At Bluebonnet Lake (Texas Crossroads Book #1): A Novel (13 page)

The pungent smells of onions and peppers greeted Kate when she opened the door to the building that housed the kitchen. She sniffed deeply, wondering what Carmen had in store for them today. Last night’s chicken cutlets and butterscotch sundaes had been marvelous.

As she entered the kitchen, Kate saw Carmen patting out what appeared to be a cornmeal mixture while Olivia and a girl Kate hadn’t met watched.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” she said with smiles for the trio. Approaching the stranger, she extended her hand. “I’m Kate Sherwood, one of the guests, and you must be Brandi.”

“I am. Brandi Lenhardt,” the blonde, blue-eyed teenager said, “but how did you know?” She shot an accusatory look at Carmen. “Did you tell her about KOB?”

Carmen nodded. “Why not? Kate’s going to be here for a month. That makes her practically part of the family.”

“Like Greg.” Brandi shook Kate’s hand. “Welcome to the Rainbow’s End family.”

“Brandi and I are helping Carmen make tamales,” Olivia announced.

No wonder the kitchen smelled so wonderful. Kate was willing to bet that Carmen’s tamales would be the best she’d ever eaten. She smiled at the teenagers. “If you two are helping, I guess I’ll just be the official taste tester. That’s what I do best, isn’t it, Carmen?”

The dark-haired woman nodded as she dipped a spoon into the pot of tomato sauce simmering on the back burner and handed it to Kate. Closing her eyes, Kate slid the spoon into her mouth and let the spicy mixture tantalize her taste buds.

“Delicious,” she said. “I wouldn’t change anything.” Carmen chuckled at the predictable response. “So, what do you do here?” Kate asked, turning her attention to Brandi.

“Laundry. The last load is in the dryer now.” When Brandi gestured to the right, Kate realized that the third door in the hallway must lead to the laundry room.

Olivia slung her arm around Brandi’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “You probably already know this, but Brandi, Kevin, and I are the only staff other than Carmen,” she said. “Carmen’s the only full-timer. The rest of us come after school and work for a few hours. If there are enough guests on weekends, we get more hours, but even in summer, it’s not full-time.”

“They were asking for my advice,” Carmen said as she laid a dozen wrappers on the counter, spreading a couple tablespoons of dough on each. “Maybe you can help them. I sure couldn’t. It would be one thing if they wanted to know how to make masa,” she said, gesturing toward the dough, “but that’s not what they want.”

“What do you want?” Kate asked the girls. They seemed bright and energetic, not the apathetic teens the media sometimes liked to portray as the norm.

“To go to college.” Though Olivia answered, Brandi nodded her agreement.

Kate couldn’t fault them for their goal. Though she couldn’t pinpoint the reason, Brandi and Olivia reminded her of herself and her best friend from high school, Gillian. As teenagers, the two of them spent countless hours talking about college and their plans for the future.

Kate and Gillian had been fortunate. What had been daydreams had turned into reality. Kate was now working in advertising, and Gillian had graduated from Julliard and was quickly making a name for herself as a pianist.

“It’s a good plan,” Kate told the girls. “You’ll have more op
portunities with a degree.” At least she hoped they would. The statistics of un- or underemployed recent college grads were appalling. “Have you thought about your majors?”

“I want to teach,” Brandi said quickly, adding, “High school history.”

Olivia was slower to respond, as if she were considering her words. “I want to be a veterinarian.” She fixed Kate with her gaze. “Did you know there’s not a single vet in this county?”

As someone who’d never owned a pet, Kate hadn’t spent much time thinking about veterinarians, and she had no reason to know about the apparent shortage here. “No, I didn’t.”

Carmen handed Brandi and Olivia a few wrappers and showed them how to spread the dough. When they’d added the filling and rolled the tamales, tucking in the ends of the wrappers to secure them, the two teens grinned.

“There may not be any vets in this county,” Brandi said, returning to the previous discussion, “but there are plenty across the county line.”

“True, but they’re overworked.”

Kate was impressed by the fact that Olivia had done her homework. “It sounds as if you’ve thought it through.”

Olivia nodded. “All except the money part. My parents can’t afford to send me to school, and they’re not excited about the idea of student loans.”

“Mine either. That’s why we’re working. But now . . .” Brandi let her words trail off.

“Has something changed?” Kate directed her question to Carmen. It didn’t take a genius to know that the resort was in trouble, but this sounded ominous.

As she spread meat filling over the tamale dough, Carmen nodded. “Angela called us all in to say that unless there’s a miracle, she and Tim are going to close Rainbow’s End no later than Thanksgiving weekend, most likely a lot sooner.” Carmen
looked up at Kate, her dark eyes troubled. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you that, but you can see that we’re not exactly overrun with guests.”

Though it was nothing more than she’d surmised, Kate hated to have her fears confirmed. “What about summer? Isn’t that peak tourist season?”

Carmen shook her head. “It seems advance bookings are really low.”

“I can’t blame folks,” Brandi said, her lips twisted into a scowl. “For not much more money, they can go to a dude ranch in Bandera and have a lot more to do.”

“Brandi’s right. There’s nothing to bring people here, but these are the only jobs we could find. We need them, and not just for the money. Our counselor told us that if we wanted to have a chance at financial aid, it was important to work.”

“She claimed it showed initiative,” Brandi chimed in. “We’ve got initiative, but it’s not helping a whole lot.”

Olivia stared at the floor, as if it held the answer to their dilemma. “Rainbow’s End needs a miracle, and so do we.”

W
hat kind of miracle are you two looking for?” Drawn by the sound of Kate’s voice, Greg had approached the kitchen, only to discover that she was involved in a discussion with Brandi and Olivia, while an uncharacteristically silent Carmen assembled tamales as if her life depended on it. The teenagers looked glum, and Kate had furrows between her eyes. Even the mouthwatering aroma of Carmen’s tamale sauce did not lighten the mood.

“We want to go to college,” Brandi said, her blue eyes welling with tears. “That’s why we’re working here. If Rainbow’s End closes, I don’t know what we’ll do.” Her rapid blinking told Greg she was trying not to cry. “Did you go to college?” she asked.

“Sure did, and I had some impressive loans too. I used to joke that they rivaled the national debt.” Greg kept his tone light, hoping to diffuse some of the gloom. Though he’d come a long way from what he called the starvation days, he hadn’t forgotten how financial worries had colored his life. He’d been determined and he’d been fortunate. While Brandi and Olivia
might match his determination, there was no way of predicting whether they’d be as fortunate.

“Our parents don’t like loans,” Olivia told him. “We come from big families, and they’re worried about the future.”

Greg understood. When he’d mentioned college, his father had announced that he wouldn’t give Greg something he couldn’t promise to the girls. Not wanting his sisters to face the same hurdles, Greg had paid their college expenses.

“No one likes loans, but you shouldn’t rule them out,” he advised.

The girls did not appear encouraged. Though they snickered at the sight of their misshapen tamales next to Carmen’s perfect ones, the humor faded quickly.

“There are other ways to pay for school.” Greg flashed Kate a smile before he said, “Kate took a different approach.”

To his surprise, her eyes widened, and her shoulders slumped. It was a momentary change, one Greg doubted either Brandi or Olivia had noticed, but it intrigued him. For some reason, Kate seemed uncomfortable having the spotlight on her.

“I kept expenses low by living at home,” she said when it was obvious the teenagers expected a response. “That wasn’t possible for Greg, and it might not be possible for you. College is tough enough without adding a long commute.”

Though Carmen had started humming, Brandi’s and Olivia’s expressions remained glum.

“Kate’s being modest.” Greg wasn’t sure why she hadn’t volunteered the information about her scholarships when the girls had asked about ways to pay for school. “Tell them what paid for tuition.”

Once again Kate looked uncomfortable. “I worked a lot of hours on campus.”

“And . . .” If she didn’t tell them, he would. It wasn’t false pride or bragging to admit you were smart enough to land a scholarship.

“I had a couple scholarships.” It must have been Greg’s imagination that there was a hint of defiance in Kate’s words.

As he had expected, the teenagers’ eyes lit. This was the kind of information they’d been seeking.

“You must be smart.” The look Brandi gave Kate reminded Greg of the way some people looked at him when they connected his name with Sys=Simpl, a mixture of awe and disbelief. The blatant curiosity had always made Greg feel as if he were an animal in a zoo on display for visitors.

“I had pretty good grades and SATs,” Kate admitted.

“We do too,” Brandi replied. “Especially Olivia. She’s the smartest girl in our class.”

Olivia blushed. “How’d you find those scholarships?” she asked, seeming to want to deflect the attention from her intelligence. “Our counselor mentioned the big ones but said we didn’t have much of a chance.”

Kate nodded and gave Olivia a look that said she understood. She probably did. Judging from her reaction, Kate had been the smartest kid in her class and had found it uncomfortable just as Greg had. Being born without the sports gene wasn’t the only problem a teenager could have.

“The school counselors helped. I also did a lot of research online.” Kate’s uneasiness seemed to have disappeared. Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if she were reciting a list she’d memorized for a test. “I don’t know what it’s like here, but where I lived, there were a number of private endowments available to qualified students. Some were restricted to a specific county. Others were given based on the students’ career plans.”

Carmen’s humming stopped, Olivia’s eyes brightened, and Brandi’s interest was obviously piqued. So was Greg’s. Unlike Kate, he hadn’t qualified for scholarships. “So you just googled for them?” Brandi asked.

Though Greg wondered why the school counselor hadn’t
advised the girls, he wouldn’t ask. Perhaps the school was short-staffed and the counselor’s focus was limited to seniors. Brandi and Olivia were only juniors.

Kate shook her head. “It was a little more complicated than that, but that’s the basic idea. I’d offer to show you what I did, but it would take forever at dial-up speeds.” She frowned and let out an exaggerated sigh, eliciting a giggle from the girls.

Greg couldn’t help smiling at Kate’s attempt to lighten the conversation. “I know a bit about looking for money too,” he told them. Venture capital firms didn’t offer scholarship funds, but perhaps some of the foundations he’d researched when establishing his own did. “What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?”

“At 7:30.” Brandi raised an eyebrow as if to ask why he cared.

“The Sit ‘n’ Sip opens at 6:30. If you want to meet us there tomorrow morning, Kate and I’ll show you what we know.”

He was being presumptuous, making an appointment for Kate and including himself, but the instincts that had served Greg well in the corporate arena told him this was the right thing to do.

As the teens gave each other high fives, Kate smiled. “Great idea.”

He was glad Kate agreed. Though he might be able to muddle through on his own, Greg had enough experience with his sisters to know how beneficial having another adult could be. And when that other adult was Kate, well . . . the whole morning would be decidedly more pleasant.

As he headed back to his cabin to change for dinner, Greg reflected on the teenagers’ dilemma and his own. He had the power to make Olivia’s and Brandi’s dreams come true. The question was whether he should. It was one thing to support his sisters and give his parents money for the luxuries they could not have afforded otherwise, but it was a far different thing to try to help everyone he met, no matter how worthy they were.

But maybe he wouldn’t be called on to do that. Maybe he and Kate would find enough scholarship money to put both girls through school. And if they didn’t, there was always Plan B. The foundation Greg had created when he’d made his first million had grown substantially over the past few years, the result of prudent investments and his continued funding. He and the other trustees were always looking for worthwhile causes, and this might be one. Or not.

Although it would be easy enough to create a scholarship for residents of this particular town or even the whole county, the question was whether it made sense or whether Greg was simply reacting emotionally. He had always prided himself on his cool, rational decisions, but since he’d come to Rainbow’s End, he had found himself more concerned about people than bottom lines. He couldn’t explain it. He wasn’t even certain he liked the change. All he knew was that it had happened.

Unlocking his cabin door, Greg frowned. He wanted to ask Kate’s opinion about possibly endowing a scholarship. After all, she was as involved with the teens as he, and he had no doubt she’d give him a thoughtful and honest answer. Still, he hesitated.

Kate wasn’t the problem. He was.

It hadn’t taken long to realize that once the women he met learned he was a billionaire, their attitudes changed. They no longer seemed to regard him as Greg Vange, the man. Instead, he became Greg Vange, the billionaire, their ticket to a life of luxury. They had no way of knowing that their attitudes brought back painful memories of his father’s inability to recognize that Greg was more than Linc Vange’s son, that he was an individual in his own right.

Money changed things. Drew claimed Greg was being cynical, but he was convinced that was the reason Drew had never made it to the altar. Drew called it cold feet. Greg suspected it was the realization, perhaps subconscious, that the women who
were so eager to have him place a diamond on their left hands were more interested in Drew’s net worth than in his happiness.

Kate was different. If he’d been a betting man, Greg would have bet on that. And yet, something held him back. The truth was, he wasn’t ready to put her to the test.

Kate was practically dancing with delight. What a wonderful day this had turned out to be. Her new boots fit perfectly and were more comfortable than she’d thought possible. The red, a more subdued shade than Samantha’s, was bright enough to be eye-catching but not so bright that Kate would feel self-conscious wearing them. Sally was so happy with her boots that she had insisted on looking through Samantha’s photo album again to see if she could find a second design she liked. That had given Kate the opportunity to visit Lauren’s shop. Unfortunately, when she’d approached the quilt store, she’d seen two customers inside and had realized that Lauren was busy.

But that delay had worked to Kate’s benefit. She’d taken advantage of the town’s cell service and had called her office. As she’d hoped, Heather had found what she needed in the files Kate had emailed her and was once more happy. She’d even complimented Kate on her fast response and had wished her a pleasant weekend.

All that was good, but the best part—the icing on the cake—was the way Greg had volunteered to help her help Brandi and Olivia. Perhaps it was silly, but Kate’s heart had soared when he’d joined them in the kitchen, and it had threatened to burst through her ribs when he’d casually said “meet us.” It wasn’t a date. It was simply an early morning get-together to help two teens, and yet the prospect made Kate smile.

She glanced at her watch, calculating the hours until she and Greg would leave for Dupree. How silly!

“Can I interest you in breakfast?” Greg asked as Brandi and Olivia left, huge grins wreathing their faces.

Though the Sit ‘n’ Sip was nothing special, a small diner with a counter, two tables, and one booth, the past hour had been productive. The four of them had sat at the table farthest from the door and had searched the web for scholarship dollars. Once he learned what they were planning to do, the proprietor had not bothered them. Instead, he’d struck up a lively conversation with everyone who came through the door, whether they ordered food to go or lingered at the counter.

Kate looked at the menu propped in the middle of the table. “Is the food edible?” she asked Greg. The Sit ‘n’ Sip’s coffee had proven to be as bad as he’d predicted. After one sip, Kate had pushed it aside and, following Brandi and Olivia’s example, ordered a large glass of orange juice. Though not freshly squeezed, it was preferable to the dark brew. Kate would get her caffeine infusion when she returned to Rainbow’s End.

“Surprisingly, yes.” Greg drained his coffee, apparently unfazed by its strength. “The pancakes are amazingly light, and Russ serves real maple syrup.”

Russ, Kate had learned, was the proprietor and, as far as she could tell, the sole employee of the Sit ‘n’ Sip. She judged him to be in his midthirties, an ordinary-looking man with brown hair, brown eyes, and a wide welcoming grin.

“You’ve sold me.” Kate ignored the urge to glance at her watch. She was on vacation, not at work, and there was no reason to hurry.

When she’d heard what Kate and Greg had planned, Sally had said she’d spend some time with Carmen, who issued an invitation whenever she saw Kate’s grandmother. “We’ve got lots to talk about,” Carmen had declared. Kate didn’t doubt that. It seemed that Carmen could talk to anyone about anything, and Sally was rarely at a loss for words. If she didn’t return to
Rainbow’s End before lunch, Kate suspected neither woman would notice.

“That was one of the most productive hours I’ve spent in a long time,” she told Greg after they’d placed their orders.

And one of the most rewarding. Kate had been surprised at how good it felt to work with the teenagers and how grateful they’d been. This morning’s experience reminded her of how much she’d enjoyed giving Samantha suggestions for ways to improve her website.