by Arlene James
In reply, Tyler folded his arms and tucked his chin stubbornly.
“No? Sorry. I don’t think you have any other options this morning.”
“You’re not the boss of me!” Tyler bawled at Jake.
Tina felt her face flood with color and immediately took her son by the arm, bending close to whisper, “Stop this. Right now.”
She felt Wyatt step up beside her. “You may not like what Jake has to say, Ty, but I am the boss of the whole Loco Man Ranch, so you will listen to me.” He didn’t shout, but he didn’t leave any wiggle room, either. “It’s time we laid down some rules. One, the children on the Loco Man will not speak to adults with disrespect. That goes for your mom, Jake, me, Ryder, Delgado and any other adult who comes on the place. It means no shouting, ugly names or insults. And no stomping feet. Got it?”
For a long moment Tyler did not respond, but then he nodded sullenly. Tina sent an apologetic glance at Wyatt, who continued speaking.
“Second, it’s fine for you to ask for what you want. You can even argue for it. But shouting is out. If you can’t make your point without shouting, then you don’t have a good point to make. The moment you start shouting, you’ve lost the argument. Understand?”
Tyler’s chin trembled, and he started to cry, wailing brokenly, “I wanna go home.”
Tina slid her arm across his shoulders. “Sweetie, I keep telling you that we are home. I know you don’t like the house much right now, but in time we’ll have it all fixed up. You’ll see. Besides, our old apartment has been rented to someone else by now.” That made him turn his face into her body and sob all the harder. “Oh, Tyler,” she crooned, “if you just give Loco Man Ranch a chance, I know you’ll come to like it here. And listen, we’re going to color eggs and hunt for them later.”
As she spoke, Frankie walked over to Tyler and patted him. “S’okay.”
Tyler shrugged off his hand. “You like it here ’cause you got your dad.”
Tina traded concerned looks with Wyatt, who said, “You’ll see your dad before long.”
“I don’t never see him,” Tyler grumbled.
“You know that’s not true,” Tina countered.
“Not as much as I want.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Even in Kansas City, Layne hadn’t taken full advantage of the many opportunities to see his son, and when he had, Tyler had come home even unhappier than before. Frankie patted Tyler again, pointing to Wyatt with his free hand.
“Unca Wyatt be your daddy,” he said, as if offering Tyler a prized toy.
Tina’s jaw dropped, and when she looked at Wyatt, his hung agape, too. Ryder and Jake laughed behind their hands.
Her face burning hot, Tina ignored Frankie’s gesture and tried to reassure her son. “You’ll see your dad as soon as the B and B is operational. If not before. I promise.”
To her surprise, Tyler started drying his eyes.
“We’d better go. Don’t want to be late on Easter Sunday,” Wyatt muttered, heading toward his truck. Jake took Frankie by the hand, drawing him along with him as he followed Wyatt, Ryder falling into step beside them. He and Ryder still chuckled and whispered together.
Tina quickly turned to open the back door of her car for Tyler. He climbed up into his seat without argument, and she smiled her appreciation as she buckled his belt.
All the while, she couldn’t help thinking that Wyatt would be an excellent father, far better for her son than Layne. But then, so would all the Smith brothers. Not that she would ever consider marrying any of them.
Still, she remembered the way Wyatt had looked at her the night before. She couldn’t suppress feelings and emotions that she hadn’t felt in years.
Chapter Eight
“We could make a morning of it,” Ann Pryor said, smiling at Tina as they stood in the foyer of the church after the service. Wyatt listened with unabashed interest. “Bring Tyler and Frankie,” Ann went on. “You and I can get to know each other better, and the boys can play. Dean’s grandmother will want to make lunch for us, I’m sure.”
Tina frowned even as Tyler practically danced on air. He had gone from petulant to delighted in the ninety minutes or so that he’d spent in children’s church. “Yeah, Mom. Donovan said he don’t got school tomorrow.”
“Teacher workday,” Ann confirmed. “Dean’s going to be over at your place, so we might as well get together at mine.”
Wyatt jumped in to explain. “I’ve contracted Dean to spray the pastures for the worms that cost Dodd his last herd. It’s got to be done before the horses and cattle can be purchased.”
Tina nodded. “It’s just that I have so much work to do at the house.”
Wyatt knew Tina well enough by now to recognize the concern that she wore like sackcloth. She worried that Tyler wouldn’t behave properly, but Wyatt felt he would be happier with a new friend, especially one like Donovan Pryor.
Wyatt sidled up to Tina, softly encouraging her to agree. “Ty needs a friend his own age.” Donovan was a year older, but he was closer in age to Tyler than Frankie.
“I’m sure Frankie would enjoy a morning of play,” Jake put in heartily, “provided you’re sure he won’t be any trouble to include.”
Dean hoisted up a flame-haired little girl into his arms, her ruffled skirts fluffing. “Maybe Frankie can entertain Glory,” he said hopefully. “Otherwise, Donovan will be toting her everywhere.”
“He’s a very protective big brother,” Ann said with a chuckle. “We had to conspire to keep him away from Glory to get her walking. It will do him good to have some time with a new friend.”
“Every anchor to War Bonnet and Loco Man Ranch is a good thing for Tyler,” Wyatt whispered.
“What about your lunch?” Tina hedged. “Who’ll cook for you guys?”
“We can fend for ourselves once in a while.”
“And if you’re interested in gardening, Grandma Billie will be only too willing to show you her vegetable patch,” Ann prodded. “That way, if you simply must work, you can pull weeds.”
Tina laughed, but Wyatt caught the note of tension in the sound. He placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder. Finally, she gave in.
“How can I turn down such a gracious invitation? Thank you.”
Ann smiled brightly. “We’ll expect y’all around nine tomorrow morning. All right?”
“Sounds fine,” Wyatt confirmed before Tina could change her mind.
The adults said their farewells, and Wyatt slid his hand to the small of Tina’s back, urging her toward the church’s exit. In truth, Wyatt didn’t know if Ty could put aside his resentment and confusion long enough to mind his manners and enjoy the playdate, but he believed wholeheartedly that Ty needed this friendship, and Wyatt expected that the Pryors were more than capable of handling one unhappy little boy if the need arose. Moreover, he felt that Tina could benefit from the relationship, too. He didn’t know Ann Pryor very well, but his dealings with the Billings family had shown him that they were solid, caring, generous people. Tina could use a friend like Ann.
What Tina apparently didn’t need was him. He walked her to her car and helped Ty into his safety seat. She got into the car and drove away without a single word for him. She’d looked so pretty in her flowered Easter dress. Sighing, he turned toward his truck, only to find his brothers looking at him with lopsided grins on their faces.
“What?” he demanded. “Donovan will be a good influence on Ty.”
“You would know,” Ryder said. “You and Donovan have that protective big brother thing in common.”
Wyatt made a face. So he liked being the big brother. Nothing wrong with that.
“Make fun if you want to, but we all know that Tyler needs a friend his own age.”
“Uh-huh,” Jake said. “That isn’t all he needs.”
Irked, Wyatt shot back, “It’s
not that she doesn’t try to discipline him. She’s doing the best she can in difficult circumstances.”
Jake just grinned and turned for the truck.
“He means that, from all you say, Tyler needs a real dad,” Ryder explained. “And even Frankie can see who the likeliest candidate for that job is.”
Recalling the moment when Frankie had offered Unca Wyatt as Tyler’s daddy, Wyatt felt heat burn its way up his neck. Wyatt snatched Frankie from his father’s side and lifted the boy into his safety seat. He couldn’t help thinking that, for all practical purposes, Frankie had three fathers, all of them fully capable of seeing to his needs. It didn’t seem fair that Tyler didn’t have even one.
Jake clapped a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. “What Ryder’s trying to say is that it takes a good big brother to know one.”
“Look, it’s about time you thought about someone other than the three of us,” Ryder told Wyatt. “Maybe it’s time to think about what you want and need.”
“So, you think I need a prickly woman soured on marriage and a brat?”
“I think you need—”
“And deserve,” Jake interjected.
“—a woman who loves you. And a family of your own.”
“You’re my family,” Wyatt said, his voice gravelly with emotion. “You two plus Frankie.” Besides, Tina had made it perfectly clear that she couldn’t—wouldn’t—love him or any man.
“Of course we’re your family,” Ryder said, “but we’re big boys now. You don’t have to look after us anymore.”
“And you’ve proved with Frankie that you’re a great substitute father,” Jake added. “Besides, we didn’t stop being family when I married Jolene, did we?”
Wyatt shook his head. “No, Jolene just added to the family, and so did Frankie. I’m not sure it would be the same with Tina and Tyler, though.”
“But you want to find out,” Jake prodded.
Wyatt shook his head again. “I don’t know. I’m not sure she even likes me. In fact, I think she likes you and Ryder better.”
Jake laughed. “She’s not attracted to either of us. We don’t threaten her single existence.”
“We see how she looks at you,” Ryder teased, “and how you look at her. Go for it, man. What have you got to lose?”
His heart, for one thing. And the odds were certainly against him with Tina. Still, the worst that could happen is that he’d get shot down. It wasn’t as if she’d take away anything he already had, anything more than the ranch house and the mineral rights, anyway. He found that he didn’t so much mind losing those things now. And his ego could take it if she wasn’t interested. He’d just have to keep his heart safely locked away until he knew which way this thing would go.
“We want you to be happy,” Jake said.
“And to stop worrying about us,” Ryder added urgently.
Too moved to speak, Wyatt slapped each of them lightly on the cheek and got into the truck. Maybe it was time he started thinking about his own future. Jake and Frankie were getting on with life after losing Jolene. Ryder was far removed from the anger and pain of what had happened in Houston. Loco Man Ranch would soon be a real operation again.
Tina said she didn’t want a man in her life, but she’d tolerated his interference with Tyler and let him convince her to accept Ann Pryor’s invitation. That had to mean that she at least trusted him.
Didn’t it?
He supposed he could ask God to guide him and see what happened.
* * *
What happened didn’t give him much hope. Despite his attempts to engage her in friendly conversation, Tina kept her distance, barely looking at him as she went about her business. Still, he couldn’t seem to leave her alone. After a Sunday dinner of baked ham and all the fixings, Tina and the kids dyed eggs. Jake and Ryder went out to hide them while Tina took the boys into the den.
Wyatt wandered in to see what they were watching on Dodd’s old TV. The ancient antenna outside received only two stations, but Wyatt had arranged for cable and internet, which would be installed in the next day or two. Meanwhile, Tina had set up a DVD player and several videos appropriate for children. The one currently playing was an animated superhero film. While the boys watched the ridiculously small television screen, Tina sat to one side, reading a book. Wyatt stood there for several minutes, waiting to see if Tina would acknowledge him. He knew perfectly well that she realized he was there, but she neither looked up nor spoke.
Finally, he said, “We have a flat-screen TV that we can hang on the wall there.”
“That’ll be nice,” Tina murmured without looking up from her book.
“Might have some furniture you want to use in here, too. We won’t need it all in the bunkhouse.”
She turned a page. “Better wait and see what you need first.”
Deflated, he left the room. So much for her interest in him.
He watched from the sidelines as the boys hunted for Easter eggs. Then, feeling restless, he went out to the barn and fired up one of the ATVs that Jake had gotten running. After driving around the ranch for a couple of hours, he felt better, but he was still puzzled by all those fenced parcels of grass. He decided to search Dodd’s office for any related papers, but the search proved fruitless.
He did, however, find a safety deposit box key. Leaving the key where he found it, Wyatt decided to go down to the bank in town sometime soon to see if the key fit a box there.
When he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, he found Tina building thick ham sandwiches. He went to the cabinet to get out plates.
“I thought we’d use paper plates tonight,” she said without stopping what she was doing. “Less cleanup.”
He closed the cabinet door. “Okay. Want to unlock your car, then? I’ll transfer Frankie’s safety seat from my truck to your car before it gets dark. That way it’ll be in place when you’re ready to leave for the Pryors’ farm tomorrow.”
She sent him a look from the corner of her eye as she walked to the small, decorative table next to the back door. Taking her keys from her handbag, she pointed them outside and remotely unlocked her car doors. Then she returned to the sandwiches.
Wyatt removed Frankie’s seat from his truck and carried it around to the passenger-side door of the back seat of Tina’s little sedan. She came out then to open the vehicle door for him and clear away several items of Tyler’s. Wyatt installed the seat, while Tina stood there with her arms folded. He didn’t know what was eating her, but he wanted to.
“Dean and Ann Pryor are excellent people,” he told her, just for something to say. “All the Billings family are.”
“I know that.”
“I met Donovan the day I went to talk to Dean about the spraying,” Wyatt went on. “I was impressed by the boy’s behavior.”
“Meaning you think Tyler will benefit from Donovan’s example.”
Wyatt faced her. “I do think Donovan will be a good influence.”
Tina huffed out a sigh. “I never know anymore whether to be offended by your high-handedness or grateful for your concern.”
He flattened his lips, choosing his words carefully. “You can think I’m high-handed if you want, but I meant what I said to Tyler this morning. I won’t put up with his disrespect for you or any other adult around here. I can’t. Frankie looks up to Tyler.”
She lifted her chin, holding his gaze. Then, without another word, she flounced off, heading back into the house.
Wyatt shook his head, but something told him that she wasn’t as upset as she wanted either of them to believe. He hit the lock and closed the car door, wondering if he ought to ask Rex about interstate custody petitions. Maybe it would be high-handed of him, but he couldn’t see how it would hurt to know the facts, especially when all he wanted to do was help.
* * *
Setting aside her tea glass, Tin
a laughed heartily. She hadn’t laughed so much in...she couldn’t remember when. Ann’s tales of Donovan and his dog, Digger, had kept everyone in stitches for a good hour.
Ann’s sister, Meri Burns, had been there when Tina had arrived. They had discussed the upcoming wedding of Ann and Meri’s father, and Tina had found herself volunteering to contribute to the effort. Afterward, the women had toured Billie’s vegetable patch, which was less a patch and more like a small farm, since it covered at least an acre. Tina had learned plenty to help her with the much smaller garden that she planned to plant on Loco Man Ranch next year. Then Meri had left to put her little one down for a nap and make her husband’s lunch. Dean’s grandmother, Billie, who lived with Ann and Dean, was considerably younger than Tina had expected. She’d prepared an excellent lunch and offered to teach Tina how to can and freeze her eventual harvest.
Billie and Ann were obviously close. Tina envied them, and she had to admit that Donovan was a good influence on Tyler. Donovan’s manners were impeccable, and Tyler eagerly followed his example in an apparent effort to ingratiate himself with the older boy.
The two boys had been playing outside for some time, while Frankie and Glory entertained themselves in the living room. Donovan ran in just then, followed by Tyler, and came to his mother’s side, standing quietly until she smiled at him in acknowledgment.
“Can Tyler and me play in my room?”
“Why don’t you bring some toys down to the living room, so the younger kids don’t feel left out?”
Donovan agreed easily. “Okay. Come on, Ty.”
To Tina’s surprise and delight, Tyler looked to her and asked, “Is it okay if I help Donovan get his toys?”
“Why, of course you can,” Tina replied. “Just be sure that you help pick up the toys after you’re through playing with them.”
“I promise!” Tyler vowed, rushing off after his friend.
Soon, he and Donovan were racing toy cars around a track while Frankie and little Glory played with a busy center. Frankie pushed the same buttons over and over, and Glory giggled every time. Digger lay at Donovan’s side patiently watching the play. From her seat at the dining table, Tina could see that Tyler occasionally reached over and stroked the dog.