An Honorable Texan

Cal stood there, feeling as if he was being watched. He slowly turned and looked around.

Everyone seated in the restaurant section of Dewey’s had focused their attention on him. He felt a blush creep up his neck. Damn, what a ridiculous reaction. “Hey,” he said to no one in particular.

“Welcome home, Cal,” Police Chief Montoya said from a nearby table.

“Cute baby,” fellow rancher Rodney Bell said with a knowing smile.

“Yeah, he is, isn’t he?” Cal answered. Then he smiled and added, “He’s mine.”

PETER WENT TO SLEEP as Christie drove to Toni Casale’s office just down Main Street past the grocery store Toni’s parents owned. The redbrick and black-trimmed two-story building adjoined others and sat right on the wide sidewalk.

A timeline for the renovations needed to be set now. Toni had said she’d check with the subcontractors for availability of work crews for the aggressive opening Christie wanted.

But in truth, she’d do almost anything to keep from thinking about moving into Cal’s house, on his ranch. Just her, her baby and her baby’s daddy.

She’d never thought of moving in with Cal. She’d envisioned renting a place, if the initial meeting with him went well, and letting father and son get to know each other. Slowly. Then, if she decided to stay in Brody’s Crossing, they could maybe make other arrangements. She liked Cal, she was still attracted to him, but she didn’t want to rush into a relationship.

Spending the weekend with Cal had been exciting, wonderful and…temporary. A weekend didn’t make a lifetime. Even when you thought you’d have a lifetime, sometimes you didn’t.

A feeling of panic threatened, as it sometimes did when she thought about being a single mother, and she took several deep breaths as she pulled into a parking space in front of the office. Today she felt very much alone. No one else could give her advice, not really, although there were several friends she could ask back in Fort Worth. But she had to make the decision about Cal herself rather than rely on the advice of other people. After all, it wouldn’t be them out there, isolated. Especially at night.

She realized she’d been stopped for too long, her SRX in Park and her son asleep in the back. With a shake of her head, she turned off the engine and opened the door. From the backseat she grabbed the diaper bag and unlatched Peter’s car seat. Careful not to slam the door, which would wake him for sure, she looped the car seat handle over her arm and walked toward the office.

A nice-looking man exited at the same time she reached for the door, so he held it open for her and Peter. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“You’re very welcome,” he said with a killer grin. Why couldn’t Cal be so easygoing? She didn’t remember him being as serious and opinionated as he was now. Maybe the military service had changed him, or perhaps he was really upset about Peter.

“Are you here to see Toni?” the man asked, pulling Christie back into the present. “I’m her big brother.”

“Yes, I am here to see her. I’m Christie Simmons. I’d shake hands, but I need both to hold the baby.”

“Leo Casale. And I completely understand. I’d offer to help, but I don’t know anything about babies.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine. It’s nice to meet you, Leo. Toni mentioned that you own the hardware store.”

He smiled again, showing a dimple in his left cheek. Leo was very attractive, looking more like a Nordic god than an Italian entrepreneur. “Makes it convenient for a sister in the renovation business.”

Christie chuckled. “I imagine she’s a good customer.”

“She drives a hard bargain.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m renovating the Sweet Dreams Motel.”

“Really? Wow, that’s great. We need a motel in town.”

“That’s what I’ve heard…although not everyone feels the same way,” she said, thinking again of Cal’s negative reaction.

“Who?”

“Oh, never mind,” she said with a smile. “I should get inside.”

“Of course. He looks like he’s really asleep, so maybe I could carry him without waking him up or dropping him.”

“No, that’s okay. I’m getting used to carrying a nearly twenty-pound baby, a ten-pound car seat and about the same in the diaper bag. It’s like taking a workout with me, wherever I go.”

He chuckled as he held the door open. She saw him eye the empty ring finger on her left hand. “Nice meeting you, Christie. I’ll be seeing you around town.”

“I suppose so.” If she wasn’t mistaken, Toni’s big brother had just flirted with her! She’d never piqued a man’s interest while holding her baby. “Nice to meet you, too, Leo.”

He grinned again and waved as he took off with a long stride down the street.

Toni was in her office, talking on the phone when Christie entered. Peter was still sleeping, so she took a moment to look around. The small office was more functional than decorative, and Christie admired the exposed red brick, wide crown moldings and copper-colored pressed-tin ceiling. There were very few indications that this was a woman’s business. Christie mostly speculated that Toni had planned it that way, to succeed in a male-dominated business.

“Come on in,” Toni said as she hung up the phone.

“I thought I’d drop by and see if we could work out a schedule. I have some decisions to make about living arrangements.”

“Yes, I imagine you do, with Peter to consider,” Toni said, smiling at the sleeping baby.

“I’ve thought of renting a house.” As opposed to staying with Cal at the ranch. Peter went to sleep around seven-thirty every night, leaving lots of “alone time” for two adults who hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other when they’d first met. Now, their situation was more complicated, and adding temptation to the mix probably wasn’t a good idea.

Toni frowned. “I’m not sure what’s available at the moment. We’ve had several families move here recently, but no new houses built yet. There might be more choices in Graham, but that’s a longer drive.”

“I was hoping to find something close. It doesn’t need to be luxurious or large, just clean and safe for Peter.”

“Your best bet would be to check with a Realtor in Graham, since we don’t have an office here in Brody’s Crossing. I can recommend someone there, if you’d like.”

“Yes, that might be best.” Christie didn’t think Toni sounded very confident that a listing would be available.

“Okay, as far as a schedule, I have had time to talk to my subs,” Toni said, taking out a legal pad from her desk drawer.

Over the next few minutes, they discussed an aggressive timetable, based in part on Christie’s ability to pay extra for dedicated work at the site. Toni explained that most contractors worked on several jobs at once, splitting their time based on deadlines, weather and material availability. The crews might work anywhere from Decatur to Graham to Olney, tying them up from one day to one week. Also, Brody’s Crossing had a slight boom in growth with the new farmers’ market, butcher shop and several smaller offices. Then there were always home renovations and repairs.

Just as they finished, Peter started waking up. Christie unlatched him from his car seat. “He’s probably wet. Is there a place to change him here?”

“Sure. You can use the little conference room across the hall.”

“I’ll be right back.” She snagged the diaper bag and baby, and was just about to enter the hallway when the door to the main office opened, bringing in a gust of warm air and a tall, angry-looking Texan.

“We need to talk,” he said without pleasantries.

“I thought we did that a little while ago.” Christie snuggled Peter closer to calm her suddenly pounding heart. Cal had startled her, but she had a feeling that just being around him was disturbing on several levels.

“I’ve thought of something I should have said earlier.”

“I’d rather wait, Cal. I need to think about your offer.” Peter began to fuss, and Christie felt like doing the same.

“This needs to be said,” Cal insisted, his expression intent.