Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“Did you have to hire Luanne Riddell’s son, Nathan, to work at the garage?” Cheyenne had pulled down the truck visor and was applying lip-gloss using the mirror on the back. “Why not Ronny Davenport? He’s much cuter than Nerdy Nate.”
Cal pulled out onto the highway. “I’m not hiring a part-time employee based on their looks or nerd factor.
I’m hiring them based on their work ethic and honesty.
And Nathan seems like an honest kid who will give me a hard day’s work.
” He glanced over at her. “Why do you need more makeup? You look better without all that paint.”
She rolled her eyes as she slid the wand back into the tube. “As Dixie Leigh says, ‘Beauty doesn’t just happen. It takes time and effort.’ Even six months pregnant, Dixie is one of the most beautiful women in Simple.”
The sheriff of Simple was beautiful. Most men in town couldn’t help stammering and blushing like a fool whenever she looked in their direction. Cal wasn’t one of those men. Clarissa had cured him of his attraction to beautiful women.
“It’s better to concentrate on being a good person than your appearance,” he said.
“Why can’t I do both?” Cheyenne pursed her lips at the mirror as if blowing it a kiss.
Cal frowned. He’d given her the kissing and sex talk a few days ago.
All through his speech, she had listened intently and nodded in agreement.
But he couldn’t help wondering if she’d just been placating him and still had her sights set on Joey Mac.
Just the thought had Cal’s stomach clenching with fear.
Maybe he was going about this all wrong.
Maybe he shouldn’t be talking to Cheyenne, but rather to Joey.
Giving the boy a stern warning could go a long way in keeping Cheyenne safe.
The thought made him feel better and he didn’t even mind when Cheyenne switched the country station he loved to some weird pop station. In fact, he couldn’t help smiling when she seat danced and sang along at the top of her lungs. Like her father, she had no singing talent whatsoever.
Emma and Boone’s house was about ten miles outside of Simple.
It was easy to find. The bright yellow barn stuck out like a sore thumb against the blue Texas sky.
The two big pink hearts painted on the side with Emma Loves Boone and Boone Loves Emma inside made it even more noticeable.
Cal thought the declarations of love were ridiculous. Cheyenne didn’t agree.
“Isn’t it romantic?” she said with a sigh. “I wish someone would paint their love for me on the side of a barn.”
“Love doesn’t need to be broadcast for everyone to see. It can be proven in more subtle ways.” Like not leaving your husband and daughter. “Now hang onto that casserole lid so the green beans don’t spill all over the place when I make this turn.”
Cheyenne placed a hand on top of the towel-wrapped casserole dish that sat in the center of the seat. “I hope everyone likes the green bean casserole. I would die if no one eats it.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Fine?”
“I mean delicious.” He turned off the highway onto the road that ran in front of Boone and Emma’s, then made a quick turn into their long dirt driveway. “Now quit fretting. You’re a good cook just like your grand—” He cut off when he saw the gray Mercedes parked in front of the house.
“Isn’t that Miss Applegate’s car?” Cheyenne asked. “I didn’t know she was going to be here.”
Neither had Cal. If he’d known, he would’ve thought up some excuse for why he couldn’t come.
He was still pretty miffed about Miss Applegate butting her nose into his business.
In fact, he’d spent the last few days stewing about it.
She had no right to jump in on something she knew nothing about.
She didn’t have any children. Hell, she hadn’t even been married.
Of course, that was her point. If Cal made sex out to be some kind of Holy Grail, Cheyenne could turn into a frigid lonely old maid like Jolene Applegate.
She had even accused him of being the type of man who had sex with just anyone and then talked about it.
That had really ticked him off. He was no man whore who bragged about how many women he’d taken to bed.
Cal had had sex with two women. One was Clarissa and one was the woman he dated after Clarissa had left him.
Although poor Joyce had only been a rebound girlfriend—someone to soothe his battered ego.
“Is something wrong, Daddy?” Cheyenne pulled him out of his thoughts and he realized he had stopped right in the middle of the driveway.
For a second, he thought about making an excuse about having work to do at the shop.
But then, he realized how much that would ruin Cheyenne’s Thanksgiving.
Besides, he wasn’t afraid of Miss Applegate.
“Nope. Nothing’s wrong, bunny rabbit.” He continued up the drive and parked right next to the Mercedes.
While Cheyenne got the casserole dish, he grabbed the six-pack of beer and bottle of wine.
He couldn’t help checking out the passenger side tire on his way past it. It looked like his patch was holding.
Before they could even step up on the porch, Boone threw open the door and greeted them.
“Hey, y’all! Glad you could make it.” He winked at Cheyenne. “I’m surprised you were able to get your old man away from his garage.”
“I almost didn’t,” Cheyenne said. “You know he’s as stubborn as the day is long.”
Boone lifted an eyebrow. “Just like someone else I know.” He glanced at Cal. “Your daughter insisted that I order bright lime green and hot pink Christmas ornaments. It seems she has the same bad taste in colors as Emma.”
Cheyenne hiked her chin in the air. “You just wait, Mr. Murphy. Those colors are going to be all the rage this year and will sell out in no time.”
“If they don’t, I’m giving them to you for your Christmas bonus.” Boone tousled Cheyenne’s hair. When Cal tried to ruffle her hair, he usually got fussed at. But Cheyenne only grinned at Boone.
“I planned on taking home some ornaments anyway.”
Boone laughed. “Then you better take an artificial tree to hang them on too.”
“Thank you, but I want a real tree this year. Fake ones just don’t seem Christmassy.”
“And lime green and hot pink ornaments do?”
Cheyenne grinned. “Of course! Now I better get this casserole inside before it gets cold.”
Cal started to follow her inside, but Boone stopped him. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“If it’s about giving us a Christmas tree and ornaments, the answer is no. If Cheyenne wants a tree and ornaments, I’ll buy them. You’ve already helped me enough with all the carpentry work you did to get the garage open.”
“I didn’t do that much. And I’m not giving Cheyenne anything she hasn’t worked hard for. But I didn’t want to talk to you about Christmas trees and ornaments. I wanted to ask you for a favor.”
“Whatever you need, it’s yours.”
Boone grinned. “Good. Because I need you and Cheyenne to move into Emma’s house.”
Emma’s house was a large Victorian that Emma had lived in before she and Boone got together.
After they got married, they decided to live on the small ranch Boone had inherited from his grandparents and sell Emma’s house in town.
While Cal wanted to help out his friend, he wasn’t in the market for a house.
“I’m sorry, Boone. But I don’t have the money to invest in a house right now.”
“I don’t want you to buy it. You can live there for the rent you pay for your apartment.
” Before Cal could decline, Boone held up his hands.
“Now I know how much you hate charity. But this isn’t charity.
You’d be helping me out. The realtor said that if we expect to sell the house that we’ll have to paint the exterior first. Nobody wants to buy a pink house.
I’ve seen how well you and Cheyenne paint.
Hell, I couldn’t have gotten this house and barn done in a day without your help.
So I thought you might be willing to help me out by painting Emma’s house while you’re living there.
There’s no big hurry. If it takes you a couple months—or even a year—that would be just fine with me and Emma.
Getting a house ready to sell takes time. ”
After hearing about how depressing Cheyenne thought their apartment was, Cal figured he knew who had given Boone this idea. “Let me guess, Cheyenne put you up to this. Or was it Emma? Your wife loves to come up with plans.”
The guilty look on Boone’s face said it all. “Okay, so maybe Emma and Cheyenne did come up with the idea. But it makes perfect sense. We get the house painted and you get a nice home to enjoy the holidays.”
“I’ll be happy to paint the house, Boone. It’s the least I can do after all the help you’ve given me. But I’m not going to move into it while I’m doing it.”
“Why not? It’s just sitting there empty.”
“I’m sure once it’s painted it will sell quickly. But it won’t be to me. Cheyenne and I are doing just fine in the apartment. We’re hardly there anyway. And soon she’ll be leaving for college and it will just be me.”
Boone studied him for a long moment before he sighed. “Cheyenne’s right. You are one stubborn man, Cal Daily.” He took the six-pack of beer from him. “Come on in and I’ll show you how the renovations turned out.”
The renovations they’d done to the old ranch-style house had turned out well.
It looked like an entirely different house on the inside.
The hardwood floors had been refinished and new cabinets and countertops had been installed in the bathrooms and kitchen.
Although it was hard to see the countertops in the kitchen when they were filled with platters of food that made Cal’s stomach rumble.
“Cal!” Emma left the pot she’d been stirring on the stove and hurried over to give him a hug. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
He held up the bottle of wine. “I wasn’t sure what kind you liked. So I settled on a pinot grigio.”