Kitabı oku: «Texas Daddy»

Chapter One

The rain dripped off the edge of his Stetson as Adrian De La Cruz surveyed the overgrown terrain for stray cattle. The mare moved forward with sure steady steps, her ears twisting back and forth letting him know she was on the lookout also. He enjoyed riding in a light drizzle. An angry bolt of lightning struck at the hills.

Well, the weather report had got it wrong. The problem? He was too far in the old Cortez place to make it back to the Childress’s barns.

Thunder rolled through the valley. Lying low over Zeta’s neck, he pushed her into a full run on the weed-covered road. His eyes stung as the wind bit into exposed skin. A series of lightning strikes hopped across the clouds, joined by a chorus of rumbles.

Adrenaline flooded his body. Over ten years ago he would have sat up and laughed at the sky, consumed by a need to test his limits.

He couldn’t afford such recklessness. His daughter needed him to come home in one piece, especially now. He closed his eyes just long enough to clear the image of her boot trapped in the stirrup. He hadn’t been fast enough to stop the damage to her leg.

Mud flew as the powerful strides of his mare ate the earth. Moments like this, he missed the rush of excitement as he sat on two thousand pounds of unpredictable bull and waited for the gate to be pulled.

Thunder rattled the Texas Hill Country and a flash of blinding light revealed the old cabin on the left side of the abandoned country path. In one motion, Zeta slid to a stop and he dismounted. The shed attached to the rustic cabin looked leak-free, the dirt floor dry. The discarded crates and boxes were old but in good shape.

Loosening Zeta’s girth, he laughed as she shook like a dog. She tossed her head in a way to let him know she wasn’t happy and scowled at him for being irresponsible.

“I know.” He patted her neck. “We’ll hang here until the storm passes. Shouldn’t be long.” He pulled his phone out, only to find it had died. He’d forgotten to charge it again.

School would be out soon. He removed his hat and shook off the rain. Ugh. It didn’t look like he would get back in time to pick Mia up. At least his brother, George, would get his daughter if he was a no-show. The rain hit the old metal roof hard.

Maybe there was a landline inside the cabin. Dashing to the covered porch, he caught sight of an odd figure coming toward the cabin from the opposite side of the ravine.

He stepped closer to the edge of the steps. Someone in a fluorescent green jacket was trying to walk across the field. They carried a bike, each step lumbering and uneven. His eyes narrowed trying to make out if the mud-covered body belonged to a man or woman.

Probably some crazy adventure-seeking city slicker lost. They seemed to think fences were for jumping. They had to be trespassing.

It wasn’t an easy ranch to get to, and Bergmann had locked it down after his wife had been killed in an accident on this very road.

Pulling his hat low, he charged into the rain to help. Halfway out, he knew without a doubt it was a woman. One mystery solved. When he got closer, the problem became clear. The chains of the bike were tangled with a large metal knee brace she wore on her right leg. The brace covered less of her leg than his daughter’s, but it had the same knee hinge. One of her hands held the mangled bike while the other wrapped around her middle in an awkward way. Each step looked like a struggle.

Thunder warned of the next flash of light. He went to her left side to help her move faster. At first she shoved him back with her shoulder, or tried to at least.

“Let me help you. I work on the neighboring ranch. I’m—”

“Adrian De La Cruz. I remember you. Thanks, but I’ve got this.” She blew at the hair that hung in her eyes, but the effort didn’t move the muddy mess. “You’re working for Childress now?” she managed between gritted teeth.

He moved forward, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. He had to know her. Most people outside of family and close friends couldn’t tell him and his twin apart. With a growl, she yanked at the twisted bike again.

“I hate to admit it, but I think I do need help.” She looked at him, her light blue eyes as endless as a clear summer sky.

Then it hit him.

“Nikki Bergmann?” He hadn’t seen the oldest Bergmann sister in over twelve years. Back when he went to all the girls’ basketball games just to watch her play. He pretended to be there for his sisters, but his attention was all on her. “I didn’t know you were back in town.” Shocking, considering around here people told everyone’s business before they even knew what was happening themselves, and half the time it was wrong.

Just yesterday he had been at her family hardware store, and her sisters hadn’t said a thing.

With a scowl, she pulled at her brace. Rain started coming down so hard the hills around them vanished from sight. The bump around her middle moved. Under closer inspection, he could see she had some kind of small animal tucked in her jacket.

Crazy woman. This was getting ridiculous. His sisters made sure he had been raised to respect women, but he wasn’t going to stand out here waiting to be fried while she battled her ego. And he couldn’t leave her.

“Let me get the bike off you.” Without waiting for her permission, he flipped the chain on its side and snapped the joints. Pulling the ruined bike free of the broken chain, he tossed it aside.

He put one arm under hers and ran for the cabin. She gave a few objections, but she didn’t refuse his help this time. “What kind of critter do you have hidden away?” His daughter had a habit of saving baby animals. What was it with females and babies? Well, not all females. Mia’s mother had left without a single hug or smile for their newborn daughter.

Nikki grunted, interrupting the dark turn of his thoughts. They arrived at the steps of the porch, and the sound became a low frustrated growl. Her muscles bunched with tension. “I can’t get my leg high enough to make the step.”

“I’ll pick you up.” He bent to scoop her up. At first she was stiff. “I’m just going to put you on the porch.” With a nod, he felt her fit muscles soften.

The bundle squirmed again, and she giggled, sounding like a young girl for a moment. He remembered her being the serious older sister. They had lost their mother young, and Nikki had taken on the responsibility of mothering her younger twin sisters. Everyone knew their stepmother had been no help and left them with a half sister to raise.

She pulled away and he almost lost his balance. “Easy, Bergmann. Is it still Bergmann?” He tried to ease her to the boards as she struggled to stand on her own.

She grabbed his arm and nodded. He wasn’t sure if it was to save him from falling or to keep herself upright. He did like the idea that she wasn’t married.

“Here, sit on the bench. So what do you have there?” He tried to peek in, but she was zipped up all the way to her neck. “Give it to me and then we can get you untangled from that brace.”

She had to sit at an odd angle to accommodate her leg trapped in the mangled brace. The hinge was locked. Once settled, she pushed her hood back.

For a moment he forgot to breathe. Her face was so much like the young teen he adored, but deeper, more lived in, more beautiful than he remembered. He had been fascinated with her.

Now, as a woman, she took his breath away. She pulled the black fitted gloves off and uncovered long graceful fingers, no rings. Next she slowly lowered the zipper to expose a spotted fawn. A newborn, by the size of the tiny thing.

He sighed. She should have known better. “Nikki, you never pick up babies. Its mother will be back looking for it.”

She brought her eyes up and shook her head. “I know that. The doe was there, but she was... Well, I’m not... I couldn’t leave a baby there, alone.”

Lifting his hat, he pushed his hair back. “No. Let me take her to the shed. The biggest risk at this point is shock. I’ll put her in the covered area with my horse.”

For a moment her arms tightened. “Will she be safe? She’s too little to be alone.” There was a moment while she gazed at the fawn. He wanted to hug her and reassure her that the baby would be fine. He suspected this tough woman hid a soft heart.

“Actually the moms leave them alone all the time, but hidden. There are some wooden crates she can hide in, and we can keep your jacket on her. She seems to like you.”

Nikki’s summer-blue eyes narrowed as if she was deciding if she could trust him. He waited.

With a nod, she gathered up the sleeping fawn and handed her up to him. The long fragile legs kicked out as they transferred her to Adrian’s arms. Once he had her close to his chest, she looked up at him with huge dark eyes.

Mia was going to flip. His daughter was obsessed with furry babies, and this was about the sweetest one he could imagine. “The ranch has the supplies and facilities to care for her. We’ve raised a few other wild animals along with some calves and goats.”

“Sounds like you’re a regular Noah.”

“No, just a cowboy. I’ll be right back.”

After getting the little one tucked away and checking on Zeta, he headed back to Nikki. Stuffing away the uncomfortable feelings she created, he took the steps in one leap. He didn’t need to start a new relationship, and he doubted Nikki would be interested anyway.

Back in high school, she had been three grades ahead of him and his brother. So far out of his league he doubted she even knew he existed. He paused at the edge of the porch and looked at her. She had known he wasn’t his twin, George. Most people still confused them, but she knew.

She rubbed her face. “Thank you for helping. I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe I managed to get my bike snarled with this stupid brace.” Her muscles bunched as she pulled at the twisted metal.

He went to his knee and placed his hand over hers. “Easy. I think you’re making it worse.”

She leaned her head back and sighed. “Did she settle in?”

“She went right back to sleep, snuggled in your jacket.”

“Thank you for helping. Being impaired always frustrates me. I’m not patient on a good day, and this is not anywhere close to a good day. Right now I want to rip my leg off I’m so mad at it.”

“You joined the navy, right? Is that where you got your injury?” Silence hung between them as he worked with the tangle of metal. If he had a flathead, maybe he could create a wedge. “Are there tools in the cabin?”

She tried to push herself up.

“No, stay here. I’ll check.” The cabin was a bit bigger than it looked from the outside. After going through a few cabinets, he found the utility closet. Inside was an old red toolbox and a worn well-read Bible. Vanessa Cortez-Bergmann was printed in gold letters at the bottom. He set it on the table. Nikki might want her mother’s Bible.

On the porch, he found her struggling with her brace. “So is it your injury that brought you home after all these years?” He went to work on the chaos of chain and brace.

“You have a lot of questions.”

The rain eased a bit, as the thunder rumbled off in the distance. He glanced up at her and found her eyes closed. She seemed to be counting her breaths. What would she say if he told her she had been his first crush in school? When not going to her games, he’d hang out at her family’s hardware store just to get a chance to see her or hear her voice. George’s teasing had been relentless.

He had more questions, but if she didn’t want to talk, he could handle the silence.

She sighed as he moved his focus back to untangling the chain from her brace. The shredded spandex material and mud that covered her knee proved she’d lost the battle between her bike and the rocky hillside.

“I’m out of the navy. I’m an adventure guide in the Grand Canyon. I’m good at my job, so that’s not how I got injured. I need six more weeks of physical therapy before they will even consider releasing me back to work.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, as if telling him that much had drained her.

“Home is a good place to recover. Family can take care of you like no other.” He didn’t make eye contact, hoping to keep her talking. “Are you staying?”

“I’ve already missed a couple months of work. I was in the middle of buying my own outfitter company when I had the accident and my roommate decided there were more opportunities elsewhere. If I can get the new doctor to release me sooner, I can be back faster, plus I’m saving money instead of spending. Is that enough information?”

Looking up from his work, he winked at her. “In the last ten years, I haven’t been past San Antonio. Sounds like you’ve had an adventure.” And she wanted to get back to it. She had plans to leave. He didn’t even know her anymore, so he didn’t understand his disappointment.

“I thought bull riders did a lot of traveling. Last I heard, you were on the road for some big purses and the next big thing to hit the PBR.”

“I don’t ride bulls anymore.”

The edge of the brace popped, and she sucked in her breath. Her hands fisted on the edge of the bench.

“Sorry.” He gave her a fast glance.

“It’s okay, just surprised me.”

Fresh blood bubbled from the wound. Pulling a bandanna out of his pocket, he applied pressure. “Here, hold this. I think I almost have it.” He stood and took off his duster. Throwing it over a nearby rocking chair, he went back to work. “So riding your bike off-trail in the rain is part of your therapy?”

“I figured it wouldn’t be much different than the stationary bike they have me on in the office.”

He laughed. He shook his head as he slipped the last chain from under the metal hinge on her brace. “You might have gone backward in your recovery. The chain did a number on your skin, and the knee looks discolored and swollen. You need to elevate and put ice on it.”

Biting hard on her lip, she tilted her head back, eyes squeezed shut. Each breath was deep and hard.

He wanted to cover her free hand and stop it from rubbing her thigh red. He had never seen anyone work so hard not to cry. “Nikki, it’s going to be okay.”

“I can’t take this anymore. I have to get better. I need to get back to work.”

“Rushing it will only make the recovery longer.” A gust of wind pushed rain onto the porch. “Let’s get inside and clean all this mud off. Last thing you want is an infection.”

* * *

Do not cry. Only the weak cried. She was not weak. The last thing she wanted was Adrian seeing her pathetic self-pity, or anyone, for that matter. Weakness gave people the impression they could use you.

Standing, Nikki tried to put weight on her bad leg, but sharp pain shot up her spine, threatening to bring her to her knees. Swallowing down a scream, she instinctively reached out to Adrian for support.

What she really wanted was to be whole again, independent and strong. She’d get her life back.

She had to. Being in Clear Water was too painful, and it brought secrets too close to the surface.

Twelve years separated her from the past. She had made the mistake thinking she was over it. It was easier to forget when you weren’t surrounded by reminders.

Allowing Adrian to help settle her into one of the ladder-back chairs, she traced the patterns in the wood her grandpa had carved. When she saw her mother’s study Bible, she stopped breathing. “How did that get here?”

“What? Oh, the Bible. I found it tucked away when I was looking for—”

“Put it back.” She closed her eyes. “Please.”

“Sure. Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“I just don’t wanna see it.” A burn started at her arm. An angry red scratch showed through her fitted shirt. The sleeve of her favorite workout top had a rip running all the way up to the shoulder.

Adrian pulled another chair up close for her useless leg and gently pulled her favorite running shoe off her foot. The timeworn sofa would have been more comfortable, but no telling what critters had moved in under the old cushions or what they might have left behind. The years of dust alone would smother her if she plopped down on the blue plaid fabric.

Images of her and her twin sisters curled up around their mother as she read from her Bible bubbled to the surface. Nikki used to rush to answer the questions at the end of each story. The twins were one year younger than her, but she had wanted to prove she was smarter and better at everything.

Looking back, she was sure it had to do with all the attention they got. Beautiful twin girls did not go unnoticed, but the plain big sister did.

It wasn’t their fault.

She never felt that competition with their youngest sister, Samantha. She’d been more of a mother to her. Sammi was the only good thing their stepmother had given their family. Sheila’s leaving had been the other good thing, but that happened after she herself had left.

Nikki took in a deep breath. She had no right to judge. Her family needed her, but she’d been too much of a coward to face the consequences of her own mistakes and abandoned everyone that counted on her. She turned away from the living room and closed her eyes.

She couldn’t remember the last time she felt smart or accomplished.

Her gaze went back to the river stone fireplace, to the past. It was cold and empty now, not crackling with a warm blaze like her memory. She could see her father sitting on the recliner, telling her to give her sisters a chance.

Remembering the twins when they were little had a tendency to soften her heart. Soft hearts broke easily.

The image needed to leave her head. She didn’t have time for regrets or grief. They weren’t real anyway. Just pictures she stared at when she was little so she wouldn’t forget the way her mom looked.

Her mom was gone, and the twins were women now. Danica had her own twin daughters. Even little Sammi, who had barely been in school when she left, was now in her twenties and helping run the lumberyard.

Eyes closed, she focused on her body and took deep breaths, pulling in all wayward thoughts. She rotated her foot to evaluate the pain of the injury. Hopefully it wasn’t anything that damaged her recovery. A cold chill climbed up her spine. The last thing she needed was another surgery. Adrian had left. His warm touch no longer working on her knee.

The sputtering of water forcing air through old rusted pipes brought her attention back to the present.

Adrian held a bowl at the sink. “After tending that cut, we’ll get your knee washed up. Then I’ll try and get the mud out of your hair. You must have taken some fall. Was it after or before the rescue?” His shoulders bunched and moved as he rinsed out the bowl and filled it with water. She’d been impressed by the way he snapped the chain and took charge. He might not be riding bulls any longer, but he was still a man of action. He turned. “Do you know if there are any blankets we can trust?”

The rain hit the tin roof. Talking took energy and focus she didn’t have right now. “I haven’t been here since I was eight.”

“That’s a shame. It’s a great place. There’s always someone trying to buy it from your dad or lease it, but rumor has it he won’t even talk about it.”

“The twins and I actually own the ranch. It’s been in my mom’s family for five generations and Dad didn’t want any problems with Sheila, so he made sure to put it in our names.” One of the many things that had made Sheila mad.

He pulled another chair up next to her and carefully wiped at her arm. “That turned out to be a smart idea. This seems like a perfect place for you. One of the highest cliffs in the county is on the far corner of your property. There are rumors of caves, and you have one of the best parts of the river running right through it. It’s too rough and small to really run cattle, but you could have your own private adventure park.”

“One problem. I’m leaving Clear Water as soon as possible.”

“I used to have that goal.” He shrugged and winked. “But God had other plans for me, better plans.”

She tried to stop him by placing her hand over his. Despite the cold, his skin warmed hers. His fingers were long and surprisingly graceful. The calluses kept them from looking pampered. “Working man hands” was what her dad called them. “You don’t have to do that.”

“No, but I’m not going anywhere, and it’s much more efficient for me to take care of it.” He scooted the chair down and removed the brace. “So what did you name your new baby?”

For a second her gut twisted, and she wondered how he knew. The deer. He was talking about the fawn. “I thought men talked less than women.” She certainly didn’t want to talk about babies.

“Now there you go, stereotyping me.” He grinned at her.

She almost laughed. When was the last time a man teased her? He might actually be flirting with her, and it was nice. He pressed on the bottom of her knee.

Her jaw locked, and she took a sharp breath in through her nose. She would not cry out. Gaze on the ceiling, she avoided looking at her injury. If she needed another surgery to repair the damage her run at freedom caused, she might actually cry. She never cried. She was tough. It was just mind over matter.

Adrian used the warm cloth to wipe the mud away. His touch surprisingly gentle. He and his twin brother had been a few grades behind her. Everyone joked that her sisters, identical twins, should date the identical twin boys. She remembered him being charming and a favorite with teachers and students. Known as the wild twin, he was the next big thing in the bull-riding world.

At a young age, he had already won two high school state titles and everyone knew when he turned eighteen he would take the PBR by storm.

“How did you go from superstar bull rider to a cowhand for Childress?”

“I haven’t been on a bull since I was seventeen. God had better things in store for me.”

“What happened? From what I remember, you were a natural. I saw you ride several times. Once, we drove down to San Antonio to watch you.” The blood rushed at the memory of watching him ride, one hand in the air as the massive bundle of muscles, horns and hooves went into a spin. “It was amazing. The bull was huge and mean. Even the way you jumped off stuck in my brain. I think you were sixteen. Why did you stop? Were you hurt?”

He looked at her face. The gold flecks in his dark eyes flashed, making him look younger. “You drove to San Antonio to watch me ride?”

She nodded. “A group of us.”

With a grin, he went back to work on her leg. He gave a half laugh. “Being hurt is part of the game. What stopped me from riding was my daughter.”

“What? You said you stopped at seventeen.” There was no way she had heard him right.

He sighed and finally looked up from working on her knee. “Not my finest moment, but I can’t regret it. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard the gossip. I’m pretty sure the whole Southwest knew about my fall from grace. I was the example worried mamas used to warn their kids that might stray.” He broke eye contact and went back to her injury. “Mia was born the end of my junior year. My mom said if I was serious about raising my daughter she’d help me, but I had to leave the rodeo.”

Maybe if her mom had been alive, things would have been different for her own senior year. She thought back to the girls at their school. “Is her mother a local or did you meet her at a show?”

“Do you remember Charlotte Walker?”

“Yeah. She was new in town, and...anyway. So you gave up your bull riding to get married and raise a family?”

A noise that might be described as a laugh sounded from his throat, but it lacked any humor. “No. Never got married. Being a mother was not in Charlotte’s plans. She wanted to give Mia up for adoption. She left us and went on with her life as if Mia never happened.”