Coulda Been a Cowboy

by Brenda Novak

  “But my father may not be very friendly now that…” she hesitated, obviously searching for the right words as she removed Braden from the confines of his high chair “…now that I’m gone so much.”

  “Why does he care? You’re working. Bringing in money. Isn’t that good?”

  She carried the baby as they made their way over to the cashier. “He’s not real happy to have Terrance over so much. It’s definitely cramping his style.”

  “That’s what Terrance is supposed to do.”

  “And he’s feeling a little neglected by me.”

  Skelton Brown deserved to be neglected. He deserved to be abandoned. But Tyson knew it’d only upset Dakota if he said so. On some level, she had to know it already, and yet she remained in that trailer, in Dundee. For the life of him, Tyson couldn’t understand why. In his opinion, the way Skelton treated her dissolved any obligation she had as his daughter. Maybe that was because Tyson’s mother was so practical. Priscilla had always expected him to find his own way out of trouble. When he’d called to tell her he was taking custody of his son, she’d said she was sure he’d do a fine job, and that was that. No offer of help or support. No particular interest in meeting her grandson.

  Dakota was waiting for his response, so he said, “Sorry, but I can’t allow you to be alone with him.”

  “Who gave you any say in the matter?” she asked.

  He tossed his credit card on the counter. “You’re not safe.” He’d seen that cut, knew from the way she acted about it—and where it was located so far up on her arm—that it had probably come from Skelton. Tyson wasn’t about to give the old man an opportunity to hurt her again.

  “Don’t get involved,” she said resolutely.

  “I’m already involved.” How could he turn a blind eye to what he’d seen? Maybe everyone else in Dundee could stand back and let Skelton beat her, but he had no tolerance for that, regardless of the familial relationship. His mother’s second husband had sent her to the hospital once when Tyson was only eight years old. They’d separated immediately afterward, and divorced, but hearing the fighting that night and being the one to call the cops had left a lasting impression on him.

  Dakota looked ready to argue—but she didn’t. Instead, she gave him a mutinous frown as he paid the bill, then followed him out.

  * * *

  “DAD?” Dakota called above the sound of the television, which drifted out the open windows of the trailer. She would’ve walked in, as usual, but she had Tyson along and didn’t want her father to embarrass her any more than he had already. After a bender, Skelton almost always slept until late in the day, and he couldn’t lie flat because he had trouble breathing. Half the time she found him passed out in his recliner wearing whatever he’d found comfortable the moment he sat down—and that could be as little as a pair of boxers.

  “Dad? We’ve got company. Tyson and Braden are here with me.”

  When she caught his eye, Tyson raised his eyebrows, probably wondering what the heck they were doing yelling from the landing, but she quickly glanced away. Sending up a silent prayer that her dad would be dressed and behave himself, she gave the door a sharp rap and poked her head inside.

  Skelton was in his recliner, as she’d expected. He was dressed in a tank top and coveralls—thank God—and he was awake.

  “Why didn’t you answer me?” she asked as she carried Braden inside and held the door for Tyson to come in behind her.

  Her father shot Tyson a disgruntled look, pulled out a cigarette and lit it—all before he bothered to respond. His mouth twisted as he exhaled. “You think I should get all excited just because you’ve brought that hotshot over here?”

  This wasn’t going to be good. Dakota could tell already. But instead of asking Tyson to wait outside, as she should have, she tried to improve the situation by cajoling her father. “You were pretty excited last time he was here.”

  “That was before he stuck his big nose in my business.”

  Tyson’s nose wasn’t big at all. It was as close to perfect as Dakota had ever seen. But that was beside the point. “You were out of control, and he stepped in. That’s all. Let it go, okay?”

  “I’m not gonna let it go. He had no right. I wasn’t gonna hurt you. You know that.”

  She didn’t know that.

  A muscle flexed in Tyson’s cheek at her father’s words, but to his credit, he took the baby from her and remained silent.

  “I brought Braden,” she said, hoping to distract Skelton from his bad mood. He loved babies and had asked about Braden before, so many times that she’d finally had to tell him about Tyson’s stipulation that she leave Braden at the photography studio with Hannah when she came by.

  “I thought you said Braden couldn’t come over here.” He breathed smoke through his nostrils as he spoke. “I’m not safe, remember?”

  “Tyson didn’t want me to bring the baby while he was out of town. Which is understandable. He barely knows you and you didn’t do much to impress him the night you first met. But he’s back now, and the baby’s right here. See? Isn’t he cute?”

  Skelton wouldn’t even look at Braden. “I’m not interested.”

  Dakota swallowed a sigh. “Fine. We’ll get you some lunch, then. It’ll only take a minute,” she added for Tyson’s benefit, but that proved to be a mistake.

  “A minute?” her father echoed. “What’s the hurry? You don’t have time for your old man now that you’re hanging out with a football star?”

  “Dad, I work for Tyson.” She accentuated the words she considered most important. “Tyson’s paying me to watch Braden, and that’s a good thing for us, right?”

  “If he’s only your employer, why’s he here? Does he think I can’t handle myself alone with my own daughter?”

  “We brought one car to town and—”

  “We?” he interrupted.

  Dakota didn’t know what to say, but she felt as if she had to say something before the situation could unravel any farther. “Yeah, we. Is there anything wrong with that?”

  “He didn’t need to come here. You’re the only one who has any reason to visit me.”

  When Tyson cut in, Dakota knew he’d finally been goaded beyond his ability to resist. “Are you going to force me to spell out the obvious?” he asked.

  “Tyson, I’ll take care of his.” Instinctively, Dakota put one hand on his arm to hold him where he was. “Dad, he’s just responding to past problems. Cut him some slack.”

  Skelton stuck his cigarette in his mouth and hefted himself out of the recliner. “Why should I cut him some slack? He’s not cutting me any slack. Sending Terrance Bennett over here to keep an eye on me. Your man’s a legend in his own mind, you ask me.”

  Tyson tried to pass her the baby, but she wouldn’t take him. She couldn’t let this erupt into a fight. “That’s not fair,” Dakota protested, but her father wasn’t listening.

  Grabbing his cane and using it to help him maneuver closer to Tyson, he shoved a belligerent finger in Tyson’s chest. “Why’d you bother to come to Dundee in the first place, huh? You don’t belong here. Take that baby back to his mother. Dakota said you don’t want him, anyway.”

  Dakota gasped and felt her cheeks flush hot. When she’d confided that juicy tidbit to her father, she’d been trying to get on common ground with him again, to revive the better aspects of their old relationship. The way her father worshipped NFL and NBA players, she knew he’d be interested in a little gossip that no one else, not even the tabloids, could provide. But that was right after Tyson had left for California, before her father had had a chance to realize that Terrance Bennett wasn’t going away.

  “You don’t know anything about me.” Tyson held Braden off to one side as he knocked her father’s finger away from his chest.

  “He…Fatherhood’s new to him,” Dakota said, getting between them.

  Skelton tossed his cigarette on the floor and ground it into the carpet. “He should go back to California where he b
elongs.”

  Dakota was so worried the butt would start a fire, she immediately knelt to pick it up.

  “Next time I need advice on how to care for my child, remind me to look you up,” Tyson said. “You’re a textbook example.”

  “At least I wanted my own kid! You won’t even touch your son if you can help it.”

  “I’m touching him now, aren’t I?” Tyson growled. But after shooting Dakota a glance that said he’d been a fool to trust her, he walked out.

  The slamming of the door rattled the whole trailer. Dakota did find Tyson’s behavior toward Braden strange, but she also felt a great deal more loyalty toward him today than she had ten days ago and fervently wished she’d kept her mouth shut. “Thanks a lot,” she muttered.

  “Let him go. You don’t need him. We don’t need him.”

  That wasn’t true. Not only were they desperate for the money Tyson was paying her, Dakota longed for the peace and quiet and safety the cabin provided. She craved the hope and good feelings Tyson had created simply by making her feel desirable in that instant after she awoke in his bedroom last night, was excited about his plan to help her meet other men. But mostly, she needed a friend. And she felt as if she’d just betrayed the only person, unlikely candidate though he was, to reach out to her in a long while.

  Her father leaned on his cane as he grabbed for his pack of cigarettes. “Tell him to take his lousy job and shove it—and to have Terrance Bennett leave me the hell alone.”

  As he lit up and she breathed in the acrid scent, the walls seemed to close in on Dakota. Would she spend another decade, maybe more, here? Choking on that same cigarette smoke?

  She gazed at the filthy kitchen, which was piled high with dishes she hadn’t been around to wash. She doubted her father had bothered to do any laundry, wondered if he’d showered or brushed his teeth in the past few days and, suddenly, knew she couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe her father had hurt himself trying to save her, but right now, she had to get away.

  “I’m not going to tell Tyson any such thing,” she said. “If he doesn’t fire me over how you’ve treated him, I’m going to apologize and make sure I don’t tell you anything I’d rather not have repeated.”

  “Screw you,” Skelton said. “You’re more worried about him than you are me.”

  There it was. The real reason for her father’s anger. He was so afraid of losing her, just as he had her mother, that he chased her away at every opportunity.

  Struggling with her emotions, Dakota shook her head in disgust. Sometimes she wanted to run away and not look back. But then what? She couldn’t run far enough to outdistance the guilt that would close in right behind her. She’d once been close to her father.

  “I was going to clean up around here and get some food in the fridge,” she said. “But you can fend for yourself today.”

  This time, her father managed to stub out his cigarette in the overflowing ashtray. “Fine, then leave. That’s what you want to do anyway!” Using his cane to cross the room, he threw the door open and let it bang against the outside wall. “Go! I don’t have any way to keep you. Not when you could be with someone like him.”

  Dakota hesitated only a second. “You’re your own worst enemy, you know that?” she said. Then she walked out.

  Braden was in his car seat, crying. Tyson sat in the passenger seat, his jaw set as he stared straight ahead. Although they were in her Maxima, Dakota was tempted to pass right by and keep going, to walk out of Dundee with only the clothes on her back. But at the moment, Tyson seemed to need her as badly as her father did. He tried to cover it with plenty of bravado and indifference, but it was growing more apparent by the day.

  Why had he taken Braden from his mother? He indicated that he had no choice, but surely there were other options.

  Regardless, as difficult as it was for him, he was determined to keep his son. Which meant Tyson was as shackled as she was.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Grandpa Garnier: Always be a bit nicer than is called for,

  but don’t take too much guff.

  TYSON’S MOTHER HAD her shortcomings, but he’d been grateful to her for sending him to Montana whenever school let out. There, he’d learned to rope and ride, to cook and clean, to appreciate the outdoors and respect wildlife. And maybe he didn’t always live up to it, but he’d also been given a good example of when to bite his tongue and hold his temper, and when to let his anger drive him to immediate action. His grandfather had made a huge impact on his life simply with an occasional disapproving look, a nod that indicated Tyson should get up and try again, or a few terse statements—most of which Tyson could remember by heart: Always be a bit nicer than is called for, but don’t take too much guff.

  With a sigh, Tyson replayed the message his agent had left on his voice mail. He was taking a lot of guff right now. But fighting back only made the situation worse. The more he tried to defend himself against Rachelle’s accusations, the more guilty and hardhearted he appeared.

  The police would be calling him….

  God. He raked his fingers through his hair as he wondered what Grandpa Garnier would have had to say about that. When the old man first learned of Braden’s existence, he shook his head and clicked his tongue. Tyson could almost hear his thoughts: You’ve fallen into it this time. But in almost every conversation they’d had after that, his grandfather ignored the fact that Rachelle had custody of Braden and asked, “How’s that babe of yours?”

  The question was obviously meant to encourage him to get involved, but Tyson would always mutter, “Fine,” and refuse to entertain the possibility that it might not be true. Then he’d go on to talk about subjects he wasn’t trying so hard to avoid.

  Too bad his grandfather wasn’t here to see that he’d finally stepped in.

  He played Greg’s message over: Tyson, come on. You’ve got to give the baby back before Rachelle destroys you. Do it now, so this whole thing will blow over before next season. She’s promising to take good care of him. She—

  Hitting the Delete button on his phone, he hung up. She’d take good care of him? Like before?

  He didn’t believe it. Besides, Braden was doing fine here. No one could take better care of him than Dakota. She adored that baby. As soon as they’d returned from town, Tyson had gone directly to the office and closed the door, but he could still hear her, playing with Braden in the room down the hall.

  “Funny boy. Look at you. Aren’t you perfect? That’s it. Peek-a-boo…”

  The phone rang. Tyson grabbed it to block out her voice, which was so full of enjoyment that it made him feel as if he was missing something magical. “Hello?”

  “There you are. Why aren’t you returning my messages?”

  His mother. Just the person he wanted to talk to during the biggest crisis of his life. “I’ve been busy.”

  “I can see that. Your attempt to break into Rachelle’s house is in all the papers.”

  “I wasn’t breaking in.”

  “What were you doing?”

  “Trying to talk to her.”

  “Not the best way to go about it.”

  “Thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

  “How’s fatherhood?”

  “Good,” he lied.

  “You’re adjusting, then?”

  “As well as can be expected. I’ve hired a woman to help me out.” But even that wasn’t as simple as it should’ve been. He was a fool to allow himself to be drawn into Dakota’s life. He’d made the same mistake with Rachelle, hadn’t he?

  “Will she take care of the baby while you travel with the team?”

  If she stayed with him that long. Although Tyson had toyed with the idea of getting Dakota away from her father by taking her to California, he was no longer sure he wanted her constant company. He was beginning to feel too conflicted about her. He sympathized with her situation, but didn’t want to be taken in again. He was beginning to feel the stirring of sexual awareness and attraction, but couldn’t imagi
ne why. And after what she’d told her father about him, he felt betrayed. It was weird.

  “Maybe.”

  “Who is she?”

  “Someone Gabe recommended to me.”

  “Is she pretty?”

  “Yes,” he said, then caught himself. “I mean no,” he corrected.

  “Yes and no?”

  “She’s the type who gets a lot prettier as you get to know her.”

  “I’ve never heard you describe a woman in that way.”

  “She’s a good nanny.” He hurried to change the subject. “How’s your business?”

  His mother’s voice warmed as she launched into the incredible volume of closings her escrow agents had going this month. But Tyson tuned her out to listen to Dakota’s laugh. Maybe his nanny didn’t have a business or a successful career like he and his mother did, but when she was with Braden, she seemed a hell of a lot more content—

  “Tyson? You still there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Listen, I’m glad business is booming, but I’ve got to go. I haven’t done any weight training today, and I don’t have long to get this knee back in shape.”

  “No problem. My next appointment should be here, anyway.”

  He almost said goodbye and left it at that. Instead, he succumbed to a weak moment. “Mom?”

  “Yes?”

  Tyson jiggled his knee to siphon off some of his nervous energy. “When do you think you might come see the baby?”

  “You want me to visit you in Dundee?” she asked in surprise.

  “Why not? It’s nice here. And it’d be good for you to take some time off.”

  “I take time off. I come to at least half your games. And we spend Christmas in New York together every year.”

  Along with Grandpa Garnier. Tyson felt the omission like a gaping hole in his chest. “This is different.”

  “How?”

  “In a lot of ways.” For one, it wasn’t an elegant dinner at some expensive restaurant, where they talked and laughed, then went their separate ways. He was stepping into a whole new world, a world that no longer included Grandpa Garnier, and he was trying to figure out how to navigate it. He didn’t want to do it alone. “You’ve never seen your grandson,” he pointed out.