Zaylie kept running to the living room window to see if Retta and Cade were home yet, then coming back to the kitchen or the guest room where Claire was sewing to ask how long it would be before they got home.
“Six o’clock,” Claire told her for the hundredth time. “Their plane landed about four and it’ll be near six when they get home.”
“Is that forever from now?”
“It’s two more hours. That’s one movie and four songs.” Claire finished machine quilting Retta’s Christmas throw on her sewing machine. Small things she could manage, but even that would be easier with the big commercial-size quilter.
Zaylie sucked in a lung full of air and let it out with a long whoosh. “Okay.” She stretched the one short word out into three syllables and sighed again. “I guess I’ll watch Cinderella.”
“Want me to put it in the DVD player for you?” Claire asked.
“I can do it myself.” She left the room with her chin dragging on her chest and lower lip poked out in a pout.
Claire folded the quilt and put it into the box, taped it shut, and carried it out to the truck.
She was about to go back into the house when she heard a truck coming down the lane. She whipped around, hoping that maybe Retta and Cade had caught an earlier flight home, but it was Levi. Her first thought was to ignore him, like he’d done her all day. Oh, he’d said good morning and entered into the conversation about Retta and Cade’s return during the noon meal. But there’d been no touching of any kind, not even an accidental brush of their hands as food was passed.
He rolled down the window and yelled, “Hey, you and Zaylie want to go out to the barn and see Little Bit and Nomie? I bet she’s getting stir crazy.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him no, but she said, “Yes, give us two minutes to get our jackets, and we’ll be right out.”
She had some things to say, and the corral was a good place to get it out in the open. Zaylie would be romping around with the little donkey and calf, so she wouldn’t be listening to a word they said.
Zaylie was sitting on the sofa in a pout and didn’t even look up at Claire.
“Levi wants to know if we’d like to go see Little Bit and Nomie, but if you’re busy…” Claire let the sentence hang.
“No! I want to go.” Her expression changed instantly.
“You need to put on your shoes and your jacket.” Claire held out both to her.
Zaylie’s little hands were a blur as she tied her shoes. “I’ll tell Nomie all about Retta so she won’t be afraid of her.” She shoved her arms into her jacket and ran toward the door. “Levi, guess what? Nomie is goin’ to love Retta.”
Levi picked Zaylie up first, then put her into the backseat beside Beau and then opened the passenger door for Claire. “I figured she might be getting a little antsy. To tell the truth, Justin and I are ready for them to be home too.”
For the first time, he didn’t pick Claire up and set her in the seat, but waited for her to hoist herself into the truck. Tears stung her eyes as she fastened the seat belt, but she blinked them back.
When they reached the corral, Zaylie crawled through the two lower rails and then went back and forth from Nomie to Little Bit, hugging them and talking to them like they were human. Beau bounded out of the barn and sat down outside the corral as if he were guarding the little girl.
A cold north wind whipped Zaylie’s wispy blond hair back and forth, but she just pushed it out of her face and kept telling the animals all about her plans when Retta got home.
“She sure does love the ranch life.” Levi propped his elbows on the top rail.
Claire grabbed his shoulder and tugged at it to make him face her.
“What in the hell is going on, Levi?” she blurted out.
He turned to face her. “About Zaylie, Beau, or what?”
“About us?” She gazed into his eyes.
“Is there an us?” he asked.
“You tell me,” she answered.
“Evidently, you don’t like to be smothered, and you want to do things on your own. I have to fight you to give you any help at all. So this is me, backing off and giving you space,” he said.
She blinked and let go of his shoulder. “I’ve had to take care of everything for so long that it’s really hard for me to let go of the reins.”
“I realize that, but if there’s going to be an us, if we’re going to go past a few kisses and into the dating phase, we’re both going to have to compromise. I’m like a teenager that has a girlfriend and wants to spend every minute possible with her. You’re like…” He inhaled deeply.
“I’m like trying to pet a porcupine?” she suggested.
“Something like that, or maybe like a porcupine that’s stuck between a rock and a hard place and won’t let me do a damn thing to help it get free,” he said.
“So do you want to go past those hot kisses we’ve shared? Do you want us to be dating? If so, I’ll try to shed a few prickly quills,” she said.
“I’ll try not to smother you.” He nodded. “And yes, Claire, I want to date you. I want people to know that you’re with me.”
It was her turn to make a move or say something. Words didn’t seem adequate for the way she felt. So she pushed herself between him and the fence, rested her palms on his chest, and pushed up to her tiptoes. Their lips met in a fiery kiss that told Claire that actions definitely spoke louder than words.
“Why are you kissin’ Levi?” Zaylie reached through the railings and tugged on Claire’s coattail.
Before Claire could answer, Levi’s phone rang. He kissed her on the tip of the nose and took a couple of steps to the side.
“I kissed Levi because I wanted to,” Claire said.
“Can I kiss a boy when I want to?” Zaylie asked.
“When you are twenty-eight,” Claire told her.
“Thank God, I’m twenty-eight.” Levi chuckled as he answered the phone.
“Is Retta home yet?” Mavis asked. “We thought we’d give them a few minutes to get settled before we come out to the ranch.”
“Nope, not for another hour or so.”
“Are icicles still hangin’ off you and Claire?”
“No, we’ve cleared the air,” he answered.
“Well, praise the Lord. I didn’t like the way things felt today.”
“And you didn’t talk to her about it?” Levi asked.
“God knows I wanted to, and it was almighty tough not to meddle. But something in my heart told me to let y’all work it out on your own. I can step in and help out when it comes to getting y’all some time together, but it’s up to you what you do with it,” Mavis answered. “So what’s the verdict?”
“Isn’t that meddling?” Levi teased.
“No, it’s my reward for not meddling,” she told him.
“Well, I think we’re dating, but that sounds kind of juvenile, doesn’t it?” he said.
“Not to me, it don’t. But if you’re dating, you should be talkin’ to her, not me.”
“I agree, but I’m also trying to not be a smothering boyfriend.”
“That sounds mighty smart of you. Good luck, Levi.”
“Bye now. See you later.” He hit the end button and noticed Justin coming right toward him.
“Heard from Cade?” Justin asked.
“Nope. You?”
“Not yet. But when I talked to Cade this mornin’ he said that Retta was homesick. Who’d a thought that the woman he hired last summer who couldn’t wait to get to the big city would learn to love this place the way she does.”
“Claire and I are dating,” Levi blurted out.
“That don’t surprise me. Are you going to give her your class ring and go steady too?” Justin teased.
Levi slapped at Justin’s arm.
“Been to bed with her?” Justin asked.
“No, and if I had I wouldn’t be tellin’ it around. She’s a class act and deserves better,” Levi said.
“I’m happy for you. Really, I am. Who knows, maybe someday another woman will get dropped on the ranch, and I’ll find my soul mate,” Justin said.
Soul mate? The words settled on Levi’s heart and didn’t sting a bit.
“Hey, now, dating doesn’t mean the M word,” Levi said.
Zaylie stuck her head out between two rails and yelled, “Hey, Justin, come see Nomie.”
“I’m on my way.” Justin started in that direction.
Claire turned away from the corral and drew her jacket across her chest. The wind whipped her ponytail around her face, but she kept walking toward him. As she got nearer and nearer, Levi didn’t see her hair as much as the smile directed at him.
“So what did Mavis have to say when you told her about us?” Claire looped her arm into his.
“She’s happy, but I’m wondering if your brother will try to talk you out of dating me.” He laid a hand over hers.
“Honey, my brother has never run my life, and he damn sure ain’t startin’ now. I love him, and he’s basically all the family I have, but I call the shots when it comes to my life.” She poked him in the chest with a forefinger. “Besides, why would he be against someone who makes me happy?”
“Come on, Claire. I’ve got a good job and I’m not broke, but I sure don’t bring home the kind of money you do,” he said.
“Nanny always said that if you love what you do, whether you are the president of the United States of America or if you are a ditch digger for the county, then you are a success. Money doesn’t make someone a success. Happiness does,” she told him.
“Then by that definition, I’m a big success.” He looked up in time for a huge raindrop to hit him right in the eye. He wiped it out and gathered Claire up in his arms, jogged to the other side of the truck, and settled her into the passenger’s seat. “And on that note, I expect I’d better grab Zaylie and get her into the truck before she gets wet.”
Justin passed him midway. “I’ll be in the house right behind you. Snow and now a thunderstorm. Never a dull moment in Texas.”
“You got that right.” Levi opened the gate and picked up Zaylie.
They made it inside the truck before the sky opened up, and the wind blew great sheets of cold rain against the vehicle’s windshield.
“I hope Cade and Retta aren’t havin’ to drive out of Dallas in this,” Claire said.
“Can we call them?” Zaylie asked.
“Might not be a good idea if they’re fighting their way through afternoon traffic in the rain,” Claire answered. “Let’s just go to the house and get our little welcome home finger foods on the table, and you can watch for them out the window. Hopefully, this is just a little blow-over storm and it’ll pass in a few minutes.”
There was a difference in a shower and a winter storm. This had the feel of the latter—a cold rain that could turn to sleet any second. Levi parked as close to the porch as he possibly could and turned toward Claire. “I’m going to take Zaylie inside, and then I’ll come back for you.”
She nodded, but as soon as he had Zaylie in his arms, she made a beeline for the house right behind him. Icy rain ran down his neck, and he shivered all the way to his toenails when he set the child down in the foyer.
“See there.” He turned to face her. “You couldn’t even wait and let me come back for you.”
With dripping hair, she bowed up to him. “I was trying to do something nice for you so that you didn’t have to go back out in that. We were both going to get wet either way. I wouldn’t fuss if you’d bring me a towel though.”
“I guess that’s a step in the right direction.” He managed a smile as he picked up two towels from the laundry basket.
“Retta!” Zaylie squealed, and pointed.
“Surprise! We got home about half an hour ago,” Retta said.
“Well, praise the Lord!” Justin came in the back door and removed his cowboy hat. “You didn’t have to drive in this rain, did you?”
Cade stepped out of the kitchen carrying two bottles of root beer. “Amen, brother. It’s good to be home, and, no, we beat the rain home by a few minutes.”
“Root beer?” Levi asked. “Did you get the wrong thing from the fridge?”
“Nope, if Retta can’t drink, then I’m not going to either,” Cade answered.
Zaylie stomped her foot. “We had a surprise party.”
“Well, let’s get out all the fixin’s, and we’ll have our party anyway.” Cade put a bottle in Retta’s hand.
“I hear you’ve got a new calf since we’ve been gone.” Retta sat down beside Zaylie and pulled her close for a hug.
Zaylie grinned. “Nomie is the new baby cow’s name, and I told her about you today.”
“Hey, guys.” Levi took the towel from Claire’s hand and dried her hair for her. “Let’s pull out all that stuff Claire has made while these ladies talk about Nomie.”
“Sounds good to me.” Justin nodded. “I’ve been waitin’ all day to get into those brownies and that chocolate dessert thing that Claire has been holding back.”
Justin threw an arm around Cade’s shoulder, and the three of them disappeared toward the kitchen. “Levi’s got something to tell you.”
“That he and Claire are a couple?” Cade grinned.
“How’d you know?” Levi opened the fridge and brought out a tray of finger sandwiches.
“The look on both your faces as you dried her hair,” Cade said. “God, I’m glad to be home. I got worse homesick that last day than Retta did. We had an amazing honeymoon, but I swear being away just made me love this ranch more than ever.”
“So is that the lingo. We aren’t dating. We are a couple?” Levi asked.
“I think it is. What did Mavis say?” Cade asked.
“She’s fine with it,” Levi answered.
“She’s probably already making baby quilts for y’all as well as for me and Retta.” Cade carried a dessert to the table.
“It’s something big in my world to think about a relationship that involves more than friendship. You’re talkin’ permanent, and that’s way ahead of me,” Levi said.
“You’ll get there if she’s the one,” Cade told him, and then pointed at Justin. “And you are next.”
Justin threw up both palms defensively. “Whoa! How’d I get involved in this conversation? Levi is in the spotlight, not me. I’m not finished sowing oats, and it could be that I never will.”
“I said that six months ago, remember. Never say never,” Levi reminded him.
Justin lowered his hands. “I didn’t say never. I said a long, long time if ever.”
“Pretty close to the same thing. Let’s get all this stuff on the table. Retta’s hungry.” Cade picked up two plates of food. “And, Levi, I’m happy for you. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Levi got a flash picture of Claire in a wedding gown, and it didn’t scare him. It might be a year or two down the road, but if things worked out, at least he wasn’t afraid.
“What’s happened while I was gone?” Retta sipped at the root beer Cade had given her. “It’s plain that you and Levi…”
“Levi can walk on water,” Zaylie blurted out before she wiggled free of Retta’s embrace and hurried to the fireplace to hug Beau.
“What does she mean by that?” Retta took a long sip of the root beer. “This is my new craving. It seems to help the morning sickness.”
“She heard that song by Randy Travis yesterday and decided that if his grandpa could walk on water, then Levi could,” Claire explained. “And Levi and I only decided half an hour ago that we are dating.”
“Mavis?” Retta asked.
“Levi says she’s okay with it.”
“I bet she is. She’s wanted a daughter-in-law for years. She will spoil you, Claire, but not as much as Levi.”
“I’m not sure I know how to take spoilin’,” Claire whispered.
“You’ll learn.” Retta patted her arm.
“Hey, we got the party on the table,” Cade called out.
“Thanks.” Claire covered Retta’s hand with hers and gave it a squeeze.
“Anytime. I’ve already walked down the path you’re treading, so anytime you need to talk, I’m here. Now let’s go eat. Those peanuts on the plane didn’t last long.”
“Forgot to ask in all the excitement. How’s the mornin’ sickness?”
“Pretty much gone. I talked to Mavis the whole way home from the airport. She told me about the Harris house and how she’s asked you to stay a while longer. Are you going to? I would love it if you could…” Retta’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And you could figure out if you could stand that spoilin’ business from Levi and Mavis. Besides you’re going to be living down here anyway, so why uproot Zaylie until her dad comes home? Then the transition won’t be so traumatic for her.”
Claire wasn’t aware she was holding her breath until it came out in a whoosh. “It does make things a lot easier, so yes, and thank you, and there’s more to tell you about the surprise story there.”
“Is he going to let her have kittens?” Retta asked.
“More than that.” Claire looked around and saw Zaylie in the dining room chattering away with Levi about Nomie. “He’s resigning and coming home for good, and he’s probably getting married soon.”
“Wow!” Retta’s brown eyes twinkled. “Now that’s a Christmas present she’ll never forget.”
“What’s a present?” Zaylie whipped around to face them.
“We can’t tell,” Retta said. “We promised Santa.”
“When did you see him?” Zaylie skipped across the room.
“In Florida. I had to know what he was bringing you so I’d know what I could get that would be different,” Retta answered.
Levi met Claire’s gaze, and their eyes locked. Could she really learn to let someone else help her without feeling like she was losing her independence? She was willing to try, but that didn’t mean it would be easy.