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“Cal told me about your day. And I also heard about your interview. I talked to Alex earlier today. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Jess. I guess the grapevine in Cactus is alive and well.” No surprise, especially since Alex was Alexandra Langford, third partner in Mac Gibbons and Gabe’s law firm, and had married Tuck, one of their best friends.
While Diane and Jess were chatting, Cal and the doctor had been talking in low voices. Since none of them had ordered, she was surprised again when a waitress arrived with a full tray.
Jessica said, “We ordered for you, since it’s late and I knew you’d be hungry. You were on your way home before lunch, weren’t you? So you haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“I’m not the only one,” Diane protested. “The doctor and Cal haven’t eaten, either.”
“Actually, I grabbed a sandwich while I was making some phone calls,” Cal confessed, an easy grin on his face. “Jeff hasn’t eaten. So we figured whatever we ordered for you, you’d fall on it. Right?”
“I’m ready,” the doctor said. “And Diane, call me Jeff. People will start looking for Doc, if you don’t.”
“That’s right,” Jessica teased. “You’re the young doctor.”
“Or the new doctor,” Jeff added. “Diane’s already told me I’m old.”
“No, I didn’t!” Diane protested. By that time, the waitress had put all the food on the table, and everyone was distracted by the aroma. Diane tried not to look ravenous, but she soon realized no one else was paying any attention.
Some time later, Jessica leaned back in her chair, and said, “Well, I hope y’all enjoyed the food. I was hungrier than I thought.”
“Me, too,” Diane said, putting her last bite of steak into her mouth.
“So,” Cal drawled, “tell me why you called Jeff here old.”
Darn. Diane had hoped they would’ve forgotten Jeff’s words. “I didn’t. He said he was older and I forgot to deny it because I was worried about—oh! My car. Did you turn off the engine, Cal?”
“Of course. I have the keys in my pocket.”
“Oh, thank you so much. The doctor said—”
“Jeff,” he reminded her.
“Oh, yes, uh, Jeff said you would have.”
“As soon as we have dessert, I’ll run you out to your car,” Cal promised.
As Diane was thanking him, Jeff interrupted. “I don’t have anyone waiting at home for me, Cal. You and Jess can go home and I’ll take Diane to her car.”
Before Diane could protest, Cal thanked Jeff. Then he signaled the waitress and ordered dessert. Both men opted for carrot cake, but Jessica and Diane chose the peach cobbler layered with cream cheese and topped with ice cream.
“Your sister is the reason I can’t eat here that often,” Jessica said as she took her first bite of cobbler. “I can resist the carrot cake, though I’m in the minority, but the cobbler is just too good.”
“Katie made this?” Diane asked.
“You didn’t know? She added it to the menu almost a year ago. And sold the recipe to the holding company for all the franchises. You can get this cobbler all over Texas.”
“Oh, yes, I remember when she called and told us the news, but I’ve never eaten it.”
“Katie’s a wonderful cook,” Jeff said.
“Yeah, but Jessica’s good, too,” Cal loyally added.
“No question,” Jeff said. “I’ve never had a better steak, and Houston had a lot of good restaurants.”
“You’re from Houston?” Diane asked, as if Doc hadn’t told her earlier. She hoped she hid her envy. Her dream of settling in a big city, getting completely away from Cactus, wasn’t possible. But she found it hard to believe anyone would actually choose Cactus when they had that opportunity.
Jeff seemed to be concentrating on his cake, but he answered, “Yeah.”
“And you chose to come here? Don’t you find it, uh, dull in comparison?”
He looked up and stared at her. “No. Cactus has everything I want or need.”
Jessica frowned. “Diane, don’t you want to be in Cactus?”
Uh-oh. “Why, yes, of course, Jessica. I wouldn’t want to live away from my family.” She added a big smile to convince one of her sister’s best friends.
Jessica seemed to accept her answer, and the conversation turned to more general topics, leaving Diane time to finish her dessert.
After thanking Jessica and Cal and saying goodbye, Jeff escorted Diane to his Suburban. Then they headed down the farm-to-market road where she’d left her Volkswagen, her keys in her pocket.
Jeff said nothing, and Diane appreciated his silence. She didn’t want to share any personal conversation with the handsome man. He might be older than her, but he was young enough to stir some attraction if she let him.
And then he completely surprised her by abruptly asking, “Why don’t you want to live in Cactus?”
Chapter Three
Diane stiffened. It was one thing for old friends to question her, but she’d just met this man. Whether she wanted to live in Cactus or not was none of his business. Still, she felt compelled to answer. “You’re wrong. I’m delighted to have found a good job here in Cactus.”
“Didn’t sound like it to me,” he muttered, not looking in her direction.
“You don’t know me.”
“True, but part of a doctor’s job is to pay attention to what’s not being said.”
She stared out the window, trying to ignore him.
Which explained why she heard the sirens at once. She whipped her head around, staring over her shoulder. “That sounds like the fire truck.”
When she’d left Cactus, the town had one fire truck and a volunteer group who tried to protect the town from fire. Had Rick Astin, their local millionaire, also staffed the fire department while she was gone?
“You’re right,” Jeff agreed with a frown, checking his rearview mirror.
The flashing lights appeared behind them and Jeff pulled to the side of the road. The truck sped by.
“What could be on fire?” Jeff muttered as he pulled back onto the road.
“Might be a field,” Diane suggested. “I know we’ve had a lot of rain recently, but things are starting to dry out. A flick of a cigarette is all it would take.”
“I hope that’s it. Otherwise, there might be injuries. I’d better follow them as soon as I drop you at your car.”
Since they were almost to her car, she gathered her purse, ready to get out quickly. “Thanks for the ride.”
“I’ll wait until you’re safely in your car,” he said.
“That’s not necessary. I can—”
“Hurry,” he said, ignoring her words.
The man irritated her, but she did as he asked. Once she was safely locked in her Volkswagen, he sped down the road in the direction the fire truck had taken.
Which also happened to be the direction of her home.
She wondered which of their neighbors was having difficulties. She knew her mother and stepfather would be there offering their assistance, so she’d probably have some time alone when she got home.
The closer she got to her house, however, the more she worried. There was a red glow that indicated the fire—and it appeared to be very close to her place.
When she turned the corner and her childhood home came into view, she discovered it couldn’t be any closer. Her house was on fire.
JEFF WATCHED AS SMOKE continued to rise from the Peters’s home. He’d arrived just after the fire trucks and had soon determined that everyone seemed to have gotten out okay. The firemen, however, were still battling the fire in the back part of the house.
Jeff turned to see Diane’s car reach the house. The car jerked to a stop and she scrambled out, running toward the burning building, screaming, “Mom? Mom?”
He reached her and wrapped his arms around her. “Your family is safe. They’re over here, Diane. Come on, I’ll take you to them.”
His words seemed to work magic over her. She sagged against him, no longer fighting his hold. He led her toward the woman and teenager sitting huddled together on the back of an old pickup.
“Diane!” Margaret Ledbetter shouted as soon as she saw her daughter.
Diane ran into her arms, hugging her and her younger sister. “Mom, is everyone all right? Where’s Jack and Paul?”
“They’re over there, fighting the fire. Dear, it started in your room. All your clothes and—everything is—oh, I’m so sorry. Jack had suggested we check the wiring for the air-conditioning unit we added, but I thought— I’m so sorry.”
He could tell Diane was fighting back tears, but she hugged her family closer. “The important thing is that you’re all safe.”
A few moments later, several cars pulled up near the house. Katie and Gabe Dawson got out of one and Katie rushed to them, comforting and hugging her mother and sisters.
Gabe approached Jeff and asked, “Hell, how did this happen?”
“Margaret was just telling Diane that it was electrical. Something about an older air-conditioning unit they’d just installed in Diane’s room.
“Damn! I should’ve insisted they let me install proper air-conditioning,” Gabe said with a sigh. “But Margaret and Jack don’t want any help.”
Jeff knew Katie’s bakery was doing well, and Gabe was a wealthy businessman, but people around Cactus were proud. Handouts were unacceptable except in dire straits.
Even as the two of them talked, the men who’d worked to put out the fire were packing up their equipment. Jeff and Gabe moved over to speak to them.
“Is it completely out?” Gabe asked.
“Yeah. Jack and his boy had it under control before we even got here,” one of the firemen said.
“Did any of you get injured?” Jeff asked.
“I think Paul had a burn on his arm,” the man who’d spoken earlier said.
Jeff looked for Diane’s younger brother. He’d met him before, a few months back.
“Paul?” Jeff called when he spotted him. “Heard you got burned. Let me look at it,” Jeff said as he made his way over to the younger man.
“Aw, it’s nothing,” Paul assured him.
With a smile, Jeff said, “Humor me. I’ll feel better if I check you out.”
Jack Ledbetter, Paul’s stepfather, came over with a flashlight. “Need some light on the subject?” he asked as he turned it on.
“Yeah, thanks, Jack.” After looking at the burn, Jeff said, “I’ll need to treat it, Paul, and bandage it up so it won’t get infected.”
When Paul started to refuse, Jack said, “Don’t be macho, boy. That’s your throwing arm. How will you support me and your mom in our old age if you can’t play football anymore?”
His accompanying grin was matched by Paul, who reluctantly surrendered himself to Jeff’s care with no more resistance.
“You play football?” he asked.
“I’m on an athletic scholarship at Texas Tech. Ouch!” Paul exclaimed as Jeff touched his burn. His face was already pale, in spite of his pretence of no pain.
“He’s really good,” Jack bragged. “Goin’ to play in the Superbowl someday.”
Jeff smiled. “I’ll expect free tickets in payment, of course.” He led Paul to his vehicle so he could get his medical bag.
As the three of them moved away from the house, the group of women spotted them and dashed across the front yard to meet them at Jeff’s truck.
“What happened? Who’s hurt?” Katie demanded.
“Paul has a minor burn,” Jeff said soothingly. “We’re taking precautions so it won’t get infected.”
The babble of relieved voices and supportive pats on Paul’s shoulders were interesting to Jeff. He’d moved to Cactus for several reasons. One of them was to feel connected again. He was alone, no family. The wealth of emotion this family shared was incredible.
Gabe rejoined them. “How is he?” he asked.
Paul grinned at his brother-in-law. “It’s nothing much. The doc’s being cautious so I won’t sue.” Everyone seemed to notice the slight wobble in the boy’s voice.
Jeff prepared to clean the burn, wishing he didn’t have such a large audience. It was going to be painful for Paul. “Son, this is going to hurt,” he said in a low voice.
Diane overheard him. “Just a minute,” she said softly. “Mom, you and Jack had better get what you need for the night from the house. You, too, Susan. Gabe, can you see if Paul has some clean clothes? And Katie, you’d better help Mom.”
In seconds, only Diane and Paul remained with Jeff.
“Thanks, sis,” Paul muttered. Then he looked at Jeff. “Okay, go ahead.”
