It Takes Two: Deep in the Heart, Book 1 (10 page)

Yes, Zach had come to Desperado to buy her farm. But he’d left without doing his job, and it stood to reason that he would reject the idea of one woman standing in the way of what he wanted. Technically, she’d handed him an embarrassment he had to take back to Austin. The question was, why hadn’t he tried harder to change her mind?

Annie crumpled up the plastic cup she held in her hand and tossed it into a trash can. The waiting-room clock indicated it was time to visit her father, so she hurried down the hall.

“Hi, Papa,” Annie said, after the nurse had nodded her inside. “How are you feeling?” The touch of grizzled, spiky hairs along his face brought tears to her eyes. He seemed to be aging overnight.

“Hi, baby,” he replied. Travis shifted the hand with the IV slightly on the white sheet and squinted open his eyes. “I’m fine. Doing just fine.”

“Are you comfortable?”

“Hell, no. Is anyone in a hospital?”

His querulous words brought a smile to Annie’s face. Her father sounded almost normal again. “Is there anything you want? Anything I can do for you?”

“Stop fretting, for one thing.” A worn smile slipped across his face before disappearing. “And tell me that city slick has gone back to where he belongs. Under whatever rock that is,” he mumbled under his breath.

Annie reached up to fuss with her father’s hair, smoothing it into place as best she could. “He’s gone, Papa,” she confirmed softly.

“And he ain’t coming back?”

“Can’t imagine why. What is there to come back for?”

Travis grimaced and sighed heavily. “Seemed like he had his sights set on you, gal. ’Course, a man with his brains between his legs probably has his sights set on a girl in every town.”

Annie kissed her father’s worn cheek. She could only fantasize that Zach’s sights might have been set on her. The truth was, Zach had felt obligated to stay with her at the hospital, or he’d have already been cutting a trail back to Austin. “Don’t worry so, Papa. You’re just giving your ticker something to act up about.”

He sighed. “I’m getting sleepy again, dammit. I’m like a baby, taking naps so often.”

“Rest, then. I’ll be back to see you soon.”

Annie kissed her father one more time, then stood up. Her eyes traveled from his closed, wrinkled eyelids to his sheet-covered legs. He seemed so frail, and she’d leaned on his strength all her life. Suddenly, she felt very alone.

Turning, she walked quickly out of the room. A tide of hunger and exhaustion swept over her; it was as if she was depleted. The best thing to do would be to go home, take a shower, and rest for a while. Then she could head over to Mrs. Aguillar’s house to visit Mary. Holding her daughter would make her feel strong again. She had no choice but to be strong for Mary’s sake—and her father’s. They were all she had. And she needed them as much as they needed her.

Annie had nearly reached the hospital exit when a hand grabbed her arm. For a split second, her heart leaped with hope that Zach might have returned.

“Whoa, slow down, Annie,” Cody said.

“Oh, Cody,” she said, tracing a smile onto her face to cover her disappointment. “Guess I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“That’s okay.” His expression was concerned. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I was just on my way home.”

Cody tipped her chin up. “You should have called me. I would have been glad to come and get you.”

“I know, and I appreciate that. I was going to call a taxi. I didn’t want anyone to have to come down here just to take me back to the farm.”

His eyes sparkled knowingly in the sidewalk lights. “You didn’t want to bother anyone. Come on; I’ll take you home.”

Her brother-in-law’s hearse was easy to spot in the parking lot. They walked toward it, and Annie waited while Cody opened the car door for her. She climbed in and sat down, twisting her hands in her lap. Cody got in beside her and started the car, driving away in silence.

After about two minutes had passed, Annie felt like she had to make an attempt at conversation. “I’m not good company tonight, I’m afraid.”

Cody didn’t take his eyes off the road. “No one’s asking you to be.”

She sighed. “But I really do appreciate you taking me home. I was dreading a cab ride.” Not to mention it would cost about twenty bucks to get her to the farm, and Annie wasn’t sure if she had that much in her purse. All she’d been thinking about was getting home and changing into something clean before hurrying over to kiss Mary good night. “How’s Mary doing?” she asked.

A smile tugged at Cody’s lips. “Driving Ma crazy.”

“Oh, no! She’s not misbehaving, is she?”

“No way.” He shook his head. “But you know how it is when little kids visit their grandmother. There’s something fascinating in every closet, every drawer. Ma’s having the time of her life trying to keep up with her. Today they made Popsicles, and Mary put hers outside for the birds to eat. Ma finally convinced her that the birds would rather have something else for dinner.”

Mary’s antics brought a real smile to Annie’s face and she relaxed, finally able to let some of the tension ebb out of her. “Your mother’s awfully good to Mary.”

“She’d do anything for her. You know that, Annie.” Unspoken words hung in the air.
Nothing changed because Carlos died.
Yet Annie never felt comfortable asking Mrs. Aguillar for assistance of any kind. A lingering resonance of guilt that Carlos had died too young, too soon, trying to help her hang on to the farm kept Annie from wanting too close of a relationship with her mother-in-law.

“I know,” she replied. “Mary’s lucky to have a place where she can go and just be a little girl.” Far away from the worries that plagued her mother.

Cody nodded, seeming to understand the meaning behind her words. “How’s Travis?”

“He’s taking this whole thing like a trooper. If no complications appear, the doctor says he’ll be able to go home in a few days.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Yes. I was too. Papa’s chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital as it is.”

“He’s going to be chomping when he gets home too. Have you figured out what you’re going to do about his recovery?” Cody slanted a questioning glance at her.

Annie sighed. “Frankly, no. Everything’s happened so fast that I’ve been surviving moment to moment.” She pushed a hand tiredly through her hair, noticing that the braid was mostly undone. A few fingernails were chipped, and her denim skirt and white blouse looked like she’d worn them for a week. No, she hadn’t thought about her father’s rehabilitation, nor much of anything else beyond surviving the panic of the first few days.

Cody patted her leg briefly. “Ma and Pa’ll be glad to help you any way we can. Just tell us how, when you figure it out.”

“You’re doing enough by taking care of Mary. I’ll be all right, really.”

Cody didn’t reply as he pulled in to the long driveway. There were no lights on to herald a safe haven. Annie wondered if she’d ever feel right again, if the sense of overwhelming confusion would ever go away. It was like she was walking a crooked path blindfolded, without any sense of what lay in store for her at the end.

“I’ll wait for you.” He turned the car off and folded his arms. “Take your time; nothing’s pressing me.”

“Cody…” Annie stared at him. “I’m going to take a shower and change my clothes. You can’t wait on me all that time.”

He leaned his head back against the headrest. “Sure I can. Get something to eat while you’re in there.”

She couldn’t let him do it. “Please, I’ll be fine. You go on—”

“You walking to my house?”

Annie put a hand to her forehead, rubbing lightly. “How silly of me. The car’s broken. I’m not thinking.”

“You’re thinking fine. You’ve got a million other things to think about right now. Go on.”

She managed a tired smile. “I think there’s some leftovers in the fridge, and maybe a soft drink or two. Come on in, so I won’t feel bad about you sitting out here.”

He grinned at her before opening the car door. “At least if I’m foraging in the kitchen, I might convince you to eat a bite.”

Annie shrugged and got out of the car. “I can’t think about food until I’ve had a shower. I feel like the smell of the hospital is clinging to my skin.”

He waited while she unlocked the front door. She reached to turn on a light. Nothing happened. “That’s strange,” she murmured. “Maybe it’s burned out.” Gingerly, she moved into the hall, stepping into the kitchen to feel along the wall. She flicked the switch, but the ceiling light didn’t come on. “I wonder what’s wrong?”

A hot flash of panic enveloped her. She didn’t need this right now, didn’t know if she could handle one more problem, trivial as this probably was.

“Hang on. I’ll check the box.”

She heard the sound of a lighter flaring, and a tiny flame illuminated Cody’s features. Annie drew in her breath. She’d forgotten how very much Cody resembled his brother. Without being able to see the shoulder-length raven hair and the feather earring Cody sported, he looked disturbingly like Carlos. Although Cody was like a brother to her, it hurt to see the resemblance. She turned away, unable to look at the face of the past. “The box is in the kitchen closet, and there’s a flashlight on the wall.”

He edged past her into the kitchen. A moment passed before he came back out of the closet. “I don’t see any problems.”

Annie frowned. “I don’t get it.”

“Me either.” In the flashlight beam, she could see concern in Cody’s eyes. “I feel dumb for asking, but did you pay your electric bill?”

She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling inadequate. “It’s still sitting on my dresser where I put it to be mailed.”

He chuckled. “Stress’ll do that to you. Still, it seems like they shut you down awfully fast.”

Annie turned away, not wanting her embarrassment witnessed. “We’re not what you would call a good credit risk, I guess.”

Cody pulled her gently around. “What are you saying?”

It was almost more than she could bear. Confessing her treacherous financial position would make it real, would make it impossible to ignore. She’d been holding on for so long, fighting, praying, desperate for anything to keep the monetary wolves at bay. But the pitiful wall she had erected against the odds was crumbling. “Things were bad when Carlos was alive, despite everything he did to save the farm. He almost had us solvent when he…had the accident. But since then—” Annie choked to a stop, fearing tears would spill from her eyes any second. A sense of nervous anxiety rose inside her, and she felt weak, defeated. “I’ve done everything I can, but it’s not enough. It’s never enough,” she whispered.

Cody gathered her into his arms. “You’re doing a great job, Annie. It’s tough for a lot of people right now. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Sobs racked her body. “You don’t know.”

He patted her back soothingly. “The banks are full of people desperate for assistance. You’ve done the best you can with almost nothing.” Cody leaned back, touching the flashlight beam to her face.

Annie was ashamed of the tears streaking down her cheeks, ashamed that she was falling apart. She looked a mess and felt worse, like an incompetent fool. Ducking her head, she tried to escape the searching glare of the light. “I’ve made so many mistakes.”

“Everybody makes mistakes.” He put the flashlight on the kitchen table, so the beam pointed to the ceiling. “I make mistakes, too,” he said, sliding into a chair. “So what? This one’s easy, anyway. I’ll go down to the electric company tomorrow and pay the bill.”

“I can’t let you do that, Cody.”

He pointed her into a chair. She complied, feeling too defenseless to stand up. Despite her reluctance to bare her disastrous economic situation, it felt wonderful to be able to unburden herself to someone she could trust.

Not like Zach.
He would never understand how someone could get into such a bind. What did he know about sacrifice, about hard times? He’d pity her for being such a fool. And maybe his pity would be deserved.

“You can let me do it, Annie. I insist. You can pay me back later.”

Cody’s voice broke into her ruminations, spurring her memory.
If you sold your land, you’d be well off financially.
Ah, Zach’s honey-smooth voice, working to get what he wanted. Her land, her pride—her very soul.

Yet how much would all that be worth if she had to go begging to family relations for handouts? Annie’s back stiffened at the thought. A small loan now to cover the electric bill, next week a little more to cover groceries. Then there would be the discreet charity: new school clothes for Mary, a pair of shoes now and again. All under the well-meaning guise of familial love, but she’d know. And it would cut her soul.

“I can’t let you do that, Cody. But you’re kind to offer. The check’s on my dresser, and I’ll run it down tomorrow.”

He shook his head. “Let me do it. You need to be at the hospital. It’ll take some time to argue with them about reinstating your service.”

Cody got up and crossed to the refrigerator, pulling out some soft-drink cans. Annie picked at one of her ragged nails. He was right; she did want to be at the hospital for the few short blocks of visiting time she was allowed. Allowing Cody to run the errand wouldn’t be such a great drain on her pride if she didn’t allow it to be. “Thanks. I’d really appreciate it.”