A Texas Thanksgiving

“What are you going to do? Walk here after he takes your car away? We’ll be out to get you in a few minutes. Bye.”

He cut the call off and then punched in Carl’s number. When his ex-army buddy came on the line, Evan told him about the situation and that he would meet him out on Johnson Road.

Three minutes later Evan started his truck with both girls sitting in the front with him. Dark shadows crept across the flat terrain.

Ellie squirmed around to peer up into his face. “Are you sure Mommy is okay?”

He gave her a grin and what he hoped was a reassuring look. “That’s what she told me. We’ll pick her up and bring her back here, then you can check for yourself.”

“My mommy is the bravest person I know. She banged her head last month and didn’t cry at all.”

“My daddy doesn’t cry. He fell off a new horse last week and got right back up on him.”

“My mommy…”

Trying desperately to contain his laughter, Evan turned onto the highway and tuned out the two dueling girls. There was no way he would get into the middle of that.

Almost a mile from the ranch’s entrance, Evan spied Julia and her Mustang off his side of the road in a three-foot ditch, which meant she’d gone across the lane of oncoming traffic when she’d lost control. She could have been in a bad wreck if anyone else had been on the road. The thought churned his stomach.

Ellie pointed. “There’s Mommy. She’s waving at us.”

“I don’t see the front of the car.” Paige sat forward as much as her seat belt would allow.

He parked as far off the road as he could near the back end of the Mustang. “You two stay in here.”

“But, Daddy—”

“Paige, no argument. It’s getting dark and it’s not safe being out on the highway.” The second he’d said that he’d realized his mistake.

“Mommy’s not safe?” Ellie asked, her eyes showing worry.

“Yes, she is, but I know how little girls can get. I’m switching on my blinkers.” He didn’t want the two of them worrying anymore. “That will alert anyone that there’s a stalled car on the side of the road.”

As he climbed from the cab, Paige said, “Be careful, Daddy.”

Ever since his wife had walked out on his marriage on Thanksgiving Day two years ago, Paige got scared easily, even a couple of times to the point where she’d become hysterical. He’d left the army earlier than he’d intended to raise his daughter, but her fears only escalated after Diane died of a drug overdose.

Evan strode to Julia, first assessing her, then the Mustang. Even in the dim light of dusk, he could tell that the tires were on their last thousand miles, if that. He motioned toward the nearest one. “Were you going to drive until there was no rubber left?”

She pulled herself up tall. “I beg your pardon.”

“Those aren’t even good for a tire swing.”

“I was going to get a new set in November right before winter weather sets in.”

He tipped back his hat, feeling the waves of indignation coming off her. “We don’t have that much winter weather—not like Chicago. November starts next week. You need to have Carl change all of them or you’ll have another blowout.”

Her chin lifted. “Just as soon as I get the money to pay for them.”

If he wasn’t mistaken, a northern chill had just blasted past him. “And while we’re at it, I would suggest getting a road-assistance service. There can be some pretty lonely stretches of highway outside of town. And since you are single—”

“I also plan on doing that,” Julia cut in, “when I can swing the money, but so you won’t worry about me, I don’t plan on driving outside of town.”

“You did tonight.” Evan removed his hat and slapped it against his leg.

“Point taken.” She swung around toward the sound of a vehicle approaching. “Oh, good, the tow truck.”

“After he hooks up the car, I’ll take you back to the ranch.”

“He can’t fix the tire after he pulls my Mustang from the ditch? I have a spare in the trunk.”

Evan chuckled and set his hat back on his head. “Ma’am, there’s a possibility there are more things wrong than just a flat tire.”

“What do you mean?”

“Carl will need to get it up on a rack and check the underside of your pretty little Mustang. I know because I once drove into a ditch and had three thousand dollars’ worth of damage, mostly not visible.”

“Oh.”

Her crestfallen expression tugged at him. From what she’d said about having to save money for the tires, he was ninety-nine percent sure she didn’t have a lot of cash sitting around for big emergencies. “You do have car insurance?”

“Of course.” Offense marked her voice and her face now. “But I have a thousand-dollar deductible.”

Carl limped toward them, wearing his usual Dallas Cowboys’ cap, jeans and T-shirt. “Whatcha got here, Paterson?”

“At the best a ruined tire.” Evan waved his hand toward the car. “At the worst major undercarriage damage.”

Carl studied the Mustang for a long moment, removing his ball cap and scratching his head. “I’ll take her down to the station and have a look. I’ll give you a call in an hour or so and let you know.”

“I appreciate it. We’ll be at the ranch.” Evan indicated she go first toward his pickup.

“But—” Julia started to protest, took a look at him and shut her mouth.

As Julia slid into the passenger’s seat in front, the two girls scrambled to the back and sat. On the short ride to the ranch, all Julia heard was Paige and Ellie whispering. She couldn’t figure out what the children were saying, but she got the feeling it was about Evan and her. No doubt they sensed the tension between them.

Yes, she was grateful that he’d come and picked her up, but he didn’t have to be so high-handed. He fit right in with the military personnel she had worked with while in Prairie Springs, taking command, inflexible in his attitude, with an air of authority.

Please, Lord, let my Mustang only need one new tire. I don’t have a thousand dollars for the deductible if the damage is extensive.

Evan parked by the barn. “I have one more stall to finish, then we can go up to the house. Do you mind?”

The man stared straight at her with a penetrating look that for a few seconds robbed Julia of any coherent thoughts.

One of his eyebrows shot up. “Do you, Miss Saunders?”

She would have to explain, and the reason she had told him in the first place—practically a stranger—was to discourage any further interest in her. She’d never done anything like that, surprised at her statement to him almost as much as he had been, because she guarded her privacy, especially her lack of marital status.

“No, of course not. I’ve missed dinner with Anna as it is. I called her and told her I couldn’t come after I called you earlier.”

Paige leaned forward. “Good, then you can stay and eat with us after Ellie and I ride. Daddy, you didn’t forget you promised us we could after you finished your chores?”

His mouth tilted into a grin. “If I had, I wouldn’t admit it now. But we aren’t eating here at the house, Paige. I don’t have anything. Grandma comes tomorrow with our meals.”

“Comes with your meals?” Julia asked before she realized she was sticking her nose into his business, and she definitely didn’t want to give the impression he interested her. Which he didn’t.

“I am the first person to admit that I’m a lousy cook. Paige’s grandmother prepares our dinners and a couple of lunches and delivers them to us twice a week.” His grin notched up another degree. “I can manage breakfast. It’s not too difficult to pour milk over cereal or pop a frozen waffle into the toaster. So I’m not totally inept in the kitchen.”

“I probably wouldn’t let Carmella’s know about your skills. I don’t know how you could handle being a chef and a rancher.”

His eyes narrowed. “I think you’re making fun of me.”

“There is no thinking about it. You are a single father. You should know how. I would be glad to give you a few lessons, that is if you are up for it.” The second the words were out of her mouth, Julia wanted to snatch them back. Why in the world had she dared him? He was the type of man who couldn’t resist a challenge. She wanted to spend less time with him, not more.

“You’ve got yourself a pupil.” He shoved open his door. “When do you want to start?”

“Tonight?” Could she teach him everything he needed to know in one short lesson?

“Not gonna happen unless we want to eat at midnight. I don’t have any food in the house to cook, unless you can whip something up with a box of cereal, some milk, chips, soda and ketchup.”

“I’m good, but even I can only do so much.”

“Then we go out for dinner and delay our lesson till some other time.”

Over the hood of the truck Julia asked, “How about tomorrow afternoon? Tell you what. I’ll bring some groceries over then and give you a lesson.”

Paige and Ellie shouted their enthusiasm for that plan.

“Daddy, that means Ellie can have another riding lesson tomorrow.”

Ellie gave Paige a high five. “Yeah! Two in one weekend!”

The two girls wheeled around and raced for the last stall. Bessie poked her head out, and Ellie stroked her.

Evan removed his wallet from his back pocket and took some money from it. “Here, use this to buy the groceries.”

Julia observed the huge smile on her daughter’s face and shook her head, realizing where all this had been going. “If you’ll teach Ellie to ride, I’ll teach you to cook. Fair?”

Evan stuffed his money back into his wallet. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” A chuckle slipped past his lips. “But I think I got the best part of this deal.”

She didn’t. She hadn’t seen her daughter so happy since they had moved from Chicago. Coming to a new town hadn’t been easy for either of them, but she had been determined to start over, fresh, without the past hanging over her head. Chicago held too many memories for her. In the past five years, her mother had seen Ellie three times. Her father had never seen his only granddaughter, and yet they had lived just ten miles from them. That had been difficult to explain to her daughter, that Julia’s father had disowned her and Ellie because of Julia’s mistake.

Standing at his back door leading into the kitchen, Evan shouted at the retreating figures racing toward Paige’s bedroom, “I want you two to wash your hands before we leave for dinner.”

His daughter abruptly stopped in the entrance to the hallway and put her hand on her waist. “You have to, too, Daddy.” She waited until he made his way to the sink before whirling around and continuing on to the back of the house.

“I suppose I’d better, or Ellie will nail me when she comes back in here.” Julia stepped up next to Evan, and found his scent of leather and hay surprisingly pleasant.

“Yep. Nothing slips past them.” He finished and placed the dish towel on the counter for Julia.

She ran the warm water over her hands. “I want to make it clear before they return that I’ll pay for my dinner and Ellie’s.”

“I invited you.”

“No, you didn’t. Your daughter did.”

“That’s the same thing.” His sharp gaze drilled into her, his mouth firm in a hard line.

“Sorry, I pay my own way.”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you are stubborn?”

“On a number of occasions.”

Evan glanced toward the doorway that led to the hall. “While they’re still gone, I have a question. Why did you correct me earlier when I said Mrs. Saunders?”

Thankfully, she’d prepared herself for this question. In the past when people asked her about her name, she didn’t go into too much detail other than to say she was single. Most didn’t pursue the topic, especially since she didn’t encourage them. “I am a single mother and always have been. I didn’t want there to be any confusion concerning that.”

“I get the feeling you’ve had to defend your choice to others.”

My choice? Being a single mother hadn’t been her choice. She wanted to marry Ellie’s father—he was the one who had run off, disappearing from her life. Julia lifted her chin. “No, because I won’t. It’s something that’s personal, and if someone has a problem with it, then I’m sorry but it won’t change the facts. Ellie is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I know what you mean. That’s the way I feel about Paige. Ah, I hear them coming.”

Relieved that was over with, Julia rinsed her hands and dried them as the two girls came into the kitchen. Her gaze strayed to Ellie. Her daughter looked a lot like her father, and he hadn’t even cared. A child hadn’t been in his master plan, so he’d conveniently vanished right before Ellie was born, leaving her to deal with everything on her own, even the medical bills.

She’d trusted Clayton and lost so much, but at least she’d gained a precious daughter. It had been Ellie’s impending birth that had led her to seek the Lord. Jesus had opened a whole new world to her that she shared with her daughter—a world where mistakes were forgiven.

“I’m starved.” Paige wiped her wet hands on her jeans.

Ellie followed suit. Julia cringed, remembering the mare her daughter had sat on not that long ago. She started to say something about washing again, then decided Ellie would live.

“We need to hit the road. I’m starving.” Evan let the two girls leave first, then indicated for Julia to go after them.

The ringing of his phone halted his progress toward the door. Julia paused in the entrance while he answered it.

“We were just heading out.” He listened for a moment, then said, “Thanks, Carl. We’ll be by later, after we take the girls to dinner.” When Evan hung up, he faced Julia. “The only other damage was a few dents and scrapes. He will replace the tire for you with a similar type unless you want something else.”

She shook her head. “No, that’s fine.” Not knowing much herself about cars, she was sure Carl knew what was best.

“Then let’s get these kids fed so you can pick up your car.”

And get home. This evening hadn’t turned out at all as she had thought it would. At least she didn’t have to come up with the deductible. It had taken her five years to pay off her medical bills after having Ellie. She was finally getting on her feet financially.

Thank you, Lord.

Evan stood at the window that afforded him a view of his yard and front pastures that bordered the highway into town. A cloud of dust coming down the road that led to his house announced a visitor. The blue sedan told him it was Marge Freeman, his mother-in-law, with her food delivery.

Lately, she had been hinting at moving in with him and Paige, so she could make fresh meals daily instead of bringing them twice a week. He was grateful for her help, but he didn’t want her living with them. Her presence was a constant reminder of his wife’s betrayal—one he wished he could forget. But there was no way he would deny his daughter access to her grandmother. She had so little family in her life, especially with his little sister, Whitney, deployed.

Evan turned away from the window and crossed the living room to go into the kitchen. Why wasn’t there any news about his sister? She continued to remain lost in a Middle East war zone. Had she been captured? Was she dead? These questions plagued him day and night.

“Grandma’s here,” Paige said, racing into the kitchen and through the open back door.

Evan followed his daughter outside to help bring the bags of food inside. “Good to see you, Marge.”

The large woman struggled out of the car, placing her hand at the small of her back. “I’d have been here sooner if my uncle hadn’t taken so long to eat his lunch. That man is the slowest eater in Texas. Molasses flows faster than he eats.” She grinned, a flush tinting her cheeks. “Of course, Uncle Bert ends the meal with telling me he has to savor every little bite because it’s five hours to the next one. Can’t stay mad at someone who says that.”

“Grandma, what did ya bring us?” Paige opened the back door and stuck her head into the first sack sitting on the car seat. “Mmm. Chocolate chip cookies. I love those.” Evan’s daughter started to delve into the bag for a sample.

“Paige Paterson, you know better than that. You can’t have any cookies till after you’ve eaten a good meal.”

Marge’s rebuke hadn’t surprised Evan. She’d said the same thing to him on several occasions. He and his daughter would indulge after she was gone. He’d learned pretty quickly not to argue the point with his mother-in-law, not when he was beholden to her for preparing so many meals for Paige and him. At least he paid her for them, against Marge’s protests, but he was Paige’s provider.

“Yes, Grandma. I forgot. They just smell so good.”

“That’s because I just took them out of the oven not thirty minutes ago.”

Evan drew in a deep breath and relished one of his favorite smells. “Let’s get this inside.”

After the food was put away, Marge took a look around the kitchen, then made her usual trip into the living room. She stopped short of pulling out a white glove and running it along the woodwork. After church, Paige had picked up around the house while Evan had run the vacuum cleaner and dusted, but his mother-in-law always found something to silently criticize. It was her way of telling him he needed her in his life full-time. As much as he wanted Marge to spend time with his daughter, he would hire a housekeeper before he would resort to his mother-in-law living with them. She needed to control everything around her. They were too much alike.

Marge bent over, groaning from the effort, and picked up a white string from the medium brown carpet. Moaning some more, she straightened and walked to the trash can in the corner and threw away the offending piece of thread. Then she pointedly looked him in the eye, wordlessly stressing his need for her.

He had to learn how to cook. He couldn’t keep going through this twice each week. Paige could visit her grandmother at her house, where he wouldn’t get the look he’d come to dread.

“Thank you again, Marge, for everything you do for Paige, and me.” Evan started back toward the kitchen, hoping the woman would follow. He caught sight of the clock on the wall near the stove. He didn’t even want Julia and Marge to pass each other on the road that led to his house.

“I have a picture I drew for you,” Paige said from the living room. “I’ll go get it.”

Tension in his neck streaked down his spine. Maybe he should have explained to his daughter that her grandmother and Julia shouldn’t meet, especially when the young, beautiful woman would be bringing a sack of food for his cooking lesson. That definitely wouldn’t go over well. She was due any minute. It was possible she would be late again. He could only hope.

Evan moved back into the living room as his daughter came forward with a watercolor picture of a horse—though the only reason he knew that was because Paige had told him.

Marge gushed over the painting as if his daughter was the next Monet. “This will go on my refrigerator just as soon as I get home.” She sidled toward the lounge chair as if she were going to settle in for a long visit. “I love your use of colors. When I was a little girl, I always wanted an orange cat.”

“Grandma, it’s a horse—Bessie.”

“Oh? Well, Bessie looks great.”

“Speaking of Bessie—” Evan latched on to the mare’s name “—have you fed your pony?” Okay, it was a stretch since the pony was called Sugar, but he was desperate to have Marge leave before Julia showed up. There was absolutely nothing between Julia and him, but he didn’t want to try and explain that to his mother-in-law. She had been sure his reluctance to date anyone was because he still loved Diane, so she took every opportunity to rewrite what her daughter had done—walking out on him, turning to drugs. Now that she was dead, he didn’t have the heart to straighten her out.

“I did when I got home from church.”

“And you’ve done your other chores in the barn?” Marge hated the barn and wouldn’t go near it. Much too dirty for her.

Paige nodded. “I’m all ready for Ellie’s lesson.”

Oh, great.

Right on cue, Marge’s head swung around toward him, and she gave him the look. “Ellie? Who’s Ellie?”

“My best friend. We go to school together. She’s coming out here this afternoon. Daddy is teaching her to ride.”

Okay, he might be able to get Marge out of here still without bringing Julia’s name into the conversation.

“I didn’t know you gave riding lessons. I have a friend whose granddaughter would love to learn.”

“I don’t usually.” Evan immediately realized his mistake and bit down on the inside of his mouth.

“He’s teaching her because Julia’s teaching Daddy to cook.”

“Julia? Who’s Julia?” Her look knifed through him.

“Ah, she’s…” He searched for a way to make it sound as if he wasn’t betraying Marge or her deceased daughter. “She’s…”

“She’s Ellie’s mom,” Paige chimed in. “She spent the night here last night.”

“What?” Marge’s eyes widened to the size of round platters.

“No. Paige meant Ellie. Ellie spent the night here.” His face felt on fire from embarrassment and Marge’s searing gaze.

Silence descended for a long moment, broken by the sound of footsteps on the front porch and a loud knock at the door. Caught red-handed. He would never hear the end of this.

“They’re here.” Paige clapped and raced to the entrance before Evan could move or think of a way of getting out of the awkward situation.

Chapter Three

T he large woman who stood directly behind Paige as the child opened the front door caused Julia to take a step back. Irritation puckered the lady’s thin lips into a frown, its full force directed at her.

Evan appeared and moved around his daughter, blocking Julia’s view of the unhappy woman. “Come in, y’all.” He took the grocery sack she held and hurried toward the kitchen, hiding the sack against his chest.

Julia advanced inside with Ellie next to her. Immediately, Paige dragged Ellie off toward her bedroom, leaving Julia to face the lady who was still frowning at her.

Evan came back into the room, minus the items she had picked up for their cooking lesson. “Marge, this is Julia Saunders. Ellie’s mother.”

Julia held out her hand to shake, but Marge just looked at her, ignoring the greeting. Julia dropped her arm back to her side and said, “It’s nice meeting you.”

“Marge is Paige’s grandmother.”

Evan’s mother? But there was no way Julia would ask that question out loud.

The large woman turned toward Evan. “May I have a word with you in private?”

“Sure.” Then to Julia he said, “I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home.” After the last sentence, he cringed and darted a glance at Marge.

As the two left, Julia sagged back against the wall near the front door. She felt as though she had interrupted something. Julia wanted to leave.

Instead—because she knew it would upset her daughter if they left early—Julia made her way back to Paige’s room. She didn’t want to overhear any comments between Evan and Marge. The two girls sat on a white-canopy bed with a cotton candy–pink coverlet over it.

Julia leaned against the doorjamb. “Are you ready for your second lesson?”

Ellie peered at her. “Yes! I dreamed about riding last night. I can’t remember what happened, but I woke up happy.”

The slamming of a door rattled Julia. She stiffened, then tried to relax so the two children didn’t think anything was wrong. But they heard the same sound, and both of their foreheads crinkled in question.

Before either of them said anything, Evan came down the hall, arranging his features in a calm expression when he stepped into the girls’ view. “Are you two ready to go ride?”

“Yes!” they shouted in unison.

Ellie leaped from the bed and hurried toward the hallway. Paige moved at a slower pace and paused by her father.

“Is Grandma all right? I thought she might stay and see us ride.”