The Barefoot Summer

by Carolyn Brown

“Sometimes anything isn’t a bit better than nothing,” Kate said.

  “Hindsight.” Jamie chuckled.

  “My two cents—you should apply for the job,” Kate said. “If they hire you, then it was meant to be. If they don’t, you won’t have regrets later. And you need to get in touch with Social Security. I think Gracie is entitled to some benefits. You could put it in a trust fund for her college if you are too proud to use the money to make her life easier.”

  “I never even thought of that,” Jamie said. “And I’m not crazy. Moving here would be an adjustment, going from the big city to Bootleg, from being a team of teachers for any given grade to being the single third-grade teacher in the whole elementary school.”

  “It’ll be a tough decision, but only you can make it,” Kate agreed.

  Jamie smiled. “It would be great if we were little kids and our parents still made our decisions, right, Kate?”

  “Hell, no!” Amanda yelped. “I wouldn’t want my mother to make a single decision for me.”

  “For me, this is only a summer thing, not a lifetime change. At the end of my vacation time, I’ll put on my high heels and go back to work,” Kate said. “And Amanda’s right. I don’t want my mother making decisions for me, either.”

  “What do your shoes have to do with anything?” Jamie asked.

  Kate pointed to her toes. “Think about it.”

  “Symbolism,” Amanda said with a big grin. “Even if we fight and even if we hate the one who gets the cabin, maybe we will see this as being the summer we shed our fears as well as our shoes?”

  Kate yawned again. “And on that philosophical note, this tired woman is going to bed.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  When Amanda was bored she baked—cookies and yeast breads were her two specialties. That Wednesday morning she was almost to the point of being so tired of doing nothing that she was ready to go back to Wichita Falls and go to work again. She opened the pantry doors to find all the makings for chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and snickerdoodles. In thirty minutes the house smelled like the cinnamon and sugar topping on snickerdoodles and she was stirring up the dough for a double batch of peanut butter.

  At noon when Jamie and Gracie got home, the little girl did a happy jig in the middle of the floor when she saw several containers filled with various kinds of cookies. She wrapped her little arms around Amanda’s big belly. “I really do love you. I like made cookies better than them you get at the store.”

  “Homemade,” Jamie whispered.

  “So do I.” Amanda hugged her back. “After you have lunch, we’ll have some with milk for dessert.”

  “Yay.” Gracie clapped her hands.

  “Jamie, I would be glad to babysit her some mornings. That way you wouldn’t have to wake her so early and I’d have some company,” Amanda offered.

  “Man, you must be lonely.” Jamie laughed.

  “Since I was thirteen, I’ve had a job of some kind. I’m not used to time on my hands,” Amanda said.

  “Please, Mama! Amanda could teach me how to make made cookies.” Gracie wiggled in anticipation.

  “We’ll talk about it later,” Jamie answered. “Right now, we’re going to have sandwiches and tomato soup. But thank you for the offer, Amanda.”

  “And then we’ll eat cookies.” Gracie pumped her fist in the air.

  “I promise”—Amanda grinned—“that I won’t let her watch a single episode of Sister Wives.”

  By midafternoon, dark clouds had begun to gather in the southwest. The weatherman had predicted rain by four, and it looked like he might be right on the nose. Waylon shielded his eyes with his hand and hoped his crew could get what hay was down and baled into the barns before the storm hit. The wind picked up right after three, when Kate drove her last truckload into the barn. The boys unloaded and stacked it while she went to the bathroom.

  “Hey, looks like we might have an early supper tonight,” Waylon yelled over the sounds of the first big drops hitting the tin roof.

  “I’m going to drive that truck right there as close to my car as I can get it and I’m going home tonight,” she said.

  “What’d I do to make you mad?” Waylon teased.

  “Not one thing, but I haven’t seen Gracie since Sunday. She leaves before I get up and she’s in bed when I get home. I miss her,” Kate answered.

  “And her mother and the other wife?”

  “They could leave and never come back. But Gracie is a different matter. I’d give Jamie a million dollars for her if she’d sell her to me.”

  Waylon made a big show of sticking his fingers in his ears. “I can’t hear this. That’s human trafficking and against the law.”

  Of all the things that Waylon admired about Kate, her compassion topped the list. Well, maybe right after the way she felt in his arms when he kissed her. He’d thought that kind of emotion was only for those crazy love stories that women read.

  “Then don’t hear it,” she said as she crawled back into the truck when it was unloaded.

  He quickly rounded the front end and got into the passenger’s seat. “I’ll ride back to the house with you. The wind coming off the rain could have some hail behind it. I don’t want to have to run between the hailstones.”

  “What happens tomorrow?” she asked.

  “With us? With the investigation? With what?”

  “The hay fields? There is no us, and you can’t discuss the investigation.”

  “This is the second cutting. We’ll wait a few weeks and hope for a third one. You ever driven a tractor?” Waylon asked. “Or walked a fence line?”

  “No, but I can learn,” she answered.

  “Then if it’s not raining in the morning, show up about eight o’clock and we’ll figure out another job for you,” he said.

  “I’ll be here.” She parked the truck next to her car.

  Waylon’s gaze caught hers across the seat. “I like working with you.”

  “I like working at something that doesn’t require me to think about numbers of barrels, the price of crude, and whether to have enough faith in my geologists to drill in virgin territory.” She smiled.

  “Wait right there.” Waylon jumped out of his side, raced around the truck, opened her door, and scooped her up like a bride. He liked the way she felt in his arms, with her head next to his chest and giggles bubbling up from her body at the bouncing as he ran to the driver’s door and settled her into the seat.

  “Wouldn’t want you to get your feet all muddy,” he said.

  “You could have laid your coat across the puddles,” she teased.

  “Ain’t wearin’ one.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Enjoy your evening with Gracie.”

  “You know I will,” Kate said.

  Waylon slammed the door and waved until he couldn’t see the taillights of her car anymore. Then he two-stepped with an imaginary Kate all the way to the house, rain pouring down on him the whole time.

  Kate drove slowly so she could savor what had just happened. She hadn’t had so much fun since—she couldn’t remember when she’d been so carefree or said what she thought. She liked working at the ranch and flirting with Waylon. She loved the way his kisses sent tingles all the way to her toes and how he was so impulsive. Who else would pick her up and run through mud puddles with her? She was still living in that aura when she got to the cabin and slung open the door.

  Gracie wrapped her arms around Kate and hugged tightly. “You’re home! I missed you. Amanda made cookies and they are so good. Do you want one?”

  “You know I do, but I could sure use a big juicy hamburger first. Let’s all go to the Dairy Queen for supper. My treat.”

  The little girl backed off a step and looked up into Kate’s eyes. “I love you, Kate. I’ve been wanting a hamburger all day long.”

  Kate wasn’t sure at that very second whether Waylon’s attention or Gracie’s meant more to her. That sweetheart of a child could sure put a smile on a person’s face.
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br />   “I thought you loved me and wanted cookies,” Amanda said.

  “I got enough love for everyone and I can want hamburgers and cookies,” Gracie said.

  “Well, then, if you’ll give me fifteen minutes to get cleaned up and it’s all right with your mama, we’ll go to Seymour for burgers.” Kate walked on air the whole way to the bathroom.

  “Can we take Mama and Amanda with us?” Gracie asked.

  “Of course,” Kate answered.

  “I’m in,” Amanda said quickly.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice,” Jamie said.

  The rain was still coming on strong when they left Bootleg, but by the time they reached the Dairy Queen in Seymour, it had slacked off to a drizzle. Gracie was the first out of the car and ran right through puddles to the door, which she held open for the women.

  “I miss that,” Amanda said as gingerly made her way to the café.

  “What? Running through puddles?” Kate asked.

  “Skipping. Giggling. Puddles. All of it. I want that for my baby when he gets here. But right now I’m so hungry for a double-meat bacon burger and a double order of fries that I’ll just think about that.”

  “Amen!” Jamie said.

  Gracie went ahead of them to the order counter, stared up at the menu, and pointed at the pictures. Amanda was right behind her, so she answered Gracie’s questions about hamburgers versus tacos or chicken strips.

  “Gracie!” Lisa yelled from across the store.

  “Lisa! Look, Mama, Lisa is here. Can we sit together?”

  “She’s with her dad, and this is Kate’s party,” Jamie said.

  “Will you ask if she can sit with us, Kate?” Gracie’s big brown eyes begged.

  “Sure, I will. Give me that burger buster basket, a medium drink, and a chocolate malt,” she ordered before she steered Gracie toward Paul and his daughter.

  Paul pushed back his chair and stood up. “Hey, you’re Kate, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I am. We weren’t formally introduced when you came to get the bed.” She held out her hand.

  He shook it firmly and then let it go. Nothing in his touch made her blush like Jamie did when he was close by.

  “Gracie wants to know if Lisa can sit with us. We’ll be at that table right there.” Kate pointed to a nearby one.

  “No problem. As soon as her food arrives I’ll bring it right over.”

  “Thank you. Want to go with me now, Lisa?” Kate asked.

  “Is it all right, Daddy?” Lisa asked.

  “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll wait for you right here. We’re in no big rush.” Paul smiled.

  Lisa put her hand in Kate’s, and her short little legs did double time to keep up with Kate’s long strides.

  “Lisa, who are your friends?” the lady behind the counter asked.

  “This is Gracie and that is her mama.” Lisa pointed to Jamie. “And the tall one is Kate and the fat one is Amanda.”

  “I’m sorry.” Jamie blushed.

  “No need. She’s just saying out loud what I feel like.” Amanda waved off the apology. “Have you decided what you want, Gracie?”

  “What did you get?” Gracie asked Lisa.

  “A hamburger and fries and the coupon for a free ice cream cone,” Lisa answered.

  “We get ice cream, too?” Gracie’s brown eyes popped wide open.

  “Yes, you do. It’s on the side of your kid’s meal bag. Is that what you want, Miz Gracie?” the lady asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. Mama, I want to come here every payday if we get free ice cream,” Gracie said.

  “Sounds like a plan to me.” Jamie smiled. “I’ll have a cheeseburger basket with a side of onion rings and a large drink.”

  “And for you?” the woman asked Amanda.

  “The left side of the menu to start with, and then we’ll go from there,” she answered. “I’ll have the double-meat bacon burger, double fries, a large drink, and a large chocolate malt with double malt and no whipped cream.”

  “Y’all sit anywhere you want and I’ll bring your food out soon as it’s ready.” She set five cups on the counter. “Help yourself to the soda fountain, and you girls don’t forget your ice cream.”

  “Never.” Lisa grinned. “Miz Jamie, can me and Gracie sit in a booth all by ourselves?”

  “As long as your dad and I can see you,” Jamie agreed. “What do you girls want to drink?”

  “Orange,” Lisa said.

  “Me, too,” Gracie chimed in.

  Kate remembered the days when orange or grape were her choice of soda. That was when her father took her for a burger on Sunday evenings—not every week, but when he did, it was a big treat.

  “Can we please take that table over there rather than a booth?” Amanda picked up her cup and headed for the soda fountain. “Booths don’t offer much wiggle room.”

  “I remember those days very well,” Jamie said. “I felt like an elephant.”

  “Was Conrad there with you?” Amanda filled her cup and headed for the nearest table. “This one okay with y’all?”

  “Fine with me,” Kate answered, more than a little jealous that they’d both have a child, even if it was by Conrad.

  Jamie set her cup to the side and carried drinks to the little girls. Then she went back and took care of her own drink and sat down at the table with Kate and Amanda. “To answer your question, out of the nine months, I saw him eight weeks. He just happened to be home on the night she was born and was there the next day when we took her home. But on the following day, he left for a week. Of course, he was sad, but he had to work and his import-export business was just getting off the ground in those days,” Jamie said sarcastically.

  “So you were basically a single mom, too,” Amanda said.

  “Oh, yeah! Kate, just how long was he in this business, anyway?” Jamie asked.

  “I’d guess about eight years, so he might have even told the truth when he said the business was just getting off the ground. Before that, he sold cars, put in his own little used car lot for a while, and did a couple of other things. By then I didn’t care and refused to finance his schemes.” The only thing that she had cared about then and right up to that very moment was the fact that her child had not lived. And that evening, watching those two little girls whisper and giggle, made the ache in her heart even more painful.

  The lady took the little girls’ food to them first. Then she went back to the kitchen and returned with a tray laden with their food. “Enjoy! Tonight the peanut parfait sundae is on sale for half price.”

  “Thank you.” Kate smiled.

  “And if y’all need anything, just holler.”

  “So.” Amanda picked up her burger and folded the paper back. “What is happening tomorrow? Does this weather make a difference in either of your jobs?”

  “Not mine,” Jamie said. “If you were serious about watching Gracie, I’m going to take you up on it one day a week just to give her a break.”

  “And you?” Amanda glanced at Kate.

  “I’m going to the Double Back Ranch to learn how to drive a tractor or walk a fence line if it’s not raining,” Kate answered. “I’ve never worked outside before, and I kind of like it.”

  “So if you wind up with the cabin, maybe Waylon will hire you every summer,” Jamie said.

  This would be a good time to tell them about the letters, the voice in her head said. Not when things are going so smooth. It’s going to cause another argument, and I want this evening to be nice—for Gracie. She doesn’t need to ride home in a tense car with three angry women.

  “That’s still being checked on,” Kate said quickly. “How about you, Amanda? You got any desire to make a move to Bootleg?”

  “Well, I called the bank here in town and talked to the president. He says there could possibly be an opening about Thanksgiving. One of his tellers is retiring. Baby is due the first of September, six weeks to recover after that, so it would work out fairly well.”

  “What about your st
ore?” Jamie asked.

  “Wanda would buy out my half in a heartbeat. I can put in my application and still have lots of time to think about it,” Amanda said without hesitation.

  “I can’t believe we’re talking about moving here. Do you realize that Conrad’s been gone only a couple of weeks?” Jamie squirted ketchup from a dispenser onto her fries. “Kate, you look as if you are seeing angels floating down from heaven. What on earth is out that window that’s mesmerizing you?”

  “I’m not looking out the window. I was watching Gracie and Lisa. They are adorable. And about Conrad—maybe he’s only been dead two weeks by the clock, but if we’re all honest, he’s been dead a lot longer than that, right?” Kate said.

  “Would you ever think of leaving your big, fancy job and moving to a place like Bootleg?” Amanda asked.

  “I’d never leave my business behind, but if I had a daughter like you have, I might reconsider everything.”

  “Never say never,” Jamie quipped.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Amanda was so antsy that she decided to bake again all morning on Thursday. She rationalized making more by saying that she would take two large platters of cookies to the church for the potluck. Gracie was delighted to sit at the table and help stir, mix, and sample the broken ones as they came out of the oven.

  “I like cookin’,” Gracie said. “Because I get to eat the mistakes.”

  “I like it because it helps keep my hands busy. We’ll have to think of something for lunch for your mama, though, other than cookies.”

  “Why?” Gracie giggled.

  “How about toasted cheese sandwiches and some noodle soup?”

  “Yes!” Gracie pumped her fist in the air. “And cookies and milk for dessert like yesterday.”

  “You got it, kiddo! Well, I’ll be . . . danged.” Amanda caught the cussword before it left her mouth.

  “What? Another broken one?” Gracie asked.

  “No, I think I’m nesting. I cleaned my room this morning and put away all the little boy things that Aunt Ellie brought when she delivered the bed and bassinet.”

  “Amanda, why is it a bad thing that my daddy married all of you?”