Chasing Trouble in Texas

by Delores Fossen

  That’s when she saw that Rick wasn’t alone. Edith was standing at the end of the hall.

  “I’m sorry,” Rick said. “Edith insisted I come.”

  The sewing room door opened, and Em glared out at Edith. “You’d better not have come here to cause trouble.”

  Judging from Edith’s stern expression, that’s exactly why she’d come, but her expression changed when Cait, Em, Hadley and the twins all came out. It was a tight fit, especially with the costumes, and they were practically squished against each other.

  “Avery, Gracie,” Edith said in such a surprised way that it was obvious the woman hadn’t known they were there.

  “We’re having a fass show,” Avery announced.

  “Yes, I see.” Edith looked at McCall. “Uh, maybe we can talk outside?”

  McCall wanted to refuse just on principle because she hadn’t wanted Edith to bring any of this custody mess into Granny Em’s house, but digging in her heels wouldn’t help the situation. Besides, McCall didn’t want to talk to Edith in front of Avery and Gracie.

  “I’ll go with you to talk to her,” Cait insisted, yanking off the ghost sheet. She no longer sounded like the fun aunt but rather a cop. One with a mean attitude.

  “I’ll go with you, too,” Hadley piped in. She also sounded mean, and considering that today she was wearing snake fang earrings, she looked it, too.

  “I’ll go wift you,” Gracie volunteered, taking hold of McCall’s hand. No mean look for her, but there was some concern on her sweet face.

  There’s nothing that could have softened McCall more than that. In fact, it immediately brought tears to McCall’s eyes. Gracie likely had no idea what was going on, but she obviously wanted to add her support to Cait’s and Hadley’s.

  And apparently so did Avery. “Me, too,” the girl insisted. “Where we goin’?”

  McCall stooped down so that she’d be at an even level with Avery and Gracie. “It’s okay. I just need to speak to your grandmother for a few minutes. Why don’t you go back in the sewing room and find another costume for the next round of the fashion show?”

  Neither Avery nor Gracie showed a lot of enthusiasm with that suggestion, and that told McCall loads. The girls had obviously picked up on the vibes that something wasn’t right. But that vibe all changed in the blink of an eye.

  “Daddy!” the twins called out in unison, and they began to babble about their costumes.

  McCall stood and turned to see Austin working his way past Rick and Edith and toward his daughters. He scooped them both up, kissed them. Then he gave McCall a kiss, too, before he turned back to Edith.

  “Is there a problem?” Austin asked the woman.

  Edith made a flustered sound and tipped her head to the girls. That was probably her way of saying she didn’t want to discuss any of this in front of them. When she didn’t give Austin a verbal answer, he turned to Rick.

  “Are you here as Edith’s lawyer or is this a social visit?” Austin pressed.

  “Edith’s lawyer,” Rick verified. He lifted the envelope he had gripped in his hand. “I have papers that Edith wanted McCall to read.”

  “To give her one last chance to make things right,” Edith piped in.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure this out. Edith wanted McCall to see the papers, to show her that she was serious about pursuing custody. But Edith intended this to be a sort of blackmail.

  “Make things right,” Austin repeated, and he sounded as mean as Cait and Hadley had earlier.

  McCall heard the shuffle of footsteps behind her. Clothes swished and squished. There was a lot of body-to-body contact, but Granny Em, Hadley and Cait all moved forward, surrounding her. No doubt to show their support, and it was sort of working. McCall felt the united front against Edith. Even Rick was giving the woman some “this was a bad idea” glances.

  “And how exactly do you expect McCall to make things right?” That came from Cait, but honestly with the tempers now zinging in the tight space, any one of the women or Austin could have said it.

  With a twin in each arm, Austin turned to McCall. Yes, he was angry, all right, but it softened some, and after a few seconds he managed a smile. That was partly because of Avery, though.

  “Sorry, I tooted,” the girl said.

  She had indeed, and the stinky smell seemed to get trapped in the jammed hall. Gracie made a “ewww” sound, pinched her nose and shifted her weight, reaching out for McCall to take her. McCall caught her as she practically leaped into her arms.

  “Maybe we should all go out for some fresh air,” McCall suggested. She gave Avery a quick kiss on the forehead to hopefully reassure her and turned to head out.

  But Austin stopped McCall by stepping in front of her.

  “McCall,” he said amid the squished bodies, stinky air and glaring mother-in-law. “Will you marry me?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  WELL, AT LEAST McCall didn’t have a coughing fit with this latest surprise that Austin had sprung on her. But she was surprised, no doubts about that. She stood, silent and stiff, while she stared at him.

  Even though her mouth had dropped open only a little, Austin touched the bottom of her chin to move her lips back together. Then he kissed her. Because of this audience, he kept it short and sweet.

  “Marry you?” Edith repeated, the first to break the silence. “You want McCall to marry you?” And yeah, there was plenty of surprise in not only her voice but her expression.

  “Get married?” Gracie asked, looking over at Austin.

  He nodded and figured this was something he should have run past his girls, but it’d been a spur of the moment thing. Maybe in part because of his reaction to Edith, he admitted, but also because he was in love with McCall.

  Austin made sure he had both Avery’s and Gracie’s attention when he talked to them. “I’d like to marry McCall. How would you two feel about that?” He didn’t have to wait long for their response.

  “Yay!” Avery squealed just as Gracie said, “I’d like that.” Gracie’s smile let him know that this particular “I do” would get her seal of approval. But clearly not everyone else in the hall felt that way.

  “Uh, we need to talk,” McCall muttered to him.

  Austin had known that was coming, and he’d even counted on the skeptical glances that he was getting from Hadley, Em and Cait. Of course, their approval would be, well, nice, but the only ones that really counted right now were Avery’s, Gracie’s and McCall’s.

  He stood Avery on the floor next to Cait, and McCall did the same to Gracie. However, McCall and he didn’t make it even a step before Edith’s surprise turned to anger.

  “I know what you’re doing,” Edith blurted out, her voice a shrill accusation. One that wasn’t just aimed at him but also at McCall. “You figure you can get married to try to weaken my custody case. But it won’t work. I won’t let you get away with this.”

  “Grandma’s mad?” Gracie asked, and her bottom lip quivered as if she might start to cry.

  Austin made sure Gracie and Avery didn’t see the hell-freezing look he shot Edith, and he scooped up Gracie, holding her close to him. “No, she’s not mad,” he assured his little girl, but he wasn’t quite able to rein in his temper enough to make it sound believable.

  “What’s a cuss-ody case?” Avery asked, tugging on McCall’s fairy dress. “Is it like bad words?”

  Edith apparently realized what she’d just said and how she’d said it in front of the grandchildren that she seemed hell-bent on snatching away from him. “No, it’s not bad words.” Edith’s bottom lip wasn’t doing any trembling, but her words were calmer now. “It’s just something that I need to talk to McCall and your dad about.”

  “Is cuss-ody case like gettin’ married?” Avery pressed.

  A crappy father might have tossed Edith to the wolves and demanded that s
he explain it to Avery and Gracie. But he loved his kids too much to use them to put Edith in her place. He was about to offer Edith an out and tell the girls that he needed a private word with their grandmother, but Edith spoke before he could do that.

  “A custody case is doing what’s best for you and your sister,” Edith said. She came closer and looked down at Avery.

  Avery gave that a moment of thought. “Like gettin’ married?”

  Edith gave a frustrated sigh. “No. It’s more like giving you girls the best home you can possibly have.”

  Gracie smiled. “With the fairy lady.”

  Now, Edith frowned. “No, not with McCall but with me and your grandfather.”

  That certainly didn’t bring on any cheering. Not from the girls. And especially not from Austin. Edith probably didn’t know that just hearing that felt like deep cuts with a very sharp knife.

  Cait moved next to him, closing ranks. Em and Hadley did the same to McCall. Austin was sure all but McCall were glaring at Edith. Like him, McCall was trying to hold this situation for the sake of the girls.

  “I gotta toot again,” Avery announced—after she’d broken wind. Silent but deadly.

  Obviously, his daughter had some kind of stomach issues because it stank up the air enough that Rick and Edith started out of the hall. Austin would have preferred to stay put and give them some distance, but he also needed some air.

  With Gracie still in his arms, he took hold of Avery’s hand to lead them out toward the foyer. “Can you marry the fairy lady now?” Avery asked him.

  “No,” Edith answered before Austin got the chance to say anything. “Your father and I have some things to work out.”

  “Like cussody,” Avery supplied.

  “Yes.” This time Edith’s sigh seemed to be one of relief. “I’m going to talk to someone, a judge, because I want Gracie and you to live with your grandpa and me.” She plastered on a smile. “Wouldn’t you like that?”

  Everyone stopped again, and Avery and Gracie looked at Edith as if she’d sprouted an extra nose. Avery latched on to Austin’s leg, anchoring herself there.

  “No,” Avery said, shaking her head. “I want to stay with Daddy.”

  “Me, too,” Gracie piped in, and her lip started quivering again.

  Enough was enough. “You’re staying with me,” he assured the girls, and he hauled up Avery into his arms.

  Edith managed to keep that plastic smile. “But living with me will be fun.”

  Austin gave the woman a look that he was certain would freeze every ember in hell. “You should go now,” he managed to say.

  “Now,” Em repeated. She moved pretty fast, considering she was wearing vampire garb, and she marched down the hall toward Rick and Edith.

  Rick was smart enough to turn and go, but Edith stayed put. For a few seconds, anyway. “You might think you’re as tough as a stewed skunk,” Em said, her voice a low growl, “but you’re about to find out different.”

  As threats went, it was a strange one, but Austin was thankful it was one the girls likely wouldn’t understand. Heck, he wasn’t sure he understood it. However, it was enough to get Edith finally moving. That didn’t stop her, though, from issuing one last set of fighting words from over her shoulder.

  “This isn’t over,” Edith snapped.

  Austin had no trouble understanding that threat. And he didn’t think it was a bluff. No. This wasn’t over.

  * * *

  MCCALL PUSHED ASIDE everything that’d just happened, and she whirled around to make sure Avery and Gracie were okay. The girls were quiet and looking more than a little confused, and McCall suspected they were picking up on the thick tension in the air. She silently cursed Edith for having this showdown in front of them.

  Shifting her attention, McCall then looked at Austin, who was also quiet. She didn’t think that was because of any confusion but because he was too pissed off to say anything. Avery and Gracie had already heard enough angry words for one day.

  “It’s okay,” McCall said, brushing her hand on first Gracie’s cheek and then Avery’s.

  “Is cussody okay?” Gracie asked at the same moment her sister said, “Can we get married now?”

  Despite everything that’d just happened, McCall smiled. Then she didn’t. Because she remembered Austin’s marriage proposal was on the table. First and foremost, though, he’d need to talk this out with the girls—not just the marriage thing but also Edith’s custody demands.

  “Why don’t the four of us take a walk?” Austin suggested, and his gaze on her let McCall know that she was included in that foursome. “We can take the girls to the swing.”

  Until he added that last part, neither Gracie nor Avery seemed the least bit interested in getting out of the house, but that perked them up. Good. McCall was all in for anything that didn’t make them feel confused or sad.

  “I can take them to the swing if you and McCall want some time alone,” Cait suggested.

  It was tempting, but McCall doubted that Austin wanted to be away from his daughters right now. And she was right. Austin kissed Cait’s forehead, thanked her and then motioned for McCall to follow him.

  “Can we get married now?” Avery repeated.

  Obviously, the girl wasn’t going to let that drop. “McCall and I have to talk about that,” Austin said.

  Thank goodness he hadn’t put McCall on the spot by having her answer Avery’s question, but she doubted that the girl was just going to drop the subject.

  Despite the costumes, they went out of the house. McCall immediately glanced around but didn’t see Edith or Rick, thank goodness, as they made their way to the tree swing. The shade helped with the brutal temperature but not much. Still, the girls didn’t seem to notice when Austin sat them side by side on the wooden seat of the swing.

  “Hold on,” Austin told them. It took some maneuvering to have Avery reach behind Gracie and vice versa so that both of their hands could grip each side of the ropes. Then he gave them a little push. Even though they only moved a couple of inches, the girls giggled with delight.

  Austin looked at McCall, and he lifted his eyebrow, obviously waiting for her to respond to his proposal. However, since the girls were right there, she needed to be mindful of her words and not let her anger over Edith play into this.

  “The timing isn’t good for any big changes in your life,” McCall reminded him, moving in front of the girls so she could not only keep tabs on their reactions but also to be there in case one of them started to fall out.

  “I love you,” Austin simply said.

  “I love you,” Avery and Gracie echoed.

  The girls’ attention was on the swinging, but Austin’s gaze was still fixed on her. “I love you,” McCall muttered. It was true, but it didn’t fix anything. “That’s why I have to say no. I don’t want to do anything to create another scene like the one that just happened.”

  There was no need for her to fill in the blanks. If she backed away, then Edith might, too, and right now that was for the best.

  Clearly, Austin didn’t agree with her.

  He certainly wasn’t smiling now, and he huffed. But she saw more than disappointment and anger in his eyes. McCall saw the hurt. Damn it. This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid. Austin had been through enough.

  But apparently enough wasn’t over.

  Because Howie drove up.

  “Grandpa,” Avery and Gracie greeted. Obviously, they were delighted with their visitor and tried to pump their legs to swing higher to show him what they were doing.

  Howie smiled at them. A smile that definitely didn’t make it to his eyes. “That looks like fun,” he told the girls.

  “It is,” Avery said, beaming. “We gonna get married.”

  “We don’t want cussody,” Gracie added, frowning.

  Despite Gracie’s
mispronunciation of the word, Howie evidently figured out what’d happened because he groaned and shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, moving behind the girls probably so they wouldn’t see that his expression was no longer a happy one.

  “Edith crossed a big line today by coming here,” Austin answered. He kept his voice low, practically a whisper. “She tried to strong-arm McCall into leaving.”

  Avery didn’t seem to pick up on that, but Gracie’s expression grew more serious. To distract her, McCall started singing the only song that she thought the girls might know. “The Wheels on the Bus.” Yep, they knew it, all right, and joined right in on the repetitive lyrics.

  “I’m sorry,” Howie repeated, barely audible over the cheery chorus of “round and round.” “I tried to talk her out of doing this. I honestly did. But I think her grief’s gotten all mixed up with the gossip and embarrassment.”

  It was hard for McCall to keep up the cheeriness over the reminder that she was the reason for such embarrassment, but she forced herself to keep tuned into the girls when they moved on to the next stanza. “The people on the bus go up and down.”

  “I’m a good father,” Austin insisted.

  Since there was plenty of raw emotion in his voice, McCall went a little louder with her “up and down” portion of the lyrics. Still, she heard Howie when he said, “You are.”

  “The driver on the bus says move on back,” the girls belted out. McCall hadn’t remembered these specific lyrics, but it was easy to follow along.

  “If Edith keeps this up,” Austin went on, “she’ll do something that can’t be fixed.”

  Howie’s weary sigh was drowned out by the whaa-ing/baby’s crying sounds of the next stanza. “I know,” Howie admitted. He opened his mouth as if to three-pete another “I’m sorry,” but then he stopped and shook his head. “I’ll talk to her again,” he said, but he didn’t sound very hopeful that he’d be able to change Edith’s course of action.

  “Grandpa’s gotta go,” Howie told the girls, and even managed goodbye kisses before he went back to his car.