Joshua's Folly (7 page)

Of course, Mary would’ve said, “Ah, the little chemist at work.”

“So, what’s the debate this morning? You need to redeem yourself, Josh.” There. Maybe that would get his mind off her strange consumption practices.

He guffawed. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

Josh scanned the newspaper. “I’m a little scared to ask this one, but here it goes: What is the best pizza topping?”

“That’s simple, I always have an opinion about food. That’s more of a personal preference than a debate, though.”

“All debates are personal preference.”

“You boggle my mind.”

“Does this mean you have nothing more to say on the subject?”

“Oh, I have plenty to say. The logical answer is, of course, cheese. It’s common to all pizza. It can’t even be a pizza without cheese, therefore that’s the obvious best topping.”

“Cheese is a given. Let’s take it out of the equation. Now what is the best pizza topping?”

“Oh, that’s easy. Barbeque sauce, chicken, and broccoli. It’s different, it’s healthy, and it’s good.”

Josh cringed. “Are you messin’ with me?”

“Nope. I’m entirely serious.” It really was her favorite pizza. “Haven’t you ever tried it?”

“No, and I don’t want to. That’s disgusting. Pepperoni is the best pizza topping. It’s the most commonly ordered topping and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like it.”

Marisa smiled under her breath. There were no pauses between their comments, they seemed to roll out of them uninhibitedly. Josh was fun to debate with, and she liked getting a rise out of him. He became quite animated as he spoke, his eyes bright with humor. He knew very well they were playing with each other instead of being totally serious.

“Time for a tiebreaker,” Marisa suggested. “Bethany?”

“Cheese,” she said as if it was a no-brainer.

“Constance!” Josh yelled. And then to Marisa he mouthed, “Tiebreaker.”

Constance rushed in. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong, we just have a question for you. What is the best pizza topping?”

“Pepperoni,” she answered immediately, without hesitation.

Josh chuckled. “I win.”

“We’re one for one, on an even playing field. Agreed?”

“Absolutely. But tomorrow will be telling. Are you sure you want to do this, Marisa? Losing can sometimes be hard.”

“I know, especially when a man loses to a woman. Can you handle it, Josh?”

“I can handle anything, Marisa.”

Constance laughed as she said, “You two!” and left the room.

Marisa shared a slow smile with Josh, again pleased with the connection between them. She knew he was enjoying this as much as she was.

As he left, wearing chaps and looking ruggedly handsome, he gave her an envelope filled with the information she needed to be able to order over the internet. “You can use my computer in the office. I’ll be out riding the ranch all morning.”

A vision of him wafted through her mind, galloping over a prairie astride Carson, the wind in his hair, the sun on his skin, a cloud of dust in his wake as he wields a…whip? A lasso? No, a lariat—it sounded cooler—while capturing and directing cattle across the great expanse of Kensington Ranch. During her brief fantasy, cliché western music played in the depths of her psyche—background music to daydream by…

“Marisa?”

“Huh?” Back to reality. “Thanks, Josh. Do I have a budget?”

“Use your best judgment.”

“That’s really dangerous, you do know that, don’t you?”

“I trust you, Marisa,” he said as he left with an amused smile.

He sure did. He’d left her with usernames, passwords and credit card information. Marisa and Bethany spent the next two hours online, poring over a variety of children’s books. Bethany could hardly contain her excitement over the idea of new books with different plots.

When Marisa suggested they look at new clothing, Bethany jumped up and down elatedly. It wasn’t the same as going to a store and trying things on, but it was the next best thing. Picking new clothes took another hour and a half. Marisa found that Bethany had definite feelings about color. For example, things were never just green to her. They were hunter green, pine green, olive green, apple green, forest green, jungle green, sea green or yellow-green. She was very opinionated and it surprised Marisa. They all just looked green to her. Choosing blues was even harder. There was navy blue, sky blue, cornflower blue, turquoise blue, periwinkle blue, midnight blue, cobalt blue, denim, and cerulean. It frustrated Bethany when the clothing item was offered as simply blue and then after viewing it, you found that it was light blue or dark blue. She couldn’t understand why they didn’t differentiate between the colors. Marisa found her knowledge of colors impressive and amusing all at once.

By the time they were done and the colors were to Bethany’s liking, they had chosen four pairs of shorts, three pairs of capris, two pairs of jeans, four pairs of leggings, ten very feminine shirts, and three sundresses.

“That’s quite a wardrobe,” Josh’s deep voice said from right behind them, startling them. They’d been so engrossed in their clothes project, they hadn’t even noticed him enter the room. “I like the pink dress.”

“It’s fuchsia, Dad.”

Josh laughed and then by way of explanation added for Marisa’s benefit, “Bethany is a fine connoisseur of color. We have
Crayola
to thank for it. Her favorite pastime is coloring.”

“I found that out,” Marisa commented, equally amused.

During lunch Josh asked, “How would my two young ladies like to go out on a date tonight?”

Bethany clapped her hands and Marisa smiled. “Where to?” she asked as she drowned her salad in grated cheese and ranch dressing, just the way she liked it.

“I thought…” Josh paused for a moment, watching her take a bite, perhaps wondering if she would actually like it.

She did.

He visibly swallowed. Hard. “I thought we would go to Palo Duro Canyon to see the play they perform out there. It’s fantastic, Marisa, you’ll love it. It’s a musical drama. They serve a real Texas barbeque beforehand.”

Marisa’s interest was piqued at the mention of food. “Sounds great,” she said, ignoring the impulse to jump up and down and clap her hands like Bethany.

Late that afternoon, they headed into Amarillo in Josh’s truck with a king cab. He said it would be more comfortable than the jeep as the drive home would be late at night. Josh told Bethany she looked adorable in her orange shorts outfit and Bethany immediately corrected him.

“Thanks, Dad. It’s coral.”

Josh just shook his head. Bethany was truly obsessed with colors.

After they’d been driving for quite some time, Marisa accused Josh of lying to her. There was obviously nothing out here but flat land and yellow weeds, when to Marisa’s great surprise, suddenly, just to the right of them, the land dropped off into a huge canyon. It was so sudden. You would never even know it was there until you came upon it. They took the sometimes steep and windy road down into the canyon and it was amazing to Marisa that this existed at all. You’d think there was nothing for miles, as far as the eye could see, and then, boom, a whole new world. It was amazing. The land truly deceived the eye. It made her wonder how the early settlers and the Indians must have felt when they stumbled upon this huge canyon. After a sea of flat land in every direction, it must’ve seemed like an absolute oasis.

They parked and got in line for the Texas barbeque as live country music played in the courtyard. Marisa ate heartily and consumed two servings of everything. She could easily eat Josh under the table, yet he didn’t seem bothered by it, or at least if he was, he didn’t remark upon her healthy appetite. When she dipped each bite of her peach cobbler in ranch dressing, he couldn’t hide a cringe. Marisa asked if he’d like to try a bite, but he courteously refused. Go figure.

Soon it was time for the show to begin. It was appropriately titled, “Texas!” They took their seats with Bethany sitting between them. The show was an outdoor musical with the walls of the canyon as the walls of the theater. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, the show started as the sun set with the sound of a trumpet solo and the sight of a lone horseman on the cliffs above riding his horse across the expanse while holding the Texas flag. It was a sight that gave you goose bumps. Bethany ended up moving to her dad’s lap and Josh motioned for her to scoot next to him. Josh looped his arm around her, and kept it there throughout the entire play—making the night even more perfect. The play itself was fabulous with singing, dancing, fantastic scenery, and special effects. It was the story of the early settlers in Texas and some of the plights they faced. It was also the story of a budding romance. The play was patriotic and ended with fireworks that took your breath away. Bethany was wide awake for the entire play and loved it.

“Did ya’ll enjoy it?” Josh asked.

“Yes! It was great!” Bethany chimed.

“Thank you, Josh. It was wonderful,” Marisa answered. Almost as wonderful as him, and that was saying a lot.

It was almost midnight before they were on their way back home with Bethany sound asleep in the backseat, snuggled comfortably with several blankets and a pillow. It was as if it was just the two of them for the next two hours in the close confines of the car. The dark interior and the low hum of the engine made the situation suddenly feel intimate in nature.

He patted the middle seat next to him. “Why don’t you move over here? Then we won’t wake Bethany with our voices.”

Say no more, you don’t have to convince me
. She scooted over and fastened her seatbelt. Once they left Amarillo proper, the highway to the ranch was dark and deserted. Josh’s hand left the steering wheel and rested lightly on her knee.

“Marisa, I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done with Bethany. It’s only been a short time and I can already see a difference in her.”

“You’re a good father, Josh. She adores you.”
And so do I.
She rested her hand on his knee as she said it and let her head rest on his shoulder. It didn’t take thought on her part, it just felt natural. His legs were long, so in a relaxed position her hand didn’t quite reach his knee—instead it ended up resting on his thigh, about halfway past his knee. He didn’t object, so she left it there. She liked sitting this way with him, holding each other. It was as if one of her childhood dreams had come true.

“Have you ever had dreams that seem so real, you’re absolutely positive you were really there, that it really happened?” she asked randomly.

“Actually, I used to have this recurring nightmare that all the cattle turned into flesh eating monsters with huge red horns. They were coming for us and they wanted to eat us.” He shivered. “Guess a psychologist would say I have some guilty feelings that are being manifested in my dreams.”

Marisa giggled. “I have a recurring nightmare that I swallowed my mouthwash that I’d just gargled with before I went to bed. I wake up in a panic, sure that I accidently swallowed it. I’m not really sure what that says about me.”

“I’m not sure either,” Josh said with a chortle. A few moments of comfortable silence passed. “Do you remember your parents very well, Marisa?”

“Yes, vividly,” she said quietly, unsure that she wanted to delve into those memories. “They were only five minutes from home when the car accident occurred that took their lives. So close to home, five minutes away, and yet gone forever. Just like your astronaut, so close to home.” Pushing away the painful memory, Marisa contemplated on the sensation she felt while at Josh’s ranch. She had the overwhelming feeling of having arrived home. When you’ve experienced not having a home, it means more to you than anything in the world. She decided not to voice that thought.

“Tell me more about you, Marisa. What are your likes and dislikes?” Josh inquired.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that.” She thought about her weird little idiosyncrasies and decided to share them. After all, if this was headed where she hoped, he may as well know everything about her. “In case you haven’t noticed, I love to eat and I hate when people tell me I’ll get fat.”

“Really?” he said a little too casually.

He started to laugh and she hit at his leg playfully. “No laughing, it’s your turn next.”

That sobered him. “In that case, my lips are sealed and I’m all ears.”

“I love to eat potato salad with chocolate cake, that is, together on the same bite, a scoop of potato salad and a scoop of chocolate cake, the perfect bite. I also love to eat peanut butter and cheese sandwiches. I’ve been told I’m a quirky eater and even though I’m aware it’s weird, it doesn’t seem weird to me.”

Josh visibly flinched, but didn’t comment. She decided to take his silence as active acceptance of her quirkiness. Either that or he was trying to resist the urge to upchuck.

“I love to get up in the middle of the night and drink hot chocolate. It helps me sleep. It used to drive Mary nuts.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I sleep with a nightlight on and I even brought one with me in my luggage,” she admitted a little sheepishly. “I don’t like pitch black darkness. It’s creepy.”

He turned the interior car light on and said, “Is that better?” Bethany turned in her seat and he quickly turned it off as they muffled their laughter. “Anything else I need to know?” he asked.

“I love to debate.”

“That one, I know. From firsthand experience.”

“Mary says I could be locked in a padded room and never get bored. I have an active imagination.”
Mostly about you.

Josh laughed at the humorous turn she’d taken on his original question.

“Oh and I love to run. I love the feel of the wind in my face. Mary and I used to run every morning. I need to take it up again. I’m getting out of shape.”

“Why don’t we start running every morning together? I used to, but got out of the habit. We can keep each other goin’. The Folly’s the perfect place for a morning jog.”

“Deal. So tell me about you?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Tell me everything.”

He was quiet for several moments, thinking. “I’m pretty simple, really. I like an easy, relaxed lifestyle without the hustle and bustle of city life. I love my ranch and I love fast horses that are just a little bit dangerous to ride. I love the brilliant colors of a Texas sunset. I look forward to the quiet house at the midnight hour. If you have somethin’ that needs to be thought out, it’s the best time for thinkin’. When it comes to food, I’m a walkin’ contradiction. I hate avocados, but I love guacamole dip. I hate egg salad sandwiches, but I love deviled eggs and I hate onions, but love onion rings. Go figure. I can’t explain it. And I’m anything but indecisive. Once I make a decision, I’m hard pressed to change my mind. I know what I want, I know what I like and it’s as simple as that. I don’t apologize for it.”