Hotel Ladd (14 page)

Cal cocked his head. “What about his
job?”

“
He was fired for being
late.”

“
Being late? How late we
talkin’? Did he not show up?”

Annie shrugged, the savory scent of
eggs and bacon filling her nose as a waitress delivered plates the
table beside them. Her stomach growled with envy as she took in the
sight of food, complete with a side of steaming grits and plump
biscuits. She pulled her attention away. “I don’t know. Like I
said, Casey wasn’t in a talkative mood. All I managed to get from
her was that he was fired for being late.”

“
Hmm.”

“
Didn’t sound right to me,
either.”

A waitress appeared tableside. “Can I
get you some coffee, juice?”

“
I think Fran has got us
covered,” Cal replied.

“
Okay.” The young brunette
practically bubbled with enthusiasm. Pencil and notepad drawn and
ready she asked. “Do you know what you’d like for
breakfast?”

“
I’ll have two eggs, sunny
side up with a stack of pancakes, bacon and a side of
grits.”

Annie added, “I’ll have an order of
scrambled eggs and grits.”

Fran swept in behind the girl, sliding
cups and saucers onto the table with a smile. “You two have
everything you need?”

“
We do.”

Satisfied, Fran and the waitress
trotted off.

Cal pursed his lips. “So they’re both
back...”

“
They are.”

“
Well, maybe I can help
Troy.” Cal eyed her cautiously. “If it’s okay with you, that
is.”

“
Help him how?”

“
He works with horses and
the man at the ranch said he was a real fine boy...” Cal paused, as
though churning something through his brain. “I might be able to
get him a position working my Daddy’s ranch—until he can figure out
his next step, of course.”

Annie reached across the table. “Cal,
you don’t have to do that.”

“
I want to.”

A slow smile creeping onto his lips, he
took her hand and held it. About to protest further, she thought
better about it. Cal was a good man. A kind man. But he was also
smart. He knew Troy’s situation. If he felt it was a good match,
who was she to disagree? “Thank you, Cal.” Three words she was
beginning to say an awfully lot to this man. “That’s nice of you to
offer.”

“
Consider it done.” With a
light squeeze, he released her hand and said, “Now on to a more
positive note. I talked with the County Manager and he told me the
permit would be no trouble. Two weeks at most.”

“
Really?”

Cal set elbows to the table, crossing
his arms. “So things are looking up.”

Annie felt it was true. Casey was home,
the permit would be no trouble—if she decided to go with
logging—though she hadn’t made a decision. The subject of selling
was something she had yet to discuss with Casey. Jillian had given
her time, but she wouldn’t wait forever.

Cal quieted, and she sensed he had
something on his mind. “Cal?”

“
Yes?”

“
You look as though you have
something important on your mind. Care to share?” she asked with an
encouraging smile. Annie wanted him to share. She wanted him to
feel comfortable enough with her to share whatever was on his mind.
If she was being totally honest, she wanted a lot more than that. A
zip of desire scurried through her. Peering at his clean-shaven
skin, his soft brown hair, she wondered what it would be like to be
with him. His appeal was easy and natural. Even his cologne was
subtle. She savored a private smile. But then again, everything
about Cal was subtle and mellow. Easy.

Yes, she decided. That’s what he was.
Cal was easygoing and comfortable. The twinge low in her belly
warned her she thought he was all that and more, but it wasn’t her
place to make the first move. It was the man’s.

A smile worked its way onto his lips
and his gaze softened. “Well, since you asked, our discussion has
been weighing on my mind.”

“
Our discussion?” And it hit
her. His job offer. Annie’s heart fell.
How
could she have forgotten
?

Cal slid the napkin-rolled silverware
aside. “Have you given it any more thought?”

Which part, she wanted to ask—your new
job or me moving?

“
Annie?”

Bothered by the sudden plunge in his
mood, she felt bad. Annie didn’t want to be the sour milk in his
cereal. She wanted to be happy for him. It was clear he wanted the
position as General Manager. But she and Delaney didn’t get along.
If she and Cal ever did become serious, it could put a damper on
their relations. A confusing predicament. Muddled. Delaney was
leasing the land to Harris Hotels. She was practically married to
the owner of the company, Nick Harris. Working for Delaney was the
last thing Annie wanted to do. While Cal didn’t seem to mind the
connection, she did. “I think the job is a great opportunity for
you, Cal,” Annie said, injecting as much cheer into her voice as
she could. “I’m just not sure where I fit in.”

“
I’d like you to fit in
with
me
.” At her
confusion, he laughed, a flush tingeing his cheeks. “You know what
I mean.”

Annie tensed. Drawing her coffee near,
she was hit by the moist, sharp scent. “As in me work for the
hotel, too?” she asked, swept up in visions of Delaney marching
around, barking orders.

Cal grew serious. “Is it only me,
Annie?”

“
Only you what?”

“
I thought we had something
growing between us but you seem to be avoiding it.”

“
I’m not.” She gulped. “We
do.” Heart suddenly racing, she nodded. “We do.”

“
But it can’t include
Serenity Springs,” he concluded dully.

“
I didn’t say that,” she
objected quickly, then dropped her gaze to the cup and saucer in
hand. She encircled it with her fingers, the white porcelain cup
hot to the touch. Kinda like the hot rise at her neck.

“
Okay, but are you
feeling
it?”

Annie didn’t know. She didn’t know what
she was feeling other than she liked Cal. She liked him a lot and
had been pondering a life with him. She knew he was interested but
things were complicated. She had a past. She had issues. Cal didn’t
understand what it was like to struggle. He’d grown up with money
and land, prestige and position. The Fosters were a staple in the
community, one tied to Delaney by their son Jack’s marriage, their
granddaughter Felicity. Cal and Delaney were family. Annie didn’t
feel it was fair to allow her relationship with Delaney to stand in
the way, but honestly, that’s what if felt like at the
moment.

Slowly, Annie lifted her head up and
met his expectant gaze. Somehow, Delaney Wilkins had once again
managed to insert herself into Annie’s business. Sort of. “It’s
complicated, Cal. I have a history with Delaney, a history that
isn’t wonderful.”

“
This isn’t about Delaney.
It’s about you and me.”

“
Cal.”

“
Annie.”

The busy restaurant melted away. The
clamor of cooks in the kitchen, the rush of servers moving in and
around tables, nothing existed but her and Cal and the mountain of
emotion between them. He was asking her a question. He was asking
if a future together was out of the question if he accepted
Malcolm’s job offer. “I don’t want to stand in your way of a great
opportunity, Cal, but it’s like I said, I’ve been needing a change
and well...”

“
You don’t want to limit
yourself to Ladd Springs.”

When Cal said it, it made her sound
like a bad person. Shallow. Almost as if she was dumping him for
greener pastures. “I don’t want to limit myself at all.”

“
I see.”

Annie shot a hand across the
table but Cal didn’t yield. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to
be with you, I
do
.”

“
Do you want me to move with
you?”

The seat bench dropped out from beneath
her. “What?”

“
I would. If you want me
to...”

“
Cal.”

“
Annie.”

She was stunned. She didn’t
know what to say. Cal would forgo a fantastic job offer to be with
her? Nerves sputtered and popped. It was the last thing she
expected. It was more than she expected. Thoughts of the two of
them together in a very serious way flooded her mind, her heart.
She and Cal,
together
. But they’d never said the words, the kind of words that
would warrant such a sacrifice. Annie pressed trembling fingers to
the table.

“
Let’s say we start with
something more simple,” he suggested, easing her building angst.
“I’d like you and Casey to join my family for
Thanksgiving.”

“
Thanksgiving
dinner?”

“
I think it’s time the
family got to know you better.” He smiled. “We start around one, if
that suits you.”

Amazed by Cal’s seamless switch from
offering to move with her to the Foster family dinner, Annie’s mind
was spinning. Was this a trial run for the two of them as a serious
couple? Annie already knew the Fosters. His family was well-known
throughout the community, the boys ranging in age from hers to
several years older. She’d known them all her life, but going to
their home with Cal for a holiday meal was something different. It
was significant. Serious.

Annie glanced about the
restaurant, the normality of hometown gossip against a backdrop of
clinking utensils and suddenly felt foolish. Almost forty years old
and she was
nervous
about going to a grown man’s home for supper. It was
ridiculous! Insanity, though a fresh swarm of nerves pushing
through her stomach and chest served to undercut the notion.
“Sure,” she replied, mentally scrambling through her schedule and
wondering if Casey would prove resistant.

“
My folks will be pleased.
They’ve been hearing an awful lot about you.”

Which meant Cal was talking an awful
lot about her. Anticipation zipped her spine tight as a rod. “Yes,
well...” she stammered, “that’s nice of you to say.”

“
There’s a whole lot more
I’d like to say.” He glanced around the diner. “But this isn’t the
place.”

Chapter Eleven

Arms perched along the four-board
fencing of his family’s ranch, Cal spit a peanut shell into a Solo
cup as he watched Troy Parker work a horse. The midday sun soaked
the landscape around them in warmth, fending off the worst of the
chill. His cowboy hat kept the glare from his vision. Hills rose on
all sides of his family’s property, the colors of fall vibrant,
invigorating to his spirit. Fall had always been Cal’s favorite
time of year because it signaled a time to slow down and cozy up.
Thoughts of Annie came to mind, the two of them nestled around a
fireplace, snuggling close. These days, thoughts of Annie permeated
him, acting as a constant reminder of all he lost in Arizona and
everything he wanted to regain in Tennessee.

Drawn back to Troy who stood in the
middle of the round pen, a coiled rope in his hand, Cal watched
with interest as the boy kept pace with the horse, forcing the
animal to run the perimeter. Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans,
he and the mahogany-colored horse stood out against the white
four-board fencing. The boy’s attention never left the animal as he
walked a tight circle in the center, the animal in constant motion
along the fence. Troy was pushing him, creating a sense of
leadership between horse and human. Troy spoke the entire time,
making an occasional clicking sound from his mouth. With one ear
locked down, Cal could tell the animal was listening to Troy’s
every word, waiting for his next command. Troy made a quick-charge
step, then backed off. The horse reacted, slowing his pace. Cal
smiled when Troy increased his pace in the center of the pen,
noting the horse did likewise. Another quick step and Troy stopped.
The horse stopped, shaking its head with a loud neigh. When Troy
didn’t move, the horse approached him warily, tentatively, walking
all the way to Troy, who reached out and stroked his snout. “Atta
boy,” he said calmly, patting the animal’s side. “Good job.” The
horse licked his lips, a sure sign he understood.

Cal was impressed. This horse had come
to the Fosters from another ranch to be re-trained and sold. The
animal used to be a show jumper but about a year ago went sour. The
horse had no more interest in being ridden, in fact, he’d bucked a
rider off, causing his owner to take him out of commission. At the
moment Troy was evaluating the animal’s personality, assessing how
much work would be needed to get the horse back into shape. Cal
believed the animal simply needed someone to trust, and from his
vantage point Troy was the right man for the job. “He’s a smart
one,” Cal called out.

Troy glanced over and nodded. “Sure
is,” he replied, then began the process again.

“
Cal!”