~-~
With Mavis’ arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist, Dex made his way to the living quarters. Getting them both through the narrow door was a bit of a maneuver, and they were laughing by the time they’d made it to the bed.
Real laughter had been in short supply since she’d left. Dex had missed the feeling of wellbeing he got just being around her. If his brothers couldn’t or wouldn’t help with the ranch, he’d hire someone. It was past time to find his own happiness.
As he unzipped her jeans and worked them off her legs, a flash of panic crawled through his brain. Leaving the ranch didn’t bother him as much as the worry of finding someone who could run it while he was gone. Rafe was good, but he wasn’t family and he might not stay.
He pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Drew had never been interested in running the ranch, and Davie was a party boy. If they hadn’t grown up during the time they’d been gone, they’d run the place into the ground.
There had to be a solution to this problem. All he had to do was find it.
“Are you okay?” Mavis’ soft voice matched the touch of her fingertips on his chest. “I feel like I lost you there.”
He rolled over and pulled her on top of him. “I’m the best I’ve been since you left.”
“You sure?” She looked as if she had her doubts.
It was going to be a pleasure convincing her. He rolled to his side and worked his way out of his Wranglers and boxers. Now this was more like it. He wanted to make these moments last, but his brain and hard-on had other ideas.
When Mavis breathed out a soft moan and moved against him, he almost lost it. He wasn’t going to impress her if he didn’t last thirty seconds after getting her back in his bed.
Her fingers wrapped around him, sending electric shocks straight to his brain as she stroked up and down. There was something to be said for jumping into sex, and he was saying it now.
He slid into Mavis, and knew he was home. Whatever it took, nothing could make him leave her again. For the first time in years, he envisioned a happy future. The craving he’d harbored every minute she’d been gone had disappeared. With a smile on his lips, he followed Mavis to heaven.
As they lay together, he could hear her breathing become slow and even. Grabbing the quilt, he covered them and wrapped his arms around her, before following her into sleep.
The tinny sound of his grandmother’s ringtone startled him awake. He slid out from under Mavis’ arm and finally found his phone in his jeans. “Hello.”
“Dex? Where are you?” The familiar voice hitched on his name.
He’d glanced at the time when he’d found the phone. Two a.m. This couldn’t be good. “I’m— What’s wrong?”
Nana’s voice was soft and broken. “Your daddy is gone, honey.”
Her sob echoed through the line, and the sound tore at his heart. “What do you mean, gone? What happened?” He had to have misunderstood. Even though he’d known this day was coming, he wasn’t ready.
“The night nurse found him on the floor beside his bed.” She cleared her throat then took a moment before answering. “Ben told her his chest hurt, but he needed to get home to help with the calving. Then he closed his eyes and was gone. They think it was a heart attack.” This time her voice sounded stronger. “When can you be here?”
Dex assured his grandmother he’d be home as soon as he could. Hanging up, he turned to Mavis. “Dad died.”
Mavis climbed off the bed and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so sorry.”
He accepted her hug for a moment then stepped away, reaching for his jeans. “I’ve got to get home.”
The drive to Homedale was made in near silence. Mavis had said she was sorry again and again, because what else was there to say. He was a hell of a son. When his father had needed him, he’d been in the trailer making love to Mavis.
Dex pulled into the parking lot of the mortuary, switched off the ignition and turned to Mavis. “Go on home and take care of the horses. I’ll call you when I can.” He ran his finger down her cheek. It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and never let go.
In the back of his mind, he’d feared this wouldn’t work. With him and Mavis, something always came between them.
“I’ll come back,” Mavis said. “You shouldn’t be alone.” She climbed out of the truck and met him at the edge of the sidewalk.
Dex leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “I need to see how Nana is holding up. Go on home and get some rest. I’ll call in the morning.”
“Dex? Is that you?” Nana Lucy stood just outside the doorway to the mortuary, her shoulders stooped, her hands clutching the large black purse she’d carried ever since Dex could remember.
He stepped away from Mavis. “I have to go.”
“Dex?” Mavis reached out to touch his arm, but he hurried toward the building before he had to say another word.
In a perfect world, Nana would realize Mavis was a good person, but since his grandmother had just lost her only child, he couldn’t, he wouldn’t push it. Not with his dad lying on a slab inside the one-story brick building.
He wrapped his arms around his grandmother, and they stood for a moment drawing strength from each other. A fake floral scent filled his nostrils as they entered Basin Mortuary. The subdued colors and canned music made his skin crawl. Dad had been bigger than life, and it seemed wrong to bring him here.
As they started down the hallway, he glanced out the glass door. Mavis still stood where he’d left her.
Nana tugged on his arm as an employee of the mortuary joined them. Dex turned away from Mavis and his dream life. His grandmother and the ranch were his priorities now.
To anyone who didn’t know better, Ben Dunbar appeared to be taking a nap. While Nana talked quietly with the owner of Basin Mortuary, Dex stood beside his father. “You couldn’t wait to get back home, could you?” When he realized he was waiting for Dad to answer, he let out the breath he’d been holding. At least his dad’s confusion and pain were over.
The arrangements were simple. His father had made it perfectly clear he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread on the bluff behind the ranch house. He’d lived his whole life on the Rafter D, and he wanted to spend eternity on the ranch.
Dex agreed.
Although Dad hadn’t wanted a service, his grandmother needed one. They’d start planning in the morning, but right now, he needed to get her home. He touched Nana on the arm. “Have you called Drew and Davie?”
“I thought I’d leave them up to you.”
He had a current cell number for Drew, and hopefully Davie hadn’t changed his. “I’ll take care of it, Nana.”
Moving into the reception area, he pulled out his phone and found Drew’s number. Before he hit send, he glanced out the front window, but Mavis was gone. He’d held onto the hope she would ignore his instructions. He’d hoped she’d wait around. But this time she’d done as he’d asked.
He jammed his finger on the call button and waited. After only one ring, he heard Drew’s distinctive voice. “Lo.”
Dex’s throat closed up. At one time, he and Drew had been as close as two brothers could be, but he couldn’t dwell on brotherly problems right now. “Drew, I’ve got bad news. It’s about Dad.” The silence dragged on for so long, Dex wondered if they’d been cut off. “Drew?”
“I’m here.”
“Drew, he’s dead.” With those words, his father’s death became real. He was gone, and this wasn’t some horrible nightmare.
“Dex, I can’t come home right now. What I mean is, I can’t come home to stay. We’re in Nashville. Chelsea is in contract talks, and I need to be here.”
“I didn’t ask you to stay, but Nana Lucy needs you to be here for the funeral.”
“I know. I’ll get a flight out as soon as I can. I’ll give Nana a call tonight.” A few more seconds of silence passed then the line disconnected.
The call was what Dex had exp
ected. Drew was predictable. Always looking out for Chelsea first, although Dex had never seen the woman reciprocate.
Davie was the wildcard, and his was the call Dex dreaded.
He punched in the number and waited. When the voicemail prompt came on, Dex left a message, short and to the point before disconnecting. Davie must have been screening his calls, because it was only seconds before Dex’s phone rang.
“Dad’s dead?” Davie pulled in an audible breath. “You want me to come home?”
Dex hadn’t talked to Davie in several years and had no idea where his youngest brother had landed. “We don’t have a date yet for the funeral, but I’m sure Nana would want you to be here.”
“And you don’t?” Davie’s voice was filled with sarcasm. Nothing had changed there.
“You know I do.” Dex meant it, although he was sure Davie didn’t believe him.
“It will take me a couple of days to clear things up here. I’ll text you.”
And there it was. The man who’d raised them was dead, and of the three brothers, he was apparently the only one who mourned Ben Dunbar.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
In the week and a half since Dex’s father had died, Mavis had spoken to him in person for less than one minute, and that was in the receiving line at the memorial service. Along with those brief words, two texts and a call letting her know the date and time of the funeral summed up their contact. She’d spent far longer talking to Drew and Davie.
Dark haired and handsome like their father, the three could have been triplets they looked so much alike. Davie was a little shorter, and his hair brushed his shoulders. Drew was taller than Dex by several inches, but they all had a big dose of their father’s genes.
Mavis had lain in bed for almost an hour, watching the clock inch toward seven a.m. before dialing Dex one more time. Like all the calls made in the days following the funeral, she was forwarded to Dex’s voice mail. Wasting more time waiting for a call that wasn’t coming was stupid.
She’d finished her shower and was drying her hair when the sound of her cell phone caught her attention. Caller ID told her it was Dex. She couldn’t wait to hear his voice. “Are you okay?”
“We need to talk.” No, hi, how are you, or I’ve missed you. The ominous tone to his words nearly stopped her heart. This couldn’t be good.
“How are you doing? Your dad’s service was wonderful. It was perfect for him.” She wanted to hold Dex, comfort him. She knew how close he’d been to his father and remembered how he’d consoled her when her daddy died.
“Could you meet me at the Java Pot around three?”
“Why don’t you come here for dinner?” She wasn’t a great cook, but she could fix something to eat, and they’d have the whole evening together.
“No, I—we need some privacy.”
Mavis’ throat closed, and she couldn’t speak. The air had been sucked from her lungs and her soul. Dex was backing out again. He was going to use his father’s death to put his grandmother first—again.
Anger crushed her heart, and she drew courage from the pain. This had gone on long enough, and she wasn’t slinking away without an answer this time.
“Mavis?”
“I’ll be at the ranch in an hour.” She heard him say no, but hung up before he had a chance to finish the sentence. She wasn’t going to be the ugly stepchild who was hidden away any more. At some point in this relationship, she deserved to come first or it wasn’t a relationship at all.
Pulling on her jeans, a T-shirt and boots, she slapped a cap over her wet hair. Her mom had gone into town early. Mavis left a note explaining where she’d gone then ran to the barn and made sure everything was fed. With a few minutes to spare, she headed for the highway.
How could a thirty-minute drive feel like it took hours? Rounding each curve in the road, she expected to see Dex driving toward her, making an attempt to cut her off before she reached his home.
The barnyard was empty when she arrived. Dex’s truck should be parked near the house. Rafe’s pickup was gone, too. Nana Dunbar’s Geo was the only outfit in sight.
“Cowardly move, Dex.” As the words spilled out of her mouth, she was glad no one was around to hear. Dex wasn’t a coward. If anything, he cared too much about other people’s feelings. She pulled her truck between the ranch house and the trailer where Rafe lived and waited for him to arrive.
Memories of the times she’d spent with Dex and his family flooded back. She’d loved them all. She’d envisioned spending the rest of her life here, becoming part of this ranching family. She’d had lots of dreams before her world fell apart.
As she waited, one fact kept jangling around her brain. Everything had been fine until she’d refused to go along with Mrs. Dunbar. People around here didn’t stand up to Lucy—until now. “Let’s see what she does when someone doesn’t play according to her rules.”
Hopping out of the truck, she strode to the back door and gave one short rap on the doorframe.
“Come on in.”
Mavis could see Lucy stirring a pot on the stove, her back to the door. As she entered the kitchen, the small woman turned, a smile on her wizened face.
At the sight of Mavis, the smile disappeared, her lips narrowing into a thin line. “What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Mrs. Dunbar.” She couldn’t control the smile spreading across her face. She wasn’t afraid of this woman any more.
Lucy Dunbar pulled herself up to her full height and stood hands on hips. With her cheeks flushed and her eyes narrowed, her dislike was plain. “Dex isn’t here. He’s chasing cattle. I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
“Mrs. Dunbar, I came to talk to you.”
“Missy, I don’t have anything to say to you.” The older woman turned and walked to the sink. Soapy water splashed onto the counter as she scrubbed the breakfast dishes with the wet rag. Placing the glass she’d washed in the drainer with enough force to crack the edge, she pulled a bowl from the water and gave it the same treatment.
Mavis sank into a kitchen chair. God help a speck of food that dared to stick to those dishes. With her elbow on the table, she placed her chin on her hand. “I have something to say to you.”
Dex’s grandmother rivaled a cobra with the speed she whirled and struck. “I don’t care. Get out of my house!”
~-~
Heat raced up Lucy’s neck and settled onto her cheeks. Air refused to fill her lungs, and spots danced in her peripheral vision. Grabbing onto the counter next to her, she pulled in several deep breaths trying to gain control.
Mavis was beside her in an instant.
She wanted to push the young woman away, but she didn’t have the strength. She clasped Mavis’ arm and sank into a chair.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated on breathing.
Mavis knelt in front of her and pushed a cold glass into her hands.
Weakness had never been a luxury Lucy Dunbar could afford. Life wasn’t fair, and the only way she knew how to hold her own was to confront the enemy. The enemy here was Mavis Panzeri.
This time when she needed to be strong, she found she couldn’t. “What do you want?” She’d lost almost everyone she’d ever loved, and for once in her life, she was too tired to fight.
Mavis pulled another kitchen chair closer to Lucy. “I want to know why you hate me? What have I done to you?”
Lucy didn’t want to get into this again—or ever. “I don’t hate you.”
“You could have fooled me. If you don’t hate me, why have you tried so hard to keep me away from Dex?”
Mavis’ voice broke on the last word, and Lucy saw tears pooling in the younger woman’s eyes. Her own eyes welled in response, and she dashed the wetness away with her dishtowel and pure determination. How could she make this young woman understand?
So many of those she’d loved had been taken from her. The babies she hadn’t gotten a chance to hold, her parents and husband, and now her son. An equally hard blow had been losing Dex’s
mother. She’d loved Mariam like a daughter, and watching her son grieve had almost defeated her.
A high-pitched whistle chased away Lucy’s memories. The teakettle she’d placed on the burner before Mavis had barged into the kitchen was ready. She pushed herself to her feet. Grabbing a second cup and teabag, she brewed them both a cup.
“Thank you, Mrs. Dunbar.” Appearing to have regained her composure, Mavis reached out and took the mug. The soft thump resonated through the quiet room as she placed the cup on the table.
This young woman was nearly as stoical as Lucy herself, and she had to admire the trait.
Mavis stood right in front of Lucy. The tears were gone from her eyes. “Six years ago, I let you push me away from the only man I’ve ever loved. You don’t get to do that again. This is between Dex and me.”
Lucy pulled in a deep breath and barely managed to keep her voice even. “You’ll only hurt him.” Oh, how she wished her husband were here. He’d had always been able to make people understand what was right and what was wrong.
“The last thing I would do is hurt Dex, or you.”
“But you will.” Despair washed over her then desolation at the realization Mavis wasn’t going away. As she stared at the woman her grandson loved, anger and sorrow took charge.
“You didn’t watch a woman you loved like a daughter lie in a hospital bed in a coma for almost two weeks. You didn’t hold her hand as they turned off the machines keeping her alive and you didn’t watch her life fade away.”
“Mrs. Dunbar, I—” Mavis shook her head as she spoke, but Lucy wasn’t done yet.
“You didn’t have to answer little boys’ questions as to where their mama was or see your son grieve for his wife ‘til you knew he was going to die, too.” Lucy pulled in a shaky breath, but now that she was started, she couldn’t quit. “She was a lot like you, you know. Always with the horses. If she hadn’t insisted on riding . . . If she’d only stayed where she belonged, those little boys would have a mother, and my son wouldn’t have been so lonely all these years.”
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