An Accidental Family

by Loree Lough

  The song ended, and the guests applauded, and his little girl ran off—to do whatever came next on her list of bridal obligations.

  “Hey, sailor,” Nadine said, taking his arm, “goin’ my way?”

  He shot her a grateful half grin and led her into the lobby. “Did I see you crying back there?” he asked when the doors closed behind them.

  “Maybe,” she said, blushing. “I guess. But only a little.” And rolling her eyes, she playfully smacked his shoulder. “So what if I was?”

  “Softie.”

  “Yeah, well, I saw a tear shining in your eye, too…”

  “Yeah, well,” he echoed, “I’m footin’ the bill for this fancy shindig. I have every right to bawl like a baby!”

  Had her laughter always been so melodious? And why hadn’t he noticed before that hearing it turned his ears hot and his palms damp?

  She didn’t look a day over thirty, though he knew for a fact that she’d turned fifty on her last birthday. Hard to believe this woman’s a grandma! he thought, smirking.

  “There you go again,” she said, one well-arched brow high on her forehead, “looking like a cat with a mouthful of bird.”

  “A cat with a…a what?”

  “Well, unless I wanted you to call me the Mistress of Clichés again, I figured I’d better come up with something original.”

  “Oh, trust me, you’re original, all right.”

  Lashes fluttering, she blushed again. Yes, by golly, Nadine was flirting with him!

  The banquet room doors opened a crack, and Cammi stuck her head out. “Dad, Lily is looking for you.”

  “Be right there.” And once his eldest daughter was out of sight, he said from the corner of his mouth, “Guess it’s time to write the check.”

  Nadine laughed again. “Nut,” she said, kissing his right cheek.

  He didn’t remember much after that…

  …except wishing she’d aimed a little left….

  Nadine sat in the big wooden rocker, boot heels propped on the white picket rail surrounding the front porch. A little blustery to be outside so late on a February evening, but she didn’t mind. She had fuzzy slippers, her favorite afghan and a cup of tea to keep her warm.

  Behind her in the foyer, the dulcet tones of the grandfather clock sounded the ten o’clock hour. She ought to turn in, because tomorrow she was supposed to sing that new hymn she’d been practicing all week. But she wasn’t the least bit sleepy.

  Just five more minutes, she mused, closing her eyes to the starry, inky sky.

  Smiling into the breeze, she admitted that this had been the best Valentine’s Day in memory. Lily and Max made a lovely couple, their wedding one of the best she’d ever attended.

  The startling jangle of the phone interrupted her peaceful reverie, making her slop tea over the mug’s rim. “Rats!” she complained, standing. Well, at least it hadn’t spilled onto her favorite blanket.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Adam? Is everything all right with Julie and Amy?”

  “We’re all fine. Sorry to call so late, but I have a huge favor to ask you.”

  She slumped onto a counter stool and wrapped the telephone cord around her forefinger.

  “For starters, I’ve been laid off. And thanks to Julie’s math errors, our last eight rent checks have bounced.”

  Hopefully, he hadn’t called to borrow money, because, much as she’d like to help them, Nadine barely had enough to meet her own bills this month.

  “If I hadn’t picked up when the landlord called tonight, I probably wouldn’t have found out until I got home from work and saw all our stuff sitting at the curb. We’re being evicted.”

  “Can’t you can bargain with your landlord, explain things and promise to catch up a little extra with your rent every month?”

  “That might have worked…six months ago.”

  Julie had been hiding the bounced checks from him for that long? That didn’t sound like the sweet girl his son had married. Nadine prayed she hadn’t turned secretive because Adam had inherited his father’s vicious temper, making her afraid to confess her mistakes. “Try not to be too hard on her, Adam. A thing like that…it could happen to anyone.”

  “Once or twice, maybe. But for almost a year?” He sighed into the phone. “Come on, Mom. Even you don’t believe that.”

  No, she didn’t. But her boy was already hurting enough. “So here’s what we’ll do,” she said. “First thing in the morning, you kids will pack your car as full as you can, and once you get here, you can borrow my pickup for the rest. We’ll store your furniture in the barn, and you know there’s plenty of room for you here.”

  She could almost see him—one hand over the phone’s mouthpiece as he relayed the information to his young wife. When Julie came on the line, her voice was thick with tears. “You’re a lifesaver, Mom. A marriage saver, too. I—I don’t know how we’ll ever make it up to you.”

  Orphaned at eight, the poor girl had bounced from one foster home to another for years. It had taken a while to smooth the girl’s rough edges, but in the five years the kids had been together, Nadine had come to love her like a daughter, and Julie’s pain was almost as unbearable for her as Adam’s. “You don’t owe me a thing, honey. We’re family, and this is what families do.”

  Her shaky sigh echoed through the phone line. “Still, I feel just awful that my stupidity put us all in this situation. Let me show my appreciation by doing the cooking and cleaning, and the laundry, too.”

  “Goodness, what makes you think you’ll have the time and energy for all that after a full day at the dealership?”

  A long pause, and then, “I—I lost my job.”

  Nadine didn’t know what to say.

  “The manager fired me, for an error…”

  “An error that cost the company nearly $50,000!” Adam hollered from the background.

  Nadine suppressed a gasp. Fifty thousand dollars! What in the world could be distracting Julie so badly! “Have you talked with the owner of the dealership? Maybe he’ll overlook it, just this once?”

  On the heels of a long, shuddering sigh, Julie said, “Wasn’t my first mistake.”

  Nadine heard Adam, grumbling and growling in the background, and then Julie said, “Fine. Whatever. You talk to her, then, Mr. Know-it-all.”

  She’d worked hard to teach him to treat women with gentle respect, but Adam was, after all, his father’s son, too. Maybe, their moving in would give her another chance to reinforce those lessons. But would the situation turn into the blessing in disguise people were forever talking about, or add fuel to the resentment already burning between them? Nadine had a feeling that, either way, she’d spend a lot of time on her knees in the weeks and months ahead.

  Adam said, “She’s got us in such muddle that we can’t even afford to rent a truck, so thanks for the loan of yours. And for putting us up, too. I’ll find a new job and get us out of your hair as fast as I can. Promise.”

  Had she ever heard him this angry? Nadine didn’t think so. But at least he had kept a lid on his temper. So far. Lord, she prayed, help me say things that will defuse the situation. “There’s no hurry at all, son. I’m going to love having you home again!”

  So, she thought after hanging up, these would be her last hours alone in the house. If these walls could talk, she thought, wandering the quiet rooms, what tales they would tell, about accusations and insults and violence.

  Scowling, she shook off the ugly memories, focused instead on what needed to be done by morning. She’d give Adam and Julie the guestroom, and put Amy in her daddy’s old room. And wouldn’t the sewing room, with its nooks and crannies and sunny window seat make a wonderful playroom!

  While dusting and vacuuming and putting clean sheets on the beds, Nadine had to remind herself that what the kids were going through was awful, and it couldn’t have been easy, asking for her help. It would take some effort on all their parts to adjust to the situation, but by the grace of God, they’d manage. So
on, the kids would dig themselves out of their financial hole and find a new place to live.

  “Just not too soon, Lord…”

  Chapter Two

  “Did you run over a nail or something?” Adam asked.

  Squatting, Nadine inspected her right-front tire. “I suppose that’s possible,” she said, feeling for sharp objects. “But nothing seems to be sticking out.”

  As Lamont’s pickup roared up the drive, she understood how those first residents of Texas must have felt when they heard the distant notes of the cavalry’s bugle.

  “G’morning,” he said, climbing from the cab. His smile faded the moment he saw her flat tire. “What happened?”

  “Everything was fine when I got home from grocery shopping last night,” Nadine said, shrugging.

  As Lamont stooped to get a closer look, Adam pointed at the gash in her right-front tire. “Found boot-prints in Mom’s rose garden, too, and they’re way too big to be hers…”

  “I probably ran over something inadvertently. As for those footprints, they’re probably just Big Jim’s,” she said to Adam. “You know how much he likes flowers.”

  “I hate to say it, Mom, but you really oughta fire that guy.”

  “I know he seems a little…off, but Jim wouldn’t hurt a fly.” She laughed a little. “And I mean that quite literally. He’s adopted several, you know.”

  Lamont and Adam exchanged an “Oh, brother” look.

  “He’s the hardest-working ranch hand I’ve ever had.” She shrugged. “So he likes to keep bugs as pets and builds little cages for them. What’s the harm in—”

  “Mom,” Adam interrupted, “no disrespect, but that’s just plain weird.”

  “Adam’s right, Nadine. That is weird.”

  Sighing, she looked at the cloudless blue sky. Could she make them understand? “Listen,” she began again, “if he can be kind to a bug of all things, surely he wouldn’t hurt me. Besides, he’s worked here for years. Why would he start doing crazy things all of a sudden?”

  “Would he even know if he hurt you?” Adam asked.

  “Good question,” Lamont added. “I mean, maybe he flattened the tire because he liked the hissing sound or something.”

  “Honestly, listen to yourselves!” Nadine scolded. “Jim’s a little slow, but he isn’t an idiot.”

  The men traded another “Uh-huh” look.

  “And there isn’t a mean bone in his body!” she added.

  Lamont unpocketed his hands, pointed at the tire, then the flowerbed. “Now look, it’s all well and good to believe in the innate decency of people, but you’re carrying it to an extreme. Jim might be abnormal by some standards, but he’s still a man. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “How…Jim?” The very idea inspired a nervous laugh. “Now that is crazy.”

  He looked to Adam for confirmation, and her son nodded in agreement. “If you insist on keeping him around, then you’d better keep an eye on him.”

  “A sharp eye,” Lamont put in.

  “Two against one ain’t fair,” she said. “I can take care of myself. It isn’t as if I haven’t had years of practice.”

  “Nobody who’s known you longer than five minutes would disagree, but this is different.”

  “The boy’s right,” Lamont said, “on both counts.”

  Her two favorite men stood side by side. Why, Adam had even adopted Lamont’s stance, boots shoulder-width apart, arms crossed over his chest. She saw the resolute expressions on their faces. But they had nothing on her when it came to stubbornness. Or accurateness, either. Adam had only been home a few weeks. What did he know about Jim? And Lamont, well, he didn’t know the man at all! Greeneland Ranch was hers and hers alone—land, stock and the mountain of unpaid bills—and she’d run it any way she saw fit, right down to whom she’d employ. “I won’t fire him.” Fists on her hips, she dared them to defy her.

  “Oh, all right,” Adam said, hands in the air. “I give up.” He headed for the barn, saying over his shoulder as he went, “Good to see you again so soon, Mr. London.”

  “Same here, Adam.”

  “Speaking of seeing you,” she said once her son was out of earshot, “what brings you to my place this early on a Sunday morning?” Hopefully, the subtle reference would remind him that this was her turf, and he wasn’t in charge here.

  “Just thought maybe you’d like a ride to church. Seems I recall something about your practicing for a solo before the services began.”

  Only Julie, Nadine’s accompanist, knew about her rehearsal plans. “So my daughter-in-law is acting as my press agent now, is she?” Nadine grinned. “That girl might just turn out okay after all.”

  “After all?”

  Julie was forgetful and clumsy, but she had a good heart, especially considering her troubled past. She waved his question away, unwilling to share that private bit of information, even with Lamont. “I’d love a ride into town,” she said, “especially since I don’t have a spare.”

  “I’ll drive you to Lotsmart after church, and we can get one.”

  Between now and then, she’d have to come up with a legitimate excuse to avoid the side trip, because even at a discount store like Lotsmart, she couldn’t afford a tire. “We have time for a cup of coffee, if you’d like.”

  “I’d like.”

  And maybe, between now and then, she’d figure out how to keep her heart from hammering every time he smiled at her, too.

  Lily’s Valentine’s Day wedding seemed like only yesterday, but the wildflowers popping up everywhere—especially in Nadine’s yard—proved otherwise.

  Several times a week, Lamont had used one flimsy pretext after another to drive over there, telling himself that if she didn’t intend to keep an eye on Jim, he would. Why, Lamont wondered, did Nadine’s ranch hand occupy so many of his thoughts here at home, and rarely come to mind as he sipped coffee while her adorable granddaughter chased Julie’s tabby cat around the kitchen?

  Yesterday, he called to see if she wanted a ride to the church social. Normally, he didn’t have time for such functions, but if it provided another bona fide reason to see her—and check on Jim—well, then, why not? She’d cited laundry on the clotheslines and a sticky kitchen floor, critters that needed to be fed and weeds to pull in her flowerbed…and Lamont countered every excuse with one of his own. Thankfully, he wore her down.

  He couldn’t believe how fast the time passed as they stuffed themselves on baked ham and potato salad, talking with their fellow parishioners. Since Rose’s death, his involvement at church had been limited to Sunday services, because everywhere he looked, his wife’s contributions were constant reminders of his widowhood. Oddly enough, despite all the hubbub, he’d had a right good time. The enjoyment continued as he drove her home, mostly because Nadine decided to rehash the squabble between Martha Turner and Barbara Gardner over whose vocal rendition of “The Old Rugged Cross” should be sung every Sunday. Dread and disappointment closed around him as his pickup ground its way up her gravel driveway. Had she invited him up to the house because she’d sensed it?

  “It’s such a pretty night,” she said. “How about joining me for a cup of tea on the back porch?”

  If she’d suggested guzzling it from a washtub on the roof, Lamont would have found a way to join her. Amazing, since the only time he’d allowed the stuff past his lips was the few occasions when he spiked a fever. Yet here he sat, toes tapping, fingertips drumming on the arms of his rocker as he waited for her to kick off her heels and brew the tea.

  He looked around at her yard, colorful even in the semi-darkness. Bright spring blossoms shocked his senses. To him, planting involved seeds that became food for his livestock or turned out a couple of tomatoes and bell peppers for salad. Subconsciously, he compared it to his own lawn, devoid of blooms now that Lily was busy tending her own yard. Until now, he hadn’t realized how much he missed the little things women did to turn a house into a home.

  She handed him one of two
steaming mugs. “You like yours black, right?”

  “Smells like cinnamon,” he said. How’d she know that, he wondered, when he couldn’t for the life of him think of a time when they’d talked over herbal tea? Raising families and running ranches hadn’t left much time for such niceties. Lately, though, he’d managed to make time for such niceties…lots of it. “I hope you don’t mind my sudden intrusion into your life,” he said as she settled into the other rocker. “You’ve made my adjustment to living alone a whole lot smoother.”

  “Oh, I’d hardly call you an intrusion.”

  He didn’t know what to make of her slight hesitation. “What would you call me, then?”

  Nadine leaned against the headrest of her chair, squinting as she considered her answer. His heart beat double time, waiting…

  “I guess I’d have to say, you’re a very pleasant diversion.”

  “From what?”

  A strange expression—sadness? detachment?—flit across her features like a fast-moving shadow, and he wondered about that, too, as he waited yet again for a reply.

  “Oh, just…everything.”

  She had a talent for turning two syllables into four, and three into six, just as Rose had. Lamont waited for the usual twinge of grief that followed a memory of his late wife, and when it didn’t come, he chalked it up to Nadine’s gift for making folks feel at ease.

  “Do you believe this sky?” She pointed at the stars, winking on their bed of black velvet, then clucked her tongue. “And the so-called experts were calling for thunderstorms…”

  “I hope it’s this clear tomorrow night.”

  She looked at him over the rim of her mug, and sent his heart into overdrive. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “Might be inclined to throw a couple steaks on the grill, if you’ll share ’em with me, that is.”

  She put her cup down and turned to face him. “Lamont London,” she said, her blue eyes boring into his, “are you asking me out on a date?”

  He’d gone down the “dating road” more times than he cared to remember, with disastrous consequences. Granted, he was mostly to blame, comparing every woman to his wife a couple hundred times between the pickup and the dropoff. He’d made a promise to Rose after that last calamity: Since no woman could hold a candle to her anyway, why torture them and himself? “Can’t a fella be neighborly without people jumping to conclusions?”