Dirty Sweet Cowboy

Hawk looks over at me, and can obviously see the rage building in me. He fakes another laugh. “Simone, you’re about the same size as my sister. Why don’t we get you inside and see if we can find you some things to borrow from Anna, in case this happens again?” He glances at me when he says it, and his eyes clearly communicate, “Don’t let it happen again .”

“I’m sure Anna won’t mind if you steal a few things .”

“Wanna bet?” I murmur under my breath .

Hawk ushers Simone around me and into the house, and I finish cleaning off my boots. Anna comes running from the stables, a confused look on her face .

“What the hell was all of that about ?”

I roll my eyes. “The princess got some mud on her ten-thousand-dollar top and flipped out. They’re upstairs raiding your closet right now for things she can ruin with impunity while she’s here .”

“Aw, hell, no!” Anna yells as she darts into the house. I enjoy that there is about to be another confrontation as I walk inside to find my daughter. I was right; within seconds, I can hear Anna yelling at Hawk from the direction of her bedroom .

At least someone else can give her a good what-for , I think as I walk into the family room, where Candy is playing on the floor with Gracie. Candy looks up at me with her giant eyes, completely out of the loop .

“Parrish Elizabeth McCormick, what the hell is going on? I have never heard as much yelling on this ranch as I’ve heard in the last hour,” Candy says as she helps Gracie fit some blocks into a wooden base. I sit down next to them and start sorting the blocks for Gracie .

“It’s the reporter. She’s… a lot. And she’s causing some problems .”

Candy shakes her head. “Well, that’s just silly. She’s going to think we’re a bunch of inbred hicks who are horrible to outsiders. You need to be on your best manners, even if she is a lot .”

As if on cue, Anna comes running into the room, her cheeks bright red. “Mama! Hawk is stealing my clothes and giving them to that… that woman !”

“Anna Nell! You are a grown woman. Stop acting like a child. You have more than enough clothes to share, and I won’t hear another whisper of rudeness in this house while that woman is here. She’s a guest for crying out loud! I swear, it’s as if everyone has gone plumb crazy! I don’t remember you being this hysterical when you were an actual teenager .”

Anna scrunches up her face and looks as if she’s about to settle in for a world-class pout, but instead, she lets out a huff that blows her bangs up and out of her face, then plops down on the couch .

“Fine. But I don’t have to like it. And if he so much as touches my cable-knit sweater, I’m pushing him off the balcony .”

Candy waves at her. “Then go get it! For goodness sake. If this reporter has clothes that aren’t hers to dirty up, it’s one less thing we’ll have to hear about while she’s here .”

Anna jumps up to go get her favorite sweater that she’s had since we were kids, and she disappears back up the stairs, yelling, “Hawk! Mama said not to touch my sweater !”

I can’t help but laugh. Candy hands Gracie a doll. “Sometimes… I swear this little baby is better behaved than my grown children .”

“I’m not sure I would disagree with you about that, Mama,” I say with a chuckle. Candy reaches out and gives my cheek a pinch, then brushes it sweetly .

“Have I told you lately how happy I am to have you two here with us ?”

I choke up a little, then push it back down. “Not lately .”

“Well, I am. I don’t know what Sam and I would do if you moved away. Speaking of, sort of, have you heard from your mom lately ?”

I shake my head. My own mother was never what you would call, “present.” Even when I was a kid, I mostly took care of myself, because she’d go through phases of spending all of her time out drinking, and sleeping around. Most of my first memories are of figuring out how to open cans of soup, or make myself peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to take to school. By the time I was ten, I’d gotten really good at scamming meals off the neighbors. So, when the McCormick’s took me in and made me a part of their family, it was like they’d opened up a whole new world to me. Then, when I lost Matt, I thought for sure that Gracie and I were going to be on our own. The fact that they’d kept us so close, and had continued to love us, and take such amazing care of us, had meant the world to me. A day doesn’t go by where I’m not grateful for it .

“Last I heard, she was in Florida somewhere? I got a card for my birthday four years ago. It was three months late, which is pretty par for the course. She doesn’t even know I have a daughter, or about…” I can’t bring myself to say his name in front of Candy, and she seems to appreciate that I cut myself off .

Candy shakes her head. “Your mama doesn’t know what she’s missing, Parrish. If you were my daughter, I’d thank heaven every day for you .”

I reach out and squeeze her hand. “I am your daughter, Candy .”

She sniffles. “That’s true, isn’t it? And I do thank my lucky stars that my boy chose you, and brought us all this little angel.” Candy gives Gracie a kiss on the top of the head that makes her giggle. “Well, enough of that. I’m going to mess up my makeup!” she says with a laugh .

“Do you want me to make some lunch? I could …”

I don’t get a chance to finish my sentence. We hear the sound of Anna running back down the steps, following my Hawk’s heavy thuds . They are bickering, but we can’t make out what they’re saying, until they both come sliding into the family room .

“Mama! Will you please tell Anna to just let Simone pick out what she wants and stop dictating every choice she makes? We’re going to be here all day and I don’t have time for this bull…” he stops short of swearing in front of Candy, who would give him an earful .