The Texan's Secret

by Linda Warren

  “Oh, sugar.” Renee hugged her, and the scent of Chanel replaced the putrid permanent solution. “Blanche needs to be horsewhipped.”

  “I think God took care of that.” She brushed away an errant tear.

  “How is Blanche?”

  “Not good. Breathing is very difficult for her and she’s confined to her room now.”

  “Do you take care of her?”

  “Yes, with the aid of Home Health.”

  “Blanche is lucky to have you. Most daughters would have put her butt in a home by now.”

  Shay wiped her hands on the back of her jeans. “I thought about it, but couldn’t.”

  Renee touched her cheek lightly. “Chance said our first instincts about you were right. You’re a very nice young lady.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and felt herself stand a little taller.

  “And speaking of Chance, I have something to give you.” Renee reached into the car. “He thought it would be better if I gave this to you instead of to him.” Renee pulled out a ring box and Shay gasped, taking a step backward.

  “No, no.” She shook her head. “If those are Mom’s rings, I can’t accept them.”

  “Well, sugar, we have a problem then.” Renee glanced down at the box in her hand. “I thought hell would freeze over or the Cowboys would win the Super Bowl before I’d offer these rings to her. But Jack bought them for her and she should have them. Just tossing them away would be destructive, and I’m not a destructive person. As Chance put it so gallantly, a person should be granted her dying wish.” Renee reached for Shay’s hand and placed the box in her palm. “Do what you want with them.”

  “This is so generous, so forgiving.”

  “As I told Chance, I’m a saint.” She laughed lightly and got into her car.

  “Thank you,” Shay called.

  Renee poked her head out the window. “One more thing, Shay. Don’t break Chance’s heart. He’s too nice of a guy for that.”

  “Yes, he is,” she whispered as she watched Renee back out of the driveway. With the rings clasped in her hand, she walked toward the shop.

  Don’t break Chance’s heart rang through her head like an alarm she couldn’t turn off. There was no don’t. It was when she’d break his heart.

  It was just a matter of time.

  AT LUNCH SHAY FIXED tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for Darcy and a protein smoothie for Blanche. The Home Health lady said she couldn’t get Blanche to eat, so Shay thought she might like something easy on her stomach.

  “Lunch,” she said, entering her room.

  “Go away,” her mother retorted, and turned onto her side.

  “I have a surprise for you, but you can’t have it until you drink some of the smoothie.”

  “A surprise?” She turned over, eager as a child for a toy.

  “You have to sit up.”

  “Oh, Shay.”

  “Come on.” She helped Blanche into a sitting position and handed her the drink, while clutching the ring box in her left hand.

  Blanche sipped at the smoothie.

  “More,” Shay urged.

  When it was half-gone, Blanche said, “I can’t drink any more.”

  Shay took the glass from her and placed it on the nightstand. Then she opened her hand.

  Blanche’s eyes opened wide and she glanced from Shay’s hand to her face. “Oh, oh, those are my rings.”

  “Yes,” Shay replied.

  Blanche grabbed the box and opened it. She gaped at the rings for a second, then removed them. Her hand shook as she slipped them onto her finger.

  “They’re too big,” she cried.

  “You’ve lost a lot of weight. I’ll get some tape.”

  A few minutes later Blanche lay back in the bed, gazing lovingly at her rings. She looked ten years younger. Shay thought it strange that a material thing could bring her so much joy.

  “How did you get them?” Blanche finally asked.

  “I didn’t. Renee brought them.”

  “That bitch.”

  “No,” Shay corrected. “That very nice lady. She didn’t have to give you the rings, but out of the goodness of her heart she did.”

  Blanche ignored her words, holding up her hand, the light catching the sparkle of the diamonds. “Jack is happy I have my rings. I was the love of his life.”

  “Renee was the love of his life. You ripped them apart briefly, but he married her again and they were a family until his death.”

  “Hand me the album,” Blanche demanded, shutting out everything Shay was saying.

  There was no thank-you. Nothing. But that was Blanche and her sense of entitlement.

  Shay placed the album on the bed and left her mother to her world of make-believe.

  SHAY DIDN’T BOOK ANYONE after four because Chance sometimes came early and she wanted to spend that time with him.

  Darcy was restless and followed her from room to room. “When is Chance coming?”

  “When he gets off work.” Shay stuffed clothes into the washing machine.

  The change that Chance had made in Darcy was amazing. She’d never had a father figure in her life before, and she looked up to him and respected him. Please was now one of her favorite words and she used it sometimes when she didn’t need to, not wanting to disappoint him. Every day it was the same old question: “When is Chance coming?”

  “Oh, oh.” Darcy made a dash for the front door. “I hear Chance’s truck. He’s here.”

  Shay checked the roast in the Crock-Pot, letting Darcy have this time with Chance. He strolled into the kitchen, Darcy in one arm and a bag in his other hand. Shay’s heart knocked against her ribs at the gleam in his eyes.

  “What do you have there?”

  “Besides Darcy, I have ice cream.” He held up the bag.

  “What kind?”

  “Blue Bell Rocky Road.”

  She licked her lips. “I love chocolate.”

  “Me, too.” Darcy didn’t want to be left out. “May I sit in your truck, please?”

  “Sure thing, hotshot.” He lowered Darcy to the floor. “The windows are already down.”

  Shay went into his arms and kissed him slowly, savoring the taste and feel of him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “If ice cream has this effect on you, I’ll bring it every night.”

  She poked him in the chest. “It’s not about the ice cream, which by the way is very cold on my butt.”

  With a grin, he released her and put the ice cream in the freezer.

  “I was talking about the rings,” she said when he turned around.

  “I had nothing to do with that. That was Renee’s idea.”

  “You sent her here, though, and it was good to talk to her—to apologize.”

  “I’m glad.” He leaned against the cabinet. “Was Blanche happy?”

  “Ecstatic.”

  “I’d like to meet her. Maybe after supper.”

  Shay’s hand shook as she reached for plates. “She doesn’t like people to see her the way she is.” Shay cringed at the partial white lie. Blanche didn’t like people to see her faded beauty, but she’d jump at the opportunity to talk to Chance—only to hurt him.

  “Oh. I wouldn’t want to make her uncomfortable.”

  There was hurt in his voice and Shay couldn’t stand it. She put the plates down and leaned against him, playing with his shirt buttons. “Meeting my mother would not be a pleasant experience. She’s everything you’ve ever heard about her, and I won’t have her hurting your feelings. You’ll have to settle for Darcy and me.”

  He wasn’t satisfied, though. “Does she hurt your feelings?”

  “All the time, but I’m her daughter.”

  “Still…”

  “She’s in the last stages of lung cancer and she’s bitter and angry. I try to remember that.”

  He opened his legs to pull Shay tight against him. She pressed into every hard angle. “You’re amazing,” he whispered into her mouth.

  Th
e kiss was long and drugging. The slamming of the front door had them breaking apart.

  Darcy chatted nonstop through supper. She wanted Chance to know everything she did and everything that crossed her child mind. Shay thought she was going to have to tape her mouth shut.

  “Whoa, hotshot.” Chance finally made a time-out sign. “My head is spinning and I’m not sure I believe that fairy godmother story.” He carried his plate to the sink.

  Darcy followed him. “She was here, Chance, but Mommy wouldn’t let me talk to her.”

  He leaned back against the cabinet, his arms folded across his chest. “What would you say to her?”

  “Fairy godmothers grant wishes, right?”

  “I suppose.” He bent down, his hands on his knees. “You have a wish you wanted to ask her?”

  Darcy’s head bobbed like a cork.

  “What was it?”

  She twisted her hands. “I can’t tell you. It won’t come true.”

  “It’s just between you and me.”

  “Well.” Darcy’s voice dropped low so Shay couldn’t hear, but she heard every word. “My mommy needs a husband and I need a daddy.”

  “Oh.” Clearly, Chance was shocked by the wish. “Do you have someone in mind?”

  Darcy nodded vigorously.

  “Who?”

  “No. No. No! I can’t tell.” She went screeching into the living room.

  Blanche was going to love that. But it was Darcy’s home, too.

  Shay looked up and caught the gleam in Chance’s dark eyes. He knew who Darcy was talking about.

  So did she.

  And it made it that much harder to do what she had to.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHANCE DECLARED THAT he and Darcy would do the dishes. Shay had worked all day and cooked supper, so she needed to put her feet up.

  If she had been granted a wish to conjure up the perfect man, he would be just like Chance. He was absolutely perfect in every way. She didn’t understand why fate had thrown them together, only to tear them apart.

  The ringing of the phone interrupted her thoughts. “I’ll get it,” she called, “since I’m not allowed in the kitchen.”

  She saw the caller ID and frowned. What did Sally want?

  “Shay, I’m sorry.” Petey’s mom rushed into speech. “I shouldn’t have said what I did about Darcy. I was just upset.”

  “And you need a babysitter.” Shay took the portable phone and walked into the living room.

  Sally ignored her words. “Petey can get into enough trouble on his own. I don’t know why I was blaming Darcy. I guess to keep from blaming myself. It’s hard raising three kids alone. I’m an awful mother. I never seem to get anything right.”

  The hard stance Shay had been planning to take vanished. She knew what Sally was going through. She went through it every day herself.

  “And, yes, I need a babysitter,” Sally added. “The restaurant I work at on weekends called to see if I could work the bar. The tips are great and I need the money. My daughter has a date and my older son is off with his friends. I don’t have anywhere to leave Petey.”

  “Send him over,” Shay said without hesitation. “Please pick him up by ten.”

  There was a long pause on the line. “I have to work till twelve or later, but my daughter will pick him up.”

  “Ten, Sally. No later.” This time Shay wasn’t going to let Sally take advantage of her.

  “Okay. I’ll bring him.”

  Shay went back to the kitchen and put the phone on the hook. There was a knock at the door. Could that be Petey? Sally must have been outside with her cell. Shay shook her head. She was such a patsy.

  “Darcy, get the door, please.”

  “Ah, Mom, I’m helping Chance.”

  “Your mother asked you to get the door,” Chance said in a voice that brooked no arguments.

  “Okay.” And just like that Darcy darted off to the door. Shay could use some of that magic.

  “Petey,” Darcy screeched. “Mom, it’s Petey.”

  “My mom said I could play with you for a while.”

  “I got company.”

  “Who?” Petey asked.

  “Chance.” Obviously Darcy thought he came to see her.

  “The guy with the truck?”

  “Yep. Maybe he’ll play ball with us.” The two ran into the kitchen to ask him.

  “Oh, how nice it is to be popular.” Chance kissed Shay’s cheek and followed the kids out the back door.

  Shay sighed and prepared her mom some soup for supper. Blanche still ate very little, but was in a better mood because of the rings. Shay straightened the bed and settled her in for the night.

  To get the beauty shop smell from her clothes, Shay decided to take a shower. Afterward she slipped into shorts and a tank top, feeling much cooler and refreshed. On her way to get the clothes out of the dryer, she stopped short in the living room and peered through the double windows.

  Chance was playing ball with the kids—not only with Darcy and Petey, but Bruce and Michael, too. What were the Bennetts doing here? They seemed friendly. The group was in a circle and they were throwing the ball to each other. Chance threw to Bruce, who quickly caught the ball and immediately threw it to Darcy, who threw to Michael, who threw to Petey. And on it went. The circle got bigger after each round of throws. She supposed it was a game, because when Petey missed the ball, he sat on the grass and watched. Finally there was just Chance and Bruce left. Bruce tried to throw it over Chance’s head and failed. Chance caught it every time. Didn’t the boy know he wasn’t getting a thing over that long, tall Texan’s head?

  Finally, Bruce missed and he fell down on the ground, but he wasn’t mad. He was smiling. The boy got up and went over to Chance. They were talking, obviously about baseball.

  Darcy leaned on Chance, wanting the boys to know he was her friend, not theirs. It grew dark and Chance, Darcy and Petey made their way inside. Chance dished ice cream into bowls for everyone.

  “Mom, I forgave the Bennetts for busting my lip,” Darcy said, spooning ice cream into her mouth.

  “You did?”

  “Yeah. They were hiding in the bushes, watching us, and Chance said we should invite them to play. I said no. They’re mean.”

  She swallowed a mouthful of ice cream. “But Chance said good people forgive. I’m a good people, so I forgave them and they said they were sorry, too.”

  Shay stared at Chance. “Wow. I’d call that a Chance miracle.”

  “Yeah, Mom, he’s good at that.”

  “He’s good at a lot of things,” she said with a lifted eyebrow.

  “Later I’ll show you how good,” he whispered in her ear as he passed her to put his bowl in the sink.

  She giggled like an impressionable teenager and realized how wonderful it was just to have fun.

  As Darcy and Petey fell down in front of the TV, a car honked outside.

  “Petey, your sister is here.”

  “Gotta go.” He ran for the door.

  Shay looked outside to make sure it was Petey’s sister, then walked back into the living room and saw Darcy almost asleep on the floor.

  “Bathtime, sweetie.”

  “Ah, Mom. It’s summer and I’m tired.”

  Shay expected Chance to say something, but he didn’t. At that moment she realized she was leaning on him too much. She had to stop that. She reached down and took Darcy’s hand, lifting her to her feet, then marched her into the bathroom. Since her child was practically asleep, Shay bathed her. She didn’t want her to drown in the tub.

  Wrapping a big towel around Darcy’s body, Shay thought how thin she was. But the doctor said it was nothing to worry about. Darcy had a lot of excessive energy—Shay just had to make sure she ate a healthy diet. Like Sally, Shay wasn’t sure she was doing all the right things. Motherhood was trial and error, she found.

  As she tucked her in, Darcy mumbled, “Bruce thought he could beat Chance. No way. Then Bruce wanted throwing tips. Gotta ma
ke it burn, Mommy. That’s what Chance says. Gotta make it burn.”

  Shay kissed her forehead, smiling. Chance had all the kids enthralled—including her.

  She walked back into the living room and stopped in the doorway. The room was in darkness except for the light streaming from the kitchen. Soft music from the TV played in the background. Her heart pounded in anticipation.

  Chance sat on the sofa and she walked over to him, straddling his lap and pressing her breasts against his chest.

  “Ah.” He kissed the side of her face while removing the clip from her hair. “I’ve been waiting for this all day.” His hands trailed through her long tresses.

  “Me, too,” she whispered against his lips.

  “I like these.” He tugged at the hem of her shorts. “And I love this.” His hand slid over her thigh. “Actually, I love everything about you.”

  “Even my daughter.”

  “Even your daughter.”

  Shay slowly unbuttoned his shirt. “You’re a special man, and sometimes I think you can’t be real and that you’re going to disappear in a puff of smoke.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” His hands slid under her tank top to her breasts. “Oh, no, I’m not going anywhere.”

  At his kiss, his touch, her brain shut down and she went with the feelings that were surging through her—warm erotic feelings he created in her. His lips took hers in a burst of need. She pressed closer, needing to feel his skin against hers. The kiss went on and on until thinking was a problem.

  “Whoa.” Chance eased his lips to her cheek. “I see a red light coming, and if we don’t stop there won’t be enough cold water in this town to help me.”

  “Chance.” She buried her face in his neck.

  He stroked her hair. “Do you know how much I love you?”

  Shay froze and moved away from him to sit on the sofa.

  “What’s wrong?” She could feel his startled eyes on her.

  Desperate words flew from her mouth. “You can’t love me. You can’t love me.”