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“A pretty girl who made it clear she’s not in the market for guests.” Cal mopped his forehead, wishing they could get inside where there was air conditioning. “So if it’s just the same with you, I could use a place to stay—”
Gramp was already shaking his head.
“No?” Cal was stunned. And offended. “What do you mean, no? Oldest grandchild means nothing to you now?”
“The apartment over the garage is better for a young bachelor.” Gramp lifted a gnarled finger to make his point, forcing Cal to grip him tighter again. “Your mom renovated it a few years ago and toyed with the idea of renting it out again.”
The garage apartment hadn’t occurred to him. His parents had used the space for rental income in the early years of his father’s career—before Cal was born. The extra money had helped out before his dad’s contract negotiation for the money that bought them the big house on the other side of town.
The idea had appeal. Except it would make it that much tougher to help his grandfather.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to find the key,” he hedged. “And If I stayed with you, it would be easier for me to make repairs around here. The house needs some work and some paint.”
“Nonsense.” Gramp pushed the walker forward. “Come over anytime. And this way, you can keep an eye on the pretty girl, too.”
He was incorrigible. But then, infernal stubbornness came with the last name.
“You know, I do okay with the ladies on my own,” he felt compelled to remind him as he opened the door to the mudroom. “Even when you’re not around to give me suggestions.”
“Men don’t always know how to choose the right girl.”
Cal severely missed his grandmother right then. Marlene Ramsey had always been the most skilled at arguing with Everett, especially when he started spouting opinions about the female persuasion. A pang of grief for his family caught him off guard.
“Is that so?” he played along, knowing he wasn’t going to win the argument anyhow.
Besides, he was feeling more compliant now that the air conditioning hit the sweat on his skin. Although he’d be willing to guess the thermostat was probably set around eighty degrees. Not exactly arctic cool.
“Absolutely. Look at your father. He chose well the first time and the second? Bah.” His grandfather dismissed the idea of Brittney Ramsey with a shake of his head, then headed toward a chair in the living room. “You should take the young lady to the orchards with you tomorrow.”
“I’m not sure Josie knows any more about fruit trees or farming than me.” Cal saw out the front window of the living room that a car had pulled into the horseshoe driveway with the name of a health care group painted on one side.
He was relieved to know someone was checking on his grandfather. He got him settled in a chair near a table with his water pitcher, newspaper and television remote.
“The girl’s got a green thumb!” Gramp protested. “Have you seen your mother’s garden since the new caretaker arrived? And she’s great with the bees. Ask her what she thinks the bees can do on the farm. I have hives for the orchards, but Hailey told me I should use some on one of the crops. I can’t remember what one.”
“I’ll text Mom,” Cal assured him as the doorbell rang. “I think one of your aides is here.”
“There’s no law that says we have to answer it,” Gramp grumbled. “And your mother can’t receive texts in Ecuador except for once a week. Ask the pretty caretaker about the bees, for pity’s sake, son. I’m doing all the work for you.”
Cal opened the door to a perfectly nice nurse’s aide and then left her to speak with his grandfather while Cal inventoried the kitchen and the shed. He wouldn’t bother Josie with questions about bees and crops after she’d exhausted herself weeding. If he wanted to annoy her, he’d ask her why she didn’t have her own vehicle and what she was trying to accomplish by doing without something so fundamentally important out here in the country, miles away from town.
For tonight, he’d content himself with finding the key to the garage apartment and then getting out of her hair.
He had a lot of supplies to buy and plenty of tasks to keep him busy for a few weeks so he didn’t dwell on the fact that his baseball career was over.
Having Josie around as a pleasant distraction was just icing on the cake. Or, in this case, pie.
Chapter Three
It had takengreat restraint not to do an internet search on Cal. Josie had spent the afternoon picking, washing, chopping and storing extra fruit and veggies so she had more variety prepped for meals. She had a few extra bushels of peaches that she could sell at the farm stand too, if Everett’s offer for her to do that was still open. All the while, she’d wondered about Hailey’s oldest son, and what kind of career left him free to come and go through Texas, but without a home. His car looked crazy expensive, as did his clothes.
Curiosity was killing her, but if she gave in and searched his name, it would be the first step in admitting too much interest. And that was exactly what she was trying to avoid after she’d been conned, duped, and parted from her money by the last charming guy she’d met. So every moment she had enough discipline to deny her curiosity about Cal was a source of personal victory.
She’d been doing a check of the apiary after a supper of early tomatoes and grilled peaches when she spotted his exotic-looking convertible parked on the dirt road where Everett liked to walk. She took as much time as she dared around the bees, preferring to wait until Cal had retrieved his things from the house before she returned to an outdoor patio where she’d been reading a book. But bees didn’t appreciate having their routines interrupted, and she didn’t need sulky bees withholding honey, so she finally headed back toward the patio table tucked under what looked like an old pole barn converted into an outdoor dining shelter.
The poured concrete floor was covered with an all-season rug, a fan spinning lazily from the open rafters above. Behind the wrought-iron table, a narrow bar and barstools were flanked by a full-sized refrigerator on one end and an ice maker on the other. Both were unplugged and empty for the season, but Josie could imagine how pleasant it must be to have parties here, especially when the perennials peaked. She was about to drop back into a seat at the table and read until it was dark out when she heard the screen door slam on the main house.
Cal strode down the back steps from the house, wearing a different pair of expensive-looking jeans from this morning. Another tee that fit his very well-made body in a very appealing way. He wore scuffed boots now, however, instead of the loafers.
