Song of the Meadowlark (Intertwined Book 1) (21 page)

“Hey, Anne.” Cora sat on the couch looking out the back window at the cows in the pasture. Even after a month, the sight never grew old. She propped her feet on the coffee table and pulled the fleece throw up over her shoulders and stretched it across her legs.

“Hey. How are things going back at the ranch? Sorry I haven’t checked in with you before now. I had that big job in Houston.”

“That’s okay. Things are going so great. My parents sent a scrapbook home with me by surprise, and it was full of stuff of my mother…my real mother!”

“Awesome!”

“I know! She was so pretty. I’m staying in the pool house, which is the coolest place ever. It’s got the best wood-burning stove. There’s a hot tub out by the pool, and I sit in it all the time. I’ve been doing lots of reading and helping Rex start the B&B. Matt still wants to do a dude ranch, but Rex is holding out. You should see his face every time it gets brought up. He says he’d end up babysitting a bunch of cowboy wannabes.” She grinned as she pushed her hair behind her ear.

“That’s hilarious. With everything you’ve said about Matt, it surprises me he’d want the dude ranch. He sounds more like the B&B type since he’s in the city all the time.”

Cora threw her hands up. “I know. I think he thinks the dude ranch will be more of a moneymaker. That’s what he thinks of most…money. He expects Rex to run it, though, and Rex says he’s got enough going on with the hired hands to have to worry about guests getting injured on the ranch.”

“Good point. What else have you been doing?”

“Besides getting used to cows being everywhere I turn? Not much.” She picked up the remote and turned on the television. “Just going to church and helping Ms. Lottie some. Susie was so happy to see me come back. I keep her with me during the day most of the time. At night, she’s with Rex, which means she’s with me because we spend time together practically every night.” Cora giggled.

“Speaking of Rex, how’s that going?”

Cora smiled. “He’s really a neat guy. He’s moody and bossy and stubborn and opinionated, but that’s nothing more than a hard shell. When it comes to Susie, his mom, or Clarice, Ms. Lottie, and…well…me, he’s a softie. He’s a marshmallow.”

“Are you glad you went back with him?”

“Definitely.” Cora gazed out her window at the grass, leaves scattered on the ground, and blue sky as they merged into a gorgeous portrait. Opposites, yet part of each other—belonging together. “So what’s your status?”

“We’re definitely a couple. We spend most weekday evenings here at the ranch. But on the weekends, we go into town and eat at Ms. Lottie’s or somewhere else. Sometimes we go on into Columbus and go to the movies or to the bowling alley.”

“So it’s pretty slow-paced?”

“A lot more than at the beach. And it’s slower than when I was in South Carolina, working for the law firm, that’s for sure.”

“So are you guys staying together?”

“No way. Are you crazy?” She bristled at the thought.

“Well, you never know.”

“No. In fact, I can hardly get him to come to the pool house. If he does, he usually has Susie with him. I did get him to get in the hot tub once or twice, and that was funny. Quite a switch from when he practically mauled me this summer in the pool when he was acting like a horse’s—you get my drift.” She turned off the television and put the remote on the cushion beside her.

“Sure do. Men!”

“Gotta love ’em.”

“So you’re getting serious or what?”

“I mean, we’re not seeing anyone else. We’re going to church together every Sunday now. We go out. We spend time with Susie. He hasn’t specifically asked me to go steady with him.”

“Ha, ha. You’re funny. But I’m glad it’s all working out for you. What about the sister?”

“She’s a real prize.”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t had much interaction with her. But when I came back, she confronted me and wanted to know why I was back.”

“What?”

“Yeah. She basically wanted to know what my motives were. At first, she acted like she was concerned for me, like she didn’t want me to get hurt if Rex rejected me. But then it really boiled down to her marking her territory.”

“Do you think that’s because you didn’t stick up for her?”

“I’m sure. But I can’t worry about it.”

“You’re right. What about the kidnapper?”

“No news there. It’s your turn to talk. Tell me about Houston and how your love life is.”

“Rex, I’ve had it with your pitiful plans and your avoidance of the inevitable,” Matt said, crashing through the back door and into the kitchen. Cora sat at the kitchen table as Susie colored and watched out the window as the birds pecked at the seeds on the birdfeeder. When Matt came through the door, the birds scattered. Cora crossed her eyebrows at him. Rex followed close behind.

“What are you talking about, Matt? Just because I’m not acting as quickly as you’d like doesn’t mean I’m avoiding something. The inevitable? What’s that supposed to mean anyway?”

“Never mind.” Matt waved his hand to dismiss Rex.

“And besides, I’m working on some great plans. Cora’s been helping me.” Rex grabbed a coffee mug off a hook under the kitchen cabinet and poured a cup of coffee. The steam coming from the cup matched the steam coming from his ears. Beads of sweat glistened on his upper lip, and damp curls surrounded his ears.

“Rex, you’re driving me insane. You don’t realize how vital it is we get something up and running soon. When winter sets in, we’re gonna be in deep. The drought this summer killed us, and we’ve got to find a way to recover. The war in Iraq has cost us because so many of the guys stationed in Columbus are gone and so we’re losing sales. The economy’s going downhill fast.”

“Matt—”

“No!” He pointed his finger in Rex’s face. “Listen, Rex. We either need to open the dude ranch or the B&B. If we open the dude ranch, we can renovate the old bunkhouse. That would be the easiest approach. If we go with the B&B idea, we need to start building.”

“I know, Matt. That’s what I was gonna tell you. We talked about adding a two-story, four-suite wing right out here on the other side of the kitchen. The kitchen and dining hall will be right out here and the gathering hall can be in the front.” Rex pointed out the kitchen window. “Right out here on the other end, past the dining hall, will be a separate mini-wing where we hope to have Ms. Lottie’s quarters, if she’ll agree to come on board. The upstairs will have a common area and the four suites.”

Matt rubbed his face with his hands in exasperation. “Rex, you’re such a simple man.”

“What does that mean?” Rex walked closer to Matt.

“You’re scared to branch out and try something new like the dude ranch.” He crossed his arms.

“First of all, that has nothing to do with it. A B&B would be quite new for me. But I’ve got a little girl to raise, Matt. I can’t be playing host to a bunch of fake cowboys—businessmen who come to the country for a weekend to strut around like peacocks in their high-dollar snakeskin boots with no idea how to ride a horse or shovel manure.” Rex cut his eyes over to Matt. “We’ve got to go with what’s most advantageous for us. It’s not exactly what I want, but I know we have to do something. People are into B&Bs these days. Ms. Lottie’s business has seen a slump, and she can’t keep up with the repairs on that old home. It’d be in her best interest to do this.”

“Who cares about her? I’m looking at keeping my pocketbook from getting empty. You’re just selfish.”

“Me? Selfish? Can you believe this guy?” Rex cocked his head toward Cora. “Who wants to do things his own way? If you want a dude ranch so bad, why don’t you run it?”

Cora held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut as the two stood chest-to-chest, blowing verbal smoke in each other’s faces. Rex balled his fists up, and Matt’s swung his arms, ready for a fight. Jimmy stayed in the pantry, pretending to inventory the contents.

“Stop fighting!” Susie screamed.

“Boys! What are you fighting about?” Pearl entered the kitchen.

“Stupid Rex and his failure to move into this century.” Matt backed away from the brother who stood a head taller.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” Pearl grabbed her forehead.

“Pearl, here, sit down. Let me get you some coffee.” Cora headed to the counter, regarding both brothers in disdain.

“Decaf, please.”

“Rex? Matt? I want to know what all this yelling is about. I’ve had about enough of it. I was on the phone with a client, and I could barely hear him.” R.L. stood in the doorway glaring from one son to the next. “Dad, Rex is a pain in the rear.”

Rex let out a groan and tramped over to the window. Susie ran into the living room singing a song she learned in Sunday school. Rex scratched his head.

“Rex? You’re not saying anything.”

“Dad, I want to do what’s best for the ranch, whatever that is. I’m not leaning toward the dude ranch because I don’t have time to manage guests out there. There’s enough work to do with the ranch hands to manage. I don’t think we can afford the liability insurance we’d have to have either. Do you know how much it’d cost to protect us against lawsuits?”

Matt scuffed his shoes on the floor. “Lawsuits?”

“Yes, Matt. Lawsuits.” Dead silence except for the sound of the ice dropping into the bucket from the icemaker hung in the air.

“Good research, Rex. We do have to prepare for such things. What about the B&B? Sit down here and tell me what you’ve come up with.”

Matt stomped out the back door, slamming it behind him. Cora jumped.

Jimmy poked his head out of the pantry and then went back in.

“Dad, here’s what we’ve put together…”

Cora pulled into Millburn’s Station on fumes. The double bell sounded as she drove up to the pump. She turned off the ignition, zipped her jacket, and got out of the car.

“Hey, Cora.”

Cora jumped at the voice that sounded like a character from Mayberry, turning to find Bobby standing right behind her. “Hey, Bobby. You startled me.” She opened the gas cover and swiped her debit card at the pump.

“Sorry.” He grinned a crooked grin. “So, what finds you this far from the ranch?”

She fixed the handle so it would pump until her tank was full then glanced down at the dented side panel. “I had errands to run, and I wanted to stop in and check on Ms. Lottie.” She put her hands in her back pockets.

“How’s she doin’?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t made it over there yet. I’m on my way now.”

“Oh. Well…”

The gas continued to pump into the tank. How many gallons did this car take? “So.” She watched the numbers slowly tick on the old gas pump. She picked up the squeegee and washed her windshield.

“So.”

“Are you getting ready for the holidays, Bobby?”

“I suppose. There’s not much to the holidays for me. Not much family.” He looked down at the ground.

“I hate to hear that.” She put the squeegee back in the holder and tapped on the roof of the car with her left hand.

“Yeah.” Bobby bent down and picked up a disposable coffee cup lid. “I hate when people litter. People are so ungrateful these days for the things we do for them.”

“I guess you’re right.” The tank finally reached full. Cora returned the handle to the pump, tightened the cap on the tank, and pushed the button for a receipt, all while Bobby watched her.

“You want me to check your oil?”

“No, I think it’s okay today. You changed it when you worked on the car. Thanks, though.” Cora grabbed her receipt and reached for the car door handle.

“What are ya doin’ later tonight?” He shoved his hands in his back pockets.

“I’m not really sure. It depends on what time I get back to the ranch.”

“Do ya want to go to a movie with me?”

Cora gulped. So that’s what that was all about. He wasn’t being creepy. He wanted to ask her out. “Thanks for asking, Bobby. I’m going out with Rex right now.”

“Oh, figures.”

“Sorry.”

“Sure thing. Let me know if that doesn’t work out.” He tipped his ball cap.

“Okay.” Cora climbed in the car and pulled out of the gas station as quickly as she could. “That was weird.” She shuddered.

“Ms. Lottie, the strangest thing just happened.” Cora gave Ms. Lottie a hug and a kiss on her cheek in the lobby of the B&B.

“What?” Ms. Lottie sat down with her hot tea in the living room.

Cora sat and then stirred sugar into her tea, testing it for sweetness. “I stopped to get gas at Bobby’s station, and he really creeped me out.”

“Why?” Ms. Lottie looked her directly in the eye, concern pouring out.

“I felt like he was stalking me or hovering or something.”

“What did he do?” Ms. Lottie’s kind eyes never left Cora’s.

“He popped up behind me while I was pumping my gas like some kind of clown at the circus. It scared me half to death.” Cora shivered.

“Then what?”

“Then he asked me out.”

“Doesn’t he know you and Rex are together?”

“He acted like he didn’t know.” Cora shrugged.

“Well, everyone knows. I don’t know how he couldn’t. You might want to steer clear of him for a while.”

“Why?”

“I don’t mean to talk bad about him, but that boy has always been a little odd.”