by Andrew Grey
“She’s been grumpy and hasn’t wanted to eat. She doesn’t have a fever or anything. She’s just fussy today.”
Aunt Rita hugged Brodie and then came over so Ky could kiss her cheek. “You two go on in to town and do what you need to. Miss Emily and I are going to have some girl time.” She placed her purse on the table and sat down, giving Emily her attention, which just enthralled her.
“Let’s go,” Ky said, ushering Brodie out the back door and to the truck. The heat of the day was still intense, and he got the air-conditioning blowing to cool off the interior as quickly as he could, then got the truck headed to town. “I was thinking about eating at the Rustled Steer. It’s nice, and they have a really good steak.”
“It sounds good. But I have to ask, aren’t you worried about people giving you a hard time?” Brodie squirmed a little.
Ky shrugged. “I guess I’ve gotten used to it. I don’t come to town all that often, and when I do, it’s to get what I need and go back to the ranch. I suspect that most people are going to go about their business and aren’t even going to pay much attention to me. And I’m fine with that. Besides, I think I’m done with the hiding and trying to live my life based on what someone else says. I did that for a long time, and I don’t want to keep doing that.” Brodie and Emily deserved better than to be with some hermit, and maybe the rumors had persisted for so long because he didn’t do anything to counter them. “So let’s have a nice dinner.”
Brodie smiled. “Good. And if anyone asks, I’ll just tell them that Jacob isn’t a reliable source for anything, and I ought to know—I’m family.” He chuckled, and Ky shook his head. Once that got back to Jacob, it ought to blow his small mind. Damn, Ky would like to see that. He’d even buy a ticket if he could. Ky picked up speed, anxious to get to the fun part of the evening.
“When was the last time you were on a date?” Ky asked.
“Last year. Well, I thought it was a date—Gregory thought it was a hookup. So it didn’t last very long.” Brodie harrumphed. “Not that I’m opposed to that sort of thing. But I got dressed up and was expecting to go out for a nice evening to get to know him. He expected to pick me up, take me to his place, and have sex. He wasn’t even going to feed me.” Brodie put his hands sort of on his hips. “I mean, what kind of cheap date did he think I was? If you want me to put out, you should at least buy dinner.”
Ky rolled his eyes and then broke out laughing. “I went out with one of those too. Maybe eighteen months ago. He was the friend of a friend—I’m not speaking to either of them anymore, by the way. We went out to a fancy restaurant, and I thought he was really nice. Then he offered to go to his place for some talk and a drink. There were no drinks, and he got mad when I wasn’t into just going to jump into bed. He figured that he’d bought dinner and that was all he needed to do. What’s wrong with these people? Did they never learn any manners?”
“I know. A rent boy on the street costs more than that, for cripes sake.” Brodie rolled his eyes.
Ky chuckled. “And how do you know what a rent boy charges?”
“I guessed,” Brodie answered. “But I figured it had to be more than the cost of a steak, baked potato, and a salad with commercial dressing on it.” He stuck out his tongue. “That stuff is nasty.”
Ky chuckled once again. It wasn’t likely that they were going to get anything much better tonight.
At the edge of town, he pulled into the parking lot for a children’s store and killed the engine.
“What’s this?”
“We need to get Emily a bed,” Ky explained, and they went inside.
“Ky, what are you doing here?” The woman grinned at him, and it took him a second to recognize Violet, one of his mother’s friends from church. “I never expected to see you in here.”
“Violet, Brodie here is staying on the ranch, and he’s caring for his sister. Emily is going on two and needs a proper place to sleep. We’ve been making do, but that can’t go on.”
“Okay. Since she’s two, I’d suggest one of these toddler beds. They don’t look like a crib, but they have rails to keep her from falling out.” She took Brodie over, but he kept looking back at Ky like he was so unsure of what to do. “The nice thing with this one is that the rails can be removed, so it will grow along with her for a few years until she’s ready for her own regular bed.”
She answered all of Brodie’s questions, and then it was down to price. Ky saw him leaning toward the less expensive one, but the other one was cuter and had a dog painted on the headboard. That settled it for Ky, and he got that one for the little princess.
“She’ll love it, you know,” Brodie said of the bed with the doggie, probably trying not to choke over the price, even though it didn’t cost that much. Still, Ky took care of it—Emily needed a proper place to sleep.
“Have you childproofed the house?” Violet asked, and Ky shrugged.
“We moved fragile things out of her reach.”
“I have some baby-proofing kits that I make up for first-time parents. They have covers for outlets, and safety latches for the toilet and cupboards.”
Ky added one of those and a few more things to the list. He was already beginning to get overwhelmed, but by the time they left, Violet had calmed them both down and gotten them what they needed. They thanked her, and Ky loaded the truck with their purchases before they moved on to the restaurant.
“She was nice,” Brodie said.
“Violet was a friend of my mom’s. She’s younger, and when Violet was first raising her two kids, Mom was her mentor, I guess. She was the one Violet called with questions or when she needed help.”
“She seemed happy to see you.” Brodie patted his leg as they rode, and Ky felt the heat from his touch instantly, even through his jeans. “Not everyone believes my cousin.”
Ky had been afraid that most people would, but it seemed he did have some friends. “She’s a really nice lady. I hadn’t realized she had opened the store. I mean, I haven’t had any reason to shop for baby things, so I guess I never really paid much attention.” Brodie patted his leg again. “I know,” he said as though reading Brodie’s thoughts. “I should be paying more attention to what’s been happening around me. I guess I threw everyone into the same boat and just stayed away. And it seems I’ve been missing a lot.” All these months spent on his ranch trying to do what he knew needed to be done were starting to pay off, but at the same time, he’d been keeping himself away from everyone like a hermit. He really needed to get back out into the world and stop letting Jacob and his rumors and innuendo dictate how he was going to lead his life.
Ky parked in front of the restaurant. It was reasonably busy, and the old building seemed to have had a recent facelift, with fresh siding and a brighter, cleaned-up entrance. Even the planters were filled with bright flowers. It looked inviting, and Ky waited for Brodie, then followed him inside.
“A table for two, please,” Ky said to the hostess.
She looked at him in surprise and then curled her upper lip. “Let me see what we have.” She turned away and seemed to glance out over the dining room before making a show of checking her book. “I’m sorry, but it seems we don’t have anything available for you.” The sneer was obvious. “Maybe you could try somewhere else.” The sheer hatred in her eyes almost made Ky step back.
“Kelsey.” A woman approached the desk. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes. She seems to think we can’t eat here,” Brodie piped up.
She checked the book and glared questioningly at Kelsey before turning to him. “Ky?” she asked. “It’s Ruth Graves.”
“Ruth,” Ky said, smiling. “My savior in algebra class.” He turned to Brodie. “Ruth was the only reason I passed that class. She took pity on me and helped me get through all that.”
“And he got me through tennis class in gym.” She picked up a pair of menus. “Come with me. I have a nice table for you.” Ruth turned her back on Kelsey. “I’m sorry about that. Sometimes that gir
l doesn’t know her head from a hole in the ground.” She motioned. “And for the record, I never believed you did any of the things you were accused of. Jacob Tyler thinks he can run this town and get his own way all the time.”
“Did you take the place over from your parents?” Ky asked as they sat down.
Ruth nodded. “About a year ago. I’ve been doing some updating and brightening the place up. It was getting run down, and I want people to have a good experience when they’re here. Some good Texas food in a nice atmosphere.” She smiled, then patted Ky’s shoulder. “You just hang in there. It’s about time you let folks see that you’re the same person you always were. Maybe then they’re remember what a lying snake Jacob Tyler is.” She seemed to settle in for a talk. “I don’t think I know you,” she said, turning to Brodie. “I’m Ruth. This lug and I have known each other since he used to pull on my pigtails.”
“I’m Brodie Tyler. Jacob is my cousin, and I’ve never met a bigger ass in my life.” He took the offered menu.
Ruth grinned. “Well, I’m glad of that. So what can I get y’all to drink?”
“Iced tea?” Brodie asked.
“You want regular or unsweet?” she asked. “I’m assuming from the way you talk that you aren’t from around here. Normally I just bring sweet tea.”
“I’d like that, please,” Brodie answered.
“So what brings you here? From what you said, it isn’t to visit family.” Ruth was clearly in the mood to catch up.
“Brodie is raising his little sister, and he came here to see if his family would help. He and Emily are staying at the ranch. Aunt Rita is watching Emily so Brodie and I could go out.” He leaned closer. “This is like a date night for us.”
“Oh…,” Ruth inhaled. “That’s so nice. Let me get your drinks, and I’ll send your server over.” She patted his shoulder again. “Good job. He’s a real cutie,” Ruth said softly, then left the table.
Brodie blushed a deep red, and Ky grinned before looking over the menu. He wanted a steak, so he picked out a ribeye. It seemed Brodie had the same idea, and when the server returned with their drinks, she took their orders and left the two of them to talk.
“You know, it’s strange. I keep wondering if Emily is okay, and yet I’m glad that she isn’t here with us,” Brodie said. “It’s like we can have a grown-up conversation without worrying about little ears.”
Ky leaned across the table. “It’s more than that. Aunt Rita will take good care of Emily, so you don’t need to worry about her. At least for a while, you can relax.” Though he figured that Brodie wouldn’t be able to fully relax. It was one of the things about being a parent. His mother said that she always worried about him, even after he was grown. “And maybe enjoy dinner.”
“Without worrying what’s going to get tossed either at me or onto the floor. At least we have three vacuum cleaners to clean up what the little princess decides to throw down.” Brodie smiled. “I can’t believe how happy she is.” He drank some of his tea and then set down the glass. “I had no idea what I was going to do when you found us. I was actually thinking of going back to my cousin’s just because I was so desperate and out of options.” His hand shook, and Ky placed his on top to steady it.
“My mom always said that things happen for a reason. I don’t know what the reason could be behind Jacob insisting that I was the one who set his barn on fire when I didn’t do it. But that was how she went through life. She was always looking on the good side of things.” There had been times when it drove him crazy, but that was his mother.
“My mom was down to earth and took things pretty much as they came. When she got pregnant with Emily, she was so shocked. Mom didn’t think it was possible for her to have another baby, and then for it to happen so late in life....” Brodie lowered his gaze, and Ky knew he was overwhelmed. He suspected that Brodie had been so busy trying to survive and take care of Emily that he hadn’t had a chance to grieve for his mom. Ky knew there was little he could do but be there and give Brodie the space to deal with his loss. “But she loved Emily so much. Both of us.” He wiped away the wet tracks from his cheeks. “I know that she loved us and that she’d want me to take care of Emily.”
“Your mom would want you to have your own life too,” Ky said, and Brodie nodded.
“It’s just hard knowing that she’s gone and that Emily isn’t going to get to know her mother.” Brodie drank some more of his tea. “How about we talk about happier things?”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Ky agreed. “I was curious if you’ve ever ridden a horse.”
“Not in quite a while. Back in Illinois, there was a friend who had a pony, and I got to ride it sometimes. I was never very good, and after a while, I sort of gave it up. When I was in high school, that same friend came back in my life, and his family had horses. His dad was a stickler about the horses, so he gave me riding lessons for a month or so, and then I was able to ride on my own. After that, Gene and I used to go on trail rides and things like that. It was a lot of fun. But I haven’t done anything like that in some time.”
“Are you and Gene still friends?” Ky asked.
Brodie nodded. “I guess so. It isn’t like he and I fought or anything. I stayed at home and tried to find a job, while Gene got a scholarship and went off to the University of Chicago. After that, I saw him when he came home on breaks, but things weren’t the same. He had a completely different life, and as far as I know, he should be graduating and was planning to go on to medical school. Gene was always super smart and really hardworking.”
“Did you want to go to college?” Ky asked. “I thought about it for a while, but my parents needed me here, and I wanted to take over the ranch. I hoped to go to business school, but it never happened.”
“I tried to go. I was good with accounting, but the English classes and things like that were my total downfall. I can do basic books, and I’m really good with math. I managed to make it through a year of community college. I was going to go back when Mom got sick, and that ended my college career. Emily needed me. And then once Mom died, it was all I could do to try to hold the two of us together and take care of her. A family friend told me that I should consider putting Emily up for adoption. That another family could take better care of her and give her all the things she’d need, and that would free me up to living my own life. I know they meant well, but there was no way I could do that.” He paled even as he talked about it. “I promised Mom that I would look after Emily, and I wasn’t going to break my word to her.”
“Besides, you love Emily.” Ky was starting to realize just how different the path of his own life had taken over the past ten days or so. Both Brodie and Emily felt like home to him, and it was hard to believe that he hadn’t known them longer.
“Of course I do,” Brodie said defensively.
“But you couldn’t help thinking about the idea,” Ky offered, and he half expected Brodie to explode at him, but instead he nodded… and looked guilty as hell. “No one can blame you for that. Raising a kid at your age isn’t easy, especially alone. Emily is your sister and you love her, but you weren’t prepared to raise a child.” He leaned over the table. “Most people get nine months or so to get used to the idea of being a parent. You had it thrust on you almost overnight. Of course you thought about it—I would. And I think I’d make the same decision you did.”
“But I shouldn’t have had to think about it….” He seemed miserable.
Ky snorted. “Raising Emily was a huge decision, and no huge decision should be made without thought. Look what happened to me. Mason and I let ourselves get overwhelmed by the moment and stopped thinking about the consequences. Then Jacob catches us, the barn catches fire, and Mason ends up dead, with me on trial for it. The only one doing the thinking there was your cousin Jacob, and he saw to it that I got screwed over.” He drank some of this tea and drew quiet as their salads arrived. He looked at Brodie’s, then down at his, and picked through it before pushing it aside.
&nb
sp; “Is something wrong?” the server asked.
“Please get Ruth,” Ky said, making the server blanch.
“If there’s something wrong….” She was clearly in a snit. “After what you did, you—”
Ky stood, the dishes at the table rattling. “I did nothing wrong. You have no right….” He glared at the teenager.
“Ky,” Brodie said, having come around the table.
“What’s the problem?” Ruth asked, hurrying over, and Ky sat back down, motioning to the salad. The lettuce was wilted and looked like it had been picked out of the garbage.
“Why are we serving someone like him?” the server sputtered. “My father says he’s a murderer and got off….” She was building to a head of steam.
“Renae, that’s enough. Go back to the office and sit down.” Ruth took both their salad plates away.
“But Ruth…,” Renae began.
“Get to the office, and just so we’re clear, you’re done, and you can go back and tell your father that he cost you your job.” Ruth stepped back. “Get going.” She rode herd on Renae until she was off the floor.
“I’m sorry. Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea….”
Ruth returned from the kitchen with fresh salad plates. “Here you are. These are what should have been served. I’m going to get to the bottom of this, and Renae will not be working here any longer. The salad chef told me that Renae made up what she brought you herself.” She stared daggers toward the kitchen. “I need to take care of that matter, and then I’ll be out to bring you your dinners.” Ruth practically charged back to the kitchen.
“I never want to get on her bad side,” Brodie said as he started to eat, and Ky agreed with him wholeheartedly. “This is really good.”
Ky ate slowly, savoring the food, the company, and the unexpected support. One of the bussers placed a basket of bread on the table and refilled their tea before moving on without saying anything.
“Do you think she’ll really fire the server?”
As if to answer the question, Renae charged through the dining room and out the door without pausing or even looking from side to side.