I know what I’m like.”
“Good. So continue.”
He stared at the starry rhinestones, wondering if he could bore her to sleep if he kept talking. He understood her anxieties. There were a lot of dangers out here, but he couldn’t dwell on that. They had to rest for the walk tomorrow.
“My dad is a country cowboy, born and raised in Willow Creek, Texas. He has a ranch and works the land like his father before him. He’s a simple man and not too knowledgeable about today’s teenagers. When my daughter arrived with her long dyed-black hair with a purple streak, black jeans and T-shirt, painted black nails and toenails with three earrings in each ear, it was a bit of a shock.”
“Oh, my.”
“The first thing he said was, ‘Son of a bitch, the aliens have landed.’”
“Oh, no.”
“I had to have a talk with him. His vocabulary is a bit colorful and I asked him to curb his swearing around Kelsey. I wanted to create a better environment for her.”
“Did he do it?”
“Oh, yeah. He made up new words to use. Instead of saying son of a bitch, he now says things like sunny beaches or son of a beady-eyed bitty or son of a dipstick or anything that comes to mind. For goddamn he says shazam. For shit he says shih tzu.”
“That’s a dog.”
“Yes, and bull shih tzu sounds even worse. As does baboon or buffoon for bastard.”
“What does he use for the f word?”
“He’s an old cowboy and doesn’t use that word.”
“That’s a relief.” He could almost see her smiling. “She’ll stay at his house until you return?”
“I live with my dad. I guess I didn’t make that clear.”
She laughed. A soft melodious sound that under other circumstances would have excited him. Now it irritated him.
“You find that funny?”
“Oh, yeah. Mr. Macho Cop living with his dad just doesn’t fit.”
“I’m macho enough to make it work.”
“I bet you are.” She laughed that sound again. “Have you always lived at home?”
“I had an apartment in Austin, but my mom died about five years ago and I started going out to the ranch more and more because I knew my dad was lonely. He’s getting older and I noticed how much he’s slowed down. On my days off, I started helping him on the ranch. When it was late, I’d stay the night. I was using my apartment very little so I decided to move home. When I found out about Kelsey, I was glad I had a real home for her.”
She jumped up again at a soft hoot. “Oh, oh, what’s that noise?”
“It’s an owl. Haven’t you been in the country before?”
“Once. When I was a Girl Scout. I think I was eight.” She pulled the mattress closer to his. He could reach out and touch her, which he wouldn’t.
“I’m sorry about your situation, but I’m sure your dad and Kelsey will adjust, especially since they’re both worried about you.”
“Not likely. Kelsey tends to ignore us. She stays in her room watching vampire movies and only comes out to eat.”
“How sad.”
“She’d agreed to go horseback riding this morning. That’s why I was in a hurry to get home.”
“I’m so sorry for stopping on the highway like that. Everything was my fault.”
He sat up, feeling restless and edgy. “In life things happen, so don’t beat yourself up too much.” He didn’t know why he was letting her off so easily. Maybe because there was no way to change what happened. And Abby would, if she could.
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me.”
“Mmm. I’m not known for niceness.”
“How about with Kelsey?”
He wrapped his arms around his knees. “I’m trying, but at this late date I’m not sure if we can form a father-daughter connection. I’ve enrolled her in school, but I worry how she’ll fit in. Willow Creek is a country school with country kids who wear Wranglers and boots. Some wear the low-rider jeans and T-shirts, but none have a purple streak in their hair.”
“They wouldn’t dare make fun of Macho Cop’s kid.”
“Bullying has even made it into country schools, so I’m not taking anything for granted. We’re supposed to meet with the principal soon. Kelsey’s grades are awful, barely passing. It’s not that she’s slow or has a learning problem. She reads all the time. She’s been in fifteen different schools as she was shuffled back and forth from her grandmother to Sheryl. She hasn’t spent a whole year in any school. If I can’t give her anything else, I want to give her a stable home where she can have family and friends.”
The owl hooted through the trees, making them aware of where they were.
“Are you sure that’s an owl?” She pulled the mattress until it touched his.
“Positive. And does that make you feel safer?”
“Yes.”
He tightened his arms around his knees, marveling at how much he’d told her. He’d never opened up this much to any woman, including his mom. It had to be the night and the circumstances. Or it could be her. She was easy to talk to. Sometimes. Other times she drove him crazy. And he’d known her less than twenty-four hours.
“Since you have me wide-awake, tell me about your storybook life.” Did he just ask her to talk? They were never going to get any sleep. His macho demeanor didn’t work on her.
“Why do you think I’ve had a storybook life?”
“You have that Princess-Barbie-sorority-girl look that comes with wealth and privilege.”
“I resent that.” She came right back at him just as he knew she would.
“What was your life like, then?”
“Okay, maybe at first it was. My dad was president of a bank and we lived a good life. And, yes, they probably spoiled me.”
“Probably?”
“Shut up. I didn’t interrupt you.”
He held up his hands. “Okay. Okay.”
“My mom died in childbirth when I was ten. My baby brother died, too. She started hemorrhaging in her seventh month and the doctors couldn’t stop it. Dad and I were devastated. Mom was the foundation of our lives, and we didn’t know how to live without her. But eventually we had to start living again.”
