A Piece of Texas Trilogy

by Peggy Moreland

  Closing her eyes, she laid her head back, silently praying that all would go well and Mack would return with Ty’s signature on the document. With the tune of the George Strait song she hummed serving as background music, she let images of Mack sift through her mind. Mack standing beside her bed during Johnny Mack’s birth, his hand gripped tightly around hers, his forehead creased in concentration, his blue eyes fixed on hers. Mack standing at her side in her hospital room, her arm looped through the crook of his, his hand folded over hers, as Pastor Nolan had pronounced them man and wife. Mack sitting in the rocking chair, his smile tender, his gaze on Johnny Mack as he rocked Johnny Mack to sleep. Mack asleep in her bed, his legs twined with hers, his arms around her, his breath warm on her cheek.

  “Well, look who we have here.”

  She jumped, flipped open her eyes to find Ty standing in the doorway that opened to her bedroom. She gulped, instinctively tightening her arms around Johnny Mack. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

  “I think that would be obvious.” Smiling broadly, he opened his arms in an expansive gesture. “I came to see my family.”

  She turned a shoulder, as if to protect Johnny Mack from him. “Mack’s not here.”

  “Addy, Addy,” he scolded gently, as he stepped into the nursery. “I didn’t come to see Mack. I came to see you. Our baby.”

  She curled herself further around her son. “He isn’t yours.”

  Stopping in front of the rocker, he lifted a brow. “Do you really expect me to believe that baby is Mack’s? Well, it’s easy enough to do the math.” He gestured to the baby. “He’s, what? A month old? Let’s see, the last time I saw you was in December, which was about five or six months ago, give or take a week. At the time, you claimed to be two months pregnant, and we’d been living together at least four months prior to that.” His smile turned smug. “So, yes, the baby is definitely mine.”

  “He’s not yours!” she cried. “He’s Mack’s. Mack adopted him.”

  “And why would Mack want to adopt a baby? A man his age? What would he hope to gain by taking on the responsibility of raising another man’s child?”

  When she only glared at him, he hunkered down in front of his chair. “You’re no fool, Addy. Think. Mack’s forty-two years old. A widower. He lost his wife and son in an automobile accident.”

  She swung her knees to the side, angling her body away from him. “No. I’m not listening to you.”

  “Oh, but you are,” he replied calmly. “And your mind’s working, isn’t it? You’re wondering why Mack would want the child of the half brother he openly admits he despises.”

  He laid a hand on her knee, and she knocked it away.

  “Don’t touch me! Don’t you dare touch me ever again.”

  He shrugged and stood. “No skin off my back. You never were much fun in bed.”

  Repulsed by the sight of him, she turned her face away, refusing to look at him any longer. “Leave. Get out of this house or I’ll call the police.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t do that, if I were you. Just think of all the gossip that would create. Everyone in town would know that I’m the baby’s father, not Mack.”

  She glared at him, hate radiating from her eyes. “If it’s money you want, I don’t have any.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “Mack does. Buckets of it. And I bet he’d pay a pretty price for my son. He thought he could get him for nothing. Have me sign the papers and give up my rights.” He bent over, bracing his hands on his knees to put his face level with hers.

  “That’s why he went to Houston, wasn’t it? To have me sign my rights away? He wanted my signature on the dotted line before I found out he wanted my kid for himself. But guess what, Addy? I’m smarter than my brother thinks. The P.I. he hired to find me was sloppy. I made him the first day he was on the job. I suspected Mack was the one who’d hired him. Then I get the call from Lenny, asking me to meet Mack to sign a paternity release, and my suspicions were confirmed.

  “Call me paranoid, but something just didn’t feel right about the whole setup. So I made a few calls to some old friends of mine in Lampasas. Imagine my surprise, when I learned that Mack had recently got married, and to a woman with a newborn, no less. A woman from Dallas. Since I’d left a pregnant woman in Dallas, it made me wonder. What I couldn’t figure out was how the two of you got together.

  “Then I remembered how anal Mack’s always been about tying up loose ends, especially those that pertain to me. Considers it his God-given duty to protect the family name, his precious estate. So I put two and two together. Figured he’d somehow heard about you, knew you were pregnant and went to Dallas to buy you off.” He lifted a brow in question. “Have I got the story right so far?”

  She gulped, unable to tear her gaze from his, but refused to answer.

  Straightening, he looked down at her and smiled. “No need to reply, Addy. I got the answer I wanted. You never could keep a poker face.” He hunkered down again, holding his hand against the side of his mouth, as if about to share a secret. “Just between you and me, Addy,” he said confidentially. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the baby.” He dropped his hand and grinned. “But Mack’s going to pay for the right to call the kid his. I don’t give away anything for free. Not even something I don’t want.”

  Seething, Addy bared her teeth. “You have no right. You never wanted the baby. You ran so that you wouldn’t have to accept responsibility for him.”

  He shrugged, unfazed by her accusations. “Why would I want the brat? But what you should be asking yourself is why Mack would want him. Do you suppose it’s out of pity?” he asked curiously. “He felt sorry for the poor, defenseless unwed mother, left to raise a baby on her own, and decided to step in like the white knight he likes to think he is and save the day.” He leaned a little closer. “Or maybe his reason was purely selfish. Mack needs an heir. His son is dead. He doesn’t have anyone to leave all his money to, his estate.”

  “That’s a lie,” she cried angrily. “Mack isn’t selfish. He’s good and honest and generous.”

  Ty straightened to his full height and lifted a brow. “Oh, really? Has he ever mentioned how he feels about me?”

  Addy gulped, remembering the things Mack had shared with her about his and his half brother’s relationship. “Only that your relationship is…strained.”

  “Strained?” He tipped back his head and hooted a laugh. “Well, I guess that’s one way of describing it. Mack hates me,” he said bluntly. “Resented me from the day I was born, because our mother favored me over him.”

  She didn’t believe him for a minute, but held her tongue, fearing that if she challenged his claim it would make him angry and he might do something rash.

  “That’s why he wanted to marry you and adopt my son,” he went on. “Not because he’s generous and kind. But because he’ll do anything to keep me from getting a penny of what he considers his. Even marry a complete stranger and adopt her son. A son,” he added, lifting a brow, “who shares some of the same blood that runs through Mack’s veins.”

  Addy went as still as death. “Mack didn’t adopt my baby because of any blood-tie. He loves Johnny Mack as if he were his own.”

  He snorted a laugh. “Don’t kid yourself, Addy. Mack McGruder loves only one person. Himself.”

  “That’s not true! He loves us.”

  “Us?” he repeated, then gave her a pitying look. “Please tell me that you don’t think Mack’s in love with you just because he’s slept with you? Hell, he’s a man, Addy! One woman is the same as any other.”

  She felt tears burning behind her eyes and fought them back.

  He shook his head in wonder. “Man, oh man. I’ve got to give my big brother credit for pulling off the perfect coup. He not only got himself an heir, he gets sex on demand.”

  He opened his hands. “But, hey. What does all this really matter? Whatever Mack’s reasons for marrying you and adopting your brat, you’re still the winner, right? You’ve landed
yourself in high cotton.” He spread his arms, indicating the house. “Not bad, huh? And quite a step up from that cracker box you were living in in Dallas. Of course, there’s all his money, too. He’s got tons of it socked away. But I’m sure you already know that.”

  He hunkered down in front of her again, bracing an arm on his thigh, and looked her square in the eye. “Now here’s the deal, Addy. I want some of that money, too. A lot of it, in fact. And you’re going to help me get it. If you do, you get to keep the brat and live a life of luxury as Mack’s wife.” He lifted a finger in warning. “But try cutting me out of the winnings, and I’ll stake my claim on the baby and you’ll be back in Dallas scrubbing out bed pans again.”

  “Git your hands up and your ass out of Mr. Mack’s house.”

  Addy snapped up her head to find Zadie standing in the doorway, the stock of Mack’s rifle braced against her shoulder, the barrel aimed at Ty’s back.

  Ty stood. “Now, Zadie,” he scolded in a voice that all but dripped sugar. “You know as well as I do that you’d never shoot me. Hell, you helped raise me.”

  She flipped off the safety, but kept the barrel aimed at Ty’s chest. “Should’a drowned you when you was a baby and saved us all the shame you brung to this family.”

  “Now, Zadie,” he began, and took a step toward her.

  The metallic click of the rifle being cocked silenced him and had him throwing up his hands.

  “Don’t think for a minute I won’t pull this trigger,” she warned. “Now, git outta this house. And don’t think ’bout coming back and terrorizing this family anymore. If you do, I’ll fill your heart with lead.”

  Ty obviously believed her, because he skirted a wide path around Zadie, as he made his way to the door, his hands high over his head. Zadie followed at a safe distance, keeping the rifle aimed at his back.

  Trembling, Addy sank back in the rocking chair, her arms locked around Johnny Mack. She was still sitting there when Zadie returned a few moments later, the rifle now at her side, its barrel pointed at the floor.

  “You okay, Miss Addy?” she asked hesitantly.

  Addy drew what felt like the first real breath she’d drawn since she’d looked up and found Ty standing in the doorway. “Y-yes. He didn’t hurt me.”

  “And won’t. He’s gone now. I made sure of that, and locked the doors up tight when I came back inside.”

  Numb, Addy nodded. “Thank you, Zadie.”

  Frowning, Zadie propped the rifle against the door. “Why’d you let that no-count boy in this house, in the first place?” she fussed. “You shoulda knowed he was up to no good.”

  Addy shook her head. “I didn’t let him in. He just…appeared.”

  Zadie’s frown deepened. “Must have sneaked through the gates when I left for the grocery store.” Shaking her head, she crossed to Addy. “Here, honey. Give me that baby. You’re shakin’ like a leaf.”

  Addy tightened her arms around Johnny Mack. “No.”

  Zadie planted her hands on her hips. “Well, you can’t jist sit in that rocker all day and hold him.”

  When Addy refused to relinquish her hold on Johnny Mack, Zadie heaved a sigh of defeat. “All right, honey. You go on and rock that baby all you want. I ’magine your nerves are near shot. I know mine are.” She forced a smile. “I know what we need. A good cup of strong tea. And I’ll toss in a shot of whiskey. Just for medicinal purposes, mind you.” She turned for the door. “You just sit right there and collect yourself. I’ll bring the tea in here, once I’ve brewed it.”

  After Zadie left, Addy remained in the rocker, her body stiff, her eyes unblinking. She was numb, paralyzed, unable to move or think. Thoughts whirled through her mind too fast for her to grasp, while others seemed to scream obscenely for her attention.

  He was lying, she told herself, fighting the doubts Ty had planted in her mind. Mack wasn’t a mean person or a selfish one, as Ty had claimed. Mack was loving and giving. And he hadn’t adopted Johnny Mack simply to get an heir. Mack genuinely loved Johnny Mack. Nothing Ty could say would ever convince her differently.

  Sure, he loves the baby. But does he love you? Or does he just want sex from you, as Ty had claimed?

  She gulped, unsure of the answer. Mack had never told her that he loved her. Not in so many words. He was kind to her, unbelievably generous, and the most extraordinary lover. But did he love her? As much as she loved him?

  Tears filled her eyes. Oh, God, how she wanted him to. She wanted family so badly, yearned for what she had never known, been denied throughout her life. She thought she’d found that with Mack, had begun to believe that they could create a family. Not in the sense that she wanted it. She needed his love, his heart. She’d already lost hers to him and would accept nothing less in return, not even the semblance of family he’d offered to her when he’d married her.

  Time, she reminded herself stubbornly. She and Mack were still feeling their way, just beginning to get to know each other. She knew he card for her. In time he would grow to love her as much as she loved him.

  But what if they ran out of time?

  Fear gripped her chest at the thought, its icy fingers winding their way up to her throat and squeezing. What if they ran out of time? What if Ty made good his threat? He’d claimed that if she didn’t help him get money from Mack, he’d take her baby. She couldn’t bear to lose her son. Nor could she bear the thought of Mack losing him.

  And that’s what frightened her most, she realized, at last able to single out the true source of her fear. She was afraid that Ty would succeed in taking Johnny Mack away from Mack.

  She had to do something to stop him, she told herself, her fear giving way to anger. She wouldn’t be a part of Ty’s scheme to blackmail Mack. She would never do anything to purposely hurt Mack.

  But if she didn’t do as Ty had told her, he would drag them all through an ugly court battle, suing for custody of a child he’d openly admitted he didn’t want.

  She gulped, barely able to swallow past the fear that rose to crowd her throat again. Without Ty’s signature on the paternity release Lenny had prepared, he still possessed the rights accorded any natural father, rights that would supersede any that Mack was awarded when he’d adopted Johnny Mack. It was in the news all the time. Judges ruling in favor of a natural parent’s right to a child and taking the child away from its adoptive parents.

  She shot up from the rocker. She had to leave, she thought, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. With her gone, she would render Ty powerless, taking away the one bargaining chip he thought he had. Fool that he was, he thought she was as greedy as he, that she would be willing to do anything in order to live the life of luxury afforded her as Mack’s wife. But he was wrong. Mack meant more to her than money. She would willingly sacrifice anything for his happiness and that of her son.

  By the time Zadie returned with the promised cup of tea, Johnny Mack was bundled up in his car seat in the center of Addy’s bed and Addy was packing.

  Zadie froze in the doorway. “What are you doin’?” she cried in dismay.

  Addy stuffed a stack of clothing into the suitcase. “I’m leaving.”

  Zadie’s eyes shot wide. “What you mean, you’s leaving?”

  Addy crossed back to the dresser and scooped another stack of clothing from the drawer. “I’m going home. To Dallas.”

  Zadie bustled into the room and set the tea tray onto the top of the dresser. “Dallas ain’t your home. This here is where you live now. Right here with Mr. Mack. What’s he gonna think when he comes home and finds you gone? What’s I supposed to tell him?”

  Addy dumped the clothing into the suitcase and slammed the lid, locking it into place, then turned to face Zadie with a calm that would surprise her later.

  “You can tell him to file for the annulment he promised me.”

  Eight

  Fury burned through Mack’s blood as he braked his car to a tire-squealing stop in front of his house. What a colossal waste of time, he thought an
grily and shoved the gearshift into Park. And it was just like Ty to pull a stunt like this. Agreeing to a meeting, then not showing up. Wasting people’s time. It was so like his half brother, Mack was amazed he hadn’t expected it from the beginning.

  With a weary sigh, he dropped his forehead to rest against the steering wheel. The hell of it was, now he had to go in and face Addy, tell her that he’d failed, that he’d come home empty-handed. She was going to be upset. Hell, he was upset! And she’d worry. No more than he would, but he’d hoped he could put to rest once and for all her fears that Ty would somehow cause trouble for them.

  Heaving another sigh, he shouldered open the car door and climbed out. He paused a moment to stretch his arms above his head, straightening out the kinks sitting all day had put in his back, then dropped them to his sides and headed for the house.

  He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. “Anybody home?” he called.

  Zadie rushed from the kitchen and met him in the hallway, wringing her hands. “Oh, Mr. Mack,” she said tearfully. “They’s gone. Packed up and left.”

  His gut tightened in dread. “Addy’s gone?”

  “Yessir. Soon as Ty left, she packed up and lit out.”

  His heart seemed to stop. “Ty? He was here?”

  “Yessir. When I left this mornin’ to do the grocery shoppin’, he must’a sneaked through the gate while it was still open. I didn’t see him, but he was here at the house when I came back to get the grocery list I left sittin’ on the kitchen counter.” She pulled her apron up and buried her face in it. “It’s all my fault,” she wailed. “I shoulda never left her here by herself. I shoulda knowed that boy would do somethin’ bad.”

  He grabbed her arms and gave her a shake. “He hurt her?”

  She wiped her face on the apron and shook her head. “Not so you could see. But he musta said somethin’ to make her run like she did.”