A Forever Thing (30 page)

Fancy was in the kitchen when she heard the familiar squeak of
the front door. She inhaled deeply, dried her hands, turned around
to face Theron’s family, and hoped like heck that nothing in her
actions would reveal the depth of her feelings for their son. Theron
had already made it from the recliner to the door before she did,
and everyone was hugging. Tina peeped around the edge of a
rocking chair, and Fancy hung back too.

His father was only slightly taller than Theron. Gray sprinkled
the brushed-back hair at his temples, and his eyes were that same
mossy green. He carried more weight than Theron, but then, he
was older. Fancy tried to squint and see Theron at that age with
another twenty-five pounds on him.

Theron had been right. His sister could have been Tina’s mother.
She was only an inch or two taller than Fancy’s almost-five-feet;
her hair was light brown, her eyes pale aqua. But her features were
grown-up Tina.

His mother was the same height as his father. She wore her hair
highlighted to cover the bits of gray showing up; her eyes were the
same color as Melissa’s, her features just slightly more rounded.

Theron had been right. Other than for legal purposes, he didn’t
need a DNA test at all. Tina fit into the family perfectly.

Theron finally pulled back from the little group. “Come and
meet Tina and Fancy.”

His mother and sister eyed her a moment before they smiled.

“This is my sister, Melissa; my mother, Elaine; and my dad, Robert, Fancy. Tina, this is Grammy, Poppa, and Aunt Lissa.”

Fancy covered the floor quickly and shook hands with his father.
“I’m so glad to meet you, sir.”

“Same here.” Robert smiled.

When she offered her hand to Elaine, Theron’s mother bypassed
it and gave her a hug.

“We are so thankful for the help you’re giving Theron. I don’t
think he could have handled this situation without you,” she said.

Melissa joined them for a three-way hug. “I’m seconding that.”

Tina eased over to Theron and wrapped her arms around his
legs. He picked her up, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Okay, son, let’s look at her,” Elaine said.

Theron whispered into her ear. “Tina, can you look up at these
folks? They’ve wanted to meet you for a long time.”

“They won’t fall on the floor and go see the angels, will they?”
she asked.

“No, I promise. We won’t let them go away.”

She raised her head and looked slowly from Robert to Elaine to
Melissa.

“What is she talking about?” Elaine asked.

“Uncle Joe came to see us on Christmas Day, and she made
friends with him. Then he went into the bedroom and … you know,”
Theron said.

“Oh, honey, we aren’t going to do that.” Elaine reached out her
arms, and Tina went to her.

“While these ladies get settled in, let’s go to the funeral home
and take care of the arrangements,” Robert said. “I called them
last night, and there’s no problem with a ten o’clock service tomorrow morning,”

“Bring in the suitcases and our garment bags before you go,”
Elaine said.

“I just put a cake in the oven. We have leftovers from dinner
yesterday. Thought I’d make a turkey casserole for lunch,” Fancy
said.

Elaine led the way to the kitchen, Tina still on her hip. “We’ll
help.”

Fancy wasn’t sure she wanted two strange women in her kitchen,
and it was taxing her patience to see Tina bonding so quickly and well with Elaine. Elaine shifted Tina to a chair beside the cabinet
and rolled up her sleeves.

“I’ll wash whatever you get dirty. Melissa will dry, unless you’ve
got something you’d rather we do, like dust or vacuum,” she said.

“I took care of all that earlier this week. Tina and I’ve got a routine going. It works well for us. We still go into town to do my
grandmother’s beauty-shop ladies’ hair three days a week,” Fancy
said.

Melissa picked up a dish towel. “We are just dying to get to
know you. When Theron calls, you and Tina are all he talks about.
Six weeks ago it was just his job and the longhorns, but they’ve
taken a backseat.”

“And we’re glad. He’s been lonely a long time,” Elaine said.

`And stubborn as a mule even longer,” Melissa said with a laugh.

Fancy stood there, not certain what to say. They seemed to have
hopes and expectations that Theron didn’t share.

“Okay, dishes are done. Cake is nearly finished. I can smell it,”
Elaine said.

“Chocolate. I helped,” Tina said.

“She talks clearly for her age. My boys were chatterboxes at that
age, but I could only understand every third word,” Melissa said.

“She really is a good talker,” Fancy said, grateful for the change
of subject.

Melissa hung up the dish towel. “Julie talked a little more clearly,
but she was at least four before she talked really well. Julie is my
daughter. She’s twenty and pregnant. Terrance and Jody are my
sons. Terrance is a senior. Jody is a freshman. It’s nice to have a
little one in the family again.”

Elaine opened a cabinet door. “I’m going to pour three cups of
coffee, and we’re going to sit at the table. We want to hear all about
how you met Theron.”

Fancy sighed. She thought she’d told that story for the last time.

She took a cup from Elaine’s hands and carried it to the table.
“Didn’t he tell you?”

“No. He just said you were fighting him for control of the Sunday school class,” Melissa said.

“Well, that’s the truth. He tried to throw me out the first time I went into the room to help. But then, he kind of had this preconceived wrong notion about me,” she said.

Melissa’s eyes twinkled. “I knew it, Momma. Didn’t I tell you
there was more?”

Elaine sipped her coffee and waited.

Fancy started at the beginning with the black cat and gave them
the story up to the present, leaving out the kisses. In retrospect, telling it for the third time, it sounded like a romance novel. Only there
sure wouldn’t be a “and they lived happily ever after”

Tina interjected little bits here and there. She told them about
the little red present. Fancy blushed as she pulled the necklace
from under her T-shirt.

“Bless Uncle Joe’s heart,” Elaine said softly after gazing approvingly at the necklace.

“What makes you say that?” Fancy asked.

“For leaving the world at this time so we had a reason to come
to Albany.”

“That sounds awful, Momma.”

“It’s the truth. I’ve been dying to get down here and meet you
and my granddaughter, but Theron said it would be best if we let
her settle in until New Year’s. Besides, Uncle Joe hasn’t been
happy since he left the ranch,” Elaine said.

Fancy liked Theron’s mother. She was forthright, honest, and
spoke her mind.

“You’ll come to New Year’s for sure, won’t you?” Melissa asked.

“What’s that?” Tina wanted to know.

“It’s our party of the year. Both our ranches join forces. Only
time of the year when we get Daddy and Theron into fancy suits.
It’s a big thing in our part of the country. Theron has promised he’ll
come home for a few days and bring Tina. Are you coming too?”

“He hasn’t invited me,” Fancy said honestly.

“I’m inviting you right now. You’ve got a week to shop. I can
see you in royal blue velvet,” Melissa said. “I’d love to go shopping
with you, but we’ve got to leave right after the funeral tomorrow.
I’ll tell Theron as soon as he gets back.”

“But … ,” Fancy started.

Elaine patted her hand. “Honey, sometimes menfolk aren’t too good at expressing their thoughts, and Theron … well, he has a
pretty high wall up around his heart.”

“But…,” she started again. They were accepting her into their
family entirely too easily. Something was surely wrong with them,
or with Theron. Did he have a defect somewhere that she didn’t
know about?

“We’ll expect you,” Elaine said, then turned her attention to
Tina. “Now let’s go to that tree and see what all Tina got for Christmas. I see she’s got her presents all fixed pretty. We’ll have gifts at
our house for you when you get there too.”

Tina’s eyes glittered.

“Poppa Robert bought her a Shetland pony,” Melissa whispered
behind her hand.

“Is it coming back here?” Fancy asked.

“No, it’ll stay in Shamrock. Theron will have to buy one for
here. My boys still have a pony at Grammy and Poppa’s house,
even though they’re too big to ride it anymore.”

Melissa saw the question in Fancy’s eyes. “I was fourteen when
Theron was born. He’s been spoiled his whole life. I take part of
the blame for it. Momma had several miscarriages between us,
and she was in her late thirties when she had him. They’ve waited
a long time for his children. You might as well let them spoil Tina
like they did him and my kids.”

“No wonder he likes to have his way,” Fancy mused aloud.

“And once he sets his mind, a hurricane can’t budge him. That’s
the Warren in him. We’re all like that.”

“So what’s she like?” Theron’s father asked on the way into Albany.

“She’s adjusting very well. I think she’ll be ready for a trip to
Shamrock at New Year’s.”

“Your beautiful daughter will be fine. She’ll adapt because she’s
loved. I bought her a pony and a saddle. Your mother bought the
boots and fancy shirt. But I wasn’t talking about Tina. I’m talking
about Fancy. Where’d she get a name like that anyway?”

“Her mother was just sixteen and widowed when she was born.
It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time. We’ve got an hour before we have to be at the funeral home. Thought we’d have coffee at the Dairy Queen first,”
Robert said.

Theron stifled a moan. “Dad, I don’t want to talk about Fancy.”

“Well, you’re going to. Right after we talk about Uncle Joe. So
you might as well brace up and get ready for both.”

A few minutes later he parked the black truck in front of the
Dairy Queen and got out. He shook his pants legs down over his
boots and settled his felt hat down on his head.

Theron did the same thing and dreaded going inside. He hoped
his mother and sister were giving Fancy some kind of third degree. It damn sure wasn’t fair that he had to answer questions if
she was getting off scot-free.

Robert ordered two coffees and two Peanut Buster Parfaits at
the counter. The server told him it would be a couple of minutes
because they were brewing a new pot of coffee. She’d bring it out,
so they should go ahead and have a seat.

Robert looked over the place and saw only a couple of men in a
back corner. “Slow today, isn’t it?”

“Everyone is still inside after the holiday,” the waitress said.

“Well, son, you choose,” Robert said.

Theron chose a booth as far away from the counter as possible.
Both men removed their hats and laid them on the seat beside
them.

“You going to talk, or do I get to drag it out of you?” Robert
asked.

“I’ll talk, but let’s talk about Uncle Joe first.”

“Okay, that’s a fair deal. He put me in charge of his finances
when he sold you the ranch. He wanted to give you the property, but
I wouldn’t hear of it. You needed to know that you bought it with
your own blood, sweat, and tears. Besides, you needed to work at
the school and ranch both to get your mind off that deal with Maria.
Without people around you, you’d have become an old hermit bad
as Uncle Joe after Molly died. So I made the decision, and I’m still
standin’ by it. Didn’t hurt you to do two jobs”

“Two jobs? I do three. I work as a relief police officer in the
summer too. And Maria is not part of this. We don’t need to rub
salt into old wounds.”

“Got ‘em healed up yet?”

“I believe I do”

“Okay, you paid Joe with the bank note, and he put the money
in with whatever else he’d accumulated through the years. I paid
his nursing home, medical, pharmacy, and kept up his life insurance policy. He left a will and made sure it couldn’t be contested,
not that any of us would anyway. But your momma was his favorite niece, so that made you his next favorite in line, so to speak.”

“Okay,” Theron said.

“Bottom line is that I’m to turn it all over to you, son. You are
the sole beneficiary of his estate. Plain and simple. Your momma
doesn’t need it. You do. He set up his funeral and paid for it before
he went to the nursing home, back when he still had a few good
days, so there’s not much we need to do except talk to them about
minor details. We’ll go to the nursing home and get his favorite
overalls and shirt for his burial. He was adamant about that. Molly
wouldn’t know him if he didn’t meet her in his overalls.”

Theron chuckled.

The waitress brought their coffee and sundaes and put them on
the table.

Robert picked up the plastic spoon and dug in. “Don’t you dare
tell your momma I ate this. She’s been tryin’ to get me to lose a
few pounds. She’s scared to death I’ll drop with a heart attack. I
keep tellin’ her that would be better than havin’ what Joe had.
Fancy ever fuss at you about your weight?” Robert asked.

Theron shook his head.

“She will. After forty-six years she will. Trust me”

“Dad, Fancy and I aren’t married. There will never be any
forty-six years for us “

“You shouldn’t use that word, never. It’s a bad omen. You ready
to talk about Fancy now?”

Theron changed the subject. “Tell me about this account of Uncle
Joe’s.”

“Won’t work, son. I know your tactics. Knew them in high
school and know them now. We will talk about Fancy. I hate to tell
you about the account, because it’ll be harder for you to talk with
your tongue glued to the top of your mouth.”

“What?”

“Life insurance: half a million, taken out years ago, so it’s still
good even though he had Alzheimer’s and was in a diminished
state in his later years. Bank balance: three million. Stock portfolio? Well, you know how that fluctuates with this recession, but he
didn’t invest in anything risky, so it’s about three times what the
bank balance is most days”