Mrs. Hartley escorted his mom into the kitchen, and everyone else moved away from the entrance so that he could finally step closer to Angel.
“Either your mom’s chocolate cake is legendary, or your family is really interested in the fact you invited us for dinner.”
“Actually, it’s both. Mom could ensure the signing of peace treaties with the promise of her chocolate cake. But the moratorium on meddling in the love life of the baby of the family is evidently over.”
He wanted to ask why there had been a moratorium, but then he thought better of it. Maybe they’d been hands-off because of the breakup with Julia’s father.
“I’m sorry to put you in this situation,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not.”
She smiled at him again, and he’d swear the temperature of the room went up several degrees.
Once they were all seated at the table and passing around bowls and platters filled with food that smelled delicious, he caught Sloane’s gaze on him and she smiled with undisguised mischief.
“So, how did you like Angel’s exhibit opening the other night?” she asked.
“We enjoyed it. Right, Mom?”
“Very much. Your sister is very talented.”
“Thank you,” Angel said.
Hunter was pretty sure she punched her sister under the table, causing him to have to hide laughter that wanted to bubble up and out of him.
“Are you a photographer, too?” Julia asked from her seat next to her mother.
He smiled at her. “No, afraid not. I have a small ranch.”
“Oh, like us!”
“Yes, though not as big.”
“Do you have lots of brothers and sisters like Mom?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m an only child.”
“Me, too. But I have cousins now. Do you have cousins?”
“A couple. They don’t live in Blue Falls, though.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” What a sweet kid.
“That’s enough interrogation,” Angel said to her daughter. “Eat your dinner or no chocolate cake.”
There was a gentleness to the direction, and he caught Angel watching Julia throughout the meal as if she was concerned about her. Was she afraid she’d ask something embarrassing? A sudden thought formed that maybe she was regretting having asked him out on a date, which had led to this larger family gathering.
His mom’s laughter drew his attention, and he listened for a few minutes while his mom and Mrs. Hartley shared funny stories from their kids’ childhoods. He didn’t even object when his mom pulled out the one about how she’d caught him sleepwalking in the front yard buck naked when he was four. It was too good to see her really enjoying herself.
He glanced across the table to find Angel stifling a giggle of her own at the story.
“I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t have neighbors,” he said.
“Or that you weren’t older when it happened,” Sloane said.
Angel didn’t even try to hide the slap of her sister’s arm. Sloane just laughed in response.
Hunter soaked it all up, not able to remember when there had last been this much laughter around his family’s dinner table. He wanted it to go on all night, sleep be damned.
When Mrs. Hartley served dessert and he took his first bite, he realized Angel hadn’t been lying. It was literally the best chocolate cake he’d ever tasted.
“This is delicious,” his mom said before he could.
No matter the topic of conversation—be it ranching, rodeo or what Julia and her cousin Brent planned to do over their summer vacations—his mom seemed engaged. She did forget a couple of things she should have remembered, but on the whole it wasn’t too bad. When they moved to the living room, she surprised him by even getting down on the floor to color with Julia. The sight of the two of them together caused such a large lump to form in his throat that he had to step outside to get some fresh air. He’d go back in soon, not wanting to leave her for too long, but he needed a few minutes alone.
The sun had fallen below the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of orange, pink and purple. He made his way off the porch and walked farther along the drive past the barn. He spotted some picnic tables and went to sit atop one to watch the changes in the western sky. That was where Angel found him a few minutes later.
“You okay?” she asked as she joined him atop the table.
“Yeah, fine.”
“You forget I’m a mom. I know a fib when I hear one.”
He looked down at his hands loosely clasped between his knees. “When I saw Mom coloring with Julia, it hit me right in the chest. For the first time I realized she might never get to enjoy being a grandmother.” He realized how that might sound to her and met her gaze. “I don’t mean—”
Angel held up a hand to stop his bumbling explanation.
“I know you’re not trying to guilt me into a quickie marriage.” She smiled, amused by the idea, then sobered. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. I can’t imagine.”
“Not gonna lie. It sucks.”
Angel reached over and entwined her hand with his. While he’d imagined touching her countless times, now that it was finally happening he was overcome by so many emotions—and, quite honestly, fatigue—that he took a shaky breath.
“Do you mind if I give you a bit of unsolicited advice?” she asked.
“No.”
“It’s admirable how you take care of your mom, but you need take care of yourself, as well. Otherwise, you risk running yourself in the ground.”
“Easier said than done. There never seems to be enough hours in the day.” And, unfortunately, he didn’t have any brothers or sisters to share the load. “Though this was nice tonight. Thank you for inviting us to dinner. Between this and the exhibit opening, it gives me hope that Mom will be less hesitant to leave home.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“I’m sorry I had to decline going out, just the two of us. I wanted to.”
“Really?”
He turned more toward her, wondering if she thought he’d used not being able to leave his mom as an excuse to brush her off. Her hand still in his, he said, “Yes. I’m going to be honest here. I’ve had a crush on you for a long time.” Angel’s eyes widened so much that he couldn’t help but laugh. “You look surprised.”
“Well, I am. That’s not something you hear every day. For how long?”
“I’m afraid if I tell you, you’ll think I’m pathetic.”
“Never.”
He examined her eyes, saw nothing but truth there. Part of him wondered if this was just another of his many dreams about her.
“Since your freshman year.”
“No,” she said in obvious disbelief.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you ever say something?”
“Never seemed like the right time.”
Angel tilted her head slightly. “Not ever in the past ten years?”
“See, pathetic.”
“No, but I am curious. I’d ask if this was about Dave, but he’s not always been part of the picture.”
Oh, hell. Why not tell her? He’d already hopped aboard the embarrassment train. Might as well stay on for the entire journey.
Feeling like a fool, he enumerated all the various obstacles to asking her out stretching from their differences in age during high school to his present concerns about his mom.
“Well, I can think of two of those reasons I could have done without, although because of Dave I have Julia. Going through that breakup was worth it just to have her.”
“She seems like a great kid.”
“She is. I’m very lucky in that regard.”
“Are you worried about her?”
The
question obviously surprised Angel. “Why do you ask?”
“You kept watching her at dinner, like you were concerned about something.”
Angel’s hand slipped out of his as she turned to face the darkening pasture dotted by part of the Hartleys’ herd. “She was upset when she got off the bus today.” She told him everything Julia’s classmate had said. “What’s sad is that it’s not really a surprise. Cara’s dad is a bigot of the first order.”
Hunter’s hands clenched into fists. “Are you going to confront the parents?”
“I haven’t decided the best course of action yet.”
“If you do, don’t go alone. I’ll go with you.”
She looked over at him. “Thank you. That means a lot. But I’ve got quite the intimidating posse at my beck and call. Julia’s uncles and aunt would be more than happy to make sure she never has to go through anything like that again.”
Of course she had plenty of backup if she needed it, but it didn’t lessen his desire to be at her side if she faced off against the man who was teaching his daughter to hate other kids just because their skin was a different color.
“Have you faced it, too?” He hoped the subject wasn’t too personal.
She nodded. “Sometimes, though not anywhere near as much as lots of people do. I don’t know for sure, but I think it might be worse for Native Americans who live where they actually have larger populations, such as in the communities around reservations.”
“I’ve never understood some people’s need to hate others just because they’re different in some way. Be damned boring if we were all the same.”
“I wish more people had that attitude.”
“Maybe they will in time.”
“Maybe, but it breaks my heart and makes me angry all at the same time when I see new generations being taught the same bigotry. Sometimes I think it’s a miracle that I got adopted right after I was born. I could have easily spent my entire childhood in a group home or foster care.”
“So...you never knew your birth parents?”
“Nope.” Angel picked at her cuticles.
“I’m sorry. That was too personal.”
“It’s okay. It’s not a big secret, really. I was left at a hospital in Austin with a note with my name and that I needed a good home. And that’s the extent of my knowledge about where I come from.”
“You couldn’t find out more?”
“I haven’t tried.” She shrugged. “I’ve thought about it, but I always worried that I’d be disappointed in some way. Either I wouldn’t find out anything at all, or I wouldn’t like what I did find. Although now I wonder if that was a mistake. What prompted this whole thing at school today was the teacher mentioning that the kids would have to do a family tree next year. I mean, Julia can just do the Hartley family tree and it will suffice. But am I robbing her of her true heritage, what’s in her blood, if I don’t try to find out?”
“That’s not for me to answer.”
She shook her head, then looked up at the sky and the last bit of light giving way to the first stars. “On the other hand, I worry about exposing her to something that could hurt her even more.”
He wondered if it was more than that, if she feared she might get hurt as well as Julia. It already had to be difficult knowing that she’d been abandoned, no matter if her birth mother had the best of intentions.
“There have been times when I wished my birth mom would find me, take the decision out of my hands so I didn’t have to make it.” She made a swirling motion with her fingers next to her temple. “I get in this endless debate with myself—should I or shouldn’t I look for her?”
“I can see how that would seem easier.”
It hit him anew just how much he liked her, how much he wanted to spend time with her. Could he ask Mildred or one of his mom’s other friends to visit with his mom for an evening so he could take Angel out on a proper date?
“Would you go out with me if you knew it might be a while before I could arrange a second date? If you enjoyed the first one enough to agree to a second one, that is.”
At the shift in the topic of conversation, she exchanged her stargazing for looking at him again. “Why don’t you ask me and we’ll find out?”
“Angel Hartley, will you go out to dinner with me? I can’t promise anything fancy, or—”
“Yes.”
He smiled. “I wasn’t quite finished.”
“You asked the important part.”
He fought the urge to kiss her because despite his attraction, it didn’t feel like the right time. Not on the heels of the heavy topics they’d found themselves discussing. Hopefully the right time would come.
“Well, I better get Mom home before she gets too tired.”
As they stood, Angel surprised him by squeezing his hand and planting a quick peck on his cheek. “You’re a good son. Your mom is lucky to have you.”
He wanted to thank her, but the words couldn’t force their way past the well of emotion. And she seemed to understand because she smiled and turned back toward the house. After he managed a deep breath, he fell into step beside her.
Later, after he was home and his mom had gone to bed, he sat on the front steps of the house where he grew up and let the events of the night replay in his mind. The ranch that stretched out into the darkness might be more modest than the Hartleys’ Rocking Horse Ranch, and he would have loved to have his father for longer. But he counted himself very lucky. He at least knew his parents and was loved by them. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like to not have a clue about the identity of your real parents or any idea where you came from. To want the truth but be scared to search for it.
He understood her concerns about seeking out her birth parents, and he wondered what he’d do in the same situation. He had a feeling the need to know would win out. What if there was a way to find out for her? Would she see that as an invasion of her privacy? A little general research wouldn’t hurt anyone, though.
So he spent the next several minutes doing web searches about tracking down birth parents and stories of babies abandoned at hospitals. He was stunned to even find a brief story about Angel being abandoned. It didn’t reveal anything other than what she’d told him, except the fact that her birthday was coming up soon. The article didn’t reveal the exact day, but he had a window based on the date on the article.
After he stopped reading, he opened up a text window. He considered texting Angel, but thought better of it. This was something better discussed in person, if at all. Instead, he pulled up the contact for Pete Kayne, a friend of his who was now with the Texas Highway Patrol, and asked him a general question about how he’d start looking for someone’s birth parents if they didn’t know their names or where they were from. He was surprised by how quickly he got a reply.
Why are you asking?
Asking for a friend. Really.
Let me do some checking. Will get back to you.
Hunter thanked him, then set his phone aside. Just as he looked up, he spotted a shooting star. There were so many things he could wish for, but the streak was gone from the sky before he could settle on one. Not that it mattered. It was his experience that more came from hard work and trying to be a good person than wishes. Despite that, it didn’t keep him from wishing to have a lot more years with his mom, that her truly bad time with the disease would be short-lived. Yes, he wanted her to live a long time, but not as an empty shell that used to be his mother.
On a happier note, he wished for the wisdom to make all the right moves where Angel was involved. And he wished for her to find her birth family if that was what she wanted, and that what she found would add to her happiness rather than take away from it.
As he leaned back on his hands and looked up at the clear night sky, he also wished that soon he’d know what it was like to kiss Angel Hartley.
Chapt
er 7
Angel stepped into Gia’s Pizza, keenly aware of how very out of practice she was at dating. There had been plenty of times over the past few years when she’d thought she might never chance a date again. But then something about a few interactions with Hunter made her willing to give it a try. He, at least, didn’t seem to be the type to have any rude surprises up his sleeve. Of course, Dave hadn’t, either, but she was older now and hopefully wiser.
Hunter smiled and rose quickly to his feet when he spotted her. She imagined him kissing her on the cheek as she had him—she still couldn’t quite believe she’d done that—but he simply nodded toward the table where he’d been sitting.
“I got a booth, but we can move if you’d rather sit at a table with chairs.”
“No, I actually prefer booths. More comfortable.”
How odd to engage in such small talk after they’d discussed much deeper and important subjects a few nights before. Maybe that had been easier because they weren’t really on a date then. She hoped making it official didn’t lead to a night of awkwardness.
“Great. We’re in agreement. Now to see if we can agree on the best kind of pizza.”
“Well, unless you say pepperoni and pineapple, you’d be wrong.”
“How did you know that was my favorite?” He feigned complete surprise at her amazing mind reading skills.
She laughed a little. “Seriously, what is your favorite?”
“I’ve never met any kind of pizza I didn’t like.”
“Well, you’re a pretty agreeable date so far.”
“I aim to please.”
Oh, if he only knew what sort of images that simple response brought to mind. She looked down at the menu, hoping he wouldn’t be able to read the truth in her eyes.
But when the waitress appeared beside their table, they went with pepperoni and pineapple and a side of mozzarella cheese sticks.
“So, how’s your mom?” she asked.
“Good. She and some of her friends are playing cards tonight. And it was actually her idea. I hadn’t said anything, but on the way home from your place the other night, she told me I needed to ask you out.”
Home on the Ranch: Texas Cowboy, Be Mine Page 8
