Gambling on a Dream (20 page)

“Jesus.” He blew out a breath between his teeth. “So, what’s going on now?”

“I have no idea. We had a fight this morning. I think he believes it’s my fault we lost our baby,” she said with a shrug. What had he meant about her wanting an abortion and her career being more important? At the time, she’d been so angry she hadn’t thought about the meaning behind the words. “But he hadn't wanted the baby anyway.”
Had he?

“How can you be so sure about that? You both need to sit down and talk about this.” He looked over at her again and shook his head. “Dear God, Dawn. Has it ever occurred to you Wyatt may have been pissed that you never told him about the baby and upset that he lost his child?”

It had, and she’d long ago dismissed the possibility. “If he wanted the baby, he wouldn’t have left me. If he’d loved me, he wouldn’t have left. There’s nothing to talk about.”

He was quiet for a long time. “I think there is. Wyatt’s nothing like Jock Blackwell, Dawn. You of all people should know that. Are you sleeping together?”

She laughed, but it sounded choked even to her own ears. “Not sure if you can count two bouts of wild sex as sleeping together.”

She sensed him staring at her for as long as he could take his eyes off the road. “Dawn, you’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

Nodding, she wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. She would not start bawling like a baby in front of Zack. She wouldn’t! But the truth hurt too much, and a tear leaked out. “I’ve loved him since I was a little girl.”

* * * *

The bell over the glass door jingled as Wyatt stepped into Ella’s Diner. The din of conversation and the aromas of buttermilk pancakes, bacon, and copious amounts of strong coffee greeted him. He moved into the dining room and searched the crowd for Talon.

His old friend sat in the back corner in a booth and stared out the window next to his table. As Wyatt weaved his way through the dining room, tipping his hat to those who wished him good morning, Talon turned to watch and sipped his coffee.

Wyatt slipped into the booth across from Talon and removed his hat. Zelda Marion, one of the regular waitresses during breakfast and lunch, rushed over and smiled. She pulled a pen from behind her ear and readied her pad for order taking. “What can I get ya, Wyatt?”

He forced a smile. “Just coffee this morning.”

She tucked the pad away in her apron and stuck the pen back behind her ear. “Comin’ right up.”

Once she rushed off to get his coffee, Talon set his mug on the fake red marble table. “I want to help Rachel.”

Before Wyatt could answer, Zelda returned with a steaming mug of black coffee and the pot to refill Talon’s cup. “I heard about Rachel’s troubles and the sheriff’s accident. Hope both those gals are okay. Let your mammas know I’ve put them on my prayer list.”

Wyatt stared into his mug of coffee. “Thank you, Miz Marion. Ma will be happy to have your prayers for Rachel. She really could use them right now.”

Talon shifted in his seat. “Dawn will be okay. Thanks for your concern.”

She nodded and looked from Talon back to Wyatt and smiled. “If you gents need anything, just give me a holler.”

When they were alone again, Wyatt leaned over his arms and narrowed his eyes at Talon. “How the hell are you going to help Rachel?”

Talon’s hard eyes softened a little. “I know where she is emotionally. At least, I understand what feeling trapped is like. She needs someone who can understand her but won’t feed her self-pity and depression.” When Wyatt bristled at the implication of that last insinuation, Talon added, “Not that you, your parents, and Audrey don’t mean well, but how would you feel in her shoes?”

“Like shit.”

“Exactly. She’s dependent on y’all, but she doesn’t have to be, nor does she want to be. She needs to feel like she has something to live for, and that she’s not a burden on the people she loves. Rachel hates that more than she does anything else.”

Wyatt leaned back and huffed. “How would you know?”

Talon’s gaze never wavered. “I know your sister better than you can possibly guess.”

What did he mean by that? Sure, Talon and Rachel had known each other since they were kids, and he and Talon had been best friends growing up. Something in Talon’s conviction spurred all kinds of questions. The same kinds of questions that nagged him when Talon showed up the day they’d brought Rachel home from the VA hospital and they’d talked for an hour.

“I don’t like this.”

“Who does? Rachel is the sweetest, kindest person I know, but life sure as hell hasn’t treated her well, has it?” Talon shook his head and glanced out the window. “She deserves better than this, Wyatt. She needs to find her way again, and I think I know how to help her.”

“How?”

Talon met his gaze again. “I talked to Dr. Forsyth about what he thought would help her. She needs something that will fulfill her desire to help people. He said that she loved nursing.”

Wyatt narrowed his eyes and fisted his hands on either side of his coffee mug. He understood Forsyth knowing that about Rachel; he’d worked with her. But what the hell business did Talon have involving himself in her healing? “You talked to Rachel’s doctor? What gives you the right to think you know more about her than her family does?”

A muscle in Talon’s jaw ticked as he stared Wyatt down. “I may not be family, but Rachel has always been my friend. I care about what’s happening to her.” He shook his head and gazed out the window. “I’m involved because I want to help her get past this pain.”

With a deep breath, Wyatt picked up his cup and let the warmth calm his anger. Maybe Talon figured something out that the rest of them hadn’t. Wyatt didn’t have to like it, but he hated not being able to help his sister even more. “What do you suggest? I doubt the hospital would hire her as a nurse.”

Talon shifted in his seat and picked up his own mug. “Maybe not. But there has to be something that would make her feel important again. You should talk to someone at the hospital and see what they suggest.”

Wyatt couldn’t help the self-deprecating grin. “You know your sister suggested the same thing.”

Talon finished his coffee and picked up his hat. “Sometimes, she has a good idea. I gotta go. I’m meeting a contractor in less than an hour.”

“As in a building contractor?”

Talon stood and opened his wallet. As he tossed a five on the table, he nodded. “Yeah. I need a house and soon. Living with my mother and Tom is not gonna work. Jessie Mae and I need our own space.”

Talon turned and almost ran into his sister and Zack Cartwright. Wyatt’s heart sped up at the sight of Dawn standing slightly behind Zack as if she hoped he would shield her in some way. Wyatt recognized the way she tried to avoid looking at him as vulnerability, and he wanted to take her into his arms.

“Talon?” Dawn looked up at her brother.

“Mornin'.” Talon put his hat on his head.

Zack smiled and patted Talon on the shoulder. “I guess congratulations are in order. Welcome to the trials and tribulations of fatherhood.”

Talon returned his smile. “Thanks.”

“If you need anything, call.” Zack removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “Being a single father of a little girl can be a challenge. Maybe the girls can meet up sometime. I know your girl is still little, but Mandy would love playing with her. She loves babies.”

“Thanks. I might take you up on your offer.” Talon nodded at his sister and headed toward the door.

Wyatt stared at Dawn, who finally met his gaze. “You’re supposed to be at the house.”

“I have work to do.” She glanced at Zack. “Let’s get out of here.”

She turned to leave, but Zack touched her elbow, stopping her. “Not so fast.” He gently eased her toward her brother’s vacated seat. After Dawn sat, Zack leaned over the table and lowered his voice. “I don’t know everything that’s gone down between you two. But I do know what not talking and getting the important things out in the open can do to a relationship. You two need to talk.”

Zack straightened, settled his hat onto his head, and ambled through the diner, stopping occasionally to say howdy to those who greeted him.

When Dawn shifted to get up, Wyatt reached over and took her hand. She snapped her gaze to him, and he took a deep breath. “He’s right. We do need to talk.”

Zelda stopped by to refill his cup and asked Dawn what she would like.

“Just coffee with cream.”

“And please bring us each an order of the number two breakfast special. I’d like my eggs over easy with bacon. The sheriff would like hers scrambled with a side of sausage, and we both want white toast.” Wyatt smiled at Zelda, who perked up at the prospect of them ordering more than coffee.

“Comin’ right up.” After slipping her pad and pen into her apron, she collected Talon’s empty mug and the cash he’d left on the table before heading back to the counter to put the order into the kitchen and grab Dawn’s coffee.

“You shouldn’t have wasted the food. I’m not hungry.”

Wyatt sipped his coffee. “Well, I am, and you need to eat.”

She looked out the window. He could see her anger in the set of her jaw. He sighed and glanced around the crowded room. Zack was right. They needed to talk, and although this wasn’t the best place for the conversation, he intended to have it.

Zelda returned with Dawn’s mug of coffee and set a creamer pitcher on the table. Dawn mumbled a “thank you” and poured milk into her coffee. “What did you and Talon have to talk about?”

“Apparently, he and Rachel are old friends, and he thinks he can help her.”

She looked up at him and furrowed her brow.

“I should have realized they were close by the times he came to her rescue when we were all kids, but I didn’t realize the friendship lasted into adulthood.” His and Talon’s hadn’t.

Dawn hugged the mug of steaming coffee and stared into the depths.

He leaned over his arms. “I would never have done to you what Jock Blackwell did to your mother, Dawn. It hurts that you think I would have.”

* * * *

Dawn looked up. The sorrow, pulling at the fine creases at the corners of his eyes, and the downward tilt of his lips shot a tinge of pain through her heart. “But you left me.”

He shook his head and averted his eyes to the table. “No. I didn’t. You left me. I came home, and you were gone.”

“I came home with Mom and Dad. I wasn’t sure you wanted me anymore. They told me they hadn’t seen you since the night I’d lost the baby. Where did you go?” Had she misjudged him? Her heart raced and ice filled her gut.

He took a deep breath. “After I found out about the baby, I had to do something. God, I was angry. At you. At the kid who shot you. At the world. I went after the thug, then took a ride to McAllister. I have a buddy from the police academy who lives there and is in the Amarillo office of the Texas Rangers. He talked me into joining.”

Zelda took that moment to deliver their breakfasts and refilled their coffees. Neither of them made any move to eat. Zelda looked from her to Wyatt, who gave her a half-smile and said, “Thank you.”

“Enjoy your breakfast.” As she turned away, she shook her dyed bright red head; the sky-high beehive hairdo she’d worn since high school in the sixties never moved.

“And instead of coming home to see me, you joined the Texas Rangers.” Anger bubbled up in her sour stomach. She pushed the plate filled with fluffy eggs, sausage links, and home fried potatoes away. “You’re mad at me? You accused me of wanting an abortion?” She lowered her voice when an older woman glanced at her. She sure as hell didn’t want any of this mess to end up on the Colton grapevine. “Let’s take a good long look at your relationship history. Maybe you can see things as I did.”

She held up her fingers to count her reasons for not knowing his intentions when she’d discovered the pregnancy. “You took me to my senior prom, and I nearly gave you my virginity, but I stopped before things went too far. Then you went back to college and never gave me the time of day for almost ten years. I figured you were mad that I didn’t give in.”

She clicked off another digit. “Then you and that TV reporter, Vanessa Burk, dated and lived together for years after college. But you didn’t show any indication you wanted to marry her. In fact, when she proposed, you moved out.”

With another finger, she counted off another doubt. “I got pregnant too early in our relationship to even know if what we had was real. You never once mentioned wanting a future with me, Wyatt.” She lowered her hands. “How the hell was I supposed to know anything?”

He picked up his fork and poked at the fried potatoes on his plate. “I figured you didn’t want a future.” Giving up the pretense of gathering potatoes on his fork, he laid it on the plate and stared her down. “All you ever wanted was to be a police detective. If you had known me at all, you would have figured out I never wanted to stay in Dallas.”

She leaned back in her seat. “I never wanted to stay in Dallas, either. You knew that.”

“True. You wanted to be sheriff. I figured you never told me about the baby because you didn’t want it.”

She shook her head. Pain hit her so hard she gasped. “I would never have done anything to intentionally hurt my baby.” Her voice cracked on the last word.

“I’ve danced around this question long enough. Why the hell didn’t you take yourself off the case?”

She hugged her coffee cup, the anger replaced with an empty, cold nothingness. The warmth did nothing to take the chill from her gut or the numbness from her fingers. “I planned to tell you about the baby after the deal and call the captain to be removed from the case. I was so scared that night, Wyatt. Not just for me and you, but for our baby. The sonogram picture I have had been taken earlier that day. I loved the idea of having a baby--your baby. But until then, the pregnancy didn’t seem real. I’d learned the sex that day, and for the first time, the glob of cells growing inside of me looked like a baby.”

She averted her gaze to the table. “Our baby. I was afraid you wouldn’t want it. God, I prayed Mom was wrong about all white men being like Jock Blackwell. I prayed that you wouldn’t leave me like you had before--like you did Vanessa when she wanted to get married and you didn’t. I hoped you did love me and would accept our baby.” She forced her eyes to him and was taken aback by the sorrow etching his handsome face.