Lassoed Into Marriage

“They’re watching you from heaven, sweetie, and they love you very much. Just like I love you and Uncle Sully loves you. And don’t forget all your grandparents. They love you, too.”

She wiped Rose’s tears with a tissue and had her blow her nose. Molly rested her chin on Rose’s leg, and Rose reached down to pet the dog, then opened the book and started turning the pages, pointing to objects in the pictures and identifying them.

Lisa let her mind wander. It was hard to believe that a week had gone by since she and Sully had moved into Carol and Rick’s house. She hoped that someday the big Victorian would feel like her own home—well, hers and Sully’s and Rose’s.

Because she hadn’t gone back to Atlanta yet to get all her clothes, she’d been doing countless loads of laundry from what she’d brought in her suitcase. It had crossed her mind that she could borrow a couple of Carol’s tees and maybe a pair of shorts until she could go shopping, but she just couldn’t do it, couldn’t go into the master bedroom.

So she’d closed the door.

Sully had moved some of his clothes into a bedroom opposite hers on the first floor, but Lisa knew that he often sneaked out at night and wandered—out to his motor home, out on the front porch or the back porch, back in again. It was impossible not to hear him open the creaky doors and his boots clunk on the wooden floor as she lay awake nights, not able to sleep.

“Why don’t you read to me, Rose? You know the story.”

Rose wiped her nose on her sleeve and moved the book to her lap. Lisa smiled as her niece made up a story of a bunny going to the market and buying vegetables for a party he was having with his other woodland friends.

But Lisa barely heard Rose, thinking instead of how she should have gone to the grocery store or sent Sully and Rose with a list.

Sully didn’t mind doing errands. Matter of fact, he and Rose had a routine that he called their “walk around.” They’d drive to the village of Salmon Falls, park the van and have breakfast at Salmon Falls Diner. Rose would have cereal with a banana or, if she felt adventurous, she’d have a pancake.

Then it’d be off to the drugstore, the post office, the grocery store—wherever she’d sent them on errands—and they’d stop at the playground on the Village Square, where Rose would play. Sully called it her “swing and sing” time because she would make up songs and sing them as she swung.

She wondered who looked forward to their walk arounds more, Sully or Rose.

The walk arounds had started when the grandparents had become overwhelming, which was their second day here. Sully had pulled Lisa aside and told her that Rose needed a break from their constant hovering and trying to outdo one another. He said that he’d take Rose out to run errands for her.

That was considerate of him, but Lisa had wanted to come, too. They weren’t the only ones who needed a break from the grandparents.

She was always the responsible one; Sully was the fun guy. But as they raised Rose, she didn’t want to be cast into the role of disciplinarian while Sully was the one she had a good time with.

Based on the previous week, Rick and Carol were right in not picking a set of grandparents as guardians for Rose. She and Sully might not be the best prize behind curtain number one, but they couldn’t be any worse than the Sullivans or the Phillipses.

She could hear the drone of the bright-green lawn mower as it made its rounds in the front yard. After enough hints from her, Sully had finally stopped roping the darn statue and got the ride-on mower out of the shed.

After tinkering for hours and taking numerous coffee breaks, he’d finally got it working.

As she and Rose heard the mower approach, they both turned around on the sofa to look out the big picture window at Sully. Lisa kneeled next to Rose, who stood, and they waved to him.

In response, Sully raised an arm into the air. They heard him yell “Yee-haw” as he went by. On his next pass, he did the same thing. On the way back, he took off his cowboy hat and was fanning the engine.

He stopped the lawn mower, making like he was getting off a bull. Then he bowed to his audience.

He got back on, pushed the lever and clearly expected the mower to go forward, but it went in reverse.

The surprise on his face was priceless.

She and Rose laughed at him, and he feigned anger. They laughed even harder.

They’d both needed it.

Sully was good for Rose.

Maybe he was good for her, too.

Rose was occupied watching Sully, so Lisa went into the laundry room to put in yet another load of her clothes and Rose’s. Sully did his own laundry.

So far, they were doing okay, but the real test would come now—when it was just the three of them.

After loading the washer, she went into Rick’s office and turned to a website that she’d flagged—a basic website for young cooks. What the mothers had had her cooking was way too complicated. Probably that’s what they were counting on to use as ammunition for Mr. Randolph.

She’d have to look for something really easy and nutritious for Rose to eat. And Sully. She supposed that he’d eat with them, too. Like a family.

And she hoped that whatever she’d make would be eatable and that she wouldn’t make them sick.

She could boil water and make pasta with a jar of sauce and pre-made meatballs from the store and she could microwave anything and everything, but they couldn’t live on pasta alone.

Even though she could fly jumbo jets, she didn’t have a clue how to cook a real meal.

Sully washed his greasy and grass-stained hands at the laundry room sink. The air in the house smelled like something was … burning.

He ran into the kitchen just as the smoke alarm went off. Rose started to cry. The dog started to bark, then whine, and the cat scooted under the living room sofa. Lisa stood in front of the stove, fanning the billowing smoke with a dish towel.

Grabbing two pot holders, he hipped Lisa aside and pulled out a shallow pan with charred lumps of something inside. The pan and the lumps were on fire.

He dumped it, pan and all, into the kitchen sink, not realizing that the sink was full of soapy water. Everything hit the water with a sizzle and a blast of smoke. Then all became silent, even Rose and the dog.

Sully’s stomach growled. He hoped that the burned lumps weren’t steak. He’d had a hankering for steak.

Lisa’s face was as white as the lily on the kitchen table and she wasn’t blinking.

“Lisa, are you okay? Did you get burned?” He took her hands and looked them over.

She just stared at him in shock.

“Lisa?” He pulled her to the other half of the sink, the half that didn’t contain … uh … dinner. He ran cold water over her hands, still inspecting them for burns or blisters. They looked fine.

Rose had a grip on Lisa’s pant leg. Sully winked at her. “Everything’s okay, Rose. Lisa’s okay. Right, Lisa?”

Eventually, color returned to Lisa’s face and lips. He handed her a towel.

“I’m fine, honey. Don’t worry,” Lisa said, smoothing Rose’s hair.

Lisa dried her hands and shook her head. “That was supposed to be ketchup-covered meatloaf, sliced potatoes with oregano and baked carrots. Now it’s soapy wet charcoal.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He held out his hand to Rose, and she took it. “Why don’t we go out to eat? Where should we go?”

“Pete’s Pizza and Polar,” Rose answered.

He raised an eyebrow. “Polar?”

“Ice cream,” Lisa answered. “We ate there on my last visit.” Turning to Rose, she added, “Great idea.”

The girl grinned.

“I’m going to jump in the shower. Then I’ll be right with you,” Sully said.

“And we’ll get ready, too,” Lisa said, opening the windows over the sink. “It’ll be good to get out of here for a while, let the smoke clear.”

Sully hurried to his bedroom in the front-left corner of the house and found a clean change of clothes. Then he jumped into the shower off his bedroom.

He shaved in the shower to save a step, cut the water and towel-dried himself off. Slapping on some aftershave, he padded naked into his room and then stopped suddenly, his gaze settling on the closed door. He took a grateful breath, glad that he’d had enough sense to close the door to his bedroom. Alone, in his motor home, he never paid any attention to that kind of thing. However, here in Rick and Carol’s house, he had to be more careful.

Rick and Carol’s house.

He supposed he should get used to thinking of it as their house, the three of them, but that seemed impossible yet. Maybe being comfortable here would come in due time. And maybe not.

Running a comb through his hair, he made a mental note to stop at a barbershop on his next walk around with Rose. He didn’t want to take any ribbing from the TV announcers when they got a gander at his longish hair. They loved making comments about hair and tattoos, feeling that all cowboys must fit a certain mold.

A shot of adrenaline coursed through him whenever he thought of riding bulls. The next event on the circuit would be in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it was scheduled this coming Saturday.

Just six days away.

He had to go. If he wanted to keep up his ranking, he had to compete.

Then he had to win the Finals.

Then he would retire.

This chain of events would shore up his career plan to be a TV announcer for the PBR events. He wanted to do special interviews with the riders and the stock contractors along with the sports medicine doctors, wives and fiancées and whoever else would be of interest to the fans.

He was approaching thirty, and bull riding was a sport for the young. Because he couldn’t picture his life without the PBR, announcing and commentating was the next best thing to riding.

He had to win the Finals and win the season to be seriously considered.

From Salmon Falls, Fort Lauderdale would be a twenty-four-hour, nonstop ride in his motor home. He could leave Thursday and be back here by Tuesday morning.

That’s just what he’d do.

He grabbed his hat from the top of the dresser and plunked it on his head. As he caught his reflection in the mirror, he realized that something was wrong with his plan.

Lisa and Rose. He had to think of them now.

That was a new twist for him. He had never had to think of anyone else before.

He’d enjoyed his first day alone with Lisa and Rose. He’d spent most of the morning trying to get the mower started and the rest of the day mowing the lawn, so it wasn’t much of a test. But so far, so good, in spite of the kitchen disaster.

This arrangement was going to be a snap.

He had to admit that he looked forward to seeing Lisa and Rose every day, and he just loved his outings with Rose. All the shop owners knew her by name, and she knew their names. The regulars at the Salmon Falls Diner looked forward to seeing her every morning, and she glowed from all the attention.

Rose was no shrinking violet.

Sully opened the door, grabbed the keys to Rick’s van off the dresser and went to find his two dinner dates.

An hour later, Sully was eating the best pizza he’d ever had. Rose was covered in it, and Lisa was dabbing at the girl’s face with a wet tissue.

“Can I play over there?” Rose asked sweetly, pointing. She looked enviously at the children playing in a ball pit inside a bright blue inflated castle.

Lisa looked over at the children yelling and laughing and hesitated. Turning to Sully, she said, “I’m afraid she’ll get hurt.”

“She’ll be fine,” he said. “What do you want to do? Go in there with her? Let the kid have some fun!”

“There’s a weight limit.” Lisa pointed to the sign by the mesh door of the inflatable. “I don’t think either of us would qualify.”

“I see you’ve thought of doing just that.” Sully chuckled. “There’s a worker stationed by the door watching the kids, and we can see Rose from here. Let her go.”

“I don’t think so,” she said.

“Lisa, let it go.”

Lisa nodded, then turned to Rose. “Be careful, sweetie.”

“I will.”

She scampered off, and Sully knew that it was a perfect time to talk to Lisa.

“I have to ride at the event in Fort Lauderdale this weekend,” he said, turning to catch a glimpse of Rose in the ball pit.

“She’s over there,” Lisa pointed, answering his unasked question. Lisa put down her slice of pizza and waved to Rose.

“Lisa, I have to go to Fort Lauderdale.”

Lisa dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “When would you fly out? Saturday? And you’d return on Sunday night?”

“I don’t fly. No way. In order for me to get on a plane, I’d have to be drunk and hog-tied. I like my boots on the ground.” He gave a thumbs-up to Rose.

Rose shouted, “Look at me jump, Aunt Lisa!” Rose did a belly flop into the bright balls. Lisa clapped and the little girl grinned.

When Rose turned to talk to a newly found friend, Lisa asked Sully, “Why don’t you fly, Mr. Adrenaline Rush Bull Rider?”

“I keep thinking of Newton’s law of gravity. Like, how do three or four tons of metal, glass and luggage take off and stay up in the sky?” Sully waved when he saw Rose looking at them.

“Do you want the technical answer to that?” Lisa asked.

“I wouldn’t believe you anyway.” He grinned. “That’s why I bought a motor home—so I can drive to events. I plan on leaving Thursday for Fort Lauderdale, and I’ll be back on Tuesday.”

“Are you asking me or telling me, Sully?” She clapped as Rose did a belly flop into the balls.

“I’m not used to asking anyone for permission, so I guess I’m telling you.” He laughed as Rose scrambled to stand and didn’t quite make it.

Lisa crossed her arms in front of her chest and sat back in her chair, looking at Sully for the first time since they’d started talking. “We knew this day would come, didn’t we?”

He nodded. “I’ll go to Florida, and in exchange I’ll let you fly somewhere.”

Lisa turned back to Rose. “You’ll let me fly? Let me?”

Sully shook his head. This wasn’t going right at all. “Did I put my boot in my mouth?”

“Try both boots.”

Sully pushed his hat back with a thumb. Most of the time Lisa reminded him of his second grade teacher, Mrs. Moth. The only thing she was missing was a ruler ready to crash down on his knuckles.

“You know what I’m trying to say, Lisa,” he said.

“Let me backtrack a moment, please.” She cleared her throat. “You stuck me with both sets of parents while you disappeared with Rose for most of the day every day of their visit. The rest of the time you hid in your motor home. I’m going stir-crazy.”

“Sorry about the stir-crazy part.” He nodded. “And you’re absolutely right. Sorry about abandoning you, but our mothers insisted on teaching you how to cook.”

“And both of our fathers enjoyed the spectacle,” she snapped.

He supposed he had unconsciously—or maybe consciously—stuck her with them all, but he’d had to get out of there. He was used to peace and quiet and solitude, for the most part.

When he was parked at one of the arenas and wanted company, all he had to do was walk out the door of his RV. Most of the other bull riders were there in their motor homes or truck campers, too. They’d all pitch in for potluck meals, and most of the time they’d all sit out in lawn chairs and talk until it was time to get ready for the event. Sometimes, it was like one big tailgate party and he could jump right into that. But most of the time, it was quiet.

A loud squeal came from the direction of the ball pit and both of them stood, searching for Rose. She was rolling around in the colorful balls, and Sully wished that he’d brought his camera.

“So, I’d like a change of scenery and want to get out of the house for a while,” Lisa said. “Here’s the deal. You can go to the bull riding on two conditions.” She sat back down.

He met her gaze. This was even worse than second grade at Mountain View Grammar School with Mrs. Moth. He slowly sat down.

“I’m listening,” he said, dreading her conditions already. She held up two fingers, just like Mrs. Moth. “One, I get two flights with you taking care of Rose.”

“Agreed.” That was easy.

“And two, Rose and I go with you to Fort Lauderdale.”

He pointed to his chest. “Didn’t I just rant about how I don’t fly?”

“We’d all go in your motor home. And we’ll make it a week-long trip. It would be the perfect opportunity for all of us to get to know one another—to bond, so to speak.”

He fished for the words, and with his mouth flapping, he probably looked like a freshly caught trout. Rose would love the trip, but he wondered how he and Lisa would get along in such cramped quarters.

“Us? Together for a week in my small motor home? Wouldn’t you and I kill each other?” he asked.

“Perhaps.” Lisa laughed, and he liked when she did that. As far as he was concerned, she didn’t laugh enough, but he wouldn’t count that against her just yet. She’d just lost her sister. Still, on the handful of occasions when they’d met in the past, she seemed to sit in judgment of him—and she appeared to find him lacking.

Granted, most of those occasions were party times—Rick’s bachelor’s party, the Super Bowl, Rick and Carol’s wedding, Rose’s christening—and he loved to party. Still, she didn’t have to seem so prim and proper all the time.

Did she ever have fun?

“Uncle Sully, Aunt Lisa, look at me!” Rose shouted.

They both looked as their niece jumped into the balls for the hundredth time. Lisa clapped and Sully whistled loudly and shrilly as if he were calling a bull for dinner.

“Sully.” Lisa inhaled deeply, and he braced himself for what she was going to say. “I think I’m going to put my name on the list for private charters for now instead of working a regular schedule with Cardinal Global. Private charters are on an as-needed basis, and JFW Aviation flies out of Albany, so that’s convenient to Salmon Falls and totally doable.”

He breathed a little easier. “Sounds like a good idea.”

“That’s what I was thinking. It’ll work out better for Rose.”

“I really appreciate that, Lisa. I do.” It was a totally nice and unexpected concession on her part. He’d do his best to reciprocate.

She nodded. “So, what about my idea of all of us traveling together to Fort Lauderdale?”

He paused, his hands itching for his rope and the cement statue so he could weigh the pros and cons more thoroughly. “Let’s do it,” he blurted.

Lisa held out her hand, and they shook. As his rough and calloused hand closed around hers, he decided that he liked her style. Keep everything businesslike, negotiable, but do the best they could do for Rose.

He looked over yet again at Rose jumping on the balls, her face red with laughter, her hair wet from the exertion. She was having a great time, and maybe for a while, she’d forget that she’d lost her mommy and daddy.

In their place were Aunt Lisa and Uncle Sully—pale substitutes for her parents.

He knew that he and Lisa would do their best to raise Rose. Yes, he made a slight blunder not asking Lisa if he could ride at the Fort Lauderdale event, but for heaven’s sake, he wasn’t a kid having to ask a parent for permission.

Well, okay, okay. Maybe he had to stop thinking of just himself. And, yeah, once in a while he could ask Lisa to go on his walk arounds with Rose. She’d dropped enough hints.

But sometimes he had to get away from her, too. Sometimes she could be just as demanding and rigid as his parents.

Especially when she looked at him with her green eyes flashing disappointment.

He’d never have a nine-to-five job. He’d always be ready for a party or to throw one of his own. He’d make sure that Rose would have a fun, happy life. Lisa could take care of the blah, boring stuff.

Sully knew he’d never measure up to Lisa’s expectations, nor did he want to even try.

So, he was going to hit the trail with his new family, and he’d try to get along with Mrs. Moth … er … Lisa Phillips.

Chapter Three

Three days later, Sully drove his rig back from downtown Salmon Falls. He loved the little town, loved the sidewalks, the flowers, the town square. He loved that there were no chain stores or chain eateries, and how the little shops were just that … little.

He’d just left Marv’s Garage. Marv was the town’s hangout for gearheads, gossip central for men and the home to a bottomless coffeepot.

Though Sully had gone over his motor home from top to bottom, he’d figured that Marv should check it anyway.

Marv had cleared the RV and everything was ready to rock.

When he pulled up in front of the Victorian, Lisa and Rose were ready to pack the RV. Over the next hour they made several trips to the vehicle, carrying loads of clothes, food, toys, shoes and more shoes. Heaven only knew what they’d put in the small bathroom cupboard. And there were plastic containers stacked all over containing bottles and tubes of stuff.

Lisa and Rose had gone shopping, so the closets and cabinets were overflowing with their purchases. That was okay with him. He traveled light. Mostly, whatever he needed—his wrap tape, rosin, bull rope and bell, jeans, shirts, underwear, socks and a couple of riding gloves—was in his gear bag.

Last night, he’d slipped out of his room in the Victorian and sat at the kitchen table with a map of the East Coast. He plotted the route he wanted to take and flagged some campgrounds along the way. Remembering how Rick had told him that Rose loved the water, he flagged the ones with swimming areas for her. He’d programmed them into his GPS.

Lisa and Rose were back with Molly and Snowball and yet more plastic containers. Sully looked on in amazement.

“Hey, we can’t fit the whole house into this motor home, ladies. We’re camping, not moving into a mansion in Beverly Hills.”

Lisa chuckled. “This is the last load—well, except for more food.”

“We bought hot dogs. And stuff for sloppy joe’s,” Rose announced to him. “And beans in a can … for you. Aunt Lisa said that cowboys like beans.”

Sully looked at Lisa. “Beans, huh?” He winked at Rose. “Well, your aunt was right. I do like beans … in a can.”

As a matter of fact, they’d already loaded in a supply of microwaveable foods—beans, hot dogs, chicken and TV dinners.

Since the burned meatloaf incident, Lisa had given the oven in the house a wide berth, like it was a Brahma ready to charge at her, but the microwave was her pet.

He had both in the motor home.

Rose looked up at him with brown eyes, the color of his brother Rick’s. “When are we going to see Mickey Mouse?”

Huh? There wouldn’t be any time for that! He raised an eyebrow at Lisa. “We’ll leave as soon as Aunt Lisa is ready.”

“I just need to lock up the house, and that’s it,” she said. Her face was flushed, maybe from slogging everything, but Sully liked to think that she was excited to go on the trip.

That would be a change for her—being excited about something.

She dropped an armload of groceries on the table. “You could have helped, you know.”

“I was securing everything,” he said. “Can’t have all those plastic boxes flying around.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll do everything.” She rolled her eyes, turned and left the RV.

What was her problem?

He shrugged it off, hoping that everything would go well on this trip. If it did, maybe he could convince her to travel to the next stop on the bull riding circuit.

He’d have to get through this trip to Florida first.

Lisa didn’t seem to be the camping type, although traveling in a motor home was a step up from camping. He thought of camping as backpacking or pitching a tent. A motor home was luxury camping.

But he still wondered how he and Lisa would get along. They were superficially being nice to one another for the sake of Rose, but Sully knew that underneath their façade they were one word away from an argument.