Texas Forever (The Tylers of Texas 6)

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Kyle asked.

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Seduce her. Knock her up if you have to—that is, if you know how to do more than get it off looking at those damn porn sites.”

“What the hell—”

“I’ve been in your room. I’ve seen what’s on your computer.”

“You’ve got no business going into my room!”

“In my house I can go where I want to. So tell me—have you ever done it for real?”

Kyle stared down at his knees. “I fooled around some in junior college.” And he had, though none of the girls had let him go all the way. He’d never understood why. Maybe he’d said the wrong things or come on too strong. Maybe he’d scared them.

Hunter snorted with disgust. “That’s what I thought. That’s why I’ve arranged to do you a big favor.”

Kyle hadn’t paid much attention to where his father was driving. Now he realized they were in a part of town he’d never seen before. The streets were lined with bars and cheap hotels. Neon lights flickered on and off. In their glow, scantily clad women strolled the sidewalks. Hunter parked the pickup, climbed out, and slipped a bill to a man who stepped up—evidently to keep the vehicle from being stolen.

They’d parked next to a bar with a naked lightbulb over the door. “Come on.” Hunter beckoned to Kyle. “Don’t drag your feet and make a fool of yourself.”

Kyle followed his father inside. The lights were low, but he could make out tables and a bar with stools in front and shelves behind. The few male customers, playing cards or drinking at the bar, paid them no attention.

Maybe they were going to have drinks, Kyle thought. But that notion faded as a young woman greeted them from the foot of a stairway. She wasn’t bad looking, Kyle thought. But she would have been prettier without the heavy makeup and garishly bleached blond hair. Never mind—she looked like what she was, and Kyle knew enough to realize why his father had brought him here. He made an effort to look cool, but his pulse was galloping and his mouth had gone dry. He could smell the nervous sweat that soaked his armpits.

“Kyle, this is Destiny,” Hunter said. “I’m going to have a drink in the bar while she gives you a few lessons in being a man. Take your time, and don’t worry about money, it’s all taken care of.”

Hunter sauntered over to the bar while Destiny took Kyle’s hand and led him up the stairs. Only as he was coming down again, forty minutes later, infinitely wiser, did he pause to ask himself why his father seemed to know this place so well.

* * *

After a long day of cutting cattle in the high pasture, Will was tired, saddle sore, and as cranky as a bear with mange. He’d weighed the idea of showering before dinner. But he was too hungry to take the time. He would fill his belly first, then wash the dust and sweat from his body and fall into bed. And Lord help anybody who got in his way.

He parked the pickup, slapped the worst of the dust off his clothes, and splashed his hands and face at the outdoor tap, then dragged himself up the porch steps. Above the escarpment, the last streaks of sunset were fading to the deeper hues of evening. A pair of ravens flapped off the roof of the barn, and Will stood on the porch, watching until they became black specs against the barren sky. Hellfire, what he wouldn’t give for rain. This drought was sucking the life out of everything but the ravens and vultures and flies.

Stomping the dust off his boots, he opened the front door. The aromas of beef stew and fresh bread wafted out to greet him. His belly growled in response as he crossed to the dining room. There, a new sight struck his eyes.

“What the hell?” he muttered. “Did somebody die?”

A lavish bouquet of pink carnations, daisies, ferns, and baby’s breath stood in a vase on the dining room table. Will stared at it, shaking his head.

Carmen stood in the open doorway to the kitchen. “A van delivered those flowers a couple of hours ago,” she said. “The envelope has Erin’s name on it. Of course I didn’t peek inside. You’d better not peek either, if you know what’s good for you.”

“But there’s not even a florist in Blanco Springs. Where would they come from?” Will sank onto a chair.

“The van had the name and address of a florist in Lubbock,” Carmen said. “That’s a long way to deliver flowers.”

“Has Erin seen these?”

“She told me she’d be training a colt all afternoon. But she should be coming in soon. Do you want to eat now or wait for her?”

“I’d wait, but I’m starved. Go ahead and dish me up some food. Keep the rest warm. Where’s Rose?”

As if in answer to his question, he heard the back door open and close. Rose walked in through the kitchen. “Oh, my goodness,” she said, gazing at the flowers. “Aren’t they lovely? What’s the occasion?”

“Don’t ask me,” Will grumbled. “They’re for Erin.”

“Oh?” Rose took a seat at the place that had been set for her. “Do you know who sent them?”

“I guess that’s for Erin to find out.” Will looked up with a nod of thanks as Carmen set a bowl and some bread in front of him. The savory stew and warm, buttered bread smelled like heaven, but he paused long enough to ask Rose whether she wanted to be served now.