Heart of Clay (17 page)

“So are we having chocolate for
dessert?”

“No, carrot cake. I hope you like it.”
Carrot cake was Clay’s all-time favorite dessert.

“That sounds great. I’ll make sure I save
room.” Clay helped himself to another serving of chicken casserole.
It had been weeks since Callan had cooked a real meal, other than
last night’s pork roast, and it all tasted so good.

She stayed home from work that day. However
brief, he was glad she was taking some time for herself. Although
he hadn’t expected her to slave away in the kitchen, his stomach
was very happy she’d made an effort. Cooking was one way she showed
her remorse and let him know she cared.

While they ate, they continued asking silly
questions, like favorite colors, favorite movies, favorite football
teams, and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

It was Clay’s turn to ask a question. “Tell
me something about you that no one else knows. Something you’ve
never told anyone.”

Callan put down her fork
and looked thoughtful before she answered. “Well, I don’t think
anyone knows this, but when I was growing up, I wanted to have a
horse more than just about anything. I cut pictures of them out of
magazines and I watched them anytime there was an opportunity. My
favorite movie was
The Man from Snowy
River
. I was giddy when one of our
neighbors bought a horse. They let me ride it once in a while. When
I was twelve, I wanted a pair of cowboy boots so bad, I spent the
whole summer doing odd jobs to make enough money to buy a pair. I
never did get the boots or a horse. I finally realized I wasn’t in
a position or a place to have my own horse and let that dream go.
It was an unexpected bonus when I fell in love with a cowboy.
Occasionally, he lets me pretend I’m a cowgirl with my pick of
horses to fawn over out at the family ranch.” The warmth of her
smile melted Clay’s heart.

“Your cowboy is plenty glad you fell in love
with him. You can be a cowgirl anytime you want.” Clay squeezed her
hand and gave her a teasing wink.

“What about you?” Callan asked. “Do you have
something you’ve never shared?”

“The day I put in my job application at the
college, I was walking across the campus and fell in love with the
most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. I remember watching her stroll
down the sidewalk and thinking that she walked right out of my
dreams. Her hair bounced in curls down her back and the breeze blew
her skirt around her legs. If I hadn’t been rooted to the spot and
terrified to speak to her, I might have thrown myself at her feet
and begged her to be mine right then and there.” Clay smiled at
Callan.

“She stopped to talk to a girl named Laken
and the two of them left in her little red car. When I took my
sorry self home, her dad just happened to be there working on my
dad’s tractor. He wanted me to meet her. I was still so awestruck
by the girl I’d seen that afternoon on campus, I couldn’t think
about meeting anyone else, so I hid in the shop until she left. She
was just backing around in the driveway when I stuck my head out
the door and realized his daughter was the girl I’d seen that day.
I ran out of the shop so fast, I think two of the dogs got
whiplash, but not fast enough to catch her before she left. I spent
the next month trying to work up my courage to ask her out. Then
the opportunity presented itself to see her at the county fair. I
stood and watched her dishing up ice cream for half a day before I
talked myself into going to meet her. The first time she said
hello, this ol’ heart of Clay flew right out of my chest and into
her hands.”

He patted his chest and offered Callan one
of his trademark grins. “Of course, she couldn’t resist my good
looks or charm.”

Callan abandoned all effort at eating,
staring intently at Clay. She had a hard time digesting what he
shared. All this time, she thought Clay had wandered up to the
booth at the fair and they just happened to meet. She had no idea
he had wanted to meet her, that he knew her name, that he thought
she was the girl of his dreams.

Tears tightened her throat and blurred her
vision. “Oh, Clay.” After placing one hand on top of his, she let
out a shaky breath. “Truly?”

“Honest and true.” He pressed a warm kiss to
the palm of her hand and gazed into her green eyes. “I knew the
first time I saw you I wanted you to be mine forever. It just took
me a while to work up to asking you out.”

“I’m so glad you did. I can’t believe you
never told me that before. It is a beautiful, wonderful story. I
had no idea.”

“I know. But every word of it is true.
You’ve had me wrapped around this lovely little finger,” he kissed
her pinky, “since the very first time I saw you.”

Callan couldn’t stop the tears as big, fat
drops rolled down her cheeks. She raised her hand to Clay’s cheek
and held it there a moment before leaning over and giving him a
soft, tender kiss. “I love you, Clay Matthews, so very much.”

“Thank you for making time to meet with us
today,” Callan said to the convention center board a few days
later. “Jill and I feel it is imperative we share this information
with you.”

“Please, Ms. Matthews, proceed with your
report. We would very much like to hear what you have to share,”
said the board president. The woman also happened to be a personal
client of Callan’s.

Callan and Jill spent the next forty-five
minutes providing copies of memos, emails, and written
communications from both staff and clients detailing the wake of
destruction Arty had caused. It was clear the board had no idea
what was happening right under their noses.

Jill spoke up and mentioned the incident in
Arty’s office the day they returned from the trade show and how
Arty had threatened to fire Callan.

“What you choose to do with the information
we provided is entirely up to you and we will respect your
decision,” Jill said, looking at each member of the board.
“However, should you decide to act on this information, the staff
is in agreement that we are sufficiently capable of managing while
time is spent finding a replacement that is better suited to our
facility.”

“Thank you very much, Ms. Matthews, and Ms.
Taylor, for bringing this to our attention. We will let you know
when we make a decision.”

Jill and Callan gave each other a quick hug
on the way back to their offices. Callan decided if she wanted to
make major changes in her life, she would start with trying to make
some positive changes at work.

The most positive change she could imagine
was not having to deal with Arty Bierwagen and cleaning up the
messes he made. That afternoon, the board fired Arty and gave him
an hour to clear out his personal belongings. They also asked Jill
and Callan to serve together as interim general managers, much to
their delight.

Callan was ecstatic when she arrived home.
Running inside the house, she didn’t even stop to take off her
coat. She charged into the family room where Clay kicked back in
his recliner, watching a hunting show.

“You’ll never guess what happened today,”
she said, trying her best to stand still and not dance with
joy.

Clay rose from his chair and stood in front
of Callan, pleased by the look of excitement on his wife’s face.
“You’re right. I won’t be able to guess so you better tell me what
happened before you burst.”

“They fired Arty!” She grabbed Clay’s hands
and did a little jig around the room. “They asked Jill and me to
serve together as interim general managers until they find someone
suitable for the position. Isn’t that great?”

“That is fantastic, girl. I’m so proud of
you!” Clay swept her into a huge hug and swung her around. “I think
this is reason to celebrate. Where would you like to go for
dinner?”

“Can we get takeout and go to Aunt Julie’s?
I’d love to tell her in person.”

“You bet!” Clay said. He hurried to turn off
the television and tug on his boots, then grabbed her hand. “Let’s
go.”

In the following days, Callan worked hard at
making changes in her life. Aunt Julie checked in with her
constantly to remind her to shut out the negative thoughts and
focus on the positive. She even bought Callan a plaque for her
office that said, “Friends – so much cheaper than a shrink!” to
remind her to call on her friends to help her through her
challenges and celebrate her successes.

As a result, she’d been getting closer to
both Laken and Jenna, and was learning to be more open with friends
at work like Jill and Rachel.

Some days were easier than others were, but
Callan was determined to change. Clay’s words, “What have you got
to be so miserable about?” frequently echoed in her head.

Those words reminded her to focus on the
good things in her life. She truly was blessed.

Clay had been trying hard as well. Sometimes
she still sensed his hurt, but he’d been making an effort for them
to start over without dragging along the past.

Clay sat at his desk in his classroom,
preparing for the first class of the day when Jake sauntered in.
His cousin was no longer the little shadow that followed his every
footstep. Jake had grown into an admirable young man - intelligent,
fun, and outgoing.

Despite the fact he tried to keep Clay on
his toes during class, he really was a good kid.

“Hey, Clay. I haven’t seen Callan forever.
When’s she going to stop by for a visit?” Jake plopped down on the
edge of Clay’s desk.

“I don’t know. She probably stays away due
to the fact that there are so many characters of questionable
reputation in my classes.”

“Right. It isn’t because she’s so glad to
get rid of you for the day she wouldn’t want to extend her
suffering by showing up here. One of these days, she’s going to
realize she should have waited and married me after all,” Jake said
with a teasing grin.

Clay chuckled. Jake had been the recipient
of all the ice cream cones it took Clay buying at the fair to work
up the courage to ask Callan out on a date. He’d taken to her
immediately. He even served as the ring bearer at their wedding.
During the rehearsal, Jake had broken into uncontrollable sobs when
he realized Callan was going to marry Clay, not him. Callan stopped
the rehearsal, held him on her lap, kissed his cheek, and told him
he was going to find just the right girl to marry when he was a big
boy like Clay. Then she gave him a piece of candy and they went on
with rehearsal.

Callan would have made a great mother.

As he looked at the tall young man perched
on his desk, Clay wondered if their son would have grown up to be
like Jake.

That line of thinking caused a brutal ache
in his chest. For someone who hadn’t been particularly interested
in raising a child, Clay found himself consumed with thoughts of
never having the opportunity.

Although he was no longer mad at Callan,
Clay battled regret and an overwhelming sadness from time to time.
Mindful of thoughts better left alone, he looked back at Jake and
sighed.

Callan felt her spirits rising as the
calendar rolled closer to spring and the winter snows began to
melt. She no longer spent an excessive number of hours at the
convention center. Without Arty there causing problems, things ran
smoothly and efficiently.

Her event planning business picked up again
and she worked hard to schedule her appointments so she was only
gone a few evenings a week. She tried to coordinate her evening
meetings on the days Clay taught a night class, so they could spend
their free evenings together.

On a sunny day in late February, Callan felt
so restless, she wasn’t sure she could stand it. Leaning back in
her office chair, she looked outside at the lawn, now bare of snow,
and saw her reflection in the window.