The Trouble With Cowboys (22 page)

25

A
nnie chatted with Shay at the back of the vestibule before church, listening to her baby stories. Shay had her in stitches, explaining Travis’s method for changing diapers those first few weeks of fatherhood.

Annie looked across the vestibule at John and found herself thinking about her own future. She wondered if he knew how to change a diaper. He’d be willing to learn, she was sure of that. Her thoughts turned to the part before the baby, when their post-wedding kisses would go further and further until it was just the two of them under his mother’s wedding ring quilt. She swallowed hard.

Shay was inviting her over for coffee when Sierra appeared out
of nowhere, clamping her arms in a tight grip and pulling her aside.

“Excuse me, Shay,” Annie said, then turned to her sister.

Sierra’s face was pinched, her eyes wide. “We have to go. We have to go
now
.” She pulled Annie down the hall toward the children’s classrooms.

“It’s almost time for church,” Annie said, dragging her feet. It was hard enough just
getting
Sierra to church, now she had to fight to keep her there?

“Hurry!”

“Sierra.” Annie pulled her arm from her sister’s grip. “What is going on?”

She looked over Annie’s shoulder. “I’ll explain later.
Please
.”

She couldn’t refuse Sierra’s plea. “Okay. But let me tell John first.”

“Text him. This can’t wait.” Sierra pulled her down the hall, where they collected Ryder from his class, confusing him and his teacher.

“I just got here,” Ryder said. “I don’t wanna go.”

“I know, Bed Head, but it can’t be helped.” Annie spared Sierra a frown as they rushed out the back door and to Annie’s truck.

Sierra’s hands knotted and released in her lap on the drive home. As curious as Annie was, she couldn’t ask with Ryder squeezed between them.

At home Sierra sent Ryder to change from his Sunday clothes.

Annie stopped her sister in the hallway before she could escape. “What was that all about?”

She’d never seen Sierra so shaken. Even now her hands flew aimlessly around her body, seeking a place to land and not finding it.

“Tell me. Are you in trouble?”

“No, no, nothing like that.” Sierra’s eyes darted around.

Annie grabbed her shoulders. “Calm down. Whatever this is, we’ll deal with it.”

Sierra’s hand settled at her throat. She took several deep breaths, then turned toward the kitchen.

Annie watched her go, frowning, then followed.

Sierra loaded the cereal bowls into the dishwasher. Her hands still shook, but when she turned to wipe the table, the frantic look in her eyes was gone.

“Talk to me, Sierra.”

She shook her head, giving a wry laugh. A pretty flush had bloomed on her cheeks. “Sorry, sis. I guess I just overreacted—big surprise, huh?”

Something about her reaction didn’t ring true. “Overreacted to what?”

Sierra scrubbed at a spot of dried orange juice on the table. She shrugged. “Nothing, I just— There was someone at church I didn’t want to see, that’s all.” She tried for a grin. “Sorry I dragged you out of there like that. You should go back. No need for you to miss church. Did you text John?”

“Yes.”

Sierra seemed almost normal now. What had all that been about? Who could have rattled her so? It didn’t make sense. Sierra didn’t have any enemies. At least, she didn’t think so. But Sierra had been taking her own path lately. Maybe she’d gotten mixed up with something dangerous.

“You’re not in trouble with the law, are you?”

Sierra looked up from the table. “Of course not!”

Annie raised her hands. “Just asking. Honestly, I don’t know what to expect from you these days.”

“Well, I’m no crook!”

“I know, hon. I just thought you might’ve somehow fallen into—” This wasn’t coming out right. “I’m concerned about you. You’ve changed. You used to be so passionate about godly things, but lately—”

Sierra’s brows drew tight.

“Well, never mind.” Annie wished her sister weren’t so defensive, but maybe now wasn’t the time to address her spiritual walk.

When Ryder appeared in his play clothes, Annie sent him out to the backyard, But she couldn’t forget the alarm in Sierra’s eyes earlier. Maybe the problem wasn’t external but internal. Could her frenzy have been a panic attack or another medical problem?

She set her hand on Sierra’s arm, stopping the frantic scrubbing. “Are you feeling all right, hon?”

Sierra waved her worry away, but her hand trembled. “Right as rain. Really.” Her laugh sounded like a gurgle. “I don’t know what came over me. Go on to church. I’ll have dinner waiting when you get home. How about if I grill out hot dogs? I can stick some of that fresh corn on the grill too. Doesn’t that sound yummy?”

“Sierra, sit down. Talk to me.”

Her sister stopped in her tracks, her face falling.

Annie felt dread bubble up from the deepest recesses. She put her hands on Sierra’s drooping shoulders, stabilizing her. “It’ll be okay. Whatever it is.”

Sierra’s eyes were wide and frantic again. They filled as her mouth opened.

“Talk to me, honey. You’re scaring me.”

Her lip trembled. “It’s—Ryder’s father. He was at church.”

“Ryder’s father? Why would he be here? Are you sure? It’s been four years, maybe—”

Sierra shook her head frantically. “His name is Luke. I’m sure it was him.” She covered her face. “What am I going to do?”

“Luke?” Annie asked. “Luke Taylor is Ryder’s father?”

“How do you know his name?”

She grabbed Sierra’s shoulders. “Honey, he’s Dylan’s younger brother.”

Luke Taylor. He was cut from the same cloth as his brother. Of course he had run from his responsibility after he’d gotten her sister pregnant. Annie wanted to wrap her hands around both their necks and give them a few hard shakes, never mind that he’d probably not told his family anything about the small matter of fathering a child.

She watched the truth register on Sierra’s face.

“Luke
Taylor
. I never even—”

“It’s a common name. And Luke was miles from here when you met him.”

Sierra had begged to go to that summer mission trip near Missoula. She’d been growing spiritually, and Annie had convinced their grandfather it would be good for her.

She wasn’t supposed to come home pregnant. Wasn’t supposed to have her first love reject her, then disappear without a trace.

“He’ll be leaving any day; he’s just visiting. But I’ll tell you what,” Annie said. “I have a few things I’d like to say to that man.”

“No, you can’t!”

“Watch me!”

Sierra grabbed her arm. “Please! He can’t know I’m here. He’s . . . he’s a cowboy, Annie. Do you really think he’d be a good role model for Ryder? You’re always saying they’re only good for leaving—do you think Ryder needs that kind of rejection? The kind we got from our father?”

Everything she said was true. But Annie had worked so hard to support them alone. It was unfair that Luke got off scot-free.

“We have to think about what’s best for Ryder,” Sierra said. “And you know what that is, Annie. You
know
.” Sierra swiped the tears from her face. “I’m so close to graduating, we’re almost there. Please. Please don’t say anything. I’ll just hide out until I know he’s gone, and he’ll be none the wiser.”

Annie studied her sister’s tearstained face. She took a few deep breaths. She didn’t like it one bit, but Sierra was right. They had to put Ryder first. Clearly Luke didn’t want anything to do with the boy, and exposing him as the father would only hurt Ryder in the long run.

Besides, they were surviving. It hadn’t been easy, but God had always provided for their needs.

“You’re right.” Annie pulled her into her arms and rubbed her back. “It’ll be okay. You’ll stay home until he’s gone. He’ll never even know you were here.”

“You can’t tell Dylan. Or anyone else, even Shay.”

That would be tough . . . but she’d do almost anything for her sister. “Of course not. Everything will be fine. I promise.”

Dear Baffled,

    
Your friend is trying to tell you she’s not interested. True, a straightforward answer would be more convenient, but she’s chosen a roundabout way of saying “No thanks.”

26

A
nnie pulled the truck into her drive and met Pepper at the fence. Her foot ached as she walked toward the corral. She’d been working with a quarter horse that wouldn’t load into a trailer.

Maisy had bumped her head on the trailer last fall, and then, when she wouldn’t load in the spring, Frank Peterson had decided she needed a whip to the hindquarters. This had only exacerbated the problem.

Unfortunately he’d been using the same method ever since, and now the mare bucked upon approaching the trailer. Annie had only made progress with Maisy when she’d removed Frank from the premises—a request he hadn’t taken kindly to. She’d gotten the horse loaded but not before Maisy’s hoof had come down on Annie’s boot.

The man had no business working with horses. If people treated them right, 99 percent of problems would never materialize.

“Isn’t that right, Pepper?” Annie rubbed the horse’s neck as he nickered hello.

She’d run into John at the market, where she’d gone for a bag of ice, and they’d had words over her injury. She wished he understood she wasn’t some hothouse flower. Working with horses carried risks, and he needed to accept that going forward. They’d finally made up and parted with strained smiles.

She gave Pepper a final pat. “See you later, big guy.”

Annie limped toward the house, her foot still smarting. Inside, a yeast and garlic aroma wafted in the air. Pizza. Not her first choice, but she’d take it.

“What happened to you?” Sierra asked.

“Minor accident.”

Ryder came sliding around the corner for a hug. “Yum, pizza!”

“You’re just in time.” Sierra set the hot pie in the center of the table while Annie sank into her chair. The swelling in her foot had gone down, but the words she’d exchanged with John still lingered in her mind.

“My turn!” Ryder folded his hands and bowed his head. “Thanks, God, for the pizza and for letting me beat Mom at Chutes and Ladders today. Amen.”

“You cheated,” Sierra teased.

“Did not. Mom doesn’t like to lose,” he said to Annie.

“She was the same way when we were kids,” Annie whispered.

“Hmph.” Sierra sliced the pizza and set a piece on Ryder’s plate.

As hard as it had been to make do without Sierra’s income over the summer, she knew Ryder had enjoyed having his mom home.
Only a few more weeks and she’d be back in class. After hiding away the past two days, Sierra was getting antsy. By the end of the week, she’d be happy to go anywhere, even college.

“You got your classes scheduled online, right?” Annie asked.

Sierra wiped her mouth. “Not yet.”

Annie squeezed her napkin in her lap. “School starts in less than a month. I know you’ve been . . . distracted the last few days, but you only have five classes left. What if they fill up?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

“If you miss even one class, you won’t graduate in the—”

“I said I’ll handle it, Annie.”

“And you need to make sure Martha still wants to babysit—”

The phone rang and Annie scooted her chair back, glad for the distraction.

Sierra looked up, wide-eyed. “Don’t answer.”

Annie frowned as it rang again. “Why not?”

“Just don’t, okay?” She gave Ryder a stilted smile. “Let’s just enjoy our pizza, huh, buddy? No sense letting it get cold.” Her cheery voice wobbled.

“It’s yummy, Mommy.”

Annie sank into her chair. They’d had to drop voice mail, so the phone rang a few more times. Sierra sat rigidly until it stopped, chewing her food, but Annie didn’t think she even tasted it. Had Luke somehow found out she was here? But why would he call when he’d wanted nothing to do with her or Ryder? It must be someone else.

After supper Annie loaded their plates into the dishwasher while Sierra washed the pizza pan.

“Okay, what gives?” Annie whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“Who are you avoiding? Besides Luke, I mean.”

Sierra breathed a laugh. “Just some. . . guy. You know.” She shrugged, her auburn hair bouncing on her shoulder. “I’m not interested, that’s all.”

“Have you told him that? It’s always best to be direct.”

Sierra faced her, blew out a long sigh. “I can handle it, Annie, okay? It’s my school schedule, my social life, and I can handle it all just fine.” She tossed the towel on the counter and left the room.

Annie could only pray Sierra was right.