She didn’t realize how long she had been standing there just thinking about Jake long after she heard him drive away. In spite of all the work today, she knew sleep would be impossible. Tomorrow she would be away from Jake and, hopefully, she’d cool down.
Tomorrow night she would also be with all her family and she would tell them that she was employed by Jake Ralston. That would be the first time ever she knew of a Ralston and a Kincaid working together.
There was one little glimmer of something positive she could take from this situation. Jake’s kisses had ended any Ralston-Kincaid feud between them. That had vanished, along with her common sense and willpower.
Five
By Sunday, she was ready to deal with her family and to break the news to them about Jake Ralston and Thane’s gift to her. She was dressed in a navy suit and a navy silk blouse, with her hair in a bun on the back of her head. She wanted to look businesslike, collected and in charge when she faced her family. Her sister, Andrea, was married and had a fifteen-month-old baby girl and a little boy who was three. On Sunday nights, their paternal grandparents joined the Kincaids for dinner, so once everyone arrived, there were sixteen of them who’d hear her news.
She heard the scrape of boot heels on the wood floor and Lucas stepped into the hall of her parents’ home. He stopped in front of her. “You’re dressed up for Sunday night. Are we going to hear why you were with Jake Ralston?”
“Yes. I told you to just wait until I could talk to all the family at once.”
“Good,” he said, turning to walk with her to the great room where the family always gathered. “I can’t imagine any reason to associate with a low-life Ralston.”
“Lucas, Jake Ralston is a former US Army Ranger. He is not a ‘low-life’ and I don’t want to hear that about him again.”
Lucas’s eyes narrowed. “Are you in love with him?”
“Absolutely not. I told you, this is business. Pay attention. Are you ready to join the family?”
“Yes. I’m not going to miss hearing why you were with a Ralston.”
“Whatever reason I was with him, I did not appreciate you trying to start a fight in the lobby. Mom wouldn’t be overjoyed with that one, either.”
“Well, maybe not. He’s not coming to our house, is he?”
“You’re acting like a little kid. Can’t you wait so I don’t have to say everything twice?”
“I’ll wait. This better be good.”
“It is, Lucas. It’s very good.”
As they entered the great room, Simon, her three-year-old nephew came running to hug her. She picked him up to hug him and then he turned, holding his arms out to Lucas, who took him and swung him overhead, making him giggle.
Emily saw her little fifteen-month-old niece, Sheila, holding on to furniture and trying to come greet her. Emily picked up Sheila and hugged her, smiling at her. “Don’t you look pretty with pink hair bows and your pink jumper.”
Next, she greeted her parents and grandparents, then went into the kitchen to say hello to the cook and her daughter. It was her regular Sunday-night ritual. The aroma of Sunday-night favorites, Texas chili and hot corn bread, filled the kitchen.
She’d just stepped back into the great room when her brother Doug and his wife, Lydia, appeared. Her brother headed straight toward Emily.
“I hear you were in town with Jake Ralston,” Doug said.
“And did Lucas tell you it was business and that I intend to talk to all of you about it tonight?” she asked, smiling at her oldest brother. Doug had the same blond hair as the rest of the family, and his eyes were a dark blue.
“I hope you had a good reason to be with a Ralston.”
“You and Lucas can tell me in a little while if I did.”
Over the next hour, she enjoyed her dinner, sitting between her sister and her little niece. Emily loved the Sunday-evening ritual. She thought about Jake and what he missed by not having family like she did.
She waited until Violet and her daughter had finished with the kitchen, closed for the night and went home so only the family was present. Simon slept in his dad’s arms, and Sheila sat on her grandmother’s lap and played with her doll. Emily got her small carrying case and asked for everyone’s attention.
“I have some news for all of you. You all know that Thane Warner lost his life in Afghanistan. Thane was fatally wounded in an ambush and as he was dying, he asked his three close friends to promise to do something for him when they returned home. Mike Moretti, who you remember married Thane’s widow, Noah Grant, who married Thane’s sister, and the third one was Jake Ralston. He asked Jake Ralston to hire me to help him clear all the belongings at his grandfather’s Long L Ranch and restore the house. Thane inherited his grandfather’s ranch.”
“That old reprobate was a crook,” her dad said, shaking his head. “I’m talking about Clem Warner, Thane’s grandfather. You’re not going to work for Jake Ralston, are you?” her dad asked.
“Yes, I am. Please listen, because this was done in the last few minutes of Thane Warner’s life. I think everyone in our family likes the Warners and liked Thane. He gave his life for his country. Now, the least you can do is listen to what he wanted and why.”
