Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Monty doubted that Adam and his mom needed his input on whatever they’d planned to discuss. More likely she’d asked him to come up to the house so she could talk to him about Zinnia.
Did she know about Tex? Probably. She’d been about to say something, but they’d arrived and she hadn’t finished the sentence.
When he walked through the front door she called to him from the kitchen, his favorite room in the house. He left his hat and jacket on the coat tree in the entry and breathed in the scent of fresh coffee. Yep, she planned to have a chat.
He’d been in middle school when his parents had the brainstorm to wrap the front porch around the side of the house and add more windows to the kitchen. Now they had a view of Mt. Powell from the large trestle table.
His mom sat in her typical spot at the near end of a long bench that offered a great view of the snow-capped peak. She put down her mug and a copy of the Mustang Valley Messenger. “Help yourself to coffee if you’d like some.”
“I would.” He crossed to the counter and took a mug from the cupboard. “Where’s Adam?”
“On his way to town. He and Tracy had a meeting with the state highway department guy.”
“Is the crew still on schedule for finishing the road?” Adam had worked with the state for months to improve a treacherous road though a mountain pass that linked Mustang Valley and Highway 93 to the west. A safer road would increase tourism and give Adam his first major achievement as mayor.
“So far, so good. Greta’s so excited. Business at Books and Buns should really pick up once it’s done. Which reminds me, she brought home some sticky buns last night. They’re in that container by the stove.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Popping off the lid, he lifted out a sweet-smelling confection that made his stomach growl. “I keep thinking I’ll get into town so I can buy stuff from my sis instead of getting it free, but something always comes up.”
“Have you decided what kind of cake you want for your birthday? She said you hadn’t told her yet.”
“I will.” He carried his mug and plate to the table and took the chair at the end. When his dad was alive, that was his spot, but now it went to whoever got there first. “What was the thing you wanted my input on?”
“Perdon, mijo. I made that up.”
“Figured.” He took a bite of the sticky bun and hummed with delight. His little sis made the best he’d ever tasted.
“Zinnia has a little boy. He’s five.”
“Mm-hm.” He finished chewing and swallowed.
“She told you?”
“Only after I invited her to my birthday party.”
Her eyes widened. “Just her? Not—”
“I invited Graham, too. That’s when she mentioned Tex. I said she was welcome to bring him.”
“She also has a sister, Marigold.”
“Well, damn. My bad. You did say those girls when you talked about the family and I plain forgot.”
“You can invite her when they come up for lunch.”
“I definitely will. Any more people living out at Graham’s place I need to know about?” He took another big bite of the sticky bun.
“That’s all.” She continued to watch him with those wise brown eyes that had a way of pulling confessions out of him.
He finished chewing, swallowed and took a sip of coffee. Then he let out a sigh. “I guess you could tell she made an impression on me.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But now….”
“Her son is a problem for you?”
“Not a problem, exactly.” He traced the rim of his mug with one finger before glancing up again. “I’m just not ready for….” Potential scenarios swirled in his head. “So much could go wrong.”
“Zinnia probably feels the same. I did when I was a single mom.”
“But Dad changed your mind?”
“Ha. He was as scared as I was. We each had three kids to raise. Neither of us wanted a relationship.”
“Then how did he end up at that mixer where you guys met?”
“He only went because Tia Kat and his mother begged him to take them so they could have a night of dancing.”
“Why were you there?”
“My friend Beth convinced me that we’d just have a fun evening. I missed dancing so much that I agreed but I backed out at the last minute. She guilted me into it by saying I’d promised.”
“Obviously I’m glad you both went. I’ll bet Greta and Rio are really glad. They wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t met that night.”
“As my mother used to say, estaba escrito, it was written.”
“If this is written between me and Zinnia, it’s clearly meant as a joke.”
“You were kind of funny, mijo. When you gasped, I almost lost it. I’ve never seen you react that way to a woman.”
“I never have. I wish I’d been better prepared.”
“Better prepared or better protected?”
“Maybe both.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “I get it. When I danced with your father I felt completely out of control. That’s not me.”
“Not me, either.” He grimaced. “I probably shouldn’t have agreed to help with her mare.”
“There’s no way you would’ve said no. Speckles is in a strange place and she has to get through her first foaling with an unfamiliar vet. You’re the perfect person for that situation.”
“That’s what I’ll concentrate on. Thanks for reminding me of my priorities. The animals come first. They’re the most vulnerable.”
“Are you going to let Zinnia pay you?”
“No.”
“If you want to create some distance, maybe you should let her pay. Doing it as a favor will put her in your debt.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“We’re paying her and Graham to shoe the horses. Graham likes us, but he’s never offered to do it for free.”
“True.”
“If you charge her for taking care of Speckles, you’re keeping the relationship on a professional basis instead of a personal one.”
He gazed at her. “You’re one smart lady, mamacita.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I should get going.” He drained the last of his coffee. “Luis asked me to check out the mustang he just brought in for training.” Pushing back his chair, he stood. “Thanks for helping me get my head on straight.”
“De nada.”
He started to walk away, then turned back. “I have a question about that mixer. If both of you were determined not to meet anyone, how did you end up dancing with each other?”
She smiled. “He tried to sit out the whole thing but women kept dragging his reluctant ass onto the floor. I was out there a lot, too. I couldn’t bear the sad look whenever I’d say no, so I danced with whoever asked.
Obviously that wouldn’t be him. That intrigued me, especially since he kept glancing my way. ”
“But you eventually danced together, right?”
“Just once. When they announced the last number, he left his chair, made straight for me, and held out his hand. I took it.”
“And that was that.”
“Not exactly.”
“Wasn’t that the start of the courtship?”
She hesitated, then smiled. “The second we were out on the floor, he said I’m probably going to regret this. And I shot back I’m sure I will, too. We spent the whole dance coming up with reasons we should never see each other again.”
“No kidding. Then what?”
“We said goodbye and went our separate ways.”
“But something had to—”
“Two weeks later he showed up at my door and asked me to marry him.”
“What? I thought you met at the dance and then dated for several weeks before he asked you.”
“Just because he proposed doesn’t mean I accepted. It was several weeks before he asked again and this time I said yes. He was embarrassed to admit he’d proposed on the basis of a single dance, so we left that out of the story. Doesn’t matter now.”
“How did he know where you lived?”
“Beth secretly tucked my address and phone number in his jacket pocket while we were on the dance floor, just in case. He didn’t find it until two weeks later.”
“Where is Beth now? We all owe her a lot.”
“Sadly, we lost touch. She met somebody that night, too, and they ended up moving to Arizona. We exchanged Christmas cards but then hers stopped coming. People get busy.”
“Well, if you should hear from her, let me know. She changed all our lives for the better.”
“She did.”
“Did you ever regret dancing with Dad? Like when all of us kids were tearing around picking fights with each other?”
“Not for a second. Your father was a gift and I’m grateful every day that he… crossed that dance floor.” Her voice quivered on the last part.
“Aw, Mom.” He started toward her.
“I’m okay.” She held up her hand like a traffic cop and dabbed at her eyes with the other. “Go help Luis with that mustang.”
He hesitated. If she needed to cry, he was there for her.
“I mean it. I’ll always miss him like the devil, but I’m getting stronger every day.” She cleared her throat and blinked her eyes. “Are you coming to lunch?”
“Maybe I’d better not. You could invite the sister. I don’t have to do it.”
“But if you’re here for lunch, you can practice being around her without getting flustered.”
“Alrighty then. I’ll be here.” Lord help him, he was gonna need that practice.