by Beverly Rae
Decker’s dark eyes flashed, and he ran a hand through his short black hair. “I found a rental just a couple of miles outside the next town.”
“No. Take me to my father’s.”
He gripped the steering wheel, but his tone remained calm. Too calm. “After how he greeted you, why the hell would you want to go back?”
“I need to try again. No, nix that. I’m going to make him listen to me. At the very least, I’ll get him to invite me inside.” She couldn’t think about Decker or Jimmy now. Instead, she would put her energy in doing what she’d come to Lost Hills to do.
“Then I’m going with you.”
Decker whipped the car in the opposite direction to head back to Lost Hills. She studied him and, like so many times before, gratitude filled her. He’d been nothing but kind and helpful to her, and he deserved better than what she’d shown him. Jimmy’s bright face flashed through her memory, but she shoved it aside. Jimmy was no longer an option. After her refusing to dismiss Decker, she couldn’t expect anything more.
Swallowing the tears filling her eyes, she looked straight ahead and summoned her courage as they drove down the road leading to her father’s house.
She and Decker strode to the front door and, like the first time she’d come, she drew in a breath and knocked.
Her father greeted her with a scowl. “Why did you come back?” His gaze slid from hers to Decker standing behind her, and the color drained from his face.
“Mr. Garland, you should welcome your daughter into your home.”
Fear crumpled the anger from her father’s body, and he gave Decker a quick nod. Was her father afraid of Decker because of his size? She didn’t know, but it didn’t matter as long she got inside.
She entered the house and glanced around at the filth and disarray. Liquor bottles lay scattered around the room. Dirty cups and plates filled with leftover food rested on the tattered furniture. She brought her hand up to cover her nose then dropped it before he could see how the stench affected her.
“Mr. Garland, I heard how you treated your daughter when she first came to see you.”
Her father scooted away from Decker and put a chair between them. Why was he afraid of Decker? “Mandy, honey, I’m sorry about the other day.”
“It’s okay.” She motioned toward the couch, and he nodded, giving her permission to move the racing forms and girlie magazines to the already overladen coffee table. “I just wanted to see you. To spend time with you.” To ask him why he left us.
Where was she supposed to go from there? If he rejected her again, could she leave town and forget about him? She sought out Decker and found the strength he’d always shown her. He took a step closer to her father.
Her father jumped like a frightened rabbit dashing away from a predator coyote. “Aw, girl, you don’t want to do that. I’m just an old man. I ain’t no good to nobody.” He shifted his attention from her to Decker. “And I ain’t got nothing, either. I’m busted. Flat broke.”
Did he think she wanted money? Something wasn’t right. Did they know each other? Her father was intimidated and fearful of Decker. But why?
“Mr. Garland, I think the honorable thing to do is to sit down and talk to your daughter. She’s come too far for you not to give her what she wants.” Decker moved to hover over Mandy. “I wouldn’t like it if you didn’t do what she asked.”
Did Decker just threaten her father?
“Sure, sure. Anything you say.” Her father rushed to find a seat on the sofa next to her, but kept his attention glued on Decker as though waiting for the man to pounce.
“Good. Then how about I give you two a chance to talk? I’ve got an errand to run, but it won’t take long.”
Mandy took his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, Decker. Not just for today but for everything.”
He bent and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Don’t mention it, babe. I’d do anything for you. After all, you’re my girl.”
His girl. She forced a smile, but the smile didn’t spread to the rest of her body. Was she his girl?
She watched Decker walk out the door then turned to her father. But her father had already left his seat and was scurrying to the window to peek through the blinds.
“Is something wrong?” What should she call him? Dad? Not a chance. “Glen, what are you looking at?”
“Nothing. Don’t a man have a right to look out his own window?” Fumbling to light a cigarette, he paced the floor, taking several puffs before plopping on the chair across from her only to jump back up and start pacing again. “Have you known him for very long?”
“A few months. Why do you ask?” Why were they discussing Decker when she had so many questions to ask him?
A few more puffs floated around his face before he stopped pacing long enough to ask another question. His hand shook, dropping ashes onto the stained carpet. “Is he your man?”
“We’re dating.” Why was he so nervous?
He snorted and took another drag on his cigarette. “Why are you here?”
Why was she here? To get to know him better? But looking around, she wasn’t sure she wanted that any longer. Hadn’t her mother warned her? What else should she have expected?
“I want answers.”
He took another peek out the window then finally eased into the chair again. His green eyes, so much like hers, zeroed in. “Answers to what?”
“Like how you ended up with those bruises on your face and neck.”
“Hell, those ain’t nothing. The ones on my body are worse. But it don’t matter. What’s done is done.”
“Fine. Then tell me what I really want to know.” She paused to drag in a steadying breath. “I want to know why you left us. Why you left me.”
He ground the stub of his cigarette into an overflowing ashtray then lit up another one. “Didn’t your mother tell you?”
“She said you went out for cigarettes one day and never came back. Good riddance, she said.” Why was he stalling?
“Well, then, you’ve got your answer.” A smoke ring circled above his head.
“No I don’t. That just tells me how you left. Not why.” She leaned forward, trying to mentally urge him to respond. “Was your marriage so awful that you couldn’t stay and try to make it better?”
Or was she the problem? Could he have hated being her father so much that he’d had to leave?
“As far as I knew, the marriage was fine. Your mother, on the other hand, wouldn’t let a man be a man. A man’s got to do what he wants. Not what some nag’s yakking at him to do.”
She picked up a racing form. “You mean like gambling away money needed to pay the rent? Or to put food on the table?”
“Aw, there it is.” He pushed away from the chair to snatch the racing form away from her. “So she did tell you her side.” He tossed the paper to the floor and slid his gaze over her, one corner of his mouth lifted in a sneer. “You don’t look like you came out any worse for wear. So what’re you bitching about?”
Everything her mother had told her was true. Her father was a good-for-nothing man who gambled and drank away his right to a family. But she still couldn’t give up on him.
“I’m not bitching. I just want to get to know you. Is that so bad?” His eyes glittered and, for a moment, she was tempted to run out of the home.
“So you and this Decker guy are tight? I bet he’d do just about anything for you. Am I right?”
“Do you and Decker know each other?”
He darted his gaze away from her. “Naw. Never saw the man before. I’m just curious, is all.”
“So what about it? Do you think I could stay a couple of days so we can get to know each other better?” Would she find any good in the man? Doubtful, but she had to try. “I could help you clean up the place.”
The way he stared at her, like he was calculating how much he could get from her, sent a chill down her spine.
“All right. I guess I could put up with you for a day or two. As long as
you pull your weight and help your daddy out.” Yellow, stained teeth shone with his grin. “I guess you can call me Dad or Pops.”
So he wanted a maid? “Fine. I’ll cook and clean for you, but you’ve got to hold up your end of the deal, too. You’re going to tell me about yourself. The good as well as the bad. Do we have an understanding, Glen?”
His cackle was filled with evil glee. “Sure thing, honey. Sure thing.”
* * * *
Hours later, and Mandy was sure she’d made a mistake. Her father, drunk and snoring after downing a bottle of vodka, slumped in his chair, a lit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. She’d worked nonstop since they’d made their agreement and had barely made a dent in the mess. Why was Decker taking so long to return?
“Garland, get your ass out here.”
Mandy jumped and almost dropped the empty liquor bottles she held cradled in her arms.
“You’re going to pay up, dirtbag, one way or the other.”
She dumped the bottles into the trash can and shook her father. “Glen, wake up.” She shook him harder until he grumbled and opened his bleary eyes. “There are some men outside yelling for you.”
Panic set in him, from the horror in his eyes to the stiffening of his body. The cigarette fell to the floor and he gripped the arms of the chair as though his life depended on it.
“What’s wrong? Who are they?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed her out of the way and stumbled to the window to peek through the blinds. “Shit and double shit. They’re here.”
“Who’s here?” She started toward the door, but her father grabbed her arm and pulled her away. “Hey!”
“You can’t open the door.” He held a finger to his lips and flattened his back to the wall. “And be quiet. Maybe they’ll leave if they don’t think I’m home.”
She scooted next to him and tried to ignore his terrible stench. “What do they want?”
“What do they always want? Money.”
“We know you’re in there, Garland, so you better get out here and pay up. Otherwise, we’re coming in and taking our money out of your hide.”
“That’s how you got the bruises, isn’t it? You owe them money.” She stated the obvious, wanting to have it confirmed.
He leaned closer, his breath a putrid flow of air assaulting her nose. “You got some money. Sure, you do. I can tell what with the nice clothes you wear. And Decker, he’ll do anything for you. So if you could give me a little money, enough to get these thugs off my back, then you’d be helping out your dear old dad.”
He held out his hand, palm up. She gaped at him. What did he expect? That she had a wad of cash in her back pocket?
“Wrong. I work hard for what I have, and I’m not giving it to you to pay off gambling debts.”
His pleading expression morphed into disgust. “You’re just like your mother, aren’t you? Always blaming a man when he’s down on his luck.”
“I’m not blaming you, but I’m not about to pay off—”
Glass shattered around them as a big, burly arm reached through the window, snagged Glen by the collar, and yanked him back through the broken shards. Mandy screamed, grabbing for her father a second too late. Flinging the door open, she raced into the dimming light of the evening.
Five men, each one large and muscled, stood around her father, who lay on the ground. He moaned then rolled onto his back.
“Get away from him!” Fear shot adrenaline through her, making her dismiss the warning bells clanging inside her head. She started down the steps.
“Hold up there, girl.”
The tallest of the group barked the order then tilted his head at her. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t much care either. Our business is with him, not you. Stay out of this, and you won’t get hurt.”
“Damn, Toker, she’s a hot one.”
“He’s my father.” She ground out the words then planted her feet apart.
Surprise lit up Toker’s face. “His daughter? Well, well. I never would’ve thought any woman would lie down with this mangy mutt.” His heated look took in her body, lingering too long over her breasts. “How a louse like him ever turned out a beauty like you is a wonder. Yes, sir, it’s a damn wonder.”
“Leave him alone.” She hoped he wouldn’t see how much her knees wobbled.
“Look, girly, he owes us money, so unless you’re going to give us what’s due, then he’s got to pay. With his hide.” He struck out and kicked her father in the back. Glen wailed and curled into a fetal position.
“How much?”
She’d gotten his attention. “Are you going to pay?”
“How much?” She swallowed and prayed the amount wasn’t more than she could afford.
“Fifteen thousand.”
She hadn’t meant to gasp, but she couldn’t help herself. Fifteen thousand? He might as well have said a million dollars.
He made a rude sound and waved her away. “I don’t think your daughter’s going to save your ass, Glen-boy.”
“She’s not. But I am.”
Mandy and the men pivoted toward the side of the house. Decker stepped out of the shadows then stopped, a rifle in one hand.
“Who the hell are you?” Toker lifted his lips in a snarl.
“I’m the one who’s going to spread your guts all over the ground if you don’t leave the man alone.” Decker hefted the rifle to his shoulder. “Now get going before my finger gets itchy.”
Toker growled, his eyes flashing. The other men answered with growls of their own.
“I don’t like threats.” Toker took a step forward and his friends did the same.
She held her breath and wondered how many shots Decker could get off before they reached him. “Be careful, Decker.”
Decker tilted his head and closed one eye to place his sights on Toker. “Come on, big guy. You’ll be the first to eat lead.”
Toker stopped, his face a mask of rage. “Put down the gun and fight like a real man.”
Decker laughed. “You mean like you? Fighting five to one against an old man? Besides, my mamma didn’t raise no fool.” He repositioned the rifle on his shoulder. “Now get while you can still run.”
Toker scowled and clenched his fists. “Don’t think this is a done deal. I’m going to get my money.”
“Not today you aren’t. Now go.” Decker pulled the trigger, firing the rifle and sending dirt into the air in front of Toker’s feet.
Toker’s men whirled and ran, leaving him alone. With one last kick to her father’s side, he stalked after his friends.
Mandy rushed to her father and helped him sit up. “Are you all right? Do you want a doctor?”
“I’m okay.” Glen settled his weight on her and rose on unsteady feet. “Thanks to Decker.”
She led her father into the house with Decker following. Placing him in the chair, she waited until Decker put the gun down, then slid her arms around him.
“Thank God you came when you did.” She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
“Yeah, I’m glad I showed up when I did. You and your father are safe now.”
She owed him so much. From helping her mother, to finding then saving her father. How would she ever repay him?
“Mandy, can we talk for a minute? Outside?”
She pulled away to search his eyes. “Sure.”
Outside on the porch, he took her hands and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “You know I love you, right? I mean, I’ve never said the words, but you know, don’t you?”
Did she? Or had she ever given it any thought? “I, uh, I—”
He kissed her, breaking off her words. “No, don’t say anything. Just listen.”
He gulped, his Adam’s apple moving up and down, and gripped her hands tighter. She nodded, her mind reeling with questions. Had he had enough? Was saving her the last straw? If he broke up with her, what would her mother say?
Her eyes widened as he went down on one knee.
Her heart pounded in her chest, almost painfully. Her mind wouldn’t function, couldn’t understand what he was doing.
“I asked your mother for her blessing and she gave it. So”—he cleared his throat—“Mandy Garland, will you do me the honor of becoming my mate? Uh, I mean my wife?”
Marriage? A ringing sounded in her ears, and her body trembled. She froze, letting the myriad of emotions whirl inside her, her sight blurring for a moment. She blinked at the image before her. Had she just seen Jimmy’s face instead of Decker’s?
“Sweetie? What do you say? Will you be my wife and let me take care of your mom and you for the rest of our lives? I’ll even pay off your father’s debt.” Decker took out a small, black box and flipped the lid open to reveal a large, princess-cut diamond ring. Taking the ring out of the box, he slipped it onto her fourth finger.
Her mother would want her to say yes. And her father? He may not be much of a father, but he was all she had. She had to help him. The memory of Jimmy holding her, sliding the sponge over her breasts came and went, lost in a rush of dismay. She and Jimmy would never happen.
She gazed into Decker’s eyes, saw the man who’d done so much for her family, and made her decision. “Yes, Decker. I’ll marry you.”
Chapter Seven
“Are you giving up on her?”
Jimmy enclosed the coffee mug in both hands and winced at the noise Sara made rattling the fry pan on the range. “The only plan I have is to down a bottle of painkillers and hope my head doesn’t fall apart before then.”
Sara dropped a plate filled with pancakes in front of him. He closed his eyes and waited for the stabbing pain in his forehead to subside. “Have pity, will you? My head’s about to explode.”
“Your head should explode after drinking as much as you put away last night. You should’ve gone with the rest of us on the run. That would’ve done you more good than getting stinking drunk.”
After Mandy had left with Decker, he’d spent the rest of the night holed up in his room with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and the misery of having lost his mate. With the morning came another kind of misery. “Just because I tied one on last night, doesn’t mean you need to make it worse this morning.”