Heart of Texas Volume 2: Caroline's Child

“There’s no need to let our meal get cold,” Grady said. If Richard chose to go without dinner, that was fine by him. If anything, he was grateful not to have his brother monopolizing the conversation, distracting both Caroline and Maggie. Grady pulled out his chair and sat down. Laredo, Savannah and Caroline did so, as well. The only one who remained standing was Maggie.

“What about Richard?” she asked in a small stubborn voice.

“I guess he isn’t hungry,” Caroline said and pulled out the chair next to her own for Maggie.

“He promised he’d sit next to me at dinner.”

“It isn’t a good idea to believe in the things Richard promises,” Grady said as much for Caroline’s ears as for her daughter’s. He hated to disappoint the five-year-old, but it was God’s own truth. Richard was about as stable as beef prices. His loyalties constantly shifted toward whatever was most advantageous to him, with little concern for anyone else.

His playful marriage proposal to Caroline worried Grady. She’d laughed it off, but Grady found no humor in it. Apparently his brother knew Grady was interested in Caroline and thus considered her fair game. It would be typical of Richard to do what he could to thwart any romance between Caroline and Grady by making a play for her himself. Grady knew that made him sound paranoid, but he thought his fears were justified. Experience had been an excellent teacher.

He reached for the meat and forked a thick slice of roast beef onto his plate, then passed the platter to Caroline.

Maggie folded her arms and stared defiantly at Grady. “I’m not eating until Richard’s here.”

“Maggie, please,” Caroline cajoled. She glanced at Grady, her eyes apologetic.

“Grady yelled at Richard.”

Once again Grady was the culprit. “I shouldn’t have yelled, should I?” He was careful to speak in a low quiet voice. “I do that sometimes without thinking, but I wasn’t angry at you.”

“You were mad at Richard.”

No use lying about it. “Yes, I was.”

“And now he won’t come to dinner.”

“I think Richard has other reasons for not showing up,” Caroline explained as she placed a scoop of mashed potatoes on her daughter’s plate. “Do you want one of Savannah’s yummy buttermilk biscuits?”

Maggie hesitated for a long moment before she shook her head. “I won’t eat without Richard.”

“Did I hear someone call my name?” Richard asked cheerfully as he stepped into the kitchen. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, not sounding the least apologetic. He pulled out his chair, sat down beside Maggie and reached for the meat platter all in a single graceful movement.

Caroline’s child shot Grady a triumphant look as if to say she’d known all along that Richard hadn’t lied to her.

Grady’s appetite vanished. For every step he advanced in his effort to make friends with Maggie, he seemed to retreat two. Once more Richard had made him look like a fool in front of the little girl. And once more he’d allowed it to happen.

“Is it true you want to marry my mom?” Maggie asked Richard with such hopefulness that the question silenced all other conversation.

“Of course it’s true.” Richard chuckled, then winked at Caroline.

“I think you should,” Maggie said, hanging on Richard’s every word.

Grady didn’t speak again during the entire meal. Not that anyone noticed. Adored by Maggie, Richard was in his element, and he became the center of attention, joking and teasing, complimenting Savannah, even exchanging a brief joke with Laredo.

Caroline was quiet for a time, but soon, Grady noted, Richard had won her over just as he had everyone else. Despite his disappointment, Grady marveled at his brother’s talent. Richard had always savored attention, whereas Grady avoided the limelight. It had never bothered him before, but now he felt a growing resentment, certain Caroline was about to be caught by the force of Richard’s spell. Other than Ellie Fraiser, Grady had never known any woman to resist his brother’s charms. Ellie was the exception, and only because she was already in love with Glen Patterson, although neither of them had recognized the strength of their feelings for each other—until Richard interfered. Indirectly, and definitely without intending it, Richard had brought about something good. Still, if it hadn’t been for Glen in Ellie’s life, Grady wondered what would have happened. That, at least, was one worry he’d escaped.

As soon as he could, Grady excused himself from the table and headed toward the barn. He would have liked to linger over dinner, perhaps enjoy a cup of coffee with Caroline on the porch, but he could see that was a lost cause.

Not until he’d stalked across the yard did he recognize the symptoms. Damn it all, he was jealous. The only woman he’d ever cared about, and Richard was going to steal her away. The problem was, Grady had no idea how to keep him from Caroline.

To his surprise Laredo followed him outside. Like Grady, his brother-in-law was a man of few words.

“Don’t let him get to you,” Laredo said, leading the way into the barn.

“I’m not,” Grady told him, which wasn’t entirely a lie. He knew the kind of man Richard was; he knew the insecurity of Richard’s charm. He didn’t like the fact that his brother was working on Caroline, but he wasn’t willing to make a fool of himself, either. Other men had made that mistake before him. Glen Patterson, for one. The poor guy had come off looking like an idiot at the Cattlemen’s Association Dance. Richard and Glen had nearly come to blows over Ellie, with half the town looking on. They might have, too, if Sheriff Hennessey hadn’t stepped in when he did.

“Good.” Laredo slapped him on the back and the two went their separate ways.

Grady didn’t stay in the barn long. He gave himself ample time to control his resentment, then decided that, while he wasn’t going to accept the role of fool, he didn’t intend to just give up, either. He’d tried to make sure Caroline understood that their lunch today was more than a meal between friends. Hell—despite what she’d said—he didn’t know if she ever considered him a friend.

Grady found her sitting on the porch with Savannah sipping hot tea. Maggie sat on the steps cradling her doll. He strolled toward the women, without a clue what to say once he joined them. He supposed he’d better learn a few conversational rules, he thought grimly, if that meant he’d have a chance with Caroline.

The two women stopped talking as he approached, which led him to surmise that he’d been the topic of conversation. He felt as awkward as a schoolboy and, not sure what else to do, touched the rim of his hat.

Savannah, bless her heart, winked conspiratorially at him and stood. “Maggie,” she said, holding out her hand to the little girl, “I found one of my old dolls this afternoon. Would you like to play with her?”

Maggie leaped to her feet. “Could I?”

“You bet.”

As Savannah and Maggie disappeared into the house, Grady lowered himself onto the rocker his sister had vacated. He felt as tongue-tied and unsure as he had that afternoon. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to remember that he’d been talking to Caroline all her life. It shouldn’t be any different now.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” he commented, thinking the weather was a safe subject with which to start.

“Those look like storm clouds to the east.”

Grady hadn’t noticed. He gazed up at the sky, feeling abashed, until Caroline leaned back in her rocker and laughed. He grinned, loving the sound of her amusement. It was difficult not to stare. All these years, and he hadn’t seen how damn beautiful she was. While he could speculate why it’d taken him this long, he didn’t want to waste another minute. It was all he could do to keep his tongue from lolling out the side of his mouth whenever he caught sight of her. He longed to find the words to tell her how attractive she was, how much he liked and respected her. It wasn’t the first time he’d wished he could issue compliments with Richard’s finesse.

“Come on, Grady, loosen up.”

“I’m loose,” he growled and noted how relaxed she was, rocking back and forth as if they often sat side by side in the evening. His parents had done that. Every night. They’d shared the events of their day, talked over plans for the future, exchanged feelings and opinions.

The memory of his mother and father filled his mind. Six years, and the pain of their absence was as strong now as it had been in the beginning. Some nights Grady would sit on the porch, the old dog beside him, and silently discuss business matters with his father, seeking his advice. Not that he actually expected his father to provide answers, of course; Grady was no believer in ghosts or paranormal influences. But those one-sided discussions had helped see Grady through the rough years. It was during those times, burdened with worries, that he’d been forced to search deep inside himself for the answers. And on rare occasions, he’d experienced moments when he’d felt his father’s presence more intensely than his absence.

“You’ve gotten quiet all of a sudden,” Caroline said.

“I want to talk to you about Richard.” His words were as much a surprise to him as to Caroline.

“Oh?” Her eyebrows rose.

“I realize you must find his attention flattering, but like I said earlier it isn’t wise to believe anything Richard says.” The lazy sway of her rocking stopped. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this,” he added. It wasn’t pleasant for him, either. Regardless of anything between them, though, Grady’s one concern was that Richard not hurt Caroline.

“I appreciate what you’re doing, but I’m a big girl.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest you weren’t. It’s just that, well, Richard has a way with women.”

“And you assume he’s going to sweep me off my feet, is that it?” The teasing warmth in her voice was gone, replaced by something less friendly.