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“I saw you talking to her at the rodeo,” Annie said, obviously surprised that he didn’t remember the other woman.
“Oh, yeah—her,” he said, finally recalling the incident. Then he realized how he knew Nicole. She’d been a good friend of Jennifer’s. In fact, they’d been roommates at the time he and Jennifer were engaged. “She put my name down as a job reference?” He found that hard to believe.
“She said she’s known you for a number of years,” Annie added.
“Really?” To be fair, Cal’s problem hadn’t been with Nicole but with Jennifer, who’d played him for a fool. He’d been too blinded by his first encounter with love to notice the kind of woman she was.
“Nicole said if I had any questions I should ask you.”
“It’s been years since I saw her—other than at the rodeo last week.” He did remember talking to her briefly. She’d said something about how good it was to be back in Promise, how nice to see him, that sort of thing. At the time Cal had been distracted. He’d been more interested in watching the rodeo and cheering on his friends than in having a conversation with a woman he’d had trouble recognizing. Besides, Jane was upset with him and appeasing her had been paramount. He’d barely noticed Nicole.
“Did she list any other personal references?” he asked.
“No, I told her you and the bank were the only ones I needed,” Annie continued. “So you do remember her?”
“Sure. It’s just that it was a long time ago.”
“You went out with her?”
Leave it to Annie to ask a question like that. “No, with her best friend. We almost got married.” No need to go into details. Jennifer had taught him one of the most valuable lessons of his life. The worth of that experience could be measured in the pain and embarrassment that resulted when she’d callously canceled the wedding. He could’ve lived with her breaking their engagement—but why did she have to wait till they were practically at the altar?
“I talked with Janice over at Promise First National about her job history,” Annie said, interrupting his thoughts. “She doesn’t have anything negative to say about Nicole, but if you’re uncomfortable giving her a recommendation…”
“Oh, I’m sure Nicole will do a great job for you.”
The length of Annie’s hesitation told him he hadn’t been very convincing.
“Nicole’s fine, really,” he added. He didn’t actually remember that much about her. She always seemed to be there whenever he picked up Jennifer, but he couldn’t say he knew her. Years ago she’d been a sweet kid, but that was the extent of his recollection. He couldn’t dredge up anything that would prevent her from selling books. He’d never heard that she was dishonest or rude to customers, and those were things that would definitely have stuck in his mind. It was difficult enough to attract good employees; Cal didn’t want to be responsible for Annie’s not hiring someone simply because he had negative feelings about that person’s friends.
“I was thinking of hiring her for the bookstore.”
“Do,” Cal urged.
“She seems friendly and helpful.”
“I’m sure she is,” Cal said, and glanced longingly toward the popcorn.
“Thanks, Cal, I appreciate the input.”
“No problem.” He didn’t know what it was about women and the telephone. Even Jane, who had a sensible approach to everything and hated wasting time, could spend hours chatting with her friends. Just thinking about his wife produced a powerful yearning. Nothing seemed right without her.
“I’ll give Jane a call later,” Annie was saying.
“Good plan.” He checked his watch, wondering how much longer this would take.
“Thanks again.”
“Give Nicole my best,” he said, thinking this was how to signal that he was ready to get off the phone.
“I will,” Annie promised. “Bye, now.”
Ah, success. Cal replaced the receiver, then frowned as he attempted to picture Nicole Nelson. Brown hair—or blond? He hadn’t paid much attention to her at the rodeo. And he couldn’t imagine what would bring her back to Promise. Not that she needed to justify the move, at least to him. His one hope was that he didn’t give Annie reason to regret hiring her.
Mary Ann’s squeal of delight woke Jane from a deep sleep. She rolled over and looked bleary-eyed at the clock radio and gasped. Ten o’clock. She hadn’t slept that late since she was in high school. Tossing aside the covers, she reached for her robe and headed out of the bedroom, yawning as she went.
“Mom!” she called.
“In here, sweetheart,” her mother said from the kitchen.
Jane found the children and her mother busily playing on the tile floor. Mary Ann toddled gleefully, chasing a beach ball, intent on getting to it before her brother. Because he loved his little sister, Paul was letting her reach it first, then clapping and encouraging her to throw it to him.
“You should have woken me up,” Jane said.
“Why? The children are fine.”
“But, Mom, I’m supposed to be here to help you,” she protested. The last week had been hectic. Taking Paul and Mary Ann away from home and the comfort of their normal routine had made both children difficult and irritable. That first night, Mary Ann hadn’t slept more than a few hours, then whined all the next day. Paul had grown quiet and refused to talk to either grandparent. The children had required several days to adjust to the time change, and with the stress of her father’s condition, Jane was completely exhausted.
“You needed the sleep,” her mother said.
Jane couldn’t argue with that. “But I didn’t come all this way to spend the whole morning in bed.”
“Stop fussing. Paul, Mary Ann and I are having a wonderful time. If you intend to spoil it, then I suggest you go back to bed.”
“Mother!”
“I’m the only grandma they have. Now, why don’t you let us play and get yourself some breakfast?”
“But—”
“You heard me.” Stephanie crawled toward the lower cupboards, then held on to the counter, using that as leverage to get up off the floor. “I’m not as limber as I once was,” she joked.
“Oh, Mom…” Watching her, Jane felt guilty. She gathered Mary Ann into her arms, although the child immediately wanted down. Paul looked up at her, disgruntled by the interruption.
“Your father’s resting comfortably,” her mother informed her. “He wants us to take the day for ourselves.”
“Dad said that?” He’d been demanding and impatient ever since Jane had arrived.
“He did indeed, and I intend to take him up on his offer. I promised the kids lunch at McDonald’s.”
“Dad must be feeling better.”
“He is,” her mother said. “By the way, Annie phoned earlier.”
“Annie?” Jane echoed. “Is everything all right at home?”
“Everything’s just fine. She wanted to know how your father’s doing. Apparently no one told her—”
“I asked Cal to let her know. I meant to phone her myself, but…you know how crazy it’s been this last week.”
“I explained it all, so don’t you worry. She’d already talked to Cal, who apologized profusely. She sounds well and has some news herself.”
Jane paused, waiting, although she had her suspicions.
“Annie’s pregnant again. Apparently they’re all thrilled—Annie, Lucas and the children. She’s reducing her hours at work, hiring extra help. It was great to chat with her.”
“A baby. That’s wonderful.” Annie was such a good mother, patient and intuitive. And such a good friend. Her move to Texas had been a real blessing to Jane.
Just thinking about Promise made Jane’s heart hunger for home. A smile came as she recalled how out of place she’d once felt in the small Texas town. She’d accepted a job in the medical clinic soon after she’d qualified. It wasn’t where she’d hoped to settle, and she’d only taken the assignment as a means of paying off a portion of her huge college loans. The first few months had been dreadful—until she’d become friends with Dovie, who’d introduced her to Ellie.
This was networking at its finest. Soon afterward, Ellie and Glen had arranged Jane’s first date with Cal. What a disaster that had been! Cal wasn’t the least bit interested in a blind date. Things had quickly changed, however, when Cal and his brother and Ellie had started to teach her how to think and act like a real Texan. When she’d decided to take riding lessons, Cal had volunteered to be her teacher.
Jane had never meant to fall in love with him. But they were a good match, bringing out the best in each other, and they’d both recognized that. Because of Cal, she was a better person, even a better physician, and he reminded her often how her love had enriched his life. They were married within the year.
After the children arrived, Jane felt it necessary to make her career less of a priority, but she didn’t begrudge a moment of this new experience. In fact, she enjoyed being a full-time wife and mother—for a while—and managed to keep up her medical skills with part-time work.
Annie, too, had found love and happiness in their small town. The news of this pregnancy pleased Jane.
“Have you connected with Julie and Megan yet?” her mother asked.
Along with Annie, Julie and Megan had been Jane’s best friends all through high school. Julie was married and lived just ten minutes away. Megan was a divorced single mother. Jane hadn’t seen either woman in three years—make that four. How quickly time got away from her.
“Not yet,” Jane told her.
“I want you to have lunch with your friends while you’re home.”
“Mom, that isn’t necessary. I’m not here to be entertained.”
“I don’t want you to argue with me, either.”
Jane grinned, sorely tempted to follow her mother’s suggestion. Why not? she decided. She’d love to see her friends. “I’ll try to set something up with Julie this week.”
“Good.” Her mother gently stroked Jane’s cheek. “You’re pale and exhausted.”
The comment brought tears to her eyes. She wasn’t the one suffering pain and trauma, like her father, who’d broken his hip, or her mother who’d been left to deal with the paramedics, the hospital, the surgeon and all the stress.
“I came here to help you,” Jane reiterated.
“You have, don’t you see?” Her mother hugged Paul. “It’s time with my precious grandbabies that’s helping me deal with all this. I don’t see nearly enough of them. Having the grandkids with me is a rare treat, and I fully intend to take advantage of it.”
Jane headed for the shower, looking forward to visiting with her friends. She missed Cal and Promise, but it was good to be in California, too.
The metallic whine of the can opener made Cal grit his teeth. This was the third night in a row that he’d eaten soup and crackers for dinner. The one night he’d fried himself a steak, he’d overcooked it. A few years back he’d been a pretty decent cook, but his skills had gotten rusty since his marriage. He dumped the ready-to-heat soup into the pan and stared at it, finding it utterly unappetizing.
Naturally he could always invite himself to his brother’s house for dinner. Glen and Ellie would gladly set an extra plate at their table. He’d do that when he got desperate, but he wasn’t, at least not yet. For that matter, he could call his father. Phil would welcome the company, but by the time Cal was finished with his chores on the ranch and showered, dinner had already been served at the seniors’ center.
Actually, now that he thought about it, he was in the mood for Mexican food, and no place served it better than Promise’s own Mexican Lindo. Already his mouth was watering for his favorite enchiladas, dripping with melted cheese. He could almost taste them. Needing no other incentive, he set the soup, pan and all directly inside the refrigerator and grabbed his hat.
If he hurried, he decided, he’d be back in time for Jane’s phone call. Her spirits had seemed better these past few days. Her father was improving, and today she’d met a couple of high-school friends for lunch.
Soon Harry would be released from the hospital, and once his father-in-law was home, Jane and the children would return to Texas. Cal sincerely wished Jane’s father a speedy recovery—and his good wishes weren’t entirely selfish. He liked Harry Dickinson, despite their arguments and despite his father-in-law’s reservations about Jane’s choice in a husband. He’d never come right out and said anything, but Cal knew. It was impossible not to. Still, Harry’s attitude had gotten a bit friendlier, especially after the children were born.
Promise was bustling when Cal drove up Main Street. All the activity surprised him, although it shouldn’t have. It was a Thursday night, after all, and there’d been strong economic growth in the past few years. New businesses abounded, an area on the outskirts of town had been made into a golf course, and the city park had added a year-round swimming pool. Ellie’s feed store had been remodeled, but it remained the friendly place it’d always been. She’d kept the wooden rockers out front and his own father was among the retired men who met there to talk politics or play a game of chess. The tall white steeple of the church showed prominently in the distance. Cal reflected that it’d been a long time since he’d attended services. Life just seemed to get in the way. Too bad, because he genuinely enjoyed Wade McMillen’s sermons.
The familiar tantalizing aroma of Texas barbecue from the Chili Pepper teased his nostrils, and for a moment Cal hesitated. He could do with a thick barbecue sandwich just as easily as his favorite enchiladas, but in the end he stuck with his original decision.
When he walked into the stucco-walled restaurant, he was immediately led to a booth. He’d barely had time to remove his hat before the waitress brought him a bowl of corn chips and a dish of extra-hot salsa. His mouth was full when Nicole Nelson stepped into the room, eyed him boldly and smiled. After only the slightest pause, she approached his table.
“Hello, Cal.” Her voice was low and throaty.
Cal quickly swallowed the chip, almost choking as he did so. The attractive woman standing there wasn’t the kid he’d known all those years ago. Her jeans fit her like a second skin, and unless he missed his guess, her blouse was one of those designer numbers that cost more than he took to the bank in an average month. If her tastes ran to expensive clothes like that, Cal couldn’t imagine how she intended to live on the amount of money Annie Porter could afford to pay her.
“Nicole,” he managed. “Uh, hi. How’re you doing?”
“Great, thanks.” She peered over her shoulder as though expecting to meet someone. “Do you have a couple of minutes?”
“Uh…sure.” He glanced around, grateful no one was watching.
Before he realized what she intended, Nicole slid into the booth opposite him. Her smile was bright enough to make him blink.
“I can’t tell you how good it is to see you again,” she said, sounding genuine.
“You, too,” he muttered, although if he’d passed her in the street, he probably wouldn’t have recognized her.
“I imagine you’re surprised I’m back in Promise.”
“Yeah,” he said. “What brings you to town?” He already knew she’d made the move without having a job lined up.
She reached for a chip, then shrugged. “A number of reasons. The year I lived in Promise was one of the best of my life. I really did grow to love this town. Jennifer and I got transferred here around the same time, but she never felt about Promise the way I did.”
“Jennifer,” he said aloud. Cal couldn’t help wondering what had become of his ex-fiancée. “Are you still in touch with her?”
“Oh, sure. We were best friends for a lot of years.”
“How is she?”
“Good,” Nicole told him, offering no details.
“Did she ever marry?” He was a fool for asking, but he wanted to know.
Nicole dipped the chip in his salsa and laughed lightly. “She’s been married twice.”
“Twice?” Cal could believe it. “Last I heard she was living with a computer salesman in Houston.” He’d heard that from Glen, who’d heard it from Ellie, who’d heard it from Janice at the bank.
“She married him first, but they’ve been divorced longer than they were ever married.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He wasn’t really, but it seemed like something he should say.
“Then she met Mick. It wasn’t his real name, but she called him that because he was from Australia.”
