A Texas Ranger's Family (10 page)

“Definitely not.” The tenderness in Daniel's voice was gone, replaced by the no-nonsense tone of a responsible father.

Definitely not?
Had the heart-to-heart moment been one-sided? Even with zero experience, Erin felt certain she was interpreting Daniel's caring behavior cor
rectly. Had she been wrong? Was exposing her vulnerability a mistake?

He stood and prepared to leave. “Can I tempt you with milk and cookies before we call it a night?”

“A snack sounds perfect,” she agreed, going along with his change of subject.

“I'll be right back.”

As soon as he was across the threshold, she threw her legs over the side of the chaise, tipped forward from the waist and used the momentum of her shoulders to pull to her feet. Using her left hand to press her right forearm close to her body, she shuffled across the floor to the bottom of the bed. She depressed the foot pedal to lower the level of the mattress. Once she was seated with her legs stretched out before her, she pulled the covers up to her waist and worked the buttons of the television remote rather deftly in spite of her sluggish right hand.

“On a scale of one to ten, I'd give that an eight.” Daniel spoke from the doorway, having completed his kitchen mission sooner than she'd expected.

“You snuck up on me,” she tried to sound offended. “Nobody is supposed to see that until I have it down to a perfect ten.”

He set the tray with two glasses of milk and a plate of fresh oatmeal cookies on her bedside table.

“Well, you don't have much further to go. And I gotta tell you, it's a relief to see firsthand that I don't need to worry about taking you with us to the Double-S.”

Her stomach lurched at his words. The sweet aroma of the cookies no longer appealed.

“Does that mean you think I'll be okay here by myself?”

“Goodness no,” he dismissed her comment. Pffffed at the very idea. “With that performance, you just eliminated all my concerns about the long trip and the accommodations at the main house. After another week with your PT, you'll be in shape to ride and rope.”

He selected the plumpest cookie, dunked it into his glass of milk and then popped it into his waiting mouth.

“We'll be hitching up the wagon train and headin' west at sunrise one week from today. All you have to decide is whether you want to ride five hundred miles listening to Mama's singin' or Dana's snorin'.”

A
s they drove beneath the archway that announced their arrival at the ranch a week later, the Stabler family history Erin acquired during the long road trip began to come to life.

“Stabler and Sons” was shortened to “Double-S” after the death of Daniel's father when the boys were still in high school. LaVerne had insisted they mark the occasion by rededicating and renaming her sons' inheritance. Each year on their last night together, the family honored their patriarch with country songs and cowboy prayers beneath a sunset summer sky.

The overlapping “SS” fashioned of thick black wrought iron was suspended high above the entry to the property between two tall knotted pines, stripped bare by an axe and smoothed artfully by the West Texas wind. Erin lowered her window and poked her head out catching the spicy smell of mesquite.

“Daniel, I didn't expect the sheer immenseness of this place.” As far as she could see in every direction,
the land was enclosed and marked with their curlicue brand on hundreds of fence posts.

“The maintenance of all this barbed wire must be a full-time job for somebody.”

“Well, we have seasonal workers who stay in the bunkhouse when it's not rented out to hunters. And the Torres family lives on the property and helps with year-round operations. We built them a nice cabin on the western ridge.” He pointed in the direction the sun was headed.

“So, you have caretakers?”

“I guess that's the truth of it, but they're more like family to us. Isadore and Elena were migrant workers until their third son was born and Mama convinced them to stay on full time and become citizens.”

“Bet that was an easy sell.”

“Yeah, considering the poverty they left across the border. But remember, we're talking about LaVerne, here. Why do you think me and Jake built the cabin so far from the main house?” Erin enjoyed the charming smile and half wink that began to punctuate his tongue-in-cheek comments.

There had been no further private moments between the two of them, but Daniel continued to show special kindness when Dana and Erin included him in their time together.

His hand lightly steadied the small of Erin's back during their evening walks around the cul-de-sac. He was available and courteous for even her smallest need. If conditions were different, Erin might interpret Daniel's actions to be what was once called old-fashioned courting. But she knew better.

“Is that your family home?” She pointed to a cluster of
gabled rooflines, hazy in the afternoon heat. Jagged mountains far in the distance made a breathtaking backdrop.

“Actually, those are the stables and the corral is just beyond them. The bunkhouse and Mama's place are up the road, you'll see them in a minute.”

“And your brother's family?”

“Jake built Becky a stucco hacienda over that first hill so they're close by if Mama needs anything. But my sister-in-law was smart to put some distance between herself and LaVerne. She can't sneak up without a cloud of dust announcing her arrival.”

With the big Cadillac right behind them, Daniel kept a slow and considerate pace to hold down the gravel kicked up by his truck tires. Erin was fascinated by the interesting sights he pointed out during the half mile drive from the highway to the working compound.

He pulled over to offer her a good look at the network of classic red barns and what he referred to as livestock pens. LaVerne gave two short blasts of her horn and passed the SUV. Dana waved them eagerly onward, a wide smile on her face.

“She seems pretty happy to be here,” Erin noted.

“I suspect that's true on some level, but it's more likely just relief that the boring ride is over.”

“A person has to be awake to be bored. Dana was dead to the world in your mama's backseat the entire way.” Erin was incredulous at the girl's capacity for sleep. “I don't think she woke up more than once and that was at the truck stop where we bought corn dogs.”

“That's been her road-trip system for years and it works for me. She stays up all night packing, watching TV and loading music on her iPod. When I give her the
ten-minute warning, she drags her pillow and blanket out to the truck, puts on her earphones and burrows into her den to hibernate. That way I don't have to listen to her racket and she doesn't have to be subjected to mine.”

Erin admired the solidly built and well-maintained buildings while she considered this latest explanation of the give and take between Daniel and Dana. It was a marvel how parent and child had cooperated for years to find agreeable solutions whether it was intentional or otherwise. Erin couldn't recall a single time in her youth when she'd been permitted the freedom to work out issues on her own terms. It was a liberty Dana took for granted.

Father, I'm so grateful that this child won't ever experience the harshness that dominated my life at her age.

Dana was sixteen. At sixteen Erin had been completely under somebody's control. It wasn't until she'd been released from foster care, on the verge of adulthood that she could decide anything for herself. And by then, not only was there nobody to argue, there wasn't anybody to even care.

Until Daniel.

Erin returned her attention to the present, to the handsome man beside her who'd been talking while her mind had been wandering.

“I mean, how can any adult honestly say they enjoy rap? Even the Christian variety makes my head pound.”

“Then why do you listen to it?” she asked.

“I just told you, it's our arrangement. When we're driving around town, Dana keeps the headphones off so we can talk and we take turns controlling the radio.”

“Can't you just overrule the music she chooses if you don't like it?”

He cocked his head to the right and sighted down his nose at Erin, every inch a detective. “You didn't hear a word I said, did you?”

“You were talking about taking turns,” she said, hoping the light defensiveness in her voice would cover her short wander through the minefields of her memory.

“Okay, so maybe you were sorta payin' attention.” He gave her a small break. “But to answer your question, no, I don't overrule her music. How else will I know what the kids are listening to? I just grit my teeth and hold my tongue if the lyrics bother me. Then I wait for another time and casually coach her about dicey subjects I pick up in the music.”

As Erin considered his strategy, her respect for his parenting notched even higher. She prayed her influence in Dana's life would never erode the strong foundation Daniel had laid.

“In case nobody's told you lately, you're an incredible father. You always have Dana's best interest at heart and keeping the peace in your relationship seems to be something you pursue one hundred percent of the time.”

He put the SUV in gear and eased it back onto the road.

“Thanks, but I don't deserve such high praise. The truth is I only try ninety-nine percent of the time and I enjoy that last wayward percent far too much.” His tone matched the grin that curled his lips. “You see, when it's my turn to control the radio, I make her listen to the Grand Ole Opry.”

 

It was always comforting for Daniel to be home again.

Sort of.

He was never sure what kind of greeting he'd get from Jake. This time of year he would be knee-deep in
details, glad to see his brother show up but mostly so he could shuck the responsibility of the ranch and give his full attention to the barbecue. It was just as well since Daniel preferred the company of Isadore and his boys to the brother whose needling was the proverbial thorn in Daniel's side. He figured Jake's passive-aggressive way with a wisecrack was God's reminder that there was a more worrisome reason than the western cottonmouth to pursue a career in the city.

As Daniel stepped down and rounded the back of his Expedition, a dinged-up, red Ford pickup ground to a stop nearby. Jake hopped out.

“Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence,” he drawled. “I hope this little side trip on your way to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame won't slow you down, little brother.”

In spite of the cutting words, Jake reached to shake Daniel's hand and then pulled him close for a bear hug.

“It's g-good to see you, t-too,” Daniel stuttered during the back-thumping welcome Jake was administering.

“Was that your mystery woman ridin' shotgun with Mama?”

Daniel shook his head. “Dana's always a mystery to me, but I don't think she's who you meant.”

“Your Dana rode all the way from Houston with LaVerne?” With a leather-gloved fist Jake tipped the brim of his workaday hat back on his head. “How much did that bribe set you back?”

“Not a dime. I think those two are finally in cahoots.” Daniel rolled his eyes at the thought of his mother's and daughter's subtle matchmaking. But Erin had made her intentions clear from the beginning, so they were
wasting their time. Still, in the evenings when they were all sipping sweet tea on the back patio, Daniel couldn't help wondering how things might have been different.

“So, where is the family celebrity?” Jake demanded.

Daniel pulled the handle opening the passenger door, then stepped aside. “Erin, as much as it pains me to admit it, this is my brother. Jake, this is Erin Gray.”

Jake whipped his head in a double take. “It's nice to finally meet you.” He accepted her left hand, squinting hard at her face.

“Are you sure?” She laughed. “The way you're staring makes me think I wasn't what you expected.”

“Sorry, ma'am. I never had much of a poker face. Truth is I thought you'd look at least a little bit like Dana. She sure doesn't favor our family, so who does she take after?”

Daniel waited for Erin's response. As much as he'd wondered the same thing, he knew better than to question Erin. Even Dana had tap-danced around the subject, but never asked outright.

“That answer is probably buried so deep in the roots of the family tree that we'll never know for sure,” Erin said, her answer vague as always, steering conversation away from her past.

“Well, whoever she resembles, it's still a sight better than looking like her old man.” Jake laughed at his own comment.

“That's a fact,” Daniel agreed. “I tell her all the time there are worse things than skin that won't tan. She could have my knobby knees and scrawny backside. Daddy always said it looked like a tribe of Navajos moved out of the seat of my jeans.”

Jake clapped a hand on Daniel's shoulder. “Dana should thank the good Lord every night for her curves. I know my girls would love some.”

The two men unloaded the SUV in the companionable way their father had taught them to work. Each trip home was a reminder of their ability to partner without words, using silent head jerks and one-syllable grunts to communicate. It was always best to keep Jake too busy for conversation.

“Thanks for the help,” Daniel said after the last bag was set on the wraparound veranda. “See you for supper?”

“Yep, we'll all be back by six. Becky has a brisket in the oven and our girls are anxious to see Dana's latest gadgets.”

“Welcome to the Double-S, Erin.” Jake nodded and touched the brim of his hat before climbing back into his truck.

She'd made herself comfortable on the front porch glider in need of its annual coat of candy apple red. Daniel's heart thumped hard realizing Erin had to be the prettiest thing ever to dangle bare feet from that creaky old chair.

“You should always keep shoes on when you're outside,” he warned, knowing firsthand about scorpion stings and fire ant bites. “And not rubber flip-flops either, proper boots that will protect you from bugs and snakes.”

She pulled her knees up, pressing her heels to the edge of the glider. “I know better, I just couldn't resist shucking my socks and feeling this dry air on my toes.” She reached for her things to begin the cumbersome process of putting on stockings and shoes with one hand.

“Here, let me help,” he offered. Before she could object and he could think better of it, Daniel scooped Erin into his arms and carried her across the threshold. It was a pretend moment, but he was finally bringing his bride home. How many times had he regretted not taking Erin to meet his family? But she'd flatly refused, insisting the moment was never right. And it probably still wasn't right, but God had given Daniel this opportunity and he'd make the best of it for as long as it lasted. What was the harm in showing Erin what could have been?

He carried Erin into the huge kitchen that was the epicenter of the spacious main floor and deposited her on a tall stool at the counter.

“What's wrong?” Dana and LaVerne's alarmed voices chorused. His mama hurried across the pine plank floor. “Don't tell me something already got ahold of you.”

“I'm fine.” Erin waved away any concern. “Daniel just gave me VIP taxi service from the porch.”

“Dana, will you help your grandma canvas the ranch for a pair of boots that will fit Erin, please? I should have thought about this before we left Houston.” He'd have enjoyed visiting his favorite Western wear store to custom fit her with a stylish pair of ropers. Even the simplest act of kindness pleased her so. She'd be fun to spoil.