After Tex

by Sherryl Woods

  “Meaning?” she asked.

  “Just that people who are looking for a fight can usually find one.”

  “I think you meant something more. Spill it, Jake. What do you know?”

  “I’ve told you before I’m not going to spread gossip—”

  “What gossip?” she asked, seizing on the fact that there was some.

  He regarded her evenly. “Let’s move on to another topic, okay? Otherwise, we’re the ones likely to be fighting.”

  She gauged his mood and decided to give up. “Okay, let’s discuss you and Josh Wilson. I heard about what you did for Janie.”

  He seemed surprised. “How’d you hear about that?”

  “I stopped by Henrietta’s for a cup of coffee before I met you. It was the talk of the diner. Janie says there are workmen swarming all over that house this morning.”

  Jake grinned. “I counted a half dozen when I went by.”

  He looked like a kid who’d just bested the school-yard bully. “Proud of yourself, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “I’m just glad Janie and Tommy will have a decent place to live.”

  “That is a bonus,” Megan teased. “You’re really glad you had a chance to put the screws to Josh.”

  “Okay, that, too. I hope it’ll only be the first time of many,” he said fiercely. “Can you blame me, after the way he treated my mother and me, because she was in no position to stand up to him?”

  “Of course not. Any other causes you intend to take on?”

  “Hard to tell. Right now, I have this TV host who’s in desperate need of studio and office space. I’m devoting all my time to her.”

  His gaze locked with hers. Megan suspected finding a studio facility for her was the least of his intentions. She had too much on her mind to cope with old, unresolved emotions. She forced her attention back to the problem at hand.

  “Let me see what the crew thinks when they get here,” she said. “If they think it’s workable, we’ll do it.”

  “And in the meantime?”

  “In the meantime, I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that Peggy wins that argument with Johnny. If she doesn’t, Mrs. Gomez is going to have to make room for a camera crew at the ranch.”

  And Megan was going to have to find some way to keep her attention from drifting all too often to the man who’d been a steadfast presence in her life ever since her return to Whispering Wind.

  A half-dozen people from Megan’s staff descended on Whispering Wind on Saturday, led by Todd. Megan had booked every room at the town’s only motel. She’d put Todd in the guest quarters at the ranch, a decision that raised Micah’s ire. She stormed off in another huff.

  By Saturday evening they were all crammed into Tex’s office going over production schedules. Even Micah had put aside her resentment to pitch in.

  Jake, bless him, had taken Tess out for dinner to keep her from being underfoot.

  “When can we see this location kitchen?” Kenny asked. “I’ve got to get the crew in there to start blocking shots.”

  Megan hesitated. Peggy had confirmed that they could use the kitchen, but not until Monday. The news wasn’t going to sit well.

  “Sorry, guys. Not until first thing Monday.”

  Kenny stared at her, clearly dismayed. “You’ve got to be kidding. How are we supposed to tape on Monday if we haven’t even seen the setup?”

  “That’s the deal and there’s nothing I can do about it,” Megan said. “You can do the advance work on Monday and we’ll wait till Tuesday to tape. We can go through Friday, if need be.” She prayed Peggy would go along with that. She glanced at Micah. “Are all the segments ready to go?”

  “Right here,” Micah said, handing her a sheaf of papers. “The materials are boxed up by episode and ready to go, too. They arrived on the same plane we did. I’ve checked to make sure none are missing. I’m storing everything in one of those warehouses in town, just like you said. We’ll bring ’em out to the location as we need ’em.”

  There were a thousand more details to be hammered out, and after the initial grumbling, everyone tackled the project as professionally as Megan had hoped they would. By midnight, she was satisfied that the productions wouldn’t be total disasters. Even Micah seemed more upbeat. Meeting the challenge of doing an impromptu location shoot seemed to inspire her.

  “I can’t thank you all enough for pitching in like this,” Megan said.

  “Hey, our jobs are on the line, too,” Kenny said.

  “Can I get you anything before you head back into town?”

  “Nope, I’m going to that bar down the street from the hotel for one stiff drink and then I’m heading to bed,” the director said wearily. “Tomorrow the sound and lighting techs and I are going over that warehouse to see what it would take to turn it into a studio.”

  “Bring me a budget projection as soon as you have one.”

  “Since this is temporary, do you want bare-bones improvements or state-of-the-art?”

  She considered the question carefully. As desperately as she wanted to believe this was only a stopgap measure, she knew there was a possibility it could turn into something permanent. And there was also Jake’s notion of renting the facilities out to other productions.

  “State-of-the-art,” she said finally.

  The response drew groans, then assurances that she would get a complete report the next day.

  After the others had gone, Todd regarded her wearily. “This is it, then? You’re staying indefinitely?”

  “I’m taking one day at a time.”

  “Megan, there’s not even a department store close by, much less a Bloomingdale’s or a Barney’s. Are you sure this town is living in the twentieth century?”

  She grinned at his dismayed tone. “There’s not a lot of call for designer clothes out here. A good pair of jeans will cover just about any occasion,” she teased.

  “I was afraid of that.”

  “Give it a chance, Todd. Please. I can’t do this without you.”

  “Executive assistants are a dime a dozen.”

  “They’re not you.”

  “I’m a New Yorker, Megan.”

  “Aren’t New Yorkers known for being able to cope with any challenge?”

  He regarded her with suspicion. “Yes. So?”

  “Think of this as another challenge.”

  “Riding the subway is a challenge. Walking through Central Park without getting mugged is a challenge. Finding an apartment without roaches is a challenge. This is…” Words clearly failed him.

  “A favor to a friend,” she suggested softly.

  He scowled at her. “You don’t play fair.”

  “Not when it’s this important,” she agreed. “When it’s this important, I play to win.”

  “Okay, I’ll stay for the time being,” he agreed. “But I will not wear boots and jeans, and that’s that.”

  “Deal.”

  “By the way, how do I get a taxi out here?”

  Megan grinned. “You don’t.”

  He stared at her. “Then how am I supposed to get around?”

  “You drive.”

  “Not me.”

  Surely he wasn’t saying what she thought he was saying. “You mean you can’t?”

  He regarded her defensively. “It’s not a crime, Megan. Who needs to drive a car in New York?”

  “I’ll teach you,” she assured him, then chuckled. “Right after I teach you to ride a horse.”

  “Very amusing,” he shot back. “But I’m getting the last laugh. I neglected to mention that when I called Peter to cancel your meeting, he decided to fly out here himself.”

  “Oh, no,” she said weakly.

  “Oh, yes.”

  “When?”

  “He’ll be here tomorrow. He thinks he’s coming in to save the day. I’m pretty sure he watched at least a dozen Westerns on video just to be sure he got it right. He’s probably bought a white Stetson, so you’ll recognize him as the hero.”


  Not even the incongruous image of her balding, cherubic-faced accountant in a Stetson could make her smile. Peter in Wyoming was as unthinkable as serving onion dip and chips at a society soiree.

  “You couldn’t stop him?” she asked.

  “Now, why would I do that?” he inquired innocently. “You told me yourself that your social life is none of my concern.”

  “Peter is my accountant.”

  “You know that, and I almost believe that, but he doesn’t have a clue. I’m not about to be the one to tell him.”

  “Thank you very much.”

  “It could have been worse,” Todd suggested.

  “I can’t see how.”

  “I could have let him surprise you the way he wanted to.”

  “Yes,” she conceded. “It could definitely have been worse.”

  Jake had had every intention of going to the warehouse with Megan’s crew the next morning, but just as they were about to leave his office, Henrietta came flying across the street, apron flapping. She paused at the sight of all the strangers.

  “Sorry. I didn’t know I’d be interrupting.”

  “It’s okay, Henrietta. These gentlemen work for Megan,” Jake said, introducing them. He regarded her worriedly. “Is something wrong?”

  “Could I see you outside?”

  “I was about to take them out to the warehouse.”

  “This is more important,” Henrietta insisted. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t.”

  Jake turned to Ken Hawkins and handed him the keys. “You can’t miss the place. It’s about five miles outside of town. These keys will get you into any of the buildings. They’re all available, so just decide which one will suit your needs. I’ll get out there as soon as I can.”

  “No problem,” Kenny said. He nodded at Henrietta, then led the others out of Jake’s office.

  “Nice bunch,” Henrietta said. “They had breakfast at the diner. They were real polite. Big tippers, too. I figured they had something to do with Megan. Sounded like New Yorkers.”

  “You didn’t come over here to talk about how well they tipped. What’s up?”

  “It’s Barbara Sue. She showed up for work about a half hour ago. Lyle’s been at her again. I’ve put her to work in the kitchen, so she doesn’t have to show her bruised-up face, but something’s got to be done about that man. She says he hasn’t gone after the kids yet, but if you ask me, it’s only a matter of time before one of them steps in his path.”

  “Does she want to talk to me?”

  “I didn’t give her a choice—I just came to get you.”

  “Henrietta, I can’t help her if she doesn’t want to be helped.”

  “You can lay out her options. I don’t believe she thinks she has any. Now, are you coming or aren’t you? I’ve got customers to see to.”

  A bulldozer was more subtle than Henrietta when her mind was made up. “I’m coming,” Jake said.

  He found Barbara Sue Perkins in the kitchen washing dishes. She didn’t look up when he came in. Even so, he could see the swelling on her face and the growing black-and-blue mark on her jaw. He pulled up a stool and sat behind her at the food-preparation island. It was littered with the remnants of chopped vegetables being readied for lunchtime salads.

  “Hey, Barbara Sue.”

  “Hi, Jake,” she said without turning. The scanty part of her face that wasn’t bruised flushed red with embarrassment. “What are you doing here?”

  “Henrietta thought you might need legal advice.”

  “Henrietta’s meddling.”

  “Maybe so, but my guess is that she’s right about this. Unless you’ve bounced off a couple of doors in the past twenty-four hours, it looks as if you could use some help.”

  She whirled on him. Jake was shocked by the full extent of her injuries. There were more cuts and bumps than he could count. He forced himself not to visibly react, tried only to remember the pretty blond woman with the sweet smile who had once sat next to him in history class and shared her notes and wry comments.

  “Okay, you’ve had a good look now,” she said angrily. “Go on back to your office.”

  “Not without explaining a few facts,” he said quietly.

  “What facts?” she asked sarcastically. “That if I dare to leave Lyle, I won’t live to tell about it? That if I file so much as a complaint with the sheriff, this beating will seem like a gentle nudge? Believe me, nobody knows the facts of my life better than I do. Like my mama used to say, I made my bed, now I’ve got to lie in it.”

  “Your mama was wrong. Nobody expects you to stay with a man who abuses you.”

  “Where would I go? I’ve got no money, no job skills, nothing more than a high school diploma. I’ve got two kids depending on me.”

  “They’re depending on you for more than food,” Jake pointed out. “They’re depending on you to protect yourself and them from harm. They’re depending on you to say it’s not all right for their father to beat you.” He gazed steadily into her eyes. “They’re depending on you to stay alive.”

  Tears welled up and rolled silently down her swollen cheeks. Jake let his message sink in before going on.

  “There are places you could go to be safe. You could file assault and battery charges against Lyle and send him to prison. Even his mama won’t be able to save him from that charge. All it would take is a photo of the way you look right now. At the very least you could get a restraining order to keep him away from you and the kids. Folks around here would help you out with the kids and with money till you get on your feet.”

  “I can’t ask for help like that,” she whispered, covering her face with her hands.

  “Why not?”

  “I’m too ashamed. I’m ashamed that my husband beats me.”

  “You’ve done nothing wrong,” Jake said heatedly. “Lyle is the one who ought to be ashamed.”

  “Maybe…”

  “Maybe what?”

  “Maybe I deserved it. That’s what his mother says.”

  Jake slammed his fist onto the butcher block counter. “No, dammit! Barbara Sue, you did not deserve it. Nobody deserves to be mistreated by a husband, a man who vowed to love, honor and protect you. If Mrs. Perkins says otherwise, she’s just blinded by the fact that he’s her boy. She would have done him a greater service if she’d laid down a few rules for him way back when they could have done some good. Instead, she’s always let him have his own way, encouraged him to think he’s never in the wrong.”

  Jake reached over and covered Barbara Sue’s hand. “Tell me something. Has he ever hurt the kids or threatened to?”

  She shook her head.

  “He will. Believe me, one of these days, he will.”

  She lifted her gaze to clash with Jake’s. “I’ll kill him first.”

  Jake shuddered. Of all the things she had said, none carried more conviction. She had to get out of that house now, before there was a real tragedy.

  “Please, let me look into that restraining order. Get him out of the house.”

  “It was his family’s house. His mother gave it to us when we got married,” Barbara Sue pointed out. “He’ll say I’m the one with no right to stay there.”

  “The court won’t see it that way.”

  “Jake, I’ve heard everything you’ve said and I know you’re trying to help, but I have to do this my own way. You don’t know Lyle the way I do. He’s changed since school. He’s bitter about so many things. He can’t hold a job except at his mama’s store. Even she’s losing patience with him. He drinks too much.”

  “I’ve known other men like him,” Jake assured her. “He won’t change, so you have to be the one to take care of yourself.”

  “You’re probably right, but this is the way it’s going to be,” she said, literally turning her back to him to face the sinkful of dishes.

  Jake sighed. Saying any more now would be wasting his breath. “Come to see me if you change your mind.”

  “I won’t,” she said emphati
cally.

  Jake walked back into the front of the diner and slid onto a stool. Henrietta put a cup of coffee in front of him, but kept waiting on the packed booths. Only after things had slowed down did she slip onto the stool beside him.

  “Well?”

  “She won’t hear of me doing anything.”

  “I was afraid of that. She’s terrified, Jake. She’s convinced he’ll kill her if she does anything except go home and take more of the same.”

  He regarded Henrietta bleakly. “Could be she’s right.”

  “So, what do we do?” she demanded indignantly. “Just leave her there?”

  “If that’s her choice, there’s nothing we can do.”

  “Well, I don’t believe that. If she won’t leave, then she at least ought to look out for those kids.”

  “I tried to tell her that, too.”

  “Can I file something with the court to get them out of there?”

  Jake regarded her incredulously. “You would do that?”

  “If it’ll protect them from that monster of a father, yes,” she said fiercely. “They can come to live with me. When she wakes up and smells the coffee, Barbara Sue can come, too.”

  “I have to tell you that interfering could put you right smack in the middle of this. Lyle will likely go on the warpath. In addition, you’ll be breaking Barbara Sue’s heart.”

  Henrietta sighed. “I know that. Maybe it’s not my place to interfere, but thinking of those kids caught up in that breaks my heart.”

  “Give Barbara Sue a couple of days. Maybe when she’s thought it through, she’ll come around.”

  “Things like this don’t get better by waiting,” the older woman said.

  “I know.”

  “Two days,” she finally agreed with obvious reluctance. “Then we’re going to the court to file for protective custody for those children. Will you help me?”

  “You know I will.”

  She patted his hand. “You’re a good man, Jake Landers. I knew I could count on you.”

  Jake just prayed they weren’t asking for more trouble than either of them had bargained for.