Luckiest Cowboy of All--Two full books for the price of one

by Carolyn Brown

  His phone pinged and he picked it up to find a one-word message from Brody: Talk?

  He hit the right number to call him back and Brody answered on the first ring. “How are you doin’ with all this? We would have been happy to have Carlene and Tilly here at Hope Springs, but Valerie had already given Lila the word before we even got there that she was going to stay with you, so we didn’t interfere.”

  “Nobody interferes with Mama when she sets her head, but she has no idea that there’s still chemistry between us. She wants us to be friends for my daughter’s sake.” His voice cracked. Just saying those two words, my daughter, out loud, made it more real.

  “You okay, brother?”

  Jace shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’m trying to be strong for their sakes, but dammit, Brody. I thought they were dead and then when Tilly was standing in the middle of the road all alone, crying…and Carlene was in that blazing house. I realized how much they both meant to me. Thank God the fire truck was at the rodeo grounds or it could have been worse.”

  “Well, I’m here if you need me. Lord only knows how often you listened to me whine about Lila when she came back to town,” Brody said.

  “I’m not whinin’. I’m just tryin’ to…”

  “I know, Jace, I know. Remember what a basket case I was when Lila went back to Florida and I thought I’d lost her?” Brody said. “Call or come on over anytime you need anything.”

  “Thanks.” Jace ended the call and paced across the floor to stare out the window at the big black clouds gathering in the distance, covering the moon and stars as they pushed their way toward Happy, bringing, if the weatherman was right, two inches of snow, sleet, or ice to their area.

  Through the wall, he could hear Tilly talking to her bear or maybe it was to her kitten, and then everything was quiet. It was after midnight when he jerked on a T-shirt, slipped on a pair of pajama pants, and went downstairs. A good belt of Tennessee whiskey always helped him get to sleep.

  He’d poured up a double shot and was humming “Tennessee Whiskey” as he carried it into the dark living room and sat down on the sofa facing the television. He sang along with the lyrics in his head that said she was as smooth as Tennessee whiskey, as sweet as strawberry wine, and as warm as a glass of brandy.

  “Who are you singin’ to?” Carlene asked from the sofa across the room.

  Jace jumped. “Guess you couldn’t sleep either, huh? Well, it’s been a helluva week. And as for the song, it was about this girl I used to know a long time ago,” he answered honestly. “We danced to this song once up in the hayloft.”

  “Oh, really,” Carlene said.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “She moved here from California her sophomore year of high school and we teased her about her accent.”

  “I’m sure y’all’s accents sounded strange in her ears if she was from the West Coast.”

  “Maybe. She’d only been out there a couple of years, so some words sounded like she’d lived in Mississippi and then she’d come off with some kind of hippie lingo,” Jace chuckled.

  “What happened to that girl?” Carlene asked.

  “She moved away. She had an old aunt here in Happy and I tried to get her to give me the girl’s phone number but she told me off right quick,” Jace said.

  “Maybe the girl and the aunt both had their reasons.” Carlene’s voice got closer with each word until she was standing in front of Jace. “Maybe she didn’t want to ruin someone’s life.”

  “Could be, but I sure did miss her. I guess that time probably changed both of us, though.”

  “Oh, it definitely did, I’m sure. And machines that could take you or that girl back in time haven’t been invented except in science-fiction books.”

  “What are you drinkin’?” he asked. “I’ll get you a refill if you’ll sit with me a while?”

  “Strawberry wine,” she answered. “But no refills for me tonight. I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow and I should get up early.”

  “I’ve still got some left in my glass. Sit with me, Carlene.”

  She sank down on the other end of the sofa. Three feet separated them, but it might as well have been six miles, which was probably a good thing that evening. Crazy thing was that when he talked to her, it felt right and yet there was that niggling feeling in his heart that wasn’t so sure he was ready for any of what had been thrown in his lap.

  Jace let a sip of the warm whiskey burn away the smoke smell that still lingered in his mouth and nose. “You think things happen for a reason?”

  “I hope so because if tonight doesn’t have a reason behind it, then it would be doubly sad.” She drank the rest of her wine.

  He sat down beside her, close enough that sparks danced between them. He’d always been comfortable with her while they’d been dating and never ran out of things to talk about, but suddenly he was at a loss for words. Not wanting her to leave, he grasped at straws and finally said, “Granny says that you knew Henry in Florida. Did you know that he and Granny had a thing between them when they were young?”

  “I saw the way they looked at each other at the rodeo grounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if whatever they had flared up again. How do you feel about that?”

  “I thought my grandpa walked on water. I still miss him, but if Granny and Henry can rekindle something they had, I can only wish them the best. Not many people get a second chance.”

  Carlene stood up at the same time the moon peeked out from behind the dark clouds. Her slim body in a nightshirt that stopped at midcalf was silhouetted in the little bit of light that filtered in through the window. Her hair was pinned up with strands poking out every which way, making a halo around her head.

  “Angel,” he whispered, and covered it with a cough.

  “What was that?”

  “Just remembering that song again,” he said quickly.

  Carlene turned to walk away but then spun around. “That girl you mentioned was only doing what she thought was best for everyone.”

  “I wonder what she’d think now,” he said.

  “She might have changed her mind, but like I said one of those time machines hasn’t been invented.”

  “If they do make one, you let me know. I’ll buy the sucker and I’ll drag that girl into it with me. We’ll go back a few years and see where a different path might have led us.”

  “I’ll call you if I hear they are up for sale.” She disappeared into the darkness.

  “I’d sell the whole ranch for one of those machines,” he muttered as he went back to the buffet to pour another shot.

  Chapter Eight

  Carlene had slept poorly, waking every two hours and padding across the hall to check on Tilly. Nightmares had plagued her when she did sleep—basically the same one that involved losing Tilly to a forest fire when she ran into the blazing woods to find a kitten or a baby bunny or one time it was a stupid turtle. She’d awake in a cold sweat, sometimes with tears streaming down her cheeks. Then toward dawn she had a dream where she didn’t tell Tilly about Jace and she died in the house fire. Tilly was devastated and she had to live with Jace without even knowing him.

  When morning finally came, she was eager to get out of bed. She opened the curtains and stared out the window for a long time at a few snowflakes drifting down from gray skies. She’d wanted to give Tilly roots and doing so meant that she had to face this thing about her own father. It didn’t take a therapist to know that she had issues with her own upbringing, with the emptiness that she’d always felt and the longing to have a father who loved her and supported her. She didn’t ever want Tilly to feel like she had when she was growing up. And if telling her that Jace was her father would make her roots grow deeper, then Carlene was ready to do so—today.

  Making the decision didn’t mean that it would be easy. Just thinking about it twisted Carlene’s stomach into knots. Finding out that she was pregnant and making the decision to raise her baby on her own was the toughest decision that Carlene had ever faced—
until that morning.

  “Just get it over with and be done with it. That’s what Aunt Rosalie would say.” She heard music and noises coming from the kitchen but none of that mattered. This was Tilly’s first snow and she had to wake her so she didn’t miss it. Texas weather was as unpredictable as a pregnant woman, so the sun could be shining in twenty minutes.

  “Mama!” Tilly met her in the hall. “Come and see. It’s snowing.”

  Tugging on her hand, Tilly led her into her bedroom and to the window. “Look, Mama. Do you think we can build a snowman? I can’t wait to tell Natalie and Aunt Bee about my princess bedroom and the snow.”

  “Let’s go outside and get a picture we can send them.” Carlene went back to the bedroom for her phone with Tilly right behind her.

  The snow had gotten a lot more serious when they reached the front porch and it had gotten colder through the night. The thin nightshirt that Carlene wore didn’t do much in the way of protection, but she didn’t plan on being out in the yard more than a couple of minutes. Giggling at Tilly’s antics, she took several snapshots and then a thirty-second video to send to Belinda.

  Suddenly a big red raw-boned hound dog bounded from around the side of the house and put his paws on Tilly’s shoulders. With one big slurp, he licked her face from chin to forehead; then all four feet were on the ground and he chased the snowflakes with her, carrying on like a puppy.

  “Time to come in now or you’re going to turn into a popsicle,” Carlene yelled.

  “Just one more on my tongue, Mama?” Tilly begged.

  “One more and then we’ve got to get inside. When there’s enough on the ground, we’ll come back out and play. Then we’ll have our clothes washed and we won’t be out here in our nightgowns.” Carlene leaned against the porch post even though it was icy cold to brace her hand. Belinda would love the second short video of Tilly wearing white in falling snow and all those red curls bouncing. On her phone screen, it looked pretty enough to be an advertisement.

  “Time’s up,” Carlene called out.

  “Okay, but we can come back later, right?”

  “Right,” Carlene said.

  “Lovely.” Hope startled her when she slung open the door to let them both inside the house. “Didn’t mean to scare you, child. I came through the back door with a pan of cinnamon rolls for you girls’ breakfast. And Valerie took a load of clothes home last night when she left. They’re in the basket right there.” She pointed to the stairs. “She tried to get something that you could wear today.”

  “Thank you. Seems like I keep saying that and it’s not enough,” Carlene said.

  “It’s plenty. Us country folks help out in times like this and besides we’re…” Hope stopped and smiled at Tilly. “Looks like Red likes you.”

  “I sure like him. He’s a fun dog but right now, I’m hungry. You said cinnamon rolls? Where’s Henry? Did he come over here with you?” She rattled on as she headed for the kitchen with Carlene and Hope right behind her.

  “Henry is over at Kasey’s, I’m sure. And, yes, there are cinnamon rolls in the kitchen. I hope they’re still warm. I’m sure glad you and your mama and your kitten weren’t hurt.”

  Tilly wrapped her arms around Hope. “Me, too, but I’m not sorry the house got on fire. It had mice and spiders and I wanted to move.”

  Hope giggled. “Well, that’s honest enough. Carlene, I didn’t have anything to do today so I thought I’d help you with the rest of the laundry. I hope I’m not intruding. I’ve got another load of toys in the washer now. I don’t know what you put in the dryer and what you hang up, so I waited until you could tell me how and what to do with the rest of your things.”

  “Thank you and you aren’t intruding at all.” Maybe God had sent Hope so that Carlene didn’t have to tell Tilly that day.

  “Thank you again,” Carlene said.

  “My pleasure.” Hope smiled again. “Let’s eat and then we’ll get to work.”

  “Yes! But first I’ve got to check on— There she is!” Jasmine was sitting on the sofa washing her paws. Tilly ran over to her and kissed her on the nose. “How’d you get out of the pantry?”

  “Jace let her out this morning when he left to do chores. When I talked to him, he said to be very careful not to let her out when I came in,” Hope answered.

  Carlene’s phone rang and she smiled as she answered it. “Hello, Maribel. I bet you want to talk to Tilly, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Is she all right? Did her kitten get hurt? My daddy says that you had to move to the ranch. Can I come and see Tilly?”

  “Here, darlin’, I’ll let you talk to her.” Carlene handed the phone off to Tilly.

  Tilly carried it halfway up the stairs before she sat down. “Hi, Maribel. The Christmas tree was on fire when we got home.”

  “Five minutes and then you better come to breakfast or it will be cold,” Carlene raised her voice to say.

  “Okay, Mama,” Tilly said.

  A familiar flutter in her stomach told Carlene that Jace was in the house before she went from the foyer into the kitchen. He looked up from the stove and their eyes met for a brief second before he turned his charm toward his grandmother.

  “Now, this is a treat to come in from feedin’ chores and find your special cinnamon rolls, Granny. Go on and have a seat, Carlene. I’ll bring one to the table for you. Coffee or milk?”

  “Coffee,” she answered, and tugged at the bottom of the nightshirt Valerie had left on the bed. No makeup, hair a fright because she hadn’t even taken time to brush out the tangles.

  Hope poured three cups of coffee and carried them to the table one at a time. “Tilly has Kasey’s sass as well as her red hair?”

  “She was a strong little girl last night.” Jace set a plate in front of Carlene with two huge cinnamon rolls on it and went back to get his breakfast. “I see you still take your coffee black.”

  Carlene picked up the fork. Would it be totally against etiquette to comb her hair with it? “Yes, I do like it without additives. Aunt Rosalie said that anything other than black and strong was just murdered water.”

  “I remember her sayin’ that. I got to admit that I’m glad Lila has put together a little memorial tomorrow after church. But I have to tell you, it’s gotten bigger than we planned, so it’s going to be in the fellowship hall. So many people want to remember her,” Hope said.

  Carlene swallowed and took a sip of her coffee. “These are amazing, Hope, and I’m grateful for a memorial wherever it’s held. It’s still hard to believe that she’s gone. We talked every week.”

  Jace’s fork stopped midway from plate to his mouth. “You did?”

  “Yes, we did. Sometimes she’d tell me some little something about Happy, like when there was a death or a marriage but not much. Mostly we talked about Tilly and my job and she’d tell me stories about when she was young. She really liked to talk about the old days,” Carlene answered.

  “I can understand that. Henry and I spend hours every night playing the ‘remember when’ game,” Hope said.

  Jace looked across the table. “Think we’ll ever do that, Carlene?”

  “What?” She blushed. Holy smoke! Hope was right there at the head of the table. They sure didn’t need to be talking about the past in front of her.

  “We could remember all those nights when the whole bunch of us kids gathered up at Henry’s barn or down at the school playground.” Jace’s eyes held her captive for several moments before he looked down at his coffee.

  Carlene shrugged. “That’s the past and the future is more important. I’ve got to find a place to live,” she said. “Thought maybe tomorrow after church Tilly and I might drive all over town and see what’s for sale or for rent.”

  “You don’t have to be in a hurry. What you and Jace had when you were kids is over and done with. Mistakes were made back then and we can’t undo the past but we can move on to the future. You share a daughter and you can always be friends for her sake,” Hope said in a low
voice. “Stay here as long as you like. Let Tilly get to know the ranch and all of us.”

  “I made a phone call this morning,” Jace said. “Tommy Wilson and his family have built a new house, and he’s remodeling his old one to rent out. It’s not anything special. Two-bedroom frame house with one bathroom, but it’s well built.”

  “Can I see it today?” Her spirits rose and excitement filled her whole body.

  “No, but maybe in a week. He says it’s not ready to show just yet and he’s not planning to rent it until mid-February but if you want it, he won’t put it on the market,” Jace said.

  That burst her bubble. “That’s almost six weeks.”

  “Like I said, stay here until then.” Hope smiled. “I know that place. It sits out on an acre or two of land and it’s a nice little house. It would sure be worth waitin’ for.”

  “Maybe something will come up sooner,” Jace said quickly. “I get most of the news at the café or at the rodeo meetings, but you’re really welcome to stay here until it does. And, Carlene, you don’t have to tell Tilly about me until this kind of settles down about the fire.”

  “She’s going to be a handful when I do, so you better get ready for it,” Carlene sighed.

  “Got a temper, does she?” Hope asked.

  “Somewhat like a Texas wildfire and about as hot,” Carlene answered.

  “My mama was like that. She was as sweet as honey but when she was riled up, it was not a pretty sight,” Hope said.

  Tilly marched to the kitchen with her arms crossed over her chest. “There’s another fire comin’? Where is it?”

  Carlene looked up from her food. “No, we were talking about anger. So is Maribel coming over today?”

  Tilly popped her hands on her hips. Other than her eyes shifting from her mother to Jace about three times, she might have been one of those statues of little girls that folks put in their flower beds.

  “Well?” she asked through clenched teeth.

  “Well, what?” Carlene shot right back at her.

  “Are you my daddy, Jace?”

  Chapter Nine