The Texan Quartet (Books 1-4) Omnibus

by Claire Boston

  Elle knew more about the film industry than the music industry but she guessed getting air and screen time wouldn’t be easy. “I’ll have to keep my ear out on the radio. What’s her song called?”

  “‘Once Upon A Time’. It’s a soulful diva song. She can do amazing runs, especially for her age.” George’s voice was full of praise and Elle felt a twinge of jealousy.

  “How old is she?”

  “Eighteen, and believes she’s entitled to everything, but she’s been well behaved so far.”

  Elle relaxed. He didn’t seem the least bit interested in Ophelia as anything but a client.

  “There’s a great restaurant you should try while you’re there – Chuck’s. I used to love eating there,” Elle told him. As a child, when it had been her turn to choose where they went for dinner, she always chose Chuck’s. It was quirky and had great burgers.

  “Funny you should say that: I went there last night.”

  “Oh, did someone recommend it? It’s off the beaten track.”

  George was quiet for a moment. “Your brother took me there.”

  Elle frowned. She couldn’t have heard right. “What did you say?”

  “I met your brother James last night. He took me there.” George’s voice was calm.

  Elle’s mouth dropped open and her skin erupted in goose bumps. “What? How?” This couldn’t be right. George didn’t know James.

  “When we spoke last week about how Dean may have kept correspondence from you, I did a bit of research. I emailed the person I thought was your brother and he called me yesterday.”

  Fear, anger and hope warred inside her. She latched on to the easiest one to deal with. Anger.

  “Why would you do that? I told you I’d get in touch when I was ready.”

  “I wanted to help.” George’s tone was cautious and a little surprised.

  “No, you wanted to take control. You wanted to do what suited you and ignore what I wanted.” She couldn’t think rationally. What if James didn’t want to get in touch with her? Her fear was suddenly too great to overcome.

  “I’m sorry, Elle. I didn’t think you’d be upset.”

  Had he really considered her feelings? No, just like the park, he’d done what he’d thought was best. “You should have known. I need to go.” She hung up, her heart pounding and adrenaline pumping through her body. What had James said? She stood up, walked a few steps away and then turned back, reaching for the phone.

  She stopped herself. No, she didn’t want to know what George and James had discussed. It was between them. She would contact her brother when she was good and ready.

  And not because George thought she should.

  The phone rang. Elle checked the caller ID – George – and grabbed a cushion to put over the phone so the ringing didn’t wake Toby. She wasn’t going to answer it. She didn’t want to talk to him.

  What right did he have to search for her family? What right did he have to contact them, talk to them about her? Who knew what he told James? Had George told him about all of her failures? It wasn’t right. She didn’t want a man in her life who thought he knew better than she did, who made decisions for her without consultation. Damn it, she’d had that with Dean. Were all men the same? Did they all believe they knew what was best or did she just attract that type?

  She needed to make it clear to George she wouldn’t stand for it. She wanted control of her own life, wanted to make her own decisions and wanted to make her own mistakes. Now he’d basically forced her hand. If he’d told James where she was, or given him her phone number, then James might contact her. And if he didn’t, was it because he didn’t want to talk to her or because George hadn’t given him her details?

  Damn.

  She hated this. Hated not knowing what had been said, hated having the choice taken out of her hands. She’d been so close to contacting James on her own terms today.

  Damn George.

  Elle sighed and flopped on to the couch, putting her head in her hands. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

  What was she getting so worked up about?

  What was done was done. She had to decide what she wanted to do next.

  Should she ask George what James had said?

  No, that was the coward’s way. Whether James wanted to see her or not, Elle had the right to have her own say as well.

  So it meant calling him, if he still had the same cell number, or contacting him on social media.

  She dug her phone out from under the cushion and stared at it for a long time. It would be easier to send a message via social media, less confronting.

  She took a deep breath and dialed James’s cell phone.

  “James here.” She smiled at the way he’d always answered the phone. His voice sounded the same and her eyes filled with tears.

  “Hello?”

  “James, it’s Elle,” she said quietly. She held her breath waiting for his response.

  “Ellie? Oh my God, it’s so good to hear your voice. Did George convince you to finally call?”

  Elle scowled. “George has nothing to do with this. I don’t know what you discussed and I don’t want to know.”

  James chuckled – not the response Elle was expecting. “I’ve missed that ticked-off tone of yours. What did George do? I liked him.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” She didn’t want to talk about George. “How are you?”

  “I’m great but I’ve missed my baby sister like crazy. Tell me what you’ve been up to.”

  Elle was silent. “Where to start? How are Mom and Dad?”

  “They’re all right. They miss you too.”

  “Then why didn’t anyone call?” Elle asked, unable to keep the sadness out of her tone.

  “We tried. For six months we tried to call, email, write, but we never got any response. Dad and I even took a trip to Texas but the address wasn’t right and no one knew of a Marshall family in the area. Then we got a letter from you saying you were happy and didn’t want a family who didn’t love Dean.”

  Marshall was Dean’s pen name. She hadn’t even realized it wasn’t his real surname until she arrived at the ranch and discovered it was actually Williams. No wonder they hadn’t found her. “I didn’t send any letter.”

  “I guessed as much after talking to George. It was typed.”

  It had to have been Dean.

  “Ellie, did he treat you badly?” James’s words were cautious.

  “Not at first.” She didn’t want to talk about it over the phone. She wanted to see her brother so badly, have one of his enveloping hugs. “And I have a beautiful son, Toby, because of him.”

  “Tell me about him.” He sounded excited. “What is he? Five?”

  Elle smiled. Her brother was never very good with dates, especially birthdays. “George told you how old Toby is, didn’t he?”

  There was a pause and then a guilty, “Yes. He sounds like a great kid. I can’t wait to meet him. I’ve just got back from a vacation, but I could fly down on Friday evening, see you on Saturday. I’ve got to be back Sunday morning though.”

  “You don’t need to do that. It’ll be expensive to fly down for a day.”

  “I want to. I want to make sure you’re all right.”

  Elle closed her eyes. She would like it, very much. “I’d love to see you, but I can’t take any time out from work. My café has only been open a short time.”

  “I could help out, hang out, get to know Toby.”

  “That would be great. You could stay with me though I only have a spare couch. There might be a hotel somewhere nearby.”

  “A couch is good. Are you going to call Mom and Dad?”

  Elle hesitated. Her relationship with her mom had been rocky before she’d left. “Do they want to hear from me?”

  “Absolutely. We often talk about you and they always say a prayer for you at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

  Elle closed her eyes. “I’ll call them.”

  “Great. I
’ll let you know my flight details. Love you, Ellie.”

  “Love you, Jamie.”

  Elle hung up the phone and burst into tears.

  She’d got her brother back.

  ***

  George listened to the dial tone after Elle hung up. It was not the reaction he’d been expecting. He’d thought she’d be pleased, would want to find out James missed her and wanted to see her.

  He’d thought wrong.

  He redialed her number but she didn’t answer.

  Hell, somehow he’d messed up.

  His cell rang and he answered it immediately, hoping it would be Elle.

  “Hiya, Georgie-boy. How’s California treating you?” It was Isla.

  “Fine.” He couldn’t summon up his usual enthusiasm for talking to her.

  “Well I don’t believe you at all. What’s up?”

  “I don’t understand women,” he grumbled.

  “No man can,” she said. “Is Ophelia giving you trouble?”

  “No, Elle.”

  Isla laughed. “What did you do?”

  George was instantly defensive. “Why do you think it was my fault?”

  “Because I know you, big brother. Now spill.”

  George grumbled but said, “All I did was arrange to meet her brother yesterday.”

  “This is the brother she hasn’t had any contact with for the past five years, right? You said something about her ex maybe keeping their correspondence from getting to Elle.”

  “That’s right. I did an internet search, found a possible candidate and emailed him. He called me yesterday and we got together for a chat. When I told Elle, she got angry.”

  “Of course she did, Galahad. Did you not listen to anything I said last week?” Isla’s frustration was clear in her voice.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” he asked, annoyed.

  “Not when you’re wrong.”

  George couldn’t prevent a smile. One of the things he loved about his sisters was they always told him straight. “So what was so wrong about contacting her family?”

  “Did she ask you to?”

  “No.”

  “Did she want to get in contact with them?”

  “It was obvious from her tone that she missed them.”

  “Not the same thing.” Isla sighed. “George, from what you’ve told me, Elle’s spent the last five years with a man who controlled everything she did. Don’t you think she’d want to take control of her own life from now on?”

  “But I was trying to help.”

  “Perhaps her ex thought the same thing.”

  The reality of the situation struck him then. He had taken control of the decision to contact Elle’s family. No wonder she was mad at him.

  “When did you get so smart?” he asked his sister.

  “I was born this way,” Isla replied. “So tell me which celebrities you’ve spotted so far.”

  George laughed and regaled his sister with tales, while in the back of his mind he wondered how he could make it up to Elle.

  Chapter 13

  Elle glanced up as the café door opened and then gaped as the biggest bunch of flowers she’d ever seen was carried in by a deliveryman.

  “Delivery for Elle Carter,” he said.

  Elle came out from behind the counter and said, “That’s me.”

  He handed over the flowers and she tipped him, then dug in to the middle of the bunch for a card to find out who they were from.

  The card simply read:

  I’m sorry.

  G

  Elle smiled. She couldn’t stay mad at him. After she’d calmed down she realized he’d done it with the best of intentions and in the end everything had worked out. But she would make sure he understood why she’d been so angry, so he didn’t do it again. She needed to make her own choices. She needed to be in control.

  She carried the flowers into the kitchen and found a bucket for them to sit in out of the way. She’d take them home tonight and put them on her coffee table.

  Elle sighed.

  It had been an emotional twenty-four hours, what with her argument with George and her reconnection with James. She couldn’t wait to see her brother at the end of the week.

  Her conversation with her mother had been as draining as she’d expected. They had always been such different people, and when Elle was younger she’d usually gone along with what her mother wanted to keep the peace. There’d only been two occasions when Elle had openly defied her, and one of those was Dean. Her mother was entitled to say I told you so. She had been right about him.

  But through the whole conversation Elle could hear the relief in her mother’s voice, the lift in her tone that said she was thrilled Elle had called. Unlike James, she couldn’t get the time off to come to Houston straight away. Not that Elle minded. She didn’t expect them to jump, just because she’d finally got into contact with them.

  She hadn’t had a chance to speak with her father yet as he’d been at work when she called. She would call again to speak with him as soon as she got Toby to sleep that night.

  A yell from the front had Elle returning to the present. She had work to do.

  ***

  That night, when Toby was in bed and asleep, Elle made a cup of tea and sat on the couch with a sigh. She checked the time and dialed her parents’ number.

  Her father answered after the first ring.

  “Ellie, I’m so glad you called,” he said.

  Elle smiled as her heart swelled to bursting. It had been so long since she’d heard his voice. She hadn’t realized she’d missed him so much. Suddenly it was difficult to talk.

  Taking a breath, she kept her voice light. “How have you been?”

  “Oh, same as always.” Her father was so matter of fact. Nothing fazed him. “We’ve almost wrapped the new film.”

  “Is it any good?”

  “This one’s fantastic,” he said. “Your Toby will be old enough to watch it.”

  “I’ll have to take him when it comes out,” Elle said. She’d been looking forward to the day she could take Toby to see her father’s animation work.

  They chatted for a while more about inconsequential things before her father asked, “Have you left Dean for good?”

  The question took Elle by surprise, but then she grinned. It was her father’s habit to lull her by talking about everyday things, before throwing in what he really wanted to know. She’d forgotten.

  “Yes. About six months ago. I’m not going back.”

  “Your mother said something about you having a bookshop café?”

  “It’s only been open a few weeks, but it’s doing well.”

  “Do you need any money?”

  “No. I’m managing fine.” It was the truth and she wouldn’t take money from her parents anyway.

  “You call me if I can do anything for you,” he said. “I’ve got another few weeks of this project and then I’m due for some time off. I’d like to fly down to visit.”

  He didn’t include her mother in the offer but she was fine with that. “I would love you to, but only if you don’t have any other plans.”

  “Nothing as important as you.”

  The tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you, Dad.” She managed to get the words past the lump in her throat.

  “I’ll call again soon,” he said and hung up.

  Elle disconnected and sat for a while. She’d missed her father. Missed his quiet strength and support.

  She wiped away her tears and checked the time. It was still early in California and she should really call George to thank him for the flowers, though it felt rather awkward to call him after she’d yelled and hung up on him the night before.

  She sighed. She needed to ignore her pride and do the right thing. She dialed his number and he answered it almost immediately.

  “Elle.” There was definite relief in his tone.

  She should have called sooner. “Thank you for the flowers,” she said.

  �
�It was the least I could do. I made a mess of things. I’m sorry.”

  Elle shook her head. “I overreacted. It was a lovely gesture, but I needed to do it in my own time. I was scared.”

  “I understand now.”

  “Talk to me in future. Don’t assume you know what’s best for me. I can’t stand it.”

  “Of course.” Then he swore. “Hell, if we’re being honest, there’s something else you should know.”

  Elle frowned. “What?”

  “Please don’t get mad.” He was prevaricating.

  “George.”

  He sighed. “It’s about the family lawyer dealing with your case – Victoria.”

  “What about her?” Anxiety began to crawl over her skin. Was he going to tell her Victoria had been disbarred, or that she wasn’t really a family lawyer?

  “Imogen and I are paying her bill.”

  “No, she’s doing it pro bono,” Elle said.

  “She does pro bono work, but she had a full case load. We wanted you to have the best so we decided to pay her bill ourselves.”

  Elle stared at the coffee table. Was she some kind of charity case now? “How much?” she said, her tone flat.

  “That doesn’t matter.”

  “It does to me. How much?” She wasn’t sure how long it would take her to pay them back but she would do it.

  He named a figure and her jaw dropped.

  “I’ll work out a payment plan,” she said.

  George hissed in frustration. “You don’t need to. We’re doing it because we care about you and Toby. We don’t want Dean to come anywhere near you. We don’t want anything from you but your safety.”

  “It’s still my problem. I got myself into the mess.”

  “Sure, you chose Dean. You were young and naïve and the asshole hid his real side from you until you were trapped. If you’d known what he was really like, you wouldn’t have gone with him, would you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then stop blaming yourself. You have friends now who want to help, you’re not alone, you don’t have to do it all yourself.”

  His words made her stop. He was right. She wasn’t alone any more. In the space of a few weeks she’d reconnected with her family and found some wonderful friends who had helped her out time and time again without wanting anything in return.