Taming the Troublemaker (The Hills of Texas Book 3)

by Kadie Scott

  Jennings’s mouth went all thin, a sure sign he was getting irritated in return. In childhood, that had been a sign that a fistfight was coming between them. “No. That you care that much. He’s not family. You’ve only known him a little while.”

  That pulled Autry’s ire up short. Okay, so the man had a point. Why was he getting so worked up anyway? With a shake of his head, Autry leaned back against one of the saddles draped over a wooden dowel that stuck out from the wall and shrugged. “Go figure, right?”

  “This wouldn’t have anything to do with Beth Cooper, would it?” A sly smile stretched over Jennings’s lips.

  “No.” Total knee jerk reaction. Partly because Beth had nothing to do with how he felt about Dylan and what he’d do for the kid. Partly because she had everything to do with it.

  Autry narrowed his eyes and decided to go for the jugular himself. Since women were on the table and all. “You know… I haven’t brought up Ashley Hughes once since she broke up with Eric and moved to Dallas.”

  Jennings expression didn’t change, but he stilled. “What the hell does Ashley have to do with this?”

  No way was he backing down. “I’ll stay out of your love life if you stay out of mine.”

  That brought on a full glare. “Ashley is not part of my love life. The woman has barely acknowledged me since high school when she decided we weren’t friends anymore.”

  And his brother had been bitter about it ever since. Autry never had quite figured out what happened between the two of them. Ashley and Jennings had been inseparable best friends as kids thanks to their families being so close, but he’d always got the impression Jennings liked her more than he let on. Still, he decided to go the high road and not poke at an angry rattlesnake. Or at least, have on steel-toed boots while he did.

  “Whatever you say, man.” Autry grinned.

  Jennings suddenly relaxed, his expression changing from a frown to a mirroring grin. “So, you’re saying Beth Cooper is part of your love life?”

  Well, damn.

  “Of course not.” The denial sounded hollow, even to his own ears. “Beth won’t even be at the game.”

  Something about a standing monthly dinner with her sisters. So long as the lawyer wasn’t at the same dinner, Autry didn’t mind. Although he’d sort of been looking forward to sitting in the stands with her.

  He hit the mental brakes as it sank in that the images he was forming in his head lately when it came to Beth were a little too… what? Homey? White picket fence? Whatever. They were not typical for him, that was for sure.

  “Uh-huh.” His brother wasn’t buying it.

  Hopefully that didn’t mean he’d loused up hiding his interest—and his latest shenanigans—with Beth. Still, he was being straight up with Jennings right now. This wasn’t about Beth. Dylan was… important. “He’s a cool kid whose had a tough life. I figure I can help him out a little.”

  Jennings eyebrows went up. “Okay. What about after your community service is over?”

  Did his entire family think he was such an asshole that he’d ditch the kid? No way could he stop the scowl that lowered his eyebrows as he straightened from where he’d been leaning, hands fisting at his sides. “I plan to keep hanging out with him. Is that so hard to believe?”

  Jennings eyed him thoughtfully. “I guess not.” He paused as if trying to find the right thing to say.

  “I told you… the kid’s special.” Autry tried to shoulder past his brother who was taking up the doorway.

  But Jennings stopped him by clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Good for you, man. Maybe this kid is good for you.”

  “Yeah.” Autry paused to let the irritation drain out of him and gave a lopsided smile. “Maybe he is.”

  “Maybe Beth is, too.”

  With practiced dexterity in a move he’d used often when they were kids, Autry caught his brother in a headlock, dragging him out of the barn. “Let it go, man. Just let it go.”

  “I give.” Jennings tapped his arm, their sign to quit. “Fine.”

  They walked out into the sunshine peeking out between silver and white clouds. In the distance, massive white thunderheads were building, with an ominous black underbelly that threatened more rain. Hopefully not before the game.

  “Watch out, though, because I think Dad is on to you as far as Beth’s concerned.” Jennings danced backward as Autry flashed out with a mock punch at his arm.

  “There’s nothing to be on to,” Autry insisted.

  Mostly nothing. He mentally amended, thinking of how she’d tasted, the feel of her in his arms.

  The second they walked into the kitchen to clean up for lunch, the dumb bet, Dylan, and even Beth took a back seat to the sight that greeted them.

  His mother sat at the kitchen table with a glass of iced tea and his father stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder. The second Autry and Jennings walked in, his mother composed herself, but Autry would’ve bet she’d been on the verge of tears.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Is Holly okay?” Jennings prompted at the same time. “The babies?”

  “Holly and the babies are fine,” Dad answered, and squeezed his wife’s shoulder. “Everyone is fine.”

  His mother pressed her lips together and nodded. “Everyone will be fine.” She took a deep breath. “Carter and Brian broke up.”

  Immediately, that small snippet of overheard conversation in the hospital came back to Autry. “Who broke it off?” he demanded. If Brian broke his sister’s heart, he was going to pound the guy. Neighbor or not.

  “She say’s it’s mutual.” His dad pulled out a chair to sit.

  “Is Carter okay?” Jennings asked. “Maybe I should go out to Austin to stay with her for a bit. Keep her company.”

  Their mother brightened at that. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

  “Ask Carter first,” Autry suggested.

  “Why?” Jennings frowned.

  Autry shrugged. “She might want to lick her wounds in private for a while, is all I’m saying.” He squatted down in front of his mother, hands on her knees. “And she will absolutely be all right. Carter is strong and feisty, and if Brian isn’t the right guy for her, that’s his loss.”

  “I know.” His mother’s lip trembled. “I just had such hopes.”

  Of all five kids living in the area? Yeah, Autry had figured that when Evaline Hill had been so delighted by Carter’s engagement. Personally, he’d always wondered how that would work out, given his sister’s career ambitions to save the world’s water supply. Hard to do that from rural Texas.

  One more reason he would never marry until he was positive he found the perfect woman who would add to his life, enrich it, and not bring a ton of hard decisions. No square peg, round hole for him.

  *

  Going on evening, cleaned up and wearing the closest thing he had to Dylan’s team colors of black and orange—which meant a black T-shirt with his usual jeans—Autry sat in the stands by the field and did his best to not fidget. Not because the metal stands were uncomfortable, though they weren’t great, but because of the flirting and the looks he was getting from a few of the moms around him.

  Where were all the dads? Several were on the field with the boys, but what about the rest?

  Never once in a bar or social setting had he felt this uptight about flirting with single women who understood the game. However, these were moms… and their kids were on the field. He sure hoped the looks were coming from the single moms, because no way was he getting unfairly blamed by an irate husband. His reputation was already bad enough. No need to add false charges of adulterer and home wrecker to the list.

  Mental note to bring Beth next time, because this was plain dangerous.

  He did his best to focus on the boys warming up on the field. He could catch the shouts between kids, but not what they were saying as they tossed balls back and forth. The fields weren’t in the best shape, weeds poking up through the dirt around the bases and on
the pitcher’s mound, though the grass was green and freshly cut, if the scent in the air was any indication. The scoreboards had stopped working years ago. Maybe if Dylan stayed with it, he could see if High Hill Ranch wanted to donate time to clean up the fields better between seasons or something.

  “Autry.”

  At the sound of his name, he turned his head to find Mrs. Wright standing beside him—in pressed slacks, a silky blouse, and still with the pearls, no less. The woman couldn’t even relax for a baseball game? Did she own a pair of jeans?

  “May I?” she indicated the seat beside him when he didn’t speak.

  “Oh. Of course.” Autry scooted over.

  This wouldn’t be awkward or anything. He pointed to Dylan throwing a ball back and forth with another boy. “He’s over there.”

  She barely followed his finger with her eyes before nodding. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  Dread dropped like cold, day-old coffee into his gut. This didn’t sound good. “Okay.”

  For the first time since he’d been spending time with Dylan, Mrs. Wright looked unsure of herself, not looking him in the eye. In fact, looking anywhere but.

  “I’m afraid that my husband’s job situation is changing quite… unexpectedly,” she started in that voice that was a little too posh for rural Texas.

  Why was she telling him about her husband’s job?

  “He’s been promoted, but that means we have to move to headquarters.”

  Headquarters? From what Autry understood, Mr. Wright managed the local canning facility which provided many nonranching or farming jobs in the area. Doubtful that headquarters would be anywhere near La Colina. Best bet was Austin or maybe San Antonio, which were the closest large cities to here. “Which is where?”

  “Dallas.”

  A five-hour drive away? Way worse. “Will you take Dylan with you?”

  Could they? He flicked a glance in the direction of the boys on the field, now running back to the dugout to start the game. Dylan’s team was batting first, and the kid put on his batting helmet, then stepped into the warm-up box, swinging his bat hard. Such a huge change from the sullen, distant boy Autry had met in Beth’s classroom. This Dylan was engaged, eager, and even joked with the other boys. Shock crawled through Autry at the realization that the kid would leave a Texas-sized hole in his life if the Wrights took him away.

  “No,” Mrs. Wright’s half-murmured denial interrupted his thoughts. “I’m sorry to say that we can’t.”

  He whipped his head around to stare at her. To at least give Mrs. Wright credit, the way she watched Dylan with both guilt, which he expected, and a wistfulness he had not, she appeared genuinely distraught.

  Dylan glanced over and spotted them sitting together. With a big, goofy grin, he waved, and Autry forced himself to grin and wave back. “Does he know?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What will happen to him?” Autry asked in a low voice.

  “I’ve talked to Cindy, who is the local coordinator for DFPS. Dylan will go back into the system. They’ll find him another foster family as soon as possible.”

  “In La Colina?”

  “Possibly.” But the doubt in her voice said otherwise.

  There probably weren’t a ton of families around here who took in foster kids. That poor boy. Dylan already had a chip the size of the Lone Star State on his shoulder about being unwanted. This would only grow that chip to a boulder until it crushed him.

  Autry shifted in his seat. No way. No chance in hell was he letting Dylan slip through the cracks in a system that did its best but handled way too many kids.

  What on earth can I do about it, though?

  His first thought was that Holly’s brother and sister had gone into the system after their mother died. Holly had just graduated and gone off to college, but, if he remembered rightly, Kris and Noel had been moved to Fredricksburg. All he remembered was they weren’t in his school anymore. Maybe Holly would have something to share. He made a mental note to talk to her.

  But was there more he could do?

  The question pinballed around in his mind as he watched the game. The calls of the parents, the chatter of the boys as they played, the warm breeze—most everything faded into the background as he got caught up in his thoughts. The problem was, Autry was single, lived with his parents—though that wasn’t unusual in ranching circles—had a reputation, and was serving community service for a recent arrest. Something that would not go on his record, but being a small town, word got around.

  No way were they giving him a kid. Not with that kind of baggage.

  At least he managed to cheer and whoop when Dylan hit a single, and when he caught a pop fly to left field to end an inning. He even managed to stick around after the game for the coach’s talk and to give Dylan a hug afterward—his heart withering and cracking like the ground in the desert.

  As he walked up to his truck, a sudden image of Beth popped into his head and an idea formed. One he couldn’t shake.

  A crazy idea that might end up in the hall of fame of crazy ideas. It had worked for Will. Different circumstances, but still… Why not? Before he consciously made the decision to do so, his truck steered itself over to Beth’s house. Only, when he knocked on the door, she wasn’t home.

  He’d never be able to sleep before he talked to her about Dylan. Beth was the only person in his life who would completely understand. So, he dropped into one of the wicker chairs she had out on her front porch—the thing giving a squawk of protest, not used to his kind of bulk probably—and settled in to wait.

  And wait.

  And wait some more.

  Chapter Twelve

  Two hours in, Autry went to text her and get an ETA, except headlights flashed as a truck turned off the main street onto hers. Immediately, even in the dark, he recognized Beth’s truck. Suddenly stricken with nerves he’d never had to deal with most of his life, Autry stood, wiping sweaty hands on his jeans, and walked down to meet her in her drive.

  His footsteps slowed as he watched her climb down. Tonight, she was wearing a lemon-yellow sundress and flip-flops, her hair flipped out from underneath in a way that made her look like a gorgeous pixie. How she managed to get cuter every time he saw her was a puzzle he couldn’t solve right now. Except the dress inched up as she climbed out, and he found his gaze glued to the expanse of leg revealed. Surprisingly long legs for such a shorty. Legs that had squeezed around him as he’d brought her to orgasm. Multiple times.

  Fuck. Tonight was too important to be bogged down by an attraction that was quickly reaching uncontrollable levels.

  Autry forced his gaze up. “Hey.”

  Thanks to the porch lights she’d left on, he caught the flash of her dimples before Beth ducked her head. “Hey.”

  Her voice sounded cool, but he’d still seen her smile. She was happy to see him. That boded well for what he had in mind.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  No time like the present. “I had to talk to you about something important.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Okay. Let’s go inside.”

  He followed her into the house and waited while she put her purse down on the kitchen counter. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Water?” Anything to give himself a second to get his thoughts in line. He’d spent the last two hours figuring out the right words to say, but he still wasn’t sure even where to start.

  She nodded and moved to get it. “How long have you been sitting out there?”

  “Not long.”

  She flicked a glance his way that said she wasn’t buying it. “Didn’t Dylan’s game end a while ago? What? Did you go out afterward?”

  “No.” Needing to be closer to her for this, he moved into the restricted space of her galley-style kitchen.

  Beth, seemingly unaware of the move, finished pouring his water and turned. Only she spun too fast and he stood too close. The hand holding the water bopped him in the arm a
nd the glass slipped from her fingers. In a slow motion of inevitability that he couldn’t stop, it dropped to the wood floors and shattered.

  Beth squeaked and jumped back, and Autry’s first thought was how her feet, only encased in flip-flops, weren’t protected from the shards. Without a second thought, he scooped her up in his arms.

  “What the—” she scowled. “Hey, put me down,” she protested.

  But one arm wrapped around his neck while her other hand fluttered to land quietly on his chest. The way she settled into his arms, as though she was meant to be there, it took everything he had not to turn on the charm and walk her down the hall to her bed.

  “No way,” he shook his head. “Don’t want those pretty feet all cut up.”

  “I need to clean it.”

  “I’ll get it in a second.” Maybe longer.

  He gazed down into her incredible blue eyes, sparkling with a totally Beth combination of laughter and irritation and curiosity. Along with complete and utter trust—something he didn’t think he’d ever get used to with this woman. Under all that, a heat that matched his own radiated back at him.

  I’m going to marry this woman.

  Sure, he hadn’t asked, and she hadn’t said yes, but this was right. Anticipation expanded like a happy balloon inside him in a way he wasn’t ready to examine. No way did future daughter-in-law count against that damn bet. Actually, he should probably move closer to town anyway, so screw it if he lost.

  With a low groan, Autry lowered his head and kissed his woman, practically inhaling her. The combination of shock, and having her in his arms, and the ideas swirling in his head, and the way Beth immediately sighed and leaned into the kiss, brushing her tongue over his… and Autry was lost. Caught up in the perfection of it all.

  This was meant to be.

  Urgency plowed into him. He didn’t want to waste another second without making her his. How he’d held on this long was a damn mystery. He should propose first so she’d know, too.

  “Beth?” he murmured against her lips between kiss.

  “Mm-hmmm?” She nibbled her way across his jaw to his earlobe.