Jingle-Bell Baby. Linda Goodnight
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plenty of—” Jenna lifted a hand to wave off the suggestion that she had no one and then let the hand fall against the warm steering column.
“No,” she admitted, suddenly needing to talk to this young woman who was kindness personified. “My husband died. I’m alone, looking for a place to start fresh. I thought Sophie and I would be happier somewhere new, away from the memories.” She gave a pathetic little laugh. “So here we are.”
That much was absolutely true.
Crystal draped an arm over the top of the car door, all her weight on one hip. “So that explains it. I knew something was not right, but bless your heart, all alone. That’s awful.”
The woman’s compassion was almost Jenna’s undoing. She fought back a wave of self-pity, and then, angry at herself, she refused to acknowledge the emotion. She’d chosen this route even if things hadn’t gone quite as smoothly as she’d planned. Starting fresh was the best thing for Sophie, no matter how difficult the first few weeks might be. She could do this. She wanted to do this. For her baby girl and even for herself. Alone was better than lonely and utterly dependent, with your life mapped out before you were out of diapers. Now that she had Sophie, she would never be lonely again.
Stiffening her spine, she said, “Can you direct me to a hotel?”
After a moment’s consideration, Crystal took a scrap of paper from her uniform pocket and scribbled on it. “There’s a little B and B over on Second Street, not fancy but decent and clean. Terri Wallace runs it. We graduated high school together. Nice gal. Tell her I sent you. I put my phone number on there, too. Call me if I can do anything. Or just to talk. I can always use a new friend.”
A friend. Crystal couldn’t begin to comprehend how much the offer heartened Jenna.
“Could I ask one more favor?”
“Name it.”
“I need a job.” She swallowed her pride and said the rest. “In a hurry. Do you have any suggestions?”
The darkly pretty face twisted in thought. “Can’t think of anything right off.”
Jenna’s hopes fell. She pressed her lips together in dismay. Maybe Saddleback wasn’t the right town. Maybe she should drive on to Austin or even on to Los Angeles, where she and Sophie could get lost in the masses. But she was too tired and shaky from childbirth to drive that far today.
“Listen,” Crystal was saying. “The county employment office is located here in Saddleback. It might be worth a try.” She rattled off an address. “In a few days, when you’re feeling rested, just drive down Main Street. When you see the boot store—you can’t miss it, there’s an enormous sign out front shaped like a big red cowboy boot—the employment office is right across the street. Shirley McDougal runs the place. Sweet as pie. She knows everyone and everything in Saddleback. Go talk to her. Tell her I sent you.”
“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay your generosity.”
Crystal patted her shoulder. “Just take care of Princess Sophie and give me a call when you get settled. We’ll have lunch or something.”
Still stunned by the kindness of strangers in this Texas town, Jenna could only nod, fighting back the tears that suddenly clogged her throat.
Crystal stepped back from the car, lifting a hand to wave as Jenna slammed the door, cranked the engine and pulled out of the Saddleback Hospital parking lot.
CHAPTER FOUR
TEN DAYS LATER, Jenna knew she’d recuperated as long as her limited finances would allow. Twice during that time, Crystal Wolf had stopped by the B and B, spreading her brand of Texas hospitality, but Jenna had been afraid to tell her new friend just how desperate things were becoming.
After a sleepless night of baby care and worry, Jenna now stared at a pile of unfamiliar forms at the county employment agency while the woman named Shirley cooed and hummed to Sophie. From the moment she’d started the paperwork, Jenna had been stumped. About the only thing she could fill out easily was her name. She’d finally scribbled the address of the Red Rose Bed-and-Breakfast as her residence, but she had nothing to put in the experience and reference forms.
“What kind of work are you looking for, Jenna, sugar?” Shirley asked, never looking up from Sophie’s sleeping face.
“I’m not at all particular, but I would like to secure a position where I could keep my baby with me.”
“Hmm. Well, that leaves out the fast-food places. I send a lot of folks to them. The junior high is always looking for substitutes, though you’d have to leave this precious one with a sitter.” She glanced up, brows drawing together over her black plastic glasses. “Don’t suppose you have a degree in education or computers?”
Jenna shook her head, hopes tumbling. “No.”
She’d spent one semester at Brown University under the watchful eyes of her grandparents. Unfortunately, neither they nor her ever-present bodyguards were as watchful as her mother would have liked. She’d met Derek there. Heads had rolled but Mother’s fury had come too late.
“How about the medical field? There’s always a need for that. Nurses, paramedics, lab techs…”
Again Jenna shook her head. An overprotected heiress was a useless human being.
Shirley studied her beneath thick blond bangs. “Do you have any training? Any experience at all?”
Jenna’s hopes fell even further as she bowed her head to the application and didn’t answer. She could plan a dinner party for fifty, direct servants and organize a charity auction; none of those skills appeared all that useful in Saddleback, Texas.
Even if no one recognized her here, she might have to move on. Yet, Saddleback’s friendliness and easy pace drew her. She wanted to remain in this remote place where her daughter had been born and where people treated her as just another person.
Shirley pushed her glasses up with one finger. “You don’t seem the type, but would you mind doing domestic work? We get a few calls for that.”
Domestics? As in a maid? Or a cook?
An idea popped into her head. She and Mother had taken a gourmet cooking class from a well-known chef. She’d loved it.
“Could I possibly keep Sophie with me?”
“That would be up to your employer, but I think most people would be all right with a little one around as long as you did the work.”
“Then,” Jenna said, suddenly thrilled at the idea, “I am a fabulous chef and quite amenable to domestics.”
Surely, cleaning a house couldn’t be that difficult. She’d watched the maids dozens of times.
Shirley grinned. “My dear girl, I think I may have something for you. A family outside of town needs a cook and general housekeeper. Want to check it out?”
A renewed zip of energy had Jenna sitting up straighter. “Absolutely.”
The woman returned a still-sleeping Sophie to Jenna’s arms and then riffled through a set of files, pulling out a card.
“Here you go,” she said, handing the information to Jenna. “I’ll call and let him know you’re coming for an interview.”
Jenna was beyond delighted, though admittedly a bit nervous as she gripped the index card in her fingers. This was her opportunity to start life all over again, to make a life for herself and Sophie, to finally be her own person.
With held breath, she glanced at the name and address of her prospective employer.
The information she read froze the smile on her lips.
Southpaw Cattle Company. Dax Coleman.
Dax slammed the telephone receiver down, then looked