by Linda Warren
“I’m sorry if my coming here has hurt you and—”
“Just keep your promise,” she replied, and closed the door.
CHANCE’S STEP WAS a little slower as he walked to his truck. Blanche Dumont. He didn’t know that much about her, and what he’d heard wasn’t good. Rumor was that Blanche had enticed Jack away from Renee with lies. The two women used to be friends, waitresses together, but that all ended when Jack walked into their lives. They then became enemies fighting for the man’s attention. It was a weird love triangle, and now there was Shay. Blanche’s child—a daughter no one knew about.
As Chance reached his truck, he saw two kids inside—Darcy and Petey. Darcy was in the driver’s seat, pretending to turn the wheel.
Chance opened the door. “What are you two doing?”
His voice must have come out rough, because Darcy seemed to shrink away from him. But her stubborn chin told him she wasn’t afraid. “Driving your truck to see if it’s a piece of junk,” she retorted.
“You should have asked permission first.”
“Uh-oh, there’s Mom. We gotta go.” The girl crawled out of the truck, followed by her friend, and ran to Shay, who was standing at the backyard gate.
Chance and Shay’s eyes met for a brief second as he slid into his truck. He remembered a line from a movie: “You can’t handle the truth.” Maybe it was best if he forgot the whole thing for his friends’, the Calhouns’, sake. The truth would be a blow to all of them.
But what about Shay?
CHAPTER THREE
THE TRIO WALKED INTO THE house in silence. Darcy and Petey hurriedly sat at the kitchen table and buried their heads in their homework. Shay glanced at her watch.
“Petey, it’s time for you to go home. Your mom should be off by now. She only works until noon on Saturday. I’ll phone to make sure.”
Petey gathered his books and Shay placed the call. Sally was divorced, working two jobs to make a living. Petey was usually at their house unless his teenage sister or brother watched him. It was a sad situation, but Shay’s was no better. She sighed. Between Darcy and her mother she had no life. But she never regretted for a minute honoring Beth’s wishes concerning Darcy. Shay just wished she knew how to handle her and how to handle her mother. She wished for a lot of things, and at the top of the list was a dark-eyed cowboy who took her breath away. A cowboy she would never see again.
“Shay?”
“She’s calling again,” Darcy remarked, writing in a workbook.
“I can hear,” Shay replied. “Stay put and finish your homework.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the girl muttered.
“Shay!”
She ran to her mother’s room. Blanche sat up in bed, propped on pillows, with tubing in her nose hooked to an oxygen machine on the floor. Her blond hair was now white. Nettie used to bleach it, but Blanche couldn’t stand the fumes anymore. She’d been a beautiful woman with blond hair, green eyes and a svelte figure. A lot of people said Shay looked like her. Shay hoped that was all she’d inherited from her mother.
As hard as she had tried, she couldn’t get the cigarette smell out of the room. Her mother had been a chronic smoker.
“What took so long?” Blanche asked, through another fit of coughing.
“It wasn’t that long.” Shay fluffed up her pillows.
“You were busy with that kid. How…many…times…do I—”
“And how many times do I have to tell you Darcy is here for good? She’s been with me for four years and is legally my daughter. Why can’t you understand that?” Shay didn’t know why she even asked the question. Her mother was very jealous and resented the time Shay spent with Darcy.
“Who was at the front door earlier?”
“Just someone wanting directions,” Shay said, hoping to keep the Calhouns out of the conversation.
“Don’t lie to me,” Blanche snapped.
Shay resisted the urge to bite her nails. “Okay. It was Chance Hardin.”
Her mother sat up. “From the Southern Cross?”
“The one and only.”
“Why didn’t you invite him in?”
“He was here to have me arrested if I didn’t tell him why I was looking through the safe. That’s not someone I want to invite in.”
“But don’t you see he could be our way to get my rings?”
Our way? “Excuse me?”
“If you fixed yourself up, you could look halfway decent.”
“Thank you,” Shay said through clenched teeth, while straightening the bed, that was littered with glamour magazines.
“Don’t you see a woman can make a man do anything she wants?”
“I must have missed that class in school.” But she’d certainly learned it from her mother. Maybe that’s why Shay was still single.
Blanche leaned back, her eyes narrowed. “You’re a pitiful excuse for a daughter and for a woman.”
“Yes, you’ve told me that before.”
“If I had been like you, I would never have gotten Jack. But I went after him with every trick in a woman’s arsenal and I got him…until he met that bitch again.”
Shay held up a hand. “I’m not listening to the Jack, Renee and Blanche story again. I’ve heard it a thousand times. And for the record, I’m not ever going back to Southern Cross. The past is the past and we both have to accept that.”
“Get out of my room, you no-good daughter!” Blanche screeched, and dissolved into a bout of coughing.
Shay waited until she stopped, and then walked out. This type of environment wasn’t good for Darcy, but they had few options.
What a life.
“Shay,” her mother called, before she could make it to the kitchen. Shay sucked in a patient breath and went back.
“What?”
“Did you tell Mr. Hardin why you were there and who you are?”
Oh, God, her mom never listened or let up. “Yes.”
Blanche rubbed her hands in glee. “We should be hearing from the mighty Calhouns then.”
“If we hear from them, it will be to have me arrested.”
“Oh, silly, don’t you see we have them over a barrel? You’re Jack Calhoun’s daughter and we’re going to get what’s coming to us.”
“I didn’t tell him I was Jack’s daughter. Only that you were my mother.”
“Well, that was stupid.”
“Don’t you understand I broke into their safe? They could have me arrested.”
“You were so close. I don’t know why you didn’t just grab them. You’ve let me down once again.”
Shay shook her head and walked out again before she screamed. There was no talking to Blanche in this mood. There was no talking to her in any mood. When Blanche became so verbally abusive, Nettie had suggested that Shay put her in a nursing home. But there was a bond between mothers and daughters, and no matter how bruised, battered or bent, the tie was still there. Shay couldn’t do it in the last stages of her mother’s life. That would be cruel.
Even though Blanche had been embittered by the divorce and Jack’s rejection, she’d lived life to the fullest. In her later years that bitterness had turned to hatred—not at Jack, but Renee. Blanche held Jack on a pedestal, and Shay didn’t understand that. She didn’t understand a lot of the past, because she looked at it through her mother’s rearview mirror. Most of it had been glossed over to Blanche’s benefit.
While at Southern Cross Shay could have told Renee several times who she was, but she hadn’t. Instead, she’d lied. Somehow she’d sensed that Renee would be hurt, and Shay couldn’t do it.
Over the years she’d often wondered why her mother had never told Jack or Renee about her. When she’d asked, Blanche had said that if Jack knew, he’d take Shay from her. He was supposedly that powerful. He’d once taken Judd from Renee, in fact. So Shay never broached the subject again. But there was a tiny worry in her head—why hadn’t Blanche told Renee after Jack’s death?
Soon the Calhouns would know about her
. Shay was positive Chance would tell them. What would their next move be? Could Chance keep them from having her arrested? She really liked the cowboy. When he looked at her with those dark eyes, she felt as if she were floating in warm chocolate. She’d never felt such a strong sexual attraction before and it was an exhilarating feeling.
Entice him?
Her mother would explode if she knew Shay had tried and it hadn’t worked. Chance would protect the Calhouns to the bitter end. His loyalty was with them. Not her.
WHEN CHANCE GOT BACK to the Southern Cross, he explained Shay’s situation to Walker. They agreed to wait for Judd’s decision. Chance didn’t tell Renee what he’d found out. He felt Judd needed to be there before he did.
On Monday Renee went in to Austin to shop, and Chance was glad. Judd and Cait should be home soon, and he’d tell them about Shay.
A part of him wanted to keep her secret, but the one he was already keeping was eating him up, and he wasn’t doing that any more. Not even for a woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. If she was Jack’s daughter, why hadn’t Blanche told Jack about her? A lot of the story didn’t make sense. But he knew one thing: he was caught smack-dab in the middle.
He saddled up and headed out to check the Brahman cows that were about to calf. They kept records on each cow and calf, and had to know when a calf hit the ground. The cows looked good, knee deep in early coastal, but there were no new births. They had a tendency to all give birth around the same time. Then it was rodeo time as the cowboys branded and tagged each calf.
Chance rode back to the barn and dismounted. “Felipe, rub Chief down for me.”
“Yes, sir.” Felipe led the horse away.
As Chance reached the office, Brenda Sue, Judd’s secretary, came out. “Do you know when Judd is coming back?” she asked. “I have all these messages and I don’t know what to tell people anymore. Looks like Judd could have left a date so I could tell people, but oh no, they just take off and—”
Chance held up a hand to stop her. If he didn’t, she’d ramble on. “I don’t know when he’s coming back. Just take the messages. Okay?”
“Okay,” she replied, and muttered “men” under her breath as she stomped off.
Removing his hat, Chance swiped a hand through his hair. He’d rather deal with an ornery bull than Brenda Sue. He heard the sound of a car and turned to see Cait’s Escalade roll into the garage. They were home.
Chance went into the office, but couldn’t concentrate. He wanted to give Judd and Cait time to settle in before he hit them with the news. After several minutes, he couldn’t wait any longer. He strolled toward the house.
Cait, with one-year-old Justin in her arms, hugged him at the back door and invited him in.
“How was the trip?” he asked.
“Wonderful,” she exclaimed, wiping Justin’s mouth. The toddler was eating a cookie, with crumbs and saliva running down his chin.
Renee walked in holding Eli, a replica of Judd. Justin looked more like his mother.
“Look, Chance, my babies are home.”
“I see.”
“Okay, boys,” Cait said. “Time for a nap.”
“I’ll put them down,” her mother-in-law offered, and gathered Justin into her other arm. As she did, Judd came into the kitchen.
“Hey, Chance,” he said in his booming voice. Judd was a big man with an even bigger presence. He was very much like his father, but Chance would never tell him that. Judd and Jack hadn’t had a good relationship.
Chance had had a good relationship with his own father until…
“Do you have a minute?” He couldn’t think about his parents. He had other things to handle.
“Sure. Let’s go to my study.”
Chance looked at Cait, who was nibbling on a cookie. “This concerns you, too.”
“Oh, I’m honored I get to attend the powwow.” Cait had black hair and the Belle blue eyes. She was a natural beauty, but Chance knew she could match any man in mental strength—even Judd.
“Don’t be funny.” Her husband slipped an arm around her waist. It was evident how much they loved each other. Chance hoped one day to find an everlasting love like that.
Cait kissed Judd’s cheek and they walked down the hall to his study. Judd sat at his big mahogany desk and Chance and Cait settled in the burgundy wingback chairs. There were family photos on the desk, along with a sculpture of a magnificent horse. Pictures of prize Brahman bulls and thoroughbred horses hung on the walls.
“Is everything okay on the ranch?” Judd asked.
“Yes. Everything is running smoothly,” Chance replied.
“Well, what has you looking like an old hound dog that’s been beat a few times?”
Chance removed his hat and placed it on the arm of the chair. “There was an incident here at the ranch I thought you should know about.” He told them about the accident and Shay.
“Damn it! She had the combination to my safe?” Judd jumped up, pulled back the picture and opened the safe. He searched through it. “There doesn’t seem to be anything missing. What was she after?”
Chance took a breath. “The jewelry, or more precisely the wedding rings.”
Judd frowned. “What the hell are you talking about? What jewelry? What rings?”
Chance hesitated, hating to shatter Judd’s world.
“Come on, Chance. What are you dancing around, but not saying?”
“Shay wanted her mother’s wedding rings.”
Judd’s frown deepened. “Who’s her mother and what would her rings be doing here?”
Chance swallowed and said, “Blanche Dumont.”
“What?” the rancher visibly paled.
Chance rushed into speech to ease his friend’s confusion. “When Shay gave a false name and left in a hurry, I felt I should find out who she really was and why she was rummaging through the safe. I found out more than I wanted. Blanche is dying of lung cancer and she wants to be buried with the rings your father gave her. She pressured Shay into coming here. Evidently your father gave Blanche the combination one time when he was drunk.”
“I knew I should have changed it, but no one ever knew it but Dad and me.” Judd reached into the safe and pulled out a black velvet box. Placing it on the desk, he said, “Dad told me her jewelry was in the safe, but he never said what to do with it.”
At Judd’s forlorn tone, Cait got up and went to his side. After rubbing his arm, she reached down and opened the box. Glistening jewels sparkled up at them.
Cait opened a small velvet box that rested among the other pieces. She gasped when she saw the diamond-studded wedding and engagement rings. “Wow, your dad was very generous.”
Judd sat down with a thud. “A thought just crossed my mind. I hope I’m wrong, but how old is this Shay?”
“Probably somewhere in her late twenties,” Chance replied. “I’m not sure, but Walker has a copy of her driver’s license. He’d know.”
Judd reached for his cell and pushed a button. He spoke to Walker and then hung up. “He’s on a call. As soon as he gets back to his office he’ll check.”
“You’re thinking she might be Jack’s daughter?” Cait asked.
“It’s a possibility, if she’s in her late twenties.” Judd drummed his fingers on the desk. “I don’t want Mom to know anything about this until I can get it sorted out.”
“What don’t you want Mom to know?” Renee asked, appearing in the doorway.
Judd was immediately on his feet. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m not a child.” Before he could stop her, she walked into the room, her eyes on the jewelry.
“Are the boys asleep?” Cait asked, and Chance knew she was trying to distract her.
“What?” Renee was clearly distracted, but not by Cait. “Oh, yes, down like little angels.” Her eyes never left the jewelry. “Judd, I know you love Cait, but isn’t that a bit extravagant? Cait’s not much of a jewelry person.”
His
sigh seemed to come from deep in his chest, as if he’d accepted the inevitable. He had to tell his mother the truth.
“They’re not for Cait,” he answered. “They belong to someone else.”
“Who for heaven’s sake?”
Judd looked at Chance for help.
“Renee,” he said. “Remember that young woman who had the accident?”
“Sure, she was a lovely young thing. A pity she left so quickly.”
“I went to Houston to find out why she left like that. When Walker ran a check on the license plate, he found it was registered to someone else—not ‘Shay Stevens.’ She lied about her name. That’s why I was leery.”
“Did you find out her real name?”
“Yes.” He paused. “It’s Shay Dumont.”
Renee’s eyes narrowed. “Is she any kin to Blanche Dumont?”
This time Chance looked at Judd, and Judd nodded. “She’s Blanche’s daughter.”
“What?” The color drained from Renee’s face. “Did…did Blanche send her here?”
“Yes,” Chance replied, then told her the story about the rings and Blanche’s health.
“So this jewelry—” Renee flung a hand toward the box “—belongs to Blanche. Jewelry that Jack gave her but then took back. Jewelry he likely got out and mooned over every once in a while. Jewelry he said he’d gotten rid of. That bastard!”
“Mom, Dad probably kept it because he didn’t want Blanche to have it.”
“Oh, dear son, you do not know your father.” His mom reached across the desk and picked up the box and the rings. “That bitch will not see one piece of this jewelry. I’ll make sure of that. How could he?” Tears welled in her eyes as she ran from the room.
“Mom,” Judd called, but Renee didn’t stop. He threw up his hands. “What a homecoming.”
Cait gave him a nudge. “Go to your mother.”
“I don’t know what to say to her. I’ll let her calm down first.” Judd did not have a good relationship with his mother, either. When he’d been five, his dad had divorced Renee and paid off enough people to make sure he got custody. Judd had thought his mother just left him, and Jack never told him differently until he married Renee the second time. By then the mother-son relationship was strained. But then Cait came into Judd’s life and everything changed. He forgave his mother and a new relationship began. At times, though, the past intruded. Cait was always the peacemaker.
