Tyler

by Jennifer Ashley

“I lived in a little town in north Texas when I was younger,” Jess said. “It was a farm town, though I didn’t live on a farm. My dad had a feed and equipment store. When he and my mom split up, she and I moved to Dallas. Easier for her to find work there. I was too young to have ties to leave behind, and my dad sold up and left. I don’t see him much.” As in never.

  “Well, you’ll make ties here. If you decide to stay, that is.” Grace’s cheeks went pink. “Not trying to push you.”

  Grace wanted Jess to say she’d come down here to be with Tyler, she realized. All the Campbells did. At the same time, they danced around the subject, as though fearing she hadn’t and wondering if Tyler would be hurt by it.

  They exited the square, and Grace took the road toward the Malory ranch, showing Jess and Dominic wide stretches of land and the winding road that made its way to the Colorado River. The huge bend in it, she explained, gave the town its name. Jess gazed over the river as Grace drove slowly past it, the sparkling water cutting through green banks thick with trees, reflecting the wide, Texas sky.

  The quiet beauty tugged at something inside Jess. She’d love to come up here with Tyler, hold his hand and gaze at the place of peace. In her fantasy, they’d have brought a blanket to put on the ground, so they could enjoy more than just the view.

  Grace then drove back toward town, passing the clinic which sat a little way outside it, where she’d be having her baby, she said, and then into Riverbend.

  Grace pulled the pickup to a halt in a parking lot, the biggest one in town, that surrounded the diner. “Hungry?” she asked Dominic. They’d been driving around for a while, and it was nearing noon. “I know you had a big breakfast, but Mrs. Ward always has something good cooking.”

  “Pie?” Dominic perked up. “The guy at the gas station yesterday said she had pie.”

  “She does. The best in the world.” Grace hopped out of the truck and helped Dominic down without seeming to, preserving his male ego.

  She led the way into the diner, Jess following and darting her gaze everywhere. If this was the only restaurant in town, that meant everyone who lived in Riverbend went there, and they would all see Jess. They’d spread the word that there was a new girl in town, from Dallas, with her nine-year-old son, staying with the Campbells. Who knew what connections Elijah had in Hill Country and South Texas? Even a rival might alert him if only to gloat.

  Jess was relieved to see no bikers in the restaurant, only cowboys and ranch workers, ordinary people having lunch, but she remained wary.

  Grace waved to friends right and left as she steered Jess to a booth in the back. A popular beauty queen, Jess amended. She wondered what that must have been like.

  A large woman who turned out to be Mrs. Ward herself took their order. She gave Jessica a hard look, reminding her of Mrs. Alvarez, but she was pleasant enough. Her gaze turned more approving when Jess ordered burgers for herself and Dominic, with the works—no asking for tiny salads or fat-free recommendations. Grace had a chicken sandwich and plenty of fries to go with it.

  “Enjoying it now,” she explained. “After the baby is born, everyone will bug me to lose weight.”

  “You look fine,” Jess said in surprise.

  Grace wrinkled her nose. “Aw, I like you. Dominic, your mom is wonderful.”

  As they waited for the meal and then ate—the juiciest, freshest burgers Jess had tasted in a long while, Grace told her about the Campbells. How they got started in the stunt business as teenagers, how Adam had run off to Hollywood at age eighteen to make big movies.

  The other brothers had remained home, but were hired for commercials, TV shows, and movies made locally and in New Mexico, plus live performances. They took their stunt show on the road in the summer, and trained horses for themselves and others the rest of the time.

  Each brother had his specialty in the business. Adam coordinated with movie studios and used his experience to direct the stunts, Carter focused on the money side, and Grant and Tyler trained horses and dealt with the people who hired them.

  “Grant is the charmer; Tyler is the show-off,” Grace said. “That’s why Tyler does PR for both their businesses. Tyler can make stunt riding look easy—he’s the one who convinces people to let the Campbells train their horses or the show people to hire them. Grant keeps them happy through the process. But the two of them aren’t just sweet-talkers. They understand what they’re doing.”

  Grace spoke with the conviction of one in the know. Jess believed her—she’d gathered something of Tyler’s effervescence and Carter’s hard-headed business sense. Adam had quit the movies, Grace said—for the most part—returning home after an accident involving a car stunt. That explained the burn scars on his face.

  Good conversation, Jess asking interested questions about the family and the town, made the meal go by quickly. Dominic, having cleaned his plate, now wanted his reward of pie. Grace said she’d take him to the counter and show him how many kinds they had—Mrs. Ward would let him have a taste before he decided.

  Jess watched them go, warming at the way Dominic reached for Grace’s hand. Grace, a few years younger than Jess, had the air of someone who could take care of the world. Grace had told her all the Campbells’ ages—Tyler was the same as Grace, twenty-seven, which put him two years younger than Jess. Something else to think about.

  Jess’s view of Grace and Dominic was cut off when a woman slid into the booth in Grace’s seat. She was a businesswoman all over, from her slick suit to her neatly styled hair to her tasteful jewelry to her shrewd brown eyes. She was way out of place in this diner, yet the other customers, after one glance, didn’t pay her undue attention.

  The woman held out her hand across the table. “I’m Karen Marvin,” she said briskly. “Jessica McFadden? Right? I run AGCT Enterprises. Welcome to Riverbend.” Her look turned knowing as Jess shook her hand. “Can I give you a bit of advice, honey? Forget Tyler, and go for Ross.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jessica blinked at Karen and quickly withdrew her hand. “What? Did you really just say that?” Forget Tyler? How was that possible?

  Karen nodded, not the least perturbed. “Ross is a sweetheart and doesn’t have as many issues as Tyler. Tyler picks up women and discards them right and left, though I hear his breakups are usually amicable.” She signaled to a passing busboy—the only one in the diner—and he hurried over with a glass of ice water. “I’ve been here a year,” Karen went on after a sip and a polite thanks to the busboy. “And I’ve already seen Tyler in action. Ross, dear. Trust me.”

  Jess couldn’t stop her indignation. “Tyler has been extremely good to me. Generous—above and beyond the call.”

  Karen’s expression softened. “I know. He can be incredibly sweet. But … issues.” She wriggled her fingers. “He was supposed to marry his high-school sweetheart. But right after graduation, she died in a car accident. Tyler hasn’t been the same since.”

  Jessica thumped back in her seat, shock opening her mouth. “Shit.” She sucked in a breath, her heart flooding with sorrow. “Oh, poor Tyler.”

  Karen nodded, leaning forward to speak in a quiet voice. “It was nearly ten years ago, but from what I hear it was very, very tough on him. There are all kinds of speculations about it—that the girl was cheating on him and coming home with a lover from San Antonio; that Tyler was yelling at her and she ran away crying and got into the accident. Only Tyler knows the real story, so you should hear it from him.”

  Jess remained frozen, her hands flat on the table. No wonder his family walked on eggshells around Tyler, no wonder they scrutinized Jess as closely as they did. Adam and Grant had pretty much grilled her at Lanny D’s, though they’d been friendly and interested. Their mother had looked piercingly at Jess last night at supper, and Grace showed a burning curiosity.

  They were hoping Tyler had found someone to care about again. That he’d recovered. And they also worried that Jess wouldn’t reciprocate and would tear his heart to shreds.

 
; “Thank you for telling me,” Jess said, her voice a croak.

  Karen gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s the country way. Everyone knows, but no one talks about it. But you deserve to understand. And take my advice on which brother to go after.”

  “Country way?” Jess clung to the one amusing thing in the conversation.

  “I’m a big city girl. I don’t fit in, if you hadn’t noticed.” Karen glanced around with a faint smile, giving a wave to a group of tough-looking cowboys in the corner. “But I like it. It’s so homey.” She turned back to Jess and became brisk again.

  “So, you’ll be looking for a job. There isn’t much in Riverbend, as Grace will have told you. I’ll see if I can find you something to do at AGCT Enterprises, but I’m not sure you’d be happy there. What are your job skills?”

  “I’m a bartender.”

  Karen’s brows went up. “Then why did Tyler call me about employing you at AGCT? I own the bar, but Christina decides who we hire. I’m sure she can find you something there, even fill-in work.”

  So Tyler had called Karen, already making plans for Jess. She tamped down her irritation. “Tyler isn’t thrilled with the idea of me bartending,” she said. “The last place I worked was pretty dangerous.”

  Karen gave her a wise look. “Any bar has the potential to be. It’s what happens when you mix alcohol and testosterone. Anyway, what does Tyler have to do with it? It’s your job, your life.”

  “Exactly what I keep trying to tell him.” Jess relaxed a fraction, pleased she’d met someone who understood.

  Karen shook her head. “The Campbells are protective of anyone they take under their wing. Even me.”

  She could not be much older than Jess, but Karen had the sharp edges of a woman resolved to make it in a man’s world, edges she’d have needed. But she spoke of Riverbend with affection. If a cold businesswoman could soften in this town, maybe Jess could too.

  “Are you warning me off Tyler for your own reasons?” Jess asked, putting a teasing note in her voice.

  Karen looked puzzled. “Not at all. I have my eye on Ross. He’s adorable. I was being generous. Although—lately I’ve been more taken with the Malory brothers, Kyle and Ray. Hmm, which man of rodeo goodness do I want?”

  Jess laughed. “You’re terrible.”

  “Realistic, honey. I need to make a choice before they’re both snatched up. I once thought I could have fun with Grant, but his heart belonged to Christina. Oh, speaking of Malorys …”

  Karen turned in her seat to blatantly stare at two men who’d walked in and now surrounded Grace at the counter.

  They weren’t quite as tall as the Campbells, but they were large of body, muscles hard. Their dark hair was the exact shade of Grace’s, and the way they hovered over her in nearly identical positions showed the two were brothers.

  “Kyle on the left,” Karen said. “Ray on the right. Champion bull riders. You’d do all right with one of them too.”

  “As long as I leave you the other,” Jess said.

  Karen flashed her a gleaming smile. “Well, of course.”

  Grace pivoted and came back to the table with Dominic, the brothers following her like protective pit bulls.

  “I picked out pie for everyone,” Grace was saying. “Hey, Karen, how are you? Jess, these louts are my brothers, Ray and Kyle.”

  She flapped a hand at each one in turn. The Malory men were much alike, but Kyle was a bit younger than Ray, while Ray had a few more muscular pounds on him and more wisdom etched into his face.

  Their eyes were green, like Grace’s. Karen wasn’t wrong that they were good-looking—if Jess hadn’t seen Tyler first, she might be staring long and hard.

  “Welcome to Riverbend,” Kyle said, extending a hand to Jess. Everyone was polite here. “Hope you stay a good long while. You need anything, you just let us know.” He squeezed Jess’s hand before releasing it.

  Ray’s hand, big and callused, was right there as soon as Kyle’s disappeared. “Anything at all,” Ray said. “I’ll be around to fix it for you.”

  “Such sweethearts.” Karen beamed a smile at both brothers.

  It tickled Jess to watch Ray and Kyle back up a nervous step. They knew a predatory woman when they saw one.

  “Do you really ride bulls?” Dominic asked them.

  “Yup,” Kyle ruffled his hair, which Jess could warn him Dominic didn’t like.

  Dominic put up with it, looking enthralled with the two big men. “Why?” he asked in genuine curiosity.

  Both Kyle and Ray burst out laughing, filling the diner with a deep, warm sound.

  “The challenge, I guess,” Kyle said. “It’s fun.”

  “Money and fame,” Karen put in, nodding at Ray.

  Ray flushed. “More like we’re crazy. But it’s what we do.”

  “All right, you two, you’ve ogled her,” Grace said. “Go have lunch.” She gave Jess a sage look as Karen vacated her seat and Grace sat down. “They usually have lunch at home, but I foolishly told them I’d be here. I only asked if they wanted me to bring them any pie. But they figured out I was showing you around and had to barge in.”

  Kyle quickly raised his hands. “No, we didn’t. The pie just sounded too good to wait for.”

  Karen linked one arm around Kyle’s and the other around Ray’s. “Since you boys are here, why don’t I treat you to lunch? No strings … well, unless I think of some.”

  So saying, she herded the Malory brothers away. They gracefully and politely didn’t flee, but looked a bit pale as they let Karen escort them to another table.

  Grace didn’t hide her mirth. “They were nosy, and they paid for it.”

  “Does everyone in town know I’m here?” Jess asked, the ever-gnawing worry lurking. “I’d hoped to fly under the radar.”

  “Of course everyone knows. You can’t keep a secret in a small town. On the other hand, it stays in town. No one will talk about you to outsiders.”

  They wouldn’t mean to, Jess knew. But someone might mention it to a friend in Dallas, who might know a biker, who might know Elijah or one of his cronies.

  Jess shut down the thoughts. She was tired of fear. Dallas was a huge city, and Elijah didn’t know every single person in it, as much as he pretended to. Maybe this time, Jess really could be free.

  “More nosiness,” Grace said at the same time a man crowded into the booth beside Jess.

  Jess’s body heated instantly, and Dominic’s face lit up. “Tyler!” he cried.

  Tyler smelled good, like soap and shaving cream. He must have showered and changed—he was no longer covered with the dust the horse had stirred up in the ring.

  Grace’s eyes twinkled. “What are you doing here, Tyler? Come for pie?”

  Tyler shrugged, his arm brushing Jess’s. “It’s lunch time. What do you think I’m doing here?”

  “I left plenty of food in the fridge.”

  Tyler gave her an innocent look. “Which your husband and everyone who works at Circle C devoured while I was cleaning up. Thought I could go for a burger.”

  “And pie,” Dominic said. “I’m having apple.” He cut off with a squeak of delight as Mrs. Ward and another waitress set four huge slices of pie on the table.

  “I figured you’d want some too,” Mrs. Ward said as she slid the biggest piece in front of Tyler.

  Dominic looked shocked. “He hasn’t had his lunch yet.”

  Tyler lifted the fork the waitress had set down and plunged it through the mountain of whipped cream to the slab of pie underneath. “Pie for lunch. What a great idea.” He winked at Dominic. “Don’t tell your mom though.”

  Dominic grinned. He jabbed his fork into his pie the exact way Tyler had and tried to take as big a bite. The two of them made a game of what kind of Mmmm noises they could make as they tore apart their pieces and stuffed them into their mouths.

  Tyler was funny, fun, and good with Dominic. Jess had feared he’d change in her eyes when she saw him again, in light of what Karen had told
her about the death of his high-school girlfriend. But he didn’t. He was the same charming, handsome, hot Tyler he’d been before she’d known about his tragedy.

  The promising look Tyler slanted Jess as he curled cream into his mouth from his fork held nothing of grief. He was a man liking a woman, and wanting her.

  He wasn’t out for sympathy, Jess realized. He didn’t want pity.

  He wanted life. That was a dream she could share with him.

  * * *

  Jess insisted on going to the bar that night.

  Tyler tried to talk her out of it, but apparently Karen had stuck her oar in and saw no reason why Jess shouldn’t work at the bar if she wanted to. When they reached Circle C, his mother gave Tyler a look that reminded him of their conversation the night before.

  You can’t smother her, she’d said.

  You mean don’t be a high-handed dick? he’d replied, knowing she was right. Tyler sighed inwardly.

  “All right, all right,” he said. He’d at least convinced Jess to sit down on the porch out of the afternoon heat while they enjoyed fresh-brewed iced tea. Adam and Grant had come to train, and Tyler decided to let them do some work for a change while he took a break. “We’ll put on our party clothes, and we’ll go.”

  “I don’t have any party clothes,” Jess said, looking dismayed. “I brought only bare essentials.”

  Tyler tried not to read too much innuendo into the phrase bare essentials. “Doesn’t matter. This is Sam’s bar in Riverbend. What you’re wearing is party clothes.”

  Slim jeans shorts. A scoop-necked white top with short sleeves that showed off the tatts lacing down her arms. Her long legs ended in sandals perfect for the later summer weather.

  She was frigging gorgeous, and all the iced tea in the world wasn’t going to calm Tyler down, not even if he dumped it into his lap. It didn’t have anywhere near enough ice in it.

  Smothering or not, Tyler wasn’t about to let her go to the bar without him. The cowboys of Riverbend would take one look at her and drool all over themselves.