At Bluebonnet Lake (Texas Crossroads Book #1): A Novel (8 page)

O
nce again, Kate and Sally were the first to arrive for dinner. Once again, only one table was set. But tonight there were only six chairs at the table, and tonight their server was a teenage boy. Kevin of the KOB trio, Kate guessed. Blond, blue-eyed, and tanned, he would have been the perfect model for the jeans ads she’d worked on last year. Too bad she hadn’t seen him a year ago. Of course, a year ago she hadn’t known that Dupree, Texas, existed, and even if she had, it wasn’t a place she’d have considered scouting for models. That was why modeling agencies were in business, and why she . . .

Kate tried not to frown as she realized she was thinking about her job. If all it took was seeing a teen who could be a model, perhaps Sally was right. Perhaps Kate needed a vacation more than she’d realized.

“I’m Kevin Olsen,” the boy said, extending his hand in greeting. “I’ll be your server tonight.”

Kate smiled as she shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Kevin. Is Olivia ill?”

“No, ma’am.” He had no way of knowing that the courteous phrase, so common here, made her feel almost as old as Sally.
No one in New York called Kate ma’am. Kevin unloaded his tray as he said, “Olivia and I alternate nights when there are so few guests.”

The expression in his eyes made Kate sense that he regretted the reduced hours. If he were a typical teenager, Kevin was working so he could buy something his parents couldn’t or wouldn’t give him. In New Jersey, she would have speculated that special something was a car, but since Kevin lived in the heart of Texas, he was likely saving for a truck. She’d noticed that despite rising gas prices, trucks seemed to be the popular choice, especially once she’d left San Antonio. Ranchers needed them to haul supplies and pull horse trailers. Teenagers needed them for peer approval.

“What are we having tonight?” Sally asked as Kevin pulled out a chair for her. She hadn’t minded being addressed as ma’am but had nodded in a vaguely regal gesture, as if it were her due. While Kate was still adjusting to the idea of a month away from work, there was no question that Sally was enjoying the slower pace and extra layer of gentility she’d found at Rainbow’s End.

“Pot roast with vegetables and peach cobbler for dessert,” Kevin said, keeping his eyes focused on Sally.

She tipped her head to one side and gave him a look that Kate recognized.
Tell me the truth
, it demanded. “Is the cobbler as good as Carmen claims?”

Kevin nodded vigorously. “Better.”

He chatted with them for a few minutes, telling them that he was the middle of three children and that his older brother had offered to help him fix up his truck, once he found the right one. “I don’t want just any truck,” Kevin explained. “It’s got to be special.”

“You should never just settle for important things like trucks,” Sally said with a grin. “Or boyfriends,” she murmured so softly that only Kate could hear her. It appeared that Sally was back in matchmaking mode.

A minute later Roy entered the dining room and Kevin returned to the kitchen. Kate noticed that Roy’s eyes rested on Sally as he crossed the room and took the seat at her side. He wore an obviously new shirt tonight, and the little nick on his cheek told Kate he’d just shaved. It seemed Roy had taken as many pains with his appearance as Sally had. Kate’s grandmother had spent the better part of half an hour debating which blouse was best with her denim skirt.

“You’re looking beautiful tonight,” Roy said, his eyes on Sally as he settled into his chair. Though they’d waited for everyone to arrive before taking their seats last night, the fact that Kevin had seated Sally had led everyone else to sit down as soon as they reached the table.

Roy looked at Kate as he added, “You too.” It was definitely an afterthought, but Kate didn’t mind. How could she when the pink in Sally’s cheeks attested to her pleasure?

Seconds later, the Schwartzes arrived. “Did everyone have a good day?” Janet asked as she and Bob approached the table.

“I did.” Sally’s voice resonated with enthusiasm. “There’s nothing quite like Rainbow’s End.”

“That’s what Jared Tibbits said, but he wasn’t smiling when he said it.” Bob glanced around the table, apparently counting chairs. “They were checking out.”

“There’s not much to do here,” Janet added.

Though it was nothing more than she’d told herself a dozen times, Kate felt the need to contradict Janet. Perhaps it was the memory of Kevin’s expression when he spoke of the lack of guests. “Sally and I enjoyed wandering around and having lunch in the gazebo. We made a mistake, though.” She smiled at Janet. “We shouldn’t have ordered two box lunches. There was enough food in one to feed us both.” And that had surprised Kate. If the Sinclairs were trying to economize, they could easily ask Carmen to reduce serving sizes and still satisfy guests.

“I was thinking about something a little more active,” Janet said. “Strolling around the grounds loses its appeal mighty fast.”

Though Kate would have expected Sally to protest, she was engrossed in a discussion about boots with Roy. It was up to Kate to convince Janet that Rainbow’s End was not totally lacking in activities.

“Greg and I played tennis this afternoon.”

While Janet did not appear impressed, her husband nodded.

“Your day sounds more exciting than ours. Janet and I wandered around Dupree. There’s not much to see there.” Bob frowned. “Tennis sounds like a better bet. How did you do?”

As if on cue, Kate’s opponent arrived. “I beat her,” Greg announced.

Kate couldn’t help laughing at his apparent pride. “That means Greg scored one point. It was a pretty pathetic match, but we had fun.”

“So you were fifteen-love.”

Sally gave Kate her best matchmaker smile as she pronounced the last word. It appeared she and Roy had concluded their discussion of boots.

Refusing to acknowledge her grandmother’s attempts to find her a husband, Kate simply nodded and said, “With aching muscles to prove it.”

Greg took his seat as Kevin reentered the room. “Kate’s either a real trouper or a glutton for punishment, because she’s agreed to a rematch tomorrow.”

“It’s only because I plan to win,” she announced, wrinkling her nose so no one would take her seriously. As she’d hoped, the others laughed.

When Kevin finished placing the covered dishes on the table, Greg bowed his head and offered a blessing for the food, ending with a prayer that the Sinclairs would find the path God had planned for them.

“They need all the prayers we can give them,” Roy said when the chorus of amens faded.

“It’s sad to see what’s happening.” As he spoke, Greg uncovered the largest casserole and held the lid so that Kate could help herself to delicious-smelling chunks of pot roast, carrots, onions, and potatoes.

Like last night’s spaghetti, tonight’s menu could be described as comfort food, the kind of meal she would have found in a diner, and yet Kate suspected that whatever Carmen had done to it, she had elevated it above ordinary diner fare. That was another reason why it was sad to see Rainbow’s End deteriorate. The Sinclairs were blessed—it wasn’t a word Kate used freely, but it was the only one that seemed to apply—to have Carmen, but even her talents weren’t enough to attract guests and convince them to return.

“Tim told me they’ve had the place listed with a realtor since January but haven’t had a single nibble,” Roy said as he filled Sally’s and his glasses with iced tea. On the opposite side of the table, the Schwartzes dressed their salads and seemed to be having a discussion about the merits of peach versus raspberry preserves for the hot rolls. Either they were not concerned about Rainbow’s End or they realized there was nothing they could do to change it.

“Speaking of the Sinclairs, where are they?” Sally asked. “When I was here before, the owners ate with the guests.” She pointed to the gaps between each of the six chairs. “It might have been crowded last night, but there’s plenty of room for them now.”

“Maybe they’re not comfortable socializing with guests that way,” Kate said. Neither Angela nor Tim struck her as overly gregarious.

“Then they shouldn’t have bought Rainbow’s End.” Roy frowned as he buttered a roll. “It’s always been a friendly resort.”

“It doesn’t feel that way to me,” Bob Schwartz said. Apparently he’d been paying more attention to the conversation than Kate had realized.

“Me neither,” his wife chimed in.

“And that’s a shame.” The way Greg forked a chunk of potato with so much force that it broke into three pieces testified to his frustration.

“I’m afraid Rainbow’s End will close for good.” Roy shrugged as he added, “I never did understand that phrase ‘for good.’ It sure wouldn’t be good if that happened here. The local economy doesn’t need another hit.”

The Sinclairs would move on. That was obviously their plan. But what about Carmen and KOB? Kate doubted there were other opportunities in Dupree for any of them.

Sally nodded as if she’d read Kate’s thoughts. “Kate could fix it. People just need to know about Rainbow’s End. A good advertising campaign is all it needs.”

Kate knew better. Rainbow’s End needed a huge infusion of cash to repair the cabins and improve the overall facility. While she’d never been a fan of the phrase “reinvent yourself,” this was one case where it seemed to apply. A whole new image would help Rainbow’s End.

“It’s not that easy,” she said, hoping someone would change the subject.

Though the meal was superb, no one seemed to enjoy it. Even the cobbler, as delicious as Carmen and Kevin had promised, did not boost anyone’s spirits. The Schwartzes left as soon as they’d eaten the last bite of cobbler, leaving Roy and Sally deep in a discussion of how to improve the resort. Since she had no answers, Kate had no interest in joining that conversation.

“Can I interest you in another walk?” Greg asked when she refused a second cup of coffee.

“Sure.” Kate tried to ignore the way her heart leapt at the
thought of spending more time with Greg. Despite the fact that her matchmaking grandmother seemed to think they were well-suited, Kate wasn’t romantically interested in him. Of course she wasn’t. But he was the most interesting person at Rainbow’s End, not to mention the one closest to her age. It was only natural that she had more in common with him than she did with Roy or the Schwartzes.

“What brought you here?” Kate asked as she and Greg strolled slowly along the lake’s edge. The slight breeze had increased enough that it blew her hair off her neck and formed ripples on the lake. These weren’t the crashing waves she’d experienced on Lake Erie or the pounding surf of the Jersey shore after a storm. Those spoke of power and majesty. These ripples brought a sense of serenity. Perhaps that was what Greg had sought when he left California.

“How did I pick Rainbow’s End? You can blame it on an impacted wisdom tooth.”

The response was so far from what she’d expected that Kate was certain Greg was joking. She tipped her head and tapped her ear, as if trying to clear it. “I must have something in my ear. I thought you said an impacted wisdom tooth.”

“I did. And let me tell you that I don’t recommend that particular experience to anyone.” They’d reached the side of the lodge where the wide porch terminated in a dock. Greg extended his hand to help Kate climb onto the dock. “I was sitting in the dentist’s waiting room, leafing through the usual magazines, when I saw a small ad for Rainbow’s End. The image of Noah’s ark at the end of the rainbow intrigued me. You don’t see very many resorts advertising themselves as Christian.” He shrugged and led her to a bench overlooking the lake. Though the sun had not yet set, it was low in the sky, backlighting the small island.

“I had no intention of actually coming here,” Greg admitted when they were both seated. “The truth is, I had no intention of
taking a vacation, but then my situation changed and I found myself being nudged in this direction.”

Change of situation. It was one of the many euphemisms she’d heard for unemployment. Kate wouldn’t ask about that. There was no point in reminding him of unpleasant circumstances, particularly when she had no way of resolving them. Instead, she focused on Greg’s unusual choice of words. “Nudged?”

He nodded. “I tried to ignore it at first, but the idea wouldn’t go away. When I woke at 3:00 a.m., having dreamt about the ark and the rainbow, I knew that God was sending me here. The problem is, I’m still not sure why. I just know I can’t leave yet. How about you? What brought you here?”

Kate was silent for a moment, absorbing all that Greg had revealed about himself. In just a few sentences, he’d told her a great deal. If Sally had been here, she would have nodded and said this was additional proof that Greg was the right man for Kate. Sally wasn’t here, but Kate was, and she was impressed by both the depth of Greg’s faith and his willingness to be so open about it.

Though faith had always been an important part of her life, the men Kate had dated had been what she called Sunday Morning Christians. They attended church as regularly as a metronome ticked, but their faith didn’t seem to have any impact on the other six and a half days of the week. Greg was different, and that was very appealing. But Kate wouldn’t tell him that. Besides, it wasn’t what Greg had asked about. He’d asked why she’d come to Rainbow’s End.

“I thought it was pretty obvious that Sally’s the reason I’m here.” Kate saw Greg’s eyes narrow and realized he deserved more than a curt response. He’d been open with her. Surely she owed him the same honesty. “Sally’s not just my grandmother; she’s my only family.”

“Your parents . . .” Greg let the words trail off.

“Were killed when I was seven. It was a drive-by shooting, one of those senseless crimes that no one understands, much less a seven-year-old. We lived in Ohio at the time.” Kate could still picture the small blond brick house that had been her first home and the kitchen where her mother had let her help make chocolate chip cookies. Of course, Kate’s help had been limited to stirring the chips into the batter and licking the bowl.

“Both of my parents were only children, and my dad’s parents had already died, so that left Sally and Grandpa Larry. They took me back to Buffalo and raised me.” Kate stared into the distance, trying to control her emotions. “I owe them both so much. And now there’s only Sally. When she told me it was her fondest wish to come back here, how could I refuse, especially when it turns out that her heart isn’t as strong as it should be?”