Chapter Three
Savanah sat on the couch Saturday evening, eagerly anticipating Parker’s arrival to pick her up. As soon as she heard the car horn, she grabbed her purse and keys and made her way to the door. She glanced back at Bentley, to see him looking at her with sad eyes.
“I’ll be back soon, sweetie. You be a good boy.”
With one last look, she stepped out of the house, closing and locking the door behind her. As she approached the vehicle, she greeted Parker with a smile.
“Hi there,” she said.
Parker then introduced her to the two women in the backseat, Brenna McCallister and Sydney Wright. Shay sat upfront.
“Girls, this is Vanna Collins.”
“Hi, Vanna, it’s nice to meet you,” Sydney said, and Brenna nodded.
“You too. I am so excited to get out. It’s been forever. I’m sure I’ll have fun.”
“This isn’t even half of us that go. Sometimes, there are so many of us, we have to put several tables together.” Shay laughed. “The first time I went I overdid it. I had such a hangover. Wes thought it was hilarious.”
“So, how many go?” Savannah asked.
As she listened to Shay name all the women, she shook her head.
“I’ll never remember all their names. I do know Deidra, Lanie, and Rissa though from the diner.”
“By the end of the night, you’ll know everyone.” Parker smiled.
“Are Mitzie, Jessa, and Kay going?” Sydney asked. “I haven’t seen them in a long time.”
“I talked to Mitzie, and she said they’d be there.”
“Woohoo! I cannot wait,” Shay shouted.
Later, they sat in the crowded bar and Savannah had never laughed so much in her life. The women were great. She’d been shocked to meet Kay O’Malley, the country singer. Her last name was Yates now, but Savannah was in awe of her being there, then to find out that Jessa was married to Grant Hunter, another country singer, just blew her away.
She knew she’d found new friends, and she loved every one of them. Olivia Stone and Mitzie Patterson had to have been separated at birth. With their black hair and stunning eyes, they looked similar, but it was the way they spoke. Saying they each had a potty mouth would be an understatement. They didn’t care what they said or to whom they said it, and Savannah laughed just listening to them. She’d also been surprised when Dr. Garrett and Dr. Russell joined them.
“How’s Bentley?” Dr. Garrett asked her.
“He’s wonderful. I’m glad it worked out for me. I can’t thank you and Dr. Russell enough, Dr. Garrett.”
“Please, call me Tess.”
“And I’m Markie,” Dr. Russell added.
“Markie? I love that. What’s it shortened from?” Savannah asked.
“Marjorie.”
“I’ve only heard it once before for a woman. The actress, Markie Post.”
“Parker? Isn’t that Maverick?” Kinley Wilson asked.
“Yes. He said he and Grady were going to stop in for a beer or two.”
“Grady Henderson is one sexy man,” Olivia said, then glanced around the table. “What do I say?”
“I’m married, I ain’t dead,” the women said together.
“He is hot,” Markie agreed.
“Then go for it. You’re single and so is he. If I wasn’t married to Wyatt, I’d jump his bones.” Olivia laughed.
Savannah shook her head but as she looked at Grady, she had to agree. The man was just gorgeous. She sighed. It was just too bad she wasn’t interested in any man right now, or it would definitely be Grady Henderson.
Parker stood as Maverick made his way toward her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her while the women whooped and hollered.
Maverick looked at the women. “This is a wild bunch.”
Grady stood behind Maverick, grinning. “Y’all behave tonight. Especially you two,” he said as he pointed at Olivia and Mitzie.
“Never,” Liv said.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Mitzie asked him.
The men laughed, then made their way back toward the bar. Parker sat down and sighed, making the women laugh.
When a line dance started, they all got up to dance. Savannah was having so much fun, and she knew she’d be coming back next month. She’d met some amazing women and knew they would all become friends.
Later, the bell behind the bar rang and someone shouted, ‘last call’ so the women all got up, walked from the bar, and to their vehicles.
Savannah was so glad she’d been invited to go. She had a ball and couldn’t wait for the next time.
As they stood outside talking beside their vehicles, Savannah looked at Markie.
“So, are you and I the only single women here?”
“Yes, the rest are either married, engaged, or involved.”
“And we all have sexy men,” Mitzie said.
“Cowboys?”
“Every one of them.” Mitzie laughed.
Savannah laughed. “Well, if Maverick and Grady are anything to go by, I’m sure all your men are gorgeous.”
“Oh, honey, you have no idea.” Liv winked. “I am so ready to go home. I think I’ll wake Wyatt up.”
Becca Stone, Olivia’s best friend and married to Wyatt’s brother, Jake, shook her head. “That poor man.”
“Yeah, right. Like you don’t jump Jake’s bones every chance you get.”
Becca grinned. “You should thank me, Olivia Rene Roberts Stone. If I hadn’t come here and met Jake, you wouldn’t have met Wyatt.”
“True. I love you, Becca,” Liv said, making Becca laugh.
“Let’s go, girls. All this talk about waking up your men makes me want to see if Sam’s up,” Tess said.
“Oh, Sam. I still have a crush on him.” Liv looked at Savannah. “He’s not called the sexy sheriff for nothing. He delivered my baby. I’ll tell you about that sometime.”
“I’d love to hear that.” Savannah laughed.
“Please, can we go?” Mitzie said as she opened the back door on one of the vehicles.
“She’s hoping Calder’s awake,” Celine said.
“Doesn’t matter if he is or not. He will be.” Mitzie laughed.
The women piled into the vehicles and drove out of the parking lot. Savannah couldn’t stop yawning.
“I can barely keep my eyes open. Maybe I’m getting too old for this,” she said.
“You’re just not used to it. We’ll drop you off first,” Parker said.
As she pulled into Savanah’s driveway, she stopped, and after telling everyone goodnight, Savannah stepped out, then entered her house. She waved, then closed the door.
She stooped down to pet Bentley. He was so happy to see her, and it put a smile on her face.
“You are such a baby. I love you, Bentley. You’re the only male in my life now.”
She walked upstairs to change into a T-shirt and lounge pants. It was almost two in the morning, but she was too wound up to sleep.
After heading back downstairs, she got a bottle of water from the fridge, then returned to her bedroom and climbed onto the bed. She stacked the pillows behind her, picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
Bentley came into the room and jumped up onto the bed, circled a few times, then laid down and let out a big sigh.
“Yes, you’ve had such a rough day, haven’t you?” Savannah smiled. “I had so much fun tonight and I will be going again.” She laughed when he got up, turned away from her. “I’m sorry I’m bothering you.”
A little while later, she knew she could finally sleep, so she turned off the TV, switched off the light, slid under the blankets, closed her eyes and drifted off.
****
Grady sat in the recliner, watching an old movie, which he enjoyed doing. He was sure he’d been born in the wrong era. He had over a hundred black and white movies on DVD and still had a player for them. He grinned as he thought of how Maverick always teased him about having them, telling Grady he could stream them instead, but Grady liked having them.
He rarely did anything on Sundays. He’d had a good time last night but didn’t drink more than three beers. He hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off Savannah. She was a stunning woman. He wouldn’t mind getting to know her.
Her dark red hair had flowed past her shoulders and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle. She stood around five foot five, which made him a foot taller. He grinned. It evened out where it mattered. He certainly wouldn’t mind proving that with her.
His cellphone buzzed from the arm of the chair. He picked it up to see his father’s number.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Grady, are you going to be coming to see your mother on her birthday?”
Grady grinned. It was the same question every year.
“Yes, sir. I still have to find something for her. Hey, do you know if she likes antiques?”
“She loves them. Damn, son, they’re all over the house.”
“Like I’d know what they look like, Dad.”
His father laughed. “That’s true.”
“There’s an antique store in town. I can look, but can you maybe ask her in a roundabout way to find out what she likes but doesn’t have?”
“Sure, I’ll do that. Come for dinner one evening.”
“Yes, sir, I will. Let me know what you find out from Mom.”
“I will. I’ll talk to you soon. We love you.”
“I love you too. Talk soon.” Grady hung up.
He hated shopping. Most of it was done online so he didn’t have to put up with crowds.
Later, after eating dinner, he sat in the recliner but couldn’t keep his eyes open. He looked at the clock to see it was almost ten, so he decided to go to bed. He got up at five, and hoped he would fall asleep fast, but as he lay in bed, he couldn’t get Savannah out of his head, as he wondered if she was involved with anyone.
Monday morning, he entered the barn, then strode toward his office. After unlocking the door, he entered and walked around his desk.
A little while later, the door opened, and Maverick stepped in, then took a seat.
“Did you have a good Sunday?”
“I didn’t do a thing, so yeah, I had a good Sunday. Did you?”
“Yeah, Parker and I didn’t do anything either,” Maverick said with a grin.
“Best kind of Sunday in my opinion. What are you up to today?”
“I’m sending a few men to the east pasture to check the fence. You?”
“I sent a few of them to finish the fence in the west pasture. I believe they’re just about finished with it. They just better keep on their toes.”
“I agree. I told my men to stick close together.”
“I did too. Especially after the day with the wolves.”
“You were damn lucky.”
“No shit. If the guys hadn’t been there, I’m sure those wolves would have gotten me. They had separated to circle me.”
“They’re dangerous anytime but especially when they’re hungry.”
“Yeah, they are.”
“I need to head out. I have to give Ash a call, then get some other things done.”
“Alright. I’ll talk to you later. Hey, Parker didn’t have a hangover, did she?”
Maverick grinned. “No, it was her turn to drive, but she still had fun.”
“I’m sure. Those women make sure to do that.” Grady grinned.
Maverick nodded. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yep.” Grady got back to work when Maverick walked out of the office.
A while later, his phone buzzed, and he removed it to see a text from his father.
Your mother wants a lamp like this. A photo was attached.
Great. Thanks, Dad. I’ll see if I can find one on my lunchbreak.
Alright, son.
Grady stared at the lamp. It was pretty but it was just a lamp in his opinion.
At lunchtime, he sent a text to Maverick to let him know he was going to lunch and he’d be back in an hour.
He drove into town, pulled into the diner parking lot, then walked inside the restaurant. The bell above his head jingled and everyone stopped eating and nodded or waved. Grady grinned and sat on a stool.
Once Connie took his order, he turned on the stool and placed his elbows behind him on the counter. When the bell jingled, he instinctively looked toward the door and his heart skipped a beat when Vanna entered. She saw him and smiled.
“Hi, Grady.”
He touched the brim of his hat. “Vanna. You’re just the person I’m looking for.”
“You were looking for me?” she asked, the surprise apparent in her voice.
“Can you sit with me or are you meeting someone?”
“I’m not meeting anyone.” She took the stool beside him.
“I want to ask you something about antiques.”
“Yes?”
Grady pulled his phone from his T-shirt pocket, scrolled through the photos then turned the phone so she could see it.
“Do you have anything like this?”
Vanna took his phone and nodded. “I not only have something like it, I have that exact lamp.”
“Really? Well, I want it for a birthday gift.”
“Okay. You can come into the shop anytime and get it.”
“How about after lunch?”
“Sure. I’m getting mine to go, so once you finish yours, come to the store. Do you want it gift wrapped?”
“Yeah, that would be great. I’m not good at wrapping gifts.”
Vanna laughed. “A lot of men aren’t. I’ll let you look at it first though.”
“Hey, Vanna, here’s your lunch, hon.” Connie set a bag in front of her on the counter.
Vanna stood, opened her purse, and paid Connie, then she looked at Grady.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She picked up the bag, then went out the door. Grady watched her until she went past the window. He looked at Connie to see her smiling.
“Nope. Don’t even think about it.”
Connie laughed. “She’s a beautiful woman.”
“I agree, but don’t you dare think about matchmaking, Connie.”
“Me? Would I do that?”
“In a damn heartbeat.” Grady grinned when she laughed again.
“I’ll get your lunch, and you let me know if you need anything else.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After finishing his lunch and paying for it, he walked out of the diner, then headed toward the store. He was glad he’d run into Vanna. At least it wouldn’t be a wasted trip.
He opened the door, stepped inside and saw her talking with a customer, then he noticed a dog trotting toward him. He grinned and squatted down.
“Hey, buddy. Are you the security?” He chuckled when the dog tried to get closer, almost knocking him down, then he stood and nodded at Vanna. He walked around the store while she dealt with the customer and the dog followed him. There was furniture in one section and vintage clothing in another. Then he spotted the lamps sitting on tables.
When he heard the chime ring, he looked toward the door to see the customer leaving with a box in her hands.
“The lamp is over here, Grady.”
“Alright.” He walked to where she stood and looked at the lamp. “That’s it alright. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
“It’s not cheap,” Vanna said, nibbling on her bottom lip.
“Are you trying to talk me out of buying it?” he asked with a grin.
“No, I’m just preparing you.” She turned the tag over.
Grady looked at it. “Holy sh—” he stopped himself from swearing in front of her.
“It’s a rare lamp. I have others.”
“No, I’ll take it. She’s worth it.”
“Great. I’ll wrap it for you if you don’t mind waiting.”
“I don’t. I’ll just look around while you do. What’s your dog’s name?”
“Bentley.”
“Well, Bentley can keep me company. Can’t you boy?” Grady rubbed the dog’s ears.
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Grady watched her disappear into another room, and he wandered through the store with the dog on his heels. He glanced into a room and was surprised to see all the dollhouses. He moved closer to them and was in awe of how real they looked.
“They’re pretty, aren’t they?”
Grady turned to see Vanna behind him and nodded. “Yeah, they are. The details are amazing.”
“Every time I get a new one, I fall in love with it and want to take it home.”
Grady grinned and tilted his head. “So, how many do you have?”
She shook her head. “Not a one.”
“What? Why not?”
She shrugged. “It’s a long story.”
“I see.”
“The lamp is wrapped. I hope whoever you’re giving it to, likes it.”
“She will. My dad helped me with that.”
“Oh, okay.”
They stared at each other for a few minutes, then Vanna turned away from him and walked behind the counter.
“This is a great place. My mother would love it.”
“Is that who the lamp is for?”
“Yes. Her birthday is next week.”
“That’s a wonderful present for her.”
“I’m sure she’ll like it. She loves antiques.”
“Bring her by sometime.” Vanna smiled.
“I’ll do that.” Grady handed her his credit card. She ran it and handed it back to him, along with the receipt.
“Oh, thank you for buying lunch the other day. It was very kind of you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Maybe I’ll return the favor,” she said with a grin.
“I look forward to that. Did you have a good time out with the girls?”
“I did. They are all amazing women. I made some new friends.”
“That’s good. Well, I hope to see you again, Vanna.”
“Everyone in town calls me Vanna, but my real name is Savannah.”
Grady shook his head. “I like that. Have a good day, Savannah.” He touched the brim of his hat, picked up the box, then walked out of the store.
****
Savannah sighed as she watched him disappear. If she wasn’t so hellbent on not getting involved with another man, she’d let Grady know she was interested, but after being married, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go down that road again.
Of course, she’d heard Grady wasn’t interested in settling down either. Maybe they could spend some time together and not let it get serious.
“Sex. You’re talking sex,” she murmured. She jumped when Bentley barked. “You liked him, didn’t you? They say if your dog doesn’t like someone, you shouldn’t either, so does that mean I should like him since you do?” She laughed as Bentley rolled onto his back.
“I don’t know how I would even go about letting him know I’m interested. I’ve been with two men my entire life. The first one was Ron, in college, then Kirk. I don’t have a lot of experience. What should I do, Bentley?” She grinned when he rolled onto his belly and sighed. “A lot of help you are. He’s just so handsome. That handsome face, dark hair and green eyes have probably talked a lot of women out of their panties.”
She sat on the stool behind the counter and scanned antiques for sale. She was hoping to make it to an estate sale this weekend. It was something she truly enjoyed doing. She often ended up buying way more than she should have and not everything was an antique.
When May finally arrived, Savannah knew she had to hire someone. Already people were flocking to the towns, and she was busy. She’d fooled around and forgot to do it and now she was paying the price.
She closed her shop for her lunch hour and made a trip to the hardware store and bought a ‘Help Wanted’ sign, then headed to the diner to pick up a salad.
As she entered the diner, she stopped in her tracks. It was packed and there was nowhere to sit.
“Vanna? Are you eating here or getting something to go?” Rissa asked her.
“I’ll take a southern fried chicken salad to go, please.”
“I’ll get that for you.”
“Thanks, Rissa.” She leaned against the wall and smiled as she looked at all the people. Most of them were tourists.
A few minutes later, Rissa set her bag on the table.
“Here you go, Vanna.”
Savannah paid her, waved away the change, then walked out into the bright sunshine and quickly made her way to her shop. She unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked the door behind her, then sat behind the counter. She started leaving Bentley home once tourist season started because it got too busy, and he took up too much room. He had grown so fast, and he was one big dog. Thing was, he wasn’t done growing yet. She didn’t know whether to be anxious to see how big he did get or panic because he would.
As she sat there, she opened the bag, removed her salad and ate. She tried not to eat too fast, but she didn’t want to stay closed too long. The sidewalks were packed with people going in and out of stores and she needed to let them in hers.
After she finished eating, she tossed the bag into the trashcan, then unlocked the door. She put the help wanted sign in the window and then put an ad on the local website. She prayed she received some replies because she rarely got a day off other than Sunday and sometimes that just wasn’t enough.
When the door opened, she greeted customers with a smile and told them to let her know if they had any questions.
Each time the bell chimed, she sighed but helped everyone she could. It was hard when the shop was packed, and she couldn’t keep an eye on everyone.
As she sat behind the counter, the door opened, and she saw Grady holding the door open for an older woman and Savannah knew it had to be his mother because she had the same eyes.
“Hi, Grady,” Savannah said and smiled at the woman.
“Savannah, this is my mother, Lena Henderson, Mom, this is Savannah Collins,” he introduced them.
“Mrs. Henderson, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Savannah shook her hand.
“Please, call me, Lena, Savannah. It’s so nice to meet you. I loved the lamp Grady got for me, and he told me you had a lot of stuff I’d probably like.”
“You can call me Vanna. I’m so happy you liked the lamp. It is beautiful. Please feel free to look around and ask me any questions you may have.”
“Thank you.” She looked at her son. “I’ll try not to be too long, but no promises.”
Grady chuckled. “Take your time, Mom.”
Savannah watched her walk around, then noticed other women in the store looking at Grady. She certainly didn’t blame them for that.
“Have you been busy all day?” he asked her.
“Yes. It’s been non-stop, but I’m not complaining.”
“Being busy makes the day go quicker.”
“It does. Are you off today?”
“I’m off every weekend. You?”
“Only Sundays until I get some help.”
They stared at each other until Savannah looked away. God, she was burning up.
“So, when are you buying me lunch?” he asked with a grin.
She laughed. “Whenever you want.”
“I’d rather go to dinner.”
Savannah nodded. “I can do that instead of lunch.”
“Okay, so when?”
“Is tonight too soon?”
“No.”
“Alright. I’ll take you to the diner.”
Grady grinned. “I’ll pick you up. What time do you close?”
“At five. I could meet you there.”
He shook his head. “I’d rather pick you up.”
Savannah tilted her head. “That sounds like a date.”
He nodded. “It does, doesn’t it? Is that alright?”
“Yep. You can pick me up at six-thirty. Give me your number and I’ll text you my address.” He told her his number and she entered it into her phone, then called him and hung up. “Now you have mine.”
“I have to have this,” Lena said as she walked toward them, carrying a green and white platter.
“That is one of my favorite pieces. You have good taste.” Savannah took the platter from her. “Is this all or do you want to look around some more?”
“I think that’s it for now, but I will be back.”
“Did you see the back room, Mom?”
“No, let me see what’s back there.”
Savannah heard her gasp as she walked into the room full of dollhouses. Lena came back out, smiling.
“Those are just stunning. I love dollhouses. I had one when I was a little girl, and it was my favorite toy.”
“I had one once, but at least I get to enjoy them here.”
“Every girl needs a dollhouse. I’ll just take the platter for now.”
“Alright.” Savannah rang up the platter, wrapped it in paper, stuck it inside a bag and handed her a receipt.
“I’m sure I’ll see you again. It was lovely to meet you, Vanna.”
“You too.”
“I’ll see you later, Savannah,” Grady said.
“I’ll be ready. Bye.”
Grady touched the brim of his hat, opened the door for his mother, and they walked out, and Savannah couldn’t keep the smile off her face.