by Anna Jeffrey
Mandy waved away Shannon’s shock. “Oh, it’s no big deal to her. You should see her house. When she remodeled it, she converted one whole bedroom—large bedroom—into a closet. She has a whole wall of fancy boots.”
“Have you noticed the purse she’s carrying right now?”
“Not really. I’ve never seen her with a purse.”
“It’s got embroidered peacock feathers all over it. My God, she paid more than twelve hundred dollars for that.”
“Where would she wear boots that cost that much?”
“She wore that pair to the Cattle Baron’s Ball in Dallas back in October. They’re beautiful. They’re black with knee-high shafts and bright-colored flowers printed all over the shafts. They look like they’re embroidered.”
Shannon laughed, unable to picture herself in foot covering that cost that much money. “Wow. Why, I’d be afraid someone would kidnap me to get my boots. It would’ve been worth going to that party just to see them.”
“Oh, I forgot. You and Drake didn’t go.”
“He told me the ranch made a substantial donation to the cause. Breast cancer research, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. I suggested to Kate that she could buy cheaper boots and give the difference to the charity, but she just looked at me as if I’m stupid. It was an extremely nice party. Toby Keith entertained.”
“That part would’ve been fun. Kate’s an interesting woman all right. Does she date someone?”
“Who knows? If she does, it’s some cowboy who doesn’t have two nickels to rub together, I’m sure. She does like cowboys, the wilder the better. Pic and Drake have always been in a stew over who she dates. There’s always the shadow of some guy taking up with her to get close to Drake or Pic or the Lockhart millions.”
“I can see that happening.”
“They should mind their own business. The truth is, she scares most men to death. She deals with them on her own terms, so her boyfriends never last. It will take a special man to get along with her over time. Right now, it appears she spends most of her time on the horses. Foaling season’s coming up, so she and Troy will be joined at the hip day and night.”
“Drake told me just recently about Betty and Troy’s mother being pregnant at the same time,” Shannon said. “I didn’t realize they were almost exactly the same age. How awkward, not to mention heartbreaking. I wonder if it ever comes up between Kate and Troy.”
“They don’t seem to be bothered by it. To Betty’s credit, she never made it an issue to either one of them. Betty always treated Troy like he was her own kid. According to Pic, she carried on as if it were normal for a husband to get his wife and his girlfriend pregnant at the same time.”
“Amazing,” Shannon said. “I doubt I could handle that.”
“Betty might not have been vocal, but the local gossips who knew them back then say that incident was the beginning of the end of Betty and Bill Junior’s marriage. They’ve always fought, but she was wiped out when she learned Bill Junior had a bastard kid.” Mandy chuckled wickedly. “Speaking of Betty and since it’s just us girls talking, is Drake ever going to make up with her?”
“I don’t know. We rarely discuss her. If her name comes up, he changes the subject. I doubt she and I will ever be friends, but I do wish our kids could have a relationship with her.”
“Pic’s back on good terms with her, at least when she comes around here, which isn’t very often lately. I tolerate her for his sake, but I’ll never forget what she tried to do to me.”
“If you’re married into the family, it’s easier to forgive and forget, Mandy. She tried to get rid of me, too, you know, but I make myself put it out of my mind.”
“But she didn’t try to destroy your career. No one in this family, including Pic, realizes how awful getting fired from a Podunk school like Drinkwell would have been for my reputation. I could’ve lost everything I’ve worked for. I’d probably never get another job teaching. Or coaching.”
Certain that Mandy was well taken care of financially, Shannon was stunned at what the woman had just said. Most ordinary working women—even dedicated career women—would be thrilled to marry into the kind of financial security the Lockharts provided. Pic’s former wife would probably live well to her dying day on what she had taken away from her marriage to Pic. “Do you still need a career? A job? Isn’t your devotion supposed to be to Pic and the ranch now?”
A startled look came from Mandy, then she ducked her head. “I, uh—I’m still having a hard time with that part.”
“Since you and Pic were going to get married, they might’ve thought your career didn’t matter so much.”
“That’s because none of them have ever had to work for a living.”
“But they do work. Drake works hard. Sometimes he works seven days a week. He says Pic does the same thing. And look how hard Troy works with horses.”
“I meant none of them have ever worked for a paycheck. Although Betty should’ve known what it’s like. I think her parents lived from payday to payday, so she didn’t grow up rich. She and you and I have that in common. Instead of being so rude to us, she should welcome us.”
Unwise to be overly critical of Betty Lockhart. Shannon still wanted to get acquainted with her. “Mandy, you seem to be keyed up. Are you upset about something?”
Chapter 28
Troy and the hunting party returned before noon with a bag full of quail and chukkar. They cleaned them behind the barn and carried the meat to Johnnie Sue to cook a big supper. Blake and Jack would bring their families.
All morning, Troy had been preoccupied with what Jason Drummond had told him about Mandy yesterday, but he hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. No wonder the bodyguard hightailed it. In the security business, banging a client right under the husband’s nose had to be a huge ethics violation that a guy like Chris—or his boss—wouldn’t take lightly.
Before believing that Mandy did or did not have something going on with Chris, Troy wanted to hear from Mandy herself that it was true.
After a buffet dinner of thick chili and beans and all the fixings, Blake and Jack and Jack’s two boys left. Drake’s wife took Will and went to Drake’s old room for a nap. Dad, Drake and Pic tramped to the den to watch a football game. They invited Troy to join them and razzed him when he declined.
He had never played team sports and wasn’t a fan of football. Both Pic and Drake had played—Pic in high school, Drake in high school and college both. Drake often said he was still disappointed that he hadn’t played well enough to be a first-stringer at SMU. The idea was lost on Troy.
He started for home but stopped by the refrigerator in the utility room to pick up a dozen birds to take to Sergio and Tania. Mandy was at the coffee urn filling a mug. With the holiday hubbub, he might not get another chance to talk to her. “Hey, whatcha doing?”
“Fixing to go watch the game,” she answered. “Want a cup? Or are you headed home?”
“In a minute. Hey, the sun’s shining. Let’s go outside. I want to talk to you about something.”
“Oooh, secrets?”
He replied with a phony chuckle and a bob of his brow.
In the utility room, Troy dragged her coat out of the coat closet and helped her into it, then shrugged into his own coat. Outside, out of the sunlight, the temperature felt even colder than it was. “Let’s walk in the sunshine where it’s warmer.”
A spot for a private conversation was what Troy wanted. He gestured to the left and they turned toward the backyard. The week’s sporadic rains had left the ground spongey under the beige grass, but at least nothing was frozen.
“Johnnie Sue said you invited people for Christmas?” Mandy said. “Anyone we know?”
“I told you about her the other night. Sarah Karol. I invited her and her kid and her grandpa.”
“Holy cow. She must’ve made a heck of an impression. Don’t tell me you met someone that important at a horse show.”
Warmth spread over Troy’s cheeks. He ne
ver discussed his social life with his family. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody at a horse show I wanted to invite to my house....Naw, man, she was at the clinic I just did over in Roundup. They’re nice people. Don’t have any other family to spend Christmas with. Wait ’til you meet her. She’s special.”
Mandy gave a gasp. “Are you smitten? Look at me, Troy Rattigan.” When he didn’t answer or look at her, she grasped his arm and turned his upper body toward her. “Oh, my God. You are. I can’t wait to tell.”
His cheeks warmed again. “See? This is why I never let y’all know what I’m doing.”
They reached the swimming pool’s concrete and tile deck. “So what’s the secret?” Mandy asked, stepping off the grass onto the concrete. “You’ve fallen in love? Or let me see, you went up to Fort Worth last night to see Betty. She must have told you something juicy. What’s going on?”
Going on? She was kidding around, but what Troy thought was going on between her and Chris was no joke. “I’m thinking that would be a better question for me to ask you.”
She gave a high-pitched titter. “What do you mean? Don’t tell me my mother-in-law is spreading tales about me again.”
He stopped and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. “Mandy, I don’t know what to do except just come out with it.”
She stopped, too, and looked at him, her head cocked, her eyes narrowed. “You’re scaring me, Troy. What’s this about?”
“Up in Fort Worth yesterday, I ran into somebody I know. He asked me if you and Pic are having trouble. He said he saw you in the Omni Hotel with a guy I assume was Chris.”
They had reached a round table by the pool, its umbrella removed for the winter. She set her mug on the table and looked at him for a few minutes. Then she flipped her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Good grief. Chris is like a third limb, especially lately. I’m going to miss him, now that he’s gone. After some asshat totaled my SUV up in Fort Worth, Chris was ordered to be with me everywhere. So what?” She pulled a scarf from her coat pocket and wrapped it around her neck. “Damn, it’s cold, even in the sunshine.”
“Mandy.”
She stared at him, her eyes wide and questioning. “What?”
He held her gaze, trying to see behind her brown eyes. “Convince me, Sister, that you had a reason, other than the one I’m thinking, for being with Chris in the Omni Hotel.”
Right before Troy’s eyes, she wilted. Jesus Christ! It was true. An odd queasiness passed through his midsection. He had hoped she would deny it.
Her head quickly turned away and she looked out over the canyon. Seconds passed before she spoke, her confident, playful voice no longer present. “Would you, uh...want to share with me exactly who told you that?”
“You’re worried about who saw you? What difference does it make? It was Jason Drummond. I doubt if you know him, but I’m pretty sure Pic does. He’s a horse trainer. And Drake and Kate probably know him, too.”
“That’s awfully convenient,” she snapped. “The whole damn world knows the Lockharts.”
“I’m guessing I don’t have to tell you what he thought.”
A muscle tensed in her jaw. “And what was that? I guess you do have to tell me.”
“C’mon, Mandy. This is me you’re talking to. The question here, the one that concerns me the most, is does Pic know about you and Chris?”
Troy saw only her profile, but her eyes closed for a few beats and a long breath visibly left her chest. “God, Troy. ... It’s complicated.”
“Hey, I’ve got the rest of the afternoon.”
Her head shook.
If she clammed up, what would he do? He needed all of the information he could get from her. This was a goddamn ticking bomb in the middle of his family. He had to make a decision how to deal with it. He proceeded with caution. “Is this, uh...is it an ongoing thing? A one-shot deal? What?”
“No!” she snapped and frowned at the same time. Her head shook again. “Once....Just once.” She turned back to face him. “Don’t blame Chris,” she said, her voice trembling. “It was my fault.”
Fuck! Now what? Now that he had this information, what the hell was he gonna do with it? “Jesus, Mandy, when two people decide to hook up, it’s not a one-sided deal. ... Unless it’s rape. Did he force you? I mean, he’s as big as Pic—”
“Of course not,” she said softly. Her eyes glistened with tears on the verge of spilling over. “I told you, it was my fault.”
An emotion he rarely felt was starting to simmer deeply within him. “So it was a one-time hook-up, instigated by you? Is that what you want me to believe?”
“Hooking up. You’re an expert on that subject, aren’t you?” Her voice came out defensive, almost a sob.
His anger rushed from simmer to boil. “I thought you’ve loved Pic from the beginning of time. At least, that’s what you’ve said.”
A tear finally leaked from her eye, trailed down her cheek. She drew a deep sniff and fished in her coat pocket, came out with a tissue. “I have. ... I do....”
Troy shoved his fingers into his jeans pockets and scrunched his shoulders against the chill. “How did this happen, Mandy? How does my brother’s wife who says she loves him end up shacked up in a hotel in Fort Worth with her bodyguard? And what’s more, a hotel close to the coliseum where people who know her might see her?”
Instead of looking him in the eye, she stared at her ragged tissue, toyed with the corner. “That’s rude, Troy. Just rude. I don’t know, okay? ... Pic and I had this big fight Tuesday night. He said some mean things. Really mean. I was crushed, okay? I wasn’t worried about who might see me. Pic’s apologized since, but ...” Her head shook again and she wiped her nose with the ragged tissue.
Pic wasn’t a mean person. Troy had never heard him so much as raise his voice to his wife. Suddenly, the nosiest person in the whole Lockhart household popped into his mind. Johnnie Sue might be looking out the window at this very moment, seeing Mandy in tears. “Look here, it’s not a good idea to let Johnnie Sue see you upset. Let’s walk down to the end of the pool.” He placed a hand on her back and nudged her forward, out of sight of the utility room window.
They strolled to the far end of the pool and stood at the tall chain-link fence that stood between the yard and the deep Brazos River Canyon. Instead of looking at him, she gazed through the fence’s grid, out at the canyon. She started to sniffle and cry. “This is such a beautiful place.”
That remark and the tone of her voice had a finality to it. Was she about to bail? About to leave Pic?
He re-grouped. He wanted to understand. “What did you and Pic get into it over?”
“It was silly.” Her head shook again and a few seconds passed before she spoke. “I’ve wanted to have a baby, as everyone knows. Even before Pic and I got married, we talked about it.”
Troy’s head began to spin. Convoluted conversation was one of those woman things. “Boy, you’ve lost me, Mandy. How does fucking around with Chris Taylor fit into that scenario?”
“Don’t say that, Troy. My God. You make it sound like—”
“Okay, okay.” He patted the air with his palms. “Don’t cry. I’m not trying to make things worse. I’m just trying to understand.”
She opened her palms, her fingers splayed and rigid. “I’m trying to explain. Pic and I’ve been arguing off and on for weeks about a baby and going to doctors and—I don’t know, it all seems so silly now. ... He and Dusty got drunk. When he came home, he was already mad. He and Dusty had lost a cow and her calf. I tried to talk to him, but he refused to talk. We got into another argument.
“Everything sort of went downhill from there. He finally admitted a family is not what he wants. And he’s really mad at me over a few other things. For all I know, he doesn’t even want to be married, at least not to me.”
“Aww, c’mon, Mandy—”
“I wanted to talk ... to straighten it all out the next day, but he had to go to Brownwood to deal with Bill Junior’s pr
oblems. He was gone a couple of days. We had no chance to talk about our own problems.
“There’s no privacy in this house, you know. Bill Junior and Johnnie Sue have their noses in everything that happens. My God, one or the other or both of them even know when Pic and I have sex. Your dad makes jokes about it. You know something? It was a mistake for us to share this house with him. Half the time he acts like a kid who needs a good spanking. We should’ve had our own house—”
Troy raised a palm and stopped her. “You’re rambling. It wouldn’t have mattered if the two of you lived in Dallas or Houston or California. If Dad needs help, one of his sons will always be there for him. Drake used to be the one, now it’s Pic. That’s just the way it is.”
“And I hate that,” she cried. “Why don’t you ever get stuck with that job, Troy? You’re never available, that’s why.”
She shook her head and looked away again. “After what Pic said to me, I was devastated. ... I had no one to talk to. This place is so damn far from everything. Sometimes I feel like I live on the friggin’ moon. I felt so alone and Chris, he...he...he listened. It wasn’t him who started the whole thing, Troy. It was my fault. I drank too much wine. ...”
Seconds passed. Troy waited. Finally, she looked up at him, a plea in her brown eyes. “I’m sure you feel obligated to rat me out, but you should—”
“I don’t know what to do. Pic’s my brother.”
She looked down. “We’ve been friends a long time, Troy. We were friends when we were little kids. Before you and Pic were friends. In school, before you came to live here. I, uh...I guess I’m hoping that fact might mean something to you.”
Now she was breaking his heart. “It does. You know it does, Mandy. Jesus Christ, back then, I was one lost little kid. I thought God had sent you to protect me. But, Jesus, Mandy, Pic’s my brother.”
Her brow tented. Like a whipped dog, she looked into his eyes. “If you don’t know what to do, Troy, who’d be hurt if we just pretend your friend didn’t see us? Who’d ever know?... It was just one time and it’ll never happen again, I swear. Chris has left the ranch and I’ll never see him again. Pic and I made up. We both have a better understanding of some things now.”