Randall Honor

by Judy Christenberry

  “But we’ll see you when you come out on the Fourth,” Jessica said. “We’re having a big party on the Fourth. You’ll meet a lot of people. And most of them will be kin to us.”

  “That sounds mighty fine,” Bill accepted after a quick look at his son. “Are you sure you don’t need to go back to work, Jon?”

  “I’m sure, Dad. Tori, couldn’t you and Jess accompany us? We’ll go to Megan’s store and shop.”

  “Who’s Megan?” Bill asked.

  Tori chuckled. “Another of those Randalls, Bill. You’ll run into us everywhere.”

  “Well, if they’re as nice as you two, I’ll be happy,” he said gently, smiling.

  Tori decided he was a sweetheart.

  Jon grabbed the check and went to the cash register to pay. Tori followed him. “I’ll pay for mine and Jess’s lunch, Jon.”

  “Nope. You rescued Dad. I should have checked my messages last night, but I wasn’t expecting any calls. I have a beeper for medical emergencies.”

  “Your father is very nice.”

  “He worries too much.”

  “We’re delighted to welcome him.”

  “Yeah. I’m glad.”

  “Yes, but I wanted to talk to you about putting your arm around me in public.”

  “I don’t think it hurt anything. And it felt good.”

  She couldn’t deny his statement, because it had felt good. Too good.

  When they stepped out of the café, they discovered Jessica and Bill walking down the street toward Megan’s store.

  “Where’s Jessica going?” Tori asked, distracted from their conversation.

  “Looks like she’s escorting Dad to Megan’s. Do you think she’ll have anything to sell me?”

  “Maybe. Sometimes she takes regular furniture in, like your table and chairs. When you get there, tell Jess to come back to work, okay?”

  “Why don’t you come with us? I bet you worked all morning without a break.”

  “Of course I did. After yesterday, I had plenty of work stacked up.”

  “You can at least take an entire hour for lunch. Come with me, please?”

  She was clearly wavering and he pressed her. “Please? And I’ll need to buy sheets and stuff. Where will I get them in town?”

  “Jennifer can help you with that. They carry bedding.”

  “I’m not going in there without you!” Jon exclaimed, showing a ridiculous fear that made Tori laugh.

  “You’re being silly.”

  “Yeah, but I still want you to come with me.”

  She sighed. “Okay, for a few minutes. Then I have to get to work.”

  He agreed, feeling lucky to get her to spend any time with him at all. They started down the street, hand in hand, until she realized he was holding her hand. She yanked hers away and put some distance between them.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tori saw Bill Wilson the next day. She liked Bill and wasn’t upset about his appearance. Especially since Jon wasn’t with him.

  Tori was afraid she was letting down her guard with Jon too much. But he was hard to resist. So it was better if she didn’t spend any time with him.

  Since July Fourth was on Monday, the weekend before that day was to be spent preparing. The office would be closed for three days. Tori explained to Bill that she spent Friday putting in long hours at the office.

  Both she and Jessica had greeted him with a smile when he’d wandered down around noon, but they both continued working. Tori was concerned about getting more work done so Russ wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by what needed to be accomplished when he returned to work. Jon had warned her that Russ wouldn’t be able to put in a full day.

  The problem for Tori was struggling to keep up with her own work, with all the interruptions and changes in her life.

  “I know I’m in the way,” he said softly, “but I don’t know what to do with myself. Can I help you in any way?” he asked.

  Jessica told him he could file for her, but Tori stopped her. “Jess, that’s your job. What else would you do?”

  Jessica shrugged. “I know, but I hate filing.”

  “I’ll do it for you, Jessica. You and your sister have been so nice to me.”

  “Don’t be silly, Bill. We’re nice because you’re nice,” Jessica told him. “I’ll be ready for lunch in a few minutes. Why don’t you sit down and wait?”

  Bill agreed and settled in a chair by Jessica’s desk. Tori returned to her office and the work that awaited her. Half an hour later, Bill knocked on the wall, standing in the doorway. “Are you ready for lunch, Tori?”

  She didn’t even turn around. “Give me five minutes, Bill, and I’ll have this account finished.” She didn’t even hear him answer or realize he’d moved closer to her, her concentration was so deep.

  “I’ve never seen that software before. What’s the name of it?”

  Tori, surprised, turned to look at Bill. “What? You haven’t seen—what do you do for a living, Bill?”

  “I’m a bookkeeper,” he said. “I shouldn’t have disturbed you. I know how it is when you’re concentrating.”

  “That’s all right. You haven’t seen this before because I developed it by taking the software my father developed for ranch accounts and applying it to retail.”

  “Your father developed software for accounting? I look forward to meeting him.”

  Tori jumped up, catching Bill’s hand and tugging him after her. “Come see.” She led him into Russ’s office. She turned on his computer and pulled up the software Russ used. “See how this works?” she asked, going over different aspects with Bill. He seemed fascinated.

  “This is excellent, and very easy to use.”

  “Do you think so? Too bad you’re on vacation. We could use some help,” she admitted with a chuckle.

  “I’ll be glad to help. I have nothing to do.”

  “No, of course not,” Tori said. “It’s your vacation.”

  “But, Tori, I have nothing to do. I cleaned Jon’s apartment, but when I finished, it was only ten o’clock. I sat there watching that little bitty television, but I couldn’t stand it for long.”

  “Would you really like to work? I can pay you an hourly wage.” She mentioned an amount much more than he normally made, and his eyes widened.

  “Money isn’t necessary.”

  “Yes, it is, Bill. If you could work this afternoon, and anytime next week, after Monday, of course, I’d love for you to help us out.”

  “You’ve got a deal,” Bill agreed with a big grin.

  Tori hugged his neck to say thank you. Jessica had reached the door and protested. “Hey! Tori, Bill is my beau, not yours. You’ve got Jon!”

  “Don’t be silly, Jess. Bill is our friend. Do you think Jon will mind?” she suddenly asked.

  “Oh, I forgot.” Bill frowned and Tori thought she’d lost his assistance.

  “What is it, Bill?”

  “We can’t tell Jon.”

  Tori stared at him. “Why not?”

  “Because he would think he needed to entertain me. And then I would feel I needed to go back to Chicago so I wouldn’t be in his way.” He paused, then added, “I like it here.”

  Tori was ready to argue with him, uncomfortable with lying to Jon, when they heard Jon’s voice in the outer office.

  “Hey? Where is everyone?”

  Jessica turned around and greeted him.

  Tori leaned close to Bill and said, “We’ll talk after lunch.”

  Bill nodded. Then he went into the outer office to greet his son.

  “How are you, Dad? I thought you’d sleep late today, but the apartment is spotless.”

  “I slept a little late, then cleaned. I just came down a few minutes ago. Tori’s been showing me their software. It’s amazing.”

  “Good, I’m glad they were entertaining.” He leaned over and brushed his lips on Tori’s cheek. “The Randalls are wonderful people.”

  Tori was fighting the shivers that ran through her, and th
e urge to throw her arms around Jon as she had earlier hugged Bill. She drew a deep breath and stepped toward the door, hoping to find a safe distance from Jon.

  “Ready for lunch?” Jon said, and Tori assumed he was talking to Bill.

  When no one else responded, she looked up to find Jon watching her. “Oh! You mean us, too?”

  “Of course. I owe you lunch just for entertaining Dad. I know you have a lot of work to do.”

  “Uh, yes, but he didn’t—we enjoyed his visit.” Mercy, she wasn’t used to keeping secrets. She was afraid to say anything in case she slipped up. It would be so perfect if Bill could do a lot of work for Russ.

  “I’m glad. He’s a pretty good guy,” Jon said with a big grin on his face. He seemed to be in a happy mood. “Let’s go eat. I was trying to figure out what to do to entertain Dad. Can we discuss some things over lunch?”

  Tori carefully looked away from Bill. “Of—of course, Jessica will have a lot of ideas, but I’m going to stay here and work. She’ll bring me something back.”

  “As your doctor, I don’t recommend that. You need to take a break.” He took both her hands in his.

  “I’ll take a break after we catch up,” she promised him. “Russ will be getting out of the hospital on Tuesday. I don’t want him overwhelmed.”

  Jon looked over his shoulder at their audience. “You two go ahead and order me the special, whatever it is. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Jessica urged Bill to walk with her.

  Jon smiled at Tori. “Everything all right? You seem tense this morning.”

  “Tense?” Tori jumped. “No! Not at all. I’m—I’ve been working hard all morning.”

  “Yeah, too hard,” he said. “Are you sure you won’t join us?”

  “No, thank you, I can’t. Just remind Jessica to bring me my salad when she leaves to come back.”

  He leaned over and brushed her lips with his. “I hope you’re noticing how agreeable I’m being. But be sure to eat your lunch.”

  “I will.”

  “I don’t want to leave you here.”

  “You’re being ridiculous, Jon. No doctor should monitor his patients as much as you. I’ll be fine.” At least she would be when she got some distance from him. If she let him know how she felt about him, he would insist they marry if she was pregnant. But she wouldn’t submit her child to a marriage of convenience that would be very inconvenient to her.

  She wanted her husband’s love, not his duty.

  “If you want to eat alone with your father, you can tell Jessica I said for her to get both our lunches to go and come back to work.” Maybe that was why he was lingering.

  “Nope. I could bring my lunch back here and eat with you.”

  “No! No, then I wouldn’t get any work done.”

  “You’re right, and too beautiful to be an accountant.” He tugged on her hands, trying to pull her closer.

  “Jon, go have lunch with your father.” This time, she tugged on his hands, moving him toward the door. As she pushed it open for him, Jennifer Waggoner came to the door.

  “Tori? Hi. Are you going to lunch?” Jennifer called out, smiling at Jon even though she spoke to Tori.

  “No, but Jon is. Would you like to join him? You met Jon’s father yesterday, didn’t you?” Tori asked, feeling she was babbling. But she was glad to have Jennifer take her place. She needed something to stop the growing hunger she felt for Jon Wilson. Had that been why the minutes in his arms had felt so right, so perfect, when they’d scarcely spent time together?

  “Why, thank you. I’d love to.” Jennifer slipped her hand through Jon’s arm as if he were escorting her, which made Tori happy, she promised herself. She tried to ignore the protest that rose in her, No, he’s mine! But she’d told everyone he wasn’t.

  WHEN THEY REACHED the café, Jon discovered Jessica and Bill already in a four-person booth. As if she were shocked, Jennifer said, “Oh, I didn’t realize—Jon, why don’t you and I take one of those two-people booths over there, so they won’t have to move. You don’t mind, do you?”

  Jon had no intention of having a private lunch with Jennifer. He said, “I’d like to have lunch with my dad. He’ll have to go back soon.” He knew Jennifer had been trying to cut him out of the herd as neatly as the most talented cowboy. It wasn’t the first time. When she pouted at his refusal, he shrugged his shoulders.

  After they sat down, Jessica asked, “Bill, you met Jennifer last night, didn’t you?”

  Bill greeted her politely, but he sent a questioning look at Jon that Jon tried to ignore. He’d have to explain later.

  Jessica then asked, “Where’s Tori?”

  “She decided to stay and work. She wants you to bring her a salad.”

  “Sure, in fact, I think I’ll order my food to go, too. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Jessica said, smiling at Bill. “You don’t mind, do you, Bill?”

  “No, of course not, but—I guess I’ll see you later.”

  Even as Jessica slid out of the booth, Jon stared at his father. “Uh, Dad, we’ll go explore this afternoon, if you want. Tori and Jessica really do have a lot of work to do.”

  “Oh, I’ll go with you!” Jennifer suggested.

  “You don’t have to work?” Jon asked, frowning. He didn’t want to deal with Jennifer all afternoon.

  “Sarah won’t mind. She likes to work,” Jennifer assured him with a smile.

  “Well, you two go exploring if you want. I was thinking about taking a nap this afternoon. I don’t usually have the chance to do that.”

  Jon stared at his father again. He’d never heard his father talk about taking naps. Was he aging more than Jon had thought? “Are you feeling all right, Dad? I can give you a checkup if you want.”

  “An afternoon of looking around might be too much for him, Jon. I can show you everything and you can take him another day.” Jennifer looked at him in anticipation.

  She sounded more insistent than Jon liked. “No, Jennifer, we’d better not go today. Thanks for the offer, but—”

  “I know. You’re too busy. I’m beginning to get the message. In fact, I think I’ll go without lunch, if you don’t mind. Please let me out.”

  Jon stood. After Jennifer had huffed her way from the restaurant, Jon sat down again. “Looks like it’s just you and me, Dad.”

  Bill nodded. “Jennifer’s a pretty woman.”

  “Yeah, but Tori’s prettier.”

  Bill sighed. “I’m glad to hear it. Jennifer is flashier, but Tori has a bigger heart.”

  “You were fast to pick up on that. I didn’t see her heart at first. I saw the blond hair, her petite build, and thought she was like Mom.”

  “Your mom wasn’t all bad, but I’ll admit she got rather difficult toward the end.”

  With a sigh, Jon said, “That’s an understatement.”

  “So, do you and Tori have an agreement?”

  Jon shrugged his shoulders. “I wish.”

  “Don’t worry son. I’m sure it will work out.”

  WHEN JON LEFT the clinic that afternoon, he felt guilty about working a full day while his father sat at home. Tomorrow was Saturday. He’d take his father and drive toward the mountains.

  He got to his apartment only to find it empty. He assumed his father was walking around town. He walked a lot in Chicago. Instead of going to look for him, he changed into jeans and a shirt, fixed himself a cup of caffeine-free coffee and sat down at the table, thinking about Tori. It had been a week since the trip up into the mountains. He had another week to wait until he’d have to insist Tori take a pregnancy test.

  After a week of trying to grow closer to her, he knew he’d made a little progress. But that only created a problem. The closer he got, the closer he wanted to get. The woman was incredible in looks, in intelligence, in sweetness, in sexiness—whoa! There was his problem. He wanted her. He was beginning to think he wanted her for all time.

  He was shocked at that thought. He felt a second shock when he realized
he didn’t want to leave Rawhide. The fresh air, the friendliness of the people, the sense of space, all impressed him, without even counting in Tori’s presence. And he’d admit that being the only doctor for the town, even with Doc Jacoby still around, was flattering.

  He felt as if he was already a part of the fabric of life in Rawhide. He was looking forward to the party at the Randalls. They had done a lot for him.

  Thinking back to his arrival, determined to keep a distance from everyone, expecting his belongings to be stolen, he’d been a real pain. Yet everyone had been so good to him. And continued to be.

  His dad should get to know everyone. He’d really love it here. If he had something to do. He was too young to retire. Maybe he’d like to work at the feed and general store. Would he like that? Today, when he’d offered to take off work early, his father had said he was looking forward to a nap.

  Maybe his father was more tired than he realized.

  Maybe a grandchild would make him younger.

  A smile played around Jon’s mouth as he thought of petite Tori big with his child. He realized how much he wanted her to be pregnant. But he didn’t want her to marry him for the sake of the child. He wanted Tori’s love.

  But he’d also committed himself to his father.

  Rawhide, Wyoming, was a great place to live…if he could talk his father into moving Aunt Tabitha here. He’d have to talk to him about that possibility.

  The apartment door opened and his father came in, freezing when he saw his son. “Oh! You’re home.”

  Jon frowned. “Yeah. Where have you been?”

  “Oh. Around. This is a nice town.”

  “I was just thinking that. I thought I’d hate it, but—you’re right. It’s a nice town.”

  “It’s even better with Tori here,” Bill added, beaming at him.

  Jon couldn’t hold back a grin. “Yeah.”

  “So when are you going to marry?”

  “Uh, I told you, Dad. We haven’t discussed it yet. You wouldn’t object to my marrying her?”

  “Hell, no. She’s a sweetheart. And sharp! She showed me the software, you know. It’s great. They could sell that program and make a fortune.”