“Don’t worry about me,” she assured him. “I just want everything to turn out okay for you.”
Reaching across the small console, he clutched her hand. “Everything will turn out okay, Rosa. As long as you’re with me.”
What did he mean exactly? Was he trying to say he loved and needed her? She would have liked to ask him. But now was not the time go into it.
Up ahead a tall scalloped wall built of yellow sandstone came into view. And in the center of the rock fence, an iron gate embellished with the ranch’s brand stood imposingly.
Once they reached it, Tyler pressed a button and the gates mechanically opened to allow them entrance. As the Rocking P ranch house came into full view, Rosalinda leaned slightly forward and stared at the majestic sight.
The massive two-story structure was built in Spanish style with beige textured walls and terracotta shingles. The windows and doors were trimmed with dark brown wood while a ground-level porch ran the full width of the front.
Live oaks and cottonwoods created a deep shade upon the manicured lawn, while blooming crepe myrtles and climbing bougainvilleas splashed the area with colors of white, red and magenta. How could such a splintered family live in such splendid beauty? she wondered.
“This is where your parents live?” she asked, trying not to appear awestruck.
“Yes. This is where I grew up. My paternal grandparents first started the ranch, but they both passed on many years ago.” He gestured toward the north. “The house I built for DeeDee is about a mile over in that direction.”
“You built a house just for her?”
He grimaced. “She said she wanted more privacy. And I was trying to make her happy. I didn’t know then that I was attempting an impossible feat.”
He must have been crazy about the woman to have gone to such lengths to please her, Rosalinda thought. But it could be that he tried so hard with DeeDee simply because he’d not wanted to admit failure. The same way she’d fought so uselessly to hang on to Dale. Funny how her relationship with Tyler had opened her eyes to the mistakes she’d made back then. Not only that, he was making her view the future in an entirely different light. Instead of focusing solely on being a good deputy, she was daring to dream about having a family.
A circular drive took them directly in front of the house. As she and Tyler walked up to the door, she told herself not to be intimidated by the wealth around her or the idea of meeting Warren Pickens. He might bully his wife, but Rosalinda wouldn’t allow him to strike fear in her. These past few years on her own had taught her to stand up for herself and her beliefs.
Tyler was pushing the doorbell when the sound of a vehicle skidding on gravel had them both looking over their shoulders to see a red pickup truck had braked to a jarring halt behind their rental car.
A tall man in cowboy gear, complete with a straw hat and spurs, climbed down from the cab and strode toward them. Almost instantly, Rosalinda decided he had to be Tyler’s twin. Although they didn’t resemble each other in facial features or coloring, there was something about this man’s lithe stride and the carriage of his head that reminded her of Tyler.
“The maid has bad knees. It takes her forever to answer the ring,” he said as he approached them. “Can I help—?”
His words abruptly trailed away as he stepped onto the porch and stared straight at Tyler.
“Hello, Trent.”
The other man’s mouth fell open and his tanned complexion turned the color of a mushroom. For a split second, Rosalinda thought he was going to keel over in a faint.
“Ty! What are you doing here?” he finally got out.
Tyler’s bland expression didn’t change. “I flew in to see Mom.”
Trent pulled off the straw and swatted it against the side of his leg. The removal of the hat revealed a shock of tawny-colored hair clipped close to his head. He ran his fingers through the flattened strands while seeming to attempt to collect himself.
“Oh. So you got the news that she was sick.”
“Connie called me.”
The corners of his mouth turned downward. “She would. When Mom was out of it with high fever she kept calling your name. Guess Connie thought it would do her some good to see you.”
No hugs or smiles, Rosalinda thought sadly. Not even a handshake. But how did a man greet the one who’d stolen his wife from him? Civility would be the most to expect, she supposed.
“She’s in bad shape,” Tyler said.
Trent made a dismissive wave of his hand as though his brother were discussing a cow or horse. “Mom is a tough old boot. She’ll be fine.” Walking past Rosalinda without any sort of acknowledgment of her presence, he went over to the door and opened it. “Y’all might as well come in and make yourselves comfortable.”
They followed him into the house and passed through a long foyer before finally entering a large, richly furnished, sitting room.
“Is Dad home?” Tyler asked. “I didn’t see him at the hospital. Hasn’t he been staying near Mom?”
Trent chuckled and Rosalinda couldn’t decide whether the sound was an expression of amusement or sarcasm. As far as she was concerned, neither was appropriate. And just in these few short minutes since Tyler’s twin had arrived, she was beginning to see exactly how different these two men were.
“You know Dad, he hates hospitals,” Trent said. “Reminds him of his own mortality, I guess. And God knows the man never intends to die.” His spurs jangled as he crossed the carpeted floor. At a wet bar he picked up a bottle of Kentucky bourbon and splashed a goodly amount into a squat tumbler. “You two want a drink? I’ve had a hell of a mornin’. I need one.”
Because he’d found his long-lost brother on the porch? As she watched the man toss back the whiskey, she realized it was Trent who was shaken by the sight of Tyler. Not the other way around.
“No, thank you,” Rosalinda told him.
Moving to Rosalinda’s side, Tyler curved his arm against the back of her waist. Trent set his glass aside and walked over to where they stood.
“I’m Trent Pickens,” he introduced himself to Rosalinda. “Tyler’s twin. I’m sure he’s told you about me.”
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Tyler. His jaw was tight, but other than that she couldn’t read what he was possibly thinking at this moment.
“I’m Rosalinda Lightfoot. And yes, Tyler’s mentioned you.”
He didn’t bother to shake her hand; instead, he threw back his head and laughed. “Mentioned?” He darted a cocky glance at Tyler. “Man, I thought after all we’ve been through together I’d deserve more than a mention.”
“Rosa and I have better things to discuss,” Tyler said.
“Oooh—ouch. I guess I had that coming.”
Rosalinda was wondering if Trent Pickens was a complete idiot, or if he’d been nipping at the bourbon bottle more than once this morning, when an elderly woman with a gray pixie cut and an extremely thin frame walked into the room. Since an apron was tied over her dark skirt and white blouse, she figured this had to be the maid with bad knees.
“Verbena!” Tyler hurried over to the woman and gave her a hug that lifted her slight form completely off the floor.
“Mr. Tyler! You put me down before you break my old bones!” she ordered with a laugh. As soon as he set the woman on the floor, the maid stepped away in order to eye him fully. “Oh! Oh, my! What a sight for sore eyes. You look good. Real good. I was so happy when Miss Connie called you.”
Tyler grinned at the woman who’d once fed him cookies and dried his tears. “And you still look as pretty as a June mornin’. How have you been?”
“Pining to see your face again.” Beaming with pleasure, she latched on to his arm. “Now you and your beautiful young lady get freshened up and join me back in the kitchen. When Miss Connie told me you’d
be coming, I started cooking, so I’ve got all sorts of good things for you to eat.”
“We’ll be there in a few minutes,” he promised.
Verbena left the room, and Trent rubbed his hands together in a gesture of nervous anticipation. Was he already thinking there was going to be trouble between their father and Tyler?
“So how long are you going to stay around, brother?”
“Long enough to see Dad and then leave.”
Trent’s brows lifted with surprise. “You’re not going to show Rosalinda around the ranch?” Then before Tyler could make any sort of reply, he went on in a sarcastic voice, “DeeDee will be hurt if she misses seeing you.”
“I’ll just bet,” Tyler muttered. Then with his hand on Rosalinda’s arm, he guided her out of the room and away from his twin brother.
Down a short hallway, he pointed to a door. “There’s the powder room. Take all the time you need. When you’re finished just follow this hallway to the end and you’ll find the kitchen. I’ll wait for you there.”
She caught him by the arm. “Before you go, Ty, I—” She paused and shook her head. “This is probably the wrong time for me to say anything, but your brother is either the most insensitive man I’ve ever met or he’s got mental issues.”
He glanced over his shoulder as though he half expected to see Trent following them. “Sorry, Rosa. I realize this has to be uncomfortable for you. But I wanted you with me. To see Mom. And to be honest, a part of me wanted my family to see the woman in my life. But I should have stopped to think what I might be subjecting you to.”
Not caring who might see them, she slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. “Oh, Ty, don’t worry about me. With my job I hear things I wouldn’t repeat to anyone in a dark closet. It’s just that to hear your brother’s remarks and see his attitude toward you—well, angry doesn’t quite describe how it makes me feel.”
Down the hallway toward the front of the house, the sound of a door opening, then slamming shut, reverberated back to them. Seconds later, an engine fired to life, then quickly faded away.
“Guess that was all he wanted to see of me,” Tyler spoke the obvious.
“I think I’d be relieved.”
He nodded glumly. “Trent could always be obnoxious, but the years have clearly changed him. Big-time. I figure that was probably the second or third drink he’s had this morning.”
“That crossed my mind, too.” She kissed his cheek, then eased out of his arms. “Go on to the kitchen and relax, Ty. I’ll be there in just a few minutes,” she promised.
* * *
When Tyler reached the kitchen, Verbena had already set two places at a red chrome-and-Formica table and chairs. Instead of taking a seat, he walked over to where the older woman was at the sink, filling two glasses with tap water.
“Verbena, you don’t have to go to all this trouble. Rosa and I can wait on ourselves.”
Frowning at him, she carried the drinks over to the table. “It’s lunchtime and I know you’ve not had time to eat yet. This is my job, Ty. God only knows why I keep doing it. I’ve tried to quit, but Edie always begs me not to go.”
Lifting his hat from his head, he walked over and hung it on a wall peg. “I’m sure she does. You’re the only one around here she can truly depend on and trust.”
With a hand on her hip, she turned to face him. “And how would you know that? You haven’t been here in what? Nine, ten years?”
“Almost ten,” he answered. “But Mom has called and sent letters. She tells me things.”
“Humph. Probably only skims the surface of what goes on around here. It’s like a regular soap opera, Ty. Sometimes I tell myself I can’t quit just because I want to see what happens in the next episode.”
“You’ve been with the family since I was a little boy. You’ve seen a lot of things happen around here.” He moved across the room to where she stood by the table. “When did Trent become such a mess? We’d hardly walked into the house a few minutes ago, when he started belting back bourbon like a villain in the Long Branch Saloon.”
Verbena shook her head. “Trent’s always been a mess. You know that. After you left, he got worse. And now that him and DeeDee have split the sheets, he’s sliding straight toward the hog wallow.”
Tyler was stunned by this news, although he didn’t know why he should be surprised. Both his ex-wife and his brother were self-centered and irresponsible. That sort of pairing could do nothing but implode. “DeeDee and Trent have divorced?”
“Not yet. But Trent stays over here most of the time. He’s trying to figure out how to protect his holdings without DeeDee taking him to the cleaners.” With a disapproving sniff, she walked back over to the cabinet. “If you ask me, he deserves to be taken to the cleaners. Serve him right for what he did to you.”
“Ending up with DeeDee as his wife is quite a punishment in itself, Verbena.”
His statement brought the woman’s head around and she studied Tyler with amazement. “Is that all you have to say about the man? I figured you’d want to see his head on a chopping block.”
Tyler gazed over toward the windows, but beyond the paned glass he was seeing the past, not the shaded yard. “Maybe a long time ago I would have liked that.” And maybe even a month ago he would have liked to knock Trent on his can, he thought dourly. But meeting Rosalinda and seeing her courage and strength had done something to all that anger he’d been carrying around. Now it seemed like a senseless waste of time and energy. “Back when I was trying so hard to please Dad,” he went on. “But not now. It doesn’t give me any pleasure to see Trent unhappy.”
“Hmm. You not only look different, Ty. You’ve changed on the inside. And it all looks mighty fine to me,” Verbena said proudly.
At that moment Rosalinda stepped into the room. Tyler walked over to meet her and reveled in the pleasure of curling his arm around her slender waist. “Come over here and let me introduce you properly to Verbena. She’s a fixture here on the ranch.”
Verbena winked at Rosalinda. “That’s right. When I’m not cooking or cleaning, I stand in for a pole lamp or a coatrack.”
Smiling warmly, Rosalinda said, “I’m very glad to meet you, Verbena. Call me Rosa.”
Instead of shaking Rosalinda’s hand, the other woman grabbed her up in a hug. “Rosa, you must be mighty special for Tyler to bring you here to the Rocking P.”
As Tyler watched, a blush spread across Rosalinda’s face, he realized just how much their relationship had grown since they’d first met. And bringing her here to meet his family, even as dysfunctional as they were, still meant something to him. It meant he was crazy in love with the woman. But did it mean he wanted to try marriage once again? That was a question he was going to have to answer soon. For his own sake and for Rosalinda’s.
“Well, we’ve not known each other all that long,” Rosa told her. “But I think he’s beginning to like me.”
“I have a feeling he does,” Verbena replied with a knowing chuckle, then made a shooing motion toward the table. “You two go sit. I’ll bring the food over. I made enchiladas, since they were always your favorite.”
After they were seated and Verbena had laid the food out in front of them, she took a seat at the opposite end of the table and sipped from a tall glass of sweet tea.
Between bites, Tyler said, “Dad wasn’t at the hospital with Mom. Where is he?”
“Oh, him and John Robert went to the cattle auction over in Llano. I expect they’ll be back before dark.”
“So John Robert is still the foreman around here?”
“Yeah. Guess he’s like me, he’ll be around the place ’til he dies.” Glancing at him over the edge of her glass, she asked, “What about Gib? Is he still with you?”
“Yes. And I guess he’ll be with me until he dies,” Tyler told he
r.
Verbena smiled, and Tyler thought he saw a mist of tears in the old woman’s eyes. “I’m glad to hear it. I miss him. But he was smart to go with you. He doesn’t have to see the Pickens family trying to claw each other apart.”
Tyler had felt those claws, too. And at one time they’d cut him deep. Strange how he felt immune to them now. “Has Dad gone to see Mom since she entered the hospital?” Tyler asked.
“He was with her when she was admitted. After that, he hasn’t been back. Says he’ll see her when they get her fixed and she comes home.”
Tyler shared a disgusted look with Rosalinda. “Trent has changed, but I guess Dad hasn’t.”
“Guess you’ll find that out when he gets home.”
“Yeah. I guess I will.”
* * *
After they finished eating, Tyler showed Rosalinda around the house. He’d not felt particularly inclined to visit his old room, but when she asked to see it, he couldn’t disappoint her.
As they walked across the upstairs landing, she said, “I had to share my bedroom with my sister. But this house is so huge I suppose you and Trent had your own separate rooms.”
“When Dad had the house built, I think he was planning on lots of kids, but after Mom had us twins, something happened and she couldn’t get pregnant anymore. Just as well, I suppose. She had her hands full with us.”
When they reached the door to his old bedroom, he paused with his hand on the knob. “No telling what’s in here now. After we were married, DeeDee and I didn’t use this room. She wanted one of the larger bedrooms. So this one is probably just used for a storage room now.”
“No matter,” she said with a gentle smile. “I can still imagine what it looked like when you were a little boy.”
Tyler opened the door, then followed behind her as she stepped into the room. But after two or three steps, he came to an abrupt halt and stared around him in wonder.
“I can’t believe this!”
His muttered exclamation had Rosalind looking back at him. “What’s wrong?”
“This room. It’s exactly like I left it years ago.”
The Deputy Gets Her Man Page 16
