Hud awoke to the squeak of a rocking chair. He opened his eyes slowly to see Rose sitting on the other side of the room. Sally was in her arms, and she was singing a sweet lullaby to the baby as she gave her a bottle.
“Good mornin’,” he said.
“Mornin’ to you.” Sun rays filtered through lace curtains, putting highlights into her light red hair. The sight fairly well took his breath away. “You were supposed to wake me if she needed anything.”
“She slept through the night and only woke up a few minutes ago. Aunt Luna is making breakfast. Dixie will be ready to come home in half an hour. They’re getting the release papers ready at the hospital now,” Rose said. “When you’ve had a cup of coffee, you can go get her.”
“Forget the coffee.” He picked up his phone and called Claire and asked her about the job.
“With all the support I’ve had through my pregnancy, I can’t imagine being all alone and sleeping in an abandoned house,” Claire said. “Where is the baby now? Did you take her home with you?”
“No, I took her to the Rose Garden B&B, but I wondered if maybe you could talk to her mother,” Hud said. “You’ve been looking for someone to help out at the quilt shop. I have no idea if she knows anything at all about fabric or quilting, but…”
“Sure, I will,” Claire said. “Thanks for thinking of me, Hud.”
“Thank you for even considering it,” Hud said. “I appreciate you giving her a chance.”
“We all need a helping hand at times. I’ll be there about eight thirty, before my doctor appointment,” Claire told him.
“What was that all about?” Rose asked.
“That job thing for Dixie. My friend says she’ll be here about eight thirty. I guess I’d better get my boots on and go get Dixie so she can talk to Claire.” He stole long sideways looks over toward Rose. The sun rays had moved, but that was quite a picture of her with a baby in her arms.
The dream he’d had the night before filtered through his mind as he pulled on his boots. He and Rose were having a picnic at the creek that ran along the backside of the ranch. He could remember every detail—from the way the spring wind blew her red hair across her face, to the tiny sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Most of all, he remembered how happy they both had been, and how much he craved that feeling to be in his heart forever.
Suddenly the sun disappeared and it started raining. He was headed for the door when the first clap of thunder hit.
“Take an umbrella and that bag of clothing I set aside for that girl,” Luna yelled.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said over his shoulder as he picked up the bag.
When he arrived, Dixie was sitting on the side of the bed in a hospital gown. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she looked a lot better than she had the day before. “Luna sent these things for you. I’ll wait outside while you get dressed.”
“Bless her heart.” Dixie teared up. “Did Sally do all right during the night?”
“She did fine. Slept all night,” Hud replied.
“I feel like I need to pinch myself to see if I’m dreamin’. Rose just called and told me not to eat breakfast—that Luna was cooking.”
“It smelled pretty good.” Hud’s stomach grumbled as he left the room.
He’d barely sat down in a chair when she came out of the room. She was dressed in a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and worn tennis shoes, and her brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail.
“That was sure quick,” he said.
“I’m ready to go see Sally. I ain’t never been away from her this long,” she said. “And truth is I’m hungry.”
The nurse appeared with a wheelchair, and despite Dixie’s argument, she rolled her out the front doors to Hud’s truck. The rain was still pouring, but the awning kept Dixie from getting wet.
“I want to thank you, again, for everything,” Dixie said as she settled into the passenger seat.
“Well, I guess there’s no time like the present to tell you that my good friend Claire is coming to see you in about half an hour. She’s been looking for someone to work in her quilt shop, and I think you might be just the right fit,” Hud said.
“Oh, my!” Dixie sucked in a long breath. “Tell me more about her.”
Hud shook his head. “Nope, you need to make your own opinion.”
“Right now, I’m just glad that those folks giving me a lift put me out here in Bowie,” she whispered.
After Hud got Dixie into the house, he decided to forgo breakfast and go on home. He didn’t want to be there when Claire arrived. That was something the ladies needed to discuss, and besides, he and his foreman planned to do some ranch work that day.
“My sweet baby.” Dixie reached for Sally the moment she was in the door. The baby wiggled against her mama’s shoulder and looked up at her as if she couldn’t believe that she was there.
“I think she’s missed you,” Rose said.
“Not as much as I missed her.” Dixie kissed the baby all over her face. “I’m glad we’re both alive, and I promise to never take you in an abandoned house again.”
“We’ve got someone in the kitchen that wants to meet you,” Luna said.
“I’m going to leave you ladies to this,” Hud whispered to Rose.
“Will you come back later?” she asked.
“Of course I will,” he said. “Call me when Claire leaves and let me know what Dixie decides.”
He wanted to hear more than the news about the baby, but just hearing Rose’s voice about anything would do for starters.
* * *
The yellow line in the road was barely visible as he drove home to the ranch that morning. It sounded like pellets hitting the windshield and hadn’t let up a bit when he parked his truck. It beat down on his body like BBs as he ran from his vehicle to the house.
Paxton was just coming out of his bedroom when Hud opened the front door. “I didn’t mean to sleep in this late, but when I woke up and heard the rain, I knew we wouldn’t be plowing today. I’d rather have snow than this stuff,” he groaned. “I hate being in the house all day.”
“Guess we can catch up on laundry or get the place cleaned up,” Hud suggested.
Paxton just grunted and headed for the bathroom at the end of the short hallway. He’d never been a morning person, but neither was Hud, so they made pretty good roommates. At least there were only two of them in the little two-bedroom house these days. Last year all four of them—Paxton, Maverick, Hud, and Tag—had lived in the place. Some mornings it had been like four old bears were coming out of hibernation until they got their first cups of coffee.
Hud tossed his hat and wet coat on a chair just inside the door and headed to the kitchen. He put on a pot of coffee, then got out a can of biscuits, popped it on the edge of the cabinet, and put all eight of them in the oven. He was whipping up a dozen eggs when Paxton arrived and went straight to the coffeepot.
“Want me to get out a couple of steaks and cook ’em to go with those eggs?” he asked.
“Yep,” Hud said.
Paxton put a cast-iron skillet on the burner, let it get hot, and then slapped two thick sirloin steaks in it. “I’m jealous as hell of my brother and yours.”
“Because you miss their cookin’, or because they woke up this mornin’ with a woman in their arms?” Hud asked.
“Both,” Paxton said. “I thought us four would be chasin’ skirts and two-steppin’ at the bars until we was at least forty.”
“Times change,” Hud said. “Maverick told me that Alana, the tall blond woman over in Daisy, has a thing for you. If you want a wife, maybe you should chase her down when you get back that way this summer.”
“Whew!” Paxton wiped his forehead in a dramatic gesture. “Don’t think so. That woman scares the bejesus right out of me.”
“Why?” Hud asked.
“She can outdo everything I ever tried.” Paxton let the steaks sizzle on one side for a few minutes and then flipped them over. “I want a woman who will at least see me as a little bit of a hero.”
“And Alana ain’t that woman?” Hud asked.
“Nope,” Paxton said.
“You decided when you’re moving out?” Hud asked. Paxton and his brother, Maverick, had inherited the family ranch over in the Panhandle, near a little town called Daisy. Their grandmother had deeded it over to them a few weeks ago, about the time that Maverick got married.
“Maverick needs me.” Paxton rubbed his chin. “He’s workin’ from daylight to midnight. I feel guilty that I haven’t gone out over there, but…”
“Hey.” Hud laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’ve got Tag, and we can hire a couple of local boys to help out on weekends and for the summer. You should go home.”
“You sure about that?” Paxton asked.
“Very sure,” Hud said.
“Thanks.” Paxton put the steaks on two separate plates. “Maybe I’ll get things together and go the first of next week, then.”
“We’ll miss you, but you got to do what you gotta do,” Hud said. “What I’ll miss the most is your steaks.”
Paxton pulled the pan of biscuits that he’d put into the oven earlier and shared them between the two plates. “Eat up! A hero has to keep up his strength in case he has to run into another burning building.”
“I’ll miss you and your steaks, but not your smart-ass mouth,” Hud teased.
* * *
“Mornin’.” Dixie smiled as she entered the kitchen. “Sounds like we got us one more storm out there. Thank y’all for sending me some clothes to wear. I was beginning to think I either had to wear those dirty things from the fire or else that hospital gown.”
Dixie sure looked better than she had in the hospital the night before. It was amazing what a little sleep and clean clothes, even if they were used, could do for a woman. Rose remembered basic training and having to crawl through mud puddles under a barbed wire fence. A shower had never felt so good as it did that night.
Reluctantly, Dixie laid the baby in the bed. “This is so pretty. She’s always slept in a wooden crate I found behind the café where I cooked. She looks like a little princess.”
Rose peeked into the portable bed. Sally curled up on her side in her pink gown. She had a thumb in her cute little mouth, and her dark hair, which had been almost gray with smoke the day before, was sticking up in all directions. Rose reached down into the crib and touched her soft, chubby cheeks. Something inside her stirred, telling her that her biological clock was ticking pretty loudly.
I’ve still got time. She sighed. But someday I want kids. I never liked being the only child, so I want at least two.
She’d learned years ago that she didn’t need anything more than a good job and the ability to travel. She lived in the barracks, ate in the mess hall, and worked fourteen hours some days, but now she’d begun to yearn for more—a relationship, a family, and maybe even roots instead of wings.
Did she even want to think about that job in Fort Worth? It would mean renting an apartment, buying furniture and dishes, and all that kind of thing. Reenlisting would be so much easier. All she’d have to do was sign her name on the dotted line, move her suitcases back into a room, and go back to what she already knew. It would be going against what her heart was telling her, but it would be the easy way out.
“What do you think, Rose?” Dixie asked.
“I’m so sorry. I was woolgathering. What do I think about what?” Rose asked.
“About fate being real? I was just tellin’ Luna that I never believed in fate until now,” Dixie said.
A loud knock on the door made all three women look toward the foyer. “Hold that thought,” Rose said and headed toward the door. She smiled at the short pregnant woman with light brown hair and kind eyes on the other side of the threshold. “I’m Rose O’Malley. You must be Claire. Come on in out of that horrible rain. Hud told me you’d be coming by. Have you had breakfast?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m Claire, and I did have a piece of toast, but I’m pregnant, so I’m always hungry.”
“I had a friend in the service who said the same thing,” Rose said. “When are you due?”
“In a month,” Claire answered. “I’m seeing the doctor once a week now. Thank you for letting me stop by today. I’m really excited about meetin’ Dixie.”
“Can I help you with your coat?” Rose asked.
“Yes, thank you,” Claire said.
“Aunt Luna’s got the food on the table. We were just about to sit down. We can visit while we eat,” Rose said.
Claire removed her coat. “Lead the way.”
Luna had put out pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast on the bar separating the kitchen and dining area. “Y’all help yourselves. I’ll get down another plate. I expect that you are Claire. Hud told us you’d be droppin’ by.”
“Yes, ma’am, and thanks for inviting me to breakfast.” Claire laid a hand on her stomach. “This little boy is always hungry, and this all looks so, so good.”
“I’m Dixie Boudreaux, and I remember those days when I couldn’t get enough to eat,” Dixie said. “When are you due?”
“In a month, but the doctor says the baby is big, so he could come a little early.” Claire helped her plate and stopped to look at Sally. “Your little girl is precious. How old is she?”
Dixie’s eyes lit up. “She’s three months old, and her name is Sally.”
“Did Hud tell you about the job?” Claire asked.
Rose poured a mug full of coffee and set it in front of Claire. “Yes, he did.”
Claire buttered her pancakes and topped them with warm maple syrup. “I’ve been lookin’ for over a month for someone to help me out in my quilt shop. I’m going to need extra hands when the baby is born.”
“I helped my granny quilt a few times when I was a little girl,” Dixie said. “I’m a fast learner at anything you want me to do.”
“It would be full-time and as long as you want it. If you’re interested, you could start right away, and if we’re both satisfied with the way things are working out, we’ll make it permanent. My shop used to be a house, so you’d have a bedroom and bathroom all to yourself, and a kitchen. I’m open from nine to five and have quilting classes one evening a week, and I’d pay you minimum wage here at first,” Claire said.
“Can I talk to Miz Luna and Rose about it before I say yes?” Dixie asked.
“Of course,” Claire said, “just let me know when you decide.” Claire turned her attention to Rose. “I remember seeing you at Maverick and Bridget’s wedding out in Daisy, but I don’t think we were introduced.”
“My best friend was the maid of honor, and I was visitin’ with her, so I kinda crashed the reception,” Rose said.
“And Miz Molly talked you into helping out at the B&B while she’s off on her dream vacation? She and our friends the Fab Five have been talking about this for months. None of them have been on a real vacation in years,” Claire explained.
“Who’s the Fab Five?” Rose asked.
“Five elderly folks who bought a house in Sunset and moved into it together. All of us love them and have included them in our extended family. They’re just a little older than Molly, but she’s gotten to be good friends with them since they attend the same church.”
“That’s so sweet,” Rose said. “But now, how do you know Hud?”
“I’m married to Levi, the foreman at the Longhorn Canyon ranch. Justin Maguire, who co-owns the ranch, is married to Hud and Tag’s sister, Emily. She worked at the assisted-living facility where the Fab Five used to live. It’s kind of like an extended family on the two ranches,” Claire answered.
“Wow, everyone really does know everyone here, huh?” Rose said.
“It’s true,” Claire laughed.
“More pancakes?” Luna asked.
“No, but thank you,” Claire answered. “I hate to eat and run, but my doctor’s visit is in a few minutes. I’ve got to be going.” She fumbled in her purse and laid a business card on the table. “My cell number and the business number are on that. You can give me a call when you make up your mind, Dixie. I sure hope you say yes and can come to the shop soon. That way, you’ll be settled in when I go into labor and have the baby.”
“Will I be able to keep Sally with me while I’m workin’?” Dixie asked.
“Sure. There’s even a baby bed and a playpen already in the bedroom. I put them in there so when I have this child, I’ll have a place to keep him, but I can always clean out the storage room and make another nursery.” Claire stood up. “Lord, I feel like a waddling duck these days.”
Dixie giggled. “Yep, I remember that feeling too.”
As soon as Claire was out of the house, Dixie looked over at Luna and Rose. “This job feels like a present from heaven. I’d have a place to live, a steady income, and I can even keep Sally with me.”
“I think it’s fate,” Luna said. “You was dropped off here for a reason, and that was to help Claire in her business. And she started that business however long ago, so she’d be here to help you when you needed a job.”
“Rose?” Dixie asked.
“I’d never stand in your way. If you want this job, call her. If you want to go back to the quilt shop with her today, we’ll load up your things and hold the umbrella over your head so Sally won’t get wet.” Rose hated to see her go, since she could cook. “It sounds like a fantastic opportunity for you.”
“I just can’t believe all y’all are so nice to me when you don’t even know me.” Dixie wiped away a tear. “First Hud, and then y’all, and now Claire. It’s like I walked up out of hell into heaven. ‘Thank you’ don’t seem like nearly enough, but it’s straight from my heart.”
“Then it’s plenty of thanks.” Luna patted her hand. “I never got around to asking. Just how old are you?”
“I was eighteen last week,” she answered. “I was just seventeen when I had Sally, the same age as my mama when she had me.”
That meant her mother was only seven years older than Rose. As cute as Sally was, she could barely think about being a mother, much less a grandmother at thirty-four.
“You reckon it’d be all right if I called Claire now?” Dixie asked.
“I think that would be fine. That way, you can get started today.” Luna pulled a twenty-dollar bill from her bra. “This is for you. You’ll need diapers and maybe some personal things for yourself before your first paycheck.”
“I’ll only take it if I can pay it back when I get that first check,” Dixie said.
“Deal,” Luna said.
She might be downright weird, and she definitely looked like a bag lady, Rose thought, but Luna had a heart of gold, and Rose was glad that she’d shown up the day before.