A Little Texas

“Here’s the bucket you wanted,” a voice came from behind Kate. A voice with a soft Hispanic accent.

Kate spun around. “What the hell are you doing here? I told you I’d meet with Justus when I’m ready and not before.”

Rick shrugged, a slow smile spreading across his face. “I didn’t know you were here. I stopped by to talk to Nellie.”

Kate faced her friend. “You know this creep?”

“Kate!” Nellie said, scooping up Mae and taking the pail from Rick. “Rick’s not a creep. He’s a friend. And why are you meeting Justus Mitchell? What is all this about? You never come to Oak Stand.”

Kate opened her mouth then closed it. She turned to Rick. “What are you doing here?”

“He came about Phoenix.” Nellie said, dropping an absentminded kiss on her daughter’s forehead. Mae peeked out at Rick and gave him a drooling smile. Kate guessed Mae looked at good-looking, sneaky guys. Traitor.

She pulled her eyes from the baby. No matter what Rick said, he’d come to Tucker House because she was here. She’d irritated him when she’d turned the tables on him at the airport. He’d seemed to handle her leaving with Jack calmly, but she’d be willing to bet he didn’t like it one bit.

“Phoenix is a gang rehabilitation center,” he explained. “A place to help gang members make a break from the life and get an education and job training. The rehab center is right outside Oak Stand. Nellie’s on the foundation board and I’m the director.” Rick’s eyes met hers. They were powerful, those dark eyes. Full of mystery and determination. They were obsidian chips of intent. Strong intent. And they made her toes sweat.

“Oh,” Kate said.

Nellie looked confused. Kate felt something sink in her stomach. She hadn’t told Nellie about trying to blackmail Justus. She hadn’t told her friend much of anything except she was coming to town and needed a place to stay. Perhaps Rick had already told Nellie what Kate had done. Or what Justus wanted from her. But she didn’t think so. He didn’t seem the type to spread anyone’s business around town.

“How do you know Rick?” Nellie asked her. “And what’s this have to do with Justus?”

Rick smiled at Mae and chucked her on the chin. Kate averted her eyes and watched some small gray birds hop between barren branches before dive-bombing a bird feeder. She didn’t say anything. Finally, she met Nellie’s gaze and gave her the signal they’d developed when they’d been girls. Two blinks meant “later.”

“Okay,” Nellie said, shifting Mae to her other hip and dropping some strange-looking potato things in the bucket Rick had brought her. “Let me wash my hands and get those papers.”

Nellie shoved Mae into Kate’s arms and stalked up the stairs. The baby immediately began kicking and crying, and one of her little boots caught Kate in the upper thigh. This was her punishment for lying to Nellie.

Rick glanced at the squirming child. “Want me to take her?”

She set Mae down. “No, she can walk.”

Mae immediately dropped to the ground and wailed. Kate could have sworn it was on purpose, but surely fifteen-month-old babies couldn’t be so devious.

He bent down. “Mae, come see what I have in my pocket.”

“Bet you say that to all the girls,” Kate drawled.

He shot her a look before focusing on Mae. The baby sat up and studied him. Her cries stopped as abruptly as they’d started.

“Here,” Rick said, pulling a package from his pocket. Kate blinked. It was a package of crackers from the airplane.

“Crackers? I hope that’s not what you actually give all the girls.”

Mae reached out a grubby little hand and grunted.

“Babies love crackers,” Rick said, opening the package and handing one to Mae. Sure enough, the baby took it and crammed it in her mouth. “And if I have something in my pocket for you, it won’t be crackers.”

She frowned at the double entendre, but she had started it.

Kate stooped so she could see the baby’s mouth. She didn’t know how to do the Heimlich maneuver on an infant. “Does she even have teeth?”

“Yeah, she has teeth. Not all of them but enough to gum a cracker.” He lifted the baby and gave her the sweetest of smiles.

Something plinked in Kate’s chest. She wasn’t sure what it was because she’d never felt anything like it before.

Nellie returned holding an envelope. She shoved it toward Rick and gathered Mae in her arms. “Everything is signed and notarized. I’ll come by Phoenix sometime soon. I can’t wait to see the guys there. You’ve worked so hard, Rick. It’s going to be fantastic.”

“Let’s hope so.” Rick tucked the missive under his arm before turning to Kate. “I’ll pick you up at Nellie’s at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Justus will expect you before lunch. Bye, ladies.”

He headed around the corner of the house.

Nellie shook her head. “What the hell is going on, Kate?”

Rick turned before she could bustle Nellie up the stairs. His eyes flashed something almost naughty, but he didn’t say a word. Just nodded and then he was gone.

Kate closed her eyes and blurted, “Oh, nothing. I just have to go meet dear old dad about a blackmailing scheme.”

Her friend didn’t say a thing, so Kate cracked one eye open. Poor Nellie looked like she’d swallowed a bug. Her mouth opened then closed. Finally, she managed to choke out, “What?”

“What can I say except what you already know? I’m a bastard child.” Kate shrugged, trying to pretend she blackmailed reluctant biological fathers every day.

“You’re admitting Justus Mitchell is your father?” Nellie asked, shaking her head.

“Shh!” Kate clamped a hand over her friend’s mouth. Mae contemplated her with blank green eyes. Gooey cracker mush dripped from her mouth and landed on Kate’s arm. “Don’t.”

Nellie pulled Kate’s hand from her mouth. “Holy shit!”

Kate looked at Mae. “She didn’t mean that, Mae flower. She meant holy shuckins.”

Nellie swiped at the baby’s chin while Kate scraped off the mess. She was glad she hadn’t worn her Burberry outside.

“Would you be serious about this?” Nellie huffed.

“I am.”

Mae squirmed in her mother’s arms. Nellie set her down and studied Kate. “Kate, how is this… I mean, why haven’t you ever said anything? And blackmail? I don’t understand.”

“Look, I’ll tell you about it when we get to the ranch. Now’s not the time.”

“Kate—”

“Please. Let it ride, Nell.” She stalked up the steps without looking at her friend again. She’d tell Nellie that night. After dinner. After Mae had toddled off to bed. After Jack had dozed off in the recliner. But not now. Not when her nerves felt shredded and her stomach felt like it harbored rocks. Really heavy rocks.

She’d screwed up when she’d devised this plan.

She should have let the salon go. It was just a business. People lost businesses every day. She could start over, get a job in L.A. She’d done it before.