ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (BLUEBONNET, TEXAS Book 2) (28 page)

"What?" While he waited for Tim to continue, Ty added his usual three spoonfuls of sugar to his overfull cup. His eyes tracked the grains as they slipped off the spoon. As if sweetening his coffee were life altering.

"Are you happy?"

He didn’t even hesitate. "You know, what I had with Rhea—" he waved the thought away with his hand, "—fuck that. With Bee,
we can talk
. She makes me feel...like I’m...
everything
," he finished softly, frowning up at his brother. "I can’t explain it. I just
know it
."

"She ain’t Rhea." Tim nudged him and they took their breakfast to the table.

"Absolutely not."

* * *

"Who the hell’s that?" Ty and Tim stood on the front porch watching a red sports car zip up the road.

"Friend of Zanders?" Stepping off the porch, Tim re-covering his sleep-mangled hair.

"Did he mention bringing anyone for Thanksgiving?" Ty followed, wrapping his arms around himself and wishing he’d grabbed a jacket. The little car pulled even with them and the window lowered. Jet-black curls, a snug red turtleneck, pouty red lips and green bedroom eyes that almost made Ty laugh. The eyes clinched it. She had to be Angelina.

"I’m looking for my sister."

Her voice was even similar. How two sisters could look so different but so alike was beyond him. "She’s still asleep."

"You’re Ty Boudreaux, ain’t you?"

"You learn to talk like that in college?" he teased. She didn’t look amused. "Park it and I’ll wake her up."

Ty and Tim said their good-bye’s while she maneuvered her Eclipse behind Bettina’s Mustang. Ty watched her climb out, smiling at her worn jeans and crepe soled shit-kicker boots.

Definitely not his ultra-feminine, paisley-loving Bettina.

He turned toward the house, pulling up short at the sight of his wife standing at the front door, one of his flannel shirts thrown over her nightgown. Judging by the frown on her pale face, she wasn’t a happy camper.

"What the hell do you want, Angi?"

"To talk."

"Coffee’s less than an hour old," Ty threw out, hoping to distract the two very unhappy looking ladies. He was literally caught in the middle with Bettina at the door and Angelina behind him.

"I could use some. I haven’t slept all night." Angelina drew even with him on the sidewalk.

"Must have been that party I heard when I called you," Bettina snapped.

"I knew you’d act like this! Should’a saved my damn gas!"

Ty silently climbed the steps and hugged Bettina. "Why don’t you bring her in the house and y'all can talk where it’s warm."

"I’ll handle my sister."

He drew back at her sharp tone. "Fine, I’ll be inside."

"You tell him, Mommy."

As Ty headed in the house he heard Angi say, "You look like shit by the way."

Bee wanted to handle her sister, fine. But he’d stay close, in case things got too bad. The morning had turned very ugly.

He left the door cracked and leaned against the wall, listening.

"Did you come to gloat, Angi?"

"About what? See! See! This is why I didn’t tell you!"

"Why did you call him?!"

Him who?
Ty frowned at the floor.

"Because he’s my dad!"

"The hell you say! He’s not your dad. Your dad left us when you were still suckin’ your thumb."

Ty winced again at the shouting and debated whether to step in or not.

"No,
your
dad walked out. He’s still
my
dad and I want to know him."

"Why? He sure as hell didn’t want you when Mom died!"

"That’s a lie! He said he wanted me and you said no!"

"
He’s
the liar—"

Ty flung open the front door, stepping outside. "That’s enough."

He held up both hands, hoping they’d stop long enough for him to get a word in edgewise. Both of them turned to look at him with blotchy, red faces.

"Come on, both of you, in the house." Angelina opened her mouth and he pointed at her. "No. Enough! In the house."

"Fuck this. I’m outta here."

"Get your butt in this house, young lady!" He felt Bettina jump against him and tightened his grip. "You don’t disrespect your sister. Do you understand me?" He stepped aside, dragging Bettina with him, and pointed.

Angelina stamped up the steps, her crepe soles reverberating on the wood porch.

"Ty, I can handle this." Bettina patted his chest, her words barely above a whisper.
Sure she could. That’s why she had tears running down her face and a red nose.

"Yeah, like you
handle
everything else," Angi snapped as she passed them, stepping across the threshold.

Bettina lunged for her sister and he pulled her back against him. "What?" she huffed, her lip quivering.

“This fighting isn’t good for you and it isn’t good for the baby.”

All her sass and snap was gone. Ever since the sonogram she’d been real touchy. He’d never seen her so upset, her eyes so sad—except for last night—and apparently, Angelina had been the cause of it.

He gently wiped the tears from her face while he gently scolded, "Don’t snap at me and calm your ass down. I'm just trying to help."

"Guess he told you." A smirking Angelina stood right inside the door, arms crossed.

"What did I tell you about disrespecting my wife? And get your boots off, you’ll ruin the carpet."

Bettina chuckled and leaned her head against his chest. One last squeeze and he led her inside, shutting the door behind him. It’s a wonder his family hadn’t come to see what all the hollering was about. "Have a seat."

Angi flopped on the sofa and Bettina curled up in the chair-and-a-half. He looked from one woman to the other, then finally chose to sit on the edge of coffee table, so he could see them both.

"Alright, why are you screaming at your pregnant sister?"

"I’m tired of her telling me what to do!" Angelina scowled, waving a hand at Bee. She reminded him of Rene having one of her fits.

"Fine—" Bettina curled up even tighter, drawing her legs up beneath her.

"Bee." She stopped in mid-sentence at his frown. Being in charge—and caught between two head-strong women—was more nerve wracking than a session with Dr. Ritter.

Ty slowly exhaled, counting to ten. He felt like a tennis ball, but he wouldn’t let Angi upset Bettina any more than she already had. "And you’re upset because she went to see her father?"

"Not yet, I didn’t."

"You’re upset because she
wanted
to see her father," he corrected himself.

Bettina gave a little nod.

"Because he didn’t help you with Angi when your mom died?"

"He...not really." She sniffled, the last of her tears drying up.

"What do you mean ‘not really’?" Angi snapped.

"Angi." Ty’s head swung around. "Did you see that big brand new barn when you pulled in? The one down by the pink house?" She nodded and he continued, "Would you like to clean it?"

"I know my way around a pitchfork," she sassed with raised eyebrows as she looked him up and down.

Caught off guard, Ty barked with laughter, then turned back to Bettina, his tone much softer. "What did you mean by ‘not really,’ baby?"

"I told him about Mom dying, and that I had a scholarship and what did he want to do with Angi. He said...he had two kids of his own to raise. Then he just
sat there
behind his big, black, shiny desk in his big, fancy office
looking
at me." She scowled down at her hands, then looked at her sister, more tears filling her eyes. "I never told you any of this, Angi, because I didn’t want to hurt you."

"That doesn’t give you the right to be a control freak and try to run my life!"

"I am not a control freak!"

"Yes you are!" Angi snapped, leaning forward.

"I pay for your college, young lady. I think that gives me some say so."

She paid her sister’s college, too?
No wonder she was so bent out of shape.

"Daddy said he does." With that, Angi pursed her lips and crossed her arms and legs.  As if that settled matters.

"Daddy? Daddy?! Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said about
Daddy
? He’s a sleaze-ball who kicked us to the curb for a trophy wife and a Benz!" By now Bettina had uncurled herself and leaned forward, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Hey!" He resisted the urge to duck, pointing at Angi instead. He could almost see the words hovering on the tip of her tongue. "One...one more. One more word and you can trot your ass to the big barn." He turned to Bettina. "Finish."

"I can’t."

"Bee, the truth, no matter how bad, is better than a lie." Dr. Ritter strikes again. He swallowed a chuckle as well as a twinge of guilt. He had his own sins of omission to clear up.

She took a deep breath and fiddled with her fingers before continuing, eyes raised to meet her sister’s. "He said he’d send me to some sort of trade school and give me five grand to start my own business."

"And," Ty gently prodded. He knew there had to be more.

Bettina sighed and continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "He’d only pay me Momma’s child support and only until you were thirteen. Then we were on our own. Sink or swim, no handouts,
‘cause he wasn’t the welfare office so don’t come knock on his door, even if hell had froze over.
Those were his exact words, Angelina."

"You’re a fucking liar, Bettina! If this is all true, how come I didn’t know you had a scholarship?"

"Because I never told you, Angi," she said softly, her eyes locked with his.

"So you made
the ultimate sacrifice
for me."

Ty glared at Angi, angry at her lack of sensitivity.

"Fuck you! I did what I had to!" She swiped away a tear. "I can’t believe I didn’t raise you better than...why the hell would you think he was paying for your college?" Bettina demanded.

"He said he sent you money for my school."

"He’s a liar, and you ain’t my sister. No sister of mine would be that damned gullible."

"Bee," Ty scolded softly.

"Well! Why Angi? Why all the sudden did you feel the need to contact Mr. Blanchard?"

Angi leaned back, as if to escape her sisters temper. "I just thought it was time I got to know him."

"After twenty-two years?" she snapped.

Bettina was jealous, he realized, and scared that she’d lose her baby sister, who was obviously more than just a sister. And to her father, of all people.

Angi was her Kryptonite. Her weakest link. She’d given up her dream for her sister—because she had such an ingrained sense of responsibility. Not because it was any type of grand sacrifice. She’d done, out of love, what her own father refused to do. No wonder she felt threatened. She’d raised a child when she was no more than a kid herself and run a business and sent that kid to college. Bettina was a survivor, and he realized just how lucky he was to have her as the mother of his child.

His respect for and understanding of his wife increased tenfold.

"Yeah. You’re married now, and you’re having a baby. You don’t need me hanging around."

Angi was jealous, too. As his heart sunk in his chest, he glanced at Bettina for her reaction. If anything, she was paler than before. All those two had in the world was each other—and him, he silently vowed.

"Oh, Angelina," she said softly, a frown wrinkling her forehead.

"I’m gonna leave you two alone now," Ty said, standing.

"No!" Bettina lurched from the chair and pushed him back down on the coffee table, sitting beside him. "Angi-Sis, you’re my baby sister. I changed your diapers, I wiped your ass, for crying out loud. You cried on my shoulder when Dale Gruder pushed you off the jungle gym in the fifth grade, and I took you to the ER to get a cast on your arm. I told you about boys and sex. Sorry, honey," she added, smiling.

Ty leaned over slipped an arm around her, kissing the curls at her temple while she talked. "That doesn’t stop because I have a husband and a baby on the way. You’ll always be my sister! Hell, you’re practically my first born."

"Yeah, but you don’t need me hanging around." Angi slumped forward, arms dangling between her legs, and looked from him to Bee, her face tight and anxious.

"You said that already," he gently teased.

Angi frowned at him and opened her mouth to speak.

"You know," he interrupted, his voice low, "when I asked Bee to marry me, one of the first things she asked me was how many bedrooms my house had. Because she wanted to make sure there was a place for you when you came home. If you wanted it."

Ty watched Angi’s head dip lower as her shiny dark curls nearly covered her face.

"Stupid, jealous little shit." Bettina reached out and yanked on one of her sister’s curls.

"Bee." He laughed, moving to sit beside Angelina.

"See how she treats me?" Angi mumbled, giving him what had to be her best "pitiful" look.

"I won’t let her treat you like that anymore," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her temple. "I saw that," he added as she stuck a tongue out at Bettina.

She giggled and leaned against him, and he hugged her tight, enjoying the idea of having another baby sister.

"Where’d you learn to be so bossy, cowboy?" Bettina softly teased, squeezing his knee.

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her, not bothering to give any other answer. He still had so much to tell her.

Tomorrow though. He didn’t want any more secrets between them, but it could wait one more day. He didn’t want to do any more damage to their first holiday together. "Go get your bag, Angelina, and I’ll show you where to put your things."

"You can call me Angi."

He gave her another squeeze then released her. "Angi then."

"Should we call your mom?"

"I’ll call her. You go get fixed up, or do whatever you have to do. Angi and I will be just fine."

"Yeah, Sis. You look like hell."

"You said that already, Angi."

Chapter Twenty-Five

MAD MISSION