Cowboy Lullaby (The Boones of Texas 6)

“Music,” he repeated, fascinated by how quick she was. “Mu-sic.”

“Mew-sik,” she repeated.

He grinned, spinning her around. “Music. You’re a smart little snuggle bunny, Pearl.”

She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling her shy smile up at him.

“Pearl, you’re smart and sweet and pretty,” he said. If his childhood had taught him one thing, it was the importance of praise. One kind word could change his day. He’d make damn sure Pearl always heard them. “Hungry?” he asked. “Yum-yums?”

She nodded, dropping his keys to clap her little hands.

He pulled all the Tupperware dishes onto the floor and handed her a wooden spoon, letting her make as much noise as she wanted while he dug through the remaining jars of baby food. He read over Georgia’s notes again, made the cereal with applesauce and placed Pearl in the high chair.

“Forgot.” He jumped up, rifling through the bag for a bib.

Pearl stretched her neck up and he put the bib on.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Pearl was a good eater, gobbling up her cereal then turning away when she’d had enough.

“Done?” he asked, wiping her face. “Done?”

She wrinkled her nose up.

He giggled, spooning up the runny cereal. “Yeah, I don’t know how you eat this stuff.”

She smiled then.

“We should head into town, get you some more food. And diapers. Might stop by Miss Francis’s place, too, and see about getting some help for you. And me.” He ran a washcloth under warm water and wiped her face clean. How bits of cereal ended up in her black curls, he wasn’t sure. But he did the best he could to get it out.

“Do-gee,” she said, leaning away from the washcloth. “Da-gee?”

“You want to see Banshee?” he asked.

She nodded. “Da-gee.”

“We’ll see,” he said, not making any promises. “Let’s go see Domino and Blackjack. Get the horses fed.”

She clapped her hands.

He was glad she was interested in the horses, and not scared. And yet, she was awful little to be poking around the barn without constant supervision. The place had been untended for too long, critters could have taken up residence. His toddler didn’t need to be the one to discover them.

It took the better part of an hour to get the horses fed and turned into the pasture behind the barn. He kept Pearl close, making it ten times harder than it should have been. His gaze wandered the fences, knowing he needed to ride along the entire property. If they were solid, he’d look into cordoning off a larger area for the horses to graze and roam. He had no idea how to do that with Pearl.

As he snapped her into her car seat, he glanced at Tandy’s cabin. Her truck was gone, no sign of Banshee on the porch. He stopped and stared, peering at the tall, dry grass around Tandy’s place. It was overgrown with cactus, Apache plume and wildflowers. The rains had been good so far, keeping the burn bans to a minimum. Still, she’d be wise to invest in some goats or sheep—it would keep Banshee occupied.

He doubted she’d want much advice from him.

The drive into town reminded him how much he loved this land. Exposed rock jutted up from the earth, layered and stark against the endless blues of the Texas sky. Each time he visited, he’d try to learn more about the place he considered his real home. Lynnie knew everything. About the volcanic eruption that formed Frazier Canyon, Sleeping Lion and Barrel Springs. Explaining that the arrowheads he’d find from time to time could be Apache, Comanche or Kiowa. She’d kept him busy for hours, hunting dinosaur bones or fossils. When he found something, she’d polish it up and place it on the mantel like a prize.

He glanced at Pearl in the rearview mirror, wanting her to have memories like that. Vivid and warm, magically transporting him to a place when things were easier. Life didn’t have to be hard. He’d do his best to make sure it wasn’t for his daughter.

He thought of Georgia then, resentment and frustration rising up. Her life had been anything but easy, he knew that. But she knew the difference between right and wrong. Keeping Pearl a secret from him was unforgivable. More so when he’d learned she’d tried to use Pearl to get herself a husband. Apparently her pick had more to offer her and Pearl than Click ever could. A safe and secure home, with no money worries or danger. But once the DNA test showed Pearl wasn’t his, the man had left her, and Georgia’s downward spiral had turned dangerous.

He was forever thankful for whatever instinct had prompted her phone call.

“Da da,” Pearl called out. “Mew-sik.”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He turned on the radio, smiling as her hands and feet bounced along with the Dolly Parton song filling his truck cab. As they entered the small town, his gaze swept Main Street.