скачать книгу бесплатно
“I want the one with the purple car,” Kylie chimed in.
“All right,” Toby said. “We’ll take ’em.”
“Do you want to eat them here?” Angie asked. “Or should I box them up for you?”
Justin, always one for instant gratification, said, “I want to eat mine right now.”
Toby laughed. “I’ll never hear the end of it if I make them wait.”
Angie carried the cupcakes to one of the two small bistro-style tables, where the morning customers enjoyed their doughnuts and coffees. She set them before Justin and Kylie, then passed out a couple of napkins, just as Brian walked up with a highly caffeinated energy drink in his hand.
“I’m gonna just have this instead of a snack,” Brian said, as he sat down at the table.
“Oh, no, you won’t.” Toby snatched the can out of the boy’s hand. “Kids aren’t supposed to drink this crap. It’s not good for you.”
“Mike Waddell drinks it all the time at school,” Brian argued.
“Maybe so,” Angie said, as she set a cupcake in front of the boy. “But Mike Waddell got detention last week for jumping out of his seat seven times during that movie in science class. He also had eight cavities at his last dentist appointment.”
As the kids dug into their cupcakes, Toby followed Angie behind the bakery display case and lowered his voice. “How did you know that about Mike Waddell?”
“We live in a small town, Toby. People talk. Especially Brian’s teacher, Mrs. Dawson, and Wendy Cummings, the dental hygienist.” Angie glanced at the plastic bag he still held. “What’s that?”
“The clothes you left in my bathroom.” He handed them to her.
She flushed, then scanned the area as if they were making a drug deal and she didn’t want to get caught. Then she stashed the bag in one of the drawers near the cash register.
Was she embarrassed? Whatever for? It wasn’t as though she’d spent the night at the ranch and left her panties behind, although the thought of her doing that made him smile.
She lowered her voice. “And that’s another thing people have been talking about and why I’m really back here in bakery and not out in front.”
Because people thought she and Toby were...sleeping together?
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Several people who came through the checkout line asked me about the incident at the pool. They’d heard from a neighbor, who’d heard from a cousin, who... Well, you know how small towns are.”
Yes, he did. And there wasn’t much he could do to stop a rumor like that from getting out. But heck, if he was going to be the subject of gossip, it was too bad he couldn’t have had a night to remember it by.
“Finally, around ten this morning, I asked Mrs. Tierney if she could man the cash register for a while,” Angie said. “And so she let me work back here instead.”
“All because of a little misunderstanding?” Toby shook his head. “That reminds me, though. How is Mr. Murdock?”
“He was here this morning, having coffee and holding court. He gave everyone a firsthand account of what happened. He...uh...also mentioned to Mrs. Rhodes, who was on her way to The Cuttery for her shampoo and set, that I’ve been helping you out a lot with the kids.”
Should that be a secret? Toby wondered. Apparently Angie thought so because the pink flush on her cheeks deepened.
“Actually,” he said, “you’ve been a godsend. And I really appreciate your help more than you can imagine.”
“Even after yesterday?” she asked.
He laughed. “I told you before. I’ve had my share of bad days, too. It happens.”
Angie glanced at the kids, who’d finished their cupcakes and were now racing their frosting-coated cars along the table, then looked at Toby and smiled. “To be honest, I’ve really enjoyed helping you, too. The kids are great, and I’m actually surprised at how much I like spending time with them.”
What about their foster dad? Toby wanted to ask. Do you enjoy spending time with him, too?
But he knew better than to let things get personal, especially when he really did need another favor from her tomorrow. Besides, he’d picked up on what she’d left unsaid earlier.
If Mrs. Rhodes knew Angie was spending so much time with him and the kids, it wouldn’t be long before all the other women getting their hair done at The Cuttery would start linking him and Angie romantically.
He really didn’t mind what people said, but he didn’t think Angie would like it, especially if her mom got wind of it. Doris Edwards had been pushing Angie to find a husband. And if the eligible men in town thought she was already taken, it might ruin her chance of going out with a guy who could offer her more than a cattle ranch and three foster kids.
Although the thought of her going out on a real date with someone else reared up inside of him, throwing him to the ground like an unexpected buck from a mild-mannered horse.
Maybe, in that case, he ought to keep her unavailable for a while—until he figured out where this thing was going. Or where he wanted it to go.
“I feel bad asking you this,” he said, “but I’m in a bind. I’d ask Stacey, but she works and has her hands full with Piper.”
“I’d be glad to help,” Angie said. “What do you need me to do?”
“I have a meeting in Lubbock tomorrow afternoon, and I’m not sure when I’ll get back. Is there any chance you could pick the kids up from school and take them home?”
“I have a few things to do, but it shouldn’t be too hard to reschedule them. Let me work on that. In the meantime, don’t worry about the kids. I’ll pick them up from school. And I’ll have dinner ready for you when you get home.”
Well, what do you know?
He was back in the saddle again.
* * *
The meeting in Lubbock had gone later than Toby had expected, so he called Angie before he left town and told her to go ahead and feed the kids.
“Don’t wait for me,” he said.
“We’re having spaghetti,” she told him. “I’ll keep a plate warm for you.”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
“Did your meeting go well?” she asked.
“It sure did. I’ve been negotiating a deal on a piece of property that backs mine, and the man who owned it had refused to sell. But he passed away last spring, and his widow doesn’t want to deal with it any longer. Her late husband thought it was a lot more valuable than it really is, so we had to agree upon a price.”
“Great. We’ll have to celebrate when you get home.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Oh,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told the kids they could have a movie night after dinner.”
“That’s fine. I’ll see you in a bit.”
When the line disconnected, he turned on the radio, letting Gladys Knight fill the cab with her soulful voice as she sang about a midnight train to Georgia.
See, all you Texas country music fans. Willie Nelson isn’t the only one who can sing about the Peach State.
The song had barely ended when his cell rang.
Toby glanced at the lit display, but didn’t recognize the area code. Still, he turned down the volume on the radio, took the call and pushed the speakerphone button. “Hello?”
“It’s Barbara Hemings, Toby.”
The kids’ aunt. He glanced in the rearview mirror, then pulled to the shoulder of the road and let the truck idle.
“Hi, Barbara.” He wanted to ask her how rehab was going, but the woman sometimes became defensive, so he let it be. Besides, he had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a social call, which was why he wanted to have his hands free in case he needed to make any notes about something she said.
“I heard about what happened at the pool the other day, so I put in a call to the case worker from child services. I’m waiting for her call back, but I thought you should know that just because I’m stuck in court-ordered treatment, I haven’t stopped fighting for my kids.”
They weren’t her kids. And she’d had a lot of opportunities to fight for them, especially when she had custody, but she kept blowing it. However, arguing with her wasn’t going to solve anything.
“I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, Barbara, but that incident was blown all out of proportion. Justin was never in danger at the pool. The kids are all safe, and they’re happy. And just so you know, I’ve already called Ms. Fisk and given her a heads-up about the situation. I’m sure she’ll tell you the same thing when she calls you back.”
“Toby, you’re a young, single man with a tumbling-down ranch. And those kids can be a handful at times. There’s no way you can handle them on your own.”
Tumbling-down ranch? He’d turned the Double H around in the three years he’d owned it. And, thanks to the meeting he’d had thirty minutes ago, he’d be running more cattle next year, and that meant he’d be turning an even better profit—if things went according to plan.
“As I seem to remember,” he reminded her, “you were single when you took the kids on, too. And my ‘tumbling-down’ ranch is a hell of a lot nicer than that cockroach-infested motel you had them living in when the state took them away from you.”
“Yes, and that turned out badly. But I’m better now.”
At least the woman was able to admit the obvious.
“Anyway,” she added, “the kids need to be with family. And if they can’t be with me for the next few months, then I want them with one of my relatives.”
What family? If there were any Hemings relatives nearby, wouldn’t they have stepped up by now?
“Do the kids even know these relatives?” Toby finally asked, his fingers gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles ached.
“No, but they’re family, Toby. You of all people should understand about long-lost family.”
She was talking about James Marshall Fortune coming to Horseback Hollow and finding his sister, Jeanne Marie, Toby’s mom. Although, quite frankly, Toby was surprised that she even knew about that.
“I have a cousin in California,” Barbara said. “I’m going to ask him to take the children until I get out of rehab.”
Great. Another upheaval? And just who was her cousin?
“What’s his name? What does he do?”
“His name is Rocky, and he’s looking for work. His parole agent thinks he can find a job by the end of this month. His wife works at a hospital out there, but one of his conditions of parole is that he’s not allowed to work at hospitals anymore, so that’s out. But there are plenty of other places where he can get work.”
His parole agent? He couldn’t work in a hospital anymore? If the cousin couldn’t be trusted in a hospital then he sure as shooting couldn’t be trusted with Brian, Justin and Kylie.
What made Barbara think that the children would be better off with some deadbeat cousin they didn’t even know than they would be with Toby?
“I don’t think that’s in the children’s best interest, Barbara.”
“Honestly, Toby, it’s not your decision. I thought you’d be a little more cooperative, but I guess the kids can’t count on you for that.”
The woman disconnected the call before Toby could throw the phone out his open window, which was what he’d wanted to do the moment he’d heard her voice.
He sucked the country air into his lungs and counted to ten, the way his pitching coach had taught him to do when he’d been on the mound.
Think. Whom did he call first? Ms. Fisk, the case worker? Or an attorney?
He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Crap. It was too late to call anyone today. That would have to wait until tomorrow. He continued to sit in the idling truck for a while, his hands on the steering wheel, his thoughts on the troubling call.
Would the court decide that the kids were better off with a sketchy family member over a stable and caring guardian? It didn’t seem feasible, but then again, anything was possible...
He did his best to shake off Barbara’s threat, telling himself he didn’t have time to worry about that blasted woman. He’d told Angie that he was going to be late, but he hadn’t meant to completely abandon her with the kids.
After checking for traffic, Toby pulled back onto the road and accelerated.
At times like this it was nice to know he had someone to rely on, especially Angie.
People might think that she was flighty—and they might even be right. But either way, she was proving to be a real blessing.
A man could get used to going home to a woman like her.
* * *
Angie sure hoped Toby got home soon, because she was fading fast. She hadn’t slept very well the past two nights, thanks in large part to the residual stress and worry from that 911 fiasco at the Y.
Even her mother had heard all about it and called, asking her what had happened. Sheesh. What a pain that conversation had been.
But at least Toby trusted her enough to ask her to help with the kids again.
It hadn’t been easy to adjust her schedule to accommodate his, but she had. She’d worked a split shift at the Superette, going in early this morning. Then she’d left at ten o’clock to take Mr. Murdock to his doctor’s appointment in Vicker’s Corners. After that, she’d run over to Redmond-Fortune Air to type some letters for Sawyer. And it was back to the Superette for another two-hour shift, after which she purchased the ingredients she needed to make spaghetti for dinner.
She was nearly late picking the kids up from school, but she got there just in the nick of time. Then it was a quick stop at her house for the surprise she’d planned for the evening.
A couple of summers ago, she’d worked at an old movie theater outside of Lubbock. When the Red Raider Cinemas went out of business, the owner gave Angie a projector and several old movie reels. She’d always wanted to have an old-fashioned movie night under the stars, but she’d never gotten around to planning one. That was, until tonight.
Too bad she was about to nod off from exhaustion. She could really use one of those energy drinks Brian had wanted yesterday afternoon.
Hopefully, Toby would be home soon. He’d told her not to wait dinner for him, and they hadn’t. At this rate, she was going to start the movie without him, too. Otherwise, she’d probably curl up on his sofa and nod off before he even got home.
She’d fixed him a plate and left it on the stove. Then she’d cleaned up the kitchen. She’d made popcorn, but had to make it the old-fashioned way, since Toby didn’t have any kind of popper. She’d just salted a large bowl for them to share when Brian came in.
“We’re all done,” he said. “Me and Justin hung up the white sheet, just like you told us. And Kylie made beds for us on the lawn. You ought to see it.”
