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“I remember a time when I liked her, back in school. She was book smart and I was flunking out of English. I must’ve been sixteen or so. She offered to help with my homework one day and I showed up at Big Hawk Ranch.” Jed stopped talking to shake his head and grin. “I think I had a death wish or something. I didn’t get one foot on the porch when her daddy comes up behind me holding a big ole shotgun, telling me Callie wasn’t seeing any visitors that night. He told me if I knew what was good for me, I’d turn around and keep on going.”
“Had you shaking in your boots, did he?”
“Had me pissing in my boots was more like it. That man was mean.”
“He never scared me.”
“You ever try to date his daughter?”
Tagg shook his head. What had happened between him and Callie couldn’t be called dating. “No. She was younger. I barely knew Callie in school.”
“Good thing, too. The Hawk’s got no use for the Barlows, or the Worths, either, I hear. Callie once told me she wasn’t allowed to speak to any of you. Looks like that’s changed.”
“She’s volunteering here, going to work with the kids at Penny’s Song. I don’t think her father has much say in what she does anymore.” Tagg didn’t know why he felt the need to explain that to him.
“She married?” Jed searched the area, presumably to catch another glimpse of Callie.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Okay, then.” Jed got a big smile on his face. “Maybe I’ll just reacquaint myself.”
Tagg watched him enter the stable, tempering his irritation and talking himself out of being angry at Jed. He had no reason to be annoyed. What Jed did in his spare time wasn’t any of his business. What Callie did in her spare time wasn’t, either.
But later that night, Tagg got immense enjoyment out of cleaning Jed’s clock at the poker table. The victory gave him such great satisfaction that he wouldn’t allow himself to believe it was motivated by anything more than his strong competitive drive.
“Hi, Daddy.” Callie kissed her father on the forehead before taking a seat adjacent to him at the dining room table for dinner. Her father insisted on taking his meals in the formal room rather than breaking bread in the kitchen. He said he paid a cook and housekeeper good wages to keep the house and he damn well was going to enjoy it. Before her mother died, they used to eat breakfast and lunch in the kitchen. So Callie had a feeling it was less about formality and more about not dealing with the memories that drove her father.
“Callie, honey. Where’ve you been lately? Seems I got a ghost instead of a daughter. I only hear you rattling around. You’re up and out early every day.”
It had only been three days since she’d begun working at Penny’s Song. “I’m home every night for dinner,” she reminded him. “And you promised me you’d give me some space.”
“Space,” he muttered, reaching for a glass of iced tea. “You and your psychology mumbo jumbo. I’ve been letting you do what you want, haven’t I?”
“Dad, I’m nearly twenty-seven years old. I’d hope so by now.”
“You’re still mad about that Troy fella.” He forked a bite of his salad, swallowed and made a sour face.
Callie smiled inwardly. She’d been harping on her father for months to eat better. He hadn’t known what a green leaf was until Callie came home and insisted he lose weight. He wouldn’t agree until she played the orphan card. He didn’t want to die and leave Callie without a father, did he? He knew he hadn’t been eating right and even though he griped about the food she’d introduced, he had finally relented. And Callie even believed he’d enjoyed it somewhat, but more because she cared enough about him to want to keep him healthy.
“You have no right interfering in my private life. You know how I feel about that. And another thing, if you don’t want me changing my room, I won’t. But I will be moving into another one. One I can decorate myself. I’m not twelve anymore, Daddy.”
“You got that right. You never sassed me like this when you were younger.”
“I’m not sassing you now. I’m just telling you how I feel.”
“If decorating your room will keep you at home more, fine. Change the room any way you want.”
Callie knew her father ached inside with loneliness. He’d al ways been overbearing, but her mother knew how to temper him. With her gone, Hawkins had become even more demanding. She reached for his hand and covered it with hers, squeezing gently. “I won’t change my room. I’ll do up another one.”
He glanced at her with those big brown eyes that she’d inherited and nodded. “Whatever makes my little girl happy.”
Oh, if only that were true.
“So, where have you been off to every morning?”
“I’ve been volunteering my time for a worthy charity.”
Hawkins stared down at his bland broiled chicken, unable to work up any enthusiasm for the fare. He’d been eating fried chicken and mashed potatoes topped with sour cream and gravy until Callie had come home. She had to stifle a chuckle seeing him look like a little boy who didn’t want to eat his vegetables. He set his fork down and glared at her. “That charity have a name?”
“Penny’s Song.” The entire community knew about Clayton Worth’s pet project. He’d started it on his own, but when the news got out, he’d received a good deal of support and a long volunteer list from the town.
Her father frowned and narrowed his eyes at her. “You mean to tell me you’ve been going over to the Worths every day?”
She wasn’t nearly as intimidated by him as he wanted her to be. She reminded herself that she was living here to make sure he didn’t dig himself into an early grave. She could move out anytime she wanted. She didn’t have to put up with his ruthless, conniving ways. But he was her father and she loved living on Big Hawk Ranch.
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying, Daddy.” She kept her voice calm. She wouldn’t argue the point. “I’m going to work with the children that come there. I hope to make a difference in their lives.”
“The Worths aren’t—”
“It’s not about the Worths. It’s about the children and what I want to do.”
“You’d rather go there and give away your services for free than work beside your own father?” He raised his voice with condemnation.
“That’s your point of view, Daddy. Not mine. I’m—”
He slapped a hand down onto the table and it shook. “This ranch is your legacy, damn it.”
Callie didn’t jump at his theatrics. She cut into her chicken and took a bite.
He pushed away from the table, his face flushed with anger. “You can’t be going over there. I’m forbidding it. You know those Worths, they’d do anything to put me out of business. Been trying to for years.”
“What I’m doing has nothing to do with the cattle business.” Callie took a steadying breath, determined to get through this meal without a fight. At least, on her part. Her father was chomping at the bit, ready to argue his way through their fruit salad dessert. “And you can’t forbid me to do anything anymore.”
“Callie,” he warned in a tone that used to make Callie cringe. He rose from the table. “You know how I feel about those Worths.”
She looked up at him. “I never understood that, Daddy. Yes, you’re competitors but you’re neighbors, too. And neither one of the ranches has been hurting. You’ve managed to keep Big Hawk Ranch on top. There’s room for everyone, isn’t there?”
“With thinking like that, you’d have us in the poorhouse before I turned around.”
Callie tried a smile. “So maybe it’s best I don’t work for you.”
Her father’s face flushed with even more color. “Callie, you’re trying my patience.”
“Daddy, I don’t want to fight with you. Sit down. Eat your meal.”
He glared at the food on his plate and wagged his finger. “You call that a meal? That’s horse feed.”
Callie closed her eyes. Frustration mounted. She thought about the baby she carried—a Worth. She didn’t even want to think about her father’s reaction when he found out about his grandchild. But it wasn’t the right time to tell him. Tagg had to be the first to know. She hadn’t told a soul yet and it would have to stay that way for now.
Callie rose, her appetite gone. “Well, then, we’ll have some really healthy horses in our stables. Because they know what’s good for them. They won’t be dying of a coronary anytime soon.”
She walked past her father and out the front door.
Before she was out of earshot, she heard her father call to the cook. “Mattie, make me a steak. A big, fat, juicy one and I want gravy to go with it!”
Callie inhaled a sharp breath and got into her car.
She revved the engine and drove off, happy to be away from Hawkins Sullivan. Happy to be anywhere but on the ranch she loved so much.
Callie stood with Jed Barlow by the Worth stables the next morning combing down Sunflower in the shade of a mesquite tree. “It was a good ride. I think Sunflower is tame enough for children. I just had to be sure.”
“The same goes for Tux. He’s pretty gentle,” Jed said. “I’m glad I was able to take the ride with you this morning.”
Callie smiled at Jed. They had been friends in school once, but she hadn’t seen him since she’d returned to Red Ridge. She brushed the mare’s mane while Jed combed down Tux. It was nice taking the horses out together before the heat of the day. Since her return to Big Hawk Ranch she hadn’t had a riding partner. She’d wanted to ride out on the range with Tagg today, but he’d flat-out refused. Maybe he really did have plans this morning. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a job. He ran the Worth empire from his house. He had responsibilities.
“It’ll be real nice getting to know you again, Callie.” Jed smiled.
“Same goes for me. I haven’t reconnected with too many people since I’ve been home. Some of my high school friends moved away and some are married and have their own lives. So this is great.”
“I think so.” He stopped brushing down Tux to look at her. “You know I had a crush on you back in high school, don’t you?”
She furrowed her brows. “No. I didn’t think boys got crushes.” Jed was tall and blond and relatively nice looking but Callie didn’t like where this conversation was headed.
“We do. Uh, did. But we’re always too macho to admit it. Your daddy took care of that, though.”
Callie rolled her eyes. Everything always went back to her father. “How?”
“He ran me off your property once. You’d offered to help me with my studies and I came over.”
“Shotgun?”
Jed got a startled look on his face. “You know?”
“It’s a wonder I didn’t run away from home. He chased off quite a few guys that way.”
“I was a little young to know he was bluffing.”
Callie laughed and put her hand on his arm, shaking her head. “The sad part is, he wasn’t bluffing. He’s fiercely protective of me.”
He glanced at her hand and smiled. Callie removed it instantly, self-conscious. “Even now?”
“I try not to let him get away with anything anymore,” she offered, feeling sorry for Jed. Maybe she would have liked dating him back then. She could only imagine how her father had intimidated him. “Sorry. I didn’t know. Of course, my father kept that from me.”
“So maybe we could make up for that. Would you like to go out sometime? Maybe Saturday night?”
Callie hadn’t entirely seen this coming. She’d been so wrapped up in her feelings for Tagg that she’d mistaken Jed’s friendliness. Oh, God, what to say? How to answer without hurting him or making him feel foolish?
“She’s not available,” said a voice from behind them.
They turned and found Tagg leaning against the shade tree, arms folded. “Tagg, what are you doing here?” Callie asked.
“Hey, Tagg.” Jed looked confused, darting them both glances.
“I came to ride Tux,” he said to Callie, giving her a recriminating look.
But that didn’t stop her heart from fluttering like a trapped butterfly. Just one look at him standing there, despite his sullen expression, and she was toast. He was handsome times ten. The whole cowboy getup wasn’t outdated on a man like Tagg. He wore his chaps well.
“How long have you been here?” she asked, wondering if he’d overheard their conversation.
“Just got here.”
She thought that was a lie. Tagg looked too comfortable against that tree to have just walked up.
“Looks like Jed beat me to the ride.”
“Hell,” Jed said, “at least I can beat you at something. You wiped me out last night.”
“Wiped you out?” Callie shot them both a glance.
“At poker. Remember, when I bumped into you? I was on my way to meet up with Tagg and the boys for a card game.”
“You bumped into her?” Tagg asked, his gaze focused on Jed.
Jed nodded halfheartedly. “Well, not like that. I was driving down the road and she passed me in her bright red convertible. She was barreling down the highway at eighty miles an hour.”
“I was not,” she defended herself.
“You were,” Jed said with a big grin. “Lead foot, my mama used to say. And then all of a sudden she stopped the car by the side of the road.”
“I would’ve never seen that downed calf if I was going that fast, Jed,” Callie pointed out. She turned to Tagg. “It looked like the calf got tangled up in some broken fencing. Jed stopped his truck and helped me get her on her feet. She turned out to be all right.”
Jed shrugged. “Callie’s got a soft spot for animals.”
Tagg didn’t seem pleased with either of them. Callie recalled what he’d said when she’d first spotted him.
She’s not available.
Not that she wasn’t glad to see him. He’d interrupted her having to refuse Jed’s offer for a date, but her curiosity got the better of her. “Why am I not available?”
Tagg moved away from the tree and approached her. He stopped when he got close enough for her to see the quicksilver surrounding his blue eyes, the ticking of his jaw. Ignoring Jed, he peered at her. She swallowed and met his gaze. “Because we have an appointment to look at some horses on Saturday.”
“Ah, well, that’s okay,” Jed said, with his good nature. “It won’t take all day.”
Tagg slanted Jed a quick look, then focused back on Callie. “In Las Vegas.”
Four
Callie’s mouth dropped open. She stared at Tagg. “In Las Vegas?” She shook her head, trying to understand. Endless possibilities entered her mind. “Why there?”
