A Cowboy's Claim

by Marin Thomas

“Sure,” Vic said. “Maybe Alex would like to go with me to the barbershop for a haircut.”

  She ruffled Alex’s dark locks. “You want to cut this pretty hair?”

  Vic studied his nephew. “Have you ever been to the barber?”

  Alex didn’t answer his uncle.

  Tanya smiled at the boy. “Staying handsome is hard work. Ask your uncle. He knows.” She grasped Alex’s hand and crossed the driveway, Vic’s gaze following her the whole way.

  * * *

  “WHO’S FIRST?” THE BARBERSHOP owner glanced between Alex and Vic.

  “I’ll go.” Vic climbed into the barber chair and sat. An older man with a name tag that said Mel threw a cape over Vic and sprayed his hair with water.

  “What’ll it be?” he asked.

  “Just a trim.” Vic didn’t need a haircut, but he was determined that his nephew got one. Tanya thought Alex’s long locks were cute, but Vic worried the boy might be teased by other kids. Alex would have a difficult enough time adjusting to a new family. He didn’t need to fend off bullies because his hair was too long. Besides, Vic didn’t want others saying he wasn’t taking proper care of his nephew.

  Mel flipped the pair of scissors between his fingers with expertise and Vic watched Tanya and Alex in the mirror across from him. After he’d dropped Tanya and Slingshot off at the Krammers’ ranch, he couldn’t get away fast enough. Traveling in close quarters with her had him questioning his sanity. Tanya was a huge distraction, and all he could think about was getting her alone so he could kiss her. He’d driven into Bakersfield earlier and filled his gas tank, then scoped out the parking at the arena before making himself comfortable in a coffee shop, where he checked out the PRCA rodeo standings on his iPhone and searched for children’s therapists in the area.

  He’d found Dr. Melissa Harper, and her office happened to be located down the block from the barbershop. He spoke to a receptionist named Ann and explained Alex’s situation. Ann had agreed to call Alex’s social worker and get more information while he waited in the coffee shop. A half hour later Ann informed him that Dr. Harper was willing to see Alex and conduct an initial evaluation after office hours at seven tonight. He hoped having Tanya along would ease Alex’s anxiety at being interviewed by the therapist. And he was pretty sure Dr. Harper would notice that Alex hardly ever made eye contact with Vic. It was obvious the boy didn’t trust his uncle.

  Maybe he doesn’t want to get close to you because he’s afraid you’ll abandon him like his mother and grandmother. The thought punched Vic in the gut, because in the end that was exactly what he would do—return Alex to Albuquerque to live with someone else.

  Vic and his siblings hadn’t had a fairy-tale childhood, but he hoped Alex was placed with a nice couple. The tyke deserved to be loved and cared for and he needed the security of knowing he was safe.

  “How’s that?” The barber stared at Vic in the mirror.

  “Good. Thanks.” He waited for the barber to remove the cape, then got up from the chair. “Your turn, Alex.”

  His nephew leaned against Tanya. The kid was nervous. Vic crouched in front of him. “What if you sit on my lap while you get your hair trimmed?” Vic had no idea what made him say that, but Tanya’s smile insisted he’d done the right thing.

  “Great idea, Alex.” When the boy didn’t budge, Tanya said, “And I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Vic held out his hand and Alex placed his small fist in his palm. The tightness in Vic’s chest unraveled and he breathed a sigh of relief. Vic sat down in the chair and lifted Alex onto his lap.

  The barber draped the cape over them, momentarily covering Alex’s face. “Tanya, where’s Alex? I can’t see him.”

  “Did he leave the barbershop?” Tanya laughed when Alex pulled the cape down and his head popped free.

  “Here he is!” Vic said.

  Alex made eye contact with him in the mirror, and Vic silently cheered. In that moment he realized how much he’d wanted to connect with the boy. Vic had been a crappy uncle before tragic circumstances had brought him and Alex together. They wouldn’t have a lot of time together, but he hoped he could use it to make up for some of the pain and disappointment the kid had experienced so far in his life.

  While the barber trimmed Alex’s hair, Vic’s gaze clashed with Tanya’s in the mirror. They still hadn’t talked about their night at the motel three weeks ago. Did she want more than that one night with him?

  “What do you think?” Mel asked.

  Vic stared at Alex. “Is it short enough?”

  Alex leaned around Vic and when Tanya gave him the thumbs-up sign, Alex ducked beneath the cape and slid off Vic’s lap.

  “I guess it’s short enough.” Vic waited at the register until Mel swept up the hair, then went behind the counter and took Vic’s credit card. He gave Mel a five-dollar tip for the haircuts, then they left the shop and walked down the block where Vic had parked his pickup. As they drew nearer he caught Alex ogling the mechanical-pony ride outside the entrance of drugstore.

  Vic stopped next to the ride and fished two quarters from his pocket. “Hop on, Alex.”

  The boy straddled the horse and Vic dropped the quarters into the slot. The pony jolted forward before settling into an easy rocking rhythm.

  “Did you ride these as a kid?” Tanya asked.

  “A few times.” Vic hadn’t really ridden them, but he and the group of teenagers he’d hung around had broken into the coin boxes and stolen the money.

  “Before my father died he’d take me to town every Sunday and let me ride the pony in front of the grocery store while he went inside and bought a newspaper,” Tanya said.

  He wanted to ask about Tanya’s father and her childhood, but what was the use when they’d go their separate ways once Alex returned to Albuquerque? The night in the motel was nothing more than that—one night. The only reason they were together now was because of Alex.

  So take advantage of the situation.

  The temptation to pick up where they’d left off at the Sweet Dreams Inn was strong. Why couldn’t they have a bit of fun while they took care of his nephew? Then they’d go their separate ways. No fuss. No mess. No broken hearts.

  Do you really believe what you feel for Tanya is pure lust and nothing more?

  Vic hated the stupid voice in his head. If he slept with Tanya again, feelings would be involved. He already admired her spunk and determination, and when she smiled at Alex, the softness in her eyes tugged at his heartstrings. He appreciated her kindness toward his nephew and he had no idea what he would have done if she hadn’t agreed to help him watch Alex during the height of his rodeo season.

  “You look like a real cowboy.” Tanya took a picture of Alex with her phone.

  Vic checked his watch. They had two hours to kill before Alex’s appointment with the therapist. “Speaking of real cowboys, Alex needs a hat and boots.” Something to remember his uncle by.

  “Great idea.” They hopped into the pickup and asked Siri for the location of the nearest Western-wear store. Ten minutes later Vic pulled into the parking lot. When they entered the business, a young man showed them to the children’s boot aisle. Alex sat in a chair while the salesman searched for styles in his size. After trying on three different pairs, Alex pointed to the brown boots.

  Tanya nudged Vic and then dropped her gaze to his boots. Alex had chosen boots similar to Vic’s. His hearted thumped heavily in his chest. He might feel as though he and Alex were struggling to communicate, but Vic must be doing something right if his nephew wanted to copy him.

  “Now we need a hat,” Vic said.

  The salesman had Alex try on different ones, but again the boy picked a hat like Vic’s. When they left the store, Vic spoke to Tanya. “I bet there’s a Dave and Buster’s close by.”

  Tanya’s ex
pression lit up. “Pizza sounds good and Alex will like the games.”

  Alex didn’t comment. He was too preoccupied with his new boots.

  “Pizza it is.” A short ride later Vic pulled up to the restaurant and entertainment chain. “I’ll get us a table and order the pizza while you two check out the games,” Tanya said.

  Alex stared wide-eyed, frozen in place. This was probably too much for him to take in all at once. Vic walked him over to a motorcycle simulator. “Hop on.” Once Alex sat on the small bike seat, Vic swiped the card he’d purchased and the bike moved back and forth in front of a screen that flashed images of busy city streets.

  While Alex enjoyed the ride, Vic’s gaze searched for Tanya and found her waiting at a table in the dining room. He waved at her to join them, but she shook her head. “We have time for one more ride before we eat. How about you and I try the Typhoon?” They sat side by side in front of another large screen. Vic swiped his card and suddenly they were in a roller coaster. Their seats jiggled and shook as if the ride were real. Alex’s eyes grew huge and he reached for Vic’s hand.

  “You okay, buddy?”

  Alex smiled—a happy smile—when his chair rocked sideways.

  The ride lasted for a full minute; then the coaster in the video slowed down and their seats stopped moving. “That made me hungry. Let’s see if the pizza is ready.”

  “You two look like you had fun,” Tanya said.

  “Alex liked the Typhoon,” he said. “You should try it.”

  “Not after eating, thanks.” The waiter delivered their pizza and Alex gobbled his food in record time—a big change from when the kid had picked at his pancakes the first time they ate a meal with Tanya. After he finished his slice, Vic said, “You’ve been eyeing that claw machine.” The glass cabinet, standing a few yards away, was filled with neon-colored stuffed animals. “Go ahead and take a look.”

  Alex slipped out of his chair and went over to the machine. Vic turned his seat so he could keep an eye on his nephew.

  “You’re really patient with him,” Tanya said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you were a father.”

  “I’m winging it, but I appreciate the vote of confidence.” He cleared his throat. “I made an appointment with a therapist for Alex here in town. She’s willing to see him at seven.”

  “Tonight?”

  He nodded. “I don’t know how he’ll react, but he’s comfortable around you and I was hoping...”

  “I’ll help in any way I can.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Tell me about your family,” she said.

  Vic hated airing his family’s dirty laundry. He’d rather no one on the circuit learn about his past. But Tanya deserved to know the truth, since she was a big part of the reason he was able to stick to his rodeo schedule.

  “My family’s pretty dysfunctional,” he said, never taking his eyes off Alex. “My dad left years ago. I don’t remember much about him.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  If Tanya was saying I’m sorry now, what would she say when she heard the rest of his sordid tale? “My older brother was shot and killed by police during an armed robbery. My eldest sister got pregnant by a gangbanger and ended up committing suicide after she found out she was pregnant.”

  Vic had no idea if Maria Fitzgerald had told Cruz what had happened to Camila. His sister had been the reason Vic had borrowed a gun from a friend and had gone to confront the gang leader and demand he do right by Camila. Cruz had tagged along for support, and when Vic pulled the gun out of his pants, Cruz had made a grab for it. The weapon discharged, wounding the gang leader in the shoulder. A few minutes later Cruz was sitting in the backseat of a police car, his rodeo career over.

  Tanya squeezed his hand. “So it’s just you, your mother and Natalia now?”

  “Yeah. I stuck around for a while after Camila died then I left home and started rodeoing.” Vic kept his gaze averted. He didn’t want to see sympathy in Tanya’s eyes. Bad stuff had happened in Vic’s family, but other kids in the barrio had suffered, too—some even more. Most of his friends had lost a sibling or relative to gang shootings, drug overdoses or violent crime.

  “I was wondering about Alex’s mom.”

  “She’s in prison for prostitution and my mother’s been a drug addict since my father left her.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I think my mother may have gone out to buy drugs and gotten high the night she left Alex home alone.”

  “She never came back?”

  “The police haven’t found her yet.”

  Tanya sucked in a quick breath. “I hope nothing bad happened to her.”

  Vic didn’t care what happened to her. He stopped caring after what she’d done to him. He caught Tanya staring at his face.

  “How did you get that scar?” she asked.

  “My mother cut me when I was sixteen.”

  She gasped. “My God, what happened, Vic?”

  “Camila slept with my mother’s boyfriend.” Vic’s sister had been flirting with the guy for weeks and Vic had warned her to knock it off. “My mother walked in on them. The boyfriend escaped the apartment, but my mother went after Camila with a butcher knife. The yelling woke me up. I tried to talk my mother down, but she was high on drugs.” Vic closed his eyes when an image of his mother’s angry face flashed through his mind. “I jumped in front of Camila and the knife got me instead of her.” His mother had fled the apartment and Vic had taken a ride with the paramedics to the hospital.

  “They didn’t press charges against your mom?”

  His mother hadn’t even remembered that night when she returned home two days later. She’d been horrified at what she’d done and had promised to quit the drugs. Both Camila and Natalia had begged him not to let the police prosecute their mother, so he hadn’t.

  “Do you think your mother harmed Alex while she had custody of him?”

  “I don’t know.” He hoped not.

  “I’ll see if Alex wants to play the claw machine.” Tanya left the table and Vic expelled a harsh breath.

  After that gruesome story he’d be lucky if she didn’t wake up tomorrow and announce that she was returning to Colorado instead of heading down the road with him and his nephew.

  Chapter Seven

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to kick off the saddle-bronc competition here at the Kern County Sheriff Reserve Stampede Days Rodeo in Bakersfield, California!”

  Tanya held Alex’s hand as they made their way into the stands to watch Vic ride late Saturday afternoon. She and Alex had slept at the Krammers’ ranch, but tonight they were staying in town so Dr. Harper could meet with Alex one more time before they headed down the road.

  The therapist had spent almost an hour with Alex, and she and Vic had been allowed to observe the session through a two-way mirror. Although Alex hadn’t spoken to Dr. Harper, he’d drawn several pictures and had given the therapist an idea of what he was feeling—mostly fear and insecurity. Anyone would have come to that conclusion after the boy’s experience. The therapist had asked Vic to bring Alex in for another visit after the rodeo, at which time she’d have a few suggestions prepared to help Alex cope better.

  Tanya found a spot in the shade and sat. “If your uncle makes the second go-round today, you’ll have the chance to see him compete twice.”

  Alex remained quiet, munching on his popcorn. Watching the therapist interview him had been heartbreaking. It was as if he’d shrunk inside himself, hoping to disappear.

  “How do you think Slingshot will do today?” She hadn’t planned on competing in this rodeo, but when Vic checked in at the scorer’s table he’d learned there were still two slots open in the barrel-racing event. He insisted on paying her entry fee and she couldn’t refuse. She wanted to find out if the training she’d done with Slingshot
at the Krammers’ ranch stuck or not.

  Because of a traffic accident on Interstate 204, which was holding up three of her competitors, the board of directors switched the order of rodeo events and moved barrel racing to the final competition of the evening.

  A pair of clowns entered the arena to entertain the fans, drawing Alex’s attention. She snuck a handful of his popcorn and winked at him when he looked at her. Then he offered her the box. “No, thanks, honey. If I eat too much before I compete, I get an upset stomach.” Alex’s gaze dropped to her stomach and Tanya leaned close and whispered in his ear. “Don’t tell anyone, but I get really nervous before I ride Slingshot. I want to win so badly, but I’m always afraid I won’t.”

  She hadn’t expected a response, so when he patted her thigh as if trying to reassure her, Tanya couldn’t resist hugging him. Even though he didn’t talk, he knew more than he let on.

  “Your uncle is the last one to compete.” Alex was too young to understand just how good a rodeo athlete Vic was. “Maybe one day you’ll grow up to ride broncs, too.”

  While the announcer went over the rules of the event for the greenhorns, Tanya’s gaze zeroed in on the cowboy ready area. Vic stood by himself away from the other cowboys waiting for their names to be called. When she first became aware of him, she’d believed he’d kept to himself because his scar intimidated his competitors. Now she wondered if he’d gone through life solo because he was embarrassed by the tragedies that had struck his family and he wanted to avoid people poking their noses into his personal life.

  Tanya’s heart ached when she imagined the horrific scene that played out the day Vic’s mother had wounded him with a butcher knife. A mother was supposed to protect her children, not harm them. And big brothers shouldn’t have to protect little sisters from their mothers, either.

  She brushed a lock of hair off Alex’s forehead. Aside from the same dark hair and brown eyes, Tanya couldn’t see any resemblance between Vic and Alex. “The new haircut looks handsome on you.” The corner of his mouth tilted upward just a fraction. Maybe Alex would gift her with a wide smile before they were forced to part ways for good.