by Debra Holt
“This should be interesting. I admit my interest was piqued by the phone call.”
Pushing open the screen door, Calla led the way into a large, screened area with native stone flooring and a view of the river waters below them through the green undergrowth and towering trees outside the screening of the porch. Even though the early afternoon was heating under the late May sun, there was a cool breeze flowing through the long room. An unused rock fireplace stood along the far wall. Growing up, the girls had used the room to play in, listening to the music from the bands in the dance hall and taking turns being their own dance partners. Daddy had let them spend time in there, but momma hadn’t wanted them near the dance hall even though other families brought their children with them to the country dances as a rite of passage growing up in the Texas hill country.
She wanted them to have lives outside the dance hall, outside McKenna Springs. That’s why their dad didn’t argue with their mother when she sent each of them to a private academy in San Antonio, for their high school years. It was costly, but she had scrimped every penny and made it happen. She had been a genteel southern belle from Alabama when their dad had met her while visiting friends one summer. By the next spring, the gregarious Texan had brought his southern lady home to Texas, as his wife. Her girls were going to be refined young ladies no matter what.
“What do you think?”
“Think of what? Our old playhouse?” Jaz walked around the room, looking over the floor, the wooden ceiling with its huge exposed beams. “You thinking of expanding the bar into here?”
“I’m not thinking of expanding it. I have more than enough on my plate with the hall. But this certainly has some possibilities… say as a dining area? Those double doors back there enter into the kitchen area as you might remember. There’s plenty of room to expand the back deck and make an eating area over the river below. It would take someone who has a good restaurant background to make this work, but I think it could be a gold mine in the right hands.”
Jaz looked at her sister, hands going to hips. “Those right hands wouldn’t be at the end of my two arms right now, would they?”
Calla returned her answer with a wide smile. “My, my now that is certainly an idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Calla, I told you… I have my hands full with my own job in Austin. I’ve got the money saved and Dave and I are sitting down next week and ironing out details of my finally being able to buy him out. I will own my own place. I haven’t worked there for the last ten years for nothing.”
“And it should be yours. You built that hole in the wall into a cash cow restaurant for that man while he sat and let you do it. But I’m thinking you could get this started and find someone like you to put in charge of it on a daily basis. At least think it over, okay? If we’re to keep this place alive, it’s going to take some inventive diversification.”
“Great… suppose that’s one of your lawyer terms for beware of the money pit… it’s eating our lunch. I know you’ve taken more than your share of trouble with this place while Lily and I have our own issues to deal with. That’s why I’ll think about it. But that’s all I can promise. As long as you remember I have my own business in Austin.”
“Good. We are agreed.”
Jaz followed after Calla’s departing figure, back into the main hall. “Why do I feel like we might not have agreed to the same thing? I forget you have a slippery attorney mind underneath that sweet sisterly façade.”
“That is certainly an apt description.”
Both sisters stopped and levelled their gazes on the tall man standing next to the long bar, his Stetson in one hand at his side, those dark jade eyes smiling at them both, but returning to rest on Calla, a corner of his mouth lifting in a hint of a smile that clearly shadowed some secret in its depths. “Good afternoon, ladies. I hope I’m not interrupting?”
Calla was caught off guard by the unexpected arrival of the mayor. It had been two days since their little run-in at city hall. Unfortunately, his appearance was just as disarming as on their first meeting. Today, he had on the usual jeans and boots, but the white shirt was topped by a dark brown jacket giving him the ‘gentleman rancher’ look. It was a look that he wore too well judging by the way her pulse rate kicked up and the air became a little heavier to breathe in at a normal rate. She needed to gain her composure. Jaz had no such problem.
“Well, I don’t believe we’ve met.” She walked forward, a hand outstretched and his embraced hers easily enough. “I’m Calla’s sister, Jasmine. My friends call me Jaz. Are you friend or foe?”
If Ty was taken aback by her forthright manner, he didn’t show it. His smile widened into an amused grin. “Then I hope to fall into the friend category… Jaz. I’m Ty Conners.”
“Nice to meet you, Ty. And how do you know my sister?” Her gaze swung to Calla, a secret light of amusement lighting hers as they landed on her sister.
“He doesn’t.” Calla could bite her tongue. She needed to sound cool and in control and instead she had already muddled it. “I mean to say, he isn’t a personal friend. He’s the mayor of McKenna Springs. We have a bit of business we are discussing.”
“That sounds boring.” Jaz was always the one to be to the point. Her eyes went back to the tall cowboy who still held her hand.
That was a fact that Calla found to be very disconcerting. That little flicker of the green-eyed monster was threatening to escape from the box she was fighting to keep him inside. She never had a jealous bone in her body. There was a bit of easing when Jaz’s hand was released to fall to her side again.
“Nothing against you, Mr. Mayor. But my sister can be all work and no play and that can make a very dull person sometimes. I have to go help Lily right now, so I’ll leave you two alone… to your ‘business’ and all.”
“What does Lily need help doing right now?” Calla couldn’t help but attempt to forestall Jaz’s escape.
Jaz shot her an amused smile with a tilt of her head. “I’m sure there’s something… baking, dusting, or pruning the rose bushes. Bye now!” She didn’t look back on the pair. The screen door shut, and they were alone.
“I like her.” Ty’s gaze had followed the departing woman.
“Good for you,” Calla commented dryly. Typical male. Most males did like her sister without any problem. “Is there something else we need to discuss? Is this about my appeal?”
“Your appeal?” For a moment, he seemed totally caught off guard. It appeared his mind was not necessarily on the same topic as hers.
“That piece of paper Alice had me fill out? My ramp? Ring a bell?”
“Right.” He straightened to the matter at hand. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by and take a look at the offending ramp in question. I like to have all the facts.”
Those gray eyes were smooth as slate in the look she cast over him, her mind turning his words of explanation over in her brain. Her tone dripped skepticism. “In the neighborhood? Fact finding mission. Interesting,” she stated, then pivoted. “Follow me.”
Ty was right behind her. She tried to keep her mind on the matter at hand but wished in a small corner of her mind that she had taken a bit more care with her hair instead of pulling it back in a ponytail. Her khaki slacks and coral-collared vee-neck pullover were casual and not the suit of armor she wished she had on when dealing with this man. Her soft leather flats made her feel even more vulnerable next to his height which had to be well over six feet and some inches. Where were her suits and high heels when she needed them?
Through the kitchen and then the pantry and dish area, then out the back door and onto the loading dock, they walked in silence. The ramp went down from the left front of the long dock. There was little space behind the area. The alley came off the main road and ran along the back of the hall and then dead-ended at a block of city-owned property that held a flood monitoring system box. The land across from the dock fell away down sloping cliffs to the river below.
&nb
sp; She stood on the dock, arms folded across her chest and waited while the mayor took his time looking at the ramp and then walking along the alley way. His slow perusal did give her an opportunity to take a few covert looks in his direction, while his back was to her and attention diverted elsewhere.
The man had to be married… or at the very least engaged. No male with Ty Conners’ looks could possibly still be on the loose. Good for him. It wasn’t any business of hers anyway. Men, single or married, were more trouble than she needed. She was living proof of that. Trusting a man was not high on her list of priorities. She trusted herself and her sisters. Period. She would do well to stick to the matter at hand.
He turned back toward the dock. “Well?” She spoke up, lightly tapping a toe in her impatience and guilt at having such errant thoughts when she should be keeping things strictly business. “As you can see, it isn’t a hazard and it certainly isn’t blocking traffic.”
“It’s not on your property… that’s the issue. It’s on the city’s. At least the last four inches of it is.”
He stopped a couple of feet from her, his presence arriving with a rather enticing smell of woodsy cologne that might make a lesser female want to stand on tiptoe and bury her face against his tanned throat and… get a grip, Calla. Why couldn’t her mind manage to stay on task whenever he was around?
“Thanks for restating the obvious complaint. As I pointed out in my appeal letter, this alley is utilized only by our business. At most, a city truck comes out to that box maybe once a year. And if a delivery truck can come in here and turn around, so can a smaller pickup even with a delivery truck parked in here. I will add that deliveries only happen two days a week and between set hours of nine to noon. That ramp is not hurting or impeding anything. The cost of removing it and cutting off those…”
“Hold on!” Ty raised his hand. “Take a breath and let me get a word in here and there.”
“Excuse me? I am stating the facts while I can. If you…”
“If you will listen for a moment, I’d tell you that I can see the issue here and you’re right, I don’t believe we need to levy a fine. I think there’s a better way to handle it.”
Calla was at a loss for words. All of a sudden, the argument she had mapped out in her mind was a moot point. She had to regroup. “What better way?”
“Well, I think I can have a sensible discussion with Junior Davis and the council members. Let me get back to you in a couple of days.”
“Really?”
Ty smiled at the reply. “I would venture a guess that is probably your shortest statement in a legal matter to date.”
So, he was aware of her attorney background? Why should that be surprising? Small town Texas was better at spreading news faster than any newspaper or television.
“I appreciate your willingness to mediate this matter.”
“Now, that sounds more like the lawyer Rose.”
“Is there anything else?” She turned to retrace their steps to the hall.
“Just one.”
Calla turned and waited with a question in her eyes. The man moved to stand very close. Way too close. But she would not back down. He didn’t need to get any idea by her actions that she was in any way, shape or form interested in anything about him. She was forced to look up and found herself on unsteady ground in an instant. Those eyes were way too potent up close and personal.
“Do you dance, Miss Rose?”
Her brain frittered. “Dance?” What did dancing have to do with an illegal ramp? “What are you talking about?”
“I trust you’re familiar with the act of dancing… a male holds a female in his arms and they move across a dance floor… their bodies getting to know each other in ways that can be quite fascinating.”
“What is it about dancing that makes people around here wax poetic about it and being in love?”
“I don’t think I said anything about love, but if that’s your preference, I am…”
“No,” she cut him off swiftly. “It is not my preference and I don’t dance. End of this conversation.”
“You own a dance hall and you don’t dance?”
She paused in her retreat to face him again. “I didn’t say I didn’t dance at all. I just don’t happen to want to dance. There is a difference.”
“Well, it seems to be splitting hairs in my estimation, but each person is entitled to his or her own beliefs on the subject. Maybe you would feel differently about dancing with the right partner.”
Was he thinking of himself in that role? That would be way too dangerous… for more reasons than one. And she wasn’t about to go there. “I trust you have all you need to go back to the council and get this matter resolved. I look forward to hearing their decision. I’m sure you can find the front door.”
She held firm in her resolve to not look back. Calla was proud of herself for making a smooth exit, not too fast, not too slow… no tripping. Only when a couple of doors separated them, and she was inside her small office in a corner at the front of the long building, did she allow her stiff back to relax.
Taking a deep breath, she was slower to expel it. Moving to the window, her eyes strayed to the blinds that were open just enough to give her a view of the parking lot. Ty Conners was standing beside the driver’s side door of his truck, but he wasn’t making any move to get behind the driver’s wheel and leave. One boot was perched on the running board of the large black pickup, his arm draped casually around the side mirror. His attention was all smiles on her sister Jaz, who stood a couple feet from him, hands on her hips in a flirtatious manner, her head tilted a bit, as she clearly laughed at something the man had said.
Could his grin be any wider on his face? She shook her head in disgust. Maybe he had asked Jaz to dance? She would take him up on it in a heartbeat… no holding back. Calla reached out and jerked the cord on the blinds, blotting out the view. Good for them. As long as she got the delivery ramp ruling in her favor, then Jaz could do all the dancing with Ty Conners that she wanted. That fact should please her immensely. It didn’t. And that fact irritated her even more.
Dropping into the chair behind the wooden desk, her hands began picking up papers here and there, her eyes going over the words but not seeing anything but gibberish on them. Her mind had stayed outside with the pair. It didn’t return until the sound of a truck’s engine starting up and then tires crunching gravel as it pulled away filtered into the room. About time the mayor got back to his job.
CHAPTER FOUR
“I have so many memories of this place in my life. I can’t imagine what we would have done around here if you and your sisters hadn’t decided to keep this dance hall going. Can you?” Darcy McKenna made the observation as she stepped through the open doorway, pausing long enough to allow her eyes to focus from the bright sunshine outside to the dimmer lighting inside the cavernous hall.
Calla shot her a smile from behind the bar where she was perched on a stool, tallying the latest invoices. “I like to think I can. Probably would be on a beach someplace right about now, enjoying a massage from a sexy beach boy while I count the dollars in my head we received from selling this riverside property to some major land developer for a few million.”
Darcy laughed at the picture she painted. She perched herself on the stool across from Calla. “True, but you’d end up missing quiet little McKenna Springs after about two weeks of that lifestyle.”
“You willing to place a bet on that one? You need a drink to help your brain which is clearly suffering from too much heat. Soda or tea?”
“It’s a hot one today. Some ice-cold lemonade might hit the spot if you have it?”
“You know I do.” Calla moved to the small refrigerator underneath the end of the bar. Opening it, she withdrew a plastic pitcher. Taking two glasses from the shelf behind her, she expertly filled them with crushed ice from the chest and then added the liquid. She sat one in front of Darcy with a smile and a small napkin.
“You make a good barmaid.
You know your way around back there pretty good,” Darcy observed before taking a long sip of the cold lemonade.
“Guess it runs in the genes or something,” she replied, resuming her perch on her stool. “What brings you out this way?”
“I’m heading out to the home place. Davis is out of town on an assignment and it’s up to me to check on the horses. Plus, there’s a workman supposed to be delivering the new crown molding order this afternoon.”
“Your brother is really working on restoring your family home. I heard Jim Wellman talking about it when I was in his store last week. Didn’t know Texas Rangers were so handy with hammer and nails, too.”
“Davis says it’s his way to relieve stress from the job of catching bad guys. It works for him.” Darcy’s gaze moved around the large space. “I think you’re pretty handy also with paint and all. You’re making some changes before the grand re-opening?”
“Just some fresh paint here and there. Cleaning out some of the last few decades of cobwebs from the rafters. Repairing some flooring here and there. Otherwise, it’s staying like it’s been for the last ninety years. After dad’s funeral, we needed to keep the dance hall area closed for these two months to get a few repairs done that had been put off too long. At least we’ve been able to open the bar area in the late afternoons and evenings to keep people in the habit of dropping by.” Calla’s gaze went slowly over the dance hall.
It resembled so many other Texas dance halls in basic structure. The front area ran the width of the building and held the long oak bar and a couple dozen wooden tables and chairs. The restrooms with their cowboy and cowgirl designation branded into the wood was a prerequisite and were in opposite corners. Screened, six-foot-tall windows, ten of them, ran across the front of the building. They stood open, along with the double screen doorways to allow a steady, cooling breeze to filter up from the river and flow through the building.