At Bluebonnet Lake (Texas Crossroads Book #1): A Novel (18 page)

Though Kate’s face mirrored disappointment, she nodded. “You have to follow your instincts, and so do I.”

L
et’s slow down a bit.”

Kate turned to stare at her grandmother. They were on their way to breakfast, following the same route they always did. The morning was no hotter than the others. If anything, the humidity had dropped a few points and the light breeze made it feel almost cool. It was a perfect spring morning, but not for Sally. She had her hand on her chest, her cheeks were flushed, and she sounded out of breath.

“Sure.” Kate slowed her pace to little more than a crawl, while her own heartbeat accelerated. The fears that had been lurking at the back of her mind took front and center. For all Sally’s claims that her condition was stable, it appeared that her health was more fragile than she would admit.

“Do you want to sit down?” They were close enough to one of the unoccupied cabins that they could sit on the steps.

“No need.” Sally took a deep breath, held it for a couple seconds, then slowly released it in what she’d once told Kate was a good way to slow her heart rate.

Though her grandmother was starting to look better, Kate couldn’t let the episode pass without trying to discover its cause.
“Did you take your meds this morning?” Kate had been surprised by the number of prescription bottles her grandmother had arranged on her dresser, everything from low-dosage aspirin to blood thinners.

Sally nodded vigorously as she released yet another deep breath. “Of course I did. You were the one who always ‘forgot’”—she put air quotes around the word—“to take her vitamins.”

Relieved that her grandmother’s breathlessness seemed to have abated, Kate forced a playful tone to her voice. “That’s because you refused to buy chewable ones. My friends said they tasted like candy.”

“Medicine’s not supposed to taste like candy. You’re just supposed to swallow it.”

Kate nodded. Not only did that sound like the usual feisty Sally, but her grandmother’s color was better. It seemed that whatever had been wrong had been only momentary. Perhaps they had been walking too fast. Though she had not been aware of it, it was possible that Kate’s pace had been more rapid than normal. In fact, it was more than possible. It was probable. Kate had said nothing, but she was in a hurry to finish breakfast today so she could work. She hoped that Sally was intrigued enough by the book she’d started last night that she’d want to read for an hour or so after they ate. That would give Kate time to start reviewing the files she’d downloaded this morning.

Heather had sent copies of Aunt Ivy’s most recent ad campaign, the corporate mission statement, product lists, even lists of ingredients. Kate wanted—no, she needed—to read them. Greg might disapprove of her working, but this was an opportunity she could not miss. The truth was, she suspected Greg would have made the same decision if he’d been at the same stage of his career. From the articles Kate had read about Sys=Simpl, she knew he’d been single-minded in his determination to make
his software the best on the market. Perhaps that was the reason he wasn’t married and didn’t have a girlfriend.

Greg’s marital status was not her concern, at least not this morning. She wrenched her thoughts back to the present and smiled at her grandmother. “You’ll be glad to know that I take my vitamins regularly now.”

“I am glad to hear that.” Sally wagged a finger at Kate as they entered the dining hall and took plates from the end of the buffet. “I won’t always be around to remind you, you know.”

For the second time in less than ten minutes, fear speared through Kate. It was one thing for Sally to tell her that the doctor was concerned about her heart, quite another to have her talking like this, especially after being breathless and looking ill. “What do you mean?”

A mischievous grin creased Sally’s face. “For one thing, I won’t be able to have lunch with you today. Roy invited me to his house.”

Kate caught herself before she bobbled her plate filled with scrambled eggs and sausage. Whatever she’d been expecting, it wasn’t that. Though Sally and Roy had been, to use Sally’s expression, thick as thieves at the bluebonnet festival, Kate hadn’t realized that their relationship had progressed to this stage.

“That sounds like a date.”

Her cheeks flushed with what was obviously a blush rather than a sign of illness, Sally shook her head. “I wouldn’t call it that. We’re just two friends sharing a meal.”

Sally’s blush said it was more than that. “Lunch at his house sounds like more than a casual meal. Definitely a date, if you ask me.”

Though they spoke of ordinary things while they savored Carmen’s breakfast buffet, Kate could not stop thinking about Sally and Roy’s luncheon date. She ought to be pleased, since it would give her more time to work on Aunt Ivy’s account, but
still . . . Try though she might to dismiss it, there was something disturbing about the thought of Sally and Roy together.

She had shocked Kate, Sally reflected as she studied her appearance in the mirror. She hadn’t been sure how her granddaughter would react. Though she hadn’t said much, it was clear that Kate was disturbed. What Sally didn’t know was whether it was because she was dating or because she was dating Roy.

She tucked the light blue shirt into the denim skirt, admiring the way the calf-length skirt showed off her boots. It was good but not great. The outfit needed something else. Sally held up several necklaces, shaking her head at each. The silver earrings added a nice touch, but they weren’t enough. Opening the top dresser drawer, she pulled out the bandanna Roy had convinced her to buy at the festival and knotted it around her neck. Perfect. Even Kate, the fashionista, would have to approve of Sally’s clothing, though she might disapprove of the reason Sally was dressing for lunch. Too bad. Kate’s disapproval wouldn’t stop her from spending time with Roy. This was something she wanted to do.

“They picked the wrong girl for Bluebonnet Queen,” Roy said five minutes later as he opened the door to his truck and helped her in. “They should have chosen you.”

The glint in Roy’s gray eyes made Sally’s heart skip a beat. Goodness, she hadn’t felt like that in years and years. She managed a cool smile, not wanting to admit how much she was affected by Roy’s words and—more than that—by the look in his eyes.

“If you think flattery will convince me to cook lunch, you’re mistaken. I’ve been looking forward to your cooking.” When he’d invited her, Sally had been both surprised and touched by the fact that Roy wanted to prepare a meal for her. Larry had
never done that. He’d done many other thoughtful and loving things, but he had never cooked.

Roy turned the key to start the truck. “I wouldn’t renege on that. I promised you a home-cooked meal, and that’s what you’re going to get. It’s a good thing I did most of the cooking in advance,” he said with a wink and a smile. “Having you in my kitchen is going to be mighty distracting, especially with you wearing that outfit. That blue blouse, shirt”—he shrugged—“whatever you call it, is the exact shade as your eyes: bluebonnet blue.”

Roy had noticed not just that her eyes were blue but the precise shade. Sally felt a rush of pleasure at the thought that this man had done what no other had in many years. “You look pretty dashing yourself,” she said, taking in his freshly cut hair and the shirt so new it still bore creases from the package. It was downright flattering to realize that he’d gone to so much trouble.

As the truck climbed the hill that separated Rainbow’s End from the town, Sally turned around.

“Something wrong?”

She shook her head. “I just like the view from here. Rainbow’s End looks like it’s in a world of its own.”

“It’s mighty pretty,” Roy agreed. “I can see why the first owners picked this spot.”

“The first time I saw it, I knew it was special. That’s why I wanted to come back.”

Roy slowed the truck and turned to face her. “Weren’t you afraid it wouldn’t be as good as you remembered?”

Sally shook her head again. “Kate was the one who worried about that. She told me I was making a mistake, trying to recapture the past. That wasn’t the reason I wanted to come. I knew it would be different to come with my granddaughter instead of my husband, but I felt an urging. I can’t explain it
other than to say that I was convinced this was the time I was supposed to come here.”

Pushing his glasses back on his nose, Roy smiled. “That’s what Greg said too. He was convinced God wanted him to be here, but he hasn’t figured out the reason yet. I suspect that’s why he’s stayed as long as he has.”

“I probably sound like a matchmaking grandmother, but I wonder if the reason he’s here is Kate.” There was no mistaking the spring in Kate’s step or the smile on her face when she was with Greg.

Roy shrugged. “Stranger things have happened. I can tell you one thing. Greg is a mighty fine young man. Now, let’s have lunch.”

When they reached Dupree, Roy turned left on the second street. Like the others Sally had seen the day she and Kate explored the town, this street was bordered by old oak trees, their broad branches forming a canopy over the pavement. Small but well-cared-for houses lined both sides of the road, the presence of plastic tricycles and wagons bearing witness to families with young children. It was very different from Sally’s neighborhood at home. The trees, the shrubs, even the grass told her she was not in Western New York. And then there were the houses.

Roy pulled the truck onto a concrete driveway and turned off the engine. While she waited for him to open her door, Sally studied his home. Though she lived in a hundred-year-old two-story clapboard-sided colonial with black shutters, Roy’s house was a simple one-story brick building that she guessed was a third smaller than hers. It also appeared to be of considerably newer construction.

As they walked through the front door, Sally saw that the differences were not confined to the exterior. Her home had a center hall, a formal living and dining room, a kitchen with a breakfast nook, and a separate family room. Roy’s had an open
floor plan with one huge multipurpose room visible from the front doorway. A small hall off the back led to what Sally assumed was the bedroom wing.

“This is very nice,” she said. There was something reassuring about the large room, as if it had no pretensions to grandeur, preferring comfort over elegance.

Roy chuckled as if he’d read her thoughts. “Let me give you the grand tour.” He took a couple steps into the room and gestured toward the right. “This is the living room.” A stone fireplace highlighted one wall. “And the family room,” he added. “To your left, you’ll see the kitchen, dining room, breakfast nook, and general gathering area.” A granite-topped counter separated the working kitchen from the rest of the room, but otherwise there were no barriers. Roy tipped his head toward the opposite end. “There are three bedrooms down the hall.”

“It’s very practical.” And very homey, although Sally couldn’t identify exactly what made her feel that way. It was simply that from the moment she’d walked inside the front door, she had felt as if she were returning to a place she had once visited, a place filled with happy memories.

“It was. Barb didn’t have to leave the kitchen to keep an eye on the boys. They did a lot of homework at that table.” Roy gestured toward the wooden table now set with two place mats and napkins.

“You miss her a lot, don’t you?”

He nodded, his gray eyes more serious than they’d been a moment earlier. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. There were times when I didn’t know how I was going to get through the day without her.” Roy tossed his Stetson onto the hat rack. “It’s better now that you’re here.”

He gave Sally a long look, as if trying to gauge her reaction. What could she say other than that she was incredibly flattered? Before she could form the words, Roy took a step toward her
and cradled her chin in his hand, tipping it so she was looking directly at him. “For the first time since Barb died, I feel as if I’m living, not simply existing.”

Tears sprang to Sally’s eyes, and she dashed them away, lest he think she was sad. She wasn’t. She was simply overcome by the realization that this man felt so deeply about her. Sally had known that he was special from the day she’d met him, but she had not let herself dream that what they shared was anything more than friendship. “That’s one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me.”

“You’re a special woman, Sally.”

She caught her breath at the realization that he’d used the same word she had just used to describe him. Was it coincidence, or were they on the same wavelength?

Roy stared at her lips as if he were going to kiss them. They were definitely on the same wavelength. It would be wonderful, so wonderful, to feel Roy’s lips on hers. But though he continued to stare, he made no further move, and so she said simply, “And you’re a special man.”

“Let’s eat.” Roy let his hand drop to his side and walked into the kitchen area, insisting there was nothing Sally could do to help with the meal preparation. Though she was disappointed that the tender moment had ended, Sally reminded herself that the day was not over. Perhaps he’d kiss her before they returned to Rainbow’s End, or perhaps Roy did not believe in kissing on the first date.