A Daddy for Dillon

by Stella Bagwell

  Sassy dried the glass and placed it in the cabinet. “Yeah, well, this kind of stuff can’t keep going on forever.” Turning toward Leyla she smiled impishly. “Let’s forget all that worrisome stuff. I’m finished for the day and you don’t have a thing to do, either. Let’s go to town and do some shopping.”

  Leyla had never been one to do the girlfriend thing. Mostly because she’d come to Lincoln County not knowing anyone except her aunt Oneida. And it took money to go on any sort of outings, especially those that involved shopping. “Shopping? It’s very friendly of you to invite me, Sassy, but I don’t think so. I’m trying to save my money.”

  Sassy frowned with disapproval. “That’s well and good. But a girl has to have a little break from work once in a while. And you don’t have to spend any money. I’ll drive and you can just window-shop if you want. What do you say? It’ll be fun.”

  Fun? Leyla couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually had fun. From the moment she’d discovered she was pregnant with Heath’s child, entertainment and carefree pleasures had gone out of her life. Now, she didn’t look for those things. Her days were all about being practical and surviving on her own.

  “I’d have to take Dillon. And you don’t want your afternoon saddled with the two of us,” Leyla reasoned.

  With a hand on Leyla’s shoulder, Sassy urged her out of the kitchen. “Go get ready. I’ll meet you and Dillon on the front porch in ten minutes. And if you don’t show up, I’ll come after you,” the maid warned.

  *

  Fifteen minutes later the two women were traveling in Sassy’s truck with Dillon safely belted between them in a booster seat. The unexpected trip had brought a bright shine to her son’s eyes and Sassy kept him giggling with silly stories about animals that could talk to a little boy who looked amazingly like him.

  Leyla was glad that her son was enjoying himself. But her thoughts continued to dwell on Laramie. “I feel guilty about leaving the ranch,” she told Sassy. “Especially with the trouble that’s happened.”

  Sassy batted a dismissive hand through the air. “Don’t be silly, Leyla. You can’t do anything about the missing horses. Besides, you said Laramie gave you the day off.”

  Leyla sighed. “He did. But, well, going out like this makes me seem indifferent.”

  “Listen, Leyla, you can’t fix Laramie’s problems. And…” Her words came to an abrupt end as she glanced across the truck seat at Leyla. “You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”

  Pink heat rushed up Leyla’s neck and onto her cheeks. “A little,” she admitted. “So far he’s been very kind to me and Dillon. And I want things to go well for him.”

  “Oh. I see,” Sassy said shrewdly.

  “What do you see?”

  The maid suddenly shrugged one shoulder in a casual way. “Nothing. Except that you’re very kindhearted, Leyla.” By now the two women had reached the highway and Sassy glanced at her before she pulled onto the two-lane asphalt. “I know I said I wouldn’t mention—uh—” For Dillon’s sake, she chose her next words carefully. “Your old boyfriend. But I’m just curious. Was he a nice guy—I mean, in the beginning?”

  Sighing, Leyla turned her gaze toward the window. “In the beginning Heath treated me like a princess.” Looking over at Sassy, she smiled cynically. “That should have been a red flag. Like you said—when a girl starts thinking she’s a princess and her man is a prince, she’s already in trouble. Why do you ask?”

  Sassy’s smile was thoughtful. “When it comes to men, a girl needs all the pointers she can get.”

  “Do you have a boyfriend right now?” Leyla asked curiously.

  The smile on her lips pressed into a flat line. “Not one I’d want to have a baby with. But there is one who— Well, I’d give him the world if I could. Trouble is, he looks right past me.”

  When the two women reached the town of Ruidoso they both agreed a hamburger at the Blue Mesa, where Leyla used to work, would be a treat, and Dillon especially liked sitting at an outside table to eat their lunch. After the meal, the two women strolled along the busy shops that lined the main thoroughfare through the resort town.

  Leyla kept her purchases to a single card of hairpins for herself and a small stuffed animal in the shape of a horse for Dillon. Before they left town, Sassy was kind enough to stop by the nursing home to let Leyla visit her aunt.

  Oneida was in her late seventies. The stroke she’d suffered nearly three years ago had affected her right side but thankfully not her ability to speak. Therapy was helping her learn to walk again and she was making far more progress than Leyla would have thought possible for a person her age.

  When Leyla entered the stark room, her aunt was sitting in a cushioned chair watching a game show on a small television set. As soon as she spotted Leyla, her face split into a happy smile.

  “My sweet girl. I didn’t expect to see you this soon.”

  Leyla pressed a kiss on her aunt’s wrinkled forehead, then took a seat on the side of the small bed. “My friend brought me to town and I wanted to see you before we drove home.”

  The woman muted the sound on the television. “That’s good. And where is Dillon?”

  “He’s outside with her. Playing on the lawn.”

  “So how is your new job? One of the nurses tells me that the ranch is owned by very rich people. That they even own a gold mine.”

  “That’s true. But that has nothing to do with me. I only cook for one man. The manager of the ranch.”

  “Maybe this job will turn into something permanent,” Oneida said hopefully. “It would make me happy to know that you have a roof over your head that doesn’t leak.”

  Leyla closed her hand around Oneida’s bony one. “Oh, Auntie, I want to get a place of my own where you can live with us, too. It will take time, but I will get it.”

  Smiling wanly, the woman patted the top of Leyla’s hand. “You are a good girl. But you could never take care of me. Not like I am now.”

  “Every day you’re getting better. And Dillon and I need you. Much more than you know. If it hadn’t been for you…” Biting her lip, she looked away so that her aunt couldn’t see the moisture in her eyes. After all this time she didn’t know why she still got emotional about being separated from her family, but she did. “Well, you gave me a home. You’ve loved me when I didn’t have anyone else. I won’t forget that.”

  Oneida patted her hand again. “When my sister married George, she lost her soul. She was so weak that she handed it over to him. You’re not going to be like her, though. I never worry about that. You took after me. Not her.”

  To her aunt’s credit, she’d married a respectable man who’d worked hard to give his wife a decent life. Unfortunately they were never able to have children and then he was killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver. Left alone, Oneida had worked as long as her health had allowed. And afterward she’d done the best she could on a meager fixed income. The woman had little in the way of material things, but she had her pride and faith, and she was basically happy. That was more than Leyla’s mother had.

  “Do you need anything, Auntie? I’ll get paid next week. I can bring whatever you need back to you then.”

  Smiling gently, Oneida shook her head. “Not a thing, honey. Just seeing your pretty face is enough. Now tell me about my nephew. What does he think about the ranch?”

  It wasn’t so much as what Dillon thought about the ranch as it was what he thought about the man who ran it. But she wasn’t going to say anything about Laramie to her aunt. He wasn’t that important. She wasn’t going to let him be.

  “He seems happy. The owner’s grandsons have lots of toys stored at the house and Dillon is allowed to play with them. And there’s a nice yard with a huge gym set. From the house he can see the horses and cows, and he keeps pestering me to take him to down to the ranch yard to see them. So I’m taking extra care to see that he doesn’t wander off down there on his own.”

  “He’s a typical boy. Let him see a
nd learn. You’ll know when and how to let him do things. You’re a good mother.”

  Leyla shook her head with disbelief. “I don’t know why you always have such confidence in me. I made terrible mistakes with Dillon’s father.”

  A smug look came over the woman’s wrinkled face. “Maybe that’s why I do have such faith in you. Because I know you’ve learned. You won’t make those kind of mistakes again.”

  She’d learned all right, Leyla thought. But what had it done to her? Laramie had described her as unfeeling. Sassy implied she was wasting herself. That wasn’t the person she wanted to be. She wanted everyone to see that Heath hadn’t crushed the loving person deep inside her.

  Leyla talked for a few more minutes with Oneida, then said her goodbyes. Outside, Sassy and Dillon were watching a pair of squirrels scamper up and down a nearby tree.

  As Leyla approached the bench, she asked Sassy, “How in the world did you get him to sit like that?”

  The other woman laughed. “It wasn’t my mothering skills, I can tell you that much. He’s enamored with the squirrels.”

  Taking Dillon by the hand, Leyla urged her son away from the bench and the chattering squirrels. After all of them were safely buckled in the truck, Sassy backed onto the quiet street and turned in the direction that would lead them out of town.

  “How’s your aunt?” Sassy asked as she maneuvered the truck through heavier traffic.

  Leyla smiled. “Slowly improving. She’s able to dress herself now and walk with a walker.” The sight of the nursing home in her side mirror strengthened her resolve to make things better for her aunt. “Her doctor says she might be able to come home in a few months. Since her house has become practically unlivable I’m going to find us a more decent place to live.”

  “You were living in that house a few days ago,” Sassy pointed out.

  “That’s true. But Oneida is frail. She needs to be cool in summer and warm in winter, with hot water in the bathroom and kitchen.”

  “Sounds like she’ll need help.”

  “I’m the only help she has. So I’ve been planning to rent a house for the three of us. Oneida hates being in town, so that means I’ll have to find something on the res.”

  “That’s taking on a big load,” Sassy said thoughtfully. “Wouldn’t you rather stay on the Chaparral and find a caretaker for your aunt?”

  Even as Leyla shook her head, images of Laramie were dancing through her mind. Once her job on the ranch was over, she’d probably never see him again. It was a lonely thought.

  “I don’t have that choice, Sassy. Once Reena returns, my job will be over. Besides, Oneida gave me a home when I desperately needed somewhere to live. I won’t push her aside. I love her.”

  “Hmm. I’m sure Quint could find another job for you on the ranch, and they always have some sort of empty housing available for employees who need it. You could take Oneida out there to live with you. The general office always needs help. The regular bookkeeper has been with them for about four years, but the staff under her is always turning over. There aren’t many women who want to make the long, rough drive out to the ranch. It doesn’t take long for the trek to turn a car into a piece of junk. And many people don’t want to live out there in the wilds, either.”

  Leyla countered. “You make the drive every day instead of living out there.”

  “I live in town for a reason. And this old truck of mine makes the drive just fine,” Sassy joked.

  A wan smile touched Leyla’s lips. “Well, I’ll be leaving. The ranch isn’t for me, either.”

  Sassy frowned. “You sure as heck fooled me. I thought you fit right in.”

  To fit in and be a part of a family was something Leyla had always wanted. And she was already growing to love the Chaparral. But her job was temporary and from what Laramie had told her, he wasn’t looking for a woman to be a permanent part of his life. To believe she could make her home there would only be wishful thinking.

  *

  Inside the vet’s office on the Chaparral, Russ poured two mugs full of coffee and handed one to Laramie before he took a seat behind his desk. With both hands gripping the mug, Laramie sank wearily into a nearby armchair.

  “Your mare came out of the surgery just fine,” Russ told him. “But that was a damned nasty cut on her ankle. Laurel is finishing the bandage now. Once she wakes up well enough to walk, you can take her back to her stall. Just be sure to tell the boys to keep the space as clean as possible. We’ll change her bandage in a few days, but not before.”

  “I would take somebody’s head off for this,” Laramie muttered angrily. “If I just knew who.”

  He and practically every ranch hand on the place had covered miles of rough terrain before they’d finally spotted the pregnant mare and yearling colt in a washed-out draw several miles away from the ranch yard. The mare had suffered a deep ankle cut that had required surgery to repair.

  “Just be glad you found them,” the vet said in an effort to smooth Laramie’s feathers. “And the mare will survive. That’s something to be thankful for.”

  “I am thankful,” Laramie grumbled. “But you and I both know that her ankle will be scarred for the rest of her life.”

  “Well, it’s not like she was up for sale. Having a scarred ankle won’t keep her from producing nice foals.”

  “Yes, but it dropped her worth several thousands of dollars,” he shot back at Russ. “And the idiot who let them out of the barn ought to pay. If nothing else, they should pay for being so ignorant!”

  Russ sipped his coffee, then turned a pointed look on Laramie. “Who said it was ignorance that caused the horses to get loose?”

  Laramie narrowed his eyes as he contemplated the vet’s question. “You think this whole thing is more than a dumb mistake by a ranch hand who doesn’t want to own up to it?”

  Russ nodded. “Look, ever since I discovered that Josie’s milk had been tainted, I have thought evil is lurking among us.”

  Josie was one of twin calves born at the end of the winter. Laurel had been raising her on a bottle, and during that time the calf had become deathly ill. It was later learned that the goat’s milk had been tainted with some sort of toxin. So far no one knew how it had gotten in the milk. But clearly Russ hadn’t forgotten the incident.

  “That’s a bold statement,” Laramie said.

  “I meant for it to be.”

  “Thank God none of the cattle or horses have gotten sick since Josie.”

  “That’s true. But look at the machinery that’s broken down. The tractor. The grain truck. The water pump that supplies the feed lots. The two windmills on the west range.”

  “Yeah, and missing horses on two different occasions,” Laramie added with disgust. “Damn it, Russ, at times every ranch runs through a rash of problems. I keep trying to tell myself that’s what is happening around here.”

  “I don’t think you believe that any more than I do,” Russ said.

  Rising from the chair, he wandered restlessly around the plush office. “I know one thing—it makes me look as worthless as hell.”

  “That’s crazy. You’re not causing these problems. Besides, you’re like the salt of the earth around here. You don’t need to prove yourself to anybody and especially not the Cantrells.”

  No. The Cantrell family had always entrusted Laramie with things they regarded important. They believed in him and his ability to deal with matters and problems in a strong, decisive way. But it wasn’t the Cantrells’ opinion of him that he was worried about. It was Leyla’s.

  Laramie didn’t know why he wanted to impress the young cook. Sure, he found her attractive, but he’d not gone sappy over the woman. She was a temporary fixture on the Chaparral. He couldn’t let himself get sappy, he quickly reminded himself.

  The door connecting the inner barn to the office suddenly opened and Laramie looked over his shoulder to see Russ’s wife entering the room.

  Even though her midsection was rounded with child, the woman was s
till continuing to work with an energy that amazed Laramie. Seeing both Laurel and Maura pregnant and working often had him wondering about his own mother. Diego had told him that Peggy had worked as a waitress in an Alto café right up until the time she’d given birth to him. That couldn’t have been easy and Laramie had often wished he could find the woman. Not to judge her for leaving him behind, but to thank her for not terminating her pregnancy and to ask her why she’d never returned for him.

  “Junebug is awake and standing,” she told the two men. “She’s putting weight on that ankle. But she’s so full of painkillers right now she probably doesn’t know it’s sore.”

  “And for the next few days we don’t want her to feel that soreness,” Russ told her, then motioned to Laramie. “Let’s go see if she can make it back to her stall okay.”

  *

  A little more than an hour later, Leyla was getting ready for bed when she heard Laramie walking through the hallway toward the staircase.

  Telling herself she needed to make sure he wasn’t hungry, she jerked on her robe and hurried out of her suite of rooms to intercept him.

  “Laramie?” she called just as he was about to disappear through a doorway several feet down from hers.

  Upon hearing her voice, he paused, then walked slowly back to where she stood by her door.

  “Hello, Leyla.”

  If she’d thought he looked weary that first evening she’d met him, he looked downright exhausted now. Lines of fatigue marred his face, and the front of his shirt and one of his sleeves appeared to be smeared with dried blood.

  Feeling extremely foolish, she said, “You’re very tired. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

  He stepped closer. “You’re not bothering me. Is anything wrong?”

  “No. I—” She paused as she resisted the urge to clutch the edges of her robe together at her throat. “I was worried. Sassy said your horses had gone missing. Did you find them?”

  The tension around his mouth eased slightly. “Found them right about sundown. The mare was injured and the vet just now finished suturing her ankle.”