Texas Two Step: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 1 (26 page)

When Magda took an extended pause, Olivia said, “You know, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

Magda smiled. “It’s fine. Hard to believe how much I still miss her. Anyway, Mom and Hobbs got together. He moved on to the next rodeo. Mom told him she’d follow, but she didn’t. She suspected she was pregnant. Being with a professional bull rider is a hard life. She didn’t want to stay on the road with a baby. I was born in Cheyenne and we stayed there until I was seven. I guess that’s as long as Mom stayed anywhere. We moved to California, Las Vegas, Tulsa, then back to Eureka, California. Mom died there.”

Olivia laid her hand over Magda’s. “I’m so sorry. She must have been young.”

“Twenty-eight. I was ten.”

The horror of being alone at such a young age broke Olivia’s heart. “Oh, God. How awful for you.”

Magda shrugged and drank her coffee but Olivia wasn’t fooled by her nonchalance.

“The state took me because no one claimed me,” Magda continued. “I must have lived in ten different foster homes before I left for good.”

“Left?”

“Ran away. Went out on my own.” Magda got up and refilled her coffee cup. “I’m not sure what was worse…living in some of those foster homes or living on the streets.” She walked back to the table. “Somewhere along the line, social services reached out to Hobbs.” She sat. “Mom did something right. She listed him as my father. He was always one step behind the foster system, though. When he finally caught up with me, I’d been on the street for a couple of years, getting by the best I could.”

Olivia rubbed her eyes. Not surprisingly, her fingertips came away damp. “Drugs?”

Magda didn’t reply at first. After a couple of minutes of strained silence that made Olivia questioned whether she should have asked, Magda said, “Some. I was luckier than most. I was doing some coke and a little weed, but before I got deep into the lifestyle, Hobbs showed up and dragged me back here.” She smiled. “I think he pretty much forced Mitch to give me a job.”

Olivia returned the smile. “I’m pretty sure Mitch does what he wants most of the time. If he didn’t want to hire you, he wouldn’t have, and from what I’ve seen he got the best end of the deal. You keep this house running like a clock.”

Pink tinged Magda cheeks. “Thanks, but I had a lot to learn when I got here. That bitch, Joanna—sorry. I shouldn’t have called her that.”

“Why not? She is…most of the time.”

Magda snorted a laugh. “She hated me from the minute I drove onto the property. I think she’s made it her life’s mission to get me out of here.”

“Maybe she thinks you might beat her out of getting back with Mitch.”

Magda spewed coffee on the table. She swiped at the drops on her chin. “Sorry. You should warn me before you say something like that.” She laughed. “Mitch isn’t interested in me, and I am certainly not interested in him. He’s already in love and it’s not with me.”

Olivia’s heart lurched. “He is?”

“Oh, Olivia. You can’t be that blind. The man is crazy in love with you.”

She took a gulp of cold coffee in an attempt to dislodge the boulder in her throat. “Really? You think so?” Olivia felt sure he did, but he hadn’t said the words.

Magda shook her head. “When you’re not looking, he’s watching your every move.”

“Maybe he’s afraid I’m going to steal the silver.”

Magda snickered. “Not hardly.”

“What’s the deal with Joanna? Seems like every time I turn around, the woman’s oozing through the door.” Olivia hated hearing the jealous tone in her voice, but Joanna’s frequent visits were a sore point for her.

Joanna had
dropped by
almost every night. Amazing how she just happened to be in the area when it was a good forty-five miles from town and probably an additional twenty miles to her parents’ house where she was staying. She always had a pressing issue that required speaking with Mitch alone in his study. Olivia couldn’t imagine what issue was so dire as to require daily runs out to the ranch, and she didn’t ask. She suspected Adam and she were flies in the ointment of Joanna’s plan, and that gave Olivia perverse enjoyment.

“Oh, that woman’s got her hook set for him. I can’t see what he sees in her. I can only hope he is smart enough to avoid her trap again, which he will with you around. Want to move in?”

Olivia leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “Sorry, Magda, but Adam and I are going home. Probably soon. My ankle is doing much better. I think I’ll be off the crutches for good by the end of the week.”

Magda frowned. “I’ll hate to see you both go. I’ve loved having you here. And Adam? I think I’m in love. Hmm. Going for a younger man. Would that make me a cougar?”

Olivia laughed and stood. “You’re wonderful with him. I think he’s pretty much in love with you too, but I’m not ready to be your mother-in-law.”

When Magda laughed, Olivia pushed her chair back under the table. “I’m heading into town for a little shopping, a manicure and some me time, unless you want to come along?”

“Thanks, but I’m not the girlie-manicure type. Now if you wanna go get a tattoo, I’m your girl.”

Olivia grinned. “I’m not exactly the tattoo sort of woman, but I’ll keep you in mind if I change my mind. Do you need me to pick up anything for you while I’m in town?”

“Nope. I’m good.”

“Okay, then. I should be home late this afternoon.”

After an hour-long massage, a spa manicure and pedicure, and two new western belts she just had to have, joy and relaxation filled Olivia. She knew she wore a smile worthy of a rodeo clown, but she couldn’t help it. Today was just what the doctor ordered. Not ready to head back to the ranch, she decided if she checked on Adam and all was well, she was going to have a long lunch and enjoy not having to cut up anyone else’s food but her own.

The Red Rose Cafe came up on her left. Olivia wheeled into the parking lot. Exactly the type of place she could never take her son…and exactly the type of café she wanted—quiet, calm, and good food, if the number of cars in the parking lot was any indication. She dialed Mitch’s cell phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mitch. It’s Olivia. How’s Adam?” In the background, she could hear Adam talking and cows mooing.

“He’s fine. Hold on. I’ll get him.”

“Hullo?”

“Hi, honey. It’s Momma. Are you having fun with Mitch?”

“Guess what?”

“I don’t know. What?”

“I saw a baby cow come out of its momma’s bottom.”

Olivia squeezed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. “Really?” This might push her birds-and-bees talk with Adam to much sooner than she’d planned.

“Yeah. It was really cool.”

“Well…I’m, um, glad.”

“Daddy said I could name it.”

“Oh. Is it a boy or a girl cow?”

“I don’t know. I’ll ask. Daddy.” Adam’s voice slammed into her ear. “Momma wants to know if it’s a boy cow or girl cow.”

When Mitch answered in his deep Texas drawl, an army of goose bumps marched down her spine. She had it bad if just the man’s voice through a cell phone could evoke images of dark nights and sweaty sheets.

“Daddy says it’s a boy…like me. Can I name it after me?”

Olivia packed away her erotic fantasies until later when she could actually practice them on Mitch and refocused her attention on her son. “You want to name the bull Adam?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine with me if it’s okay with Mitch.”

“Yay!”

“Let me talk to Mitch.”

“How’s your day in town going?” Mitch asked.

“Awesome. I thought I’d grab a quiet late lunch before I head back to the ranch. Will that be a problem for you? I mean, if Adam’s in the way I’m sure Magda would keep an eye on him for a while.”

“You go enjoy yourself and don’t give us guys a thought. There’s nothing I have to do today that he can’t come along. Besides we’re having fun, right?”

“Right!” Adam yelled into the phone.

“Okay then, I’ll see you guys tonight.”

Olivia smiled as she tucked her phone into her purse. Her son was happy at Mitch’s ranch. She was happy. Mitch seemed to be happy. Mitch hadn’t asked her to marry him again since the night of their rooftop talk, but she felt sure he would. Is it possible that the foundation for a good life together was staring her in the face? Should she give serious consideration to moving to the Lazy L? Maybe it was time for her to confess to Mitch how very much she loved him. Tonight. She’d open the discussion on their future tonight. Now that she’d made that decision, she’d answered her growling stomach.

In the restaurant, she was given a booth on the far side of the room, perfect for safely stowing her crutches. While she didn’t need them at home, being on her feet so much today required a little support. But her leg was getting stronger every day. To celebrate her impending recovery, she ordered iced tea and chicken Caesar salad, then she settled back to enjoy not being a mom for the next hour or so.

It was difficult to tell how many people were in The Red Rose. Separation barriers between the booths were high and solid up to criss-cross latticework near the top. The arrangement provided for visual privacy, but like any public setting, conversations tended to float over the top of the dividers.

As she’d been led to her table, she’d noticed a couple of women drinking tea who looked to be in their mid-thirties. After she was seated, she realized her table was directly beside theirs, separated only by the wooden partition. Once she’d listened in on a table of male cross-dressers discussing a recent Victoria Secret foray and learned way more than she ever wanted to know on the subject. Since then she’d tried to shut out conversations around her in public places. However, the room was small and the tables were close, making it almost impossible not to overhear the conversation at the nearest table.

“I hear his son looks just like him,” said one of the women.

“Really? Then that must be one cute kid.”

“Must be. Can you imagine finding out you had a five-year-old son you knew nothing about?”

Olivia’s heart lurched. Were they talking about Mitch and Adam? She focused her hearing on that conversation, trying to shut out others around her.

“Well, Joanna should be here any minute and you know she’ll have all the scoop.”

Oh my God. They were discussing her son.

“Where is she, anyway? She’s always late.”

“This time she’s got a good excuse. She’s meeting with Mitch’s lawyer.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have the whole story, but if I understand it correctly, she and Mitch are going to give their marriage another try. She’s helping Mitch gather the information he needs to sue for custody of his son.”

Olivia’s heart almost stopped. The room blurred and swayed in her vision as a thick bolt of nausea shot through her. Mitch had been planning behind her back to sue for custody? She swallowed the golf ball forming in her throat.

“I swear Joanna’s a saint. I don’t know if I’d be willing to take on my husband’s illegitimate son.”

Olivia dug in her purse for twenty dollars to pay for a meal she hadn’t received and couldn’t have eaten if she had. She’d leaned over to retrieve her crutches when another voice stopped her dead.

“Hi, y’all. Sorry I’m late.” Joanna’s voice floated over the top of the wall. “You know how lawyers are. Always wanting to chat, chat, chat and run their bills up.” She laughed. “But what the heck? Mitch can afford it.”

Olivia sat up and leaned against the wall. There was no way to get to the entrance without Joanna seeing her.

“I was just telling Helen how impressed I am with you. I’m not sure I could take on my husband’s illegitimate son.”

“Well,” Joanna said, the reek of self-satisfaction coloring her tone. “I’m not a saint…at least not in Mitch’s bedroom. And trust me, he likes it that way.”

The three women laughed. Olivia shut her eyes as her heart shattered into a million tiny pieces.

“Here ya go, honey.” An older woman with “Madge” on her nametag sat Olivia’s chicken Caesar salad on the table. “Can I get you anything else?”

Olivia signaled with her finger for the waitress to lean closer. “Is there a back way out of here? There is someone I don’t want to run into.” She slipped the twenty across the table. “I believe this will clear my bill.”

The waitress pocked the money and nodded. “Follow me.”

Olivia gathered her crutches, slid from the booth and made her way toward the kitchen, which fortunately had a door and was close to where she had been seated. She didn’t dare look back at Joanna’s table, but the women’s chatter and laughter accompanied her through the kitchen door.

She made her way back to Mitch’s truck as fast as she could. Before she started the engine, her forehead hit the steering wheel with a thump. How could she have been so stupid? So duped by Mitch? The conversation with Magda had circled through her head all day on a continuous loop. During her massage, when she was fully relaxed and the stress of the past few weeks was seeping from her, she’d made the hard decision to give her love for Mitch a chance and give Drake a definitive negative answer to his multiple marriage proposals.