Confessing to the Cowboy - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,31
Few cars remained at this time of night and Mary realized she was exhausted as she got out of the car.
Spending time with Cameron had been heavenly, but she’d been tense, on guard off and on during the whole time. Now she was just ready to close up the café, get Matt settled in with his new little friend and go to bed.
Rusty stood behind the counter as they walked in. One of his bushy eyebrows raised when he saw the dog that Matt carried. “Must have been some birthday celebration,” he said. “I was wondering what happened to Twinkie with Dorothy gone and all.”
“Now you know,” Mary said. She looked at her son. “Take Twinkie to the back and get him all settled in.”
Matt didn’t need to be asked twice. He disappeared into their living quarters with the dog tucked safely in one arm and the bag with food and dishes slung over the other.
“How’d things go here?” Mary asked as she set the little dog bed on the floor and placed the bag with clothing on top of the counter.
“Busy afternoon and evening, but everything ran smoothly,” Rusty replied. He nodded toward two couples seated at a four-topper. “Once they’re finished, I’ll shut down the place. You go on back and relax. I’ve got things under control here.”
“Thanks, Rusty.” She smiled at him gratefully. He was the one person she’d depended on throughout the last five years and he’d never let her down.
He’d shown up at the café one spring day driving a rusted-out pickup and looking for a job as a cook. He definitely appeared to be a man down on his luck and Mary had decided to give him a chance. It was one of the best decisions she’d ever made when it came to the café. Rusty might look like a boxer, but he cooked like a well-trained chef.
“Before you go, this came in the mail today.” He reached beneath the counter and held up a box. “It’s addressed to Matt. I figured it’s a birthday present for him.”
“Thanks, I’ll take it back to him and I’ll just say good-night.” She grabbed everything and carried it back to her living room. She set the brown box on their small kitchen table and then took the little doggie four-poster and the clothes to Matt’s room where he was playing with Twinkie in the middle of his bed.
“You have a package on the table,” she said as she placed the little doggie bed next to his. “Probably one of your friends sent you a present.”
“Awesome.” Matt bounded off the bed, Twinkie at his heels and went to the table where the package awaited. Wrapped in plain brown paper, the postmark was Grady Gulch and the return address was the café. Maybe one of the waitresses had sent it, Mary thought.
Matt tore the paper off the box and then ripped the tape and opened the lid and frowned.
“What is it?” Mary asked, moving closer.
His frown deepened into a touch of confusion. “It’s a stuffed animal.” He reached inside and pulled out a stuffed green frog wearing a small gold crown.
Mary’s heart plummeted to the floor as she stared at the frog...the exact frog that her husband had brought to her in the hospital on the day that Matt had been born.
Gonna take more than a stuffed frog to turn that kid into a prince, he said, his eyes gleaming with a proprietarily light that had nothing to do with pride and made her slightly sick to her stomach.
But he was dead. She’d seen to that. So, who else had known about the frog? A shiver raised the tiny hairs on her arms and waltzed up her spine with agonizing ice.
“There’s no card or anything,” Matt said, pulling her back from the terror that threatened to consume her. “It’s nice that somebody thought of my birthday, but it’s a little bit babyish.”
“You’re right, you’re a little old for stuffed animals,” Mary said, grateful her voice betrayed none of her inner turmoil. “Why don’t we put it on the top shelf in your closet and maybe at school on Monday some friend will tell you it came from him.”
“Sounds good,” Matt replied and then stifled a yawn. “I think I’ll take Twinkie out for a fast walk and then maybe we’ll go to bed.”
“How about we both take Twinkie outside,” Mary suggested, suddenly afraid to let Matt out of her sight. They hooked a small leash onto Twinkie’s jeweled collar