His Texas Runaway (Men 0f The West Book 41), page 5
part #41 of Men 0f The West Series
“No worries there. It’s a pet.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t have time to spend my morning talking with a Yavapai deputy. Even if the deputy turned out to be my brother Joe.”
Grabbing a pen from his desk, Chandler crammed it into the pocket on his lab coat and motioned for Cybil to follow him down the hallway.
As the two of them strode rapidly toward the examining rooms, Cybil said, “What’s the deal with the fancy car, Doc? Surely you’re not planning to drive it back and forth to the ranch.”
He should have realized the staff had spotted Roslyn’s car parked behind the building and immediately begun to speculate.
“Not mine. It belongs to a visitor—at the ranch,” he said, deciding that was the easiest way to explain things. Besides, he could count on Trey to eventually spread the gossip about a young pregnant woman fainting in the parking lot.
* * *
Later that afternoon, at the ranch house, Roslyn sat in an armchair watching Katherine and Blake’s twins, Andrew and Abagail, toddle precariously between the couch and a nearby love seat.
“The twins only took their first steps a couple of days ago. Now they both think they have walking mastered,” Katherine said with a laugh. “Nick, our older son, didn’t walk until he was a year old. So I wasn’t expecting these two to start racing around at nine months.”
Roslyn said, “I’ve been reading about the different stages of a baby’s life and what to expect about teething and walking and that sort of thing. But I guess nothing is cut and dried.”
Katherine chuckled again. “Don’t count on anything being normal.”
The babies weren’t identical, but they did resemble each other. Both were dressed in yellow rompers and shoes with soles solid enough for walking. They each had dark curly hair, gray-blue eyes and dimples in their chins. It was obvious that Katherine adored them and from what she’d already told Roslyn, their father, Blake, thought the world revolved around the babies.
As Roslyn watched them play, she couldn’t help but think how different things would’ve been if Erich, her ex-fiancé, hadn’t turned out to be a philandering, money-grubbing creep. By now, the two of them would have been married and instead of preparing to give birth alone, she’d have a husband by her side. But given the revelation of the man’s true nature, she was very lucky not to have him in her life. In fact, she thanked God that she’d discovered the real Erich before their elaborate wedding plans had taken place.
Shaking away those grim thoughts, she smiled at the twins. At the moment the babies didn’t want to stray very far from their mother, but Roslyn figured that would soon change. “Your babies are beautiful, Katherine. I wish mine was here already.”
“Don’t worry. He or she will be here soon enough. Then you’ll be wondering if you’ll ever sit down for more than five minutes at a time.” The amused expression on the woman’s face turned empathetic. “I suppose you’ll be starting to work after the baby comes. I imagine some of your friends have already warned you that’s the hardest part of being a mother. I’m a secretary three days a week for a school superintendent in Wickenburg and I love my job. But leaving the babies is still tough. Thankfully, Jazelle takes care of them while I’m at work. She’s wonderful with them and I don’t have to worry.”
“Oh, I thought Jazelle was the housekeeper.”
“Jazelle is the housekeeper, along with assistant cook, maid, errand runner, nanny and everything in between.”
If Roslyn had chosen to stay in Fort Worth, her father would’ve hired the most expensive nanny he could find for his grandchild. And it wouldn’t stop there. He’d eventually be telling Roslyn how to dress the child, where it should go to school, what friends it should have, and the sort of career and education it would need to be successful. The control would never end. Just as it hadn’t ended with Roslyn, until three days ago, when she’d packed everything she could into the Jaguar and driven away from the DuBose palatial home.
“I’m hoping that when the time comes I can find a trustworthy nanny. But I won’t be going to work until the baby is a few months old. To be honest, I’ve not decided what I want to do in the way of a job.” As soon as she finished speaking, her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. “Oh, Lord, that makes me sound like a ditzy schoolgirl.”
“No. You don’t sound ditzy. More like you don’t have everything quite planned out yet. But I’m sure you’ll get there,” Katherine gently replied.
Roslyn sighed. “To be honest, Katherine, I’ve never had the opportunity to have a job. My father would never allow it.”
Katherine frowned. “I’ve never heard of such. But I guess he had his reasons.”
Roslyn refrained from rolling her eyes. “I did graduate from college with a degree in business, but that was more or less to pacify my father. He thought his one and only child should have a college education. He just never intended to let me use it. A wealthy man doesn’t need the women in his family to help make a living. That’s his mind-set.”
Katherine shook her head. “Strange that we’ve both had difficult fathers. Except mine was on the opposite end of the spectrum from yours. He was an alcoholic and by the time I reached high school I had to find odd jobs to help the family stay afloat. My mom pretty much made all the household income. But Dad died a few years ago. And now that I look back on it, the work and the scraping by made me a stronger person. I only wish that Dad could’ve seen the twins. He would’ve adored them.”
This woman was wishing her difficult father was still in her life, while Roslyn was wishing she’d never see hers again. The realization made her feel small and spoiled and ungrateful, yet on the other hand, she had to believe she’d made the right decision to leave her father’s house. For herself and for her baby.
“I’m thinking your father probably can see the babies,” Roslyn said softly.
Katherine nodded. “I’m thinking so, too. And back to your father not wanting you to hold down a job—doesn’t he realize there are plenty of other reasons for a woman to work, other than making money? For instance, my mother-in-law, Maureen. Blake has repeatedly told her that the ranch can afford to put on another hand to take her place. But she’d never agree to such a thing. And frankly, I’m glad she feels that way. Working keeps her young and gives her a purpose.”
Early this morning, when Roslyn had come downstairs for breakfast, most everyone had already eaten and they were all hustling and bustling to get to their jobs. She’d not seen Chandler anywhere and then she’d overheard Reeva telling Maureen that he’d left the house at five and she’d sent a sack of breakfast tacos with him.
I barely have time to eat, much less see after a wife and kids.
Last night, when Roslyn had asked Chandler whether he was married, she’d hoped his response had been exaggerated. She’d even wondered if he might even be using his job as an excuse to remain a bachelor. But she was beginning to see he’d been telling the truth. His veterinary practice consumed his time.
Thoughts about the man were still drifting through her mind, when Andrew toddled in her direction. Roslyn held out her arms to encourage the baby to come to her, but his attention was instantly distracted by a tiny object on the floor. The baby plopped on his rear and reached for the fuzzy piece, but before he could poke it into his mouth, Katherine left the couch and grabbed her son’s fist.
“Andy, that’s nasty,” Katherine told the baby. “Let Mommy have it.”
The toddler allowed his mother to pull the object from his grip, then immediately regretted handing it over. He puckered up and began to whimper as his mother dropped the ball of hair and lint into a small trash basket.
“Sorry about that, Kat,” Jazelle said as she entered the den carrying a tray loaded with an insulated coffeepot and two cups. “It’s probably a wad of horse hair. I swept this room earlier, but Holt came traipsing through here a while ago wearing his chaps.”
“Don’t worry about it, Jazelle,” Katherine told her. “If there’s one tiny speck on the floor, the babies will find it.”
The housekeeper set the tray on a nearby wall table to keep it out of the twin’s reach. “I made decaffeinated coffee so you could have a cup, too, Roslyn.”
Roslyn gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Jazelle. All of you here on the ranch have been so thoughtful and caring that you’re making me feel like a princess. Honestly, I’m all over my fainting spell. In fact, I should have left today. But your mother insisted I stay another night.”
“Of course you need to stay another night,” Jazelle told her. “Kat and I don’t get many female visitors out here. And Reeva loves it when she has someone new to cook for.”
Jazelle poured the coffee, adding cream to Roslyn’s before she handed the cups to her and Katherine, then disappeared from the den. Once she was gone, Roslyn rose from the chair and, carrying her cup with her, began to amble around the long room.
The wooden parquet floor possessed a warm brown patina and was dotted here and there with cowhide rugs. The tongue-and-groove walls were painted a sandy beige and covered with enlarged photos depicting various scenes of ranch life. At one end was a huge rock fireplace with a wide hearth. Presently the screen was closed, but Roslyn could easily imagine a huge crackling fire and the family gathered around, relaxing on the leather furniture that was scarred and softened from years of use.
“This house has so much character,” Roslyn commented. “Nothing seems to be new and I love that about it.”
“After more than a hundred and seventy years, a house develops a life of its own, I suppose. This one certainly has its own personality. The first time I ever saw this place I was only a young girl. And even then, I was awed by the rooms. The way it all looked and felt and smelled. Nothing much has changed since then, except the people who live and work here have all aged. And then, of course, Mr. Hollister—Joel—is gone. Losing him is still hard for the family to take.”
Stepping onto the fireplace hearth, Roslyn picked up a photo from the mantel and gazed thoughtfully at the group of men circled around a branding fire. She could easily recognize Chandler standing by his brothers Blake and Holt, whom she’d met this morning. Along with them was a younger, dark-haired man, she guessed to be their brother Joseph. Another, older man was squatted on the heels of his boots as he held a branding iron to the low flames. He very much resembled Chandler.
“I’m guessing the man holding the branding iron in this photo is Mr. Hollister,” Roslyn remarked. “Chandler looks like him.”
“You’re right. That’s Joel. What I remember about him was his kindness, like Chandler. And like Holt, he was a big teaser.” Katherine left the couch and joined Roslyn on the hearth. “I don’t expect Chandler or Maureen mentioned any details to you about Joel’s death. It’s not something any of them want to talk about.”
“Last night Maureen told me her husband had died from a horse incident,” Roslyn replied.
“Well, that’s basically the way the sheriff’s department ruled it. Death by accident. But none of Maureen’s children believe that’s what actually happened to Joel. There are too many reasons to debunk the accident ruling. They all think someone killed Joel, then staged the horse dragging to make it look like an accident.”
A chill rushed over Roslyn as she carefully placed the photo back on the mantel. “Are you saying the family believes someone actually murdered Mr. Hollister?”
Katherine nodded. “They’ve slowly been finding a few clues. But so far there’s still too many missing pieces to convince law officials to reopen the case.”
“What about Maureen? Does she believe her husband was murdered?”
Katherine shook her head. “We used to think she believed it. In fact, she was in complete favor of Joe and his brothers searching for the truth. But these past several months, she seems to have had a change of heart about the matter. She tells us she wants to quit dwelling on it and put the whole matter behind her.”
“You’re frowning, Katherine. And I guess I don’t understand why. Wouldn’t putting it all behind her be a good thing for Maureen? I mean, it’s such an ugly, depressing idea.”
“I agree. It is ugly. But Maureen has always wanted to know the truth of what happened to her husband. Something has happened to cause a change in her.”
“How awful for her,” Roslyn murmured ruefully. “And here I’ve been feeling sorry for myself because my father wants to tie a ball and chain around my ankle. All I can say is that Maureen must be an extraordinarily strong woman to have gone through so much sorrow and still come out smiling.”
“She’s definitely an iron lady,” Katherine agreed.
Roslyn would’ve liked to ask her lovely new friend more questions about the Hollister family, but at that moment both twins began to fuss. As Katherine went to tend to her babies, Roslyn gazed once again at the photo.
When she’d lost her mother, it had torn out her heart. She’d felt as though she’d lost everything. She hated to think what Mr. Hollister’s death had done to Chandler. Last night he’d seemed so kind and genuine. Even now she could recall the way the corners of his lips had tilted with amusement and the way his blue eyes had sparkled like sunlight on water. Being near him had made her feel good and protected and deep-down warm. The feeling was like nothing she’d experienced before and if she was being totally honest, she was still here on Three Rivers Ranch because she wanted to see the man again.
Chapter Four
After the chaotic schedule of the morning and early afternoon, Chandler hadn’t expected to make it home by dinnertime, but somehow the large animal patients had tapered off and he and Cybil had managed to clear out the last of the small animal cases by regular closing hour.
Now as he jammed the tails of a white shirt into his blue jeans and brushed back his damp black hair, he almost didn’t notice the exhaustion that was seeping into his bones. After all, how could he think about being tired when he was going to see Roslyn again?
He’d reached the bottom of the stairs and was heading toward the den when he heard a male wolf whistle behind him.
Glancing over his shoulder, he watched his brother striding purposely toward him. With thick, rusty brown hair and an inch or two less than Chandler’s six foot two, Holt was lean and as tough as a boot. He also attracted women like flies to honey.
“You look dapper tonight,” Holt stated with a clever grin. “You even combed your hair. Guess you’re wanting to make an impression on our little houseguest, huh?”
Chandler let out a good-natured groan. “Don’t go there, Holt. The woman is pregnant. Or did you fail to notice?”
Holt’s grin grew wider. “I noticed. What’s the deal with her, anyway?”
Chandler looked at him with wry disbelief. “Don’t tell me you haven’t already asked Mom.”
Holt put on his innocent face. “No. There are some things a guy doesn’t want to discuss with his mother.”
Chandler barked out a short laugh. “Sure, Holt. Since when did you turn into a sensitive guy?”
With the entrance of the den fast approaching, Holt grabbed him by the arm to stop him. “Oh, c’mon, Chandler, level with me. What’s she doing here, really?”
Annoyed that Holt was using up time Chandler could be spending with Roslyn, he said, “She needed a bit of help, that’s all. Don’t worry. She’s not out to steal us blind.”
“That thought never entered my mind. But there are other ways a woman can cause a man trouble.”
“You ought to know.”
“Damn it, Chandler! I’m serious.”
With a placating grin, Chandler placed a hand on Holt’s shoulder and urged him forward. “Thanks for your concern, little brother. I realize I’m not as experienced as you when it comes to women, but I think I can manage to keep myself safe.”
“Okay. Be flip. But one of these days you’re going to get that big ol’ soft heart of yours broken.”
Holt’s prediction pulled a chuckle from Chandler. He wasn’t in one place long enough for a woman to get any kind of hold on him. “And one of these days all the women in Yavapai County are going to discover that you don’t have a heart.”
Holt shot him a pained look. “Ouch. After being insulted like that I’m going to need a double shot of bourbon before dinner.”
“Just be sure you don’t get into the expensive whiskey Mom saves for Sam,” Chandler warned. “She’ll have a fit.”
Holt chuckled craftily. “You got that wrong. Sam would be the one to have a fit.”
The two men entered the den and Chandler instantly spotted Roslyn sitting on the couch with Maureen. She was wearing a pale yellow dress with a sash that tied in a small bow beneath her breasts. The soft fabric draped over her belly, emphasizing the fact that she was in the latter part of her pregnancy. Part of her shiny hair was pinned to the crown of her head, while a few tendrils fell against the back of her neck. She looked utterly feminine and completely charming, and as he moved deeper into the room, he found he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.
“Chandler! This is a pleasant surprise!” Maureen exclaimed as she spotted him working his way to the couch.
He bent to kiss his mother’s cheek. “Good evening, Mom. For once we managed to close the clinic before eight o’clock at night.”
“I’m happy to hear it. And you’ve arrived just in time.” Maureen stood and gestured for Chandler to take the cushion she’d just vacated. “You can keep Roslyn company while I go to the kitchen and check on Reeva.”
Since when did Reeva need checking on? Chandler came close to asking his mother the question, but at the last moment decided there was no need to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“My pleasure,” Chandler said. “That is, if Roslyn doesn’t mind sharing the couch with me.”
As Maureen moved away, Roslyn smiled up at him. The warm expression melted something deep in the middle of his chest. The feeling caused Holt’s prophecy to whisper through Chandler’s head, but he promptly shook it away. When it came to matters of the heart, Holt was clueless.
