Stella Bagwell - A Texan on Her Doorstep

Ileana walked over to the tall, wiry man and kissed his leathery cheek. From the time Cesar had been fifteen years old, he’d worked on the Bar M. After forty years of dealing with fractious horses and several broken bones to show for it, Chloe had relegated him to the kitchen. Now after twenty years of stirring up ranch grub, he could safely be called a hell of a good cook.

“I hadn’t planned on it, Cesar, but if you have plenty, I will. Where’s Mother? Is she in from the barn yet?”

“She came in a few minutes ago. You might find her in the den.”

“Thanks,” Ileana told him, then quickly left the kitchen.

The den was quiet and so was the living room. Ileana eventually found Chloe in her bedroom changing into clean clothes.

“Hi, honey!” Chloe said with a bright smile. “You must have stopped by ‘cause you knew I’d be lonely tonight.”

Ileana sat down on a cedar chest positioned at the foot of a large, varnished pine bed. “Lonely? Isn’t Dad here?”

The petite woman finished the last button on her blouse and reached up to whip the towel off her wet hair. Chloe had been a horse lover since she was old enough to sit in the saddle, and she’d made a life breeding and training racing stock. The job was physically strenuous, and now that Chloe was sixty-two, Ileana was beginning to wonder how long she could keep up with the demands of the business. But though she might be small in stature, Chloe was an iron lady. Ileana figured, God willing, her mother would still be working up into her eighties.

“Sanders Gas Exploration has just purchased a competing company, and your father has gone to Oklahoma to tie up all the loose paperwork.”

Ileana was incredulous. At a time when her father should have been slowing down, he seemed to be going hell-bent for leather. “He’s expanding? Again? Mom, when are you two going to retire and travel the world?”

Chloe laughed as she briskly rubbed her short auburn hair. “Honey, don’t ever look for your parents to go galloping around the world for any length of time. Maybe a short vacation now and then. We have too much we want to do.”

“But it’s work,” Ileana complained.

Chloe settled a pointed look at her daughter. “And isn’t that what your life is all about?”

Ileana certainly couldn’t argue that point. Most every waking hour she spent at her private medical clinic or at the hospital. Even if she wasn’t a workaholic, traveling and socializing wasn’t her style.

“Okay. So I can’t make that argument. But as a doctor I can tell you to slow down.”

Chloe laughed. “And as your mother, I can tell you to quit being so fussy.” She hung the damp towel on a door hook and began to run a comb through her hair. “So are you going to have dinner with me tonight? Cesar has made goulash and corn bread. He knows I love goulash and your father hates it, so he makes it for me whenever Wyatt is gone.”

Chloe started toward the door, and Ileana slowly rose to her feet to follow her out of the bedroom. “I suppose I can stay long enough to eat, but then I’ve got to get home and go over several test results. I…actually, I stopped by to talk to you about something.”

“Oh?” Chloe tossed her a look of concern as the two of them walked along a hallway. “Has something happened? Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m tired. That’s the only thing wrong with me, and I’ll tell you all about it when we get to the kitchen.”

“You’ve intrigued me now,” Chloe said with a smile. Then with a happy groan, she reached over and curled her arm tightly around her daughter’s shoulders. “I love you, sweetie. I’m glad you stopped by. No matter what the reason.”

Her mother’s display of affection was as commonplace as breathing, but Ileana never took it for granted. She’d seen too much suffering in her life to know that there were plenty of unloved people in this world. They marched through her office complaining of one malady after another when their real problem was loneliness.

The idea had her wondering about Mac McCleod’s life and what he must have gone through if the story he’d told about his mother was true. It was hard for Ileana to imagine growing up without her mother’s love, her constant hugs and kisses. Had the tough cowboy with the sexy brown eyes missed out on being cuddled and praised, or had a stepmother given him and his brother those things? she wondered.

That part of Mac McCleod is none of your business, Ileana. Just stick to the facts and concentrate on keeping your patient away from any undue stress.

The little voice of warning continued to pester her until the two women entered the kitchen and seated themselves at the small dining table.

“Okay, honey, what’s this thing you wanted to discuss with me?” Chloe asked as she spooned a hefty amount of goulash onto her plate. “I hope you haven’t stopped by to tell me that Frankie’s condition has gotten worse.”

“No. Actually, I think she’s slightly improved from yesterday, but her lungs still have a long way to go before I can pronounce them clear.”

“Damn woman,” Chloe muttered. “She should have had heart surgery a year ago when you advised her to.”

Ileana sighed. Frankie wasn’t the first stubborn patient she’d encountered. Over the eleven years she’d been a practicing physician, Ileana had run into her fair share, and when a patient refused treatment it always left her feeling frustrated and helpless. “That’s true. Her lungs are going to keep giving her problems if she doesn’t get her heart sound. But she’s afraid.”

Chloe frowned. “Well, aren’t we all afraid of medical procedures? But if we’re smart, we do them, because we want to be well and at our best. Life is too short to simply exist. I want to live my God-given days to the fullest.”

Ileana thoughtfully stirred sugar into her iced tea. “Yes, but you have lots to live for. I’m not sure that Frankie views life the same as you, Mother. Losing Lewis has devastated her. Just like it would devastate you if Daddy died.”

“Of course losing Wyatt would crush me! He’s the love of my life. But I’d have to go on doing the very best that I could. To do any less would be dishonorable to Wyatt and you children.”

Yes, her mother would see it that way, Ileana thought. But Chloe was a scrapper. As very young women, she and her two sisters had struggled and sacrificed to keep the Bar M going when others would have given up. Frankie didn’t have that same fighting spirit. Could her past life be some of the reason for her lack of grit? Ileana wondered.

“Mother, speaking of children, have you ever heard Frankie mention that she had other children?”

Across the table, Chloe’s fork stopped midway to her mouth. “Other children? What kind of question is that?”

“It’s not some sort of joke, if that’s what you’re thinking. Besides, you know I don’t joke.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately, I do know. But let’s not get into that now. What are you getting at? The idea of Frankie having other children is preposterous.”

Ileana reached for a piece of cornbread. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d met Mac McCleod.”

Her expression puzzled, Chloe repeated the name. “I’ve never heard the name. Who is he? Where did you meet him?”

“He’s a deputy sheriff from Bee County, Texas. He showed up at the hospital wanting to see Frankie.”

Her expression full of concern now, Chloe leaned forward. “You didn’t allow him to see her, did you?”

Her mother’s sudden anxiousness was suspicious. “You know I’m not allowing anyone in to see her except Quint, Alexa and Abe.”

Chloe glanced down at her plate but didn’t attempt to resume eating. Ileana could tell that her thoughts were whirling.