The Reluctant Cowgirl (4 page)

“Thanks, Mama.” She took the plate and sank into the empty seat next to Elyse. “I’ve been dreaming about your breakfast.” She smiled at the others. “I’ll do the dishes, since I didn’t help cook.”

“You heard her,” Kaleigh said with a sassy grin. “I’m off the hook.”

“You’re off, I’ll give you that,” Chance teased.

Everyone laughed, and Crystal relaxed her shoulders. The hardest part about coming home was always the awkward first few conversations. Usually she barely stayed longer than that.

For the next half hour, she ate and drank quietly and listened to her family, so different yet so close. When she and Cami were eight and her parents had decided to first foster then adopt Aaron, the idea of getting a big brother had been exciting. The reality had been a little different, especially when five more kids had been added to the family over the next few years.

But her love for them had grown every day they were together, and in these past few years they were apart, it hadn’t faded any. If anything, she felt more attached to them because she didn’t take their existence for granted.

Crystal clutched the large, rough, wooden, rectangular “button” on the barn door and took a deep breath. How many times had she made the trek through the field from the house to this old barn? She looked down. Never in high heels. But she’d been here more times than she could count. For her and Cami’s ninth birthday, Daddy had built them a stage in this unused barn. A simple wooden platform running the length of the far wall, with steps going up on each side, the “stage” was humble. But the twins had soon filled it with players, some willing, some not so much. She smiled at the memory.

She dropped her hand, suddenly unsure she could go in, even though she knew she was late for the meeting. She’d accepted the fact that she couldn’t bear to go into their old bedroom, but would this be what her visits to the ranch would always be like? Standing outside familiar doors, afraid to go in?

Sudden anger flared up inside her and she yanked on the unlatched wooden door and it swung open. Inside, she squinted. Sunlight filtered in through the eaves and dirt-covered windows, but it took a few seconds for her vision to adjust.

“What took you so long?” Kaleigh asked from her perch on the bare stage. “The dishes were almost done when I left.”

Crystal glanced around at her other brothers and sisters already settled in on the mishmash of old chairs and sofas arranged in front of the platform stage. She plopped down beside Matthew on the nearest couch and waved away the dust that rose in the air. “I’m guessing y’all haven’t had very many meetings here since I’ve been gone,” she coughed out. She didn’t wait for an answer because a part of her didn’t want to know if they’d gone ahead with the family tradition without her. “Mama changed her mind about going into town with Daddy.”

A collective groan murmured through the room. Their parents had gone into town every Saturday after breakfast for as long as anyone could remember. It was a tradition rarely broken.

“I insisted she go with him, but I finally had to go settle in for a nap on the couch before Mama would believe it was okay for her to leave.”

Matthew shook his head. “After all those Saturday morning meetings we had when we were kids, wouldn’t it be funny to get busted for them now?”

“We’d have had to convince them we’re getting the Pole Barn Players together for a reunion performance.” Kaleigh pushed herself off the stage, landing on her feet on the concrete floor. Dust whooshed out around her. She swept into a silly bow.

Crystal grinned. Some things hadn’t changed.

Aaron coughed. “Sure, like lying wouldn’t make me feel even more guilty.” He took Bree’s hand. “I feel bad enough even thinking about leaving right now. Maybe we should just let this chance go by. There’ll be others.”

Crystal shook her head. “This position is tailor-made for the two of you, and we all know it. You have to be in Chicago a week from Tuesday. That part is already decided.”

The others nodded.

Aaron gave them a doubtful look. “In that case, we have to tell Mama and Daddy today that we’re leaving. And to keep them from canceling their trip, before we do that, we have to figure out who’s going to take care of the ranch while they’re gone.”

Silence reigned in the room for about thirty seconds. Plenty long enough for Crystal to brace herself not to volunteer. She had to get back to New York and start auditioning. If you weren’t on stage, you were being forgotten.

As if to prove the point, Kaleigh climbed back up on the stage and waved her hand in the air. “Chance and I can take turns helping out on weekends.”

“Then who would show all the city slickers how to catch a fish?” Luke asked with a grin.

Crystal cringed. He was right. Kaleigh and Chance had put their river-rat childhood to good use when they started K&C Guided Fishing Tours back in high school. Now it was paying their way through college. They couldn’t afford to jeopardize that.

Even she was a better choice than they were.

Luke shook his head. “Besides, you need to be concentrating on your schoolwork. The last thing you need to do is run home every weekend. I can handle things.”

Kaleigh plopped back down on the edge of the stage, a dejected look on her face.

Crystal turned to Luke. “Aaron said you were working pretty long hours these days on that all-natural health center.” Actually what he’d said was that Luke was almost killing himself to make up for several rainy weeks in the early spring. And that he’d already gotten a big chunk of his fee upfront and spent it on materials for the house he was going to build for himself.

“Maybe I can cut back.”

“And still be ready for the grand opening in July?” Crystal shook her head. There had to be a better solution. One that didn’t involve Crystal being forced home.
Please.

Matthew cleared his throat. “I can come every other weekend.”

“From Tennessee?” Elyse said softly. “Matthew, that’s not logical. Vet school is too hard for you to be running back and forth.” She stood and looked out the window. “I can handle the ranch.”

“Hon...” Bree pushed to her feet and put an arm around Elyse’s waist. They stared together out of the grimy window. Crystal glanced at their view. Cows grazed on the early spring grass. “You’re busy, too.”

Elyse shrugged gently away from Bree and turned back to the group. She raised an elegantly arched eyebrow. “I know what you are all thinking. But there’s more to this ranch than”—she waved a hand over her shoulder as if she hated to say the word then laughed—“than cows.” She smiled at the group. “Go ahead and laugh.”

“We’re not laughing,” Crystal protested. Although they were all smiling. “And even though your schedule is packed, since you live and work right here, you’re the most logical one to help out. But there are almost a thousand cows here. What if one of them got into trouble on the back forty?”

“That’s why we hire people. I’d call one of the guys. They have cell phones, all except for Slim.” Determination outlined her face, and it was impossible not to admire her courage in the face of her absolute terror of cows.

Crystal slumped. She knew they were all waiting for her to offer. Apparently they didn’t know she was more afraid of coming home than Elyse was of cows. She bit her tongue.

“Sure you could do that,” Aaron allowed. “But honestly, Elyse, with calving season coming up, you wouldn’t have time to put in the hours needed, even if you weren’t afraid of cows.”

He scanned the group, but it seemed to Crystal like his gaze rested on her the longest. “Any more ideas?”

“I can’t do it.” She bit out the words.

“Oh no. Of course you can’t,” Elyse exclaimed softly. “You’ve got the play.”

Aaron raised a brow as if wondering when she was going to tell everyone what he already knew.

Crystal squirmed. “
Making a Splash
actually closed last night.” She shot Aaron a glare. “But I
am
about to start auditions.”

“Oh, Crys. I’m sorry about the play.” Compassion flooded Kaleigh’s green eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. There’ll be another one soon. Who knows? Maybe Broadway this time.”

“Well, you definitely can’t come home to stay then, even for a while,” Elyse said firmly. “We’ll figure something else out.”

Crystal waited for relief to untie the knot in her stomach. But it just seemed to get tighter.

A knock on the barn door made her jump.

“Come in,” Aaron called, seemingly unsurprised.

This morning’s handsome cowboy sauntered in like he owned the place.

Crystal stared at Jeremy Buchanan, suddenly flustered. Was that an almost imperceptible shake of his head?

He nodded to everyone. “Did I just wander onto the set of
The Waltons
reunion movie?”

“Just don’t be calling me Jim Bob,” Luke joked.

“You prefer Mary Ellen?” the cowboy quipped back as he closed the door behind him.

“Crystal, you remember Jeremy from the wedding, don’t you?” Aaron said.

Could she just say yes or should she ’fess up to stopping by the river for a good cry before she arrived? “Actually...”

“It’s great to see you again,” Jeremy said with a big grin. “Home for a surprise visit?”

Oh boy. He’d encouraged her to bill her homecoming as a happy surprise instead of a heartbroken sister act, and now he was going to tease her about it?

“Yes, as a matter of fact I am.” She returned his grin.

Aaron cleared his throat, his brows drawn together. Probably wondering what all the grinning was about. “I asked Jeremy to come by. He volunteered to handle things around here for the next few weeks.” Aaron shot his friend an exasperated look. “But he refuses to take any pay.”

Matthew shook his head. “Man, you can’t do that. You’ve got your own things to manage.”

Jeremy shrugged. “Since I don’t have any livestock yet, except for a couple of horses, my ranch almost takes care of itself. Y’all help me whenever I need it. I’d like to repay the favor.”

Crystal hadn’t thought she could feel any smaller. How would their parents react when they found out she’d allowed a neighbor to step in when she was currently unemployed and homeless? Without allowing herself time to think, she shot to her feet. “Jeremy, thank you for offering, but it won’t be necessary.”

Everyone turned to look at her. “I’ll do it,” she said firmly.

“You?” Jeremy said, his dark eyebrows rising. “You’re going to run the ranch?” His mouth twitched, and she had the uncomfortable feeling he was trying not to make a smart comment.

She saw her brothers exchange similar looks.

“Uh-oh,” Luke muttered, but his dimples flashed.

Hands on her hips, she raised an eyebrow at Jeremy. “You don’t think I can?”

He shrugged but she saw his glance go down to her stilettos. “I wouldn’t imagine you get a lot of ranch experience in New York City.”

Okay, now he was getting personal. The way he said “New York City” reminded her of that old
picante
sauce commercial. She lifted her chin and gave him her most confident smile. “Well, whatever you think,” she said. “But I’ll handle things here until Mama and Daddy get back.”

“What about old what’s-his-name?” Luke teased. “Think he’ll mind commuting back and forth to Arkansas to see you?”

She met Jeremy’s gaze. “That won’t be a problem.” Let the family draw whatever conclusions they wanted to from that answer.

Jeremy ducked his head. “I’ll help you take care of things if that’s okay.”

Aaron shot her a silent plea. She knew him well enough to know he was reminding her of everything the man had been through.

She gritted her teeth. “Thanks, Jeremy. That’ll be fine.”

She sank back onto the couch as conversation continued around her. How had her whole life turned upside down in less than twenty-four hours?

“An undercover cop thought he saw Lindsey in a little blues joint down on Beale Street in Memphis last night.”

Jeremy’s heart thudded against his ribcage. “Did he take her in for questioning?”

“He’s undercover,” Sam’s gravelly voice reminded him through the cell phone line. “And he’s not sure it was her.”

“Did he see a little girl?”

“No. But that’s not surprising. It’s hardly the kind of place for kids.”

The thought of Beka being in a place like that, or worse, left at home in who knew what kind of rat hole to fend for herself, made his gut clench with anger and fear. “Give me the address.”

“I can leave in a couple of hours to drive over and check it out.”

Jeremy did some quick calculating. In Little Rock, Sam was about the same distance from Memphis as he was. “I’d like to go myself this time.”

Silence. “You tried that before. Remember?”

Jeremy ran his hand across his eyes. How could he ever forget those first few months? He’d jetted from possible sighting to possible sighting until he’d finally collapsed from exhaustion and despair. “I’m stronger now. And I need to do something.”

“I understand.” Sympathy laced the deep voice. “Do you want me to meet you there?”

“Thanks anyway, Sam. Just give me the address.”

Sam rattled off the address and Jeremy wrote it down.

The PI cleared his throat. “Listen, man, I know how upset you are with your ex-wife, but don’t do anything stupid if you find her. She’s the only one who knows where your little girl is.”

Jeremy stared down at the paper clenched in his tight fist. He had enough restraint not to hurt Lindsey. But he felt pretty sure that when the police locked her up and threw away the key, she’d tell them where to find Beka. And then, as far as he was concerned, she could rot in jail for the rest of her miserable life.

Inside the smoky room, Jeremy stopped to get his bearings. “Blues joint” was an overstatement. Up on the tiny stage, a woman sang, or tried to between coughing fits, to an almost empty house. He scanned the few occupied tables. Lindsey definitely wasn’t here tonight. He walked up to the bar and slid a twenty and Lindsey’s picture across the scarred surface. “Have you seen her?” he said quietly.

The bartender, who barely looked old enough to get in the door, much less be working here, picked up the picture and ran his hand across his Mohawk haircut. “No.” He tucked the twenty into the front pocket of his baggy jeans.

Jeremy scooted another twenty along with his card toward him. “Will you call me if you do?”

The young man’s eyes lit up. “More where that came from if I do?”

Jeremy nodded.

“Fo’ shizzle.”

“Does that mean yes?”

The boy rolled his eyes and nodded.

Jeremy turned to walk over to the nearest table.

“If you’re not lookin’ for trouble, ya need to get on.”

He glanced back at the boy. “Why?”

“People don’t come here to be interrupted by strangers.”

He cut his gaze toward the table again. The boy was right. “Fine. Call me if you see her.”

“You keep payin’ and I’d turn in my own mother.”

Now why didn’t that instill great confidence in him?

When Jeremy was halfway across the dim room, the singer finished up her song and stepped down off the stage.

“Hey, handsome,” she called.