Caytie’s mind was spinning with all this new information while at the same time she took in the interior of the home. There was a room decorated just for her? And who was Jace or Kellen? Feeling like she might faint, Caytie grabbed onto an oversized stuffed leather chair and sank down on it. Tears blurred her vision and suddenly the stress of the past twenty-four hours caught up to her. Out of nowhere, Caytie started to cry. Hysterically.
She felt Ilene’s arm circle her shoulders. “There, there, sweetie. You’re gonna be just fine.”
The woman didn’t really even know Caytie and yet she was offering her the comfort she had been seeking ever since her childhood. Caytie wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but every second was like a healing balm to a cracked and battered soul.
“Ilene,” a male voice called out. “Whose fancy car is in the driveway?”
Caytie recognized his voice, even after all these years. In just those few words she knew Uncle George was not anything like her father. Ilene stood up and Caytie followed her. She knew she looked a mess, but she didn’t care.
“It’s me, Uncle George. Caytie Bug.”
The man let out a whoop and bolted across the floor. He scooped her up in his strong arms and spun her around and around. Caytie thought it was nice to be hugged by Ilene, but coming from this big, burly cowboy was even better. She hugged him tight, taking in the woodsy smell of his cologne and another scent that smelled like grass and dirt?
Uncle George put her down and held her out from him, keeping his hands on her arms. “I can’t believe my eyes. Look at how beautiful and grown up you are.”
Behind her uncle was a big mirror, and when Caytie caught a glimpse of herself she gasped. Her face was pale and black mascara ringed both eyes making her look like the one and only time she’d tried to go Goth. Not a good look for her.
“Uncle George, I know I owe you an explanation but I can’t stand another minute of looking like this.” She gestured to her clothes. “I’ve been wearing the same clothing for over twenty four hours and I desperately need a shower.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as a wide grin crossed his suntanned face. “Darlin’, you don’t need to tell me a thing. Only when you’re ready to.” He winked at her. “Let’s get your things up to your room and you can take as long as you need to freshen up.”
“I really have a room here?” she asked, remembering Ilene saying something about that a few minutes ago.
A sad look dimmed her uncle’s eyes. “Yep. When your mama died I was worried about what would happen to you. Richard seemed to think a nanny was the answer. I wanted you to come and stay with me, at least for the summer.” He nodded his head toward his housekeeper. “Ilene had just lost her husband, Paul, the year before and she would’ve loved having you here to mother. Jace had just joined the family and he was a lonely little guy. I figured the two of you could be loved by Ilene and me and maybe you’d want to stay with me forever.”
A lump the size of a lemon stuck in Caytie’s throat. Her uncle had wanted her. She couldn’t fathom what it would have been like to have these people taking care of her during those painful years. It sounded like she might have a…cousin or a brother? She needed to find out who this Jace was. Ilene had mentioned him earlier and it sounded as if he still lived here. She’d always wanted a brother. Now maybe she would get her wish.
“That’s what you and Daddy argued about, wasn’t it?” Caytie asked.
He pushed the straw cowboy hat back from his forehead. “I’m sorry you had to hear that. Boy was your daddy mad at me for even suggesting such a thing. I didn’t understand why because I’d overheard him making arrangements to send you back east to some fancy private school.”
Caytie went cold. A week after her mother’s funeral, her father had come to her and told her about the school he planned on sending her to. The only thing that had saved Caytie from having to go to the boarding school was her best friend Julia. It turned out Julia had been enrolled in a prestigious all-girls school in Beverly Hills that was virtually impossible to get in to. Julia didn’t want to attend without Caytie and since Julia’s father had connections in high places, Caytie had been offered a place at Huntington Academy.
It had been a win-win situation for both Caytie and her father. She got to stay in California and her father’s social status was launched into a society he’d been trying to enter for some time. Everything had been great until Julia’s parents divorced and Julia had moved to live with her mother in Italy.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” George said. “But once Richard has something stuck in his craw, there isn’t any way of reasoning with him.”
Isn’t that the truth. “It’s not your fault. And I didn’t have to go back East. There was an even better school right there in Beverly Hills.”
A loud horn honked and Uncle George grimaced. “Shoot, I forgot about Kellen.” He looked at Ilene. “Do you mind showing Caytie to her room?”
“Of course not. Go and get Kellen. Oh, and get Caytie’s luggage, will you?”
“Sure thing.” He glanced over at Caytie. “That cute little car of yours locked?”
“Yes.” She dug into her pocket for the keys and tossed them to her uncle. “Do you mind bringing my purse in as well?”
“Not at all, sweetie. You go on and take your shower and we’ll get your things in your room.”
Uncle George hurried out the door and Ilene motioned for Caytie to follow her upstairs. It was a good time to admire the deceptively spacious home. With high ceilings, wood floors and pine wainscot, it reminded Caytie of a miniature version of the mountain lodge Julia’s father owned in Lake Tahoe, yet much cozier and lived in.
On the way to Caytie’s room, they passed by several pictures on the wall of a nice looking boy wearing a cowboy hat and belt buckle bigger than her favorite Jimmy Choo clutch bag.
“Ilene, who is Kellen?”
The woman gave Caytie a soft smile, but for a moment Caytie thought she could see pain reflected in Ilene’s eyes. “He’s my grandson. Ten years ago he came to live with me when his parents—my only son and his wife—were killed in a plane accident.”
Caytie felt bad for this woman who had lost both her husband and her child. “I’m sorry. Was he injured in the crash?”
Ilene looked at her confused. “No. Why do you ask, honey?”
“Uncle George said he left him in the truck. I just wondered if the reason he can’t get out of the truck by himself is because of an injury.”
Ilene paused in front of a closed door. “He wasn’t in the plane with Robby and Eliza, but recently Kellen was severely wounded in Afghanistan while on his first tour of duty with the Army.”
More tragedy to deal with and yet this woman seemed so happy. “Oh. Will he be okay?”
“He will be if he can stop feeling sorry for himself.”
There was much more to the story but Caytie didn’t think now was the time to ask for further clarification. She needed to get settled and Ilene had other things to do right now like feeding Kellen and Uncle George.
Ilene twisted the doorknob and entered a very pink room. Caytie remembered pink had been her favorite color. The year before her mom died it was the only color she would wear.
She stepped inside the room and literally stepped back in time. On the wall hung several framed posters of Jason Priestly and Luke Perry, teenage heartthrobs from the TV show Beverly Hills 90210. Caytie had been madly in love with the characters. Somehow she must have conveyed her obsession to her uncle.
“Wow. This is…really…nice.”
Ilene giggled. “I’ve wanted to update this room for years but George wouldn’t hear of it. He always hoped you’d be able to come out here to stay with him.”
If only Caytie had known she’d been wanted. “It’s fine.” She laughed and looked around once again. “It brings back many good memories.”
Ilene opened another door, revealing a large bathroom. “I’m sorry you won’t have the bathroom all to you
rself.” She pointed to another adjoining door on the other side. “Jace’s room is just through there. He’s actually fairly clean, and he’s up so early in the morning that I doubt you’ll have any problems.”
She would be sharing a bathroom with Jace? Well, isn’t that what brothers and sisters sometimes had to do? “That’s fine. By the way, who is Jace?”
“Ilene,” her uncle hollered, interrupting their conversation. “Something smells like it might be burning.”
“Oh darn. I forgot I had the gravy boiling on the stovetop.” Ilene indicated a tall cupboard in the bathroom. “There are fresh towels in there. I’ll make sure George gets your things up here.”
She hurried out of the room, but said on her way out, “Dinner is ready, but I can keep a plate warm for you, so just take your time.”
“Thanks,” Caytie said, still feeling amazed by the incredibly warm welcome Ilene and George had given her.
She ventured further inside the bathroom and groaned when she saw herself in the mirror. Reaching out she turned on the cold water of the sink and splashed cool water on her face. She grabbed at the towel hanging up to pat her face dry. The towel smelled really good, with just a hint of male spicy cologne. It must be Jace’s. She tingled with excitement over meeting both Jace and Kellen. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have brothers.
Wanting to make a good impression on Kellen and Jace—and a better one with her uncle and Ilene—she locked the bathroom door, found a couple of clean towels and turned on the hot water.
The clothes she wore needed to be washed so she dumped them on the floor. Then she removed her shoes, wishing once again she could wear flip-flops or even sandals. There were only a handful of people who knew why Caytie would never wear any kind of shoe with an open toe ever again. She sometimes even wondered if her father remembered the accident that had taken part of her little toe. Shortly after her mother died, Caytie’s little toe on her right foot had become trapped in a drain at her friend’s pool. By the time the firefighters had been able to free it from the drain, the tip of her toe had been too damaged to save.
The glittery canvas shoes she had on today were comfortable and cute and she owned almost every color possible of the casual shoe. She hoped they would never go out of style.
No matter how long it had been since the accident, it seemed whenever Caytie took off her shoes all she could see was the missing tip of her toe. Why was it so easy to focus on the flaws in oneself rather appreciating what was good?
Stepping under the spray of hot water, she was dismayed to find there wasn’t a loofah or body wash, just a plain bar of soap. She could already feel her skin drying out. She tried to remember if in the rush to leave California she had packed any of her toiletries. If not, she hoped Snow Valley would have a salon where she could pick up a few things.
Glancing around the enclosed shower, she only saw one bottle of shampoo but no conditioner. She picked up the blue bottle, opened the top and sniffed it. Although it wasn’t something she had ever used before, she’d seen plenty of television commercials for it.
It smelled good enough, but she wasn’t sure how good of a product it was and doubted it would do the same job as the expensive shampoo Enrique insisted she use for her long hair. She could just imagine the look of horror on the flamboyant stylist’s face when he found out what product she was about to use.
As Caytie washed her hair in the unfamiliar shower, she couldn’t help thinking about home. By now her father and Edward would be trying to find her and would have no idea where to look. A heady sense of independence rushed through her veins. For the first time in her life Caytie felt free. Free from the stringent confines of her father, and the man he wanted to make her marry.
An hour later, Caytie met Kellen and immediately liked him. During a delicious dinner, Caytie became reacquainted with her uncle, and got to know Ilene and her grandson a little better. At first Kellen had been quiet and even a little shy, but he’d answered questions from Caytie and had even asked her a few of his own.
Toward the end of the meal, Kellen got a text that relaxed the hard lines of his face. “Jace’s on his way home.” Kellen met Caytie’s gaze and smiled. “I can’t wait for the two of you to meet.”
Chapter 4
“Jace! Jace! Did you see me catch the ball!”
Jace glanced from his phone to see Kyden Pearson running toward him. Kellen had just sent him a cryptic text about needing him to come home and now he’d missed the little guy’s moment of glory.
He crouched down so he was eye to eye with the eight-year-old. “Wow. Good job, buddy. How did it feel?”
“So great!”
Victoria Pearson, his mother, was right behind him. Her soft brown eyes watched Jace with an intensity that made him believe the rumors about her being in love with him might be true. A slow smile curved her full lips as she placed her hands on Kyden’s shoulders.
“Hello, Jace.”
“Hi,” he said straightening up. “Did you see his catch?”
“I sure did.” She bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back a laugh. “I wish I would’ve captured it on my phone. You didn’t happen to get it, did you?”
A guilty flush crept up the back of his neck. Victoria knew he’d missed it but was letting him off the hook. “No. Maybe next time.”
“You’re right. There are going to be plenty more catches, right, Ky?” She leaned down and placed a kiss on her son’s cheek, making the kid protest.
“Mom! Not in front of the coach.” He twisted out of her arms. “So I can go with Shane to get pizza, right?”
She nodded her head. “Make sure to mind your manners, okay?”
“I will,” Kyden said running off to go with his friend, and leaving Jace and Victoria alone. For some reason Jace felt uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure why.
“He’s a great kid, Victoria. You’re doing a good job raising him.”
Her eyes lit up with the praise. “Thank you.” She lowered her lashes. “He idolizes you, you know.”
The muscles in Jace’s gut went taut, feeling as if she was going to follow up with something like: You’d make a great father.
“Then I better not mess up.”
Victoria lifted her gaze and smiled. “You’re good with these boys.”
Her praise didn’t hold a hint of anything romantic and he let himself relax. Why was he analyzing everything Victoria said, anyway? “Thanks.”
Victoria moistened her lips. “Do you have any dinner plans?” Jace heard the hope in her voice—saw it in her light brown eyes. “I made my homemade lasagna.”
That uneasy feeling was back. This was new territory for him. Usually, if he had dinner with Victoria, Kyden was there to act as a buffer. But the kid had just climbed into the Wesson’s van to have pizza with Shane’s family.
Jace swallowed, not sure what to do. If he accepted would that be the same thing as giving her the green light to move their relationship to the next level? His phone chimed an incoming text. Most likely from Kellen again, hinting that he should come home to see George’s surprise.
“I’m sorry, but Kellen texted me a few minutes ago saying he needs me to come home right away.”
A flash of disappointment darkened Victoria’s eyes. “Oh.” Then concern flitted across her face as she pushed a strand of her auburn colored hair back behind her ear. “How’s he doing?”
I wish I knew. “He doesn’t talk much. Still trying to adjust to civilian life and his injury.”
She clasped her hands together and took a step back. “I’m glad he has you.” She offered him a small smile. “Well, have a good night.”
His chest felt heavy at the sadness he saw in her eyes just before she turned and walked away. What could it hurt to take her out to dinner for a change? And if Kyden went with them it wouldn’t really be like a date. “Victoria?”
She turned around and another silky strand of hair covered her face. She tucked it back behind her ear again. “Yes?”
“Can we have dinner another night?” Her eyes lit up and he hurried on to clarify before she got the wrong idea. “Since you’re always cooking for me, how about I take you and Kyden out on Saturday evening?”
“I’d like that.” She took a tentative step back toward him. “Kyden is having a sleep over with Shane on Saturday night, but I’ll be free.”
Jace fought the panicky feeling welling up inside him. This wasn’t what he’d planned on. He was about to tell her they would wait until Kyden could go with them, but she looked so happy and hopeful. It was just one date. A date with a friend. “Okay…sounds good. I’ll, uh, pick you up at six-thirty.”
She bit her bottom lip, but it didn’t hide her smile. “I’ll be ready.”
They stood there staring at each other. Victoria looked ecstatic. Jace felt trapped.
He lifted up his phone. “I better get going.” He turned around and walked toward his truck, feeling Victoria’s gaze on his back. One date, Jace. Cowboy up.
He sent a quick text back to Kellen, telling him he was on his way home. Kellen actually replied with a colon and parentheses, making the little smiley face character. What was going on with the kid?
Keeping his speedometer just above the speed limit, he made it home in fifteen minutes. When he came to a stop in front of the house, all his fears about Victoria evaporated. “You have got to be kidding me.”
There in the circular driveway was the little red BMW with California plates. What was the princess doing here? Maybe she was lost and just needed directions. But somewhere in the back of his mind a little voice said it wasn’t that simple.
Summer in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance Anthologies Book 2) Page 3