The Texan Quartet (Books 1-4) Omnibus

by Claire Boston

  “Oh, they must think me so rude,” she said. “They came to my aid and I haven’t even thanked them.”

  “What they think is you’re a wonderful woman and friend who needed their help. They understand your first priority is Toby.” He kissed the top of her head. “Do you want a cup of something?”

  She nodded. She was too wired for sleep. Her body was still a little jittery and now she’d seen her son was safe, thoughts of what to do next kept pouring into her head. She needed to get some of it down on paper.

  Following George to the kitchen, she asked for some paper and began to make a list of all the people she needed to call, while he made her a cup of tea. Not much would be open because of the holiday, but hopefully a few places would be.

  “When it gets light we can get some supplies and start cleaning up,” George said.

  It was Independence Day. Imogen’s party was today and Toby had been so looking forward to it. “You’ve got other plans,” she said. “Maybe you could take Toby to Imogen’s party for me, while I clear up.”

  George handed her a mug and sat down next to her with a frown on his face. “You don’t have to do this on your own,” he said. “I’m right here with you, every step of the way.”

  He was so serious, so earnest.

  “I don’t want you to feel obligated,” she said, not quite sure how to explain it. It was such a commitment and she wasn’t promising anything in return – couldn’t promise anything.

  Toby was her only focus.

  George swore. “Damn it, Elle. I … care for you.” He took hold of her hand, squeezing it. “It killed me to watch you walk into the shop, looking so afraid and cut up. I wanted to be by your side, holding your hand, being there for you.” He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. “The police will find out who did it and punish him and we’ll rebuild it, back to how it was. Together.”

  It was all too much for Elle. In under twenty-four hours she’d swung from elation to devastation and now to – well she didn’t quite know how to describe the swirly, warm, smothering feeling now covering her. All she knew was she had to be by herself.

  Pushing him gently away, she brushed a kiss over George’s cheek. “I need some sleep,” she said, hoping he would understand, and fled to his bedroom.

  ***

  George resisted the urge to call after her or follow her. There’d been so much confusion in her eyes, but it wasn’t all bad. She’d kissed him before she ran.

  He sighed, rested his head on his hands on the table. He’d nearly told Elle he loved her. Judging from her reaction, that would have scared her even more.

  She was pulling away from him, ever so slightly, and it was her bastard ex’s fault.

  George was sure it had been Dean who had trashed the shop. He’d obviously been mad enough to follow Elle home.

  Had he waited, seen George arrive? What if he’d been watching, waiting for George to leave and had finally given up? He hated to consider what the asshole would have tried if he hadn’t fallen asleep at Elle’s apartment. The very idea of Dean forcing his way into the building had nausea rising in his stomach.

  He had to convince Elle to stay with him, at least until Dean was caught. And if he couldn’t do that, he’d teach Toby how to dial his number in case anything happened.

  But the real question was: how could George convince Elle that he loved her, that he wanted to marry her – that he wasn’t like Dean?

  It was only sensible for Elle to be reluctant to dive straight into another relationship, but hell, he didn’t want her to be sensible. Not about this.

  He pushed himself to his feet. There was still an hour or so before the sun would come up. He should get some sleep so he could face the day ahead.

  Moving toward his bedroom he stopped. Elle and Toby were in his bed and while there was plenty of room for the three of them, he wasn’t sure how either of them would react if he tried to join them.

  Changing direction he moved to the spare room, where he always kept a bed made up.

  He doubted sleep would come.

  ***

  “Mom.” Toby’s voice was a loud whisper in her ear.

  Elle opened her eyes, smothering the groan she wanted to let out. It felt like she’d just gone to sleep.

  “Mom, where are we?”

  Elle sat up and recognized George’s room, and the events of the early morning came back. “We’re at George’s place,” she said. “This is his bedroom.”

  “Wow, it’s so big,” Toby said as bounced up and down on his bottom. “Where’s George?”

  It was a good question. They’d effectively kicked him out of his own bedroom so he must have gone to sleep elsewhere. Surely there was another bed somewhere in the sumptuous house. She hoped so.

  “Give me a minute to get dressed and we’ll look for him.” She slid into her jeans and slipped on her bra, before taking Toby’s hand and heading out of the room.

  She wasn’t sure what reaction she was going to get from George. She’d freaked out the night before, become too overwhelmed by his support, and he probably thought her ungrateful.

  Following the scent of freshly brewed coffee, they found George in the kitchen, sitting at the breakfast bar, drinking a cup.

  “Morning, George,” Toby said brightly.

  “Morning, kiddo.”

  Elle examined him. He was dressed casually in shorts and T-shirt and his hair was damp and freshly combed. He was ready for the day, but looking closer, his eyes had that not-enough-sleep look to them.

  “Did you get much sleep?” she asked.

  “Some,” he said, getting to his feet and pouring her a cup of coffee. “Do you want some juice, Toby?”

  “Yes, please.” Toby clambered onto the stool next to where George had been sitting.

  George poured him a glass and then got out a bowl and poured some cereal. Elle stood where she was and they casually chatted – as if this kind of thing happened every day.

  She smiled. It would be nice to wake up to George every day.

  The jolt of the thought had her carefully lowering herself into a chair.

  What was she thinking?

  She didn’t want another man in her life, no matter how nice he was, or how he made her smile, or how well he got along with Toby. She’d sworn off relationships – had made that clear to George at the very beginning.

  George placed her mug of coffee on the table in front of her and she automatically lifted her lips for a kiss. He complied with a half-smile. Wrapping her hands around the mug, she ignored the skip in her heart caused by the kiss and stared at the freshly brewed drink.

  What was happening to her?

  Perhaps it was the lack of sleep or the stress from last night. She still had all the mess to sort out and her brain knew George would help her. No. She wasn’t going to rely on a man again. She had proven she could do things on her own and she would do it again.

  Taking a sip of the coffee, she tried for casual. “When we’ve had breakfast, could you take us home? I need to start making calls and we both need a change of clothes.”

  “Sure. What would you like for breakfast?”

  She didn’t want to put him out. “Coffee’s fine. My stomach hasn’t woken up yet.”

  George opened his mouth, then closed it again.

  Elle drank her coffee as quickly as she could while Toby and George kept up an easy conversation about what the day would bring. Toby was incredibly excited about Imogen’s party and the opportunity to play with Kate again.

  She didn’t want to tell him they probably wouldn’t be going. “Toby, I need to tell you something,” she said, getting to her feet and going over to him.

  “What?”

  “Last night someone broke into the café and they smashed a lot of things.”

  Toby’s eyes widened. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. The police are looking into it. What it means is I’ll have to clean up the mess. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to go to Imogen’s
party.”

  “But you said we were going.” The disappointment was clear on Toby’s face.

  God she hated to disappoint him.

  “Why don’t you wait until you’ve made a few phone calls before you decide?” George suggested. “There may not be a lot you can do today.”

  She sighed. “All right. Could we go back to my place now? I really need to get started.” It was time she got her life back on track.

  ***

  George drove them back to the apartment and came upstairs to ensure Dean hadn’t been there in their absence. Nothing appeared to be out of place.

  Elle didn’t want to throw George out straight away, so she left him to keep Toby amused while she dug through her business records and found the receipts for her furniture and cake display. She tried both numbers but they had recorded messages to say they were closed for the day.

  She checked the time. They were supposed to be heading over to Imogen’s soon but it was the last thing she wanted to do. Her brain wasn’t functioning at full capacity and there were a million items she needed to organize. Quickly she called Nora, Drew and the rest of the staff to tell them what had happened. She wasn’t able to tell them when she would reopen, but promised it would be as soon as she could.

  She jotted several items down on a notepad and went searching for Toby and George. They were playing in Toby’s room. Toby had changed out of his pajamas and was ready to go.

  “How did it go?” George asked.

  “I couldn’t get through to anyone.” Elle sighed. “I should go to the café and start cleaning up. Can you take Toby to Imogen’s?”

  “Mom, can’t you come too?” There was such a hopeful look on Toby’s face. “Please?”

  She was exhausted, but how could she say no to him? It was supposed to be a day of celebration, of family, food and festivities.

  George stood up. “Why don’t we go to Imogen’s for a couple of hours, have something to eat and then go together to clean up the café?”

  She really didn’t want to have to do it all herself. She was running on empty. “All right,” she agreed. “Let me have a shower and then we can go.” She walked out.

  Behind her George said, “Wait here a minute, kiddo.”

  As she went to close the bathroom door, George stopped her. “You’ve forgotten something.”

  Elle closed her eyes, not wanting to play games. “What?”

  “This.” He stepped closer and pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. “You haven’t had your hug today.”

  Despite her efforts not to rely on him, she found herself leaning into the hug, wrapping her arms around him and drawing strength from his embrace.

  “Imogen’s got a great guest room and she won’t mind if you disappear for an hour or two to take a nap,” he said when he stepped back. “I’ll keep an eye on Toby for you.”

  It sounded very enticing. “We’ll see,” she said. “Now, if we’re actually going to get there, you need to let me have a shower.”

  George’s eyes twinkled and she shut the door before he could follow up on his thoughts.

  Standing under the warm spray, she closed her eyes. Her whole body was wound tight, her head thumped a techno beat and she felt like one wrong word and she might fly apart at the seams. There was too much happening too fast, and while George’s kindness helped one aspect of it, it only added to her worries of getting involved too soon.

  What was she going to do?

  ***

  The party was in full swing by the time they arrived. Imogen’s house was an old nineteen-twenties house, two stories high, and looked like it had been recently renovated: everything was in pristine condition. The wood siding was painted a pale blue, the front porch was in good repair and the garden was beautifully manicured.

  Imogen greeted them at the door and within seconds Toby had sought out Kate and the two of them had disappeared out into the backyard with some other children. Elle called out to him, but he either didn’t hear, or ignored her.

  “There’s nothing for them to damage out there,” Imogen said. “The backyard is fully enclosed and in fact we’ll all head out there shortly. What can I get you to drink?”

  Elle asked for a cola, hoping it would energize her. Glancing around she noticed Libby and Adrian chatting to Chris; George’s parents, Marla and Hank, talking to an older man, stylishly dressed; and a bunch of other people she didn’t know.

  Imogen returned with the drink. “Any news about the break-in?”

  “The police found a cigarette butt and they’re going to test it,” Elle said. “Can we not mention it to anyone today?” she asked. “I don’t want to spoil the mood.” Or be continually asked about it.

  Imogen bit her lip. “I’ve already told Libby and Adrian and they’re ready to help when you need it,” she said. “But I won’t tell anyone else.”

  Damn. Wanting to change the subject Elle asked, “Where’s Piper?”

  Imogen frowned. “Hot on the trail of a story,” she said. “That girl works too hard.”

  “Didn’t you tell her it’s illegal to work on Independence Day?” George joked.

  Imogen laughed. “You know Piper, nothing gets in the way of the story.” She glanced toward the door. “I’ve got to go. My grandma just arrived.” Imogen left them and George steered Elle outside.

  Toby was running around the backyard, chasing Kate. The temperature was already high and promised to get hotter and stickier as the day progressed. Elle walked over and, after a couple of attempts, managed to get her son’s attention.

  “There’s water in the bag when you get thirsty,” she said.

  “Thanks, Mom,” he said and raced off again.

  Elle sighed. She wasn’t sure he’d actually heard what she’d said.

  Turning to the back deck she saw George had claimed one of the two-seat couches positioned there in the shade. He gestured her over and patted the empty spot beside him.

  Elle smiled.

  She joined him on his couch and he put his arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer.

  “I thought you might like to relax a little,” he said. “But if you like, I can introduce you to everyone.”

  It felt right to rest her head on his shoulder so she did. “In a minute. I need to give the caffeine a chance to hit my system.”

  Her eyes were so heavy she had to fight to keep them open. She wasn’t sure if she even had the mental capacity to manage small talk today and she didn’t want people to think she was rude.

  “How are you feeling?”

  She yawned so widely she risked dislocating her jaw.

  George laughed. “You don’t need to answer,” he said.

  Elle smiled. “It was a long night.”

  Marla spotted them as she came out of the house and waved. “It’s lovely to see you, Elle,” she said and she bent down to kiss George on the cheek. “How’s the café going?”

  Elle hesitated. She didn’t want to ruin the happy vibe, but she didn’t want to lie either. “I had a little trouble there last night.”

  George coughed.

  “Oh, I hope it’s nothing serious.” Marla sounded concerned.

  “Nothing that can’t be fixed,” Elle said, reminding herself it was true. Dean might be trying to hurt her but she wouldn’t let him succeed.

  “That’s good. Tell me if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  Elle was amazed. George’s family and friends barely knew her and they were all so willing to help. She wasn’t used to that at all. In LA her mother never would have shown she needed help, let alone asked for it, and no one would have offered.

  She’d always thought most people were too caught up in their own lives to bother helping another.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “George, we haven’t had dinner in a while. Why don’t you, Elle and Toby come on Sunday night?”

  “Sounds great, Mom,” he said and then asked Elle, “Are you free?”

  Pleased he wa
sn’t taking her for granted she said, “That would be lovely.” It was going to be hard work cleaning up the café over the weekend and not having to worry about dinner on one night would be a relief.

  Marla spotted someone else she knew across the deck and waved. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said and walked off.

  “Your mother is so sweet,” Elle said.

  “I think so,” George answered with a smile. “Though she can be fierce when she needs to be. If we were naughty as kids, it was Mom we tried to hide it from.” He chuckled at the memory.

  It was nice he had so many fond memories of his childhood.

  She leaned her head back on to his shoulder and closed her eyes.

  “Elle, honey,” George murmured, rubbing her arm.

  “Yes?”

  “We need to find you a bed before you start snoring.”

  Elle sat up and blinked. There were more people out on the deck than there had been a minute earlier. But she’d only briefly closed her eyes. “Did I fall asleep?” she asked, brushing her hair off her face.

  George nodded and helped her to her feet. “Come on, let’s go find Imogen.”

  He was right and she was too tired to argue. A glance at the backyard showed Toby was still happily playing. “Will you keep an eye on Toby for me?”

  “Of course.”

  They had a brief chat with Imogen, then she showed them to a spare room on the second floor. Elle slipped off her sandals and sat on the bed. “Don’t let me sleep for more than an hour,” she said.

  “I’ll wake you when lunch is ready,” George promised. He waited until she had lain down and then kissed her softly.

  Already sleepy, the kiss drugged her further. She fell asleep before he left the room.

  ***

  George stood watching Elle sleep. She was exhausted and hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open. She slept, curled on her side, hands under the pillow and her face relaxed so the worry frown she’d been wearing all morning smoothed out. He wanted to stay but he’d promised to watch Toby.

  He turned and walked down the stairs.

  Chris was in the kitchen pouring some drinks when George walked in. “How is she?”

  “Mostly tired, but she’s uptight as well. She won’t talk to me about it.”