Heart So Sweet: Book 3 in the Great Plains Romance Series

by Corrissa James

  Jonathan shook his head. “Nothing, nothing like that. He said he’s heading west, made it sound like he’ll be gone a while. Maybe even a couple of days. Go now if you want to see him.”

  She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I owe you one.”

  “I won’t forget it.”

  She raced to her truck and drove as fast as she could to the cabin, but Tate was nowhere to be seen. She waited for an hour, walking around the cabin and through the clearing to the bluff, but he never showed up. In the end, she realized she must have missed him. As she drove toward the farm, she decided that she didn’t want to be alone tonight, and Daniel and Jonathan weren’t the kind of company she needed. She didn’t want to have to watch her tongue or be careful about saying too much. She drove past her lane and headed east to the Jameses’ ranch. Dalton had gone to Rapid City with Lucas, so Trish might be needing some company herself.

  Trish threw open the door and stood on the porch, waiting for Susannah to walk around the truck and up the sidewalk. By the second step, Susannah was blubbering like a fool, and Trish hurried her inside the house, an arm around her shoulders as she consoled her. She led Susannah to the kitchen and sat her down on one of the stools along the long counter. She placed a box of tissues on the counter in front of her, then held up two bottles.

  “Is it a glass of wine or a shot of tequila kind of night?”

  Susannah started crying again.

  “Right. Tequila it is.”

  Half a bottle later, both women were giggling uncontrollably as they shared insights into their men.

  “So have you done the whole ‘I’m in control tonight’ thing?” Trish raised her eyebrows several times. When Susannah blushed, she yelled, “Isn’t it fabulous? You have all the power over them and they love it!” She slapped the counter to emphasize her point.

  “Right? What’s with that?”

  “Honey, I don’t know, but I know I can get anything I want when I take charge.”

  Susannah sighed, dropping her head into her hands. “I dunno what I’ll do if Lucas can’t accept Tate.”

  “What about Tate?”

  She shrugged. “Oh, he doesn’t care if my whole family hates him. I think he kinda expects it, ya know?”

  “There’s history there.”

  Susannah snorted loudly, then covered her face and they both giggled. After a few minutes, they finally settled down again.

  “Yeah, but I just can’t abandon Lucas like that. He’s already lost so much.”

  Trish nodded. “That he has. That is one strong man.”

  “Yup.”

  “Yet so vulnerable.”

  “Thank you! I thought I was the only one who saw that.”

  Trish shook her head. “You’ve been hanging around too many men and not enough women.” She put the bottle of tequila away, hiding it in the back of the cupboard. When she turned back to Susannah, she asked, “What about a woman?”

  “What d’ya mean?” Susannah let her head drop to the counter. Her eyelids felt so heavy.

  “For Lucas. When was the last time he went on a date?”

  This time Susannah didn’t bother to hide her snort. “It was with his wife, so ten, twelve years? He doesn’t seem interested in women.”

  “Oh, good lord, girlfriend. Name one heterosexual man not interested in women 24/7.”

  “Good point.” Susannah forced herself to sit up. “I dunno, though. Lucas is...intense.”

  “That he is. You think you can make it upstairs?”

  “Upstairs? But my truck is downstairs.” She giggled as she waggled her fingers to show someone walking.

  “Uh-huh. But you are crashing here tonight.”

  Trish helped Susannah off the stool and down the hallway. They made it partway up the stairs when Susannah had to sit down for a minute to keep her head from spinning. When they finally made it to the second floor, Trish steered her to a guest bedroom. “It’s just you and me, girlfriend. So you just act like you are home. Bathroom’s right next door, and I’m just down the hall.”

  Susannah climbed into the bed. Just before Trish left the room, she called out to her. “Thank you.”

  “No problem. We girls have to look out for each other.”

  “Oh, and Trish?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I think you’re right about Lucas. About a woman, I mean. Gonna have to look into that.”

  “We’ll talk about it in the morning. I think I know just the woman. G’night.”

  “Nighty-night.” Susannah rolled over and pulled the sheet up to her chin. When she closed her eyes, she found rich cobalt blue eyes staring back at her. She smiled. “G’night, Tate.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Susannah’s headache from the hangover lasted all day Thursday and most of Friday, although the second day it was exacerbated by Andrew returning home and launching into an immediate attack on her and asking how dare she let him sit in jail when she could get Daniel and Jonathan out. Susannah tried to ignore him, wondering how it was that Daniel and Jonathan had managed to escape the confrontation. But everywhere she went on the farm, Andrew was right there, his tirade growing louder by the minute. She finally managed to sneak away into the bungalow, locking the door behind her while praying that he wouldn’t bust the door down. She went to her bed and pulled the sheet over her head. Soon she heard Andrew’s truck churning down the lane. Five minutes later, she was fast asleep.

  When she woke up, it was already dark outside. She listened for a minute, trying to make out sounds of people in the bungalow or goings on in the farmhouse. She heard nothing. She dragged herself out of bed and glanced out the window. None of her brothers’ trucks were in the lane. When she looked at the clock, she understood why. It was well after eight o’clock—she’d slept most of the day away—which meant they were probably already at the street dance. She walked out into the kitchen to grab a quick bite. She saw the note hanging on the fridge, a white piece of paper with pink and purple hearts all over it. It was from Jenny’s stationary kit. The note said they were indeed headed to the street dance and that she hoped her aunt would meet them out there soon.

  Susannah was smiling when she got in the shower, but as soon as the hot water hit her, she frowned. She’d locked the door to the bungalow before she’d fallen asleep, but Jenny didn’t have a key to the door because they almost never locked it when she was around. The only person who did was Lucas. Susannah raced to get ready. She didn’t know if Tate had returned yet, but she knew the sheriff and deputies usually patrolled street dances. It would be expected. Would Tate try to speak to Lucas tonight, in public? And with Andrew out of jail?

  Her hair was still damp when she jumped in her truck and sped down the highway. She almost wished that she would get pulled over for speeding, that Tate would pull her over so she could talk to him about Mary Ellen and Lucas, but naturally the one time she wanted to be caught by law enforcement, they were nowhere around. Once in Bender, she drove around several times before finally finding a parking place. As she scurried toward the festivities, she chewed her lip. She didn’t see any law enforcement personnel, not even their cars. Were they even here? Had something already happened that they’d had to leave?

  At the entrance, she breathed a sigh of relief when she handed her five dollars to a deputy. They were here, so it wasn’t too late. She wanted to ask the deputy about Tate but was having trouble thinking of a nonchalant way to drop his name without sending up red flags. By the time she did, the deputy was ushering her through so he could take the money from the trio of elderly ladies behind her.

  “Why Miss Clark, so lovely to see you,” Rose Carter said, linking her arm through Susannah’s. “And is Sheriff Trudell with you this evening?”

  Susannah started to answer, then saw the deputy hide a smile. She snapped her mouth shut and led the ladies further from the entrance.

  Daisy Carter giggled and linked her arm through Susannah’s other arm. “He’s so yummy!”

  �
��And about time the two of you got together.” Lily Carter’s perpetual frown was in place, but her eyes twinkled with excitement. “Been saying for years that you two would make a good couple.”

  Susannah groaned. The Carter sisters might be octogenarians, but they somehow always knew everyone’s business—and weren’t afraid to let everyone know it.

  “Oh, hush, Lily. You have not.” Rose shook her head at Susannah. “Don’t listen to her. She’s just jealous.”

  “We all are.” Daisy giggled again. “So dreamy.”

  “Actually, I’m looking for Tate—I mean, Sheriff Trudell—myself.”

  Lily clucked her tongue. “He should be looking for you, not the other way around.”

  Rose pointed out a table with several empty spots. As the elderly sisters settled in their seats, Rose reached out and patted Susannah’s hand. “Thank you, dear. And don’t worry about the sheriff. Perhaps he hasn’t returned from Rapid City yet.”

  Susannah’s mouth went dry. “Rapid City? No, my brother was in Rapid City, not the sheriff.”

  “Well, that’s not what Mrs. James told us.” Rose glanced at her sisters, then all three ladies looked at Susannah, smiling.

  Susannah excused herself, trying to ignore the coldness creeping into the pit of her stomach as she rushed to find Tate. Had he really gone to speak to Lucas? She was desperate to learn the outcome but terrified by the fact that Tate hadn’t told her he was going—or that he was back. Surely if everything went well he would have come to find her, let her know that he’d worked things out with Lucas?

  The fact that Tate hadn’t found her—and that he seemed to be making himself scarce —weighed so heavily on her that she stopped looking for him. Clearly Lucas hadn’t forgiven Tate, which meant that he’d never accept her relationship with Tate.

  Susannah’s reaction to this realization surprised even her. She was furious—furious that her brother couldn’t or wouldn’t set aside his history with Tate to allow her just a little happiness in life. Susannah had put her own life on hold, giving up her free time to help Lucas raise Jenny and now even taking over the daily operations on the ranch. She didn’t regret her decisions for a moment, but dammit, it was time Lucas put on his big boy underwear and make this small concession for her. Determined to let him know exactly how she felt, she started to scan the picnic tables lined up along the sidewalk once more.

  She saw Jenny first, and her niece came running to greet her.

  “Aunt Suz, how do I look?” She twirled around in her jeans skirt and cotton top.

  Susannah forced a smile. She would not let Jenny know that she was raging inside. “Stunning, as always.”

  “Let me see how you look.”

  Susannah twirled as well, noting that the new dress she bought seemed to be attracting a lot of attention.

  Jenny noticed as well. “You’re going to be dancing all night long.”

  “I hope not! I need to spend some time with my favorite niece.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes. “I’m your only niece.”

  “Yep, but you’re still my favorite.”

  Jenny led her to the table that the family had commandeered. Daniel and Jonathan sat on the far side of the picnic table, drinking beers and calling out to people as they walked by. Andrew was standing next to the picnic table, scowling. Lucas sat on the side closest to the dance floor, but kept his back to the table. His arms were crossed and he was watching the people dance. Susannah stared at him, trying to draw his attention without causing a scene in front of her niece, but his eyes were trained on someone on the dance floor. He was following the person back and forth, without moving his head. She slid onto the seat next to him, wondering who he was watching so intently, but there were too many people, too many possibilities.

  During a lull in the music, she leaned closer to him. “Care to tell me about your trip? Anything unusual come up?”

  He shook his head, never taking his eyes from the dance floor.

  “We need to talk. In private.” She couldn’t hide the iciness in her voice.

  He looked at her now, his eyebrows raised in concern. The gesture enraged Susannah even more.

  Jenny ran up and grabbed her hand. “Aunt Suz, the funnel cake guy’s here. C’mon.”

  Susannah looked at Lucas. “I won’t let you ruin this for me. You owe me this.”

  He turned back to the dance floor, making no indication that he had heard her.

  Jenny pulled her up, trying to drag her toward to the food vendors. Susannah threw Jonathan a look begging for help, but he just shrugged at her. She let her niece lead her through the crowd while she scanned the faces for Tate. Twice she thought she saw him, but a closer look proved her wrong both times. She would find him and tell him to forget about Lucas and her whole family, if need be. If they couldn’t accept her happiness, well, then they weren’t really her family anymore, were they?

  That thought drained the anger from her. Was she really willing to give up her entire family to be with Tate? She couldn’t imagine Lucas not allowing her to see Jenny. He might hate Tate, but he would never do that to his daughter. Jonathan and Daniel would eventually accept Tate, but they wouldn’t be able to stand up to Andrew, would they? Lucas might not like Tate, but he would never attack him. So it was just Andrew, which Tate said he could handle.

  The line for funnel cakes wound back and forth multiple times, and Susannah groaned. She thought about trying to talk Jenny out of waiting, but it was an annual ritual for them, and she knew her niece would be heartbroken if she did. Suddenly she wondered what would happen if she and Tate had children—would their uncles accept them, welcome them into their home, take them out for ice cream, and teach them to ride? Or would she be facing a life full of holidays and firsts that she could not share with her brothers? The more her thoughts swirled in her head, the sicker she felt. She tried to tell herself that it was the sweet smell from the fried dough of the funnel cakes, but she knew better.

  She couldn’t imagine a man more perfect for her than Tate, and if he brothers couldn’t accept him into the family, then she didn’t want to be part of that family anymore.

  Twenty minutes later, when they were only halfway through the line, her uneasiness nearly brought her to her knees when she saw Tate meandering through the crowd. Her heart pounded, and she willed him to look her way. She wanted to call out to him, tell him not to bother with Lucas or the rest of her family, but she couldn’t have that conversation in front of Jenny.

  Fate was stacked against her tonight. Tate saw Lucas sitting at the table and made a beeline for him. Susannah watched Jonathan nudge Daniel, and the two of them moved away from the table, leaving Tate and Lucas.

  And Andrew.

  Andrew was standing just behind them and to the side, but even from this distance Susannah could see his angry scowl. She was just about to break her niece’s heart when Trish and Dalton James walked up.

  “Well, hello there, beautiful ladies.” Dalton flashed them a perfect smile. “I don’t think we’ve met. Dalton James.” He thrust his hand at Jenny, who shook it firmly.

  “Jenny Clark.”

  “Ah, your daddy must be Lucas.”

  “Yes, sir. He’s sitting right over there.”

  They all looked to where Lucas sat, now frowning deeply, while Tate spoke to him.

  Trish glanced at Susannah, then back to her husband. “Sweetie, why don’t you take Miss Jenny for a spin on the dance floor while I talk to Susannah?”

  Dalton held out his arm toward Jenny. “It would be my honor, miss.”

  Jenny giggled as she let herself be escorted into the crowd, and everyone made room for them, applauding them as a new song started.

  As soon as Jenny and Dalton started dancing, Susannah made a beeline for her brothers. She pushed through a throng of people just as Tate stood up. He turned and they stood facing each other for what seemed like several moments. He then tipped an invisible hat. “Miss Clark.” She watched him walk away, but he never loo
ked back.

  When she turned to face Lucas, he was still frowning. “How dare you!” She was practically shrieking, but she couldn’t help it. She was using all of her control to hold back her tears. “After everything I have done for you, for Jenny, you couldn’t let me have this one piece of happiness?”

  “Hold up, there.” Andrew snaked his way around the edge of the picnic table until he stood mere inches from her. “Is that how you got Daniel and Jonathan free? By whoring with the lawman?” He hissed it at her, so she was the only one who could have heard.

  But everyone saw her slap him across the face so hard that the crack echoed above the noise around them. A hushed silence fell, with even the musicians taking the cue to stop playing.

  “Don’t you ever speak to me like that, Andrew Clark!”

  Andrew growled as he raised his hand to slap her back.

  Susannah didn’t back down. “So that’s how it’s gonna be? Then take your best shot.” She turned her face slightly, giving him full access to her cheek.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Instead of striking her, Andrew howled in pain. Lucas stood behind him, holding his arm back.

  “You strike her, brother, and I’ll kill you myself.” Lucas’s voice was calm, which made it all the more terrifying. “Momma would be ashamed of you, hearing you speak like that to your own sister.” He let Andrew shrug his arm out of the hold, but he stood close to his younger brother. “We’re not going to have a problem here, are we?”

  “A problem? A problem!” Andrew was sputtering in rage. “What, and I suppose you’re fine with our sister giving away the goods to Tate?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  Susannah’s heart soared, and she wanted to hug Lucas, but she knew now was not the time.

  “Really? After what he did with Mary Ellen?” Andrew spit on the ground at Lucas’s feet. “You disgust me.”

  “What did he do to my mother?” Jenny stood at the edge of the crowd, which was watching the Clark family unravel in public. Susannah realized that only some were shocked by the spectacle itself. Most were shocked to hear Lucas speaking. “Daddy? What did he do to my mother?”