Tessa's Turn

by Jill Sanders

  TESSA’S TURN

  The West Series

  Jill Sanders

  Contents

  Summary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Finding Pride — Preview

  Also by Jill Sanders

  About the Author

  Summary

  Geeky teen pushover Tracy Bracey is finally dead, replaced by the beautiful and confident Tessa. After years of bullying, the darkness hovering over her appears to be fading. She has at long last become the vibrant woman she truly wants to be. Well, there is one thing missing… But with a promising music career taking off, the last thing she needs is the incessant matchmakers in town trying to hook her up with every wannabe cowboy available.

  Lucas James is hot as hell, but the cloud of mystery surrounding him is so thick, you can cut it. Who is this guy and where did he come from, anyway? He seems nice enough, but you definitely wouldn’t want to mess with him. How does a guy like this come to land in sleepy Fairplay, Texas? Is he running from something or someone? Whatever it is, he’s not talking.

  Lucas just wants to be left alone to deal with his past, but now a sexy brunette songwriter thinks she has the answers to all his problems… Unlikely! But, at least she might be a pleasant distraction.

  Chapter 1

  Tessa couldn’t believe what was happening. Her eyes filled as they lowered her mother’s small casket into the ground. Its pure white color contrasted with the East Texas red clay dirt that she’d always hated. Even though her mother had been sick for several months, nothing could have prepared Tessa for the loss. Not even the new friends she’d made in her hometown of Fairplay, Texas, could ease her pain.

  They were all here to support her today. Savannah and Billy stood the closest, each of them holding a sleepy child in their arms. Maggie was closing in on five, while Audrey was just coming up on her first birthday. Both of the girls were dressed in dark gray dresses that Tessa had helped her friend put on them earlier that day. They matched their mama perfectly, in every way.

  The West clan was close behind her. She could hear a couple of the younger boys ask their daddies when they could take off their “church clothes” and have some pie. No doubt, their mothers had baked plenty of pies for the reception that was happening shortly after the burial.

  Tessa’s eyes moved back to the simple white box and sighed. Her father’s fingers brushed hers and she reached out to take his hand. When had it gotten so frail? When had her parents grown so very old?

  She glanced over at him and saw him wipe tears from his eyes with his white handkerchief. Carl and Leslie Keys had been in their late forties when Tessa had come along. She’d been the surprise of their lives and, according to them, a blessing.

  She supposed that, if they had been younger, she would have had a better chance at things. Her love for her parents had never wavered, but she’d still dreamed of a family full of children with parents young enough to enjoy them and hip enough to help her through her troubles.

  She glanced over at her father and smiled when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Your mother was so happy to spend the last few weeks with you,” he said softly.

  “I should have come home sooner.”

  He shook his head. “You did right, finishing the semester. She would have wanted that.”

  A tear slid down her face. Her father reached up and, with a shaky hand, wiped it away gently just as the preacher finished talking.

  “The Keyses would like to invite everyone out to their house for a luncheon to honor Leslie’s wonderful life. If you need directions, I have a printout.” He waved a small stack of paper’s Tessa had printed out on her father’s computer.

  “How are you doing?” Savannah asked while shifting Audrey in her arms.

  “Good. Do you want me to take her?” Her fingers itched to get ahold of the baby again. Savannah must have guessed it because she gently moved her sleeping daughter into her waiting arms. The baby felt good snuggled up next to her. Even with the added heat, Tessa felt a little more centered.

  “I hate the circumstances, but I’m thankful to have you back in town.” Savannah smiled over at her while she brushed a finger down her daughter’s dark head.

  “I’m not…” She bit her lip and nodded. She didn’t want to admit to her friend that she wasn’t sure how long she planned on staying. She knew she needed to be here for her father, but just being back in Fairplay, Texas, unsettled her stomach.

  She stood next to her father, holding Audrey as everyone passed them with words of encouragement. Then she handed the baby back to Savannah and made her way towards her father’s sedan to drive him home.

  “You don’t have to stay in town on my accord,” her father broke in less than a mile away from the church. She glanced quickly over at him.

  “What does that mean?” she asked, turning her eyes back towards the road.

  He took a deep breath. “I know how you feel about the people in town. Well, most of them. Anyway, I don’t want you to feel obligated…”

  She stopped him by reaching over and taking his hand. “Dad, I’m where I need to be right now. I’m no longer a little girl, afraid of what others think of me.”

  “I can see how much you’ve changed.” He smiled and patted her hand. “You’re no longer our little Theresa.”

  She cringed at the old-fashioned name she’d always tried to hide.

  “No, I’m Tessa now.” She smiled and squeezed his hand.

  “Tessa,” he sighed. “Much better than Tracy.” He nodded. “God knows why they started calling you that.” He glanced out the window and retreated into his own thoughts.

  Tessa knew why they’d called her Tracy. Knew exactly who had called her that and remembered the day that Tracy had died, the day she’d jumped from the bridge.

  What the hell was everyone doing in town? Lucas cursed under his breath. It seemed like every damn car within fifty miles was blocking him from a good meal. Of course, he wouldn’t be so damn hungry if he’d remembered to stop by the grocery store last night on his way home from Tyler.

  It didn’t matter anyway, since he doubted the Grocery Stop would have been open at midnight. Laying on the horn, he stopped himself from flipping the bird to the car blocking him as he jumped the curb and pulled into the parking lot at Mama’s, one of the only decent places to get a meal in town.

  Then he did curse as he read the sign on the door. “Closed, in honor of Leslie Keys. If you’re hungry, come on down…” There was an address in bold black.

  Well, shit. He turned back towards all the cars and felt his gut turn. It was a funeral procession.

  Resting his head back, he decided he was one of the worst sons of bitches in town. Who swerved in and out of a funeral procession because they had missed breakfast and lunch?

  He pulled his truck into reverse and decided to try the Grocery Stop for a cold sandwich. He sighed when he saw the same note on their door. Damn! That was the problem with living in a small town. The whole place closed down when someone died or got married.

  Deciding he’d rather spend a lifetime sitting on hot coals than an hour with a bunch of strangers, he started to pull out of the parking lot, only to realize that there was a string of cars driving down the wrong side of the road. What beat it all was that they wer
e all following the sheriff’s car.

  It was like one big parade, blocking his way to any food. He watched several cars drive by slowly and realized that there was one source of food in town. And it was free. All he had to do was get in and out before anyone stopped to ask him questions.

  Making up his mind, he pulled in behind a white Jeep and followed everyone slowly out of town.

  The house wasn’t big, but it was well maintained. It sat almost two miles out of town near the old railroad tracks. There was parking in the large front yard, so he pulled in next to the Jeep and waited until everyone got out before opening his door.

  He felt his stomach growl and almost hunched over with pain. It had been almost twenty-four hours since he’d last shoved something in his mouth. Why the hell hadn’t he planned better?

  He followed the stream of people walking up the wide front porch stairs and was thankful there wasn’t anyone standing at the door to greet guests.

  It was too crowded in the living room to make out anything short of the fact that the walls were painted a nice cream color and the paintings that hung around the room were something he’d expect to see on his grandmother’s walls.

  The furniture was pushed aside to make more room for people, and there were a ton of them standing around, chatting. Some, he noticed after a while, were coming out of the back room with full plates in their hands. His stomach led him towards the wonderful smells and he noticed a rather large black woman, whom he only knew as Mama, scooping out baked beans onto plates.

  “Hmmm, thawt I’d see you here,” she said with a rich Louisiana accent as she frowned slightly. She smiled when she heard his stomach growl loudly.

  “It’s where the food is,” he said, grabbing up a plate of baked beans and holding it out for her to load up with the cooked brisket and pork.

  “Dat it is.” She nodded. “You be good and pay your respects to Miss Leslie’s family.” She nodded towards the corner of the room and he glanced over where an older gentleman was sitting at the end of a large dining room table.

  He turned back towards Mama and frowned. “I’m just here because you closed down—”

  She bopped him on the back of the knuckles lightly and shook her head. “Don’t make me crawl over dat table.” She crossed her arms over her rather large chest and glared at him.

  Finally, he sighed and nodded. “Fair enough.” He glanced down at the plate, then back up at her. “Is that corn bread?”

  She chuckled and put two large slices on his plate.

  Since there was an empty spot at the table, he decided to head over and “pay his respects,” while he shoveled food into his gut.

  When he sat down, a young woman shifted next to him and glanced his way. She had a full plate of food but had yet to touch any of it.

  “Something wrong with the food?” he asked, taking a large bite of the juicy meat.

  “No,” she said, pushing the plate farther away from her. “I’m just not hungry.” She shifted slightly away from him again.

  “Well, if you’re not going to…” He nodded towards her plate.

  “Help yourself.” She pushed the plate towards him and moved to get up.

  “There you are.” A busty blonde rushed towards the table. “I was worried sick…” She stopped when she noticed him shoveling the brunette’s food onto his plate. “Well, really!” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned to the brunette. “You need to eat!” She pulled the plate from his grasp and set it back in front of the brunette, all while giving him a glare of death.

  “Savannah, I’m not hungry,” the brunette said softly.

  “I’ve spent all day with you and I know for a fact that you’ve only had two mints.” She glared at him again as he continued to shovel food into his mouth. His stomach was beginning to feel normal and he was sure he was over the worst part of the hunger pains. “Promise me you’ll try to eat something.” She turned away from him.

  The pretty brunette nodded and reached for her fork. “Only if you can convince my father to eat something as well.” She nodded towards the old man at the head of the table.

  He realized that she was family and felt bad for trying to take her food.

  “I’m working on it. Worse case, I send Jamella in here.” The blonde chuckled, then turned. “Oh! That’s one of mine crying.” She turned to go, but then stopped and met his eyes. “Don’t take that plate from her until half of it is gone.” She waited until he nodded in agreement.

  When the woman disappeared down the hall, the brunette pushed the plate back towards him. “If you don’t tell her, I won’t.”

  He shook his head and pushed it back. “Eat,” he said between bites.

  She leaned back and sighed. “There might be a whole pie in it for you, if you tell her I ate half.”

  “What kind of pie?” he asked, finishing up his plate.

  “Blueberry.” She took a sip of her tea, making him realize he hadn’t gotten a glass for himself.

  He thought about it and almost took her offer.

  “You should eat. I’m sure your…” He let his words hang.

  “Mother. Leslie was my mother.”

  His eyebrows shot up a little as he looked over at the older man.

  “I’m sure your mother wouldn’t want you to starve yourself on her account.”

  “I’m hardly starving,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  No, he thought, not starving. Her coloring also told him that she wasn’t on the verge of passing out from lack of food. But she shouldn’t go around avoiding meals either.

  Then his mind switched gears from food to how wonderful it would be to have the pretty brunette curled up next to his side.

  “At least have some of the corn bread. It’s delicious.” He handed her the bread from her plate and set the rest in front of him. “It’s a deal breaker.” His eyebrows lifted when she started to set it aside. “Don’t make me go get Jamella.” He waited and watched her brown eyes move back towards the kitchen area to where Mama was still scooping up food.

  “You play dirty,” she said under her breath, then took a bite of the bread. When her eyes closed with pleasure, he knew she’d finish the entire piece off without another word.

  “I’m sorry about your mother.” There, he thought, my duty is done. He’d just finished everything on her plate and finally felt like his stomach was borderline full. But the promise of pie had him pushing that feeling aside.

  “Thank you,” she said taking another sip of her tea. “Did you know her?”

  “I don’t think so.” He frowned over at her father as he too pushed an almost full plate aside. Unlike his daughter, the old man looked like he was about to fall over if he didn’t get some food in him. “Looks like your dad might need some persuading to eat.” He nodded to the end of the table. Before she could reply, Mama walked into the room and sat down next to him.

  “I know you goin’ to finish dat whole plate,” she said, setting her plate down next to his and pushing his back in front of him. “Besides, if’n you don’t, you won’t get a piece of my blackberry pie I baked special for ya.”

  “Now, Jamella…” the older man started.

  But Jamella huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I think Mama has it under control,” the brunette whispered back to him. “I’ll go get your pie. I’m sure you’re anxious to get out of here.”

  “What makes you think that?” he asked.

  The left side of her mouth curved up. “You’ve looked towards the front door at least a dozen times since sitting down. You haven’t once relaxed back in that chair, and you’ve been tapping your foot incessantly.”

  He immediately stopped. “It’s a nervous tic.”

  She nodded. “I’ll meet you out front with it. I’m going to have to sneak it out the back way.”

  After she left, Jamella glanced up at him and nodded. He figured he had her permission to vacate the building, so he started to make his way towards the f
ront, grateful that everyone seemed too busy in their own conversations and food to bother with him.

  He stood out on the front porch for less than a minute before the brunette walked around with a pie covered in tinfoil.

  “There’s a piece missing, but since you forced the bread down me, you’ll just have to make do.”

  He nodded and reached for the pie. “Thanks.”

  “Have you lived in town long?” she asked, throwing him off balance slightly. “I only ask… well, it didn’t seem like you knew anyone here.”

  He shrugged. “Almost a year. I don’t.”

  “Why not?” she asked and then bit her bottom lip. His eyes followed the motion and he felt his mouth water.

  “I tend to stick to myself.” He itched to get out of there.

  “I didn’t mean to make you nervous.” Her dark eyes looked shadowed like she’d spent too many nights without sleep. Sad, but curious.

  “You don’t.” His eyes moved towards the front door. “They do.” When his eyes moved back to hers, he thought he saw understanding in them.

  “I didn’t get your name,” she said, turning back towards him.

  “Luke,” he answered quickly, using his nickname. “I didn’t get yours, either.”

  “Tessa.” She glanced back towards the front door when a loud baby cry came from inside. “Thank you for stopping by.” She turned to walk inside, but he stopped her.

  “I’m sorry about your mother,” he said, again.

  She nodded slightly and then disappeared through the front screen door.

  As he drove away, he couldn’t get her soft brown eyes out of his mind. For the first time since moving to Fairplay, he thought he’d finally met someone who could understand the pain he’d gone through. Maybe it hadn’t been such a bad choice to move to the middle of nowhere after all.