Читать книгу Saved By A Texas-Sized Wedding - Judy Christenberry, Judy Christenberry - Страница 9

Suzanne had been getting up at six-thirty each morning, even though the children slept until seven. That gave her time to have their breakfast ready. It also meant she had a few minutes of silence to gather herself for the long day.

This morning she didn’t intend to change her routine, but a pounding on the front door at six had her leaping from the bed in a panic, afraid there was an emergency. She grabbed her robe and threw it on as she ran for the door.

She gave no thought to her appearance. Something was wrong. She needed to find out what and deal with it. She swung the front door open and came face-to-face with Ryan Walker.

“What’s wrong?” she asked urgently.

“Nothing,” he answered, his voice slightly slurred. “Everything’s all right.”

“Are you drunk?” she asked, staring at him.

“No. Just worn out. I haven’t been to sleep.” He leaned against the doorjamb and Suzanne thought he was going to fall.

“If nothing’s wrong, why are you banging on my door?”

“I said I would.”

Suzanne swept back her long hair and Ryan followed the gesture with his gaze, making Suzanne conscious of her appearance. “Come on in. I’ll get dressed and make us some coffee.”

He stumbled in and she led him to the kitchen. He sat down at the table and she quickly filled the coffeepot. Then she turned to excuse herself to go change and discovered him sound asleep.

“Mercy,” she muttered. According to her neighbors, this man was her savior, the key to her finding men to work the ranch. But she was beginning to think he was crazy. Without waking him, she hurried to her bedroom. Five minutes later, in her usual jeans and shirt, she began making a breakfast that would satisfy any man. Bacon, sausage, biscuits and scrambled eggs.

When she was finished, she dished it all up, with a steaming-hot cup of coffee, and awakened her gentleman caller.

“Mr. Walker, breakfast is ready.”

He raised his head and stared at her blankly.

“Drink some coffee,” she said, nudging the mug closer to him.

He did as she recommended. Then the full plate in front of him inspired him to pick up his fork and eat. He hadn’t had a breakfast like that in a long while. He didn’t speak again until the plate was empty and he was almost out of coffee.

She stood and picked up the coffeepot. He automatically stuck his cup out for it to be filled again.

“Good breakfast.”

“Thank you. I hope it helps you make sense. Why did you come pounding on my door at six o’clock? And is someone staying with Beth?”

He blinked several times. “Hinney is taking care of Beth. She likes him.”

“Good. Okay, now answer my question.”

“I give up.” His simple statement didn’t furnish her a clue, but he appeared to think it explained everything.

“I beg your pardon?”

She got up to refill her own cup, stalling for time to figure out what he meant. “I don’t understand.”

“I said I give up. You win.”

“So you realized what I thought of, too?” she asked, thinking he’d come to the same conclusion as she had. “Thank goodness. Now, I’ll come over every morning at seven and cook the children’s breakfast at once. Then, I’ll have dinner ready for you and Beth when you get in, and the kids and I will come home. It should work well.”

She jumped up to get some paper and a pen. She was a list-maker and this change in her lifestyle definitely called for a list. “I won’t come Saturdays, but you can bring Beth here if you want to for the day. That will give her a change of environment which I think will be good.”

He stared at her blankly. “You look different.”

That was enough of a non sequitur that it stopped Suzanne’s list-making. “What?”

“Where’s your suit?”

“You want me to wear a suit and heels to work as a housekeeper?” She couldn’t agree to such a ridiculous request.

He cocked his head sideways, his blue eyes looking cloudy, as if his eyesight was no clearer than his head seemed to be. “No. No suits.”

He seemed quite clear about that. “Fine, I didn’t want to wear a suit.” She returned to her list now that the suit thing had been settled. “Now, shall we start today? Or do you want to wait until Monday? Either way is fine with me. But we might run a little late today because I don’t have the children’s breakfast fixed.”

“Today? Nope. Wouldn’t be legal.”

Suzanne scratched her forehead. What was he talking about? “Do housekeepers require a license around here? Do I have to take a test? I assure you I can cook and clean. And I’m doing a good job with Josh and Mandy. Beth shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Need a license.”

“Uh, okay, I’ll take care of the license. Why don’t we wait until Monday to start? You go home and get some rest. Okay?” she asked, trying to keep a cheerful smile on her face.

“Okay,” he muttered and pushed himself from the table as if it took all his energy to move. “Good breakfast.”

“Thank you.”

She followed him to the front door, not at all sure he’d make that distance, but he seemed to get his second wind.

“Will you be able to drive?” she asked warily. She didn’t want to drive him home.

“Yeah. Okay.” Then he stumbled over to his truck, got behind the wheel and drove away.

Well, working for him would be strange, if he was like that all the time, but at least she’d found a way to save the kids’ inheritance. That was what counted.

Suzanne heard the children waking and hurried to the kitchen to fix their breakfast. When they’d finished eating, she told them she was going to work as Mr. Walker’s housekeeper and they would go with her each day.

“I suggest you take out your little suitcase, Josh, and pack a spare set of clothes and any of your favorite toys you might want for the day. We’re going to start going there on Monday. I’ll pack a little case for Mandy,” she added, smiling at the little girl.

“Me pack,” Mandy assured her. She was moving into the terrible twos, Suzanne had decided. She wanted to do everything herself.

“Fine, but first, I want you to practice your colors this morning. And Josh is going to practice his numbers. Okay? Go wash up and get everything we need.”

She cleared the dishes while they did their chores. She wondered if Beth had had any practice with her numbers or her letters. She’d have to see once they got started. But she’d have to proceed carefully. She wouldn’t want to upset the little girl. The drastic change in her routine was going to be difficult enough for her.

She began making her menu for lunch while the children finished their work. They had been working quietly for about an hour when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Suzanne, this is Mabel Baxter. Congratulations, I’m so happy for the two of you.”

Suzanne thought the woman was a bit effusive given the circumstances, but she was glad they’d worked things out, too. “Well, thank you, Mabel. Yes, I’m pleased.”

“You’ll need to get the license right away, you know.”

“Yes, that’s what Mr. Walker said.”

There was a distinct pause. “You call him Mr. Walker?”

“I guess I could call him Ryan, but I don’t want to be too forward.”

It sounded like the woman was choking.

“Mabel, are you all right?”

“Yes, of course, dear. I just wanted you to know that we’ll help. We’re quite experienced in these things.”

“Well, that’s very nice of you. An extra cake, or a pie occasionally would be greatly appreciated.”

Another small silence. Finally, Mabel said, “We’ll talk later dear, when you’re more organized.”

After saying goodbye, Mabel hung up the phone and Suzanne stared at her receiver. Finally she hung it up, too. Why had Mabel sounded so strange? She liked her. She’d visited her this week, along with Edith, one of the other ladies Mr. Walker had mentioned.

Would he want her to call him Ryan? In Dallas, most housekeepers called their employers by their last names. She didn’t want to appear too familiar. She’d best stick to Mr. Walker.

That settled, she continued with her planning.

IT WAS TEN AFTER THREE when Ryan finally woke up. He’d been wakened several times by Beth. He’d gotten up to fix her lunch, and another time to pour her a glass of water, but mostly he’d dozed. He felt much older than his thirty years when he forced himself awake as Beth shook his shoulder. “Daddy?”

“What, sugar?” he asked, slowly sitting up.

“I need a snack. Millie gives me cookies or something.”

“Uh, okay, sugar, I’ll find something for a snack.” He rolled out of bed, feeling a little more human than the last time he’d been disturbed.

Before he could reach their pantry, the phone rang. Beth screamed, “I’ll get it!”

He vaguely remembered a phone call when he’d just gotten back from the city lady’s place. Damn! He’d agreed to marry her! What was wrong with him? He decided he’d best answer the phone. “I’ve got it, Beth.”

“Hello?”

“It’s Mabel Baxter, Ryan. Remember you said you’d get the license today so we could hold the wedding Sunday?”

“Vaguely,” He muttered.

“Well, it’s already three-thirty and the county office closes at five. And I’m not sure the bride-to-be understands what’s going on. What did you tell her?”

“Mabel, I was up all night without any sleep. I may not have made myself clear.”

“You’d better have. We’re having a wedding Sunday afternoon. The whole town is pitching in.”

“Mabel, damn it! I told you not to make a big deal out of it.” In fact, he’d hoped to marry without anyone noticing.

“It may be your second time down the aisle, Ryan, but for that young lady it’s her first and only time. We want her to enjoy it.”

“Yeah, but I’ve got to go if I’m going to get the license in time.”

“I know. But don’t forget you’ll need her along with you,” Mabel warned him as he hung up the phone. He stood there for a minute. Then he dialed the number for Suzanne McCoy. When she answered, he didn’t even tell her who it was. “I’ll be there in ten minutes to take you to get a license.”

“But Ryan—I mean Mr. Walker—I called. There is no license needed for a housekeeper. But I promise I’m qualified.”

“We’re getting a license to get married. Be ready!” And he hung up the phone.

SUZANNE MCCOY was still holding the phone to her ear, arguing with a dial tone.

“Susie, is something wrong?” Josh asked.

“Uh, I don’t know. A misunderstanding, I think.” She hoped that’s what it was. Marry the man? He was crazy. And it wasn’t necessary. Her plan would work.

She’d been giving the house a spring-cleaning all day. She wouldn’t have much time for cleaning it when she worked all day with the three children at his house. Someone knocked on the front door and she stared at her watch. It couldn’t be Mr. Walker. It had only been five minutes.

She hurried to the door and discovered it had been longer than she thought. There he stood, an impatient look on his face. He had Beth in his arms. She pushed open the screen door. “Come in.”

He came in and set Beth down on her feet. “Are you ready?”

“No, I’m not. I think you’ve got things all wrong. I didn’t agree to marry you. I agreed to be your housekeeper. I’ll come every day and leave after you get in for dinner.”

“No. We’re getting married.”

“How can you say that?”

“I can say that because half the town will be at our wedding on Sunday. Can Al take care of the kids for a couple of hours?”

She took a step back, frowning. “No. He’s out with Doug and Hinney. So I can’t leave.”

“I’ll go get him. In the meantime, you get ready. Oh, and Beth is hoping you have a snack for her. Our pantry was bare.”

She stared in exasperation when he turned on his heel and walked out. Her gaze encountered Beth’s hopeful blue eyes, so like her father’s.

Suzanne sighed. “Come on, Beth. The kids are having their snack now. We’ll join them.”

“What are they having?”

“Ice cream with fresh strawberries and a little whipped cream on it.”

Beth’s eyes widened in excitement. “Oh, boy! I think I’ll like that!” She skipped along beside Suzanne.

In the kitchen, there was a fast introduction to the other children while Suzanne made the treat for Beth. Then she turned the television on to Sesame Street. “I may have to go out, but if I do, Al will be here. But I want you to watch Sesame Street until it’s finished. Okay?”

All three children nodded, their eyes already glued to the television. Suzanne continued her job of rubbing down the cabinets. She was sure she’d be able to convince Ryan he’d misunderstood. She certainly had.

Ryan was feeling a little better about his forthcoming marriage. After only seeing Suzanne in suits, he’d now seen her when she first woke up in her nightgown and robe, her hair flowing free, and he’d seen her in jeans. She looked damn good in jeans. Maybe the side benefits would make this marriage tolerable.

But there seemed to be some confusion in her mind. She thought she could sashay around his house every day as a housekeeper, and everything would be all right? What would happen when other men saw her in jeans? He’d have visitors tramping through his house all day. She’d get marriage proposals, and if she accepted one, he’d have to start all over again. But if he married her, she’d have to only flirt with him. Only be married to him.

He liked that idea.

He found the men and told Al to get in the truck, because he needed him to baby-sit. His men were doing okay, so he didn’t bother to explain anything. There wasn’t time.

“I’m happy to baby-sit a little while. Your men are hard workers. I have trouble keeping up.”

“I know what you mean, Al. But we’ll always have a job for you.”

Al nodded, as if he expected such an assurance.

When they got back to the ranch and Al discovered he’d get ice cream, too, he was happy. After serving him, Suzanne nodded to Ryan and led the way out of the kitchen. “We have to talk,” she said once they were in the hall.

He tugged her kerchief that held back her hair off her head. “No, there’s no time. We have to get the license this afternoon.”

“Ryan, if you’ll just listen, we can avoid marrying. I’ll be the housekeeper you need. You can handle Beth at night, can’t you?”

“It won’t work that way. There will be whispers and all kinds of talk. And you’ll have other men wanting to marry you. If that happens, Beth would be upset and I’d be in trouble again. And what if the man you marry isn’t a rancher? You’d still need help.”

She stared at him. “But—”

“It’s the only way. I fought it myself for a long time, but in the end, there was no other answer. That’s why the ladies of Cactus succeed so often at matchmaking. They’re so damned good at it.”

“I can’t believe—”

“Just come with me to get the license. We can discuss it again before Sunday, but the more you try to argue against it, the more you’ll see a marriage of convenience works.”

She fell silent and though he watched her out of the corner of his eye as they drove to the county courthouse, she said nothing else.

Inside, she filled out the necessary information and watched when he put down the required money.

“Good thing they don’t still require the blood tests. That would take more time.”

“Yes, that’s true, but since it’s a marriage of convenience, a blood test might not be necessary,” she said.

He shushed her at once. “Hey, don’t spread that around. We’d be the objects of gossip for the entire year. That’s no one else’s business.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

Once they got the license, she assumed they’d head back home. Instead, he suggested they dine at the Last Roundup, a big restaurant on the town square. “Cal Baxter’s wife, Jessica, owns it.”

She protested. “I don’t have dinner made for the children. They’ll be hungry soon.”

“I’ll call Al. He can make them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something. They’ll be fine.” He gave her a smile. The first one she’d seen from him. Oh, dear, she thought to herself, I’m in trouble. He’s so handsome when he’s smiling. She looked away.

“I really think we should just go on home.”

“Nope, we’ve got to celebrate our nuptials.”

“I didn’t think it was something you wanted to celebrate,” she accused, watching him.

“I’ve learned to make the best of bad situations.”

“What a compliment,” she pointed out, coming to an abrupt halt.

“Don’t stand in the road, sugar. You’ll get run over.” When she didn’t budge, he scooped her into his arms and didn’t put her down until they reached the sidewalk.

“Ryan, I’m not dressed for dinner out. I’ve been cleaning the house all day. I can’t go in that fancy restaurant.”

“It’s not that fancy,” a deep voice said behind them and Suzanne spun around to find Cal Baxter, the sheriff, standing behind them, his hands on his hips. “Jess won’t throw you out ’cause you’re wearing jeans. That’s pretty common around here.”

“But I’ve been cleaning the house all day,” she continued to protest.

“Then you deserve to eat out. Come on. Jess and I will join you if you don’t mind.”

Suzanne felt she didn’t have any choice but to agree. She glared at Ryan. “Fine. I’ll just call Al about what to fix for supper for the kids.”

“There’s a phone right inside the door,” Cal said and led them up the steps.

By the time Suzanne had called Al, telling him about the cold roast beef she’d planned for sandwiches the next day, Cal had them a table toward the back of the restaurant. Since the restaurant was fairly full, she was surprised at how quick he’d been.

“It’s the family table. They always keep it empty, in case we want to eat. When you’re married to the boss, there have to be some perks,” he added with a grin.

“True,” Ryan agreed. “You’ll have a few perks married to me, Suzanne.”

She didn’t answer, hoping Cal hadn’t heard. She should’ve known better.

A beautiful dark-haired woman joined them. “Hello, Suzanne. I’m Jessica, Cal’s wife…and Mabel’s daughter-in-law. I hope you’ll speak to me in spite of that.”

“Oh! Of course. I don’t blame Mabel and Florence, but—well, I guess I might as well say it…I find this situation hard to believe. We’re expected to get married on Sunday?”

“Yes, you are,” Jessica said, with a grin that made her even more beautiful. “We were the first of the ladies’ many successes. One of them even married. Florence was a widow and she and Doc, well, he’s actually our medical examiner, got married.”

“My, life must be exciting around here.”

“Actually,” Jessica replied, “we settle down into a nice routine most days.”

“Yes, I like routine. I think it’s especially important for children. I’m the guardian for Josh and Mandy Howe.”

“Yes, and thank goodness you’ll also be taking care of Beth. We’ve all worried about her because Ryan is a heathen. You’ll have to watch his vocabulary.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Hey! I watch my tongue around Beth. It’s the cowboys that say the wrong thing.”

“I thought you were a cowboy?” Suzanne asked.

“I am, but—oh, never mind,” Ryan said.

“I had to learn to watch myself, too, once the babies came,” Cal said.

“How many children do you have?” Suzanne asked Cal.

“Two little boys,” Cal answered with real enthusiasm that impressed Suzanne. “They’re the greatest! My mom and dad spoil them rotten, of course, but they also help us take care of them. With my job as sheriff and Jess’s restaurant, we’re pretty busy.”

When Suzanne looked at Jessica, expecting the same enthusiasm, she found her staring at her napkin, saying nothing. Was something wrong?

Then two more people came in and joined them. They were introduced as Mac Gibbons, a lawyer, and his wife, Dr. Samantha Gibbons.

“You’re the lawyer who handles the finances for the children!” she exclaimed.

“That’s right. I thought you’d be in to see me right away,” Mac said, just before he gave his order.

His wife, a pretty woman with a warm smile, looked at Jessica and nodded her head. Suzanne looked at Jessica, too, and saw the happy smile she’d been looking for earlier. What was going on?

Samantha leaned over to Suzanne and whispered, “If you need any kind of birth control before the wedding, I’m working in the morning.”