by Becky McGraw
“You did it, Ry!” Mary squealed over at the fence, and pride shot through him.
He smiled over at her, and just that fast taking his eye off the ball cost him. The pony’s neck bent to the left, and his teeth clamped on Ryan’s calf.
“Fuck!” Ryan squealed, his voice a couple of octaves higher than normal, as he jerked the reins. Boney bucked, then took a hard right, before Ryan could get his balance again. He felt himself flying, and tucked to keep from breaking something. He rolled three times, before he stopped in a heap at the center of the ring.
Embarrassment heated his face, as Ryan got to his feet and brushed off his ass, then his chaps. He saw his hat on the ground near the rail with the crown smashed flat to the brim. Anger surged through him as he walked over there and snatched it up to dust it off. He put his fist inside and punched it back out.
“Damned pony,” he grumbled, as he spun back to go in for round two of the day. He stopped short when he saw Mary stroking the pony’s neck. Hugging him, and him nuzzling the side of her face. Women, he thought as he started toward them. Mary stepped back and bent to take the reins in her hand. Ryan stopped again, but held his body tense ready to intervene if necessary. That pony was damned mean, and totally unpredictable. Mary grabbed the horn and gingerly watched Boney, as she put her left foot in the stirrup. The pony stood perfectly still for her, which was an amazing thing in itself.
“It’s okay, Boney. I want us to have fun together,” she cooed, as she slowly lifted herself up, then eased her leg over his back. The pony swished his tail, but it was fly swatting swish, not an angry swish. He shifted his weight on his feet, but it wasn’t in preparing to kick out.
Mary eased her butt down into the well of the saddle, then inserted her right foot into the stirrup and smiled. Thank God she had the boots on that Twyla had found for her at the thrift store. At least if she fell off her feet wouldn’t get stomped on and her toes broken. Just her skull he thought, and his body lurched forward. But Mary clucked to the pony and his ears perked up. Ryan saw her nudge him with her knee, and the pony moved.
Mary giggled. “Good boy, that’s it. Let’s ride, boy. Teach me to ride.”
Twyla had been working with her, and teaching her, but as far as he knew this was the first time Mary had been up in her life. Fear was a vise that squeezed his heart in his chest as he watched her move the pony along the rail.
“You’re doing good, Mary,” Twyla said calmly as she passed her at the rail. “That’s it baby, keep your center of balance in the saddle.”
And didn’t that just beat all? A twelve-year-old girl had just shown up a seasoned professional rodeoer. Sometimes life didn’t make a damned bit of sense. But if the end result was what you wanted it to be, what the hell did it matter? The smile on Mary’s face made losing his dignity very worthwhile.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ryan was as nervous as he’d ever been in his life, but Twyla’s fingers laced through his was a lifeline as he walked through the front door of the Taylor home. This was the most important day of his life, and he definitely needed to bring his A game, and as much backup as he could gather, if he was going to get Mr. Taylor to listen to him.
His life depended on that. Twyla would never be his for real, forever, unless he managed it. Yeah, she would stay with him. She loved him, against all odds, but it would never be the same until he put his ring on her finger. He knew she wanted that. He did too. Badly. That ring would tell the world that she was his. That he was hers. And with her family’s blessing, they could live the life they wanted to live. The way they wanted to live it. Together.
The part that made him most nervous about this family meeting that Twyla had called, was the fact that Zack was going to be there. He hadn’t seen his best friend since they were in jail together. Ryan knew that Zack would blame him for that too. It was just the way he was. Hardheaded, opinionated and usually put upon. But he could be one of the most caring men you’ve ever met in your life too. He was the one who had dragged Ryan to his house after school the day he told him he was running away from home, because his new stepfather was an asshole.
That day he’d become a part of the Taylor family. They had taken him in without question, after his mother gave her permission for him to live with them. And thank God she had, or he would never have become who he was today. He probably would be in prison for killing Clarence. This family had saved him. And because of his choice not to tell them about what Twyla was up to he had hurt them, let them down.
This situation was all his damned fault, and he felt damned bad about it. But he wasn’t going to let their anger or warning to stay away keep him from what he needed to do.
When have you ever listened to anyone who told you what to do?
Those mysterious words replayed in his mind, and a chill skirted down his spine to settle at the base. Whoever kept repeating that to him, was definitely doing him a favor. Those words had played over and over in his mind since he’d heard them in the farmhouse. They gave him determination, because they were right on the mark. Everything Ryan wanted in life he’d gone after, until Twyla. Her he’d backed off from, because of the debt he owed her family.
Her brother made sure he was reminded of that debt, but usually in subtle ways.
Now that Ryan thought about it, Zack had to know how he felt about Twyla. Those subtle warnings were to keep him away from her too. The warnings he’d given other men who showed an interest in Twyla weren’t so subtle. Ryan was thankful for those though, because it kept Twyla from getting attached to someone else. It kept her there for him. Even though what Zack had done to her wasn’t fair, Ryan didn’t fault him for it.
He’d done the same thing for years, but for different reasons.
He released her hand to put his arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at him and the impact hit him right in the gut. He was so damned lucky. “I love you, Daisy,” Ryan said gruffly, before he stopped to give her a quick but potent kiss.
“I love you too, cowboy,” she said tightening her arm around his waist.
Together they walked into the living room, and the Taylors were already assembled. None of them looked happy about being there. Mr. Taylor’s eyes burned a hole in him from his seat in the large chair by the fireplace. Zack and his mother sat on opposite ends of the sofa, so the only place left for he and Twyla to sit was the loveseat.
Ryan forced a smile, but not a single one returned it. Twyla stroked his side in silent, but steady support as he led her to the loveseat. They sat down, and she put her hand on his knee. Again the silent support. God, he loved her. That gave him the courage to say, “I came here to say I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor.” His eyes bounced over to Zack who had a look on his face that said he’d love nothing better than to personally escort Ryan out of the house. He sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry, Zack.”
“You certainly are you sorry sonofa—“
“Zack!” Mrs. Taylor shouted, giving him a warning look.
“What exactly are you sorry for, Ryan?” Mr. Taylor asked, with an edge of anger in his tone. Mrs. Taylor shot him a look too, and he left it at that. Ryan knew he had a lot more to say, because it was right there on his face.
“I’m sorry for not telling you what Twyla was doing in Dallas, before she got hurt doing it. That was wrong of me. I thought I could fix things before they got out of hand, but—” he stopped to swallow down the knot of emotion that choked him. “But I was wrong.”
“Damned straight you were,” Mr. Taylor said with a snort. “You left it to her friend to tell us what was going on. We probably still wouldn’t know if she hadn’t .”
The words settled in Twyla’s brain, and stunned her. Her gaze swung to her daddy, and she shook her head. “Wait. Are you telling me that Heather is the one who told you I’d been dancing at the Cowgirl?”
“That’s right. She came to the hospital, before he,” her daddy’s lip curled, and his eyes pinned Ryan. “Before he got there and let the cat out of the ba
g. You should be ashamed.”
Anger surged up to choke her. Twyla shot to her feet, and pulled away when Ryan’s hand clamped down on her forearm. “Well, I’m not daddy. The only damned thing I’m ashamed of is how you and Zack acted when you found out. How you’re treating Ryan now. It’s not Ryan’s fault I was dancing, and it certainly not his fault I continued even after he tried to get me to stop. I’m a grown woman, and I make those decisions.”
“You were raised better, Twyla,” her mother said with a shake in her voice.
“I was raised by the best two parents a girl could ever have. That’s why you should have faith that I will make the right decisions for myself. They might not be what you’d decide, but you don’t get to decide for me anymore. You’ve done your job, raised me to be a good, caring person, now let me be that. If I make a mistake, then I have to deal with that too. I’m an adult now.” Twyla ran out of steam, so she sat back on the loveseat beside Ryan.
He slipped his arm around the back of her shoulders, and she felt his body tense. “Mr. and Mrs. Taylor there’s more…”
“Lord help us,” Twyla’s mother muttered, covering her mouth with her hand. Zack growled, and her daddy sat up straighter in his chair.
Ryan’s eyes met her daddy’s and he swallowed hard. “I’m in love with your daughter sir. I don’t deserve her, but she loves me too. We want to make a life together, and I’d appreciate your blessing.”
Her daddy’s face turned a shade of red she’d never seen before. Almost purple, and Twyla knew if she didn’t say something, this was going to hell in a handbasket right before her eyes. She stood again. “I do love him, Daddy. This is one of those adult decisions I was talking about. You can get red in the face all you want, and rant all you want, but Ryan and I are going to be together whether you approve or not. The choice you do have is whether you want me in your life or not from here on out. If you do, you’ll accept him back in the family. He hasn’t done a damned thing wrong, or slighted any of you.” Twyla slowly moved to each one giving them a meaningful glare, then her eyes swung to Ryan, who looked so proud of her he was about to burst with it. This next part wasn’t true, but they didn’t know that. It would help her win her case, and that is what she was determined to do here. This idiocy had to stop.
“Ryan only did what I asked him to do. He voiced his opinion on what I was doing, he didn’t like it a bit either. But let me make up my own mind. I’d ask you to do the same.”
“You sure have got a lot to say lately, lit—” her daddy stopped and his mouth formed an O, then he cleared his throat. “Twyla Renee.”
Her heart lurched in her chest. She loved it when her daddy called her little girl, but it had to take on a different meaning now. A show of affection, instead of domination.
“Daddy, I will always be your little girl. That will never change. What has changed is I’m no longer a little girl. I’m all grown up, and thanks to you I know right from wrong.” Her eyes slowly moved from person to person, before they settled back on her daddy. “What this family is doing to Ryan Easter is just wrong. You’ve shunned him,” she said waving a hand at her father. Her eyes swung to Zack, who sat there in brooding silence with his body language saying he wasn’t listening. “And you’ve bankrupted your best friend.” Her eyes left her brother to meet her mother’s gaze. “And you have judged him, mama. You may not have voiced it, but I see it in your eyes when you look at him. He sees it too and it hurts, because you are all as close to family as this man has ever had, will ever have. You should love him as much as I do, and I know you do. He’s as much a part of this family as I am. Are you going to shun me too, cut me from the herd, because you think I made the wrong decision by dancing at the Cowgirl?”
She folded her arms over her chest to wait for an answer. Bodies squirmed, faces ticked and fists clenched, but not a single one of them said a word. “I need an answer now. If you cut Ryan, you cut me too. We’ll leave and you’ll n—nev” Twyla sucked up the emotion that shot to her eyes on a deep breath, and blew it out. “You’ll never see us again, if that’s the way you want it. Never see the grandchildren we might have, or the one you’ve already gotten by osmosis.”
Her daddy shot to his feet and roared, “What?!?”
She laughed, because she couldn’t help it. “I’m not pregnant, daddy, and there’s no hidden baby.” His breath escaped like a deflating balloon as he collapsed back in the chair. “But Ryan has a sister he didn’t know about, and since his mother and stepfather are dead…” Twyla stopped when her mother gasped as her eyes flew to Ryan, her father’s face paled, and her brother just looked shocked. “That’s right, that’s what we’ve been dealing with. Real life problems, not made up drama over things that don’t amount to a hill of beans.” Twyla let the silence linger before she drove home her final point. “The house he had to raise his sister in burned down. We’re living in our trailers on the property, until we can do better. Our money is pretty doggone slim right now because neither of us has an income, and we now have an extra mouth to feed. But you know what? We’re both happier than we’ve ever been in our lives. And that should make you happy if you love us. If you hold onto your grudge, and don’t want us around? We’ll still be happy, which is more than I can say for you.” Twyla plopped back down on the sofa and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d said her peace, now it was up to her family to decide what they were going to do.
Her mother was the first to break the silence. “Ryan, I’m so sorry about your mother, honey. Was it your…”
Ryan’s body tensed beside her, his eyes welled up, and he nodded.
“Ooh, I see. I’m so sorry, honey.” Hope sprang and grew inside of Twyla when her mother got up and walked over to Ryan to put her arms around his neck. He hugged her back tightly. Finally, they separated and she sniffled, as she walked back to the sofa and sat down.
Next her daddy rose, and Twyla held her breath as he walked to stand before Ryan. He studied him a minute then stuck out his hand, and Ryan took it. “I’m sorry for treating you poorly, son. I don’t have any excuse except I treasure my daughter, and want what’s best for her. I think you’re best for her.” He looked at Twyla and chuckled. “You’re gonna have your hands full though. I hope you know what you’re biting off.”
“I know exactly what I’m buying into, Mr. Taylor, and I want a lifetime of it from your daughter. I wouldn’t have her any other way. Thank you, sir.” Her daddy gave her a long searching look, then nodded before he walked back to his chair.
Zack hadn’t said a word, he’d barely moved. Twyla knew he was going to be the toughest nut to crack, and if it took her cracking his to get him to come around, that’s what she was going to do. She pinned him with a hot glare and lifted her brow, letting her eyes do the talking.
They had a standoff between them for long minutes, then he finally broke. Zack pushed up off of the sofa and walked over to Ryan to grudgingly stick out his hand. Ryan stared at it a moment, looked up into Zack’s hard blue eyes, but he didn’t take his hand. He stood up, and they were nose to nose. A position they’d been in a lot lately. “You’re my damned brother, and I expected a helluva lot better from you,” Ryan grated, his voice emotional.
“And you’re my damned brother, and I expected you to tell me Twyla was working in a strip club, before she ended up in the hospital, because some asshole took advantage of her. And I also didn’t expect you to make time with her yourself.”
“You’re not blind. You know I’ve been in love with her for years, but you’ve run interference every single time. I appreciate what you and your family have done for me, but I didn’t think you did it so I was indebted to you. If that’s the case, tell me how much I owe you and I’ll work twenty-four hours a day to pay it back. I love your damned sister, but not like a sister. I want her to be my wife, and you’ll just have to deal with having me for a real brother, asshole.”
“I’ll deal with it. And you’ll just have to deal with me being a permanent fixture in your lif
e too. I’ll be watching you, brother. You fuck my sister over and I’ll mess you up,” Zack growled.
“You fuck my wife over, and you’ll deal with me too,” Ryan shot back. “Oh, and if you are so worried about your sister being taken care of, I suggest you put your money where your mouth is. Buy out my share of the rough stock herd, so I can build her a house.”
“Fine!” Zack hissed through his teeth.
“Fine!” Ryan spat back. They glared at each other a moment longer, then Zack’s lips twitched, before he pulled Ryan into a man hug and pounded him on the back.
Twyla just watched the interaction in awe of how Neanderthal the apology was between the two men she loved. Whatever, it worked, and they were hugging. At least they weren’t fighting, even though that’s exactly what it sounded like.
Before Zack released him, he growled in his ear. “Take care of her, dude.”
Ryan sucked in a breath. “I will. I promise.”
Twyla stood up and tapped Ryan on the shoulder, and he separated from Zack to face her. Zack stood at his side. She folded her arms, and tilted her head. “Um, have y’all forgotten one small detail here?”
Ryan looked at Zack then they glanced at her parents, before looking back her way. “I don’t think so?” he said.
“Y’all have married us off, everyone has agreed here but me. I don’t remember anyone asking me, yet.”
“Holy shit,” Ryan said his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. He grabbed her hand in his then sank to his knees. “Twyla Renee Taylor,” he looked down a moment and breathed, seeming to gather himself, then looked back up at her. “I love you more than I thought I could ever love a cowgirl who has driven me slap damned crazy for a decade. You are my lucky charm, baby, and my life goes to hell every time you’re not in it. Would you please do me the honor of marrying me?”