Race to the Altar

by Judy Duarte

Chase carried his cell phone into the house, but by the time he found a quiet spot to talk to his biggest and most vocal sponsor, the man had hung up. So he continued into the den, where he took a seat in his father’s recliner and returned the call.

  When Gerald answered, Chase said, “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t get to my phone. What’s up?”

  “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling your house, but all I get is your recorded voice on that blasted machine. And you haven’t been answering your cell, either. What did you do? Take a vacation without telling me?”

  Actually, Chase had shut down his phone, wanting to take a break from the world of stock car racing and all that went with it. “Yeah, I took a few days off.”

  If it had been racing season, which was coming up soon, Chase would have understood Gerald’s frustration. As it was, it irritated him to be called on the carpet for no reason. “I didn’t know that was part of our agreement, Gerald. The last I heard, I was just supposed to stay out of trouble. And that’s what I’ve been doing.”

  “I can’t complain about that,” Gerald said.

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “There’s no problem. Not really. I just wanted to let you know that the article about you and that single mother who’s strapped for cash went over well. In fact, I thought it would be a good idea for you to invite her and the kids to the barbecue tomorrow. If you give her a call, I’ll send a car for her.”

  Chase bit back a grumble. He hadn’t committed to the barbecue, and he didn’t like Gerald making assumptions or demands. But he supposed he’d better not fight too much until Gerald agreed to keep sponsoring him.

  Besides, he figured the kids would really enjoy a visit to a ranch. He doubted that they got out that much. “Okay, I’ll talk to her about that.”

  “I also invited the reporter who covered the story.”

  “Great,” Chase said, although his voice hadn’t quite relayed the enthusiasm that was contained within the definition of the word.

  “What about the woman?” Gerald asked.

  Diana? Tommy’s mother? “What woman?”

  “The one you’re dating,” Gerald said. “Is she coming, too?”

  “Her name is Molly. And I’ll invite her.”

  “Good.”

  A moment of silence stretched across the line.

  “I’m not following you, Gerald. You said it’s just a barbecue.” The man had hosted quite a few of these events in the past, and they’d all been pleasant get-togethers and well attended. But this one seemed to be different.

  “It is just the usual. No big deal. But wear a little something special, will you?”

  “What do you mean by special?”

  “Dress up a bit. Shave. Turn on the old Chase Mayfield charm. That’s all I mean.”

  “All right.”

  “And tell me about the woman.”

  “Molly?”

  “Yeah, the one you’re dating. The nurse. How serious are you?”

  Far more serious than Chase had expected to be, but he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to reveal to Gerald—and for a multitude of reasons.

  “Do you plan on marrying her?” Gerald asked, prodding for the information Chase had held back.

  “I’m not sure,” he finally said. “Why does it matter?”

  “No reason.”

  There was always a reason for Gerald’s questions. And if Chase hadn’t thought about asking Molly to marry him, he might have taken issue with it.

  Hell, he was taking issue with it anyway.

  Everything inside Chase urged him to rebel, but the season was barreling down on him, and he couldn’t risk alienating his biggest sponsor.

  “Molly and I will be there tomorrow,” he said, albeit reluctantly.

  He just hoped she didn’t balk when he told her it was a command performance.

  The birthday celebration had gone off without a hitch. The meal had been tasty, and the German chocolate cake, which was Phil Mayfield’s favorite, had been remarkably good.

  Molly had sat on the fringe of the party at first, and while she still didn’t have all the names straight, it hadn’t taken her long to get into the family spirit. The Mayfields, of course, had a certain number of inside jokes and memories of special times, things she hadn’t been a part of, but that was to be expected.

  Still, it felt great to be a part of a loving camaraderie again, even if Chase’s family was a little over the top in some ways—the competitive edge, for one. But they’d all gone out of their way to be nice to Molly, including her in the conversation, asking her questions about the medical center.

  As the party was wearing down, everyone began to pitch in and carry bowls of leftover food and dirty dishes into the house, but Jana quickly chased them off. “If we get too many people in here bumping into each other, it’s going to slow the process. Mom, why don’t you and Grandma watch the baby for Susan?”

  “That’s the best chore I’ve had all day,” Sandy Mayfield said as she happily took the baby from Susan’s arms and carried her into the living room.

  Jana even shooed off Chase, who’d carried in the last bowl from outside. “Help Dad and your brothers get that new LCD TV set up, will you? I know that’s what you’d rather be doing. And don’t worry about Molly. We’re going to take good care of her.” Then Jana slipped her arm through Molly’s and led her to the kitchen.

  It felt good to be accepted, to be one of the girls.

  She stood at the sink, her hands in warm soapy water as she washed the dishes. Callie, Phillip’s wife, was drying a serving bowl, but after she opened a cupboard door to put it away, her movements stalled. Molly, who was being especially observant, noticed that she seemed to zone out for a while. Then she slowly faced the women in the kitchen, the bowl and dish towel still in her arms. “I haven’t told Phillip yet, but I just found out that I’m pregnant.”

  “Really?” Susan, who’d just adopted Amy, brightened and stepped closer. “Congratulations! Maybe the girls will get a brother this time.”

  “Thanks,” Callie said, although her attempt to smile failed miserably. “It’s just that…Well, we weren’t planning on a third child. I just got a promotion at work, and now…”

  Jana sidled up to Callie and wrapped an arm around her waist. “This baby is going to be a wonderful addition to the family. And you’ll be happy, once you get used to the idea.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” Callie took a fortifying breath, then slowly let it out. “But twelve years ago, when the girls were babies, we didn’t have a mortgage to worry about. And now that we do, it means I won’t be able to stay at home this time. And we’ll have to put the poor kid in day care as an infant.”

  Molly had yet to consider that problem. What would she do with her baby when her maternity leave ran out? When she had to go to work to support both of them?

  “Everything will work out,” Jana said. “It always does.”

  Molly watched the women rally, thinking it would be nice to be a part of something like that.

  “I could watch the baby for you,” Susan said. “Now that we have Amy, I’m not working. And it’ll be nice for the cousins to be close.”

  Relief washed across Callie’s face. “Thanks. I’d feel so much better leaving a newborn with someone I know.”

  Susan smiled. “So, now that we’ve got that problem solved, what else can we help you with?”

  Callie’s eyes filled with tears. “You guys are the best. I never had sisters, so having you is a real treat.”

  “I know what you mean,” Jana said, chuckling. “Living with a Mayfield man isn’t easy, but at least you and Susan have daughters to take the edge off all that testosterone.”

  “Be careful,” Callie warned her sisters-in-law. “We’ll scare off Molly.”

  All three of the women turned toward the sink, where Molly stood. Smiles lit their faces, as they included her yet again.

  But she wasn’t scared.

  Not yet.
/>   “Of course,” Jana said, crossing her arms, “Molly has the toughest Mayfield of all to deal with.”

  Something told her there was a world of truth in that statement, and an uneasiness began to settle over her for the first time since she’d arrived.

  “At least Chase zeroed in on a nurse this time,” Jana said, chuckling. “Now he’ll have his own private medical professional to tend to him.”

  Molly’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, as the meaning of Jana’s words rang out.

  “But I predict a change coming down the pike,” Callie said. “Did you see the way he was looking at her all evening? That boy has it bad.”

  Molly didn’t know about that, but it did seem likely that Chase was thinking about settling down, which was probably why he’d wanted her to meet his family. And while she’d agreed to come with him, it was more out of curiosity, since these people would be her baby’s relatives.

  Still, she’d been lowering her guard all day, getting to know the Mayfields—and liking them more than she’d expected.

  But maybe Callie was right. It was possible that Chase was getting ready to make some big changes in his life. And if so, then Molly might be able to commit to him after all.

  He hadn’t come right out and said anything about marriage. But if he did bring it up, she’d have to give the idea some careful consideration.

  Molly wasn’t the kind of person who placed demands on other people, and if Chase’s hobby or occupation was anything else, anything safe, she wouldn’t dream of asking him to give it up. But racing stock cars was dangerous. Even his sisters-in-law knew it.

  So if their relationship stood any chance, Molly would have do something she hadn’t planned or wanted to do before.

  She would have to give Chase an ultimatum.

  On the way home, Chase noticed that Molly wasn’t sitting quite as stiffly as she’d been on the drive to his parents’ house. But she wasn’t completely relaxed, either.

  Had he pushed his family on her too soon in their relationship?

  Or was she still worried about his driving?

  Maybe she was stressing about what would happen once they got home. Was she giving any thought to sleeping with him again?

  Chase really wanted to spend the night with her, but maybe she wasn’t ready.

  “Did you have fun tonight?” he asked.

  She turned and looked across the console at him. “Yes, I really enjoyed myself. You have a great family. And they were very nice to me.”

  “That’s not surprising.”

  “Well, it surprised me a bit.”

  “Why?”

  She glanced down to her lap, at her hands, which rested on her knees. “Because I’m nothing like your ex.”

  No, she wasn’t, which was one of the many things that had drawn him to Molly in the first place. Yet Pamela’s name hadn’t really come up in their conversations in the past, so he wondered how Molly had heard about her.

  He figured someone at the party must have mentioned her, which was okay. The divorce was no secret.

  But did Molly feel uneasy about the other woman? Did she wonder if she would measure up? If so, he’d have to put her mind at ease.

  “For what it’s worth, Pamela never really found her niche in the family. In fact, sometimes after a get-together like we had today, she’d complain on the way home.”

  “About what?”

  “About no one even trying a bite of her liver pâté and how they all seemed to wolf down Callie’s chips and salsa fresca.” He again glanced across the seat at Molly, saw that she was staring straight ahead. Yet in the moonlight, he spotted a faint smile.

  “Pamela was a little too cosmopolitan,” he added for clarification, “and a little too stuffy for the Mayfield clan.”

  “Really? With all her charity work, I’d think that she was more down to earth than that.”

  Pamela might have supported third-world charities, but her efforts supplied the funds for others to make the trips. She’d never wanted to go herself.

  He wasn’t sure how to explain it to Molly without making his ex-wife out to be a bad guy, which some divorced people might do. But he didn’t think that was an entirely fair assessment of the woman.

  “I don’t mean to imply that Pamela’s not a nice person,” he went on to say. “She was brought up in a wealthy home, but she’s not spoiled or snooty. I think you’d probably like her if you met her.”

  “I seriously doubt that’ll happen.”

  Well, if Molly went to the Bardens’ ranch with him tomorrow, she might have the chance to meet Pamela in the flesh. Not that he’d feel especially comfortable with that. But Gerald was his sponsor, and they were looking forward to another successful racing season. Consequently, there were a few things that just couldn’t be helped.

  Chase stole another glance at Molly and saw that her smile had become more defined.

  That was a good sign, he decided. Maybe it was time to spring the barbecue on her.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Laundry for one thing. Grocery shopping, too.”

  “Can you do that in the morning?”

  “I suppose I can. Why?”

  “My sponsors are having a little get-together at the ranch one of them owns. We had a good season last year, so it’s kind of a celebration.” He didn’t mention that it had become an annual thing, where they kicked off the upcoming season, as well.

  Gerald could always throw a wrench into the machinery and refuse to sponsor Chase again, although that wasn’t likely. Especially when he got a chance to meet Molly.

  “It should be fun. And I can guarantee that the food will be delicious.”

  She didn’t respond, so he added, “In fact, they invited Diana Haines and her kids to go.”

  “That’s really nice.” Molly turned in her seat, facing him for a change, rather than gripping the door. “Where’s the ranch?”

  “Not far from Brighton Valley.”

  Okay, so he was stretching the truth a bit. Barden’s ranch was at least forty miles from Molly’s house, but he didn’t want to give her any reason to turn him down.

  He continued to look at the road ahead, but he couldn’t help wondering what she was doing, what she was thinking.

  Finally, she said, “I’ll think about it, okay?”

  “Great.” He couldn’t help feeling as though he’d just won the Braxton 500, even though she hadn’t come out and said yes.

  He’d no more than turned his gaze back to the road ahead when a young coyote darted across his field of vision, only to stop and freeze in the headlights.

  Instinctively, he swerved to avoid making roadkill of the critter, and Molly let out a half gasp, half scream, which startled the bejeezus out of him and made him wonder if he’d missed seeing something a lot worse than the animal.

  When he’d righted the car, he glanced her way.

  Her hand covered her chest, and her eyes were closed as she struggled to catch her breath.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I missed it.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Accidents happen,” he said, “but I’m good at avoiding them.”

  “How can you be sure?” she asked. “Someday your reflexes might not be as quick.”

  Now probably wasn’t the time to discuss her fears, with her clearly gripping the door handle again and ready to eject right out of the sunroof. He wanted to be sensitive, but he also wanted to help her. He just didn’t know how to go about it.

  He let the subject drop for a few minutes, then, deciding to get her mind off the road, which had suddenly become even more of a focus than it had before, he said, “That little Amy sure is a sweetheart.”

  By bringing up his family again, a diversionary ploy that had worked before, he hoped to wade through some of the tension that had built inside the car.

  “She’s a beautiful child,” Molly said. “Susan told me that she and Bobby just returned from China with her a
month or so ago.”

  “They were there for several weeks. You’d be surprised at how much paperwork and red tape there is to deal with.”

  They chatted about his dad’s dialysis, as well as his grandmother’s upcoming move to Garnerville so she would be closer to his parents. And by the time they hit the Brighton Valley city limits, Molly had settled back into her seat again.

  Chase could understand her nervousness, at least to an extent. He just couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t trust his driving, why she couldn’t trust him to look out for her safety.

  Sure, she’d told him about the accident in which she’d lost her parents, but he was a professional driver. And he had quick reactions.

  When they parked in front of Molly’s house, Mrs. Carlisle, the elderly neighbor who lived across the street, was trying to drag a trash can from the garage to the curb and not having much success.

  “Wanda,” Molly called, as she climbed from the car. “Let me get that for you.”

  Chase jumped out of the car and jogged across the street. “I’ve got it, ladies.”

  As he carried the can down the drive and to the curb, he heard Molly chatting with the elderly woman.

  “You’re limping, Wanda. Is that knee bothering you again?”

  “It always bothers me a little, but I’ve got an ingrown toenail that hurts like old fury. I’m wearing bedroom slippers, but the fool thing is still giving me fits.”

  “Do you want me to take a look at it?” Molly asked.

  “Heavens, no. Not when your young man is here. I’ll let you check on it tomorrow. And if you think I ought to make a doctor’s appointment, I’ll give his office a call on Monday morning.”

  Wanda glanced down the drive and spotted her trash can, then she looked at Chase and smiled. “I sure appreciate that, young man.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Well, I’ll let you kids get after it.” Then she turned and half hopped, half shuffled up the drive and into the garage. She paused near the entry to the house long enough to push the button to the automatic door opener, lowering it and securing herself in for the night.

  “She was really limping,” Chase said.

  “I know. I worry about her sometimes.”