The Last Crawford Bachelor

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“I know. And I’m so glad you’re keeping an eye on Michael. I worry about him, but at least he has you and Logan.”

“We’re delighted to have him, except for one thing.”

Carol grew alarmed. “Michael’s not behaving?”

Abby hugged her. “Of course he is. But he’s spoiling Mirabelle rotten!” She grinned to let Carol know she was teasing.

Carol sighed with relief. “Well, you can hardly blame him. Mirabelle is such a darling!”

Abby smiled. “And you are the best grandmother I’ve ever seen.”

They went into the house, arm in arm.

With the combined Crawfords and Kennedys, lunch was a great family affair. Michael enjoyed it, even while purposely avoiding Dani. By then, his survival instincts had kicked in big-time, and he didn’t want to give his mother any reason to believe he was interested in Dani.

He definitely was not. For all he knew not only was she trying to pull the proverbial wool over Abby’s eyes, she was leading Ned on, promising him things she shouldn’t. Not the kind of mother he’d want for his kids…when he had them years down the road.

After lunch everyone went back to the manager’s house and began projects. They worked steadily all afternoon, and by the time they sat down to leftovers for supper, once again gathering at the picnic tables, Michael had a nice place to live in. He thanked everyone, even Dani. He hadn’t intended to disturb every-one’s day to such an extent.

“Dani, it was kind of you to come help,” he said, trying to sound at ease. But he was sure he failed.

“It was my pleasure. You have a lovely family, Michael. You’re a very lucky man.”

“Yeah…well, thanks.”

She nodded and hurried back toward Abby’s house.

So much for trying to be nice. He’d wanted to be friendly, and apparently, he’d scared her. She ran away from him.

After telling his family goodbye, he went to the ranch house to gather his belongings to move into the manager’s house. His mother had brought kitchen supplies and linens; all he needed to move was his clothing and shaving things.

He came down from the room he’d been using, followed by Logan with a second load.

Ellen was holding open the door. “Michael,” she said, “don’t bother cooking breakfast every morning. You’ll always be welcome here.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Ellen, you are too good to me, but I’ll be here in the morning. Your biscuits are too good to pass up.”

Then he walked to his new place and began hanging his clothes in the closet of the master bedroom.

Dani was helping Ellen clean up the kitchen when Michael came through on the way to his new home. She couldn’t help but be envious. Not only did he have a nice place to live, but he had family all around him.

That was a luxury she’d never had.

When the kitchen was sparkling as usual, Dani began saying goodbye. Ellen assured her she was always welcome at the Circle K, with Floyd backing her up. Logan, too, invited her to come back anytime. Mirabelle begged her not to go.

With tears forming in her eyes, Dani cleared her throat. “Uh, where’s Abby? I want to say goodbye.”

“She’s in the office. Had a phone call. Go on in. She’ll want to see you.” Logan smiled at her and gave her directions to the office.

She knocked softly on the door, and Abby swung it open. “Oh, Dani, I was just coming to find you. That was Melissa on the phone. She said she forgot to tell you how good you were with their little ones.”

“How nice of her. I had so much fun today, Abby. Thank you for including me.”

Abby took her arm and pulled her into the office, closing the door behind her. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. You certainly worked like a Trojan.”

“Thanks. I really should go now. I don’t like to get to the hotel too late.”

“Why don’t you stay here tonight? We’ve got a spare bedroom.”

“Thanks, Abby, but I’d better go.”

Abby shook her head. “You’re way too stubborn.”

“I guess so,” Dani said with a chuckle.

“You know, Dani, I didn’t mean to upset you today when I was talking about the holidays. But I meant what I said about you spending them with us.”

“I know you did. That’s why I almost burst into tears. You’re such a kind person, Abby.” She reached out and squeezed Abby’s hand.

“But we would enjoy having you so much. Everyone loves you. It would be great.”

“I may not even be here, Abby. Let’s just play it by ear. If I’m still around in November, then we’ll talk,” Dani said, sure she’d found a way to postpone Abby’s kind invitation.

Abby’s expression sobered. “Wait a minute. What do you mean you might not be here in November?”

Dani shrugged. “Things aren’t going so well at work.”

“But…you’ve only been there a week.”

“I know,” Dani agreed with a sigh.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help you.” Abby’s voice was soft with care.

“Oh, Abby. I don’t expect you to take care of me. I take care of myself. But that’s why I haven’t looked for a place to live. I realized the first day things weren’t going to work out.”

“Is it Michael’s fault?”

“No. Not at all.”

Abby stood there, frustrated. “I don’t want you to go away. What if Beulah is your grandmother?”

Dani shrugged. “What difference does that make?”

“It means you belong here, with us, as part of the family.”

Dani shook her head and walked back toward the door. “No, Abby, that’s not what it means and that’s not why I came here.”

“Why did you come here?” Abby asked, following her to the door and taking her arm. “Come sit and talk to me.” She led Dani to the sofa, and they sat side by side.

“The only family member I knew was my mother. She wasn’t a nice person. In fact, she was terrible. I was hoping to find a family member I could be proud of. Someone I could tell myself had passed on some positive things to balance out the negative ones.” She gave a wry smile to Abby. “And you gave me that, Abby. I’m very grateful.”

“Oh, honey, you ask so little,” Abby said, shaking her head.

“But then I’m never disappointed.”

“Look, let’s drive into Wichita Falls and get you a change of clothes so you can spend the night and tomorrow with us, too. Okay?”

Dani wanted to stay there, wrapped in Abby’s family, feeling a part of it, even though it might not be true. She certainly wouldn’t put it past her mother to make up papers for some scam. “By the time we did that, your babies would be in bed asleep. I don’t want to take you away from them.”

“That’s not a problem. I’ll fix that. Wait here.”

Dani shook her head as Abby left the office. If she could choose her family, Abby would be at the top of the list. She was a very generous person, along with her sisters. Just knowing Abby made Dani feel good.

The door opened and Abby came in again, beaming. “Okay, I’ve got it all fixed. Pack some clothes for church in the morning. And jeans for horseback riding.”

“Horseback riding? I don’t know how to ride!”

“Don’t worry. We’ll teach you. Oh, I’m going to love having you here even if it’s only for a day or two.”

“A day, Abby. Tomorrow night I go back to the hotel so I can go to work the next morning…while I still have a job.”

When they reached the kitchen, Dani thanked Logan for going with her to the hotel.

“Oh, it’s not me, Dani. I would but Michael insisted on going because I promised Scotty I’d give him his bath tonight.”

Surprised, Dani stared at Logan. Then she began protesting. “No, that’s not necessary. I can manage on my own. I can—”

The back door opened and Michael entered. “Are you ready, Dani?”

Now she regretted accepting Abby’s invitation. Even the short drive to Wichita Falls was too long for her to be alone in a car with Michael. He made her nervous, uncomfortable. “Look, Michael, I can go by myself. There’s no need to bother you on your first night in your new house.” That sounded like a reasonable excuse to her.

He ignored her remark. “It’s getting late. I’ll drive.” He held the door open and waited.

Abby stepped forward and kissed Dani’s cheek. “We’ll get the kids in bed and have some more of Carol’s cake when you get back.”

Feeling as if she had no choice, she followed Michael out into the growing darkness. When they reached his car, she made a last-ditch effort. “I can take my car and be back within the hour. Abby would never know.”

“I promised her. She spent all day trying to make things better for me. A drive into town isn’t that big a deal. Get in.”

With a sigh, she did so. She sat silently as he pulled out on the road, unable to think of anything to say. However, since he didn’t speak, either, Dani decided Michael preferred the silence.

“Where are you staying?” he finally asked as they reached the outskirts of Wichita Falls. She named the hotel and gave him brief directions.

“Why haven’t you looked for a place to live?” he asked.

She gave him a disgusted look. “Surely you know the answer to that.”

He frowned even more. “Why would I know that?”

“Everyone else knows. That’s why none of the other employees associate with me. I even get sympathetic looks from the secretaries, but they don’t want anything to do with me, either. They’ve all figured out that I won’t be around very long.”