Zoe & Dylan: The Sons of Dusty Walker (6 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

The mall in Kansas City was packed as he’d ever seen a place. Crazy, considering it was a Monday. When he offered that observation to Luke, the man shrugged. “We’re gittin’ close to the holidays. Just wait. This place will be an even worse madhouse in another week or two.”

Dylan grimaced. “No wonder Zoe prefers to do all her shopping online.”

With minimal effort, Hunter managed to sniff out the toy store like a bloodhound fresh on the scent of remote-controlled four wheelers and action figures with accompanying gadgets sold separately. They spent a good hour in the shop—though it felt closer to a lifetime—before Hunter finally settled on a new Ninja Turtle. It was a damn good thing Dylan tagged along on the trip, otherwise Luke woulda bought out the store.

They journeyed back out into the main section of the mall and were momentarily waylaid by several fans wanting autographs. Par for the course. Even with him and Luke going low-key, their faces were too recognizable to go unnoticed.

After a few minutes of him scribbling his name across everything from cellphone covers to notepads, he realized that Hunter was no longer gripping his jeans. He jerked his head up, fear a cold thin blade piercing his gut when he didn’t spot his son anywhere. Heart hammering, he shoved away from the crowd and rushed toward the center court in a blind panic. Blood whooshed in his ears.

How the hell could he let this happen? If anything happened to Hunter—

A familiar Scooby-Doo jacket popped into his vision and his knees nearly buckled beneath him as a tide of relief crashed into him. Quickening his pace, he dashed toward his son. A blonde woman was crouched next to Hunter, smiling at his animated chatter as he pointed at the Nikon strapped around her neck.

Dylan skidded to a halt beside them. “Little Man, don’t
ever
scare me that way again.”

Hunter peered up at him, his bottom lip trembling. Much as it pained him to see his boy on the verge of tears for being yelled at, Hunter needed to know that he was in big trouble.

“Iz I gonna get a spankin’?”

“If you ever run off like that again, yes. You don’t want that, right?”

The boy gave his head a furious shake. Bending, Dylan scooped him into his arms. He turned toward the woman. “Thank you for keeping him occupied.”

“No problem.” She volleyed her stare from  him to Hunter and back again to him. Bemusement tipped her mouth. “So this is kinda crazy.”

He was well used to getting a similar response from fans who ran into him at a public place. He dug in his pocket one-handed. “Shoot. I musta dropped my pen. If you’ve got one handy I can sign whatever you’d like me to. It’s the least I owe ya.”

“You don’t know who I am.” She offered up a rueful grin. “But why would you, right? Duh.” She held out her hand. “I’m Faith Walker.”

He blinked at the last name. “Woah. Are we related?”
Oh Jesus.
He stared at her more closely. There was definitely enough of a resemblance there that she could be his sister.

“Yeah. Cousins.” Her expression softened. “I’m real sorry about your dad. I liked Dusty a lot. He kinda helped me during a rough patch when I lost my father.”

“I’m sorry to hear it. About your dad, I mean.” He frowned. “Did you know about me and my brothers?”

“Before your dad passed? Yeah. He didn’t have to worry about us saying anything to Theresa. We were never much close with her.”

“We?”

“My parents and my sisters. And of course me.”

More family he hadn’t known he had. She was right about one thing—talk about crazy.

“I’m glad we had this chance to meet.” One corner of her mouth tilted upward. “Although, I almost got to meet you a few years back. I happened to run into Dusty at one of your concerts.” She held up the camera. “Even snapped a pic of him.”

His mind veered back to the box of scrapbooks he’d unearthed in Dusty’s safe. There’d been a picture of his dad wearing a Truckstop Pickup T-shirt. Was that the pic she was talking about?

Fucking crazy indeed. “Why didn’t you come backstage?”

“Believe me, I tried to get your dad to do it, but he was worried you wouldn’t be happy to see him.”

Emotion congested his throat. Faith reached out and took his hand. “I know. I’m so sorry. I’m afraid boneheaded Walker stubbornness is an inherited trait.”

He chuckled. “Ya got that right.”

She checked her watch. “Damn. I’m due back at Santa’s Castle.”

“Lemme guess. You’re an elf?”

Her lips twitched. “Not quite. I’m a freelance photographer. My specialty is wildlife shots, but in the meantime I’m making a little extra cash with this side gig during the holidays.”

“Oh yeah? Any chance ya got a card on ya?”

“Sure do.” She dug in her pants pocket and fetched the requested card. “You’re interested in a family photo session?”

“Possibly. I might even be able to hook you up something with the band.”

“Really? That would be awesome.” She started to pass the card over but hesitated for a moment. “Can I make a request though?”

“After the way you saved my butt regarding Hunter?” He snorted. “Of course.”

“If you happen to meet my mother, don’t tell her you and I met. Better yet, don’t tell her anything about me at all.” She returned his quizzical look with a sigh. “It’s a long story I really don’t want to get into.”

He knew all about those. Only too well. He fingered the edge of her business card. “You got it. But seeing as how I have no damn idea who your mother is—”

She cut him off with a snort. “Trust me, that won’t be a  problem. She’ll be all too happy to fill you in.”

Before he could properly ponder what that meant, Faith tousled Hunter’s hair. “Nice meeting ya, little coz. Make sure to mind your daddy, ya hear?”

Hunter nodded somberly before popping his thumb in his mouth. Faith tossed Dylan a wave before dashing off. A second later, Luke stepped beside them. “Who was that?”

“My cousin.”

“Hell, how many relatives have ya got?”

Dylan shook his head, mystified. “Dunno. I’m still tryin’ to figure it out myself.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Lord, I do not know how you can deal with listenin’ to those tone deaf alley cats day in and day out.”

Zoe gave Callie a look before straightening the sheet music resting on the piano. “Um, one of those
alley cats
is Josh.”

“I know. Hell, he’s the worse of them all. Got that gift of the vocal screech from his mama. Bless his poor little heart.” Callie waved her hand impatiently. “Are you done with yer fussin’? I want to get home before my hot neighbor so I can stake out a good surveillance spot.”

Zoe exhaled wearily. “Something tells me you’re going to be calling me for bail in the near future.” She grabbed her bag. After they fetched Josh from the playground they made their way to the nearly deserted parking lot in front of Red Creek Elementary. Although Callie’s subdivision was just down the block, she and Josh were hitching a ride on the return trip home.

“Who wants to stop for danishes?” Callie piped up in a singsong voice the second they were all buckled in.

Zoe gave her a disbelieving look. “I thought you were in an all-fired hurry to stalk your neighbor.”

“Well, yeah. But I gotta have proper sustenance first.”

Rolling her eyes, Zoe pulled out of the lot and headed downtown. She found an available spot directly in front of Heart Starter and killed the engine. The small coffee shop was relatively quiet, but they were disappointed to note that Lexie wasn’t in. They carried their sweet, sticky treats to the table by the window and took a seat.

Callie took a couple bites from her Bear Claw before licking her fingers and glancing at Zoe. “So I’m wondering why you haven’t yet mentioned that ya set a date.”

She stared at her friend. “How did you know?”

“Your mom stopped in earlier to have her roots touched up.”

Shit.
Did the woman have
no
boundaries? “I was gonna tell you.”

“When? After the deed was done?” There was no mistaking the hurt edging Callie’s tone. “It’s because of the Pin The Dick On The Hunk, isn’t it? I’ll leave it at home if it really bothers you that much.”

She sighed. “I don’t care about the game, Callie.”

“Then what is it?”

I’d tell you if I knew.
She kept the thought to herself. No reason to verify for her friend that she was a bigger neurotic mess than previously assumed. “You’re making a big deal outta nothing.”

“Am I? You’ve been acting strange with this whole wedding business. What am I supposed to think? Maybe you don’t even want me to be your Maid of Honor.”

Zoe stared at her plate.

“Oh my God. You don’t want me to be your Maid of Honor.”

The queasy tempest returned to her belly. “I didn’t say that at all. I-I just haven’t thought that far.”

“You expect me to believe that? Good gravy, you’ve been engaged for almost three and a half months.”

“So?” she demanded weakly.

“So it ain’t normal not to have at least considered who you’d have standin’ up with ya.”

That’s right. It wasn’t normal. Which made total sense, considering who they were talking about.

“Have ya even looked at dresses?”

“No.”

Callie gaped at her. “Unless you’re intending to buy something off the rack, don’t you think ya better? You’ll be walking down that aisle in three months. Don’t think you’ll want to be doin’ it nekkid.”

Three months. Oh God.
She pressed a hand to her mouth and groaned as another wave of nausea hit her.

“Are you okay?” Concern suddenly flashed across Callie’s face. “Ya look a little green.”

Zoe shoved her seat back and darted for the bathroom. She made it to the toilet just in the nick of time.

This was the pathetic mess she’d become. On her hands and knees, sick and miserable in a public bathroom. Thank the stars Lexie kept her floors sparkling clean.

Once the unpleasantness passed, she pushed to her feet and trudged to the sink. She didn’t dare look in the mirror to confirm what a sight she must make. She flicked on the faucet and rinsed out her mouth before splashing the refreshing cold water across her face. After she patted herself dry with a handful of paper towels, she made her way back to the table where her companions waited. Josh was too busy coloring to pay much attention to her approach, but Callie’s worried gaze remained pinned on her even as she reclaimed her seat. She offered her friend a sheepish look. “Sorry. It’s been hitting me on and off lately. Must be a bug I picked up.”

Callie eyed her for a long moment. Finally disconcerted by the penetrating stare directed at her, Zoe fidgeted in her chair. “What?”

“Honey, I gotta ask. Have you and Hunkalicious been usin’ protection?”

It took a second to catch Callie’s drift. Zoe gave a short laugh. “I’m
not
pregnant.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Yes, we have.”

“Consistently?”

“You’re starting to sound like my mother.” Zoe rubbed her forehead. “Yes. I’m on the pill.”

“Even that ain’t one-hundred-percent. Especially if you’ve been on antibiotics.”

As if it were dead-set on adding to her nightmares, her mind trekked back to the nasty sinus infection she’d suffered through last month before she’d finally broken down and went to the doctor. “Oh my God.”

“Deep breaths. You might not be.”

“What if I am?”

“Would that be the worst thing ever?” Callie grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “You’re months away from marrying a man who’s head over heels crazy about ya. This time you wouldn’t hafta do it by yerself.”

“It’s not supposed to happen like this.”

Callie laughed. “It doesn’t always go as we planned. I’d think you’d be used to that by now.”

She was. That was the problem. Once again she’d—potentially—gotten pregnant out of wedlock. The pattern was repeating itself. Again.

Another squeeze of her fingers prompted her gaze to lift to Callie. Her friend’s smile failed to deliver the comfort that was intended. “Hey, it’s gonna be all right.”

“I need to know. Be certain I’m...” She couldn’t even bring herself to say the word.

“Yep, I agree. But I think it’s best if we drive into Pittsville to get ya a test kit. Otherwise the ladies at the pharmacy will have the news leaked before that strip even shows a plus or a minus.”

Oh Lord. That was definitely something she didn’t need to happen. “Pittsville it is.”

If nothing else, the name was ironic. And completely appropriate.

***

Ninety minutes later, she sat on the edge of Callie’s bed, her face buried in her hands. Her previous queasiness had long settled down, but the surmounting evidence facing her threatened to kick it up a notch again. Dropping her arms, she stared at Callie. “M-maybe I should take one more test. Just to be sure.”

“Hon, you’ve already taken three. Don’t think you’re gonna get a different answer.”

This couldn’t be happening. Lightheaded, she groaned and stretched back on the mattress. The glaring whiteness of the ceiling hurt her head, so she closed her eyes.

A baby.

Unable to fathom it, she hesitantly lifted her hand and placed it on her tummy. Although she knew the fetus was a miniscule glob of cells
at this point, she couldn’t help imagining it growing inside of her. She’d had this same morning sickness with Hunter. Lordy, she should have recognized the signs.

The mattress dipped slightly and she opened her eyes to glance up at Callie. “I’m having a tough time wrappin’ my head around this.”

Callie chuckled. “Ya don’t say.”

Braving another possible wave of sickness, Zoe scooted up onto her elbows.

“You know Dylan is gonna be over the moon about it.”

He would be. She didn’t doubt it for a second. Chewing her lip, she smoothed a hand over her stomach again. He hadn’t been able to enjoy Hunter’s baby years. With this child, he’d get to experience everything. Its first heartbeat. The first tiny kick in her belly. Later, after their bundle of joy came into the world, he’d get to share in its first steps and the first word it spoke. God willing, it’d be “daddy” this time.

Blinking back tears, she rubbed her forearm across her eyes before meeting Callie’s gaze. “I-I think I’ve got my shit together now.”

Callie squeezed her in a hug. “Hon, I never doubted that you’d get it together. We all have our little breakdowns. And it’s not like ya didn’t have good cause for yours.”

They both pushed up from the bed and Zoe grabbed her purse. “Thank you for being here for me. I don’t know how I would have dealt with it if I’d gotten that news on my own.” Judging from this meltdown, not well at all.

“Don’t be silly. That’s what friends are for.” Callie escorted her to the porch. “Will you be okay drivin’ home?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Call me tomorrow.”

Nodding, she rushed down the stairs. Now that she’d finally gotten her head on straight about the baby, she couldn’t wait to break the news to Dylan. Her stomach jumping with an entirely different nervous energy, she hopped in the truck and pointed the vehicle in the direction of home. The short drive awarded her ample time to strategize how she’d tell him. Should she just blurt it out? No, he deserved better than that after being deprived the first time around with Hunter. Maybe she should make him a special dinner first. Steak and baked potato? Seemed like a fitting surprise-you’re-a-daddy-again dinner. By the time she pulled in behind the SUV she’d already moved on to the dessert stage of the planning.

Tossing her keys in her purse, she be-lined for the house. Hunter launched himself at her the second she stepped through the doorway.

“Mama, come see my Ninja Turtle!”

She dutifully obeyed the request and “oohed” and “aawed” over his cherished new toy. While Hunter continued chittering away like an excited baby magpie, strong arms banded Zoe from behind.

“Glad you’re home, angel. I missed ya somethin’ fierce.”

She craned her neck to meet Dylan’s gaze and he seized the opportunity to steal a kiss that left her breathless. Woozy, she tottered against him. He tightened his hold on her. “Easy there, darlin’. Don’t need ya passing out on me.”

She licked her lips. “Any word from my mom about when she plans to be back?”

“No.” His eyes glinted with mischief. “Why? Whadya have in mind?”

“Not
that
.”

“Way to break a cowboy’s heart.”

“Silly man. I was just trying to determine when I should put dinner on.” Sooner the better. Who knows how long her nerves would hold out.

Dylan immediately sobered. “Actually, I’m kinda glad she’s not here right now.” He let go of her and scratched the back of his head. “There’s somethin’ I need to talk to you about.”

The pensiveness radiating from him stirred the jittery brew in her belly. “What is it?”

“Well, the band was offered a huge opportunity. We’ve been invited to open up for County Limits.”

She stared at him. The news took a second to penetrate her befuddled brain. Once it did she let out an excited squeal and tossed her arms around him. Laughing, he hugged her back. “I take it you’re okay with it?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

He took a deep breath and peered into her eyes. “Okay, here’s the bad news. It’s Sunday.”

“So?”

“Well, that’s the day of your chorale concert.”

She stroked his cheek. “I think County Limits takes precedence over my little concert.” She shook her head. “Guess this lets my dad off the hook.”

“See, that’s kinda the other thing.” He set her down on her feet. “Luke doesn’t want me to go to Vegas.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“It’s sorta breakin’ the arrangement I made with him.”

“Arrangement? You mean the band camp? But they don’t even need you on the weekend.”

He averted his gaze. That alone was enough to set off warning bells. She swallowed past the thick ball of unease stuck in her throat. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

He scraped his hand over his mouth before meeting her eyes again. “Yeah, the band camp is part of the arrangement. But it’s also a means of keeping me off the road. At least for a while.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Luke didn’t want me to leave you and Hunter here by yourselves.”

His words were like a punch to her gut. “What? Why would you agree to that?”

He didn’t immediately answer, and she took a halting step back. “It’s because of me, isn’t it? Because of my stupid issues.”

“Zoe, they’re not stupid.”

If she’d needed confirmation, there it was. “Oh my God.”

He reached for her but she pushed him away. “I-I can’t deal with this right now.”

“Angel, don’t shut me out.”

“I’m not.” Chaffing her arms, she peered at him, the misery once again homesteading her gut. “I told you I didn’t want my issues to come between us.”

“They’re not.” He cupped her face. “Zoe, I love you. You’re a million times more important to me than the band.”