His Country Heart (Sierra Creek Series Book 2) Read online

  “Mommy!” Bobby cried.

  Chapter 2

  “I can’t believe it’s the third of January.” Amy went to the kitchen window in the old farmhouse and checked the sky. “A lot of blue out there. No sign of rain.” She paused. “During the last storm, the water dripped into my bedroom. I don’t want it to rain in Bobby’s room.” She took muffins from the oven. “Wyatt put a tarp on the leak. But in a big downpour I don’t think it would stay in place. If only the showers can hold off until the roofers arrive.”

  She handed Vanna a warm muffin.

  Her friend took a bite. “Yum, blueberry.” She brushed a crumb from her chin. “How long will Wyatt be gone on the rodeo circuit this time?”

  “He’ll be home tonight and then off again tomorrow—I think.”

  She sighed and picked up a muffin, then set it back on the plate. She gulped her coffee and swallowed hard. “I miss him already. I mean I understood he’d be away a lot, but somehow now we’re engaged it seems harder when he’s not around.” She took a huge bite and got a mouthful of blueberries. She washed them down with coffee.

  “Vanna, I asked you to come over to help me with the attic. Since Granny’s death I haven’t been able to face her things. They’re all up there. Too many memories for me.” She paused and swallowed a sob. “With the storms, I want to be sure none of her belongings are ruined.”

  “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll do it together.” Vanna picked up a crumb and popped it in her mouth. “By the way, where’s Bobby?”

  “At a friend’s house for the day.” Amy held the coffee pot. “Want more?”

  “I’m good. Are we still on for Sacramento to look for your wedding dress?”

  “Sure, as long as your mom can pick Bobby up from school and take care of him until we’re back.”

  “No problem.”

  “I’d hoped to stop and talk to a wedding planner too. I couldn’t get an appointment. So, I bought a book, “Wedding Planning Made Easy,” The cover says she’s a famous planner to the stars of Hollywood.” Amy paused. “Might not need the book. It’s going to be a small affair. How hard can it be?”

  “Still single.” Vanna laughed. “I’m clueless.”

  “Well, this is my second marriage, but I don’t have an inkling either. I went to Vegas last time. Robert, my first husband, and I went to a party and he got the idea we should marry that night. I mean we both drank a lot, but I was in love with him, or so I thought. And being nineteen, I loved love—I think.” She swallowed hard. “We caught the “red eye” and flew to Los Vegas. The city is always open.

  “Oh, I wondered. I lived in So Cal. One day I heard you married.”

  “Vanna, it surprised me too. In those years, I didn’t think anyone would care enough to want me. I was flattered and relieved when Robert asked. I hoped for a church wedding. He didn’t, but at the time I’d have done anything for him.” She forced the corners of her mouth into a smile she didn’t mean.

  “Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, I told him I wanted to buy a wedding dress, but he said it didn’t matter what I wore. The vows lasted no more than a couple of minutes. Someone stuck a bouquet of flowers in my hand, took a photo of us, and grabbed the flowers back. To use for the next couple’s photo, I guess. Since the wedding, I have not looked at the photo.”

  “Oh, Amy.”

  “The relationship went downhill from the ceremony on.” Amy paused. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Maybe you needed the experience to recognize real love now.”

  “You might be right.” She grinned. “Cause despite Wyatt’s handsome face and hot body, I’m marrying him because of his kind heart.” She paused. “Of course, the other stuff doesn’t hurt.” She giggled.

  Vanna laughed. “Come on, Amy, let’s tackle the attic.”

  ***

  When the attic door opened, dust flew like miniature birds floating on the updraft. Amy jogged up the narrow staircase and viewed the room running the length of the house.

  Vanna followed.

  “Check it out. Guess your Granny didn’t come up here very often.”

  “She had arthritis. I don’t think she could climb the steep steps anymore. Sophie told me she barely managed the ones to the master bedroom on the second floor.”

  Sunlight filtered through the yellowing open weave curtain at the end of the large room. But with most of the attic shrouded in shadow, Amy searched for a light switch. A bulb hanging from the ceiling came to life and the enormity of the job was bathed in light.

  “Whoa, I can see why you need help with this stuff. I think your grandmother kept everything she ever had.” Vanna moved toward the window and pulled back the curtain. “Better?”

  “Yeah—hey, let’s move anything worth keeping by the door and I’ll make a toss pile and donate pile over here.” Amy pointed to the only empty space on the right side of the room.

  They worked silently, moving boxes marked with the details of their contents.

  “”Whoa, there’s water over here,” Amy shouted. “This is where the roof leaked.” She picked up a damp cardboard box. “These old dishes are marked for the church bazaar. Thank goodness water can’t hurt them. But they’ll need to be washed and re-boxed.”

  She set the package in the donate section and went back to remove several other boxes from the same area. Glancing at the toss pile, she wrinkled her nose. Almost nothing there. Maybe she couldn’t let go of the past after all.

  Granny had given the land and buildings to Wyatt and to her. Soon they’d form a family and live the rest of their life in the farmhouse. She smiled at the thought. Time to let go of the old times and move toward the future, but… When the attic was empty, it’d be saying her final goodbye to her grandmother. Can I do it?

  “Nice your Gran marked these boxes or we’d be here forever digging through all of this,” Vanna said and carried something to the area marked toss.

  Amy opened a white box and pushed back the tissue paper. “OMG, this is Granny’s wedding dress.” She pulled the gown from the container and held to her. “Wow, so tiny. It must be a size zero. I wear a five, and this is way too small for me. Until now I never realized how small she was. “In my mind Granny’s a giant.” She paused remembering the day, as a six-year-old, her mother had put her on a bus and sent her to live with her grandmother. She never set eyes on Mom again and assumed she must be dead because the woman had never contacted her. Not a birthday or Christmas card, nothing. Her love for her mother was transferred to Granny. Now she was gone too. She sniffed, blinked back a tear, and shook her head to stop the memories.

  “The dress is gorgeous.” Vanna, looked at the lace and pearl wedding gown. “Bet someone sewed the beads by hand.”

  “Whoa, it’d be hard to find anything like this these days, anything affordable anyway,” Vanna said as she examined the dress.

  “Hey, here’s the veil.” Amy ran her hand over the lace and pearl headband and the tulle that trailed behind it. “I can’t squeeze into the dress, but maybe I’ll wear the veil.”

  “It could be your something old and borrowed. You’ll only need something blue.” Vanna helped Amy place it on her head. “Perfect. You’re going to be an awesome bride.” She wiped the dust off an antique mirror hung on the wall. “Amy, come and take a look.”

  When she glanced at her reflection, the pearls glistened on the headband as the veil fell down her back, almost reaching the floor. “It’s wonderful.”

  “Let’s bring the veil with us when we hunt for your wedding dress.”

  “Okay.” Amy paused. “Wearing something of my grandmother’s will make me feel like she’s with me on my wedding day.” She pulled off the headband and gently placed the headgear in the box with the dress and replaced the tissue paper in the box.

  They worked for two more hours. Finally, Amy said, “I think we’ve got a handle on this.” She coughed. “We’ve eaten enough dust. We deserve a cool drink.”

  “Yeah.” Vanna stood and brus
hed off her blue jeans.

  “Surprising how few things I want to keep, only the photos and the wedding dress and veil.” Amy went to retrieve the white box. “The rest can go to the charity bazaar. The toss pile is bigger than I thought it would be. Wyatt and Manny promised to come by today and take the boxes to the church resale store and the rest to the dump.” She hesitated “And speaking of Manny. You two are going to be civil to each other. Right?”

  “What?”

  “Hey, your family and his don’t talk. I understand and everyone in town does, but at the wedding you guys are going to be nice to each other. Right?”

  ***

  Amy entered the kitchen and went to the refrigerator “There’s apple juice or diet cola.”

  “Juice, please,” Vanna said as she sat at the oak table.

  Amy handed her a glass of juice and put a can of diet cola by her own chair, then ran to the window to check the sky. “No rain clouds yet, fingers crossed. But even if a storm comes, thanks to your help, at least the attic is ready.”

  “Good idea to put a bucket where you found the wet boxes.” Vanna sipped her drink. “Did Wyatt say what day the roofers are coming?”

  She shrugged. “Soon I hope.”

  Vanna remained silent. Odd for a friend who was usually the chatty one, could she be stalling, hoping she wouldn’t have to talk about Manny.

  “Come on, I’ve been waiting for you to tell me about Manny. I mean I went on about Granny and the wedding, but I do care about hearing what happened to you two.”

  “It was weird, Amy. I thought I didn’t want to see him ever again, but at the party…” She sighed. “I wanted to kiss him. Probably because we dated in high school,” she added.

  Amy tried to hide her surprise, but couldn’t. “Wow.” She got up from the table and grabbed for a bag of white rose potatoes resting on the counter and started to peel them. “Dinner.”

  Her friend pulled open a drawer and found another peeler. “Let me help.”

  “You’ll stay? Right?” Amy asked as she tossed a skinned potato into a water filled pot. “Vanna, I didn’t know you dated him. You never said anything. But later I heard a rumor you guys had a big breakup after your father died.”

  “I didn’t tell anyone. That was the deal with him.” She grimaced. “I couldn’t stand it when Daddy died. I loved him so much. No one could tell a joke like him—I…” She shrugged. A peeler held in her hand, she grabbed a potato. “After Daddy was gone, Manny and I couldn’t go out with each other. No break up, we just understood. I didn’t even say goodbye to him.”

  Unsure what to say or how to comfort her friend, Amy remained silent.

  “He wants me to meet him Friday night at Mel’s Diner.”

  “You going, Vanna?”

  “I want to and then I don’t. Then I—I’m totally confused.”

  The sound of a truck’s engine revved in the driveway. Amy rushed to the kitchen window and peered out. “Wyatt. He’s early and Manny’s with him.”

  “Catch you later.”

  “Hey, I thought you were going to stay and eat...” Amy looked up from the pot on the stove as Vanna ran from the kitchen.

  “Well, I’ll be.” She always considered her friend fearless, until now. In high school, she challenged most dares. Now she ran from an old boyfriend. Unbelievable. With her slim figure, straight blonde hair and deep blue eyes, Vanna attracted guys like honey draws bears and yet…

  Amy seasoned a large chicken with garlic, thyme and a touch of salt then put it into the oven. She shook off her confused emotions concerning her friend. There must be more to tell or she wouldn’t have beaten a path out of the house.

  “Honey, look what I brought home.” Wyatt pushed his buddy in the backdoor.

  “Hi, Manny.”

  “Amy.” He took off his baseball cap and held it in his hand. Standing tall, his black hair fell over his forehead as he grinned and dark brown eyes sparkled. No wonder Vanna was fascinated by him, the best-looking guy around, except for Wyatt of course.

  Wyatt hugged her and with the warmth of his touch, she almost forgot someone else was in the room. “I missed you,” she said not wanting to let him go.

  He held her tighter and whispered in her ear, “Me too, honey.”

  She wanted to moan and without thinking ran her hand down his taut muscled back to his rear. “I love you.”

  Manny cleared his throat. “I can come back later,” he volunteered, a slow grin spreading across his tanned face.

  “Oh.” Amy jumped back as her cheeks heated. “Dinner will be ready in a while, baked chicken, carrots and mashed potatoes.”

  “Sounds good,” the men said in unison.

  “Why don’t you guys get cleaned up? I’ll finish cooking and you two can set the table.”

  Chapter 3

  Amy stretched and peeked between the drapes of the bedroom window as the morning sun broke through the fog. Dinner with Manny had gone smoothly. He’d never asked why Vanna didn’t stay.

  Now the breeze caught the branches of an evergreen and sent them bobbing up and down. The sunlight gleamed A beautiful day. Wyatt had left early to return to the rodeo circuit. Before he did, he’d kissed her with such tenderness she sighed, wishing he could stay.

  Soon they’d take their vows in front of God and their best friends. The realization Granny wouldn’t be there sent a pang of disappointment to jar her. She didn’t know her father, not even his name, because the subject was never discussed as she grew up. With Granny and her grandpa gone, her family would not be represented in church.

  Wyatt’s dad had moved to another town leaving Wyatt and his mom. Since then he hadn’t seen much of the guy. Now Mr. Cameron wouldn’t be attending the ceremony.

  Amy groaned remembering the time she met Wes, Wyatt’s brother. He’d called her a slut and Wyatt had slugged him. Since that happened they’d agreed to pretty much stay away from each other.

  “Stop.” Her mood wouldn’t be ruined. Wyatt loved her and her son. Nothing else mattered.

  In a few minutes, Vanna would be at the house. They’d booked an appointment in Sacramento with the best wedding retail outlet in the city.

  Would it be right to wear the typical grown for her second marriage? Should she buy a pastel color? Wyatt wanted her in white. He’d said her heart was pure and she deserved it. Dear God, I love him.

  After a shower, she pulled on navy jogging pants, a pink T-shirt, and a matching sweatshirt and then stepped into old runners. She didn’t care about the wedding dress as much as the bond, a commitment between two souls and the desire to remain together until death parted them and beyond. The thought sent a shiver through her. Could someone love her enough he’d make a lifelong commitment to her and mean it?

  The doorbell buzzed. She grabbed her purse and jogged down stairs.

  Couldn’t be Vanna, she usually walked in and shouted, “Amy, I’m here.”

  Must be a stranger at the door. A salesman?

  The buzzer sounded again.

  “I’m coming.”

  Without looking first, she tugged open the door. “Yes.”

  “I’m Wyatt’s father.”

  Amy gasped as she viewed a tall fifty-year-old man with a slight paunch and dark hair touched with silver.

  He glared at her. “Going to invite me in?”

  His gruffness startled her, so different from the gentle tones of Wyatt’s voice.

  “Well?” he demanded.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Please.” She started to move back, but he pushed past her and almost made her loose her balance. He didn’t appear to notice.

  “Mr. Cameron, coffee? It’s fresh, if you’d like some.”

  “No.” He sat in the new overstuffed chair in the living room; Wyatt’s favorite.

  She stood silent as he surveyed the room, his glance stopping on the new brown leather couch and the huge flat screen TV, all recently purchased by Wyatt.

  “Lady, I know what you’re doing.”

  “
I’m sorry.”

  “I’ve seen your type. You’re a gold digger. Been told your history, unemployed, with a sick kid and about to lose this place, you needed a sugar daddy. And my kid was ripe for the picking and easy to fool.” He leaned back in the chair, appearing to relax after having said what he wanted.

  She rubbed the back of her neck to release her tense muscles. “I don’t…”

  “I admit I’m a little late getting involved,” Mr. Cameron interrupted. “Still, Wyatt’s my eldest and nobody’s going to take advantage of him. You don’t love him, just want his money, and I’ll do everything possible to stop this marriage.”

  His eyes narrowed and leaned forward. She took a step back from him.

  A smile spread across his lined face. “Lady, if you’re smart, you’ll start packing. Now.”

  Amy didn’t mean to slam the door when Mr. Cameron left the farmhouse. The sound shook her. She glanced out the front window as he glared back at the house. There must be something nice about the man. At the moment, she couldn’t think of anything. Still, he was Wyatt’s dad. The man brought her love into the world. She took a quick peek again in time to notice a huge red pickup truck leave the driveway and turn toward town. She recalled his final words. Lady, if you’re smart you’ll start packing now.

  Damn him. Who did he think he was? How could he neglect Wyatt as a kid and then show up in time to meddle today? She guessed he was trying to make up for his lack of parenting when Wyatt needed him. Well, he was too damned late.

  She slumped in a chair as if all the air had been knocked out of her. “Breathe.” With a gasp, she realized Wyatt’s brother had called her a slut and now Wyatt’s father said, “gold digger.” Every contact with his family left her degraded and depressed. Did she want to marry into such a household?

  Sad over the lack of parents or siblings to attend the wedding, even so, she wondered if relatives might be overvalued. You could pick your friends, but family came without your consent.

  She recalled the cold eyes and bleak expression on Wyatt’s face as he’d told her about the day his father left. Dad had packed Wes’ belongs and walked out of the apartment without a goodbye or a glance backward to see his elder son standing in the doorway, heartbroken and abandoned.