West Texas Nights

by Sherryl Woods

  Laurie’s scowl deepened. “Now you sound exactly like Harlan Patrick. He wants me barefoot and pregnant.”

  “Maybe that’s because he missed seeing you pregnant with Amy Lynn. Maybe he just wants to be in on the next pregnancy from start to finish. Maybe it’s not some evil scheme to see you trapped down here on the ranch.”

  Laurie sighed. “I suppose.”

  “You know what I think?”

  “What?”

  “I think you’re already pregnant.”

  Laurie’s idle strumming screeched into something wildly discordant. “Oh, God. Bite your tongue.”

  “Stop it,” Val chided. “This is exactly the mood you were in when you were carrying Amy Lynn. To be honest, you were unbearable. Of course, then it was understandable. You had to hide out so Harlan Patrick wouldn’t find out about the baby. There’s no need to hide out now. You can go on the road. You can do anything you’d do if you weren’t pregnant. It wouldn’t be a calamity, Laurie. And Harlan Patrick and the rest of the family would be over the moon at the news.”

  “I suppose,” Laurie conceded, clearly unconvinced. She glanced down at the calendar Val had been working on. “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to finalize next spring’s concert tour.”

  Laurie’s expression brightened. “Let me see,” she said, putting the guitar aside to kneel down beside Val. “Dallas, Tucson, San Antonio, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Denver. Why is everything in the Southwest? Does Nick know something I don’t? Am I losing fans in the South?”

  “No, you are not losing fans anywhere. The schedule won’t be like this when Nick is finished with the bookings,” Val assured her, then grinned. “We both just thought you’d prefer to be close to home around the time the baby’s due.”

  “I am not pregnant,” Laurie repeated with a stubborn jut of her chin.

  “Saying it won’t make it true,” Val taunted. “See a doctor, Laurie. Take a home pregnancy test. Do something before you drive both of us nuts.”

  She glanced up just then and spotted Annie standing hesitantly on the deck outside.

  “Is it okay?” Annie whispered, her awestruck gaze fixed on Laurie, though the question was directed to Val.

  “Of course it’s okay,” Val said. “Laurie, this is Annie Sutton.”

  “Hi,” Annie said shyly, not budging from outside. “My dad said not to bother you, if you were busy.”

  “We’re not busy,” Laurie said. “More’s the pity.”

  “You were singing before,” Annie said. “I heard you. I hope that’s okay.”

  Val wondered how much more Annie had heard before she’d made her presence known. Her expression, however, was totally innocent. Maybe she’d been so captivated just being near Laurie that she hadn’t been paying any attention to the rest.

  Laurie grinned at her. “What did you think of the song? Tell the truth. I can take it.”

  “I thought it was awesome, not as sad as what you usually do,” Annie said, creeping inside. “Is it finished?”

  “Not yet. I can’t decide if I like it.” Laurie studied Annie intently. “You really liked it, huh?”

  Annie nodded. “Especially the part about finding someone new inside. I feel like that sometimes, as if I’m not who I was anymore, but I don’t know yet who I am.”

  Val saw the sudden inspiration flare to life in Laurie’s eyes. She grabbed her guitar off the sofa and began to toy with the lyrics that she’d been struggling with earlier. Annie crept closer and sat down to listen, her rapt gaze never leaving Laurie’s face.

  Time seemed to stand still as Laurie captured what Annie had so eloquently expressed, and turned it into the beginnings of a song. As the first words flowed, Val grabbed a pad and jotted them down. She knew from experience that Laurie would want to see them in black and white later. For now, she was too caught up in the creative process to take the time to make sure the words weren’t lost as soon as they were uttered.

  When the last notes faded away, Annie looked as if she’d been given a precious gift. “That’s what I said,” she whispered. “You sang what I said.”

  Laurie grinned. “You inspired it, all right. Thank you. I was stuck until you came in here.”

  “You mean I helped? I really helped?”

  “More than you’ll know,” Val told her fervently. Maybe now Laurie would realize that the only block to her continued success was in her own mental attitude toward the future. “Now let’s get out of here and let Laurie work in peace. She won’t be happy until every note’s perfect.”

  “I thought it sounded perfect just the way it was,” Annie told her.

  “Not yet,” Laurie said. “But thanks to you, it’s getting there.”

  Annie followed Val to the door with obvious reluctance. Just as they were about to go out, she turned back. “What’s it called?”

  “‘Where’d I Go?’” Laurie told her. “But I’m going to think of it as Annie’s song. And whenever I sing it, I’ll tell the audience about the young lady who helped me write it.”

  “Oh, wow!” Annie murmured, eyes shining. “Wait till my dad hears about this.” Outside, she gazed up at Val. “Do you think she really meant it? Will she put that song on an album? Will she really tell people about me?”

  “She’ll have to run it past some people, but I’d say yes. Laurie usually knows a hit when she hears it.” Unwittingly, Annie had captured Laurie’s own mood with her words. She’d given her an excuse for writing about the changes that scared Laurie to death. The meeting had been good for both of them. “As for telling her fans about you, Laurie always gives credit where it’s due.”

  Val grinned down at Annie. “How about you and I go into town and celebrate? I’ll buy you the biggest sundae they serve at Dolan’s. Remember? That’s the place I told you about. If we’re lucky, Sharon Lynn will have her new baby there with her.”

  “Really? You can go now? You don’t have to work or something?”

  “I can go. Let’s see if your dad says it’s okay for you to come along.”

  Some of the light in Annie’s eyes faded. “He won’t care. He’s working. I haven’t seen him all day. He told me to stick close to home and not get into trouble.”

  “Ask him anyway,” Val insisted. “He’s probably at the stables. I’ll wait at the car.”

  Annie gave her a put-upon look, but she scampered off dutifully. Val resisted the temptation to follow and make sure she actually talked to Slade. Annie needed to have someone trust her, and Val needed to learn to resist the urge to make excuses to catch a glimpse of Slade. It was way past time to try out a new strategy. Straightforward hadn’t cut it. Maybe the old-fashioned way—playing elusive and hard-to-get—would work.

  Annie came back waving a five-dollar bill. “He said okay, but he’s treating.”

  Val was oddly pleased by the gesture. It could hardly be counted as a date, since he wasn’t even coming along, but it would be the first thing Slade had ever given her. Too bad she couldn’t preserve an ice cream sundae as a souvenir. Maybe she’d tuck that five-dollar bill into a scrapbook, instead.

  * * *

  Seeing Annie and Val with their heads together was enough to send goosebumps sliding down Slade’s back. It had been occurring with distressing regularity ever since Annie’s arrival earlier in the week.

  Over dinner on Annie’s first night, all Slade had heard was “Val said this” and “Val said that.” He probably should have been grateful that Annie was talking to him at all, but all he could think about was the topic. He had enough trouble keeping his mind off Val without her name coming up every two seconds. Still, he’d gritted his teeth and listened to every word Annie had to say about this new friend she’d acquired.

  “And she said she’d take me into town tomorrow,” she’d said, her eyes bright with excitement. “There’s this place, Dolan’s, that has
ice cream and hamburgers. It’s owned by a lady named Sharon Lynn. You probably know her. Her dad’s your boss or something. Anyway, Val said Dolan’s is the place to go in Los Piños. Or she said we could go for pizza. It’s not like one of those national chains. It’s made by a real Italian family. I think they came from Rome way back even. Anyway, she said it’s my choice. So, what do you think?”

  What Slade thought was that the woman was as pesky as flies at a picnic. There hadn’t been a single day since she’d first turned up at White Pines that she’d minded her own business. If she got it into her head to befriend Annie, it could only mean trouble. It would start with ice cream and pizza, but who knew where it would lead? Still, he couldn’t bring himself to put a damper on Annie’s enthusiasm by saying no.

  “If you want to go, it’s fine,” he’d said. “Just don’t take advantage. I’ll give you the money for your food.”

  “No, it’s her treat. She said so.”

  But when Annie had come to him for permission, he’d insisted on giving her the money for ice cream. A gentleman didn’t let a lady pay. The lesson had been drilled into him by his mother and echoed by his father. It had stuck, which he supposed made him some kind of an old-fashioned oddity in this day and age of dutch treat and ladies doing the asking for dates. On the circuit he’d been astounded by just how brazen some women were, even once they knew he was married.

  Annie and Val went for ice cream and burgers on Monday. They had pizza on Tuesday. Val planned a swim in the creek and a picnic on Wednesday. The two of them were thick as thieves. Yes, indeed, it made his skin crawl. Annie needed a new friend, one who wasn’t old enough and sexy enough to make her daddy’s heart pump quite so hard.

  Kids her own age would be good, he concluded, and the ranch was crawling with them. Was it possible to arrange some sort of play date at Annie’s age? He could talk to Cody about it. Or should he just pray that the kids found each other before hearing about Val drove him nuts?

  The thought had barely occurred to him when he spotted Val striding toward him with a purposeful gleam in her eyes. Watching her walk was a thoroughly entertaining experience. The woman’s hips swayed provocatively enough to make a man’s blood steam, especially when she got the notion to wear a pair of kick-ass heels that made her legs look long and willowy, despite the fact that she was just a little bitty thing. She’d worn those heels today as if she knew the effect they had on him.

  He indulged in a moment of purely masculine appreciation before he reminded himself that that expression on her face spelled upheaval.

  “Whatever it is, the answer is no,” he announced emphatically when she was several yards away. He turned his attention back to the horse he’d been grooming before he’d caught sight of Val.

  When she remained silent for way too long, he risked a glance up. She gave him one of her irrepressible grins. “Good. I have your attention. Just for the record, I haven’t asked for anything yet.”

  “But you will,” he muttered. “You always do.”

  She laughed. “See, we are making progress. You already know me very well.”

  “That is not a blessing.” he retorted.

  “Oh, hush, and hear me out,” she said, clearly undaunted. “I was thinking we ought to plan a little get-together in Annie’s honor. She should get to know all the kids in the family. Not that I don’t enjoy her company, because I do, but she needs to have friends her own age. I’m sure she has to be missing the ones she left behind.”

  Slade wanted to resist the idea just because it had come from Val, but she was right. He’d been thinking precisely the same thing not minutes ago, albeit for very different reasons. Like Val, though, he could see how much it would mean to his daughter to make some friends. Maybe they could fill in the gaps in her life that he couldn’t. He couldn’t go on relying on Val to keep Annie occupied indefinitely.

  “Fine,” he said grudgingly, relieved that she seemed to have some sort of a plan in mind. “Do whatever you want. I’ll pay for it.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” she retorted. “Not me. You and me,” she said with emphasis. “This is a joint venture. I’ll do the inviting, if you like, but you have to put out a little effort, too.”

  He regarded her warily. “Such as?”

  “Make arrangements with Harlan to use the barbecue and pool up at the main house, plan a menu with Annie, then pick up the food from town. It’ll mean the world to Annie that you want to do this for her.”

  He supposed she had a point. Gestures probably mattered to females of all ages. Suzanne had certainly counted on them. She’d expected flowers, candy or jewelry every time he’d walked through the door.

  “Okay, I’ll talk to Harlan,” he agreed. “But I don’t know a damn thing about planning a menu. I’m lucky if I get a frozen meal on the table for dinner without nuking it to death. Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, Anne and I don’t communicate real well.”

  Val regarded him with impatience. “Oh, for goodness sakes, how hard can it be for the two of you to put your heads together and come up with a standard barbecue menu? Steaks, burgers, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, dessert. How complicated is that?”

  He grinned despite himself. If there was one thing he’d learned about Val Harding, it was that she was frighteningly efficient. “Sounds to me like you’ve got it all worked out. We’ll go with that.”

  She looked as if she might argue, but she nodded instead. “Okay, then. You set the date with Harlan, and then the three of us will go shopping. We’ll make a day of it.”

  He sighed, thinking of the number of Adamses involved and the likely expense. He had money in the bank from his rodeo days—at least what was left after Suzanne had taken a healthy share of his winnings. He’d been stashing away most of his salary to buy his own ranch sometime down the road. He intended to buy the best horses in Texas, then breed and train them. This little party clearly would put a serious crimp in that plan. The kind of blowout Val was describing cost big bucks. For something that lasted a few hours, it seemed like a waste of good money.

  “Maybe we should think about hot dogs, instead. And kids like chips. Maybe some homemade ice cream.” His enthusiasm mounted. “Yeah, that would work.”

  One look at Val’s expression killed the idea.

  “No way, Sutton. When it comes to entertaining, I believe in going all out. Bring your wallet. I only buy the best.”

  “I was afraid of that,” he said resignedly.

  “Don’t look so terrified. It’ll only hurt for a little while.” She winked. “And if you play your cards right, I’ll kiss you and make it better.”

  Now there was a prospect that could take a man’s mind off the agony of having his budget blown to smithereens. Unfortunately, it also conjured up images that made mincemeat out of all that restraint he’d been working so hard to hang on to.

  “Maybe I should just write you a blank check and let you go for it,” he suggested hopefully.

  She gave him an amused, knowing look. “The prospect of spending the day in town with me doesn’t scare you, does it?”

  “Falling off the back of a two-thousand-pound, mean-spirited bull scares me. Getting trampled by a bucking bronc gives me pause. You...” he gave her a pointed look “...you’re just a pesky little annoyance.”

  For an instant he thought he caught a flash of hurt in her eyes and regretted that he’d been the cause of it. He ignored the temptation to apologize, though. If he could get her to write him off as a jerk, maybe he’d finally get some peace.

  Of course, then he’d also be all on his own with Annie. That was more terrifying than the bull, the bronc and Val all rolled into one.

  “Sorry,” he muttered halfheartedly.

  “For what?” she said, her eyes shining a little too brightly. “Being honest? No one can fault you for that.”

  “Still, I should have kept my mouth
shut. You’ve been good to my daughter. I owe you.”

  “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Around here people look out for one another, no thanks necessary.”

  “And where I come from, you don’t lash out at someone who’s done you a kindness.”

  A faint smile tugged at her lips. “Are we going to argue about this, too?”

  Slade shrugged. He figured arguing was a whole lot safer than the kissing he was seriously tempted to do. “More than likely.”

  “Maybe we could call a truce,” she suggested. “For Annie’s sake.”

  “Won’t work,” he said succinctly.

  “Why on earth not?”

  “Well, now, the way I see it, you and I are destined to butt heads.”

  “Because that’s the way you want it,” she accused.

  Slade grinned. “No, because you’re a woman and I’m a man. Simple as that.”

  “Tell me something I didn’t know. Why does that mean we have to fight?”

  “Human nature.”

  “Sweetheart, if that were human nature, the population would dwindle down to nothing.”

  He gazed directly into her eyes, then quaked inside at the impact of that. Still, he managed to keep his voice steady. “Now, you see, sweetheart, that’s where God steps in. He set it up so all that commotion would be counterbalanced by making up. Bingo, you’ve got babies.”

  Val listened to him, her eyes sparkling with growing amusement. When he’d finished, she grinned at him. “Seems to me like you’ve just given me something to look forward to, cowboy. Let me know anytime you’re ready to start making up.”

  She turned then and sashayed off, leaving Slade to stare after her in openmouthed astonishment. Just when he thought he finally had her on the ropes, dadgumit, she won another round.

  Four

  Slade was just starting to check out a prized new stallion that had been delivered when he glanced up and saw Harlan Adams waiting just outside the stall, his gnarled hands curved over the top rail.

  “Something I can do for you?” he asked the rancher. Slade had to wonder if this had something to do with the party. They’d already discussed it, and Harlan had embraced the idea with the expected enthusiasm.