One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson
CHAPTER TWO
SIERRALOOKEDUPwhen a very excited six-year-old Teryn burst into the room, followed by Velvet Spencer, Teryn’s gymnastics coach. “Goddy, Goddy, I did good on my routines today!”
Sierra pushed away from her desk and extended her arms for her goddaughter to race into them. She gave Teryn a tight squeeze and closed her eyes, thanking her best friend for leaving her daughter in her care. Rhonda had still been mourning her husband Terry’s death of barely a year when she’d been diagnosed with terminal cancer. After getting a second opinion and a third, Rhonda had opted out of chemo, saying she needed the quality, and not the quantity, of time to spend her last remaining days getting her business in order and being with her daughter.
Sierra finally released Teryn and saw her goddaughter beaming, looking every bit like her mother, although she had her father’s eyes. Today had been her gymnastics lessons. It was something Rhonda had introduced her daughter to when she was only three.
“I’m glad to hear you did well, Teryn,” Sierra said, matching her goddaughter’s excitement before turning her attention to Velvet, who’d volunteered to deliver all the girls she coached home after each lesson, which were held three times a week.
Sierra’s office was in an area between the restaurant and the staircase leading above. That’s where Sierra and Teryn lived, in a spacious three-bedroom apartment. The living quarters had been a change from the six-bedroom, five-bath monstrosity of a home she’d moved out of when she left Nathan. However, that didn’t bother her. She loved her home, and it was the perfect size for her and Teryn.
That way she could work in her office late at night and still be available if Teryn needed her.
“She is telling you the truth, Sierra,” Velvet said with a huge grin on her face as she sat down in the other office chair. “Teryn was great today on all of her routines. She’s a natural.”
Sierra liked Velvet. They were similar in age and had moved to the cove around the same time. She and Velvet had become good friends. During the day, Velvet taught at the junior high school, and then three days a week she volunteered as a gymnastics coach. “Only because she has a great trainer,” Sierra answered warmly, closing her book.
To give her goddaughter her absolute attention, Sierra’s workday ended the moment Teryn came home from school or practice. If things got hectic in the café, Sierra would sit Teryn at a booth in the back, to do her homework, color or work on a puzzle, while she helped out.
She’d established a great routine for her and Teryn. Usually she got up every morning at six to start on soups, and then around eight while the pots were simmering she’d wake Teryn up and get her ready for school. After walking Teryn to school—which was only a few blocks away—Sierra would return to relax a minute before opening up for lunch.
There were five different soups served daily and one “soup of the day.” That meant, with Emma and Maxine’s help, she prepared six different soups daily.
In the evenings after dinner, Sierra would usually go over Teryn’s homework with her before putting her to bed.
A few hours after Velvet left, Sierra found herself fighting back tears when Teryn’s bedtime prayer to God was to relay a message to her parents that although she missed them, she wasn’t sad knowing they were together again and were now angels watching over her. Teryn also told God to thank her parents for leaving her here with her Goddy, whom she loved a lot and who was taking very good care of her.
After kissing Teryn good-night, Sierra rushed from the room and threw herself across her bed. Teryn’s prayer had left her so emotional. With no living family on Rhonda’s or Terry’s side, she had called on Sierra, who’d been her best friend since they were kids. Rhonda and Sierra had grown up in Catalina Cove and the two had left for college together in Texas where they had been roommates.
Even though Rhonda had known Sierra had decided not to have children of her own, Rhonda had asked her to raise her daughter. It wasn’t that Sierra didn’t like children, because she did and had always thought she would marry a man who wanted them as well. Unfortunately, she hadn’t.
Nathan had told her from the beginning that he didn’t want children. He had grown up dirt-poor and didn’t intend to die that way. He wanted a woman who desired the same things out of life that he did, which was to be successful and wealthy. Kids, he’d said, would only weigh them down. He’d let her know up-front he’d gotten a vasectomy years earlier to assure there were no offspring in his future. That meant if she married him, she had to accept she would never be a mother.
He convinced her that the two of them could be a power couple. At the time she’d thought she was head-over-heels in love with Nathan and had bought into it. Against the advice of family and friends, she had forgone her own dreams to become a part of his.
Sierra and Rhonda had decided for the adoption to let Teryn keep her last name of Andrews as a way to always remember the parents who loved her. It would be up to Teryn if she wanted to change it when she got older. To Teryn, Sierra had always been Goddy, and she was fine with her calling her that and Sierra referring to her as her goddaughter. Both Rhonda and Sierra had felt the fewer changes Teryn had to make in her young life, the better.
Sierra missed Rhonda. She’d been the greatest best friend anyone could have. Each night she thanked God for having both Rhonda and Teryn in her life. She was letting out a good cry when her phone rang. She recognized the ringtone. It was her sister, Dani. Dani was four years younger and lived in Atlanta with her husband and three kids.
“Hello.”
There was a pause. “What’s wrong, Sierra?”
She fought back more tears. “What makes you think something is wrong?”
“The sound of your voice. Are you going to tell me or do I have to catch a plane to Catalina Cove tonight to find out?”
Sierra smiled. They both knew there was no way Dani would voluntarily catch a plane for anywhere since she hated flying.
“I’m fine, Dani. I just put Teryn to bed and her prayers got to me. She gave God a special message to pass on to her parents.”
“Oh. And what was the message?”
Sierra told her and when she’d finished, she could hear her sister sniffling. “Now you see why I was crying,” Sierra said, wiping her tears.
“Yes. Hold on, let me grab some tissues,” Dani said.
Sierra was glad her tissue box was beside her bed, and she reached to grab a few more. When Dani returned to the phone, Sierra said, “I love her so much, Dani, and I appreciate Rhonda trusting me to take care of her.”
“We both know Rhonda would not have wanted anyone else to do it. Too bad Nathan couldn’t have been understanding about it.”
Sierra shrugged. “It didn’t matter. By then I had found out about his extracurricular activities and filed for a divorce.”
“Yes, but what if you hadn’t found out? You and I both know he would not have welcomed Teryn into your home. Then where would she be?”
“She would still have been with me. I would have hoped Nathan would understand.”
Dani didn’t say anything, and Sierra knew why. Nathan would not have understood and would have made her choose. While they were discussing Nathan, she decided she might as well tell her sister the latest.
“Nathan called me today.”
“What on earth did he want?” Dani asked. “And please don’t tell me he still wants the two of you to get back together.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you.”
“Honestly, Sierra. The two of you are divorced. After what he did, how can he even think you’d take him back? He was caught in bed with two other people. One would have been bad enough, but his freakish ass had two. Forget about Nathan and focus on a new beginning, sis.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Good. So how did your day go? Met a nice man yet?” Dani asked, changing the subject.
Sierra chuckled. Her sister and parents never liked Nathan and thought he was bad news from the start. Dani, in particular, felt Sierra had gotten a raw deal during the seven years of her marriage and was glad Sierra now realized that as well. However, Dani refused to accept Sierra’s proclamation that she was through with men and would never marry again.
“My day went just fine and no, I didn’t meet a nice man.” Sierra then thought about Vaughn Miller and decided to add, “One did come into the restaurant, and it was someone who grew up in the cove. I found him rather interesting.”
“Interesting in what way?”
“Interesting in that I studied his features and liked what I saw. I kept looking at him when he was eating, too. It was like I couldn’t take my eyes off him.”
Dani laughed. “That’s called an attraction. You were attracted to him. That’s a start.”
“No, it’s not. Like I said, I found him rather interesting.”
“Now I’m really curious. Who is he?”
“You probably won’t remember him since he’d graduated years before us. His name is Vaughn Miller.”
“Vaughn Miller? Umm... I vaguely remember him. I recall the Millers were some of the rich folks in town and owned the gas station that Dad managed.”
“I know. I mentioned that to him.”
“So, the two of you had a conversation?”
“A very brief one. I was short of help and waited on him.”
“What do you know about him?” Dani asked.
“I know he returned to the cove a few years ago. I also know he spent two years of a five-year sentence in prison for embezzlement, but his name was recently cleared.”
“That’s good. I can’t imagine a Catalina Cove Miller needing money enough to steal. His family was loaded. I recall hearing that his parents died in a boating accident in Paris some years back. I don’t believe they sold their mansion in the cove, though. Is Vaughn living there?”
“I have no idea. Like I said, he came in for soup and a sandwich and we introduced ourselves, and I told him our dad worked for his.”
“So, he was friendly?”
“Yes, he was friendly, why do you ask?”
“I was just thinking of how snobbish his parents acted at times. All that money went to their heads.”
Sierra had never met Mr. or Mrs. Miller and doubted Dani had either. Her sister was probably recalling their parents’ whispered conversations about the Millers and their uppity attitudes. “I graduated with his sister, Zara, and recall she was nice enough,” Sierra said.
“I remember Zara and she was nice,” Dani agreed. “If you recall in my freshman year, I became a cheerleader, and Zara was captain of the squad. Glad she never acted snobbish like her parents. I understand she now owns a slew of boutiques around New England and on occasion I see her name in fashion magazines. The rich continue to get richer.”
Sierra knew Dani had a real problem with people who thought being wealthy was everything. That’s one of the reasons Dani had disliked Nathan. Her sister thought in addition to being too controlling, he was also obsessed with being rich. She was worried that his obsession would eventually rub off on Sierra. After all, he had convinced Sierra that she didn’t need to be a mother.
Sierra and Dani talked for another half hour as Dani told her she had talked to their parents earlier that day. After Sierra and Dani had left home, Preston and Beatrice Crane had sold their home in the cove and purchased a large RV. Their goal was to travel all fifty states, and it seemed they were enjoying doing it and were making a number of like-minded friends along the way. They were living the life, fulfilling their dream, and Sierra and Dani were happy for them. They also appreciated their parents for calling them every week, letting them know where they were and how they were doing so their daughters wouldn’t worry about them. This week they were in the Rockies and would be there the rest of the month.
Dani also told Sierra how much she missed her husband, who was away on a business trip. Emory worked for a company that sold medical equipment to doctors’ offices and hospitals and often did a lot of traveling. Dani shared with Sierra her plans to jump Emory’s bones the minute he walked through the door on Friday.
Sierra couldn’t recall a time she had “jumped” Nathan’s bones or even wanted to. There had never been that much passion in their marriage. In fact, he’d always come across as very conservative in the bedroom when it came to sex, and he wasn’t into trying new and different things. Boy, had she been fooled.
Dani thought she should focus on a new beginning. It was her desire for that very thing that made her decide to move back to Catalina Cove with Teryn. She had wanted to make a home for them. That’s why for the past year she’d worked hard to make the restaurant successful and build a stable life for Teryn.
If nothing else, being married to Nathan had taught her an important lesson. Never again would she depend on anyone for her happiness. Over the past two years, she had become a strong, independent woman and intended to remain that way. Teryn was now her main priority. The last thing Sierra needed in her life was a man shifting her attention.
Nathan had shown her how men could be controlling and couldn’t be trusted most of the time. His betrayal had done more than hurt, it had nearly destroyed her. Their marriage hadn’t been perfect, but she never thought he would cheat on her. She’d thought better of him. The realization that he wasn’t the man she believed him to be would have devastated her if it hadn’t been for Teryn.
Losing Rhonda had been terrible enough, but it meant Teryn needed her. In essence, they had needed each other. What Dani had said was right. Nathan would never have welcomed Teryn into their home. And had he done so just to appease Sierra, he would have outright ignored Teryn. Sierra would not have brought her into that kind of environment.
The two times Nathan had contacted her since their divorce, not once had he asked about Teryn, when he was well aware she had officially adopted the little girl, as Rhonda had asked her to do.
An hour later, Sierra showered and got ready for bed. When she finally closed her eyes, an image of Vaughn Miller filled her mind, and he was smiling at her.
Shifting in bed to a comfortable position, she couldn’t help but smile back as she drifted to sleep.
“HEY SAWYER, WAITUP a minute,” Vaughn said, jogging to catch up to Sheriff Sawyer Grisham.
Sawyer, who had been walking toward the parking lot after the zoning board meeting, turned around. “Yes, Vaughn?”
“If you’re not in a rush, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Sure thing, what’s up?” Sawyer asked, tightening his jacket around him against the strong October wind.
“I met someone today and I’d like to get to know her better.”
Sawyer nodded, smiling. “I’m glad a woman has finally caught your eye.”
“Women have caught my eyes before, Sawyer.”
“I mean a woman living here in the cove.”
Sawyer had once shared with Vaughn how when he first moved to the cove with his teenage daughter, he hadn’t wanted to date any of the single women in town because it was too close to home. Catalina Cove was a close-knit community where a lot of times your business wasn’t your own. He had been lucky enough to have a friend with benefits who lived in New Orleans and the two of them would hook up there.
Vaughn had pretty much felt the same way about dating any of the local women. A few different women had approached him, and he’d thought they were pretty enough. However, he always held back. So why was he changing his mind when it came to Sierra Crane?
“Who is she?”
Sawyer’s question intruded into his thoughts. “Sierra Crane.”
“Sierra makes the best soup in town,” Sawyer said grinning.
“What else can you tell me about her?”
Sawyer leaned against the light post. “What exactly do you want to know?”
Vaughn shrugged. “I didn’t see a wedding band on her finger, so I take it she’s not married.”
“Not anymore. She’s divorced and I understand she has been for a couple of years now. And she is raising her goddaughter. The child’s mother also grew up here in the cove and passed away.”
“Where did Sierra move from?”
“Chicago. She did some high-powered computer-related job there,” Sawyer replied. “I don’t know her that well, but she seems nice. I haven’t given her a ticket yet. That’s all I can tell you. If Sierra Crane really interests you then I suggest you stop rushing home every day to that empty house and start hanging out in town more. Namely at the Green Fig. Your name has been cleared, Vaughn, so what are you waiting for?”
Vaughn knew why Sawyer was asking him that. He’d once told Sawyer that he didn’t want to get serious with anyone until his name had been cleared. “Sierra’s very pretty.”
Sawyer chuckled. “Since I only have eyes for my wife, I’ll take your word for it. If you’re interested in her, why not ask her out?”
Vaughn cleared his throat. “It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date.” He didn’t count the occasional hookups he had at the work-related social functions he attended.
“It’s just like riding a bicycle. Once you do it again, everything will come back to you.”
A half hour later Vaughn entered his home. At some point he and Zara needed to decide what they would do with this monstrosity of a house. The estate was way too big for one person. There were days he never ventured upstairs, since he’d taken one of the bedrooms downstairs. Ms. Baker, the housekeeper, was still working here.
That was the only decent thing his parents had done, namely made sure in their will that the household staff—the housekeeper, cook and gardener—were taken care of for life. Mrs. Jones, the cook, had moved away temporarily to take care of her older brother in Baton Rouge who had health issues. Otherwise, Vaughn would have used her services instead of eating takeout every day. Mr. Connors still maintained the yards and at sixty-five said he enjoyed doing so. Ms. Baker came twice a week to dust and change bed linens and whatever else needed to be done. From the aroma of citrus that had met him when he entered his home, this had been her cleaning day.
As Vaughn headed for his bedroom, he thought about Sierra Crane. She had stirred something to life within him that wasn’t just sexual. There was just something about her that he couldn’t walk away from, even knowing it was probably in his best interest to do so. It wasn’t like he had a lot of extra time on his hands.
Just today Reid had called him to his office to discuss an important matter. Larson Barrows, who owned Barrows Bank, was retiring. Catalina Cove’s only bank had been bought out by the Colfax National Bank, a group of family-owned banks with branches in Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma. This would be the first Colfax bank in Louisiana. The Colfax family had agreed to retain the present employees so no one would be losing their jobs in the process.
Barrows Bank handled all of Lacroix Industries’ business dealings, including payroll for the blueberry plant. It was important to Reid that the people taking over the town’s bank were capable of providing the cove with what it needed financially.
In addition, because of Vaughn’s expertise in the financial arena, Reid wanted him to handle the influx of applications for the low-interest loan program. The funding came from Reid and he vetted the recipients, but the loans were handled through the bank.
Next week Vaughn would be flying to Arizona to meet the Colfax family. It would be Vaughn’s job to make sure Reid’s funds were invested wisely and the low-interest loan program continued to run smoothly. Plans were for the bank to change its name the first of the year. So far, no official announcement had been made. That would be done during a town hall meeting in December.
His thoughts shifted back to Sierra Crane. Whether he wanted to be or not, he was interested in her. He didn’t want to rush her into going out with him. And if they did, where would they go? There were a lot of nice restaurants in New Orleans, but then he didn’t want to give her the impression that he wouldn’t want to be seen with her in the cove. He would let her decide. She might know about his past, and although his name had been cleared, she still might not want to go out with him because of that.
As Vaughn stripped to take a shower, he decided not to go into the Green Fig for the next few days. He needed to plan a strategy and when the timing was right, he would ask her out.