Be My Guest (11 page)

She smiled and cocked her head slightly.
"Oh? Does she let you tell her what to do?"

Will's laugh told the answer. "She doesn't
let anyone tell her what to do, most of the time not even Tommy.
Actually, I suggested they wait until tomorrow. She said they'd go
to church with Mom and then come back after lunch."

Aurora stepped back. "Will, I have cabin
fever. Is there a covered area outside that would give me a view of
where we are and keep me out of the rain?"

"Sure, why don't we sit on the covered part
of the patio?" Will adjusted his crutches under his arms and
started toward the patio, then stopped and turned back. "Maybe
you'd like a tour of the house first?"

"Actually, I'd love it. I fully intended to
ask for a tour soon." With a tinge of guilt, she remembered her
speculations about the bedroom and her desire to learn more about
this fascinating man at her side.

In addition to the master bedroom, the house
contained four other bedrooms, a study, a large family room next to
the kitchen, and a formal dining room. Off the utility area, the
large bathroom she used previously opened into the master bedroom,
and there were two other bathrooms with the four bedrooms on the
other side of the house and a half-bath off the kitchen near the
family room.

From the magnificent view of the large front
bay window of the dining room, Will pointed out the road over which
they drove the night before. The huge lake she saw from the bedroom
window became more visible and she saw the raised railway that
acted as a damn to contain the water. Muddy water cascaded over a
man-made spillway to form a wide brown waterfall before it flowed
to the creek where she landed in the cottonwood tree.

As Aurora stood at the window, she once
again marveled at her escape the previous evening. Now she stood
secure and warm near this intriguing cowboy. But for the proof of
cuts and bruises on her body, it all seemed a terrible nightmare.
Will's voice brought her from her reverie.

"If you wonder why the house faces the
railroad, you'll understand when you see the view from the back,"
Will turned to lead the way. When he reached the family room, he
paused to let Aurora go first.

The huge family room provided true
southwestern atmosphere. Aurora loved it at once. A glance
confirmed books by several of her favorite authors resided on the
shelves of the bookcases flanking the massive fireplace. Several
large area rugs in conversation groupings partially concealed earth
colored tiles on the sunken floor. One sofa faced the fireplace
with other perpendicular to the first to form an el. Upholstered in
a Navajo rug print of burgundy, gray, white, and black, the two
sofas blended with the small rug displayed on the wall nearby.
Their arrangement gave a view of both the fireplace and the
large-screen television.

An arrangement of cowboy equipment on one of
the pecan-paneled walls included a pair of ancient spurs, a
branding iron, and several implements Aurora could not identify.
Will hobbled to the south wall of the room and opened the
natural-weave draperies along a massive wall of glass with French
doors in the center.

Aurora gasped in awe at the panorama laid
before her. "Oh, Will, this is wonderful. What a glorious
view."

He smiled proudly as he led the way out the
French doors to a covered patio that ran the entire length of the
house. Architecturally, the typical West Texas rambling ranch style
house used tan exterior brick, sized to resemble the softer and
less durable Mexican brick. Chocolate brown paint on the exterior
wood trim presented a pleasing contrast to the brick.

From the covered portion, the patio extended
to reach a raised sun deck near a rectangular swimming pool. Beyond
that, rolling hills and prairie stretched with magnificent vistas
of red bluffs streaked with buff and brown and gray, of canyons,
ravines, and grassland bounded by the creek on the right. A ribbon
of bluffs of the Caprock escarpment wound rippling back and forth,
at times facing east, sometimes north, and sometimes west.

"Whenever I see this view I think of that
song `The Red Hills of Utah.' I especially like the version sung by
the cowgirl singer Trudy Fair. Even though the song is about Utah,
it really fits this part of Texas as well as the areas around
Benjamin and the Palo Duro Canyon." He stared out across the
expanses as if mesmerized by its beauty.

She shook her head and confessed, "I don't
think I know that song." She curled up in one corner of the glider
swing.

Will moved slowly toward her. "It talks
about the green valleys, tall trees, cool rivers, soft breezes,
pretty flowers, and sweet songs of the mockingbirds." Will smiled
and admitted, "Well, there aren't a lot of tall trees here but,
fortunately, you found one of them."

"That's true. I'm very grateful to that
particular tall tree, and I do love this view of the bluffs." She
raised her hand to shield her eyes as she peered in the distance.
"You don't see a little blue boat out there anywhere do you?"

Will sat beside her, "No, I'm afraid not.
Let's hope it beached itself before it made it to the Brazos."

He called her attention to a small fruit
orchard between the house and the creek on the right, most of which
was hidden from sight by the house. Those and other tree plantings
for the property left the view from the patio free of obstruction.
Even partially covered in flood water, the view was
spectacular.

"I know that landscape seems barren to a lot
of people, but it's beautiful to me. I never tire of the view."
Will's eyes drank in the view as if he would never get his
fill.

Aurora slipped into another bond with Will
as she shared this part of his life. His love for this land was a
part of him far greater than this house or this ranch. "It is
beautiful. That must be the river I see off in the distance."
Aurora pointed to a distant ribbon of shining brown satin.

"No, the river's not visible from here.
That's another creek that which flows into the river several miles
beyond the creek. There's usually not much water in it, sometimes
none you can see from here. The river actually has several forks
near here, though. The ranch is between two of the forks."

"That's the Brazos, isn't it?" Aurora tried
to remember the details of the map she had of the area--the map
left in her lost car.

He nodded assent and shifted his weight to
ease his left leg stretched out before him. "Yes, specifically the
Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos. You must have crossed one of
the forks yesterday before it rolled up."

"Before it what?" Aurora leaned closer to
Will, unsure she heard correctly.

He smiled before he placed his arm along the
back of the seat, his arm brushing softly against her. "Rolled up.
When there's a heavy rain, rapid runoff creates a huge wall of
water that moves down the riverbed with a loud roar. The wall can
be over ten feet tall, and pushes aside anything that gets in its
way. We call it rolling up, and it's an unforgettable sight."

"It sounds frightening." Aurora remembered
her experience with the creek and shivered.

"It is frightening, no matter how many times
you see it. That much power can be very destructive. I remember
seeing cattle carcasses swept miles from their home range.”

Aurora hated any thought of the flood with
such a beautiful view to claim her attention. "Do you go boating
and fishing on the Brazos in calmer weather?"

"No, not in this immediate area. The White
River is about twenty miles or so north of here, and there's a lake
and a recreation area in Crosby County. Right now there are dozens
of little creeks and tributaries feeding the rivers that are
usually dry or only a trickle."

Will picked up her hand and held it between
his. "The house you can see there on our left is the Hankins'. Just
out of sight blocked by this house is the one in which the Chapas
live. The horse barns are there behind the Hankins' house. Maybe
you can take a riding tour of the ranch with me after you're
feeling better and I'm rid of this cast."

"This is a beautiful view," Aurora repeated.
"You can see both sunrise and sunset from this spot."

"If the sun comes out and any clouds remain,
the sunset this evening should be spectacular," Will said. “This is
my favorite spot to be at sunset, this or on horseback atop one of
the other hills.”

"I like the house, Will. I'm glad you let
your love of history include some antiques in your home." Aurora
wondered if she should inquire further, and decided to risk seeming
too inquisitive. "Isn't the house awfully large, though? I mean,
even if your wife were alive, it's a very large house for only
three people."

Will’s voice betrayed deep emotion his face
hid. "We'd planned to have several kids, maybe three or four. Nancy
had a couple of miscarriages after Kelly. The doctors never found
anything specific to cause them. We probably would have adopted a
couple of kids if Nancy hadn't gotten ill." He fell silent and she
saw him swallow hard, as if choking back sorrow too painful to
express.

Aurora and Will rocked slowly to and fro in
the porch swing. Will regained his composure and asked Aurora more
details of her trip. They talked companionably of trivial things as
rain drizzled beyond their protected spot. The moist air kissed
Aurora's skin and smelled wonderfully fresh and clean. Her legs
soon became too cool, and she curled them up under her
nightshirt.

The appearance of a small Hispanic woman
about Will's age startled Aurora. The woman came out onto the patio
and then stopped. She stood with her hands on her hips and pointed
a finger at Will.

"Will Harrison, are you loco? Is this the
way you take care of a patient, keeping her sitting out here in the
damp air instead of resting?"

He seemed not the least surprised by her
tone and calmly motioned to the woman to come nearer. "Thank you
for coming over on the weekend, Lily. I hope that means your kids
are feeling better."

"Ha. Those kids are too ornery to be sick
for long." Lily stepped closer to the swing, peering openly at the
guest.

Will rose, and indicated Aurora with his
hand. "Lily, this is Aurora O'Shaughnessy, who got trapped in the
flood last night. Aurora, my friend Lily Chapa is my housekeeper
and helps with Kelly."

The two women exchanged greetings and Will
and stretched, his long arms reaching up until Aurora thought they
would touch the undersurface of the porch roof. "You're right,
Lily, I'm afraid I'm not following Nick's orders in keeping Aurora
out here. She's supposed to be resting.”

Shouldering her share of the blame, Aurora
explained, "I got cabin fever. It’s a shame to leave, but you're
right. My head is telling me to lie down." Aurora uncurled her legs
and stood up to hand Will the crutches he'd leaned against the side
of the house. "It's just so beautiful here, I hope we can come back
out here this evening at sunset."

Lily took charge, "Sí. That will be bueno,
if you rest now. I'll help Will barbecue a couple of steaks out
here on the grill. Once the sun sets, this moist air will be cool."
Lily gave Aurora an appraising glance. "We'll have to get some
warmer clothes on you so you can sit and watch the sun go down
while you eat dinner."

Will half-turned toward his housekeeper as
if struck by a sudden idea. "Hey, Lily, maybe you could ask your
family over here to eat this evening and we could have a barbecue
together."

"Ha. That proves you're loco for sure, pobre
amigo." Lily shook her head and put her hands once more on her
hips. "That's not what you need." The woman barely paused before
she said. "Now you know I would never interfere in your life, but
you don't need Raul and me with our noisy niños here when you have
a chance to watch the sunset over a romantic dinner with a
beautiful woman."

Will shrugged. "Okay. It was just a
thought.”

Aurora smiled at his discomfort. Certain she
liked the tiny dynamo housekeeper who took charge and ordered Will
about as if he were a junior member of her family, Aurora savored
the fact she and Will would be alone for their dinner tonight.

Wonderful softness enveloped Aurora as she
lay on the large bed. Nick's prescription proved true--she needed
rest.

Lily peeped around the corner of the door.
"I'll check back soon, but right now I'll take care of the clothes
from the suitcase." She paused and stepped into the room. "You
know, Aurora, flood water is muy malo. Have you put medicine on
those cuts and scratches?"

The heat of a flush spread across Aurora’s
face. "Yes, thank you. Will helped me earlier."

Lily tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.
"Really? Well, then I will see to the clothes and check on you
later."

Lily grilled Will about Aurora. “I checked
on your guest, but she sleeps like a baby.” The Spanish
Inquisition, he thought. As he finished an abbreviated explanation
about Aurora's ordeal and his conversation with Nick, Lily noticed
his hand.

"Ha! Will Harrison, you finally took off
your wedding ring." Lily raised her eyes and clasped hands
heavenward. "Madre de Dios and the good saints be praised!" She
stepped closer to Will, nodded in the direction of the bedroom with
speculation in her eyes. "This is a beautiful woman, this Aurora,
verdad?"

Embarrassed again, he held his hand palm
outward in a stopping motion. "Now, Lily, don't go jumping to
conclusions. I took the ring off yesterday afternoon. Maybe you and
Kelly and Lori Beth are right. I don't know, but I'll try your way
for a while and see what happens."

Lily launched in with her customary phrase,
"Now you know I would never interfere in your personal life, Will,
but this woman is just what you need. I saw the way you looked at
her, ah, and also the way she looked back at you. This is muy
bueno, mi amigo. You're too young to live like a monk. You should
get married again and have lots of niños to fill up this big
house."