Cowboy Lullaby (The Boones 0f Texas Book 6)

by Sasha Summers

  “Yep, jingle.” He eyed the coffeepot, steaming and spewing—but no coffee was filling the pot. Coffee was a necessity.

  She nodded, shaking the keys vigorously.

  “You like music?” he asked, remembering how much she’d enjoyed dancing last night. She’d hummed herself to sleep in her car seat. “Music,” he said, walking to the radio Lynnie kept on the counter. He flipped it on, tuning it to one of the three stations. Classic country tunes, steel guitars and a fiddle, spilled out into the room. “Music.”

  Pearl stared at the little box, her eyes going round. “Mew...”

  “Music,” he repeated, fascinated by how quick she was. “Mu-sic.”

  “Mew-sik,” she repeated.

  He grinned, spinning her around. “Music. You’re a smart little snuggle bunny, Pearl.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling her shy smile up at him.

  “Pearl, you’re smart and sweet and pretty,” he said. If his childhood had taught him one thing, it was the importance of praise. One kind word could change his day. He’d make damn sure Pearl always heard them. “Hungry?” he asked. “Yum-yums?”

  She nodded, dropping his keys to clap her little hands.

  He pulled all the Tupperware dishes onto the floor and handed her a wooden spoon, letting her make as much noise as she wanted while he dug through the remaining jars of baby food. He read over Georgia’s notes again, made the cereal with applesauce and placed Pearl in the high chair.

  “Forgot.” He jumped up, rifling through the bag for a bib.

  Pearl stretched her neck up and he put the bib on.

  Breakfast was a quiet affair. Pearl was a good eater, gobbling up her cereal then turning away when she’d had enough.

  “Done?” he asked, wiping her face. “Done?”

  She wrinkled her nose up.

  He giggled, spooning up the runny cereal. “Yeah, I don’t know how you eat this stuff.”

  She smiled then.

  “We should head into town, get you some more food. And diapers. Might stop by Miss Francis’s place, too, and see about getting some help for you. And me.” He ran a washcloth under warm water and wiped her face clean. How bits of cereal ended up in her black curls, he wasn’t sure. But he did the best he could to get it out.

  “Do-gee,” she said, leaning away from the washcloth. “Da-gee?”

  “You want to see Banshee?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Da-gee.”

  “We’ll see,” he said, not making any promises. “Let’s go see Domino and Blackjack. Get the horses fed.”

  She clapped her hands.

  He was glad she was interested in the horses, and not scared. And yet, she was awful little to be poking around the barn without constant supervision. The place had been untended for too long, critters could have taken up residence. His toddler didn’t need to be the one to discover them.

  It took the better part of an hour to get the horses fed and turned into the pasture behind the barn. He kept Pearl close, making it ten times harder than it should have been. His gaze wandered the fences, knowing he needed to ride along the entire property. If they were solid, he’d look into cordoning off a larger area for the horses to graze and roam. He had no idea how to do that with Pearl.

  As he snapped her into her car seat, he glanced at Tandy’s cabin. Her truck was gone, no sign of Banshee on the porch. He stopped and stared, peering at the tall, dry grass around Tandy’s place. It was overgrown with cactus, Apache plume and wildflowers. The rains had been good so far, keeping the burn bans to a minimum. Still, she’d be wise to invest in some goats or sheep—it would keep Banshee occupied.

  He doubted she’d want much advice from him.

  The drive into town reminded him how much he loved this land. Exposed rock jutted up from the earth, layered and stark against the endless blues of the Texas sky. Each time he visited, he’d try to learn more about the place he considered his real home. Lynnie knew everything. About the volcanic eruption that formed Frazier Canyon, Sleeping Lion and Barrel Springs. Explaining that the arrowheads he’d find from time to time could be Apache, Comanche or Kiowa. She’d kept him busy for hours, hunting dinosaur bones or fossils. When he found something, she’d polish it up and place it on the mantel like a prize.

  He glanced at Pearl in the rearview mirror, wanting her to have memories like that. Vivid and warm, magically transporting him to a place when things were easier. Life didn’t have to be hard. He’d do his best to make sure it wasn’t for his daughter.

  He thought of Georgia then, resentment and frustration rising up. Her life had been anything but easy, he knew that. But she knew the difference between right and wrong. Keeping Pearl a secret from him was unforgivable. More so when he’d learned she’d tried to use Pearl to get herself a husband. Apparently her pick had more to offer her and Pearl than Click ever could. A safe and secure home, with no money worries or danger. But once the DNA test showed Pearl wasn’t his, the man had left her, and Georgia’s downward spiral had turned dangerous.

  He was forever thankful for whatever instinct had prompted her phone call.

  “Da da,” Pearl called out. “Mew-sik.”

  He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He turned on the radio, smiling as her hands and feet bounced along with the Dolly Parton song filling his truck cab. As they entered the small town, his gaze swept Main Street.

  The same grand hotel stood across from what would have been the saloon, just as it had over a hundred years ago. But the saloon was now a soda shop, catering to tourists who traveled this far to visit the fort and observatory a few miles out of town. Fort Kyle was a pretty little town with an interesting history and just enough events and special happenings to make it worth the visit.

  “Maybe we can get some ice cream,” he said to Pearl.

  Pearl waved at him in the rearview mirror, the offer of ice cream causing no further reaction.

  “Too young for ice cream?” he asked. He hated not knowing. “Might have to see if we can find a book on...raising a toddler?”

  She clapped her hands then, her feet bouncing.

  “The library might just work,” he said. “Might find you some books, too.”

  “Da da,” she sang. “Da da da.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, turning at the fork in the road and driving the short distance to the library. “Except it’s closed on Sundays.” He shook his head. If he remembered correctly, most things were closed on Sundays in Fort Kyle.

  He sighed and leaned back.

  Two shops down was Fort Kyle’s veterinary clinic. Tandy’s truck sat out front. That’s why she was here—for a job. She had a life. He was undoubtedly a bump she’d rather avoid. He may have lain in bed thinking of all the things he wished he’d said and done differently when it came to Tandy Boone, but that didn’t mean she had. He had a lot more to figure out than just parenting. He had to figure out how to coexist with Tandy without wanting the impossible.

  He blew out a slow breath and put the truck in Reverse. “We’ll come back for books. Let’s go see what they have at the grocery store. Sounds good, Pearl?”

  Pearl nodded, still singing. “Da-mew-gee.” She paused. “Mew-sik, da-da-da-do-gee.”

  Click shook his head. “All right, then, sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter Nine

  Tandy ran a hand over her face and slid the file back into the filing cabinet. Her first week working with James M. Edwards had been...exhausting. She’d predicted some hiccups, but this had surpassed her every expectation.

  The man was deaf as a post, slower than a turtle, beyond rude and so old twice Tandy had thought he was dead, slumped over his desk. Charlene, the receptionist, had told her he needed at least two catnaps a day to keep his mind sharp. Tandy had had no answer for that.

  But it was more than her employer. She’d sta
yed late every night this week, trying to make headway. The kennels were a mess. Dr. Edwards employed his two teenage grandsons to keep them up. They weren’t. But chastising either one of them earned her snorts and eye rolls.

  The technology... There wasn’t much. Charlene had a desktop that looked older than Tandy. The two in the office—one for her and one for Dr. Edwards—weren’t much better. She’d yet to see Dr. Edwards turn his on. There were no scanners, the printer clicked and groaned, and Charlene had left the fax machine off two of the five days they’d been open.

  The filing system had almost sent Tandy packing. Apparently Dr. Edwards’s system consisted of putting folders in the drawers with no rhyme or reason. She’d flipped through, searching alphabetically, by species, then—still hopeful—by appointment date. So far, nothing was gelling. Which made pulling patient records damn difficult. When she had managed to find one of the four files she’d been looking for, Dr. Edwards’s abbreviations had been indecipherable.

  When she’d asked what they meant, her patience had almost snapped.

  “Dr. Edwards, can you tell me what these notes mean? This is for Frisky, Miss Francis’s tabby. She’s here for a checkup.” She waited, hoping he’d offer some insight.

  “Miss Francis’s tabby?” He peered over the rim of his glasses and squinted. “Tabby, huh? She used to raise those damn fainting goats, she tell you that? Damndest thing to see. They get spooked and then fall over.” He chuckled. “Course, it’s not a highly useful trait when they have a run-in with a mountain lion, let me tell you.” He shook his head.

  She stared at him, befuddled by the way his mind wandered.

  He stared back, a frown forming on his well-lined face. “What are you waiting on?”

  “I was wondering what this says—”

  He threw his hands up and sat back. “With what I’m paying you, I figured you could read just fine.”

  Her irritation mounted, but she shoved it down. “Well, Dr. Edwards, I still haven’t figured out your notations. So, if you’d take a look, I can take care of Frisky.”

  He nodded. “Miss Francis’s tabby?”

  “Yes,” she ground out. “She’s here for an exam.”

  He tapped the note. “Reminder for me to pick up fresh green beans on the way home for Mrs. Edwards.” He chuckled. “Don’t think I remembered.”

  Tandy had carried the file back into the exam room. She’d done her best to stay professional with Miss Francis, but she was close to tears—of frustration. No wonder Dr. Edwards was paying so well. She was pretty sure it wasn’t worth it.

  Since the office needed a good cleaning, she’d come in on her first Saturday wearing rubber gloves and toting bleach water. Everything felt dirty and gritty. Lucky for her, Renata and Scarlett had offered to help. Of course, once they’d stepped inside, they’d almost bailed on her.

  “Looks better,” Scarlett said now, leaning on her mop.

  “When I planned to take some vacation time, I hadn’t intended to do so much work. First helping out at Fire Gorge. Now this. Man, next time I’m taking a cruise or something.” Renata sighed. “I’m beginning to miss Stonewall Crossing and my job.”

  “Ooh, a cruise sounds like fun,” Scarlett said.

  “Doesn’t it?” Renata grinned. “Just the three of us. I bet I can take off some more time after the next high season. How soon do you think you can take some time off?” Renata loved her job at the Stonewall Crossing Tourism Department—doing whatever it took to help put her hometown on the map as a top Texas tourist stop.

  Tandy laughed. “A while. I don’t know what I’d do without you two,” she said, pushing the cabinet drawer. It hung on the rails twice, making her shove a little harder. It slammed shut, knocking the pile of manila folders stacked precariously on top to the floor. She stared at the mess, overwhelmed and deflated. She stooped, piling the manila folders back up and slapping them on the file cabinet.

  “It’s not too late to leave,” Renata said. “I’m heading home tomorrow. I can make room.”

  “I gave up my job at the vet hospital,” she argued, feeling like a fool. Why had she agreed to this? “My replacement is terrific—I trained him myself.”

  “Still...” Scarlett glanced at the filing cabinet. “After the veterinary hospital, this is like...”

  “Stepping back in time?” Renata finished. “Yeah, this is bad.”

  Tandy didn’t disagree. But what did she have to go back to? Babysitting her nieces and nephews. Being the third wheel with her brother and his family? Being the single one. Well, she and Renata were both single. But Tandy knew it was because her cousin hadn’t found the right man yet. Renata wasn’t broken inside like she was. Renata would find love, and it would be deep and real and forever.

  “Hate to break up this party, but we’re working tonight,” Scarlett said to Renata.

  Tandy looked around the cramped office. “I think we’ve done all we can do.”

  “Does that mean we’re finally leaving?” Renata smiled. “Because I think you owe us ice cream.”

  Banshee perked up from his place on the floor.

  “See, even Banshee agrees,” Renata added.

  Tandy laughed. “I could go for ice cream. And some fresh air. Come on, Banshee, let’s get these ladies their payment.” She led them from the clinic, locking up behind them and testing the door before they walked down the corner and took a right. “Come by my place after you’re done? I’ll have lots of ice cream.”

  “How’s the cabin?” Scarlett asked.

  “I haven’t spent much time there,” she said. “I get here, work late, go home and collapse in bed.”

  “Because your new boss is a slave driver or because you’re avoiding your neighbor?” Renata asked, grinning.

  Tandy frowned. “I’m not avoiding anyone. How can you avoid someone in a town this small?”

  “Kind of like you avoiding the question?” Renata asked.

  She shook her head, trying not to react. “What is there to avoid?”

  Renata and Scarlett exchanged a long look.

  “That he loves you?” Scarlett asked.

  “That there’s something going on, I’m thinking seriously wrong, with his current situation?” Renata added.

  Tandy blew out a deep breath, hating how well they knew one another. She’d been thinking the same thing. Not about him caring about her—that hadn’t crossed her mind. But the rest of it, yes. “I’m supposed to fix it? The situation, not your delusion that he still cares about me.”

  They exchanged another look.

  “Stop it.” But Tandy couldn’t hold back the laugh. She was so tired, it felt good to laugh. Laughing was a superior reaction to crying. “You two could talk to him, you know. You’re his friends just as much as I am.”

  Renata rolled her eyes. “Please, Tandy.” She shook her head. “Your name is tattooed on his body. Yours. Not mine. Not Scarlett. I’m thinking, since you have prime real estate on that holy-wow body, you’re special.”

  Holy wow was right. She’d tried to hang curtains over the view of Lynnie’s house, but the wall had wood rot and the curtain rod collapsed to the floor. She’d seen him each night, walking the porch and in her dreams. Some nights she’d had to take a cold shower to ease the ache he caused.

  “Whatever,” she said. “See you later.”

  “You better get a lot of ice cream,” Renata called out, climbing into Scarlett’s small SUV.

  She waved and pushed into the Old Town Soda Shoppe, eager to move on to another topic. Instead, she saw Click sitting at a table, Pearl in a high chair across from him.

  “Ta-dee!” Pearl yelled. “Da-gee!” She clapped.

  Tandy waved back.

  Click had been bent over the table, propped on his elbow. Pearl’s declaration had him jerking upright.

  Was he sleeping? She crossed the
store, truly concerned by Click’s appearance. His eyes were bloodshot, a heavy stubble covered his jaw and his normally starched-and-pressed appearance...wasn’t.

  “When did you sleep last?” she asked, giving him a thorough once-over. He looked worn out and then some. “You okay?”

  He ran a hand over his face. “I’m good.”

  She stared at him. She’d done her best not to think about him this week. He hadn’t texted for that walk, and she wasn’t going to make the offer twice. But seeing him this way stirred a twinge of guilt.

  “You don’t look good.” Don’t get involved. Don’t ask questions. Smile and leave. She wasn’t responsible for him or Pearl... But she was sitting down, smiling at Banshee as he sat next to Pearl’s high chair. He endured her sticky-finger pats, his long tongue lapping up any ice cream lingering on Pearl’s little hands. “How are you, Pearl? Having ice cream?” she asked.

  “She’s a mess,” Click said, as if only now seeing his daughter. She was a mess, sticky and sweet and adorable. Nothing to get worked up over. But he was pushing out of his chair.

  “Sit down before you fall down, Click,” Tandy said gently, giving up the fight. For Pearl. She drew in a deep breath. “Let me help. I’ve probably earned a million-plus fieldwork hours with my cousins’ kids.”

  “A million plus?” He sat, his jaw locking as he glanced her way. “You’re working just as many hours as I am.”

  Meaning he’d been keeping tabs on her, too?

  “It’s a new job,” she said, her only explanation. He didn’t need to hear about it, that much was clear. “You can’t take care of Pearl if you’re not taking care of yourself.” She dug through the diaper bag, finding the wipes and pulling two out. She grinned at Pearl as she wiped the remaining stickiness from her pink cheeks and the tip of her little nose. Banshee had already taken care of the ice cream, but Tandy wiped down her fingers and hands all the same. “Thanks for the help, Banshee.”

  Click ran another hand over his face, stifling a yawn.

  “Click?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

  His shoulders drooped, his gaze fixed on the glass of melted ice cream. From the whipped cream and cherry floating on top, it had once been a sundae of some sort. “I’ve had Pearl for...” He paused, staring at the ceiling. “...thirteen days? Two weeks? It’s all starting to run together.”