Cowboy Country (28 page)

Regina felt herself blush.

She heard a car door slam. She dropped the basket and ran to the door then remembered that Sterling was on horseback. It was the great-grandparents. Maeve and Dante Svenson had come with Fiona and Tate Bronco in Tate’s old Suburban.

They all trudged up the front steps giving her a hug and a kiss as each passed.

“We heard the news.”

Regina took in the expressions on the faces of those around her trying to figure out which Bronco blabbed. Problem was they were all grinning. More than likely they phone lines had been hot all day long.

She picked up the basket. “I’m going to collect the eggs. There’s coffee on the stove and plenty of food.”

No sooner had she stepped onto the front porch when Sterling galloped up. She dropped the basket and flew down the steps racing to them. She heard the screen door slam, of course, they’d have an audience. She only hoped Sterling would listen to her.

“Hi Mommy. Lookie here, I’m finally riding a horse with my Daddy.”

Regina cupped her mouth. Tears filled her eyes at the sight of her daughter and Sterling together. She was trembling head to toe, tried to smile, but sputtered, “Hi.”

Sterling smiled down at her. “Hi yourself.”

That ‘hi’ and that smile of his were well worth all the hours of worry and fear.

Sterling swung off his horse and reached for Silver, gently lifting her to the ground. Silver took her father’s hand and leaned into his side.

“I—ah” What could she say? But she needed to say something.

Sterling stared at her.

“I guess we need to talk,” she said, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

“Yeah, I guess so. Silver, why don’t you go see if Grandma has anything for us to eat, I’m starving.”

“Okay Daddy.”

Regina watched her daughter run off to the family.

She was about to step forward when Sterling reached out and grabbed her up in his arms, twirling her around in a circle. When he stilled, he leaned down and kissed her. She melted into his embrace and started sobbing, uncontrollably.

“It’s okay, babe. I’m so sorry. It’s my fault for leaving you alone and pregnant.”

“Oh Sterling, I’m sorry for not telling you, but I was afraid you’d worry too much and I couldn’t take a chance of you not having the focus you needed over there.”

He kissed her again, making her wish they were alone.

A sudden cough broke the kiss. “Mind if we get in on this?” Gramps said.

Before she knew what was happening Sterling pulled out of her arms and lunged, sending a punch into Virgil’s jaw. Virgil reeled backwards, arms flailing, but managed to stay on his feet.

“If you ever put my daughter in jeopardy again I’ll kick your ass to the moon and back.”

The sight of Sterling shake his arm, realizing he’d just injured his bad arm. “Damn it Sterling, that was completely uncalled for,” Regina spat.

“He was responsible for watching her.”

“He was responsible for moving the sheep. Silver rode off all by herself. She’s well aware of the rules.”

“But—”

“No buts about it. You apologize to Virgil right now!”

“I will not.”

Regina opened her mouth to say more but Virgil’s truck lit out of the yard, kicking up dust like a tornado tearing up land.

“Nice going, Rooster,” Dane chimed in.

“Shut up!” Sterling responded.

Sterling’s parents and grandparents slipped away, leaving them the privacy they needed. Too bad Dane, Logan, and Darcy didn’t catch the hint.

Silver clung to Darcy’s hand, softly crying, surely blaming herself for her father’s behavior.

They were at an impasse.

Sterling stood glaring at her, his hands fastened on his hips.

Regina faced him down.

She turned away, went to Silver and said, “We’re leaving.”

Sterling chased after her. Reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. “No, don’t go. Don’t let Virgil’s stupidity ruin our reunion.”

She let go of Silver’s hand and spun around so fast, her arm extended, and slapped him across the face.

“Too late.
You
ruined it all on your own. First, for not calling. Second, for not coming over. And third, for blaming Virgil for your own stupidity.”

By the time she got to her car and started it she was shaking so bad she wasn’t sure she could drive. She rested her head on the steering wheel while she waited for her daughter.

****

Silver took two steps back. “Oh Daddy, how could you hit Uncle Virgil? He didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who runned off.”

Silver turned and ran to her mother’s car.

She still loved her Daddy, but he was wrong.

CHAPTER 5

Sterling’s heart slammed against his ribs as they drove away in a cloud of red clay dust. He didn’t know what was worse, the horrified look on Regina’s face after he let her down again, so utterly and completely, or the look of betrayal on his daughter’s face after he blamed Virgil.

Either way, he screwed up again.

Why did he blame Virgil for his own mistake and then hit him? And, why did he even try to defend his actions when he knew all along he was in the wrong. What an ass!

 He stood there, gap-mouthed, as the dust dissipated wondering if he had it in him to fix this mess?

He felt an arm around his shoulder and stiffened. He turned his head. Thank God it was just his dad.

“Son, I know you don’t believe it right now, but things will work out.”

“I hope so. I screwed up big time.”

He too stared at the car moving further and further away. “Yup, you sure did. No question about it.”

“Same old Dad, no sugar coating of any kind.”

All he got from his dad was a smug grin and a raised brow—dad’s version of “duh.”

They walked toward the house. As they went up the steps raised voices filled the air. “Ah shit, wonder who pissed who off now?”

When they opened the door the room went silent. Not a good sign. Neither was the fact that every person in the room was staring or glaring at him.

Lovely, they were talking about him. He had best head things off before the shouting match continued.

“Before anyone says one single word, I screwed up. I know it. Case closed.” He headed for the kitchen for a cup of coffee to help thaw out.

“Like hell it is.” Dane advanced on him, seething, then grabbed an arm and yanked.

Sterling spun around and slammed into Dane’s chest. He took a step back, something he never did, but the last thing he wanted to do now was lose his temper again. Clenching his fists he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and started to count to ten. He made it to three. “Look Dane, I’m cold, I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I stink. Can we do this another time?”

“Not a chance, it’s here and now big brother.” Dane stepped ever closer.

“Dane—butt out.” It was an edict from their father.

“Not this time.”

Leave it to Dane to interfere and ignore their father.

“What you did out there was unforgivable.” Dane made sure the hulk of his body encroached on Sterling’s personal space.

“You’re right.”

“That pretty lady has been waiting for you to go to her for way to long.” Dane pointed at the empty front yard. “And when you finally see her, you open your mouth, insert your foot and proceed to swallow to the hip.”

“Right again.” What else could he say, it was all true.

Darcy separated them. “Dane, listen to dad. It’s not like Sterling was off screwing around. He was in a war.”

Bless his baby sister, still his crusader.

Sterling glanced over at his mother, wiping her nose on her apron, trying her damnedest not to react.

“I’m with Dane,” spouted Logan. “Sterling needs to go after Gigi and apologize.”

It was coming down to a Mexican stand-off with Dane and Logan on one side of the room and him and Darcy on the other.

Then the unthinkable happened. Well maybe not so unthinkable in this family, but damn shocking.

Grandma Svenson moved over in front of Dane and Logan, crossed her arm, poked him in the chest and said, “They’re right. You march your fanny right over that girl’s house and say you’re sorry.” Then she stomped her foot for emphasis.

Grandma Bronco pushed her way through the crowd and came to stand in front of him and Darcy, in the exact same stance and shook a finger at their other grandmother. “Now, you wait just a cotton-picking minute, Maeve Bronco. Darcy is right. Sterling was protecting this country of ours, not off carousing,” her accent thickening with her anger.

“I’m not an addlepated ninny, Fiona Svenson. I know exactly where my grandson was. I’m not some
idjit
twit
like someone else I know.” Grandma Maeve raised an eyebrow sending her insult home with an exacting and insulting but charming lilt.

Look out when Grandma Maeve’s Irish was up, it was never a good omen.

“Speak of the devil why doncha.” Grandma Fiona countered, with her Scottish brogue as thick as her soda bread.

They were all in trouble now.

“Listen here you mad header,” Maeve spat, taking a step forward.

“Don’t you mad header me, you daft biddy.” Fiona took a step of her own.

The women were practically forehead to forehead, hands on hips, and ready to blow.

“Who you callin’ a biddy?” Maeve challenged.

“The same pimple on a horses arse that tried to steal me man.” Fiona leaned in tapping her forehead against Maeve’s.

“How long are you going to harp on that on? He was helpin’ me with me necklace.”

Sterling took in the faces of everyone present. From his grandfather’s wide eyes, his mother covering her mouth in horror, to his siblings in shock. The world had gone crazy. He couldn’t stand any more. “That’s it, I’m outta here.” He spun around and blew through the screen door. His grandmothers were quarrelling, his siblings were choosing sides, and it was his fault.

His family was certifiably insane.

He’d seen the grandmother’s squabble over the years, but nothing like this.

Sterling leaned on the rail of the porch. Dusk was settling in. What he wanted most was to go talk to Regina, but he had to let her cool off first. Plus he was a coward. How in the world could he fix things now?

He heard the screen door hinge squeak. Ah shit, he didn’t need any further lectures. He heard breathing over his right and left shoulders.

Double-teamed!

Who was brave enough or was it stupid enough to approach him at a time like this?

He took a deep breath, crossed his arms and spun around only to come face-to-face with his grandfathers. Shit, not them too. He let his arms drop to his sides. His shoulders slumped as he rested his backside against the railing.

“Shouldn’t you two get in there breaking it up before it come to blows?” he asked.

“Are you kidding, they’re having a ball.” Grandpa Tate said, with a huge smile on his face.

“Ya, they’d be furious if we stopped them before they made it to the second act,” added Pop, his Danish accent almost invisible, except for the way he said “ya.”

“Okay, you lost me. What’s going on? You make it sound like it’s a game they’re playing.”

“Think we ought to let him in on it,” Gramps asked, quirking his head toward their grandson.

“Sure the kid is old enough. Besides after the day he had he could use a laugh.”

“They started that same old argument so we could slip away to talking to you. If you hadn’t left when you did, we’ve have dragged you out here ourselves.”

“Talk to me, about what?” As if he needed to ask.

“By now you know you have a daughter. Don’t need to discuss how that happened.” Gramps elbowed Pop then winked at him. “The thing is you made a huge mistake not seeing Gigi, when you first came home.”

“Ya, yeh sure did. That poor girl’s been sufferin’ horrible about how to tell you about Silver,” Pop said.

“We’ve all been worried how you’d take the news,” Gramps said.

“Are you kidding, I’m ecstatic.”

Sterling noticed the noise in the house had lowered a notch. “Guess Mom got them to settle down.”

“Always does. You know your Ma is one amazing girl. Dante, you should be proud of her.”

“Every day of my life.”

“I know, mom’s great,” Sterling added.

“Boy, you have no idea how great. When your Ma first suspected Gigi was expectin’, it’s because she found her living in her car.”

“What? How the hell did that happen?” Sterling scowled, his voice rising a tad.

“Ya, as soon as her folks found her in the family way, they kicked her out.”

“Oh God, no!”

“Yup. They ain’t spoken to her since.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Sterling scratched his head then turned toward the road. His hand came to rest on his neck.

“What, and have you worry about her being pregnant and homeless while fighting a war? Not likely.”

“But your Ma didn’t miss a beat, she had Virgil who was in medical school by then, wrap her up with a fake cast on her arm and begged Gigi to some stay with her and help her with the cooking and chores.”

“Mom beg—are you nuts?”

“Boy you don’t know your Ma very well, do you?”

“For the next two years your Ma became the klutz of the county.”

“And Regina never figured it out.” Sterling was stunned.

“Not for quite a while. Your Ma was good. She had the boys fix up the old tool shed. Had it insulated, paneled, modified and added every modern convenience she could think of. That way your Ma could keep Gigi close, but let her have some independence.”

“I’ll be damned.” His mom had more guts and ingenuity than he gave her credit for.

“That’s not the half of it. Your Ma taught her to cook and sew. Now she’s making Lena, Fiona, and Maeve regret teaching her what they did. I’d never admit it in front of the womenfolk, but your Gigi is a better cook than all three of them put together and you know those women can cook.”

“Your Ma wouldn’t let on about anything. She never asked and Gigi never offered, we all just knew it was your baby and we all helped Lena scheme to keep Gigi here, safe and healthy.”