled to make conversation. “How’s Matt doing?”
Maria looked surprised by her question. “He’s doing fine. Thank you for asking.”
What else? She couldn’t let her leave yet. She was the perfect distraction today. “Your sister-in-law, Kathleen, was it? She’s sure got her hands full with three boys.”
“She certainly does. I’m not sure how she manages.” Maria’s smile faded with her response.
Jo considered her lame statement in light of Maria’s son’s handicap. At a loss for words, she turned her coffee mug between her hands, noticing as she did that Maria was checking her watch.
Maria knew she needed to get back to work, but something made her want to stay and share more of Jo Marchal’s company. She wasn’t sure what was keeping her there. Maybe it was her smile and how easily Jo made her laugh. Jo’s light-hearted persona seemed absent today, however, and her icy blue-gray eyes had a troubled look.
“Well, I’ve taken enough of your time.” Jo said, catching the waitress’ attention. “I appreciate you driving all the way out here to meet me.” The waitress placed the check in front of Jo.
“I’ll get you an answer on the property as soon as I can talk with the seller.” Maria stood.
Jo dropped some bills on the table. “That’d be great, thanks.”
Outside in the bright sunlight they both slipped on sunglasses.
“I’ll be in touch,” Maria said as she headed to her car.
Behind her dark glasses, Jo watched as Maria crossed the lot. Only after Maria pulled from the lot did she locate t
he phone she’d left in the truck and listen to the missed call message. She redialed the number.
“Hello.”
Jo smiled to herself. “Jo Marchal.”
“Yes?”
“You said inside you’d call, so I just wanted to let you know, I’ll answer when you do.” Jo kept her voice light and playful.
Maria laughed. “That’s good to know, Jo Marchal, thank you.”
“No problem, so, uh, you can call me…well, whenever.”
“I will, and we’ll do coffee again, my treat.”
“Anytime.” Jo sighed as she disconnected the call. Yep, she was smitten, and as absurd as it was to find herself attracted to an obviously unattainable woman, Jo admitted it felt kind of good.
Chapter Four
Jo stayed another night at her parents’ house. Guilt, she surmised, was the only reason for her decision. As hard as she tried chipping away at the wall time had built between her and her parents, her dad seemed determined to reinforce it while her mom seemed…well, completely lost.
When she returned home, the “For Sale” sign by the road was a stinging reminder that the place she had grown to love as much as her horses soon would no longer be hers. She bypassed the house and drove straight down to the stable. Inside she found Jimmy mucking out a stall and asked if he would saddle up Cobalt for her. She poked her head in the tack room and found Tom sitting at the makeshift desk in the corner. He was on the phone.
He held up a finger to Jo and said, “Yeah, hang on a minute there.”
”Sorry to interrupt, Tom. I’m gonna take a ride. Can you stop in the house on your way out today?”
“Sure thing.”
She heard the clatter of horse’s hooves behind her. When she turned, Jimmy placed the reins in her hand. “Thanks, Jimmy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He tipped his head.
Jo felt a tremendous weight on her. She knew Jimmy was working full time for Tom while going to college. He was smarter than a whip and planned to be an engineer. She prayed the new owners would keep on Tom and his crew.
She trotted the stallion about a quarter mile until she was at the rise to the lower pasture. When they stopped, she leaned forward, stroked Cobalt’s neck and gazed out over the forty acres coming alive with spring growth. She inhaled the fresh air and tipped her head to squint from under her Stetson toward a cloudless sky. When she looked back to the lush green pasture, her mind was devoid of everything except her and the wide open space. She nudged Cobalt into a trot again and after a moment she coaxed him to a gallop. She intended to let him run until one of them was worn out.
Tom knocked a little after four and Jo waved him in. He tossed his hat on the coffee table and dropped into the chair on the other side of her desk.
“How’s the family?” he asked.
“Same as always. I got a father that’s more stubborn than a mule.”
Tom chuckled. “Don’t we all?” Jo appreciated Tom’s attempt at levity. “So what’s up?”
Jo relaxed back in the chair. “Pretty sure I found the farm I’m gonna buy up in Ohio.” He nodded. “It’s bigger than this place with the potential for expanding.”
“That’s great,” he replied without conviction.
She leaned forward and pushed a piece of paper across the desk to him. “It’s this place.” He looked at the spec sheet and pictures. “What do you think?”
“Looks like a nice place to have horses.” He handed the sheet back.
“There’s a lot of acreage with this place. I’d be willing to give you a piece to build a house on if you’d consider moving with me.”
“Dang, Jo!” He shifted in his chair. “That’s a mighty generous offer.”
She shrugged. “Really? I thought it was kinda selfish on my part seein’s how you helped me turn this place into what it is.”
He shook his head. “An’ nothin’ would give me greater pleasure than to do it all over again with you. But I got three women in my life that’d hang me in that barn out back if I even suggested it.”
“Well, hell, Tom, I figured I had to at least give it a try.”
“Yeah, I sure wish I could.”
“Me too,” Jo said, feeling defeated.
He pushed out of his chair. “I need to git. I’m pretty sure those three women got some weekend planned for me.”
“Have a good one, Tom.”
He scooped up his hat and called over his shoulder on his way through the door, “Sure, you too, Jo.”
* * *
For the first time in a long time, Jo spent a weekend at home filled with uncertainty. She’d not felt so alone since Claire left. She thought she was past all of it and content with the solemn life she lived, but something was terribly out of sync. It was eating her up inside. She wandered from the kitchen to the porch and eventually the stable. She did the same repeatedly throughout the day Saturday.
Every time she reentered the house after being with the horses she thought of Claire. Claire sitting at the dining table with legal briefs and documents spread everywhere. Claire, the woman she’d fallen madly in love with, who’d only loved her as long as Jo was willing to delight in the spotlight with Claire at her side. When Jo stepped further and further back from the limelight, Claire became more distant and the more time that went by it became apparent Claire wasn’t happy in their relationship. Claire had become a lawyer because she wanted to make a name for herself. She wanted to run in the circles where the people with money ran—the kind of people that a successful horse breeder associated with in Kentucky—and she wanted to bask in Jo’s light until she had her own. In the end it was clear that Claire used her as strategically as she used the law in court. When she moved out she’d gone directly from Jo’s farm to a mansion with large stables and into the arms of the female owner.
Why now would she be thinking of Claire, the woman who never truly loved her? Frustrated, she called Cecile in late afternoon.
“Do you already have plans for tonight, Cil?”
“Nothin’ set in stone. What’s goin’ on, darlin’?”
“I’m not sure, but I can’t seem to sit still.”
“Woo hoo! Let’s kick up our heels and do some crusin.”
“What time do you want me to pick you up?”
“There’s a new bar I been wantin’ to check out, but I’ll pick you up. Around nine.”
“All right. See you then.”
Jo slid into the seat of Cecile’s little red Fiat Spider. An extraordinarily successful realtor, Cecile didn’t shy away from flaunting it.
“Sorry, the Caddy’s in the shop, hon. I hope it doesn’t cause a problem later.” She flashed a devilish grin.
“You don’t need to worry about it, Cil.”
Cecile let her shifting hand come to rest on Jo’s thigh after she ran through the gears and they were speeding down the road. “You need to get laid, darlin’. I’m tellin’ you it cures everything.” She gave Jo a wink. “Guaranteed.” She squeezed Jo’s thigh and returned her hand to the wheel.
Dressed to kill in a linen suit and silk blouse, in usual form Cecile had a pretty little thing hanging on her every word within ten minutes of positioning the two of them at the bar. Beer in hand, Jo leaned her elbows on the bar and faced the dance floor.
Before Cecile was dragged off to the dance floor, she leaned in close. “You look good enough to eat there, sweet pea. If someone don’t take a taste of you tonight, somethin’s not right in the world. Too bad we’re such good pals.” She gave Jo’s rump a pinch. “Wish me luck.”
Jo rolled her eyes. As if Cecile needed luck.
Not long after she disappeared a short, cute blonde slid onto the stool next to Jo, ordered a drink and turned to Jo.
“You’re the hottest looking woman I’ve seen in this county in ages. Are you with someone?”
Jo looked into pale eyes, nodding her head toward the dance floor. “Uh, my friend.”
The blonde’s lips widened, revealing a perfect smile. She reached
out her hand. “Callie, Callie James.”
“Jo. Nice to meet you.” She shook the woman’s hand.
Callie picked up her drink from the bar, then turned back to Jo. “So Jo, do you dance?”
Jo took a long drink of her beer and shrugged. “Not so much.” She caught Callie’s eyes traveling from her worn boots to her slightly less worn jeans and up to her snug-fitted T-shirt.
When her eyes met Jo’s, she sighed. “You are the best lookin’ cowgirl I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
Jo forced a smile, turned up her beer and drained it. Callie quickly caught the bartender’s attention and ordered another. Jo tipped her head when Callie placed the cold bottle in her hand.
“Thank you.”
Callie touched her glass to the beer. “You’re very welcome.” Jo resumed watching the dance floor. “A woman of few words. I like that.” Callie sipped her drink. “Sometimes talk is overrated. Don’t you think?”
“Sometimes.” Jo took another long drink. The cute blonde wasn’t picking up on her solemn mood, so Jo gave in. “So, what is it you do, Callie?”
She gave a smile that was bigger, if that were possible, and leaned close. “I’m a paralegal at a firm in Lexington.” Jo stiffened. Callie ran a finger over Jo’s bicep and down her forearm. “Are you really a cowgirl?”
“More or less.” She met Callie’s eyes while her finger traced circles on Jo’s arm, then watched as her gaze wandered briefly down to Jo’s jean-clad thighs. Why was it the pretty ones had to be legal somethings or others?
“So do you ride horses a lot?”
Jo waited until Callie met her eyes. “I do.”
“Bareback?” A sexy inviting smile turned Callie’s lips.
“Sometimes.”
Either the heat had kicked on in the bar or the sexy little blonde was affecting Jo in ways she wouldn’t have imagined possible. She was standing so close that when she turned to flag down the bartender again, her breast brushed Jo’s arm. Jo had no sooner taken the last drink of her beer when Callie snatched the empty bottle and put another one in her hand. Jo felt as though she was beginning to relax for the first time in a week.