Joshua's Folly (2 page)

“When did you grow up? I was somehow expecting a young girl, but instead I see a beautiful woman.”

“I can put my hair in pigtails if you want.”

Joshua Kensington threw his head back and laughed. She watched, mesmerized. At twenty-four, she wouldn’t really put her hair in pigtails, not even if her life depended on it—but she’d do it for him.

“Mary warned me that you were a little firecracker and I can see she’s right,” he said with a laugh. His voice had a deep, rich timbre and yet was soft and gentle.

“Don’t believe anything she says.”

He laughed again, smiling into her green eyes. And there they stood in a crowded airport, people milling around them. Five seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty, till they both came to their senses and realized they were staring at one another, taking each other in.

Josh recovered first. “Shall we get your luggage, Marisa?”

She liked the way he said her name. The Texan accent took over and the i was slightly elongated. Mary always said she’d worked hard to rid of herself of the ‘awful’ West Texan twang—and she’d done it too. Mary had no trace of an accent and was proud of it. But Marisa had to admit, she kind of liked it. Somehow, she found it…comforting. She equated it with sitting on a front porch on a hot summer afternoon, drinking homemade lemonade while lazily rocking in a rocker.

Yep, she got all that from one elongated i. Just imagine what her imagination will come up with when he says
ya’ll
. It’ll be mind blowing.

Over the years, she’d scrambled to the phone if she knew it was him. He called on a regular basis, keeping in touch with his Aunt Mary, and always expressing interest in her foster daughter. He asked all the typical questions like,
How’s school?, Do you like your teachers?, Are you making friends?,
and so on. They’d never spoken long, just a minute or two of formality filled babble. But Marisa had hung on his every word.

Pathetic.

Marisa remembered the day he’d married. Mary called to wish him congratulations. Marisa had feigned sickness, hiding out in her room. Jerome, her foster father, checked on her several times.

“It must’ve been something I ate,” Marisa lied. Then she cried deep into the night, broken hearted that he now belonged to someone else and not to her.

Silly childhood crush.

He was waiting for an answer. “All right, but where’s Bethany?” Marisa asked as her eyes scanned the airport lounge.

“I left her back at the ranch. It’s a long trip and she gets restless. May I take your bag?”

Marisa handed him her carry-on, glad to be rid of the weight on her shoulder. “Thanks. So, it’s just me and you?” She looked at him innocently as she said it, but she liked the sound of that. J
ust me and you
.

“Yep, just me and you.” This time he held her gaze, perhaps a little longer than necessary. “I thought we’d have lunch together.”

She smiled at him radiantly, “Sounds great.”

No young man had ever compared to how she imagined Joshua to be, and so far he was living up to the ideal. She knew he would.

She ignored the fact that she’d only met him five minutes ago.

They retrieved her luggage and loaded it into the back of his jeep, then settled in and buckled their seatbelts. Marisa breathed a deep sigh. She was actually in Amarillo, Texas. She noticed the airport was named Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. “Is the airport named after Rick Husband, the astronaut?”

“Sure is. He grew up here, went to high school here. The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentry, killing every crewmember. Sad day, they were so close to home.” Josh started the jeep and revved the engine, but seemed in no hurry to get going.

Marisa pondered on that for a minute. Anything can happen in life when you least expect it. She’d learned that many years ago. Her parents had been only five minutes from home when tragedy struck.
So close to home…

She changed the subject. “So, tell me about Amarillo.”

“Let’s see, population about two-hundred and forty thousand. About one-quarter of the United States beef supply is processed here and several state of the art dairies are located around here. Did I mention there are several cattle ranches as well?” he added, his smile beguiling.

“I figured that one out,” she remarked, liking his dry sense of humor.

He continued. “We have the second largest canyon system after the Grand Canyon, called Palo Duro Canyon. I’ll take you there, you’ll love it,” Josh said as he drove slowly through the parking fee booth and gave the attendant one dollar.

“You certainly can’t see it from here,” Marisa commented as she gazed upon the flat land.

“That’s because it’s a canyon, remember? It goes down.”

“Oh yeah,” she said, wanting to see this phenomenon.

“In Spanish, Amarillo means yellow. There are a few different answers as to why they called it that. Some say the color of the soil, some say the yellow wildflowers. Secretly, I think it’s because of the tall, yellow colored weeds that grow across the plains.”

“Interesting,” was her only comment as they began to pick up speed and the wind blew at their hair. She was captivated by the flat landscape. She’d never been to Texas before. “It sure is flat. It’s just a whole lot of…nothing.” It was very different from the rolling hills of San Jose, California, where she’d grown up.

“We have a common saying around here. It goes somethin’ like this, ‘Welcome to Amarillo, where you can look farther and see less than any other place in the world.’ I guess it’s true.”

“Sure is,” she responded with a laugh. “How far is your cattle ranch from here?” she asked, trying to talk over the wind.

“Two hours. If you need anything, now would be the time to pick it up. There are a few small towns around us, but other than that, this is it, baby,” he answered loudly with a smile.

They were quiet for the drive into Amarillo proper as the open jeep and the wind made conversation all but impossible. They stopped at a small sandwich shop with umbrella-covered tables dotting the fenced in courtyard. They were prepared for the wind.

“In or out?” Josh asked her.

“Definitely out,” she said decisively. “The June sunshine feels good.”

“I was fixin’ to say the same thing. You’re my kind of girl,” he teased and her heart skipped a beat.

Marisa tried not to laugh aloud at his slight Texan accent, and strange use of the word
fixing
. He didn’t have a strong accent, but it was there all the same—a nice little twang that spiced up his speech and made you take notice.

When they were settled and waiting for their order, Josh said, “Tell me about yourself, Marisa.”

“Surely Mary has told you everything there is to tell. I think you know more about me than me.” Marisa smiled at the thought of Mary, her foster mother, and Joshua’s aunt. Mary liked to tell anyone who was willing to listen of Marisa’s accomplishments. It was downright embarrassing.

He chuckled. “I admit Mary is rather proud of you, with good reason, as is Jerome. But I want to hear it from you.” He leaned forward in his seat, his gaze direct. There was a lot going on in the crowded restaurant, but his eyes didn’t dart around. His attention was focused solely on her. There he was, sitting across from her; she could reach out and hold his hand if she wanted to—and he wanted to know about her.

Dreams do come true.

Her words gave no hint as to her crazy thoughts. “Pretty boring, really. I spent the last several years at San Jose State, working towards my degree in Elementary Education. I never took a break; attending summer school to get ahead of all that darn general ed., doing my student teaching, earning my credentials, and so on. I spent the last year teaching first grade and I love it, don’t get me wrong. But summer hit this year and I’m burnt out in a big way, ready for a break.”

“Mary said you enjoy being a teacher, but you were a little bit at a loose end.”

“Major life decisions, what to do next, and all that…”

“It’s not easy.” He reached out and covered her hand with his. “But I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

She nodded, hoping that was the right response. She hadn’t heard a word he’d just said. All she could think about was her hand in his. Their sandwiches came then and he let go of her hand.

“Mary says you’ve wanted to come here for quite some time.”

He painstakingly removed the red onion slices, took a bite of his sandwich, and licked his lips. She was distracted by the action.
Stop thinking like a hormone-crazy teenager, Marisa.

“I have. I’ve been unable to convince Mary to go though. Jerome has always wanted to see her childhood home also. Do you want those?” she asked, pointing to his discarded red onion slices.

“Be my guest,” he answered politely.

Marisa piled the red onion onto her sandwich, lathered the bread with an ultra thick layer of mayo and took a big bite. He raised his eyebrows, but didn’t comment.
Oh well, he may as well know I like to eat. I’m not going to starve for a man.

“I’m afraid Mary doesn’t have very good memories of the ranch,” Josh continued.

“She doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to come. I can’t tell you how much help you’ll be to me. Bethany is in need of a woman’s touch.”

“Tell me about her.”

“Her mother left when she was only six weeks old,” he said quickly as if he didn’t want to talk about it. “We’re divorced. I’ve divided my time between her and the ranch the best I can. Constance helps me care for her, but she divides her attention between Bethany and all of her other duties. It wears her out.”

“Mary always speaks fondly of Constance. I look forward to meeting her.”

“Constance has been at the ranch since, oh, I guess I was six when she became our housekeeper. It seems as though she’s always been there, I can hardly remember what it was like when she wasn’t. She’s more like family to me. She runs the household with an iron fist and what she says goes. Don’t let her fool you. Underneath the stern exterior is a heart of gold. You’ll love her. I don’t know what I’d do without her. At any rate, back to Bethany. I hired a tutor to home school her for kindergarten. I can’t face sendin’ her away for school. I’d miss her too much. I worry about her, she’s a very quiet child. She doesn’t get out much or see other children much. Honestly, the idea of havin’ you come for the summer is a lifesaver.”

He was a good father and obviously loved his daughter. Marisa sighed out loud.
Blue eyes. Jet-black hair. White teeth. Tanned skin. Smile that makes his eyes sparkle.
She could sit here all day and simply stare at him.

Then she realized he was waiting for a response. “Are you kiddin’…I mean, kidding?” For heaven’s sake, the accent was rubbing off on her already.
Pretend like it didn’t happen, Marisa.
“I’ve always wanted to come. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me. A summer job vacationing on a Texas ranch and playing with Bethany all day—it doesn’t get better than that.”
Not to mention getting to see you every day, but I’ll keep that comment to myself.

“Bethany’s gonna love you. She’ll love the constant attention. It will do her good. She gets left to her own devices more than a five year old should,” he added with a frown.

“It’s a dream job. I can’t wait to meet her.”

He finished his sandwich and started in on his chips. She watched him lick the salt from the chips off of his fingers and then looked away feeling silly.
Stop it, Marisa.

He leaned forward and spoke softly as he asked, “How old were you when Mary and Jerome took you in? Ten?”

She leaned in a little closer. “No, eleven. My parents passed away unexpectedly.” He held her hand again and squeezed it softly.

“Old enough to remember them,” he stated, not questioned.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, I can tell you don’t want to talk about it. Mary has told me so little.”

“I’ve always appreciated Mary’s discretion. No one ever knew my story. I liked it that way. I didn’t want kids to be friends with me just because they felt sorry for me.” With their heads together, speaking softly, and holding hands, she wondered if they looked like lovers.
Concentrate, Marisa, for goodness sake.
“I don’t mind talking about it, but it’s a real downer.”

His eyes searched hers for a moment. “I understand.” He changed the subject. “It killed Mary when she was given the news that she couldn’t have children. She was thrilled when you came to live with her.”

“The feeling is mutual. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me without Mary.”

“My mother left when I was only three. Mary was in her early twenties at the time and in many ways took the place of my mother. I hardly think of her as an aunt, she’s been much more of a mother figure to me over the years. I wish she’d come for a visit, but, as I said, the ranch holds too many bad memories for her. She swore she’d never come back. My dad, her brother, was always hard on her. They didn’t get along. I knew that and recognized it even at a young age.” He spoke softly, telling her more in thirty seconds than Mary ever had.

Not knowing what to say, Marisa simply nodded, keeping her face blank. Marisa didn’t know about Joshua’s mother leaving him. How sad.

“Can I ask you something?” Josh queried.

“You just did,” Marisa responded cheekily.

His face was blank till he caught on to her remark. “Smart aleck,” he guffawed. “A smart aleck firecracker. Mary was right.” He laughed aloud.

“What did you want to ask?” Marisa asked in all seriousness, the sound of his laughter echoing in her mind.

“Was your life happy with your real parents?”

“Yes.” Marisa felt uncomfortable. Why all the questions?

He perceived her discomfort. “I’m sorry, I just realized that I really don’t know much about you and I had a sudden overwhelming curiosity to know everything there is to know about this beautiful creature who sits before me and who will be livin’ in my home and takin’ care of my daughter.”

Marisa ran her hand through her hair self-consciously feeling flustered at his words. He’d called her beautiful.