Kara Lennox - One Stubborn Texan

“No particular reason,” he said. “I just wondered if you wanted to go out to dinner.”

“Well, Russell, aren’t you sweet. Of course I would love to have dinner out with my favorite son.”

Her only son, but she was sure if she had others he would still be her favorite. When they’d first moved to Winnie’s hometown of Linhart, she’d wanted to pass him off as her half brother. She could have gotten away with it, too, since her father had moved away to parts unknown when she was a baby. But Russ, only twelve at the time, had vetoed that plan. He’d insisted that since they were making a fresh start, they should start as they intended to go, by being honest.

He’d been right, of course. He’d been mature far beyond his years, and thank providence for that. If she hadn’t had Russ to help her manage her affairs, she’d have blown the rest of her divorce settlement and have nothing to show for it.

Betty said her goodbyes and left for home, but Glory still hung around, sweeping the perfectly clean floor around her chair and blatantly staring at Russ, who didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ll finish up here,” Glory offered magnanimously. “If y’all want to beat the early bird crowd at the Cherry Blossom. They’re having a special on catfish tonight.” She was angling for an invitation to join them.

Russ was either oblivious to Glory’s unabated adoration or studiously ignoring it.

“I thought we’d go to the club,” Russ said.

Winnie smiled, pleased by the thoughtful invitation. “Sure, hon, but am I dressed okay?” She ran her hands over her tight, short skirt. She hadn’t gained a pound since her Vegas showgirl days, but she had to admit that her, um, assets had shifted around somewhat.

“You look beautiful as always, Mom.”

With an apologetic look, she allowed Glory to make good on her offer of closing up. She handed the laundry bag to Russ-she’d run the laundry through her machine at home later. Then she grabbed her purse and the two of them set off for the Lake Linhart Country Club, about a fifteen-minute drive away. They would be unfashionably early for dinner, but that didn’t matter so much in this little town, not like in Vegas where only the people confined to nursing homes ate dinner before ten o’clock.

“You said there was no occasion,” Winnie said as Russ pulled his Bronco into a parking spot. “But why is it I don’t believe you?” She gasped as an unsettling thought occurred to her. “You’re not getting married, are you? That woman who’s been into the store the last two days in a row, the one you took dancing…is it her?”

Russ laughed. “Guess I can’t make a move without you knowing. The Linhart grapevine is alive and well. But, no, I’m not marrying Sydney. She’ll be going back to New York tomorrow.”

“Well, good. I mean, I’m sure she’s a perfectly nice girl, but I don’t understand why you don’t hitch up with some nice girl from Linhart. Like Glory.”

“Glory’s nice,” Russ said mildly. “But she doesn’t do a thing for me.”

“And Sydney does? What kind of name is Sydney, anyway?”

“A city name, I guess. Don’t worry, she’s not a girlfriend and I have no intentions toward her. In fact, she’s the one pursuing me. She’s, uh, kind of a stalker.”

“Oh, Russ, that sounds awful. What’s going on?” And why hadn’t the grapevine supplied any details? Bert, whom she could usually rely on to tell her every detail of Russ’s business, had remained cagily mum about the dark-haired woman’s purpose in Linhart. He claimed he didn’t know anything, but Winnie could tell he wasn’t being truthful with her. His nose twitched when he told a lie.

Russ waited until they were seated at a white-clothed table near a wall of windows where they could watch the sun set over the lake.

“She’s got a crush on me, that’s all, and she’s one of these girls who won’t take no for an answer. So if she comes snooping around you or the shop, don’t tell her anything about me. In fact, you probably shouldn’t talk to her at all. Just tell her you’re too busy.”

“I’ll do that,” Winnie said. “Do you think she’s dangerous? She’s not one of those if-I-can’t-have-him-no-one-will kind of girls, is she?”

Russ laughed. “No, it’s nothing like that. She’s not the slightest bit scary. In fact, she’s afraid of Nero.”

“That old dog?” Winnie laughed. Bert had given Nero to Russ as a gift on his eighteenth birthday. Russ and the bloodhound puppy had been inseparable ever since. He loved that old dog and would probably fall to pieces when Nero passed-an event that couldn’t be too far off.

“Yeah,” Russ said, grinning. “She claims she simply doesn’t like dogs, but it’s obvious how nervous she is around Nero. The funny thing is, Nero seems to like her.”

“That is funny.” Nero had never before taken to any of Russ’s many female admirers. The dog didn’t care much for her, either.

Winnie couldn’t help wondering if Nero was echoing Russ’s own feelings regarding the woman-that he liked her more than he was letting on.

“Is this woman staying in town or what?” Winnie asked. “Her BMW is still parked in front of the store, I noticed.”

“She was staying at the Periwinkle, but tonight she’s busy elsewhere. Not in town,” he clarified. “She’ll be back in Linhart tomorrow afternoon, but I think that’s the last we’ll see of her.”

Russ didn’t sound as happy about that as Winnie thought he ought to. Something more was going on here than met the eye. But if she tried to worm more information out of Russ, he would clam up. She would have to find out some other way.

The waiter came and took their order. Though the menu featured all kinds of trendy, continental dishes, Winnie ordered the fried catfish.

“If I’d known you wanted catfish,” Russ said, “we could have gone to the Cherry Blossom after all.”

“Yes, but we wouldn’t have seen this sunset.”

Russ gazed out over the lake, seeming to see the incomparable view for the first time. “You’re right. God, that’s beautiful. The most beautiful sunsets in the world are right here in the Hill Country.”

Not that they’d seen sunsets anywhere else but Vegas. But Winnie thought her son was probably right. She couldn’t imagine any place more beautiful.

“Actually, I did have a reason for taking you out to dinner,” Russ said. “I want to give you a present.”

“Really?” Winnie loved presents and she especially loved surprise gifts. “Any particular reason?”

“Well, your birthday’s coming up next month. And I would have waited, but this was a deal too good to pass up.”

He handed her a red envelope with her name on it.

With quivering hands, Winnie opened the envelope. “A whole weekend at a spa! Oh, Russ, what a thoughtful gift. And it’s that fancy one in Austin-” She squinted at the card again. “But it’s for this weekend.”

“The sooner the better, right?”

“I’d have to leave tomorrow.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m sure Betty and Glory can cover for you, or you can rearrange a few appointments.”

“Oh, honey, this was so nice of you, but Betty’s daughter’s baby shower is on Saturday and I can’t miss it, I’m one of the hostesses. Maybe the spa will let me reschedule. You think they will?”

“They’re always booked months in advance, is what I hear. Sorry, Mom, I didn’t know about the baby shower.”

“Well, I’ll work something out,” Winnie said, “even if I have to schedule my spa visit for next year.” She stepped around the table to give Russ a hug. “This was really generous of you.”

He shrugged. “It’s been a good year at the store. I think as hard as you work, you should pamper yourself every so often.”