Turn and Burn (Blacktop Cowboys 5)

That caused her to cry harder.

While Harper cried, a panicked Tanna studied her face. Her skin was blotchy. Her eyes swollen. Her lips puffy. The beautiful, serene, always put-together woman was a mess.

“I’m sorry. It’s not the display.”

“I kinda figured that. Can you tell me what’s goin’ on?”

A long pause ensued and Harper leaned over to check on her baby. “Poor Jake. Upset mama turns his whole world around.”

The kid hadn’t uttered a peep. “He seems to be adjusting.”

“The car ride always mellows him out.” Her red-rimmed eyes met Tanna’s. “I’m losing my mind because I received notification that my sister Liberty was injured in the line of duty.”

Tanna’s stomach dropped. She reached for both of Harper’s hands. “Oh my God, Harper, that’s horrible.”

“Evidently it’s bad enough they brought her back to the U.S. as soon as she was stable. That’s all they’ll tell me.”

“Where was she stationed?”

“Afghanistan. She only had two months left on this tour and she talked about getting out of the service for good.” Harper bit her lip to keep from crying—no wonder the skin was so raw. “This isn’t the way she’s supposed to do that! Then I think, God, at least she’s not coming home in a casket.”

“Do you know what happened? Or the extent of her injuries?”

She shook her head. “So I have to fly to Walter Reed to deal with this.”

“When are you going?”

“Today.” She smoothed her hand over her head, trying to tame her hair. “I have to take Jake with me since I’m nursing. It scares me to death to take my baby into a hospital environment where the patients have been exposed to all sorts of weird viruses from all over the world. But that said, I don’t know what I’ll do if they won’t let me bring him into the room with me to see Liberty. As much as I want Bran there . . . as much as I need him there . . . he has a ranch to run and a child to take care of. He’s a great daddy, but Tate is a handful.” She sniffled. “I have no idea how long I’ll be gone.”

“Don’t you have other family that could meet you there and help out?”

She shook her head. “My younger sister Bailey is also in the army and she’s stationed in Japan. All my friends are pregnant or have infants so they can’t come with me. So I have to do this on my own.”

Tanna felt so helpless in the face of Harper’s distress.

Then Harper inhaled a deep breath. “I’d planned to be here tomorrow since my largest shipment for the year is arriving. It takes me a solid week to catalogue merchandise and I’ve always had Tierney or Janie to deal with customers. This can’t wait until I get back. The merchandise can’t sit in boxes long because there’s only a two-week window to decide on returns. I really hate to ask, but is there any way you can catalogue all the merchandise? That’ll entail you working in the back every day until it’s done. With as busy as we’ve been, Harlow will have to run the front end by herself.”

“Of course I’ll do it.”

Relief swam in her eyes and she teared up again. “Thank you.”

“Hey. I shouldn’t have to remind you that it is my job. Do you have sheets or lists from last year that’ll show me exactly how you want everything categorized?”

Harper nodded and stood. “My filing system makes no sense to anyone but me, so I’ll grab the files. Might take me a bit.” Her gaze winged from the baby carrier to Tanna. “Will you keep an eye on Jake?”

“Sure.”

Harper disappeared into the back.

Tanna crouched down and looked at the baby boy. Such a cutie. His small head appeared to be covered in white-blond chicken feathers. His lips were curved into a frown and milk seeped from the corner of his mouth. Jake sported a Western onesie in plain brown with fancy white stitching down the center. He wore camouflage pants. On his tiny feet were socks with a monkey face on the toes. Who said babies couldn’t be fashionable?

A wave of want rolled over her. She’d always expected she’d have a couple of babies and a husband by age thirty-six.

It could be worse. You could be on your way to some strange hospital to deal with an injured sibling.

Tanna sighed. She really hoped she heard from her brother soon.

She stared at the sleeping baby and willed him to wake up. Maybe she should just scoop him up and hold him anyway. The kid looked lonely.

Ha. You just wanna hold him and absorb that sweet innocence.

The cowbell on the door jangled and she looked up, expecting a customer, but Bran and Fletch walked in.

Fletch smiled at her. As did Bran Turner, but his smile didn’t make her heart turn cartwheels like the doc’s did.

You fall in love too fast, Tanna. This is a lusty friendship, that’s all.

“Hey, guys. What’s up?”

“Tracking down my wayward wife.” Bran crouched beside Tanna and immediately reached out to touch his son’s cheek. “Why is it you’ll sleep in public but not at home?”

Not surprising that Jake didn’t answer.

Fletch leaned over the baby carrier. “Damn, Bran. He is a cute little bugger. Kid totally takes after his mama.”

“Don’t I know it.”

Tanna glanced around but didn’t see Tate the terror. “Where’s son number one?”