Texas Tough (The Tylers of Texas 2)

Lauren had turned to go to her room, but she swung back to face him. “Half breed? Good grief, what century are you living in? That term went out with the horse and buggy!”

His face had turned florid. “What I call that Comanche bastard doesn’t change the fact that you’ve got sand in your hair, girl! Of all the men you could’ve let between your legs, why him? Did you do it to spite me—to drag the family name through the mud?”

Lauren knew better than to lie. She straightened and squared her chin. “My personal life is my own business. I’m over twenty-one. I don’t have to answer to you.”

Color deepening, he took a step toward her. Lauren braced herself, half expecting him to raise his hand and strike her. But then he halted, the breath hissing out of him.

“Maybe not. But whether you like it or not, your behavior reflects on my reputation. If I find out you’re still seeing that man, so help me I’ll ruin him! I’ll blacken his name all over Texas—and don’t think I can’t. I’m a U.S. congressman. I have influence, connections, people who’ll believe me.”

Lauren was trembling by now, but she stood her ground. “Say one word against him and you’ll never see me again!”

His face contorted into a sneer. “Right now I’m not sure that would be much of a loss. You’re exactly like your mother—a slut!”

He flung the word at her and stalked out of the room.

CHAPTER 9

By dinnertime the following Sunday, Jasper was strong enough to be up and around. He was already demanding to ride his ATV and move from the spare bedroom in the house to his side of the duplex he shared with Sky. Bernice, who’d cared for her brother with saintly devotion, declared that she’d reached the end of her rope.

“Now I know why I never took on another man after my Andy died, God rest his soul.” She punctuated her words with downward strokes of the potato masher. “One more day of fetching and carrying for that old grump, and I’m going on vacation!”

“Then why not let Jasper go back to his own place?” Sky used a towel to lift the heavy roasting pan out of the oven and set it on the stovetop. The kitchen wasn’t his job, but Bernice had been favoring her back lately and he worried about the strain.

“You know how rambunctious he is, Sky. If he gets hurt out there again, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“He’ll be fine, Bernice.” Sky began carving the succulent prime rib. “I’ll look in on him every chance I get. And Will’s locked up the keys to the ATV, so Jasper won’t be taking it anywhere till he’s ready.”

“I just don’t know.” Bernice scooped the mashed potatoes into a bowl and added a dollop of butter. “When you come that close to losing somebody . . .”

The words trailed off as Erin scurried into the kitchen, took the bowl of potatoes, and headed back through the swinging door to the dining room.

“It’s time you took care of yourself for a change,” Sky said. “Otherwise you’ll be the next patient in the house. Leave Jasper to me. He’ll be happier in his own place.”

Sky put the meat on a platter and carried it to the dining room table before he took his seat. Sunday dinner was a tradition at the ranch, a chance for the family to get together, feast, and talk. Jasper and Bernice were included, as was Sky, although, more often than not, he kept busy elsewhere. He’d never quite felt he belonged at the Tylers’ table—not even now. But since today was a celebration of Jasper’s recovery, he’d made a point of showing up.

As they waited for Bernice to take her seat, Sky glanced around the table. There was no rule about who sat where, but the arrangement seemed to fall into a natural order. Will was in his customary place at the head, with Erin on his right. Tori, who came most Sundays to be there for her daughter, sat between Erin and Jasper. Beau was seated on Will’s left with Natalie and Sky filling in that side of the table. Bernice’s place was at the end, closest to the kitchen. She eased her plump body onto her chair with a weary smile.

Beau and Natalie sat close enough to touch shoulders. Without looking down, Sky assumed they were holding hands—or maybe fondling knees—belo

w the table. High school sweethearts, they’d been apart for eleven years when Beau came home. Now it was as if they were trying to make up for lost time. They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other.

Sky was happy for them. But he couldn’t imagine Lauren looking at him the way Natalie looked at Beau. Oh, Lauren was having fun. But sizzling sex tended to burn out like a Roman candle. It had little to do with the kind of love that flowed between Beau and his fiancée.

For all Sky knew, Lauren was already having second thoughts. He hadn’t heard from her since the night of their sunset ride. Sky had to admit he was getting worried. If she wanted to cool their relationship, that was fine. But why hadn’t she told him? What if something was wrong?

The Amen, murmured around the table, pulled him back to the present. Lost in thought, he’d brooded right through the blessing on the food. Sky wasn’t a religious man, but he tried to be respectful of others’ beliefs. He could only hope no one had noticed his lapse.

Discussions around the Tylers’ table could be intense, even heated. This afternoon, as the dishes were passed, the conversation was relaxed, punctuated by easy laughter. There were serious issues hanging over the family—the drought, the cattle, the money, and the questions surrounding Jasper’s shooting. For now these were set aside in the spirit of celebration.

“A toast!” Will rose and tapped his glass for attention. “To our great friend Jasper, the guiding spirit of the Rimrock. We’ve missed him, and we’re happy to have him back.”

“Hear, hear,” Beau echoed. Glasses of iced sweet tea were raised and clinked. Jasper harrumphed, clearly delighted by the tribute but trying not to show it.

Beau waved a hand for attention. “Natalie and I have an announcement to make,” he said.

Will raised an eyebrow. “I hope this means you two have set a wedding date.”

“Not quite, but it’s going to be soon.” Beau squeezed Natalie’s shoulder. “It seems we’re expecting.”