It only took a moment to realize he didn’t know where she lived, and he didn’t think she was in any shape to direct him. Glancing around, he wondered what time it was. Even if he got her home, he would still be stranded at her house if he didn’t want to leave her without transportation in the morning.
The only solution he came up with was to take her out to the ranch. If her phone was broken, he couldn’t call Blue to let him know what was going on. God, he was going to end up going back to Denver after this night. Driving without a license, letting the boss’ sister get ripping drunk, probably breaking curfew.... What a nightmare.
Chapter Sixteen
Back inside the bar, Angelisa watched the door close on her prey, her eyes narrowed in thought. It had been plain good luck that had put her in the corner booth when Tim walked in to meet his blonde bimbo. It was bad luck her crew was still out trying to locate a suitable hotel.
So, that was the kind of chica he was chasing after these days?
If Angelisa were inclined to guess, she’d venture that the woman was as vanilla as they come. Her little “sexy dance” had been a joke, and she certainly couldn’t hold her liquor. She’d only had what? Four shots?
But it was the look on Tim’s face that had interested her the most. She had seen attraction, fear, and worry in his expression. But it was the fear typical of a parolee who didn’t want to get into trouble, not the fear of being found. The fool thought he was safe out here in the back end of nowhere. His biggest worry was whether or not he was going to get laid tonight.
As the song blondie had put on the jukebox ended, Angelisa slowly got up and made her way toward the door, stopping by the bar to drop off a twenty dollar bill—more than enough to cover her tab—while the bartender argued with a farmer. Or maybe he was a cowboy. She couldn’t tell. All these country boys looked the same.
She pushed open the door hoping to encounter Tim, hoping he would see her and know he was truly in deep trouble.
Instead, what she saw was him helping the blonde into the passenger side of a beat up pickup before crossing around to the driver’s side. Knowing she could still walk up and put her gun to his head, Angelisa took a step forward, reaching for the pistol tucked inside the waistband at the small of her back.
Just then, the bar door opened again and the farmer came out, pushing past her as he headed toward the pickup, followed by the bartender. Before they got halfway there, Tim had started the truck and accelerated quickly out of the lot.
With a sigh, Angelisa turned to go back inside. She could wait.
Inside the door, she spotted a bulletin board with a flyer for the county fair. The headliner for the opening night show next Wednesday was none other than John Hiatt. She would bet anything that blondie would talk Tim into going to see the show. If she did, Angelisa would be there with her crew, taking advantage of the crowds and influx of out-of-towners to nab Tim and bring him back to Colorado.
If blondie didn’t talk him into it, well…then it would be on to Plan B.
⋘⋆⋙
It didn’t take more than a mile before Tim realized he didn’t know where he was going. “Away” from the bar only worked long enough to put distance between them and Kenny. He knew he was on Main Street, but he hadn’t paid attention as they drove up, and he didn’t have a frame of reference. He was pretty sure he was headed in the correct direction. The sun had been in his eyes as they drove up, and post-sunset fiery clouds now lit the sky behind him. He knew they had to turn off and head south, but he didn’t know the name of the road, so pulled over on the shoulder at the edge of town.
Janie had stretched across the seat, her head resting near his leg. He reached down and moved a lock of hair away from her eyes.
“Hey, Janie,” he said gently, although he suspected it wasn’t much use. “Janie, what’s the name of the road that goes out to the ranch?”
“Mmm...,” she groaned, opening one eye to glare at him.
Just then, headlights pulling in behind him caught his attention. In the last flare of twilight, he saw Deke climbing out of his old Dodge pickup. Very conscious of how this might look, Tim got out and stood by the door, waiting for Deke to come up.
“I’m glad you’re here, sir,” he said, hoping to head off any awkward accusations.
Deke eyed him as he walked up, coming close enough to look in and see Janie.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Tim began.
“Clarence called me, son,” Deke broke in. “Told me what happened at the bar. I was on my way in to see him and pick you up. Where were you taking her?”
“Mainly away from Kenny. He seemed intent on causing trouble and, frankly, I don’t trust him.”
“Well, Kenny can be a jerk, and Clarence said he had to talk the boy into behaving himself. Seems he sent Janie that tequila because he’d heard a story from a few years ago....” Deke cleared his throat. “Doesn’t matter. You trusted your instincts and they were right.”
“Thanks for saying so, sir. I don’t know where she lives, so I was going to take her out to the ranch, to Blue and Mitzi’s house. But I got out here and I realized I don’t know how to get there, either. I’m glad you stopped.”
“Well, you can follow me to her house, then we’ll get her settled in.”
“Don’ wanna go home,” Janie said, trying to sit up with little success. “Please don’ make me.”
Deke’s gaze shifted to Tim in surprise, then he ducked into the truck to help her sit up. “Why not, honey?”
Tim wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard her mumble, “Don’ wanna see Cody.”
Again Deke glanced at Tim. “Cody?”
“Kylie’s father, I guess. She told me she learned something about him tonight, and she was pretty upset. I think that’s why the tequila....”
Deke nodded in understanding. “Fair enough. Follow me out to the ranch and we’ll get her settled at Blue’s.”
Minutes later, Tim followed Deke’s taillights into the darkness outside town, while Janie hummed what sounded like the song from the jukebox. The lyric she mumbled was something about counting heartbeats and breathing. He wished he could look at her face, but it had been years since he’d driven any car, much less a stick shift, and he needed to concentrate.
In twenty minutes, they’d turned down the driveway. Not long after that, they pulled down the side drive that led to Mitzi’s house. Tim pulled up alongside Mitzi’s patrol truck and shut the engine off. To his dismay, both Blue and his sister waited on the porch in a circle of light. Mitzi—apparently dressed for bed in pajama shorts and a loose t-shirt—had her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. Blue, still in jeans and a t-shirt, pushed himself away from the doorframe and headed down to Janie’s door.
When he opened it, he had to catch her as she spilled out into his arms. “Aw, sis.”
“I’m sorry,” Tim said, scrambling around the front of the truck to help.
“What’s going on here, Tim?” Mitzi said.
“Not his fault,” Deke said quickly.
Blue gathered Janie into his arms and carried her up the steps and into the house. “Help me put her to bed, my honey,” he said as he passed Mitzi. She gave Tim a meaningful glare before she followed him in.
Tim put both hands up on his head, only to find he was still wearing Janie’s hat. He took it off, intending to set it on the dash in her truck. “I’m in it deep, aren’t I?”
“I’ll vouch for you, son,” Deke said.
“I knew I should have stayed at the ranch. I just....”
“You couldn’t have known this would happen,” Deke assured him.
“I don’t even really know what happened.” Tim shook his head. “We were talking, then the tequila shows up and...BAM.... She’s dancing, drawing the eye of every man in there, and Kenny is heading over to start trouble. All I could think was how I needed to get her out of there. The state she was in, she might have been taken advantage of.”
“You did the right thing,” D
eke said.
“Yes, you did,” Blue added. Tim turned to see him coming down the porch steps. “That jackass Kenny...,” he began, then shook his head. Tim noticed the big man’s hands were balled into fists, but he offered Tim a grim smile. “You, however, are all right by me.”
Tim waved him off. “Only an idiot would try to take advantage of the boss’ sister....”
“Yeah, but you could have stayed clear of it, claimed you were staying out of trouble. Instead, you took action. For that, you have my gratitude. Janie has seen enough trouble in this life. She doesn’t need to add another tequila night to the list.”
Another? Tim wanted to ask, but figured he’d better let that one lie. “I just hope Mitzi sees things your way. I mean, I’ll deal if she decides to send me back, but I’m really happy here.”
“She’ll come around,” Blue assured him. “Deke called while you were on your way and told me what happened.”
“Clarence will back it up, too,” Deke added.
Overwhelmed by the men’s show of support, Tim leaned back against the LUV, bracing himself with his hands as he looked from one man to the other. He didn’t feel like such a loser with these two taking him at his word. “Thank you both,” he said. “Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, things just....”
Before he could finish, he saw Mitzi come out the door. He stood up straight, knowing he couldn’t hide from whatever she had to say. To his surprise, Deke stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
Blue turned to face her, holding out his hand as though to help her down the steps. Tim was surprised when she took it. In some ways, Mitzi had softened up. The girl he grew up with would never have accepted such a gesture, seeing a common courtesy as an assumption of weakness.
Mitzi walked up and stood staring at him, the fire in her eyes at odds with her diminutive stature. “Well?” she demanded at last. “Tell me why I shouldn’t send you back to Denver.”
Tim took his time with a response. Given the conditions she had laid out, he honestly hadn’t thought he’d get the chance to explain. He didn’t want to blow his chance by giving an unsatisfactory answer.
“Well, I thought I was staying inside your guidelines, but the night went south pretty fast. We were talking, then someone sent over some tequila shots, and when I passed on drinking one, Janie drank both. Then it came down to either leaving Janie alone and drunk with the attention of every man in that bar, including one I know would have taken advantage, or taking her home to sleep it off. I really only had one option.”
“Even though I assume you knew how bad it looked, and that it could mean breaking your conditions?”
Tim nodded. “Yes. Like I said, there was only one option.”
To his surprise, Mitzi nodded. She glanced at Blue, who also nodded. Her mouth worked a little, and he wondered what could be so hard to say. As soon as she spoke, he understood. “Well, what do you know? My big brother has a brain after all.”
It was probably as close as she would ever come to apologizing for assuming he couldn’t do anything right. Then she surprised him further by stepping even closer to give him an awkward hug. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Never,” Tim agreed, returning her hug with just as much awkwardness.
She cleared her throat as she stepped back, then gave him a smile. It was a sweet moment, and Tim didn’t have a clue what to do with it. Somewhere in his guarded heart, he felt the stirrings of hope that he might eventually have an actual relationship with his sister again. It was a foreign idea.
Deke stepped in to salvage the moment. “Well, if we leave now, he’s still got a chance to get back to the bunkhouse by curfew.”
“Yes, well...,” Mitzi said brusquely, taking another step back. “Better get going then.”
Chapter Seventeen
Janie woke with a pounding headache, a dry mouth, and a dry throat. When she managed to open her eyes, she felt a moment of panic when she didn’t recognize where she was.
Not again!
At least she was alone this time....
When she concentrated, she vaguely remembered voices and being carried and set down on a bed. Then a woman—Mitzi?—asking her whether she was okay. She groaned as she sat up, realizing she must be at Blue’s house.
“Hey.”
She turned toward the door when she heard Mitzi’s greeting. Her sister-in-law held a glass of orange juice in one hand and, hopefully, some painkiller in the other.
“Hey,” Janie said, reaching up to hold her head. “Do I even want to know why I’m here?”
“How much do you remember?” Mitzi held out two ibuprofen and the glass, which Janie gratefully accepted.
“It’s starting to come back in pieces. I was at the Wild Horse with Tim, then I was pounding back tequila shots for some reason, and...dancing? Then I....” Her voice trailed off when she remembered throwing herself at Tim, only to have him rebuff her advances. However, that was surely understandable. “I guess I made a fool of myself, then Tim brought me here?”
“With Deke’s help, yes. They said you didn’t want to go home.”
“I didn’t?” Memories of dinner with Cody came back, and she groaned again. “I guess I was worried I would see Cody, and I’m not ready for that.”
“Cody Buford?” Mitzi asked, raising a brow. “Isn’t he the hottest, most eligible bachelor in the county?”
Janie rolled her eyes. “Too much history there, Mitzi.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I’ll tell you about it sometime when I don’t have a raging hangover. Besides, I think your brother is hotter.”
Mitzi’s response was a bitter bark of laughter that surprised Janie. “I wouldn’t set your sights on Tim if I were you,” she cautioned. “He’s got problems.”
“Oh?” It was Janie’s turn to raise an eyebrow at her sister-in-law, but Mitzi waved her off. “I wish someone would explain this to me,” Janie protested. “Blue said he’s damaged, you say he has problems, but all I see is a thoughtful, patient, smart, good-looking man.”
Mitzi shook her head. “In consideration of your hangover, let’s just say he and I have more links between us than just being siblings. He ran afoul of my profession. Ask him about it. If you have questions after, come see me. ’Kay?”
Janie rubbed her temples and closed her eyes, wondering why this conversation seemed so circuitous. “Okay.”
“Back to last night,” Mitzi continued. “I have to ask.... Did Tim try anything funny with you?”
“Hah, I wish. Then maybe I wouldn’t feel so stupid for throwing myself at him.” She closed her eyes tightly, remembering her embarrassment. “I remember being inches from him, willing him to kiss me, and...he said something about a mistake.”
Mitzi nodded, looking satisfied. “Perfect.”
Blue stuck his head in the door. “Hey, if we’re going to catch Reverend Myers before the service, my honey, we’d better git.”
“I’ll be there in a sec,” she acknowledged, and Blue ducked back out.
“What’s that about?” Janie asked before she could censor her curiosity.
Mitzi frowned, but before Janie could retract the question, she sighed. “A week or so ago, I had a scare. Thought I was pregnant,” she said with an air of making a confession.
Janie waited, not sure what to say and realizing she didn’t know her sister-in-law well enough to know whether this was a good or a bad thing.
“It was a false alarm, but it brought up the fact that Blue and I have very different ideas about kids. He was thrilled. Me? Not so much.” Mitzi checked her watch and stood. “The short version is that I ended up suggesting we see Reverend Myers to help us come to some common ground.”
“Oh,” Janie said, watching her move toward the door. “Well, let me know if I can, you know, offer a mother’s perspective....”
Mitzi gave her a rather grim smile. “Thanks,” she said. “Stay as long as you need. Help yourself to more juice or whatever you need to get going, okay?�
�
“Thanks, Mitzi.”
Then she was gone, leaving Janie to throw the covers back and gather up her clothes—she vaguely remembered Mitzi helping her strip down to her underwear—and head for the bathroom. Talk about a walk of shame, she thought, and considered whether she would go on down to the Homeplace and talk to Tim before or after she drove home to change.
In the end, she decided on going down to talk to Tim first. She always preached accountability and conservation to Kylie and anyone who would listen, so she could hardly justify driving extra miles simply to avoid the chance someone might look askance at her for evidence of her behavior last night.
Knowing she was only putting off the inevitable, she took stock of what she needed to do to make herself presentable.
Combing her hair with her fingers would have to do. She washed her hands, then splashed water on her face before she dried off. Not having her own toothbrush, she squeezed a drop of toothpaste onto her finger and used it to freshen up her mouth.
She briefly reconsidered going home to change, but nixed the idea again. It was silly to drive into town and then back out here, and she knew she had to talk to Tim today. Plus, if she were being honest, she still worried about running into Cody before she had the chance to process what he’d told her.
Granted, she could have been further along on processing it if she hadn’t taken six steps back by trying to drown her sorrows with Patrón....
She shook her head and glared at her reflection, thinking of all the ways she was an idiot who failed to learn from her mistakes.
She found her pickup out front, the keys and her phone on the seat, her hat up on the dash. Remembering how Tim looked wearing it, she smiled as she moved it to the seat. Then she picked up her phone to check for messages, only then seeing the broken screen.
“Oh dear,” she said, trying the button to wake it up, then the power button, hoping it had simply turned itself off. No such luck. Just what she needed. To make a trip to the cell phone store and spend money to replace it.
She tossed the device on the seat, working up a fair amount of self-disgust. What should have been a nice night out on the town had turned into an expensive shame-fest. All because she hadn’t said no to tequila.
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