Cowboy Take Me Away (Rough Riders 16)

“How could Stu and Janet just ignore that situation with Boone? He’s their grandson—their only grandson. I mean, yeah, Dax screwed up years ago, but one strike and he’s out of the family? That sounds like something Dad would’ve done.”

“Which is why I don’t want to go to the stupid reunion. Beings our boys are competing in the rodeo that day, I’m planning on having the McKays—and a few select Wests—over here the day after. Will that work?”

Kimi wrinkled her nose. “Can we selectively invite McKays too?”

“I wish. But I’ve already mentioned it to Joan. I’d like to make the event alcohol free—not just to keep Casper from getting stinking drunk.” It’d be easier for Colt to be there, even when everything she’d read said the recovering alcoholic needed to decide the social limitations, not his family or friends. Just letting her son be was harder than she’d imagined.

“We’ve got time to figure out the menu. I’m just hopin’ that Kade gets to bring his baby girl.”

“How do you think Cal will react to the news he’s a grandpa?”

“I’m about to find out.” Kimi waved and she was gone.

Several hours later Kimi returned, livid about Cal chewing her out for telling her sister they were grandparents before she’d told him. So Kimi and Cal, the couple who never fought, had a huge row, right in front of Carolyn and Carson.

An infuriated Cal had chased after Kimi and stormed into the house. He’d cornered Kimi in the dining room. “Oh no you don’t, you little brat. You don’t get to tell me to f**k off and then run and hide.”

Kimi swigged directly from the bottle of whiskey she’d lifted from the liquor cabinet. “Not running. Not hiding. You were a dick to me, Calvin McKay. So don’t be so goddamned shocked that I don’t wanna be around you.”

He loomed over her. “Suck it up. You were in the wrong, and you know it.”

“I was not. You weren’t home!”

“I have a f**kin’ cell phone for situations exactly like this one,” he bellowed.

“Which you won’t answer because you’ll be too busy doin’ some stupid cow thing.”

“Stupid cow thing?” he repeated. “I’ll remind you the stupid cow thing keeps you in hair dye and rhinestones.”

Oh no. Cal did not go there. Carolyn heard Carson groan behind her.

“You are such a prick!” She whipped the bottle of whiskey at him.

Fortunately Kimi was a crappy shot and Cal had great reflexes. He caught the bottle. There wasn’t much booze left. He drained the remainder and set it aside. “Apologize to me right now, Kimberly Jo West McKay.”

He used her full name, knowing full well how much she hated it.

“Why should I? With that glug of booze you knocked back I see we won’t kiss and make up since you’ll have a case of whiskey dick.”

Cal laughed. Hard. “Wild cat, I ain’t ever had whiskey dick in my life and you damn well know it.”

“Why are you being like this? You never give a damn what Caro and I talk about.”

“This time is different. I always thought we’d hear about our first grandbaby together. How would you like it if I knew about that precious baby girl and told a buncha people before I told you?”

That gave Kimi pause. “Fine. I shoulda told you first.”

“That ain’t an apology. Try again.”

At some point Cal had trapped Kimi against the wall. She put her hands on his hips to push him back. “I’m sorry.”

Cal laughed—a little snidely. “That’s one. You owe me more than one apology.”

“For what?”

“For callin’ me a dick. For callin’ me a prick. For questioning my ability to perform. And wild cat, I’ve never left you wanting on that front, have I?”

“No.”

“So apologize.”

“Sorry.”

“Huh-uh. Offer the proper apology to the injured party.”

“What?”

“On your knees.”

Kimi murmured something that caused Cal to growl and dip his head toward her chest.

That’s when Carson grabbed Carolyn’s hand and they hightailed it out of their own house.

They didn’t stop moving until they reached the barn.

“Good Lord, I didn’t need to witness that.”

“No shit,” Carson said. “That was about as awkward as the time Keely caught us playin’ master and slave in the dining room.”

Carolyn twined her arms around his neck. “Speaking of…been a long time since we’ve horsed around like that.”

He grinned. “No ball gag this time, slave, so on your knees.”

“Right here in the barn?”

He quirked that sexy eyebrow in challenge. “You doin’ something else right now?”

“No.” She lowered to her knees and looked up at him. “But I’m still not ever calling you master.”

For the first time she drifted away into the catacombs of her mind with a smile on her face and the taste of Carson on her tongue.

 Chapter Twenty-Nine

Hospital, Day 6—afternoon

“Today on Maury: I’m retired, I’m not raising your love child! We’ll hear about one woman’s struggle after she discovered her husband had fathered a child with their grandchildren’s barely legal babysitter.”

Seriously? There was such shit on daytime TV.

But Carson secretly loved this train-wreck show.

The talk show host came back on the screen. “How do you plan to spend your retirement? Eleanor Peabody imagined she and her husband of thirty-five years would travel the world together. But during the first few months of his retirement, Henry began an affair with their grandchildren’s eighteen-year-old babysitter, Shania.” Boos echoed from the audience. “Now Shania is pregnant and she expects Henry to take responsibility for his child. Where does this leave Eleanor? Stuck helping raise her husband’s love child during her golden years? Henry is here too and he’ll tell you why Eleanor needs to step up.”

“Carson?”

He about shot out of his seat and turned to face his son-in-law. “Jesus, Jack. You scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry.” He glanced up at the screen. “Am I interrupting?”

“No. I never watch this garbage. I was just bored.” He stood and clicked off the TV.

“You seem surprised to see me.”