“You’re right,” his brother muttered. “I can’t know.” Dean turned on his heel and walked out of the barn.
Tyler heaved a breath of frustration and wearily pinched the bridge of his nose. His brother was only trying to help him. But Dean didn’t understand that, for the first time in years, Tyler felt wanted. And the feeling was too good to give up. For now, at least.
Giving himself a hard, mental shake, he walked out of the barn and over to where Dean was tightening the cinch on Sandman’s saddle.
Laying an affectionate hand on his brother’s shoulder, he said in a mollified voice, “Sorry, Dean, for going off like I did. I shouldn’t have been so touchy.”
Dean buckled the cinch and tucked the excess end in its holder. “Don’t worry about it. We’re brothers. We should be able to say what we think without having to apologize for it later.”
“Yeah, well, I get it. You’re trying to give me advice because you love me.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Dean gave him a wry grin. “You think I love you, huh? Where’d you ever get that idea?”
Tyler chuckled. “Oh, probably when Bobby Landry broke my nose in a fight on the school grounds and you tracked him down and broke his.”
Dean laughed out loud. “You were in fifth grade and Bobby Landry was my age. He was a big bully with you smaller boys. You actually remember that I broke his nose?”
“I remember everything.”
“Good. Then you won’t forget that half of those bologna sandwiches Mom made are mine.”
A few minutes later, as the two brothers rode side by side across the open prairie, Tyler wasn’t taking in the majestic outline of mountains in the distance, the fluffy bits of cloud drifting across the blue horizon, or the sound of sagebrush popping against the horses’ legs. Dean had planted too many questions in Tyler’s mind. Questions he wasn’t ready to answer.
Was he purposely letting Callie believe his plans for her were serious? Was making love to her the same as misleading her? For the past week and a half, he’d spent every night at her apartment and in her bed. But the notion that she might be getting the wrong idea about his intentions had never crossed Tyler’s mind. Why should it? He’d never mentioned the word love to her. He’d never discussed his future goals, or that he might want her to be part of them.
Oh, Tyler, love me. Love me.
Those words had been said to him in a rush of heated passion. She’d meant them only in a physical sense. At least, that was how he’d interpreted her whispered plea. But now he was beginning to wonder if she was truly developing a deep attachment to him.
And what if she is, Tyler? Don’t you want Callie’s love? Don’t you want to envision the future with her at your side? The two of you building a family together?
No! he mentally shouted back at the voice in his head. He couldn’t accept Callie’s love. He’d been a worthless husband the first time and if he tried to make a second go of it, there were no guarantees he’d be any better.
Besides, Tyler had no right to a happy future. He’d lost that privilege when he’d allowed Luanne to run out in the night and never come back.
Chapter Eight
Usually, Callie stopped by her parents’ home once a week at least, to say hello and catch up on family news. And, occasionally, when she had time to spare, she’d pop into the insurance office where her mother worked and take her to lunch. But Callie had been so tied up with her job and seeing Tyler in her spare time that two weeks had slipped by without her realizing she’d done neither.
A few minutes ago, when Patricia Sheldrick had showed up at Bronco Ghost Tours and announced she was there to take her daughter to lunch, Callie had been pleasantly surprised.
Now, as the two women sat at a sunny table in Bronco Java and Juice, Callie plied her mother with questions.
“Has Dad been busy? I heard an investor wants to build another apartment complex in Bronco Valley. But you can hear anything and everything in this town.”
“Martin has had plenty of work. In fact, he’s not had a day off in two weeks. You know how it is with builders. Wait, wait, wait for supplies to arrive then hurry like crazy to meet the contract deadline.”
As a child, Callie had grown accustomed to having her father home for several days running, or not seeing him at all. The construction business was never predictable. “Well, what about Dakota? Have you talked to her lately? I suppose she’s still living with Buster.”
Frowning with disapproval, Patricia reached for her coffee.
As Callie watched her carefully sip the hot drink, she thought how her looks were the exact opposite of her mother’s wheat-blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. Instead, Callie was a feminine version of her father. She’d been born with his same dark hair and brown eyes.
“Callie,” Patricia scolded, “you know very well the guy’s name is Roderick.”
“And Dakota calls him Roddy. What a wimp,” Callie said with obvious sarcasm. “When is she going to realize he’s a loser? They’ve been living together for—how long?—nearly two years, and he still hasn’t asked her to marry him. Strange how he’ll let her support him on her nursing wages, though.”
“Callie! What in the world is going on with you? It isn’t like you to carry on about your sister’s private life. Dakota is going on thirty years old. She’s big enough to decide what is or isn’t good for her.”
“Well, you can’t be happy with her situation,” Callie argued.
Patricia took another sip of coffee before she replied. “Your dad and I don’t necessarily approve of Roddy, but we think she needs to figure things out for herself. We’re hoping she’ll open her eyes to him.”
Callie thoughtfully chewed a bite of her sandwich and followed it with a swig of lemonade. “As sisters, we’ve never really been alike. I can’t expect Dakota to think like me. Besides, sometimes I think—”
Patricia leveled a questioning look at her daughter. “You think what, honey?”
Callie grimaced. “That I need to open my own eyes.”
“Regarding?”
Across the busy room, Callie spotted Cassidy Ware, the owner of Bronco Java and Juice. The petite blonde was not only pretty, she was also a bundle of sass. Cassidy had been the first of Callie’s friends to congratulate her when Zach walked out of her life. Apparently, she’d figured out long before Callie had that the guy was a loser. It would be interesting to know Cassidy’s opinion on Tyler, she thought.
To her mother she said, “Oh, everything. My friends say I’m too ready to give people the benefit of the doubt.”
“You’re talking about men now,” Patricia said knowingly. “And I don’t think your comment was directed at your ex-boyfriend.”
“No. How did you guess?”
Smiling faintly, Patricia shook her head. “Like you said a few moments ago, people in this town talk. I’ve heard that you’ve been seeing Tyler Abernathy. You’ve failed to mention this news to your parents, I might add.”
Callie’s cheeks grew warm. “Sorry, Mom. But it’s all happened so quickly and...” She paused and shrugged as she tried to choose the right words to explain her relationship with Tyler. Not that there was a right way. She was crazy about the guy and he...well, she didn’t have a clue how he honestly felt about her.
“Callie, you’re having trouble finishing your sentences. That tells me you’re uncertain about this man, or yourself.”
Uncertain didn’t begin to describe what Callie had been feeling these past days. She’d believed that being intimate with Tyler would make him open up. But as each day passed with him being a closed book, she was beginning to doubt that this thing between them would ever evolve into something deeper and more meaningful. She was probably going to end up just like Dakota, she thought morosely. Giving herself to a man who wouldn’t commit.
She sighed heavily. “I’m beginning to be uncertain a
bout both of us.”
Patricia studied her daughter’s face. “Why? Because he has a baby? And you’re not sure you’re ready for motherhood right now?”
“Oh no. It’s not that at all. I’m getting more and more comfortable with the baby. In fact, I’ve fallen in love with little Maeve.”
Patricia keenly studied her daughter’s face. “And what about the baby’s father? Have you fallen in love with him?”
Fallen? She’d tumbled wildly head-over-heels for Tyler. But she wasn’t ready to admit to her mother that she’d let her emotions get away from her so quickly and recklessly.
“Mom, since you’ve been hearing gossip, I’m sure you already know that Tyler is a widower. His wife died a little more than six months ago.”
“I have heard. In fact, I remember when the accident happened. It was a strange, rather senseless tragedy.”
Pricked with curiosity, Callie asked, “How do you mean?”
“Well, it happened rather late at night. No one ever really knew why the woman would be driving the highway at such an hour. And when the highway patrol ruled it an accident from falling asleep at the wheel, the whole incident seemed even more weird. If she was that exhausted, why would she have left the house? Why would her husband have allowed her to leave? But I imagine he’s already told you all about the accident.”
Callie felt dejected, even though there was really no cause for her to think that way. For all she knew, Tyler probably thought Callie knew all the particulars about his late wife’s death and felt no need to rehash the painful facts.
“Actually, Tyler hasn’t explained anything about his wife’s accident to me. And I haven’t wanted to pry. Frankly, he’s never uttered her name to me.”
Puzzled, Patricia frowned. “I find that rather odd, don’t you?”
“I really couldn’t say. Some people find it difficult to talk about loved ones they’ve lost.” Or perhaps Tyler still loved his wife so much that he couldn’t bear mentioning her name. The idea weighed on Callie’s heart.
“Hmm. You could be right.” Patricia picked up her sandwich then lowered it to her plate as she leveled a concerned look at Callie. “Well, in any case, Luanne Abernathy hadn’t been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, so she must’ve simply fallen asleep.”
But why would Tyler’s wife have been so exhausted? Callie wondered. Had Luanne been one of those women who pitched in with the ranching chores? Could it be that the double duty of being a ranch woman and new mother had gotten her down? Callie could ask him. But she’d already sensed that the topic of his wife’s death was off limits.
Shaking her head, she said, “That’s so sad, Mom. I think that’s why Tyler hides behind a wall. He hasn’t gotten over losing her yet.”
Patricia ate a small portion of her sandwich before she replied to Callie’s assumption.
“Honey, I’m going to be honest. I can’t believe you want to be involved with a man who’s still grieving over his lost wife. Building a relationship with a man is hard enough when things are starting out on good footing. He’s bringing baggage of past issues into the mix. And some of those problems are the kind that even a woman my age would have trouble dealing with. Don’t you think you’d do better by looking elsewhere and finding a man who’s starting out fresh, like you?”
“I probably would, Mom,” Callie answered with a wistful sigh. “But there’s something about Tyler that hits me right here.” She touched a finger to the middle of her chest. “And go ahead and laugh if you want, but I keep getting the feeling that he needs me.”
“Oh dear. A woman can’t think straight if she believes a man needs her.” She smiled and reached across the table to pat the top of Callie’s hand. “But you’re not a fool, sweetheart. I have faith that you’ll eventually see the whole picture regarding this young man and then you’ll know exactly what you want.”
Callie knew exactly what she wanted right now. But she didn’t believe Tyler’s wants were headed in the same direction as hers.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Patricia smiled. “You’re going to make some lucky man a great wife. Just don’t try to rush things, Callie. That’s the main thing. And speaking of becoming a wife, has Jameson put an engagement ring on Van’s finger yet?”
Glad that her mother had veered the conversation away from Tyler, she said, “Not yet. But I expect it to happen soon. She spends far more time at Jameson’s ranch than she does at the apartment. And Melanie and Gabe’s wedding is at the end of the month. Then Evan and Daphne’s at the end of October. Weddings are popping up like spring daffodils,” she said in an attempt to sound cheery.
“And I’m sure my little girl is wondering if she’ll ever be planning a wedding of her own,” Patricia said knowingly.
Callie shrugged. “Who has time for a wedding? I’m too busy trying to talk people into taking ghost tours. In fact, Evan has come up with a new tour surrounding the old Anderson house down by the river. He ran into some old-timers in the coffee shop the other day and they told him a story about a young bride and her husband who’d lived in the house shortly after it had been built. Seems as though he was drafted into the army and was later killed in the Normandy invasion. She was so distraught over losing him, she jumped off her bedroom balcony. Now, every so often, people claim to see her walking around the balcony wearing a long white wedding dress and veil.”
“How morbid. I hope Evan made up that story. It’s too sad to think such a tragedy really happened.”
“Well, ever since the old men related the story to him, Evan has been digging through the archives at the newspaper office, trying to find out if there’s a grain of truth to it. The incident would’ve taken place seventy-five or seventy-six years ago. That’s a long time, but you’d think the newspaper would’ve saved those wartime editions.”
Patricia arched a brow. “You sound like you believe he’ll actually find an article about the woman.”
“I’ll say this much, Evan won’t build a tour around the place unless there was actually a young bride and a soldier in the war.”
Patricia shook her head in wry disbelief. “Callie, it still amazes me that you’ve ended up working in a business that promotes ghosts and goblins. When you were a little girl, you wouldn’t go to sleep unless you had a night-light on in your bedroom. What happened to you?”
Callie laughed. “While I was growing up I must’ve watched too many campy monster movies. They taught me that none of this supernatural stuff can be real. Evan doesn’t necessarily believe it, either. But he appreciates the moneymaking side of it. Guess he gets that from his great-grandmother.”
Patricia chuckled. “Now, Callie, don’t you believe in Winona Cobbs’s predictions?”
The signal is strong. Don’t be afraid.
Callie couldn’t begin to count the times Winona’s strange words of advice had darted through her mind. She even had passing moments when she wondered if the phrases could actually mean something. But then common sense would step in and push the ridiculous notions aside. Winona wasn’t really psychic. No one was.
Glancing at her mother, she answered, “About as much as I believe it will snow in Bronco on the Fourth of July.”
* * *
Bronco Ghost Tours was busy when Callie returned from lunch with her mother, and throughout the remainder of the afternoon, customers continued to come and go in a steady stream.
Callie welcomed the extra work because it made the afternoon whiz by. Not that she didn’t like her job. She’d actually grown to love it. But Tyler had promised she’d see him as soon as he wound up his evening chores on the ranch and drove into town. And foolish or not, she couldn’t wait to be with him again.
She was more than surprised when she parked her Jeep in front of the apartment complex and spotted Tyler’s truck in a nearby parking slot.
The last time they’d been together, Callie had gi
ven him a key to her apartment, but she’d not expected him to use it tonight. She’d thought he was going to arrive around seven. How had he managed to get here an hour early?
On the way to her door, she dug the key from her shoulder bag, but the effort proved to be unnecessary. Before she had a chance to insert the key into the lock, the door swung open.
“Hi there, Ms. Sheldrick,” he greeted teasingly. “Care to come into my apartment?”
His early arrival had already put a smile on Callie’s face and finding him in a happy mood lifted her spirits even higher.
“Hi there, yourself,” she told him. “And yes, I would like to come into your apartment. If you’re not too busy to entertain company.”
Laughing, he pulled her across the threshold and into his arms. As his lips came down on hers, he pushed the door closed with the toe of his boot. Callie wrapped her arms around his waist and let her lips convey just how glad she was to be back in his embrace.
When he finally lifted his head, she said, “Mmm. Now that’s the kind of greeting a girl wants after a hard day at work.”
“I’ll be sure to remember that.” He took her by the arm and led her down the hallway to the kitchen. “Did you have a hard day?”
“We were very busy. Lots of tourists are driving through Bronco and they appear to be intrigued with the idea of taking a ghost tour.” She sniffed at the mouthwatering smell permeating the kitchen. “Did you bring food? What is that?”
“I did bring food,” he told her, then added, “I hope you don’t mind if we eat here this evening. I’ll help clean up the mess.”
“Oh, I love the idea of eating here,” she told him. “But you should’ve let me pick up something on my way home. You’ve been paying for all our meals. It’s my turn.”
“Don’t even think about it, pretty lady. This is a one-way deal. I supply the food.”
For His Daughter's Sake Page 14
