In Debt To The Cowboy (Miller Brothers 0f Texas Book 2)
Page 12
“Not even you, Antonio?” the youngest asked precociously.
“Not even me.”
He gave a very pointed look to Silas, which the Miller brother tried very hard not to grin at. Which was quite a challenge, considering how earnestly the young man was posturing. Maybe it should have been annoying, but it was cute more than anything else. It was clear the young man valued Teddy very much.
“How about those leftovers?” Silas said.
The mention of food had all of the young ones hurrying to the table in the kitchen. Although Silas didn’t say anything, he was surprised by how small the place was. Teddy, her father and her brother all lived in the same space? That didn’t seem possible. Was he that out of touch with things?
He didn’t ask that out loud, however, and focused on feeding the children. They wolfed everything down as quickly as he could microwave it, then looked to him for more.
“You’re gonna have to wait for her to show up for that,” Silas said with a laugh. “She didn’t give me permission to use all her things, so I’m not going to.”
“That’s alright. I bet you can’t cook without the help anyways,” the tall one said. It might have been meant as a joke, but it did poke at Silas’ pride. “We should clean up. Teddy’ll probably be upset if she comes back and things are messy.”
“She normally pretty neat?”
“Nah, not really. But her dad is, and they all keep the place nice for him.”
“Right. Well I can get behind some cleaning. Do you all know where the supplies are?”
“It ain’t that big a place. We’ll find them.”
That logic made sense to Silas. They spread out, and sure enough, some of the cleaning supplies were underneath the kitchen sink, some were in a small closet in the bathroom, and the rest was tucked into a tall, skinny cabinet in the very corner of the kitchen.
There wasn’t a ton to clean, but there was a small layer of dust in certain areas, and the floor definitely needed to be swept. It looked like someone had dropped a plate of food or something, and instead of cleaning it up, the bits of nutrition had been kicked around. It wasn’t until he went to take out the trash and saw both a broken cup and plate that he began to realize maybe that scattered food had more of a reason than he had previously thought.
But he quickly dismissed that and continued to work. Teddy ended up taking longer than she said she would, and it was getting to be well in the afternoon when he heard a rattling car pull into the back of the garage.
“I think I hear her,” the tallest said from the bathroom. The young man had demanded to clean it all on his own, and now Silas was sure that the kid had a crush on Teddy and was trying to impress her.
Again, it came across as much sweeter than it probably should have.
Speaking of crushes, Silas didn’t want to look flushed and mussed when she came up the stairs, so he hurriedly splashed water onto his face and patted himself dry with a rough paper towel and tried to fix his hair in the faint reflection on the window behind the kitchen sink. It would have to do.
He turned around just as she came in through the door, and she looked around uncertainly. And goodness, she looked rough.
Silas felt concern bloom in his chest, accompanied by worry and a softer, fizzier something that he didn’t want to name. Her hair was wild and clumped in different spots, like she’d been tossing and turning all night, unable to find a comfortable position. The skin on her face was reddened, probably dried out by the hospital air, and there were dark circles under her eyes. If he didn’t know better, he would almost think they were bruises, they stood out so starkly against her alabaster skin.
“Hey, it smells nice in here,” she murmured, trying to crack an appreciative smile. But the expression came out as more of a grimace, her lips dry and pale. “Like lemons.”
“We’ve been cleaning!” the tallest of the trio said, practically barreling down the hall. “Wanted to make things nice for you when you got home.”
“Aw, that’s sweet of you guys.” She took off her shoes and then opened her arms wide. Silas watched as all three went to her at once, latching onto her with tight hugs like she was a bastion in the storm.
He supposed for them, she was. What had they said? That she patched them up? So when they were hurt, bleeding and scared, she was the one they went to. How terrified they must have been when they didn’t know where she was or how she was. He was glad that he had been able to connect them all again, if only for the sheer relief that was so evidently pouring out into the room from them.
She made their world better. She made the actual world better. And when he slowed down to think about it, could anybody say the same of him?
That thought coiled sourly in his belly and licked up his spine to whisper in his ear. Of course, his family loved him and would be devastated. But if he were to disappear tomorrow, would the world be any worse off? Would anything be lost?
Sure, his dad would have to find a new man to specialize in speculative acquisition, and Silas’ horse sure would need another rider. Sterling might get worse, act out more. But that was it. For all his power, for all his money, he was suddenly realizing that he didn’t really amount to…
…well, anything.
It was a sobering thought and he had to force himself to shove it to the back of his mind. He was supposed to be helping Teddy now, not bemoaning his sudden rush of inadequacy.
“Glad to see you home.”
“Still not sure how you ended up here, but it’s nice to see someone not in scrubs. I’m gonna go clean up, and then I’ll get started on the food.”
“Uh…” the tallest murmured, pulling away from her slightly. “I wasn’t totally done cleaning the bathroom. Can I have like, I dunno, ten more minutes?”
Her red eyebrows went nearly up to her hairline. “You, Antonio, who can’t even be bothered to tie his shoelaces right, cleaned my bathroom of your own volition?”
The young man’s tanned skinned quickly flushed, going all the way down to his oversized shirt collar. “Ay, well, you know how it is, Mami. I just wanted to help out.”
Teddy let out a soft, very tired laugh and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Thank you. You’re amazing. You finish up cleaning the bathroom, and I’ll put the rice cooker on and get everything set out. That should give you plenty of time.”
“Alright.” He gave her one last squeeze and rushed off.
“Can I help you in the kitchen?” the middle one asked, reminding Silas that he was indeed capable of speaking. “I wanna learn.”
“Of course. Let’s all go wash our hands then. Silas, why don’t you sit down for a bit?”
He wanted to interject, to say that he could do something else, but instead he nodded and found a seat that was out of the way at the kitchen table. He got the feeling that maybe Teddy needed the simplicity of one thing at a time, so if she wanted him to wait while she taught the younger ones kitchen things, then he was more than happy to.
Which turned out to be quite a good decision—because watching her interact with them was like learning about an entirely different side of her, a secret one. One that only a select few were privy too. Despite how obviously weary she was, she was never rough or impatient with the young ones. She never sighed in irritation at their questions, slang or memes that Silas most definitely didn’t understand. Instead she laughed with them, encouraged them, taught them gently and patiently.
It was beautiful. It was tender. It was Teddy without all of those walls and protections that she had up to defend herself from the unfairness of the world, and goodness if it didn’t make his heart ache in the best possible way that she was trusting him with that.
“Hey, Mami, I’m done in here if you wanna wash up.”
She looked up from where she had been showing the youngest how to cut properly and protect her hand, relief palpable across her features.
“Thanks, Antonio. I’ll be there in a moment.” Her eyes flicked to Silas. “You mind chaperoning this? I
really need to wash up.”
He was on his feet before he even realized his brain had given the order. “Of course. I don’t mind.”
More relief. He found that he liked that expression very much on her and wished he could lighten her burdens all of the time. Sometimes he felt like she was so stressed and tightly wound that she might randomly combust in front of him someday. “Alright, I want you two to very carefully finish cutting this avocado, and then the peppers. If you still have time, you can try dicing the cilantro and adding it to the rice. I should be out by then.”
“Don’t worry,” the middle one said matter-of-factly, not missing a step with his chopping. “We got you.”
Another kiss, this time pressed to the top of his head. Silas had never seen Teddy so open with her affections. Would he ever be able to earn that kind of tenderness? That closeness? Probably not, and it wouldn’t do to be jealous of impoverished children, so he needed to move his brain right along.
“Yeah, I’m sure you do, Kayden,” she said with so much warmth that Silas’ heart almost melted right then and there, then she was padding off to the bathroom.
“Alright,” he said, stepping up to the counter with the two young teens—pre-teens? He actually had no idea how old any of them were besides Antonio. They were dutifully working on the fare. “Let’s go nice and slow. I’m not exactly an expert at this myself.”
“You don’t know how to cook?” the youngest girl asked as if that was the craziest thing that she’d ever heard.
“I know how to cook,” he answered with mock offense. “…like four different dishes,” he finished with a wink.
Good, that got a giggle out of her. He was getting the feeling that they were warming up to him, even though he clearly was someone who wasn’t one of their own. Who knew, if he could win them over, maybe he could eventually get to Teddy’s inner circle.
Or maybe it was best not to think about things like that.
* * *
Teddy ended up spending a good, long time in the shower and dinner wasn’t exactly a quick affair, so it ended up being quite late by the time Silas was standing at the kitchen sink, washing dishes and looking out at the night sky. Blue velvet sinking into waves of indigo velvet followed by the deepest of eggplants before, eventually, it turned that specific shade of pitch black that only the city could get.
The manual task soothed him, smothering the embarrassment that he had naively asked where their dishwasher was when the meal was up. He was doing something with his hands. He was being productive.
He was making a difference. Even if it was a small one, it was something, and it was for someone who so clearly deserved it.
“Oh man, when did it get so late?” Teddy asked, looking out of the window beside him.
“It’s been late,” Antonio said, yawning and rubbing his stomach. The kid certainly had packed a lot away. It would have been impressive if it wasn’t also a little sad. “We’ll get out of your hair.”
“No,” Teddy said quickly before clearing her throat. “No. I don’t want y’all wandering out tonight unless you’re expected. Why don’t you two boys sleep in Roman’s room and Jamani can take my room. Then y’all can eat breakfast in the morning and clear out.”
Even Antonio looked surprised by that. “Are you sure, Mami? It ain’t no big deal, going out at dark. You know that.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re big and tough. Let’s just say I’m feeling tender and protective lately, so humor an old woman. Unless you’ve got a curfew, I’d much prefer you stay here.”
There was concern and sadness when the three of them all confirmed there was no one waiting for them. No one who would miss them. If Silas was staying out overnight, he usually at least texted his twin to let him know he was alright. These kids really had nobody?
It wasn’t hard for Teddy to get them all to agree to stay after that, then it was some gentle corralling to the bathroom in a staggered order to get them to wash up, and then into the appropriate beds. By the time all of that was done, Silas had washed all the dishes, dried them too and then put them away.
“They’re good kids,” she sighed wearily when she finally joined him again.
“I don’t doubt that,” Silas said cautiously. “But where are their families? Why don’t they have someone who cares where they are?”
She gave him a weary sort of shrug. “You wouldn’t get it.”
It stung, but he knew why she said it. With as earnest a tone he could manage, he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. “I could try, if you would explain it to me.”
Another one of those long sighs. But instead of turning away from his touch, she stepped into it, turning so that his arm was across her shoulders. It wasn’t quite a hug, but it was a supportive thing. Something someone might do with another someone if they trusted them. If they were looking for comfort.
“Antonio has a good family, but there’s seven kids there. He’s old enough that he’s expected to take care of himself, and honestly, when he’s gone, that’s one less mouth to feed.”
“Seven kids? That’s more than my mom. His must have been very busy for a hot streak there.”
She shook her head. “I’m not actually sure it’s his mom. I don’t even know if his mother’s in the country. I think it’s his tia. As for Kayden, he does live with his mom, but she’s a nurse full-time. At first, she spent so much money on babysitting, trying to do right for him, but eventually we stepped in and told her we would handle it.”
“We?”
“Yeah, we. You know, the community. It was Mrs. West’s idea first, actually, but it spread pretty quickly. So now there’s a network of about ten of us who are trusted by a couple of the parents around here who will watch and feed him for free.”
“And Jamani?”
“I think she’s one of the street kids from the eastern part of the city.”
That surprised him. “You think? You mean you don’t know if she’s running around out there with no family?”
“No. I do think she has a family. That’s how she stays protected. But at the time she was born, her mother was underage and her parents were pressuring her into giving up her baby against her will because they didn’t like the skin color of the father. You didn’t hear that from me, of course.”
Silas digested that for a minute. “You know her mom?”
She shook her head. “No. Not really. But I may have had a part in… ferrying someone to where they would be safe when I was too young to even have a license. Perks of having a big ol’ service van at the time.”
“And so now her daughter visits you?”
“From time to time. I’m sure her mother wishes she wouldn’t, but she’s fourteen, you know, and she, therefore, knows everything.”
Silas chuckled at that. “I remember the age. It was nice—for a year or so—to understand the entire world.”
“Boy wasn’t it.” She leaned back a little, her soft form pressing into his arm. “So yeah. It’s not like I’m some bastion of goodness in this town. If I wasn’t here, there would be other warm hands and hugs waiting for them. I don’t want you to think I’m some sort of savior of this community and everyone else is some heartless jerk.”
“I didn’t think that at all.”
“Good. Because I’m aware of what this looks like, and it’s not that. I don’t think I’m coming here like some missionary to save the poor people. These are my people, and I’m just trying to pay back everything they’ve done for me.”
Silas nodded. He hadn’t been thinking that in the slightest, but he understood why she felt the need to tell him. He had figured out that maybe Teddy wasn’t Andre’s blood child. He was also aware that his family would probably make some strange assumptions if they ever saw her with her brother or father. He was also aware of how someone like Teddy, who was so fiercely protective of those she loved, would try to head all of that off whenever she could.
“They like you, though. I hope you can tell that,” he said.
“I think that’s simplifying it.”
“Maybe.” She turned so that she was looking up at him, her front pressed into his side. He turned in kind, and they were just a breath away from each other again. He swore he could hear her heart beating through the scant bit of air between them, a demanding counter rhythm to his own.
“I should go. It’s my turn to stay overnight at the hospital, and Roman’s going to be coming home to sleep on the couch.”
Her breath was warm and smelled slightly of the food that they had made. Spicy, welcoming. It tickled along the bottom of his chin and curled slightly over his face. He wondered what it would taste like if he—
“I can drive you to the hospital if you need,” he said, trying to rein himself in. Teddy was being close to him, trusting him, because she was exhausted and in need of a haven. Taking advantage of that would be reprehensible.
Even if she did look like she had the most kissable lips.
“Nah, I’ve got things handled. I gotta get the junker back so Roman can take it home.”
“Right, right. That makes sense.”
“I…I really should go…”
Although she said that, it seemed like she was leaning again, her head turned up to his. It would be so easy, so easy, to tilt his own downward and press their lips together.
They were sure to be soft; he knew that. They were no longer dried from the hospital and her chewing on them, seemingly refreshed by the shower and whatever her beauty regimen was. They would be warm, like her.
He really needed to think about something else.
Clearing his throat, he took a step back. “Well, I best be on my way then.”
She blinked a moment, as if she was surprised that he had moved. “Uh. Yes. So I can leave. That would be smart.”
“I’ve been known to be smart from occasion to occasion.”
“I’ll remind myself not to get used to it then.”
There, back to their usual banter. He hadn’t ruined anything in his moment of weakness. She didn’t know how badly twisted up inside he was about her.