to Texas.
He had a flight out at five, so he had to hurry to get Jake and make it to the airport. Mrs. Devers had already packed Jake’s few belongings. He thanked the Devers for taking such good care of Jake and then lifted Jake into his arms and walked out the door. He’d thought Jake would cry, but he didn’t. After strapping Jake into the car seat in Ms. Bauer’s car, they were off to the airport.
Jake did well on the flight, even though they were delayed an hour. Phoenix finally gave him the truck and trailer and horses. He didn’t want to do that at the house because he didn’t have anything for the other children. After the plane took off, the stewardess allowed Jake to play with the toy set in front of the seat because they had the front row and there was a little room. Soon Jake grew tired, and he crawled onto Phoenix’s lap as if he had done it many times before.
Phoenix gathered him close. “We’re going to Texas, son. To a big ranch with horses, cows...”
“Horse,” Jake interrupted, holding up the toy in his hand.
“Yes, horse. You’ll meet your uncles, aunts, cousins, grandpa and grandma.”
“Ma Ma,” Jake looked around the plane, and tears filled his eyes when he didn’t see his great-grandmother. “Ma Ma.”
“No, another grand—” He was afraid to say the rest of it. He didn’t want to make Jake cry. “You see, I have a mother, and she will be another grandmother for you. Do you understand?”
Jake just stared at him with sad eyes. Of course he didn’t understand. That was okay. In time he would. Phoenix felt sure of that.
Jake sat in his lap and played with the horses. A smile touched Phoenix’s lips. Rosie was wrong. His kid liked horses. He would be just like Phoenix. He was going to enjoy telling her that.
He had a window seat and looked out at the fluffy clouds. He could walk on those clouds more easily than he could change Rosie’s mind about him. Too much bad blood between the families. But he sure liked her. And he was going to introduce her to Jake just as soon as he could.
Rosie spent Sunday doing laundry. She’d installed a washer and dryer in the barn for convenience. One of these days, she would have a home with a washer and dryer in it. That was one of her goals for the future.
She then washed out the horse trailer and took care of the horses. She had two more mares that she rode occasionally, but Golden Lady was her favorite. When she was away from the circuit, she practiced and practiced because winning was her livelihood.
Soon she would have to look for another piece of land, which was too bad because she’d fallen in love with the tall oaks on this property, the quietness and the seclusion. Her closest neighbor was a mile away. Sometimes it was lonely and that’s when she got out and worked around the place. Then she was too tired to care.
There were electricity and water on the property, and that was a big plus. When she was at home, she plugged into the electricity and didn’t have to worry about the generator. She unrolled the awning over the door and had a table and chairs outside so it wasn’t so crowded. With the winter months coming it would be hard to eat outside.
Through the weekend she couldn’t get Phoenix Rebel out of her mind. She still couldn’t believe she’d run into him.
She fixed iced tea and carried it outside to the table. Dixie jumped up onto her lap and she stroked the small dog. Since it was Monday, Phoenix should be home with his son, and she wondered how he was coping. She tried to force those thoughts away, but they kept intruding like bugs at a picnic.
There was just something about him that she couldn’t ignore. Maybe it was his trigger-finger smile. Or maybe his never-give-up attitude. It was something and it was driving her crazy. She had to stop thinking about him.
She lived on a county road southeast of Temple, and it wasn’t far from the McCray property. So many times she’d wanted to go home just to see if her father had forgiven her, but she always resisted the urge because she knew Ira McCray never forgave anyone. Ever.
She didn’t know why she wanted to go home, because there was nothing there for her anymore. Her mother had passed away and her sister, Maribel, was nowhere to be found. Their father had kicked her out, because she’d gotten pregnant in high school, and Rosie was forbidden to have any contact with her. But now there was no man telling Rosie what she could or couldn’t do. Some day she would find her sister.
Her brothers had their own lives and thought little of Rosie and her predicament. They never offered her any help when their father insisted she marry a man twice her age.
Dixie jumped off her lap to chase a squirrel, her favorite pastime. The place had lots of squirrels in the big oaks. They played in the yard and munched on the acorns and it drove Dixie crazy. Dixie got lots of exercise when they were home.
Home.
The word had a nice ring to it. But would she ever feel at home again?
* * *
IT WAS LATE when Phoenix drove into the yard at the bunkhouse. He’d called his mother and told her she would have to wait until Tuesday morning to meet Jake because he was asleep. She didn’t like it. The family was coming at him from all sides. Quincy had called three times. Jude called. Paxton called. They all thought he couldn’t handle being a father and wanted to help. For some reason he didn’t want their help. He could do this alone.
He carried the diaper bag and Jake into the dark house, leaving the rest until morning. Quietly he made his way to his room and closed the door. Then he turned on the light. Jake was out, but he had to get him in his pajamas for the night. Changing a sleeping baby was an exercise in patience. It was like trying to dress a snake. Finally he had Jake tucked into the new baby bed. Jericho had set it up. Then he noticed a small chest of drawers in the corner and a trash can for diapers. His mother had been here. There was no doubt.
Phoenix sat on the bed, his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. Was he doing the right thing? Could he take care of Jake? Could he be a good father? He was used to having fun and looking out for himself, and now Jake needed someone to be responsible for him. That was daunting to Phoenix, who never had much responsibility in his whole life.
He stood and brushed the hair from Jake’s forehead. “We’re in this together, son.”
With that thought in mind, he stripped out of his clothes and went to bed, ready to face the following day with family crowding in on him.
* * *
AFTER BREAKFAST THE next morning, Phoenix got his overnight bag out of the truck. He’d stuffed some of Jake’s clothes and toys inside. Their living quarters were going to be crowded from now on.
He gave Jake a bath and dressed him for the day in pull-up pants, a T-shirt and sneakers. He had to buy his son some jeans and soon. His son would wear jeans and boots.
Phoenix carried Jake into the living area to the toys he’d brought in. Paxton was on the sofa working on his bull rope. Jericho had left for work early.
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