The Judge

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“Genealogy,” J.J. said.

“And titles and missing heirs,” Frank added.

“Hmm,” Wes said, rubbing his mouth the way he always did when he was thinking. “What kind of titles?”

“Land, I imagine. She spends a lot of time in the tax office.”

“Did you invite her to go with us to the musical Saturday night?” J.J. asked Frank.

“Uh, no.”

“Why the hell not? She’s single, good-looking and fun to talk to. Ask her.”

“I’ll think about it.”

J.J. gave an exasperated snort. “I’m going to the kitchen to see Mary Beth.”

Wes pushed back his chair. “You ’bout ready to go?”

“Anytime. Just don’t you start on me.”

“Start on you? About what, son?”

“About Carrie.”

His dad held up his hands in surrender. “I won’t say a word.”

CARRIE WORKED in her room for the entire afternoon. There were some serious gaps in the information she’d gathered so far. She was going to have to run down some deeds, land titles and some missing heirs. She hadn’t lied about that to Frank. One of the tough things about her job was locating heirs when property owners died and didn’t leave a will. Texas had very specific guidelines about who inherited in such cases. Figuring out who owned what could get complicated.

This part of her job required patience and persistence. It was often easier simply to talk to the existing landowners and get information to at least point her in the right direction, but since Uncle Tuck wanted things kept quiet as long as possible, she was handicapped in her search. If she ran into too many problems, she’d have to start questioning the locals. Maybe that’s where Millie the librarian might help.

After working at her computer for several hours, Carrie felt as if she was going cross-eyed. She saved her work, then stretched and got up. No wonder her eyes were tired. It was growing dark. But at least her material was organized, and she was ready to start work at the county clerk’s office the next day.

She thought about jogging, then remembered that this was the night Mary Beth taught aerobics. She ate an apple, washed her face, then changed into her sneakers and workout clothes.

By the time Carrie arrived at unit two, several women had gathered.

Mary Beth looked up and saw her. “Hi, Carrie. Come on in and let me get you acquainted with everybody.”

She led her to two women and introduced her to Ellen, a blonde who was in real estate, and Dixie, a brunette who was in remarkably good shape for a mother of six children. Mary Beth said, “These two are my best buddies from high school. Can you believe that we used to be cheerleaders together?”

Carrie laughed. “I was a high school cheerleader, too. It seems like eons ago.”

She also met Dr. Kelly Martin, a stunning green-eyed redhead, whose long curls were held atop her head with a big yellow clip.

“Dr. Kelly is the person you want to see if you break your leg or get the flu,” Mary Beth said. “The best doctor in Naconiche.”

Dr. Kelly grinned and stuck out her hand. “Hi, Carrie. I hope you don’t need to see me professionally. Are you new in town?”

“No, just visiting for a few weeks.” Carrie studied the doctor’s face. “You look very familiar to me. Have we met?”

“I don’t know. I was just thinking the same thing. I grew up in Dallas. Did you?”

Carrie shook her head. “Did you go to the University of Texas?”

“Sure did.” She smiled knowingly, then mentioned the name of a sorority.

Memories flashed through Carrie’s mind, and she smiled as well. “Kelly Martin. Now I remember. You were a year or two ahead of me. But your hair was long and straight then, and you wore glasses.”

“I’ve had Lasik on my eyes, and I don’t have time anymore to blow-dry this mop into submission every morning. It’s great to see you again. You look gorgeous as always. It’s those eyes I remembered.” Kelly turned to Mary Beth. “Would you believe that Carrie and I were sorority sisters at UT years ago?”

“You’re kidding! That’s wonderful.”

“Are you going to be in town over the weekend?” Kelly asked Carrie.

“Sure am.”

“Fantastic. Let’s get together Sunday afternoon and catch up.”

They made plans for a late lunch, and there was barely time for a brief exchange of names with four other women before the class began. One of them was named Millie. The librarian? Carrie wondered.

She didn’t wonder long because Mary Beth went into her drill sergeant mode, and for almost an hour Carrie was too busy keeping the pace to think about much of anything. By the time they stopped to cool down, she was pooped and wet with sweat. She stretched out on the floor, flung her arms wide and sucked in deep breaths. “I may die,” she said to Kelly, who was next to her.

Kelly laughed. “I doubt it. But Mary Beth’s no wuss. She’s tough. I’ve got to run home and shower and make rounds at the hospital. See you Sunday.”

Carrie wiggled her fingers. After several of the women had left, she rose. “I thought I was in better shape,” she said to Mary Beth, who was standing with Ellen and Dixie.

“You’re in better shape than me,” Ellen said. “I still can’t make it through the whole session without resting several times.”

“Me, either,” Dixie chimed in.

“Yeah,” Ellen said, “but you had a baby not too long ago.”

“You’re all doing great,” Mary Beth said. “Remember that I said you should go at your own pace. You should have taken a break, Carrie.”

She chuckled. “What can I tell you? I’m a high achiever. I’m going to drag myself to my room and take a shower.”

“Have you had dinner?” Mary Beth asked.

“No, but I picked up something to nuke later.”

“Why don’t you join Ellen, Dixie and me at the tearoom for a light supper? It’s only leftovers, but we’d love to have you.”

Carrie laughed. “I’m a bit odoriferous for a social occasion.”

“Oh, piddle,” Dixie said with a dismissing wave. “We’ve all been sweating like pigs. Forget about it and come on. Mary Beth has saved us some chocolate cake.”

“Chocolate? How can I resist? That stuff is sinful.”

The four of them trudged over to the tearoom. Or rather, three of them trudged. Mary Beth still had a spring in her step.

They spent a leisurely hour over their simple meal, and Carrie thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the women, making girl-talk. Her job kept her on the road so much that she didn’t have much time to spend with friends, especially female friends. In fact, now that she thought about it, she didn’t have very many women friends left. Their lives had taken them in different directions, and she hadn’t taken the time to cultivate new friendships to fill the void.

Dixie was the first to rise. “I’ve got to get a move on or Jack will be sending out a posse,” she said. “Great to meet you, Carrie. I hope you’ll join us for as long as you’re in town.”

“Me, too,” Ellen said. “Nobody will be sending out a posse for me, but I know my sitter would like to get home early, and I’m riding with Dixie.”

After the two left, Carrie helped carry the dishes into the kitchen. “This was really fun,” she said. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“We enjoyed having you,” Mary Beth said. “Listen, if you’re going to be around tomorrow night and don’t have plans, why don’t you go to the football game with us? Then, watching high school football may not be your idea of a scintillating evening.”

“Lord, I haven’t been to a football game in ages.”

“We have a winning team this year, and everybody in town will be there. It’s the only Friday night entertainment around here. Go with us. We’ll have hot dogs and peanuts, and root for the Mustangs.”

“With you and Dixie and Ellen?”

“No, with J.J., Katy and me. I insist. Be ready about six-thirty. Wear jeans and bring a jacket.”

Carrie tried to weasel out of the invitation, but Mary Beth wouldn’t take no for an answer.

What the heck. She didn’t have anything better to do, and sitting around a hotel room alone with only a TV for company got very old very quickly.

“You’re on,” Carrie said. “Shall I bring my pompoms?”

Chapter Five

J.J. walked ahead and carried Katy while Mary Beth and Carrie brought along the stadium seats. As they moved with the crowd to the bleachers, smells of popcorn, peanuts and fall in the air brought a wave of sweet nostalgia. The band was playing, and the team ran around the field warming up. Excitement was in the air, and it was catching. Carrie felt a zing run through her, and a grin spread over her face.

“This brings back a lot of memories,” Carrie said.

“Doesn’t it? Where did you go to high school?”

“Cypress-Fairbanks. It’s a suburb of Houston. Those were some of the happiest days of my life.”

But those days hadn’t started out happy, she recalled. Carrie had felt alone and abandoned when her mother had dumped her with Uncle Tuck when Carrie was barely fourteen. Amanda’s soon-to-be husband was a mining engineer.

“Darling,” Amanda had told her, “Richard and I will be traveling to all sorts of remote places, and I want you to have proper schooling. They have wonderful schools in Cy-Fair, and you’ll get a good background for college. It breaks my heart to leave you, but I’ll visit often.”

She hadn’t. Despite the teary-eyed hugs and kisses and promises, Amanda hadn’t shown up for two years. With Amanda, out of sight was out of mind. Carrie always suspected that one of the reasons her mother had ditched her was that Richard didn’t want a teenager around.

Tucker Campbell, her father’s older brother, was an independent oilman and a widower with a sixteen-year-old son, Sam. Uncle Tuck didn’t know what to do with a teenage girl, either, but he had a heart as big as Texas and was game to try. She adored Sam and Uncle Tuck and loved living on the ranch with a horse of her own and making new friends at the high school where Sam paved the way for her.

Her school’s stadium, the one where she’d cheered her football player cousin, was very much like this one, she thought as she followed J.J. and Mary Beth up the stairs.

When they reached a spot on the fifty-yard line about halfway up the bleachers, J.J. said, “Here we are, Katy-bug,” and put the child down. “You’re going to have to go on a diet. You’re getting heavy.”

Katy giggled. “You always say that.”

“I do? I’ll have to think up a new line.” He smiled and tapped her nose gently. “And you’re not fat. You’re just right.”

The little girl beamed. “I want a hot dog.”

“Already?” J.J. asked as he set up the stadium seats on the weathered wood bleachers.

Katy nodded and took a seat between Mary Beth and J.J. Carrie sat on the end next to Mary Beth.

“Let me catch my breath,” J.J. said, “and I’ll do a concession run. What do you ladies want?”

He took orders for hot dogs, drinks, popcorn and peanuts.

“How are you going to carry all that?” Carrie asked. “Want me to go and help?”

“Naw, I’m resourceful. I can handle it.”

“It’s a man thing,” Mary Beth said as his boots clattered down the wooden steps.

Carrie smiled. “I understand macho.” And she did. From the time she was fourteen, she’d learned how to navigate in a male world. That background had served her well in her studies and her work.

Mary Beth waved at someone and Carrie turned to look. Frank was making his way toward them with a pair of dark-haired children about Katy’s size. His twins, she surmised. This was the first time she’d seen him in anything other than business clothes. He had on well-worn jeans and a plaid western shirt under his jean jacket. He wore black boots and a black cowboy hat that looked to be the twin of the one J.J. always wore. And he looked darned good in his cowboy duds.

Darned good.

“Well, hello,” he said to her, smiling broadly. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“And I’m surprised to see you, Judge.”

“Our family has season tickets for this whole row. Have had for years. We’re all big Mustang fans.” He took three stadium seats from a large canvas bag he carried and started setting them up. “Carrie, this is my daughter Janey and my son Jimmy. Kids, say hello to Miss Carrie.”

They both said a shy hello, then Janey tugged on Frank’s pant leg and whispered, “I want to sit by Katy.”

“Do you mind?” Frank asked Carrie.

“Not at all.” Carrie rose to change seats and by the time the kids had shuffled everybody around to accommodate them, Carrie ended up sitting between Janey and Frank.

“Thanks. They’re bosom buddies,” Frank said, nodding to the two whispering, giggling girls.

“Dad,” Jimmy said, “I’m hungry. Can I have a hot dog?”