The Last Cowboy In Texas (24 page)

Marybeth caught up to her just as she was going inside. “Paige, can I talk to you for a minute or two? I didn’t wanta bring up anything personal in front of the others.”

“Sure, Marybeth. Is there a problem?”

“Oh, no. Nothing like that. I can tell you, the others are glad you’re here with us. Will and I are, too. No, I just wanted to find out if you’ve told your folks where you are yet.”

“Not yet. Honestly, I’ve been holding off doing that. You may as well know the truth of it, so I’ll tell you. I felt they insulted my intelligence and I’m hurt by it. They could have told me what they were contemplating.”

“Would that have made a difference? I mean, would you have gone along with them if they had told you?”

“No. Probably not.”

“Well, then. You wouldn’t be here now workin’ on the fourth of four sold books, would you?”

“No. That’s true enough. But it hurts that they couldn’t be honest with me.”

“I understand that, dearie. But are you being honest with them now?”

Her question rocked Paige. Because the answer was no. She’d merely turned the tables on her mom and dad. And on
Troy
. She felt her cheeks grow warm. “I guess not.”

Marybeth giggled. “I guess not, indeed. Young lady, it’s your business what you do but I’d think long and hard about it. If I had a daughter as smart and pretty as you, I’d be sick with worry that somethin’ bad had happened to you. That’s painful to contemplate.”

Paige thought about what Marybeth had said. After a moment of silence, she said, “You’re right. I’m going to go up and send them a message right now. I just won’t tell them where I am until I’ve done what I came here to do.”

Marybeth gave her a sad little smile. “I guess that’s better than nothin’. At least they’ll know not to send out the FBI.”

“FBI? Why would they be interested in me?”

“Girl, lissin to yourself. You’ve slipped away without a trace. Why wouldn’t your folks call for all the help they can get if they think you’ve been abducted?”

A chill shot through Paige. She’d not considered the possibility that the FBI would be involved. “Okay, I’d better get the message off right away, and I’ll make it one they’ll understand. Thanks for smacking me between the eyes, Marybeth.”

“Not a smack, girl. Just a gentle push from an old woman. By the way, we’re wifi positive, so your computer should be capable of gettin’ the word out.”

“You’re not old, Marybeth. Just wise, and I’m glad I found you.” She gave her a hug and headed for her quarters to send her folks the message.

Should she send an email or call her mom? The idea of conversing with Cil didn’t sound inviting. She knew her mom well enough to know the woman would insist that she come home, and that was not going to happen. She’d found a welcoming spot here and wasn’t about to waste it.

No, she’d just text the message. That way, they’d know they could contact her. Text messages were easier to control, and if she was anything, she was a control freak. That was probably why she’d taken this flier anyway. Relaxing for the first time in two days, she punched out a simple message and hit send. She was alive. She was well. She was happy. That’s all they needed to know.

She’d handwritten a couple of pages when she stopped. It struck her that she needed to know how to correspond with the publisher. Would she need a printer so she could send her manuscript in by mail? In this day of computers and smart phones, it seemed likely that they would prefer electronic communication.

Getting out the contract and supplemental pages of instructions, she found the email address to which she could send questions. She set up the laptop, powered it up, and sent a short post asking how to proceed. While she waited for a response, she opened her inbox to find a train of repeated messages from
Troy
.
Where are you?

Ha! Like I’m going to tell you that? Not going to happen until I’m ready.

After reading the fifteenth post from her would-be fiancé, she clicked on new and tapped out a sarcastic response.
Where I am is none of your business, especially since you got into the middle of my business. I once told you I wouldn’t go to bed with you if you were the last cowboy in
Texas
. That still goes, cowboy!

Perhaps too caustic, but there it was. He could learn to like it or lump it. When she was good and ready, she’d let him know. If he was truly meant for her, he’d find a way to wait. If not, she needed to know that she couldn’t count on him.

* * *

Troy
had just completed contracting the fifth of his new subdivision parcels. Brimming with good humor, he took a moment to check his inbox on his computer. He had mail. More to the point, he had a message from Paige. As he opened and read the short terse post, his humor faded. And his temper flared.

“Last cowboy, huh? Okay, prissy missy, we’ll see who has the last laugh this time!”

Julie stuck her head in, having overheard his shout. “You okay, boss?”

“Yeah, I’m just fine. Come here, Julie, and look at what Paige just sent.”

“You heard from her? That’s wonderful! Is she okay?”

He pointed to the screen. “See for yourself.”

He watched her read it, her face turning to full blush. When her eyes met his, she said, “I can’t believe she actually said that. You sure this isn’t some kind of code, telling you she’s been abducted and to come rescue her?”

“You kidding? That is pure Paige, Julie, at her worst. She’s run away and that’s all there is to that story.”

“I don’t think so. My female instinct tells me she’s going through a phase that will end when she’s found what she’s looking for.”

“Does your female instinct also tell you if that will be in this lifetime?” He couldn’t help the sarcasm. She’d hit him below the belt and it hurt like hell.

“
Troy
! Lighten up. She’s got issues, damn it. Give her some space.”

“Space, yeah. Well, she’s got all the space she could want now. Up there on her high horse again, where she thinks she rules the world.”

Julie gave him a horse laugh. “I’d say she does, for now.”

“Yeah. I guess she does, at that.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’ll just have to wait it out, I guess. But I’m not giving up on her. I swore my commitment and that’s that.”

“Good for you,
Troy
. I just wish Paige was here to hear you say that. My guess is, that’s what she’s wanted more than anything else for all this time.”

“Yeah. Well, I wish she was here so I could tell her to her face.” He sat back in his chair, watching Julie return to the reception area, still smarting from Paige’s inflammatory words.
Last cowboy, huh?

* * *

Cil read her text message, shaking her head. Her little girl was okay and happy. But where was she? She had to know she’d hurt her mom and dad by disappearing that way. Why couldn’t she tell them where she’d gone?

She dialed the paper office. “Ozzie? I heard from Paige. She’s okay.”

“Thank God! Where is she?”

“She didn’t say.”

“How did she sound?”

“I didn’t talk to her. She sent a text message.”

“Well, damn. Doesn’t she know what she’s done to us?”

“Ozzie, stop it. Don’t go off on a rant. Remember, this is payback for what we did to her. She’ll get over it. I’m just relieved that she’s okay and bothered to tell us that. She’ll come around when she’s ready.”

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait for her to calm down. Hey,
Troy
just came in. Let me give him the good news and I’ll call you back.”

“Hey,
Troy
. We just heard from Paige.”

“I did, too. I thought I’d let you know she’s okay.”

“She texted Cil to tell us that. Did she call you?”

“No. Sent me an email. Short. Terse. To the point.”

“To what point? Did she break off your engagement?”

“Not exactly. Just told me where to get off in her own quaint way.”

“Not happy, huh?”

“Not with me. Apparently she is happy with wherever she went. I guess we’ll just have to wait for her to get whatever it is out of her system.”

“Cil and I came to the same conclusion.”

Troy
’s face wrinkled into a scowl. “Well, I’m not going to wait for her to come back. I have to find out where she is so I can tell her something she wants to hear from me.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Ozzie, it’s kind of hard to say this, but I’ve been a real blockhead where Paige is concerned. I’ve seen the bond you and Cil have had all your lives. My mom and dad had the same kind of thing going for them.

“Paige and I share that, whether she’s ready now to admit it or not. My problem is, I never gave her a chance to figure it out for herself. Well, that’s going to change when I find her. And I will find her.”

Chapter Fifteen

It was not until the next morning that Paige heard from BB Publishing. They indeed had an author website and she’d been given her own page on it. They gave her the name of the contact person to whom she could address questions, and encouraged her to join the authors’ online group. All manuscripts would be transmitted electronically, along with content and line editing of her books.

Because her first book had been sent in hard copy format, they’d scanned it and set up a folder, from which the editors and she could work. When she sent in book two, they would prefer it in an electronic file, and gave her the format that was acceptable.

Now I’m ready to go. I’ll put what I’ve got onscreen and finish my rough draft of
book four. Then I’ll go back to transfer the others onto my laptop. This will work.

As she tapped out her draft from the beginning, she could see that this gave her a better way to do a bit of editing as she went. It would take the rest of today and most of tomorrow to get to where she’d written, but it was well worth it. By dinner time, she’d begun to feel like a professional writer for the first time. The really encouraging part was that her writing was strong, something she could feel good about.

She joined the boisterous little group in buoyant spirits. Will’s barbecue was every bit as good as his chili and she said so, to the agreement of the others.
Ah, life is good!

* * *

Troy
had spent the hour since talking with the Turners thinking about where Paige might be, and how he could find her. It was time for action and he was ready. More than ready. In fact, since his real estate business was sailing along at a merry pace, he could afford a few days of vacation. Julie was more than capable of keeping the office going, and his dad could come in if needed. After all, it had been Edgar’s business until he retired, and
Troy
had kept him abreast of what he was doing with the new project.

It was clear that Paige’s folks had no clue as to her whereabouts. What about Missy? He’d call her and enlist her help in looking for clues. Perhaps Paige had said something more to her lifelong friend before going AWOL.

He dialed and waited. When Missy’s breathless voice came on, he said, “Hi, Missy. I’d like to talk to you when you have a few free minutes.”

“Sure, Troy. Tom and I have been planning our wedding this afternoon, but we always have time for you. Where should we meet?”

“If you have the time today, late this afternoon would be great. I’ll even buy dinner for the three of us if you want.”