the way it started, but now I’m not sure how to go about getting rid of her.”
“Why do you want to? Is she stealing the silver?” Joshua inquired, too cheerfully, it seemed to Cal.
“No,” he said, aware that a bleak note had crept into his voice. “Why doesn’t matter. I just think she ought to go.”
“Then fire her. You used to be pretty good at that, as I recall.”
“I only fired you once, and even then I couldn’t make it stick. I think you’d better take care of this for me.”
“Me? Since when did I ever get involved in your personnel problems?”
“Since I just made it part of your job description.”
“Is there something more here that I should know about?”
“Nothing,” Cal denied emphatically.
“Which means there’s something. Why don’t you drive over tomorrow and we can talk about it?”
“I’m leaving town in the morning. Take care of this before I get back,” he said, and hung up before Joshua could argue with him. The phone rang within seconds. It rang again five minutes later. When itstarted ringing again ten minutes after that, he picked it up reluctantly.
“No,” Joshua said in response to his growled greeting. “But I think maybe I will drive out to see what this is all about. She must really be something if she’s got you running scared.”
“I am not running scared,” he said emphatically, something the last two shots of Scotch made difficult to pull off.
“And I’m Secretariat,” Joshua said, chuckling again. “You sure lead an interesting life, old friend. Just watching you keeps me young.”
“Oh, go to hell,” Cal grumbled, figuring that was where he was going to end up after tonight anyway. He might as well have company.
Chapter Seven
M arilou wasn’t all that surprised by Cal’s disappearance after that searing kiss and their conversation about the desire that was growing between them. Running seemed to be his way of dealing with unwanted emotions. She knew that and yet, with her whole body still aching with longing, she’d listened until well after midnight for the reassuring sound of his footsteps on the porch. If he’d come in, though, it had been after she’d fallen asleep.
Now, edgy with anticipation, she was putting dishes on the table for breakfast and fixing the ham, eggs and cheese grits she’d discovered were his favorite breakfast. Chaney came in, nodded, then stuck a napkin in the open throat of his blue chambray work shirt and silently began to eat. Marilou sat downacross from him and began picking at her breakfast, her gaze going constantly to the screen door.
“He’s gone,” Chaney said finally in a flat tone that told her he wasn’t too happy about it.
Startled, she stared at him. “Gone? You mean he’s out with the horses already?”
“I mean gone. Took the trailer and a couple of the men and headed up to Kentucky. Dang fool thing, if you ask me. Should have flown and saved all that time. The men could have taken the trailer up. Tried to tell him that, but no, he was dead set on getting out of here this morning. Left here at five.” He regarded her knowingly. “Any idea why he was in such a blamed hurry?”
She swallowed hard, sensing the undercurrent of disapproval in Chaney’s tone. “He didn’t say anything to me,” she responded defensively. “Why did he go? He must have said.”
“Said he wanted to get up there early for the spring horse sales. He’s hoping to pick up a couple of good yearlings.”
Though she hadn’t known when the sales were scheduled, she knew how important they were. Cal and Chaney had been discussing them practically since the day she’d arrived. “You let him go alone for that?”
Chaney hooted at that. “I don’t
let
the boss do nothing. He does what he dang well pleases. You might do well to remember that yourself, missy. Can’t hog-tie a man that’s spent his whole life independent.”
She glared at him, filled with indignation at Chaney’s interpretation of
“Why do you want to? Is she stealing the silver?” Joshua inquired, too cheerfully, it seemed to Cal.
“No,” he said, aware that a bleak note had crept into his voice. “Why doesn’t matter. I just think she ought to go.”
“Then fire her. You used to be pretty good at that, as I recall.”
“I only fired you once, and even then I couldn’t make it stick. I think you’d better take care of this for me.”
“Me? Since when did I ever get involved in your personnel problems?”
“Since I just made it part of your job description.”
“Is there something more here that I should know about?”
“Nothing,” Cal denied emphatically.
“Which means there’s something. Why don’t you drive over tomorrow and we can talk about it?”
“I’m leaving town in the morning. Take care of this before I get back,” he said, and hung up before Joshua could argue with him. The phone rang within seconds. It rang again five minutes later. When itstarted ringing again ten minutes after that, he picked it up reluctantly.
“No,” Joshua said in response to his growled greeting. “But I think maybe I will drive out to see what this is all about. She must really be something if she’s got you running scared.”
“I am not running scared,” he said emphatically, something the last two shots of Scotch made difficult to pull off.
“And I’m Secretariat,” Joshua said, chuckling again. “You sure lead an interesting life, old friend. Just watching you keeps me young.”
“Oh, go to hell,” Cal grumbled, figuring that was where he was going to end up after tonight anyway. He might as well have company.
Chapter Seven
M arilou wasn’t all that surprised by Cal’s disappearance after that searing kiss and their conversation about the desire that was growing between them. Running seemed to be his way of dealing with unwanted emotions. She knew that and yet, with her whole body still aching with longing, she’d listened until well after midnight for the reassuring sound of his footsteps on the porch. If he’d come in, though, it had been after she’d fallen asleep.
Now, edgy with anticipation, she was putting dishes on the table for breakfast and fixing the ham, eggs and cheese grits she’d discovered were his favorite breakfast. Chaney came in, nodded, then stuck a napkin in the open throat of his blue chambray work shirt and silently began to eat. Marilou sat downacross from him and began picking at her breakfast, her gaze going constantly to the screen door.
“He’s gone,” Chaney said finally in a flat tone that told her he wasn’t too happy about it.
Startled, she stared at him. “Gone? You mean he’s out with the horses already?”
“I mean gone. Took the trailer and a couple of the men and headed up to Kentucky. Dang fool thing, if you ask me. Should have flown and saved all that time. The men could have taken the trailer up. Tried to tell him that, but no, he was dead set on getting out of here this morning. Left here at five.” He regarded her knowingly. “Any idea why he was in such a blamed hurry?”
She swallowed hard, sensing the undercurrent of disapproval in Chaney’s tone. “He didn’t say anything to me,” she responded defensively. “Why did he go? He must have said.”
“Said he wanted to get up there early for the spring horse sales. He’s hoping to pick up a couple of good yearlings.”
Though she hadn’t known when the sales were scheduled, she knew how important they were. Cal and Chaney had been discussing them practically since the day she’d arrived. “You let him go alone for that?”
Chaney hooted at that. “I don’t
let
the boss do nothing. He does what he dang well pleases. You might do well to remember that yourself, missy. Can’t hog-tie a man that’s spent his whole life independent.”
She glared at him, filled with indignation at Chaney’s interpretation of
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