Walker Pride (28 page)

“Not if we let Morgan move your mother. He’ll cut us in.”

Eric sat back in his chair. “That’s what this is all about? She’s a bargaining chip?”

“It’s all I had.”

“So you’re saving us?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. “So who’s messing with us? And why, if it’s the Morgans, are they sabotaging their own property? To make it look like we’re not the only ones?”

“I don’t know what all of that’s about. Eric, I think there’s more going on here than you know about.”

“Then tell me.”

“That’s all I know. Listen, we have to get this deal with Peterson to make this work. To keep up in the lifestyle we’re accustomed to and to support this family. If someone keeps messing with the land then we’re all going to be out looking for work.”

Eric stood. “They’re getting too close for comfort. And so help me if they touch Susan or Bethany, or even Lydia, I’ll go after them. I swear it.”

His father stood. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I’m not the one messing with a Walker.”

~*~

Thanks to Glenda, Susan had retrieved her menus and somehow picked up a sous chef. She smiled when she thought about the opportunity to bond with Glenda. It made her relationship with Eric that much stronger, she thought.

She watched him pace around the bed as he readied himself to climb into it. Something was on his mind. He’d been in a hurry to leave his parents’ house. He’d been curt with Bethany about her staying in the house and letting him know where she was at all times of the day.

“Are you okay?” she finally asked.

“No. No I’m not okay. My father knows that Elias is selling off the oil rights.” He raked his hands through his hair. “To get a cut he offered to move my mother.”

Susan climbed out of bed and stood, watching him. “So then if this is a done deal, why is someone destroying the properties?”

“I don’t know. I don’t understand any of this. But you’re going to keep an eye on things at the dinner. Tyson and Lydia will be there. Bethany and I will nearby. Douglas can be involved too, he already is.”

“So now we’re all C.I.A.?”

That caused him to chuckle. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

“Well, I never thought my culinary career would take me in this direction.”

His stance eased as he walked toward her and gathered her in his arms. “You’re the kind of woman that always stands by her man, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

“I believe in your dreams, Susan. I want to see great things happen for you.”

“They will. Everything takes time.”

His smile was wide now and she pulled back to look at him. “What are you thinking?”

“Just of the future,” he said as he placed his hands on her waist and walked her back toward the bed. Easily, he laid her backward on to the mattress and eased himself down next to her. “Will you be here for the future?”

“If it’s my decision, then yes, I will be.”

“Then that’s what I’m thinking,” he said before he moved atop of her and took control of her mouth with the heat and need of his.

~*~

The sun rose, the smell of coffee filled the house, and the laughter of women woke Eric. It had been the first peaceful night’s sleep he’d had in a week.

He could hear the mooing of cattle. No cars had driven away in the night. No phones had rung either.

There had just been peace.

Eric took his time pulling on his clothes before he stumbled his way to the kitchen to Susan and Bethany. They both had their hair high on their heads in some kind of knot where hairs poked out. Their skin was glistened in sweat and their cheeks full of color.

“What have you gals been up to?” he asked as he pushed through to get a mug of coffee and take the first sip before anyone answered.

“I finally got her to do a full yoga workout,” Bethany beamed as she said it. “She needs to do more to keep her flexibility.”

He only grumbled in answer.

Susan leaned up against the counter. His favorite mug from a truck stop in Texas was wrapped between her hands.

“So how is this all going to work? I have class. I have a meeting with Lydia, in town, at a coffee shop,” she added as if there were no compromises. “I can still hear cattle, so I know you have a job to do. How do we go on with our lives?”

He took another sip of his coffee, burning his tongue in the process. He turned his gaze to his cousin. “What are you doing today?”

“As she’s my boss I guess I do what she needs me to do.”

“I’m going to call your brother Jake and have him look at Susan’s car. If anyone can fix it, it’s him.”

He watched as her face contorted into a controlled grin. “Fine.”

“Why don’t you drive her to class? When I know Jake is at the house, and only then, you can head over there.” He looked back at Susan. “What time are you meeting Lydia?”

“Three.”

“You’ll pick her up from class,” he instructed Bethany. “Both of you go to the meeting. We already know all about it. I’m not going to worry about any confidentiality crap. Then straight home.”

“Yes, Dad,” Susan smirked behind her cup.

“I don’t care if they wreck my cars,” he started his rant that burned through him. “I’m extremely pissed that they took my horse from me, my cattle, and ruined my business. But I would die if anything happened to either of you.”

Her eyes softened as she moved closer to him. “That’s why I love you.” She pressed her lips to his and then quickly backed away, rubbing them. “You need a shave.”

He needed a long hot shower too, to wash away the guilt he was feeling over not escorting them all over town.

But the truth was, he couldn’t hover over them forever. There was going to need to be a line drawn in the sand where they didn’t feel suffocated. It was hard, but he knew he needed to respect that or he’d be no better than her ex-husband.

Chapter Thirty

It felt good walking into class knowing that Eric wasn’t nearby and Bethany could spend some time with her brother. She wasn’t too sure how Bethany felt about it, but it would be good for her.

A part of her was actually giddy to have coffee with Lydia too. She couldn’t wait to get her and Bethany together. She knew there would be an instant connection. It had been nice to make a new friend, who could have known she’d be related to the man she loved?

When class was over Susan sat out front and waited for Bethany to pick her up. She thought they’d been very specific on the time, but maybe Bethany was just caught up in spending time with her brother.

She’d wait fifteen minutes before she began calling around and panicking.

Just before she was ready to make her call, her own car pulled up. She recognized the man driving as one of the men from the funeral, but Bethany wasn’t with him.

He climbed from the car and perched over the top with his arms rested on the roof.

“Susan?”

“Yes,” she stood, but kept her distance.

“Thought I recognized you. I got your car fixed.”

“You’re Jake?”

“That’s me.”

She decided it was safe enough to move toward the car. Eric wouldn’t have asked him to fix her car if didn’t trust him.

“Where is Bethany?”

Jake rolled his eyes. “Douglas came by when we were out front of the house. I think he’s sweet on her, but it seems to just piss her off. So she was going to run by the mall and buy something—anything.”

Susan pursed her lips. She didn’t like that. “She’s alone?”

Jake shook his head. “Our sister Pearl stopped by when she heard I’d be there. I think they’re going to have a bonding moment. Which is good since Dad never really included Bethany in anything.”

Susan felt enlightened. She hoped they did hit it off. Bethany deserved her family.

“Anyway, she asked me to come for you. I figured if I drove up in my truck you wouldn’t know who I was. So I’ll need a ride back to your place.”

“Okay.” She walked toward the driver’s side and looked in as he stepped aside. “They did a job on it, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“I ordered you a new piece so we could make it look new again. But for now it’ll hold up.”

“And this is what you do?”

“When I’m not racing.”

“You race cars?”

The grin on his face was childlike. “I do. Maybe you’ll come see me some day.”

She nodded and climbed into the car.

As much as she’d wanted to, Susan didn’t go into the house when she dropped Jake off at his truck. It scared her now. Would she feel safe there again, she wondered.

Bethany had called and said she and Pearl were headed to the coffee shop. She wasn’t sure that was going to go over too well with Lydia, but she’d feel it out.

When Susan arrived, all three of them were already seated at a table with drinks. The laughter had ensued and now Susan was feeling out of place.

“Oh, hey! Come over!” Bethany stood and waved her in. “Susan, this is my sister Pearl.”

The girl whom she’d met briefly at the funeral stood and shook her hand. “So you’re Eric’s girl, huh? I didn’t see that coming at the funeral.”

“I didn’t either,” she admitted.

“Is he still as moody as he always was? I won’t lie. He scares me a little.”

That certainly wasn’t comforting. “I suppose everyone has a set of moods.”

Susan took the vacant seat between Lydia and Bethany.

Lydia covered Susan’s hand with hers. “Can you believe how small a world it is? Pearl and I grew up together.”

“You were friends?”

Both women laughed. “No. Not really. I think our interests were much different back then.”

Pearl picked up her fancy coffee and held it to her lips. “I was a trouble maker and Lydia was a good girl.”

Susan looked at Pearl in her pretty pink pastel nail polish, perfectly curled hair, and her designer outfit. There was no way this girl wasn’t on the honor roll.

“You don’t look like a trouble maker.”

Pearl laughed. “I took after my dad alright. He’s an ass and I’m not, but yeah, rules didn’t apply to me back then,” she said as if she regretted that.

“What do you do now?”

“I own a bridal shop.” She smiled wide as she took a sip from her cup. “Bethany says maybe I’ll be seeing you soon. You and Eric are pretty serious.”

“Oh, well, I’m in no hurry.”

Pearl nodded. “Sure. But you and I should talk. I’ll bet we could do some great networking with our businesses. I refer people to photographers and caterers all the time. I hear you do both.”

“Photography is only a hobby.”

Pearl dabbed her lips with her napkin. “You never know.” She looked at her watch. “I have to go, girls. I have a fitting in twenty-minutes. The bride is a full size girl who has been dieting for three months. She’s convinced the dress will need to be taken in about six inches.” She shook her head. “I saw her at Baskin Robbins last night and I’m thinking different alterations are needed.”

She kissed Bethany on the cheek before she left and Bethany’s soft smile warmed Susan’s heart. Perhaps the best thing in the world was to have had her car broken into.

When Pearl had left, Lydia pulled a file from her bag and laid it on the table. “This is what he wants to serve. The list includes both Everett and Byron Walker, Dwight Peterson and Shooter Magee. What a stupid name,” she added her commentary. “Tyson and I. And of course my grandfather.”

“I thought this was going to be a much bigger event,” Susan said as she looked over the papers.

“I thought that too, with it being Constance’s birthday and all.”

Susan realized it might have been the first time she’d actually heard Eric’s mother’s name said. What a beautiful name.

“Eric says his father told him that the reason Dwight Peterson is going to be there is because he’s buying the oil rights of the land.”

“I think that’s right. They did some preliminary tests on both properties, with Byron’s permission,” she added and Susan assumed so they wouldn’t accuse her of trespassing. “They think if they put wells out there it’ll net quite a bit.”

“So why mess with the land at all? It seems as though your grandfather was willing to share the wealth as long as Everett Walker moved his daughter’s grave. It seems cut and dry. Why all the drama?”

“I wish I knew.” Lydia looked around the coffee house and moved in over the table. “Someone was lurking around our house last night. It set off the motion lights and one sensor. Grandpa didn’t hear a thing, but Tyson and I did. He couldn’t see anyone though. But we knew they were there.”

Susan’s arm broke out in goose bumps. “I don’t like that.”

“I don’t either.”

When the door to the coffee shop opened again, Officer Smyth walked through and quickly took off his sunglasses. Susan wasn’t sure he’d known Lydia was there, but he’d b-lined right to the table and locked his eyes on her.