Texas-Sized Trouble

by Delores Fossen

  If there was an award for half-assed reasons, Lawson would have just won it. Until he said that, there hadn’t been any real suspicion in Darby’s eyes, but it was sure as hellfire there now. Obviously though, Darby hadn’t seen Tessie. If she had, she would have used the invisible gene-pool goggles that everybody but Lawson seemed to have to determine that Tessie was a Granger.

  With the suspicion still there, Darby traded off escort duties, taking Lily Rose toward the ICU. Lawson made a beeline to Dylan so he could find out if he knew anything about their mom’s cancer.

  However, Lawson didn’t even get to ask the question because his phone buzzed. He didn’t recognize the number on the screen, but when he realized it was an Austin area code, he answered it fast. Good thing, too, because while he hadn’t known the number, he recognized the voice.

  “Mr. Granger, this is Dr. Patel,” the caller said. “I just contacted Ms. Cooper, but I thought you should know, too.”

  And with just that handful of words, his stomach went to the floor. “Is something wrong with Tessie?”

  It didn’t help when the doctor didn’t jump right in to answer. “Maybe. I thought you should know that Tessie just checked herself out of rehab. I strongly advised her against it, but she left anyway. She said I was to tell you and her mother that she was okay, that she just needed some time to be alone. That might be, Mr. Granger, but I think you and Ms. Cooper need to find her right away.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  EVE HELD HER BREATH, knocked on Tessie’s door at the sorority house and prayed that this time there’d be an answer.

  There wasn’t.

  So, Eve went through the routine she’d been following for the past two days since Tessie had checked herself out of rehab and had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth except for a text message to repeat what she’d told Dr. Patel—that she was okay and needed some space. Well, two days was enough space, as far as Eve was concerned, and she needed to see Tessie.

  She knocked again. And again. And again. She kept knocking until someone from the room next door yelled out, “Shut up!”

  The shouted shut up, which was often accompanied by profanity, was part of the routine now, too, since someone usually started yelling at her when the knocking went on for more than five minutes. On the first day, someone had called the cops. After Eve had explained to the officers why she was there, they’d managed to get a key so they could get inside to have a look around.

  No Tessie.

  Many of her things were still there, but her laptop and her phone were gone—things that she could have already had with her when she’d gone to rehab. Tessie’s roommate had shown up around the same time that the cops were there, but she was clueless as to where Tessie was. However, she had assured Eve she would call her if Tessie returned.

  There’d been no call either from Tessie or the roommate, so Eve had continued to go to the room with the hopes of running into either Tessie or someone who had answers. She’d also left sticky notes outside the door with messages for Tessie to call her ASAP.

  Eve added another sticky-note message now, bringing the total to eleven.

  Seeing each one of them caused the fear to wash over her again. Her daughter was officially a runaway since she’d had to file a missing person’s report. Eve wasn’t about to sink into a deep enough pit of despair to start looking in ditches and running up and down the street calling out for her. But she had hired two PIs to try to track Tessie down.

  Well, actually she’d hired one, and Lawson had hired one, as well. They hadn’t known about the double hiring until they’d been a couple of hours into the search.

  She’d also contacted the Austin cops so they could do an Amber Alert. That would mean dealing with the fallout from the publicity, but at this point that seemed minor.

  Eve pressed down the sticky note again to make sure it didn’t give way and flutter to the floor, where it might get swept away, and she went back down the stairs. Slowly. Just in case this could be the exact time that Tessie might come running in. And someone came in all right. But it wasn’t Tessie.

  It was Lawson.

  Their gazes connected, and Eve nearly missed the step that could have sent her sprawling. She righted herself by grabbing on to the railing.

  “Anything?” he said. Over the past two days, he’d asked her that a lot. She shook her head.

  “I just found out that Tessie texted Clay.” He took out his phone to show her a copy of the message.

  “‘I’m okay,’” Eve read. “‘Call off the search. I don’t want to be found because I don’t want to see my mother.’”

  That gave Eve both some relief and crushed her heart. “I don’t want the search called off,” she insisted.

  “It won’t be. In fact, I hired another PI.”

  Good. They were of a like mind about that.

  “I left her another note,” Eve added. No need to clarify what note because Lawson had obviously seen them. He’d also made several trips here, too. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything else?”

  He lifted his shoulder. “The first PI I hired said she hasn’t used her credit card or accessed her bank account in the last forty-eight hours.”

  Her PI had told her the same thing. “I don’t even know how much cash she would have had,” Eve admitted. “Her last cash withdrawal was a week ago for two hundred dollars, but if she’s having to pay for a place to stay and meals, that money would have probably already run out.”

  Lawson looked depressed enough to get on her worry-train, but then he shook his head. “Maybe she’s staying with a friend. A friend we haven’t managed to talk to yet. Once she’s good and ready, she’ll turn up,” he assured her.

  “What if she doesn’t?” The darn tears started again. “What if Tessie learned the truth about you being her father, and she’s so upset that she won’t face us?”

  He didn’t answer her, but he did slide his arm around her waist to give her a pseudo hug. A very short one. Because he stepped back almost right away. Despite its brevity, Eve knew it was a big concession on his part because he still had to be angry with her. But she certainly wasn’t feeling anger, and being in his arms helped. A lot. It made her feel as if she wasn’t alone in this.

  It also made her feel guilty. Because Tessie wasn’t the only thing that Lawson had on his plate.

  “How’s Regina?” she asked.

  “Better. Dylan said she should be released from the hospital tomorrow. She’s insisting on coming up here to help us look for Tessie.”

  Good grief. That definitely wasn’t a good idea, and Lawson no doubt agreed.

  “Tessie is her grandchild,” Lawson added. “And she’s complaining that at the rate her kids are going, she might end up being the only one she ever gets. Dylan joked that he could knock up a woman or two, but she wasn’t amused.”

  No. And Regina probably wasn’t amused when she’d first found out that Lawson had a child. Eve certainly hadn’t been thrilled when she’d first learned she was pregnant, but then, the love of a child, or a grandchild, could smooth over all sorts of things like doubt, disappointment and even a broken heart.

  “Maybe we’ll find Tessie before Regina gets out of the hospital,” Eve said.

  That might keep the woman from making a trip up here. Might. But Regina could be just as insistent on coming so that she could meet Tessie. Eve would try to dissuade that since it definitely wasn’t a good time for making extended-family introductions. Not with so many things uncertain.

  “The cops and the PI are still questioning Tessie’s friends and sorority sisters,” Eve continued a moment later. “And I’ve talked to every one of them who’ll talk to me.”

  He nodded. “Same here. I spent my day at the campus. She didn’t have any classes scheduled for today, but she missed the ones yesterday.”

  Eve already knew that. In
fact, she suspected there wasn’t much they could say about their search results that they each didn’t already know. Since there was nothing new they could do, they both just kept tracing and retracing their steps. Eve had even considered that Tessie might try to go to Wrangler’s Creek, so she’d alerted folks there, too, in case that happened.

  “I talked to Dr. Patel again,” Lawson went on. So had Eve. And she’d gotten nothing from her or the crotchety woman at reception. “But Clay’s calling Austin PD to try to get surveillance-camera access for us. There’s a bank up the street from the rehab clinic, and the camera might show which direction Tessie went when she left.”

  That got her attention. It was a lead that Eve hadn’t chased yet. “Maybe it’ll help if I call Austin PD, too? They might work faster to get the footage.”

  He stared at her with a disapproving look, and she knew why. There was a fine line between pushing and pestering, and it was probably best to leave this to Clay. Maybe it wouldn’t take him too long to get it.

  “Are you heading back home tonight?” she asked. It wasn’t late, barely 8:00 p.m., but it was an hour’s drive back for both of them.

  “No.” He tipped his head toward the street. “Granger Western owns an apartment a couple of blocks from here, and no one ever uses it now that Sophie’s moved her office to Wrangler’s Creek. I’m staying there tonight.”

  That told her just how worried he was to be away from work at the ranch. Plus, Lawson wasn’t exactly a city kind of guy.

  “You’re welcome to stay there, too,” he added, though he didn’t look completely comfortable with that invitation. Not at first, anyway. Then he huffed. “It’s probably not safe for you to keep driving back and forth while you’re so worried. I figure you’ve been running around town all day, trying to find any lead you can latch on to.”

  She had been, and Eve almost certainly wouldn’t have felt the fatigue as much if she’d actually found a lead. Or Tessie. But she’d found neither.

  “If Austin PD gets us the camera footage,” he went on, “I want to be here to see it. That’s why I’m staying. That, and I have to believe that eventually Tessie will come back here if for no other reason than to get the rest of her things from the sorority house.”

  Yet another reason for her to be nearby. Still...

  “The apartment has two bedrooms,” he added a moment later.

  Until he’d said the last part, she had been about to decline. In her state of mind, it definitely wouldn’t be a good idea to share quarters with Lawson. But she was exhausted and was dreading the drive home. Partially dreading it, anyway. If she went home, she’d get to see Aiden, so that was a huge plus.

  “It’s the first time you’ve left Aiden overnight with Cassidy,” Lawson remarked. He didn’t need ESP to know where her thoughts were going. “But you know he’ll be just fine with her.”

  Yes, Aiden would be, and Cassidy would definitely agree with a plan like this. But Lawson was still in this particular equation, which made Eve skeptical about doing it.

  “Maybe we’re both too tired and out of our minds with worry to even think about kissing,” she grumbled. “Or anything else we lapse into whenever we’re around each other.”

  Despite everything, a corner of his mouth lifted for just a second. It was enough of a smile to remind her that maybe there was no fatigue level too high to keep sex off her mind whenever she was around Lawson. She didn’t put on the brakes, though, when Lawson led her outside to his truck that was parked just up the street.

  As he drove, she texted Cassidy to make sure it was okay for her to be away for the night. Eve got an almost immediate answer.

  You betcha. Aiden and I are doing just fine. I’m guessing Lawson will be with you?

  It was a simple enough question, but Eve wasn’t sure how to answer. If she said yes, Cassidy would assume this was a stayover with a side of sex. Cassidy knew that Eve’s first priority would be finding Tessie, but Lawson had a way of working himself between the lines of priorities.

  Maybe, Eve texted back. Then she cursed herself for lying. Yes, he’ll be there, she added. Nothing’s going to happen.

  Cassidy texted back several rows of laughing emojis.

  Eve texted back some frowny-face emojis.

  Cassidy countered with what appeared to be a dancing penis.

  “A problem?” Lawson asked her. He glanced at her phone screen, but she quickly turned it off.

  “No. Everything’s fine.” She had no intention of admitting that she’d just had a high school encounter with her best friend. “What’s the address of this place so I can let Cassidy know in case of an emergency?”

  It was overkill because if there truly was an emergency, Cassidy would just call her, but Eve always liked to provide all information when it came to the baby. As soon as Lawson rattled off the address, she sent the info in what she hoped would be a final text to Cassidy tonight.

  Eve also messaged Tessie the address, too, though if she actually read the text, that might prompt Tessie to go anywhere but there. It was pretty clear that her daughter was trying to avoid her.

  Lawson had been right about the apartment being only a few blocks away. Not enough time for them to launch into a discussion about just how angry he was at her right now. With her energy level near zero, Eve considered that a good thing, but she knew that eventually they were going to have to talk this out.

  Work this out, too.

  Considering how much time Lawson was putting into finding Tessie, she seriously doubted that he was just going to disappear from their daughter’s life. However, Tessie might not want him anywhere near her. That also applied to Eve. Still, they were going to have to come up with some solution, one that couldn’t even get started until they found Tessie.

  After Lawson had parked his truck in the building’s garage, they made their way to the apartment on the top floor. Eve hadn’t needed any reminders that the Grangers were rich, but she got one anyway. The place was huge, with incredible views of the city. But those views were only a reminder of just how big Austin was and that Tessie was like a needle in this urban haystack.

  “Sophie used to live here before Clay and she got married,” Lawson explained. “Garrett once had an apartment in this building, too, but they sold it. Garrett didn’t like spending time here.”

  No. Garrett and Lawson were cut from the same cloth. Both cowboys to the core. Sophie had probably only been here so she could better run Granger Western, and now she could do that from Wrangler’s Creek.

  He went to the fridge, got a beer and offered her one by lifting a bottle. Eve shook her head. Alcohol, fatigue and Lawson weren’t a good mix.

  “I’ll just grab a shower and go to bed. Which way?” she asked.

  He motioned to the hall. “The second room on the left. That was Sophie’s room, and there are still some clothes and toiletries in there that you’re welcome to use. I’m also going to have some food delivered. You want anything?”

  “No. I’m not hungry.” She thanked him and was about to do the sensible thing and put some distance between them, but Eve found herself staying put and repeating that thank you.

  He drank some of his beer and stared at her. “For what—not treating you like shit because I’m pissed at you, or for helping look for Tessie?”

  “Both,” she readily admitted. Eve could feel herself opening the can of worms that shouldn’t be opened. Not tonight, anyway, when they were so blasted tired. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but when I kept the pregnancy from you, I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  Lawson made a sarcastic-sounding grunt. Throughout the past two days, she’d seen a lot of different emotions on his face, but this one was more intense than the others.

  “Let me guess why.” He held up one finger. “It’s because we’d had that nasty breakup.” A second finger went up. “Or because I was s
till torn up about Brett.” He lifted finger number three. “Or maybe you believed I was too young to be a father. Or,” he quickly added when she was about to interrupt him. Finger number four. “You’d outgrown your small-town roots and the cowboy you used to fuck.”

  The fourth one gave Eve her own shot of anger. She went to him, took hold of his hand and pushed down the first three fingers he’d lifted. “Yes, to those. No, to this one.” And she wasn’t especially gentle when she shoved it back down. “Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, I did come back to Wrangler’s Creek to tell you,” she blurted out.

  Well, that wasn’t anger on his face now but rather surprise, and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. “When? And if you came all that way, why didn’t you see me?”

  “It was early that May, and I did see you. You just didn’t see me,” she quietly added.

  He cursed. “I was with someone else.” And he cursed some more as he came out from behind the white granite island that separated them. “That was the spring and summer of me screwing around.”

  Eve knew she was frowning now and feeling something she had no right to feel. Jealousy. But crap on a cracker, that May she’d still been crying buckets over him.

  “How much screwing around?” she asked, walking closer to him. Now that they were out in the open and facing each other, it suddenly felt a little like an Old West showdown with each of them about to draw.

  “Lots,” he admitted, a frown on his face, too. “Who was I with? Because I’m sure as hell not going to remember who it was.”

  She considered letting him squirm awhile, but Eve had been trying to make a point, and she was getting way off track. “You were with Sugar, your favorite horse, and you were in the pasture out by your uncle Z.T.’s old place.”

  He opened his mouth. Then huffed. “What were you doing all the way back there? And why didn’t you say anything to me?”

  Since this was going to be a longish story, one not especially easy to relive, Eve took a deep breath. “When I was on a short break from the shooting schedule, I flew to San Antonio, and my grandfather picked me up and drove me to the Granger Ranch because he said that’s where you were working. One of the hands told us where you were, so we used the old trail to drive there. Granddad had binoculars in his glove compartment, and I used those to spot you.”