Daddy for Keeps

Never look a gift horse in the mouth . His grandfather had actually been talking about horses when he shared the proverb, but today Lucky knew it had more than one meaning. “Thanks.” He sat next to Travis and directly across from the older man. Putting out his hand, he said, “I’m Luc—”

“I know who you are, son.” The man put down his fork and returned the handshake. “Travis has been talking about you for months, ever since you accepted the invitation to headline the rodeo. I’m Fred Needham. Guess you can tell by looking, these two belong to me. Sure enjoyed seeing a pro today.”

“Selena holds a nice rodeo.”

“I’ve seen you compete quite a few times.” Travis’s sister didn’t hold out her hand although she’d set her fork aside the moment he sat down. If anything, she looked a bit reticent.

“Allison, don’t bring it up,” Travis urged.

“Bring what up?” Lucky asked.

“I was at the rodeo, the Denton rodeo,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, so sorry.”

Denton…six months ago, where everything went wrong.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, too.” He looked at Allison. She looked right back at him, and he got the feeling that if it had been up to her, he would not have been invited to join them. He didn’t know why. He’d never seen her before. “Did you know Marcus?”

“I knew him because of Tisha.”

Fred frowned. Lucky waited a moment, trying to figure out if the frown came because of Marcus or Tisha. If he were a father, he’d keep his daughters away from men like Marcus and his sons away from women like Tisha.

Finally, Travis filled in the silence. “Allison and Tisha were roommates for a while. Allison used to rodeo. She was in Denton cheering on a friend.”

Allison nodded. “I used to rodeo. When I practice, I can do the cloverleaf in eighteen seconds without touching a single barrel. When it’s the real thing, the barrels move in front of me.”

Travis nodded. “I’ve seen them sprout legs. Ain’t pretty. Now, the way you ride that bull is magic, Lucky. I didn’t realize your mama had been a one-time rodeo queen here in Selena.”

“I told him,” Fred said. “He just didn’t listen.”

A harried waitress found their table, refilled the Needhams’ iced teas, cleared plates and took Lucky’s order.

Travis took a long drink and then said, “Man, it was a treat to have you competing. This turned out to be the biggest rodeo Selena ever hosted. We had cowboys show up today who always bypass us in favor of Lubbock.”

Lucky smiled. “I had fun.”

“Where’d you learn to sit the bull? My dad’s always helped me, plus all the guys around here do bull outs on Saturday night.”

“You know where Delaney is?”

Fred nodded. “It’s about forty-five miles west of here. Not much there.”

“My grandparents lived there. Grandpa actually competed against the legend Jim Shoulders. I don’t think Grandpa ever won a thing, but man, he loved the bulls. He taught my brother and me what equipment to buy, which hand to favor, how to get off and how to get away.”

“How old were you?” Allison asked.

“He started us when we were ten, but it was mostly play. Then, when we hit thirteen, he took us as far as we’d let him.”

“Only forty-five miles from here.” Travis shook his head. “I had no idea you were so close.”

“It’s a small world,” Lucky agreed. “My mom even went to high school here in Selena.”

There wouldn’t be a better opportunity, so he looked at Allison and said, “So, you traveled with Tisha. Did you know my brother?”

Allison paled. “Tisha was just beginning to date him when I was bunking with her. Pretty soon I didn’t bunk with her anymore. I went on my own—”

“Came back home,” Fred interrupted.

“—soon after they started getting serious.”

“I tried to warn you about that girl,” Fred said.

Allison’s lips pressed together in a look of agitation Lucky knew all too well. “Dad,” she said. “Leave it be.”

“Is that how Marcus met Natalie Crosby, through Tisha?”

“Natalie knew Marcus?” Allison looked surprised. “Really? I didn’t know.”

This was not the response Lucky was hoping for. He’d been thinking he’d hit pay dirt. Really, who would know better than an ex-roommate of Tisha’s?

“Yeah, I think Natalie knew Marcus. We, the family, are still trying to put together the last few months of his life. He wasn’t at home. We’re not sure where he was staying. Guess it wasn’t here.”

“No,” Travis said. “I’d have known if he was here.”

Lucky’s food arrived. He really wasn’t hungry, but Texas hospitality would keep the Needhams with him as long as he was eating, and he had a lot more questions. He took a bite and said, “They look alike, Tisha and Natalie.”

“That’s ’bout all,” Travis said. “Natalie’s lived here all her life. Tisha just came for summers. All the guys liked Tisha.”

“They like Natalie, too?”

“It was a different kind of like,” Allison said, looking at Lucky with suspicion. It was definitely time to change the subject.

“What happened to Natalie’s leg?” Lucky asked.

Fred answered this one. “The rodeo. All the girls, Allison, Natalie, even Tisha, were into barrel racing.”

“Natalie was great,” Allison said. “When we were fifteen, she could do the clover in twenty seconds. No one else could. Sure made Tisha mad.”

“She fell during the rodeo you just competed in,” Fred said. “Her horse went right and she went left. She landed on one of the barrels. We didn’t know how bad it was until later.”

“She finished the school semester in a wheelchair,” Allison added.

“A few months later,” Fred continued, “her dad sold all the horses. Natalie hasn’t ridden since.”

Lucky pushed his plate away. All that was left was a few crumbs. “She have a boyfriend?”

“Why, you interested?” Allison asked.

The table grew silent, and Lucky shook his head. “Just curious.”