Cowboy Take Me Away (41 page)

Kimi cocked her head. “And…?”

“And what?”

“I know you were gonna say something else.”

Carolyn grinned. “Like father like son, huh?”

“Oh, piss off.”

“But it’s true,” Carolyn said. “You and Cal went on what? Five dates and then you were pregnant?”

“Something like that. But there’d been a spark between us since the first time we met before you married Carson.” She wagged her finger in Carolyn’s face. “Although Cal swears he wasn’t a monk pining for me, he claims he was waitin’ for me to grow up and come back here.”

After their mother’s death, and after Kimi had graduated from St. Mary’s, she’d sworn she wasn’t returning to Wyoming. She worked in Alaska for a few years, until she finally got homesick. By that time Carolyn and Carson had two boys and no room for an extra houseguest so Kimi ended up staying with Cal. She’d pretty much moved in with him and had never left.

While at first Carolyn had been worried because Cal seemed to have a revolving door to his bedroom, she realized Cal really did worship her little sister. Oddly enough, so did Jed McKay. He had no issue with Cal and Kimi’s hurry-up wedding. And after Jed’s second heart attack, Kimi was the one who suggested he live with her and Cal and the twins.

Carolyn knew part of the reason Kimi had offered was because Carolyn had taken care of their mother the last year of her life. While Carson hadn’t agreed with Carolyn’s insistence on keeping Clara West’s dire diagnosis from her children, he’d honored the request—only after having words with Eli that forced him to hire part-time health care to alleviate the stress on Carolyn.

“What’re you thinkin’ about, Caro?”

She looked at her sister. “Mom dying. Then getting pregnant with Cord and how lucky we are that neither of us inherited her health problems. And I’m thankful that our husbands have always had our backs when it comes to the West/McKay family crap.”

“True. I’m glad that Dad didn’t ignore his McKay grandkids.”

“I think he did enjoy spending time with our boys.” Carson had told her many times to wash her hands of her father. But after having her own children, she’d come to understand how far a parent would go to protect those children. Like most men of his generation, her father’s communication skills were lacking; he just expected his word to be law with no discussion. She remembered one time her Aunt Hulda had told her that Eli West didn’t act out of maliciousness, just ignorance. That didn’t explain away his behavior, but it’d allowed Carolyn to forgive him and move on from the past.

“If it wasn’t for Harland, Darren, Marshall and Stuart’s wives agreeing with us the feud was stupid, I doubt our kids would know theirs at all,” Kimi said.

Carolyn smiled. “That’s because men act like the cock of the walk but women rule the roost.” Her smile dried and sorrow washed over her. “Harland…was such a hard man. I hated that Dag couldn’t be himself for fear of his father’s reaction. Especially when Thomas and Susan were so accepting when Sebastian told them he was gay. Dag’s was such a senseless death.” She closed her eyes. God had been looking out for Colton. She said a prayer of thanks every day in the last year that her son had gotten the help he’d needed and he hadn’t ended up like Dag. If not for Kade…

Kimi squeezed her hand. “I know. I’m thankful too. Colt will be all right. They say the first year is the hardest.”

“I get that. It’s hard that he’s had to isolate himself from his family to keep the sobriety. But whatever works for him, right?”

“Right.” Kimi sighed. “So damn many secrets in this family.”

Carolyn shook her finger at her sister. “And quite a few that I wish you wouldn’t have told me.”

“So you’ve said. That’s because I trust you and I kept them both for a long time. Think of my burden.”

“I get that Jed loved you because you reminded him so much of Mom. But do you think he told you the truth about what happened to Jonas and Silas McKay because of our West lineage?”

Kimi jammed a hand through her hair. “Yes. I just wish I hadn’t promised Jed not to tell McKay descendants the truth.”

“I hated all the questions Keely asked when she did that genealogy paper and I had to lie to her and hide all Dinah McKay’s journals up in the attic. Carson knew something was up.”

“Well, our grandfather Zachariah West had a valid reason for his hatred toward the McKays: Silas McKay killed his brother Ezekiel and basically got away with it. Maybe it was self defense, but when Silas fled instead of letting a judge decide his fate…it sure made him look guilty,” Kimi said.

“It didn’t help that Jonas McKay paid Zachariah for the land he’d ‘won’ in the poker match—a few months after his twin escaped from jail. It did look like blood money.”

“My opinion is Zachariah shouldn’t have accepted the money. But he did and he agreed to keep his mouth shut about it. So like I said, his hatred of Jonas McKay was understandable, but Zachariah wasn’t innocent either. In fact, he helped perpetrate the continuing hatred between the Wests and McKays—without telling anyone why the families were enemies.”

Carolyn drummed her pen on the table. “It’s sad the McKays and the Wests were just sucked into that mindset. When I first started dating Carson? Even my mother didn’t know the issue between the McKays and Wests. At least that first generation. And I did not appreciate when Mom finally told me that she did sneak around with Jed McKay for a month or so when she was dating our father. So yeah, Jed McKay deserved to get his ass kicked by Dad because we both know if the boot had been on the other foot and Eli West had been sneaking around with Jed McKay’s girl? Jed would’ve come out swinging.”

“True. Still, it’s creepy to think that our mother slept with our husbands’ father.”

“Welcome to small-town Wyoming,” Carolyn said wryly.

“Welcome to family confessions. Jesus. Neither one of us would’ve gone back through the boxes that Dad had kept or the ones we found in the attic upstairs on the McKay side if it wasn’t for Jed spilling his guts to me.”

“I hate the secrets and lies. Hate it.”

“Me too. Especially that the McKays lied to everyone. I understand why, but it makes no sense on why Jonas, aka Silas, would make a deathbed confession to his son Jed, about who he really was, because he’d gotten away with impersonating his twin nearly all his life.”

“Maybe the reason Jed told you about Silas and Jonas switching identities, before Jonas took off, and after he escaped from jail, is because you had identical McKay twins?” Carolyn suggested.

“Possibly. Jed told me that even though he was a grown man when his father told him the truth—that he was Silas, not Jonas—he had a hard time accepting that his father had killed a man.”

“It was pretty ballsy of Silas, aka Jonas, to send a letter to his twin and Dinah a couple of years later telling them that he’d settled in Montana.”

“I think our husbands would hire a private detective to track down the missing McKay descendants if they knew.”

“Agreed.”

Carolyn stared into space. “You think Charlie would search for the son Vi gave up for adoption if he knew the truth?”

“I don’t know. I was pissed when Jed threw that whopper of a secret at me. How is it right that
we
know Charlie and Vi have another kid when Charlie doesn’t have any idea?” Kimi shook her head. “That saying
confession is good for the soul
is a load of crap. I never wanted the burden of Jed’s confessions. Especially when I’m keepin’ those truths about the McKay family from my husband. Me’n Cal never fight, but if he found out that I know all this stuff? He’d really be hurt.”

“So would Carson.”

“Which is why I told you,” Kimi said. “It was eatin’ me alive.”

“I just wish we could talk to Vi about it.”

Kimi groaned. “Lord, she’ll be fit to be tied when she hears I’ve got a grandchild before she does. I’ve heard her nag and bitch at Libby about when she’s gonna make her a grandmother. The poor woman.”

“Why some women see fit to meddle in their grown children’s lives…” Carolyn looked at Kimi and they both burst out laughing. “Lord. I couldn’t even say that with a straight face.”

“That’s my cue to go.” Kimi stood. “Thanks for the ear and the whiskey.”

“Any time.”

“Before I forget, are we doin’ anything for the West reunion the weekend of the rodeo?”

“Just showing up with food, I guess, since Tracy is in charge.”

“You gonna say anything to Stuart and Janet?”

Carolyn shook her head. “I know it’s been a couple of years but I’m still mad at them. Chet and Remy know better to push me on this. At least they’ve stepped up.”

“How could Stu and Janet just ignore that situation with Boone? He’s their grandson—their only grandson. I mean, yeah, Dax screwed up years ago, but one strike and he’s out of the family? That sounds like something Dad would’ve done.”

“Which is why I don’t want to go to the stupid reunion. Beings our boys are competing in the rodeo that day, I’m planning on having the McKays—and a few select Wests—over here the day after. Will that work?”

Kimi wrinkled her nose. “Can we selectively invite McKays too?”

“I wish. But I’ve already mentioned it to Joan. I’d like to make the event alcohol free—not just to keep Casper from getting stinking drunk.” It’d be easier for Colt to be there, even when everything she’d read said the recovering alcoholic needed to decide the social limitations, not his family or friends. Just letting her son be was harder than she’d imagined.

“We’ve got time to figure out the menu. I’m just hopin’ that Kade gets to bring his baby girl.”

“How do you think Cal will react to the news he’s a grandpa?”

“I’m about to find out.” Kimi waved and she was gone.

Several hours later Kimi returned, livid about Cal chewing her out for telling her sister they were grandparents before she’d told him. So Kimi and Cal, the couple who never fought, had a huge row, right in front of Carolyn and Carson.

An infuriated Cal had chased after Kimi and stormed into the house. He’d cornered Kimi in the dining room. “Oh no you don’t, you little brat. You don’t get to tell me to fuck off and then run and hide.”

Kimi swigged directly from the bottle of whiskey she’d lifted from the liquor cabinet. “Not running. Not hiding. You were a dick to me, Calvin McKay. So don’t be so goddamned shocked that I don’t wanna be around you.”

He loomed over her. “Suck it up. You were in the wrong, and you know it.”

“I was not. You weren’t home!”

“I have a fuckin’ cell phone for situations exactly like this one,” he bellowed.

“Which you won’t answer because you’ll be too busy doin’ some stupid cow thing.”

“Stupid cow thing?” he repeated. “I’ll remind you the stupid cow thing keeps you in hair dye and rhinestones.”

Oh no. Cal did
not
go there. Carolyn heard Carson groan behind her.

“You are such a prick!” She whipped the bottle of whiskey at him.

Fortunately Kimi was a crappy shot and Cal had great reflexes. He caught the bottle. There wasn’t much booze left. He drained the remainder and set it aside. “Apologize to me right now, Kimberly Jo West McKay.”

He used her full name, knowing full well how much she hated it.

“Why should I? With that glug of booze you knocked back I see we won’t kiss and make up since you’ll have a case of whiskey dick.”

Cal laughed. Hard. “Wild cat, I ain’t ever had whiskey dick in my life and you damn well know it.”

“Why are you being like this? You never give a damn what Caro and I talk about.”

“This time is different. I always thought we’d hear about our first grandbaby together. How would you like it if I knew about that precious baby girl and told a buncha people before I told you?”

That gave Kimi pause. “Fine. I shoulda told you first.”

“That ain’t an apology. Try again.”

At some point Cal had trapped Kimi against the wall. She put her hands on his hips to push him back. “I’m sorry.”

Cal laughed—a little snidely. “That’s one. You owe me more than one apology.”

“For what?”

“For callin’ me a dick. For callin’ me a prick. For questioning my ability to perform. And wild cat, I’ve never left you wanting on that front, have I?”

“No.”

“So apologize.”

“Sorry.”

“Huh-uh. Offer the proper apology to the injured party.”

“What?”

“On your knees.”

Kimi murmured something that caused Cal to growl and dip his head toward her chest.

That’s when Carson grabbed Carolyn’s hand and they hightailed it out of their own house.

They didn’t stop moving until they reached the barn.

“Good Lord, I didn’t need to witness that.”

“No shit,” Carson said. “That was about as awkward as the time Keely caught us playin’ master and slave in the dining room.”

Carolyn twined her arms around his neck. “Speaking of…been a long time since we’ve horsed around like that.”

He grinned. “No ball gag this time, slave, so on your knees.”

“Right here in the barn?”

He quirked that sexy eyebrow in challenge. “You doin’ something else right now?”

“No.” She lowered to her knees and looked up at him. “But I’m still not ever calling you master.”

For the first time she drifted away into the catacombs of her mind with a smile on her face and the taste of Carson on her tongue.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Hospital, Day 6—afternoon

“Today on
Maury
: I’m retired, I’m not raising your love child! We’ll hear about one woman’s struggle after she discovered her husband had fathered a child with their grandchildren’s barely legal babysitter.”

Seriously? There was such shit on daytime TV.

But Carson secretly loved this train-wreck show.

The talk show host came back on the screen. “How do you plan to spend your retirement? Eleanor Peabody imagined she and her husband of thirty-five years would travel the world together. But during the first few months of his retirement, Henry began an affair with their grandchildren’s eighteen-year-old babysitter, Shania.” Boos echoed from the audience. “Now Shania is pregnant and she expects Henry to take responsibility for his child. Where does this leave Eleanor? Stuck helping raise her husband’s love child during her golden years? Henry is here too and he’ll tell you why Eleanor needs to step up.”

“Carson?”

He about shot out of his seat and turned to face his son-in-law. “Jesus, Jack. You scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry.” He glanced up at the screen. “Am I interrupting?”

“No. I never watch this garbage. I was just bored.” He stood and clicked off the TV.

“You seem surprised to see me.”

Carson gave Jack Donohue a once-over. Dressed impeccably in a snappy suit and shined shoes. It no longer pained him to admit Keely had done well in her choice of husband. Jack was a smart, savvy businessman, who adored Keely but wasn’t a pushover for their headstrong daughter. “I thought Keely might’ve put her foot down and said you couldn’t break rank.”

Jack lifted one dark brow. “You do know me, right? When have I ever let that sassy cowgirl dictate what I can and can’t do?”

“Point taken.”

They took seats opposite each other. “Since germs are an issue, I’ll throw it out that Piper and Katie are as robustly healthy as their twin brothers.”

“Happy to hear that. I know it was a rough winter.”

“I had no idea kids got sick that much. I considered buying stock in the pharmaceutical company that manufactures amoxicillin. Summer weather seems to cure the nasty bugs, thank God.”

“What is the wild bunch up to?”

“Piper has been holding princess school for Katie because she’s been spending too much time playing with JJ and Liam.”

Carson smiled. “What fun things are the Donohue twins doin’ that’s pullin’ Katie away from her big sister?”

“That’s the thing. Nothing. It’s just Piper is so damn bossy. Katie gets sick of it.”

“Cord and Colby had those same issues, as did Cam and Carter. Poor Colt got caught in the middle.”

“Weird question, since you’re a twin. Did you and Cal have your own…language?”

That was a weird question. “Not really. We’ve got nonverbal communication, which most folks find odd. But I’m not sure it’s a twin thing as much as we’ve worked together since we were boys and we knew what needed done without havin’ to say it out loud. Why? Are your twins speakin’ in tongues or something?”

Jack shook his head. “Keely would swear they’re speaking demon. They have that nonverbal thing too. We purposely don’t dress them the same. At first when they were babies it was to tell them apart. We kept that ankle band on JJ for a year until the boys developed their own personalities.”

“Kimi and Cal had to do the same thing with Kade and Kane. By the time they were three none of us had issues tellin’ them apart. At least when they came over to our place.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because Kane immediately went lookin’ for Colt. Them two were rough-housin’ as soon as they could walk. Whereas Kade helped Caro with whatever kid of ours was a baby. Lots of experts about twins in this family.” Carson swigged from his bottle of Dr. Pepper. “Are you here on Keely’s behalf?”

“I told her I planned to stop by. She also knows I agreed with your decision to limit all access to your wife.”

“Did that cause problems?”

“I wouldn’t let it. Keely is acting like a spoiled brat and I told her so.” Jack’s eyes softened. “How are things with Carolyn?”

“No change. The docs are giving her another day. Then they’ll bring her out of it.”

“How are you holding up?”

“Been the worst six days of my life. Every goddamned minute feels like an hour.” Or a lifetime.

“I can’t imagine. You saw how much of a mess I was when Keely collapsed during her last pregnancy. And that was only a few hours I didn’t know what was going on with her. I wouldn’t have any hair left if it’d been longer.”

“Your kids will turn it gray soon enough. What’s new in the business world? Buy up any towns lately?”

“Working on it. I need some place to lock my daughters away when they turn fifteen.”

Carson snorted. “If they take after Keely it’ll start when they turn thirteen.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. Carter caught Keely kissin’ a friend of his behind the rodeo stands when she was only thirteen. I guess the poor kid about crapped his pants when Carter rounded up a bunch of McKays and warned him off his baby sister. Course, Keely took offense to bein’ called a baby and punched Carter in the gut. When Colt stepped in, she kneed him in the nuts.”

Jack mock shuddered. “She is one scary-ass woman when she’s mad.”

“She had to be or her brothers or cousins wouldn’t take her seriously. At first they called her cute when she got mad. Then they realized she’d take an inch of skin offa them with that razor sharp tongue of hers. Then they also realized maybe they shouldn’t have taught her how to punch so hard.”

“Lettie at the Golden Boot told me that Keely gets a lot of her scrappiness from Carolyn. Is that true?”

“Let’s just say Keely wasn’t the first woman in our family to get a lifetime ban from a local bar.”

Jack laughed. “I knew it.”

“So with her Gran-gran’s and her mom’s DNA, I’m thinkin’ Piper will be hell on wheels when she hits twenty-one.” Or seventeen—not that he wanted to worry Jack ahead of time.

“Then I’ll be pounding on your door, asking for advice. Or bail money.”

Carson raised both eyebrows. “You’re assuming I’ll be around? I’ll be damn near ninety-two.”

“You’ll be around,” Jack assured him. “Medical technology already replaced one of your worn out body parts. You might end up being the first bionic McKay.”

“Right. With just one part replaced there’s still a bunch of stuff I can’t do.”

“Not back on a horse yet?”

“I’m wondering if I’ll ever ride again.” His eyes narrowed. “Don’t you say nothin’ to Keely. She’ll get it in her head that I just need more damn therapy.”

“Maybe the better question is do you
want
to ride again?”

“You’re the first person who’s asked me that.”

“That’s not an answer, Carson.”

“I know. I’ve been ridin’ my whole life. It’s tough on a body. If I keep doin’ it… What’s next? Havin’ my other hip replaced? Then my knees? Then havin’ my spine fused together with metal rods? I ain’t sure I wanna spend my life in the hospital. Especially after what happened with me during surgery.”

“Can’t say as I blame you. Besides you
are
retired. It’s not like you
have
to ride a horse every day to make your living.”

Carson shifted back in his chair. “Bein’s we still live in the thick of things, the boys come over and ask for advice and help occasionally. I feel retired, but I’m not out of it completely.”

“No plans to spend winters down south?”

“Maybe a week or two. Especially if Ky ends up goin’ to ASU. But Caro won’t ever want to stay away from here for long. Too many memories.” Carson paused. “Too many grandkids.”

Jack honed in on the ASU comment and they spent the next ten minutes discussing the activities various McKay offspring were involved in, which segued into a conversation about college sports, which led to a discussion about Carter’s most recent commissions—metal sculptures depicting famous western athletes in action. Then the conversation came full circle as they talked about Jack’s projects and the growth of Keely’s physical therapy business.

“I want Keely to hire an employee, but she’s dragging her feet,” Jack said.

“Why? I thought she wanted to be home more.”

“She does. But she doesn’t think she’ll find anyone who’s qualified who only wants to work twenty hours a week. I’ve crunched the numbers for her and if she hires someone fulltime, she’ll still be in the black the first year. With another therapist, if she increases the amount of clients by a third, she’ll double her income in three years.”

“And the girl ain’t listening to you…why?”

“She’s stubborn. She says I already have enough money—” he snorted as if that couldn’t possibly be true, “—and
I
should retire and stay home with the kids.”

“Retirement ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“I’ve heard that.” Jack checked his watch. “Speaking of work… I have a phone conference to prepare for. Is there anything I can do for you before I take off?”

Carson shook his head. “It’s a whole lot of waitin’ around.”

“If you think of something—anything at all—call me. I say that knowing full well that you won’t.”

“You’ve already done enough if you can keep my Keely girl on an even keel throughout this.”

“She puts on a happy face for our kids but once they’re down for the night, she does a whole lot of staring into space.”

“I’m familiar with that. But I pace too, just to mix it up.”

Jack smiled. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask. “For when you’re missing your Irish and need a nip to get you through this last day.”

“Thanks.” Carson nestled it in the bag of magazines on the floor. “Comin’ from Mr. Moneybags, I imagine it’s higher quality stuff than Jameson.”

“Of course. Once I get you used to drinking Laphroaig you’ll never go back.”

La-froyg
. Even the name sounded fancy. “Unlikely, but I appreciate the gesture.”

“Take care.” Jack paused before he turned the corner. “Keely…
will
swallow her pride and come see you.”

“I’d like that.” Carson studied him. “So you
are
here on her behalf?”

“She’s my wife, she’s miserable and it’s killing me that I can’t fix it for her.” He raked his hand through his hair. “So yeah, I have to at least try.”

Yep, his baby girl had done very well in choosing the man to spend her life with.

As he watched Jack walk away, phone to his ear, he knew the man couldn’t fathom retiring.

Funny how the years had crept up on him. One day he was a young, married man wondering how he’d support his growing family, then in the blink of an eye he was wondering how he’d spend his days because he had all this free time…

Carson, Cal and Charlie were at the Golden Boot discussing retirement after they’d handed over the reins of McKay Ranches. Casper hadn’t been invited for a celebratory beer after the stink he’d raised about being forcibly retired. Carson was glad his boys got along well, for the most part, with each other and with their cousins.

“So it will sink in at some point, right?” Cal asked. “That we don’t have to oversee what they’re doin’ on a daily basis?”

“I guess. None of us have been doin’ as much as we used to. Seems like I’ve been semi-retired for a while anyway,” Carson said.

“I hear ya.” Charlie sipped his beer. “What did Dad do in retirement?”

“It wasn’t like he officially retired. He couldn’t do the daily work after the first heart attack. Mentally he was fine, but ain’t a whole lot of ranch work that’s mental. Menial?” Carson grinned. “Hell yes.”

“After that last heart attack, he kept up with what his grandkids were doin’ as long as he didn’t have to venture too far from our place.”

“I doubt Kimi kept him entertained,” Charlie said. “So my question remains the same. What did he do all day?”

“He watched TV in his room.”

“That’s it?”

Cal shrugged. “I dunno. While Dad didn’t have nothin’ to do I sure did. I worked that section pretty much by myself. Then at night, I spent time with Kimi and the boys. After the twins went to bed if Dad was still up we’d bullshit about stuff. I never heard him say he was bored.”

“I sure as fuck don’t want my retirement to be sittin’ around and watchin’ goddamned TV,” Carson said.

“I’m sure your kids would love to dump some of the two hundred grandkids you have off on you every day,” Cal said.

“Piss off, Cal.”

“Maybe you oughta tell Carolyn you’re worried about bein’ bored. She’ll have you in the kitchen learnin’ to cook in no time,” Charlie added.

“You can piss off too, Charlie.”

Cal and Charlie laughed and knocked their beer bottles together.

Carson’s gaze traveled around the Golden Boot. “Maybe we oughta start a bar. This place needs some competition.”

“It has competition: Ziggy’s, Twin Pines, the Rusty Spur. Though I’ll admit I liked that place better when it was the Silver Spur years ago,” Cal said.

“Place was a fire hazard, which is why it burned to the ground. After the owners rebuilt it and renamed it the Rusty Spur, Carolyn made me take her there for a drink. She figured since the old place and old name was gone, then her lifetime ban oughta be lifted too.”

“Was it?”

“Yep. I think the new manager was a little scared of her, to be honest.”

“Any of your kids ever hear the story of their Mama’s bar fight?” Charlie asked.

Carson shook his head. “I can’t be sure someone else didn’t tell them about it.” He leaned back in the booth. “Charlie, you seem all het up about retirement.”

“I am. I never had time for hobbies besides huntin’. Don’t think I’m the sort to take up golf. Don’t wanna be in Vi’s hair all damn day.”

Cal leaned forward. “I know what you can do. Start a senior citizens bull ridin’ circuit. As the father of PBR World Finals contender Chase McKay, I’ll bet you’d get lots of interest and sponsorships.”

“Piss off, Cal,” Charlie said. “I don’t see
you
offerin’ up any ideas on how you’ll be spendin’ your days.”

“I’ll be bangin’ my wife.”

“That’ll kill three minutes,” Carson said dryly, “then whatcha gonna do the rest of the day?”