Читать книгу: «Lone Star Father»

Chapter One

Becoming a father was not something Reid Hardell had ever imagined for himself, especially twelve years after the fact.

The social worker’s voice echoed in his ear. Mr. Hardell, I realize this situation caught you by surprise, but you’re the only family Jessie has left.

Family.

His stomach churned as the word reverberated inside his head.

At half past midnight, he flipped on the blinker and took the exit for Stampede. He could only imagine the looks on the faces of his grandfather and brothers when Reid introduced them to his daughter. He should have warned the family that he was returning home to Texas and why, but he’d barely kept in touch with them since entering the military after high school.

Reid had always felt like an outsider in his family and had never figured out why his father had come down harder on him than his two brothers. His jaw tightened at the memory of the old man shoving him to the ground, then kicking dirt in his face, after Reid had asked for the keys to his truck so he could take a girl to the movies. Later that night his older brother, Logan, had driven off in the pickup with his friends.

When Reid’s enlistment in the marines was up, he hadn’t returned to Paradise Ranch. Instead, he’d chosen to settle in Albuquerque. It hadn’t made sense to go back to a place which held few good memories.

He glanced across the seat at his daughter—the reason Reid was making this trip. Six months had passed since he’d met Jessie in September, but her name still rolled off his tongue like a boulder. He was floundering in his role as her dad and he was looking to his siblings to help him navigate fatherhood.

Any day now Reid’s younger brother, Gunner, was going to become a first-time father and Logan had recently married a single mother with twin boys. Surely they could give him a few pointers on parenting.

Reid’s gaze shifted to the urn propped on the seat next to Jessie. Her mother was making the eight-hour drive with them from El Paso to Stampede, an hour south of San Antonio. He’d suggested spreading the ashes before they’d left Jessie’s foster home, but she hadn’t been ready to say goodbye to her mother. He understood. Sort of.

His father’s sudden death had cheated him out having the last word. A few weeks after Reid left for boot camp, a hit-and-run driver had killed Donny Hardell while he changed a flat tire on the side of the road. Reid remembered the phone call from his grandfather as if it had happened yesterday. First, Reid had been numb with shock, then he’d felt weightless—as if the heavy sensation resting on his chest most of his life had broken apart and vanished. His grandfather hadn’t revealed the funeral arrangements and Reid hadn’t asked. They both knew he wouldn’t be paying his respects to a man who’d treated him with contempt.

His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, where the corner of the glass displayed the outside temperature—fifty-nine degrees. Typical mid-March weather in the Lone Star State. He set the cruise control and lifted his aching foot from the gas pedal. He should have removed his cowboy boots and put on his athletic shoes earlier in the day, but each time they’d stopped for a break, Reid had been distracted. Twice the dog had bolted from the truck when Jessie opened the door and they’d had to capture him. Then Jessie had asked for a snack from a vending machine that ate her money. And the bathrooms at two of the rest stops had been out of order, requiring a detour.

Soft snoring sounds drifted into his ear and he glanced into the back seat. Fang slept soundly in the dog bed on top of the luggage. The five-year-old shorthaired golden Chihuahua with half its teeth missing had belonged to the Valentines—the elderly foster parents who’d taken Jessie in after Stacy died. According to the couple, Fang and Jessie had a special bond, which Reid had witnessed when the mutt escaped the yard and chased his pickup down the street after they’d driven off earlier in the day. When they’d returned the dog to its owners, Jessie had begun crying and then so did Mrs. Valentine. Finally, Mr. Valentine shoved the mutt into Reid’s arms and said, “He’s Jessie’s now.”

The three of them were an unlikely family, but... Reid lost his thought when the word family reverberated inside his head again. The Hardells had been no more or no less dysfunctional than most families but Reid had decided in the military that he’d never marry or have kids. He didn’t want to be a dad. After the way his father had treated him, he had no idea how to nurture a kid’s mental or emotional well-being.

So much for the promise you made yourself.

Reid gripped the wheel tighter as he drove past his family’s rural property. He had tried to earn his father’s approval by showing an interest in his dad’s hobby—working on car engines. All he’d gotten for his efforts had been a dressing-down. Reid had developed a real aptitude for mechanics and by the age of seventeen he’d fixed engines his father hadn’t been able to get running—still his old man had always found fault with Reid’s work.

After he left the military, he’d landed a job as a mechanic for a trucking company in Duke City and had made a life for himself away from his family. A life that had been turned around when a social worker in El Paso informed him that he might be the biological father of a twelve-year-old girl.

A beacon of light appeared up ahead—the Moonlight Motel. A full moon spun in a slow circle atop a forty-foot pole and the word Vacancy glowed blue against the white backdrop. Last summer Gunner had texted Reid the link to the Moonlight’s website and Reid had viewed before-and-after pictures of the newly renovated motel.

He turned into the lot, surprised to see vehicles in front of the rooms. Years ago, the motel had sat empty most days. He parked by the office and shut off the engine. He didn’t notice anyone behind the check-in desk. Maybe Gunner was in the back playing video games or watching TV. He reached for his cowboy hat only to discover Fang had flipped it over and crawled inside the crown to sleep.

Great. His head would smell like dog the next time he wore the hat. He left the pickup, closing the door quietly. After hello, he had no idea what he’d say to his brother. His heart pounding like a jackhammer, he stared at his boots as he walked across the pavement.

The surge of adrenaline racing through his bloodstream caused him to pull the handle harder than he intended. The door flew open and a body slammed into his chest. His quick reflexes kicked in and he wrapped his arms around his assailant. When a pair of soft breasts pressed against him, he stumbled backward, his shoulder hitting the doorjamb.

“Oh, my, gosh.” The woman extricated herself from his hold and backed up. She brushed a lock of blond hair from her brown eyes. “I’m so sorry.” She flashed a smile. He’d seen a photo of Gunner’s wife and Lydia had long hair. This woman had really short hair. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, but Fang started yipping and barking and a moment later his daughter got out of the vehicle.

Jessie rubbed her eyes. “What’s going on?”

“We’re in Stampede.” Reid looked at the blonde. “My daughter and I need a room for the night if there’s one available.”

When Jessie fetched Fang from the back seat and attached his leash, the woman pointed to a pathway between the motel rooms and the office. “Follow the sidewalk. There’s a patch of grass back there.”

Left alone with the petite woman whose sultry eyes were way too big for her face, Reid apologized. “I’m sorry. You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“I’m fine.”

He preferred long hair on women but the shorter style with wispy bangs drew his attention to her pretty eyes and high cheekbones. When his gaze dropped to her mouth, her lips spread into a smile and Reid felt his body sway toward her.

A horn honked, startling him, and he jumped. He blamed the long day behind the wheel for his preoccupation with the pretty lady. He tore his gaze from her brown eyes and watched his grandfather’s jalopy pull into a parking space. The ancient pickup should have found its way to the junkyard a decade ago. This wasn’t how Reid imagined greeting his grandfather—in the wee-morning hours—after returning to town all these years.

The driver’s-side door opened and Emmett Hardell climbed out. A moment later Amelia Rinehart stepped from the passenger side. What was his grandfather doing at this late hour with the matriarch of Stampede? He studied the pair—they’d both aged.

That’s what happens when you don’t see people for over a decade.

“Good grief, Emmett.” Amelia shut her door. “Riding in your truck is like lying on a magic fingers vibrating bed.”

“What would you know about those kinds of beds?” the old man grumbled.

“You’d be surprised by how many I’ve slept in,” she said.

The couple faced off unaware of their audience. Amelia propped her fists on her hips and glared. “With the income Paradise Ranch made during the holidays you can afford to buy a new vehicle.”

“Be a waste of good money—” he lifted his leg and shook his foot “—when I got one boot in the grave already.”

“You’re too ornery to die.” Amelia narrowed her eyes. “Speaking of ornery...when are you going to approve my idea to reinstate the Stampede Rodeo and Spring Festival?”

“Never.”

“Why not?”

“Because every one of your bright ideas has cost me my privacy and peace of mind.”

“What little mind you have left doesn’t need any peace.”

Ouch. Reid listened to the couple spar, wondering why they were awake let alone out together past their bedtimes.

“Don’t worry,” the blonde whispered. “Those two banter back and forth all the time. Gunner says they’re in love and arguing is their version of foreplay.”

His grandfather loved the old woman? Reid’s grandmother had grown up with Amelia. The two women had been best friends most of their lives, but Emmett had never cared for the wealthy lady—at least not that Reid could remember. When Amelia had stopped by the ranch to check on the family after his grandma passed away, she’d always argued with Emmett.

“I should have introduced myself,” she said to Reid. “I’m Scarlett Johnson and that lady is my great-aunt.”

Scarlett Johnson. He hadn’t recognized her. Reid had bumped into Scarlett at her great-uncle’s funeral back when he’d been in high school. His looks must have changed, too, because she acted as if they’d never met.

“You’re an old fuddy-duddy,” Amelia said to Emmett. “I don’t know why I ever thought you were a catch back in the day.”

“You’ve messed with this town plenty,” Emmett said. “Can’t you leave it and me alone?”

“You enjoy me fussing over you,” she said.

Emmett shook his head. “You should know better than to tie yourself to a corpse.”

Amelia stamped her foot. “If you’re so determined to die, hand over your shotgun and I’ll put you out of your misery.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you,” he said. “With me out of the way you’d turn Stampede into a three-ring circus.”

“I better intervene before one of them gives the other a heart attack.” Scarlett approached the couple. “Isn’t it past your bedtimes?”

“We’re too excited about the baby to sleep,” Amelia said.

Emmett handed Scarlett a cell phone. “Gunner called and said he emailed photos of the baby, but I can’t get into my phone.”

Reid pulled his iPhone from his pocket and checked his text messages. Nothing—not that he’d expected his brother to share the happy news with him. He put the phone away and waited for the right moment to step out of the shadows.

“Emmett’s phone is password protected and he forgot the password,” Amelia said. “He thinks Gunner wrote it down on a sticky note and put in the office desk.”

“He did,” Scarlett said. “I saw the note. It said ‘password.’”

Emmett nodded. “Good. Tell me what the password is.”

“Password,” Scarlett said.

“That’s what I’m asking you.” Emmett looked at Amelia. “Is your niece hard of hearing?”

Amelia shoved her elbow into Emmett’s side. “The password is ‘password,’ you old fool.”

“‘Password’?” His grandfather harrumphed. “That’s a stupid word for a password.”

“Gunner assumed it would be easy for you to remember.” Amelia spoke to her niece. “Lowercase?”

“Capital P and the rest is lowercase,” Scarlett said.

Amelia’s gaze landed on Reid. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were helping a guest.”

Like a man walking across wet cement, Reid dragged his feet forward. “Hey, Gramps.”

The old man’s eyes widened. “Reid?”

He smiled. “In the flesh.”

“Reid Hardell?” Amelia narrowed her eyes. “Young man, it’s about time you came home to visit your family.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His grandfather didn’t crack a smile or offer a hug. Reid should have called before showing up out of the blue.

A shrill bark startled the group. Fang raced across the parking lot, his leash trailing behind him as Jessie tried to catch up. As soon as the dog saw Reid, he switched directions and ran over to him. Reid scooped the mutt into his arms.

“I wanted to try out the swings.” Jessie stopped next to Reid and gasped for air. “But Fang took off.” Her gaze zeroed in on Emmett’s grumpy face. “Don’t you like dogs?” When Emmett didn’t answer her question, she said, “What’s going on?”

“Jessie.” Reid cleared his throat. “I’d like you to meet your great-grandfather.”

Emmett’s mouth sagged open. “This young’un is your daughter?”

Amelia smiled. “Emmett, you never told me that Reid had gotten married.”

Reid handed Fang over to Jessie, then said, “I’m not married, Ms. Amelia.”

“Jessie, come inside. Your dog looks like he needs a drink of water.” Scarlett and his daughter entered the office, leaving Reid alone to face his grandfather.

“I should have warned you that I was coming,” he said.

“You should have done a lot of things, young man.” Emmett walked back to his truck and climbed behind the wheel, then stuck his head out the window. “Get in, Amelia. We’re leaving.”

The older woman clutched Reid’s arm. “Don’t mind his grumpiness. You just caught him by surprise. Come by my house tomorrow and talk to him.”

“He’s not living at the ranch?”

“Scarlett is staying in Emmett’s room at the ranch and helping Sadie look after the twins until she finds an apartment.” Amelia hopped into the pickup and waved out the window as his grandfather drove off.

Reid tore his gaze from the clunker and stared longingly at his own pickup. The temptation to leave Stampede was strong, but he’d stay and deal with the consequences of leaving the family fold.

He’d do it for Jessie.

And because he had nobody else to turn to.

* * *

REID’S DAUGHTER FILLED the plastic bowl with water from the cooler in the lobby, then set it on the floor for the dog. Once the little yapper drank his fill, she put him on a chair where he curled into a ball and closed his eyes.

“I like his Superman T-shirt,” Scarlett said.

“Fang’s always cold.”

“Fang?”

“He lost one of his canine teeth.” Jessie picked up a brochure advertising the petting zoo at Paradise Ranch. The young girl was slender with pretty blue eyes—like her father’s.

Reid Hardell... Scarlett’s thoughts skipped back to the day she’d attended her great-uncle’s funeral in Stampede and had walked past the corner of the church and plowed into Reid, much the same way she had a few minutes ago. Only back then Reid had kissed her after he’d helped her up off the ground. Every summer when she and her cousins had visited Aunt Amelia, they’d been warned to stay away from those wild Hardell boys and now Lydia and Sadie were each married to one of them.

“How old are you?” Scarlett asked.

“Twelve.” Jessie’s gaze narrowed. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight.” Wait until her cousins learned the middle brother was the father of a preteen daughter. “You and your dad arrived at an exciting time,” she said. “My cousin Lydia is married to your uncle Gunner and she gave birth to a baby girl earlier this evening.”

Jessie didn’t comment, her pensive gaze shifting between the dog and her father in the parking lot. Scarlett’s experience as a social worker insisted there was something off about the father-daughter relationship. “You and your dad will be staying in the High Noon room.” She entered the code into the machine Gunner had taught her to use when she’d moved to town a few months ago.

“What’s a high-noon room?” Jessie asked.

“Lydia helped your uncle renovate the motel last summer and instead of numbers on the room doors, she picked Western movie titles.” Scarlett waved a hand. “The movies were way before your time.”

Jessie’s attention returned to the window. “What’s there to do here?”

“Not much, but Paradise Ranch has a petting zoo, which might be busy next week when all the school kids are on spring break.”

“I’m homeschooled.”

This time Scarlett stared out the window. “Your father supervises your studies?”

Jessie shook her head. “My mom did, then Mrs. Valentine helped me. She’s smart. She used to work at a bank.”

“Who’s Mrs. Valentine?”

“My foster mom.”

Foster care. That explained the uneasiness between father and daughter.

Jessie sat next to Fang and the dog climbed into her lap. “My mom died.”

“I’m so sorry, Jessie.” Scarlett’s heart swelled with compassion. “How long did you live with Mrs. Valentine?”

“Since September.”

Six months. “I moved here from Wisconsin not that long ago. I’m a social worker in Mesquite.”

“Mesquite?”

“A town about fifteen minutes from here.”

“Mrs. Delgado’s my caseworker. She’s nice.”

Scarlett wanted to know why the young girl had been put into foster care after her mother had died, but if she asked too many questions, Jessie might shut down.

“Fang belonged to Mrs. Valentine, but he liked me better, so she gave him to me.” Jessie rubbed the mutt’s head.

“When I was your age, I had a dog named Charlie,” Scarlett said. “He slept with me in my bed.”

“Fang sleeps with his head on my pillow. I wake up to dog breath in my face.”

Scarlett laughed, then stopped abruptly when Reid entered the lobby. His hands were fisted at his sides and when his gaze landed on Jessie, the muscle in his jaw bunched. Scarlett had heard bits and pieces about Reid from her cousins but no one understood why the middle Hardell brother chose to keep his distance from the family. She’d always been a champion for the underdog and hoped Reid and his brothers could make peace with the past.

“What’s wrong?” Jessie asked.

“Nothing.” He uncurled his fingers and looked at Scarlett. “Sorry about all the commotion. Jessie and I should have stopped at a motel in Mesquite or Rocky Point.”

“She works in Mesquite.” Jessie pointed to Scarlett.

Scarlett came out from behind the desk. “It’s good that you stopped. Otherwise you wouldn’t have heard about the baby.” She spoke to Jessie. “Gunner and Lydia named their daughter Amelia after the older woman you saw in the parking lot.” Her gaze swung between Reid and Jessie. “Me and my cousins are named after our great-grandmothers, but Aunt Amelia never had children, so Lydia and Gunner thought it would be nice to name their little girl after her.”

Reid appeared unimpressed with the story. He rubbed his brow, drawing Scarlett’s attention to the dark shadows beneath his eyes. “How far did you two drive to get here?”

“We came from El Paso,” he said. “We got a late start.”

El Paso? The last she’d heard Reid had been living in Albuquerque. “I’m sure you’re ready to turn in for the night.” Scarlett handed him a key card. “You’ll be staying in the High Noon room.”

At his raised eyebrow Jessie spoke. “The rooms are named after old movies.”

He pulled out his wallet. “What do I owe you?”

“Nothing.” Scarlett smiled. “You’re family.”

Reid grimaced as if she’d offended him, then put his wallet away.

“Need help with your luggage?” she asked.

“We’ll be fine, thanks.” He nodded to Jessie. “Grab the dog’s supplies and your backpack. I’ll bring the rest of our things.”

Jessie carried Fang out of the office.

“If it’s available,” he said, “I’ll need the room for a few days.”

“You should stay at the ranch. I can move my things out of your grandfather’s room.”

“Why isn’t my grandfather living at the ranch?” he asked.

“When I moved here, Aunt Amelia insisted Emmett stay with her while I searched for an apartment. I was only supposed to use your grandfather’s room for a couple of weeks, but I’ve had so much fun with my cousin and nephews that I’ve been lazy about finding an apartment. Now that you’re here I’ll start looking again.” She moved closer to Reid, catching a hint of woodsy aftershave. “I’m sure it would be okay if I moved my things into Gunner and Lydia’s private room here at the motel.”

“Private room?”

Scarlett nodded. “They made one of the rooms into a combination office and nursery in case Gunner ever brings the baby to work with him.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’d prefer a motel room for me and Jessie.” He opened the lobby door, then motioned for her to precede him outside. “I should have asked first,” he said, “are pets allowed?”

“They are.” She pointed to the walkway between the rooms and the office. “There’s a pet station stocked with plastic doggy doo-doo bags.” Scarlett wanted to talk to Reid longer, but Jessie waited for him in front of their room.

Reid removed the suitcases from the back seat of the truck, then shut the door.

Before he walked off, she said, “You don’t remember, do you?”

The corner of his mouth curved upward. “How could I forget? I cut my lip on your braces.”

Her heart flipped on its end and twirled in a circle before dropping back into place. Reid Hardell remembered their kiss.

Scarlett’s very first kiss.

* * *

“WHERE’S ELMO?” JESSIE dug through the bag of dog supplies in the motel room.

“It might be on the floor in the truck.” Jessie had asked Reid to buy the dog toy after he’d insisted they take Fang to a vet before leaving El Paso. The visit to the walk-in animal clinic had delayed their departure and caused them to get stuck in Friday rush-hour traffic. The busy roads and having to shell out four hundred dollars for vaccinations and a year’s worth of heartworm pills and flea-and-tick protection hadn’t helped Reid’s pensive mood.

Jessie filled Fang’s water bowl. “Are you thirsty?” She spoke in a squeaky cartoon voice and the mutt’s tail wagged so hard, he stumbled sideways, his front paw landing in the water bowl. After he finished drinking, Jessie picked him up and he licked her face. “Stop.” She giggled. “That’s gross.”