Aidan: Loyal Cowboy: Aidan: Loyal CowboyThe Family Plan

by Cathy McDavid

  “You drove here?” he asked.

  “All the way from Oklahoma City.” She helped herself to a leftover English muffin.

  “Why don’t you go check in to the inn and come back when the party starts?”

  “Tired of me already?”

  He might have answered her if not for the door banging open. Mandy burst into the kitchen, followed closely by the dogs.

  “Daddy? Whose truck is that out—” She came to a grinding halt at the sight of SherryAnne. “Mommy!”

  “Baby.” SherryAnne opened her arms, and Mandy flew into them.

  Chase cursed under his breath. So much for getting rid of SherryAnne until the party. But, because he loved his daughter more than he despised his ex-wife, he’d find a way to survive the next few days.

  * * *

  HALFWAY INTO MANDY’S birthday party Jolyn began to seriously question her decision to attend.

  After the unpleasant scene with SherryAnne that morning, she’d been determined not to let Chase’s ex-wife scare her away. He wanted her at the party. Mandy had invited her. But as she sat on a chair in a corner of the patio, watching SherryAnne play games with Mandy and her friends, serve cake and ice cream and visit with Susan and Joseph Raintree as if they were long-lost friends, Jolyn felt more and more out of place.

  It reminded her too much of high school. Either consciously or unconsciously, they’d fallen into their former roles.

  SherryAnne, with her domineering personality, hogged the spotlight, taking charge of everyone and everything. Chase, perhaps because he didn’t want to ruin Mandy’s birthday, went along with SherryAnne for the most part. Jolyn hung on the outskirts, a part of the activity but not truly involved. She hated it even more than she had eleven years ago. And, just like then, she didn’t know what to do about it.

  This wasn’t how she wanted to spend the day before her mother’s surgery. She had intended to go home after a few hours of pleasant distraction and help with any last-minute tasks. Instead, she’d be thinking of SherryAnne, there at Chase’s house, digging her claws into him.

  It wasn’t fair to her mother, who deserved her family’s full attention at this crucial time.

  “Mind if I sit here?” Chase’s cousin, Hannah, didn’t wait for an invitation before slipping into the empty chair next to Jolyn. “Nice party.”

  “Very nice.”

  “Do you think it’s going to rain?” Hannah hitched her chin at the clouds gathering in the northern sky.

  “That’s what they’re saying.”

  Jolyn didn’t know Chase’s cousin very well. She’d been just a kid when Jolyn had left to tour with the show. They’d run in to each other off and on during recent weeks, mostly at Chase’s clinic. Jolyn didn’t sense the same reservation in Hannah she did in his aunt and uncle. If anything, Hannah appeared to approve of Jolyn. At least, as Chase’s friend. No one knew that their relationship had changed to…to what?

  “Oh, Mandy, baby,” SherryAnne trilled at the top of her voice. “Are you going to let your father get away with that?”

  She clung to Chase’s arm and laughed up into his face.

  “She’s a piece of work, isn’t she?” Hannah said, shaking her head in disgust.

  Jolyn held her tongue. This was Chase’s family, and they were notoriously tight-knit. They might not like SherryAnne but neither were they keen on welcoming Jolyn into the fold.

  “It’s cool,” Hannah went on. “You don’t have to answer. I like that you’re loyal to Chase.”

  Loyalty wasn’t what motivated Jolyn. “I’m glad SherryAnne came back.”

  Hannah gave Jolyn a dubious look. “You are?”

  “For Mandy.”

  “Of course. Not because she’s your best friend.”

  “Former best friend.”

  “There’s the tigress I knew was lurking inside all along,” Hannah said with a laugh.

  Jolyn couldn’t help smiling.

  “It’s unbelievable that a sweet kid like Mandy sprang from that she-devil. Guess she takes after her father.”

  Her smile died at the reminder of Mandy’s questionable parentage, which maybe wasn’t so questionable, depending on a person’s point of view.

  “She must,” Jolyn said, giving a safe response.

  “For the record, I’m happy you and Chase are together.”

  “We’re not together,” Jolyn answered quickly.

  “Really?” Hannah’s frown didn’t disguise the twinkle in her eyes. “So, you left your truck here all last night for another reason?”

  “I…um…” Jolyn should have been better prepared and concocted a reply for the inevitable questions. “I came by early this morning to fix a…bad breaker.”

  “That’s your story and you’re sticking to it, huh?”

  “Until I come up with a better one,” she said lamely.

  Hannah howled with laughter.

  Jolyn noticed Chase’s Aunt Susan casting them stern glances. Great. Chase’s whole family must know and probably disapproved of her. She’d been so busy worrying about repercussions with her family, she’d forgotten to consider his.

  “Don’t mind my mom,” Hannah said.

  “It’s hard not to.”

  “There’s no love lost between her and SherryAnne.”

  “None between your mom and me, either.”

  “You’re wrong.” Hannah set her empty punch cup on a wrought-iron patio table. “She wants to see Chase happy. If you’re what makes him happy, she’ll support you one hundred percent.”

  “Hmm.” Jolyn scrunched her mouth to one side.

  “Okay. Eighty percent. But she’ll come around eventually. Especially with me at your back.”

  “Why would you do that?” Jolyn asked.

  “Simple. You and Chase were friends before you were lovers.”

  She tried not to cringe at Hannah’s casual use of the term lovers.

  “I think being friends is really important.” Hannah gestured expansively. “There’s always that magic at first. He’s wonderful. You’re walking around on cloud nine. Blah, blah, blah. But then the magic ends and then what’s left? If you have a strong friendship, a lot.”

  “When did you get so wise?” Jolyn asked in amazement. She still thought of Hannah as a kid.

  “College,” Hannah said with a wink.

  Jolyn sighed deeply. With Hannah rooting for her, maybe she and Chase really did have a shot at it

  “I know we’re not buddies or anything, not yet,” Hannah went on. “But I’m going to give you some advice.”

  “I like what you’ve said so far.”

  “Cool.” Hannah grinned. “Well, here goes. Don’t let

  SherryAnne run you off, and believe me, she’ll try. Not because she wants Chase so much as because she doesn’t want you to have him.”

  “I figured that out already.”

  “I’m serious, Jolyn. If you hadn’t split the last time, things might have turned out differently.”

  “I’m not sure about that.”

  “I am.” Hannah turned in her chair to stare straight and hard at Jolyn. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy for you and Chase.” She rolled her eyes. “Hell, no it won’t be, not with my family. But you guys can make it. If you just stick it out and don’t run scared like before.”

  Is that what she’d done when she’d left to join the show all those years ago? Run scared?

  “Fight for him, Jolyn,” Hannah said. When her mother called her
over, she patted Jolyn’s knee and jumped up. “Gotta go. Nice talking to you.”

  Jolyn watched Mandy and her friends play a game of Ping-Pong but she didn’t really see them. She was too busy mulling over what Hannah had said and seeing the past in a brand-new light.

  * * *

  CHASE STOOD AT the window watching heat lightning paint spiderwebs in a starless night sky and thinking how the impending storm perfectly mirrored his mood. Dark. Grim. Edgy.

  The summer had been an especially dry one and many would be grateful for the rain. Chase wasn’t ungrateful. He just wished the downpour would hold off until tomorrow.

  SherryAnne had used the excuse of the storm to delay returning to the inn after Mandy’s party. She was even now in Mandy’s room, tucking her into bed and reading her a story like she was four rather than nine. Mandy didn’t mind. She relished the attention her mother was paying her.

  It was Chase, however, who’d have to deal with the brokenhearted little girl SherryAnne left behind when she went away again.

  Barrel racing was a tough sport. Not that SherryAnne wasn’t good, but she was considerably older than most of the riders she competed against. Were she smart, she’d retire before she got hurt.

  He halfway hoped she’d meet another man and get remarried. A man who lived in Texas or Wyoming or any of the dozen other states her travels took her to. Anywhere but Blue Ridge. He did wish she’d visit Mandy more often, though. Four or five times a year instead of once.

  Chase raked a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. Lord, he was tired. It had been one hell of a weekend, crazy busy and filled with highs and lows. Spending the night with Jolyn had been the most incredible high, his ex-wife’s visit the lowest low.

  “She’s finally asleep,” SherryAnne said, joining him in the living room.

  Chase continued staring out the window. “I can’t believe she stayed up this late.”

  “It’s only nine-thirty.”

  “She’s been going nonstop for days.”

  “Honestly, Chase. She’s not a child anymore.”

  He turned around. “So why were you reading her a story?”

  She leveled a warning finger at him. “Not the same thing.”

  He didn’t disagree, only because he was too tired to argue. “If it rains tonight, you might have to cancel that ride I heard you and Mandy talking about.”

  “I have to cancel it anyway.”

  “Oh?”

  “I got a call earlier on my cell phone. I’ll be leaving first thing in the morning.”

  “One day, SherryAnne? That’s all you could spare for Mandy?”

  “There’s a horse I’m trying to buy in Oklahoma. The owner finally decided to put him on the market and agreed to give me first right of refusal. I have to be there by Wednesday.”

  “A horse?” Chase couldn’t believe his ears. “You’d choose a horse over Mandy?”

  “A champion horse. I can win on him, Chase.” Her eyes flashed with an excitement he hadn’t seen once all day, not even when she hugged their daughter after a year-long absence.

  “Will you at least come for breakfast and say goodbye?”

  “I don’t know.” She had the decency to look chagrined. “I have to be on the road pretty early.”

  “Then I guess I’ll see you next year,” he said dismissively.

  “Actually, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

  Her tone was sweet. Honey on the comb. With SherryAnne, that meant only one thing. She wanted something from him.

  “What’s that?”

  She let the ax fall. “My spousal maintenance.”

  “I won’t give you an increase.” He was already paying her too much, one of the conditions of getting full custody of Mandy. Another two years and his obligation was fulfilled.

  “I’m not asking for an increase.”

  “No?”

  She clasped her hands together in front of her and took a deep breath. “I need an advance.”

  “How much?”

  “All of it.”

  “You’re joking,” he said flatly.

  “I’m not.”

  “Forget it.”

  “Chase, please. Listen to me before you say no.”

  “I don’t have that kind of money.”

  “Of course you do. You just built a new clinic and hired an assistant.”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I refinanced the house. My new monthly payment is half again what the old one was.”

  “So, take out a second mortgage.”

  “I’m not giving you an advance.”

  “I’ve got to buy that horse.”

  “Barrel-racing horses cost a small fortune. Two years of your spousal maintenance won’t come close.”

  “It would be enough for a down payment. And if you cosigned the note—”

  “You’re out of your mind.”

  “I only have a few more years left to compete.” Her voice dropped, grew harsher. “I can’t win a championship without a decent horse. This one will take me to the national finals.”

  “Find someone else to finance your lifestyle,” he said bitterly. “One of your boyfriends.” SherryAnne seldom lacked for male companionship.

  Her lips thinned to a very straight, very narrow line.

  “No takers? You must be losing your charm.”

  “Shut up, you bastard.”

  He’d obviously struck a nerve. Barrel racing wasn’t the only competitive event in the rodeo world.

  “Give me the money, Chase. Cosign the loan.”

  “I told you no.” He turned and walked toward the kitchen.

  She cut in front of him. “Give me the money or I swear, Chase, I’ll tell Mandy you might not be her father.”

  Anger rose up inside him. At SherryAnne and at himself for not making her sign an agreement when they’d divorced. The oversight had come back to haunt him more than once.

  “You wouldn’t dare.” He spoke low.

  She shouted. “Try me!”

  Apprehension replaced anger. What if she really did tell Mandy? She’d threatened Chase before, though not as vehemently. Studying her, he decided she might make good this time. SherryAnne was desperate, and desperate people behaved irrationally.

  He stood his ground, refusing to let her see how much she unnerved him. One hint of weakness and SherryAnne would go in for the kill.

  “I should have known better. You didn’t come here to spend Mandy’s birthday with her. You came for money. That’s so like you.”

  “Save the guilt trip for another visit.” She sneered at him. “I’m in a hurry.”

  “I can’t give you money I don’t have.”

  “Find it. Borrow it. I don’t care.”

  “Even if I did agree, I couldn’t raise the money in two days. It took me months to refinance the house.”

  “Not my problem.”

  She had to be bluffing. And maybe what he needed to do was call her on it.

  “You want a change in our spousal agreement, hire an attorney and take me to court.”

  Hands on hips, she stepped forward and put her face right up in his. “I swear, Chase, I’ll tell Mandy your new girlfriend’s brother could be her real dad.”

  He didn’t so much as blink. “You’d actually walk into her bedroom, wake her up and tell her something like that? It’s not me or Jolyn she’ll hate, SherryAnne. It’s you.”

  Her chin drooped, but
only for a moment. Then she was her old self once more. “Do you honestly think Mandy will want to live with you after that?”

  Inside, Chase shook. He’d be damned if he let SherryAnne see it. “Do you honestly think she’d live with you?”

  She shot him a look of pure hatred. “I’ll call you in the morning. You can tell me where and how I can pick up the money.”

  This time, her demand lacked force.

  “I’ll tell Mandy goodbye for you.” Chase was never so glad to see the door shut behind her.

  With unsteady hands, he picked up the phone and dialed Jolyn’s cell number. It was almost ten. Given the early morning hours she kept, chances were good she’d already gone to bed. But he needed to talk to her. Badly. She was his lover. More than that, she was his friend.

  “Hello.” She answered quickly enough to assure him he hadn’t awakened her.

  “It’s me.”

  “Are you okay?”

  He must sound bad if she could tell something was wrong in one short sentence. “No, I’m not. SherryAnne and I just had a really bad fight.”

  “Oh, Chase. And on Mandy’s birthday.”

  “Yeah.” Outside, thunder rumbled. Not a night for driving. He asked anyway. “Is there any chance you can come over?”

  She paused for only a second. “I’ll be right there.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chase and Jolyn sat in lawn chairs on his back porch, drinking leftover punch from the party and waiting for the storm to break. The temperature had dropped only five degrees since the afternoon, and the air was heavy with humidity.

  “SherryAnne can’t be serious,” Jolyn said.

  “That’s what I keep telling myself.” Chase had recounted his entire argument with SherryAnne to Jolyn. Like him, she’d been appalled at his ex-wife’s selfishness. “I never thought she’d stoop to involving Mandy.”

  “Do you suppose the horse is only an excuse?”

  “For what?”

  “Maybe she needs the money for another reason, and she’s too embarrassed to say.”

  “You always come to her defense. Even when she doesn’t deserve it.” Once, he’d admired her devotion. Now, it irked him.