Tanner lowered his voice. “Don’t tell me he got Klein’s job.”
“He did.” She studied Tanner’s expression, worrying how he would react. “I’m just as upset as you are about it, but at least the middle school is close enough that we can still have lunch together every day.”
He held the library door for her. “He was flirting with you.”
Waiting for the door to close behind them, she took on a serious tone. “He was not.”
“I saw the look on his face, Rosie.”
She took his hand. “That’s just his personality. I’m not interested in him anyway.” It was time for her to accept Tanner’s proposal—just not here, at her work place. She’d wait until they got outside.
As they walked down the hall, she told him about her new class schedule. The fact that she would be teaching health again didn’t seem to faze him.
“I’ve got seventh and eighth grade science,” he said. “I’m also coaching the debate team.”
“Debate? I thought the English teachers did that.”
“I was on the debate team that placed first in state when I was a senior.”
“Oh. I guess I forgot.” She’d been away at college during Tanner’s high school years. “I’ll have to come to some debates.”
He raised an eyebrow. “If you have time.” He was right. She probably wouldn’t have time. He opened the front door of the school for her.
“I’ve made up my mind,” she said, stepping out into the hot desert air. “I want to get married.”
He hugged her, picking her up off her feet and spinning her around. “Whoohoo,” he yelped, setting her back down on her feet. He dipped his head, and their lips met. His kiss was smooth and strong with the pleasant taste of mint.
She stepped back, suddenly aware that they stood right in front of Principal Moore’s office window. Had he seen them? She glanced through the window to see the principal staring at his computer monitor. Maybe he hadn’t. Then she noticed the window was open.
Tanner leaned his head in, as if to kiss her again, but she pulled back. “Principal Moore can hear us,” she whispered.
“Why should we care? Pretty soon the whole world’s going to know we’re getting married.”
She hurried down the ramp toward the parking lot. “I’ve been meaning to ask—have you said anything to Grandpa? You know how old fashioned he is. He’ll probably expect you to ask for my hand and all that before we tell everyone.”
Tanner put his arm around her shoulders and led her to his truck, the biggest thing in the school parking lot. “I’ll come by and talk to him tonight after my chores.”
She pulled out her phone. “Speaking of Grandpa, I better check to make sure he hasn’t called.” There were three missed calls—all from Betty McFerrin’s number. “Can you believe Betty? Yesterday she called to get Grandma’s recipe for peach cobbler. I haven’t called her back yet, so she’s called me three times this morning. Three times!”
He opened the door for her, removed his cowboy hat from the seat, and threw it into the air. “Seeing as how it’s our special day, I think you’re free to ignore calls from anyone but Grandpa and me.”
She turned her phone back to silent mode. Tanner was right. This was a day to celebrate—to focus on spending time with him. She’d looked up the definition of love the night before. It said, “A tender regard.” That described her relationship with Tanner perfectly. Maybe she really did love him. She just had so many hang-ups about her stepdads that she hadn’t seen it before.
Chapter 7
Destry pushed the cart of textbooks back to Rosie’s classroom. What was it Tanner said to her? We can go ring shopping while we’re at it. Rosie wasn’t thinking of marrying him, was she? He seemed so uptight.
Rosie’s door was locked. He left the cart outside her classroom and turned to go back to the supply room when he saw the school secretary approaching. She was a tiny woman in her late twenties with the kind of curves most men preferred. Her long mahogany hair cascaded in loose curls down her back. She wasn’t at all the type of woman Destry would have expected to meet in Lone Spur. She had the exotic good looks of a news anchor from San Antonio.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Steadman. We haven’t been introduced. I was trying to get all the papers in order this morning when you came in to meet with Phil.” She reached her hand toward him with all the polish of a debutante. “I’m Mercedes Santiago.”
“Call me Destry.” He shook hands with her, noticing the softness of her skin and the fact that she didn’t wear a wedding ring. “Can I help you with something?”
“Have you seen Ms. Curtis?” she said.
“She went to lunch.” He checked his watch. “About ten minutes ago.”
Bringing a hand to her forehead, she closed her eyes. “There’s been an emergency. I need to get in touch with her.”
He immediately thought of Rosie’s grandfather. Rosie had said something about him having heart trouble. “She’s with Tanner—I can’t remember his last name.”
“You mean Tanner Smith. Yeah, those two are together a lot. I tried calling him too. He didn’t answer either.” She bit her lip. “Ms. Curtis’s grandpa fell. Betty McFerrin found him. She’s taking him to the hospital.”
He gulped. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Rosie likes to go to lunch?”
“There are only three places in town.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “La Cocina, Pecos Bill’s, and The Little Red Hen. They’re all on Main Street.”
It sounded easy enough. He’d seen all those places before. “I’ll try to find her.” All he had to do was drive past them until he found Tanner’s gas-guzzler.
He sprinted to his BMW. With the elderly, one never knew how bad a fall could be. Rosie would want to know about it as soon as possible.
* * *
As he drove along the river and then crossed the bridge to Main Street, he considered the possibilities—Pecos Bill’s sounded like a place that served steak, La Cocina was obviously Mexican, and The Little Red Hen sounded traditional. Which one would Rosie choose? He turned toward La Cocina, even though it was the only one to the right.
Within five minutes, he’d parked and was headed into the Mexican restaurant. The building resembled an old adobe home, but inside it looked more nineteen-eighties with wood paneling, Formica tabletops, and burgundy vinyl on the booth seats. Navajo blankets hung here and there along the walls. He held a hand up when he saw Tanner sitting by himself at a corner booth by the window. Tanner ignored him, dipping a chip into a bowl of salsa.
Destry barely suppressed an eye roll as he made his way across the room. He stopped in front of Tanner, who still hadn’t looked back up. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to find Rosie.”
Tanner dipped another chip. “She’s on her lunch break.”
“Mr. Curtis fell. He’s on his way to the hospital.”
That got Tanner’s attention. “What?”
“Betty found him. She’s taking him to the hospital, but she hasn’t been able to reach Rosie.”
Tanner’s gaze shifted to the other side of the room. “Here she comes.” Destry turned to see Rosie leaving the restroom. She glanced from one man to the other with an open mouth. She’d worn a little crease between her eyebrows all morning, and now he was bringing her more stress.
He spoke as she approached. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but your grandpa fell this morning.”
Her eyes widened. “Is he okay?”
“I’m not sure. Betty’s been trying to call you about it. Last I heard, they were on their way to the hospital.” The hospital was over sixty miles away. He guessed it would take Betty almost an hour to get there.
Rosie already had her phone to her ear with a look of concern on her face. “I should have returned Betty’s calls.” She headed toward the door. Then she turned back to Tanner. “Can I borrow your car?”
Tanner stood. “I’ll drive you.”
“Not on your first day of work,” she said be
fore she spoke into the phone. “Hi, Betty. I’m so sorry I didn’t call back sooner. What’s going on?” She listened for about a minute and then asked, “Is his heart okay?”
While she listened some more, Destry whispered to Tanner. “I can drive you to work if you’d like.”
Tanner nodded slowly, but he didn’t answer.
“Thanks so much for your help,” Rosie said into the phone. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She ended the call and held out her hand for Tanner’s keys. “Sounds like he broke his ankle. It’s nothing too bad, but they need me there to talk to the doctors. You two might as well stay and eat the lunch we ordered.”
Tanner handed her the keys. Then he walked her out to the truck, opening the door for her and kissing her forehead before she drove off. Destry waited at the table, unsure what to do. A dark-haired waitress arrived with two plates. Her name tag read Janessa.
“This is still Tanner’s table,” Destry explained. “You can leave the plates.”
“Okay.” She spoke in the overenthusiastic tones of a preschool teacher, her voice sounding too high-pitched. She couldn’t have been more than twenty years old. “Here’s Tanner’s chicken chimichanga.” She placed the plate on the table and paused with her eyes on his. Once she put the other plate down, she stuck out her chest just the slightest bit. “And Ms. Curtis’s pork enchiladas.” She rested her hand on the edge of the table and stepped closer to him. “You must be visiting the Smiths.”
He thrust out his hand toward her, trying to bring a business air to the encounter. “I’m Destry Steadman. I’m new in town.”
Her mouth dropped open as she took his hand. “So you’re the famous Destry. I’m Janessa Moore.” She looked him up and down. “You’re even cuter in person.”
He didn’t know how to answer, so he stared at the big plate of enchiladas drenched in green chili sauce instead—that was the real temptation here.
The front door swung open, Tanner returned to the table, and Janessa retreated back to the kitchen. Tanner motioned for him to have a seat. “Want an enchilada?”
He remained standing. “I’ll be happy to pay for it.”
“Whatever you want.” Tanner slid into the seat and dug into his chimichanga.
He sat across from him and took a bite. The enchilada was spicier than he had imagined. He reached for his water glass, saw it was only half-full, and then remembered it wasn’t his—it was Rosie’s. How would Tanner feel about him drinking from her water? He ate some chips instead.
Tanner let out a chuckle. “Rosie always requests the extra hot version. Sorry I forgot to warn you.”
He had the feeling Tanner had intentionally forgotten. He scraped the green chili sauce off his enchiladas. “She’s full of surprises, isn’t she?”
Tanner puffed out his chest. “No one knows that better than I do.”
He kept eye contact, smiling and trying to blow off the man’s arrogance. “You’re a lucky man, Tanner.”
“I sure am.”
They ate in silence for a minute while Destry tried to come up with a neutral topic of conversation—something other than Rosie. “What is it you do for a living?” he asked.
Anger flashed in Tanner’s eyes before he answered. “I’m a science teacher at the middle school.”
It didn’t take him long to guess that Tanner might have also applied for the science teacher position at the high school. That would explain Rosie’s irritation. He sipped his water—Rosie’s water. “I’ve got to hand it to you for teaching middle school. Kids that age can be brutal.”
“That’s what I’ve heard, but they never give me trouble.” Tanner stared at him. “It’s a good job for a man who plans to start a family.”
He planned to start a family with Rosie? She’d never mentioned anything about that. Neither had Mr. Curtis. The way she treated those animals, Rosie would probably be a good mother.
He spooned a little more sauce onto his next bite. The fire of it flared in his mouth, distracting him from whatever painful emotion had just surfaced.
It wasn’t quite jealousy. It was closer to loneliness, an emotion he’d battled over the past year. Had it only been a year since he’d thought about starting a family with Tiffany? Back then, he thought he shared a connection with her. Was he ever wrong! When he talked to her about Cody’s problems, she encouraged him in the decision to cut Cody off. “If you keep paying him and letting him live in your house, you’re enabling him,” she’d said.
After Cody’s death, though, Tiffany couldn’t handle the public criticism. She left him to get through it alone. That’s why Tanner was lucky. Rosie would never change her mind that way.
In other ways, Destry was lucky too. He had friends back in Philadelphia who went with him on his adventures and a dad who phoned regularly. But he longed for a romantic partner who would support him through the tough times as well as through his successes.
They ate the rest of the meal in silence. Destry didn’t make another attempt at conversation until they’d paid their separate bills. “I wonder how Mr. Curtis will manage with a broken ankle.”
Tanner stood and pulled a generous tip from his wallet, slapping it down on the table. “He’s a tough old cowboy. He’ll figure it out. He always does.”
Destry added to the tip. “Falls are a complicated thing. The doctors might not release him to come back home for a while.”
“He won’t put up with that,” Tanner said, his voice holding a note of certainty.
As they walked out of the restaurant, Destry wondered how Rosie would manage if Mr. Curtis had to spend time in a rehabilitation facility before he came home. “I’ll be happy to help with anything. I’m right down the lane.”
“Thanks,” Tanner said. “I think we’ve got things covered. Rosie and I are used to taking care of him. But since you mentioned living right down the lane, I hope you don’t mind my saying that I’d like to see you change your plans for that resort of yours.”
Destry unlocked his car and spoke in a monotone, just as he had for all those long years in corporate management whenever someone voiced a complaint. “I understand your concern.” He’d never made an important decision without at least a few people voicing their dissent. This situation would be no different. He just had to gain Tanner’s trust. “I’ll be happy to go over our plans with you and Rosie if you’d like.”
After they got in the car, Tanner continued. “My objection centers on the type of people you’re bringing in.” He spoke in a low voice, pausing between phrases, as if he were disciplining a child. “Lone Spur is no place for addicts.”
“Former addicts,” Destry corrected. He could tell Tanner was one of those people who believed what he wanted to believe. Nothing Destry said would make that much difference.
He had thought moving to a small town would help him feel part of a community. It wouldn’t be like Philadelphia, where he would always be a stranger to most people walking down the street. Here in Lone Spur, most people already recognized him. But he was still an outsider. He hoped working at the high school would change that.
He knew his way around town well enough that he didn’t need directions to the middle school. He dropped Tanner off at the front of the building with hardly a word. Even if Rosie didn’t make it back with his truck in time, Tanner wouldn’t want a ride home from Destry. He’d made his feelings clear. He probably also wanted Destry to keep his distance from Rosie and her grandpa. That was something Destry wouldn’t do.
Chapter 8
Rosie arrived at the hospital in time to meet Grandpa coming out of the Emergency Room on a gurney. The bottom half of his leg was in a soft cast. He also had his right arm in a sling. How could she ever forgive herself for ignoring those phone calls? It wasn’t like Betty ever called her that much in one day. She should have known it was something this serious.
Grandpa wore a frown on his face. “Now don’t start.”
She grabbed his big, callused hand. “Are you okay?”
Hi
s hand trembled in hers. “It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine. I just have to stay the night because of my ticker.”
She looked at the medical assistant who pushed the wheelchair. “He can’t come home until tomorrow?”
The assistant shook his head. “I’m taking him up to room 205.” He pushed the wheelchair past her, heading toward the elevators.
Betty followed behind Grandpa, looking the same as ever with her light brown helmet of hair and dangling gold earrings. She wore a red blazer with dark wash jeans. Gold bangles clicked together at her wrist. She hugged Rosie. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry I had to bother you at work.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” Rosie said, stopping beside Grandpa’s wheelchair at the elevator.
Betty grasped Rosie’s arm. “It’s no problem. I’m here anyway. The doctor said he broke his ankle and his elbow, but they won’t know the full extent of the damage until the swelling goes down.”
The elevator dinged.
“Well, Grandpa,” Rosie said. “That’s what getting on a ladder will do for you.” What possessed an eighty-year-old to climb a ladder anyway?
Grandpa pointed to the black sneaker on his good foot as the medical assistant maneuvered him into the elevator. “It wasn’t the ladder. It was these old shoes.”
Betty held the elevator door and raised her voice so Grandpa could hear. “I promised the doctor I’d be around to help during the day while he recovers.”
Grandpa grimaced. “I still have one good leg. I can take care of myself.”
Rosie stepped into the elevator. “Thank you, Betty. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“It’s no problem,” Betty said as the elevator doors closed.
Grandpa squirmed in the seat of his wheelchair, trying to get comfortable. “I’m not so old I can’t take care of myself.”
Rosie raised her voice so he could hear her from where she stood. “It’s not about age. It’s about the doctor’s orders.”
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