Chapter Sixteen
The days and weeks flew by with unbelievable speed. Spring gently departed, replaced by the fresh, bright days of the approaching summer.
Clay looked forward to a summer off from teaching while Callan worked hard at balancing her day job, the event planning business, and her family.
She tried to be home more and because of that, they entertained family and friends with a frequency they never had in the past. She rediscovered her love of cooking and socializing. While Clay seemed to enjoy it as well, it was easy to see his favorite part was eating Callan’s cooking.
They also spent lazy evenings relaxing in their backyard and playing with Cully. The puppy managed to seek out and destroy something almost daily.
Callan arrived home one beautiful warm evening to find Clay looking a bit reserved and uncertain as he greeted her at the door.
“What’s up, Brick?” she asked as she set down her purse and briefcase. “You look worried about something.”
“I have something to show you and now that I’ve done it, I’m not sure if it was as great an idea as I originally thought it would be,” Clay answered, nervously shoving splayed fingers through his thick sandy hair.
“Why don’t you show me and then we can decide.” Callan grasped the hand he held out to her and gave it an encouraging squeeze.
He led her out the patio door to a corner of the backyard. Callan noticed Clay had planted a lovely butterfly bush and landscaped around it with bark and a few little plants. Beneath the bush was a small marble plaque that read:
Even the tiniest foot leaves
imprints on your heart.
Zach Clayton Matthews
Our little angel in heaven
Callan sank to her knees and ran her fingers across the plaque. When she remained quiet, Clay knelt next to her and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“It’s a blue bush,” Clay explained, unsure of what to say. “The lady at the nursery said it will attract butterflies all summer. It… um… seemed like it would be a little way to remember Zach. I just wanted…”
Callan turned tear-filled eyes to Clay and murmured “thank you,” before she threw herself into his arms and sobbed openly.
He rubbed her back and kissed her temple as she cried, swallowing down the lump in his own throat.
When Callan could finally speak, she brushed at her tears and took a deep breath. “That is the most wonderful, beautiful thing you’ve ever done, Clay. Thank you for this gift.”
“You’re welcome, Laney,” Clay whispered, glad he’d followed his instincts and planted the bush as well as ordered the plaque.
A few days later, on a Friday afternoon, Callan walked a potential client around the convention center, showing her the different meeting rooms and facility amenities. If Mrs. Horner decided to hold her conference with them, it would mean a significant amount of revenue. She was a mid-fifties no-nonsense executive who held the title of vice president of the largest bank in town, served on the board of several influential committees, and was generally regarded as one tough cookie.
As Callan escorted her through the main lobby on the way out to show her the gardens, she saw Clay walk inside the lobby. He gave her a brief wave, along with a roguish grin, before flopping down on one of the couches and picking up a magazine. Callan smiled his direction and wondered what tomfoolery he had planned.
Bronzed from the time he’d spent outside, Clay wore a ball cap pushed back on his hair. A dark blue T-shirt topped khaki cargo shorts that revealed a pair of tanned, magnificent legs. Most men Callan saw wearing shorts had skinny, knobby-kneed legs. Of all the many wondrous things about Clay, Callan thought his legs were amazing with thick thigh muscles and well-toned calves. She mentally questioned why he was at the convention center flashing them around.
She took a deep breath and directed her focus back to Mrs. Horner. Callan turned to find the woman gazing intently at Clay.
“Do you know that man, Ms. Matthews,” Mrs. Horner asked in her ever-polite, albeit cool tone. Before Callan could answer, she cracked the barest hint of a smile. “He is a perfectly splendid specimen of masculinity.”
Furiously blushing, Callan couldn’t bring herself to look Mrs. Horner in the eye. “Actually, Mrs. Horner, he’s my husband.”
Mrs. Horner gasped and looked at Callan in surprise. Her reserve melted into a broad smile. “Well, I think he’s just the cat’s pajamas, dearie.” Mrs. Horner placed a warm hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze. “You’re one very fortunate young woman if you get to go home to that every evening.”
Callan glanced back at Clay and grinned. “I am, indeed, Mrs. Horner.” Callan motioned to the gardens outside and directed Mrs. Horner to the door. “Now, shall we go see what you think of our outdoor space?”
While she showed Mrs. Horner around outside, Callan couldn’t stop smiling. Everyone seemed to think she was one very lucky girl. She was. She wouldn’t deny it.
However, she wondered if the women who admired Clay would hold the same opinion of him if they knew how loudly he snored, left his boots and shoes all over the house, and rarely managed to pick up after himself. She didn’t think they’d be taken with the way he left his dirty socks on the family room floor, magazines and papers strewn all over the couch, or his tendency to shoot the rubber bands off the evening paper at her.
It was a safe bet that none of Clay’s admirers would enjoy scraping the remnants of splattered leftovers from the inside of the microwave after he warmed something without covering it. She doubted they’d appreciate the odd and varying parade of smells that met her at the door due to the fact he couldn’t smell anything. Everything from scorched food and his nasty sausages to “shop projects” ended up as lingering odors she could live without. He was completely hopeless when it came to laundry, cleaning, or weeding.
Clay also possessed an entire arsenal of noises: the battle cries during football games, the outrageous laughter at jokes only he found funny, the cavedweller grunts when he didn’t feel like talking, and last, but certainly not least, the tonal quality his belching repertoire gained on a daily basis.
Thinking about her handsome husband waiting inside for her, Callan acknowledged those were small annoyances to put up with in comparison to all the love, security, joy and passion Clay brought into her life. As she steered Mrs. Horner back inside, she noticed Clay no longer sat on the couch. She hoped he hadn’t left.
“What do you think of our property, Mrs. Horner? We’d love to work with you,” Callan said, gathering up an information packet and handing it to the woman.
“Callan, I’m impressed not only with the facility but also with your level of knowledge and professionalism. I’m not going to take any more of your time today. Please call me next Tuesday and we’ll go through the details.” Mrs. Horner extended her hand to Callan with a genuine smile. “Now, scoot. Go find that fine-looking husband of yours. He’s not the kind of man you keep waiting.”
Callan smiled as she escorted Mrs. Horner to the door and held it open for her. “Thank you, Mrs. Horner. I will definitely be in touch Tuesday. Have a wonderful rest of the day.”
Casually, Callan returned to her office with her back straight and professional demeanor in place. As she walked past Rachel’s desk, the girl stuck her hand up in the air for a high-five that Callan gladly gave her, along with a big smile.
“You’ve got someone waiting for you in your office, Callan. I didn’t think you’d mind,” Rachel said, tipping her head in the direction of Callan’s door.
“Thanks, Rachel.” Callan pushed her office door open. Clay sat in her chair, feet up on her desk, drinking a Dr. Pepper and wearing a smug grin.
“What, pray tell, are you doing?” She tried to sound stern as she shut the door behind her, but couldn’t keep a smile off her face.
Clay set down his pop and put his hands behind his head, leaning back even farther in her chair. “I’m trying on high-powered successful executive
for size. I think I like underpaid and underappreciated college professor who gets most of the summer off much better.” He gave her a devilish smile. “I take it by the twinkle in your eye and the smile on your face that you just did something fantastic.”
“Yes! We’ve been trying forever to get Mrs. Horner to host one of her events here - any of her events here. Up until now, she hasn’t been interested. She finally agreed to take a property tour. That’s what I was doing when you arrived. She was quite taken with you, by the way.” Callan paced around the office in excitement.
Suddenly, she changed gears in her thoughts. “Why are you here?” Not giving Clay time to answer, she returned to the subject of Mrs. Horner. “Then she said to call her Tuesday to go over details. Gaining her as a client is a huge coup, if I do say so myself.” Callan rocked back and forth on her heels, looking like she’d just won first place in a contest.
Quickly rising from the desk, Clay walked around it and gave Callan a big hug then stepped back to look into her face. “Congratulations, Laney. I’m so proud of you! Do you want to celebrate?”
“Oh, I don’t know…” Callan pretended she wasn’t nearly as excited as she was in reality.
Clay pulled her close and nuzzled her ear. His voice rumbled in a deep, husky growl when he spoke. “We could start the celebration now.” He pressed a trail of hot, steamy kisses down her neck and let his hands freely roam where they pleased.
Callan shivered with pleasure, blushed with embarrassment, and gave Clay a swat on his arm. “I think the sun has addled your brain.” She pulled away from him and attempted to gather her poise. “Now, be a good boy and tell me what you’re doing here this afternoon.”
“I may need some coaxing to divulge that information.” Clay flashed his dimples and cocked his head.
Callan gave him a warm smile. She walked over to her desk, bent down, and picked up her purse. She took out a piece of paper, folded it in half, and waggled it in her fingers. “Would you like to see what’s on my to-do list for this weekend?” she asked sweetly.
“Yes, I would. It might convince me to share why I came in today.” Clay reached for the paper.
Callan jerked it out of his reach and put it behind her back. Shaking her head, she gave him a warning glare. “Not so fast, buster. You give the game away and then you get to see the list.”
Clay gave Callan a momentary look of defeat before he lunged at her, trapping her in his arms while tickling her sides.
She squirmed against him. “Clay, stop, someone could walk in here any minute.” Callan gasped, trying to straighten her jacket and recover her composure.
Clay just laughed and nuzzled her ear again. “That didn’t bother you a second ago.” He planted another kiss on her neck, working his way down to the top button of her blouse. When he started to undo it, she sighed.
“Okay, you win. Here’s the list.” Callan shoved it in his face and took a step back.
Eagerly grabbing the list, Clay opened it then burst into a wide smile. Callan’s to-do list for the weekend was very short.
Do anything Clay wants to do.
“Really, Laney? Anything at all?” Clay asked, staring intently into her eyes.
“Anything.”
“In that case, you’ll be pleased to know that’s what I was coming to talk to you about.” He settled on the edge of her desk and waited until she sat in her chair before continuing. “Dad has one last batch of cows with calves we need to brand and vaccinate before we move them to the summer pasture. He thought it might be a fun weekend to get everyone together and work the cattle. Josh and Jenna will be there and you can invite your dad, Julie, and Ralph to come over. What do you think?”
Callan leaned back in her chair and shook her head at him. Feigning indifference, she held out a hand and studied her nails. “It sounds like a lot of hot, smelly work to me. I think you need to sweeten the pot a bit.”
“Well, what if we go out this afternoon and spend the night at the cabin? Just the two of us. Would you like that?”
Callan jumped out of her chair and gave Clay an exuberant hug. “I would love that. I have about fifteen minutes worth of paperwork to finish then I’m out of here. I’ll meet you at home.”
Clay stood and kissed her cheek, then walked toward the door. “Sounds good. I’ll see you in a little while. And Laney?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for putting me at the top of your list.”
Callan rushed to finish her paperwork then drove home. She pulled into the drive surprised Clay’s pickup wasn’t already there. She quickly changed into jeans, boots, and a pink blouse that Clay told her was pretty the last time she wore it.
She hurriedly packed an overnight bag and dropped it by the door just as Clay walked inside the house.
“Don’t you look like a cowgirl with someplace to go?” Clay gave her a look of approval. “Give me a minute. I’ll change and then we can head out.”
Clay hustled into the bedroom, changing into jeans and boots. While he did that, Callan ran out and got Cully, putting him on his leash.
“You ready?” Clay asked as he walked into the living room. After picking up the overnight bag, he settled a straw cowboy hat on his head.
“Yep, cowboy man, I’m rarin’ to go,” Callan drawled, carrying the wiggling puppy out to the pickup.
When they arrived at the ranch, Bobbi invited them to stay for dinner and they enjoyed visiting long into the evening. Bobbi suggested Cully stay at the ranch house with his mama and the two puppies that hadn’t yet been given away instead of going with them to the cabin.
The sun was just starting to set when Clay and Callan took one of the four-wheelers, loaded their bag, and drove out to the cabin. Bobbi thought they were crazy for wanting to stay there when the ranch house was so much more comfortable.
“It’ll be fun.” Callan told her as they cleaned up the dinner dishes. “Like camping out, except with running water and electricity.”
When they pulled up outside the cabin, Clay insisted she wait outside for a minute before he opened the door for her.
Callan couldn’t believe her eyes. The cabin was spotless and a bouquet of pink roses filled the room with a sweet, spicy fragrance while candles warmed the space with a golden glow.
“Wow, Clay! When did you do this?” Callan asked, looking around in pleased surprise.
“I had a little help.” Clay stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “That’s why you beat me home. I had to connect with Jake about getting everything set up and ready. All I had to do was light the candles.”
Callan turned around and kissed Clay on the cheek. “I’ll have to be sure and thank him the next time I see him.”
“You can thank him tomorrow. He’ll be here along with about half the county.” Bobbi loved to entertain as much as Callan did and turned a day of work into an excuse for a big party. At the moment, though, the only thing Clay cared about was the beautiful, soft woman in his arms. “How about thanking me right now?” He tipped back his hat and pulled Callan flush against him.
“Sure thing, cowboy,” Callan whispered, melting into his embrace.
Heart of Clay Page 29