Hey, did you buy out a shoe store?” Larry peeked around the door at all the boxes set on the tables in the recreation room.
“No, but I wish I could. I love pretty shoes. How are you going to decorate your Valentine box?” Emily put out stickers and cutouts on each table, along with glitter, scissors, and glue for the residents whose hands were still limber enough to use them.
“I’m going to make the outline of a skyscraper. I always wanted to design one of them things, so today is my chance.” Larry sat down at the first table.
“Sounds great.” Valentine’s Day had never been her favorite holiday, but the residents loved a party for any reason.
“Speaking of skyscrapers, what’s your dream house, Emily? I see you in a big old two-story with a wide front porch,” he said.
“Oh, really! And where is this located?”
“It ain’t in town, maybe a suburb or on an acre or two with lots of lawn where the kids can romp and play. Maybe even a ranch.” He sat down at the table and picked up a piece of dark blue construction paper.
“Why would you see me in that kind of a house, and not a long, low ranch style?”
He shrugged. “I got here early for bingo one day and you were lookin’ at a magazine. You left it open on the plans for a two-story. It was painted white and had a big porch with pretty flowers hangin’ in baskets in between the porch posts. Maybe you was just thinkin’ about the place where you grew up in out there in the panhandle?”
“I lived in a rambling ranch house, but it did have a wide front porch with two swings, one on either end. I loved that porch,” she said. “But it’s funny that you mentioned that picture. I’d forgotten about it until now. The house was so pretty and yet it wasn’t oversized, so cleaning wouldn’t be such a job. If I remember right, it had three bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor and a master bedroom downstairs. Did working with Justin on Claire’s place put that on your mind?”
“I guess so. It was real nice to get to do that. Your granny didn’t have a two-story either?”
She thought about her grandparents’ house south of Tulia, Texas. She’d spent lots of time there as a little girl. Maribel, the housekeeper and cook, had babysat her often before she started to school. Especially on the days when an extra hand was needed on the ranch and her mother filled in. There wasn’t anything Mama couldn’t do, and like Emily, she really enjoyed getting her hands dirty so she spent a lot of time outdoors.
Larry’s chuckle brought Emily back to the present. “My wife thought she’d like a two-story, so I designed her one but then life got in the way and by the time we were ready to build something new, we decided we liked where we were. Besides, she’d gotten bad knees and my hip was acting up, so we didn’t need them stairs. One thing she did say was that she wished she had a closet for all her pretty shoes.”
“And that makes you laugh, why?” Emily went on about her work.
“She never went shoppin’ with her friends that she didn’t bring home a pair of shoes. She always bought at least two pair, sometimes more, but she’d leave the others out in the tool box of the truck.”
“Why?” Emily asked.
Another chuckle, only this one was louder. “She knew I’d tease her about buyin’ more than she could ever wear out. So she’d bring in the one pair, hide the rest, and then bring them in secretly. I wish I’d built her a closet with shelves and a nice bench so she could just sit in there and look at all them pretty shoes. Several months after she passed, I found a pair of shoes in the truck and sat down and bawled like a baby.”
Emily stopped what she was doing and patted him on the back. “I’m afraid I’m just like your wife. Shoes are my downfall.” She held up a foot. “I work in these. I wear boots when I go home. I go very few places where I can wear high heels, but every time I see a shoe sale, I buy another pair. I can only dream about a house with a closet like you described.”
Larry sighed. “Well, honey, you should have it and a two-story house too, if that’s what you really like.”
“With a garden tub.” She set out a bottle of water at each place. Getting the older folks to drink enough was always a problem.
“So you can go skinny-dippin’?” Larry winked.
“Hey, now!” A vision of sharing a Jacuzzi with Justin popped into her head and immediately she was flushed.
“We’re early!” Bess, Patsy, and Sarah arrived.
“I got here first,” Larry bragged.
Emily shook the vision from her head and said, “Find a seat and look through all the decorations. There’s cupids and hearts and cute little arrows.”
“I wanted a four-wheeler and a cow.” Otis came in behind them.
“I found one special just for you.” Emily pointed to an oversize sticker. “It’s set inside a heart frame.”
“Ahh, thank you, Emily. I know I’m your favorite.” He pulled out a chair.
“No, you aren’t,” Patsy argued.
“Y’all don’t start in fussin’,” Larry said. “Me and Emily been talkin’ about houses.”
Patsy clamped both hands over her eyes. “I’d rather talk about kissin’ good-lookin’ cowboys and s-e-x.”
Bess slapped her on the arm. “We can’t talk about that in here.”
“Why? Valentine’s is about lovers and all that delicious stuff.” Patsy set two bottles of glitter beside her box.
“Anyway, we were talkin’ about her dream house and what she’d put in it.” Larry sat down beside Otis and opened a small jar of royal blue paint.
“Well, me and Patsy had ours built when we was forty,” Bess said. “We figured we could run the ranch from a pretty little place in town, close to our church and our friends. We lived in it two months before we admitted we were miserable and went back to the ranch house.”
“I missed the big pantry in our new house when we went back.” Patsy sighed. “It was one of them walk-in kinds with all different-size shelves to hold our supplies and cookware. But giving it up wasn’t so hard when we thought about going back home to the place where we’d been born and raised.”
Emily pulled out a chair behind the wrapping paper table and sat down. “What’d you do with the house?”
“We donated it to the church for a new parsonage,” Bess said. “They’re still usin’ it for that purpose today and everyone loves the pantry and the little special touches we put in it.”
“So would you want somethin’ like that in yours?” Larry asked.
“I love to cook, so that would be amazing,” Emily said.
“That pantry at Longhorn Canyon was awesome.” Patsy drew in a lungful of air and let it out slowly. “For a little while, I pretended me and Bess were back on the ranch while we were there.”
“What about you, Sarah?” Larry asked.
“I lived in a two-story until I came to this place. Loved it but it was built when my folks first married, so the closets were small and there was only one bathroom and it was on the second floor. Mama wanted a house full of children, but it didn’t happen. Daddy died first and then it was just me and Mama. Then she passed, leaving me to ramble around in it all by myself. It got lonely.” She picked up a cutout of a cupid. “I’m going to do layer painting with markers so there will be shading. What kind of cards did y’all buy? I got the kind with a little package of three sweethearts on each one.”
“Better be careful which one you put Henry’s name on. He’s got a crush on you, and if you put one of them conversation hearts that says BE MINE on it, he’ll take that as a sign,” Patsy said.
“That’s a crock of bullshit,” Sarah said. “He’s got the hots for you.”
“That’s just because you told him I was wild.” Patsy giggled. “I might give him a BE MINE just to put some glitter in his old eyes.”
Emily’s thoughts went back again to when she was a small child and she wanted so badly to get a valentine with a piece of candy attached to it. Preferably one of those heart-shaped lollipops because she was convinced that it had to taste better than any lollipop she’d ever eaten.
Guilt pricked Justin’s heart as he passed by the Oakview Retirement Center on his way to the vet’s place that Tuesday morning. What if there were other folks who lived there who didn’t have relatives to put cards in their boxes? He couldn’t take them all to the ranch, but he could be sure they had a few cards to spice up their Valentine’s Day. He needed to get back to the ranch with the supplies, but he could take five minutes to dash into a store for another box of cards.
He had that on his mind when he walked into the vet’s office and found Allison behind the counter. In the past, he would have put a little extra swagger in his step and flirted with her, but that day he was in a hurry. “Mornin’, Allison. I’ve got a list of things I need right here in my pocket.”
She held up her hand. “Look at my ring. I just got it yesterday.”
“Gorgeous.” He handed her a short list. “I’m in a little bit of a hurry.”
“One word is all I get for a two-carat diamond,” she fussed. “I waited on you to do something for two years. I made you breakfast a dozen times, and I still have at least three of your shirts that I kept because they smelled like you.”
“I thought we were just havin’ a good time. I didn’t mean to hurt you or mislead you in any way. Throw the shirts away. The ring is awesome. I hope you and Buddy are very happy. He really loves you. Don’t hurt him,” Justin said.
After another look at her ring, Allison dropped her hand. “I would never hurt him. You ever goin’ to settle down? Does that big blue-eyed goodie-two-shoes know that all you’re interested in is having a good time?”
Anger boiled up from Justin’s heart. “She has a name. Emily. And I think she’s damned sexy.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. If I’d known playin’ hard to get would put stars in your eyes, I would’ve tried it. Thank God, Buddy loves me the way I am.” She picked his supplies off the shelf, entered the information into the computer, and printed a receipt.
He signed it, picked up the small bag, and turned around when he reached the door. “I truly wish you and Buddy a long and happy life together.”
“Thank you for that,” Allison said, sarcastically.
From the vet’s place he went to Walmart for more cards so he could give one to everyone at the nursing home. He was in and out in less than ten minutes. But his mind wasn’t on valentines. The idea of Emily playing a hard-to-get game kept circling back around through his mind.
He drove straight to the barn where Levi and Cade had put two ailing cows in the stalls. He met Levi coming out of the tack room with two syringes and a bottle of alcohol.
“Good timin’. But what’s the matter? Are you gettin’ sick?” Levi said.
“I’m fine.” Justin handed off the bag to him.
“Come on and help me. Cade is next door.” He nodded toward the west. “He’s talkin’ to Eli Johnson.”
“So did Eli decide to sell after all?” Justin was glad that the topic had changed from him to something else.
“Maybe. But, seriously, what’s bothering you? Is it Emily?” Levi pressed on.
“What’s that got to do with us thinking about expanding the Longhorn Canyon?” Justin asked.
Levi removed the medicine from the bag and drew up a syringe full. “A lot, but we’ll get into that later. Right now I want to know why you look like a sad sack.”
Justin told him what had transpired at the vet’s office, ending with, “Do you think Emily is one of those women who just plays games?”
“Nope.” He carefully gave the first cow a shot and moved on to the next stall.
“Why?” Justin asked.
“She’s genuine. You saw her with those old folks and with Benjy. She’s not a gamer. We both know all about those kind of women. We’ve had to outrun too many of them to count. Don’t judge Emily by their half bushels,” Levi said.
“I remember Skip sayin’ that but I never understood what it meant before. I think I do now. It simply means not to judge one person by another,” Justin said.
“I’ve always wondered what the half bushel meant. Maybe it’s just what they’ve got in their lives.” Levi gave the second cow a shot. “What does it matter anyway about Emily? You think you might like her?”
“Maybe.” Justin kicked at the straw scattered on the floor, expecting Levi to tease him about another woman coming to the ranch and another cowboy biting the dust.
“Then work for it, man. I worked my ass off to get Claire and it was worth every single effort.” Levi patted him on the back. “I’m putting this stuff away, but we can talk more if you want.”
“I’m good. Thanks, though. See you at noon?”
“Yep.” Levi’s head bobbed. “Claire is having lunch with Mavis today, so I’m stayin’ on the ranch.”
Justin was left to wonder if he’d ever drive into Bowie to have lunch with Emily or if that was nothing more than a pipe dream.
Emily put away all the art things before she joined Nikki at their usual table in the dining room. Most of the residents had eaten and gone back to their rooms, so they had the area to themselves.
“I envy them right now.” Emily yawned as she set her tray down.
“Who?”
“Our residents. They’re probably taking a nap,” she answered.
“Have you heard from Justin since yesterday?” Nikki asked.
“How did your mind go from a nap to Justin?” Emily sat down and ate a bite of her grilled cheese sandwich.
“I saw the way he looked at you. His expression said that he’d like to take naps with you.” Nikki put finger quotes around the word naps.
Emily dipped a spoon into her soup. “His mother doesn’t like me.”
“Is he a mama’s boy?” Nikki asked.
“Don’t seem to be. Maybe it’s because he’s her baby, and she doesn’t want to lose him? Maybe she doesn’t want to see him married to a big woman? I don’t know what her issue is,” Emily said.
“You can win her over, girl, if you’re interested enough. It’s crazy thinking that anyone wouldn’t love you,” Nikki said.
“Thank you,” Emily said.
“Okay, now ’fess up. What’s really wrong? You haven’t been the same since you got back from the ranch. I’m your best friend. I can tell you’re on edge. I’m not pushin’ you to marry Justin Maguire tomorrow but maybe you ought to do whatever it takes to get him out of your system. Take a ‘nap’ with him.” Her hands went up for more air quotes. “Or go out with him a few times. Kill it or cure it, so you have peace in your heart.”
“It shows that badly, does it? The Fab Five haven’t mentioned it,” Emily said.
“They’re too wound up about the party day after tomorrow,” Nikki said. “You know how they all get at Valentine’s. It’s even bigger than our Easter egg hunt out on the back lawn. My time is up. Got to go deliver meds. Call me later and we’ll hash this out some more.”
“Will do. I’ll get your tray.” Emily finished her soup and went over exactly what they’d been discussing again. One sentence that Nikki had said kept playing in her head—cure it or kill it.
At the end of the workday she didn’t feel like cooking, so she stopped at the burger shop and got one of their Tuesday night specials. When she got home, she toted her things up the steps and inside her little apartment. The jacket and briefcase landed on a recliner. The sack with her food was left on the table while she fell backward on her bed.
Her phone rang and the ring tone told her that it was her mother. Rolling her eyes at the ceiling, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her scrub top. “Hello, Mama. What’s goin’ on in your world?”
“Just callin’ to remind you of the Bennington reunion in three weeks. The barn will be set up for the dinner after the spring sale. We won’t tear it down until after our get-together,” Anne said.
Emily crossed her fingers behind her back. “Of course I didn’t forget. I’ll drive up on Friday after work and then leave right after church on Sunday.”
“Reunion is March second. Go put it on your calendar while we’re talkin’. I haven’t talked to you in more than a week, so tell me about your Fab Five.”
Emily dutifully went to the calendar in her tiny galley kitchen and put a note on the date. “It’ll take a while to tell you what all they got into on the ranch.” She went back to the bed and stretched out with a pillow under her head.
“Ranch? Tell me everything. I’ve got a plate of your grandmother’s peanut butter cookies and a whole pot of coffee. I don’t care if it takes until midnight,” Anne said.
“Okay, you asked for it. It all started…” Emily went on to tell her mother all about the first time she went to the ranch and ruined a brand-new pair of shoes, up to the time they got back to the center. She omitted the part about Justin kissing her and about the Sunday date.
“I can tell by your voice that y’all had a wonderful time. Now tell me about this Justin Maguire. I’ve done business with his father in the past. The Longhorn Canyon is a well-known ranch in Texas,” Anne said.
“He’s a cowboy,” Emily said.
“I know that. Tell me what he looks like.”
“He’s taller than me by an inch or two. He has brown hair and steely blue-gray eyes.”
“I remember his mother being a little bitty thing, but she sure was bossy. No one walked on Gloria Maguire. She could hold her own against any rancher in the state, and she knew her cattle.”
Well, she hasn’t changed a bit, Emily thought.
“Are you still there?” Anne asked after several seconds.
“I’m here. I was just thinking that my burger and fries are probably cold.” Emily sighed.
“Go eat, girl. You get cranky when you don’t eat. We’ll talk when you get here,” Anne said.
“Love you, Mama.” She hit the END button.
She was surprised to find her hamburger still slightly warm when she opened the sack, but the fries were limp and soggy. As she chewed her first bite of burger, she topped off the fries with a few tablespoons of chili and added grated cheese, and then popped them into the microwave. While they heated, she poured herself a glass of sweet tea.
She’d just finished the last bite when her phone rang again. Nikki’s picture popped up on the screen, and that always made Emily smile. It was of the two of them being silly at the Christmas party.
“Mama called,” she answered.
“Is she already planning a wedding?” Nikki asked.
Emily sighed. “Probably and I didn’t tell her about the kisses or that we have a church and Sunday dinner date.”
“Whoa!” Nikki’s voice shot up a dozen octaves. “You didn’t tell me that, either.”
“It’s no big thing. I lost a bet and the date is paying for it. And I hate to burst Mama’s bubble, but I have kissed a few men. And I didn’t marry any of them.”
“Were any of them cowboys?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Nikki giggled. “You do realize that you’re giving your mother hope for the first time. And she probably hears your biological clock tickin’ too, so she’s thinking in terms of grandchildren who will love ranchin’ even if you don’t.”
“I’m twenty-eight. It’s not time for any ticking noise yet,” Emily said.
“You don’t have to convince me, girl. I’m the same age you are,” Nikki told her. “But your brothers aren’t doin’ jack squat about getting your mama some grandbabies, are they?”
“Matthew is engaged, so he can do that for her.” Emily put her food trash away, wiped down the table for two, and then set her briefcase on it.
“Does she like the woman Matthew is engaged to?” Nikki asked.
“Not so much. I’m not sure Mama will like any girl the boys bring home. But Darcy is high maintenance and she’s not…” Emily hesitated.
“A ranchin’ woman?” Nikki asked.
“Nope, and that poses another question. What if, and it’s a huge, colossal what if, Justin and I did date and fall in love? I could never come between a man and his family, especially a close-knit one like the Maguires.” Emily sighed.
“You don’t strike me as a woman who’d let anyone intimidate you about anything. So why do I hear hesitation in your voice now?”
“Crazy, ain’t it? I’m stressing about something that will probably never happen, and that’s not me at all,” Emily said.
“No, it’s not. Get over it. That’s an order.”
Emily snapped a salute even though Nikki couldn’t see it. “Ma’am. Yes, ma’am. I will do exactly that.”
Nikki giggled. “I’ve got to study. I really, really want to pass the RN test on the first try, and it’s coming up next month. See you tomorrow.”
“You’ll do great,” Emily said.
“And so will you. Bye now.”
Justin tried reading a book, but he couldn’t keep his mind on it. He made a package of microwave popcorn, but ate only a few bites before pushing it away. He’d thought about having the television cable company run a line to the cabin, but he’d be there so seldom that he couldn’t warrant it. He’d brought a small television and DVD player, so he popped a movie in, thinking that might help.
Tom Selleck in Quigley Down Under didn’t hold his attention more than fifteen minutes, so he removed it and tried Hatfields & McCoys. When his favorite two older movies didn’t work, he began to question his decision to move out of the ranch house.
His phone rang and it startled him so badly that he spilled half a glass of sweet tea down the front of his shirt. He headed to the kitchen, grabbed a towel, and sopped up as much as he could, and finally answered the phone on the fifth ring.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Larry asked.
“Not at all. What’s up?”
“I did a little homework for you. I’ve got some plans and ideas from a woman’s standpoint so you don’t have to try to figure out a way to ask Emily. I got them all drawn up, well most of them, anyway. If you happen to come into town tomorrow, stop by and I’ll give them to you,” Larry answered.
“Most of them?” Justin asked.
“It’s like this. I still like to go over blueprints and designs, so sometimes I make copies of the ones in magazines. Few months ago I saw Emily admiring one.” He told Justin all about copying the plan and the conversation he’d had with her that morning.
“Well, I’d sure like to take a look at what you’ve got. It’d be a nice start,” Justin answered.
“Good! I told the others that you’d be here for the party. Patsy wanted to make a box for you, but I told her the relatives of the other residents would be jealous if we did that. It’s just that in all the years we’ve been here, we haven’t had anyone come to the parties for us, and we’re excited. Oh, and just so you know, they’ve changed the entry combination to seven, eight, nine, zero.”
Justin put the phone on speaker and removed his sticky shirt. “You’re right. It could run into lots of problems if everyone who came in had a box.”
“Okay, then, see you tomorrow sometime. Patsy is at the door. We’re playin’ dominoes at her place tonight,” Larry said.
“Have fun and thank you.” Justin tossed his shirt into the hamper.
“No thanks necessary. It was fun getting to put together plans again.”
The phone screen went dark and Justin headed for the bathroom. The shower was so small that he could hardly turn around in it, and he bumped his head several times on the showerhead. It would take some adjusting, but maybe by the end of summer, he’d be in his own house. The tiny bathroom had taught him one important lesson—he would build a spa shower in his new place, one big enough for him and Emily.
“Holy crap!” he muttered as he went to stand in front of the fireplace to dry off. “What on earth put that thought in my mind? Maybe it’s because I need to call her before I just show up at that party.”
He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a clean shirt. Then he picked up his phone, dialed her number and held his breath until she answered.
“Hello, Justin,” she said.
“Evenin’, Emily. I’m calling to ask if it would make you uncomfortable if I come to the Valentine’s party at the center. Larry invited me, but I didn’t want to just show up and make things all awkward.” He paced around the sofa as he talked.
“Not at all. The group would probably love to see you again. I should tell you, though, the residents all have boxes made for cards. You don’t have to bring anything, but it would tickle the Fab Five if you put one of those little school-type valentines in each of their boxes.”
He sat down on the sofa. “Okay. Anything else?”
“We have finger foods, cookies, and punch afterward.”
“Do I need to bring anything for that?”
“No, the center takes care of the refreshments. This is really pretty exciting. Every year that I’ve been there the Five haven’t had any guests for the party. It’ll be a huge thing for them, so don’t be surprised if they introduce you as their grandson.”
He could hear the humor in her voice and imagine her blue eyes twinkling. “No problem there. I don’t mind a bit. Is it a dress-up affair?”
“If they know you’re going to be there, it will be, but I’ll try to keep the ladies from wearing tiaras and evening gowns.” She laughed.
He could have listened to the tinkling sound of her laughter all night. “So I don’t have to get out my tux?”
“Nope, and I won’t be wearing the Crown Jewels,” she said.
“Want to go somewhere for a cup of coffee when the party is over?” he asked.
“I can’t. I’m the cleanup committee afterward, but thank you.”
“I’ll be glad to help with that, and then we could go for coffee,” he said.
“I never turn down help, and I’ll sure be ready for a quiet cup of coffee,” she said.
“Then it’s a date. Good night, Emily.” He laid the phone to the side and then picked up the remote to start the movie again. Suddenly, Hatfields & McCoys did a fine job of holding his attention. One of the tall women on the screen even reminded him of Emily.