The $10,000,000 Texas Wedding

“I guess so. I wonder if he’s married. Well, see you later,” Mabel said, giving her a cheerful smile after delivering the dreadful thought.

Of course he wasn’t married. If he had been, then Gran wouldn’t have written that horrible will. Katherine breathed deeply, calming her rocketing nerves. Until another thought hit her.

That didn’t mean he didn’t have a “significant other.” Maybe that explained his anger. He loved someone and hadn’t told Gran about it.

Poor Gabe.

Ten years ago, when she’d refused his marriage proposal, she’d been proud of her selflessness. Until he left town and the pain set in. But she’d had little choice. She couldn’t have walked away from her mother and brothers and sisters.

“I’ve cleaned the kitchen,” Evelyn reported, disrupting Katherine’s thoughts.

“Thanks, Evelyn. Do we need any supplies?”

“Just eggs. Mr. Stottlemyer brought a delivery of carrots, sugar and flour this afternoon while you were out.”

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Katherine said, checking her watch. Six o’clock had finally arrived. She walked around the counter and flipped the sign on the door to indicate the bakery was closed, then locked it.

“Mary didn’t sound like she felt good when she left,” Evelyn added with a frown. “If she can’t come in the morning, you call me, okay?”

“Thanks, Evelyn, I will.”

She wouldn’t have any choice. She arrived at six each morning to start the baking for the day. The Last Roundup bought four carrot cakes each morning, freshly baked. Since this restaurant had been franchised in Lubbock, she was in negotiations to provide cakes for all of their locations. Then there were the other baked goods, including cinnamon rolls, for the early arrivals.

After mopping the restaurant area, Katherine turned out the lights and headed for her truck. Actually, it was an old Chevy Blazer. In the back, Katherine’s two brothers had removed the second seat and replaced it with racks so she could deliver large orders. Lately, she’d even baked some wedding cakes.

She pulled up beside the house she’d lived in since she was a little girl. It wasn’t an elegant home, but it had housed her and her family for a quarter of a century. They’d even managed to paint it a couple of years ago, the entire family pitching in.

Katherine smiled. She had a wonderful family. All the kids worked hard, never complained. Except for Susan, she thought with a sigh.

Her youngest sister appeared at her car door, as if she’d conjured her up with that thought. “Are you going to get out, or sit there all night?”

Katherine smiled and opened her car door. “I was just resting a minute. How was school today?”

Susan rolled her eyes and started walking toward the house.

Obviously the wrong question.

Her mother had dinner on the table. Katherine gave a grateful sniff, before she crossed the kitchen to kiss her mother’s cheek. “Everything smells delicious, Mom.”

“That’s because Jack’s joining us,” Susan snapped, glaring at her mother.

“I—I didn’t think you’d mind,” Margaret Peters said, her anxious gaze on Katherine.

Katherine ignored her sister’s reaction and hugged her mother. “Of course I don’t mind. We need to thank him for the work he did on the chicken coop, anyway. I think the chickens have been laying more eggs now that the roof doesn’t leak.”

Susan gave a sound of disgust and left the kitchen.

“Katie, I don’t think—”

Margaret’s timorous tones ate away at Katherine’s stomach. “Don’t worry, Mom. Suse will get over it.”

She hoped her sister would mature enough to stop interfering in her mother’s chance at happiness. Margaret had wilted when her beloved husband had died. She’d had no idea how to go on. In the passing years, she’d grown stronger, helping Katherine with her business, taking care of the younger children. Katherine had encouraged her to make decisions, a new experience for Margaret.

Just a few months ago, Jack Ledbetter had asked about leasing some of their acreage. Because of Katherine’s hours, he’d come over after dinner one evening.

Katherine recognized the attraction that sparked between the two older people. With Margaret’s shyness, the interest needed some careful nurturing. But Katherine had enthusiastically supported Jack’s efforts.

Susan was the only one objecting.

The sound of a car engine signaled Jack’s arrival and Margaret’s cheeks turned bright red. “I—I think Jack’s here.”

“Yeah. I’ll call the kids.” Only Paul and Susan remained at home.

Once they were all seated around the table, passing bowls of delicious food, the subject Katherine had hoped to avoid came up.

“I hear Gabe Dawson is back in town. Didn’t think he’d come back after burying his grandmother,” Jack said, smiling at Margaret.

The sudden silence made Jack stare at the others.

“What did I say?” he asked, frowning.

“Nothing at all, Jack,” Katherine assured him, but she kept her gaze fixed on her dinner plate.

“He came to the shop,” Paul muttered.

“What did he say? Is he moving back to town?” Susan asked, excitement in her voice for the first time. Like Paul, she’d adored Gabe.

“No!” Katherine snapped, and then moderated her voice. “He’s just here to settle Mrs. Dawson’s estate. I’m sure he’ll only be here a day or two.”

“You talked to him?” Margaret asked.

“Um, yes, I did.” Katherine didn’t add any details. She certainly wasn’t going to reveal Gran’s ridiculous will.

She knew her mother wouldn’t pry, and fortunately Jack asked a question about Paul’s school activities that distracted him. But she could feel Susan’s stare, even though she never looked at her baby sister.

When the meal ended, she sent Jack and Margaret into the living room. Then she turned to Susan. “Which job do you want? Gathering the eggs or cleaning the dishes?”

“Neither one,” Susan protested, her bottom lip protruding.

“I’ll get the eggs, Katie,” Paul hurriedly said. “I have to milk Betsy anyway.”

“And that’s why Susan will gather the eggs,” Katherine said firmly. “We all have to do our share.”

“Raine and Diane aren’t doing anything, and you send them money all the time.”

Katherine pressed her lips together. Then she relaxed them into a smile. “And hopefully I’ll be able to do the same for you. They worked hard while they were growing up. And they both work now, after class every day.”

Susan opened her mouth to protest, but Katherine had had a long day. She wasn’t willing to argue with her sister tonight. “Go get the eggs,” she ordered in a no-nonsense voice and began gathering the dishes.