by Lauren Canan
She poured a cup of coffee and headed back outside to the far end of the building where there were four pipe-and-cable pens. Inside two of the pens were two mares that were due to be picked up today. They were recovering from founder brought on by too much spring grass. Some horses could handle it. Some couldn’t. But both mares were looking good, back on their feed and ready to go home. And with no boarders scheduled, the clinic would be closed.
It was shaping up to be a perfect weekend. She could make it to the Kite Festival and enjoy the afternoon with Emma. And then Sunday maybe she and Chance could go riding. Just as she stepped back inside the building, the little bell over the front door chimed and she welcomed the first appointment of the day.
* * *
Following the curving road through the trees, Holly slowed the truck as she neared the parking area for the Calico Springs County Lake. It wasn’t a huge lake, but covering several hundred acres, it was big enough for skiing and fishing tournaments. Its ever-growing popularity attracted families from Dallas on summer holiday. They had recently added more camping grounds and additional shower facilities. She found a parking spot and hopped down from the truck. Kites in every shape, size and color filled the sky. Amanda said they would be near the B section of the campgrounds and Holly headed in that direction.
A lot of the people brought their own food. Ice chests and containers of various sizes filled every available space on the picnic tables and lined the brightly colored quilts that had been spread out over the green grass. The aroma of hickory and mesquite wood filled the air as people grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. There was face painting, and vendors sold an array of food and sweet temptations along with lemonade, souvenirs and, of course, hundreds of kites and plenty of cords of string to fly them.
Holly caught sight of Emma as Amanda knelt before her holding a pink kite. Jogging over to them, Holly swung Emma into her arms, giving her a big kiss that made her giggle. Emma pointed to the colorful paper birdies in the sky and couldn’t contain a squeal of excitement before Holly put her down. Taking her hand, they made their way through the crowd toward a grassy knoll that bordered the lake. Amanda held a pink kite and a spool of string while Holly attempted to tell Emma what they were going to do with it. The baby’s eyes were wide as she sucked on her first finger and looked at the sky.
“Kite,” Emma said, pointing to the object in Amanda’s hands.
“Yeah. That’s right.” Holly grinned. “It’s a pink kite, isn’t it?”
“Pekite.”
“Are we going to fly it up in the sky?” She pointed up at all the other kites, bobbing and twirling on the breeze.
“Fye!” And Emma pointed up, mimicking Holly’s actions.
“Okay, you guys ready for the launch?” Amanda asked as she held the kite over her head and let out some string. “Here we go.”
With near perfection, the kite caught the wind and took off, rising as fast as Amanda could let out the string. Emma laughed and pointed to the kite. “Pekite.”
“Are you ready?” Amanda asked.
“Ready for what?”
“Blake Lufkin just spotted you.” She nodded her head in a direction just behind Holly. “Yep. Here he comes.”
Holly closed her eyes. Why wouldn’t the man take no and just find someone else? “Wonder what he wants now.”
“If I had a guess it would be that he’s going to ask you to go to the rodeo. Isn’t that coming up in a few weeks?”
Holly shook her head. “I’ve got to work. They’re setting up a tent for me next to Doc Hardy.”
“I wouldn’t tell Blake or you’ll have company all night.”
“Pekite.” Emma pointed to the water. Holly looked in that direction and saw the kite floating precariously close to the lake’s surface.
“Uh-oh,” Amanda said to Emma before running hard in the opposite direction. The kite hesitated, dipping even lower before a gust of wind sent it soaring again. Amanda returned to where Holly stood, still laughing.
“I want to go back to the couch, the air-conditioning and the TV,” Amanda said. “Too much exercise for this girl. Oh. Here he comes. Think I’m gonna go and find something cool to drink.” She shoved the cord of string toward Holly’s hands.
“No. Amanda, pull the kite in. We’re all leaving.” Crap.
“Hey, Holly,” Blake said in his annoying nasal tone as he stepped up next to her.
“Hi, Blake.” Holly forced a smile at the cowboy. “How are you today?”
“Good, thanks. I just got off work. Thought I might find you here.”
Holly nodded. He might be a nice guy, but there was nothing appealing about him. Over the past few months, it had started to become a problem. He would show up at the clinic, materialize in the aisle of the grocery store, even come walking into the dry cleaners, offering to carry her clothes. Every time he’d asked her out, she’d turned him down. There was nothing about him that she wanted to know better. She thought by now he would have taken the hint.
“Pekite,” Emma told the strange man and pointed up.
“Yeah. That’s a fine kite.” He grinned at Emma. “Here, let me take that string for you, Amanda.”
“No. Really. That’s okay.” She gripped the cardboard a little harder. “We were just leaving.”
“Then, let me reel it in for you.”
Holly switched the baby to her other arm and watched as Blake took over the honor of official kite reeler and waited for the inevitable question to come. Amanda made her escape.
Where was Chance when she needed him?
* * *
If someone had told him to go fly a kite with even a small degree of seriousness, Chance would have thought they were crazy. He’d honestly never seen a sight like this. Kites everywhere. The vividly colored paper contraptions with long tails flying against the stark blue sky, all reflected in the serene surface of the water, were such a contrast to what he’d become used to for over a decade, he couldn’t quite get his head around it. There was color everywhere. It was like waking in the Land of Oz.
He’d been told in town that Derek Brown, a longtime friend, would be out at the lake. Chance decided to track him down, wondering at the same time if he would know him if he saw him. They’d told him to look for a silver Ford truck with spurs hanging from the rearview mirror. It would most likely have a boat trailer attached. Or a red fishing boat, if the crappie weren’t biting. The guy who’d given these directions had failed to mention the Kite Festival.
As Chance made his way through the maze of erratically parked cars and trucks, he kept his eyes out for anyone who looked somewhat like Derek.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” A voice behind him sounded very familiar.
Turning, Chance looked into Derek’s familiar face as he stepped from behind a tree. He hadn’t changed. Not one damned bit.
“How’re you doing, my man?” He pulled Chance to him in a manly hug of friendship. After a couple of slaps on the back, Derek stepped back and just looked at his old friend.
“When did you get in?”
“Yesterday.”
“I’m sure sorry about your father.”
“Thanks.”
“So how long are you here?”
“I’m not really sure. Maybe a month.”
As they continued to talk and catch up on what had transpired since the last time they had been together, a flashing motion a few yards behind Derek caught Chance’s eye. A woman’s long blond hair had come lose from its stretch band and she was struggling to hold it back with one hand while holding her baby in the other. It was a small family: a man trying to reel in a kite, a baby laughing in the arms of its mother.
Nothing unusual. Except the mother looked a lot like Holly.
Chance refocused on Derek, nodded at what he was saying—something about hi
s eldest son—then gazed again at the couple. The woman had turned and was pointing up to the kite, her face now clearly in Chance’s field of vision. It was Holly. Who was the guy? More important, whose baby was she holding? They looked like the typical happy family. Holly hadn’t said anything about being married. In fact she said she didn’t have a boyfriend. So who was flying her kite? About then she looked in his direction and made eye contact.
He once again focused on Derek. It was none of his business whom Holly saw or what she did in her life. He had no right to even speculate. He refused to acknowledge the feeling of his stomach plummeting to his knees.
“If you have time,” Derek was saying, “I’d like you to meet my family.”
“I’d like that,” Chance told him honestly. He needed to be someplace else. Anyplace else. “Are they here?”
“Yep. My wife—you may remember Mary Beth Carter? She’s grilling some burgers as we speak. Have you had lunch? There’s one with your name on it.”
Chance nodded. “That sounds good. If you’re sure she won’t mind.”
“She’ll be tickled to see you. It’s just over this way.”
Chance would enjoy spending some time with the friend he’d come to see. And he would not give Holly a second thought. He could keep his eyes on the ball during a reconnaissance mission where he led his team deep into the heart of enemy territory time and time again. He should have no problem focusing on lunch with one of his good friends.
But by the third time Derek asked him if he’d heard what he’d said, Chance knew it was time to give it up. He shook Derek’s hand, nodded to his wife and thanked her for the great meal, promising Derek they would get together again before he left. He apologized for his inability to focus, blaming it on jet lag. As he walked back to the parking area, he couldn’t prevent his eyes from roaming once more to the spot where Holly stood.
“Are you Chance Masters?” A pretty brunette with her hair pulled into pigtails grabbed his arm.
Frowning, Chance nodded. “How can I help you?”
“Not me, Holly. I’m Amanda, her best friend and part-time babysitter. I was there last night watching TV when you brought her home? Anyway, I’ll explain all that later, or she can. Right now I need you to walk over to her and tell her it’s time to go.” She spoke fast, but he understood everything she said.
Chance frowned at the odd request. “Why would I do that?”
“Because that creepy guy won’t leave her alone.”
She grabbed his shirtsleeve and forcibly turned him around. There was Holly, a baby still in her arms. She was reaching out to take a kite from the man, who didn’t appear to want to relinquish it.
“Got it?” the brunette asked from just behind him.
“Got it.”
“Tell Holly I’ll see her back at the house.” She beat a path toward the main parking area.
As Chance stepped forward, Holly had apparently given up on retrieving the kite and was walking toward the parking lot at a swift pace, frustration and a hint of anger covering her face. The man she’d been talking to was trailing behind. Chance changed course, which put him directly in her path. She appeared shocked to see him there but immediately smiled in relief.
“You two look like you’ve had a good time.”
“Gootine.”
This one would be talking Holly’s ear off in a matter of weeks.
“Pekite.” The baby pointed to the kite in the man’s hand.
“Yep.” Chance nodded. “That’s definitely one pink kite.”
“Fye!” Emma pointed to the clouds.
“What brings you out to Kite Day?” Holly smiled up at him. He clearly read the silent message of “don’t leave us” in her eyes.
Chance glanced at his watch. “Did you forget you asked me to pick you up at three?”
That brought a full grin. “Oh! I did! I totally forgot.”
The man who’d been standing behind them stepped up next to Holly. He didn’t look happy. He wore a Western hat, had a short beard, thin nose and narrow, glaring eyes. He was shorter than Chance but a good fifty pounds heavier, most of it around the waist.
“Oh, sorry,” Holly said. “Blake, this is US Naval Commander Chance Masters. Chance, Blake, ah...Lufkin.”
Chance offered his hand to the man. He seemed to consider his options before he accepted it, apparently deciding that to refuse in front of Holly would not be wise. As first impressions went, Chance didn’t like the guy. Holly’s friend had been right. Something about him felt off. Holly seemed determined to leave his company. Hell, Chance would help her with that in a heartbeat.
“Are you guys ready to go home?”
“Yes,” she responded immediately. “It’s been a long day.”
“Why don’t you let me take you home?” Blake asked, his hand rubbing her back with a familiarity that suggested it was something he did all the time. “We could run into town and grab an early dinner?”
“Uh, thanks,” Holly said and moved away from his touch to stand next to Chance. “But actually I’m not hungry.”
Holly was being way too polite. Chance slid his arm around her shoulders, giving her a kiss on the temple. “I’m parked right over here, sweetheart.” Chance pointed in the opposite direction. “I’ll take their kite off your hands.”
When Chance grabbed the kite, the man didn’t immediately release it. Chance didn’t really care how he retrieved the baby’s kite. The man could hand it to him from flat on his back, or save himself a whole lot of trouble. But after staring at Chance a few more seconds, he did the wise thing and let go, dropping his hand.
Holly wished Blake a good evening. He returned a stiff smile, clearly not happy Chance had interfered with whatever he had planned. Chance understood all too well. The man was a parasite, thinking Holly was alone and vulnerable, which only proved that the guy didn’t know Holly at all. She might be alone, but vulnerable wasn’t in her vocabulary.
He opened the back door of his truck and set the kite on the seat. He didn’t have a baby seat. It wasn’t something he’d ever needed. Holly hopped up into the passenger side and set Emma on her lap, drawing the seat belt around both of them.
Chance got in behind the wheel and started the engine, still watching as the man walked off, finally disappearing amid the trees and parked cars.
“So spill,” Chance said. “What’s the deal with that guy?”
“I don’t really know.” She shrugged. “He moved here sometime last year. He came into the clinic for some flea and tick meds. The next thing I know he’s showing up almost everywhere I go.”
“He’s asked you out?”
“Yeah. Like today. I’ve never accepted. The last time, I was pretty blunt. And I lied. I told him there was someone else in my life and I would not accept any invitations from him or anyone else.” Holly took a deep breath. “I was afraid for a while I’d hurt his feelings and felt really bad about it, but two weeks later, here we go again. Small town. Guess it wasn’t that hard to find out the truth. There is just something about him that makes me very uncomfortable.”
“Has he ever threatened you?”
“No. Nothing like that. He’s always polite. But...he’s pushy. And he gets in my personal space.” She shuddered. “I just wish he would go away. Go hit on somebody else.”
Chance put the transmission in Drive. He would ensure Holly’s wishes were met. No woman should have to deal with a stalker. He glanced at the baby in Holly’s arms. “You haven’t introduced me.” He looked back at Holly. “Is she yours?”
That brought an immediate smile. “I thought you knew. This is Emma.”
Obviously some things had definitely changed around here. Holly was a mother. And no one had thought it important enough to share that little tidbit of information?
Chance turned the truck
toward the exit and the road that would take them back to the ranch.
“I’ll send a ranch hand back for your truck, if that’s okay. I’d prefer to make sure you both get home safely.”
“Thank you, Chance.”
He couldn’t help but speculate about the father of the baby. Holly didn’t wear a wedding ring, and although they hadn’t had a chance to talk very much, surely she would not have come out to the barn and snuggled up next to him if she had a husband waiting at home.
A baby. Yet Holly still had that air of innocence. Obviously he was reading her wrong. Way wrong. Between her natural beauty and the fact she had a child, she couldn’t be all that naive. Obviously there was a man in her life or had been at some point. These days, women didn’t need a wedding ring on their finger to have a child. Some preferred it that way. He knew plenty of women, both in the military and not, who had one or more kids. Most said they neither wanted nor needed a man to complicate their life. He respected them even though he tended to be from the old school. Of the three Masters sons, he’d been the one closest to his mother and consequently had been raised with her principles. Old family values he’d never had reason to question. But in today’s world, those ideas were outdated.
Chance’s life didn’t make it easy to have a permanent girlfriend or a wife, although some in his platoon were married and, at least on the outside, appeared to make it work. He liked his life the way it was. He was responsible only to himself and during a mission, the safety of his team. Kids were not something he wanted to be around, let alone be responsible for. Generally a baby was not something that put a smile on his face. They were a constant reminder of just how narrow the line between life and death was. They made him see the hopelessness of ever having peace in this world. He needed to stay away from Holly anyway, out of respect. A baby might just be the ticket to ensure he kept his distance.
Five
Sunday morning Holly finished feeding Emma her breakfast of oatmeal and juice, then set her down on a pallet to play with her five-note legless piano, her favorite toy.
“Aren’t you late for your date?” Amanda asked as she refilled her coffee cup. “It’s after eight o’clock.”