Chapter Six
Trudy drove down the long, tree-lined driveway behind Zane and Presley. Nerves jumped in her stomach. What on Earth was she doing coming here? She was a fish out of water. Even though she had a close circle of friends, she wasn’t good in social situations. At least she knew two people tonight. She couldn’t count Cooper or Lincoln since she’d just met them and the situation with Lincoln hadn’t been the best.
After stopping behind her friends’ car, she pulled out the keys, jingled them in her hand, and peered through the windshield. Evidently there was a huge difference between a ranch and a farm. At least between a Texas ranch and a Wisconsin farm.
Instead of a two-story, white, clapboard farmhouse like her family had, the Roustabout ranch house was low and wide, covered in beige stucco. A low, sloping roof covered a porch stretching across the entire front. Tall windows reached from the porch floor to the ceiling. Columns with tops shaped like a Y held up the roof. Four, high-backed white, wooden rockers were grouped at one end.
Presley tapped on her window, making her jump.
“Are you going to sit in there all day?”
Trudy opened the door and stretched her legs. “I was admiring the house. It wasn’t at all what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
Leaning against the side of her rental, she took in the red barn with its tall center and roof sloping down to shorter walls. One end was open. Maybe to drive a tractor through? The other, like the center of the building, had double sliding doors. Both were closed.
“I guess I thought the barns would be white, not red like in Wisconsin. She pointed to a building to the right of the barn. It was about the same size, but with the side walls slightly taller. “What building is that?”
“That’s our stable.” An unfamiliar female voice came from the other side of Trudy’s car. A petite woman with long, black hair walked around the car and stretched out her hand. “Hi, I’m Jade Phister.”
Trudy held back a wince. For a tiny woman, her grip was sturdy.
“I know you’ve already met Coop and Link. Our sister, Marie, is in the kitchen.”
Had Coop told everyone about the snake incident? If he had, he was in deep trouble. “Did we get here too soon?” Which would probably be another black mark in Lincoln’s book. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Jade kissed Zane on the cheek and gave Presley a hug. “It’s so good to see you two again. It’s been too long.”
They headed toward the house. Trudy followed behind them, taking in the sprawling trees on either side of the sidewalk. Their branches nearly touched the ground. They must be ancient.
“I think we have everything covered,” Jade finally answered. “Besides, you’re a guest.”
Trudy fingered one of the oval leaves and breathed in a particularly pleasant scent. Sage? “If I’m going to be here a week, I don’t expect to waited on. I want to help.”
“Please sit,” Jade said, waving a hand to the rockers. A pitcher of tea sat on a low coffee table. “That’s right. Coop said you were raised on a farm. He also told me that Link thinks you’re a city slicker.”
Didn’t this family keep any secrets from one another? That meant the girls probably knew how she met Lincoln.
Jade raised a glass of tea and raised an eyebrow.
“That’s what he said last night.” She accepted the glass. “He was rather adamant about not babysitting someone who knows nothing about ranching.”
Jade flipped her hand. “Farming and ranching can’t be that much different. Should be interesting when he finds out you’re not who he thinks you are.”
The twinkle in Jade’s eyes reminded her of Coop’s from last night. Did they know something she didn’t? Besides their brother? She mentally shrugged.
A woman, looking so much like Jade they could be twins stepped out to the porch and took a cookie from the plate sitting beside the pitcher of tea. “It will do the guy good to not always be right. It’s about time he realizes we’re not kids anymore.” The woman stuck out her hand. “By the way, I’m Marie, Jade’s sister.”
“I can tell. You two look like twins.”
Jade nodded, getting back to a subject that was making Trudy uncomfortable. “I think he’s getting the idea.”
“It has to be hard on him.” Presley said. “He’s been the caretaker for so long, I’m sure he doesn’t know what else to be.”
Zane stood and waved Marie to his empty chair. “I think I’ll head out the barn and see if Coop needs any help.”
“He’s in the back with some of the crew, setting up tables for the party.”
Marie sat in the vacated spot, tucked a leg beneath her and toed the floor with her other foot to set the chair moving. “But he doesn’t have to be such a bear about it. For Pete’s sake, he asked me today if I got my homework done before coming home.” The rocker moved faster. “Jerk. He seems to forget I’m graduating from college in a few weeks.”
Was there any way she could sneak away from this discussion? As much as Lincoln had irritated her yesterday with his lofty ways, she didn’t need to be involved in family issues.
Thankfully, Jade changed the subject, sort of. “You’ve met Link, right?”
Trudy nodded.
“Then you know what he’s like.” Jade paused. “Wait, if you’ve only been in Texas a few days, when did you meet our illustrious brother?”
Should she tell the entire tale or gloss over the incident. Better to be light on the details. “I ran into him yesterday when I was taking pictures.”
Jade’s mouth went wide and her eyes sparkled. “Oh, my gosh. You’re the one . . .” She covered her mouth. “The prairie . . .” A snort erupted. “The snake . . .” She rocked back in her chair. “Oh, Marie, you can’t believe what happened to this poor woman yesterday.” Between bouts of laughter, Jade relayed the story to her sister.
Heat rose to her face. Tears burned behind her eyes. Talk about being mortified. She had to leave, but not before killing Lincoln. Kill the man and feed his carcass to the nearest rattlesnake. Pour honey on his body and let fire ants do their thing. Tie him to a tree, cover him in red fabric, and let a bull charge him. She headed toward her car.
Jade stood and took Trudy’s elbow. “I’m sorry for laughing, Trudy, but you have to admit, it is rather funny. I would have died if I’d been caught like that. Besides, my laughter is more for thinking about how old sour-puss Link must have reacted than for your situation.” As if she’d read her mind, Jade went on. “Don’t get mad at Link. It was Coop who told me.”
Okay, so Lincoln hadn’t told his sister, but he had told his brother. Who else had he told? She was still going to kill him, then Coop for opening his big mouth. This was going to be a short stay.
“Are you leaving?” Presley asked.
“I probably should.”
Marie stood before her. “But why?”
“I don’t want to be responsible for the deaths.”
Jade frowned. “Whose deaths?”
“Your brothers’.”
The sisters looked at each other and then Presley. Jade snorted. Marie slapped her hands on her knees and laughed. Presley clamped a hand over her mouth.
“I can see I’m going to love having you here for a week,” Jade said, in between deep breaths. “You’re going to give Link a run for his money.”
Trudy stared at the three women. What? What the hell were they talking about? “Why would I want to do that?”
“Please sit down with us, Trudy.” Jade re-took her seat.
Since she didn’t have anything else to do, she complied. “Now tell me why I should be giving Link a run for his money.”
“I know you’ve heard the stories of how he took over when Mom and Dad died and how he’s turned into a stick-in-the-mud,” Marie said. “He also gave up his dream of becoming a photographer. Once I found a scrapbook he’d done in high school about photojournalists. That’s all he ever talked about wanting to be.”
Jade leaned toward Trudy. “You’re a photographer. We thought maybe you could get him back into it again.”
They thought she was a photographer? Did they think she would be able to help Lincoln? Were they crazy?
“I’m just an amateur. I use photography as a stress reliever from my job as a home hospice nurse.” No way was she going to add that taking pictures with Lincoln would certainly not be a stress releaser.
“It’s been so long since he’s taken any pictures, he’d be considered an amateur, too. It would be less intimidating for him than if he was with a professional,” Marie said. She picked up their glasses and put them on the tray. “I need to finish getting things ready for the party. People will start arriving in an hour.”
Jade rose. “Think about it. Please? All you’d need to do is have him take you around the property.”
“I’ll think about it, but I’m sure Lincoln won’t be very happy about it.”
“Probably not, but he’ll have to deal with it. Now let me show you where you’ll be staying while you’re here.”
After removing her gear from the car, she followed Jade to the back of the house. She couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to her being here than Coop and Jade were telling her.
****
Trudy leaned against a white fence surrounding a vegetable garden. Even though it wasn’t dark yet, tall, flickering oil lights were scattered about, casting shadows in the back yard. Strings of white Christmas lights strung from tree to tree would give more light when the sun set. A long table began to fill up with food as more guests arrived. Why hadn’t anyone told her to bring something?
People, whose names she couldn’t begin to remember mingled. At least a dozen were McCoys. Like a family reunion, women hugged, men shook hands, slapped each other on the back, and kissed women on the cheek. Children wove in between adults as they chased each other. As far as Trudy could tell, many of them were cousins. The comments floating to her were mostly the same:
“How the hell have you been?”
“It’s been too long.”
“We need to get together more often.”
“How many kids do you have now?”
Replace faces and she could have been at one of her own family functions—if she went to them anymore. A pang of loneliness jolted through her. She missed them. Missed her parents, her siblings, her cousins. But until she found out why she was being ostracized, she’d never see them again.
“Feeling overwhelmed?” Lincoln’s deep voice came from alongside her. He slouched against the fence, his elbows on the top rung, a bottle of beer slung from his fingers. He crossed his ankles, giving the impression he was at ease.
Even so, she sensed some tension in him. “A little. I was just thinking how this was like one of my family reunions.”
Lincoln’s aftershave tickled her senses. Musky. Masculine. Something deep inside her responded. A flicker, a quiver that said she was standing beside a sexy man. This wasn’t good. She was absolutely, positively not going there.
“I’m told I’m supposed to squire you around the place tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to, Lincoln.”
“For some unknown reason my siblings think I do.” He tipped back his hat. “There’s nothing more I’d rather do than play babysitter all day with someone who probably calls all cattle cows.”
The guy really was a jerk. Should she tell him she knew the difference? And knew the difference by the time she was three?
“And there’s nothing I’d rather do than spend the day with someone as narrow minded as you.”
Lincoln straightened and faced her. “And yet, here you are.”
Those unwelcomed flickers died a quick death. “Wow. That’s quite the welcome.”
“I didn’t invite you here.”
She jerked back as if he’d hit her. Could she smack him back? “You know what, Lincoln? I don’t need, nor want, to be babysat by you or anyone while I’m here. I’ll stay out of your way and you stay out of mine.”
She had to get away from him before she did bodily harm. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll find Presley and Zack.”
****
Link pulled off his hat and slapped it against his leg. Shit. Could he have been any more of an ass? Yeah. Probably. He could have demeaned her photography.
He’d gone to her with good intentions of offering to take her out tomorrow, but there was something about the way she stood against the fence. Something enticing. Her arms folded over her chest accentuated her breasts. Her shorts exposed her long, shapely legs. There were dimples on either side of her knees. And she smelled good. Like fresh air and . . . He couldn’t identify what, but it sent signals to his crotch.
Damn. He didn’t have time to get involved with anyone. But he didn’t have to be an ass to her. If Cooper or either of his sisters saw the way she’d stomped away from him, there’d be hell to pay. He couldn’t help notice the way her hips swayed with each step she took. He hated to admit it, but she was sexy as hell.
He’d thought so yesterday—and it hadn’t had anything to do with seeing her naked skin. Well, maybe a little. He took a sip of beer and grimaced. He hated warm beer. So now what should he do? Apologize? Ignore her like he wanted? Dig out his camera and join her?
The camera he’d bought with his hard-earned money his freshman year in high school was so out dated, he probably couldn’t even get film for it anymore. It was buried in a large box somewhere in the back of his closet. If he remembered correctly, it’s where all his pictures were, too. The negatives were most likely stuck together.
A twitch began in his finger. The click of the shutter was like a bomb going off in his brain. It had been so long, he wasn’t sure he remembered f-stops, aperture openings, shutter speed, ISO settings. Did those fancy digital cameras come with those options, too?
Crazy thoughts, all of them. He shook his head. There was no way he had the time to go wandering around taking pictures. His stomach jumped. From excitement at the thought of picking up a camera again, or disappointment that he couldn’t? Or wouldn’t.
The last thought brought him up short. Why couldn’t he? Because he was responsible for the ranch, for his siblings’ livelihood, that’s why. Plus, he needed to find out who was cutting their fences, and why someone was driving on their property.
“Hey, Link. You going to join us, or not?” Coop yelled across the yard.
In the time he’d been ruminating, people had lined up at the food table, piling their plates high. His stomach growled. There was nothing he could do tonight, anyway. He might as well join in the fun—or at least have a few more beers.
A few hours later, Link was sprawled in a lawn chair, his legs stretched out before him, a bottle of beer resting on his stomach. Orange, red, and yellow flames danced before him in the bonfire pit. Sparks spit into the air. Chairs were repositioned as the smoke swirled and changed directions. If he heard the saying, “Smoke follows beauty” one more time, he’d toss his beer on the fire, dousing it out.
Although the smoke tended to head in Trudy’s direction, he had to admit she was, maybe not beautiful, but definitely more than pretty. The flames made her already red hair look as if it was on fire. Her husky laughter settled in his chest and warmed something that had been cold for too long. He set his empty bottle on the ground. Hell, he’d had too much to drink. He was beginning to think like some love-sick sap. It wouldn’t be long and he’d be concocting stupid poems or writing sentimental love songs.
It was probably being so relaxed that was bringing on these thoughts. More relaxed than he’d been in a long time. He hated to admit it, but the party was a good idea. Spending time with old friends and meeting new ones wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Good thing he hadn’t hidden in the hayloft like he’d first intended. If it hadn’t been for the tantalizing aroma of grilling steaks and hamburgers, he would have.
A slow song flowed through the outdoor speakers. Along with other couples, Coop’s arms were wrapped around a woman as they swayed to the music. His heart stuttered. One of the couples was Trudy and a man he didn’t recognize. While not in as tight a hold as others, in his opinion, there should be at least another foot between them. None. Of. His. Business.
What was his business was seeing Marie and a young man he didn’t know, holding hands and wandering off toward the barn.
Where the hell were they going? He sat up, ready to charge after them.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.”
“Hey, Isaac. If you’ll excuse me, I have something to do.”
“No, you don’t. If you go after Marie, she’ll hate you for life.”
Marie and the man disappeared into the barn. “She’s . . .”
Isaac handed him a cold beer. “She’s not a young girl. She’s a woman. A woman who doesn’t need her big brother sticking his nose in her business.”
“But . . .” Didn’t Isaac get it? He was responsible for her.
“But, nothing.” Isaac settled into the chair next to him. “I know what it’s like having family members stick their noses into a sibling’s business. It only causes problems.”
Link sighed and pulled his eyes away from the barn. “I know. That’s what they keep telling me. But it’s hard.”
“You remind me of Aron after our folks died. He thought, and still does at times, that he was in charge of us. It took finding a good woman to settle him down.”
Link turned his attention to Trudy and her partner. “So you think I need to find a woman?”
Isaac shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe you need to find something else besides the ranch to keep you occupied. Find a hobby. Go on a trip. Let Coop and your sisters live their own lives.”
Why the hell was everyone ganging up on him lately? Was he that bad?
“That’s kind hard to do when two of them live here with me.”
“You can still do your own thing and let them do theirs. From what I hear, Coop has a good head on his shoulders and loves the ranch. So does Jade. What do you love?”
His first thoughts were his siblings and his horses. Beyond that? A deep pull on his beer didn’t bring any answers.
“Hell, I don’t know anymore. I’ve been in charge for so long, I don’t know how to let go.”
“Wish I could help you, friend, but you need to figure out what you want besides this ranch, or it’s going to kill you.”
Isaac stood and stretched. “My lovely wife is waving at me. I guess it’s time to head home. The bar is closed tomorrow. I’m looking forward to a quiet day with her.”
Something akin to envy flowed through him as Isaac drew Avery into his arms. Their kiss was more passionate than he thought was necessary. He imagined how they’d spend their day together. Jealousy was new to him.
Others began to fold up lawn chairs, gather blankets, empty bowls, and coolers. The party was breaking up. He gathered his used beer bottles and dumped them in the recycling can, forcing himself not to look toward the barn. He was not going to imagine what was going on out there. But, shit, Marie was his baby sister.
“Did you have fun tonight?” Jade asked, coming up beside him and dropping bottles into the container.
“I guess so.”
“Humph. There were times you were frowning so hard, I thought you’d scare the children.”
“Hey, I mingled. Talked with my friends. Helped clean up.”
“Bravo for you.” Jade slammed the lid closed. “But you didn’t talk with Trudy.”
There was no way he was going to admit he had and acted like a moron. “Why would I have to talk with Trudy?”
“Because she’s our guest.”
“She’s yours, not mine.” Why were they all trying to get him to be nice to Trudy? He slapped his chair closed. “I’m going to bed.”
Even though he was tired, there was something he needed to do. Something that had been eating at him since meeting Trudy yesterday morning. What was it about her that brought up old desires, not only physical but emotional? Not only did her slim form send a jolt through his system, but her presence had him worrying about his choices in life, or lack of choices.
Over the years, there had been plenty of people wandering around taking photos. But none of them had come close to making him want to take out his camera.
He toed off his boots in the back entryway and padded his way upstairs to his childhood room. In the years since his parents’ death, he’d hadn’t taken over the master bedroom. By all rights, since he ran the ranch, he could have, but it seemed wrong. Other than dusting, their room was as it was when they passed on.
His bedroom door clicked behind him. He turned on a bedside lamp, sat on the edge of the unmade, rumpled bed, and stared at his closet door. Should he go in search of his past? He ran his hand over the quilted bedspread contemplating what to do. The quilt was one he and his mother had made from old fabric squares when he was in high school. He held back a sob.
Lord, how he missed her. Missed her sweetness, her bossiness. Her need to have all her children know not only how to work the ranch, but to run the house, which served him well when he’d become in charge.
Under her tutelage, he learned how to do laundry without turning everything the same color, do dishes, grocery shop, make a few decent meals, do some basic sewing, and to clean. Even though he was teased for being anal about most things on the ranch, cleaning wasn’t one of them. It had been a bone of contention between him and his mother. He saw no reason to make his bed daily, just to mess it up again. She couldn’t understand how someone who saw the beauty in nature could be such a slob.
After his first lesson in doing laundry, he’d gotten better at tossing his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. The first time he’d done his own laundry, half his socks were missing, buried somewhere in his disastrous room. Wearing two different colored socks to school had been humiliating. His father had dubbed him one-sock Lincoln. Luckily his siblings hadn’t heard the name, or it certainly would have stuck forever.
Link slipped off his shirt and jeans and climbed beneath the blankets. Something scratched his legs. He reached beneath the blankets and pulled out an empty chip bag. He never did learn not to eat in bed while watching TV.
Weariness swept over him. His eyes drooped. He sagged into the sheets, switched to his side, and pulled the blanket up to his neck. With a last look at the closed closet door, he let sleep take over.