Cowboy at the Crossroads

“Yeah,” he answered.

“She sure has a way with that child. Lordy, lordy, that was wonderful to see.”

“It was,” Cord agreed. “Please get the room across from Nicki’s ready. Becca is coming back to stay for a while.” Was he smiling? He couldn’t seem to stop.

“Wow, that’s good news! But you’re in the room across from Nicki.”

“Damn, what was I thinking?”

“Yeah, what were you thinking?” Della repeated with a sly smile.

He’d moved into that room after Anette’s death because their old room held too many painful memories.

He looked at Della, not rising to the gleam in her eyes. “How about the room at the end of hall? That’s not far from Nicki.”

“What about the room at the end of the hall?” Blanche asked as she strolled into the kitchen wearing a short black silk robe.

Cord turned to face his mother. “I’m having the room prepared for Becca. She’s going to be visiting for a while to help Nicki.”

“Really.” Blanche placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t recall being consulted, and I own this house and this ranch. No one stays here unless I say so.”

Cord’s eyes darkened. “Becca is staying.”

“Don’t push me, Cord.” Her tone was threatening, and Cord reacted to it.

He stepped closer to her. “You may own this place, but I run it and at a profit that you enjoy. So if you have a problem with my decision, then you have a problem—because my baby needs help and I’ll fight you tooth and nail to ensure her well-being.”

“Okay, okay.” Blanche changed her tone. “Don’t work yourself into a lather.” She walked over to the refrigerator and got a bottle of water. “This Becca is Colton’s girlfriend. Have you forgotten that?”

“Of course not, and I don’t see what difference it makes.”

“Because you have the hots for her,” she answered crudely.

Cord felt the blood rush through his system in raging anger, but he forced himself to remain calm. He wouldn’t let her get to him.

“You haven’t looked at a woman since Anette died, and your brother’s girl is not the woman to start with.”

Cord whirled toward the door. “I’m checking on Nicki.” He stopped, unable to leave without setting this straight. “Becca is staying here for Nicki. That’s it. And I don’t want you telling her these lies. I’ll speak with Colton to make sure he’s okay with the arrangement. Other than that, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep out of my business.”

“I tried to tell you about Anette. You wouldn’t listen to me then, either, and look how that turned out.”

Cord ran his hands through his hair in a weary gesture. “Blanche, leave it alone. For God’s sake, just leave it alone.” He sighed deeply and hurried through the door.

Blanche glanced at Della. “I don’t care how old they get, kids never grow up.”

“Cord’s been grown-up most of his life,” Della remarked.

“Don’t take that haughty tone with me, Della.”

Della’s blue eyes became sharp. “Cord’s in pain. He’s lost his wife and now he’s fighting to save his child. Give him a break. Give us all a break.” Without a backward look, she followed Cord.

BECCA DROVE TO HER PARENTS’ HOME in Bellaire. She parked by the garages and went in through the kitchen, where she came upon Emily and Jackson putting dishes in the dishwasher. Scotty ran through from the den, shouting, “Sissy!” and hurled himself into her arms. She hugged him tight. At eight years of age, he was getting so tall. She could hardly believe he wasn’t a baby anymore.

“I got a new computer game. Wanna play?” Scotty asked, his green eyes shining. Like his father, Scotty loved computers, and spent as many hours as he could at a keyboard, or at least until Emily made him go outside and play.

“In a minute, tiger,” she answered. “I want to talk to Mom and Dad first.”

“Okay, I’ll be in my room.” He dashed out the door.

Emily hugged her. “This is a nice surprise.”

Every time Becca looked at Emily or heard her voice, she felt a surge of love and warmth. They had a strong bond that pain and heartache had not diminished.

Jackson planted a big kiss on her cheek. “How’s my girl? Hope you’ve been getting some rest.”

All this love had kept her sane during that dark time, but she sometimes wondered if Emily and Jackson saw her as an adult or only as their little girl. For a parent she was sure that feeling never changed, but Becca knew she had to be more than their daughter. And she didn’t know how to explain that. She would just try to be honest and hope they understand.

They sat at the kitchen table. “What do you want to talk about, angel?” Jackson asked.

Becca made an effort not to squirm in her chair. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be going away for a little while.”

“Oh?” Emily raised an eyebrow. “When did this come about?”

“Cordell Prescott called me today,” she said slowly. “His daughter, Nicki, still hasn’t adjusted to her mother’s death. I went out to the ranch to check her over, and she’s not doing well. Grief is making her physically ill.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Emily murmured.

“Colton never mentioned a thing,” Jackson said.

“I’ll be staying at the ranch, trying to help her.”

Emily frowned. “Becca, angel, that’s not your field. Cord needs to get her to a psychologist.”

“He has, and it didn’t work. If I see things aren’t improving, then I’ll suggest it again. But I feel I can help her.”

Jackson patted her hand. “You’re very good with kids.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’m a pediatrician. I’d better be.”

“Becca—”

“I know what I’m doing,” she said emphatically, before Emily could say anything else.

“Sure you do,” Emily agreed. “I was just hoping that…”

“I’d rest and have fun,” Becca finished for her. “Getting away to the ranch will be good for me, too, and I need that. A different environment, different kinds of activities…Please try to understand.”

“Of course,” Jackson said.

“And I’m very fond of Nicki and I want to help her.” She got to her feet. “Now I’ll go and let Scotty beat me at this new game, which won’t take much letting on my part.”

EMILY AND JACKSON STARED at each other as Becca left the room. “Do you think Colton knows about this?” Emily asked.

“I don’t think so.”

“This is so sudden and I—”

Jackson leaned over and kissed her. “Stop worrying.”

“It’s so hard.”

“I know,” he whispered. “But I think Becca’s feeling the constraints of our love. She’s not our little girl anymore. She’s our grown-up daughter who can make her own decisions.”

“I just want to protect her.”

“Me, too, but we’ve had her for ten wonderful years. I consider that a blessing. Now we have to support her in whatever she chooses to do.”

Emily smiled. “You’re so wise.”

He kissed her again. “And don’t forget it.”

WHEN BECCA GOT BACK to the apartment, she called Colton and asked him to stop by on his way to work in the morning. He’d been in Dallas and she was glad he was back; she needed to talk to him.

Sleep didn’t come easily. Explaining her life to everyone was starting to get on her nerves. She sensed that her parents disapproved, especially Emily, but this was her decision, and she hoped it was the right one. Minutes later, it seemed, the doorbell woke her. God, she’d overslept! She grabbed a terry-cloth robe and headed for the door.

Colton stood on the doorstep, wearing an impeccable tailored gray suit and holding two takeout cups of coffee. “Hi, gorgeous,” he said with a smile.

“I’m not gorgeous,” she muttered grumpily, as she ran her hands through her tangled hair. “I look like hell.”

“That’s a matter of opinion,” he said, as she accepted one of the coffees, mumbling her thanks.

She led the way into her living room. Colton took a seat on the sofa beside her.

“How’s the time off going?”

“Pretty good,” she answered, sipping her coffee. Cream, no sugar, exactly as she liked it. She told him about her visit to the ranch.

“Damn, I feel terrible,” he said. “I haven’t talked to Cord in over two weeks. I’ve been so busy I never seem to have time for anything except work. I knew Nicki wasn’t doing well, and I told Cord weeks ago that he should consult you. I never dreamed he’d take my advice.”

The Prescotts were not a close family, and Becca knew Blanche was the primary reason for that. She took a deep breath. “I’m planning to spend some time at the ranch, so I can try to help Nicki.”

“You are? That’s wonderful,” Colton said. “If anyone can help her, it’s you.”

“Thanks.” They talked about Nicki and about Colton’s business trip, but she was well aware that there was another conversation they had to have. She wasn’t quite sure how to bring it up.

“Colton?”

“Hmm?”

“We’re good friends, aren’t we?”

“The best.”

“Have you ever wished that our relationship had turned into…more?”

He moved uncomfortably. “Yeah, but I’ve always realized that you don’t have those feelings for me.”

“Oh, Colton.” She felt like crying.

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, I’m too old for you, anyway.” His eyes narrowed. “Why are you mentioning it now? Oh.” He answered his own question. “You’ve been listening to that crazy redhead.”

“Don’t call Ginger that!”

“She’s loony as a bat and always making nasty comments about our relationship.”

“She’s very outspoken,” Becca said in Ginger’s defense.

“Yeah.” He laughed sarcastically. “But our relationship is none of her business and she’d better keep her opinions to herself.”

“You’re getting angry for nothing,” Becca told him. “I just didn’t want you hoping that something was going to happen between us, because I’m not sure what I want and you’re too nice a person to keep baby-sitting me. You deserve a—” The doorbell interrupted her.

“Excuse me,” she said, and got up to open the door.

Ginger brushed past her. “Look at this,” she cried agitatedly. “Look at my hair! It’s one big fuzz ball. I can’t go to work like this.”

Ginger had naturally curly red hair, and on humid days it sprang into a mass of tight ringlets. During the sweltering Houston summers, Ginger was always in a panic about her hair.

“I looked in the car mirror and I couldn’t believe it! I just fixed it, and now I resemble the bride of Frankenstein. Your place is close to work, so I came here for emergency repairs. Can I use your curling iron?” Ginger turned and saw Colton. “You’re here awfully early.”

“Got something to say about it?” Colton asked in a hard tone.

“Had nails with your coffee, Prescott?” Ginger returned without skipping a beat, then swung toward the bathroom.

Becca shrugged. “That’s Ginger.”

Colton stood up, shaking his head. “I don’t know how you put up with her.”

“We’ve been friends for a very long time.”

Colton looked into her eyes. “Don’t worry about us. Don’t worry about anything.”

“Colton…”

He placed a finger over her lips. “I’ve got to get to work. I’ll call you later, and I’ll call Cord as soon as I get to the office.” He started for the door. “Thanks for doing this for my family. I know Cord will appreciate it.” Becca stared after him.

Ginger came back with her hair looking much better. “Stuffed Shirt gone?”

“Ginger, don’t.”

“I have to run, anyway.”

“Can you wait just a second?”

Ginger glanced at her watch. “That’s about all I’ve got.”

Becca told her about the visit to Triple Creek, about motherless Nicki and her father.

“Wow. What’s this Cord like?”

Becca groaned. “It’s not about Cord. It’s about Nicki.”

“If you say so.” Ginger sighed. “Now, I’ve really got to go.”

“Can you water my plants while I’m gone?”

“Sure,” Ginger called, hurrying out the door. “Phone me when you’re back in town.”

As Ginger left, Becca tried to ignore her words. Was she doing this for Nicki—or Cord? For both of them was her instant response, and she was getting tired of justifying her actions to everyone. She let out a long breath and went to make fresh coffee.

Fueled by the additional caffeine and new resolve, she called the Prescott ranch. Cord answered it on the second ring.

“Cord, it’s Becca.”

“Hi, how are you this morning?”

Her stomach trembled at the undertones in his voice, and she wondered why he had this effect on her and Colton didn’t. She swallowed.

“Fine. Where’s Nicki?”

“In her room.”

“Cord.” She couldn’t keep the frustration out of her voice.

“Della’s fixing her breakfast and I was about to go upstairs and get her. I’m not looking forward to this.”

“Crying and screaming won’t hurt her. Not eating will.”

There was a pause, then he asked, “When are you coming?”

“In about two hours.”

“Well, maybe I’ll wait and let you work your magic.”

“Oh, no, Cordell Prescott. You go upstairs and bring her down for breakfast. Today is the day she starts to get better, and you have to be strong.”

“All right, but if I’m a wreck when you get here, you’ll know why.”

“Yes, I’ll know why. I’ll also know you’re the biggest softie I’ve ever met.”

“I’ve been told that.”

Another pause. Then he asked, “Do you know where Colton is? I tried his apartment but he wasn’t there.”

“He was here, and he just left. You should be able to catch him at his office.”

All the warm feelings inside him dissipated and he didn’t understand why. He knew Becca and Colton were seeing each other. That had been for years, so why, all of a sudden, was he feeling so discouraged by this evidence that they were sleeping together? Could Blanche be right? No, Blanche was never right about anything. His interest in Becca was strictly for Nicki’s sake. He would never covet his brother’s lover.

“Cord.”

He jerked himself to attention as he realized she was saying his name. “Yes.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He hung up the phone with a frown on his face. What was wrong with him? Nothing, he told himself. He just felt like this because of Blanche and her crude suggestion. He wasn’t attracted to Dr. Becca Talbert. Not at all.

CHAPTER FOUR

BECCA WASN’T SURE what to pack, so she took a few of everything, but mostly jeans and tops. With her suitcases in the living room, she stopped to call Grandpa George—Jackson’s father—as well as Rose and Owen. Then she called Dr. Arnold’s office to let them know her whereabouts in case they needed to contact her. Hanging up the phone, she decided that part of her problem was the fact that she had to justify her whereabouts to so many people. At her age, she shouldn’t have to do that. Their love was overwhelming her. Was that ungrateful? She hoped not. She loved her family, but she needed to be free, to experience life on her own. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

With her bags loaded in the car, she drove toward Triple Creek Ranch. Once she left Houston proper, the scenery along the route was serene and peaceful, so unlike the busyness of the city. Again she parked in the drive near the house and walked to the front door. It swung open before she could ring the bell. A frantic Cord stood there, holding Nicki in his arms. The child’s face was buried in his shoulder and she was crying. Cord stared helplessly at Becca.

“Good morning,” she said brightly as if everything was normal. “My bags are in the car. Do you mind getting them?”

Cord seemed dumbfounded. “Sure,” he answered distractedly, and slowly set Nicki on her feet.

Nicki wrapped her arms around his leg and began to cry louder. “I wanna go to my room. I wanna go to my room.”

“Becca’s here, baby. Don’t you want to say hi to Becca?”

Nicki rubbed her head against his leg. “No. Don’t like her.”

“You liked her yesterday.”

“No, I didn’t. I wanna go to my room. Daddy, please.”

Becca could see Cord weakening. “Would you get my bags, Cord?”

Didn’t she notice he had a child attached to his leg? Then Cord realized this had to be one of her maneuvers to get him out of the way. He disentangled himself from Nicki, but she ran after him crying, “Daddy! Daddy!”

Becca caught her before she could follow him to the car. She carried Nicki, kicking and sobbing, into the house and sat her firmly on the sofa.

“Leave me ’lone,” she whimpered, and reached for Dolly.

Becca held her face between both hands, rubbing her thumbs over the girl’s wet cheeks. “No, I’m not leaving you alone. I’ve come to spend some time with you and that’s what we’re going to do.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“’Cause.”

“’Cause why?”

“’Cause you’re mean.”

“We had fun last night. I was a chicken, you were a cow and Daddy was a horse. Remember?”

“Yeah.” She hiccuped.

Cord came into the room and set down her bags. As soon as she saw him, Nicki threw out her hands and started to cry again. “Daddy, I wanna go to my room.”

Cord took a ragged breath. “Baby, we’re not going to your room.”

She drummed her legs on the sofa in a temper tantrum. “Daddy, please! Daddy, please!” she wailed.

Becca stood and walked over to Cord, whose face had turned a grayish white. “Just leave, Cord. I’ll handle her.”

“Becca.” Her name sounded more like a groan.

“It’ll be all right. I promise.” She gently pushed him toward the door. As she did she noticed that two women had come to stand in the doorway, one tall and thin with gray hair, the other short and on the plump side.

Cord looked back at Becca. “This is Mrs. Witherspoon, the nanny.”

The plump lady stepped forward and shook Becca’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Talbert.”

“And I think you’ve met my sister, Edith,” Cord said.

“We call her Edie.”

Becca smiled at the older woman. “Yes, it’s good to see you again, Edie.”

Nicki’s wails drowned out her words.

Becca gave Cord a knowing look, and he slowly made his way out the door, preceded by the two women.

Nicki’s cries continued and Becca sat beside her. She could understand now why everyone was so reluctant to make Nicki leave her room. This type of behavior was hard on the nerves. She waited for a moment, trying to figure out the best approach to this situation. Her attention was drawn to the doll clutched in Nicki’s arms, and she started to talk.

“Dolly, do you know what you and I are going to do today? No? Well, I’ll tell you. We’re going outside. The sun is shining. The birds are singing. It’s a beautiful day. Of course, I’ll have to put some sunscreen on you. Your skin’s so light and we have to protect it. My skin, I don’t have to worry too much about. I just get brown. Still, it never hurts to be careful with the sun. When I was little, I was in the sun all the time. My mother called me a brown-eyed Susan. I never knew what that was, and it confused me. My name’s Becca, not Susan. What do you think of that, Dolly?”

The wails stopped, and Nicki opened one eye and stared at Becca. “Dolly can’t talk.”

“That’s a pity because I like Dolly.”

“She don’t like you.”

Becca brought one hand to her chest. “That breaks my heart.”

Nicki opened her other eye. “It does?”

“Yes.”

“What does that feel like?”

“It feels sad. Does Dolly feel sad?”

“Yes.”

“Everybody’s sad sometimes, but it’s not good to feel sad for too long.”

Nicki smoothed Dolly’s hair. “No.”

Becca knew it wasn’t the right moment to delve further, so she got to her feet. “Tell you what. Why don’t you and Dolly show me to my room and help me unpack?”

Nicki’s eyes narrowed, and Becca was waiting for an I don’t want to, but instead Nicki scooted to the edge of the sofa. “’Kay.”

Becca picked up a suitcase just as Edie returned to the room.

“Let me help you with those.” Edie had to be in her seventies, but she was still agile, her posture as straight as that of a younger woman.

“Thank you,” Becca said, pretending she couldn’t lift the other case. “I think I need help with this one.”

“I’ll help,” Nicki piped up and ran over to Becca. It was the response Becca had wanted. Together, the trio clambered up the stairs.

On the landing, Becca looked around. There was a long hall with half a dozen doors. She remembered Della’s saying that Cord had locked up Anette’s room. She wondered which room it was. She shook her head; it didn’t matter. Still, Anette had died over a year ago, and Becca felt that Cord should have disposed of her things, kept some for his daughter, perhaps given the rest away. Maybe the task was still too painful for him.

“Which room is mine?” she asked to divert her thoughts.

Nicki shrugged.

“The one at the end of the hall,” Edie said. “Mine’s at the other end, and—” she pointed to a door on the right “—that’s Cord’s. Blanche has the big suite downstairs.”

“Thanks,” Becca replied, entering the room. It was elegant with dark furniture and a four-poster bed. The decor was in peach and pale green, and very soothing. She was going to like it here.

“If you don’t need anything else, I’ve got a function at the church I need to attend.”

“No, and thanks for helping, Edie.”

“Sure.” Edie glanced at Nicki, who had crawled onto the bed. “Good luck. Bye, Nicki.”

“Bye, Edie.”

That was all very polite, but Becca knew it wouldn’t last. Nicki had been allowed to do whatever she wanted for too long. When she couldn’t get her way, she became angry and defiant. Becca would try to change all that because she knew it stemmed from Anette’s death. Inside Nicki was still hurting…and so was Cord.

Becca opened her suitcase and began to put her clothes away in an old-fashioned wardrobe that looked priceless. She loved the antique furniture in this house.

Nicki sat, still on the bed, watching her. When Becca opened her makeup bag and set out the contents on the dresser, Nicki’s eyes grew big.

“My mommy had thin…” Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying.

Becca sat beside her. “It’s all right to talk about your mother.”

“No, I don’t want to.” Nicki hung her head.

“Are you mad at your mother?”

Nicki didn’t answer.

“I used to be mad at my mother.”

Nicki glanced at her. “Why?”

Becca wasn’t sure how much to say, but she went with her gut instincts. “Because she gave me away when I was a baby and I didn’t know she was my mother until I was seventeen years old. I did mean and bad things because I thought she didn’t love me.”

“Did she?”

“Oh yeah.”

“How you know?”

Becca placed a hand over her heart. “I know in here. Just like you know in there—” she put her hand on Nicki’s chest “—that your mother loved you.”

Nicki’s eyes widened as she tried to understand what Becca was saying. Becca waited a minute, then said, “It’s almost lunchtime. Why don’t we go and see what Della’s fixing?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Well, I am. I only had coffee this morning.”

“I wanna go to my room.”

Becca took a deep breath. “Nicki, sweetie, we’re not going to your room. Please try to understand that. We’ll do anything else that you want—swim, play dolls, swing…anything.”

“No, I’m going to my room.”

Before Becca could stop her, she jumped off the bed and ran for the door. Becca caught her halfway down the hall and swung her up. Nicki kicked and screamed, and Becca joined in as before.

CORD CAME THROUGH the back door, wiped his boots on the mat and stopped in his tracks. Screams. Oh God, how did he deal with this? He walked into the kitchen and asked Della, “Has this been going on since I left?”

Della looked up from the stove. “No, it just started.”

Suddenly the screams stopped, and Cord wondered if he should interfere. He’d wait, he decided; he had to give Becca a chance. He felt sure she knew what she was doing. But it wasn’t easy to hear his child in torment.