The Cowgirl's Secret (The Diamondback Ranch Series #) (13 page)

Life really sucked sometimes.

As the holiday season descended upon them, Mary Garza had insisted on meeting Sammy's girl. Sammy's Tori.

And so the dinner invitation had been issued, and Sam found himself looking forward to the two most important women in his life finally meeting each other. He loved his mother dearly. And he couldn't deny it any longer . . . he loved Tori McCade to distraction.

They'd agreed that she'd drive over to the house since Sam would be busy cooking. After dinner and after his mother went to bed, he had something special planned. He glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall.
Where the hell was she?

He was rolling the corn tortillas, stuffing them with shredded cheese. The homemade enchilada sauce simmered on the stove, and the tamales were warming in the slow cooker. He had a pot of pinto beans on the back burner keeping warm, and he'd make the Spanish rice after he stuck the pan of enchiladas in the oven. Everything was moving right along.

All except for Tori. It wasn't like her to be late. She was usually very punctual. He hoped she was okay. Of course, she was okay. Any number of things could have occurred to hold her up. None of them necessarily bad.

She was baking some kind of fabulous chocolate dessert for his mother; she hadn't elaborated, she'd only shaken her head when he'd asked her about it, her sapphire eyes twinkling with mischief. Maybe she'd run into a snag with the dessert. He'd never known Tori to be much of a cook, but hell, it wasn't her cooking abilities that interested him, not by a long shot.

"So when will Tori be here? I'm dying to meet her." His mother sat down at the table across from him. She'd made an extra effort to dress up, choosing a soft gray sweater and black slacks. She looked nice. Only Sam didn't like the dark circles below her tired brown eyes, or the turban she wore to cover her head--both courtesy of all those chemo treatments.

"Soon, Mom. She'll be here soon. If she's not here in five minutes, I'll call her."

His cell phone buzzed and he grabbed it from the counter behind him. "See? That's her now. Hey babe, where are you?"

"I'm sorry. I'm running late. I . . . uh . . . I found this poor little dog sitting on the side of the road, and I can't take him to the shelter because it's on the other side of town and I couldn't leave him there, it was a busy street, he might have gotten run over. And he's all wet and cold from the snow." She paused for breath. "You know how I'm a sucker for strays. Do you mind if I bring him to your house? I'll take him to the shelter after we eat dinner."

"No problem. We can put him in the back yard."

"Thanks, Sam. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Sam ended the call, tossed the phone back on the counter, and resumed rolling the cheese and tortillas for the enchiladas.

"Well?" His mother gazed at him with a smile on her lips and curiosity rampant in her eyes. "Who or what are you going to put in the back yard?"

Sam grinned. "You know Tori is studying to be a vet. Or she
will be
studying to be a vet next year. She rescued a dog on the way over here. What could I say? I hope you don't mind if she brings it over."

Mary Garza nodded. "Of course, I don't mind. When I was growing up, we used to have dogs. But with your dad being a mailman, he wasn't too crazy about them . . . that's the reason we never had one."

Sam went to the stove to stir the sauce. "No, we only had cats, gerbils and hamsters."

His mom smiled. "And don't forget Peter."

"Oh yeah, the rabbit." He adjusted the heat beneath the enchilada sauce.

"You loved that rabbit. You were such an adorable little boy." Her smile wobbled. Sam hoped she wouldn't start to cry. She'd become very melancholy and nostalgic over the last couple of weeks, recalling past events, reliving old memories. "Have I told you lately how proud I am of you,
mijo
? How much I love you?"

Sam sat back down at the table and bent his head over the enchilada pan. "I love you, too, Mom." Before they could get all maudlin over each other, a car door slammed out front.

Thank you, God.

Mary sniffed into a tissue. "Sounds like your girl is here."

"Sounds like it. I'll go help her with that dog." Shoving back his chair, Sam stood again and made for the door, glad of the respite. Too many messy emotions hovering around the kitchen and his mom.

He stopped at the door, before throwing it open. Tori was the first white girl he'd brought home to meet his mother. If he were honest with himself, he was feeling a little nervous about the introductions, hoping his mother and Tori would hit it off.

Oh, yeah. Too many emotions. Way too many.

***

Tori couldn't believe she was bringing a rescue dog on the first visit to Sam's house to meet his mother. Was she crazy? What kind of impression would that make?

Oh well. It was too late now. She opened the back door of the car and grabbed the leash she'd fastened around the dog's neck. There was no collar naturally. Good thing she always carried one of those slip leashes in the car. Just in case.

She was the hopeless case. She seemed to be a magnet for dumped dogs. This had to be the sixth or seventh one she'd rescued in that many months or less. And the thing of it was, no pets were allowed in her apartment building. Rescuing dogs added a lot of stress to her already hectic life.

The front door opened and out walked Sam, looking handsome in jeans and a long-sleeved thermal shirt hanging loose over his straight hips, the sleeves pushed up over his elbows. He had a long easy stride, and his smile made her heart thump madly in her chest.

"Hey babe." He stopped on the other side of the opened car door and looked inside. "So this is the lucky little mutt you rescued, huh?"

"Yes, except he doesn't want to get out of the car." Tori leaned into the backseat to pet the trembling dog. "It's okay, boy. You're safe now." She tugged gently on the leash. "Come on, buddy."

"Why don't you let me try?" Sam stepped around the car door and took the leash from Tori's hand. He gave her a quick hard kiss that sent lightning bolts down to her toes.

She stepped back and watched him coax the dog from the car. After several minutes of gentle persuasion, the small dog jumped to the ground and immediately tried to make off down the sidewalk, tugging at the leash, almost choking himself in the process.

"Whoa there, buddy!" Sam pulled the leash, reining in the dog's attempted escape.

"Here, I've got it now. Thanks." Tori took the leash and stooped to rub the dog's back, trying to soothe his fears. The frightened animal seemed to relax a bit, going so far as to lick Tori's hand.

"Aww, he's giving me puppy kisses. What a sweet little dog you are." Tori straightened from her crouch and led the dog up the walk to the front door and waited for Sam to open it for her.

"We'll take him to the backyard through the kitchen," he said, closing the door behind them. "He should be safe enough there. The kitchen's right through that hall."

Tori stepped into the large cozy room and stopped short when she saw Sam's mother sitting at the table. She walked toward the woman, dragging the dog with her and held out one hand. "Hello, I'm Tori. It's good to finally meet you. I'm
so
sorry to foist this poor little dog on you. But what could I do? He would have gotten run over if I'd left him on the side of the road."

"Not a problem, dear. I love dogs.
Hola, precioso perrito!
" She bent down and rubbed the dog's neck and scratched behind his floppy ears. The little dog plumped down on his rump and wagged his bedraggled tail. Mary Garza laughed and continued petting the dog. "You're a handsome puppy, aren't you?"

Tori turned wide astonished eyes at Sam. He shrugged.

His mother looked up at them both. "What kind of dog do you think he is?"

Tori shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe one part terrier, three parts mutt?"

"He's such a sweet little thing. Yes, you are," Mary crooned to the dog. "Why don't we give him some water? And Sammy, do we have anything he could eat? The poor little thing looks starved to death."

Sam went to the refrigerator and opened it. "I'll give him some of the fajitas we had last night. Tori, why don't you go ahead and take him outside. I'll bring the food and water, and we'll get him settled."

Mary sat up straight and shook her head. "No, no, no. It's too cold outside. He can stay in the house where it's nice and warm. Hand me a towel, and I'll dry him off."

"Mom, you don't really want that dog in the house, do you?" Sam frowned at the small mongrel sitting near his mother's feet.

"He's right, Mrs. Garza," Tori said. "I wouldn't want to impose like that. He'll be fine outdoors."

"Nonsense; I insist. And call me Mary, dear. I believe you and I are destined to be good friends. You know what they say?
God works in mysterious ways
. And I think He has been very, very busy today."

***

"Tori, the chocolate cake is wonderful
.
" Mary Garza patted her mouth with her napkin. "If you don't mind, I'll have another slice,
por favor
." She held out her plate and smiled.

"I'm so glad you like it." Tori cut a nice big piece and eased it onto Mary's dessert plate. "It's a chocolate lover's dream come true, isn't it?"

Mary took a bite and pointed her fork at Tori. "Yes.
Delicioso!
"

"While you ladies enjoy your chocolate fix, I'll start the dishes." Sam shoved back his chair and began stacking plates.

"Oh, no you don't, mister." Tori jumped up from the table. "
I'll
wash the dishes. You cooked dinner, so it's only fair that I clean up."

Mary laughed. "This girl's a keeper, Sammy. You must do whatever it takes so she won't get away." She ate another bite of the cake and closed her eyes on a sigh.

Sam snagged Tori's gaze and smiled that lethal smile she was coming to know so well. "You might be on to something there, Mama. She just might be a keeper."

Tori quickly turned toward the counter and opened the dishwasher, trying to catch the breath lodged in her throat. Watching Sam's interaction with his mother who was so very ill made her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. He was all tenderness and consideration. The more she saw of him, the deeper she fell in love.

She grabbed the stack of dinner plates and rinsed them off before loading them into the dishwasher. Sam stepped up beside her and set the rest of the dirty dishes in the sink. He placed his hand on her hip and gave her a hug. "You've certainly made a hit with my mom." He kissed her hair. "You've made a hit with me, too. But you already know that."

Before Tori could answer, Mary scraped back her chair. "I'm sorry, but I must say goodnight and go to bed. I tire so easily these days. Tori, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. If I don't see you again before you leave town for the holidays, my warm wishes and prayers go with you."

Tori quickly dried her hands and walked over to where Sam's mother stood by the table. She hugged the frail woman, careful not to squeeze too hard. "I'm so glad to have met you, Mary. And thank you for being so understanding about the dog. When I leave here, I'll take him to the shelter. He'll make someone a very nice Christmas present."

They both glanced at the small dog sleeping on a blanket in the corner of the kitchen. Mary frowned and shook her head. "I've been thinking about that, and I have a better idea."

Sam came over and draped his arm over his mother's shoulder. "What idea is that, Mama?"

Mary looked up at her tall son and smiled. "I've decided to keep him."

"Keep the dog?" Tori said, her eyes flying to Sam's.

"Yes? Why not?" Mary asked. "He needs a home and I have one to share. We will be good for one another. You'll see. Come,
perrito
." She snapped her fingers and the dog hopped up, wagging his tail, his ears alert and tongue hanging out. "You see how intelligent he is? This will be good. I bid you both
adieu. Adieu, adieu, adieu
. I've been watching
The Sound of Music,
can you tell
?
"

"I love that movie," Tori said. "My mother and I watch it every year during the holidays." She kissed Mary and hugged her again. "Good night. I hope you won't regret keeping the dog."

Mary smiled at the little mutt. "I won't. Good night, Tori. Good night,
mijo
. Come,
perrito
."

Turning back to the dishes, Tori shook her head. "Your mother is such a dear. Do you think keeping the dog is really a good idea?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But if she wants the damn dog, who am I to deny her? I'll just go see that she gets settled in, then I'll be back to help with the clean-up. When we finish, I have a surprise for you." He bent to kiss her, before heading down the hall to his mom's bedroom.

Tori didn't know how he could act so cheerful with his mother so sick. Although, he couldn't show his worry and angst all the time when he was around her; that wouldn't be good for Mary. Tori scrubbed the enchilada pan and sighed. Oh yes . . . the more she saw of Sam, the deeper in love she fell. She stared out the window over the sink and wondered what kind of surprise he had planned for her.