Hell, Lawson didn’t approve of her having sex with the turd, and he didn’t have a say in this.
“Have you met Tessie?” Lawson pressed.
“No, but she moved to Texas earlier this year. She’s going to school in Austin.”
So, not far. And it was sort of on his way to and from the cattle auction. Sort of. “Could you text me Tessie’s phone number and address?”
That wasn’t a charming look Dylan gave him. It was a suspicious one. “What are you planning on doing?”
“I’m planning on leaving for a cattle-buying trip,” Lawson snapped. He checked his watch, but it was all for show. It was a seven-hour drive, and he had a week to get there and would be gone for well over a month. A calendar would have been better use to him than his watch. “But I was thinking on the way back that I could stop by and see Tessie. You know, just to make sure she’s okay.”
Dylan squinted one eye. “Why?”
For such a simple one-word question, it was plenty hard to answer. Because it was going to make him sound like a toddler again. That’s why he kept it to himself. But if things were patched up between Tessie and Eve, then Eve might not want to live at the ranch. Maybe she’d leave and go back to LA or even to Austin with Tessie.
And maybe, just maybe, she’d take the trail of memories, broken and otherwise, with her.
CHAPTER SIX
WHEN EVE DROVE up in front of her house, the first thing she noticed was a hot cowboy on the porch. Not the hot cowboy, Lawson, but rather his cousin, a hot cowboy from the same sizzling Granger gene pool.
Roman.
The second thing she noticed was the disturbing stuffed horse next to him. It was at least five feet tall, had urine-yellow spots, large black owl eyes and a neck crooked at such an angle that it looked as if someone had strangled it. There was a large purple-wrapped box next to it.
“Wow,” Cassidy murmured. She was in the passenger seat, and with her mouth open, she stared up at the porch.
Eve figured Cassidy’s reaction wasn’t for the horse, and she got confirmation of that when Cassidy made a sound as if she’d just taken a lick of something sinfully delicious.
That was most women’s reaction to Roman.
Since she wasn’t blind, Eve could appreciate Roman’s good looks, but he’d always been too much of a bad boy for her. Plus, in her younger days, she’d never been able to see past Lawson. That hadn’t stopped Roman and her from becoming friends though.
“Please tell me he’s not an actor,” Cassidy said. “Or a mirage brought on by this heat.”
Well, it was hot. August in Texas always was, and the temp was close to triple digits. It was probably hotter, though, around Roman. She suspected the Granger men lit little thermal fires wherever they went.
“And please tell me he’s not married,” Cassidy added. “And that he didn’t bring that god-awful spotted horse.”
The last one was easy. The horse had to be from Kellan. He hadn’t called her or visited Aiden in the past six weeks, but for some reason he kept sending large stuffed animals that were scary enough to provoke nightmares. Eve had been shoving them into one of the guest rooms where they’d be out of sight. And that’s where this latest one would go.
As for the other question, Eve hated to burst the bubble of a naughty fantasy that Cassidy was obviously weaving, but she had to know that Roman was off-limits. “No, he’s not an actor or a mirage, and I doubt he’s clueless about appropriate gifts to send an infant. But yes, he’s married. He’s Roman Granger, Lawson’s cousin. He’s a big-time rodeo promoter, and he’s married to Mila, who owns the bookstore on Main Street.”
Cassidy’s next sound was one of disappointment. “Well, Mila is one lucky woman.”
Yes, she was. But Eve suspected that Roman thought he was the lucky one. According to the gossip—and there was plenty of it—Roman had gone through a string of women before he’d finally fallen hard for his childhood friend.
“Sorry that I didn’t call first, but I was in the area and decided to check on you,” Roman said when she got out of the car. He scooped up the package and started toward them.
“No worries. It’s good to see you.” She kissed Roman’s cheek, made introductions, and when Roman tipped his Stetson in greeting to Cassidy, Eve could have sworn that her friend sighed. A swoony sigh that made Eve smile. Then frown. Too bad there wasn’t a way to make women immune to the Granger charm.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” Eve added. She scooped up Aiden from his car seat. “I was in town.”
“I’ve only been here a couple of minutes.” He shifted the gift under his arm and helped her with the diaper bag. “Yeah, and I knew you were in town. For the baby’s six-week checkup. I heard. You and this little man make news wherever you go.”
It was the truth. The reporters and paparazzi had left her alone for the most part. So had the hornies. But the townsfolk still paid attention to her every move. Of course, they did that to plenty of other people, including Lawson.
On her weekly trips into Wrangler’s Creek for groceries and such, nearly everyone who crossed her path had the urge to tell her that Lawson was still on a business trip, one that had no end in sight since he’d been gone for six weeks and had no projected return date.
Beneath the gossip, there was the underlying tone that she was responsible for that, and Eve had no doubts that she was. Lawson didn’t want her here, which meant when he finally did return, they were going to talk. Maybe she could convince him this town was big enough for both of them. Maybe while she was at it, she could convince herself that the old memories in this house were nothing but memories.
“I was out checking on Lawson’s place for him and figured you’d be back soon,” Roman explained. “Wanted to see how you and the baby were doing.” As they went up the steps, he touched his finger to Aiden’s nose, causing the baby to give him a sleepy smile.
“You didn’t have to bring a gift.” Eve tipped her head to the purple box he was holding.
“Oh, it’s not from me. It’s from Dylan. He dropped by, too. Said it was a housewarming present.” Roman paused. “Someone also left a horn by the gate, but he tossed that.”
Good grief. Not another one. At least the person hadn’t gotten onto the grounds, but then, one of the reasons she wanted this house was because of its remote location and the security that the gate offered.
“That’s not from me, either.” Roman motioned toward the horse. “Dylan was at the post office earlier, and the clerk begged him to bring it out to you since it was taking up the whole sorting room and giving folks the willies. He brought it over with the gift. Is it an old prop from Demon High?”
“No, it’s from a dimwit ass,” Cassidy grumbled.
Eve gave Cassidy a scolding glance. Yes, it was true that Kellan was clueless and was frequently ass-like, but he was Aiden’s father, and Eve didn’t want her son to grow up hearing things like that. Not from his nanny and mother, anyway. She was certain Aiden would figure it all out soon enough.
Probably by age two.
Then one day Eve would have to explain that on a troublesome night in her life she, too, had gotten clueless and stupid and slept with someone who was, well, a dimwit ass.
“Come in and I’ll fix you some iced tea or something,” Eve offered Roman when Cassidy unlocked the door, and they went inside.
Roman hauled in the horse and stood it in the foyer. Cassidy also took the baby from Eve so that she in turn could take the gift from Roman.
“Thanks,” Roman said, “but I can’t stay. I need to go to Lawson’s place and chew out the contractor. Apparently, there was some miscommunication that resulted in a green quartz countertop instead of a white one. Lawson didn’t feel he was getting his point across over the phone, so he asked me to go.”
Eve was certain Roman would indeed get the point across. He
hadn’t lost that bad-boy edge.
“Plus, I don’t really like hanging around at Heavenly Pastures,” Roman added in a grumble.
“But you came to see Dylan,” she pointed out.
“Lucian’s threatening the lawsuit again, says he’s thinking about bringing in livestock and making this place a full-scale working ranch again. I came out here to attempt a bud-nipping.”
Oh. That. The lawsuit generated a lot of gossip, but from what Eve could tell, it was something Lucian had been threatening for years.
“Did you succeed?” she asked.
“No. If Lucian wins, you could have cattle or horses right in your backyard.”
“Better than horns or paparazzi.”
He smiled at her. “Are you okay?”
She considered a lie or a smidge of BS but went with the truth. “Most days. I stay busy,” she amended.
“Yep, a baby can do that.” He knew that firsthand, too, because Roman had become a father when he was a teenager. “And I’ve heard your charity foundation keeps you working hard.”
It did, but thankfully no one in town had made the connection that the foundation helped pregnant teens. Nor were they aware it was something she knew about firsthand.
Of course, unlike a lot of teens, she’d had plenty of money when she had been carrying Tessie. Plenty afterward, too, from her residuals off the reruns of Demon High and the investments she’d made from her salary during the show’s run. And she’d had some support.
Sort of.
Cassidy had been there for her, and the studio had worked hard to keep the pregnancy a secret so she could continue doing Demon High. The studio’s motives, though, had been driven not by her well-being but by profit. Sponsors would have dropped the show if they’d learned the costar was a pregnant teenager.
“You’ve been busy, too,” Eve commented.
Roman nodded, pointed to his wedding ring. “I heard hell froze over that day.”
“And I heard the sound of hundreds of broken hearts.”
“Hearts mend. Those women who’d once been interested in me have already moved on to Dylan. And Lawson.”
She hoped she didn’t look too shocked by Lawson’s name being mentioned in the same sentence with Dylan, the reigning king of heartbreakers. “I thought most women in town wanted Lawson to get back together with Darby.”
“They do,” he readily admitted. “Those are the women going after Dylan. Lawson’s getting attention from the rest, those not on Team Darby. In case you’re wondering, there’s a Team Eve, too.”
She’d missed that particular tidbit of gossip. “Who’s on that team?”
Roman smiled. “Me.”
“I’m not sure you count,” she said under her breath. Since Roman was already heading out the door, Eve followed him out onto the porch. “Any idea when Lawson will be back?”
“I figure another week, maybe less. He’s had time to look at every bull, steer, heifer and calf in the whole state.”
It sure seemed like it.
Since she couldn’t figure out a subtle way to put this, she just put it out there. “Mary Ellen Betterton, the nurse at the pediatrician’s office, said she thought Lawson and Darby were getting back together. He apparently called her last week on her birthday, and Mary Ellen thought that was a good sign.”
Roman blew out a long breath. “You know how confused and frustrated you’re feeling about Lawson?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Well, he feels the same way about you. Of course, he’d rather eat that rabid stuffed horse than admit it. That’s my way of saying, don’t read anything into what Lawson’s doing right now. He’s just trying to sort it all out.”
Those were very wise words, and Eve brushed another kiss on his cheek to let him know that. “Thanks.”
He shrugged in that lazy way that only he or a Greek god could have managed. “It’s good to have you home, Eve.”
It was good to be home, but the jury was still out on whether or not anyone other than Roman and she felt that way.
By the time Eve made it back inside, Cassidy had already taken Aiden to the nursery, and she was carrying the pair of baby monitors—one of which she handed to Eve. It had seemed like overkill for both of them to have monitors, but Cassidy had a suite upstairs where she did her paintings for the illustrations for kids’ books. That way, if Cassidy was on a roll with the artwork, she could signal Eve to get the baby.
Not that Eve was far from him anyway.
Her bedroom and office were right next to Aiden’s bedroom, and the baby napped in her arms almost as often as he did in his crib.
“Your housewarming gift,” Cassidy reminded her, and she handed her the box.
Eve opened it and saw the binoculars. Not the cheap kids’ kind. These looked more like something the military would use on recon missions. There was a note attached.
“‘Go to your family room bay window and look out,’” she read aloud.
With Cassidy following her, Eve did indeed go to the window, and she set aside the box so she could adjust the focus on the binoculars. After she’d done that, she had a zoomed-in view of Lawson’s house.
Eve rolled her eyes and handed the binoculars to Cassidy so she could have a look, as well. “Good choice of gifts. Well, it will be if and when Hot Cowboy comes back.” She shifted the binoculars toward the road. “In the meantime, I’ll be content with memories of Roman.”
“You don’t have to settle for memories,” Eve reminded her. “I know you won’t date actors, but there’s none around here. Plenty of cowboys though.”
“Hmm. Maybe the elusive Lucian, then? I’ve yet to see him, but if he’s as hot as Roman, Lawson and Dylan, then it might be fun to have a late-summer fling with him.”
Eve couldn’t shake her head fast enough. Cassidy had been burned more than a couple of times by falling for the wrong man, and Lucian was almost certainly in that wrong man category.
“Lucian isn’t the summer-flinging type,” Eve told her.
Cassidy gave her a flat look. “I keep hearing what a badass ass he is, but are you saying he doesn’t have sex?”
“I’m sure he does, but it’d be like playing with fire while running with scissors and skating on thin ice.”
The flat look turned to a sly smile. “Or it could be like taking the bull by the horns while taking time to smell the roses and sowing some oats.” She paused. “Unless there’s another Granger I don’t know about yet.”
“Reed,” Eve said quickly. “But he’s out of the picture. He left Wrangler’s Creek years ago.”
“All that testosterone in one house,” Cassidy commented.
Yes, and Eve had often felt sorry for their kid sister, Lily Rose. She’d had an abundance of big-brother interference in her life, but all was well now. Lily Rose was married and ran her own horse-training business.
Eve checked the monitor. Aiden was still sacked out, so she should probably catch up on some paperwork for the foundation. She was about to head to her office, but her phone rang. When she took it from her pocket and saw the name on the screen, her heart went to her knees.
Tessie.
Eve’s hands were suddenly shaking so hard that she bobbled her phone and nearly dropped it. She finally managed to hit the answer button.
“Tessie, it’s good to hear from you.” Eve tried to tamp down the emotion in her voice but was certain she failed.
“Yesterday, you left six messages for me to call you,” Tessie greeted her. “Five the day before. You’re going in the wrong direction, Mom. I told you I wasn’t ready to talk to you.”
“I know.” And as harsh as Tessie’s tone was, it still gave Eve a warm feeling to hear her say Mom. “I’m sorry. I just miss you, that’s all.”
“No, that’s not all. You want me to forgive you. Well, I can’t. You lied to me. You made me believe I was ado
pted.”
“I know,” Eve repeated. And she couldn’t even defend or excuse herself. The studio had created the lie, and Eve had taken that lie and run with it. A way of having her cake and eating it, too. “But I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
Tessie made a yeah right sound that was identical to one Lawson had made. “I saw a magazine in the grocery store, and it had an interview with Kellan. He was bragging about his son.” Tessie paused. “Is Kellan my father, too?”
“No.” She didn’t add more, though she was pretty sure Tessie was waiting for her to do that. But what could she say? Nothing that would make this better, that’s for sure. “Just please let me come and see you in Austin.”
“Don’t you dare come.” Tessie didn’t wait on that response. She blurted it out. “There’s a whole Demon High cult club here, and they don’t know we’re related. I want to keep it that way.”
Because Tessie was embarrassed about it. Always had been. It was one of the reasons she’d been so cooperative about keeping a low profile. It was probably also why she’d wanted to attend an out-of-state college. She wanted to get far away from anyone who knew her.
Little did Tessie know how close she was to her blood kin.
“I gotta go. I have a class that’s about to start.” Tessie ended the call before Eve could get in another word.
The first tear spilled down Eve’s cheek before she could even put away her phone, and Cassidy was right there to pull Eve into her arms. Cassidy just held her and let her cry it out, but the tears wouldn’t help. This was an ache that Eve felt all the way to her soul. Her daughter might never forgive her, might never love her again.
“So, let me play devil’s advocate,” Cassidy said. She led Eve into the powder room just off the foyer and grabbed her a handful of tissues.
“That’s the role you played on Demon High,” Eve muttered as she blew her nose.
Cassidy shrugged. “Well, now I want to reprise it to give you a glimpse of the double poop-storm that could be brewing.”
Poop-storm was one of Cassidy’s go-to curse words. Once, Cassidy had had a serious cursing problem, but after she’d become Tessie’s nanny, she’d toned it down—other than calling Kellan an ass. Eve only wished her toning down didn’t sound so, well, toned down when she was talking with adults.
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