“Sean, you really don’t have to drive me,” Bonnie protested, as he hauled one suitcase after another to his truck.
He’d barely looked at her when he’d walked in the door today, and now he was trying to get her where she wanted to be.
Angry with her or not, Sean was still trying to help.
“I don’t think your mother would like it much if I leave you to find your own way to the lake.”
“I could wait for Lenny to come back from taking Lori and the crew to the airport.”
“You’re not going to wait for anyone. I’m taking you.” He threw the last suitcase in the bed of his truck and held open the passenger door for her.
Bonnie hoisted herself inside and took one last look at the Truehart mansion. Tabitha stood near the window treatments, arms crossed, giving her a disgusted look.
Even before they approached Lupine Lake, Bonnie could smell the ripe scent of peaches in the air, the light airy smell of lake water wafting through the trees. As she got closer, she heard the rippling sounds usually caused by a duck landing. She’d always loved the stillness and quiet of Lupine Lake, even if moving to one of the cabins after her father died was a step down for the mighty Wheelers. Her mother never treated it that way, though Bonnie assumed it was purely for her benefit. Mama called their move an adventure, living near the lake a thrill, even if it was just a small lake. The cabins were “cute” and plenty of room for two. Bonnie, inspired by her mother’s attitude, didn’t realize for some time that most everyone in town felt sorry for their sudden shift in fortune.
It took a while to realize she and her mother were “charity cases” the ladies of SORROW and others funded. Bonnie was humiliated to be so needy. Later, she’d allowed them to pay for her entry fees into rodeo contests because she always paid them back with the winnings. She’d been sending money home to her mother for years, part of the reason she couldn’t buy a condo in L.A. The other reason was she’d never gotten over the sticker shock of California real estate.
You wouldn’t believe it, Mama. A home here costs a million dollars, with no land. You couldn’t even fit Daddy’s old horse trailer on it.
Bonnie always assumed she’d buy a home when she came home to Texas, full of money, pride, and success. A nice big spread with plenty of acreage.
She turned to Sean, whose features were still rigid and chiseled in anger. He’d hardly spoken a word to her the entire drive.
“What are you going to do with your time off?”
A sharp early autumn wind ruffled his dark hair and her heart tugged. There came the old ache, a love so sharp and swift it almost hurt.
“Don’t worry yourself. I’ll keep busy.”
She didn’t allow his hostility to derail her.
“I’m sure Mama and I are going to do a lot of baking. Maybe some canning, too. And I’ll sleep in my own bed. Gosh, I’ve missed that lumpy mattress. I’ll go through some of my old stuff I never did send for. There’s probably stuff I’ve held on to for too long.”
Like you.
He didn’t respond but drove his truck across the rows of cabins to the lane that faced the eastern corner of the lake and their cabin. Her mother’s truck was missing.
“It doesn’t look like Mama’s home.”
“You still have a key?” Sean shut off the truck’s engine.
“No, but I know right where to find one.”
She found the rock in the shape of a frog among the Hyacinths and held up the key with a smile. A little dirty, a little bent, it still fit inside the keyhole after a few honest jiggles and opened the door to…home.
It smelled like peaches inside. And Mama still had the most horrible taste in décor. The mama and her duck’s ceramics were still on the windowsill in the kitchen. The curtains were dingy yellow, white, and worn to a crisp. But warm and cozy. Bonnie loved every little bit of it.
Mama, why didn’t you at least buy new curtains? Or a new throw rug?
Knowing her she’d probably saved all the money for a “rainy day.”
Sean brought in all the luggage. He stood close, smelling like soap and leather, and she wanted badly to kiss him. Hug him. Beg him to forgive her, then take him to bed. But this wasn’t possible when she had decisions to make, and a life to overhaul. How could she, at her age, make decisions based solely with her heart?
No. It was time to take a step back, re-evaluate, and decide on a course for the rest of her life.
He reached, gently traced the outline of her ear, then tugged gently on her earlobe. Hope shot through her, new and bright, because this was an old move, one that took her back to reminders of how gentle their love could be.
How quiet and calm at times, when they weren’t shattering each other’s hearts.
“I’m still so damn angry.”
“I know.”
“You should have told me sooner. How can I ever trust you again?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s a bad answer.”
“It’s the only one I have. Thanks for the ride. I’m going to unpack and take a nap on the old worn and lumpy couch until Mama comes home and puts me to work.”
“You know where to find me if you need me.” Still kind, even while angry. He took a few steps toward the door, then stopped and turned. “I might be mad, but I don’t hate you. I never could.”
She watched from the window as he tipped his hat before he drove off.
Then she curled up on the couch, threw the afghan blanket over her legs, and fell asleep within minutes.
Heartache, it worked out, was exhausting.
“Aunt Beulah will be along for dinner shortly,” Mama said later as she and Bonnie worked in the kitchen. “She can’t wait to see you.”
“And I can’t wait to give her a big hug.” Bonnie pitted a peach, then put it in a bowl with the others. “You explained the whole wardrobe malfunction?”
“Of course. She understands more than I do how these things happen. You don’t know this, but she’s become good friends with that Winona James. You know, the singer Riggs Henderson knocked up?”
Bonnie chuckled. “Is that a new saying for you? Knocked up?”
“My goodness. Guess my words got a little looser since you’ve been gone.” She shrugged. “It’s not so different from knockin’ boots. Knock boots, well, you might get knocked up. Anyhoo, you know how hard we’ve all been workin’ on bringing more women to town. This contest was Beulah’s brainchild. At first, she wanted to have an email bride exchange, but don’t you know, these men of ours are picky. They want to meet the women in person first. They’re demanding for someone so lonesome.”
“Seems reasonable to want to meet a woman first.”
Bonnie had been wondering about something else since she’d been offered the job on Mr. Cowboy. “Did Aunt Beulah tell the producers of the show about me? I assume she did.”
“It was one way to bring you home.”
“Oh brother! She put together a reality dating show to bring me back home?”
“And a lot of other young ladies too.”
“She could have just asked me to come home.”
Mama went hands on hips. “You would have done that?”
“Maybe.”
“Hmph. Is Sean behaving himself around you?”
“You know he is. He’s a man of Stone Ridge, isn’t he? Opening doors, comforting sobbing women.”
“When have you been sobbing?”
“Not me. We have a young lady who’s quite taken with Sean. She claims to be in love with him at first sight.”
Mama guffawed. “What a kick.”
“I don’t think it’s funny. She isn’t right for Sean.”
“Uh-huh. How could she be, when you are?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well, you were thinkin’ it.” Mama hip checked Bonnie.
“Whether I’m right for him or not is debatable. Even if I wanted to come home and be barefoot in the kitchen, we both know what the odds are of having children at my age. And that’s what he wants more than anything.”
“Not this again.”
“It’s true.”
“Nothing is written they must be biological children. Those Henderson boys were closer to Marge and Cal than their actual blood family. You can’t tell me biology makes a family. Love makes a family.”
“Mama, that’s so very enlightened of you.”
She snorted. “Imagine, and I’ve never been in California longer than a week.”
“Yeah, you hated it as much as Sean did.”
“Woohoo!” Aunt Beulah’s voice called out as she bustled in the kitchen. “What is that wonderful smell? I smell peach pie! C’mon over here, Bonnie Lee, and give me some sugar!”
Bonnie went into Aunt Beulah’s open arms. “I’m sorry about the other night.”
“That’s just fine, now. Winona assures me your malfunction problem won’t ever see the light of day.”
“Thank the good lord,” Mama said.
They settled into cooking and baking, the sister’s favorite way to connect. Aunt Beulah jabbered on about how many women were still looking for work and places to rent in Stone Ridge. Enough that Sadie’s father and his son, Beau, both carpenters by trade, were trying to build more cabins on Lupine Lake as fast as they could.
“You don’t have to tell me. I hear ‘em banging every mornin’ about the crack of dawn,” Mama said, setting the table.
“It’s a wonderful thing, all this commerce and business,” Aunt Beulah said. “All I wanted was to marry off some more of our men, and it looks like I’ve revitalized the entire town.”
“It’s amazing how hard men will work when you motivate them,” Mama said.
“Uh-huh,” Beulah agreed. “That’s right, sister.”
The spread before Bonnie was more food than she’d seen on one table in years. Chicken fried steak, barbeque ribs, potato and macaroni salad, two peach pies, fried okra, green beans, Beulah’s famous three-alarm chili, queso, and of course a pitcher of sweet iced tea.
“What? No pecan pie?” Bonnie joked.
She ate a little bit of everything, feeling almost as if her stomach had permanently shrunk from all those years of watching and counting every calorie she put in her mouth.
“I heard you told the producers all about me,” Bonnie said, taking a second slice of pie. “You didn’t have to do that. Work would have come along eventually.”
“You’ve had a long dry spell,” Aunt Beulah said. “And besides, no harm done in Sean gettin’ a good look at what he’s missed all these years. He was a daggum fool to let you go.”
While it wasn’t quite that simple, she didn’t want to get into the weeds with two of her favorite people in the world. “At least I always had your support. It meant a lot.”
“Was it worth it?” Beulah asked, the question shockingly sincere.
Bonnie heard no recriminations in her tone, only an honest question.
Was it worth it?
“I don’t know.” It was an equally honest answer. “But I hope to find out while I’m here.”
A knock came on the front door, and Bonnie sat up straight, hoping it would be Sean, coming to get her. Coming to tell her they should give up on the stupid show, rip up their contracts, and just get back together.
All three women eyed each other, and spoke without words:
Did you invite someone?
Are y’all trying to fix me up?
Has Sean finally come to his fool senses?
Mama stood. “Who could that be?”
A few minutes later, Mama led Joe Bob Smith into their kitchen, holding his hat. “Good evenin’, Bonnie Lee. Miss Beulah. I heard Bonnie was here and I wanted to come say hello.”
“Hello, Joe Bob,” Bonnie said.
“Please don’t get up. I see y’all are in the middle of supper. I’ll come back another time.”
“You will do no such thing.” Mama pulled out another place setting. “I will not let a man of Stone Ridge leave my home without a meal.”
“Um, well. That’s kind of you.”
“Here, now, sit next to Bonnie.” Aunt Beulah moved her place setting over. “It’s just like old times, when Bonnie Lee had more young men come courting than Maybelle had chairs in the house.”
“You’re just as beautiful as ever,” Joe Bob said, taking a seat.
“Thank you.”
A sliver of guilt slid down Bonnie’s spine. Joe Bob was the boy who’d had a car when he was sixteen. Bonnie broke up with Sean for about a day before she came to her senses. Most teenage girls were not the wisest people on the planet, but Bonnie had been especially dense. Until she realized she could go after what she wanted herself, she’d only too easily accepted gifts from lovesick boys.
“How’s Chantilly doing?” Bonnie asked. Joe Bob and his wife were married shortly out of high school.
“She left about a year ago,” he said. “Me and the boys are getting along a bit better now. Their teacher is a great help. She took my boys under her wing and of course like every young boy they have a crush on pretty Miss Sadie.”
Oh no. Poor Joe Bob.
“I’m so sorry about Chantilly,” Bonnie said, patting his hand. “I always liked her.”
“Here’s a man with a ready-made family.” Mama pointed her fork at Joe Bob between bites. “Two wonderful boys ready for a mother to love.”
Bonnie cleared her throat. “Well, they already have a mother.”
“True, and I don’t expect anyone to take her place. Chantilly sees the boys from time to time.” Joe Bob accepted the bowl of fried okra from Mama. “But I’m looking for a partner. Someone to fall in love with all over again.”
“Didn’t you two date a while?” Aunt Beulah asked.
Bonnie gave her a small kick under the table. “About a day, was it? He had a car. I’m sorry, y’all, but I was sixteen.”
“This is true.” Joe Bob laughed. “But the car sure wasn’t enough to keep you.”
“Had it been, I’d really have to hate myself.”
Another knock on the door, and this time Jeremy strode into the kitchen. He handed her a bouquet of red roses with a smile.
“Welcome home, Bonnie Lee.”
I used to change your diapers Bonnie nearly said out loud, but that wasn’t quite true. She’d changed his younger brother’s diapers. Jeremy had been four and used to run around in his “big boy” Batman underwear proud to be potty-trained. He probably wouldn’t appreciate how Bonnie remembered this.
“How sweet of you, Jeremy!” Aunt Beulah said. “I’m sorry we didn’t cast you as the bachelor, but good to know you’re not holding a grudge.”
“That’s alright, ma’am, this might work out better for me if I can wind up with Bonnie.” He winked.
“Well, now, we don’t know who our bachelor will choose in the end. It could still be Bonnie,” Aunt Beulah said but she had a mischievous smile on her face.
“Or not,” Jeremy said.
“I’ll get another place setting,” Mama said with a sigh.
It was only then that Bonnie realized why they’d cooked this much food. Not much in Stone Ridge had changed.
Word got around fast.
Mama was still the queen of hospitality.
Cowboys were hungry and lonely.
And apparently, Bonnie was still a hot commodity here.