Suddenly Texan

by Victoria Chancellor

  Leo shook his head. “It’s all about the money and the prestige.”

  “It’s not like I want you to leave town. I love having you here, just down the street. But you had—”

  “Had being the key word. It’s over. I’m not going back to blackjack.” He tried to make his point firmly but kindly. Toni meant well, but his decision was final.

  “Look,” Toni said, turning half-around. “Christie and Cal are here.”

  “Good.” Leo wanted to make sure they stopped by Amanda’s table tonight. Or maybe he could get them together during the break. Yep, that was an excellent idea.

  And just like clockwork, Martha Chase announced, “May I have your attention please.”

  Leo smiled. Maybe he’d get another clue to the mystery tonight.

  AMANDA FINISHED THE PAYOUTS for the last turn of the wheel before the break, then stacked her chips. Several of the ladies at the table were just about out of chips and would be moving on. They’d been a lot of fun, but Amanda hadn’t picked up any information about the Crawfords or Luanna. The only thing she had learned was that Myra Hammer and her husband, Bud, wouldn’t be coming tonight—and that was just fine with the ladies. Myra and Bud were apparently grumps who were tolerated but not loved by the residents of Brody’s Crossing. Myra hadn’t been home all day, either, so Amanda hadn’t had a chance to talk to her.

  If the woman was so miserable, why had she been Luanna’s best friend? What made Luanna gravitate toward a person who was by all accounts unpleasant?

  Amanda looked up from her musings and found Leo standing in front of her table. “Oh. Hi,” she said.

  “How are you holding up? Ready for a break?”

  She rolled her shoulders and shook out her fingers. “Yes. I’d forgotten how much I need to concentrate.” She placed her chips in the metal box and closed the lid.

  “The buffet is great. You could probably use a soft drink, too.”

  “Yes, I could.” She looked at the people congregating around the silent auction table and the buffet. There was also a line at the ticket table for the cash bar. “Everything looks busy. Good attendance, I suppose.”

  “Yes, a great turnout. We’re raising money for new interactive video fitness equipment. The seniors especially have been asking for it.” He held out his hand and she handed him the box to carry.

  “Sounds good. I hope the genealogy certificate raises money.”

  He smiled as he placed his free arm behind her back and gently guided her toward the table. “Thanks for donating that. You’ve done way more than a lot of people who live here.”

  “Well, everyone has been great to me. I’m staying rent-free at the condo, and you’ve taken on the task of feeding me, so how could I not give something back?” She spoke with a little flippancy so Leo wouldn’t see how truly grateful she was.

  “Somehow I think you would have volunteered anyway if you’d seen a need.”

  She didn’t respond to his remark. What could she say? Maybe he was right. But if she hadn’t been warmly received by the residents of Brody’s Crossing, she might have moved on more quickly.

  If not for Leo, she might never have met her brother and his family.

  They detoured to the ticket table and Leo asked the man there to watch Amanda’s chips while she took a break. Then he guided her toward the bar, snagging a soft drink for her.

  “It’s on the house,” he said, handing her the plastic cup.

  “Thanks.” She took a big drink and almost choked. Standing right in front of them were Cal and Christie Crawford, minus their children.

  “Hey, partner,” Leo greeted Christie with a hug. “Having fun yet?”

  “My goodness, don’t you look handsome!” Christie replied, giving him an air kiss near his cheek.

  “Thanks,” Leo said. “It’s the tux.”

  Cal shook his head at his wife. “You’re not making me jealous tonight.”

  “I wouldn’t even try, darlin’,” Christie said.

  Amanda didn’t know how to take that remark. Had there been something going on between Christie and Leo? How long had she and Cal been married? Their son was about four, so surely they’d been together at least five years.

  “We got here right before the betting ended, so I haven’t broken the bank yet,” Cal said.

  “Oh, like you’re such a gambler,” Christie teased.

  He shrugged. “A man can dream. I’m definitely not as talented as Leo when it comes to gambling.”

  “Amanda is running the roulette table,” Leo said, obviously changing the subject. “You should stop by later and try your luck.”

  Leo was a gambler? Was he a professional or did he have a problem? She couldn’t tell from Cal’s tone.

  “I’m sure we will,” Christie said. “I love roulette.”

  “I’m looking for the craps table,” Cal stated.

  “Odds are better at roulette,” Leo said, “and the house only has a five percent advantage in blackjack.”

  “If the player makes all the right choices,” Christie added.

  “Yes, but it’s a lot of fun to roll the dice down the table,” Cal said with a grin. He imitated the motion of pitching the dice with flare.

  Cal seemed to have a playful side. Their mother had said he was the serious one. That Troy was quicker to laugh. Maybe Cal had learned to loosen up over the years, or maybe being married to such a nice person as Christie had softened him up.

  Amanda wished she could ask him if their father had truly been a tyrant. She wished she could meet Troy and compare her two brothers. She wished she could just blurt out that she was their sister and she wanted them to accept her.

  But she couldn’t do that. She had to handle this situation right if she were to have any chance of a relationship with them, her closest blood relatives.

  “How about you, Amanda?” Christie asked. “Are you having a good time despite working the roulette table?”

  “Yes, it’s been…fine.” She nearly rolled her eyes at the lame response. She couldn’t say, “No, I haven’t learned a thing tonight despite eavesdropping,” or “No, I didn’t get to bring up the Crawford family at all while spinning the wheel.”

  “Amanda donated a genealogy research certificate for the silent auction,” Leo said.

  “Oh, Cal, you should bid on that!” Christie said. “You don’t know much about your family beyond your grandparents. Wouldn’t it be nice to find out how they all ended up in Texas?”

  No! No! You don’t want to do that, Amanda felt like shouting.

  “I suppose, but I’m not sure it matters all that much.”

  “I love family history,” Christie said to Amanda. “My family in Fort Worth—well, mostly my mother—has researched her family and my father’s all the way back to their immigration to America. One of my mother’s ancestors even came over on the Mayflower!”

  “That’s great,” Amanda replied, concerned that Cal might bid on the genealogy certificate. It wouldn’t be just the Crawfords she’d have to document, but the Allens as well, and that would lead to her family in Arkansas. None of them had liked Luanna’s husband.

  “Some family history is better left buried in the past,” Cal said with a touch of bitterness.

  “Oh, baby, that’s just one part of the past,” Christie said, hugging him.

  “Yeah, but a big part. I’d rather not know any more about one side of my family. I know about my Crawford grandparents and great-grandparents, and that’s enough.”

  Christie didn’t reply, but looked at him in sympathy.

  Cal still felt a lot of pain, Amanda realized. He hadn’t gotten over their mother’s desertion. “Um, not everyone is interested in their family history,” she said.

  He probably wouldn’t welcome a sister, either. Especially one raised by the mother he wanted to forget.

  “I’d better get back to my table,” she said before she became too sad to concentrate on roulette.

  “It was nice to see you again,” Christ
ie said. “I’ll make sure to stop by your table later.”

  Amanda forced a smile as the couple walked away.

  “I’ll see you guys around,” Leo called to Cal and Christie.

  “Don’t leave your friends on my account,” Amanda said. “I’ll just grab one of those little sandwiches and finish my soft drink.”

  “I’ll come with you. Cal and Christie probably want some time alone. Their two children keep them home most nights.”

  “Even with a nanny?”

  “Darla doesn’t live at the Rocking C. She’s just there during the day.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Leo was offering her an opening to talk about the Crawfords, but she felt emotionally drained at the moment. Even after all these years, Cal was still bitter. Did Troy feel the same way? Probably, since he’d been closer to their mother than his older brother.

  Maybe this whole trip had been one stupid idea. Maybe she should have just sent a registered letter and let the attorney handle the bequest next week. She could have stayed away and avoided a Texas-sized heartache.

  Cal and Christie had a family of their own. Troy and his wife had family in New Hampshire. Amanda had some cousins in Arkansas who had their own lives that didn’t really include her.

  And now she was just feeling sorry for herself.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? You zoned out there for a minute,” Leo said, taking her arm.

  She realized she’d almost walked into a tray set up to collect used cups and plates. “Sorry. I’d better get that sandwich.”

  “Here,” Leo said, steering her to an empty table against the wall. “You sit down and I’ll get you something to eat.”

  “You don’t know what I like.”

  He gave her a look. “I’ve been with you for three days. I’ve got a good idea.”

  Yes, he probably did. She sat down and waited for him to return with what would probably be the perfect buffet plate. Leo’s powers of observation could be downright scary at times.

  She just hoped he hadn’t picked up on the real reason she’d been so distracted. Next time she was around the Crawfords, she’d have to make sure she didn’t get so rattled. It wouldn’t take Leo long to add two and two together.

  Chapter Eight

  At nine-thirty Martha Chase announced that all dealers should bring their boxes of chips to the ticket table as soon as possible. Everyone was encouraged to have one last drink or dessert since the community center would close soon. Amanda was glad. Her feet were hurting from standing on the linoleum floor in less-than-comfortable shoes.

  By the time the last stragglers wandered out the front doors, Amanda had her emotions under control. She’d relaxed after eating the food Leo brought to her and found that she was much better at coping with difficulties on a full stomach. When Christie Crawford had come over to play roulette, Amanda had been able to make light conversation.

  She truly liked Christie, and if circumstances were different, she could see them as sisters-in-laws, sharing common interests. Vintage furniture, garage sale shopping, thrift stores.

  But things weren’t different. As her mother used say, “things are what they are.”

  The lights were bright inside the room as volunteers began taking down the shimmering silver tinsel wall covering and folding the red tablecloths. Leo stood beneath one of the disco balls, his tuxedo jacket discarded. Reaching up, he worked to unhook the mirrored ball. She watched as his dress shirt pulled across his shoulders and back. The pants accentuated his nicely curved butt and long legs.

  Even after hours on her feet and computing odds and payouts in her head, she could take time to admire the view.

  “Nice, hmm?” Bobbi Jean Maxwell said. “Of course, I’ve known him since he was a baby and I don’t have any business looking at a young man, but he’s sure grown into a fine specimen of manhood.”

  “Umm, yes, I suppose,” Amanda said, feeling her face heat up.

  Bobbi Jean grabbed some half-empty plastic glasses and plates off a nearby table. “We may have some photos you’d like to see for your research. Why don’t you come to lunch Monday and we’ll talk about them?”

  “That would be great,” Amanda said, suddenly feeling more energized. “I can’t stay in town much longer, so I’d love to get any information you have as quickly as possible.”

  “We’ll see you at noon, then, at the café.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Great. She had to be finished by Wednesday to meet the attorney’s deadline, so that would only give her a couple of days. Now, if she could just get in touch with Myra Hammer, then find a way to break the news to Cal, she’d be ready to leave Brody’s Crossing.

  She looked again at Leo. She would be leaving him, too. As if he felt her watching him, he turned toward her, flashing a smile that lit up the room.

  Walking away from Leo Casale might be as difficult as talking calmly to Cal Crawford about their mother.

  Leo placed the disco ball in a cardboard box and carried it to a storage closet. When he came back, he headed to the roulette wheel. “I can move that,” he said. “Are you ready to leave?”

  “I can help put away the tables and things,” she offered.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I know, but it needs to be done.”

  “Thanks. After I move the wheel, just fold up the tablecloth and collapse the table legs. I’ll put it away. It’s kind of heavy.”

  “Okay,” she replied with a smile. She could lift the table herself, but she knew that men liked to feel they were the stronger sex so she’d let him do it.

  With all the volunteers helping, it took about fifteen minutes to get the tables and chairs put away in the big storage closet, the decorations removed and packed. There wasn’t much food left, but Martha said the salvageable leftovers were going to the refrigerator to be served Monday at the seniors lunch.

  Nothing seemed to go to waste in Brody’s Crossing, which as far as Amanda was concerned was a fine way to live. She picked up the hanger with her clothes.

  “Ready to go back to the condo?” Leo asked, walking up behind her.

  She spun around. He stood there with his tuxedo jacket hooked on one finger over his shoulder. The top button on his shirt was open and his bow tie hung loose around his neck. “You look like a men’s cologne ad,” she said without thinking.

  Leo grinned. “I do, hmm?”

  “Oh, never mind. You know you look good.” She started walking toward the front doors.

  “It never hurts to hear,” he said as he stepped along beside her. “So, did you drive or walk?”

  “I drove. I had to go to Cassie’s apartment first to get her clothes.”

  “Since it’s so late, I’ll let you give me a ride home,” he said with a bit of cockiness.

  “Oh, really? Well, thanks. Since I’m going there anyway, I’ll do that.”

  “I just want to say good night to Martha.” He touched Amanda’s elbow and detoured her toward the ticket table. “Are you okay making the deposit, or should I take it?” Leo asked the director.

  “Bobbi Jean and Burl are going with me to the bank tonight. Don’t worry, it’s safe.” Martha smiled. “This was the best casino night ever. Thanks for getting everyone to bid on those silent auction items.” She turned to Amanda. “And thanks to you for providing the genealogy certificate. That brought in a very nice amount.”

  “Really? Who bought it? I forgot all about that!” Actually, she’d put it out of her mind after Leo hinted that Cal should bid on it. The idea of her brother hiring her to find out about their family would be laughable if it weren’t so alarming.

  “Cal Crawford,” Leo said.

  Amanda looked up at him in panic. No. That just wasn’t right! Cal had said he didn’t want to dig up the past!

  “Are you okay?” Leo asked gently.

  No! I should never have donated that certificate. She couldn’t tell Leo what she was thinking, especially since he seemed a bit suspicious of her motives alr
eady. “But he said—”

  “Actually, he bought it as a gift for his sister-in-law, Raven York, up in New Hampshire,” Martha said. “The certificate did say that all the correspondence could be done via email.”

  “Oh, yes.” Amanda felt like sagging in relief, but Leo was still watching her. “I handle most correspondence that way, and I can send them a file if they have genealogy software.”

  “I’m sure Raven will appreciate the gift,” Leo said.

  “I hope so,” Amanda replied. Anyone but a Crawford or an Allen. “Well, I’m glad that’s settled.”

  “Thanks again to both of you. Have a nice night.”

  Leo leaned down and kissed Martha on the cheek. “Glad to help, as usual.”

  They walked to Amanda’s car in the darkness, a single streetlight shining through the tree limbs arching over the walkway. “It’s pretty here in the springtime,” she said. “It’s hot here in summer, but you should come back anyway. Spend some time in the area. Lots of good garage sales.”

  “I’ll see,” she said, unable to commit to anything, especially returning to the Crawfords’ hometown.

  She unlocked her car, then hung up her clothes in the backseat and put her purse on the floorboard. “So, how do you know so much about casinos and games?”

  “I used to be a gambler.”

  She frowned. “Like a professional or…”

  “I didn’t have a gambling addiction, if that’s what you’re asking,” he replied, settling into the passenger seat. “I was a professional blackjack player.”

  She slid behind the wheel and put the key in the ignition. “I’ve never known anyone who actually made a living playing cards.” A few people she knew wished they could earn enough by gambling to quit their day jobs, mostly playing Texas Hold ’Em poker.

  “I’m good at math, remember? I had a knack.”

  “Like counting cards?”

  “That has such a negative connotation,” he said softly. He reached over and fingered a strand of hair that had pulled free. “I was worried about you when you zoned out during the break. Was it just that you were hungry or was there something else bothering you?”

  Well, that was an abrupt shift of topic.