Texas Tango: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 2 (22 page)

Sylvia Landry held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Graham. Olivia speaks so highly of you.”

“Caroline, please,” she said as she took the older woman’s hand. “And I feel that way about Olivia.” She leaned forward and said in a stage whisper, “But it’s your grandson who’s stolen my heart.”

Sylvia’s face lit up at the mention of her grandson. “Ain’t he a little corker? You meet Daisy yet?”

“Oh, yes. It was quite the welcoming party out front.”

“Yes, Daisy was a little surprise from his Nana Su-Su,” Olivia said with a hip bump to Sylvia. “Good thing I’m so awesome to let her stay.”

“Do you mean Sylvia or the dog?” Lydia asked with a wink.

All the women laughed.

Sylvia was obviously not put off at all by Olivia’s comments and simply laughed with the rest of them. “Every little boy needs a dog.”

“That’s right,” Jackie Montgomery said as she came over to give Caroline a quick peck on the cheek. “How are you? You look wonderful.”

“Thank you. By the way, I meant to tell you that the flowers you sent for Mamie’s service were lovely. It was so thoughtful of you.”

“Of course, dear. You’re like one of the family.”

“See?” Olivia said over her shoulder. She’d stepped across the room to check whatever dish was in the oven. “That’s what I told her, Mom.”

“Can I do something to help?” Caroline asked, not wanting to think about those days in Arkansas. If she did, she’d remember the feel of Travis’s lips on hers, the heat from his body when he’d held her while she wept, the roughness of his fingers when he’d stroked the tears from her cheeks.

Damn. Too late. Her heart sighed. She didn’t need to get attached to people she’d be leaving soon.

“Oh, yes,” Lydia said. She handed Caroline a wineglass with a golden-colored liquid. “You can help by drinking this wine before it goes bad.”

Caroline laughed. “I’m here to help,” she said and took a sip. Pinot grigio. Her favorite.

A dog barking followed by the sound of dog nails scratching on the hardwood floor announced the arrival of Adam and Daisy.

“Hey, Mom,” Adam said. “Dad wants to know if you bought that spensive water for Uncle Travis?”

“You can go tell him yes,” Olivia answered without turning around.

“Dad!” Adam yelled down the hall. “Mom says yes.”

“Adam.” Olivia turned, her hands on her hips. “We have guests. Plus, you know better than to yell in the house.”

“Sorry,” her son replied, not an ounce of sincerity in his voice. His gaze rolled to the plate of chocolate-chip cookies on the counter. “Can I have a cookie?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little too close to dinner for a cookie?”

In a motion that looked so much like his father, Adam looked at the inexpensive watch he’d gotten for his sixth birthday and sighed loudly. “It’s ten minutes after six.” Looking up at her, he added, “Dad says it’s never the wrong time for a cookie or a beer.”

Caroline stifled a laugh and watched Olivia pull the best stern face she could manage in the situation. The other women in the room suddenly found the need to take gulps of wine.

“Did he now?” Olivia said. “I’ll be having a word with him.”

Adam shrugged. “Anyway, Dad says Uncle Travis needs something to drink.”

“Your poor Uncle Travis have broken legs that prevent him from coming for his own drink?”

Adam frowned. “No.” His eyes rolled up and to the left as though in thought. “But Uncle Travis said he’d give me a dollar if I’d bring him a bottle of water.”

Olivia looked at her mother, who returned the look with a one-shoulder shrug. “Don’t look at me,” Jackie said.

“You spoiled him rotten, Mom.” She went over to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of sparkling water and handed it to her son. “Tell your dad it’s time to eat.”

“
Dad!
” Adam yelled as he charged down the hall. “Mom says come eat.”

As soon as the boy cleared the room, all the women burst into laughter, Jackie Montgomery laughing the hardest. She looked at Sylvia and said, “Don’t you love when they pay for their upbringing?”

Olivia rolled her eyes at the two cackling women.

“Okay, now what can we do to help?” Caroline asked.

Olivia pulled a large roast from the oven, followed by mashed potatoes, gravy, black-eyed peas, creamed corn and rolls. She cradled each dish with a heavy towel and passed it to one of the willing kitchen helpers. Heavenly aromas filled the air as each dish was withdrawn. “Will you take these to the serving sideboard? There should be hot-plate trivets already there. I thought each person could fill his own plate from there. It makes the table less crowded.”

Caroline took the corn and peas and followed Lydia into a large formal dining room set for ten adults and one child. Each adult place had been set with translucent bone china, sterling-silver flatware and crystal. Adam’s spot sported a superhero plate with matching glass and small utensils. The sparkling chandelier over the table threw rainbow colors across the white tablecloth and onto the off-white china. An arch of burgundy candles stood at the ready to be lit.

“Your room is lovely,” Caroline said to Olivia when she entered carrying the sliced roast.

“Thanks. I guess you’ve heard the story about this house?”

Caroline nodded. “I heard it was kind of a surprise.”

Olivia snorted. “You could say that. But I can’t imagine finding a house I love more than this one.”

“Could it be the man and boy you share it with?” Caroline suggested.

“Could be. Help me get some drinks in here?”

“Sure.”

When they came back with the pitchers of sweet tea, the men had found their way from the man cave to the dining room. Someone had lit the candle arch on the table.

“Grab a plate,” Olivia said. “It’s family-style serve yourself.”

Caroline smiled. Family-style. When was the last time anyone she knew used fine china and sterling for a casual family dinner? On the other hand, why have nice things if you didn’t share them with family and friends?

“Here you go.” A plate bumped against Caroline’s knuckles. She looked up into Travis’s blue eyes. Her knees did their usual melting act whenever he was around. No matter what she had thought about him before this past month, she now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he was one of the good guys.

“Thanks.” She took the plate offered. “Everything smells so good.”

“Mom always was a great cook. Olivia learned from her.”

“Thanks, honey,” Jackie Montgomery said and gave him a brush of her lips on his cheek.

“You were, Mom. Heck, still are.”

Jackie beamed from Travis’s compliments.

Plates full, the adults moved back to the table. Caroline found herself seated with Travis on her right and his father on her left and Sylvia Landry next to him. Mitch took the head of the table and his father snagged the corresponding chair at the other end. Across the table, Adam sat in an elevated chair between his father and mother. Next to Olivia was Lydia and then Jason.

Caroline allowed her gaze to move across the family faces, recognizing her small twinge of envy at not only their closeness but also their numbers. Becoming a doctor had required long hours of study and countless sacrifices, but she’d accepted long ago that a family and children would be one of those personal sacrifices for her professional career.

As soon as everyone was seated, Mitch stood and tapped his water glass.

“Olivia and I want to thank you all for coming tonight. We realize it was short notice but…” He reached over and took Olivia’s hand. She stood and moved to stand beside him. “We have news we wanted to share with all of you at the same time.” He looked at Olivia. “Right?”

She gave him a nod. “We do.” She turned to the family and an ecstatic grin broke across both their faces. “We’re pregnant.”

Suddenly everybody was talking at once, congratulating the couple, asking when the baby was due, asking Adam what he thought about having a baby brother or sister. The noise level continued to rise until Travis stood. He tapped his glass with his knife, but no one paid him any mind. A red flush climbed from his neck to his face. He tapped again and again, but the congratulations continued. Finally, he stuck two fingers between his lips and produced a shockingly loud whistle. All heads turned to him.

“Let me get this straight,” he said in a tone so quiet and calm it reminded Caroline of the weather right before a tornado. “You have gotten my sister, my unmarried sister, pregnant again? You lousy—”

Olivia answered his sharp whistle with one of her own. “You stop right there, Travis. I’m a grown woman. You have no right to pass judgment. I’m thrilled about this baby. Completely overjoyed.”

“Now, Olivia,” he started.

Mitch held up his hand like a football ref for a time-out. “Travis. Olivia has told the story a little out of order.” He looked at Olivia. “Don’t bait the bear. Behave.”

Olivia’s eyes twinkled as she linked arms with Mitch. “Oops. Maybe I should have mentioned this first. Mitch and I are getting married.”

The hoopla of congratulations started up again. Travis dropped back into his chair. Caroline leaned over and whispered, “Why do I think you guys used to torture Olivia and her boyfriends when she was growing up? I think you just got served some revenge.”

To her surprise, Travis laughed. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” He lifted his water glass. “Congratulations.”

“So, honey,” Jackie Montgomery said. “When is the big day? The wedding I mean.”

Olivia and Mitch exchanged a quick look before she said, “We’ve been talking about that. We want to do it soon, but since both of us have been through the big church wedding, we think a small wedding with just family would be perfect. Then maybe a big celebration with all our family and friends.”

“Sounds just like you two,” Sylvia Landry said. “So do you have a particular date in mind?”

“We were hoping we could piggyback on Travis’s annual barbeque. Most of our friends will be in town for that. It only makes sense to not make them come back just for our reception. What do you say, Travis?”

He shrugged. “As long as you two are paying, that works for me. But you do realize that the rodeo is in two weeks, right?”

“We know,” Mitch said, then hugged Olivia. “That’s what Olivia wants, and what she wants, I want.” He grinned at Travis. “We’ll pay for everything. The beef for the barbeque. The beer and wine. All the beans, cole slaw, bread plus the dessert, which will be cake.”

Olivia crossed over to Travis and draped her arms around his neck. “Besides, your baby sister is kind of knocked up. It’d be better if we got married quickly.”

Travis swatted her rear. “Mitch, I hope you know what you’re getting into.”

Olivia went back to Mitch and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Too late. He’s mine now.”

Mitch kissed her.

Adam, who’d been listening to the conversation, looked at his mother and said, “What’s knocked up?”

The adults laughed. Olivia kissed his forehead. “I’ll tell you later, but you’ll like it. It involves cake.”

“Goodie!”

The mood at the table was festive and the conversations lively. Caroline ate and laughed and tried to pretend she wasn’t affected by Travis’s closeness. The fact he’d pressed his thigh into hers hadn’t gone unnoticed by her dancing hippos, who’d added tumbling to their routine. She hoped her face and overenthusiastic laughter at Travis’s bad jokes didn’t tip her hand.

So she’d developed feelings for him. Big deal. She’d live. She leaned close a couple of times just to store a memory of his scent…clean and masculine with a touch of sandalwood.

Olivia stood. “Why don’t we have coffee and cake in the man cave so we can all watch Cash get those few points he needs to qualify for the Nationals in Las Vegas.”

“But, Olivia. It’s a man cave. Mitch told me no women allowed,” Travis said.

Everybody laughed.

“Tough,” Olivia said. “Tonight it’s an eighty-inch-flat-screen-TV-viewing room. Or else no dessert.”

“She plays rough,” Mitch said in a stage whisper. “You better just agree.”

Before everyone moved to Mitch’s man cave, the doorbell began to chime. Olivia and Mitch exchanged quick glances.

“You expecting anyone else?” Mitch asked.

Olivia shook her head. “Nope. You?”

“No. I’ll see who it is if you ladies will rustle up some coffee and dessert.”

“We’ll clear the dishes. C’mon, Jason. Give me a hand,” Travis said, stacking his plate on top of Caroline’s.

Mitch headed to the front door as the guys began collecting the dishes to carry back to the kitchen. Travis was shoving his chair under the table when Mitch returned with John Webster, Travis’s foreman.

“John. Is something wrong at the ranch?” Concern deepened the grooves bracketing Travis’s mouth as his lips pulled tight.

“Sorry for bothering you folks, but, Travis, there’s someone here who says he’s your brother-in-law.”

“Excuse me?” Travis’s brow knitted into a frown.

Caroline stopped walking toward the kitchen and turned around. Her stomach fell to her knees. Surely not…