Texas Strong (17 page)

“Okay,” Thad said happily. “And after we finish, can we go see your ranch, Big Theo?”

“Thad, we wait for an invitation. We might be finishing really late tonight, anyway.” She glanced at him in apology.

He didn’t know how to explain his simultaneous wish to have her bring her sunshine to his land—and his horror of getting her anywhere near the scene of too many nightmares.

“We’ll figure something out” was the best he could do for now.

Then a ripple went through the crowd, and he looked over the heads around them.

“It’s Ian and Scarlett,” he said. “Bringing the baby home.”

“A baby! Can we go see, Mommy?” Becky asked.

“I don’t know, honey. We don’t really know them, and there are a lot of people eager to greet them.”

Abruptly Tank’s cell rang, and he stepped away to answer. He listened, and his heart sank like a stone.

The Karnes couple was at it again. And everyone else was busy with other calls. He returned to Chrissy and her children. “I’m sorry. I’m on call, and everyone else is tied up.”

“Of course.” She touched his arm gently. Her beautiful face looked up at him, her eyes warm and worried. “Be safe, Tank.” She rose to her toes and kissed his cheek before he could dodge.

He only nodded, though he caught the odd looks around them.

“You, too.”

“Come see me when you’re done?”

He shook his head. “It could be really late.”

“I can wait for you.”

“No need.” The call would be bad, he feared, and he didn’t want to go to her tainted by all it could dredge up.

“I’m going to anyway, Tank.”

“You aren’t easy to persuade, are you?”

“That’s been noted by others. You might as well save your breath.”

He shook his head and left, holding her smile close to his heart.

In the end, she and her children joined the growing crowd waiting to see Ian and Scarlett and their baby girl. The sense of community she witnessed made Chrissy’s heart ache with her longing to be part of this place, of these people. A joy, a powerful thanksgiving swelled as Ian emerged from the SUV and rounded to open the door for Scarlett to alight. Tenderly they brought forth their baby girl, named after Ruby’s daughter who’d vanished so long ago and never returned. Chrissy couldn’t imagine leaving this place and all this love.

Ruby stood beside her granddaughter, face alight with joy as they accepted the greetings from one and all. The two of them, Scarlett and Ruby, disappeared in the forest of big, broad-shouldered men.

There were stars present who were internationally famous, obscenely rich, but here, Ruby was queen. Everyone loved her, and based on what Chrissy had been told about the long years Ruby had kept Sweetgrass alive by sheer will, she could only imagine how this day felt to the older woman.

New life in a town that had endured. Suffered and diminished, but one small woman’s determination had kept the tiny flame burning.

And now it was a warm, welcoming fire.

Maybe Chrissy couldn’t be the mainstay for a whole town, but she could emulate Ruby’s devotion for her children.

I’m going to stay here. We’re going to make this our place
. She drew her children closer and felt not how many mistakes she’d made, for a change, but how grateful she was that those mistakes had brought her to this town. Her long, winding road had led to a place that she wanted desperately to call home.

“There you are!”

Chrissy jolted and turned. “Laura! You made it!”

“Aunt Laura!” the kids cried.

She enveloped them in grateful hugs, then finally turned to Chrissy. “Thank you. I didn’t know where to go—” Laura’s voice broke.

Chrissy was stunned to see her always-steady, ever-certain sister look hesitant and fragile. “I’m glad you’re here.” She hugged her extra hard and long. And felt her tremble.

Jake, what on earth have you done?

All too soon, Laura drew back, wiping discreetly at her eyes. “So what is all this?”

The kids competed to explain, Thad full of how good he was at hammering, and Becky telling her about quilting. Laura, as always, listened to them with complete devotion.

“So who is this Big Theo?” Laura finally asked when there was a free moment.

Chrissy scanned for him, but there was no reason to expect him back. “Just a kind man who’s helped us out.”

“I’m glad, but—”

“You don’t have to warn me. I know I’m a bad judge of men. He’s got…issues, yes. But…” Here Chrissy firmed her jaw. “I’m just trying to be his friend, that’s all.”

Laura arched one brow, but at that moment, she spotted Walker Roundtree, and her jaw dropped. “Is that—”

Chrissy grinned. “Yep.”

Laura stared. “I know you told me, but… And there’s Josh Marshall and Liam—” She stared at Chrissy. “They really are even better looking in person. Who could imagine?”

Chrissy grinned. “I know. And you haven’t even seen Josh’s older brother. Or met Jackson Gallagher. He owns Enigma Games, and you’d think he’d be a total geek, but he’s also handsome as ten kinds of sin. Then there’s—” She started to list all the gorgeous men in Sweetgrass, but Laura would just have to see for herself.

“Is your guy as good-looking?” Laura murmured.

“First of all, he’s not my guy, and no, not really. He’s more rugged, and he bears the scars of his life on his face, but…I don’t look at him that way. He has a beautiful smile, and he’s a little shy and—”

“Not at all your type, then.”

Her shoulders sank. “I guess not.”

“Good.” Laura nodded. “Your type should be drowned at birth.”

That startled a laugh out of Chrissy. “I’m not here for a man. I’m here to make a home.”

“Seriously?”

“Look around you. Have you ever known a town to do anything like this? To pull together this way?” She pointed toward where Ian and Scarlett stood, surrounded by others. “That couple there, the woman is Scarlett, and she was trained in Paris as a chef, but she came here looking for Ruby, the grandmother she’d never known she had. And she stayed. Married Ian, and that’s their baby. Both of them nearly died during the birth, but the whole town rushed in to get them to help.” She looked at her sister. “Jake is the one who took care of them and saved their lives.”

Laura’s eyes teared, and she visibly sagged. “Jake the hero.”

“You used to love that about him. Talk to me.”

Laura shook her head. “It’s not that I’m not glad he’s so gifted. I’m really glad they were saved, but—” She shook her head wearily. “I’m losing him, Cee Cee. And he doesn’t even see that we’re losing what we always had. He’s so tired when he comes home that half the time—more than half—he sleeps on the couch.”

Shock rippled through Chrissy. “You and Jake were always so solid. I can’t imagine he’d—”

“Imagine. It’s happening. He’s obsessed. He loves his work, and I’m so afraid…” Her sister pressed her lips together, and Chrissy could only offer her a hug.

“How long since you’ve slept?”

Laura shrugged.

“Let’s take you home and put you to bed. You’ll have a chance to meet these people tomorrow, but you need sleep for now.”

Laura gripped her arm. “Don’t tell him. If Jake calls you, don’t tell him where I am.”

“What? But he’ll worry—”

“I don’t care. He needs to worry. I’m fighting for my marriage here. I want him to see what life is like without me, and I can only hope that he doesn’t like it better.”

“That won’t happen. You know that. You two have something amazing, something I’d sell my soul for.”

“Had,” Laura said dully. “Not anymore.”

Truly shaken by her sister’s unusual pessimism, Chrissy wanted to call Jake right this minute and ask him what on earth he thought he was doing.

But she’d promised. Laura had practically raised her, and Chrissy finally had a chance to repay her. “Come on, kids. Aunt Laura is very tired. Let’s take her home, okay?”

With only minimal protest from Thad and complete agreement from Becky, their small group departed the gathering.

Chrissy looked back. They weren’t a part of Sweetgrass yet, not really.

But they’d planted seeds today, and she would nurture those seeds until they sprouted and bore fruit.

“That tickles, Aunt Laura!” Her nephew, Thad, wriggled in her lap as Laura buried her nose in his neck that evening.

Was there ever a better smell than little-boy sweat? Slightly acrid, salty with an undertone of grass and leaves—

She squeezed him more tightly, just for a second, then growled, as he’d like much better. “Too bad, Sky Master. I have you in my power, and you’re not getting loose.” Her fingers tucked into his sides and began a dance designed to make him writhe.

“No—help! Save me, Mom!” Thad giggled, squirming like an eel to escape the tickling. “Aunt Laura, no—” He nearly fell off her lap, but Laura caught him in time.

Then lost her balance. “Oof—”

Thad escaped and shot to his feet, arms thrown high in the air. “I win! Score, Sky Master, one—” He cast her a mock-sneer. “Old lady Aunt Laura, zip.”

“Old, huh? I’ll show you—” Lightning-quick, she leaped.

He skipped away, squealing his delight. “Can’t catch me, can’t catch me—”

Puddin’ barked and circled them. Laura charged after Thad, who squealed his delight. He whirled to head down the hall—

And ran smack into his mother, who was loaded down with linens for the sofa. Chrissy grabbed him with her one free arm. “Have you finished putting away your toys, young man?”

“Aw, Mom. Aunt Laura and me—”

“And I—” Chrissy corrected.

Thad rolled his eyes. “Aunt Laura—” He cast Laura a grin. “Young Aunt Laura and I were just taking a break. Weren’t we?”

Out of breath, Laura lifted an eyebrow. “If you think I’m helping you out now, you are severely wrong, my man.”

“Young, beautiful Aunt Laura?” His mouth curved.

“You’re out of luck, champ,” Chrissy said. “The Mom is here now. Better go do your homework.”

“Man… You’re no fun, Mom.” But his eyes sparkled.

“And don’t assume I’m not proud of that.” Chrissy brushed his hair from his forehead.

A pang of sheer envy of her sister hit Laura, and not because few things disturbed Thad’s sunny demeanor—after all, he wasn’t a teenager yet. Plenty of time for that to change.

But even in the worst of the rollercoaster of her kids’ teenage-hormone insanity, she’d loved being a mother. Couldn’t get enough of having her chicks around her, never mind that they brought platoons of friends and noise with them. She’d cooked enough for an army day after day and had felt honored that her children’s friends preferred her house over their own. She’d dried tears and planned campaigns to win over crushes, counseled this one to forgive his dad and that one to deal with her mom.

Every day had flown by so swiftly that it wasn’t until Gabe and his friends had all gone off to college that she’d had a moment to catch her breath.

She liked the silence, the freedom. She
did
. Hadn’t she prayed for this day?

Yet as she watched her nephew do his little-boy skip down the hall to his room, her heart twisted. “They grow up so fast.”

“Is that the real issue?” Her sister clasped her hand. “You miss the kids?”

“No. I told you—”

The telephone rang, and Laura didn’t get to finish. As her sister headed to the kitchen, Laura called out, “Remember—you promised.”

Chrissy picked up the phone. “Hello?” Then she glanced at her sister. “Hi, Jake.” She listened, and Laura could sense her waffling. Chrissy adored Jake, and the feeling was mutual.

Laura fired off her sternest glare.

Chrissy’s shoulders sank. “No, I haven’t seen her. She’s probably just run out for something, you think?” Her brows snapped together. “She took the dog, huh? Has anything happened between you?” A pause. “Oh. Wow. Missing Our Day. That’s pretty bad.” Chrissy’s voice went soft. “She loves you, Jake. Don’t forget that. Of course I will.” She frowned at Laura. “It would be stupid of her not to give you a chance to explain.”

Laura threw up her hands. Great. Just great.

“But maybe you two could use some time together. You’ve been putting in a lot of hours lately.”

Okay, good girl. Thank you
.