Jacqueline Diamond - Paris or Bust!

Bo, who had the advantage of already knowing their shameless host, wore an eager-to-please expression. It wasn’t his fault that his brown slacks and tweed jacket appeared baggy compared to Callum’s stylish outfit.

As for Freddy, his incomplete effort to clean the morning’s mud from his boots and overalls had left him with a kind of sepia tone that did nothing to enhance his short, stocky build. His older brother, Frank, wore a nearly identical outfit, sans dirt and, while several inches taller, he was even stockier.

“I didn’t mean to go behind your back, but you were busy and the idea just struck me,” Callum said with feigned blandness. “I got their phone numbers out of your directory.” He indicated a spiral address book on the counter.

“What do you mean by a summit meeting?” Jody demanded.

“We’ll get to that in a minute.” Callum set out plates of sandwiches on the counter. He’d also fixed celery stuffed with reddish cream cheese. Following her gaze, he explained, “Pimientos. Guys, come and get it!”

Bo rubbed his hands together as he surveyed the spread. “This looks tasty.”

“I did work up an appetite this morning,” Freddy agreed, and took one of the paper plates.

“By the way,” Bo said, “is there any chance I could interview you for my paper? You’re the closest thing to a celebrity we’ve got around here.”

“I’d be honored.” Callum sounded as though he meant it. “Later, all right?”

“Sure thing.”

Soon the men were arrayed around the living room, balancing paper plates and cups as if at a tea party. The only one not noticeably ill at ease, Callum had chosen to eat standing by the mantel. This saved him from having to juggle his food and gave him a commanding advantage over the others, Jody noted with grudging admiration.

When the men were on their second helpings and the sound of chomping had slowed, Callum spoke. “As you probably know, Jody is a finalist in the Mother of the Year contest presented by Family Voyager magazine, which I publish. She and I also were close friends for many years. After reading her entry, I wanted to meet the people who are important to her now.”

“Are you interviewing all the finalists?” Bo asked.

“Well, no,” Callum admitted.

“Then why fly all the way to Texas to see Jody?” In his own polite way, Bo was defending his territory, or what he wished was his territory, Jody surmised.

“I wasn’t sure I should bring this up, and I hope Jody will forgive me, but the truth is, I’m the father of her children,” Callum said.

Freddy choked on a piece of celery until his brother whacked him between the shoulder blades. Bo paled. Oh, great. Although Jody had realized she wouldn’t be able to keep the secret much longer, she hadn’t expected Callum to make a public announcement. Even though he’d begged her pardon, he sure had a lot of nerve!

“You?” Bo said. “I thought…” His voice trailed off. Guiltily, Jody remembered mentioning that nonsense to him about the alleged rodeo Romeo. That had been several years ago, before there was any suggestion of Bo’s courting her.

It wasn’t as if she’d owed anyone an explanation. Still, she wished he hadn’t found out in such a blunt manner.

“Where’ve you been, huh?” Freddy demanded. “Where’ve you been all these years?”

“I should have come sooner. A lot sooner,” Callum began.

“I didn’t tell him he was a father.” Jody knew the fault was largely hers. “I didn’t even mention that I’d had children.”

She winced at Bo’s expression of disappointment. “Didn’t you think he had a right to know?”

“We’ve all made mistakes,” Callum interjected. “Well, maybe not you personally, but Jody and I are working this out together.”

“I knew you two used to date, but it always seemed kind of casual,” Bo admitted. “I didn’t know there was any more to it.”

“There wasn’t,” Jody said. “Just that once.”

“So you’re not getting married?” Freddy persisted.

His brother fixed him with a quelling look. “That’s none of our business.”

“You like her, too! She ought to go to one of us.” Realizing he’d overstepped his bounds, the hired hand said, “I mean, ’stead of some guy who hasn’t been around since gosh knows when. We’re the ones who understand about ranching. At least, Frank and I do. We’re more her type.”

“I guess you didn’t read her contest entry on the Web site,” Bo said. “I have to say, that was a clever literary reference to Penelope, although I hope you don’t feel like I’ve been pressuring you, Jody.”

She wished a herd of cattle would stampede through the living room and sweep her away. She’d never considered how her friends would react if they read what she’d written. “I was using poetic license,” she said. “I just wanted to go to Paris with the kids. I’m sorry, Bo.”

“From what Jody tells me, you’ve been a good friend,” Callum said diplomatically.

“He stood up for me when some of the townspeople said the school ought to fire me because I was a single mother,” she said.

To her relief, Bo smiled. “I understood what you were doing, Jody.”

“Who’s Penelope?” Freddy asked. “Don’t tell me they’ve got a new waitress at the Downtown Café! I was just getting used to Evelyn. In fact, she’s kind of pretty.”

“She sure is.” Frank looked at Callum. “Her folks moved to town a year or so ago.” Already, Jody gathered, the brothers were turning their attentions elsewhere.

“Why did you really want to meet us?” Bo asked. “I don’t mean any offense, but some people might say you were meddling in Jody’s personal business.”

“Those people would be right,” Callum answered honestly. “I intend to interfere as much as I can because, no matter how things look, I really care about her and I’m hoping she’ll forgive me. As for what else I’m hoping, I think I’ve shot my mouth off enough for one afternoon.”

“You can say that again,” Jody muttered.

“Fair enough,” Bo said. “At least we know where we stand.” The other two men nodded reluctantly.

“It strikes me that it’s time for dessert. Does anybody like apple pie?” Callum said.

As it turned out, everybody did.

He fetched the dessert from a sideboard, doling out five pieces with enough left for the boys. It was delicious, of course. Jody had stocked her freezer with her favorite brand of pies from a sale two weeks earlier.

“Tell me about publishing a magazine,” Bo said. “I’ll get started researching my own article, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure.” Callum stood at the mantel, radiating confidence. “I got the idea of starting Family Voyager six years ago. People said I’d never make any money at it, but I figured the key was to make it entertaining and adventuresome and original.”

He regaled them with stories of how he’d stumbled and brazened his way to success. Callum made them all laugh, even the Fallon brothers, with anecdotes at his own expense. His sparkle eclipsed the modest living room.

Jody felt herself yielding to his charm. She wasn’t sure what, if anything, he’d accomplished by confronting her friends, but he’d succeeded in a different way.

Until today, she had almost convinced herself that liking could grow into love if she gave Bo a chance. After seeing him in Callum’s company, however, she knew it was hopeless. Maybe she couldn’t have the man she wanted, but she could never love anyone else, either.

Now she had to decide what to do about that.

FOR THE SPACE of several minutes as he cleaned the kitchen, Callum allowed himself to wonder how he dared try to take over Jody’s life. It was true, as Freddy had said, that he hadn’t been here when she needed him. It was also true that he couldn’t move back to Texas and she refused to consider California.

Nevertheless, if there was anything his experience with the magazine had taught Callum, it was to keep his eye on the goal and not worry too much about obstacles. They had a way of disappearing when he forged ahead. At the very least, he intended to play an active role in raising his sons and at best he intended to play an even more active role in Jody’s future.

“Bo’s a nice guy.” In her denim skirt and a blouse that made no secret of her curves, Jody radiated appeal. “He’s not as flashy as you but he lives nearby.”

Her words reminded Callum uncomfortably of what Ben had said about needing a daddy who lived in the area. Since he didn’t think Jody was in the mood for a serious discussion at the moment, he answered lightly, “I’ll bet he can’t play the trumpet. You and I used to be pretty good together. Do you still play?”

“Mostly I play piano these days.” She indicated an upright in the living room. “How about you?”

“As a matter of fact, I joined a quartet. We jam at a jazz club once a month,” he said.

Jody regarded him with interest. Callum doubted she had any idea how cute she looked. He nearly forgot what they’d been discussing until she said, “Want to jam with me?”

“Now? Sure!”

She left and returned with a trumpet case. “I give it a whirl every now and then, so it’s in good condition.”

Callum unsnapped the case and hefted the instrument, admiring its silvery sheen. “Didn’t you used to play the clarinet, too?”

“I gave it up,” she said.

“Why? The band needed clarinets.” He recalled the bandleader complaining about the dearth.

Jody shot him a sideways glance. “You idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

“I started in the marching band on clarinet and switched to trumpet so I could be in your section.”

That was news to him. “You did? Why?”

“So you’d notice me.” She bit her lip, apparently embarrassed by the admission.

“Wow, I’m flattered.” Callum had figured it was just great luck when Jody started marching alongside him. “How did you happen to notice me?”