“Yeah, by tiptoeing around him like a Gila monster.”
She sighed and Taggart could easily picture his sister with her dark hair hanging around her shoulders and her brown eyes full of warmth. Tallulah not only resembled their late mother, but she also possessed her soft heart. That was one of the reasons he didn’t want her to have to deal with Buck O’Brien. She wasn’t emotionally strong enough. Especially now that she and Trent had gotten divorced.
“He’s not that bad—yet. But I’m thinking he’s gotten into some kind of trouble that he doesn’t want me to find out about.”
Taggart gripped the phone, while wondering how much more his aching head could handle tonight. “What kind of trouble?” he dared to ask.
“I don’t know anything for sure. It’s just a hunch that he might be involved with some nasty loan sharks and they’re breathing down his neck to be repaid. He seems more desperate than usual.”
He groaned out loud. “That’s just dandy. What’s the old man going to do next, huh?”
“Who knows? Just be glad you’re out there in Arizona, far away from the man, Tag.”
He’d thought leaving the Flying W, and the demanding new owners, along with his shiftless father, would make his life free of stress and worry. Now he realized how ridiculous that sort of thinking had been. This rip between him and Emily-Ann was like nothing he’d ever endured. But he couldn’t let himself think about her now. If he did, he might just break down and spill the whole pitiful mess to his sister.
“That’s another reason I’m calling, sis. I’ve been doing some thinking. About you.”
A teasing chuckle sounded in his ear. “Missing me already?”
“Sure I am. You’re the only family I have.”
There was a moment of silence and then he caught the soft sound of her sigh.
“You’re the only family I have, too, Tag.”
“That makes what I’m about to propose make even more sense,” he told her. “I’d like for you to move out here, Tally.”
“To Arizona? And live with you?” She sounded flabbergasted
“Yes, to Arizona. And yes, live with me for a while. Until you get settled and then I figure you’d like to get a place of your own nearby.”
“I’d definitely want that. Otherwise, we’d be trying to tear each other’s hair out.”
“You mean like we did when we were kids?”
“Exactly.”
He could hear a smile in her voice, but the sound wasn’t enough to lift the corners of his mouth. He felt like every cell in his body was frozen with pain and shock. Would this awful emptiness go away by tomorrow? Or would he have to wait a week or even months before he began to feel like a human being again?
“I’m serious, Tally.”
“I understand that you’re serious, Tag. But all my friends are here. So is my job at the real estate office. And—”
“You can get a better job here. That damned boss of yours is just using you. He makes bucket loads of money and pays you like you’re the janitor instead of a secretary. He’s a jerk and you’re putting up with it.”
A long stretch of silence passed before she finally spoke. “What in the world is wrong with you, brother? You sound like you’re ready to coldcock somebody. Has something happened?”
Yes, something has happened, he thought. His whole world had just stopped spinning and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see any sort of happiness in his future.
“No,” he said sharply. “Everything here is great.”
“You could’ve fooled me. I’m afraid to hear what you’d sound like if something bad really had happened. Just proves to me that I’d rather stay here and be used by Mr. Graves than be growled at by my bearish brother.”
Closing his eyes, he raked a hand through his tumbled hair. If Emily-Ann hadn’t walked out on him, he would’ve already had her in bed by now. At this very moment she would’ve been kissing him, loving him in a way that no woman had ever loved him.
Love. Love. He never wanted to hear the word or have it enter his mind ever again, he thought bitterly. He didn’t want to think that he’d just lost his one and only chance to know what real love actually felt like.
“I’m sorry, Tally. It’s been a long, stressful day. I didn’t mean to sound sharp. You’re my favorite sis, you know.”
She laughed then. “I’m your only sis. Remember?”
“Yeah, I remember. So will you seriously consider my invitation?”
There was another long pause and she finally said, “Yes. I will think deep and hard about it, Tag.”
They talked a minute more and then Taggart finally ended the call and left the kitchen. When he entered the living room, he saw King pawing at the screen door.
The sight was like a knife slicing right through him and for the first time in years he was finding it hard to hold his emotions together. “Okay, so you want out. Now that Emily-Ann isn’t here you don’t like it inside. Well, just go.” He opened the screen door and King shot onto the porch and down the steps like the devil was following him. “Go on back to Doc,” he called after the yellow cur. “That’s where you belong. And don’t come back thinking she’ll be here. She’s gone.”
And she won’t be coming back.
The heavy weight of that reality settled on Taggart’s shoulders as he shut the door and bolted it.
Chapter Twelve
“Emily-Ann, is that you?”
About to step out of the glass foyer and onto the wide sidewalk, Emily-Ann turned to see Camille bearing down on her.
Oh Lord, Camille was the last person she’d expected to run into here at the medical clinic. What was she going to tell her? That she had to visit the doctor because she couldn’t eat? Couldn’t stop crying?
Biting back a helpless groan, she squared her shoulders and waited for Camille to catch up to her.
“Camille, what are you doing here? Are you having a problem with the baby?”
Her friend quickly dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. “We’re in fine shape. Matthew wanted me to have an extra checkup before we travel home,” she explained, then laughed. “I think he’s worried I’ll go into labor while he’s driving. He’ll be pulling a trailer load of steers back with us and he doesn’t think he can handle them and me having a baby at the same time.”
Emily-Ann tried to laugh, but couldn’t summon up anything that resembled a sound of amusement. She’d left the doctor’s office in shock and the fog in her brain was still muddling her senses.
Camille peered closely at Emily-Ann. “What are you doing here at the clinic? Have you been sick or just having a yearly checkup?”
“Neither. I—uh, nothing serious. I’ve just been feeling a bit off, that’s all.” Deciding it would be pointless to hide the news from her closest friend, she grabbed Camille by the arm and urged her through the sliding glass doors. Once they were outside, she pointed down the sidewalk to a concrete bench shaded by the overhang of the building. “Do you have time to sit a minute?”
“Are you kidding? I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why you look like you’ve stuck your face in a bowl of flour.”
They walked down to the bench and after both of them were comfortably seated, Camille leveled an anxious look at her.
“Okay, out with it,” she demanded. “You were lying to me a minute ago. Something is seriously wrong with you.”
“Something is wrong all right,” Emily-Ann ruefully agreed. “With my head. I’m a stupid woman, Camille. There’s no better way to explain the reason I had to visit the doctor.”
Camille rolled her eyes. “You can’t fix stupid at this clinic, Emily-Ann.”
She groaned. “You’re right. The doctor can’t fix it. But he can certainly diagnose it!”
Camille must’ve decided that Emily-Ann’s health wasn’t in dire jeopar
dy because a perceptive grin suddenly appeared on her face. “Uh-huh. So what have you done? Spent too much money on something you didn’t need and now you’re getting ulcers worrying about it?”
The sound that burst past Emily-Ann’s lips was something between a sob and a hysterical laugh. “How could I do that when I barely have enough to pay bills?”
Camille’s expression softened as she reached over and gently rubbed the top of Emily-Ann’s hand. “I’m sorry. I’m only teasing. I can see you’re upset. Tell me what’s going on with your health. Did the doctor give you a prescription?”
Emily-Ann pulled a small square of paper from her purse and thrust it at her friend. “Only this. I can buy them off the shelf.”
Camille read the scribbled words, which promptly caused her mouth to fall open and her shocked gaze to fly up to Emily-Ann’s face. “Prenatal vitamins! You’re pregnant?”
Nodding, Emily-Ann fought at the tears scalding the back of her eyes. “Dr. Revere believes I’m about a month along. I don’t know how it happened, Camille.”
In spite of Emily-Ann’s obvious distress, Camille laughed. “Of course you know how it happened. Every woman does.”
Emily-Ann tried to clear the gravelly lump that had formed in her throat. “Well, yes, that part of it I know. I got too close to a long tall Texan! Obviously he was more potent than the pill I’m taking! That’s my theory on the matter. The doctor seems to think the pregnancy occurred because I had a cold for a few days and that can sometimes affect the strength of the pill.”
Her eyes twinkling with delight, Emily-Ann said, “When you two met at the party, I was fairly certain you and Tag were going to hit it off.”
“Hit it off!” Emily-Ann practically shouted. “We’ve done more than that. We’ve created a baby!”
Camille’s smile spread wider. “This is wonderful, Emily-Ann! Our children will practically be the same age—only a few months difference. They might both turn out to be redheads and grow up to be great friends, like us.”
Camille made it sound like Emily-Ann had just been handed the best news a woman could ever receive. And it suddenly dawned on her that her friend was so very right. A child was a blessed gift. Plus, she’d always dreamed of having children. She had to feel happy about the pregnancy, even if it was an unexpected shock.
“That part would be nice,” Emily-Ann agreed. “I only wish—oh, Camille, I don’t want this baby to grow up without a father. I don’t want my child to ever have to know that he or she wasn’t important enough to deserve a full-time father.”
Frowning, Camille squeezed her hands. “I don’t understand. Don’t you think Tag will be happy about the baby? I surely do. He has family man written all over him.”
“Hah! Not a family with me, Camille.” Shaking her head, she pulled a tissue from her handbag and dabbed it at her teary eyes. “I’m sorry. You couldn’t know that Tag and I ended things a week ago. I haven’t seen or talked with him since I was out at his house. But now—well, I’m going to have to face him with this new development. And I’m not looking forward to it.”
Camille was silent for a thoughtful moment and then she said, “I wasn’t aware that anything had happened between you two. Tag must not have mentioned it to Matthew or my brothers. But that’s hardly a surprise. What little I’ve been around him, he doesn’t do much talking about himself.” She turned a questioning look at Emily-Ann. “So what happened? He’s found someone else? Or he’s tired of dating?”
Emily-Ann glanced around at the people going to and from the medical building to the large parking lot. This wasn’t exactly the ideal place to be discussing something so private, but no one seemed to be paying the two women any mind. Most of them were probably dealing with their own troubles, she thought glumly.
She pushed out a heavy breath. “Nothing like that. Tag asked me to move in with him. And I—obviously, I refused.”
“Oh. Move in,” Camille murmured. “I see.”
Bitter gall was spreading from her chest to the back of her throat, practically choking her. “No. I doubt you understand. So go ahead and tell me I’m an idiot for not grabbing what he offered. And maybe I am the biggest one to ever walk the earth—I don’t know. But I am sure about one thing—I’m not going to be like my mother. I’m not going to live my life with a man who doesn’t love me.”
“Oh, Emily-Ann, this is—I don’t know what to say. Except that if Tag wanted you to move in with him that certainly doesn’t sound like a man who’s tired of you. Or that he doesn’t want to be involved.”
Bending her head, Emily-Ann muttered, “You don’t understand, Camille. He wants the convenience. It’s nothing about having deep feelings for me. All the time we were together, he didn’t say anything about caring for me—really caring. And then last week before I left, I finally got so angry I brought up the words love and marriage.”
“And?”
“He looked like I’d thrown cold water in his face.” Lifting her head, she shook it with grim determination. “No. I made the mistake of falling into the same trap my mother did. She believed she’d found love when actually all she’d been was a sex partner.”
“Emily-Ann, I’m having a hard time believing that! Tag doesn’t come off as that kind to me. How do you think he’s going to react when he hears about the baby?”
Emily-Ann lifted her gaze to the cloudless sky. “I’m clueless there. I’m guessing he’s not going to be a bit pleased. I imagine he’ll be thinking I want to hook him into marriage.” Her lips clamped tightly together, she looked at Camille. “Well, he’s in for a surprise. I’d rather walk down the aisle with a jackass!”
Camille was clearly disappointed. “Why are you thinking like this?”
“I’ll tell you why. All her life, my mother got nothing but crumbs from my biological father and then from the man she finally married. I’m not going to settle for crumbs, Camille.”
“Damn it, Emily-Ann, you aren’t your mother!”
“That’s right. And I don’t ever intend to be.” Rising to her feet, she grabbed up her handbag. “I need to go. I took the afternoon off work to visit the doctor and now I have online classes scheduled. I can’t afford to miss them.”
Reaching down, she gave Camille a hand up from the bench.
Once she was on her feet, Camille said, “I think Matthew is planning on leaving for Red Bluff Sunday morning. Hopefully I can see you again before we go.” She smacked a kiss on Emily-Ann’s cheek. “I love you. Don’t worry. You’re going to have a baby and that’s all that really matters.”
Emily-Ann gave her a wobbly smile. “You’re right. This little life I’m carrying means everything to me. And I’m not the only woman in the world who can be a good single mom.”
“Now, you’re talking.” She gave Emily-Ann a parting hug. “Chin up. Everything is going to be fine.”
Emily-Ann gave her friend a grateful squeeze, then hurried away before she could see the tears in her eyes.
* * *
“You don’t have anything planned for tomorrow evening, do you?”
From his seat in the cushy leather armchair, Taggart glanced across Blake’s office to where the man sat behind his desk, signing off on purchases for grain and fencing supplies.
After a long workday in the saddle, Taggart had received a brief text from the man asking him to stop by the office to discuss plans for cutting the irrigated hay meadows. If the grass was ready, haying usually began the next month. But so far the two men had talked about everything but the hay. “Not unless you count doing my laundry and fixing myself something to eat.”
“I can’t help you with the laundry, but forget the cooking. Reeva will take care of that chore. I realize tomorrow night is Saturday night, but Mom has her heart set on you having dinner with us. It’s a goodbye thing for Matthew and Camille.”
Taggart wasn’t decent company for anyone, but
to make Maureen happy and to show Matthew his appreciation for all the support the man had given him these past six weeks, he supposed he could fake it and smile his way through the evening.
“I’ll be glad to show up. Actually, I need to present Matthew with some kind of award for all the patience he’s shown me since I arrived. He not only taught me lots of things about the ranch, but he also made me feel at home. I’m going to miss him.”
“We’re all going to miss him. And Camille—well, just when we get her back here on the ranch for a little while, she’s leaving again.” Leaning back in his chair, he linked his hands at the back of his neck and let out a long sigh. “But this time is different. She’s happy and in love. And we don’t worry about her anymore, because we know Matthew will take good care of her.”
Take good care of her. There’d been times when Emily-Ann had been lying next to him that he’d wanted to hold her tight and promise he’d always take care of her, that he’d always be there for her no matter what the future held. But each time the promises had lodged in his throat. Because each time he’d realized no man can stop fate from stepping in and wiping away the things he loved the most.
Love. That awful night Emily-Ann had left his house, he’d vowed to never let the word enter his mind. But these past few days his mind had gone rogue on him. All it seemed to want to think about was love and how he’d lost his chance at having it, holding it and cherishing it.
Shaking away the bitter thoughts, Taggart focused his attention back to the present. “Yes, Matthew is a good man. He’ll make a fine father, too.”
Blake gathered the stack of papers he’d just signed and placed them on the corner of his desk before he glanced over at Taggart. “You know, you ought to invite Emily-Ann out to have dinner with us. She’ll be wanting to see Camille before she leaves.”
Blake might as well have thrown a bucket of ice on him, Taggart thought. He was so frozen by the man’s suggestion that for a moment he couldn’t speak. Finally, he managed to say, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Uh—besides, it’s your mother’s party. It’s her place to do the inviting.”
The Texan Tries Again (Men 0f The West Book 44) Page 18