A Texas Child

“I bet Walt uses his.”

“Hell, yeah. Abby calls ten times a day to check on the baby and so does Ethan. If the baby farts, they want to know about it.”

Levi wanted to laugh and he wasn’t in a laughing mood. “Did you take your blood pressure pill this morning? You’re grouchier than usual.”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“Well, you’re rambling. I don’t know what the subject is anymore.”

His grandfather nailed him with one of those I-know-you-boy looks. “Who’s the fancy lady?”

“Someone I knew a long time ago.” He didn’t bother to stonewall or lie.

“Thought so. Someone took her child?”

“No.” He gave him a short version of the story Myra had told him because he knew Pop would keep jabbing until he drew blood.

“That bastard beat his girlfriend into a coma and took her baby? And it’s Stuart Stevens’s daughter?”

“That’s about it.”

Pop tapped the table with his arthritic knuckles. “You can be packed and on the road in ten minutes.”

“I told you I’m not taking the case.”

“Why not? It’s Stu’s grandson and his life is in danger.”

“I’m not the only P.I. around.”

“You’re the only one who can find him in less than twenty-four hours and it looks like that little boy doesn’t have much time.”

“Pop...”

“Wait a minute. How do you know this woman?”

Levi tried hard not to grit his teeth. “I met her when I was a cop.”

“Is she the woman you were holed up with for about six months?”

“We weren’t holed up. I moved into her apartment.”

“Same thing. It was like you were in heat or something. You couldn’t come home. You had to be with her and then all of a sudden it just fizzled out.”

“Yep.” He wasn’t talking about this with his grandfather.

“So what happened to all that heat?”

“Like you said, it fizzled out.”

“Mmm. So what’s the problem?”

“I’m not getting involved with her again.”

Pop scratched his gray head. “Some of my brain cells nap, some of them have just plain dried up, but the ones that are working are confused as hell. The woman is just asking you to take the case. I don’t see a problem. Oh, is this about Valerie? You sure as hell don’t want to mess that up. She’s making pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy tonight. I’m not eating all day.”

Levi closed his computer and got to his feet. While Pop was on another subject, he decided to make his escape. “I’m going into the office.”

Pop frowned so deep his forehead looked like road ruts. “Wait a minute. We’re not through talking.”

“I am.”

Pop pointed a gnarled finger at him. “If something happens to that boy, you’ll never forgive yourself. I know you just as well as I know myself. You’re a P.I. It’s a job. Valerie will understand because she loves you, and if she don’t trust you, well, then, son, you ain’t got a thing.” Pop pushed to his feet. “Now I’m gonna go drive my tractor and push some dirt around just for the hell of it, and if I feel like it, I might plant some winter coastal for my pain-in-the-ass cows.”

It’s not about Valerie. But explaining that to Pop would take more patience than he had right now.

Levi took a quick shower, pushing Myra to the back of his mind. She wouldn’t stay there, though. Yanking on jeans, he tried to figure out what he was so angry about. She had some gall coming out here and destroying his peace. Grabbing a shirt out of the closet, he paused.

He was overreacting.

This wasn’t about Valerie. This wasn’t about Myra. It was about him and his damn pride. Myra had taken a strip of it and crushed his heart. It wasn’t easy to trust again and let a woman back into his life. He loved Valerie and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, so his anger was out of place.

Slipping his arms into a white shirt, he thought about his parents. They’d had a crappy marriage. His father had been a cowboy rancher and his mom was a city girl. They’d fought all the time. It had come to an end when his father was killed in a car/truck accident when Levi was nine. His mom had moved them from the ranch to Austin. Levi hated the city and had begged to live with his grandfather. That hadn’t happened until his mom met someone else, a short six months later. They’d moved to Virginia and Levi refused to go, so his mother relented and allowed him to stay with his grandfather. After that, Levi had minimal contact with his mom and his sister. They visited every now and then, but they felt like strangers.

He was well aware he had a trust issue with women. He blew out a breath and admitted that maybe a part of him was never going to get over Myra. That was a long way from doing her a favor, though.

But what about Stu?

Opening his sock drawer, he pulled out a pair. Unable to stop himself, he reached into the back corner where he had a single sock stored. He sat on the bed with it in his hand and dumped out the object that was inside—a ring box. Flipping open the top, he stared at the solitary diamond he’d planned to give Myra that weekend long ago.

He wasn’t sure why he’d kept the ring. Maybe as a reminder of the pain she’d caused him. Putting it back in the drawer, the anger left him. He’d learned from his affair with Myra. No one was perfect. Certainly not him. He didn’t hate Myra. He’d hated what she’d done to his pride. It was a man thing. But he was tough and she’d made him tougher. It reinforced his decision not to get involved with her again—even if it was business.

As he headed for his truck, he couldn’t help but think of what Pop had said. Could he live with himself if something happened to that little boy?

CHAPTER THREE

MYRA DROVE TO the Westwood Nursing Facility to visit with Stu and to let him know Levi wasn’t taking the case. On the way, she called Mick Travers, another P.I., and left a message on his cell. She’d worked with him before and she knew he’d call her back.

Stu was lucky to have good health insurance that included extended care. He’d lived in a condo, but was so weak from the cancer treatments, Natalie had talked him into moving here, where he had constant care. The place was very nice and it brought Natalie peace of mind.

Stu and Myra went way back. Fresh out of law school, Myra had been searching for a job for weeks and had an interview with the D.A. of Travis County in Austin. She’d been sitting in the secretary’s office when Stu walked in. She had no idea he was the assistant chief of police. He was dressed in ordinary street clothes. They struck up a conversation and she told him she had little hope of getting the job but she was a damn good attorney. He told her she had guts and that would see her through and he wished her luck.

After the interview, she was called back. The D.A. told her Stu Stevens had put in a recommendation for her and the job was hers. She was stunned, having no idea who Stu Stevens was. But it didn’t take long to find out. Ever since then, they’d had a connection.

When he was offered the chief of police job in Houston, Stu moved on and she soon followed. He was the reason she had a job in the D.A.’s office in Houston. The relationship seemed to go on, too. She found him to be one of those trustworthy men she could count on...like Levi.

Stu had been one of the officers to start the petition to support Levi when he’d disobeyed the direct order. So she and Levi owed Stu a lot and she didn’t understand Levi not helping the man who’d always been there for him. This wasn’t about her and Levi. Couldn’t he see that?

She stopped at the nurses’ desk. “How’s Stu?”