Hanna shook her head. “That man worries too much about his image. There’s nothing wrong with having a big Christmas tree. I say the bigger the better. Although I don’t know how we’re going to get the lights all the way to the top.”
“That’s why I had the delivery men place it in the corner. We can use the library ladder. Butyou don’t need to help. You have dinner to worry about. I’ve got this.”
Hanna nodded. “You holler if you need me. And be careful on that ladder.”
As Hanna left the room, Jolene started digging through the boxes they’d brought down from the attic. She hoped they had enough lights. It would take quite a few strands to cover the large tree. She had just found the box with all the lights when the doorbell chimed. Since Hanna was busy in the kitchen and her father was still at the bank, Jolene hurried to answer it. She thought it would be one of her book club friends who stopped by occasionally to borrow a book from her library. But it wasn’t one of her friends.
It was Cal Daily.
It had been raining on and off all day, and his black Stetson was beaded with raindrops and his worn jean jacket damp at the shoulders. Her heart did a strange little flutter.
“Mr. Daily?”
He pulled off his hat and held it in front of his chest. His light brown hair was combed back from his forehead and smoothed behind his ears. “Miss Applegate.”
She waited for him to explain what he was doing on her front stoop. When he didn’t, she asked, “Can I help you?”
He shifted his weight and cleared his throat. “I was wondering if we could talk.”
The only things Jolene could think of that they had to talk about was the tire he’d fixed or the loan she’d approved for him. Since she couldn’tsee him dropping by her house to talk about a tire when he could easily have called her, it must be the loan. And she’d just as soon not talk about the loan when her father could show up at anytime. Her father had rejected Cal’s loan application because of his bad credit. But rejecting Cal’s loan after all he’d been through had seemed like a grave injustice to Jolene. So for the first time in her life, she had overridden her father’s decision and given Cal the loan. If her father found out, all hell would break loose. But she couldn’t leave Cal standing on her front stoop in the rain either.
She stepped back. “Please come in, Mr. Daily.”
Cal wiped his feet on the mat, and then stepped inside, bringing with him the smell of fresh rain and some kind of spicy soap. It was a heady combination that left Jolene feeling a little lightheaded. Or maybe it was Cal’s proximity that made her dizzy. For the last week, he had occupied the majority of her thoughts. It seemed that their last two encounters had fueled a plethora of fantasies. With him standing so near, all those wicked fantasies came flooding back.
“Miss Applegate?”
She blinked away the wicked thoughts and held out a hand. “Here, let me take your hat and coat.”
He handed her his hat, then shrugged out of his jean jacket. Beneath he wore a black western shirt that fit his lean, muscled body to perfection and brought out the gold in his hazel eyes. As he handed her his jacket, their fingers brushed. Just like the times before when they’d touched, she felt like she’d touched a live electrical wire thatfried her brain and melted her body.
“Is everything okay, Jolene?”
She stepped away and turned to see Hanna standing in the hallway that led to the kitchen. “Everything is fine, Hanna. Mr. Daily is just here on business.”
Hanna smiled. “Hello, Cal. I sure appreciated you coming out when my car broke down on the highway. My friend Berta said she had to wait three hours for her auto club to send someone from Abilene.”
“No problem,” Cal said. “And tell Berta to call me next time and I’ll be right out.”
“I sure will.” Hanna walked over and took Cal’s hat and jacket from Jolene. “I’ll take care of these. You two get on with your business.”
“This way, Mr. Daily,” Jolene said as she led Cal to the library. On the way, she glanced back to find him looking at the family portraits that hung on the wall.
The Applegates were a dreary lot. They’d all been serious, stern people who didn’t socialize with the townsfolk because they didn’t want people thinking they’d get special treatment at the bank. Banking had made them the richest people in Simple, Texas. It had given them the biggest house and the best educations and the most power. What it hadn’t given them was happiness. Jolene couldn’t remember one ancestor who’d been happy. The Applegates didn’t believe in living life to the fullest and having fun.
Every Applegate but Charlotte.
Something that Cal easily spotted when hestopped in front of Jolene’s and Charlotte’s portrait.
“Your sister was always smiling.”
Jolene looked at the picture. Charlotte looked like a smiling ray of sunshine while Jolene looked as somber and boring as the rest of their relatives.
“How is she?” Cal asked.
“Living happily in Austin, working as a physical therapist. She’s dating a pediatrician who she’s madly in love with. They’re leaving on Saturday for a three-week vacation to Maui.” Jolene was sad that Charlotte wasn’t coming home for Christmas. Without her sister, the holidays would be dismal. And maybe that was why she’d gotten such a large tree. She was trying to make up for her sister’s absence. But when Cal halted in the doorway of the library with wide eyes, she wished she’d gotten one a little smaller.
She felt her face heat and quickly held out her hand. “Please come in and sit down.” Except there was no place to sit. The couch and chairs were filled with boxes. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I forgot about all the decorations. Let’s go into my father’s study. It will be more appropriate for business.”
