“I learned the synonyms, but she asked us for antonyms.”
He didn’t buy his story. “Wait in the car while I speak with her.” He placed a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll study harder next time.”
When Cody didn’t make eye contact as he climbed into the car, Tanner’s heart cracked. He inhaled, hoping to find the strength to understand. Maybe he wasn’t fit to be a dad. For sure, he never would understand the teenage mind.
Since he’d spoken with each of Cody’s teachers when he’d enrolled his son, he knew the location of Aubrey’s classroom.
He knocked and entered. The pretty redhead stood. “Hey, Tanner. Sorry about calling you at work.”
“No problem. I’m glad you did. If there is an issue with Cody, I want to address it right away.”
She motioned they sit at one of the student tables. She handed Tanner the vocabulary test, and he read through it and leaned back. “I’m stunned.”
“I was, too. In class, Cody seemed in command of vocabulary.”
“Any theories?”
“May I be honest?”
“Please do.”
She drew in her bottom lip as if debating how much to say. “Before class started the other day, I was sitting at my desk when both Cody and Alice Miller came in.”
“From what I’ve been told, they seem to be friends.”
“Yes. They’re both new, which is why they probably bonded. Alice does very well in English. I spoke with a few of Cody’s other teachers, and they pretty much say the same thing. He’s great in math and science, but English, Spanish, and history aren’t his thing. They also commented on his attitude.”
Tanner knew what that report would reveal. “He’s withdrawn. I get it, but he’s a bright kid.”
“He is. He seems to like Alice, but he also seems attached to someone named Hailey.”
Tanner was afraid of that. “She’s the vet at the ranch.”
“Tell me about her.”
She’s beautiful, amazing, and sexy. “She has a heart of gold.” He explained how Cody had met her his first day at the ranch. “The two bonded really well. They both like science. Over the last two weeks, she’d come in from the barn and chat with Cody as if he’s really important to her.”
Aubrey leaned back. “Then I don’t see the problem.”
His pulse sped up. “The problem could be that Cody knows she’ll be leaving to go back home in two days. She was hired to replace Charley Higgins. Now he’s ready to come back full-time.”
“I see.”
“You see what?” Tanner leaned forward.
“When you enrolled Cody, you mentioned that the only two people in his life had been his mom and his aunt. Now both are gone. He might not know how to relate to men as well as he does to women. Hailey might represent a mother figure, someone he really needs in his life. If he thinks she’ll abandon him, this could be his way of acting out.”
Tanner whistled. “Wow. You could be right.” I’ll miss Hailey even more. “Are you saying, I should ask Hailey to stay around for Cody’s sake?” His pulse raced. Did he want to guilt her into staying?
She cocked a brow. “No. That wouldn’t really solve anything long-term, but at some point you might want to think about having a woman figure around for Cody.”
He planned to, and he wanted it to be Hailey. Tanner stood and shook her hand. “I appreciate you letting me know. Please keep me informed of his behavior.”
“I will. And good luck. He’s a sweet boy.”
Tanner nodded and headed out. Now what was he going to say to Cody? And what was he going to do about Hailey?
Chapter Fifteen
By the time Hailey finished work on Friday night, she stopped in at the main house to fill Jackson in on the good news.
“Hello?”
Wearing a towel around his waist, acting as if being mostly naked was commonplace, Jackson strolled down the hallway, rubbing his hair dry. “Hey, Pleasure. You look pleased.”
“I am.” She followed him into the kitchen. “I believe almost all of the cows are going to make it. They’re a little dehydrated, but Connor and a few of the other men have spent the last two days flushing out their systems.” Three had died, but if the rest survived, Jackson should consider himself lucky.
He grinned, looking amazingly manly. If they hadn’t already discussed not having sex in the house, she would have suggested a little diversion.
Tanner came in from the garage to the kitchen. “Hey.”
She smiled. Jackson finished rubbing his hair and tossed the towel he’d used on the kitchen counter and then grabbed a bottle of water. “I need to ask both of you a favor,” Jackson said.
Tanner shrugged. “What is it?”
“I need to leave really early tomorrow morning to set up the rodeo, and I could use your help.”
“No problem,” Tanner said.
He’d said he needed a favor from both of them. “What do you need me to do?” Her mind was still back on the cows.
“Could you stop over around eight and maybe stay with Cody until ten then drive him over to the rodeo?”
That implied that Tanner would be busy earlier in the morning, also. “Sure. No problem. It’ll give me more time to spend with him.” Tanner had said that Cody had grown attached to her, but one more day wouldn’t hurt.
“Great.”
Cody was probably upstairs. “I need to leave before Cody asks me to stay for dinner and then help with his homework.”
“Yeah. It’s probably for the best,” Tanner said.
She nodded then turned to Jackson. “Hope you beat the pants off of Sam McLean on the bull ride tomorrow.”
“Not a problem.” He grinned, but the slight wobble to his smile told her anything could happen.
She hustled out the back to her car. Tonight she’d pack then maybe catch a movie, as she needed to take her mind off of what tomorrow would bring.
* * * *
The next morning dawned clear, and the weather forecast said it would be sunny and in the midsixties again. Holly couldn’t ask for a better day to watch a rodeo. This fund-raiser was so important to not only the Baldwin family but to the town of Sanctuary, and she prayed it would be a huge success.
She dressed in old jeans, scuffed boots, and layered her top, ready for any kind of weather. The drive to the Baldwin ranch was bittersweet. She loved the flat plains with the majestic mountains in the distance. To think that in a mere two weeks, she’d lost her heart three times. Okay, four if she counted the wonderful Samson. They’d really bonded.
She stepped in through the back of the house. “Hello?”
Footsteps sounded, and a few seconds later, Tanner emerged from the hallway. “Hey, beautiful. Thanks for coming.”
“No problem.” She was happy to spend time with Cody.
“Cody and I ate breakfast. He’s upstairs.” He walked to the stairway. “Hey, Cody? Hailey’s here.”
He stilled for a moment then pulled her to him. “Thank you for everything.” He dragged a thumb down her cheek then kissed her. It was a sweet kiss, and she wanted more. “You sure you don’t want to move to Sanctuary?”
“You going to support me?” She was only half kidding. If she could find a job here, she’d love to stay.
“Hmm. Maybe you can ask the boss for a raise.” He grinned, and she lightly punched him on the shoulder.
“Go. We’ll say hi when we get there.”
He kissed her once more. On the second attempt, he took more time and her body ached with need. Fortunately he broke the kiss just as Cody’s bedroom door opened and he trotted down the stairs.
Tanner hugged his son. “Listen to Hailey.”
Cody didn’t answer.
As soon as Tanner left, she faced him. “What do want to do for two hours?”
Cody looked to the ceiling then back at her. “You want to see what I’ve done so far with the robot?”
“You brought your project home?”
; “Just for the weekend.”
She wondered if Mr. Hendrix knew about that. “Are you letting Alice get her hands on it?” Knowing Cody, he’d want to build it all by himself, which wouldn’t be fair to his friend.
He scrunched up his nose. “She’s a girl.”
Hailey laughed. “Show me this masterpiece.” They’d talk about gender equality another time.
Tanner had said how much Cody had grown attached to her, and she was flattered, but as much as she’d love to stay, she couldn’t. Without a full-time job, she wouldn’t have enough money to live on.
She followed Cody upstairs and into his room. Everything was neat.
“Does Tanner insist you make your bed?” Even Tanner’s room wasn’t this organized.
“No. I just like it that way.”
Control. It was his way of having some sense of order in his life after his mother’s death. “So where is this monster?”
Hailey had no idea what to expect. Would it move? Most likely, but how? Cody opened his closet and pulled out something that was slightly bigger than a shoebox. He cleared off his desk and placed the gray and white machine on the table.
“That looks impressive. How does it work?”
“It’s not finished. I’m going to put a catapult on it next. Right now all it does is move where I want it to.”
His excitement thrilled her. “Show me.” Using a box with a lever, he turned on the machine and made it go forward, backward, right, and left. “That’s really cool. Maybe you ought to have Alice help you build the rest.”
He gave her the “Cody shrug.”
“Maybe.”
This wasn’t working out like she’d hoped. “Look. We know Alice doesn’t like science, but maybe you can teach her to like it.”
His lips thinned. “She told me to build it.”
“That’s not being fair to her.”
He stopped moving the robot and faced her. “How?”
“You’re depriving Alice of the thrill of learning. Maybe if you show her how to build the catapult, she’ll help you with your writing projects.”
His lips skewed to the side. “Maybe.”
By the time he demonstrated what else the robot could do it was time to leave, so he carefully repacked the project and grabbed his coat.
“Ready?”
“Yeah.”
The drive took ten minutes, five minutes longer than normal, because of the steady line of traffic. “I didn’t expect the rodeo to be such a big deal. Looks like the whole town is showing up.”
“Jackson said people from all over the state come for this.”
She hadn’t heard of the event before, but that didn’t mean anything really. As much as she loved horses, she wasn’t a rodeo type of gal. Once she’d tried to rope a calf and failed miserably. Coordination was not her forte.
“Looks like we’ll have to walk a ways.”
“That’s okay.” Cody’s enthusiasm thrilled her.
They parked about a half mile from the back of Jackson’s father’s ranch house and then paid a small amount to get in.
“Let’s see what’s here.”
“Should we find Dad?”
“I bet he’s busy. He’ll find us when he has time.”
According to Jackson, his father had built a large stadium behind the main Baldwin home that probably sat close to a thousand spectators. Canned music blared everywhere. Food stands lined the north end of the area followed by booths that contained everything from jewelry, leather belts, and even guns. Oh, my. This was a time for everyone to make some money.
She bought Cody cotton candy, and he got more on his face than in his mouth. She laughed. “Maybe you should find your dad or Jackson and see if you can use the bathroom in the main house.”
“Okay.”
“When you come out, I’ll be right here. Find me, okay?”
“I will.” He raced off.
She was looking at the beautiful jewelry when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around. It was Alice. Hailey grinned. “Hey, you. You liking the rodeo?”
“Uh-huh.”
Sophie stood next to her, grinning. She understood. Seeing your child happy had to be the best feeling in the world.
“Where are your McLean men?” Hailey asked.
She swore Sophie blushed. “Alex is getting ready to ride the bull, and Mason went off to meet someone. And your men?”
“I haven’t seen them yet.” She wanted to speak with Sophie about the joint project, but maybe now wasn’t a good time.
Hailey had to checkout tomorrow morning, but hopefully, she’d have time then to chat.
Cody returned with Tanner in tow. Hailey turned just in time to catch Cody’s gaze fall on Alice.
Tanner wrapped an arm around Hailey’s waist and quirked a brow. He glanced at Sophie.
“Tanner, this is Sophie Miller and her daughter, Alice.” He’d seen them at the tea shop, but she wasn’t sure if he remembered.
“Ah. You two lovely ladies room next to Hailey.”
“Yes.” They both grinned.
Tanner squeezed Hailey’s waist. “The bull ride is about to begin and Jackson is up first.”
Her stomach churned. She wasn’t sure if she could stand to watch him get thrown. He’d be riding the McLeans’ bull, Darth Vader, to make it fair. She bet either Sam or Alex McLean would be on Samson. She wasn’t sure she could watch them either.
She turned to Sophie. “We’ll chat later.”
She nodded. The three of them followed the crowd into the stands. Jackson was standing in front of the gate where the bull was kept. Several men were on horses ready to control the beast as soon as Jackson flew off.
Prancing around the stadium were pretty girls on horses. They were carrying flags and smiling.
As soon as the three of them found seats, a gentleman stood at a platform at the back of the arena and tapped the microphone. He gave an impassioned speech about the charity and what this rodeo meant to the people of Sanctuary.
“All rise for the singing of the national anthem.”
A beautiful cowgirl, who looked high school age, did an amazing job with the song, and Hailey swore there wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium.
The emcee took the microphone. “First up is the highly anticipated bull riding competition.”
He listed the eight men who would be participating, along with the bulls they’d be riding. An electronic clock sat on a pole at the far end of the stadium.
“First to compete and the man to beat is Jackson Baldwin, last year’s champion.” The crowd yelled and clapped.
She really didn’t want to watch. She didn’t know what she’d do if he got hurt. The music stopped, but the crowd noise increased. Cody was sitting on the edge of his seat. Since he was slightly in front of her, she couldn’t see his expression. It was just as well. He wouldn’t notice the anguish crossing her face then.
Jackson climbed up the slatted sides of the pen and stood over the bull. She closed her eyes, and her stomach churned. The clank of the gate opening reverberated in the stadium. Cheers sounded. The best time last year was seven point three seconds. Surely, he could hang on that long. She cracked open her eyes. The bull bucked. Jackson flew up but hung on, landing on the animal’s back. Her own spine ached. When the bull thrust his legs out, Jackson flew into the air and landed with a thump. Her heart stopped.
Get up, Jackson.
The two men on horses sped toward the still bucking bull. The animal twisted, stepped back as if he was pissed Jackson had ridden him, and kicked. The hoof slammed into Jackson’s head, and Hailey’s vision turned black.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hailey! Wake up.”
Through the fog, her mind finally grasped reality. Jackson needed her. She opened her eyes and found Tanner inches from her face. She must have passed out. “Jackson! How is he?”
Tanner changed places with Cody, and when he lifted her upright, her gaze shot to the stadium floor. Jackson was sitting
up, and the bull was back in his pen. Two men who appeared to be medics were attending to him. One was holding his neck while the other was about to strap on a neck brace.
“He’ll be fine.”
“Like hell.” She shot a glance at Cody. “Sorry, sweetie. I shouldn’t swear.”
“That’s okay. Mom used to curse a lot when she got sick.”
Don’t even go there.
She returned her gaze to Jackson. He was pushing away the medics, who appeared to be telling him he needed to stay seated. Two more men came with a stretcher. Dear God. She jumped up. “I’m going to see how he is.”
Tanner stopped her. “Hold on a minute. How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“You passed out.”
“I hyperventilated and blacked out for a moment. I’m good. Can Cody stay with you?”
“Sure.” He seemed to understand that having Cody see Jackson disoriented wouldn’t be good for him.
“I’ll text you when I find out something.”
She hurried off as the next bull rider came out. The fickle crowd seemed to have forgotten all about Jackson’s injury. As she climbed over a few people to get out, her palms were sweating, her breath ragged. An ambulance sat nearby. When she approached the vehicle with the flashing lights, Jackson was being lifted into the ambulance on a backboard. She understood that not allowing him to move was standard procedure for someone with a blow to the head, but if he had a traumatic brain injury, she wasn’t sure she could deal. She rushed to him.
Inside, the paramedics were taking his vitals and asking him a ton of questions. She didn’t want to disturb their routine and waited outside. She paced as they checked Jackson out.
Curses sounded from the inside. She almost smiled. Jackson, she bet, would make a terrible patient.
“Ma’am?”
She looked up. A paramedic had rolled down his window, leaning out. “Yes?”
“We’re leaving now.”
Christ. She was standing right behind them, blocking their way. She scurried to the side. Tanner had commented that the hospital was on the same street as the high school. She texted Tanner that she was headed there now.
Pleasure in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 13
