On Lone Star Trail (10 page)

Kate smiled and drew the other woman forward. “You remember Marisa, don't you, Gillian?”

Gillian did remember Marisa from Kate's wedding, but she hadn't been a blue-eyed blonde then. “I thought you were a brunette.”

Marisa chuckled, taking no offense at the blunt comment. “I was, but this is my natural color.” She touched her shoulder-length hair. “It's a long story, and I won't bore you with it, especially since this slave driver reminded me that I have work to do.” She gave Kate's stomach a playful pat. “Mommy's cranky this morning,” she told the baby bump. “She thinks I was gone too long.”

Gillian looked from Marisa to Kate and then back to Marisa. “Is there anything I can help with? I wouldn't want slave driver Kate to have to crack the whip again. It might be bad for the baby.”

Wrinkling her nose, Marisa shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but it's mostly clerical work that piled up while I was gone.”

“There are prices to be paid for a full month's honeymoon,” Kate said with a teasing smile.

“I know, I know. But now I need to scan a gazillion invoices.”

Gillian took a step inside the small office. “I can do that.” Surely operating a scanner didn't require an MBA.

“Are you certain you want to?” Kate asked, stressing the word
want
. “You're a guest here.”

“But not a paying one. I like the idea of earning my keep. Besides, it's either help Marisa or read another book. You know I love to read, but I also like to visit.”

Though she had never minded the solitary hours she'd spent practicing, this was different. While Gillian wasn't lonely at Rainbow's End, she lacked direction. Scanning invoices might not be exciting, but it would give her something to do.

“No offense to Marisa,” Kate said with a quick smile at her friend and employee, “but if you want company, Mike might be a better choice.”

“I'm spending the afternoon with him.” Gillian turned back to Marisa. “I can't promise expertise, but if you'd like an assistant, I'd be glad to help you this morning.”

“Don't blame me if you're bored,” Kate said, rubbing her stomach absentmindedly.

“I wouldn't dare.” Gillian glanced at her watch. “Isn't it time for your conference call?” The regional innkeepers association supplemented their monthly meetings with weekly calls.

Kate nodded and turned to Marisa. “She's all yours.”

“Thanks.” As Kate left, Marisa smiled at Gillian. “Thank you too.” She switched on her power strip. As electronic humming filled the room, Marisa gestured toward the door. “You'd better get a big cup of coffee. You'll need it.”

When Gillian returned with caffeine for both of them, it took only a few minutes for Marisa to show her how to scan the documents and rename the files. While it was hardly challenging work, it was work that needed to be done, and being the person to do that work felt good.

“Who's Mike?” Marisa asked as she handed Gillian a second pile of invoices.

“Another guest. Mike Tarkett.” Gillian was surprised Kate hadn't told Marisa about him. Even though Kate was no longer worried about his family competing with her and Greg, Mike was a noteworthy guest. Perhaps she hadn't had time to say anything.

“Mike Tarkett from the Blytheville Tarketts?” Marisa's voice rose a few notes.

“That's the one.”

“Wow! I wonder what other things Kate forgot to tell me. What's a Tarkett doing here? But more importantly, is he as gorgeous in person as in his pictures?”

Gillian placed another invoice on the scanner bed, wondering why Rainbow's End didn't have an automatic sheet feeder. Surely a billionaire like Greg wouldn't begrudge a few extra dollars to simplify a tedious task.

“I haven't seen photos of him,” she said, “but Mike's definitely good looking. I can imagine him on the cover of
GQ
.”

Marisa took another slug of coffee, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Gillian. “And you're running a scanner rather than being with him? You're crazy, girl. Mike Tarkett is the most eligible bachelor in the Hill Country.”

“Maybe so, but I'm not looking for a husband.” No matter what Dad, Kate, the Matchers, and now Marisa thought, marriage was not the answer for Gillian.

“Maybe you should be.”

G
ood morning, class. My name is Mr. Benjamin, and I'll be your teacher for the rest of the year.” As TJ had expected, his introduction was greeted with some skeptical looks and a few barely muffled groans. Though the school was smaller than the one where he'd taught, the hallways and classrooms were almost exact duplicates. So too were the students' reaction to a sub.

TJ looked around the room, making eye contact with each student. “For those of you who were hoping for a permanent study hall, that's not going to happen. For those of you who were afraid you might fail the final, that's not going to happen either.” Two boys in the back row exchanged glances that seemed to dispute TJ's assertion.

“How do you know?” the taller of the boys asked. “We could all be dummies.”

“But you're not, Seth. I checked everyone's records. You're going to be my best class yet.” TJ turned to write five words on the whiteboard. “Read this and take it to heart. I'm not kidding. Failure is not an option.”

As he'd intended, the challenge got their attention. Though the rest of the day went as well as could be expected for a first
day, by the time the final bell rang, TJ was exhausted. Not only was he out of practice dealing with teenagers for more than an hour at a time, but he'd forgotten how tiring it could be to try to keep ahead of five classes of active and sometimes combative students.

Rowing across the lake seemed like a beginner's exercise compared to this, not to mention that he still faced another long walk. The only good thing he could say was that he hadn't been blindsided by memories of Deb. It might have been because this was a different school, or it might have been the sheer busyness. Whatever the reason, TJ had gotten through the day without the overwhelming sorrow that so often accompanied activities he and Deb had shared. And now the school day had finally ended.

He loaded Mrs. Loring's lesson plan book and the class textbooks into his backpack, then headed toward Rainbow's End, promising himself a shower once he reached the resort. He was halfway up Ranger Hill when an SUV stopped alongside him.

“You look like you could use a ride,” Greg said as he rolled down the passenger's window. “Hop in.”

Only a fool would refuse, and TJ was no fool. “Thanks. It wasn't too bad this morning, but the day turned out to be hotter than I expected.”

Greg slapped his palm against his forehead. “I should have realized you needed transportation. You sure don't need a three-mile walk on top of a day wrangling kids.” He was silent for a second, as if considering options. “Eric could make an extra run with the van.” That was how the Firefly Valley kids got to and from school each day. “That would work, but I've got a better idea. Why don't you use Kate's car until your bike is fixed?”

Though the thought was tempting, there was only one possible answer. TJ had run up more debts than he could repay. “I can't do that. You and Kate are already doing too much.”

When they'd discussed payment for TJ's room, Greg had flatly refused to accept any money for the first ten days, claiming TJ's time at Firefly Valley paid for that, and when he'd quoted a sum for the rest of the school year, it was so low TJ knew he must have received a substantial discount over the long-term stay rate.

Greg's lips tightened, as if he'd expected but did not accept the refusal. “Believe it or not, you'd be doing me a favor. Kate and I had our first argument this morning. The doctor doesn't want her driving, and she's balking at giving up her independence. If I tell her you need the car to avoid heatstroke, she'll have a way to save face.”

TJ raised an eyebrow as he looked at the man who'd left behind a lucrative career in Silicon Valley and wound up renovating a dying resort. Though the story of the doctor's edict sounded plausible, TJ wasn't certain he believed it. Still, he could hardly refuse to help Greg. “Are you always this devious?”

“I prefer the word
crafty
. The truth is, even before the doctor said anything, I worried about Kate overdoing things.” Greg lowered his head to look at TJ over the top of his sunglasses. “You'll understand when you're in the same position.”

Like that would ever happen.

“I told you I wasn't Wimbledon material.” Gillian winced as she leaned back on the bench and glared at the site of her recent defeat. The clay tennis court might be state of the art as Kate claimed, but it could have been cracked asphalt for all the good it had done her.

“At least you hit the last ball.”

“Right before I crashed into the net.” Gillian uncapped the water bottle and took a swig. “I have a feeling I'm going to discover aches in muscles I didn't know I had.”

Mike nodded. “That's why we're going to take a cool-down walk. If you ache tomorrow, we'll find something else to do.” He tossed his empty bottle into his gym bag, then rose and extended a hand to Gillian. “We could go for a drive tomorrow. The bluebonnets are at their peak.”

Wincing, Gillian stood and shook first one leg, then the other. “Kate and her grandmother keep raving about them, but the only ones I've seen are those that grow here.” She waved her hand in the direction of the lake. “I told Kate it was deceptive advertising calling this Bluebonnet Lake when there are so few of them, but she just laughed. She claims she's not responsible for any of the names.”

“She's right. It's been called Bluebonnet Lake for more than a century.” As they emerged from the wooded area, Mike wrapped his arm around Gillian's shoulders and drew her close to him. “It would be a shame for you to miss Texas's pride and joy. Let's go bluebonnet hunting tomorrow.”

As Gillian raised her head to smile at him, a car door slammed. “I'd like that.”

Mike leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “It's a date.”

A date. TJ forced himself to unclench his fists. There was no reason to be so angry. Of course Mike wanted to take Gillian on a date. Why wouldn't he? Any red-blooded man would be interested in an attractive single woman like Gillian. It wasn't Mike's fault, or Gillian's either, that the thought of them together made TJ's blood boil.

Greg's footsteps crunched on the gravel as he matched his stride to TJ's. The two men had just exited the SUV when Gillian and Mike emerged from the woods, looking for all the world like a couple in love.

“Guess you've got some competition.” Greg tipped his head in Mike's direction.

TJ frowned. “You're mistaken,” he said firmly. “I'm not in the running.”

“Why not?”

I
can't believe my week here is almost over.”

Gillian smiled as Mike opened the door to usher her outside after breakfast. The week had gone more quickly than she'd expected. The addition of afternoons with Mike and her mornings helping Marisa to her evenings in Firefly Valley had meant that Gillian's days were full—and fun. As she'd told Kate yesterday when they'd gone to Ruby's Tresses to have their hair cut and styled, she felt as if she'd laughed more this week than she had in the past year.

All in all, it had been a good week. Gillian had kept so busy that she hadn't let her dad and George's failure to answer her emails bother her. Instead, she'd rejoiced that TJ was once again teaching. Though he'd said little at supper either Thursday or Friday night, the Firefly Valley girls had told her he'd been a success.

“I never saw the point of learning what happened before I was born,” Brianna had confided, “but TJ—that is, Mr. Benjamin—showed us why it's important. I sure don't want to repeat some of the mistakes people made in the past.”

It had been a good week for Mike as well as TJ. As each
day passed, it seemed that Mike's smiles grew wider, and he'd admitted his mother had known what she was doing when she insisted he come to Rainbow's End.

“I'll never forget this week,” he said with a smile. “I can't remember the last time I went seven days without a single meeting.”

As Mike feigned chagrin, Gillian laughed. Her smile broadened when she saw TJ approaching the dining room. Though he normally joined her for breakfast, there'd been no sign of him this morning. Gillian had told herself not to worry, and it appeared she was right. TJ must have overslept. The problem was, he didn't look rested. Instead, he seemed almost melancholy.

“Good morning, TJ.” Gillian kept the smile on her face as she reported that the pancakes were particularly good this morning. “They're blueberry,” she added, “and there's even blueberry syrup to go with them.” Though the dinner menu did not vary from week to week, Carmen had confessed that she enjoyed experimenting with the breakfast buffet, especially on Sunday.

When TJ simply shrugged, Gillian tried not to frown. There was no reason to make a big deal out of his apparent bad mood. Sally would say he'd gotten out of bed on the wrong side and to give him a couple hours to snap out of it. Fortunately, the man at Gillian's side was less moody.

Mike had shared stories of his family, surprising her with the revelation that he was an only child. From his initial comments, Gillian had thought he was part of a large family. He was, but it turned out to be an extended family. His father was the oldest of six boys, each of whom had taken the command to be fruitful and multiply seriously, giving Mike more than a dozen cousins. “They're great,” he confided, “but I would have liked a sibling.”

Gillian had no trouble empathizing. Though she had a brother, because of the twenty years between them, George was more like an uncle than a sibling. But for the past week, she'd felt no longing for a brother. As she had told Kate, it had been a very good week.

Gillian took a deep breath of the fresh air, reveling in the prospect of not needing her jacket much longer. The day was warming quickly.

When Mike reached for her hand and suggested they take a quick walk along the lake, she glanced at her watch and agreed once she realized they had half an hour before they had to leave for church.

“You still have a few hours of your week,” she told Mike. “If last week was any indication, Pastor Bill's sermon will be good, and then there's the best meal of the week. Carmen's ham is delicious, and her cherry pie is out of this world.”

He shook his head. “I'm going to have to pass on all of that. My dad invited some potential supporters to the ranch today, and he wants me to meet them.” Mike wrinkled his nose. “I'm afraid it's back to work for me. That's why I wanted this one last walk.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Does that mean you'll miss me when I'm gone?” The words were delivered with a smile, but Gillian heard the sincerity in Mike's tone.

She opened her mouth to respond, then stopped, startled by the sound of an owl hooting. Weren't they supposed to be nocturnal? She looked for the owl, grinning when she saw a mockingbird perched on a live oak branch. This was the second time one had fooled her. The day she and Mike had visited a field of bluebonnets, she'd thought she heard a bluebird warbling, only to discover that a mockingbird was imitating its call.

“Yes, I'll miss you,” she told Mike. “I've enjoyed our walks, and while I wouldn't use the word
enjoy
in the same sentence as
tennis
, I'm glad I had a chance to try it. Now I can honestly say that tennis is not my game.”

“But horseshoes are.”

Gillian chuckled at the memory of the times they'd played what Mike had declared was a game for seniors, akin to shuffleboard.
After his disparaging remarks, she'd expected him to be as much of a novice as she was, but he'd displayed surprising skill, easily winning almost every game. “I can't believe I actually beat you once. Are you sure you didn't throw that game?”

“Of course not. Scout's honor.”

Something in Mike's tone made her narrow her eyes as she gazed up at him. “Were you even a scout?” she demanded, remembering the number of movies and TV shows she'd seen where someone had said “scout's honor” and then done exactly what he'd vowed not to do, later announcing that he had never been a scout.

“You bet I was.” Mike laced his fingers with hers and swung them lightly as they walked. “I'm the third generation of Tarkett males to be an Eagle Scout.”

“I'm suitably impressed.” And she was. “This has been a fun week.” Gillian continued to be surprised at how comfortable she was in Mike's presence. It was a far cry from being with TJ, whose prickly edges kept her wondering which TJ she would see next: the happy, joking man or the brooding one.

Mike was consistent. Consistently upbeat, consistently friendly. Perhaps more than friendly. Though he wasn't one to flirt, there was no denying that the interest Gillian had seen in his eyes was more than friendly. It might be an exaggeration to say Mike was smitten, as Kate had alleged, but Gillian would have had to be blind not to have seen the appreciative glances he'd given her.

“I'm so glad you showed me the bluebonnets,” she told him. “They were spectacular.”

“So are you.”

Gillian swallowed, not sure how to respond. She had assumed whatever attraction Mike felt for her was like a shipboard romance and would fade as soon as he left Rainbow's End. Now he was acting as if he expected it to last.

“Don't look so surprised, Gillian. You must know I'm interested in you, and not just as someone to play horseshoes with.”

Mike faced her and reached for her other hand. His touch was warm and comforting, and if there were none of the sparks Kate claimed she felt every time Greg touched her, Gillian didn't care. She wasn't looking for romance. Besides, sparks were highly overrated.

Mike's eyes turned tender as he said, “You're the most fascinating woman I've ever met. I have no intention of letting you slip away.”

“That's very flattering, but . . .”

“No buts.” He shook his head. “I have to go home today, but I can promise you this is not the end. I want to see you again, and if there's one thing I've learned from my family, it's not to give up on anything important. You're important.” He gave her a smile designed to melt her heart. “I want to see you again and learn whether what I'm feeling is real. Don't say no.”

Gillian did not.

What was wrong with him? TJ scowled at his plate. There was nothing wrong with the blueberry pancakes. As Gillian had said, they were excellent. What was wrong was TJ himself. He'd overslept, which rarely happened. Even worse, just before he'd awoken, he'd been dreaming of Deb. They'd been inside their RV, making breakfast together the way they used to every Sunday, and she'd been laughing.

“There's something I need to tell you,” she'd said, a secretive smile lifting her lips. But before Deb could finish the thought, TJ had been jolted awake by the sound of a car door slamming, feeling as out of sorts as the proverbial bear whose hibernation had been interrupted.

Nothing, not even a hot shower, had dissipated his melancholy. And then he'd practically snapped at Gillian. She hadn't deserved that. It wasn't her fault that he felt so alone, that the
dream had reminded him how wonderful it had been to be part of a couple. He'd hurt her, and that was inexcusable. Gillian deserved far better. She deserved a man like . . .

TJ refused to complete the sentence.

If the church had assigned pews, this would be the Rainbow's End pew. Marisa and her husband Blake had filed in first, followed by Greg and Kate, Gillian, then Sally and Roy. It was a tight fit, but if TJ had come, Gillian knew they would have made room for him. Sadly, there was no sign of TJ.

Once again Gillian found herself wondering what had caused him to turn away from faith. Though she'd seen sorrow in his eyes on far too many occasions, when he'd refused her invitation to church last week, he'd appeared angry.Why would the thought of attending a worship service make a man angry?

Speculating accomplished nothing, for TJ offered very little personal information. Gillian knew he had taught somewhere in Texas but had no idea where that might have been. As for other family and friends, she'd never heard him mention either. Perhaps he'd always been a loner. He certainly was now. And yet, though she couldn't explain why, Gillian's instincts told her TJ had not always been alone.

When the first hymn began, she focused her thoughts on the service, and as she did, Gillian felt a familiar peace settle over her. Being in God's house normally helped her put her life in perspective. While problems didn't disappear, worship gave her the strength to deal with them. She wished TJ were here to receive the same comfort.

An hour later, when Pastor Bill had pronounced the benediction and the congregation began to file outside, Marisa touched Gillian's shoulder. Today the lovely blonde wore a blue dress that highlighted her eyes.

“Do you have a minute? I don't like to work on Sunday, but there's something I want to discuss with you.”

“Sure.” Once they were outside, enjoying the shade of a spreading live oak, Gillian turned to Marisa. “What's up?”

Marisa twisted her wedding ring in an unconscious gesture Gillian had noticed when they'd worked together. It was, she suspected, the result of still not being accustomed to wearing a wide band on her left hand.

“I really appreciated your helping with the invoices. It made a big difference for me.” Marisa smiled and touched Gillian's hand. “I hope I'm not being presumptuous, but I know you said you wanted something to do while you were at Rainbow's End and that you love to read.”