Red-Hot Texas Nights (16 page)

Not that she believed all women had to have a husband to settle down and have a family, but it was her own personal belief. What was right for her.

If she'd wanted to settle down, which she most certainly did not. Even if it would be kind of nice to have a loving grandchild drive her around in her old age.

She gave the idea thought for a few more seconds, until Betty's grandson swerved out into traffic without signaling and a loud honk shattered the air. Mitchell hung his head out the window, shouted a few choice obscenities before giving the ultimate salute, and the image of the kind, loving, helpful offspring was shattered.

Okay, so maybe
not
settling down wasn't such a bad thing.

She held tight to the thought and finished closing down the display cases before heading into the back room and packing up. She had more brownies for Kenny Roy and another two dozen for Ivy. Once she dropped both off, she was hitting the road to check out the addresses.

At least that was the plan.

She gathered up her purse and bakery boxes. Her free hand went to the lights. She'd just plunged the back room into darkness when she heard Tyler McCall's deep voice directly behind her.

“What a shame, darlin'. You know how much I like it with the lights on.”

Her breath caught and she felt his body so close behind hers. Close enough that all she had to do was lean back just a little. Turn. Kiss him for all she was worth.

Fast and furious.

Sex, and nothing but sex.

Before she could think too much about what she was doing—or rather, what she wasn't doing—she flipped the lights back on. The shadows disappeared and she turned.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought I'd stop by to see if Kenny Roy called you?”

“Did he call you?”

He shook his head. “Cooper's still out of town. At least that's what most everybody is saying. Anybody who's seen him with Gator Hallsey, that is. What about you? Did Kenny Roy call?”

“No.” Not that she'd waited for him to call. “I didn't give him a chance. I stopped by his place and he gave me a name.”

“Seriously?” He eyed her a long second before adding, “Just like that?”

“Well, I did sort of have to promise him something.” A strange look came over his face and she had the crazy thought that he was jealous.

A strange warmth spread through her, and she had the even crazier thought that she liked the fact that he looked ready to murder someone on her behalf. She enjoyed the sight for a few more moments before giving in to her conscience. “Brownies,” she blurted. “And some muffins, too.”

“Kenny Roy does like to eat,” he said after a long moment, and the tension between them eased just a little. “So who's the connection?”

“Ryder Jax.” When his gaze narrowed ever so slightly, she added, “Do you know him?”

“I know of him. He's partners with Gator Hallsey.” She nodded and he added, “I've been asking around about Gator ever since Kenny mentioned him. He's a bad guy, so I'm guessing Ryder isn't much better.” His gaze caught and held hers. “You're not going to track him down on your own, are you?”

“That's exactly what I'm going to do. In fact, I was headed out to do just that. I Googled him last night and came up with three possible addresses. One of them has to be right.”

“Let's go then.”

“I don't think that's such a good idea.”

“Actually, I think it's a great idea. I'm out of leads. Maybe Ryder can shed a little more light on the Cooper–Gator connection.”

“So this offer to come with me is strictly self-serving?”

“Why else would I want to go?”

Because he was worried about her running off after a bad guy all by her lonesome. Because he cared.

She ditched the thought and held tight to the all-important fact that while she might be excited to track down Ryder, she wasn't stupid, either. It was better to have reinforcements.

She certainly didn't say yes because, in all honesty, she'd missed him.

The sex, she reminded herself. She'd missed the sex and maybe they could get back to it after they found Ryder's whereabouts.

In the meantime, she wasn't getting all chummy. No talking and cozying up on the way.

“Suit yourself,” she murmured, summoning her most disinterested shrug.

“Oh, I will, darlin'. I most definitely will.”

 

CHAPTER 20

He wasn't going to talk to her. That's what Tyler told himself as he climbed into his truck and glanced at the passenger seat where she'd already settled in.

No talking.

No glancing at her, watching her worry her bottom lip.

No wondering what she was thinking when she caught the plump fullness and stared mindlessly through the windshield.

“This recipe really means a lot to you, doesn't it?” The question was out before he could stop himself.

She didn't look as if she wanted to answer any more than he'd wanted to ask, but then she shrugged. “It's everything. The bakery is barely scraping by right now. Another month like this last one, and we'll be losing money. I have to make sure that doesn't happen. That means I need another source of income to expand so that we're not just competing with a doughnut shop. We need to be a go-to cake venue for everyone in the Hill Country. That won't happen without another oven and another specialty decorator. And neither of those will happen if I don't run this mash and present a product to Foggy Bottom Distillers by Friday.”

“That's four days away.”

“Which is why I couldn't wait around for Kenny Roy. At least you've got a few extra days to play with. I'm down to the wire. My mash is just about ready to go. Then I'll have less than twenty-four hours to run it before it sours. That means I need to talk to someone
now
.”

“I'm sure Ryder Jax can hook you up. The question is—will he?”

“I'll bribe him if I have to.” She glanced out the window, her brow furrowing. “Let's hope he likes brownies.”

“There isn't a man out there who can resist your brownies, sugar.”

She slid a glance toward him, a grin tugging at her lips and easing the worried expression. “Why is it I get the feeling you're not talking about an actual baked good?”

“Oh, it's good, all right.”

“You're a horn dog.”

“I've been called worse.”

“I'll just bet.” Quiet settled between them for a few moments, but it was an easy silence. Her worry had faded and she seemed to have relaxed just a little. “You still haven't heard from your brother?” she finally asked as if the easy silence bothered her as much as the uneasy silence had bothered him.

“Not yet. Kenny said he might be back today, but I've got a few people at the local bars—the usual haunts—keeping a lookout for him. So far, nothing. It's looking more like tomorrow. If he even shows up at all.”

“You really think he might have taken off for good?”

“Not so much as I'm thinking he might have gotten himself into some deep trouble. More than he can handle. These dudes … They're no good.”

“Still, folks have seen them together. It seems stupid for anyone to hurt him when they'd more than likely be the most obvious suspect.”

“If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to make me feel better.”

“Maybe I'm just returning the favor. So how's your mom?”

They spent the rest of the drive talking about the falling-down porch he'd reframed just that morning and about the woman who seemed oblivious to anything but her spiked coffee.

“It had to be hard for her, growing up with so much and then having it all taken away when she married your dad.”

“True. My grandparents hated my dad.” To the point that they'd disowned not only their daughter for marrying poorly, but her offspring, as well. They'd gone to their grave hating their daughter and her two mistakes. “But she made that choice willingly.”

Because that's what it was—a choice. His mother hadn't had to fall in love with his dad. She'd made her choice, and then she'd blamed the world for it.

Not Tyler. He took responsibilities for his own actions, and he wasn't making the same mistake. His mother couldn't let go of the past even though the past had let go of her. Not Tyler. He was letting go. Getting away. Forgetting. Once and for all.

But first he had to make sure that Cooper was okay.

That, and finish the damn porch.

“I hear Callie's tying the knot,” he added, eager to change the subject.

“Next month,” she said. “If she can make her mind up about a bridesmaid's dress. I've got a fitting on Thursday, but so far there are over six possibilities and nothing for sure.”

“Maybe she wants you to choose for yourself.”

“If she wanted that, she wouldn't have hooked me up with her photographer.”

“Come again?”

“Nothing. It's just a lunch date that I got wrangled into because Callie wants perfect pictures and her top candidate wants me.” She shook her head. “You'd think after ten years, things would have changed.”

“Are you kidding? Nothing changes in a small town,” he murmured, voicing the one fear that lived and breathed deep inside of him, that no matter how well he did, how much money he made, or how much fame he gained, he would still be
that
worthless Tyler McCall.

“I don't know about that. I think people change. It's perception that doesn't change. And that doesn't mean anything anyway. Who cares what someone else thinks?”

“Sounds like you've forgiven all those boys for all that writing on the bathroom wall.”

“Forgiven, yes. Forgotten, no. But no matter what they wrote, it didn't make it true. It didn't,” she said, more to convince herself than him.

“Here,” he said, eager to change the subject. He handed over his cell. “Type the first address into my Google Maps and let's see if we can find this guy.”

*   *   *

They didn't find Ryder Jax.

But they did find out where he was living. At least, according to the neighbor who happened to be watering her plants when they pulled up outside the small clapboard house that sat just beyond the interstate, about ten miles north.

“You can try him back, but good luck with that. He keeps terrible hours. Nothing like his mommy or daddy, God rest both their souls. They would be beside themselves if they could see the way he's let that house fall to ruin.” She pointed to the dried-up rosebushes that lined the front porch and the overgrown grass. “You'd think he could at least mow. Keep up the property values and all that, but no. Even flipped off Martin Jenkins—he's the president of the neighborhood association—when he stopped by and kindly suggested it. Then he fined Ryder and the war started. The more notices he got, the higher he let the grass get until Martin got tired of looking like an ineffective idiot and cut it himself. At least that's what folks are saying. Martin says he got tough with Ryder and convinced him to mow last month, but there ain't a one of us alive who buys that nonsense. That Ryder is a stubborn one. But then so was his daddy. Mean, too, so it makes sense his boy would be just as bad. Runs in the family, it does…” Rose Hamper went on for the next five minutes about meanness and families and her own ungrateful children until Brandy interrupted her.

“Brownie?”

“Why, I don't mind if I do.” She took the bakery box and opened the lid. Taking one goodie out, she started to hand it back, but Brandy waved her off.

“You keep those. It's the least I can do for putting you to so much trouble.”

“All I did was answer a few questions.”

“And graciously agree to call us if Ryder shows up. We really need to talk to him.”

“I suppose I could do that,” the woman said after swallowing a mouthful. “I surely could.

“That was useless,” Tyler said when they climbed back in the truck.

“Are you kidding? That woman will be sitting by her window all night.”

“For a brownie?”

Brandy shrugged. “What can I say? They're that good.”

“You're that good,” he heard himself say. She slid a glance his way and their gazes locked and Tyler knew that there was no way he was taking her back to the bakery.

Instead, he turned and headed for the rodeo arena. It was early, but he didn't care. He needed her.

Now.

And everything else would just have to wait.

 

CHAPTER 21

“Where the hell are you?” Jenna's frantic voice carried over the line the minute Brandy answered her cell phone the next morning. “You're not hurt, are you? Oh, crap, you're not dead, are you?”

“Yes, and it sure is hot down here.”

“Very funny. Seriously, I all but freaked when I came in early from my date and realized you weren't home.”

Brandy glanced at the clock. “You know, five a.m. isn't early for most people.”

“Stop trying to change the subject.”

“Which is?”

“Your bed is untouched, which means you didn't come home and sleep in it last night.” Silence stretched between them for a thoughtful moment before Jenna's excited voice carried over the line. “So whose bed did you sleep in?”

“Maybe I slept in the storage room at the bakery. I have to get an early start.”

“Did you?”

She wanted to lie, but she'd never lied to either of her sisters. That was her thing. Jenna was blunt and in-your-face. Callie was responsible and motherly. And Brandy was brutally honest. “I'm at the rodeo arena.”

“With who?”

Brandy glanced at the empty bed next to her and a wave of disappointment flared before she managed to tamp it back down. “By myself.”

Jenna didn't say anything for a long moment, as if weighing the truth of Brandy's answer. But it was Brandy and so she finally sighed. “This is about the dogs, isn't it? They're keeping you up. I'll find Jez a home. I swear. I've just been busy at the clinic, and then there's Jase, who won't leave me alone even though I really want him to.”