The Comforts of Home (34 page)

“Real y? You’d teach me?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to venture farther than the back room of the post office right now, but being with Marty and learning something new would be fun.

“Sure, honey. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you. See you at five.” He hung up.

Ronny pul ed a driver’s ed manual she’d found at a garage sale and spent the rest of her lunch hour reading.

Mr. Donavan poked his head in the back room about three. “Ronel e, I heard you moved out last night.” She nodded.

“You need any money or anything, just let me know.”

“Thanks.” She looked up. “Mr. Donavan, do you think you could cal me Ronny? I’ve hated Ronel e for most of my life.”

He grinned. “Sure, Ronny.”

When he left, she pul ed her smal pocketbook from the bag she carried her crosswords in. She had four hundred twenty dol ars in cash. Tomorrow she planned to buy a few new clothes; after that, she had no idea what to do. The reality of thinking everything out for herself took a great deal more figuring than just going along.

MARCH 17

TRUMAN FARM

NOAH FOUND REAGAN CURLED IN A BLANKET IN

ONE OF the lawn chairs in the Truman front yard.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, not real y sure where he stood with her anymore. Since Sunday he’d been busy with therapy, and she’d had lots to do running the farm. She stil talked over everything with the old man, but Noah had the feeling Reagan was taking the reins of the operation.

“Of course not.” She didn’t look at him when he sat down. Her eyes were on the sky. “There’s a storm coming in. Uncle Jeremiah says it’s going to be a bad one.”

“Your uncle a weatherman now?”

She shrugged. “I guess he could be. He’s been watching long enough.”

“Rea.” Noah waited until she looked at him. “I don’t want to talk about the weather. I want to talk about me and you.”

“Okay,” she said, giving him her ful attention.

Great, he thought, now he didn’t know where to start. He did what he always did. He ran straight out. “I hadn’t meant to kiss you the other day when we were at the ranch. It just happened and I can’t say I’m sorry because I’m not. I’ve been thinking about kissing you for what seems like half my life.”

“Al right,” she said with a worried look in her eyes, like she was trying to put a puzzle together.

He tried again. “But when you kissed me in the hal way I was half drunk and didn’t react like I should have.”

“What are you trying to say? Just say it, Noah.”

“I’m saying, if you’re doing comparison shopping I’d like to have another chance.”

“Why?”

He shot up. “That right there is what drives me crazy about you, Rea. You’re always asking questions, digging at some truth. Hel if I know why.”

She stood and walked to the edge of the yard, where shadows were already gathering. “Wel , Preacher, do you want to kiss me again or don’t you?”

“I do, but only if you’l cooperate. No surprise kiss.” She took another step beneath the branches. “Al right.” The wind whipped up. He barely heard her. The tree above them began to sway, blocking anyone’s view from the house.

Noah moved up in front of her. He would have liked to put his arms around her, but with the cast, he couldn’t hold her. If she wanted to step away, she’d have no trouble.

He leaned down and slid his hand along the side of her neck and into her curly hair. He’d kissed her before a few times when he was more kid than man, but this time he wanted to kiss her completely.

She looked up at him as if expecting a trick, and he saw more of the girl in her than the woman, but when his lips touched hers the woman in her seemed to come alive. She leaned into him and crossed her arms behind his neck like she had no intention of letting him go.

Their kiss mirrored the approaching storm. Wild and reckless. Unlike any kiss he’d ever had or thought about.

The surprise, the feel of her against him, the depth of feeling running through him almost buckled his knees. He circled one arm around her waist and held on tight as he lifted her off the ground. This wasn’t just his best friend in his arms, this was about to be his lover for the rest of his life if he got lucky.

When he final y broke the kiss, he breathed her in deep, loving the way she felt against him. Al the rodeo queens and bar babes disappeared in his mind. She was what he wanted . . . she’d always been what he wanted.

“The storm’s starting,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he answered, thinking only of kissing her again.

“Noah, put me down.” She struggled in his hold. “We’d better run for the house.”

She was gone before it dawned on him that it was raining. He took off after her.

They hit the door at the same time, laughing and shaking off water like wet dogs. He wanted to kiss her again, but they were no longer alone.

The moment, the magic, was gone.

AFTERNOON,

MARTY

DROVE

RONNY ALL THE way to Amaril o. They went shopping at the mal and bought Ronny clothes she never dreamed she’d be wearing. Long skirts and sandals. Jeans that fit and western shirts that she tucked in. A double-breasted raincoat that looked like she could be a spy in it—and boots. Red cowboy boots that looked great with the jeans.

“Now when we go to Buffalo’s to listen to Border and Beau, you’l fit right in at the place.” Marty grinned. “I don’t know when I’ve had so much fun. What do you say, let’s toss the bags in the trunk and go back in to buy another round.”

“No, I only have a few things to pick up and then I’m starving.”

She had him wait in the car while she ran into Target to pick up a few personal things she needed. While she was there she picked up Autumn a few new books. When she ran back to the car with two bags Marty wanted to know what she bought, but she wouldn’t tel him. How could she explain how much fun it was to buy little things like lip gloss and panties without her mother looking over her shoulder?

They made a stop at a bank branch where she’d been sending her extra money for nine years. She signed up for a checking account and got a debit card.

They ate Mexican food at a place cal ed The Plaza on Interstate 40 where Marty claimed he had the best stuffed sopapil as on the planet. As he ate al of his and half of hers, they planned what she would do. Ronny wanted to just coast for a while, but he loved details. She’d never seen him so excited, so happy. He might want to drift in his life, but he saw lots of roads she could go down.

They were back in Harmony by nine. Even in the shadows she could tel he was tired.

When he pul ed up to the funeral home, Dal as Logan’s car was parked out front.

“I could drive you to the back,” Marty offered, “or take you home with me. I wouldn’t mind that at al .” She had a feeling she’d be asking too much if she asked for his help now. “Take me to the back, and then I’l walk out front and talk to her. I’m not afraid of her anymore.” Marty nodded.

Ronny took her bags in through the kitchen, then slipped on a sweatshirt and walked to the front hal way.

Tyler was there. “Do you need help?”

She shook her head. “This is something I have to do alone.”

Ronny knew he was watching her as she walked down the steps to where her mother sat beneath the streetlight.

Dal as Logan could have been a stuffed dummy in the car.

She didn’t move, but faced straight ahead as if she couldn’t hear the tapping of new boots coming toward her.

“Hel o, Mother,” Ronny said.

Silence. Dal as saved silence for the worst times. Those rare times when she got too angry to even speak.

“How are you?” Ronny tried.

Nothing.

Ronny waited, knowing Dal as wouldn’t be able to hold in her rage for long.

Final y, it came fast and hateful. “I’m so embarrassed at what you’ve done. I’m the laughingstock of this town to have a daughter like you. I may never live down what you’ve done.” She gulped a breath and delivered what she’d come to say. “I have no daughter; you’re as dead to me as everyone else in my family. Never contact me. Never speak to me if you pass me. Never. Do you hear me? Never.” Ronny was sure everyone within two blocks heard Dal as. Al her life Ronny felt like she’d always said she was sorry for everything, but not this time.

She stepped back from the car and smiled. “Good-bye, Dal as.”

She turned and walked back up the stairs as Dal as slammed the car into gear and drove off.

Tyler stil stood in the doorway, as if silently letting her know that he had her back. They walked inside and closed the door. He gave her one of his great hugs and said good night.

Autumn had already gone to bed, so Ronny took a shower and slipped into one of her new gowns. After she turned out the light, she tiptoed to the front of the house and stood in the darkness. Dal as Logan never made mistakes, so she’d never take back her words. A part of Ronny’s life had ended as quickly as a branch snaps beneath the weight of an ice storm. A tear rol ed down her face. It had taken her mother twenty-seven years to abandon the child she never wanted.

The place was silent as Ronny let tears fal . Little noise could pass through the thick wal s, but tonight it wouldn’t have mattered. Ronny climbed into her bed and pul ed the covers over her head, and cried for the first and last time for her mother.

MARCH 18

TYLER WORKED THE GRAVESIDE SERVICE, THEN

DROPPED the family off at the funeral home for the lunch Stel a and Autumn had prepared. He had about an hour to kil before he had to start setting up for a ful funeral at four, and the bad weather was already giving him headaches.

As he drove through town trying to decide where to eat lunch, he worried about the tent Calvin and the men at the cemetery were fighting to get moved to another site by four.

The wind had been kicking up dirt al morning, making the sky look hazy, and now clouds were gathering. There would be two hundred people at the next funeral and the weather was getting worse by the minute. He’d have al his people out to help with the funeral; even Stel a had promised to help Calvin with moving the flowers to the church and then setting up everything before people started arriving. The family said folks would be coming from three states. On top of the numbers and the weather and the mud they’d be fighting if it rained, the man who’d died was a rancher. He wanted a riderless horse to lead the funeral procession from the church to the cemetery. Tyler had already borrowed two extra family cars from Gray’s Funeral Home over in Bailee and wasn’t sure he’d have enough.