Hill Country Redemption

by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

  “They are. There’s a fridge full of bait and all the lures you can imagine. Your daddy did love to fish.”

  “Yes, he did.” Larae went all soft with memories and teared up a little.

  Uh-oh. Had she not wanted to go because she hadn’t ever been without her dad? Or maybe because that had been their long-ago meeting spot where they’d shared lots of stolen kisses?

  “Jayda, do you know where the river is?” Rance asked.

  “Mommy took me there our first day here.” She gave an adamant shake of her head. “But I can never, ever, ever go near it by myself.”

  “That’s a very good rule. Since Grandma and Grandpa are with you, though, you could take them on down to the river while I get the gear, and your mama can finish up here.”

  “I can do that.”

  “I thought we were just fishing in some pond.” His dad adjusted the brim of his floppy fishing hat.

  “There’s a narrow branch of river that runs across the ranch,” Larae explained. “Pretty good fishing at the widest point. At least, there used to be. I haven’t been in years.”

  “But my other grandpa used to take her there.” Jayda tugged Rance’s folks toward the river. “When we lived in Dallas and he came to visit, we fished in a reservoir.”

  “Well, lead the way.” Rance’s mother waved to him and Larae as Jayda barreled toward the woods.

  “Slow down, Jayda.” Larae shielded her eyes from the sun. “Don’t drag them.”

  Jayda slowed to a fast walk.

  “I think they can handle her. They walk two miles a day since Dad’s cholesterol wake-up call.”

  “I didn’t know about that.” Larae’s concern softened her features. “Are you sure he’ll be all right?”

  “He’s in the best shape he’s been in years thanks to Mom’s strict exercise regime and lean meals.”

  “Let me talk to the guys, go over final details, and then I’ll be there.”

  “Listen, if you want to stay and supervise here, I can distract Jayda.”

  “Don’t try to cut me out of the outing.” Her gaze narrowed.

  “That’s not what I’m doing. Talking about the river seemed to bring back memories for you. I just thought you might not be comfortable with it.”

  “I’m fine. They were good memories.” Her eyes turned cold. “Mostly good anyway.”

  And her meaning was obvious. She wished she’d never snuck down to the river to meet him.

  “If you’re sure, I’ll get the gear.”

  “It’ll take lots of gear.” She dug in her pocket, pulled out a bundle of keys, slipped off one and held it toward him. “Load it into the mule. It’s in the shed, too. Should be gassed up and ready to go.”

  “I’ll wait for you.”

  “There’s no need.”

  “Larae. I’m not going without you.”

  Her gaze measured him. “If you insist.”

  “I do.”

  She turned away and hurried to speak with the work crew’s foreman.

  One thing was sure. If they were going to do this parenting thing together, they had to count on each other. But how could he get her to trust him? Without revealing what had happened with her dad. The man she still had on a pedestal.

  * * *

  Larae was halfway to the shed when the low rumble of the mule started up.

  Seconds later, Rance pulled out and drove up to her. “Your chariot awaits.”

  Oh, how she’d rather walk. But she couldn’t let him know the thought of sitting beside him bothered her. She crawled in next to him.

  He sat there, idling. “I want what’s best for Jayda.”

  “I do, too.”

  “I need you to trust me with her.” His gaze snagged hers. “Trust that I won’t do anything to hurt her, try to exclude you when I spend time with her, or try to monopolize her. That I won’t intentionally do anything to hurt you. Or your reputation.”

  “That all sounds good.”

  “And I need you to do the same. We need to raise her together and put her best interest first.”

  “I agree.” Her heart did a painful flip-flop. She’d have to share Jayda from now on.

  “I need you to stop always thinking the worst of me, assuming I’m up to something or have ulterior motives.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “I know I hurt you once. But I was a kid. I’m not anymore. How can I prove to you that I’ve changed?”

  “Just don’t let Jayda down. All I want is for her to be happy and loved.”

  “Me, too.” He offered his hand. “Shake on it.”

  She wanted to trust his offer, but touching him always did funny things to her insides. Hesitantly, she clasped his hand. And every nerve ending went on high alert.

  “All right, let’s not keep our Baby Girl waiting.” He drove toward the river, avoiding clumps of prickly pear cactus as they went.

  She liked the way he said our instead of my. Could she really trust this guy? Had he changed? With all her Rance-entangled heart, she hoped so.

  “Mommy! Daddy!” Jayda jumped up and down, jerking her fishing line with each bounce. “You came.”

  “We said we would.” Rance gathered the extra rods and reels along with a tackle box.

  “I know, but I figured it would take forever.” Jayda drew the word out with dramatic flourish. “When Mommy says in a few minutes, that means at least thirty minutes to an hour.”

  Larae’s face heated.

  “Well, your mama’s a very busy lady.” Rance ambled down the path to where white river rocks lined the water. “And she’s always had to do everything on her own and take care of you all by herself. Maybe since I’m here now, I can help her get stuff done so we can both spend more time with you.”

  Rance defending her? Her heart warmed.

  “Yay.” Jayda clapped her hands and dropped her pole. As she did, it slowly dragged toward the water.

  “You got a bite, Baby Girl.” Rance dove for the pole and snagged it just before it disappeared into the water. “Help me reel her in.”

  He made a big show of struggling with the fish as if Jaws was on the other end of the line, but when it popped out of the water, it was small.

  “Look at that bass, Baby Girl. You caught that all by yourself.”

  “It’s tiny, Daddy. I can do a whole lot better than that.”

  “Well, can you now?”

  “Whoever catches the biggest fish gets to eat it.” Jayda grinned.

  “You’re on, Baby Girl.”

  Larae watched as her little girl blossomed under the attention of Rance and his parents. Had she failed Jayda in keeping her away from this family all these years? When Jayda got old enough to understand everything, would she resent Larae for keeping her a secret?

  All she could do was allow Jayda to spend plenty of time with Rance and her new grandparents to make up for the time they’d lost.

  And pray Rance would stay put like he’d promised and not break Jayda’s heart by leaving. Since she was attending church again, like God wanted, she prayed a lot these days. Now she just needed Him to answer.

  * * *

  The arena enclosure was updated, reinforced and fully in place the next afternoon when Rance strolled down Larae’s drive. He’d gotten tied up on the phone most of the day. In the process, he’d missed Jayda before she went to school and hadn’t been here when she’d gotten home. And he hadn’t liked it at all. She made him want to forget about his business and spend every spare minute with her.

  Larae and Jayda exited the house and headed for the SUV.

  “Hey.” He waved. “Where are y’all going?”

  “We’re putting out more flyers.” Jayda held up a handful as he jogged to catch up with them. “Want to come with us?”

  Now who was trying to exclude wh
o? “More flyers?”

  “These advertise the starting date.” Larae handed him one.

  Their fingers touched, sending fireworks through his nerve endings.

  “That it’s a done deal, gonna happen. I almost called you, but since we hadn’t seen you all day, I figured you were busy.”

  And she’d probably been glad, hoping to slip away without him.

  “I was on the phone with a breeder most of the day.” He scanned the flyer. “In two weeks? Isn’t that rushing things a bit?”

  “I figure the sooner we get started the better. I have all the staff in place. The arena, all the chutes, the concession stand, the bathrooms, announcer’s booth and seating will be finished by then. Everything is on schedule.”

  “What if there’s a flood and it’s not finished in time? We’ve got a lot of ranchers around here praying for rain.”

  “Then we’ll advertise a new date. The ranch needs this.”

  “I know. But you can’t control the weather, Larae.”

  “No. But I know who can. As dry as it is, I’m not praying against rain. But I am praying He’ll work it out.”

  Larae praying?

  “She’s been doing that since we went to church with you, Daddy. And I really like it when Mommy prays.”

  “Me, too,” he admitted as he sought Larae’s gaze. Had one Sunday changed her mind about church? If anyone could, his caring church family could.

  “We’re going to Bible study with you tomorrow night, too,” Jayda said.

  “If that’s okay with you.” Larae ducked her head, almost shy.

  “Of course. Anytime.”

  “Mommy said we’re gonna start going all the time.”

  “Well, I’m tickled about that.”

  “Can you come with us to put the new fliers up, Daddy?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.” An evening spent with his two favorite girls.

  But he couldn’t think that way about Larae. She was just as off-limits as she’d been in high school. Focus on Jayda. Not her far too appealing mother.

  Over the next few hours, they left flyers in the few businesses in Medina and covered the stores in Comfort. With Jayda’s hand in his and Larae strolling along beside him, it was one of the best days he could remember.

  “Ooh, that’s pretty.” Jayda pointed at a turquoise bracelet as they turned to leave one of the gift shops. Each tiny stone formed the middle of a silver flower.

  “I think you need it. What do you think?” He shot her a wink.

  “Oh yes, Daddy, please.”

  “It’s kind of expensive, Jayda.” Larae shook her head at him. “It would be terrible if you lost it.”

  “I won’t. I still have the ring Grandpa Collins got me for Christmas before last.” She held her hand up to reveal an opal.

  “It’s not a big deal.” Rance slid the bracelet off the display. “I’d really like to get it for her. But it’s your call.”

  Her gaze narrowed, fully aware that if she didn’t let him, she’d be the bad guy in Jayda’s eyes. He needed to work on that. On thinking first with Jayda instead of always opening up his big mouth and making Larae mad at every turn.

  “I suppose it’s okay. Just this once. But you can’t buy everything she wants.”

  “Mommy says I’ll get spoiled and grow up to be good-for-nothing if I never have to work for anything.”

  Rance grinned. “She’s right.”

  “You can have the bracelet, Jayda. And since it’s real turquoise, let’s just wear it to church and for special occasions when you won’t be running and playing. That way it won’t get lost. You’ll have to be careful like you are with your ring.”

  Her commitment to church attendance warmed his heart.

  “Okay, Mommy. Can I wear it today?”

  “If you’ll be careful.”

  He slipped the bracelet on Jayda’s wrist and clasped it in place, then opened his wallet and handed the cashier the bills.

  “Look, it fits perfect.” Jayda shook her arm. “It’s not big enough to slide over my hand.”

  “It looks very pretty.” Larae looked up at him. “Thank you. What do you say, Jayda?”

  “Thank you, Daddy.” She plowed into his middle with a hug. “I love it.”

  “Looks like it was made for you, Baby Girl.”

  Larae checked her watch. “We need to go home. It’s almost time for supper, and Stella insisted on cooking for us.”

  “You’re right.” He opened the door, and Jayda skipped out ahead of them, still admiring her bracelet.

  “Watch where you’re going, Jayda,” Larae called. “And don’t get too far away from us.”

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  “I’m sorry about the bracelet,” Rance whispered.

  “I’ve worked really hard at not spoiling her.”

  “And you’ve done a great job. I didn’t mean to make you the bad guy. I promise I’ll work on thinking first with her in the future.”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  Her tone was abrupt. Would he ever get anywhere with Larae? Get her to trust him? At the rate he was going, not for a very long time.

  Chapter Twelve

  In two days, they’d replaced all the initial rodeo flyers with the grand opening ones and alerted the radio stations. Except for the ones they’d put in San Antonio. Larae couldn’t face that drive alone with Rance, so she’d sneak off by herself when she could.

  They’d gotten back in time to pick Jayda up from school and take her with them to hang flyers in Bandera.

  “So we’re all done. Anybody hungry?”

  “Me. Me. Me.” Jayda stuck her hand up in the back seat.

  “Remember, we have church tonight.” Larae’s stomach rumbled right on cue.

  “Sounds like your mama is, too.” He checked his watch. “We’ve got time. How about the O.S.T.”

  “What’s that?” Jayda asked.

  “It stands for Old Spanish Trail.” Larae looked out the window. If not for her traitorous gut, they could have gone home to eat. And gotten rid of Rance quicker. “It’s a restaurant with yummy food.”

  “I can’t believe you’ve never taken her there.”

  “We lived in Dallas. Dad came to visit us there. I never brought Jayda here.” To keep him in the dark about her. A decision she was beginning to regret.

  “Well, it’s high time she went.” His tone was solid—no trace of anger. He was obviously trying hard to put their past behind them. He found a parking slot at the other end of the block and pulled in. “O.S.T. is right down the street.”

  Spending time with him wasn’t terrible, apart from watching Jayda flourish in his attention and hearing her sing his praises. If he ever let her little girl down, Larae would find a way to make his life miserable.

  They strolled the strip of sidewalk, then stepped inside, and Jayda looked around, making Larae remember the first time she’d seen it. Younger than Jayda, she’d come here with her parents, and it had become their go-to place to eat out. The huge wagon wheel light fixture, the salad bar housed in a covered wagon, sets of longhorns on the walls.

  “I wanna sit on the saddle stools.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Rance ushered Larae to follow their child.

  “What kind of deer is that?” Jayda’s eyes widened at the huge antlers behind the serving bar.

  “It’s an elk.”

  A waitress ducked under the elk to give them menus.

  “It’s the hugest thing I’ve ever seen.” Jayda clapped her hands.

  “I think hugest is the perfect word for it.” Rance shot her a wink.

  They placed their orders, and it wasn’t long before their food came.

  “Wow, I forgot how big the fish and shrimp are here.” Larae homed in on his plate.

  “That catfish
takes up half your plate, Daddy. And I think they might have given you chicken legs instead of shrimp.”

  The waitress laughed. “You let me know if you need any more chicken legs.”

  Rance reached for Larae’s hand across the bar in front of Jayda sitting between them.

  Her first instinct was to jerk away. Instead, she caught his gaze.

  “Let’s pray. I usually pray before I eat.”

  “Oh.” She clasped his hand. Shock waves went straight to her heart. Jayda’s small hand slipped into her free one. But Larae didn’t hear any of the prayer. And when Rance let go, her hand went cold.

  Jayda and Rance dug into their plates, but, even though she was hungry and the food was excellent, Larae merely nibbled at her burger and onion rings.

  “Are you the one starting a rodeo in Medina?” a male voice asked from her left.

  “Yes.” She turned to see a man in his midthirties, decked out in cowboy gear.

  “You’re Clay Warren.” Rance’s jaw dropped. “My dad and I followed your career from beginning to end. You were the greatest.”

  “Now I don’t know about that.” Mr. Warren ducked his head. “But I gave it a good run.”

  “This is Clay Warren.” Shock echoed in Rance’s words. “He won the CBR World title four times.”

  “What’s that?” Jayda stuck a fry in her mouth.

  “Championship Bull Riding,” Larae explained.

  Jayda’s eyes widened. “You ride bulls.”

  “I used to. But not anymore.”

  “How come?”

  “Jayda, remember it’s not polite to ask personal questions.”

  “It’s okay.” Clay grinned. “I got married and had a little girl and bull riding’s kind of dangerous, so I traded in my boots for my family.”

  “We’re starting a rodeo.”

  “I know. Do you have a start date yet?”

  “The twenty-ninth of this month.” Larae handed him one of her new business cards with her number and address. “That’s where we’re building. It will be outdoor until we can get the indoor site up and running.”

  “That’s great news.” Clay tucked the card in his shirt pocket. “I’ve always thought Medina needed a rodeo.”