by Brenda Mott
Suddenly, the irritation disappeared from Zach as he watched Raelene. His expression filled with sadness. “Yeah, okay. Can I help you with Mom?”
Tess shook her head. “Wade’s already offered. You have Becky to think of.”
“Macy’s riding,” Wade added. “I’ve got steers loose on the road. The kids went that way—” he pointed “—looking for some of them. I spotted four of them right up there.” He gestured, indicating an area down the road, where Tess could see the creamy-white steers grazing in the ditch.
Zach nodded. “I saw them. I was going to tell you.” He looked at Tess once more. “Wade can’t leave his steers in the road.”
“It’s all right,” Wade said. “I’ll worry about them later.”
“No,” Tess said. “He’s right. And you can’t just take off and let the kids wonder where you went, either.”
“I realize that,” Wade said. He gave her a scowl that said he wasn’t stupid. But it wasn’t a sarcastic one. His tone of voice told her he wanted only to lend a hand. “I was thinking I’d help you get your mom in the truck, then you can follow me to my place while I round up the kids.”
“Thanks, Wade, but Mom needs to go back to her room right away. I’ve put her through enough already.” She glanced from him to Zach. “Why don’t you two get the steers home and the kids gathered and I’ll take Mom back. I can manage. She’s calm now.”
Wade hesitated. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’ll follow you in my truck,” Zach said. “Becky can wait a bit to catch up with Macy while Wade gets his steers in.” He looked at Wade. “Unless you’d like me to help herd them with the truck.”
“No.” Wade waved his hand. “I’ll be fine. Smokey and Bandit are all the help I need.” He indicated the dogs, who were circling the ditch, keeping the four steers from wandering farther.
Tess met her brother’s gaze, knowing that he didn’t intend to follow her simply to make sure she got her mother back to the CCF safely.
His expression said their confrontation from days earlier wasn’t over, and that he had a lot on his mind. Which was fine with her. She had a few things she wanted to settle with him, as well.
“Thanks for stopping, Wade,” she said.
“Come by the house on your way back home if you can.” He gave her arm a squeeze, his eyes full of concern. “At least let me walk you and your mom to the truck.”
Tess nodded, then guided her mother toward the Dodge. Wade helped her inside, and Tess buckled the seat belt into place. Her keys still dangled from the ignition. She slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Wade came around to her side and leaned on the open window. He laid his hand on her arm. “Tess, don’t let your brother upset you. I’m sure he means well.”
She nodded, not totally sure what Zach thought or felt anymore. “I suppose. I’ll see you later.” She turned the truck around and watched Wade retrieve his horse and swing into the saddle. His concern for her and her mother touched her—and at the same time made her wary. Not of him, but of her feelings toward him. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up giving in to her desire to have more than a casual relationship with him.
With a wave of his hand, Wade rode past Zach’s pickup. Zach backed out of the driveway and halted in the middle of the road, waiting to follow Tess to town. Sighing, she put the Dodge in gear and pulled forward, glancing over at her mother. Again, Rae was staring blankly ahead. Looking so lost it broke Tess’s heart.
She’d only meant to show her mother a good time. To brighten her day. And instead she’d ruined it. With a sigh, Tess headed for town, her every protective instinct kicking into high gear.
What was done was done. She wouldn’t dwell on a mistake she’d made with good intentions. And she wasn’t about to let Zach walk all over her, either.
CHAPTER TWELVE
TESS PARKED as close to the back entrance of the nursing home as she could. Zach found a spot a short distance away. Ignoring him, Tess concentrated on getting Rae out of the seat belt. She still clutched the foal’s bottle, and gently, Tess extracted it from her grasp. “Let me take that for you, Mama,” she said. “That’s right.”
“What is she doing with that?” Zach spoke from behind her. Tess glanced over her shoulder and saw him glare at her. “She’s obsessing about the past again, isn’t she?”
Her patience nearly gone, Tess whirled around to face him. “Zach, just help me get her inside, will you? We can talk about this once she’s in her room.”
“Fine.” Without another word, he helped her assist Raelene from the truck seat and walk to the back door.
Once inside the care facility, Tess found Molly.
“How’d it go?” The nurse smiled at her, then frowned with worry at the purple juice stain on Rae’s blouse and the faraway look in her eyes. “Did we have a bit of trouble?” She laid her hand on Raelene’s shoulder.
“I’m afraid so,” Tess said. “Mom’s a little shook up, and I feel just awful about it.”
“Well, there, there,” Molly soothed, slipping her arm around Rae’s waist. “Are you okay, Raelene, honey? Let Molly help you.” She walked with Tess to Rae’s room, Zach lagging behind in the hallway.
Determined to ignore her brother for the moment, Tess focused on getting her mom situated. While Molly found a washcloth and wet it in the sink, Tess explained what had happened. Molly wiped the rag soothingly over Rae’s face and hands, then helped her out of her stained blouse. Tess got a clean one from the closet and dressed her mother in it.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, kiddo,” Molly said. “You meant well, and that’s all that matters. I’m sure the fresh air did Raelene some good, and as for her little escapade, she’ll be all right. She’s already moved past it. Look.” Molly indicated the way Rae had relaxed in the chair next to the window. She stared out at her familiar surroundings, mumbling, but otherwise calm.
“I hope so,” Tess said, still wondering what went on in her mother’s mind. “I didn’t mean to cause her stress.”
“Of course you didn’t. Now, why don’t you just go on and get yourself home to a nice cup of tea. Relax. I’ll take care of your mom.”
Tess nodded. “Maybe that’s best. If I leave her to settle down, I mean. I’ll come back a little later.”
“That’s fine. We’ll be here.” Molly smiled and Tess waved at her, then kissed her mother’s cheek before heading back out into the hallway. She looked around, but Zach was nowhere in sight. Surely he hadn’t skipped out on her.
Outside, Tess found Zach leaning against her truck. His own pickup was now parked beside it, empty. Tess frowned. “Where’s Becky?”
“I drove her to the feed store. Told her to pick out a new halter for the horse I’m going to buy her.” He glared at Tess as though she’d purposely set out to spoil his outing to shop for a horse with his step-daughter. “Is Mom okay?”
Tess glared back at him. “Yes. Not that you seem to bother checking anymore.” She knew he’d gotten Becky away so the little girl wouldn’t witness the two of them arguing. Might as well jump right into things, then.
“Tess, what were you thinking?” Zach asked. “Taking her home like that. You should’ve known it wouldn’t work out.”
“Yes, I guess I should have,” Tess said, opening the door of her truck and sliding onto the seat. She sat sideways, facing Zach. “But it was such a nice day I just wanted to get her out of here for a while.” She gestured toward the care facility.
To her surprise, Zach said, “Yeah. I guess I can relate to that.” For a moment, he was quiet. Then he laid his hand on Tess’s shoulder. “Look, sis, I’m sorry I got mad at you. And I’m sorry you’re disappointed in me for not visiting Mom in a while.”
Tess leveled her eyes at him. “Yes, I am disappointed, Zach. I’m not going to sit here and sugar-coat that.” She gestured, frustrated. “What would it hurt you to come see her? Was it so painful to help me out with her a little just now?”
&n
bsp; Zach actually hung his head before answering. “I can’t explain it, Tess. It’s hard for me to see her this way. Not knowing who we are. Living in some time warp, back in the past with her goats or whatever.”
“And how do you suppose she feels?” Tess studied her brother’s face. “Answer that, Zachary.”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s right. You don’t, and neither do I. But I’m sure having Alzheimer’s is no day at the fair.” Tess put her hand on Zach’s arm. “She’s still our mother. And she needs us to be there for her. Period. I wish you’d reconsider the way you feel and start visiting her again.”
Zach let out his breath. “I’m going to have to give it some thought, Tess.” He moved back a step. “I’d better go pick Becky up. We’re late as it is.”
Disappointed, Tess let her hand fall to her side. “All right, then. I’ll see you later.”
“You might want to stop by the store,” Zach added. “Dad was upset when he heard what happened.”
Tess graced him with a frown. “You told him?”
“I had to. He wondered why I was dropping Becky off.”
Closing her eyes, Tess sighed. She hated to upset her father. “All right. I’ll go talk to him.” She swung her legs around beneath the steering wheel, then closed the door.
Why was it that her good intentions often went awry? Well, at least she’d tried to give her mother a pleasant day. Which was more than she could say for Zach.
Still irritated with her brother, Tess pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the feed store.
WADE FOUND IT HARD to believe his baby girl would turn eleven in just ten days. Where had the time gone? Working extra hard to keep up with his orders for tack and belts, he used his nights when the kids were in bed to work on Macy’s birthday present. A saddle for Diego. Macy would love it. Her old one had seen a lot of miles, and with Diego coming along in his training, a new saddle seemed like a good idea.
He’d also been busy organizing things at the Circle D. He’d shipped a load of cattle off to market two weeks ago, and was contemplating just how many he might ship again this month. He’d decided not to do anything rash until he was certain Cowboy Up was indeed going to be a success and his sales numbers were not just a temporary run of good luck that would fizzle, leaving his family in a bind.
Meanwhile, the ranch work had to be kept up with. He’d yet to find out who had run through his fence last week, and the incident had made him wary. He’d keep a close eye on his steers to make sure no more got out. He was doing just that on the second Saturday of June, riding fence in his lower pasture, when he ran into Tess.
At first sight of her, he could feel his heart trip in his chest like a horse stumbling over a log. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what had happened to his good sense and judgment of late. He’d enjoyed kissing Tess on the night of her birthday party. But it was the night they’d shared at the lake that had really done him in. And not just the kissing part. The way she’d opened up and talked to him from her heart was what had truly gotten to him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shared his thoughts and feelings in such a way with anyone.
And ever since that night, he looked forward more than ever to seeing her at 4-H meetings, at the feed store, the café…anywhere he could contrive to run into her. He wanted to ask her out and planned to soon. He felt like a kid in love, and told himself that was ridiculous. Whatever it was that had taken hold of him would surely pass.
On the more serious side of things, he also continued to dwell on Raelene’s illness. He wished he could help Tess somehow, but she’d made it clear he wasn’t welcome in that area of her life. At least she’d accepted his help the day Raelene had wandered off. Wade had felt bad for Tess when that had happened, knowing she’d had the best of intentions where her mother was concerned. He hated to see her be so hard on herself. After watching Tess with Raelene that day, he now had a better picture of Tess’s mothering needs. Clearly, the two women’s roles had been reversed a long time ago.
Though Tess’s proud strength broke his heart, Wade knew the entire situation regarding Tess’s mother wasn’t any of his business. Still, he wished he could find out if Zachary had changed his mind about not seeing Raelene. Tess had said little about their obvious confrontation that day. Wade also wondered how much support Seth and Lloyd were to Tess. Lloyd sounded like a devoted father and husband, so Wade knew he really shouldn’t worry about her. But that didn’t stop him from doing what he was doing at this very moment—wanting to wrap her in his protective grip.
She rode toward him on a sorrel-and-white tobiano paint. She wore her usual ball cap, but this time her pretty red hair was plaited in a single braid that exposed the earrings she wore. The ones he’d given her. He liked the fact that she donned them often. Her jeans gloved her hips, and Wade moaned inwardly.
Tearing his eyes away from where they didn’t belong, he gave her a smile. “Hey, cowgirl,” he said when she pulled the paint to a stop on the other side of the fence. “Long time, no see,” he teased, having just seen her two days ago at 4-H. But it felt like forever.
The expression on her face made him wonder if she didn’t feel the same. “Riding fence?” she asked.
He nodded. “Somebody’s got to do it.”
“Where’re your little helpers?”
“Up at the barn. Macy’s helping Jason work on a rabbit cage.”
Tess’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?” Suspicion laced the single word.
“Don’t get alarmed. I’m not aiming to raise any bunnies for supper.”
She glared at him. “I should hope not. But Macy told me you wouldn’t let her and Jason have cats or bunnies for pets.”
He sighed. And felt his face warm. She made it sound as though he was an ogre. Had he been that bad? “I never was crazy about the idea. But Jason’s thinking of giving up showing steers and doing poultry and rabbits, instead. Apparently one of Bailey’s rabbits had babies, and before I knew it, she and the kids had me talked into letting them have a couple.”
“Ooo, look out,” Tess joked. “The cattleman is going soft.”
Wade put on a mock scowl. “Hey, I could hardly refuse when Bailey offered the bunnies as early birthday presents for the kids.”
Tess chuckled. “I like her strategy. I know Macy’s birthday is this month, but when is Jason’s?”
“July 3.”
She nodded and shortened her reins as the paint mare fidgeted beneath her. “You have anything special planned besides a bunny?”
“Yep. I’m making Macy a saddle, and I’ve been working on one for Jason’s birthday, too. Their old ones have seen better days.”
Tess’s eyes lit up, and Wade reprimanded himself for noticing something so crazy as her looking far better with her natural eyelashes and sun-kissed cheeks than with the makeup she’d put on for her birthday party.
“That is so sweet,” she said. “I’m sure Macy will love it, and Jason, also. But how on earth do you find time to make two saddles and still supply your customers’ needs?”
Her words turned his smile to a frown. There she went again. Whenever he started thinking he liked her—a lot—then she had to go and poke her nose in his business. “Don’t worry, I can handle it,” he said. “My kids are worth every minute of the time it takes.” He didn’t tell her he’d stayed up late and gotten up early every morning this week to put the finishing touches on Macy’s saddle so it would be ready for her birthday.
“Hey, no need to get defensive,” Tess said. “I was just curious, and you’ve already got me convinced you deserve the Father of the Year award.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he mumbled, feeling his face heat once more. Was she being serious or sarcastic? Her genuine expression told him she was serious, and the good feeling her compliment gave him did funny things to his heart. “So, what are you doing out this early?” he asked, more to change the subject than anything else. Obviously, she was going for a ride. It was just t
hat he had never cottoned much to the idea of riding for pleasure. He did so with the kids on occasion, but to him, early mornings were for work.
“I’m taking tap dancing lessons,” Tess said, then laughed. “I’m going for a ride, silly. Is that so hard for you to comprehend, Mr. All-Work-and-No-Play-Cattleman?”
That she read him so easily didn’t sit well with Wade at all. He let out a sigh of irritation. “If you ask me, horses are for working, not playing.”
“Really? What about the kids’ 4-H activities?”
“That’s different. Fun is for kids.”
Tess licked her lips and shifted in the saddle, as though she was settling in for a good argument…and enjoying every minute of it. “Is that so? Then you mean you didn’t have fun with me the other night at the lake?”
Wade fought a smile. “’Course I did. What do you think I am, dead or stupid?”
She laughed. “I’ll bet you’d find that riding can be fun, too, if you’d quit being so all-fired stuffy and try to see your horse in a new light.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She gestured, palm up. “Go ahead. Look at him. He’s gorgeous. Blue roan, all muscle, silky mane and tail.”
Wade frowned down at Dakota. “I see the roan and the muscle, but the silky escapes me.”
Tess rolled her eyes. “Now, why does that not surprise me? Does he have a name?”
“Of course.” She raised her eyebrows, waiting, and he answered. “Dakota.”
“Ah. Now I see where Macy probably came up with Diego. It has a similar ring, and she looks up to her daddy, you know.”
It was Wade’s turn to raise his eyebrows. He’d never given the matter much thought. “You figure?”
“Sure. Why should that surprise you?”
“I guess it doesn’t.” He shrugged. “They’re supposed to look up to me. I’m their dad.” Nevertheless, pleasure skittered in his stomach.
“Yeah, and I’ll bet you’ve gone riding with them before, right? I mean, they had to learn their skills somewhere. And I doubt they started by jumping into the saddle and pushing cows.”