“I’m sure he will.” I thought of Mason, with his hypnotizing eyes, strong arms and that air of absolute confidence that surrounded him. I couldn’t imagine that women didn’t swarm around him. “Someone who’ll love Piper, too. She needs a mother.” I realized what I’d said and added hastily, “Not that you’re not wonderful with her. She’s so lucky to have a grandmother like you.”
Naomi chuckled. “I know what you meant, honey.” She watched me in silence for a minute. “I’m sure you know first-hand what it’s like to be raised by a grandmother ... and still miss your mama.”
“I was very lucky, too.” I bit my lip. “Gram is—she’s just the best. I can’t imagine my life without her. But I always wondered what it’d be like to have my mom around.” I lifted one shoulder. “Of course, in Piper’s case, her mother didn’t choose to leave her, like mine did. Hers was taken away against her will. Mine ran as far from me as fast as she could.”
“Oh, darlin’ ...” Naomi reached over to clutch at my hand. “Don’t think that way. There’s always more than one side to a story, and you don’t know what your mama’s was.”
“I guess.” I stretched out my legs and stood up. “I’m going to go make your tea and get your night time meds ready, okay? Mason said he was going to be a little late tonight.”
“Saturday nights are always late.” Naomi yawned. “Thank you, dear. I think I’ll be ready for bed after my tea.”
As I left the room, I heard her voice call out to me again. “And Rilla, no matter what anyone’s told you, or what you fear in your own heart ... you’re not easy to leave. I didn’t know your mother, but I bet anything it broke her heart to run away without you. And she wouldn’t have done it unless she didn’t have another choice.”
I stood still for a minute, my hand tight on the door jam. “Maybe.” I looked back over my shoulder at the older woman. “But if it were me, nothing short of death would pry me away from my child. I’d do anything to stay with her.”
The lump in my throat stopped me from saying anything more. I fled to the safety of the kitchen before Naomi could respond.
IT HAD BEEN A long-ass night. I yawned big as I turned onto my silent side street, grateful that I’d managed to stay awake on the drive home. It wasn’t unusual for me be home after midnight on Saturdays; Rocky and I shared the late nights at the club, and he preferred to take Fridays. Since our bigger acts tended to play on Saturdays, it made more sense for me to cover those days.
Tonight, though, had been insane. The band I’d booked had still been fairly obscure when we scheduled them, but ten days ago, their new single caught fire and headed straight for the top of the charts. That was great news for them, for sure, and pretty damn awesome for us too, except that dealing with all the extra fans was a fucking nightmare. We’d had lines out the door, and we’d had to call in more help with managing traffic and parking.
The set had started late, thanks to all the chaos, and the band, riding high at their first show after hitting the big time, decided to play an extra hour. Again, it wasn’t a bad thing, except it meant that I hadn’t left the club until after two.
I felt a twinge of concern as I pulled into my driveway. The house was dark aside from the porch light, which didn’t surprise me. But I hadn’t been able to call home in the midst of all the bedlam at the club, and by the time I had a minute to breath, I was afraid that the ringing phone might disturb my mom or wake up Piper. I hoped Rilla wasn’t freaking out.
I climbed out of the truck and closed the door as quietly as I could. My feet crunched over the leaves on the sidewalk, and my boots sounded too loud against the steps of the porch. I dug my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the front door.
The living room was mostly dark, except for the soft glow that came from the hallway light that was still on. I reached down to take off my boots, so I could walk through the house without waking everyone up.
I wondered where Rilla was, but given the hour, I assumed she’d found a place to sleep—maybe in with Piper, or in the guest room I’d told her she could use when she was here. Surely when I didn’t get home by midnight, she’d realized I’d gotten held up and decided to just stay over. I hoped it didn’t get her in trouble with her father.
I began to walk toward my mom’s bedroom. I liked to peek in on both of my girls before I went to bed, just to set my mind at ease. As I stepped quietly through the dim room, a slight movement on the sofa caught my eye.
Rilla lay curled up on the couch. Her blonde hair was spread over the throw pillow, nearly hiding her face. She had her hands tucked under her chin, reminding me of the way Piper liked to sleep. Her green shirt was baggy, as her clothes always seemed to be, but the position of her arms had pulled the material tight over her breasts. To my shock, my mouth went dry and my cock stirred between my legs as I looked down at her.
I backed up a step, half stumbling, and knocked my leg against the coffee table. It scraped over the hardwood floor, and Rilla jerked awake.
She pushed herself to sit up, glancing around the room in confusion. Her hair curtained her face, and her long cotton skirt caught on her foot as she tried to swing her legs to the floor.
“Rilla, it’s just me. It’s okay.” I struggled to keep my voice to a whisper. “It’s late. I didn’t know you were there. Sorry I woke you.”
“What time is it?” She was still half-asleep, and her hands pushed the hair out of her face. The light from hall fell over her, and I watched her blink as her tongue came out to wet her lips.
Shit. I wasn’t attracted to this girl. I couldn’t be. She was too young, too innocent, and I wasn’t looking for someone who was interested in anything serious. I’d just let myself go too long between casual hookups. That was all. Testosterone build-up could account for anything.
“It’s uh ... late. Almost three in the morning.”
“Oh, no.” She moaned the words and renewed the struggle to free her feet from the skirt. “I have to get home. Gram and Dad are going to be furious—and worried—where’s my purse?”
“Whoa.” I laid my hand on her shoulder, and she froze, stiffening the same way she had the other day at the bar, when I’d touched her back. “Rilla, you can’t drive home now. You’re half-asleep. Why don’t you go on upstairs to the guest room, and then you can just go home in the morning?”
“I can’t.” She finally stuck one foot out of the material. “Tomorrow’s Sunday. Gram needs her car, and if I don’t go to church ...” She wrapped her arms around her ribs, hugging herself. “I just need to go now. I’ll be okay, I promise.”
“No.” I spoke more forcefully this time. “You’re exhausted, you’d be driving out on those dark country roads, and you don’t even have a cell phone. I can’t let you do this. Go upstairs, sleep for a few hours, and then when the sun’s up, you can head home. You’ll be back in plenty of time for church. Your dad might be pissed, but he’d be a hell of a lot more upset if you ended up crashed into a ditch somewhere between here and there. Or broken down on the side of the road, with no way to call for help.”
She muttered something under breath, but she’d stopped panicking, I could tell. For a moment, she sat still, staring at the floor, and then she nodded.
“You’re right. I’ll just sleep until the sun rises, then I’ll get home. Gram’ll understand.” She rubbed at her eyes. “I meant to call, but then it was midnight, and I figured you’d be home soon anyway and I didn’t want to wake her up. I was just going to sit here and wait, and it got harder and harder to keep my eyes open.”
“I’m sorry.” I sank down on my haunches so I could see her face better. “It was a crazy night. We had a new band and—well, I’ll tell you more about it later. Come on upstairs and get settled in the guest room.”
She pulled back away from me, her eyes wide open now. “Oh, no, I’ll be fine here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I stood up, and putting my hands on my hips, I stared her down. “Why should you sleep on this uncomfortable sofa
when there’s a perfectly good bed upstairs?”
“Because ...” Her face went rosy, and she bowed her head. “Because if my father asks me where I slept, and I say in a bedroom on the same floor as yours, he won’t be happy.” She laughed, but the sound was harsh and lacking in humor. “Not that he’s going to be happy anyway. But if I say I slept outside your mom’s bedroom, it’ll be better.”
“Okay.” I hooked my thumb into my belt loops. “You do realize that’s absolutely ridiculous, right? Whether you sleep here on the sofa or upstairs in the guest room, I’m not going to bother you.” I shook my head. “Matter of fact, if it were my daughter, I’d be damned mad that there wasn’t a door with a lock on it between my little girl and some guy I didn’t know. But then that’s just me.”
For some reason, it made me unreasonably angry that Rilla’s father’s crazy rules made her so tense. I could see the anxiety on her face, and it pissed me off.
She winced, and then I was mad at myself for complicating an already shitty situation. Her arms circled her legs as though she were trying to make herself as small and inconspicuous as possible.
“Rilla.” I sat down on the sofa, as far at the other end as I could. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m upset at the situation. Tonight was crazy at the club, and I should’ve thought to call you. I should’ve worked things out so that you weren’t here so late. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in a difficult position.”
She peeked out at me from under her hair. “It’s okay. I know it’s all part of being an adult, and I told you I didn’t care what my dad said. It’s true. Or at least I’m trying to make it true. I guess I just panicked when I woke up.”
I relaxed against the back of the couch. “Hey, you woke up in the dark, in a strange place with someone standing over you. Anyone would’ve been disoriented. I’m just lucky you didn’t haul off and punch me.”
My goal had been to make her smile, and it worked. Her lips curled up. “If I’d done that, I’d have broken my hand. Guess I’m lucky violence isn’t my first instinct.”
We both laughed, and then I sighed. “I gotta get some sleep. I better get upstairs, or I’m going to nod off right here on the sofa. Then your dad would have something to get upset over.” I pushed up to stand. “You sure you don’t want to sleep in the guest room? I could sleep down here on the couch, so it would be just you and Piper upstairs.”
Rilla burst out laughing again, covering her mouth with one hand. I cocked my head at her. “What’s funny?”
“The idea of you. Laying on this sofa.” Her body shook, and she fisted her hand on her lips again. “I mean, it’s a great couch, but you’re huge.”
I smirked. “Honey, let me assure you, I’ve crashed in tighter spots than this in my day. Compared to some of the places I’ve slept, this sofa would be a treat.”
“Still ...” She shook her head. “It’s fine for me. Plus, I’ve got it all warmed up already.”
“Speaking of which, let me grab you a blanket.” Before she could protest, I stepped behind the rocking chair on the opposite wall and opened up a chest. Pulling out an afghan my grandmother had made when I was a little boy, I shook it open and stood next to the couch. “Lay down.”
“Really, Mason. You don’t have to—”
“Lay down.” I gave her my no-nonsense voice and glare, and Rilla obeyed. I’d yet to meet the person who could stand up against my take-no-shit look. I draped the blanket over her, making sure she was covered from her feet up to her chin. “Okay. If you need anything else, come upstairs and knock on my door. Or help yourself, whatever you want.” I turned to go upstairs and then paused. “Thanks for staying tonight, Rilla. Even in the midst of all the crap going down at The Road Block, I didn’t worry about Mom or Piper once. I knew they were in good hands.”
She ducked her head again, so that her face was hidden by the top of the blanket. “I’m glad. Do you need me tomorrow?”
“Nope.” We’d agreed that Rilla would only work for us on Sundays in cases of emergency. They were quieter days at the bar anyway, and if I needed to run in for an hour or so during the day, I could take Piper with me. Mom was all right by herself for short periods. “Enjoy your day off. And Rilla, if there’s a problem with your dad, call me. I’ll be happy to talk with him, explain things.”
She nodded. “Thanks, but it’ll be fine. Good night.”
“Night.” I turned my back and went upstairs, where I fell into bed fully clothed. The last thing I remembered thinking about before sleep pulled me under was Rilla Grant’s smile.
Piper woke me up in her usual gentle way ... by jumping onto my back and sticking her fingers in my eyes until I opened them. Groaning, I grabbed her small body and tickled while she giggled.
“Hey, princess. Don’t be too loud. Rilla stayed over last night, because I was so late, and she’s sleeping on the sofa.”
“No, she’s not.” Piper kicked at my sheets.
“What do you mean?” I frowned.
“She’s not on the sofa. Just Nan is downstairs. I watched a funny show with her because she said to let you sleep, but then I got really hungry for pancakes. Can you make me pancakes? Please?”
“Sure, baby.” I swung my legs off the bed and stood up, stretching my stiff body. I went to the window and pushed down a slat of the wooden blinds to look down at the driveway. I wasn’t surprised to see that the gray sedan Rilla usually drove to my house was gone.
Downstairs, I found a note on the kitchen table:
I held the paper in my hand for a moment, staring down at her loopy handwriting, wondering what time she’d left. The digital clock on the stove read 9:17, but I had a feeling Rilla had been gone for several hours.
“Pancakes, Daddy!” Piper tugged on my shorts.
“On it, princess. Run and ask Nan if she feels like she could eat some this morning, too.”
Mom did in fact want some pancakes, which made me happy. Her appetite was so unpredictable these days that I was grateful whenever we found something she’d eat. I served breakfast in her room, so that we could enjoy it together.
I’d just forked another three pancakes onto my plate when my phone began to buzz. I leaned forward and slid it out of my back pocket, frowning when I looked at the readout.
“Hey, Sam. Everything okay?” I’d added his number to my contacts when we planned Flynn’s bachelor party a few months back, but I couldn’t remember the last time he’d called me.
“Uh, yeah, Mason. Sorry to bother you so early.” I heard the sound of birds singing in the background and realized he must be outside.
“No bother. I was just serving breakfast to my best girls. What can I do for you?”
He sighed. “I didn’t know if I should’ve called you or not, but Meghan and I talked it over. We got a call this morning from Rilla. She asked us to come pick her up at her dad’s house. Mason, he threw her out.”
The bottom dropped out of my stomach. “Oh, shit.” Across the room, my mother glared at me, one eyebrow raised. I mouthed an I’m sorry and stood up. “Hold on a minute, Sam.” Carrying my plate into the kitchen, I set it on the counter and then continued outside onto the back stoop. “What the hell, Sam? What happened?”
“I didn’t get all the details. Meghan and I drove over there to get her about two hours ago, and then Meghan told me to go out to the fields so they could talk. As near as I can tell, she drove home from your house first thing this morning, and her father had been waiting up all night. I guess they argued, and he told her if she couldn’t follow his rules, she couldn’t live in his house, either.”
“Oh, God.” I rubbed my forehead. “I was afraid of this when she came to work for me. I knew it was a bad idea.”
“I don’t know about that. This mess was just waiting to happen. If it hadn’t been you, something else would’ve set him off. Don’t beat yourself up.”
“How can I not?” I scrubbed my hand over my face. “Was she really upset, Sam? When you picked her up?”
“You know, it was weird, but no. She was just quiet. She thanked us for giving her a ride, and Meghan told her she could stay with us for as long as she likes. We’ve got the room. And then she thanked us again, for the offer. Beyond that, she hasn’t said much. At least, not in front of me.”
“Thanks for getting her. I don’t know what I should do. Should I tell her I don’t want her working for me, if it’s tearing up her family?”
Sam cleared his throat. “I don’t know, man. I kind of think that might push her over the edge, you know? Here she lost her family today, at least for a little while, and she’s probably counting on the income from her job with you. I’m happy to have her at the stand, but that’s not going to cover rent anywhere. Not by itself.”
“Yeah, I—” A sound on the door behind me caught my attention. Piper’s small face was contorted in fear as her fists pounded against the glass. “Wait a minute, Sam.”
I opened the door and leaned in. “What’s wrong, princess?”
“It’s Nan. She—she made a funny sound and then she fell out of her chair and I can’t wake her up.”
Terror clutched at my heart. “Sam, something’s wrong with my mom. I gotta go. I’ll call you later.”
Without waiting for his response, I shoved the phone into my pocket and ran into Mom’s room. She was on the floor, slumped over, her head to one side.
“Mom!” I shouted and kneeling next to her, I gently laid her flat on the floor. Her chest rose and fell with reassuring regularity. Good, she’s breathing.
“Daddy! Daddy. What’s wrong with Nan?” Piper’s hands clutched at the folds of her princess nightgown, and she was shaking.
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