Lonestar Homecoming

by Colleen Coble

  She nodded and concentrated on her answer to Sam. “I got your message, but I haven’t had a chance to call you back. I’m so sorry about Jason. I hadn’t heard he died.”

  “Thank you. It’s been hard. Now Tyler is sick.” His voice choked. “Looks like I might outlive my boys.”

  She struggled to remember Tyler. It had been nearly six years since she’d seen any of the Wheelers.When she was dating Jason, his younger brother had been fifteen or so. Tyler would be twenty-one now. “What’s wrong with Tyler?”

  “Same thing as Jason. Polycystic kidney disease.They won’t even let him have a transplant because they say the disease will just destroy the new kidney. He’s on dialysis now.”

  “I’m so sorry, Sam.” She wanted to ask why he was calling after all this time, but she didn’t want to be rude.What was his wife’s name? She couldn’t remember the quiet woman who mostly stayed in the kitchen.

  “Jason said something before he died.At first I thought he was out of his head and rambling.Then I got to wondering if it might be true. He said you had a baby. His baby. Is that true?”

  She could lie. Or maybe hang up and not answer when he called back.Without stopping to consider the consequences, she closed the phone. After a few seconds, she opened it again and turned it off.

  “What?” Michael asked.

  She wrapped her arms around herself. “He knows. Jason told him. I hung up rather than answer him when he asked if I’d had a baby.”

  “Maybe you should tell him. He deserves to know he has a granddaughter.”

  “Why? Neither he nor Jason ever so much as called to see if I needed anything. I owe them nothing.”

  “You can’t run from unpleasant things all the time, Gracie. It’s always better to face trouble head-on.”

  She swiveled her head to stare at him. “Oh? Is that why you told me not to tell him about Hope when he first called?”

  “I meant if he didn’t know, don’t tell him. He knows, so it’s time to face the music.”

  “Well, this is one dance I’m going to sit out. He doesn’t know where I am, and that’s the way I want to keep it. Hope has enough to get adjusted to without throwing a new grandfather into the pot.”

  “Maybe she’d like a grandfather. Kids need grandparents. I wish mine had them.”

  The bleakness in his voice made her take a deep breath to try to come down off the ledge of her outrage. “I know you’re trying to help, Michael, but let me handle my own life.”

  Caesar whined and pressed his cold nose against her cheek. She pushed him away. Not even the dog was going to keep her anger from spilling over.

  “I thought it was our life now,” he said.

  “On paper.You know as well as I do that our marriage is in name only. It’s for the kids, and that’s all.”

  “Is it?” He slowed the truck to a crawl, then turned into their driveway and killed the engine in front of the house. “What were those kisses the other night? For the kids? Let’s not deceive ourselves. I can’t keep my eyes off you, and you’re just as attracted to me.”

  She could tell him he was a conceited jerk. Or she could say she was just lonely, and he was better than no man at all. But she couldn’t force from her tongue the lies that would make him back off. She laced her fingers together in her lap and stared at them.

  “Gracie, look at me,” he said, his voice softening.

  “No.”

  “Please.”

  The coaxing smile in his voice was her undoing. She raised her eyes from her lap and peeked in his direction.Wrong move.The glow of the lights in the dash was enough to let her see the humor in his firm mouth, and the gentleness in his eyes. “Okay, so I like looking at you,” she said. “And you’re a very good kisser. That’s not enough to build a real marriage on.”

  “Isn’t it?” he whispered. “I think it’s a good start. Every relationship has to start somewhere. I like you, Gracie.Your soft heart would be hard to resist, even if I wanted to. But I don’t want to.”

  “You. . . you don’t?” She tried to look away and couldn’t. She was hypnotized. . . mesmerized . . .

  He slid across the seat until he was close enough to slip his arm around her. His fingers touched her chin and tipped her lips up to meet his. “I don’t think you want to resist either.”

  Run! Open the door and run. But as his lips claimed hers, all will to escape evaporated, and she let down her guard enough to pretend for a few minutes that this relationship might really last.

  “MOMMY?” HOPE’S SLEEPY VOICE MADE GRACIE PULL AWAY FROM HIS embrace and reach for her door handle. Michael said nothing as she got the children out of the backseat.

  He knew she would gather her reserve around her as soon as they were out of the truck, and she did.

  As the kids raced for the house, she turned a shuttered gaze his way. “I’m going to check on King.”

  He watched her walk toward the barn. Even the grace in her movements intrigued him.The sunset lit her hair with a red halo, and he wished he had a camera. He followed her to the corral, where their sorry acquisition of a horse stood on spindly legs.

  “He still looks like a candidate for the glue factory,” he said when he stopped beside her.

  She turned a fierce glance his way.“Don’t say that! It’s not his fault.”

  He held up his hands. “Sorry.” He leaned on the top fence rail. “Have you touched him yet?”

  “No, he’s still afraid.”

  “You mean you are.”

  Her dimple flashed. “A gentleman wouldn’t remind me.”

  “I’m a soldier, not a gentleman.You need to let him know you’re in control. Get a lead on him and work him out.”

  “He needs to know he’s loved first.When he’s ready, he’ll let me know.”

  “Animals respond to a firm hand.”

  She turned her head and their eyes locked. “Just like kids?”

  Her tone reminded him of their previous conversation about raising the kids, and the way she’d worked with him to find middle ground. “I get your point.”

  “He’s been abused,” she said, her tone wistful. “It will take a while for him to trust enough to love.”

  Just like Gracie.

  “Gracie,” he said. He waited until she turned to look at him. “You can trust me.”

  Her eyes were full of tears. “Can I, Michael? I hope so, because it’s impossible for me to resist you.” She turned and ran for the house.

  THE KIDS WERE IN BED. GRACIE HAD SLIPPED THEM INTO THEIR PAJAMAS after supper, then into bed without a murmur of protest. She pulled their doors shut, then stepped into the hall, where she found Michael waiting.

  “I’ll meet you downstairs,” he said. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, then leaned forward and brushed his lips along her jawline.

  Her face flamed as the ocean waves that were his voice enveloped her with warmth. It was all she could do to nod and step back. “I think I’ll change.” She fled to her room, shut the door behind her, then leaned back against it, completely winded.

  Caesar had followed her, and he leaned against her leg. “I’m not afraid, Caesar,” she said. His dark eyes were skeptical. She laughed. “Okay, maybe I’m scared out of my mind.”

  If a kiss made her react this way, what would she be like if they ever. . . ? She cut off the mental image. Gathering her pajamas and robe, she rushed to the bathroom, where she took a hasty shower and washed her hair. After the day in the sun, she needed to smell fresh and clean.

  The hairdryer cut out several times before she finally got her locks semidry. Her kitten pajamas could hardly be called seductive. Which was a good thing. She wasn’t planning on vamping him tonight.The robe swathed her figure even more. She stared at herself in the mirror.

  She glanced at the dog watching her.“What do you think, Caesar?” His eyes stared back. “Pretty bad, huh?”

  No one could possibly be attracted to this frumpy image. Besides, it was too hot for the stupid thing.
She took off the robe.The pajamas were enough of a turnoff. He’d keep his distance. She stared at herself again. Her eyes held more anticipation than she wanted to reveal. Michael disrupted any peace she’d hoped to find here. Her obsession with him couldn’t be healthy.

  “It’s obsession. Not love,” she told her mirrored self. The eyes looking back at her communicated doubt, and she stuck her tongue out at the traitorous expression. “A lot you know,” she muttered.

  Butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. She pressed her hand to her waistband. “He’s just a man. Like any other man. There’s no reason for your every thought to be consumed by him.”

  Straightening her shoulders, she marched to the door and opened it. Caesar followed her into the empty hallway. Banging from the kitchen echoed up the stairs. She went down the steps and peeked in. Michael stood at the counter, cutting squares of cheese and putting them on a plate with crackers. Two glasses of iced tea stood on a tray.

  When she cleared her throat, he turned to face her with the cheese cutter in his hand. He glanced from her pajamas to her bare feet. “Cute,” he said. “’Course, you’d look good in a gunnysack.” He grinned. “Or a bedraggled wedding dress.”

  “I’m surprised seeing me like that didn’t make you run,” she said.

  “I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Besides, what soldier runs from a damsel in distress?”

  The man was entirely too free with his compliments. She tore her gaze from his. “How’s your knee? You probably ought to get those cowboy boots off. The heels have to be bothering you with all the walking we did.”

  “I’m indestructible,” he said, grinning. “I’ll take them off in a minute.”

  “Where are your slippers?”

  “In my room. I’ll get them when I’m done here.” His scrutiny still pinned her in place.

  “I’ll run and get them.”Anything to escape his skillful stripping of her self-control. She should take him his slippers, then go off to bed and try to put his face out of her mind. She ran up the stairs and down the hall to his room. He could eat the crackers by himself. It was safer that way.

  As she approached his room, she noticed the door was tightly shut. He never closed his door except when he went to bed. Never. She put her hand on the doorknob, but before she turned it, she saw a tiny wire protruding from the jamb near the latch. Snatching her hand away, she took two steps back.With the bounty on his head, there was no telling how Vargas’s cartel might try to attack him.

  She turned and raced to the top of the stairs. “Michael, come here! Hurry!” She heard something clatter, then he appeared at the bottom of the steps.

  Taking the steps two at a time, he reached her, with Caesar on his heels.The dog’s ruff stood at attention.“What’s wrong?” Michael asked.

  She clasped her trembling hands together. “Did you shut your door this morning?”

  “No. I never shut my door.” He glanced down the hall, then frowned when he saw his closed door. He started toward it.

  “Don’t open it. I saw a wire by the latch. Be careful.”

  He’d reached the door and stood peering around the frame. “Get the kids out of here!” He barreled back toward her. Reaching Hope’s door first, he threw it open and stepped inside.

  Gracie ran to Jordan’s room and scooped up the little girl. Jordan murmured a protest but didn’t open her eyes. Gracie exited the room with the little girl’s dead weight. Michael was entering Evan’s room with Hope in one arm. Caesar was a hairsbreadth behind him.

  “I’ll take Jordan on down,” she called. “Should I take her to the truck?”

  “No, it might be rigged too,” came his muffled reply. “Just get her away from the house.And call Rick. I’ll call Pickens when I get downstairs. We need a bomb squad.”

  Huffing under Jordan’s weight, Gracie hurried down the steps.A bomb. There was really a bomb in the house. She swallowed hard. If she’d opened the door, she’d be dead now. Probably the kids too. Maybe all of them.

  17

  SEEING HIS FRIGHTENED FAMILY HUDDLING OUTSIDE DID SOMETHING TO Michael’s spirit. He wanted to pound his fist against the hood of his truck and kick a rock. Vargas’s anger with Philip shouldn’t have included Michael’s family. It was all he could do to stand back with Gracie and the kids instead of searching his home like he wanted.

  The sheriff exited the house and came to where he stood with his family. The sheriff tipped his hat back from his face. “I’d suggest you hightail it out of here for a few days until we get the place thoroughly checked. Got any relatives you can visit for the week?”

  “I want to know what’s happening.This is my house,my family the guy tried to blow up,” Michael shot back. Beside him, Gracie stiffened and put her hand on his arm. He tensed. “Don’t try to persuade me, Gracie. I’m going to find out who did this. If they have a beef with me, fine. But don’t drag my family into it.”

  “You have kids to raise,” she said, her voice soft and determined. “What about your duty to them?”

  Caesar pressed against his leg, and Michael petted the dog’s ears. “The best way I can protect them is to stop the cartel.”

  “Then what? Where does it all end, Michael? If you stop this guy, you’ll only put yourself in the sights of the next one.”

  “So what would you have me do? Run? My kids will respect that, won’t they? And where would I run? There’s no safe place to hide.”

  Her fingers tightened on his arm. “Vargas has access to you here. Get out of Texas, and you have a better chance. Let’s go far away.”

  “My life is here. I don’t want to live in some frozen northland. Besides, I’ve never cut and run in my life, and I’m not about to start now. Not everyone runs from a problem.” Her hand dropped away, and she stepped back, but not before he saw her lids come down to shutter her eyes.

  He turned back to the sheriff. “What did you find?”

  “A homemade bomb rigged to go off when the door opened. There was enough explosive to blow up the whole house.”

  Michael shut his eyes against the mental image. He struggled for his usual control. “Anything else?”

  The sheriff shrugged. “My men haven’t finished combing the place. I wouldn’t go back in there yet, not until they’re done.Might be another day before we can say for sure it’s clean.We need to check the barn too.”

  “It was Vargas,” Michael said. “You know that, right?”

  “There’s no evidence of his involvement yet. The explosive was made in the U.S. So was the detonator. I know Vargas has a price on your head, but he’s got money on half a dozen people in West Texas. There hasn’t been a single one of them hit.”

  “There’s no one else who could be behind this.” Michael rubbed his forehead.Was he wrong to jump to that conclusion? His glanced at the kids, who were rubbing sleepy eyes. If anything had happened to the kids . . .

  He swallowed hard. “Did you check out my truck? Is it safe to drive?”

  “It’s clean.You can get your family to bed somewhere.”

  He nodded. “Thanks, Sheriff. You’ve got my cell number. Call when it’s safe to return.”

  The sheriff put his hands on his hips. “If I were you, I’d hire someone to watch the house 24-7.”

  Michael inclined his head but said nothing.Where was he going to get the money for that kind of help? The sheriff wasn’t offering any of his men for the chore.The department was too short-staffed to devote men to something that might or might not happen. Michael took Gracie’s elbow and steered her toward Rick and Allie, who were climbing out of Rick’s truck. News traveled fast in this small community.

  “You all come home with us,”Allie said. “The kids are exhausted.” She glanced to where the children sat on the ground with Caesar.

  “Are you sure?” Michael asked. “Don’t you have a full house right now? I thought a new group of teenagers just arrived.”

  “They’re in the bunkhouse. All boys this time.We’ve got two spare rooms, and
they’re all yours.”

  Beside him, Gracie tensed at the unspoken implication that they’d be sharing a room. “The kids need reassurance,” she said. “Maybe it would be best if I kept Hope with me and you stayed with your two.”

  “I want to sleep with Jordan,” Hope said, trying to stifle a yawn.

  “It’s up to you,” Rick said, “but the way the rooms are set up might make that a little difficult.The rooms have double beds. I’m not sure you can get one adult and two children in a double bed.”

  Allie nodded. “You might be able to squeeze three kids in one bed though.The rooms are right next to one another, so you’ll be close if they call.”

  “We’ll take a look at the setup and see how it works,” Michael said. He glanced at Gracie, but she kept her face turned away. If he knew Rick better,Michael would tell him the truth about their marriage. As it was, they had to ride out the story.“I’d like to stay and help clear the property.”

  “You need to stay out of the sheriff’s hair,” Rick said. “He gets testy when his authority is challenged.”

  “I should probably call Pickens.” Michael glanced at his watch.

  The border patrol supervisor would be in bed, and really, there was nothing he could do.The sheriff had jurisdiction here.The border patrol could assist, but it would be up to the sheriff to turn over any information that might be beneficial.

  “It’s after midnight. Let’s get to the Baileys’ house,” Gracie said. “These kids are about to drop.”

  “You look ready to collapse too,”Allie said.“We’ll meet you there.”

  Then what? Michael glanced at Gracie again, and this time she returned the question in his eyes.How would they get out of this one?

  FEELING OUT OF PLACE IN HER PAJAMAS, GRACIE CARRIED HOPE UP THE steps of Rick and Allie’s house. Stupid, stupid man. Sometimes discretion was the better part of valor. There was nothing wrong with Michael walking away from something that could hurt his family. He didn’t have to make it look as though using his head was cowardice.

  “Here’s the first room,” Allie said, opening the door on the right. She flipped on the wall switch, and soft light flooded the room.