Counting on Starlight Page 5

  Jake pushed back from his desk and met Billy and Justine on the other side. He grabbed Billy and wrapped him in a hug. “Bubbas... Wow, my Bubbas is going to be a daddy. Wow.” His eyes burned, and he blinked. “C’mere you,” he said as he reached for Justine, giving her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. “Congratulations, y’all. Wow. I’m gonna be an uncle.” He paced in front of his desk.

  “We’re going to tell Mom and Dad tonight, on Skype.” Billy tugged Justine close to his side. “We weren’t planning on starting a family so soon, with Justine’s shooting schedule for the show this fall.”

  “The producer will work around it.” Justine shrugged, her grin widening. “I was shocked, too. But I can’t wait.” She placed her hand on her stomach.

  “When are you telling Maddie?” Jake knew Maddie would hate to be out of the loop.

  “We were going to tell her before we tell Mom and Dad, but I think we’ll tell her now, too. Is she over at the gymnasium?” asked Billy.

  “She should be. They’re practicing until late tonight.”

  “Good. We’ll head there right now.” Billy gave Justine an adoring look, and she popped up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

  “See y’all later.” Jake watched them leave the office.

  He didn’t fully understand how the one-time megastar Justine Campbell had adapted to life in Texas for over a year now, but her marriage to his brother had a lot to do with it. She would jet off sometimes to film her reality-based human interest show, Second Chances. After the first season, the going buzz was an Emmy nomination waited in her future.

  Billy couldn’t have done better for himself, and Justine adored the what-you-see-is-what-you-get with Billy. His brother had been through a lot, laying his life on the line for his country during three tours in Iraq. He earned a Purple Heart that he never talked about but kept tucked in a drawer somewhere. Jake glanced up at the shelf of coaching awards and plaques. How did awards that would tarnish compare to finding true love? Maybe Billy did right, keeping his medals in a drawer.

  Billy was right, too, that Jake had misstepped with Liann. One thing for sure, he’d apologize., Not to get everyone off his back, but because he hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. Sometimes, things just came out wrong. He could bark out football plays and give motivational spiels to the team, but in other matters he was just as prone to foot-in-mouth syndrome as other men.

  At twilight, while the guys were running the field, Jake excused himself and left them under the watchful eye of another assistant coach. He crossed the steaming parking lot. If someone felt like fried eggs for supper, all they needed was the eggs, a frying pan, and a patch of asphalt.

  Jake entered the gymnasium and immediately heard the strains of “Beauty and the Beast.” He pictured the hairy beast in a fancy outfit, whirling around the ballroom with Belle. Maddie had watched the DVD thousands of times and sang the songs around the house when she was little. He'd had his fill of it one summer break during college. Now that the band was playing the music, she’d started listening all over again.

  Liann had her back to him, her hands on her hips, a flag on the floor by her feet. “That’s it.... Line up even.... Spin, spin, spin…. Wait for the crescendo, and you’ll hear the trumpets...and throw—yes!” The girls, in unison, tossed their flags, which spiraled above their heads, then dropped into their waiting hands. “Beautiful!”

  One flag crashed on the floor. Maddie’s. She glared at the flag, then glanced in his direction, and she froze like a mama deer in the field.

  Liann looked over her shoulder, her own eyes widening. She reached for a CD player on a wheeled cart and pushed a button. The music stopped. “Ladies, take a quick break. Five minutes.”

  Maddie glared at her flag before she walked off with a tall brunette. A stream of giggles followed the girls to the water fountain in the hallways.

  “Hi, Jake.” Liann wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. No.” He glanced toward the hallway. A pair of heads peeked around the corner then darted away. “Listen. I’m sorry about what I said the other day. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Apology accepted. I, um, probably overreacted a little bit myself.” She placed a hand on the CD player. “You did call. Then I got busy, and, well...you know.”

  “I do know.” He took a step closer. “Y’all were doing a good job. It’s amazing what you’ve been able to do with them in such a short time. I didn't realize how much work it takes to do what you do.”

  She smiled at him, and her expression reminded him of Justine’s when she looked at Billy. Uh-oh. His heart skipped a beat.

  “It’s a work in progress. I started with the middle part...the love song. We’re going to backtrack with the opening section—‘Belle.’ It’s peppier, and there’s more complicated runs. A couple of the juniors are spinning rifles on that one, which is a review for me too.”

  “Uh, about Maddie. Looks like she’s still having a hard time.”

  “I’m not cutting her.” Liann’s response peppered the air.

  “No, I’m not asking you to.” Jake cleared his throat. “But I’d like you to come to our house this weekend, if you want to. Maybe if you and Maddie work together, it’ll help her.”

  Liann blinked at him. “Are you sure your name is Jake Tucker? Because not five days ago, you were trying to talk me into getting her off the team.”

  “I’m going to give her a chance. Maddie's a perfectionist and doesn’t have a high tolerance for frustration. If she thinks she’s not going to succeed, she’ll back down. And I won’t have to talk anyone out of anything.” He couldn’t believe he’d just invited Liann to the house. Maybe Billy and Justine could come—run interference or something. Then someone would have to clean. With his and Maddie’s schedules lately, no one had vacuumed or loaded the dishwasher. The trashcan brimmed with takeout boxes. Mom would, as Maddie put it, “have a cow” at the state of her once-beloved home.

  “You sly dog.” Liann shook her head. “You tell me what date and time, and I’ll be there. Maddie’s going to make a breakthrough. You'll see. I just know it.”

  She reached out and gave him a playful shove. Before Jake could stop himself, he reached out and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it. A few giggles echoed through the gym.

  Glen, one of his assistants, stuck his head into the gym. “Tucker, we’ve got Kansas Tech Athletics on the line for you.”

  “Guess you’d better take that call.” Liann pulled her hand back. But she smiled at him. “It sounds important, if Kansas is calling.”

  “I hope so.” He felt himself grinning like a boy on the first day of summer vacation. “I’ll call and let you know.”

  Chapter 6

  Trixie refused to start on Saturday afternoon. That figured, with Biff’s Auto Shop closed for the weekend. Which meant unless Liann called Jake for a ride, she’d either hoof it, which didn’t appeal to her at all, or take Aunt Chin Mae’s Smart Car. Uncle Bert was playing dominoes at the Bushes’ place.

  “You use my car anytime you need, Liann,” her aunt had said.

  She never imagined anytime to be now, with the mercury still hovering around one hundred degrees. Did this place ever cool off? She never remembered Texas being quite this hot when visiting as a kid. Liann picked up a practice flag then glanced at the wooden rifle in the corner. Maybe she’d bring it, and the saber too. Just in case.

  “Take good care of my car,” Aunt Chin Mae said when Liann went to gather the keys from the hook on the kitchen wall. “Bring it back in one piece.”

  “I will. I’m just going down the road a little way.” Liann picked up her aunt’s key chain with the green plastic frog on the end. “I won’t be too late.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You a grown woman. I won’t call and check up on you like your mother would.” Aunt Chin Mae waved her off. “Have fun visiting your boyfriend and his family.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” Liann shook her head and laughed
. She left the house and ambled to the driveway. Aunt Chin Mae’s tiny gold vehicle glinted in the sunlight. It looked sort of like a metallic bean on wheels.

  She scooted into the Smart Car and laid the rifle and saber in the passenger seat. However, the flag was way too long for a two-seater. Liann rolled up the flag and stuck it through the open window on the passenger side. So long as it didn’t unravel and start flapping in the breeze like the sail of a ship, she’d been in good shape heading over to the Tuckers’ house.

  The inside was like a sports car—comfortable, with bucket seats. Liann eased down the driveway, feeling as if she piloted a pod craft in space. She headed along the road toward Tucker Ranch, taking care not to hit the occasional hole in the asphalt.

  Liann eased the car over the cattle guard, the wheels bouncing on the metal pipes covering the driveway. The car gave a little pop as the rear wheels rolled back onto solid pavement.

  She was right on time. A shiny blue pickup truck sat beside a small limestone building with another sign: Tucker Boots. She didn’t recall seeing it the other day in her dehydrated fog. What didn’t this family do? No wonder Maddie was so driven. Tuckers didn’t sit around for long—or if they did, they were probably planning something.

  Liann parked the Smart Car next to what she guessed was Jake’s truck. Maddie bounded out the front door of the long ranch house and was at the driver’s side door before Liann could turn off the engine.

  “You made it,” Maddie said as soon as Liann climbed out of the car. “Wow, now that’s what I call a metallic paint job.”

  “Yes, my aunt’s car. Mine wouldn’t start again, but I didn’t want to miss coming tonight.” Liann had to smile at her enthusiasm. “Tonight is when everything changes for you. You’re going to do great.”

  “I hope so.”

  Maddie led her not to the house, but to a wooden barn that dwarfed the small limestone building beside it. “Jake’s in here. He asked if I’d take you over here when you arrived.” They entered the barn, and Liann squinted to see with the help of the sunlight slanting over their shoulders. Six stalls plus a hayloft made up the interior.

  “Hey, do you like horseback riding?” Jake pushed a wheelbarrow into the center of the wide aisle.

  “I’ve ridden a few times, mostly the old slow horses on trail rides. Nothing too adventurous, but I enjoy it.” Liann thought they’d be visiting inside or practicing with the flags outside.

  “She can ride Misty. I don’t mind.” Maddie tugged on Liann’s arm. “She’s really gentle and sweet. I’ve had her since I was ten. She’ll go wherever you want to go.”

  “Am I too early?” Liann asked.

  “Not at all. We’re sort of delayed. Billy and Justine are coming too, but they’re waiting to pick up a fresh pie from Rebecca’s Kitchen in Kempner,” Jake said, as if that explained everything. “Plus, somebody forgot to make their potato salad until the last minute.” With this, he glanced at Maddie and gave her a grin that took any of the irritation out of his words.

  “Okay.” Horseback riding. She wore the black stretchy pants she used for working out and her sturdy sneakers. “But I don’t have boots on.”

  Jake put a hand on his hip and swaggered in her direction. “Ma’am, that don’t mean you can’t go ridin’ for a while.”

  “I’ll get Misty saddled for you,” Maddie said as she buzzed off. “Then I’ll go check on the potatoes.”

  Within fifteen minutes, Misty the white placid mare and Patch, Jake’s horse, were saddled and ready to mount. Liann managed to haul herself up onto Misty’s back. The mare looked shorter than she really was. Liann gripped the saddle horn with one hand and clenched the reins with the other.

  “Don’t worry. When she sees Patch step out, she’ll go too. She’ll follow him wherever he goes.” Jake looked as comfortable as a real cowboy on his horse’s back. Patch was taller still than Misty, white with brown splotches on his body, legs, face, and neck. He gave a little kick, and Jake settled back in the saddle.

  “I hope Misty doesn’t follow his lead, not that way.”

  “Oh, she won’t.” Jake reined Patch back until Misty ambled her way in his direction. Liann scanned the land, dotted with live oaks, twelve to fifteen feet tall, along with green scraggly cedar bushes of varying heights. Those bushes, she’d learned from Uncle Bert, were the source of many central Texans’ allergies and the reason that Rivers Honey did so well. The land looked unspoiled, covered with dry grass and studded with rocks. Liann guessed it probably looked the same a hundred years ago. She remembered Uncle Bert telling her all about the real cowboys of Texas.

  “How many acres do you have?” Liann tried to let Misty’s soft swaying motion relax her back.

  “Sixty-five. Our land ends at the Lampasas River.” Jake released some of the tension on Patch’s reins, and the horse tossed his head.

  “What are those three little cottages over there? My aunt mentioned that your brother runs a soldiers’ ranch here.”

  “New Hope Ranch—that’s Billy’s project. He and Justine run a nonprofit that invites recovering soldiers and their families to spend weekends here on the ranch.” Jake brought Patch to a halt, and Misty stopped as well. “The second building was recently finished this spring. We had a wet spring, so building stopped for a while. Otherwise we would've been done sooner.”

  “The cottages are really cute.” Liann wanted to hop off Misty and look in the porch window of the first cottage, but then she’d be faced with having Jake help her get back on. As it was, riding like this with him felt almost...like a date. Maybe it was just to kill time, but they could have done that in the air-conditioned house. They reached a stand of tall oak trees that arched over the trail and gave them some dappled shade.

  “We’ll be at the river soon,” Jake said as the horses strolled along under the high branches. “I remember getting some good catfish out of there back when I was in high school.”

  “Do you still fish there?” One thing Liann liked was fishing. Not that she’d had the chance very often, but she and her parents would go sometimes to the mountains. Mom would try to teach her how to cook, and Dad would teach her how to fish. The camping she wasn’t so crazy about, but she loved the feel of reeling in a fish, wrestling to get it into the net.

  “It’s been a while.”

  “Why’d you stop?” She glanced at him. He looked deep in thought, his hazel eyes focused on the saddle horn.

  “I don’t know. Got busy, I guess.” He shrugged and looked her way.

  “I love fishing. I find it relaxing.” She found herself smiling at the admission. “Like you, I got busy, though.”

  “You, fish? I wouldn’t have picked you for a fisher-person.” For the first time, Liann realized he had a dimple in one cheek. Maybe because today she was seeing relaxed Jake, away from the field and the pressure he loved so much.

  “Why not?”

  “I dunno. It doesn’t seem like...you. I can see you being a cheerleader and doing the whole spirit thing, and back flips and pyramids. But fishing?”

  “Yup.” The wide path grew rockier as they headed downhill. The broad trail gave them plenty of room to ride, but it was an ideal route for runoff from the rain. Which, of course, ran straight to the river.

  “Almost there.” Jake didn’t look back but kept his attention on the trail ahead. “Careful. It’s a little trickier going down.”

  “I’ll just let Misty do her thing.” Liann had hardly needed to lean the reins on Misty’s neck. “She’s done great so far without my help.” The shadows had grown longer as they’d ridden the distance from the house.

  “Here we are.” Patch came to a halt, and Jake swung off his back. “You going to get off for a few minutes, stretch your legs?”

  “Um, sure.” Liann pulled back on Misty’s reins, but Misty had already clumped to a halt. She slid down from Misty’s back, and the horse put her head down and started sniffing for scraps of grass. The sound of gurgling water filled the air as sunlight g
linted off the water.

  “What about the horses?”

  “Patch won’t leave, and wherever he is, Misty will be.” Jake looped Patch’s reins over a low branch. “I forgot how much I like these cliffs. I used to come down here and find fossils in the limestone, besides catch fish.” He stepped from the sheltering shade of the oaks and onto a large flat rock that jutted out into the river. Jake pointed up to the cliffs.

  Liann joined him on the rock and followed his line of sight. The river, over hundreds of years, had carved a slow but definite space in the limestone, and the cliff on the opposite side of the river rose at least twenty feet above their heads. The river itself was barely more than a foot deep, probably no more than three feet in the center. The current drifted lazily, inviting her to toss an inner tube onto the surface of the water and drift along.

  “What kind of fossils?” She almost wanted to find a place to cross the river and start chipping at the limestone herself. Their side of the riverbank sloped gently to meet the water, dotted with small rocks.

  “Clams, mostly, of all sizes. A few trilobites.” He grinned. “My dad left some of the fossils on the mantel in the living room. This poor river is so dry. You can tell it’s the middle of August, and we haven’t had any rain for at least a month. When the drought was really bad, the river was almost a trickle.” Jake used his hand to shield his eyes as he looked downstream.

  “I can’t wait until it cools off more around here.”

  “Not till mid September, at least. Those first few games are going to be scorchers.”

  “Speaking of football, you got a phone call from Kansas Tech the other day. You seemed pretty excited about it.”

  “Yes. They’re sending a coaching scout to watch one of the Yellowjacket games sometime in the next few weeks. They’re recruiting for their coaching staff, and I found out they’re considering me. My head coach knows, so the process is going smoothly so far.” He grinned and picked up a small rock, chucking it into the river. “Then, if Starlight makes the Division 4A playoffs, I could be offered a spot higher up. Away from here, finally.”