Heart of Texas Series Volume 1: Lonesome Cowboy\Texas Two-Step\Caroline's Child (32 page)

Now that was something Glen could understand. “Did you try to talk to her?”

Phil chuckled again. “I sure did, but all we seemed to do was argue. Nothing I said was right. I told her I thought she was pretty, and even that came out like an insult.”

This story was sounding more familiar by the minute. “So what happened?”

His father grew thoughtful. “It was time to head back to the base, and I knew if I didn't try to explain myself one last time, I might not get another chance. I called her all evening, but she was out—you can imagine how
that
made me feel, especially since I couldn't very well ring her doorbell in the middle of the night.” He smiled at the memory. “So I stood outside her bedroom and threw stones at the window until she woke up.

“It's not a good idea to wake your mother out of a sound sleep, even now. It took me a while to convince her to hear me out. Luckily she agreed and sat with me on the porch. By that time I was so confused I didn't know what to say.”

Glen edged closer to his father, keenly interested in the details of his parents' courtship.

“I stammered and stuttered and told her how much I valued her friendship and hated the idea of returning to Maine with this bad feeling between us. That was when she looked me full in the eye and asked if I loved her.”

His mother had always been a gutsy woman and Glen admired her for it. “What did you tell her?”

“I didn't know what to say. It was the first time I'd ever thought about it. We were friends, hung around with the same crowd, exchanged letters, that sort of thing. She wanted to know if I loved her, and for the life of me I didn't have an answer.”

It went without saying that wasn't what his mother had wanted to hear.

“When I hesitated, Mary leaped to her feet and announced I was the biggest fool who'd ever lived if I hadn't figured out how I felt about her after three years. My, was she mad.” Shaking his head, he rubbed the side of his jaw. “Her eyes had fire in them. In all the years we've been married, I've only seen her get that riled a handful of times. She told me if I married some Yankee girl I'd regret it the rest of my life.”

He paused a moment, lost in his memories. “Then before I could stop her, she raced into the house. By the time I'd gathered my wits and followed her, she was already running up the stairs. Her father and her mother both stood on the landing, looking down at me as though they wanted to string me up from the nearest tree.”

“What'd you do?”

“What I should have done a hell of a lot sooner. I shouted up at her father for permission to marry his daughter.”

That scene filled Glen's mind. His father a young sailor, standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching the love of his life racing away. “What'd Mom do?”

“She stopped, halfway between her parents and me. I'll never forget the look of shock on her face as she turned around and stared at me.”

“She burst into tears, right?”

“No. She stood here, calm as could be and asked me when I wanted the wedding to take place. Hell if I knew, so I said that was up to her, and she suggested six months.”

“I thought your anniversary was Valentine's Day.”

“It is. Once we decided to get married, I wasn't willing to wait six months. By summer she was pregnant with your brother.” He looked at Glen. “Why all these questions?”

“Just curious.”

“You going to ask Ellie to marry you?”

“I've been thinking about it.”

His father's grin widened. “Did she tell you you're in love with her yet?”

“Nope. I don't think she realizes it herself.”

Phil stood and slapped him on the back. “Then start a new family tradition and tell her yourself, boy. It's about time the men in this family took the initiative.”

Eight

R
ichard rolled out of bed and reached for his jeans. Savannah was making breakfast, and if his nose didn't deceive him, it smelled like one of his favorites. French toast.

Yawning, he grabbed a shirt on his way out the door and bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Mornin',” he said, yawning again. He glanced at the wall clock and was surprised to see it was after nine. A midmorning breakfast cooked specially for him meant his sister was planning on a little heart-to-heart. Damn.

“Morning,” Savannah returned in that gentle way of hers. At times it was all he could do not to leap behind her, waving his arms and screaming at the top of his lungs. He wondered if he'd get a reaction from her even then. Somehow he doubted it.

“Grady needs you to drive into town this morning.”

“No problem.” Actually Richard liked running errands. They suited his purpose. Every time Grady sent him into town, he managed to pick up an item or two for himself and put it on his brother's tab without Grady's knowing a thing about it.

Savannah delivered a plate to the table where Richard sat waiting. He dug into the meal after slathering his hot toast with plenty of butter and syrup. Savannah didn't disappear, which meant the errand for Grady wasn't the only thing on her mind.

“There's been plenty of talk around town about you and Ellie,” she said, clutching the back of the chair opposite his.

The tension in her fingers told him she felt awkward addressing the subject. Lord, his sister was easy to read!

“That so?” He stuffed another forkful of French toast in his mouth.

“Ellie's a real sweetheart.”

He shrugged.

Savannah pulled out the chair and sat down.

Damn it, he'd asked for that. Knowing his sister was fond of the other woman, he should have talked her up, fabricated a few things, let his sister think he'd fallen in love with Ellie. He hadn't, but his interest in her was definitely high at the moment. A lot was riding on this, and if he managed to manipulate the situation to his liking, it meant staying in the community. After fixing his current problems of course. Yeah, he could see a future here. Become one of the leading lights in Promise. Turn this place around. And it all hinged on little Ellie Frasier.

“I don't want you to hurt her, Richard.”

This was quite a statement from Savannah. “Hurt Ellie?” He tried to look shocked that she'd even suggest such a thing.

“Ellie's...fragile just now.”

“I wouldn't dream of doing anything to hurt Ellie.” He set his fork down as if to say the mere idea had robbed him of his appetite.

“Then your intentions are honorable?”

Leave it to Savannah to sound like she was living in the nineteenth century. She could've set up camp at Bitter End and fit right in.

“Of course my intentions are honorable. In fact, I intend to ask Ellie to be my wife.” Richard assumed this was what Savannah wanted to hear, but she didn't react that way he'd expected. He'd hoped that when he mentioned words like “wife” and “marriage,” she'd go all feminine on him and start nattering about wedding plans.

“It's a big step for me,” he added, thinking she'd be quick to praise his decision.

Savannah frowned. “I heard about this little lottery thing you've got going.”

“Oh, that.” He dismissed her concern with an airy gesture. Word traveled fast in small towns and he'd forgotten that.

“I don't think placing bets on...on love, on whether Ellie's going to marry you or Glen, is such a good idea.”

“It was a joke,” he said. What Savannah didn't understand and what he couldn't tell her was that the whole thing had gotten started when he'd had one too many beers. Naturally he'd taken a lot of ribbing about the fiasco at the dance.

The whole thing was Glen Patterson's fault. In Richard's opinion, the rancher owed him an apology. Ellie had been
his
date and Glen had been way out of line butting in at the dance.

“Joking with another person's affections—”

“I'm not joking with Ellie,” Richard interrupted. “I love her, Savannah,” he said, doing his best to look and sound sincere. What he really loved about Ellie Frasier was the store and her inheritance. That Ellie wasn't hard on the eyes was a bonus. Marriage wasn't such a bad idea either. He could grow accustomed to bedded bliss, not to mention regular meals. Savannah had spoiled him, preparing elaborate dinners and baking his favorite goodies, although she tended to do less of that these days.

“It isn't only Ellie I want to talk to you about.”

“You mean there's more?” He tried not to sound perturbed, but really, this was getting ridiculous. He didn't need his big sister prying into his private life, nor did he appreciate this need she had to lecture him. He'd been out of the schoolroom too many years to sit still for much more of this.

His sister pursed her lips in exactly the way their mother used to. “I got a phone call from Millie about an unpaid flower bill.”

“Millie?”

“You know Millie.” Her tone left no room for argument.

“Oh, that Millie.” He was walking a tightrope when it came to a number of charges he'd made in town during the past few months. He'd hoped to have moved on by now, but this romance with Ellie had fallen into his lap and he couldn't let the opportunity just slip through his fingers. He'd also made contingency plans—no fool he. He'd found the perfect hiding place when and if he needed it. But he couldn't leave Promise yet and perhaps not for some time. Keeping Grady and Savannah in the dark until he'd secured his future was proving to be something of a challenge.

“Millie said you owed her four hundred dollars. I realize your...check hasn't arrived yet—” she didn't meet his eyes “—but you
have
to make some kind of arrangement with Millie.”

He toyed with the idea of being shocked to hear it was that much money, but thought better of it. “Well, I have just a little money left.” He hoped that was vague enough so she wouldn't question it. “In fact, I was in just yesterday and made a payment,” he said.

“I talked to Millie yesterday and she claimed she hadn't seen you in weeks.” Savannah's eyes had never been that cool before.

“I didn't see Millie, just one of her employees.”

“I didn't know Millie had anyone working for her.”

Savannah pinned him with her gaze.

“Summer help, I assume,” he murmured. “I've got the receipt up in my room if you want to see it.” He put the right amount of indignation into his voice to make sure she understood he found her lack of trust insulting.

“If you say you made a payment, then I don't have any choice but to believe you.”

Richard shoved his chair away from the table. “I'm getting the distinct impression I'm no longer welcome around here.” He stopped short of reminding her he'd been born and raised in this very house, fearing that might be overkill, even with a softhearted woman like his sister.

“It isn't that.”

“I've come home,” he said, tilting his chin at a proud angle. “It wasn't easy to arrive on your doorstep with nothing. Now that I'm here, I've realized that I made a mistake ever leaving. Promise is my home. I've fallen in love and I want to make a new life for myself with friends and neighbors I grew up with. People I've known all my life. If you want to kick me out, then all you or Grady need to do is say the word and I'll be gone.” He drew the line and dared her to cross it. Basically it was a gamble, but one he was willing to take. He'd been a gambler most of his life, after all—one who usually had an ace up his sleeve.

“I won't ask you to move,” she said after a moment.

He hadn't really thought she would.

“But I'm giving you fair warning—tread lightly when it comes to Ellie.”

He widened his eyes, disliking her brisk tone.

“And pay your bills. Once Grady gets wind of this, there'll be trouble. His nature isn't nearly as generous as mine.”

“You haven't got a thing to worry about,” Richard said, and as a conciliatory gesture, he carried his plate to the sink.

***

It had sounded so simple when Glen talked to his father nearly a week earlier. Asking Ellie to marry him had seemed the right thing to do. But Richard's interest in her had muddied an already complicated issue. From the gossip circulating around town, Weston had definitely taken advantage of the time Glen stayed away.

Fine. Great. Wonderful. If Ellie was so impressed with Richard, she could have him. At least that was what Glen told himself a dozen times a day, but no matter how often he said it, he couldn't quite make himself believe it.

“I don't know what the hell I'm going to do,” he muttered. He sometimes did his thinking out loud, and talking to a horse was safer than talking to certain people. As he cleaned the gelding's hooves, Moonshine perked up his ears in apparent sympathy.

“You talking to me?” Cal shouted from the other side of the barn.

Glen didn't realize his brother was anywhere nearby. “No,” he hollered, hoping to discourage further conversation.

It didn't work.

“Who you talking to, then?”

“No one!” he snapped. Glen was the first to admit he hadn't been great company lately. That was one reason he'd kept to himself as much as possible and avoided Cal.

“You still down in the mouth about Ellie?” Cal asked, sounding much closer this time.

It was on the tip of Glen's tongue to tell his brother to mind his own damn business. Lord, but he was tired of it all. Tired of being so confused by this woman he could no longer think. Tired of worrying she'd actually marry Richard. Tired of feeling miserable.

“How'd I get into this mess?” Glen asked hopelessly.

“Women specialize in wearing a man down,” Cal said, peering into the stall.

“Ellie isn't Jennifer,” Glen felt obliged to remind him. That was the problem with discussing things with Cal. His brother refused to look past the pain and embarrassment his ex-fiancée had caused him. Everything was tainted by their ruined relationship.

“I know.”

Glen lowered Moonshine's foot to the ground and slowly straightened. The small of his back ached. He pressed his hand to the area and massaged the sore muscles before he opened the stall door.

Glen watched Cal carry a bucket of oats to his own gelding. Suddenly it was all too much. He couldn't stand it anymore. Damn it all, he
loved
Ellie and if she wasn't willing to come to him, then by God he'd go to her. The rush of relief he experienced was overwhelming.

“I'm asking Ellie to marry me,” he said boldly, bracing himself for the backlash of Cal's reaction.

Cal went very still. Finally he asked, “Is that what you want?”

“Damn straight it is.”

“Then...great.”

Glen blinked, wondering if he was hearing things. The one person he'd expected to talk him out of proposing was Cal.

“You love her?”

“Of course I do,” Glen said. “I wouldn't ask a woman to share my life if I didn't.”

Cal laughed and slapped Glen on the shoulder. “So I guess congratulations are in order.”

Glen rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. He didn't feel like throwing a party just yet.

“When are you going to ask her?”

“I...I don't know yet,” Glen confessed. He'd only decided this five seconds ago.

He glanced at his watch. If he showered quickly he could make the drive into town and talk to Ellie before she left the shop. It seemed fitting that he ask her to marry him at the feed store, considering that most of their courtship had taken place there. At the time, however, he hadn't
realized
he'd been courting her.

“I think I'll do it tonight,” he said. Feeling euphoric, he'd dashed halfway out of the barn when Cal stopped him.

“Have you got her an engagement ring?”

A ring? Damn, he hadn't thought of that. “Do I need one?”

“It doesn't hurt.”

Glen could feel the panic rising up inside him. Cal must have seen it, too, because he offered Glen the ring he had in his bottom drawer.

“I've still got the one I bought for Jennifer.”

“But that belongs to you.”

“Go ahead and take it. It's a beautiful diamond. After Ellie agrees, then the two of you can go shopping and pick out a new one if she wants. Although this one's perfectly good.”

Things were beginning to fall nicely into place. “Thanks.” As Glen recalled, Cal had gone for broke buying Jennifer's diamond. Damn shame to keep it buried in a drawer. If Ellie liked that ring, he'd buy it from his brother; she need never know the ring was sightly used.

A quick shower revitalized him. He sang as he lathered up, then raised his face to the spray, laughing as the water rushed over him. When he'd finished, he shook his head like a long-haired dog fresh from a dip in the pond. Still smiling, he dressed in a clean shirt and jeans.

He felt drunk with happiness.

Glen didn't sober up until he reached town. Then and only then did the seriousness of his mission strike him. Not once had he given any thought to how he would word his proposal.

This was quite possibly the most important conversation of his life and he hadn't even rehearsed it! His father had spoken to his potential father-in-law and not the bride. But even if Ellie's father were alive, that approach didn't really work anymore. Too old-fashioned.

He thought about getting down on one knee and spilling out his heart, but immediately dismissed the idea. No one did that sort of thing these days. Much too formal. By the same token, he didn't want to make an offer of marriage sound like an invitation to go bowling, either. All he could do was hope the right approach presented itself when the moment arrived.