by Katie Lane
She picked up the glass that still had some ice in it and sucked a cube into her mouth. As angry as he was, watching the way her full lips pulled on that ice still turned him on. Muumuu and all.
“I get it,” she said as she sucked on the ice. “I felt the same way whenever my daddy showed up spouting all his nonsense about all the wonderful things we were going to do as a family now that he was back home. Spring and Autumn always fell for his lies. They would sob and cry when he ended up leaving, completely disappointed. I never cried. I just hated. Until I grew up and realized that Daddy was controlling me as much with hate as he controlled Autumn and Spring with his lies.”
“Let me guess. Granny Bon’s lesson.”
She laughed. “Yeah, the old woman does spout a few words of wisdom occasionally. Another lesson she taught me is you have to make peace with who your father is.”
“So you think I should forgive him?”
“No. I still haven’t forgiven my dad for everything he did. But I don’t think you should run from him either.”
He wanted to argue that he wasn’t running, but he couldn’t. That was exactly what he was doing. “Are you sure you’re not just saying that because you want me to help you with your business plan?”
“That, and if you leave, I really will be bored to tears.”
“So you want me to stay purely for entertainment.”
“Exactly.” She flashed him a grin as she scooted off the bed and fluffed out her muumuu. “I have to get back and take care of Sherlock and Watson. But if you’re still here tomorrow, why don’t you come over to Waylon and Spring’s and we’ll talk about my business plan? Not in the morning because I plan to sleep in. You can come for dinner. I’ll make you my famous spaghetti.”
He was surprised. “You can cook?”
“You’ll have to come to dinner to find out.” She walked out the door.
Ryker stood there for a moment, weighing his options. He could leave and not have to deal with his daddy. Or he could stay and find out if Summer was as good at cooking as she was at sex.
He was surprised by how easy the decision was.
Chapter Twelve
Summer stayed up most of the night finishing her western romance. She found a pair of reading glasses in the nightstand drawer that made the small print of the paperback much easier to read. After reading all night, she planned to sleep in the next morning. But Sherlock woke her up around six thirty with big wet kisses wanting to go out. Or so she thought. But once she rolled out of bed, scooped up Watson, and headed downstairs, Sherlock refused to leave the house. Instead, he sat by the back door staring at his leash that hung on a hook.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Summer grumbled.
The only answer she received was a high-pitched whine that made Watson tuck his head into Summer’s armpit.
“You so owe me, Spring Leigh Hadley,” she said as she set the kitten down and headed upstairs to toss on an old sweatshirt over the t-shirt and boxers she wore as pajamas and slip on some running shoes. When she came back down, Sherlock was still fixated on the leash. Watson had joined him in the stare down as if doggie and kitty mind power combined would magically get the leash off the hook.
Summer had to laugh. As soon as she took down the leash, Sherlock showed more enthusiasm than she’d ever seen from the dog. He bounced around her legs and almost knocked her over.
“All right. All right. We’re going.” She took his collar to stop his wiggling and attached the leash. As she pulled open the door, she noticed Watson sitting there with pathetic green eyes. “What?” she said. “You can’t walk on a leash.” The kitten kept staring, and she finally scooped him up and stuffed him in the front pocket of her sweatshirt.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon as she stepped out the back door. It had been a while since she’d seen a sunrise, and she couldn’t help taking a moment to enjoy the blushing pink sky. But Sherlock didn’t give her much time to enjoy it before he tugged her down the back-porch steps and around the side of the house.
As she passed the garden, she looked at the rows of new plants. It looked like Waylon had set up a drip system for watering, but the garden still needed to be weeded. Tiny weeds were sprouting in between the plants. Summer had hated the chore of weeding Granny Bon’s garden, but she couldn’t let her brother-in-law’s garden get choked out by weeds on her watch. She’d pull them when she came back from her walk before the day got too hot.
Sherlock seemed to know his walking route. He led her through the neighborhood for blocks until he turned onto Main Street. There were very few people up that early. Still, she didn’t want to chance being seen in her pajamas by anyone she knew so she tried to pull Sherlock off the street on the next block. The dog stubbornly refused and tugged her across the street. They ended up in the alleyway behind Lucy’s Place Diner. Sherlock sat down by the back door and begin to bark.
“What are you doing, you crazy dog?” Summer was about to grab the dog’s collar and pull him away when the back door of the diner opened and Carly Arrington looked out. Carly was the owner of the diner and Summer’s cousin-in-law. Summer had gotten a lot of new cousins a year ago when Granny Bon had discovered that she was Lucy Arrington’s illegitimate daughter. While the rest of the Hadleys had welcomed their new family with open arms, Summer was still uncomfortable around her Arrington cousins.
“I’m sorry about that.” She tried to smooth out her sloppy ponytail. “Sherlock went a little loopy and pulled me over here.”
Carly laughed. “He’s not loopy. He always stops by here on his walks for a dog treat from Ms. Marble. But since Ms. Marble hasn’t gotten here yet, I’m happy to oblige.” She disappeared for a second, then returned with a dog biscuit and held it out. Sherlock downed the entire biscuit in two loud crunches. Carly smiled as she watched the dog, but her smile faded to a look of concern when she lifted her gaze to Summer. “We heard about the accident. Zane and I were going to stop by the hospital and see you, but you got released before we could. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. I’m just staying a few days in Bliss to appease my grandmother.” She patted Sherlock’s head. “And to watch Sherlock and Watson while Spring’s on her honeymoon.”
“Watson?”
As if on cue, Watson stuck his head out of Summer’s sweatshirt pouch.
“What a cutie.” Carly reached out and scratched the kitten’s ears. “I wish I had a cat treat, Watson, but I’m afraid Ms. Marble just keeps doggie ones for Sherlock. But I’ll tell her when she gets here that she needs to start making some cat biscuits too.” She paused. “Or on second thought, I’ll just make you some myself. Ms. Marble has way too much to do as is.”
“She does seem to be over extended,” Summer said.
Carly nodded. “I’m worried about her. She’s been way too busy, what with making bakery items for the diner and all the orders she gets for special events. It would be too much for a young woman, let alone someone in her seventies with health issues.”
Summer couldn’t agree more. Especially after seeing the diabetic shock Ms. Marble had experienced. “Is there anyone who can help her?”
“Gracie helped her for a while, but she can’t now because of the triplets. And I’d help, but I’m kind of struggling myself with my pregnancy. I went from throwing up every time I smelled eggs cooking to taking catnaps while standing at the flat top stove.” Carly placed her hand on her poochy stomach. “This pregnancy business is not for wimps.”
Summer laughed. Carly was kind of growing on her. “Which is why I’m not in any hurry to get pregnant.” A thought struck her. “A friend of mine owns an online job search company. What about if I have him try to find someone who could help Ms. Marble?”
“Are you talking about Dirk’s old company?”
Summer forgot that everyone knew everything in a small town. “That’s the one.”
“You could certainly try. But I doubt that you can find qualified people who want to move to a small t
own.” A clatter of pans had Carly glancing over her shoulder. “I better get back to work. The breakfast rush is about to start.” She smiled. “I’m glad you, Sherlock, and Watson stopped by. Stop by anytime for a dog biscuit or a cup of coffee.”
Summer might not feel like Carly was family yet, but she did feel like she could be a friend. “I’ll do that,” she said before she tugged Sherlock away.
Once they left the diner, Sherlock was more than willing to let Summer take the lead. She led him straight back to Waylon and Spring’s where she let him and Watson run free while she weeded the garden. Once she finished, they all headed into the house for breakfast. She filled the animals’ dishes with food before she made herself a cup of coffee to go with one of the cinnamon-swirl muffins that Ms. Marble had given her the night before.
As she ate it, she thought about Ms. Marble’s situation. The older women definitely needed some help. She also needed a commercial-sized kitchen with all the amenities. Big ovens and the right equipment would cut her cooking time in half. Of course, where would Ms. Marble put commercial appliances? They certainly wouldn’t fit in her small house.
After breakfast, Summer tried to call Autumn. Again she was sent to voice mail. Which made her leave an angry message. “What the hell, Audie!” But as soon as the words were out, she felt guilty. Her sister was obviously working her butt off while Summer was taking it easy. She softened her tone. “Sorry. I know you’re working hard and it’s my fault for getting in an accident and getting Granny Bon all worried. But could you call me when you get a chance? I’m dying from boredom here.”
She hung up and headed upstairs to take a shower. Or that’s what she had planned until she saw the huge claw foot tub. She had never been a bath person. She preferred a quick shower. But since she didn’t have anything else to do, she filled up the tub and even added some bubble bath she found under the sink. If Autumn and Spring could’ve seen their tough, athletic sister neck deep in bubbles, they would’ve laughed hysterically. But Summer had to admit that there was something decadent and luxurious about a bubble bath. She stayed in so long her skin pruned up.
Once she was dressed, she called Autumn again. When her sister still didn’t answer, she hung up and climbed the stairs to the attic to search for another romance novel to read. While she was looking, she stumbled upon a basket of yarn and some knitting needles.
When they were kids, their grandmother had taught them all how to knit, probably hoping it would keep them quiet and out of trouble. Always competitive, Summer had worked hard at mastering the skill. But it had been years since she’d done it.
It took her five attempts to remember how to cast on. But once she had the yarn on a needle, her hands took over her brain and she was knitting like she’d never stopped. She had no idea what she was knitting. She just knitted and watched the bird outside the window build a nest in the top of an oak tree. After a while, Sherlock and Watson came up and joined her. Sherlock slept at her feet while Watson batted around a ball of yarn Summer gave him. She sat and knitted and bird watched until she got hungry.
Then she carried her long two-foot wide knitting down to the kitchen, where she continued to knit in-between bites of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. While she was knitting and eating, the dripping kitchen faucet caught her attention. She had always been handy with tools. She was the one who had fixed all the leaky faucets in Granny Bon’s house. So after she was finished eating, she searched for a toolbox. Unfortunately, the house was a little older than Granny Bon’s. When she used a wrench to turn off the water under the sink so she could fix the leak, the entire valve broke off. Water spewed out and hit her right in the face, causing her to bang her head on the bottom of the sink.
“For Pete’s sake,” she muttered as she ducked out from under the cabinet and got to her feet. She knew from experience that the only way to turn off the water now would be from the valve that connected it to the town’s water system.
She kept her wrench and raced for the front door. She pulled open the door, pushed open the screen, and ran right smack dab into Cord Evans. But she didn’t have time for fangirling or niceties.
“Pardon me, but I’ve got a flooding kitchen.” She pushed past him and raced for the street. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find the water line. While she wildly searching beneath shrubs and gnomes, the wrench was taken from her hand. She turned to see Ryker’s daddy walk over and calmly kneel next to the mailbox. She followed him and watched as he removed the metal cover and leaned into the hole.
“You have to turn it to the right,” she directed. When he didn’t answer, she leaned closer. “Do you have it? Because if you don’t, I can do it.”
“I think I can manage.” He raised up and looked at her with eyes the exact deep brown as his son’s. “Go on in and make sure it’s off.”
She ran toward the house. When she got inside the kitchen, Sherlock and Watson were drinking from the half-inch of water on the floor. But the broken valve wasn’t spewing anymore. She headed back out to the porch. “It’s off,” she yelled.
Cord nodded before he put the metal lid back on and got to his feet. As he walked toward her, she noticed he had a slight limp. Something she hadn’t noticed the day before.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “Did you hurt yourself bending over?”
He smiled. “I’m not quite that old.” He moved up the steps. “Although I feel pretty old some mornings.” He handed her the wrench. “It’s an old injury—a broken bone that never healed right.”
“I guess rodeo champions get a lot of broken bones.”
He nodded. “So what kind of damage are we looking at?”
“Damage? Oh! You mean from the busted valve. Nothing a mop won’t remedy. Although the busted valve is another story. I can fix a leaky faucet, but that’s about the extent of my plumbing knowledge.”
He took off his cowboy hat. “You mind if I take a look?”
She should probably say no. This was Ryker’s deadbeat daddy. And deadbeat daddies should not be let into people’s houses. But it was hard to think of Cord Evans as a deadbeat when he’d been one of her teen idols. Besides, she couldn’t wait to tell Spring that Cord Evans had looked at her pipes.
“Sure,” she said and led the way into the house.
Sherlock growled when he saw Cord, but all it took was Cord holding out his hand for a sniff before the dog’s tail started to wag. Unconcerned with his jeans getting wet, Cord knelt on the floor and looked at the valve.
“Yeah, it’s busted pretty good.” He got to his feet with the broken valve in his hand. “I’m assuming you have a hardware store in town.”
An hour later, the valve was fixed, as was the leaky faucet.
“Thank you so much,” Summer said as Cord got to his feet. She put the mop that she’d been using to mop the floor back in the bucket. “What do I owe you?”
“Not a dime. I was happy to help.”
“At least let me get you some iced tea.”
“That I’ll take.”
She poured them both tea and brought the glasses over to the table. “I hope you like yours sweet.”
He took the glass. “Is there any other way?”
She laughed. “Not in Texas.” She sat down, and he followed suit. “Now that the catastrophe is over, I’m wondering what you were doing on my front porch.”
He pulled a bandanna out of his back pocket and wiped the sweat off the back of his neck. “It’s probably foolishness, but I thought you might be able to help me.”
Summer didn’t need a crystal ball to figure out with what. “With Ryker?”
He nodded. “Women can sway their men more than anyone.”
“Ryker’s not my man.”
He looked confused. “But Granny Bon said—”
Summer wished Granny had never seen the text from Ryker. It had put way too many thoughts in her head. “Granny Bon misunderstood some things. But even if Ryker was my boyfriend, I don’t think anything I could say would make a differe
nce in how he feels about you. I don’t want to be mean, but from the sounds of things, he has a right to feel the way he does.”
Cord nodded. “I can’t deny that. I guess I was just hoping that he might give me another chance. I can’t make up for the years I lost—we lost, but I just don’t want to lose any more.”
After everything she’d been through with her lying daddy, she thought she would never have sympathy for a deadbeat dad who had ignored his child. But she did feel sympathy for Cord. Maybe it was because he’d been her idol. Or maybe it was because of the sincerity in his eyes. Or maybe it was just because she wanted to believe that there were deadbeat dads who regretted their actions. That there were deadbeat dads who wanted to change and try to make things right.
Cord got up. “I better get going. I was foolish to think I could have some kind of relationship with Ryker after what I did.” He turned, but she stopped him before he could take a step.
“Don’t give up, Mr. Evans. Deep down, everyone wants a daddy.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ryker couldn’t deny that it was a relief to leave Dirk and Gracie’s ranch that afternoon. His morning had been spent with Granny Bon, Gracie, and the triplets. And while he enjoyed talking with Gracie and Granny Bon, the triplets still scared the hell out of him—something Lucinda seemed to have figured out and enjoyed.
The baby toddled like a mini Frankenstein after him wherever he went, screaming at the top of her lungs “Wy-ka!” until he stopped and picked her up. Then she’d proceeded to tug on his earlobes, poke him in the eyes, and slobber all over Dirk’s t-shirt Gracie had loaned him. When Granny Bon had suggested he borrow a ranch truck and take an afternoon drive, Ryker had jumped at the chance. He thought about heading to Waylon and Spring’s house, but then vetoed the idea. It was only three o’clock and he didn’t want Summer thinking he was eager to see her.
