Curtis (19 page)

“I would’ve paid any amount he asked, Lorrie. I was not going to lose you. Especially not because of a selfish, greedy man.”

“That’s why he seemed so happy that morning,” she mused.

It all came back to her. The way her mother and father had been smiling when she’d come to tell them the news. She hadn’t figured out how they would’ve known, but she hadn’t cared at the time. It was her wedding day and the only thing she could think about was Curtis. Marrying him and spending the rest of her life with him.

“Where’d you come up with that kind of money?”

Curtis’s eyebrow lifted.

“Do I even wanna know?”

He led her over to the couch, easing her down and sitting beside her, facing her.

“Not all of my family’s money is tied up in the ranch like I’d assumed. My father willed the land and the ranch to whichever of his boys married first. What your old man didn’t know was that my father owned all of the land in Granite Creek.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means Granite Creek belongs to me now. Us.”

“All of it?”

“Right down to the very land your momma’s house sits on.”

Lorrie frowned. “Did my father know that?”

“No one knows that,” he said, his voice gentle. “And I don’t want anyone else to know. What you and I choose to do with it is our decision to make. I hated your father for what he did, but I wasn’t going to hold it against your family, so I’ve kept it to myself.”

Of all the things she’d expected to come out of this conversation, that wasn’t it. Not only had her father blackmailed Curtis and forced him to pay him, Curtis now owned Granite Creek.

Goodness gracious.

Just when she thought she had things all figured out.

chapter TWENTY-SIX

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1969

I don’t want to jinx it and say that things are perfect between Curtis and me, but things are going really well. It hasn’t been easy the last few months, especially after Kathy and Celeste died, but the more time that passes, the easier it is to move forward. It’s still hard to think about my sisters. I miss them terribly, but I know I have to keep my head up, keep moving forward. It’s what they would want.

I can honestly say I wouldn’t have made it through it without Curtis. He knows that I need a distraction, so he’s teaching me to help him on the ranch, and I’ve been trying to decide if I want to go to college or not. At the moment, I would prefer to be a rancher’s wife, but I want to learn everything there is about being a rancher. I don’t want to sit at home while Curtis works, and I’ve told him this a million times. I think he finally got the hint.

Oh, and tonight we went to a New Year’s Eve military ball. It was incredible. I dressed up in my prettiest dress, and Curtis wore his Army service uniform… We had so much fun.

Shh. Don’t tell anyone, but we snuck into a supply closet and we had sex. I still can’t believe I did it, but it was actually my idea. I don’t know what Curtis has done to me, but I can’t get enough of him.

SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1969

We got the best news today! Mitch and Janice came over to tell us they’re expecting a baby. A baby! I’m so excited for them. The baby is due in October, right around Curtis’s birthday. This is the sort of news we all need right now. I’m so happy for my brother. I’m going to be an aunt.

SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 1969

We had another Sunday dinner today with Mrs. Walker and Curtis’s brothers and sisters. It was the first time Curtis actually mentioned something about having Sunday dinners. Apparently he likes the idea. I told him that one day, when we have kids of our own and they are grown and moved out, I want them to come home every Sunday so we can share a meal together. It made me feel good that he agreed.

Just don’t tell Mrs. Walker that Curtis took me into his old bedroom and we had sex. Up against the door.

chapter TWENTY-SEVEN

SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1969

I think I’m dreaming. I think in a few minutes someone is going to come in and wake me up. There is no way this could be happening. The only thing that makes me think today hasn’t been a dream is because there is no way I would’ve ever imagined something like this. Ever.

Last year for my birthday, Curtis surprised me by coming home. This year, Curtis has outdone himself. If he keeps it up, I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it through another birthday.

Getting Lorrie out of the house and away long enough for Curtis to do what needed to be done for her twenty-first birthday took far more resources than he’d intended. Initially, he had asked his mother to take her to lunch. Mary Elizabeth had been more than willing. For some reason, Lorrie had said she wasn’t hungry.

First attempt: fail.

Then, he had bribed his brothers to see if she’d be willing to help out with the horses. Joseph had been fairly convincing when he told her they couldn’t do it without her. For whatever reason, Lorrie had said she wasn’t interested in working today.

Second attempt: fail.

Then, he had called Mitch, asking his brother-in-law to help out. Mitch and Janice had asked Lorrie if she wanted to go shopping for baby things. Completely unexpected by any of them, she had said she’d prefer to sit at home and enjoy the day.

Third attempt: fail.

Finally, Curtis had convinced his mother and his sisters to come over and drag Lorrie out of the house, simply not taking no for an answer.
Jesus H. Christ.
He loved the woman with every ounce of his being, but she definitely wasn’t making this easy.

Final attempt: success.

Granted, Lorrie had promised to pay him back later, so perhaps it wasn’t quite as successful as he’d hoped, but still, she was out of the house just as he needed her to be.

With help from Lorrie’s sister Rose and her brother Bruce, along with his brothers, Curtis managed to get the house completely decorated for the party. Joseph went to pick up the cake they’d had made, while Frank Jr. and Bruce made sure everything was where it needed to be. And when it was time, David went to pick up a couple of Lorrie’s friends who she’d gone to school with, and after a little convincing, Lorrie’s mother agreed to come, bringing with her the rest of Lorrie’s siblings.

The only thing left was the big surprise, which he planned to have arrive after they had cake and ice cream. A surprise on top of a surprise, kind of.

Although it hadn’t started off easy, getting it all set up went off without a hitch, and now the only thing left to do was wait for her to return.

“What do you think he’ll get you for your birthday?” Daphne asked when they were driving back from the movies.

She hadn’t wanted to go out today, preferring to spend the day with Curtis, but he’d seemed adamant that she go. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was doing. Clearly he was planning to surprise her; she just didn’t know with what.

Lorrie shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“Last year you said he gave you the best present ever,” Lisa reminded her.

At twelve, the girl sure did remember a lot.

“He did,” she agreed.

“By coming home?” Maryanne asked.

“Yes.” That would forever go down as the best birthday present ever, no doubt about it. There was nothing Curtis could possibly buy her that would be better than that.

“What do you want him to get you?” Maryanne gripped the back of the seat, leaning forward.

“Nothing, really,” she answered as she stared out the window, watching the trees pass by.

“What about a horse?” Lisa suggested. “That’s what I’d want.”

“I don’t need a horse.” They already had plenty of horses. Lorrie didn’t need her own.

“If it was me, I’d want a car,” Daphne stated.

Mary Elizabeth cleared her throat and glanced at her daughter in the rearview mirror.

Lorrie smiled as she peered over her shoulder at the girls in the backseat. “I don’t need a car, either. Curtis takes me anywhere I need to go.”

“Yeah, but don’t you ever wanna go somewhere by yourself? I wouldn’t wanna spend all my time with my husband if I had one.”

“I like spending time with Curtis,” she said, chuckling at Daphne’s comment.

When they pulled into Mary Elizabeth’s drive, Lorrie didn’t see anything out of the norm. As they ventured down the dirt road that led to Lorrie and Curtis’s little house, she realized no one was there, either. Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe there wasn’t going to be a party.

“Y’all are home,” Curtis said, stepping out onto the porch, wiping his hands on a towel. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

Her husband looked as relaxed as ever. Not like a man who had put together a surprise party after making it obvious that he was trying to get her out of the house. She tried not to be disappointed when he leaned over and kissed her on the lips, but she saw the smile on his face.

Maybe he was up to something.

“Come on inside for a bit, ladies,” Curtis said to his mother and sisters.

Lorrie allowed him to steer her inside. The first thing she noticed was that the lights were off.

And then they weren’t.

“Surprise!”

The eruption of noise scared her, and she actually shrieked, laughing as she stumbled back against Curtis. Although she’d been somewhat expecting it, they’d still managed to put one over on her. She glanced over her shoulder at the man she loved and smiled up at him. He had given her a surprise party, which, as far as she was concerned, was the greatest gift in the world. She continued to stare at him, completely enthralled by his handsome face and that sexy smirk, and then it registered again that Curtis was giving her a surprise party—and there were more than a dozen people in her house. She finally remembered her manners.

While she greeted everyone, Lorrie relaxed, excited that they’d come to see her. In the back of her mind, she started wondering what Curtis had gotten her for her birthday. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she even wanted something, more because she didn’t want anything. But she knew Curtis. He always said he wanted to give her everything, but he never seemed to realize she already had it. Him.

“Happy birthday, darlin’,” Curtis whispered in her ear as he pulled her against him. “I’ve got another surprise for you. But you’ll have to be a really good girl to get it.” His voice lowered more. “And you’ll have to wait for all these people to leave, ’cause it requires you to be naked.”

Her face flamed instantly as she leaned back and looked at him. Luckily no one was standing close by, and the conversation carrying on around her likely made it impossible for anyone to have heard him, but still, she was embarrassed.

And turned on.

She quickly shook off the thought.

“Come on, let’s get some cake.”

“Happy birthday, Lorrie.”

Lorrie looked over at the sound of her mother’s voice, and she nearly burst into tears. She had briefly noticed that her brothers and sisters were all there, but she hadn’t seen her mother.

“Momma.” A sob ripped from her throat as she went to give her mother a hug.

“My little girl’s all grown up.”

To hear those words from her mother’s mouth made her insides shake. She’d spent the better part of the last six years wishing her relationship with her mother could be better. They hadn’t spoken since Kathy and Celeste’s funeral, and for a while, she had wondered if they ever would.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Dorothy said to Curtis.

“You’re welcome here anytime.”

Suddenly, the thought of whatever gift Curtis might have in mind wasn’t quite so bad because as she looked around, seeing her family and friends there with her, nothing else mattered.

“Let’s get some cake for the birthday girl,” someone shouted.

After they did an off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday,” David offered to cut the cake, and as he passed it around, Lorrie spoke to her friends from school. Although she saw them from time to time in town, or at church, it was still exciting to know that they’d come over to celebrate her birthday.

As the conversation continued to flow while everyone enjoyed cake and ice cream, Lorrie had finally started to relax when Curtis came over and put his arm around her. “You ready for your gift?”

“Maybe.” Depended on what it was.

“Come on, everyone,” Curtis announced. “It’s time for Lorrie’s present.”

The chatter ceased, and everyone started following as Curtis led Lorrie out to the front porch.

The first thing she noticed was a car coming down the narrow dirt drive toward the house.

It was a fancy car. Shiny and new.

She really, really hoped he hadn’t bought her a car.

“Oh, my goodness,” Lisa whispered to Daphne. “Do you think that’s
her
car?”

Daphne squealed a little bit.

Lorrie shook her head. She really, really,
really
hoped he hadn’t bought her a car.

Trying not to get nervous because the thought of driving a car petrified her, Lorrie stood beside Curtis, waiting for him to explain what was going on. Though she didn’t want to look, her eyes were glued to the pretty, shiny car that she absolutely didn’t want.

Would she have to break Curtis’s heart? Would he be upset with her that she didn’t want a car?

He should know her better than that. She didn’t know how to drive, and though she wanted to learn one day, she didn’t want it to be now.

The car stopped in front of the house, and Lorrie fought the urge to squeeze Curtis’s hand.

For a second, it didn’t register who had stepped out.

“Mayor Clark,” Curtis greeted the man walking toward them.

Why in the world would Mayor Clark be driving her car?

“You remember my beautiful wife,” Curtis said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

Lorrie shook the mayor’s outstretched hand.

“So nice to see you again.” He was beaming as he gripped her hand firmly.

“You, too.”

“Are you ready?” Curtis asked.

No.
“Yes,” she said nervously.

The mayor handed a folded sheet of paper to Curtis, and he released her so that he could take it and open it. He glanced over the page briefly before handing it over to her.

Hesitantly, she took the paper, glancing at the faces around her before looking down at it.

Only two words on the page registered: Coyote Ridge.

She looked up at Curtis. “What is this?”

“It’s the official document reflecting the new name of our town,” the mayor explained.

“What?” Lorrie knew her eyes were as big as saucers, but she couldn’t help it.

Curtis’s smile grew even wider.

“Your husband came to me a while back with the request to change the name of Granite Creek. In order to do something such as this, it requires a vote from the town. We are happy to say that we will no longer be known as Granite Creek. Officially, our new name is Coyote Ridge.”

Lorrie couldn’t breathe as she stared at Curtis in complete shock.

“Happy birthday, darlin’,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

They were surrounded by applause, but the only thing Lorrie heard was the beating of her own heart as she hugged Curtis fiercely.