He climbed out of the warmth of the old ford pickup he had borrowed from his dad, and groaned from the blast of cold air that hit him in the face. He frowned, shaking his head and jogged up to the front porch. He knocked on the front door, shivering while he waited to be let in.
Zane Townsend opened the door to give him a big grin. “Hey, Ty. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good,” Tyler grinned back, sighing with relief after stepping into the warmth of the house. “Isn’t it a little cold for a barbecue?”
“Probably, but that’s never stopped us before.” Zane slapped him on the shoulder after closing the front door.
He snorted, shaking his head at the other man. “I have to say, you all are just a little crazy.”
Zane chuckled. “Yeah, but we’re lots of fun.”
“Still crazy,” he answered back with another shake of his head.
“Maybe,” the man grinned. “But weren’t you here in October when we had the one for Lisa when she was finally able to eat meat again?”
“No. I was here for one in September, but it was still fairly warm at that point.”
“You’re awfully whiney for a famous bull rider, aren’t you? I’m not sure I believe you’ve ever rode a bronco, much less a bull.”
“Ha, ha,” Tyler mumbled. “I’m glad I can amuse you this evening. Maybe you’ll leave the others alone.”
“Not likely,” Zane snorted.
“Yeah, you’re right. It would probably give you heartburn to even try.”
He nodded his head, a big grin splitting his face. “You know it.”
“Man, you are the craziest of them all.”
“Probably,” he chuckled. “Haven’t you spent a lot of time in places like Montana and North Dakota?”
“I’ve been in every state in this country, except for Hawaii and Alaska. But all of that doesn’t matter. Cold is cold.”
“It ain’t all that bad,” Zane smirked, turning toward the kitchen.
“You’re entitled to your opinion,” he said with a shiver. “I still think it’s cold.”
Zane just chuckled and shook his head at him. “Come on. We’ll eat in the kitchen. The only part that has to be done outside is the grilling.”
Tyler followed close behind Zane, pushing through the batwing doors. “Do you think your parents will ever get rid of these old doors?”
“I doubt it. One of our ancestors put them in. I’m not sure how many greats go in front of grandfather, but we always just refer to him as Grandpa Tobias. The doors actually came from an old saloon.”
“They’re antiques,” Tyler exclaimed.
“Very much so,” Zane answered with a surprisingly serious mien.
“How old is this house?” Tyler asked, sounding slightly amazed.
“I’m not sure. The main part of the house was built in either the eighteen forty’s or fifty’s.”
“The main part of the house?” Tyler queried, furrowing his brow.
“Yeah. It was built by Grandpa Tobias’ dad. It’s went through a lot of renovation since it was first built. It used to be a two-story house with wood siding and no basement.”
“When was the basement put in?”
“Late seventies, or early eighties. I’d have to ask Dad to be sure. At one-point Grandpa Bishop planned on living here, but when Mom and Dad got married, they got the house as a wedding gift.”
“I thought your grandparents were from somewhere farther north.”
“They moved to Detroit when Grandpa first became a doctor. They moved back in nineteen eighty, I think. Give or take a year or two.”
“Wow, that’s pretty amazing,” he grinned. “And I think I’ve found something other than your job and a certain little brunette that you take seriously.”
He shook his head, still wearing a serious look. “Family history is important. Of course, I take it seriously.”
“I think I smell something amazing. Is that your momma’s apple pie I smell?”
“Yeah,” Zane answered with a sideways glance. “I think she baked six of them. They never last long.”
“Of course not,” he said, throwing his hands in the air and nearly dropping to his knees. “They’re second only to manna from heaven.”
Zane looked at him like he thought he was crazy and wondered if they needed to get him a strait jacket. “I didn’t realize you liked apple pie that much.”
Tyler laughed. “I like apple pie almost as much as you do Amanda Carter.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t need to tell everything you know,” Zane grouched, watching his little brother walk in the back door. “Not everybody knows that.”
“That’s what you think,” he smirked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
“Just that there are others that I’m sure know.”
“What others?” he asked, glaring out the back door like he could see into the minds of those out there in the yard.
“Hey, Tyler,” Hunter cut in, saving him from having to answer. “How are you?”
“Good. Which one are you?” he smirked. “There’s so many of you, I get you mixed up.”
“No, you don’t,” Hunter said, scrunching up his nose. “Maybe you haven’t been around in a long time, but you were around all the time before.”
“Okay, you got me,” he grinned. “But honestly, there’s some of your younger brothers and sisters I don’t know.”
“It’s not my fault you stayed away so long.”
“No, I guess not.”
“Whiney here thinks it’s too cold outside for a barbecue,” Zane said, smacking Tyler on the arm.
“Was he not here in October? Now that was a cold one,” Hunter said, giving a little shiver.
“Are you all the same? Zane just mentioned that.”
“Hey, facts are facts,” Hunter smirked before turning to leave the kitchen.
Tyler shook his head, watching Hunter walk through the batwing doors. “Are you training him?”
Zane chuckled. “Hey, I try to train them all,” he answered, stepping out the backdoor with Tyler right behind him.
“I don’t doubt it.”
“If you think he’s doing so well in following in my footsteps, you need to talk to Tonya,” he said, pointing to a beautiful, blonde headed girl of about twelve.
“Little Tonya? Wasn’t she like four or five when I left for the rodeo?”
“Something like that.”
“She sure has grown. And now she acts like you?”
“Yep.”
“You’re so proud,” Tyler replied dryly. “I can sure see that.”
“You bet.”
“The boys aren’t going to see her coming. They’re going to see the face of an angel, and then she’s going to open her mouth. They’re not going to know what to do.”
“I know,” Zane grinned. “Isn’t it great?”
“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” he stated with a shake of his head.
“Hey, I don’t want some slimy guy taking advantage of my sister,” Zane answered in a growl and a crunch of knuckles.
“From what I understand, it would be dangerous for them to try with Nathan around.”
“Yeah, but that one wasn’t my fault,” he said, shaking his head.
“What happened?”
“Long story. Have Mom tell you sometime,” he said with a shake of his head. “So, have you run into Lucy lately?” Zane asked, a smirk growing on his face.
He raised his eyebrows at Zane, his cheeks growing rosy. “Why would you ask that?”
“Well, I saw her yesterday at the gas station. I could have sworn she was mumbling something about a certain cowboy that needed to stop teasing her, or she was going to pull his cowboy hat down over his nose.”
“I wasn’t teasing her,” Tyler growled.
“She seemed to think you were. She practically had steam rolling out of her ears.”
“I wasn’t teasing her,” he snarled again, s
macking his hands down on the deck railing.
Zane raised an eyebrow at him, trying not to laugh. “Well, what did you say?”
“I tried to compliment her on how beautiful she looked yesterday.”
“You know she’s never taken a compliment from you very well. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking she looked extremely sexy yesterday. As always. That’s what I was thinking.”
“You two must be talking about Lucy Cranes.”
Tyler turned to see Jenny, one of the older Townsend siblings, and one he definitely remembered, standing just inside the kitchen, propped against the backdoor frame.
“None other,” Zane smirked, watching Tyler’s cheeks grow red once again.
“How did you guess?” Tyler asked once he found his voice again.
“She’s always thought you were making fun of her.”
“What?” he barked. “Why would she think that?”
“I don’t know. We never could convince her you were being honest.”
“Who’s we?”
“Myself. Mindi and Lisa. Andi Lynn. Mary Ellen and Jessie. Some of the others.”
“I’ve never made fun of her. All I’ve ever done was tell her how beautiful she was. Or how intimidating her intelligence was,” he snorted to himself.
“She’s always been self-conscious about her appearance.”
“Why?” he asked, sounding incredulous. “She’s gorgeous.”
“She doesn’t feel that way. Brandy Drake and her click didn’t help matters either.”
His eyebrows scrunched down, and his voice dropped a couple of octaves. “What do you mean, they didn’t help matters?”
“They’re really good at subtle insults,” she answered, stepping forward to lean against the deck railing with them. “Especially, Brandy. So, she thinks she’s fat and ugly.”
“How is that even possible?”
“Well, she’s always been rounder than is fashionable,” Jenny answered with a shrug of her shoulders.
Tyler furrowed his brow and snarled. “Why do women think they’re supposed to be stick figures?”
“Fashion magazines?” Jenny answered, sounding unsure herself.
“You know what women need to be?” he snapped.
Jenny kept her eyes trained on Tyler, knowing if she so much as glanced at Zane, who was turning red in the face from suppressed laughter himself, she would lose it. She slowly shook her head, hoping he didn’t pop an aneurism.
“Healthy, that’s what,” he snapped. “Stop starving yourselves.”
“Hey, I don’t starve myself,” Jenny replied, slapping her hand to her chest.
“You’re one of the rare few, along with your sisters, who don’t. You all look wonderful, and you’re healthy.”
“Why, thank you,” she replied, trying once again not to laugh. He was so far gone into his rant, she wasn’t sure he even realized she had answered.
“I’m not promoting obesity, but stick thin is not a shape God ever intended for the female body.”
“You know, some women are naturally thin?” she asked.
“I know, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But you can usually tell by looking if a woman is naturally thin, or if she’s starving herself. Naturally thin women still look healthy. There’s still curve to their muscles, and they’re firm,” he said, waving his hands in front of him, as if to draw out the female form. “You can’t count ribs through their skin.”
“Yeah, I see your point,” she nodded sagely.
“If Lucy would just listen to me, she would realize she’s beautiful.”
“Well, keep trying,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. “Eventually she’ll listen.”
Chapter 3 – Sunday, April 28
Lena Wentworth strolled through the glass, front door of the Sapphire Café, her gray hair bouncing and a smile spreading across her face. She had arrived in time to see both Jamie Townsend and Lydia Cranes take a seat at a nearby table. She made it to her own seat just in time to give her drink order to the waitress. “I’ll have a sweet tea as well, please,” she said after both Jamie and Lydia had ordered the same thing.
“Sounds good. I’ll be right back,” the young waitress said with a grin, her green eyes sparkling. “You picked the right time of day. The last of lunch rush filed out about twenty minutes ago. You’ve got the place to yourselves.”
“Yeah, it’s strangely quiet,” Jamie added as the young woman walked away. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in here when it was this empty.”
“That may have more to do with you bringing enough family with you to fill half the tables, than the time of day you were here, or how busy they were before you arrived,” Lydia smirked with a shake of her head, her brown eyes twinkling with humor. “Are you and Carl for sure done, now?”
“I think you make a very valid point,” Jamie answered back, grinning at Lydia across the table. “And yes. Doctor’s order’s”
“He didn’t say you were too old, did he?” Lydia asked, sounding incensed.
Jamie shook her head. “No, just that he didn’t feel it was wise for me to have anymore. It’s more about how many I’ve already had, than my age. After hearing that, Carl said we were done.”
“Well, he did always worry about your health while you were pregnant,” the other lady nodded. “I’m not surprised.”
“I don’t blame him,” Lena added.
“Emily was just days old when Carl’s dad passed away. I don’t think I’ve ever said anything about it, but he made me promise on his death bed I wouldn’t have any more after her,” Jamie said with a said smile.
“He did?” Lydia asked, sounding surprised. “That doesn’t seem like something he would have asked of you.”
“He had already decided, before the doctor told me, that I didn’t need to have anymore. When he found out what Dr. Kobby said, that’s when he made me promise. He said he wanted me healthy for the ones I already had.”
Lena smiled a little sadly herself. “Well I’m so glad you two agreed to meet me for lunch,” she said, deciding a change of subject was in order.
“Yeah, I believe Carl used our lunch date as an excuse to have another barbecue,” Lydia said. “I don’t know for sure. All Jerry would say when Tyler picked him up was, they were going over there for lunch.”
“Yes, you pegged it right,” Jamie laughed, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and her dark hair only peppered with gray, swinging when she shook her head. “He and Zane and all the younger kids already had everything going by the time I walked out the door.”
Lydia chuckled. “That man sure does love his barbecues.”
“He always has, but since his dad passed away, he’s had them more often. I think it eases the pain somehow.”
“I would have never thought of that, but I do remember your father-in-law throwing a lot of barbecues when we were all raising children. He always loved having them running all over his yard. Didn’t matter who’s they were. He loved them all,” Lena said, a sentimental smile spreading across her face with her reminiscing.
“Yeah,” Jamie chuckled. “And Carl’s going to be the same way.”
“So, Lena,” Lydia said. “I got the feeling you had something on your mind.”
“I sure do. I have something very important to discuss with you two.”
“Yeah, I had the feeling it had something to do with Tyler and Lucy,” Jamie chuckled.
“It sure does,” Lena said, smacking the table.
“What about Tyler and Lucy?” Lydia Cranes asked, looking suspicious.
“Well, I think it’s about time they quit circling each other, and got together. I don’t know about you, but I want grandchildren.”
“I don’t know,” Lydia answered in a near panic. “We probably shouldn’t be meddling in their business.” The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to get hurt.
“Trust me, if we don’t meddle, they are never going to get this worked out,” she answered with a v
ery serious look.
“Oh, I don’t know. This might not be a good idea.”
“Are you trying to tell me Lucy isn’t in love with my son?” Lena frowned, praying she hadn’t greatly miscalculated.
“Well, yes… I mean no…,” she said, stumbling over her words. “Oh, dang it. Yes, Lucy’s in love with Tyler.”
“Well, I for one am tired of watching him suffer in silence. He hasn’t said anything in a long while, but he has always wanted to get married and have a house full of kids.”
“But he’s not in love with Lucy.” Lydia shook her head. “I don’t want to see my daughter hurt.”
“What makes you think he’s not in love with her?” Lena asked, chuckling.
“Well, for one, Lucy says he makes fun of her.”
“I can assure you, Tyler has never made fun of Lucy. He tries to tell her how beautiful he thinks she looks, and the next thing he knows is, she’s stormed off.”
“She says he doesn’t mean it,” Lydia replied, this time not sounding quite so sure.
“Oh, he means it. He’s been in love with her since eighth grade.”
“What about the fact that he’s dated almost every other girl in Sapphire Springs, in his age range, except my daughter?” she added, this time sounding surer of herself.
“He has never really dated anyone. He has gone out on a lot of dates, but never seriously dated. There has only ever been one girl he wanted, and she’s always made things very difficult for him.”
“Are you sure about this? I mean, we’d be taking a pretty big risk if we do this. I feel like I must repeat, I don’t want my daughter to get hurt.”
“Do you think I don’t know my own son?”
“I didn’t say that,” Lydia answered, holding up a hand, as if to ward off an attack.
“Listen, I’ve talked to him a lot about this over the years. He’s never held back with me.”
“What are you saying?”
“He has told me more than once he’s in love with her.”
Lydia gave Lena a skeptical look. “He used those exact words?”
The Rodeo Star's Return (Sapphire Springs Book 1) Page 3