Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
I t wasn’t easy saying goodbye to Decker and Sweetie. Sweetie cried and Decker looked like he was on the verge when he offered to walk Jace to his truck. He was moving around pretty good for having a bullet hole in him. Still, Jace placed a hand under his elbow as they headed out to the front porch. Once there, Sweetie gave him another hug.
“I love you, Jace Carson.”
“I love you too, Sweetheart Carson. Take care of my cousin.”
She drew back and gave him a quivery smile. “Always.”
Decker didn’t say anything until they were well away from the house. “Is your leaving about her?”
Jace stopped and turned to him. “Me leaving has nothing to do with Sweetie. Like I told you in the hospital, Deck. Sweetie and I are just friends.”
“Then why are you leaving in such a hurry? Why can’t you stay for a little while longer? There’s plenty of space in the baby’s room for a bed.”
“Thanks, but I need to get going.”
“Will you come back?”
He placed a hand on Decker’s shoulder. “Of course I’ll be back. I love you. I didn’t realize how much until I almost lost you. You’re more than just a cousin to me. You’re my brother. And I want you in my life always. So no more attempting to take on an armed robber without backup. And wear your damn bulletproof vest. You’re not Superman, Deck.”
“Believe me, I know. I’ve already gotten this lecture from Sweetie . . . and every other Holiday.” He pulled Jace in for a hug. “I love you too, brother. Thank you for all you’ve done for us.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
“You bet I would.” Decker drew back and grinned. “As soon as you find a woman and start having babies, I’ll be right there to help you put together the crib.”
There was a time Jace hadn’t been able to see himself married and starting a family, but now he didn’t rule it out. He figured that was progress. “I’m counting on it.”
It was hard leaving Decker standing in the front yard of their grandparents’ house looking so sad. Jace was sad too. Almost losing his cousin had made him realize how important family was. He promised himself that he’d be back . . . just as soon as Hallie left town.
Hallie.
He couldn’t get the woman out of his mind. After seeing her yesterday, it was even harder. While she and Sweetie had been helping Mimi and their mama get the food ready, Jace hadn’t been able to stop himself from making comparisons. They were close to the same height with blond hair and green eyes, but that was where the similarities ended.
Sweetie’s hair had been curled in soft waves while Hallie’s had been braided and tied back with an old bandana. Sweetie wore tight jeans, a soft fluttery shirt, and designer boots. Hallie’s jeans fit her legs and butt real nice, but they weren’t skintight or a designer brand. They were Wranglers that had been worn well with faded spots and a frayed hem. Her T-shirt had had another beer logo on it and her cowboy boots hadn’t been made by some designer who didn’t understand ranch work. They had been working boots—with a low heel and no fancy colors or stitching. Sweetie had worn makeup and looked as fresh as a daisy. Hallie had worn no makeup, her face sweaty and flushed with heat.
Yet, Hallie had looked like the most beautiful woman in the world. And every time those lush earthy eyes had settled on him, he hadn’t been able to breathe. It was like he’d been sacked from behind. All the air left his lungs and he couldn’t pull it back in. He was right to think he needed space and time to get over his strong sexual attraction to Hallie.
A lot of space and a lot of time.
Jace didn’t plan on stopping in Wilder on his way out of town. But when he saw the sign in the window of Nothin’ But Muffins stating that Pumpkin Harvest muffins were now available, he didn’t hesitate to pull into an empty park space in front of the cafe. Pumpkin muffins were his weakness and Sheryl Ann made the best.
Being that it was well after ten o’clock on a Tuesday morning, Nothin’ But Muffins wasn’t crowded with townsfolk. Which meant Jace could slip in and out without having to rehash old football memories.
“Hey, Jace!” Sheryl Ann greeted him as soon as he stepped in the door. “I heard you were back in town. I hope you’ll be staying for a while.”
“Actually, I’ll be heading back to Galveston as soon as I get me a coffee and a Pumpkin Harvest muffin. Make that two—no make that a dozen. I’ll take some to my mama.”
“Sure thing. I’ll wrap them up so she can freeze the ones y’all don’t eat.”
“No need. They’ll be gone within a few days.”
She grinned, but her grin faded when the door opened. “Hey, Denny.”
Jace cringed. There was no way his former high school coach wouldn’t want to talk football. Although what was his coach doing there when school and football season had already started?
He turned to greet his coach and was taken back by his appearance. Coach Denny looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. And where was his whistle? He never went anywhere without his whistle.
“Hey, Coach.”
Coach Denny usually greeted him with enthusiasm and a hearty hug and slap on the back. Today, he only lifted a hand. “Hey, Jace. Just coffee for me, Sheryl.”
“Coming right up as soon as I take care of Jace.” When Jace looked at her in question, she whispered under her breath. “He lost the first game of the season last Friday and got fired.”
Fired? Jace couldn’t believe it. Coach Denny had coached the high school football team since Jace was a kid. There was no way Jace could slip out without making sure his old coach was okay. Once Sheryl had filled his order, Jace took his coffee and boxed muffins over to Denny’s table and sat down.
“I heard what happened. I can’t believe it.”
Coach Denny shook his head. “I only have myself to blame. The school board has been warning me for years that I have to start winning games. I knew it was coming. But seeing as how Mrs. Stokes is head of the school board and a good friend, I thought she’d be able to sway the rest of the board. I guess that was just wishful thinking.”
Ms. Stokes did have a lot of pull on the school board. It was her money that paid for everything taxes didn’t. New desks, computers . . . the football stadium. Her desires swayed a lot of people. But she was still only one vote. If the rest of the board wanted Coach Denny out, Fiona Stokes’s wishes wouldn’t make a difference.
“Well, this will give you time to do all that fishing you used to talk about,” Jace said in the hopes of cheering Denny up. “In fact, next time I’m in town, you and I have a date with fishing poles and a cooler of beer.”
Coach Denny nodded sadly. “Yeah. It looks like we both have plenty of time for fishing now.”
Jace sat there for a good hour trying to cheer his coach up, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, he said his goodbyes and left. But once he was in his truck, he didn’t head out of town. He headed to the bank.
Mrs. Stokes was with a customer when he got there so he waited in the lobby until the receptionist said she was free. Jace hadn’t seen her since the night of the wedding when she’d overheard him and Hallie talking. He felt more than a little uncomfortable as he took a seat in front of her large desk.
“Good mornin’, Ms. Stokes.”
“Not mornin’ for long. And if I’d known I was going to be visited by a hot quarterback today, I would have worn my sexy red lipstick.”
Jace winked. “You’re still lookin’ mighty fine, Ms. Stokes—with or without red lipstick.”
“You always were a charmer, Jace Carson.” She rested her wrinkled hands on the desk. “So what can I do for you? You want to open an account? Get a loan? Ask a mighty fine-lookin’ woman on a date?”
“Actually, I want to talk about the school board firing Coach Denny.”
“Ahh.” She sat back in her chair. “I’m not surprised you’d want to go to bat for your old coach.”
“He’s a good guy that deserves someone going to bat for him.”
“No argument there. As much as I like to get on him, I’ve always thought he was a good man. Which is why he got to keep his job for as long as he did. If he had been coaching for any other school district in this state, he would have been long gone by now, Jace, and you know it. Losing coaches don’t keep their jobs—especially here in Texas.”
Jace did know that. Texans were all about winning. If you didn’t, you were out. But he also knew how Coach Denny felt. He knew how devastating it was to lose football. Football wasn’t just a job. It was a way of life. It had been Jace’s life and he knew it had been Coach Denny’s too. While he couldn’t change Coach Denny’s winning record, maybe there was another option.
“What about assistant coach? Could he stay on and coach with the person you plan on hiring?”
“We haven’t hired anyone yet. Herb Dickens, the assistant coach, is taking over until we do. And if we keep Denny, Herb will just let him be in charge. Which puts us right back where we started—with a losing team. Even if we found a new coach and he wanted to keep the same coaching staff, Denny’s ego wouldn’t let him go from head coach to assistant coach. Not unless the new coach was someone he thought highly of. Someone he totally respect—” She cut off and her gaze narrowed on Jace. “Someone like an ex pro football player.”
Jace held up his hands. “Oh, no. I’m not coaching the Wildcats.”
“It would only be until we found another coach. By that time, Denny will be settled in as assistant coach and we might be able to convince the new coach to keep him on.”
“Sorry, Ms. Stokes, but I can’t do it.”
“Why not? You have another job?” He took too long to find a lie and she snorted. “That’s what I thought. So what’s the problem?”
The problem was a blond-haired cowgirl he couldn’t stop thinking about. And since Mrs. Stokes already knew about their night together, he figured it wouldn’t hurt anything to be honest.
He glanced around before he leaned closer. “Things are uncomfortable between me and Hallie.”
Mrs. Stokes’s penciled-in brows lifted. “Uncomfortable?”
“Yes. Very.”
She snorted. “Well, I’ve learned that the only way to get through an uncomfortable situation is to face it head on.” She glanced over at a man behind the teller counter. “Take Stu over there. One night after working hours, we had a little dalliance, which made working with him very uncomfortable—mainly, because, during that dalliance, he asked if he could try on my bra and panties. But after a few weeks, the image of him in my underwear faded and we went right on about our business.”
TMI.
Jace cleared his throat. “Uhh . . . yeah, well, I think Hallie and I are going to need a little more time than just a few weeks.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Hmm? That must have been some mighty fine sex.”
It had been. That was the trouble.
He changed the subject back to the problem at hand. “There has to be some way to keep Coach Denny coaching football.”
Mrs. Stokes pinned him with her intense gaze. “I think we just came up with the solution. So now it seems the only person keeping Coach Denny from coaching the sport he loves is you.”
When Jace had decided to come talk to Mrs. Stokes, he hadn’t thought she would turn the tables on him. But that’s exactly what she’d done. He should have known better than to confront the woman. Her cleverness at getting what she wanted was why she’d had numerous husbands and was the richest woman in town. She had him feeling guilty as hell and she knew it.
She wasn’t finished yet.
“You look a little indecisive, Jace Carson. And maybe I can help you with that.” She picked up a pack of cigarettes and tapped one out. He thought she was going to light it. Which wouldn’t have surprised him, even though there was a strict no smoking policy in public buildings in Wilder—not to mention the No Smoking sign sitting on her desk—Mrs. Stokes had always ignored the rules and done exactly as she pleased. But she didn’t light the cigarette. Like she’d done the night of the wedding, she only placed it in her mouth and inhaled deeply before she continued.
“While I’ve never been a gossiper.” She sent him a pointed look. “And I’d never purposely mention something I might have accidentally overheard. I’m an old woman and sometimes things slip out of my mouth without my brain paying much attention.”
Jace stared at her, unsure of what she was saying. “Excuse me?”
She shrugged. “I’m just saying I’d hate for you and that sweet little Hallie Holiday to be the center of bad gossip.”
When her words sunk in, he squinted at her. “Are you blackmailing me, Ms. Stokes?”
“Blackmail? Now that’s an awful harsh word.” She smiled. “I’m more like persuading you to do something that I think will not only be good for Coach Denny and this town, but also for you. According to what I hear, you miss football as much as Denny does. If that’s the case, you’ve just been offered a wonderful opportunity to get back into it.”
“And if I don’t, you’ll tell people about me and Hallie.”
“Did I say that? I don’t think I said that.” She stood. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to head on over to Nothin’ But Muffins and get me some coffee and one of those Pumpkin Harvest muffins. I heard Sheryl Ann made the first batch of the season this morning.” She took her ratty mink stole off the coat rack behind her and swept it over her shoulders. “You want to come with me, Jace Carson? My treat.”
“No, thank you,” he said.
She shrugged. “Your choice.” She turned and headed for the door.
He knew she was playing him. The chances of her gossiping about his and Hallie’s morning together at Nothin’ But Muffins were slim to none. She might be a sly old woman, but she wasn’t vindictive or hurtful. But was he willing to take the chance? That was the question.
The answer was no . He was sick and tired of people talking about him. He had been the center of gossip in this town for as long as he could remember. Most of it was about him failing—failing to keep his daddy, failing to keep his girlfriend, failing at his football career. He was sure that if word got out about him and Hallie, people would think the same thing Hallie had thought: he was still in love with Sweetie and had used Hallie as a temporary replacement. And he wouldn’t be the only one hurt by that gossip. Hallie would be hurt and so would Sweetie, Decker, and the rest of the Holiday family.
He hopped up and rushed after Mrs. Stokes.
She was waiting just outside the door with a smile that said she knew he would follow. “Change your mind?”
He scowled. “Fine. I’ll coach. But only for one month.” He held up his finger. “You have one month to find another coach. And Coach Denny stays on the coaching staff—even after I’m gone.”
“I think I can convince the board to agree to that.” She pulled a key out of her purse and handed it to him. “That’s the key to my guesthouse. I figure you’ll want a place to stay that has room for the occasional guest.” She winked at him before she glanced down. “And your cat.”
“My cat?” He followed her gaze and saw Jelly Roll sitting by the door of the bank looking like a bedraggled feral street cat. “Oh, that’s not my cat. That’s Mel—” He cut off when the cat walked over and started rubbing against his legs and purring loudly.
“Looks like your cat to me,” Mrs. Stokes said before she turned and headed across the street to Nothin’ But Muffins.
Jace picked up the cat and walked into the bank to look for Melba. But Melba wasn’t in the bank. Nor was she at the sheriff’s office where she worked. Or Nothin’ But Muffins. Or anywhere else around Wilder.
Which could only mean one thing.
Two townsfolk had suckered him today.