Texas Proud and Circle of Gold (Long, Tall Texans #52) - Diana Palmer Page 0,12

chuckled.

“And all true,” Miss Pirkle said. “There’s a statue of Big John on the town square. One of his direct descendants is married to Justin Ballenger, who owns one of the biggest feed lots in Texas.”

“All this talk of great men makes me weak in the knees,” Mikey teased.

“Do you have illustrious ancestors, Mr. Fiore?” Mrs. Brown asked with a mischievous grin.

“Nah,” he said. “If I do, I don’t know about it. My grandmother was the only illustrious person I ever knew.”

“Was she famous?” Mrs. Bartwell asked.

“Well, she was famous back in Jersey,” he mused. “Got mad at a don and chased him around the room with a salami.”

There were confused looks.

“Mafia folks,” he explained.

“Oh! Like in The Sopranos, that used to be on television!” Miss Pirkle said. “I never missed an episode!”

“Sort of like that,” he said. “More like Marlon Brando in The Godfather,” he said, chuckling. “Afterwards, he sent her a big present every Christmas and even came to her funeral. She was fierce.”

“Was she Italian?” Mrs. Brown asked.

He laughed. “She was Greek. Everybody else in my whole family was Italian except for her. She was a tiny little thing, but ferocious. I was terrified of her when I was a kid. So was Paulie. Our folks didn’t have much time for us,” he added, not explaining why, “so she pretty much raised us.”

“I never knew either of my grandmothers,” Bernie said as she sipped coffee.

Mikey was studying her closely. “Where were your grandparents from?” he asked.

She closed up like a flower. She forced a smile. “I’m not really sure,” she lied. “My father and mother were from Jacobsville, though, and we lived here from the time I was old enough to remember things. I have to get ready for church. It was delicious, Mrs. Brown,” she added.

“Thank you, dear,” Mrs. Brown said, and grimaced a little. She knew about Bernie’s past. Not many other local people did. She could almost feel Bernie’s anguish. Not Mr. Fiore’s fault for bringing it up. He didn’t know. “Want a second cup of coffee to take with you while you dress?”

“If I drink two, I can fly around the room and land on the curtain rods,” Bernie teased. “I’m hyper enough as it is. But thanks.”

She glanced at Mikey, puzzled by the look on his face. She smiled at the others and went back to her room.

* * *

Jake Blair was a conundrum, Bernie thought as she walked in line out the front door to shake hands with him after the very nice sermon. He seemed to be very conventional, just like a minister was expected to be. But he drove a red Shelby Cobra Mustang with a souped-up engine, and there were whispers about his past. The same sort of whispers that followed Jacobsville’s police chief, Cash Grier, wherever he went.

Bernie gripped her dragon cane tightly and glanced at the toddler in Dr. Carson Farwalker’s arms as he and Carlie walked beside her.

“Imagine you two with a child.” Bernie sighed as she went from one face to the other.

Carlie grinned. “Imagine us married!” she corrected with a loving look at her husband, which was returned. “They were taking bets at the police station the day we got married about when he’d do a flit.”

“They’re having a long wait, don’t you think?” Carson chuckled.

“Very long,” she agreed. “Imagine, we used to fight each other in World of Warcraft on battlegrounds and we never knew it. Not until my life was in danger and Dad had you watching me.”

“I watched you a lot more than he told me to,” Carson teased.

She laughed.

They’d moved up to Jake by now and he was giving them an amused grin. “There’s my boy!” he said softly, and held his arms out for Jacob, who was named after him.”

“Gimpa.” The little boy laughed and hugged the tall man.

Jake hugged him close. “If anybody had told me ten years ago that I’d go all mushy over a grandchild, I guess I’d have laughed.”

“If anybody had told me ten years ago that I’d be practicing medicine in a small Texas town, I’d have fainted,” Carson chuckled.

“I like having family,” Jake said, and smiled at his daughter and son-in-law. “I never belonged anyplace in my life until now.”

“Me, neither,” Bernie said softly.

Jake looked at her kindly, and she knew that he’d heard the rumors. She just smiled. He was her minister, after all. Someday maybe she’d be able to talk about it. Mrs. Brown knew, but she was a clam.