The Texan Quartet (Books 1-4) Omnibus

by Claire Boston

  But how had they got the other article?

  Her work laptop – they must have gone through the files after she’d left. She paged through the rest of the articles, which were largely unchanged.

  Why would Geraldine do that?

  She got to her feet, her skin prickling. Tai was going to be furious. “Excuse me for a minute. I need to make a phone call.” She stalked outside without waiting for a response and dialed Geraldine’s number, but nothing happened. No reception.

  She walked back in. “There’s no reception.”

  “You can use my phone,” Eyota said, looking up from the article.

  “Thanks.” She stalked over and dialed the number. “Geraldine, it’s Piper.”

  “Piper. Have you seen the profiles?” Her tone was pleased.

  Anger stirred. “Yes, I’ve got them in front of me. What the hell did you do to my story on Tai?”

  “We made a few necessary editorial changes. Don’t you like them?”

  “No, it’s shit,” she said. “You completely massacred the story and implied things that aren’t true.”

  “What I did was make the story consumable for our readers. It’s my job as editor to ensure everything that we publish is suitable for the Age.”

  Piper’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t care if you’re the editor. You made wholesale changes to the article that weren’t warranted.”

  “I say they were. Do you think Mr. Woods will be unhappy?”

  That was an understatement. “Yes, I think Tai will want you to print a retraction.”

  “It’s good exposure for his little restaurant. Great publicity.”

  “No it’s not.” Piper couldn’t believe how little Geraldine seemed to care about the fact that she’d completely misrepresented Tai.

  “We seem to be in disagreement. It’s lucky you no longer work at the Age.”

  “That’s for sure. I’m so incredibly disappointed in you, Geraldine. I thought you were better than this.” Piper hung up the phone and growled in frustration. Eyota, Adahy and Jackie were looking at her. She ran a hand through her hair and tried to calm down. “She didn’t care. She completely misrepresented Tai and your culture, and she doesn’t give a hoot.” Piper paced up and down the kitchen, waving her hands around. She stopped and addressed Eyota. “I’m so sorry. I never expected this.”

  “I take it they changed what you wrote,” Jackie said.

  “Yes. I can show you the original if you like.” She didn’t want Tai’s mother thinking the worst of her.

  “Yes, please.”

  Piper turned on her laptop and passed it over to the woman. “I did two versions because I wasn’t sure which one Tai would want.” She walked away, taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She’d promised Tai she would write an accurate article, she’d promised not to be like that travel reporter – and she hadn’t been able to keep that promise.

  Jackie shifted the screen so Eyota could read as well. The women read in silence and Adahy stood up to read over their shoulder. Bradley left the table and began to practice the song Adahy had taught him yesterday in the living room.

  Jackie had tears in her eyes when she finished reading. “I didn’t know any of that,” she said. “He’s worked so hard. I’m so proud of him.”

  Eyota patted her hand. “You should tell him some time.”

  Jackie bit her lip.

  Her reaction made Piper forget her concerns for the moment. Tai was going to try to bridge the distance with his mother today. It seemed both mother and son were unsure how to approach each other.

  “It’s a good article, Piper,” Adahy said. “I can’t understand why they laid you off.”

  “You’re not working?” Jackie asked.

  “Not for the paper. I’m doing some work for Tai on a cookbook and some things for Eyota.”

  “Piper’s recording the stories of the tribe,” Eyota told her daughter-in-law. “Though she had a good idea yesterday – that we should film the elders telling them instead.”

  “I know someone who could do that,” Jackie said.

  “Who?” Adahy asked.

  She blushed. “A friend.”

  Piper bet the friend was male.

  “Do you have a boyfriend, Mom?” Adahy asked, picking up the same signs Piper had.

  Jackie reddened further. “No, ah, well I guess, yes?”

  “Cool, what’s his name?” There wasn’t much that fazed Adahy, and it had been twenty years since his father died.

  “Hugh,” she said, waiting for Eyota’s reaction.

  Eyota smiled. “You’ll have to bring Hugh out to the reservation next time you come,” she said. “I’d like to meet him.”

  How would Tai react to the news? He’d loved his father: that had been clear when he’d spoken of him. Would he see his mother’s boyfriend as a betrayal?

  She wasn’t sure.

  “What does he do?” Adahy asked.

  “He’s a cameraman for the local news,” she said, naming the station.

  Piper sat up. “Is that Hugh Jordan?”

  “Yes.”

  Piper had worked with Hugh when she’d interviewed Emily, Kate’s nanny who had accused Adrian of cheating on her. He was a really nice man. “He’s lovely.”

  Jackie beamed at her.

  The sounds of kids calling to each other entered the kitchen.

  “That’s our sign it’s time to get to class,” Eyota said.

  Piper wasn’t sure whether she should go. She wanted to give Tai a chance to talk to his mother alone, but she didn’t want anyone to show him that article before she had a chance to prepare him. She sighed. His relationship with his mother was more important. She’d sort out the article after lunch. “I’ll stay here and work on my notes.”

  “You’ve been working all week,” Eyota said.

  Piper smiled. “Compared to the hours I was doing at the paper, I’ve been positively slack.”

  “I don’t want you working too hard,” Eyota said, frowning.

  Piper stood up to walk her to the door. “Trust me, I’m fine. I’ll use the quiet to check what I may have missed.”

  She gave Bradley a hug and waved to the kids waiting outside.

  “I’ll make sure Tai brings you a plate,” Adahy said.

  “I’ll walk down when you’re due to finish,” she responded. She’d met enough people on the reservation now to talk to others while Tai spoke with his mother.

  When they were gone, Piper sat down at the kitchen table, pleased to be alone. She had enjoyed staying with Eyota over the week, but it was the first time in a long time she hadn’t had time to herself and it was something she really needed. How was Tai going to react when he saw that article? She felt sick just thinking about it. She shook her head. There was no point worrying about it. They’d deal with the article together.

  In the meantime she would make the changes she’d discussed with Tai the night before and work on the next section, before walking over to the school for lunch.

  She’d give Tai plenty of space if he needed it, and would encourage him to speak with his mother.

  And then they could talk.

  ***

  Tai’s head was not in the lesson. He spoke automatically, taking his students through the correct way to cook shrimp.

  Piper hadn’t come to the lesson and he was glad – she clouded his thoughts.

  Now however, he was all too aware of his mother in the room. She stood at one of the tables not far from him and listened intently.

  He felt like a child who had to give a presentation in front of the whole school. Not that he could remember a time when his mother had actually made it to any of his school events. He brushed off the resentment. It was in the past and it was time to move forward. He walked around the classroom, checking how people were doing, offering tips and advice where needed. His final stop was in front of his mother and Adahy.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  Her smile was cautious. “I thin
k I’m doing it right.”

  Tai checked her pan. “Have a taste and see if it needs any more spice.”

  She did as he asked her and said, “It tastes good to me.”

  “Then you’re doing it right,” he said.

  His mother positively beamed at him. He’d never seen her that happy around him. Maybe she would be willing to talk.

  When the class finished and everything had been cleaned up, they took the food outside to share with others who had arrived for lunch. Piper was there, but she dished up her food and went to talk to one of the elders of the tribe who she must have interviewed during the week. He was relieved. He couldn’t deal with her and his mother at the same time.

  He dished up his own portion and sat down on one of the benches, a little apart from the others. If anyone wanted to talk to him, they’d come over.

  Jackie glanced at him and took a deep breath as if preparing herself. Then she walked over. Tai’s skin tightened in an automatic response.

  “Mind if I sit down?”

  He gestured to the spot next to himself. “Go ahead.”

  She was silent for a moment before saying, “Piper showed me the articles she did on you – not the one the paper published, but the others.”

  Surprised, he glanced at her. He hadn’t realized his profile had been published.

  “They’re very good. You’ve done so much work.” She hesitated. “I’m proud of you.”

  Someone could have knocked him down with a feather. He had no idea what to say, no idea how to react.

  She sighed and then got to her feet. “I wanted you to know.”

  Tai put a hand on her arm. “Wait. Sit down, please.” He sighed as well. “I don’t know what to say. You’ve never told me that before.”

  “You never seemed to need it.”

  His armor had worked well. Tai got to his feet. “Do you want to go for a walk?” He couldn’t sit here and discuss this with so many people around.

  “Sure.”

  They left their bowls on the seat and walked out of the school grounds toward the lake.

  The day was muggy but the shade of the trees offered some relief.

  “You should come to the Wooden Spoon some time,” he said, choosing the safest topic. “Bring some friends and you can have a meal on the house.” He had no idea if his mother had any friends, and wasn’t that a sad indication of how well he knew her?

  “I’d like that. People are always impressed when I tell them my son owns it. I’ve never read a bad review.”

  “We aim to please.” It was weird to hear his mother bragged about his achievements. He expected her to mention Adahy but not him.

  At the lake edge they stopped walking and stood side by side. There were a couple of canoes in the distance and some kids splashing and playing down the shore, but where they were it was still.

  Tai didn’t know how to start the conversation. Should he apologize, say he would like to know her better?

  “I went to Piper’s parents’ for dinner last week,” he said. “Her mother showed me their family albums from when Piper was a kid. Some of them reminded me of photos we took before Dad died.”

  His mother took a sharp intake of breath.

  It wasn’t often that any of them mentioned his father.

  “We don’t have many from after.” He wasn’t blaming her: he was trying to explain.

  “Tai, I’m sorry. I didn’t deal well with your father’s death,” his mother said, turning to him. “I knew he was depressed, but I also knew how much he loved all of us and I thought it would be enough.” Her eyes filled with pain. “I was wrong and I blame myself for being so in love that I didn’t pay more attention to the signs.”

  Tai took a step back. “I thought you blamed me.”

  Jackie’s eyes widened. “Of course not.” She reached out to him, holding his hand. “You were only a boy. You couldn’t possibly have stopped it.”

  Tai held on to her hand, the first connection he’d had to her in a long time. “I blamed myself. I knew something wasn’t right that morning before I went to school. I should have stayed with him. It’s why I went home at lunchtime. I wanted to cheer him up.”

  “I didn’t know what to say to you. How do you comfort a child who has found his father dead? I fell apart and I will forever be indebted to Eyota for taking charge and caring for you boys.” Her eyes were filled with grief. “When I finally came to my senses I didn’t know how to bridge the distance between us. You’d withdrawn, grown up – you didn’t want me around and I didn’t blame you. I hadn’t been there when you needed me the most.”

  It appeared they had misunderstood each other all along.

  It was time to fix things. He stepped forward, bridging the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry.”

  She hugged him fiercely, and sobbed against his neck. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  Tai’s heart lifted as he held his mother. It would take them a while to get used to each other, for the awkwardness to completely fade, but they’d made a start.

  ***

  Piper saw Tai and his mother walking back to the school. They weren’t talking but their body language was more relaxed than it had been when they’d walked off together. She hoped it meant they’d spoken and patched things up a little.

  A shadow above her made her look up. It was Stan and his face was as dark as a thundercloud.

  “Is this what you call a decent article?” He slammed the profile magazine down on the table in front of her.

  Holy hell. He was going to cause a scene and Tai hadn’t seen it yet. “I didn’t write that,” she said as Tai walked over.

  “Isn’t that your name on the byline?” He pointed to it.

  “Yes.”

  “What’s going on?” Tai put a hand on Piper’s shoulder.

  “You said your girlfriend was sympathetic to our cause, that she would write a fair and balanced book on our history. I say this proves otherwise.” He thrust the paper at Tai.

  “Tai, they changed my article,” Piper said, turning to him as he took the paper and read. She held her breath.

  Finally he looked up. His eyes were hard. He reminded her of the Tai he was when she first met him – aloof and uninterested. “I thought you only sent one article.”

  “I did,” she insisted, getting to her feet. “They must have taken the other one from my laptop.”

  He was silent for a long moment. “I trusted you. You promised me a fair representation.” His voice was so cold.

  Worry skittered through her. “I called Geraldine and told her you’d want a retraction. I’ll put the original up on my blog.”

  “It’s too late. The damage is done.”

  She was aware that all eyes were on them, watching. She didn’t want to fight in public. “Can we go and talk about this?”

  Tai looked around and noticed the attention. He stalked away, down the path that led to Eyota’s house.

  Piper hurried to catch up with him. “I’m so sorry, Tai. I never believed Geraldine would do this, otherwise I wouldn’t have convinced you to do the interview.”

  “How do I know it was Geraldine? How do I know it wasn’t you?”

  Her worry slid into anger. “If you could even think that then you don’t know me very well at all.”

  “Maybe I don’t.” He turned around. “We should go our separate ways.”

  All the air left Piper’s lungs. She gasped for breath. “You’re kidding me.”

  “No. You’ll never truly understand me and my culture.”

  She couldn’t form any words as she watched him walk away. Hadn’t she spent the last week immersing herself in his culture, learning about it, writing about it and loving it? Hadn’t he said what she’d written so far for the cookbook was good, insightful, just what he was looking for?

  What the hell was going on with him? He couldn’t break up with her over the article. She knew it was a big deal to him, but what they had was more than that.


  Wasn’t it?

  She didn’t know what to do. Should she go after him, tell him she loved him, ask him to listen to her? Maybe it would be better to wait until he’d calmed down. Give him time to think things through. He didn’t like to be rushed into anything. There had to be some way she could convince him she respected his culture and his beliefs.

  Slowly she walked to Eyota’s house. Everyone was still at the school having lunch. She couldn’t stay here. Not if he was serious. It would be too awkward.

  She gathered her things, left Eyota and Bradley a note to say she’d been called back to Houston and that she’d call them during the week.

  Then she drove home.

  She was just outside the reservation when her numbness thawed. She pulled over to the side of the road and cried.

  Chapter 18

  Tai strode down the path, not caring which direction he was going, just needing to get away.

  It was done.

  He’d broken up with Piper.

  He’d been agonizing over the decision for the past few hours, but he couldn’t come up with another solution. It was Piper or his tribe.

  He couldn’t turn his back on his people, his culture, his world. He’d put too much into it; it meant too much to him. He couldn’t possibly have children knowing they would not be allowed to be part of that world.

  She’d handed him the perfect excuse to break up with her and he’d grabbed it desperately.

  It was better this way.

  Better to break up before she fell in love.

  But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined it would hurt like this. It was hard to breathe, his heart clenched so tightly.

  He crashed through the forest, allowing branches to whip him, providing resistance to where he wanted to go.

  Which was as far away from Piper as he could get.

  Eventually he stopped, and looked around, breathing heavily. She wasn’t coming after him. The thought stabbed his heart but he ignored it.

  What was he going to do now? Did he go back to the school and hope Piper had left? He couldn’t just hide out here in the forest, as much as he wanted to. He’d just reconciled with his mother and he had to go back to say goodbye to her.

  Hoping like hell Piper was gone, he turned around and headed slowly back to the school.