“Am not!” he said.
“Enough,” Carlene said. “I will not put up with bullies or fighting in my class. Not in class, in the cafeteria, or on the playground. If it happens, there will be severe—and I do mean really hard—punishment, so think twice before you’re mean to another student. Now, let’s go have our lunch. We’ve wasted five minutes of noon recess with this, but if it happens one more time, you’ll all be writing essays in the classroom during playtime for a solid week.”
Carlene carried her food tray to a table close to where Andy Bob and Slade were sitting so she could keep an eye on them. She’d taken the first bite of some pretty good meat loaf when another teacher sat down across the table from her.
“You handled that situation well. Andy Bob and Slade are cousins and they aren’t bad kids unless they’re in the same class all day. It’s like they feed off each other’s ability to get into trouble. If they’re apart most of the day, it’s not so tough but you’ve got them both.”
“Guess I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’m Carlene Varner.”
“I’m Regina Watson and I teach fourth grade. I had Gloria for about three weeks last year. She’d been homeschooled before that and probably should’ve been bumped up to sixth grade, but her parents were worried about her being with kids who were so much older. She’s brilliant and that…well, you know,” Regina said.
“Thanks for the background. It helps to know these things,” Carlene said.
“If you need anything, my classroom is just down the hall from yours,” Regina said. “I understand that you lived here when you were a teenager.”
“Yes, ma’am. Graduated from here but we moved that summer.”
“Married?” Regina asked.
“No, ma’am.” Carlene had the distinct feeling that Regina was fishing. Talk travels fast in small towns. “Are you married?”
“Not yet but maybe by summer.” She leaned over and lowered her voice. “I heard you and Jace Dawson were an item back in the day. Did you take this job so that—”
“No,” Carlene butted in before she could finish.
“Miss Watson?” A little girl tapped Regina on the shoulder. “I don’t feel so good. Will you call my mama?”
“See you later,” Regina told Carlene. “Duty calls.”
“Leave your tray. I’ll take care of it for you,” Carlene offered.
“Thanks.” Regina tucked the little girl’s hand in hers and hurried across the floor.
The wind whipped dead leaves against his legs as Jace held on to his hat and hurried across the yard to the house at the Texas Star Ranch, where his sister, Kasey, lived with Nash Lamont. She threw open the door before he made it across the porch. “Good mornin’. Think this little breeze will blow up a storm?”
He hurried inside and didn’t stop until he made it to the kitchen. “That’s a full-fledged norther out there, not a little breeze.”
“Coffee is made. Help yourself and tell me about Carlene and your daughter. Folks say she looks like me and Emma.” Kasey followed along behind him.
He hung his coat and hat on the back of a kitchen chair and poured two mugs of coffee. Then he pulled out his phone, found the picture, and handed it to Kasey.
She carried it to the table and slid into a chair. “My God, Jace. There’s not a single doubt. Mama said that she could be my twin, but this is uncanny. What are you going to do?”
Jace paced the floor. “Everyone keeps asking me that question, and I don’t have a clue how to answer other than try to do the right thing. I’m still in shock, sis. Carlene says that she’ll tell her this weekend, and she’s a real cute little kid. But the weird thing is that I…” He stopped and took a sip of coffee.
Kasey continued to stare at the picture. “All this turmoil has little to do with the child. It’s got more to do with Carlene, right?”
Jace stopped and looked over her shoulder at the picture. “I can’t get a handle on how I feel about her, and now there’s a child she didn’t tell me about. I like Tilly. She’s a cute kid, but…” He paused again.
Kasey slapped his arm. “Wake up! You were barely eighteen and so was she. Marriage when y’all were that young would have probably been a disaster.”
He rubbed his biceps and sat down across the table from her. “You’re mean.”
“Had to be. I had two older brothers.”
“She’s had nine years to tell me. I’m sure that Rosalie kept her informed.”
Kasey handed him back the phone. “I’d bet Rosalie didn’t tell her jack crap about you.”
Her phone rang and she held up a finger as she answered it. “Okay, I’ll bring it to the office. Thanks for calling.”
“What?” Jace asked when she’d set the phone aside.
She headed toward the stairs. “Rustin forgot his homework. I need to take it to the school.”
“I’ll do it,” Jace said. “That way you won’t have to take the kids out in this miserable cold. Isn’t Nash off to Amarillo to get sheep feed? Henry went with him this morning.”
“Thank you, Nash,” Kasey answered. “And, yes, he is, along with visiting the therapist. He’s hoping that she says he only needs to come back every three months after this one. Things are going really well for us, Jace, and we’re so happy.”
“Still thinking about a spring wedding?”
“Plannin’ it for the end of March. Nothing big—maybe a small family affair at the church and then a reception in the fellowship hall. Nash still isn’t really comfortable with big crowds.”
“I hear that Henry is staying until the first of the week.”
“Middle, actually. He’s got flight reservations for a week from today. We’re going to bring him with us to the little memorial on Sunday,” Kasey said. “I’ll run upstairs and get Rustin’s papers. I appreciate you doing this for me and if you see Carlene, tell her that she’s welcome here anytime.”
He shrugged. “No problem at all. I’m on my way to Amarillo for a roll of barbed wire anyway.”
“Maybe you’ll see your daughter. One of these days that daddy feeling will kick in. It might be slow in coming and it might happen in an instant. Nash says that it was instant with Silas but that it took a little longer with Rustin and Emma. Your daughter—that sounds strange in my ears,” Kasey said, and then yelled toward the dining room. “Emma, stop bossing Silas.”
“Where are they?” Jace asked.
“I built them a tent with a sheet over the table. She wants to play Barbies and he wants to build a tractor out of Lego blocks.”
Jace chuckled. “And you could hear Emma?”
“Like I said—the instinct might be lyin’ dormant, but it will kick in and then you’ll have kid superpowers too,” Kasey said.
“Right now I’m just trying to wrap my mind around that word daughter.”
“And the feelings that Carlene has stirred up, right?”
“Something like that.” He sighed.
When Kasey returned with the pages of homework, he already had his coat and hat on and was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
“You never did say why you stopped by this morning.” She handed the papers to him. “Did you need something?”
“I wanted to show you the pictures of Tilly and ask if there’s any kittens out in the barn big enough to give away.”
“Old white mama cat has a litter of four out there ready to find a home. Why?”
“Tilly wants a cat and Carlene says that she can have one. Thought maybe I’d see if there was a black-and-white one in the litter.”
“She’s welcome to however many she wants,” Kasey said.
“Thanks, sis. See you later and I hope you are right about that instinct stuff. Right now all I feel is turmoil.” He gripped the two sheets of homework in one hand and held his hat on with the other as he jogged toward his truck.
Jace hadn’t been inside the Happy Elementary School in years but like riding a bull or a saddle bronc, it all came back, bringing memories of s
everal years of his life, both good and bad, as he went toward the principal’s office. He dropped off the papers in the principal’s office and had made it halfway across the playground without even a glimpse of Tilly when someone called his name. He turned around and saw Tilly and a little dark-haired girl that he recognized as the daughter of a hired hand at Prairie Rose running toward him. He let go of his hat to wave and it went tumbling across the dirt.
Tilly grabbed it as it rolled past her.
“Well, hello, Maribel and Tilly.” He smiled.
“You already know Tilly?” Maribel asked.
“Yes, I do. How are you pretty ladies today?” Jace asked.
“Maribel is my new friend.” Tilly handed him the hat. “Better get you a stockin’ hat. It’ll stay on your head.”
“And me and Tilly are goin’ to be best friends.” Maribel beamed. “We’re goin’ out on the playground now and we’re goin’ to hide from the boys who chased us at the mornin’ recess. Don’t tell ’em where we are, okay?”
Jace made the sign of the cross on his chest. “I promise I won’t.”
Giggling and holding hands, they ran toward the swings. He hadn’t taken two steps when another voice called his name. Thinking that he was only imagining that Carlene was close by, he turned slowly. Wearing a cute little skirt that skimmed her knees and a bright red coat with the collar turned up, she wasted no time covering the distance between them. She didn’t stop until she was only inches from him, the sparks flying around like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
“Are you stalking me and Tilly?”
“Hell no! I came to bring Rustin’s homework. But a heads-up, I’ve told my whole family about her, and she’s made friends with a little girl whose father works on Prairie Rose. Please tell me that you haven’t changed your mind about Sunday.”
“I said I would be there and I will. It is for Aunt Rosalie, after all.”
With her so close that he could get a whiff of her perfume with every breath, it was all he could do to resist drawing her into his arms and nuzzling his nose into her neck right there on the school yard. He blinked half a dozen times to recall whatever they’d been talking about. Oh, yeah! It was about her and Tilly coming to the ranch on Sunday.
“Okay, then. How’s your first day of school goin’?” he asked, reluctant to walk away from her.
“Already had to break up a fight, so I’ve shown them I’m mean. Mrs. Anderson ran a tight ship, so that helps.”
“She was my fifth-grade teacher. I could have told you that she was old school. Feet in front of you, sit tall, don’t talk unless you raise your hand and never pass notes.”
“And I bet you obeyed every one of those rules, right?” Carlene drew her coat tighter around her body and buttoned it.
“We won’t talk about that. But if I remember right, you didn’t have a halo and wings back when you lived here,” he teased.
“Well, hello, Jace.” Regina was suddenly between them. “Hope I’m not interrupting, but Carlene and I have playground duty until the bell rings.” She looked from one to the other. “So sorry. I see that you were having a private conversation.”
“Carlene and I go way back to our days at good old Happy High School.” Jace smiled. “I should be going. Good day, ladies.” He tipped his hat and caught one more sight of Tilly on the swing set as he was leaving. Her ponytail was sticking straight out, and from the look on her face, she and Maribel were having a contest to see who could make the swings go the highest. He wanted to go over there and push her, but that wouldn’t be a good idea, so he watched her from his truck until the bell rang. If Carlene wanted to call that stalking, then so be it.
“Women should carry around hot flash pills for when they cross paths with the likes of that cowboy,” Regina sighed as she and Carlene made their way to the edge of the playground to keep an eye on the kids.
“I’m surprised he’s not married,” Carlene said.
“Every woman in the panhandle has been after him and Brody for years. Lila came back to Happy and boom.” Regina clapped her hands. “Brody is off the market, but we still have hope for Jace. What was he like in high school?”
“Sexy as hell,” Carlene said honestly just as the bell rang and kids started inside in a rush. “And thank goodness for the bell,” she muttered as she found her way through the maze of students to her room. She slumped in her chair, crossed her arms, and laid her head down on her desk. In five minutes a bunch of energetic students would burst inside the room, so she had to get control of the butterflies in her stomach.
It was time to get down to business, which meant she had to get the vision of Jace out of her head and think about math. But no kids rushed in, all excited from running and playing, hanging their coats on the long rack of hooks. She checked her schedule; physical education after lunch three days a week, music on the other two days.
She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “Thank you, sweet Lord. I need a thirty-minute break to get myself together,” she whispered. “I was crazy to move here, but it seemed like Fate was pushing me. And now I’m talkin’ to myself. What am I going to do?”
You are going to accept what you can’t change. You knew what would happen when you took this job. Aunt Rosalie was giving advice again.
Carlene couldn’t change the fact that she had to move out of the house. She couldn’t change the fact that Tilly belonged to Jace. But she had a few weeks before she had to move and a few days before she had to tell Tilly about Jace. She raised her head. The plan was to get through the next three days, and then sometime Saturday she’d tell Tilly about Jace. Once she had a plan written in stone, she could face anything. She’d proved that in the past when she decided to bow out of Jace’s life.
The afternoon went faster than the morning and when the final bell rang, Carlene’s smile was genuine and not pasted on. Like always, Tilly came straight to her room, talking nonstop about her day just like she used to do in Florida.
“I’m glad we moved so you don’t have to be a substitute anymore and can have your own room. Did you see I got a new friend, Maribel, and she’s got cats at her house and her daddy works for Jace, that cowboy that came to our house and guess what, he was here at the school today and can we have spaghetti for supper?” She finally stopped to take in a lungful of air. “Maribel says that Jace is real nice and the ranch where her daddy works is real big and she gets to go four-wheel ridin’ out there on it sometimes with her daddy. And can I go with her if I be real careful and guess what else?”
“Slow down.” Carlene laughed. “I’m so glad you made a new friend, but we’ve got the rest of the afternoon and evening for you to tell me all this.”
“Spaghetti?”
“Of course, and ice cream with caramel on top to celebrate us both getting through our first day at the new school.” Carlene packed her well-worn shoulder bag with papers to grade that evening. “Ready?”
“Mama, I like that Jace cowboy. Why don’t you ask him out on a date?”
Carlene had to think fast and even then she stuttered. “Girls wait for guys to ask them out.”
“Why?” Tilly went out ahead of Carlene and waited for her mother to turn out the lights and lock the door.
“Because that’s the way it’s done.”
“Not on television. The girls ask the boys out all the time,” Tilly argued. “When I get big enough to go on dates, I’m going to ask the boys.”
“Why?” Carlene asked.
“Because I want to. And, Mama, when I find a boy to fall in love with, he’s going to be a cowboy like Jace. Why don’t you call him and ask him to eat spaghetti with us.”
“I will not, Tilly Rose Varner,” Carlene gasped. “And please tell me that you didn’t do that, either.”
“Nope.” Tilly crawled into the van and fastened her seat belt. “But I wanted to.”
Jace Dawson wouldn’t like being called pretty. She smiled.
Chapter Five
Tilly ran across the livin
g room floor like a wild Texas tornado, slung open the door, and said, “Come in, Jace. Did you see if there was kittens in your barn?”
“There were a couple over at my sister’s ranch,” he answered.
Tilly hugged herself. “Did she say I could have one?”
“Carlene? Can Tilly have a kitten?”
“We could sure use a cat. Tilly says she saw a mouse the other day.” Carlene shivered at the thought.
“You okay?” Jace asked with real concern on his face.
“I hate spiders, and Mama hates mice,” Tilly explained.
“Well, then, it’s a good thing I found a little black-and-white kitten for you.”
Tilly shrieked with excitement. “That’s just what I wanted!”
Jace smiled. “I seem to remember you mentioning it. Shall I bring her in or hold on to her until you get moved into your new place?” He looked at Carlene, eyebrow raised.
“If it will take care of mice, I’ve got no objection to having her right now. Bring her on inside.” Carlene’s heart settled to a steady beat as she made her way to the living room.
Carlene hadn’t rolled into Happy expecting any kind of reunion with him. She’d thought that he was probably married and had a child or two and hoped that when he did find out about Tilly, it didn’t cause a problem in his relationship. But she was sure enough wrong on every single scenario that had played through her mind.
Tilly danced around on one foot. “Do kittens chase off spiders too?”
“They might. I’ll go out to my truck and get her. I’m sure she’s gonna be real happy to meet you, Tilly.”
Tilly did a couple of spins and squealed so loud that if there had been a mouse in the house, it wouldn’t have quit running until it hit the New Mexico state line. When she settled down, she wrapped her arms around Carlene and hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Mama. This is the best day of my life,” Tilly declared.
Jace brought in a box with a few holes poked in the sides. He set it on the floor and Tilly sucked in so much air that Carlene thought she might explode. Then she let it out in a long whoosh.
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