Lone Star Nights (7 page)

Mackenzie turned around, took a side street and tried to remember how to get to the bus station. She didn't dare stop and ask, but maybe there was a map or sign or something.

“Looking for somebody?” a man asked from behind them.

“Just walking,” Mackenzie answered without even looking back at him. But he was walking now, too, and it didn't take him long to catch up with them.

Her heart jumped so high she felt it in her throat.

Because it was Lucky.

Except he'd changed clothes real fast because he was wearing a suit jacket, and he didn't have on that big rodeo buckle that had caught Mia's eye. And he was standing in front of a big building. Probably once it'd been somebody's house because it sort of looked like Dixie Mae's place, but this one had a sign on the front of it.

McCord Cattle Brokers.

Mackenzie didn't know what a cattle broker was, but McCord was Lucky's last name. Maybe it meant he owned the place.

Mackenzie thought about taking off running, but he looked fast. A lot faster than Mia would be anyway. Mackenzie could get away on her own, but there was no way she'd leave her little sister behind.

“Are you ladies, uh, girls, lost?” he asked as if he didn't even know them.

Mia looked at Mackenzie, probably for her to explain this. Maybe Lucky had got hit on the head or something and had amnesia, like what happened on the TV show that Dixie Mae watched.

“We were just headed to the bus station to meet one of our friends,” Mackenzie explained.

“What happened to the bull?” Mia asked before Mackenzie had even finished the lie.

“What bull?” Lucky asked.

Yeah, amnesia all right. Or maybe he could just be pretending that he didn't know them so he wouldn't have to take them. Grown-ups played all kinds of stupid games to get out of doing things they didn't want to do.

“The shiny bull that looks like this.” Mia opened her hand and showed him the silver ball she'd made from the gum wrapper.

Lucky got a funny look on his face. He also glanced around before he tipped his head to the big building. “Why don't you come in, and I'll draw you a map to show you how to get to the bus station.”

Mackenzie didn't like the sound of that at all. She'd met Lucky, but he was still a stranger, and if he got her into the house, he might call the police. Or try to do something even worse.

She stepped in front of Mia. “I already told you I'll bust your face if you try to hurt my sister.”

Lucky held up his hands. “Wouldn't dream of it.” He mumbled something Mackenzie didn't catch. “Let me guess—you two know my twin brother, Lucky?”

Twin? Mackenzie eyed him, trying to figure out if that was true, but she didn't have time to decide because someone called out her name.

The lady doctor.

She was running toward them, and she wasn't alone. Lucky was with her. At least it was a guy wearing a shiny bull buckle. Maybe there were three of these men who looked alike.

“Why did you run off like that?” the lady doctor asked at the same time Lucky asked, “What the heck were you thinking?” Both seemed to be aiming those questions at Mackenzie.

“So, you do know my twin brother, Lucky,” the other man grumbled. “Please tell me you have this,
whatever this is
, under control,” he said to Lucky.

“No, I clearly don't.” Lucky knelt down in front of Mia. “Are you okay?”

Mia smiled and handed him the silver ball. It was just a gum wrapper, but it also made him smile. People usually smiled around Mia. But Lucky didn't give Mackenzie a smile when he stood back up. Didn't give his twin one, either.

“Remember that letter Dixie Mae gave me?” Lucky said to him. He didn't wait for an answer. “Well, Cassie and I need to take these girls for a day or two.”

“Cassie,” the twin said in the same friendly way some people said hello. He didn't look angry at her, only at Lucky.

“We need to take them to your house,” Cassie explained. “But they slipped out of Bernie's office while we were trying to make arrangements to get them there.”

The twin glanced at all of them, like he was the boss or something. Even the boss of Lucky. He pulled Lucky aside, the way the lady doctor had at the lawyer's office.

“Are these your kids?” the twin whispered to Lucky. He probably thought he was saying it soft enough, but Mackenzie had good ears.

“We're not,” Mackenzie told the question-asking twin.

But Mia must have heard it, too. “Our daddy and mommy die-did,” Mia said.

“Died,” Mackenzie corrected. She huffed.

The twin had actually thought they were Lucky's? No way. Of course, Lucky seemed to feel the same about them. In addition to her good ears, Mackenzie had also learned to pick up on that kind of stuff.

The boss twin studied them a few seconds longer as if trying to decide if that was true or not. Then he finally tipped his head to a fancy silver car next to the fancy building. He took some keys from his pocket and handed them to Lucky.

“Use my car,” the twin told him. “I'll have somebody drop me off at home later. Good to see you again, Cassie. I'm sorry for your loss.”

Lucky made an I'm-watching-you gesture with his fingers, pointing to his eyes first, then aiming those pointed fingers at Mackenzie. He stooped down when he made eye contact with Mia.

“Will you promise me you won't run off again?” he asked her.

Mia nodded. Smiled, even. “Yes, I promise.”

Lucky turned to Mackenzie next. “And now I need that same promise from you.”

She hated having to do what anyone said, but she wasn't in a good position here. Not with these two staring at her.

“Say it, Kenzie,” Mia pressed, giving her skirt a tug.

So Mackenzie did because she knew if she didn't that Mia would just keep at it. “I won't run.”

It wasn't a lie. Next time she wouldn't run. Mackenzie would somehow get a ride to the bus station or else just walk. But first chance she got, she was getting Mia and herself out of there.

CHAPTER SIX

T
HREE
CARS
AND
four trucks. That's how many vehicles Lucky spotted in the large circular drive that fronted the ranch and house. Obviously, he was not going to be able to make a quiet entrance with Cassie and the girls.

“It's really big,” Mia said, looking up at the place as Lucky drove closer.

Yeah, it was. Too big. Or at least it had been after his folks died and after both Anna and Riley had moved away. Of course, Lucky had moved even before that, and despite the pretty exterior, he didn't see a home, not anymore. It was just a house where he used to live with his family.

Oh, man.

He tried to push all that back down into the pit of his stomach. It would churn there, but it was better than dealing with it now. Especially when he had a crap-load of other stuff to deal with.

“You told them we were coming?” Cassie asked.

Her nerves were showing. Her mouth was tight. She was gripping her purse. Of course, the nerves likely had more to do with all the things ahead of her rather than walking into what appeared to be some kind of gathering. Things like him. Dealing with Dixie Mae's death. Their temporary custody of these kids.

But especially him.

Cassie had always had this oil/water thing when it came to him, and she wasn't going to like being under the same roof. Lucky wasn't going to like it much, either, not because she was under the same roof with him, but because he was under this roof, period.

“I told the housekeeper Della we were coming,” Lucky answered.

Della and her sister, Stella, had started working for his family when Lucky was just a kid, and the pair would make sure those guest rooms were ready. Lucky just hoped that the rooms wouldn't be needed that long. Two nights max. He didn't want this drawn out. Mia and the Runaway Goth Girl had been jacked around enough and needed some place permanent to stay, and this definitely didn't qualify as permanent.

From the looks of it, Cassie had been jacked around, too.

“As soon as you're settled into your room,” Cassie said to the girls, “we can talk. Would that be okay?”

Of course, Mia nodded right away. Mackenzie was practicing her “I suck lemons frequently” face. The thick makeup helped with that because it appeared to be cracking in places like meringue on a pie. It was amazing she'd perfected both the expression and the art of pancake makeup at such a young age.

“We gonna talk about Miss Dixie Mae?” Mia asked.

Cassie seemed a little surprised by that. “Would you like to talk about her?”

“Sure. I miss her. She was sparkly.”

Yeah, she was, and it only reminded Lucky that he had something else on his plate: grieving for Dixie Mae. He'd planned on having a date with some hundred-proof by now to help ease his pain, but booze would apparently have to wait. Although he might need a shot to get through this next hour.

“Dixie Mae die-did,” Mia said, sounding as sad about that as Lucky felt.

“Yes, she did,” Cassie confirmed. Heck, she sounded sad, as well. Lucky hoped they didn't start crying, or there'd be several sets of wet eyes in the car. Mackenzie's wouldn't be one of them, he was betting. But his sure would be.

“What about you, Mackenzie?” Cassie asked. “Do you miss Dixie Mae?”

The look on her face intensified to “I suck lemons, and limes, too.”

“She misses her,” Mia said. “She just doesn't like to say it.”

Wise words from such a little one. Too bad this package deal hadn't included only Mia because Lucky wouldn't have minded spending a day or two with her.

Okay, and maybe Cassie, as well.

That blasted attraction was still there, and he was positive now that it wasn't just gas. Too bad. Because attractions like that usually got him in trouble.

“Lady Doctor?” Mia said, reaching up to tug on Cassie's sleeve. “Will you be staying with us?”

“Yes. And call me Cassie.” She stopped. “Or maybe Miss Cassie. All right, just Cassie.”

It wasn't a good sign that she still seemed to be waffling about what the girls should call her considering they had some whopper obstacles in front of them. Like finding the girls' next of kin. And getting enough washcloths to remove all that makeup from Mackenzie's face.

He parked Logan's car right in front of the house. Like Logan, the Jag had too many bells and whistles, and it took Lucky several minutes—yes, minutes—to figure out how to pop the trunk to get to the luggage. However, before he could even step from the car, the front door of the house opened, and Della and Stella came out. Judging from the gleeful looks on their weathered faces, they were excited about the possibility of kids staying with them. Or maybe they were just excited about the possibility of Lucky being responsible for the kids.

Responsible for anything, for that matter.

“Cassandra Weatherall,” Della greeted, pulling Cassie into a hug. “You haven't changed a drop. Well, except you're dressing more comfortably these days. Nothing wrong with that.”

Cassie frowned when she looked down at her skirt and shoes. Something she'd done several times in the past hour. Of course, her clothes were catwalk-ready compared to Mackenzie's.

“I was so sorry to hear of your grandmother's passing,” Della added to Cassie. “Dixie Mae always did treat Lucky all right, so that made her all right in my book, too.”

“Thank you.” And Cassie repeated the process when Stella hugged her and offered her own condolences.

Lucky hadn't been aware that the housekeepers would even remember Cassie since to the best of his knowledge, Cassie had never been to the house. Still, it was Spring Hill, where everybody knew everybody.

Along with everybody's business.

By now, what had happened would be all over town—along with some embellishments to the gossip. Lucky didn't care about that gossip when it came to himself, but he doubted Cassie would appreciate it, what with her status as a celebrity therapist.

“It's about time you came home,” Della said, looking at him.

That was the only scolding he got because Della turned her attention to the car's back door when it opened. She gave a big, welcoming smile when Mia stepped out. As did Stella. He could practically see the fantasy they were weaving in their heads about him, Cassie and the cute kid.

Then Mackenzie stepped out.

Della and Stella actually dropped back a little, and just as fast as their mental fantasy had come, it went. Good thing. Lucky didn't want anybody playing matchmaker here, and Della and Stella were prone to that since they often said he didn't choose wisely when it came to female companionship. Which he didn't. And he intended to keep on choosing unwisely.

“Uh, I thought you were getting sisters,” Stella said. “Children sisters,” she clarified.

“They are children,” he assured her. He still intended to check Mackenzie's birth certificate, though. “This is Mia Compton,” Lucky said pointing to her. “And that's her sister, Mackenzie. This is Miss Della and Miss Stella. They pretty much run the place.” Something they managed to do even when Logan was there.

Della recovered from the shock before Stella did, and she managed an inkling of the smile that she'd had before her eyeballs had been widened by Mackenzie's appearance. “Well, welcome to the McCord Ranch. I hope you feel right at home here.” She extended that to Cassie.

Then to Lucky.

It was a nice chain-yanking kind of reminder that he should come home more often. Lucky expected to hear that a lot in the next twenty-four hours. He grumbled that he wasn't very pleased about it, but then because he knew it would make her smile, he winked at her. It worked. Stella smiled, then giggled.

“What's with all the vehicles?” Lucky asked, hauling out the girls' suitcases.

“Wedding stuff. Claire, Riley, Ethan and Livvy are here. Plus, Riley's having a meeting with the horse trainers in the office. Oh, and there are two fellas from a magazine, and they're taking some pictures and talking to Riley about an article they're doing on Logan.”

The latter seemed to be a monthly occurrence, but maybe the other things were temporary. In other words, maybe they'd all be leaving soon.

“Riley is Lucky's brother,” Della went on, talking to the girls now. “He's marrying Claire, and Ethan's her little boy. Claire's a wedding photographer.”

Mackenzie showed no interest whatsoever, but Mia seemed to hold on to every word.

“She's got a little boy?” Mia asked.

Della nodded, tapped Mia's nose. “Cute as a button, just like you.”

“Right,” Mackenzie grumbled. “Because all buttons are sooooo cute.”

Since that sounded like something Lucky would have said twenty years ago, he tried not to laugh.

“Oh, and Livvy's here,” Della added. She glanced at Cassie. “She's Claire's business partner.”

Livvy was also one of Lucky's ex-lovers, and with the side glance that Cassie gave him, it seemed she'd already picked up on that. Then again, she would probably give him a side glance because she thought he'd slept with every woman in town but her. He hadn't, but that particular gossip thread had been exaggerated at lot.

“Are they nice ladies?” Mia whispered to Lucky.

“Very nice. But they might make you eat vegetables. Is that okay?”

Mia gave it some serious thought. Nodded. But it garnered some disapproval from Big Sis. “She doesn't have to eat anything she doesn't want to eat,” Mackenzie declared like gospel. “And I don't want her compared to a stupid button.”

Lucky had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that, but
sounds good to me
probably wasn't the way to go here. Even though that had been his philosophy about life for a while now. Don't eat anything you don't want to eat. Don't do anything you don't want to do.

Don't be like his brothers.

It kept things simple and meshed with his smart-ass outlook on life.

Lucky braced himself for the chaos he was sure to find inside. Good thing because there was indeed chaos. The moment he stepped in, Ethan zoomed past him, running so fast that he was practically a blur, and it took Lucky a moment to realize the toddler was chasing a cat. Judging from the looks of it, it was the same cat Lucky had given him three months ago. It had grown almost as much as Ethan.

He saw Livvy next. She was teetering in needle-thin heels on a stepladder. She was as skinny as a zipper except for those massive boobs. Today, her hair was turtle green with tiny gold star decorations scattered over her head. Most women couldn't have pulled off the look, but Livvy had the personality to pull off anything. Including his clothes.

Something that wouldn't happen again, of course.

Now that Riley and Claire were getting married, it seemed too risky to sleep with a woman so close to his brother's wife. A two-night stand was one thing, but a long relationship had a hundred percent chance of failing, and Lucky didn't want any bad blood lingering around that he'd have to face every time he came back to town.

It took Lucky a couple of seconds to spot Claire. She was holding some kind of chart-looking thing while studying the layout of the living room furniture. “I think we're going to have to move everything out of this room.”

Livvy made a sound of agreement, went up another step on that ladder and clicked off some pictures with her camera phone. But there was another guy there, too, taking pictures—of Riley and one of the horse trainers—and he had a real camera, not just his phone. The man chatting with them had to be a reporter.

“Well, looky who's here,” Livvy called out. “Lucky McCord, you look good enough to—”

But she froze when she saw Cassie. Maybe because Livvy thought they were together. Or maybe she stopped because of the girls. In any case, it probably wasn't a good idea for Livvy to finish saying what she thought he looked good enough to do.

“Lucky!” Claire squealed when she saw him. She hurried to him, waving her hands in the air until she reached him, and then she hugged him. “Welcome home.”

Leave it to Claire to make it feel as if that welcome were marginally true. Riley was getting one in a million with Claire, and Lucky was glad his usual fool of a brother had come to his senses and seen that. Of course, Riley had had to get out of the Air Force to make all this happen, and Lucky still wasn't sure how he was dealing with that, but once he had Claire wedded, things would all fall into place.

Riley was definitely the marrying sort. Anna, too. Logan was more in the to-be-determined group. And Lucky fell into the no-way-in-hell category. At least with Riley and Anna, Della and Stella would get those “grandbabies” they were always clamoring about.

Lucky had to give it to Claire, she didn't step back or look shocked when her attention landed on the girls. She greeted them, even Mackenzie, and Cassie with the same warm smile she'd given him.

“Cassie.” Claire hugged her just as Della and Stella had done. She offered her condolences, too. Since Claire had lost her own grandmother only months earlier, Lucky was sure she knew how Cassie must feel.

“Sorry about all of this,” Claire said. “We'll be out of your way soon. I hope,” she added when she glanced at Riley. He didn't exactly look comfortable with whatever the reporter and photographer were saying to him. “It's his first big interview.”

But not his last. Lucky knew Riley had gotten sucked into Logan's hamster wheel of building McCord Cattle Brokers, making it as big as could be.

“So, when is this wedding again?” Lucky asked. Though he already knew the date. “And am I invited?” he added with his customary wink.

“Of course, you're invited. It's next month, the same day as the Founder's Day picnic. It'll be small, informal,” Claire added.

“Semi-informal,” Livvy corrected. “I talked Claire into doing the princess dress.”