Paul, the IT guy who lived at the end of the street, sat at a table by himself. Cord kept looking, skimming over a table with a couple sitting close together and another where four ladies chatted.
Over in the corner, a man sat with his head down by himself. It looked a little bit like Joseph’s dad with the slim build and slightly shaggy salt-and-pepper hair hanging down. Cord squeezed Rosie’s hand, and they walked over, stopping at the table.
It was definitely Joseph’s father.
“Excuse us.”
Greg Bickel looked up and squinted his bloodshot eyes. He blinked once and wrinkled his nose. “You’re one of them Stryker boys.” His words were slightly slurred. “Ain’t ya?”
Cord jerked his head up. “Yeah.”
Greg’s eyes shifted to Rosie, and a protective instinct Cord didn’t even know he had rose up in him. He really didn’t like the man even looking at her.
Greg nodded at Rosie. “That’s your sidekick.”
It wasn’t a question, but Cord still opened his mouth. “No. We’re a team.” He hadn’t needed to think about it—he’d already thought that’s what he and Rosie were. Pullers in the same direction. The thought made his mouth turn up.
He nodded at the empty chairs across the table from Greg. “Mind if we sit down for a minute?”
“Think your ma’ll drag you out by your ears if she catches you in here with me.” Mr. Bickel gave a little grin like he thought that might be funny, picked up his bottle, and took a long swig.
“Can’t argue with the truth.” Cord grinned some too, while Rosie snorted, because he could totally see his mother doing that. Really, she wouldn’t. But she could be fearsome that way, and had to be, considering she was a single mom who raised six boys. She wasn’t very big, but yeah, she was fierce.
Cord looked over his shoulder. “Do me a favor and tell me if you see her walk in. I’ll duck out the back.” He wouldn’t do any such thing, but it didn’t hurt to be friendly. His mother would definitely laugh at that. She would certainly approve of what they were in here for, too.
“You can count on me.” Mr. Bickel took another swig of his beer. Cord kinda doubted that he could, but he didn’t argue.
Francine bustled over. Fatigue lined her face, but her smile was bright. “Don’t get to see you two in here much. Can I get ya something to drink?”
“I’d take a bottle of water if you had it.” Cord returned her smile.
“Same,” Rosie said.
“Coming right up,” Francine said. “You need another beer, Mr. Bickel?”
“Yeah, bring me another one. Nothing like a nice cold beer at the end of a hard day. You need a TV in here, though.”
Cord didn’t smile, and he didn’t dare look at Rosie. He figured probably Mr. Bickel really did think he had a hard day. Hard days were relative. It was hard to give the man the benefit of the doubt, though, after the way he treated his kids, Joseph in particular.
Cord didn’t see any point in trying to make small talk. Mr. Bickel didn’t seem like the kind of guy that would work on anyway. So he decided he’d just get right to the subject he wanted to discuss.
He cleared his throat. “Your son, Joseph, has been staying at my house a good bit.” He twisted the cap on his water, but before he could say anything more, Mr. Bickel interrupted him.
“Yeah, I know. When my kid’s at your house, he’s not helping me. He’s the one what cleans up the trash and gets them bags outside. I got no one to do it for me. That and the rest of the work that needs to be done. I’ve been having to do that myself.” The man turned sly eyes on Cord. “Probably works in your house. Kid’s too little to make any money, but I think I ought to be paid for it.”
Cord fingered the bottle in his hand. He never did take a drink. He hadn’t really had anything in his head to reply with—what was there to say? So the words surprised him when they slipped out. “I could use a kid full-time around the place. How much would it be worth to you to have the boy move in with me?”
He hadn’t exactly said that gracefully. But Mr. Bickel’s eyes lit up.
“How much are you thinking?”
Cord did some figuring in his head. What could he afford to pay for Joseph to stay per week? With the sleds he’d sold, he would be able to pay the mortgage, with a little left. But he’d need to buy more groceries...then in March, he’d have the new training jobs he’d taken...
Before he could finish his calculations, Rosie named the figure that was on the check at home on his counter.
Cord’s mouth opened. He snapped it closed. The money was hers. If this was what she wanted to do with it...he was proud of her.
She wasn’t giving herself any room to negotiate but was apparently hedging all her bets that the amount of the check would impress Mr. Bickel to the point where he wanted to snap it up immediately.
Or it was just Rosie—she wasn’t devious or deceitful. Just straightforward and honest.
He thought of Rosalin and what Rosie had done for her.
So, he quantified. Rosie wasn’t devious or deceitful. Unless someone she loved requested a favor. Because she was loyal, too.
His heart swelled, and he wanted to tell her he understood why she’d done what she did. But a thought struck him. Would her twin always come between them? Always be first?
Mr. Bickel’s beer bottle slapped down on the table. His eyes bulged. His voice was almost hushed when he asked, “Are you serious?”
“As a tombstone.” Rosie’s eyes were straight and true. There was no question she was serious.
Mr. Bickel repeated the sum, emphasizing each slurred syllable.
“That’s right.” Rosie nodded. But then her face drew down into the most serious look he’d ever seen on her. “I want you to sign a few papers that my lawyer draws up. If I pay you that, I would consider Joseph mine.” That sounded so awful, and he hated the words as they came out of her mouth, even as he was impressed. He was glad she mentioned an attorney, because he had no idea if what she was proposing to do was even legal or possible.
But Mr. Bickel was nodding slowly, almost thoughtfully.
Hope flared in Cord’s chest, like a match struck against the box. He thought Mr. Bickel was actually going to agree. Questions swam in his mind. Could they actually do what she just offered to do? Could someone sign their parental rights away that easily? Could she “buy” someone else’s child? He could hardly believe that was possible or legal, but it’s what Rosie had just offered.
They definitely needed to talk to a lawyer.
Mr. Bickel’s eyes had gotten crafty. He took a slow swallow of his beer, tilting the bottle way back, before setting it carefully on the table. “I’d want the money in cash.” His voice was firm and determined, even if the words were still slurred.
“Of course.”
Doubts swirled in Cord’s mind. He didn’t know what was going on between Rosie and him. They hadn’t agreed to get married or anything, but he hoped that was coming. That was what he wanted anyway, although he supposed he hadn’t been clear with her.
“Wait a second.” Mr. Bickel’s bloodshot eyes bounced from Rosie to Cord and back to Rosie. “Aren’t you the librarian? You don’t have a house.”
“But I do.” Cord spoke for the first time. “That’s where Joseph has been, and Rosie, too.”
Mr. Bickel’s eyes narrowed even as he got a smirky grin on his face. “You two living together? Bet your mama’s fit to be tied over that.”
Lots of people lived together, and that was fine for them, but Mr. Bickel was right. It would disappoint and hurt his mother for the town to think it’s what Rosie and he were doing. Plus, everyone else could do what they wanted, but Rosie deserved a ring.
He hadn’t exactly thought about proposing. Definitely hadn’t planned to do it in front of Mr. Bickel. But while the opportunity was there, he was going to grab it by the scruff of the neck.
“We’re not living together. But I’m hoping she’ll marry me.” His hands had started to
shake, and he squeezed the water bottle tighter.
In for a penny, in for the whole darn thing, right?
Mr. Bickel was nodding, like it was settled.
Rosie didn’t say anything. He hadn’t exactly asked her anything.
They needed to deal with Joseph first.
Mr. Bickel was nodding. He probably wouldn’t have any better idea than Cord did whether that was actually legal or not. And while part of him recoiled at the deal they seemed to have made, another part of him felt like this was the very best thing for Joseph. Especially if Rosie would marry him.
He wanted to get out of there. Talk to Rosie. Figure out what they were doing.
He looked at Mr. Bickel. “She’ll be in touch with our lawyer.” After they got and retained one. “And then I’ll get a hold of you. In the meantime...” He pulled out his wallet and took all the money out of it. There was a little more than there normally was because of the trip he had just taken. “I’ll give you this in return for you allowing Joseph to stay at my place until we get the other deal hammered out.”
Mr. Bickel didn’t hesitate and took the money.
Cord stood. “We have a deal?” He held his hand out, unsure if a handshake really meant anything to Mr. Bickel, betting that it probably didn’t.
Mr. Bickel surprised him when he stood, holding his own hand out. “It’s a deal. You know, it was almost too much for me anyway, dealing with the kid and dealing with the old lady. You’re actually doing me a favor.” He surprised Cord by shaking Rosie’s hand, too.
Yeah, hopefully they were doing a favor to Joseph. He didn’t think Joseph would be too upset about leaving his parents, but he knew kids could be funny that way. Joseph might even be worried about whether or not he would get to see his siblings. Or he might have loyalty toward his parents, despite the way he’d been treated.
The only way to find out was to move forward.
Chapter 18
THAT EVENING, ROSIE sat at the table with Cord and Joseph after eating a late supper. By the time they’d gotten out of the bar from talking to Mr. Bickel, they’d met Clay and Boone, Cord’s brothers, on the sidewalk on their way back to Cord’s truck. They’d ended up talking for a while, and by then, it was time to pick up Joseph.
Joseph and Cord had cleaned Sadie’s and Bill’s stalls out while she’d made supper, and they hadn’t had a chance to talk.
It had seemed like Cord had said he wanted to get married.
He definitely didn’t like people thinking they were living together. She wasn’t sure what they were going to do about that.
After clearing the table and helping with the dishes, Joseph got his schoolwork out. Cord sat down with some receipts and other paperwork, while Rosie got a pencil and a calculator.
She could get used to this. This touching of hands, secret smiles, and right now, under the table, his foot rested beside hers. They smiled at each other.
But with this change in their relationship, something had been nagging in her mind all day. She didn’t want to ruin whatever mood was going on, but it was something they needed to talk about.
So, after they’d worked for an hour and a half, Cord sent Joseph down the hall for a shower.
It seemed like the perfect opportunity, so she said, “I really don’t want to, but I think it might be a good idea if I go to my parents’ house.” There wasn’t any room for her there, and they both knew it. But she had nowhere else to go.
“Why?” The look on his face, though, said he knew why. “Never mind. You’re right. It’s really not appropriate for you to be here. It really wasn’t appropriate when we were just friends, but yeah.” He bounced the pencil up and down on the table. “Maybe you would consider living with my mom? And Lark and Charlie too, of course?”
“Yes. Definitely. That would be much better. Not that I don’t love my parents, but they really don’t have any room.” His foot brushed against hers, distracting her. She tried to focus. “But aren’t Clay and Reina living there? Maybe Mav too?” She’d thought Clay and Reina were close to moving out, since they’d bought their own place, but still, Mrs. Stryker’s house was too full right now for her to impose.
Cord nodded. Now it was her turn to brush her foot against his. She swallowed a little smile as his brows lifted and his eyes shot to hers.
His dimple popped. “Yeah, I’d better get you out of here. And fast. I’ll sell you to the highest bidder.”
It might’ve been a joke, but his face sobered immediately. So did hers.
“Are you truly okay about the horse money?” Cord’s fingers slid over hers, and she turned her hand, linking them. “I know you said you didn’t want it for the library, but maybe for something else for yourself?”
“No. I want Joseph. But I have a feeling that the amount I offered is not going to satisfy Mr. Bickel forever. I bet he thinks about it and he’ll want more. I should have offered less to begin with.” She’d just been so eager to get Joseph, and she wasn’t any good at bartering. She couldn’t pretend very well. Couldn’t pretend that she didn’t want Joseph, and couldn’t pretend that she didn’t have more money.
“You did fine. We’ll figure something out.” Cord seemed like he had more to say as he studied the side of the wall but was turning the words around in his mind, trying to find the right way to say them.
“Mr. Cord.” Joseph stepped in, wearing the same clothes he had been wearing when he had sat at the table. His hair wasn’t wet. “You know there’s a way you could get the money.” He stood in the doorway looking at them, his face serious.
Rosie looked at him, then her eyes cut to Cord. From the look on Cord’s face, she knew immediately that he knew what Joseph was talking about.
Alarm fired through her, and she wasn’t sure why. “What does he mean?”
Irritation flashed over Cord’s face, followed by guilt. With a quick glance at Rosie, he focused on Joseph.
“How do you know?” he asked, almost gently.
Joseph didn’t move. “The day that Rosalin was here, and you sent me inside to get you a flashlight. She found the letter.” Joseph’s brows drew together like he wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about. “I think it was a letter. She was waving it around, and I could see it had been folded like a letter.”
Cord looked resigned. “What did she say?”
Now, Cord was deliberately not looking at her.
“She said that the letter said that if you got married, you get a lot of money. A billion dollars. She also told me not to tell anyone that she said that or let anyone know that I knew.” Joseph shifted his bare feet. “Sometimes she could get a little scary, and that was one of those times.”
Rosie’s chest burned. She wanted to pull her hand away from his, but that felt a little too petty. Instead, she drilled him with her eyes. “Is that true?”
His jaw jutted out, but his eyes were on a point against the far wall. “Yeah. It’s true.”
“It sounds like a scam.” It did, but that wasn’t her biggest problem with it. Her biggest problem was that Cord hadn’t told her. Like, not even mentioned it. Something that big.
“It’s not.” He seemed to drag his gaze to meet hers, like he knew this was something he should’ve talked to her about. “I talked to my brother Clay about it. He didn’t give me any details, but he assured me it was legit.”
Cord didn’t have to say anything more. Clay had a reputation, and everyone who knew him knew he wouldn’t say anything that wasn’t true.
Rosie’s lips tightened. Nothing he had said had made the burn in her chest go away. If anything, it had gotten worse. She shoved up, her chair scraping across the floor.
“I’m going out.” She grabbed her hat and her coat from beside the door and went out before she put them on, stomping across the crunchy snow toward the barn. It made her sad that the horses weren’t in there anymore, but she needed to be alone. Cord was getting one billion dollars, and he hadn’t even bothered to tell her. She hadn’t thought to ask if he had m
entioned it to Rosalin, but that’s obviously why he was planning to marry Rosalin. She didn’t have any problem figuring that out.
The old doubts raised their head, and she wondered why he had asked Rosalin to marry him instead of herself. They’d been through it before, and she knew how he felt, but this new information had shifted everything for her. One billion dollars. That was a lot of money.
She shoved her arms in her coat and zipped it up, putting her hat on her head. The wide North Dakota sky was filled with sparkling stars, and the wind gusted across the snow, blowing little specks of ice across her face.
She loved the land, the expanse, the wildness, and, yeah, even the cold. She burrowed down deeper in her coat, her footsteps taking her to the barn. She opened the main door and slipped in, closing it behind her.
It was dark and quiet and still smelled like horses and hay, underlaid with manure. The welcoming and comforting scents of the barn. They always brought back good memories.
It was pitch black, and she was comfortable, but she still turned on the far set of lights, just so she could see.
Already she knew she was wrong.
She had no right to get angry. Cord hadn’t lied to her. Not like she lied to him. Pretending to be Rosalin. He’d forgiven her. He hadn’t held it against her at all.
She needed to do the same. Not just because he had done it, but because it was the right thing to do. He probably had reasons he didn’t mention the money to anyone. One billion dollars could make someone act a lot different, and maybe he was afraid that people would do things for that kind of money that they normally wouldn’t do.
She couldn’t deny it hurt that he wouldn’t confide in his best friend, but she couldn’t stay angry.
She almost had herself convinced of that when the door opened.
CORD WALKED IN THE barn. Rosie had turned the far set of lights on, so it wasn’t pitch dark in there, and he could see her, hands shoved in her coat, her back to him, leaning against Sadie’s empty stall.
The Cowboy's Marriage Mistake Page 16
