Heart of Clay (22 page)

“It’s fine, Laney. Obviously, you did what
was best for the girls and I don’t mind having them around. They’re
kind of fun.” He grinned as he rubbed his back. “At least for a day
or two.”

Callan continued to rock the chair with such
force Clay worried she would rock it back through the wall. “It is
so unfair, Clay. So completely unfair.”

“What’s not fair?” He knew what she would
say, but wanted her to talk about her feelings. It wasn’t good for
either one of them for her to bottle them up. They’d both learned
that the hard way.

“That people like them have these perfectly
wonderful, loveable, sweet little angels and I’ve got nothing,”
Callan spat out, then stopped rocking. She took a deep breath and
swiped at the tears that began to roll down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to sound spiteful. Sometimes it’s just so hard not to
think about what our baby would have been like.”

Clay patted his lap. Callan hurried off the
rocking chair and settled across his legs. He wiped her tears away
and held her close, waiting to speak until he could better
articulate his own thoughts.

“It must have been very difficult being
around Emma after you lost the baby. She was just a few months old
then. I know you don’t mean to, but you’ve always favored her. Is
that why?”

“Yes,” Callan whispered, not raising her
head from its place against his chest. His heart beat steady and
strong beneath her ear, giving her an added measure of comfort.
Breathing in his familiar scent, she rested against him and
absorbed the strength he so willingly offered. “I needed so badly
to have a baby to love and Emma needed a mother’s love. It’s not
that I love Audrey any less, it’s just that Emma filled a little of
that huge hole in my heart.”

Clay had to swallow hard before he could
find his voice. “Oh, Callan, girl, I’m sorry. I’m so, so
sorry.”

Callan and Clay loaded the girls into the
car the next morning and went out to the ranch for the day. Clay
thought some fresh air, horseback rides, and playing with a litter
of puppies would be just the thing for two little girls that seemed
to have more energy than their house could contain.

When they arrived at the ranch, Audrey
looked out the window. “Is this where you lived before you married
Auntie Callan, Uncle Clay?”

“Yep. I had lots of fun playing here when I
was your age.” Clay tried to imagine what the ranch looked like to
a six-year-old who spent most of her life playing in nothing bigger
than an average-sized back yard. It was probably overwhelming.
“We’re going to have loads of fun today, aren’t we, Auntie
Callan?”

“Definitely.” Callan squeezed Clay’s hand
and gave him a grateful look. She was thrilled with his suggestion
of spending the day at the ranch with the girls and knew they’d all
have a great time. “I heard there are puppies that need some
petting today. I wonder where we could find some little hands to do
the job.”

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Emma banged her
feet on the edge of her car seat. “I can do that, Auntie
Callan!”

“Great, Emma. You and Audrey can both have
that job. How does that sound?” Callan smiled over her shoulder at
the girls.

“Yippee! We get to be puppy-petters today.”
Audrey cheered as they went up the driveway.

Clay held back his chuckles as he parked
Callan’s car in front of the ranch house.

Bobbi and Steve were thrilled to have
children to play with for the day. The girls were thoroughly
entertained and spoiled. They rode horses, played hide-and-seek in
the barn, made ice cream, and pet the puppies until the poor things
practically had their fur rubbed off.

As the sun began its descent for the
evening, Clay carried an exhausted Audrey while Callan carried a
sleeping Emma out to the car and buckled them in.

“Thanks for letting us spend the day. It was
fun,” Callan said, turning to look at her mother-in-law. “I hope we
didn’t wear you out too much.”

Bobbi gave Callan a warm hug. “Not at all.
We’re so glad you were willing to share the girls with us. It was
really a treat to have them here. You better get those little
misses tucked into bed, though.”

After giving his dad a hearty handshake,
Clay held open Callan’s door before walking around to open his own.
“Thanks, again, Dad. I hope the pups won’t be completely
traumatized from all the attention.”

The girls were both sleeping by the time
they arrived home and Callan didn’t have the heart to wake them up
enough for a bath. They managed to get them into their nightgowns
and wash their hands and faces before tucking them in for the
night.

As Clay gently placed Audrey into bed, she
squeezed him around the neck. “Love you, Uncle Clay.”

Clay kissed her forehead as he pulled up her
covers. “Love you, too, Audrey. Now sleep tight.”

Callan kissed Emma’s little cheek and turned
off the light. She leaned against Clay as they stood together in
the doorway watching the girls, grateful for the time spent with
the little ones.

The girls awoke to a fun breakfast of
animal-shaped pancakes, bacon and juice. When they finished eating,
Callan gave them a bath, combed their hair, and helped them put on
dresses. Clay entertained the girls while Callan changed then they
headed off to church. After the service, they went to a
family-friendly diner for lunch.

“Can I have a hamburder, Auntie Callan?”
Emma asked, bouncing in her chair. “I love hamburders.”

“Sure, Sweet Pea. Miss Audrey, what sounds
good to you?” Callan asked while scooting Emma’s chair closer to
her.

“I like chicken strips. Can I please have
some? With fries?” Audrey swung her legs back and forth over the
end of her chair.

“Absolutely, sweetie.” Callan looked at
Clay. “What about you, Uncle Clay? What are you going to have for
lunch?”

“Definitely a hamburder.” Clay grinned
before setting aside his menu.

After the girls finished their lunch, the
waitress asked if they’d like dessert.

“Oh, please, please,” Emma begged,
practically dancing in her chair. Her sweet tooth could rival
Callan’s, especially when it came to chocolate.

“How about if we share? I think Emma and I
could make do with some chocolate cake. What would you like
Audrey?” Callan asked as Audrey thought about her choices.

“Pie. I want pie.” Audrey looked at Clay.
“Will you share with me?”

“You bet kiddo. We want a big piece of berry
pie and she’s going to want her ice cream in a dish on the side,
right Audrey?” Clay said.

Audrey nodded her head in affirmation with a
big grin.

Clay ate most of the pie while Audrey played
with her ice cream. Callan got very little of the cake. Emma made
short work of her share and most of Callan’s, too. She hoped her
niece wouldn’t have a tummy ache later.

They were wiping off the girls’ sticky hands
and faces when the waitress walked over with the bill. She smiled
and thanked them for coming in. “I just have to tell you folks what
a beautiful picture you make. Several people commented on what a
lovely family you have. Enjoy your day.”

Callan looked like she’d been struck, unable
to speak as the weight of the words from the well-meaning waitress
settled over her.

Clay cleared his throat and thanked the kind
woman. He squeezed Callan’s hand and nodded his head. “We do have a
nice family, don’t we girls? That’s why you know you can come visit
us anytime you want. Auntie Callan and I really enjoyed having you
stay with us this weekend.”

After paying the bill and leaving the
waitress a generous tip, Clay took Audrey’s hand and headed toward
the door. Callan and Emma followed along behind with Emma chatting
up a storm about chocolate, frogs, and puppies.

Once they returned home, the girls played
outside for a while before Callan announced it was time for them to
go back to their house. When Clay stopped outside of Mel and Ted’s
house, the girls took off running inside as soon as the restraints
on their car seats were released. Both of them talked at once,
trying to tell everything they had done.

Clay and Callan carried the girls’ things
inside and watched as Emma proudly showed off her box of “play
glow” shapes. She was particularly animated about the heart Clay
made her.

Glad to see Mel and Ted were at least acting
civil toward one another, Callan felt marginally better about
leaving the girls with their parents. She thanked them for letting
the girls stay for the weekend and encouraged them to visit again
sometime soon.

Clay and Callan both knew they would do
anything they could for the two curly-headed darlings who held such
a big part of their hearts.

Spring finally arrived and Callan was
anxious to get outside and plant flowers. One warm Saturday
afternoon found her on her knees in a flowerbed close to the back
of the house, putting in a variety of vibrant plants.

She couldn’t seem to get enough color. It
was liberating to shake off the last dark remnants of winter and
fill both the landscape and her spirit with bright blossoms of
color and hope.

As she sat back, she breathed deeply of the
delicious scent of earth budding to life - of warm, loamy soil, the
barely noticeable but sweet scent of fruit trees blossoming, the
sharp tang of mother earth bursting with new growth and life.

Brilliant blue painted the sky overhead, the
grass was a thick green carpet, and the daffodils all nodded their
heads in perfect golden hues. She could hear birds chirping in the
trees and one ambitious neighbor running a lawn mower.

Callan enjoyed this spring more than any she
could remember and felt very grateful that each day she grew more
content, more at peace with herself. She had so much to be thankful
for and so much to love about her life, especially Clay.

The object of her thoughts came around the
corner of the house with his hands behind his back, looking quite
pleased with himself. He wore that look a lot lately, Callan mused,
as she watched him stroll toward her.

All it took was a glimpse of her handsome
husband to make her heart pound and her breath catch. She wondered
if he knew he still had that effect on her.

Her smile held warmth and contentment as she
brushed dirt off her gloved hands. Clay squatted down next to her,
keeping his hands behind his back, grinning so broadly, both
dimples winked at her.

“Brick, what are you up to? You look
positively mischievous.” Callan tried to see what he held behind
his back but he turned so she couldn’t. “How did things go out at
the ranch today?”

“Good. I finished up a little early because
I wanted to bring you something.” He continued grinning, refusing
to let her see what he held. “What would it be worth to you to see
what I’ve got?”

Callan gave him a peck on the cheek. “How
about that?” She continued trying to peer around him.

“Nope.” Clay shook his head. “You can do
better than that.”

Callan gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
“Now will you show me?”

“No can do. You aren’t trying very
hard.”

Callan peeled off her gloves and tossed them
down. She tipped back Clay’s cowboy hat, placed a hand on each side
of his face, and raised her lips to his. The heated, hungry kiss
she gave him scrambled his thoughts while blood zinged through his
veins. She pulled back and smirked. “Now will you show me,
please?”

“Much better.” Clay brought one hand from
behind his back and handed Callan a basket with a fuzzy ball of
squirming fur inside.

She gasped in delight. “Oh, a puppy! A
puppy!” She held the Border collie pup close to her face and
cuddled it tenderly. “For me, Clay? Do I get to keep her?”

“Yes, but he won’t appreciate being called
her. You’ll have to think of a boy name, Laney.” Clay laughed and
rubbed the puppy’s head. “They weaned the puppies last week and
this one is the pick of the bunch. He’s going to be quite a dog.
Mom and Dad wanted you to have him.”

“He’s perfect! Thank you so much. I love
him.” Callan cuddled the puppy that grew sleepy in her arms. “I’m
going to call him Cully.”

“Cully. That sounds like a misfit,” Clay
teased Callan. He didn’t care if she called the pup George. Just
seeing her face light up when she held it was enough for him. “We
need to get this little fella set up with a bed, water and food
bowls. I thought to get a nice kennel so he can stay in it when we
aren’t home, or we can put him in the barn in one of the empty
stalls, that way there won’t be any chance of him being out in the
road.”

Clay spoke but Callan didn’t make any
pretense of listening. She was completely absorbed in the
puppy.

“Callan, do you want to go with me to get
his things?”

“Hmm? Oh, okay,” Callan said, still petting
the pup. “Can we bring him along?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

By the time they got home with a pickup load
of puppy paraphernalia, Clay started to wonder if the dog was such
a good idea after all. Callan had largely ignored him in her
excitement with the little ball of fur.

They not only got Cully a doghouse, they
purchased bowls, a bed for him to use in the barn and one for
inside their house, a collar and leash, a name tag, puppy food,
chew toys, and goodness only knew what else. He had no idea how one
puppy could possibly need so much stuff.

Callan provided a minimal amount of help in
fixing up one of the barn stalls and putting down a thick layer of
straw, but got more excited about placing the doghouse just so and
fluffing the bedding. Clay finished dragging all of Cully’s goodies
out of his truck and found a place to store the food, set the food
and water bowls, and dumped the toys into a plastic tub.

After taking the puppy inside for a tour of
the house, Callan stuck a bed for him in the family room by the
patio door. Clay walked inside as she instructed the puppy on what
rooms were okay for him to be in and what rooms were off limits. So
far, the kitchen and family room comprised his domain. That suited
Clay just fine.