“So what happened?”
“The anger between the brothers escalated and started trickling down to Bryce and me. I had to get Bryce out of there even if we had to walk all the way into town. He still had the braces on his legs. We hid in the cedar break around the back of the house. Billy yelled and screamed, looking for us inside the house.”
For a moment Karly couldn’t go on. Just give him the facts. Don’t get emotional. “I could hear doors slamming. In a rage he set the house on fire. The Havenders claimed it was an accident, but I couldn’t stay there with Bryce.” Her hands started shaking, reliving the fear that Bryce would be hurt. “When Officer Torres arrived I ran with Bryce to his car. He got us to a women’s shelter.” Moving back to the sink, she rinsed out the towel and draped it over the faucet. That was the night she had prayed so hard to God. Prayed for Him to take over and lead her. “The town basically adopted us, helping me find odd jobs. I volunteered with the youth program, and they have been helping with Bryce so I could work. Pastor John and the whole congregation, including your father, gave me a second chance.”
She sat on the stool across from him. “I needed a place to live and a steady job. I was thinking of packing my car up and going to San Antonio when Pastor John asked me if I was interested in working for your dad. He said the stroke was mild and I would be responsible for keeping the house and his appointments. That is how I got this job.” Please, God, let Tyler see the truth. They were safe now. God had protected them. She relaxed her hands and rolled her shoulders.
“I know we look like a charity case, but I’m not telling you this so you’ll feel sorry for us. Everyone in town knows the story, and I’m sure there are different takes depending on who you talk to. I want you to know that I’m working on building a solid future for Bryce. I’m going to give this job everything. It’s a chance at a real future I can build for my son.” She looked down at her hands. Fingers twisted in a knot. A deep breath expanded her chest.
He leaned in closer and touched her. One large hand covered both of her hands.
* * *
He could see that look of steel and determination in Karly’s gaze. A heavy feeling twisted his heart. If everything she said was the truth, he couldn’t imagine the battles she had fought to survive. He had no clue what to say to all that.
Karly saved him from talking. “I’m here to focus on your dad, Bryce and getting my education.”
He leaned back and put his hands in his pocket. “Fair enough. My dad is not an easygoing man, as you probably know already. Now that he’s recovering from a stroke, I can guarantee you difficult, stubborn and grumpy are just a few of the words that’ll describe him. But from what I saw briefly today, he seems to like you and trust you with the house. But can you handle his ups and downs?”
“Pastor John warned me that Mr. Childress might challenge the most even-tempered person. I’m committed to be here. I won’t leave. Well, as long as he doesn’t hit or yell at Bryce.” She smiled with a feisty spark in her eyes. “Or burn the house down. If he tries to set the house on fire, I’m gone.”
Oh, so she had a dark sense of humor. “Fair enough. So we have a deal?” Tyler could see why John and his dad wanted to help her. His dad thought women were like Tyler’s mom and sister, and he would even believe them over his own son. But in Tyler’s experience, most women did whatever it took to get ahead—lie, steal or cheat.
He held out his hand to shake on it. “One last thing.” Soft fingers wrapped around his hand.
“Yes?” She looked at him with absolute seriousness.
“Don’t lie to or in any way use my father. You’ll be gone, and John will have to find you a new place to live. Got it?”
“Got it.”
Chapter Six
“Oh, no, no, no, no.” The rice boiled over the side, causing hissing and popping from the burners. She had headed to the kitchen this morning with plans of starting breakfast. After her talk with Tyler last night, she wasn’t sure if she should be worried or reassured that she was doing the right thing. She tested some of the rice. It was still hard. She reduced the heat.
She remembered her mother making it with sugar and butter. How to make rice was one of the things she never got to learn from her mom. Rice seemed so simple and a good breakfast for Dub.
That plan had gone south rather quickly. She stirred the foaming mess only to discover rice stuck to the bottom. The back door opened and closed. Male voices reached the kitchen before the men appeared. Karly looked around frantically.
Did they eat breakfast here before going to work? Her stomach dropped. Tyler entered the kitchen and winked at her before making his way to the refrigerator. Well, at least he seemed to be in a good mood.
“Mornin’, Karly.” Jefferson, Dub’s lead trainer and ranch foreman, nodded at her as he placed his hat on the counter. “Good seeing you here.”
“Thanks, sorry about not having breakfast ready.” Maybe they wouldn’t notice the mess and the rice would be fine. “I’ll need to go to the mercantile to restock the fridge.”
“You might want to be careful. We had rain all night, and the crossings are running high.”
“I’ll take you in the ranch truck.” Tyler pulled something wrapped in white paper from the bottom freezer and stuck it in the microwave.
Adrian came in through the garage door. “Man, it’s a mess out there. Some of the roads have been washed out, and it looks like we might get more rain.” He paused and smiled at Karly. “So where’s the pancakes and sausage?”
Jefferson nodded. “We usually have eggs, bacon and potatoes. I don’t smell any coffee, either. Where’s the coffee?”
“And don’t forget the homemade cinnamon rolls. Connie always had fresh ones ready for us every morning.” Adrian had never looked so serious. “So mean of Connie to up and move to Dallas after taking care of us for the past six years.”
Coffee? Cinnamon rolls? She was in over her head. A cold sweat broke out over her skin. She took a deep breath and reminded herself she could learn to do this. They were staring at her, waiting.
Coffee. She’d learned to make it at the diner. She looked for the pot. In her panic she really couldn’t see anything. She’d thought she would be helping Dub around the house. He was weaker than she thought, and now a roomful of men were looking at her, expecting her to know what she was doing.
Left unattended, the rice boiled over again. This time the fire alarm went off.
“Guys, that’s enough, leave her alone.” Tyler’s voice stopped her downward spiral. He laughed as he waved a towel under the alarm. Jefferson took the rice off the burner and flipped the fan on.
Was Tyler laughing at her? She swallowed and glanced at the men. They were all laughing. A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump. It was Tyler. She took a step back, putting distance between them. The room went silent.
“Karly, they’re just teasing you.” He moved into the pantry. “Adrian, make the coffee. I’ll cut up potatoes. Karly, if you would start the sausage, we can make breakfast tacos.”
“Momma, what’s wrong?” Peeking around the edge of the archway from the family room was Bryce, his dark hair sticking up in every direction. The fear in his eyes twisted her gut. The sweet voice sounded small and unsure.
She rushed to her son and picked him up. “Everything is all right, sweetheart. I lost track of the rice.” She kissed him on the cheek and tried to smooth the mess on his head. “So sorry about all the noise. I was making breakfast.”
“You tried to make rice again?” If his face wasn’t so cute, she’d be offended.
Jefferson pulled a skillet out from under the island. “I used to eat rice for breakfast growing up. My mom put sugar, butter and cinnamon in it.”
“Hey, why don’t you get the little man ready for the day?” Tyler stood at the island with a knife in one hand and a potato in
the other. “We’ll take care of breakfast.”
“Okay. I’ll check on Mr. Childress again. I’m sure all the racket woke him up,” With Bryce on her hip, she turned to leave the kitchen.
“Momma, why are there so many people in our new house?” His voice so low she could barely hear him. He was back to the shy, uncertain boy. “Do they all live here?”
“No, they work on the ranch. They just came to check on us our first day.” Or check up. It seemed Tyler wasn’t the only one that had doubts about her abilities. Pastor Levi had told her she wouldn’t have to feed the crew.
A thumping on the walls in the hallway got everyone’s attention. “Dad?” Tyler ran past her, the first to move to the noise.
Karly followed and found Dub Childress on the floor sitting against the wall.
He growled at his son. “I don’t need an...an aud...people staring at me.”
She turned to look at the men behind her. Jefferson nodded and headed back to the kitchen. Adrian reached for Bryce. “Come on, Cowboy, let’s get breakfast made.” Her son slid to the floor and looked at her. With a nod she reassured him it was all right.
“Dad, let me take you back to your room. You know you can’t leave the bed without your walker. I can help you clean up and comb your hair.”
“I don’t need a walker or a lousy nursemaid, boy.” Dub struggled to stand without putting any weight on his broken arm and shoulder.
“Then, I guess I’ll fire Karly so she can find another job.” He stood over his dad with his arms crossed.
Karly’s heart thumped against her rib cage. Were they back to her not being good enough?
“You can’t fire Kar-Karly.” Dub struggled to stand. Tyler just stood there and watched him.
She moved in to help. “Tyler?” What was he doing?
“Then, are you going to let her do her job? Because if you’re not, we can save the money.”
She gave her arm to the elder Childress and tried to not glare at Tyler. Why was he being such a jerk to his dad?
“No. She stays. Kar-Karly, can you get my wa-walker?” He leaned all his weight on the wall, but he was standing.
She patted him on the good arm. “Call me Kar.” She looked at Tyler. “I’ll take care of him, and we’ll join you in the kitchen.”
“Okay.” He put his hand on his father’s shoulder. “Dad, please don’t be stupid because of pride. You’re all the family I have now. We need to get you back one hundred percent, but it’s going to take time.”
Dub stared at the other wall, not looking at his son. He placed his shaking hand over Tyler’s and patted it a couple of times, the only indication he heard a word from the younger Childress.
She left them alone and retrieved the walker. By the time she got back, Dub stood alone. He tried to smile at her. His clear blue eyes glistened with moisture, but his jaw remained firm. Helping him move forward, she stayed next to him. “Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Childress.”
He nodded. “Ty’s got a good heart. Needs a good woman to help him grow up.”
She laughed, ignoring the flip in her gut at the thought of being Tyler Childress’s woman. “I think he’s grown up just fine. I hope you’re not playing matchmaker because I’m not on the market, and your son has a complete different taste in women—he’s not into the homeless single-mom type.”
“His type?” He stuck out his tongue and made a gagging sound. “Needs someone like you—strong, caring.”
Now he was going to make her cry. “Thank you for the kind words, but my card is full already with two marvelous males. Let’s get you ready for the day.”
* * *
When Tyler walked back into the kitchen, the image of Karly gently helping his grumpy dad filled his thoughts. He stopped at the table before he even noticed his brother-in-law, John, had joined the men. The smell of burned rice was being pushed out by the sizzling breakfast sausage and coffee. He would never admit to the guys that he hated drinking coffee, but the smell always brought him home. His dad drank two pots a day, all year long.
The window over the sink was open, and he could hear the rain hitting the metal roof.
Bryce sat on the counter next to the stove with a pair of tongs in his hands. He flipped a tortilla on the cast-iron griddle and watched it puff up before turning it to the other side.
Tyler didn’t think Karly would be happy. “I’m not sure if your mom would be cool with you that close to the burners.”
John had arrived and stood close to Bryce with a mug of coffee in his hand. “Morning, Tyler. I said the same thing but got outvoted.”
“He’s a ranch cowhand now and has to do his share, right, Cowboy?” Jefferson ruffled the kid’s crazy bed hair.
“It was Jefferson’s idea.” Adrian shrugged. “You can tell he doesn’t have kids yet.”
“I can help!” Bryce threw the next one on the burner and tossed the cooked one in the tortilla warmer before covering it with a towel. “Mom used the microwave to heat them up. They don’t get puffy and brown when you do that.”
Tyler thought she might have a fit if she saw Bryce sitting so close to the flames and hot grease. He decided to intervene, grabbing the tyke by the waist to move him away from the burners. “You did a great job. So you already have a nickname, Cowboy?”
Some of the sausage popped out of its frying pan. “Ouch!” Bryce yelled as the grease hit his short arm.
“What happened?” With perfect timing, Karly rushed into the room and grabbed her son. “Tyler, what are you doing with my son next to a hot stove?”
He closed his eyes and groaned. Looking around at the other men, he raised his eyebrows and held out his hand palm up. His dad shook his head as he settled into a chair at the table. All he got from the peanut gallery was a bunch of smirking faces before they all of a sudden needed long drinks from their coffee.
He tried to reassure Karly. “It’s just a tiny flick of grease.”
She glared. He sighed.
“Momma, I’m fine. I helped cook the tortillas the real cowboy way.”
She turned on the water and checked his whole arm, pushing the T-shirt all the way to his shoulder.
“Momma, it doesn’t even hurt.”
“You’re okay this time, but you’re too young to be working around a hot burner.”
Adrian started filling the tortillas with the potato and sausage mixture. “I’ll take some for later. I need to get back to the barns.” Obviously familiar with the kitchen, he pulled some foil out from under the counter and wrapped a few tacos up tightly. “Welcome to the ranch, Karly, and you, too, Cowboy. When you have time you’ll have to come out and see the horses. We have a couple you can even ride. Thanks for the tacos and coffee.”
“Here, let me top off your coffee before you go.” Karly took the coffeepot across the room and gave Adrian one of her beautiful smiles as he thanked her and left the house.
John made a stack of breakfast tacos and set them on the table. “Are you going to join us, Jefferson, or are you leaving us for the horses, too?”
“Someone has to get the work done around here.” The lead trainer laughed and snatched a couple of the tacos from Tyler’s plate. “I’ll be back later to talk about our plans for the upcoming shows and auction. We can set a new schedule that works for you, Dub.” He looked at John for an answer. Tyler gritted his teeth, reminding himself it was natural for them to look to his brother-in-law, since he lived here on the property. Almost ten years had slipped past since Tyler had gone to the barns.
Nodding, John smiled at Dub. “We’ll figure out the best time and get back on a schedule.” He stood and shook Jefferson’s hand. “Thanks for holding down the fort. Hope to see you Sunday.”
“Maybe,” Jefferson muttered. With a wave he headed out through the family room.
Karly stopped him. “Do you want to take some coffee to go?”
“I’m good. We’ve got more in the barn.”
“I want to go riding!” Bryce stood in his chair.
“Bumper stays in the seat.” She pointed to his bottom. “We’ll talk about visiting the horses later. Your tortillas are good. Here, eat them before they get cold.”
“So, Dub, now that we have Tyler and Karly here, we need to talk expectations and schedules.” John took a healthy bite of the soft taco.
“Are you hungry, Dub? I made some rice.” Karly stood.
“Uh, it didn’t make it.” Tyler made a face, his nose wrinkled. “Sorry.”
“Here. You should be able to eat this.” John put a small bowl of oatmeal in front of Dub. With his right arm in a cast up to his shoulder, he couldn’t use it. He grabbed the spoon with his left hand but dropped it. He tried again. This time he got the hot cereal on it but it all fell off before he could get it to his month. With an angry grunt he threw the spoon down. Tyler closed his eyes. His father was going to make this difficult.
* * *
Karly bit hard on her bottom lip. Should she offer to help? Her gut told her Dub would not appreciate the assistance.
Bryce moved to the empty chair on Dub’s left side. “I only have one hand to use, and it can be hard to do things. My mom said it took me twice as long to learn to eat because I’m right-handed.” He held up his short arm. “But I don’t have a right hand, so I have to use my left. It takes practice, and sometimes I drop things. That’s okay because I’m working hard.”
Comforting warmth filled Karly. She had said those words to Bryce so many times. To hear him repeat them to Dub made her throat a bit dry.
Tyler picked up his taco with his left hand, keeping his right under the table. He laughed when most of his filling fell out of the bottom. “I never realized I relied on both hands to eat.” He tried to get the egg and sausage back into the flat tortilla. He folded it back over and tried to pick it up again.
“Mr. Tyler, if you use your little finger to hold the bottom rolled up, the good stuff won’t fall out.” Bryce demonstrated and the men at the table followed his example. Karly wanted to take a picture to capture the memory.
A Texas Christmas Wish Page 6
