Tandy wanted to sink through the floorboards at her feet.
Scarlett and Renata stared at her, their expressions revealing the horror and dread bouncing around in her stomach.
“He can’t go gallivanting.” Widow Riley’s disapproval was clear. “He’s a father. I’m sure Pearl’s mama wouldn’t approve.”
With a wave, Tandy was out the front door, almost tripping on the wooden steps in her haste to get away. “Banshee, load up,” she called out. Banshee came trotting around the porch, racing her to the truck and jumping into the truck bed and his waiting kennel.
Maybe she was overreacting. Okay, she was overreacting. Still, she didn’t want to hear what was next. She didn’t want to know about Click’s wife, his marriage, his perfect family life. If she was lucky, he’d sell Lynnie’s place and leave soon enough and she’d never have to see or hear the name Click Hale again. She hadn’t been lucky in a real long time.
“I take it you’re ready?” Renata asked, jogging to catch up.
She glared at her cousin, climbing into her truck and turning on the air-conditioning. “Scarlett coming?”
Renata nodded. “You sort of sprinted out of there.”
Tandy’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “He’s not coming, is he?” she managed.
“I don’t think so.” Renata’s hand gripped her forearm, squeezing gently. “I know things fell apart between you, but I’d like to think he’s still a little decent?”
Tandy rested her forehead on the steering wheel. “He...was.” But seeing his daughter made her pause. Fourteen months. What did that say about him? The sting of tears infuriated her. She’d been lost in anguish and guilt so heavy it had almost crushed her. He’d started a family.
More important, what did that say about the love he’d claimed to feel for her? She had yet to date, let alone think about being intimate with another man. If he’d really loved her the way he said he did, how could he? No matter what she said and did, the grief was there every second of every day—a gnawing, aching pain. How could he replace her? How could he replace their...their daughter so easily?
It hurt to breathe.
“You sure you guys want to do this?” Scarlett asked, pulling the truck door closed behind her.
“Yes,” Tandy said, throwing the truck in gear. She no longer doubted the logic behind Renata’s reasoning. “Absolutely sure.” A couple of shots were the only way she’d get any sleep tonight.
* * *
CLICK STOOD, STARING down the dirt road. The stone house was quiet now, too quiet. Only Brody and Miss Francis were left. And, suddenly, Click was in no hurry to see them go.
“What the hell was that about?” Brody asked. “You and Tandy?”
“How much time do you have?” Click asked, only partly teasing. He liked Brody Wallace well enough. Not that they’d spent a lot of time together—Brody’s parents worried about Click being a bad influence on their only son.
“Sure it’s hard on her,” Miss Francis said. “Poor thing is her age, without a man or child to care for. And then you show up, with a sweet little angel to boot.” She smiled at Pearl. “Can I?” she asked, holding out her hands.
Pearl didn’t object, so he didn’t either. After holding her for hours, it felt odd to have empty arms.
“First love is always the hardest to get over,” Miss Francis said, bouncing Pearl on her hip. “If I recall correctly, you two had it bad.”
Click didn’t correct the older woman. But he knew the truth. Tandy wasn’t jealous, she was disgusted. She couldn’t stand to be in his presence. She’d made that perfectly clear two years ago, so broken and withdrawn in that damn hospital bed. And now this—Pearl—so soon after... He could barely look himself in the eye.
Miss Francis was right about recovering, though. He’d met Tandy over twenty years ago, and she still made his heart skip a beat.
“When will Pearl’s mama be joining you?” Miss Francis asked.
“She won’t,” Click was quick to answer.
Georgia wouldn’t be visiting for some time. The drug treatment facility she’d signed herself into lasted a minimum of sixty days. He was proud of her for getting the help she desperately needed, but he was devastated that it had taken her so long to get it. Not that he’d known. He’d left Tandy in the hospital and headed to a bar. That drunken weekend with Georgia was a blur of alcohol and grief. He’d been out of his mind and broken. They’d parted ways at weekend’s end, and he hadn’t heard or seen her since. Until a week ago. Her phone call had changed his life.
“So you’re in this on your own?” Brody piped up.
Click sighed. “Yep.”
“This a new development?” Miss Francis asked. “Don’t get your tail feathers ruffled when I say this, but you look a little green when it comes to caretaking this baby.”
“That I am.” Click nodded, smiling at his daughter. One of Pearl’s little fingers worried the beadwork on Miss Francis’s sweater. “I was bringing Pearl here, counting on Lynnie to show me what to do. But now...” He shook his head, staring around the house. After chastising him for having a child out of wedlock, Lynnie would have been over the moon about Pearl. She loved babies, loved children. It was one of the great injustices of life that he’d been born to people like his parents while a woman like Lynnie Hale was childless.
“Oh, Lynnie would eat her up,” Miss Francis said, smiling at Pearl. “She’s the sweetest thing, Click. You’re a lucky man.”
He reminded himself of that regularly. Pearl was healthy. Considering Georgia’s drug problem, that was nothing short of a miracle. He had no way of knowing if she’d used through her pregnancy, no way of knowing what his daughter had been exposed to the first year of her life. He’d been hard-pressed to believe Pearl was his, but the DNA test had confirmed it, and Click stepped up. If he hadn’t, his daughter would be in CPS custody.
“I’m going to miss your Gramma Lynnie, too,” Miss Francis said to Pearl. “Who am I going to quilt with? Or go to ladies’ meetings with? Or drive me into Alpine now and then to shop—I hate driving in traffic.”
Click grinned. There was no traffic in Fort Kyle. There were four lights, around town square, and nothing else. Alpine wasn’t much bigger. “I’ll drive you.”
Miss Francis smiled. “I’ll take you up on that, Click.”
“Guess I should be heading out,” Brody said. “Not often I get a night out. Not that Fort Kyle’s nightlife can compare to the Dallas scene.”
“Enjoy it,” Click said.
Brody held his hand out. “I’m glad you’re back, Click, even if I’m sorry for the circumstances. It’ll be nice to have someone male from this generation around when I visit.”
Click shook his hand. “Thanks.”
Miss Francis laughed. “S’pose Fort Kyle is more for those already settled.”
Click looked at his daughter. He was settled now, as settled as he planned to get. He didn’t know where he and Pearl would end up, but he’d make sure she had a roof over her head and food in her little stomach. It wasn’t much, but it was more than he’d had growing up.
“Have fun,” Click said.
“Be safe,” Miss Francis joined in. “Roads get awful dark. Drinking’s not going to help.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Brody said, tipping his hat her way, and leaving.
Pearl cooed, her gurgling noises a mystery to him. But she looked so damn cute, all big eyes, button nose and bubble-blowing lips, he was hard-pressed not to laugh.
“You got what you need?” Miss Francis asked. “Baby supplies?”
He shrugged. “Still figuring that out. Diapers, wipes, food, bottles, formula, car seat and a foldable bed.”
“Clothing?” Miss Francis asked, her brow furrowing.
He nodded. “Enough.”
“I have four children and thirteen grandchildren, C
lick Hale. If you need a thing, I’m a phone call away, you hear me?” Miss Francis asked. “How long have you had her?”
“A week.”
Miss Francis stared at him. “A surprise?”
He nodded.
“You go take yourself a shower and a nap, if you want. Me and little miss here will do just fine.” Miss Francis waved him away. “Or, if you’re not tired, you go on and join Brody and the girls. Might do you some good to get out for a while.”
Click almost argued. Almost. “I’ll hit the shower.” He nodded, heading toward the guest room he’d always stayed in when he visited Lynnie. It didn’t feel right to stay in her room. He stood under the hot water and closed his eyes. He half expected her to bang on the bathroom door to remind him to get behind his ears—like she’d always done. Like he could get filthy behind his ears. He hadn’t minded, though. It’d been nice to know someone cared if he was clean or not.
The last week he’d showered with the curtain and bathroom door wide open—in case Pearl had needed him. He was terrified she’d climb out of her bed or get out of their hotel room or pull something dangerous into her crib. None of which made sense since he went a little overboard baby-proofing wherever they went. He had one job, keeping her safe. The money he’d saved up on the rodeo circuit, first riding pickup then scouting stock, was enough to get by on for now. He planned on staying at Lynnie’s place for a while, until he had to leave. He hoped he had some regrouping time before that happened.
He climbed out of the shower and dried off. He ran a hand over his tattoo, a barbed-wire band circling his upper left arm. Tandy’s name was forever inked on his skin. With a sigh, he wrapped a towel around his waist and headed into his bedroom. But lying on the bed, staring at the spinning ceiling fan overhead, wasn’t relaxing. His brain was too caught up in sifting through the events of the day.
He ran a hand through his wet hair and sat up.
He should stay put. Miss Francis was giving him time to sleep, without jumping up every time Pearl squeaked or fussed. If he lay there long enough, his mind would shut off and he’d get some sleep. That’s what he should do.
He should not get up, drive his sorry ass into Fort Kyle and straight to the Tumbleweed. He should not make this day worse than it already was. She didn’t want him there. Hell, she’d all but run from the house when Brody mentioned it. Going would do nothing but make him hurt worse.
He snorted, doubting that was possible. Besides, pain was part of his daily life. It reminded him he was alive and breathing. His mind wandered immediately to her.
Tandy.
The three seconds she’d looked at him... His heart had thumped in his chest, every nerve alive and firing. He swallowed, remembering every detail of her face. Eyes so deep and rich he’d happily drown in their hazel-green depths. Golden hair thick and soft, silk beneath the fingers, he knew. Her smile, for Pearl, had been so bright. That’s what Tandy was—the light in his otherwise dark life.
Chapter Three
“Are you sure you don’t want another one?” Renata was already waving down the bartender.
“I’m sure.” Tandy covered Renata’s hand with her own. “How many fingers am I holding up?” She held up four fingers and waited.
Renata frowned, her eyes narrowing then going wide. “Three? Four? I’m so not drunk.”
Tandy gripped her cousin’s arm to keep her from slipping off the bar stool. “Right.”
“But this is the last one,” their cousin Scarlett joined in, giggling. “Here’s to a long-overdue cousin reunion.”
It had been a long time since they’d been together. Since the summer between junior and senior year. Uncle Woodrow sent her home—so ashamed of her behavior she wondered if she’d ever be welcome at Fire Gorge again. Since then, life and distance got in the way. Renata lived in Stonewall Crossing with her father—Uncle Teddy—and her brothers. Scarlett called Fort Kyle home, helping her parents run their dude ranch: Fire Gorge. Unlike her cousins, Tandy wanted to stay as far away from her mother and her childhood home in Montana as possible.
“Too long.” Tandy lifted her almost-empty beer bottle. “To cousins.” Her bottle clinked against Scarlett’s bottle and Renata’s refilled shot glass. They might be cousins, but Tandy had always considered them more like sisters. And best friends.
“Looks like I’ll have to move here, too,” Renata said, downing her shot and slamming it against the bar.
Tandy winced. “I’m still considering this a trial run. No roots are being planted, not yet.” Especially now that Click was in town. Not thinking about Click.
“Have you ever planted roots?” Scarlett asked, her large blue eyes clear. She had yet to finish her first beer.
Tandy shrugged. “Guess not. Not in ground I’d picked anyway.”
“Here’s to picking your own ground,” Renata said, raising her empty shot glass. “Hey,” she murmured, looking inside.
“You just drank it.” Tandy nudged Scarlett. Renata had definitely exceeded her limit.
Scarlett nodded, giggling again. “Yep, good toast.”
Renata smiled a wobbly smile.
“Now it’s time to head out.” Scarlett’s giggles came from an even mix of amusement and worry. Amusement over Renata’s state and worry over being caught, out so late and drinking.
Scarlett’s father, Uncle Woodrow, tended to keep a ridiculously tight rein on his kids—on all of them—even if they were all grown. Unlike her beloved uncle Teddy, Woodrow Boone had always been an overbearing pain in the rear, and some things never changed.
Tandy was willing to overlook his control issues since he’d helped her get this job. A good-paying job, doing something she loved to do, in a place she had some of her very best memories in. Fort Kyle held a special place in her heart. Moving here to help Uncle Woodrow’s buddy out at the local vet clinic was the best offer she’d received in a long time. And since Tandy had received her second thanks-but-no-thanks letter from the veterinary school in Stonewall Crossing, she took Uncle Woodrow’s offer as a sign.
Until today. Today had made everything topsy-turvy in her head.
“Guess the drinking didn’t help?” Scarlett asked, studying her.
Tandy sighed, smiling. “Sorry.” Relaxing just wasn’t in the cards for tonight.
Renata sniffed. “Maybe one more?”
Tandy shook her head. One more drink would give her a hangover—one more thing to deal with. Her sadness wasn’t going anywhere. It pressed, cold and heavy, into her bones. Lynnie Hale was gone. Even though it had been years since she’d sat in the dear woman’s kitchen, she was devastated. Lynnie had been more of a mother to her than the woman who had birthed her.
“It’s getting late. Lynnie wouldn’t approve of you being hungover because of her passing.” Scarlett’s attempt to guilt Renata into action failed.
They all knew the older woman would find it hilarious. Lynnie had had a wonderful sense of humor and a laugh that rolled over you like warm sunshine.
“You’d rather, what, go to bed? We’re young...attractive... Let’s live a little.” Renata hiccuped, all rosy cheeked and adorable.
Tandy wasn’t the only one hurting, but she didn’t know how to make it better. Aside from Lynnie’s passing, Renata was nursing a broken heart. Well, maybe not broken, but sore. She’d been dating rodeo emcee Mitchell Lee on and off for a few months now. He’d called the night before to tell her he wasn’t going to be in town for a while so she was free to date whomever she wanted. Renata wasn’t taking it well. Her six shots of tequila were proof of that.
“Fort Kyle isn’t exactly a late-night hot spot.” Tandy pointed around the dwindling crowd at the one and only bar in forty miles. The Tumbleweed sat right outside Fort Kyle’s city limits. It wasn’t officially a dry county, but the locals didn’t approve of excessive social drinking. If you were out drinking late, everyone in
town knew about it the next day.
Another reason Scarlett was probably getting nervous. “And we still have to drive back.”
“Sing with me,” Renata pleaded. “One song and we’ll go.” But her attempt to slide off the bar stool had her gripping the counter and swaying where she stood. “Or you two sing.”
Scarlett said, watching Renata closely, “You need bed. And water. And probably some Tylenol.”
“Tandy?” Renata asked. “Please?”
She was tired and her head was starting to hurt, but she considered it. “By myself?” The Tumbleweed’s karaoke night had consisted of five singers, all of whom sang loudly and off-key. She couldn’t do much worse.
“Sing ‘Cowboy Take Me Away’? It’s our song, remember?” Renata’s smile wobbled.
Tandy and Scarlett exchanged a look. How could she forget?
“Then we can go?” Tandy asked.
“Then we can go.” Renata nodded, a little too quickly—her hands gripping the bar to steady herself.
“I’m going to get you some water.” Scarlett marched down the bar to the bartender.
“She’s a little uptight,” Renata mumbled. “You’ll have to help with that.”
Tandy winked at her, patting Renata’s arm. Scarlett could use a little more fun in her life. Maybe not six-shots-of-tequila fun, but fun. Hell, so could Tandy. Now that her late nights of studying and babysitting the newest crop of Boone nieces and nephews and cousins were behind her, she had a pretty clear social calendar.
“The room is spinning,” Renata muttered, swaying where she stood.
“No, that would be the shots.” Tandy steadied her. “I’m really sorry about Mitchell.”
“His loss,” Scarlett said, pressing a water glass into Renata’s hand. “Drink.”
Renata’s nose wrinkled, but she took a long swallow.
“He’s an idiot. You don’t want to be saddled with an idiot for the rest of your life.” Tandy grinned. “You have brothers for that.”
Cowboy Lullaby (The Boones 0f Texas Book 6) Page 3
