The calamity Janes Read Free

held, he’d have that front-page story very soon.
     
    “Am I really going to learn to ride a horse?” Caitlyn asked for the tenth time as she and Emma made the drive from Denver on Wednesday.
    “Grandpa said he’d teach you, didn’t he?”
    Emma nodded, curls bouncing. “I am sooo excited. I never rode a horse before.”
    “So you’ve mentioned,” Emma said wryly.
    “And how many cousins do I have?”
    “Five. You met some of them last time we were here.”
    “But I was just a baby then. I was only four,” Caitlyn said. “I forgot.”
    “Okay, there’s Jessie—”
    “How old is Jessie?”
    “She’s six, the same as you.”
    “Do you think she can ride a horse already?” Caitlyn asked worriedly. “Will she make fun of me?”
    “I don’t know if she can ride, but Grandpa won’t let her make fun of you.”
    Caitlyn nodded, evidently satisfied. “Who else?”
    “There’s Davey, and Rob, and Jeb and Pete.”
    “They’re all boys,” she said, clearly disappointed. “And they’re all littler than me, right?”
    “That’s right.”
    “But me and Jessie will be friends, right?”
    “I’m sure you will be,” Emma reassured her. “You had a wonderful time together the last time you were here for a visit. You had tea parties for your dolls and played games with Grandma and baked cookies.”
    Caitlyn’s eyes shone with excitement. “How soon will we be there?”
    “A half hour, maybe less.”
    “What time is that?”
    “Twelve-thirty.”
    Caitlyn touched a finger to the clock on the dash. “When the big hand is here and the little hand is down here, right?”
    “Exactly.”
    A worried frown puckered her brow again. “I thought Grandma said we’d have lunch at twelve. Will they eat without us?”
    “No, baby, I don’t think they’ll eat without us. I called to let Grandma know we got a late start, remember?”
    “’Cause you had to go to the office,” Caitlyn said. “Even though we’re on vacation.”
    “That’s it till Monday,” Emma promised.
    “Then how come your phone keeps ringing?”
    Emma sighed. It kept ringing because she hadn’t cut it off. Getting away from the office was one thing. Deactivating her cell phone was something else entirely. There could be emergencies, questions from her paralegals…all sorts of crises that simply couldn’t wait.
    “Don’t worry,” she told her daughter. “It won’tring all that often. I won’t let it interfere with our plans.”
    As if to prove her wrong, the cell phone promptly rang. With an apologetic look at Caitlyn, Emma answered. “Rogers.”
    “Is this the famous Denver lawyer who only handles the most challenging cases in the universe?”
    Emma grinned. “Lauren? Where are you?”
    “I’m sitting at a table with your family, waiting for you to get here. We are growing impatient. I, for one, am starved, and they won’t let me eat till you show your face. Where are you?”
    “Just outside of town, about a mile from the ranch now. Tell Mom to put the food on the table and pour the iced tea.”
    “Already done. I helped.”
    “Was the family impressed that a glamorous actress was fixing lunch?”
    Lauren chuckled. “Not that I noticed. Rob has smeared strained peas all over my designer blouse, but he’s only a baby, so I’ve forgiven him.”
    “Good thing. I don’t think Rob’s daddy can afford to pay for a replacement. It probably cost more than he makes in a month.”
    “Pretty close,” Lauren agreed. “I told him you’d replace it. You can afford it.”
    “I guess it’s a good thing that I’m about to turn into the driveway, so I can protect my interests,” Emma said.
    Even as she made the turn, she could hear the squeals announcing that the kids had spotted her car. As they neared the house, she glanced over at Caitlyn and saw her eyes widen as all of her cousins except the baby tumbled out of the house, followed byEmma’s younger brothers and their wives, then Lauren—still holding the portable