Harts Of The Rodeo 3 - Duke - Deputy Cowboy

by Roz Denny Fox

  “Don’t mention it. See you soon.” He tucked his phone and her number in his pocket again and left to collect Luke.

  Crossing the street, Duke stopped outside the diner to snap Zorro’s leash to an old hitching post. He ushered the boy inside and chose a table near the back of the restaurant. He sat Luke facing the door where he’d see Angie when she came in. The kid deserved a chance to figure what he’d tell his mother.

  Duke noticed as they waited for burgers that Luke’s eyes kept drifting shut. “Are you tuckered out?” he asked. “It’s quite a hike to town from the fairgrounds.”

  “Yeah, and I have heavy b-books in my b-backpack.” Luke slurped his chocolate shake.

  “It was dangerous to walk to town, Luke. There are no sidewalks and drivers can’t see well as the sun sets. You can’t let Tommy’s taunts, or anyone else’s, make you do something unsafe. You know that part will worry your mom.”

  “Probably. But...she didn’t hear T-Tommy. He...he made fun of how I t-talk.”

  “Luke, listen. When I was your age I stuttered just like you. My cousin Ace helped me speak slower and to think beforehand. Your mom said when school starts you’ll take speech therapy. That will turn things around for you.”

  Luke’s eyes had widened when Duke confessed his old problem. “You talk good now. Wow, maybe I’ll get better.”

  “You will.”

  “Uh-oh.” Luke slid down in his chair, and Duke turned and saw Angie rush into the diner. She charged straight up to their table and hugged her son until Duke pulled out a chair for her, and she sat, but continued clinging to Luke. “You scared me half to death, Luke. I thought we were a team, you and me.”

  “I’m sorry. T-Tommy...” the boy tried, but his eyes filled with big fat tears that splashed on the table.

  Chapter Ten

  Angie’s chin trembled. She released Luke’s arm and ran her fingers through his hair. “Oh, Lucas, I know what Tommy did. He was wrong to pick on you, but it’s partly my fault. I should have anticipated when you started school that you’d get questions about your father. We had Gramps, so I hoped it wouldn’t be an issue. But I guess kids hear stuff adults say when they aren’t aware their kids are listening.”

  “Huh?” Luke’s expression was one of greater confusion. Then their meals were delivered, and he ducked away from his mother and bit into his burger.

  The waitress asked if Angie wanted to order. Still dazed from the fright of her life, she gazed blankly at the girl.

  Duke nudged her foot. “I doubt you ate anything at the fair. If you don’t want a burger, try soup and a sandwich. It’s tomato soup, and turkey salad on one of Sierra’s fresh-baked rolls.”

  “That sounds good,” Angie said weakly. The minute the waitress took off, Angie pulled her chair closer to the table. After two false starts she began her story anew. “Luke, honey, before I even knew I was going to have you, I split up with the man who is your father. It may be hard for you to understand, but he and I began a relationship with huge differences between us.”

  “Like what?” Luke asked as he squeezed ketchup on his fries.

  Angie cast a surreptitious glance at the man feigning interest in his hamburger, then knotted her hands. “Ah...Carter was a rodeo champion when we met. But he and others used spurs on horses they rode. I objected, and he promised if I moved in with him he’d quit the rodeo and we’d get married. He said he’d been offered a job on a ranch near Fort Worth. Maybe two weeks after I moved in I found out there was no job, and he’d entered a slew of new rodeos. I packed my things and left, and got my old job back. Then I learned I was pregnant. I felt I had to tell him. People who knew us both thought I told him so he’d take me back. The truth is I wouldn’t have gone back because of his lies. Plus, by then he’d told mutual friends he didn’t want me and never had any intention of us getting married.”

  Her soup and sandwich came, and she dipped the spoon into her soup, but let it rest there.

  Duke’s mind flashed through rodeo stats and he guessed she had hooked up with Carter Gray. From all he had heard on the circuit about the bronc rider, Duke had no trouble believing all Angie said.

  “But if you told him about me then T-Tommy was r-right, my dad didn’t w-want me,” Luke said, his face crumpling.

  Duke slid a big hand around the boy’s narrow shoulders. “Luke, not all cowboys are cut out to be dads.”

  The boy looked up with teary eyes, and to Duke’s shock he asked without stuttering once, “Duke, are you cut out to be one? A dad?”

  Duke looked Luke straight in the eye. “I sure like to think I have what it takes to love and care for a family,” he said earnestly. “You’ve never met my twin brother, Beau. He and I grew up without a mom. Our dad worked long hours to support us. He pretty much had to be both mom and dad, like your mom is, Luke. I think I turned out okay.”

  Luke seemed to consider that as he polished off the last of his burger, all while studying Duke’s face.

  “Yup, Duke. You’re real okay.”

  Angie bent over her meal until Luke wiped his mouth and addressed her. “Mom, he takes good care of Zorro, so don’t you think Duke would be good with a family?”

  She pushed aside her bowl. “I...ah...am sure Dylan would make an admirable family man, if not for...” she stopped, blinked, then muttered “...his obsession with riding bulls.”

  “I’m not obsessed,” Duke defended. “It’s a sport like any other.”

  “No. Your standing is big talk around the fair. Animals are not born to buck, I don’t care what you say.”

  Across the table, Luke nodded off before Angie finished her damning statement.

  “Don’t wake him,” Duke said, pulling out his wallet to drop money on the table. “He’s out for the count. Would you like me to carry him to your vehicle?”

  “Please,” she said, changing gears. “He’s a deadweight when he’s asleep. I’m parked in this block.” She picked up Luke’s backpack.

  Lifting the gangly boy, Duke racked his brain for something to say to counter Angie’s words that were surely meant to drive him off. But he didn’t want to provoke an argument tonight. Later he would argue again that bucking bulls weren’t mistreated.

  Angie’s vehicle had a narrow backseat. Duke settled Lucas and buckled him in, and when the boy sighed and his head bobbled, Duke smiled and ruffled his blond hair.

  She stood by and shut the door. In spite of all the negative comments she’d aimed at this cowboy in the restaurant, he continued to do things that moved her. Moved her enough for her to rise up on tiptoes and deliver a kiss that landed at the corner of his mouth.

  “There are no words to convey how grateful I am for all you did tonight, Dylan. I can’t recall ever being as scared as when Pam came to my booth looking for Luke who should’ve been with her. I told myself Roundup is a safe town. But...”

  “It’s okay, Angie. He’s your whole world.”

  She kissed him again and got into her SUV and drove off, leaving Duke standing at the curb with a hand to his cheek where her last kiss still felt sweet.

  Someone stepped up behind him and slapped Duke on his back. “Well, well, well, old son, how long have you been in a romantic relationship with Angie Barrington? And how is it I missed knowing?”

  Whirling, wearing a scowl, Duke let out a sigh when he identified his favorite cousin. “Ace, dang, you caught me off guard.” Duke opened his mouth to deny having a romance with Angie, but because
there was no one he trusted more than Ace, he backed down. “I’ve admired her for quite a while, but we got closer because I’m helping her son and the Marshall twins train for the Wild Pony Race. Last week I finally asked Angie out, but another burglary broke up our evening. The kicker is, Ace, she harbors bad feelings for rodeos and rodeo cowboys.”

  “Huh, could’ve fooled me.” Ace jerked a thumb toward a storefront whose proprietor lived above her shop. “I just finished a courtesy call to help whelp Miss Grogan’s teacup poodle. I came down her back stairs and happened to see Angie kiss you twice, good buddy.” Ace wiggled two fingers under Duke’s nose.

  “Kisses of gratitude,” Duke said, sounding gloomy. “Tommy Marshall bedeviled Luke tonight about his lack of a dad. Luke ran away, but thanks to Zorro being alert, I intercepted him. That’s all it was, Ace. Angie split up with her ex over him promising to quit rodeo, but he didn’t follow through. I’m this close to reaching the finals.” He held his thumb and forefinger barely apart. “Dang, I worked hard to get there. But...I want to convince Angie it’s not the most important thing in my life. I know you squared differences with Flynn, so how about giving me some advice?”

  Ace looked serious. “The only advice I can give is that any solution has to come from the heart. I’m confident you’ll figure it out, Big D. Meanwhile, I left my ladylove at home preparing an intimate, romantic dinner for two.” Grinning like a fool, Ace shifted his vet bag to the other hand and strode to where he’d parked his pickup.

  Duke felt cut adrift and left in a quandary. He always could count before on Ace’s guidance. Now his cousin’s life had changed. His life, too. It was probably high time he stopped leaning on Ace.

  Hands in pockets, he sauntered back to the diner, collected Zorro and drove out to make a last nightly check of the fair. Looking around at revelers out for a good time, it looked as if he was one of the few locals his age not paired up.

  Then he ran into Austin Wright shooting corks at tin ducks running across the back of a carny’s booth. “Hey there, it appears the ducks are winning,” Duke said, laughing at the exasperated look on his friend’s face.

  “It’s rigged. I thought I’d win my sister’s kids a couple of those big pandas. I’ve already spent twenty bucks. I could probably buy the damned things cheaper.”

  Duke plopped down a twenty and picked up one of the cork guns. “You could, but it wouldn’t be half as much fun, or as good on the old macho ego.”

  “Watch who you’re calling old, Adams.”

  The men spent another twenty apiece, but they did walk away with a panda each. In the parking lot, Duke passed his bear to Austin. “Give this to Cheyenne with my good wishes.”

  “Hey, thanks. I suppose you’d give yours to Colt’s kids.”

  “Well, he has two also, and if not for you I’d never have won one.”

  “Follow me to the shop and I’ll brew a pot of coffee.”

  Duke glanced at his watch. It was midnight and he was off duty. The fair was closing for the night. “If I didn’t have Zorro I’d say let’s take these bad-dude bears and close down the Open Range Saloon with a couple of beers.”

  Austin stopped beside his battered pickup, and he seemed to weigh Duke’s suggestion before he opened the lock and tossed the bears inside. “You probably shouldn’t drink with your uniform on, Duke.”

  “You’ve got a point. And like I said, I have Zorro. Maybe I’ll take a rain check on coffee. With the fair and rodeo on top of more ranch robberies, Dinah and I have both been pulling long hours. And she’s off to a conference in Billings next weekend, so I’ll be the Lone Ranger, so to speak.”

  “Dinah’s leaving town when half her family’s competing at the rodeo? That’s not very sporting of her.”

  “She’ll only miss the last day.” Duke hesitated, then decided to come right out with it. “Out of curiosity, what are you and Dinah feuding over?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “The other night when you were both in the office, I could have stuck a fork in the tension it was so thick.”

  “It’s private, Duke. Reaches back to when Dinah and I vied for which of us was Roundup’s most wild child, or wild teen.”

  “In that case I probably don’t want to know. I hate keeping secrets. But I noticed you’ve registered to ride. If I don’t see you again before rodeo starts, good luck.”

  “Same goes for you. It’s always good to knock ’em dead in the hometown venue.”

  The men went their separate ways. Duke grinned watching Austin drive off with a pair of pandas looking big and bad and sharing his seat.

  At home he had a call on his answering machine from Pam Marshall. She asked if she and her husband could meet with him the next day. Duke wouldn’t blame them if they yanked Tommy from next week’s competition. On the other hand, if they did it’d be a crushing blow to Bobby and Luke who’d worked hard and were about as excited at the prospect of the race as any kids Duke had ever seen.

  * * *

  IN THE MORNING ANGIE WAS exceptionally quiet. Sarah Hart, who’d come to feed and groom some of the small animals, took notice and said as much to Angie.

  Because she was letting Luke sleep late, Angie dumped her yesterday’s woes on a woman she counted as a good friend.

  “My, you had quite a scare. Bless my nephew for being in the right place at the right time. You know, Angie, it’s nothing I usually discuss, but my husband let down our boys when they were much older than Luke. Ace, Tuf and even Colt had difficulty dealing with finding out their dad wasn’t the man they looked up to. At their ages they’ll deal, but I know it affected each one adversely. I remain thankful John’s problems didn’t come to light while they were as young as Luke. Boys, especially, need that special bond with fathers.”

  Angie chewed her lip. “Dylan grew up without his mother. He told Luke last night that he and his twin turned out all right.”

  Sarah smiled. “I like to think I filled a needed gap. But Duke wasn’t without problems. I’m just saying kids, boys, benefit when they have a man to bond with. Angie, I hate to rush through feeding the pets, but I’m scheduled to sell rodeo tickets in an hour. Have you gotten yours and Luke’s tickets yet? You two need to sit with us.”

  “I haven’t bought tickets.” Angie didn’t elaborate. She scattered the last of her corn out for the chickens and walked back to the house with Sarah, who then left.

  Angie waved goodbye, but her mind worked overtime nibbling on Sarah’s counsel. She’d seen how fast Luke bonded with Dylan. And truth be told, in spite of his involvement with rodeo, she was falling for him, too.

  * * *

  IN THE MORNING, AT THE FIRST decent hour Duke had free, he phoned the Marshall house. “Pam, it’s Duke Adams. Sorry I didn’t get back to you last night, but I was on patrol until midnight. I don’t go in today until noon, so I can come out now if you’d like.”

  “Good. I really wanted Gary in on this and he has a sales meeting he needs to attend this afternoon. We’ve just finished breakfast. Come now and join us for coffee. I’ll send the boys out to pick the last of our corn. That will leave us free to talk.”

  The Marshalls lived about as far out on the opposite side of Roundup as Thunder Ranch was on the other. It took him twenty minutes to get there. The boys came out of the house, each carrying two bushel baskets. “Hi, Duke,” Bobby said. “Dad said to send you into the kitchen.” Bobby set down his basket and pointed to a door. “Can Zorro go to the cornfield w
ith us?” he asked as he moved to pet the dog.

  “Sure. But bring him back and put him in my pickup if he starts to chase crows. He can’t catch them and crows can gang up on him.”

  Both boys promised to be careful.

  Duke realized Tommy, the braggart, had been subdued when ordinarily he would have overshadowed his brother.

  Duke removed his hat at the door. Gary rose and shook hands.

  “What do you take in your coffee?” Pam asked him, getting up to fill another cup.

  “Just black, thanks. I learned to drink it that way at the office where we were always running out of creamer.” He sat in the empty chair. “I’m assuming we’re going to talk about Tommy’s transgressions from last night at the fair.” Duke blew on his hot coffee.

  Gary stirred sugar in his cup. “Pam’s inclination is to take him out of the pony race. She more or less told Angie that last night, and Angie said it’s up to us. But you’ve been working with the boys, so we’d like your opinion.”

  “My first thought was to ground Tommy until he’s twenty-one,” Pam said wryly. “Pulling him from the race was my second choice.”

  Duke leaned back in his chair. “The thing is, that would punish Bobby and Luke, too, and they didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Exactly what I said.” Gary laced both hands around his cup. “I’m disappointed in Tommy, and let him know it. I had a long talk with him about what he did wrong.”

  “One point in his favor,” Pam said, “after that he volunteered to call Luke and apologize. I want to believe he is sincere. He’s been a bit of a trial, and I don’t want this very bad thing he did to pass without ramifications for him.”