“Sandy,” she sighed. “I’d rather spend time with you than do most anything.” He took her hand and started to say something when Jesse came running into the room with Arturo, Sara and Cole.
“Daddy!” he yelled and sprang into his arms. The other children gathered around him, grabbing onto his legs and all talking at once.
“When can we ride the horses again, Mr. Johnson? Huh?” Their young, pleading voices were enough to melt any cold heart.
“Soon, guys, soon. Miss Cable, perhaps we could arrange a field trip to the ranch sometime for your class. Would that be possible?” Sandy’s smile was as big as his heart. He put on his cowboy hat, tipped it at her. “Ma’am,” he said. Then he leaned over and whispered, “I’ll call you.” Leaving the room, his boots clicking noisily since he’d worn spurs today.
* * *
After school, Lily’s principal, Terri Nolan, had come by Lily’s classroom. Terri was an attractive, professional woman who worked hard and expected great things from all her teachers. They had hit it off in the interview, so Lily was happy when Mrs. Nolan wanted to hire her.
“Hi, Lily. How are you doing? How were your classes today?”
She was skilled at managing people and astute enough to know when problems were arising. She smelled one today.
“Hi, Terri. Good to see you. Everything went fine. We’re knee deep in our poetry unit, as you know and I wanted to ask you about the state standards training coming up later this month.” Lily was enthusiastic about her job, which was delightful for Terri to see.
She took a good look at Lily and shook her head. No wonder there were rumors… Lily was beautiful, sweet, a nice person and minded her own business. She worked hard at her job and Terri respected her immensely.
“Ah, Lily, I need to talk to you about something personal. This is a small town and an even smaller school. It’s hard not to know your neighbor’s business even if you don’t want to. I don’t mean to interfere or butt in where I shouldn’t but…” her voice trailed off.
“Okay. What is it?”
“I’ve seen and heard a few things that I don’t care for. I’m a big believer of ‘live and let live’, but I feel I need to warn you.” Mrs. Nolan swallowed hard and blew out a deep breath.
“Good grief. What’s the problem?”
“I like you, Lily. You’re a good teacher and a good person. Sometimes, in this life, we meet up with some unpleasantness that shouldn’t happen. I’ve had things happen to me that I wished someone had warned me about.” She stopped, obviously searching for the right words.
Lily nervously bit her lip. “Am I being fired, Terri?”
“No, no! Nothing like that. It’s just that some teachers here are trying to create a problem for you. I wanted you to be aware and maybe on guard.”
“What sort of problem?”
“Please forgive me,” she glanced around Lily’s classroom. “This is none of my business, but it has gotten around that you are seeing a certain man in Naples. He’s a prominent man and I’m afraid a few women are a bit jealous of you.”
“You mean Sandy Johnson. Word sure travels fast. We just had one date.”
“Yes, well, that’s all it takes around here. I wanted to talk to you as a friend, so please just watch your step. Some of these women could make things difficult for you, at least for a while.”
“Okay, thank you, Terri. I appreciate your taking the time to speak to me. I’m not sure how to proceed now, but I will try to take care.” Mrs. Nolan left as quickly as she’d come.
Lily was confused and not sure what to say or do now. And Sandy just left town. She didn’t want him to be concerned about this nonsense anyway. And what could he do? What could she do?
At present she would continue to live her life. Deal with problems as they come up. One day at a time sounded good but her stress level cranked up a notch anyway.
By Friday, that stress level went into overdrive. Two teachers were continuing to snub her to the point of ridiculousness. They were supposed to design a new curriculum together and now these teachers weren’t speaking to her. How could they work together? And then she saw Amy Breen’s car parked on her street at all hours of the day and night. At least she thought it was Amy’s. It sure looked like the car she’d seen Amy driving.
Lily had come home on Wednesday to find a flat tire on her car. It had been fine on Tuesday…Also on Tuesday, someone started calling and hanging up when she answered. On Thursday, she had found a dead fish in her mailbox. A dead fish? She was waking up in the middle of the night worrying about what else might happen. On Friday morning, she walked out her door stepping smack-dab into a pool of red Jell-O. For Pete’s sake!
Sandy called her every night, which made the rest of the time worth living. Lily didn’t mention all the crazy things that had been happening while he was gone, but she told him a few times to come back soon. By Thursday, he had suspected something was going on and he had asked. Lily denied any problems. I’ll take care of this myself. These are my problems and not his. She suspected he might worry, which would be sweet, but not necessary.
Friday after school she drove over to the sheriff’s office. Bud Moody was the county sheriff and was in his Naples office once or twice weekly. He was a large man with eyes the color of Lily’s fudge and had a bit of a paunch. Nice man. She had heard he was good at his job. She’d see about that.
“Why Miss Cable. How nice to see you. Now what can I do for you?”
Bud was sitting behind his desk going through some paperwork. The station was small and his office was tiny with papers literally everywhere. His desk took up the bulk of the room with a wooden chair in front for visitors. A deputy was in the next room doing an inventory of some kind. She took a step into his office and glanced around, surprised at its tiny size.
“Sheriff, I think I’m being stalked,” she said seriously.
Bud looked up at her with wide eyes. “In Naples? Please sit, Miss Cable, and let me know what’s been going on.”
Lily sat nervously on an uncomfortable, wooden chair and began to tell him about the various incidents that had been happening to her. She ran shaky fingers through already messy hair.
“I’ll need you to file a police report, Miss Cable.”
“Lily, please.”
“I don’t think any of this would be happening if Sandy was in town.” Bud glanced over for her reaction.
“Sheriff, this has nothing to do with Mr. Johnson. These things are happening to me! I know I’m new in town, but this isn’t normal town behavior to newcomers, is it?” Her voice level had gone up a notch. She practically squeaked at him.
“Lily, I can tell you what’s happening without too much investigation. You have stomped all over Amy Breen’s shoes. She’s had a major crush on Sandy Johnson for years and he won’t have anything to do with her. You just get to town and sweep him off his feet.” He arched an eyebrow. “I’m not excusing her behavior, but that’s what this is about. I’d stake my sheriff’s badge on it.” He smiled and pointed at his chest where his badge was pinned.
“For Pete’s sake! We’ve had one date!” Lily nearly exploded. “Is our relationship the business of everyone in this town?” She jumped up from her seat and her head hit a low-hanging bookshelf just above the chair. She knocked herself out cold and fell over on the floor in front of the sheriff’s desk.
Bud looked over the rim of his glasses at her. “Tsk, tsk. And such a pretty girl too.”
He yelled into the other room for his deputy. “Jake, call Sandy. Tell him his girlfriend fainted on my floor and I need him to remove her.” Such a pretty girl, but Sandy could sort this out. It was just that stupid Amy anyway. Bud went around his desk to make sure she was still breathing and to check her head.
She’ll have a headache…Yep—this was Sandy’s problem.
* * *
What’s wrong with my head?
Lily woke up on her couch at home. She felt around on her head for the big lump ther
e and groggily pushed into a sitting position.
Dang! That hurts! “Hello, anyone here?” That hurt to even say.
Sandy came around the corner from her kitchen with a fresh hot water bottle. “You shouldn’t be up just yet. You really hit your head hard.” He got her to lie down again with the hot water bottle. “Mom’s pretty worried about you too. She just called again.” He sat down on the couch by her and started to stroke her forehead.
“What the heck happened?” Lily huffed. “One minute I’m talking to that sheriff, who thinks I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, and the next minute I’m comatose on my couch. Can you fill in a few blanks for me?” This was ridiculous, although she smiled because it was nice to see him again.
Sandy smiled a broad smile back. In fact, he was trying not to laugh.
“And what’s so funny?”
“You, I have to say. Maybe the Lucille Ball description fit you after all. You have this penchant for physical comedy, don’t you?” He did start laughing.
She rubbed her head. “I have a penchant? Are you Will Rogers now?”
His grin showed lots of attractive, white teeth.
“… Bud said you walked in the station ready for bear. Someone’s head on the proverbial platter… Something about a stalker. You got all steamed about people knowing about us, jumped up and hit your head on his bookcase and knocked yourself out. You know,” he teased, “Bud keeps his anvil up there, don’t you?” Sandy laughed so hard that spit came out with his words.
“He keeps an anvil on a bookcase? Are you kidding me?” She yelled at him and threw the hot water bottle on the floor.
“Yes, I am and it’s pretty funny too, you have to admit.”
“If you could control your laughter at me, perhaps I could.”
Lily pouted, folded her arms and moved away from him. By this time, Sandy had doubled up with laughter. She loosened up a little and then laughed too. “Okay, I guess it is all a little funny. But what about the stalker? I didn’t make it up for attention.”
He started wiping the tears away from his eyes as his laughter trickled to a stop. “I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in years. Just keeping you around for comedy relief would be worth the aggravation.”
When her mouth dropped open, Sandy grabbed both of her hands and kissed them. “You’re very sweet, you know.” He kissed them again. “Better?”
“Well, maybe I feel a little better, but I still have a stalker. Does anyone care about that? I stepped into a pool of red Jell-O yesterday walking to school. You should see my favorite shoes. That woman is crazy!”
Sandy tried to hide his smile as he folded her into his arms. “Yes, she is, sweetheart. I promise I’ll take care of it.”
“No! This is my problem, not yours.” Speaking into his chest, the words came out muted.
He lifted up her face. “Your problem is also my problem. Is that okay with you?”
She was trying to stay mad. After all, I’m wounded! However, maybe it was a little bit funny. Just looking into his pale blue eyes made her forget about being mad. Wow. He always looks at me like it’s the first time he’s seen me. How does he do that?
“Hush,” he said softly, stroking her face. “You’re thinking too hard and crinkling up your forehead. If those lines become permanent, you might need Botox.”
“What?”
“Lily Cable, you are a keeper. Hush up now and kiss me.” He pressed his lips to hers and although still miffed, she eagerly responded. Her heart hammered against his chest and the kiss continued at length. He moaned against her cheek and she turned his face to look at her. Sandy kissed her again with an intensity that let Lily know he was hers and that was that. He kissed her throat, her cheeks. His lips against her eyes always did it for her. She gasped and then stood up.
“What?” he said smiling at her.
“I need to give you your welcome home gift.”
“Really? Where is it?” Sandy stood up with her.
“It’s in the bedroom where all welcome home gifts are.” She bit back a smile.
“… I see. Well, I definitely need to see what you have for me.”
“Enough with the double entendres.” Lily smiled wickedly at him and took his hand to lead him into the bedroom.
* * *
CHAPTER TEN
“Jason, what the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been sulking ever since I got back from Vegas. Did you want me to stay longer or what?”
Sandy and Jason had gone over to the west pasture to check fences. They were astride their Palominos looking ready to chew on each other, postures resembling fighting roosters. Sandy got down off his horse and started fixing wire that had come loose on a fence. Jason dismounted too, but continued sulking. Sandy shrugged and continued working. Jason began to pace.
“Look. We’ve been friends a long time,” Jason began. He threw his gloves on the ground.
“Yeah, so?” Sandy turned to look at him, dropping the wire he was twisting. “Are you quitting or something? Did I steal your favorite puppy or what?”
“Something like that.”
“Damn it, Jason, spit it out. I haven’t got all day.”
“… It’s about Lily.”
Sandy could almost see the steam coming out of Jason’s ears. “What about her?”
“You could have any woman in town. Why her? I wanted to date her.” There it was. The admission fell plop on the ground between them. Jason walked around him.
“Is that what this is about? She turned you down, but not me? Jeez, I didn’t think a woman could come between us.”
Jason spit on the ground, moved his horse away. Steam still poured out of him. “You know I liked her. I told you so.”
“You said you asked her out and she turned you down. Am I supposed to never look at her just because you liked her? Besides, I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just…. happened.” Sandy looked hard at his angry foreman. Could they get past this? “In fact, I’m in love with her and that’s the truth.”
They continued to stare at each other. Jason’s face scrunched, confused. “You’re… in love with her?” The landscape was so empty the only sound was a coyote howling off in the distance.
“So help me God.” Sandy put three fingers in the air.
“Wow…Wow… Really? What’s that feel like?” He and Sandy began to relax, stepping closer to one another. Their postures were less like fighting roosters and more like soon-to-be contented cows.
“I know men aren’t supposed to be feeling and sensitive creatures, but damn…I just look at her and melt. She’s funny, she’s smart, she’s beautiful, she’s sexy…. she’s everything. At least to me.” Jason winced.
“Never felt that way about a woman. Sounds…nice.”
“Except there’s a problem – Amy.”
“You’re kidding. What’s she done now?” Jason’s eyes popped as Sandy filled him in on all the little incidents Amy had done while he was gone.
“Knowing Amy, she’s trying to scare Lily away, don’t you reckon?” He wiped sweaty hands down his jeans.
“Yeah, there’s some real damaged wiring with that one. I guess I’ll have to tell her to knock it off.” Sandy shoved hands in his pockets. “Damn.”
“You know she did this the last time you had your eye on someone. Remember that gal who was in town a few years back from Ft. Worth? You went to the movies or something with her and Amy about had a meltdown.”
“Yeah, now that you mention it. Okay, suggestions?”
They were on the same side of the river now, working together. Where they usually were. Sandy reached over to pick up Jason’s gloves and handed them over.
“I’d let Lily take her on. No woman around here has had the guts to stand up to Amy. She’s used to being top dog. Could Lily do it?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll talk to her about it. Friends again?” Sandy held out his hand. Jason smiled and took it. They shook hands eagerly.
“You bet. Sorry.”
Jason slipped on his gloves and they went back to fixing fences with the sun beginning to set behind them. Their horses shifted to find grass worth nibbling on and all was right again on the Johnson Ranch.
* * *
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Millie and Jeanne sat on the porch rockers of Millie’s candy store resting and watching. The surrey parked on the street in front nearly blocked their view of Amy Breen and her friends down one side of the street. They saw lovely Lily Cable walking up from the other side. She was coming to work at the candy store.
“It’s like that Gary Cooper movie. You know, that one with that pretty Grace Kelly,” said Millie.
“Sure, that would be High Noon. That’s a good comparison,” nodded Jeanne as she looked up and down the street.
“Was that a John Ford movie, Jeanne?”
“No, it was Fred Zinnemann.”
“… Don’t know him, but wasn’t Grace Kelly lovely? Don’t know why she had to marry that prince in Monaco. I think Lily looks a bit like her,” said Millie.
“Oh, heavens no! Lily is the spitting image of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
“That’s it! You’re right. Audrey Hepburn. I loved her in Roman Holiday with that wonderful Gregory Peck, didn’t you?”
“My, yes. It was so sweet that they were such opposites, but fell for each other.”
“Like Sandy and Lily, do you think?”
Slow grins spread across Millie and Jeanne’s faces.
“You bet,” said Jeanne. “There’s my fair-haired Sandy, who looks a bit like a young Robert Redford, and then this raven-haired Audrey Hepburn beauty comes along and steals his heart. It is like a movie!”
Rancher's Girl Page 6