Reunited with the Bull Rider

by Christine Wenger

  Getting out of the car, they walked to the entrance of the rehab center.

  “I agree, so let’s stop talking about it.”

  They signed in and went to his father’s room. “Dad. Hey, Dad.” Reed stuck his head inside the door of the room. “You decent? I have a lady with me.”

  “Yeah, I’m decent. Come in.”

  Callie wasn’t prepared to see Big Dan Beaumont. The once exuberant and hearty man looked thin and pale. His once booming voice was raspy, as if it pained him to speak.

  He stood to shake Reed’s hand. He might have still been six foot something, but now he hunched over as if sorrow had an actual weight.

  “And this is Callie Wainright? It’s been a long time, Callie, but you still look as beautiful as a flower garden.” He motioned for them to sit on the small couch.

  She smiled. “And you’re still a charmer, Mr. Beaumont.”

  “That’s what some of the nurses and the counselors say. So does Matty Matthews.”

  Reed turned to Callie. “Matty was in the same grade as my brother. The two of them were stars on the high school rodeo team.

  “I know him, Reed. Remember, I haven’t left Beaumont.”

  Reed raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I certainly know that.”

  “And I know Matty.”

  “Dad, are you off probation now?”

  Big Dan shook his head. “No. I still owe probation more time due to my violations. I admitted that I snuck out of rehab a couple of times and there was a little drinking on my part—just a little. Another arrest for disorderly conduct, maybe two. I’ll have to check, but I think I owe them another year.”

  “You can do that standing on your head, Dad.”

  “I won’t be standing on my head, but I am going to the gym. I like the gym down the block. And I’d like Callie to find me a good cook—a really good cook. I need to gain some weight. I look like a scarecrow.”

  Reed shook his head. “Why don’t you move back to the ranch? Your old room is repaired. You’d never know that Hurricane Daphne did anything to the house. Besides, I can cook now that I’ve learned how to make a meal from the fridge.”

  “I really am excited to be getting out of here and going back to my apartment. And, Reed, remember that it’s not my ranch anymore—it belongs to you boys since you bought it at the tax auction. I don’t want to move back there. That’s why I got an apartment, far away from the ranch.” He lowered his head and Callie could see that his eyes were misty. “There are too many memories of your mother there.”

  “I wish the ranch comforted you, Dad. I have wonderful memories of every square inch of the place that Mom was in. I know she loved us, loved you.”

  He nodded. “I know, and I’m working up enough guts to move back there, but until then, I’m keeping my apartment in town.”

  Reed sat quietly for a while then he shifted on the couch. “Hey, Dad, did you see me on TV yesterday doing a cooking show?”

  “I saw you,” Big Dan said. “In fact, the whole place gathered around the TV to watch. You weren’t bad at all.” He turned to Callie, “Speaking of cooking. Callie, I’d like you to stop over at Margie Proctor’s place. She’s a good cook and, wow, can she bake!”

  Big Dan’s face brightened and Callie suspected that he had more of an interest in Margie Proctor’s company than in her cooking. Or maybe it was a little of both. Margie had been a widow for decades, and she was a nurse at Beaumont Hospital. Callie wondered if they’d connected when Big Dan was there last year. If they were happy in each other’s company, then congratulations to them both.

  She’d like to experience the inner glow that Big Dan had fleetingly showed. Sure, Callie was happy in Reed’s company, but she was wary of getting too involved with him. Her heart was firmly surrounded by the wall she’d built brick by brick.

  She told herself again and again that she didn’t need a serious relationship to make her life complete. Been there, done that.

  In fact, a man always threw her steady, calm life into turmoil.

  “I’d be glad to contact Margie for you, and if she agrees to cook for you, we can stock your kitchen together. I’ll get an estimate of what she’ll charge. You’ll also need a housekeeper. I suggest the Cleaning Cousins of Beaumont. I’ll contact them for you and get an estimate from them, also. They might want to see your apartment.”

  Big Dan reached into a coffee mug containing pens and pencils and pulled out a ring of keys. He singled out a key and held it up. “This is the key to my apartment. The place is probably very dusty.”

  “I’ll take care of everything, Mr. Beaumont. Don’t worry.”

  “I won’t, Callie, and thank you. Reed, thanks to you, too.”

  “For what, Dad?”

  “For helping Callie. And take care of that knee, will you? Luke can’t win everything. It’s your turn.”

  Reed laughed as they shook hands. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad.”

  Callie had confidence in Reed, too. She hoped that he’d win the World Championship and the Finals, but he couldn’t get enough points for the Worlds if he wasn’t riding.

  Reed sure could ride, but could he beat Luke? And what about Jesse? He was riding a hot streak.

  Callie’s Personable Assistance was growing, but could she keep her mind on business when Reed was always on her mind?

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning Reed jumped in the shower, thinking that everything was falling into place for Callie’s new business. When word spread around Beaumont that she was working for Big Dan, more and more people would want to hire her.

  Ten years ago, one of the reasons she’d had to stay was because her business was just starting. Soon she’d have even more clients than she could handle.

  He thought about Callie a lot. In fact, she was always on his mind.

  Like now.

  He hurried through his shower, so he could put the coffee on. It was great having coffee with her on the old mahogany table, and he was hoping she’d be there again this morning.

  Yesterday they’d talked about everything under the sun, and he’d like to do that all over again this morning. If he had his way, after breakfast they’d both adjourn to Big Dan’s office. She’d work on her spreadsheets and he’d make some phone calls to hire a construction company. The house of the ramrod, Juan “Slim” Perez, needed a new roof, a new front porch and some cosmetic work both inside and out.

  He also wanted a field cleared so wheat, hay and sorghum could be planted. The Beaumont brothers’ recent purchase of more horses, bulls and steers from a rancher who was retiring was draining their resources. They wanted the ranch to be self-sustaining.

  Maybe Callie could develop a spreadsheet for all the yield from the fields. If they had an overage, it could always be sold. He was also thinking of hiring more cowboys at least for the summer.

  He wondered if the Wainright Twins would like a summer job. He’d have to discuss it with Callie over breakfast.

  While he was dressing, he heard a knock on the front door.

  “Reed. It’s me, Callie.”

  “Callie. Come in. I’ll be right with you.” She was early. Didn’t that woman ever sleep?

  He heard her bustling about the kitchen. She was probably making coffee and getting breakfast started. Then he heard her go to in his father’s study.

  He finished buttoning his shirt and tucked it in, reached for his crutches and hobbled out to the kitchen. Callie was indeed in his father’s study. She was typing on her laptop already.

  “Coffee and breakfast?” he asked. “I thought we could talk about the reunion.”

  “Can’t. Busy.”

  “Callie, you just got here and already you are working?”

  She slid a pen behind her ear. “Yes.”

  “Can I bring you a cup of coffee?”

&nbs
p; She pointed to a lime green carafe. “I brought my own. It’s not as, um, thick...as yours.”

  He chuckled. “Your loss.” He turned to walk toward the kitchen, but changed his mind. “Breakfast?”

  “No, thanks. I already ate.”

  “Okay.” He hid his disappointment in a grin, but he wanted what they had yesterday: a nice conversation. Or was it more like playing house with Callie?

  Dammit. He was a tough bull rider. He could take life-altering hits from a two-thousand-pound Brahman bull, and now he was turning into a wimp who wanted to sit around his kitchen table and chitchat.

  He grunted and made coffee, turning it on to drip. He walked to the fridge to see what he could make himself for breakfast, but Callie stood in front of it with a coffee cup in her hand.

  “Hey,” he said. “I was just going to play What’s in Your Refrigerator?”

  “I brought some pancakes for you,” she said. “They’re probably still warm, but I’ll microwave them in some paper towels, and they’ll be as good as new. I brought some bacon for you, too.” She reached into a bag and took out two packs of aluminum foil.

  “Thanks for thinking of me, Callie.” He wondered if she thought about him like he thought about her.

  Probably not.

  Bringing him food was just her way of quickly getting back to work.

  Her cell phone rang and she hit the answer button. “Hi, Mom...Oh, um, whatever you’d like...Sure, I’ll arrange it... When?...Three weeks?...No, that’s plenty of time...I’ll expect the boys to help...I’m sure they will. Okay...Bye.”

  She hung up and held on to the counter.

  “Something wrong, Callie?”

  “That was my mother. Seems like my brothers want a graduation party now. They didn’t want one before.”

  “And you have to arrange it?”

  She nodded. “Mom doesn’t have the energy, and the boys are always either working out or practicing football.”

  He wondered why she never stood up for herself and never said no to anyone. He took that back. She’d said no to him.

  He put his hand over hers. “Can I help?”

  She shook her head, but didn’t remove her hand. “This’ll be my graduation present to them. I’ll make it fabulous.”

  Removing her hand, she wrapped the pancakes and put them into the microwave.

  “Where would it be, Callie?”

  “Al’s is probably rented already. Maybe I’ll get a tent and have it in my backyard.”

  The microwave dinged and Callie put the pancakes and bacon on a plate. She found maple syrup in the fridge and brought it all to the table.

  He sat down. “Smells great.”

  Callie picked up her mug. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “No. Thank you very much. It’s nice that you thought of me and went to all that trouble.”

  Callie waved a hand in dismissal. “It was no trouble. I had to cook for my family anyway.”

  “Can you spare the time to talk to me? We can do some reunion planning.”

  She hesitated then nodded as she sat next to him.

  “Callie, if you don’t want to help me with the reunion, I’ll understand.”

  “The thought crossed my mind that we could combine the two events into one for the day. Half the town would be invited anyway. We might as well invite the whole town. There will be a lot of little graduation parties going on, so we might as well have an open house.”

  “That’d be a lot of work, Callie. You need to think about it more. It’s a big undertaking.”

  She stared out the window. “And there will be no gifts. I’ll suggest that guests bring a donation to the Beaumont Food Bank instead.”

  A donation to the food bank? Callie had a heart of gold.

  “Won’t your brothers be ticked that they won’t be getting gifts?”

  “My brothers aren’t like that, and because they got full scholarships, all they’ll lack is spending money.”

  “I could offer them jobs for the summer. I’ve been meaning to hire more help.”

  Her green eyes twinkled. “You’d do that?”

  “Sure I would.”

  Callie shrugged her shoulders. “But, Reed, they don’t know anything about ranch work.”

  He laughed. “They’ll learn. Besides, my hands’ll teach them. Don’t worry. I won’t have them touch any of the bulls.”

  “Thanks.” She let out a deep breath. “John and Joe will love working outdoors. They were getting bored working at Beaumont Pizza during the summer.”

  “By the time the Beaumont Ranch is done with them, they’ll be buff—even more than they are now. They’ll certainly be paid better.” Reed nodded.

  Callie grinned. “Thanks so much. I really appreciate you giving them a job. Believe me, they’ll be thrilled. So will my mother.”

  “Seems like we’ve been thanking each other all morning.”

  She laughed. Reed just loved watching Callie’s face turn into a big ol’ Oklahoma grin. He’d always thought that she was just too serious, but she was coming around.

  “I have to go now, Reed. I have a lot to do today.” She stood and turned to leave, but turned back. “I have to meet Mrs. Proctor at your father’s apartment this afternoon. Would you like to come?”

  “Sure. But will you let me take you out to dinner after you’re finished?” Reed asked. “How about it?”

  * * *

  MARGIE PROCTOR WAS as delightful as always, Callie thought as she closed her notebook and grinned at Reed. Not only did Margie agree to cook for Big Dan, she was going to clean for him, too.

  She was a jovial woman who’d raised five girls after her husband died from a heart attack. Callie remembered babysitting the Proctor girls, and now they all were beautiful women going about their own lives.

  Mrs. Proctor might be just as lonely as Big Dan. Callie knew how she felt. On many occasions, she’d felt lonely in spite of living with the twins and her mother.

  Maybe that’s why she jumped into relationships with men who weren’t good prospects for sticking around. Then again, how could she have known that they’d all abandon her?

  She shook off her thoughts and listened to Mrs. Proctor.

  “I’ve always liked Big Dan Beaumont,” she said. “I’ll help him out until he comes to his senses and moves back to his ranch that he’d worked hard on.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Proctor. I agree with you,” Reed said. “He needs to move back to the ranch, but instead of happy memories, all he feels is sadness. He misses my mother something fierce.”

  “The whole town loved Valerie Lynn.” Mrs. Proctor folded her hands. “She was a generous woman. Quite remarkable, and I’m sure that all you boys miss her, too.”

  “We do.” Reed smiled slightly, but Callie could tell that he wished things were different.

  Mrs. Proctor agreed on the financial terms and thought the apartment was “just adorable” and that the kitchen was “cuter than cute.”

  Callie exchanged a clandestine smile with Reed. She didn’t know about Reed, but Callie had a feeling that it was Big Dan who Mrs. Proctor thought was adorable and cuter than cute.

  She stole a glance at Reed. He looked every bit the bull rider that he was. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and jeans—but more than that, the way he carried himself screamed “cowboy.” Even his crutches added to the look.

  As Reed and Mrs. Proctor talked, Callie studied him objectively. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that. Muscular and buff, with black hair and a five-o’clock shadow, he’d look almost dangerous, if it wasn’t for his sky blue eyes.

  Her stomach filled with butterflies. She jumped up from her chair. “Reed and I need to get going now, Mrs. Proctor.”

  Callie had startled both of them, but she couldn’t help herself. She needed a diversion from Ree
d, but she didn’t know what that could be. They were going to be sitting in the front seat of her car together, and they were going out to eat.

  Like a date?

  No. It was no different from when they’d gone to Poppa Al’s. They simply had a fragile friendship. There were things said ten years ago that she didn’t want to think about.

  Reed stood. “Can we drop you off anywhere, Mrs. Proctor?” Reed asked.

  “No, dear. I have my car.” She grinned. “Are you going somewhere?”

  “Out to eat,” Reed stated. “Want to join us?”

  “Thanks, anyway,” Mrs. Proctor said, slipping into her sweater. “But you two run along. Tell Big Dan that I’ll start tomorrow with the cleaning and will start cooking when he gets out of rehab.”

  Callie had never mentioned rehab, but everyone knew.

  Small town.

  Soon everyone would know that she was “dating” Reed.

  But she knew better. And so did he.

  Mrs. Proctor went her way and they got into Callie’s SUV.

  “Where would you like to go for dinner tonight?” Reed asked. “What are you in the mood for?”

  “Do you mind if we just pick up a couple of subs and eat them at the park? It’s a beautiful night and I don’t want to be inside.”

  “Perfect. Is Beaumont Subs still open?”

  She nodded. “Open and thriving.”

  “Let’s do it then.”

  Britt Fielding was working at Beaumont Subs and was very surprised when they walked in. “Reed Beaumont! Is that you?”

  “Haven’t seen you in a long time, Britt.”

  “Hi, Callie. Good to see you, too.” Britt looked from Reed to Callie and then back again.

  Callie grinned. “In answer to the question that you’re too polite to ask, the answer is no. We’re not a couple. I’m just working for the Beaumont family for a while.”

  “Too bad. I mean, I always thought you were perfect for each other. You know, during senior year you two were an item. And I remember the prom—”

  “That was a long time ago,” Callie said. “And things happen.”

  “I sure know that. After Phil and I divorced, I was engaged twice, and never made it to the altar.”