Boots And Booties Part 15

"No, Addie. He's yours. So put on some makeup and go hunt him down. Give hima chance to sweep you off your feet again."

"He's angry."

"He's hurt. Go say you're sorry and haul him back to bed. Or I'm going tocall your mother."

"That's not even remotely funny." Addie certainly didn't want to hear whatPaula would have to say aboutCalleaving the ranch, and his unborn child. She'dbe here this afternoon and find out soon enough, though.

The boys ran into the kitchen and started hollering about going to the barn."I have to go. The boys are going riding before the party at school."

"Good luck," Kate said. "And don't be a fool. Go after him."

Easier said than done.

"But this isn't right,"John sputtered. "Calvin, you know darn well this isn'tright at all."

"I offered to marry her,"Calsaid, shoving his small pile of clothing into acardboard box. "I begged her to marry me. She said no."

"She'll change her mind," the old man insisted. "Surely she'll come to hersenses any day now."

"I can't do it, John." He gathered up an armful of books and tossed them intoa paper bag. "I can't stay here and watch from a distance while she raises mychild and dates the local plumber, or the guy who owns the insurance businessonMain Street. She thinks she's better off without me and maybe she's right."

"Aw,Cal, come on, son." He followedCalinto the kitchen and out the door,butCaldidn't slow down. He was determined to load up his truck and get theh.e.l.l out of Nowhere.

"Dammit, McDonald," the old man muttered. "You've gone too far."

"Not far enough,"Calsaid, and went back into his house for another load asJohn shuffled toward his own place, presumably to cuss in private.

Not long afterwards,Calcaught a glimpse of Addie and her sons heading towardthe corral, but that didn't slowCal's packing. He watched to see if she wouldhead his way after taking the boys to John for their riding lesson, but shereturned to the house without looking in his direction. She wore sungla.s.ses, afloppy hat and the green dress she'd worn for his birthday party. She lookedpregnant and luscious and completely unattainable.

So he returned to his house, opened a can of soda and continued to pack. Hedidn't know he had so much stuff, but with any luck he could be out of here intwenty minutes. He'd just put the last box in the back of the truck when heheard John calling him.

"Cal!"

He went around to the front of the truck to see the old man standing thereholding a rifle. "What are you doing, John?"

"Making a point," the old man growled. "I don't want no one going nowhere,least of all the father of my next great-grandchild."

"What?" The old man had spent too much time in the sun, wasCal's firstthought. The other was that John had suddenly gone insane.

"You heard me." He lifted the rifle to his shoulder and pointed ittowardCal."Get away from that truck,Cal, and come with me to see Addie. We'llget this settled in no time at all."

"Put the gun down,"Calsaid, holding up his hands as if he was about to bearrested. "We'll go inside and talk. I still have a couple of Mountain Dews inthe fridge and-"

"Nope." He gestured with the rifle, andCalcouldn't tell if this was some kindof joke or the desperate act of a man who'd watched too many televisionwesterns. "We're going to talk to Addie, and you're getting married."

"John?" Addie came hurrying down the road, kicking up little b.a.l.l.s of dustwith her green sandals. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Miss Addie, you're just the person I wanted to see." He grinned and loweredthe gun as she approached. "Calhere has something he wants to say."

Calput his arms down and hoped like h.e.l.l that the gun wasn't loaded.

"John, what's going on?" She eyed the gun as if it was a three-headed snake."Put that thing away before it hurts someone."

"Not yet," the old man replied. "Soon, though. Right after we sort thingsout." He glared atCal."Well, son? Tell the woman how you feel about her."

"John-"

"Do it," the old man said. "You've never been short on brains, but you'reacting like a fool. Do you love my granddaughter or not?"

Calwas saved from having to answer when Addie spoke.

"Your granddaughter?" Addie stared at the old man. "Who's that?"

"You are, darlin'." John grinned. "I wasn't going to say nothing for a while,cuz I'm not real proud of what kind of father I was, and I sure as heck couldn't go behind Ed's back and see my granddaughter, since Ed figured wewouldn't be welcome and I don't blame him, but heck, it's clear that you needsomeone looking out for you."

Addie's mouth dropped open. "You're mygrandfather?"

"Yes, darlin', I sure am. Edward Johanson Senior," he announced. "John'sshort for Johanson. Always was." He nodded towardCal."And I want you to havethe best husband in the whole darn world, so that's whyCalhere is going tomake an honest woman out of you."

Her gaze dropped to the gun and she laughed. "You were going to shoot him forme?"

"Nah, it's not loaded." He grinned. "I just wanted to make sureCaldidn'tleave. Not 'til you two worked out your differences."

"He doesn't have to marry me," Addie insisted. "Really he doesn't."

But John was not so easily convinced. "Do you love him, Addie? You do, don'tyou?"

"Of course," she answered. "But that's not the point."

Calignored the rifle and moved toward her. "You love me?"

"You don't have to look so surprised." She turned pink. "I thought it wasobvious."

"Tell her you love her," John ordered, andCalspoke right up.

"I love you, Addie." Surprisingly, he got the words past the lump in histhroat.

She didn't look at all convinced, but John was pleased enough to lower therifle and grin at both of them. "There," he said. "Was that so dam difficult?"

"No,"Callied. If love meant that the very sight of Addie made his heart poundand his blood race and his breath get stuck in his throat, then he was inlove. If leaving her made him feel close to death, then he was in love. If thethought of marrying her caused heaven to open up and shower him withundeserved blessings, then he was in love.

Calremoved the rifle from the old man's hands. He double-checked to make sure it wasn't loaded before he set it inside the truck. "Jeez, John, have you beendrinking?"

"I'm glad we're family," Addie told John, and kissed his cheek. "Wait untilthe boys find out that-" She stopped and pulled away. "John, where are Mattand Ian?"

"I sent them back to the house. Didn't have the heart-or the time-for lessons this morning. They weren't real happy, but I watched 'em 'til they reached theporch-"

"They're not there," she said, turning white.

"But I watched them go home." John looked as if he was going to burst intotears, andCalfrowned. Those two kids could get into a pile of trouble on thisplace, but they'd only shown interest in one thing so far, and that was riding.

"The horses,"Calsaid. "Do you think they went riding on their own?"

"Oh, Lord," John groaned. "I'd saddled up the mares before changin' my plans.Do you think-"

"Check your house,"Caltold him. "Just in case they went there looking foryou."

Addie had already started running toward the barn, soCaljumped in his truckand drove in the opposite direction, around the bend and up a slope that wouldgive him a good view of the eastern quarter of the property. If those boyswere on horses, he stood a good chance of catching sight of the little devils.And a better chance of finding them before they broke their necks.

The longest twenty minutesof her life pa.s.sed before Addie saw the truckapproaching from north of the cattle pens. It took a few seconds for her tosee the horses tied to its b.u.mper, the reason the truck was moving so slowly,and to realize thatCalhad found the boys.

"John!"

"I see, Miss Addie, I see." He sat down on a tree stump and wiped his browwith an old, red handkerchief. "Those boys just about gave me a heart attack.I could be too old for this kind of excitement."

"You were waving a rifle around a little while ago," she pointed out, herheart suddenly as light as the clouds drifting overhead. The boys must besafe, orCalwould be driving faster. She could make out two small heads nexttoCalthrough the window. They were sitting up. Their bodies weren't bruisedand broken in a ditch somewhere. They were safe.

"They need a d.a.m.n good spanking," her grandfather muttered. "They could havehurt those horses."

"Don't worry. They're going to be punished." Starting with missing the partythis afternoon. Then there would be no more riding lessons for a long while,plus being confined to their room. Without toys. She didn't believe inspanking, but she was close to making an exception.

"You could do a lot worse than him, you know," John said, watching the truckapproach. "He's a good man. He'll do right by you."

"Yes, I know. I guess I wanted more than duty," she confessed. "I love himvery much."

"AndCalloves you," the old man declared. "He's just about crazy from lovingyou. Has been from the start, Addie, since you first came here. Maybe hedoesn't say it, but he's shown you every day that he cares for you." Hemotioned toward the truck, now so close she could see the boys waving to her."I guess it's up to you to get him to stay."

"Without holding a gun on him," Addie said.

"I'd save that as a last resort." John struggled to his feet as the truckpulled to a stop in front of them. "But if you need some bullets, just let meknow."

She didn't need ammunition, but she could have used some courage.Calhauledtwo shaking boys from the truck and turned them over to their mother, whograbbed their dirty hands and threatened to keep them in their room untilAugust. John untied the horses and led them away after giving the boys a pieceof his mind.

They cried.

Addie hardened her heart and took them to the house,Calfollowing closebehind. She sent them upstairs to wash up and get in their beds for theafternoon, and they cried even harder.

"Hey,"Calsaid, before they reached the staircase. He crouched down in frontof them. "Youdisobeyed John and you put your horses in danger. Are you goingto do that again?"

They shook their heads and sniffed.

"Good. So you learned something. Remember what I said in the truck?" Theycollapsed into hisarms, making Addie wish she could do the same thing. Shewatched him hug them, then he said something she couldn't hear and sent themupstairs.

Calstood and turned toward her. "They're going to do a lot worse, you know."

"Yes." She shuddered to think of it. "It's a good thing you were here. You'renot really leaving me, are you?" She had seen the boxes in his truck, and knewhe was ready to drive off.

"I think,"Calsaid, moving closer to stand in front of her, "I'm going to haveto stick around. Just in case you need me again."

She looped her arms around his neck and gazed into his dark eyes. "I do. Needyou."

"Yes." His hands slid down her hips and pulled her body against his. "I know.But you're going to have to marry me eventually, sweetheart. Your grandfatherwas serious about a shotgun wedding."

"Say it again," she whispered.

"I love you, Adelaide Larson." He smiled before he kissed her.

"Why didn't you say so before?" She'd have given half the ranch to hear thosewords from him.

"Ah, Addie," he sighed, burying his face in her hair. "Those aren't easywords. And until you came along, I guess I didn't even know what they meant. Iguess I had to think about leaving you before I realized I couldn't go."

"Are you proposing again?" She tilted her head and looked up. Her cowboysmiled, and Addie knew that she didn't have to worry any longer.

"Sweetheart, I'm going to keep asking until you say yes. I don't give upeasily."

"I like that in a man."

"Say yes," he growled, then picked her up and swung her into his arms. "And we'll start on the honeymoon right away."

"We have about five and a half months," Addie teased.

"There's no need to rush into anything."

"No way," he said. "I don't want to give you time to change your mind."

"A grandfather and a husband all in one weekend? I can't believe my luck."She reached up and caressed his cheek.

"Neither can I,"Calwhispered. "Do you think the kids will take a nap?"

"Even if they don't, there are five other bedrooms in this house," Addiepointed out. "And they all have locks on the doors."

His arms tightened around her as he carried her down the hall toward theempty front bedroom. "This is a heck of a lot better than the Sleepy TimeMotel."

"Yes," she whispered into his throat. Had she been any happier, she wouldhave floated right out of his arms. "And this time we know each other'snames."

Epilogue.

"She's the prettiest thing I've ever seen," John declared. He wore his bestoveralls and a clean, white s.h.i.+rt, his boots polished to perfection and thefew hairs on his head combed neatly in place.