Cowboy at the Crossroads

“Gus?”

“That’s my ranch foreman,” Cord answered, as Nicki didn’t say anything else. “He and Della have been here since I was a kid. They live in a small house not far from this one.”

“Well, Della can certainly cook. I’ve never tasted food so good. And this roll—” she took a bite and purposefully swallowed “—is about the best thing I’ve put in my mouth. I remember one time, my friend Ginger and I decided to make cinnamon rolls. The concept of yeast rising clearly escaped us and our rolls were like pancakes with cinnamon. So I admire anyone who can make rolls like this. It definitely takes talent and patience.”

Becca’s voice drummed on inside Cord’s head. The woman had one button—On—and she rattled incessantly about anything and everything. He was almost ready to scream stop, when he saw Nicki reach for her fork. Slowly she began to eat the potatoes, then she picked up the roll and took several bites. Cord kept eating, watching this miracle out of the corner of his eye. Becca’s voice hummed on, and it was the most beautiful voice he’d ever heard. He now knew what she was doing—distracting Nicki so she wouldn’t feel forced to eat…and it was working. His baby started eating, and before he knew it almost all the food on her plate was gone.

Becca was also watching Nicki closely. She leaned back in her chair. “My, that was the best meal I’ve ever eaten.”

Nicki also leaned back. “Me, too,” she said.

Della brought the pie out and set it on the table with a knife and plates. Then she began to collect the dinner plates.

“I’ll help you, Della,” Becca offered.

“No, you won’t,” Della was quick to say. “That’s my job. You can cut the pie and serve it.”

Becca didn’t argue. She picked up the knife and cut three pieces. She handed one plate to Cord, placed one in front of Nicki and took the third for herself. She stuck her fore-finger in the chocolate and tasted it. “Mmm. That’s delicious.”

Nicki scrambled to her knees and Dolly fell to the floor. Nicki stuck her finger in the chocolate as Becca had done. “Mmm, it’s good,” she said.

“Oh, I love chocolate,” Becca said as she reached for her fork. “I could eat this whole pie myself.”

“It’s gonna make your butt bigger,” Nicki said as she put a spoonful in her mouth.

Becca almost spit the chocolate onto the table.

“Nicki!” Cord admonished.

“What?” Nicki looked at Cord with big, innocent eyes.

Becca swallowed quickly. “It’s okay, Cord. Nicki and I were talking about this earlier. It’s really okay.” It was an effort to keep her face from turning red, but she managed.

Cord couldn’t figure out why Becca was talking to Nicki about big butts. That made no sense. Besides, Becca didn’t have a big butt. She was very slim with curves in all the right places and—he put skids on that thought. She was Colton’s girlfriend and he’d do well to remember it.

After they finished their pie, Becca smiled at Nicki. “You have chocolate all over your face.”

A look as if she’d done something wrong came over Nicki, and Becca wanted to quickly dispel it. “But that’s okay because I’ll just lick it off.” Becca tasted chocolate from Nicki’s cheeks with her tongue, and Nicki giggled. “You’re like one big chocolate bar and I could eat you up.”

“No, don’t eat me.” Nicki giggled more loudly and it was a delight to Becca’s ears. A hospital wasn’t going to be necessary; Nicki just needed some tough love. Now she had to make Cord understand that. Finally she reached for a napkin, dipped it in water and wiped Nicki’s face.

Anette used to do that, Cord thought again. She always wiped Nicki’s chin and cheeks with a napkin—but she’d never lick food from Nicki’s face. That was too undignified. And she would never permit Nicki to laugh at the dinner table. Anette had all kinds of ridiculous rules. They had argued about them all the time. He believed children should be allowed to be children, and Anette—

Cord got to his feet. “Let’s go into the den so Della can clean up.”

“’Kay, Daddy,” Nicki said, crawling out of her chair and scooping up her doll. Becca followed them, trying to think of something to occupy Nicki. She didn’t want her going to her room just yet. Cord sat in his chair and Nicki climbed onto his lap.

“Let’s play a game,” Becca suggested.

Nicki frowned at her and that same frown was echoed on Cord’s face, but it didn’t bother Becca. Nicki needed to act like a normal child.

“I know,” she said, a game they often played in the hospital coming to mind. “I’ll mention an animal, and you have to act and sound like that animal. The one who’s the best animal wins.”

Two pairs of brown eyes stared blankly at her. The Prescotts were not cooperating.

“Okay, I’ll go first.” She thought for a second. “A chicken. I’ll do a chicken.”

She tucked her hands under her armpits and flapped her elbows like wings, then pranced around the room squawking.

Nicki laughed out loud and pointed a finger at Becca. “You’re funny.”

Cord was hypnotized by the sound. Nicki had giggled earlier, but he hadn’t heard her laugh outright in so long that for a moment he felt winded by the pleasure.

“Okay, funny pants.” Becca grinned. “It’s your turn. Let’s see. A cow. You have to do a cow.”

Nicki jumped out of Cord’s lap, the doll falling to the floor again. “I can do a cow. I can,” she said as she got on all fours and trudged around the den going “Moo, moo, moo.”

“That’s about the best cow I’ve ever seen. What do you think, Cord?”

“The very best,” he agreed. “Better than any of the cows I have in my pastures.”

His eyes met Becca’s, and for an instant something seemed to pass between them, but Becca was sure she’d only imagined it.

“It’s Daddy’s turn,” Nicki called, interrupting the moment. “Daddy has to do one. What can Daddy be, Becca?”

Becca eyes gleamed because Cord was clearly resisting the idea. “A horse. I think Daddy should be a horse.”

“Me, too,” Nicki agreed brightly, and pulled Cord to his feet. He had that I’ll get even with you look in his eyes, but he got down on his hands and knees and crawled around the room with an occasional “Neigh.”

Nicki crawled onto his back and shouted, “Giddyup, giddyup, horsey.”

Cord laughed, a sound that came from his heart, and rolled over and held Nicki in the air as her delightful giggles filled the room.

“What the hell’s going on here?” Blanche demanded from the doorway, then glanced at Becca. “And who the hell are you?”

“Becca Talbert,” she answered stiffly, taking in Blanche’s tight-fitting red dress and heels.

“Colton’s girfriend? Is Colton here?”

Cord swung to his feet in one easy movement, Nicki held tight in his arms. “No, he isn’t.”

“Then, what’s she doing here?”

Becca bit her tongue to keep a retort from tumbling out.

“I invited her,” Cord said woodenly.

“You’re fooling around with Colton’s girl? I won’t have this, Cord.”