Family Matters (The Travers Brothers Series): The Travers Brothers Series

by Rita Hestand

  When Deke drove into the yard, Rusty opened his door to get out.

  "Looks like everyone's gone to bed." Deke nodded toward the house.

  "Then we'll just have to wake them up, won't we?" Rusty said, his voice sneering at the darkness.

  The sound of heavy boots crunching on the porch woke someone and a light came on. Jennifer stood in the doorway. Even with disheveled hair, no make-up and an old robe on Jennifer looked like a model. She also looked worried. She glanced almost guiltily at Rusty, then Deke.

  "Thanks Deke," Jennifer said as though she'd been waiting all day for Rusty to come, and she was dismissing Deke altogether.

  Deke started to walk off, but Rusty pulled at his jacket sleeve.

  "No, I want you to hear this. I want you to witness it." Rusty said and walked into the house as though he'd been invited in.

  Deke hesitated then followed.

  Jennifer seemed upset that Deke was staying, but she said nothing and followed them inside.

  The house was a comfortable old two story farm house that her grandfather had built several decades before. It was modest, but clean, Rusty mused as he turned all his attention on Jennifer.

  "Would you like some coffee?" She asked Rusty then Deke. Both men shook their heads.

  "No, we'd like the truth. We both know I'm not the father." Rusty raised his voice just a tad.

  "I know this was kind of a dirty trick, getting you back from your honeymoon so soon, but I have no one to turn to, but you, Rusty....!" Jennifer cried, real tears rolling down her cheek.

  Rusty hated when women cried. It made him feel responsible.

  "If you want my help you better tell my brother I'm not the father, and now!" Rusty exploded.

  Jennifer saw the anger in his eyes and nodded, the tears didn't go away. Instead she broke down and wept on Rusty's shoulder.

  "I went to work in Dallas. It seemed like a nice company. Only...some of the girls—well they were going to weekend parties with some of the male employees. That didn't seem so bad,

  so I went along. Swimming, dancing, lots of fun. Brad was so nice to me, at first. He would send me gifts, take me to exotic places. Then I found out he was still married and that his wife was pregnant. I was jealous. I loved him by then. She wouldn't give him a divorce, so he said. So..." she glanced at Rusty with pleading eyes. "I decided if I got pregnant, he'd leave her and come to me. He wanted more children. It didn't work out that way. He said he loved his wife, and thought I understood it. He won't divorce her. I left, came home. It seemed to me as though Deke was forcing you to marry this Hannah, so I decided to name you as the father. I thought it would be a good out, if you wanted out of the marriage Rusty. My family is in shock. I don't have any idea how to tell them the truth. They assumed you were the father, and I'm afraid I let them."

  "And did you tell them I was the father?" Rusty bit his lip to keep from reacting.

  "Yes...I'm afraid I did. I had too," she pleaded seeing the anger building in Rusty.

  "Why?" Rusty shouted.

  "I couldn't tell them the truth. It would kill them, Rusty. They could accept you getting me pregnant after all, we'd been together so long. But a stranger...they'd die of embarrassment." Jennifer pleaded.

  Rusty started for the door, "Then I suggest you tell them the truth, now."

  "I can't...." Jennifer shook her head, her make-up running down her cheek convinced Rusty the tears were real, but he refused to bail Jennifer out of this one. "Please don't ask it of me, not yet..."

  "You'd better and you'd better do it fast." Rusty shouted.

  Deke moved between them. "Jennifer, maybe I could tell them."

  "Oh no...you can't. I can't do that to them...." she begged and pleaded with her eyes going to Rusty.

  "Maybe you should have thought of that sooner,

  Jennifer." Rusty said, disgusted with her pleads.

  "You don't love Hannah, do you?" Jennifer cried as though it might be her last straw.

  There was a prolonged silence, and then Rusty looked Deke in the eye, "More every day I'm with her."

  Jennifer hung her head. Then glancing at Deke she added, "But I thought this was all just a marriage of convenience."

  "It started out that way, but not any longer." Rusty affirmed. "I'm sorry for you Jennifer but the sooner you straighten this out, the better."

  "I can't. I won't!" Jennifer cried.

  "Then I will!" Rusty vowed. "In fact, maybe tonight wouldn't be too soon."

  "Oh please, don't. Don't do this, Rusty."

  Deke grabbed Rusty's arm, "It'll keep another day." Rusty stared at Jennifer. "You tell them tomorrow, or I will."

  Then Rusty and Deke left, spinning out of the yard and sending the dirt flying.

  "Do you think she'll tell them?" Deke asked as they drove toward the ranch.

  "I don't know. But she better. God, I can't believe she was so stupid." Rusty shook his head and banged his fist against the dash. "Dammit Deke, I never touched her, ever! All that preaching you did, sunk in. I decided I'd be one Travers that didn't jump the gun. I even thought of myself as a little noble. Of course I knew I'd be ribbed if I confessed, but this would make any man confess his sins."

  "I'm damn glad you listened, bro. But now you better calm down before we get home. I'm sure Hannah still has no idea what is wrong." Deke reminded him.

  Rusty quieted.

  That night Rusty held Hannah close, kissed her goodnight and watched Emma follow her to a bedroom. He'd be sleeping with Deke. Not exactly what he'd planned, but this wasn't the time to make love to his wife. Not until he had this mess straightened out.

  He just wished he could be sure Jennifer would tell her folks!

  *****

  Emma took Hannah into town the next day, while Rusty helped Deke mend a couple of fences. Deke called it therapy; Rusty called it avoiding the inevitable.

  Emma had to pick up some supplies and Hannah seemed happy to get away from the tension building at the ranch.

  There hadn't been any private time with Rusty, so she didn't know any more about the problem than she had the night before. No one was talking. And something within her was kind of glad they weren't. She had a strange feeling she wouldn't like what they might tell her.

  Concentrating on Emma's grocery list, she couldn't help but overhear a nearby conversation.

  "Emma, I guess you've heard." A strange voice in the next aisle was saying.

  "Heard what?" Emma asked innocently. "Jennifer's gonna have Rusty's baby, of course.

  Don't tell me you didn't know. Oh, we know about that gal he married over by Pecos, but Jennifer said that was just a ruse. Said her and Rusty never stopped lovin' each other. 'Course we all knew they hadn't. Rusty has always been crazy about our Jenny. Guess it was a might hard on the gal though. How'd she take it?"

  Hannah didn't realize her eyes were full of unshed tears as she listened. Her sudden gasp and hiccup brought Emma around the aisle and to her side.

  "Don't listen to them, Hannah." Emma encouraged. "Why didn't he tell me?" Hannah asked, not really seeing Emma at all.

  "He hasn't had much of a chance...." Emma tried to take up for Rusty the only way she knew how.

  "He's had the time. He could have told me in the plane coming home. He's lied to me.

  Oh Emma, I'm such a fool."

  "No you aren't." Emma grabbed her and hugged her to her. "I'm sure Rusty can straighten this all out, just give him a chance."

  "I should have known." Hannah cried out.

  "Give him a chance to explain, honey." Emma encouraged. "It's probably just a big misunderstanding."

  Hannah pulled away. She stared into Emma's face and shook her head. "I need to go home. Can you help me get out of here...today?"

  "Hannah, you've got to give Rusty a chance to explain this. It's not fair..."

  "I can't...you don't understand...he lied to me...he told me..." she stopped and shook her head again, this time letting the tears fall. "I've got to get out of
here."

  Emma nodded, paid for her groceries and drove Hannah away from the grocery store.

  "Emma can you drive me home?"

  "Well I..." she glanced at the distraught figure beside her and nodded. "Yes, of course I can. I'll have to make a few phone calls, make sure someone picks Sammie Jo up from school. I'm sure Cal will watch the baby. Okay, relax, I'll drive you home. It's the least I can do. But are you sure you don't want to sit down with Rusty and talk this out, first?"

  "I can't. Please understand."

  "I do, Hannah, I do." Emma nodded, but the worried look didn't leave her face.

  "Have you considered it might be Jennifer lying?"

  "Why would she lie about something like that?" "I don't know. I was asleep when Deke and Rusty came in last night, and I didn't talk to either of them this morning before they left, so I don't know. But I do know them both, very well, and I know Rusty isn't a liar."

  Hannah folded and refolded a Kleenex that Emma handed her, wanting to believe Emma, but knowing it would be futile. Rusty had told her only a few nights ago that he was a virgin, and now this.

  To lie like that...just to get her in his bed...or his heart, or both!

  She couldn't forgive that!

  It was a long drive and both women were exhausted by the time they reached Hannah's house. Hannah insisted Emma stay the night and leave the next day. Emma had called Deke and told him not to mention where they were to Rusty at Hannah's request.

  "What are you going to do Hannah?" Emma asked the next morning before leaving her.

  "I'm going to go back to work and pay for this ranch, the way I should have all along. I owe Rusty and I aim to pay him back."

  "But the deadline is this week, what will you do?" "I don't know. Maybe I'll lose this place. Maybe it's a lost cause."

  "Hannah please don't talk like that."

  "Please," Hannah touched Emma's arm as she was about to drive away, "Don't tell Rusty what I'm going to do. I don't want him feeling guilty about it. It's not his fault. This ranch is my problem."

  Emma grimaced, "And Rusty?"

  "Rusty will be just fine. He can have our marriage annulled and marry Jennifer and make things right." Hannah smiled sadly.

  "You mean...you didn't." Emma intimated what she was talking about.

  "No...we didn't."

  "Maybe you should have." Emma said quite frankly. "Emma!"

  "Might have solved a lot of trouble." Emma nodded with a faint smile to her lips.

  "I made a mistake, Emma. I fell in love with him." Hannah admitted. "But...please don't tell him."

  "But...Hannah," Emma fretted. "Please."

  "Alright, Hannah, if that's what you want. I really liked having a ranch savvy sister-in-law.

  I'll miss you Hannah." Emma choked.

  "Ditto," cried Hannah and waved her goodbye.

  *****

  "What do you mean she's gone? Where did she go?"

  Rusty demanded as Deke tried to calm his brother down as Deke hung up the phone. "Emma took her home." Deke explained, pouring a large glass of milk for his brother.

  "Home! Why?" Rusty demanded standing up and facing his brother.

  "She knows...." that was all Deke said.

  "Knows! Who the hell told her?" Rusty shouted, grabbing his head as though it were about to come off his shoulders and he had to hold it on.

  "Jennifer's folks."

  "When did she run into them?" Rusty demanded. "When Emma took her to town this morning. Look,

  I'm no happier about this than you, but face it brother. This is a lot of any woman to take. Leave her be. Let her think this out, she can hear you out later. First you have to get over there and tell Jennifer's parents."

  "I have to! That's not my job."

  "Unless you want them telling the whole community that you and Jennifer are having a child together, you better set them straight. It sure doesn't look as though she plans on doing it any time soon." Deke declared, glaring at his brother.

  Rusty flopped into the chair and gulped the milk down. "Hell's bells, how could anything get so screwed up?"

  "I don't know...I just don't know." "I need to talk to Hannah..."

  "Agreed, but not tonight. Tonight, you need to talk to Jennifer and her folks. Get this thing taken care of before it blows wide open. Then you can talk to Hannah." Deke advised.

  Rusty agreed but decided to have one more glass of milk before taking care of it.

  *****

  It hadn't been easy. Jennifer stalled him as long as possible before Rusty finally approached the subject. At first Jennifer's father was adamant that Rusty was lying. Jennifer finally admitted the truth and it took hours to calm them down. Her mother cried for what seemed like hours to Rusty.

  "Why didn't you tell us?" her father asked, shaking his head with tears in his eyes.

  "I couldn't hurt you. You had so much faith in me. I couldn't destroy that. But on the other hand, I couldn't continue to let you think Rusty was the father either. It seems, Rusty is in love with his wife." Jennifer announced stonily.

  "Does she know?" Jennifer's mother asked. "She overheard you talking to Emma," Rusty informed her.

  "Oh dear God, I'm sorry for that."

  "Me too," Rusty reflected. Conjuring Hannah in his mind he could see her tears, her hurt. He needed to be with her...not Jennifer!

  "A man should be responsible for bringing a child into the world. He should have known better." Jennifer's father shook his head again, his sorrow multiplied with anger.

  "I should have too, Dad." Jennifer said, drying her tears and glancing at Rusty. "I'm sorry Rusty. I'm sorry I involved you. I just thought....maybe...."

  Rusty knew what she thought. If it hadn't been for Hannah, he might have rushed to save Jennifer, but he loved Hannah. And that's where his loyalties lay.

  "I'd better go," Rusty finally said, satisfied that everyone knew and understood now.

  Jennifer rose from the couch. "I'll walk you out." It was a quiet night; a hint of spring was in the air.

  Bluebonnets would line the hills before long. The long cold winter was almost over.

  "I really didn't know...." Jennifer began in a low throaty voice.

  "Know what?" Rusty asked distracted.

  "That you loved her." Jennifer said almost painfully. "Yeah, I do."

  "Will she understand?" Jennifer asked hopefully.

  Rusty glanced at her and smiled sadly, "I don't know. Would you?"

  "That's a good question." Jennifer nodded.

  Then as Rusty climbed into his pickup, Jennifer threw her arms around his neck and pulled him through the open windshield. "Good luck."

  "Thanks," Rusty nodded, and sped out of the yard as quickly as possible.

  It was late, he was tired, and yet he knew he should go after Hannah. Still a good night's sleep would allow him a clearer head and less chance of an accident. So he headed back to the 4 Bar None.

  There was a light on and as he opened the back kitchen door, he saw his father sitting at the kitchen table. It was like Cal Travers to wait up for his sons, when they were in trouble. He was like a rock, always there for them.

  "Get things straightened out?" Cal asked nonchalantly as though he weren't concerned, and yet he was.

  Rusty wanted to laugh. His father was worried. Worried just like he had a million times when his kids had come home with a weighty problem on their shoulders. Cal was there for them, all of them. And he was always on their side.

  "With Jennifer and her folks." Rusty said quietly. "Good. What about Hannah?"

  Rusty sat down at the table, ran his finger over the top of the sugar bowl and glanced at his dad with worried eyes.

  "I don't know, dad. I've got to go talk to her. But I decided to wait till morning. I'm pretty beat, and I need a clear head when I try to explain all this to her."

  Cal nodded, "Now that's good thinking, son. I was a little worried you'd go after her tonight. That's not wise."

  Rusty smiled. "Do
you think she'll understand?"

  "I don't know son. If she really loves you, then yes, I do."

  "And if she doesn't?"

  "You know the answer to that."

  "If only I'd told her about it on the way home. We could have talked it out, and there wouldn't have been a problem." Rusty acknowledged.

  "Maybe, but I'm sure you were still in a state of shock when you flew home. Deke has a way of springing things that is to be desired. Still, he means well."

  "I know." Rusty rubbed the stubble on his chin. He took his hat off, ran his fingers over his face and looked up at his dad.

  "You really love her, don't you?" Cal's eyes sparkled into his son's.

  "Yes I do." Rusty declared.

  "Then you go after her, tell her the truth and make her listen." Cal said getting up from the table.

  "There's apple pie in the fridge if you want some. Emma made it tonight." Cal said walking away.

  Rusty didn't hear him; he had fallen asleep at the table.

  *****

  But the next morning things didn't get any better. Deke had been trying to bust a bronc in the corral and got thrown against the barn. His leg was broken and he'd be laid up for a while. Rusty knew there was no one to help but himself. His dad couldn't carry on at the ranch alone. Clint had new responsibilities and Jake was in Peaceful. It was up to him.

  "Don't worry, Deke. I'll stay till you mend." Rusty declared that morning after bringing Deke home from the emergency room in Sweetwater.

  "I'd appreciate it, might give Hannah some thinking time too. Have you called her?"

  "I tried, a dozen times. She's not answering." Rusty looked away, his exasperation getting the better of him.

  "Keep trying," Emma urged.

  "I will. Well, better get out to the north pasture, make sure the water holes aren't froze up. You gonna be alright?" Rusty asked as his brother winced from moving his leg just a tad to the footstool.

  "I'll be fine. Sorry about all this bro..."

  "It'll keep," he mumbled and went out the door. But would it? Would Hannah listen to him when he finally could get to her?