Blame It on Texas (38 page)

“You make it look easy.” There it was, that word again—
easy
. He sat on the edge of the sofa.

She came back and handed him a beer and then settled down beside him. Not close, but close enough he could swear he could smell her skin, and it did crazy things to his libido.

Her phone on the coffee table rang. She picked it up, checked the number, and then set it back down. A tight frown appeared in her eyes. That was the fifth time she’d done that tonight.

“If you need to get that,” he said. “I…”

“No.”

The next second, it was his phone that rang. He pulled it out of his jeans. He looked at Ellen. “It’s Candy. I should…” He stood up and walked into the kitchen. He didn’t fancy talking to her, but he knew, sooner or later, they would have to discuss Ricky and the papers she would need to sign. Plus she might be concerned. At least, he damn well hoped she would.

“Hello, Candy,” he said, trying hard to keep the anger from his tone.

“Hi, Rick,” she said. “Look, I know you’ve helped me out a lot, but Ricky’s sick and I need to take him to the doctor.”

Fury burned in his gut. “Really, Candy? Ricky’s sick?”

“Yes. I’m sure it’s not anything serious, but it could be. I need a couple hundred.”

“You really are one piece of low-life shit!”

“You won’t even pay for your son to go to the doctor, and you call me a piece of shit?”

“Ricky’s not sick, Candy, and do you want to know how I know it? Because he’s with me.”

“What did you do?” she asked. “He’s supposed to be with my mom.”

“Yeah, well, your mom doesn’t want him. And from what your mom said, neither do you.”

“That’s enough!” Ellen snapped from behind him, and she yanked the phone from his hands, jabbing buttons.

“What?” he growled at Ellen.

She motioned to the door behind her and frowned.

Ricky stood there, staring up at him.

“Fuck!” Then he almost said it again before he realized what he’d done.

“Britney, why don’t you and Ricky go back to your room,” Ellen said.

Britney reached out and took Ricky by his hand. “Come on. I think your daddy is in trouble.”

Ellen handed Rick his phone back, but he could tell from the fire shooting at him from her blue eyes that she wasn’t finished with him. Britney was right. He was in trouble.

“She tried to tell me Ricky was sick so I would send her some money. She doesn’t even know Ricky’s with me.”

Ellen scowled at him. “It doesn’t matter. Rule number one is that you don’t talk bad about his mother, or to his mother, in front of him.”

Rick raked a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know he was there.”

“You always assume they are,” she scolded again. “And frankly, you don’t talk to
anyone
like that in front of him. Do you want him to grow up and talk to people like that? Is that what you want to teach your son?”

His fury at Candy and maybe at himself bellowed up again. “You don’t understand what I’ve been through.”

“Please.” She looked back as if to make sure the kids
weren’t there and lowered her voice. “I don’t care how bad Candy is. The asshole I have to put up with certainly isn’t a bed of roses. But I do it, Rick. I suck it up, and I do it for my daughter.”

He stood there and let her words roll over him as he pushed his own issues aside. “What does he do?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“The hell it doesn’t,” he said. “Is that why you don’t want to have anything to do with me? Because you’re afraid of him?”

“I think it’s time for you to go.”

“Really? So you can point out my mistakes, and tell me how I’m screwing up, but no one can tell you.”

“I’m not screwing up.”

“You are if you’re letting some asshole control your life. Is that the reason you aren’t dating anyone? Because he has you under his thumb?”

“This isn’t any of your business. And for the record, you asked me for help. I didn’t ask you.”

“Well, excuse me for caring.”

He stood there looking at her and suddenly realized he’d probably screwed things up with the one person who would help him with Ricky. And yet, his gut told him he was right.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “And you are correct, I did ask you for help and you didn’t ask me. But I’m going to say one more thing, and then I’ll get Ricky and leave because I know I’ve outworn my welcome. And just in case you miss it, it’s the same message that you just told me, and you were right.” He paused. “Do you want Britney to grow up and let people treat her the way you’re letting her father treat you? Is that what you want to teach your daughter?”

He saw her spine stiffen. “You don’t understand.”

“I’m sure I don’t. But I think you just told me it didn’t matter.” He started out, and then he turned around. “Again, I’m sorry that I got upset and upset Britney and Ricky. And if you don’t want to ever do this again, I’ll accept it. I hope like hell that’s not the case, because… as you can see, and as you pointed out, I need a lot of help. And maybe, just maybe, if you’d give me a chance, we might be able to help each other.”

He started off and then turned back around again. “I didn’t mean to imply that I don’t think you’re a good parent. You’re awesome. And I want to learn from you. You’ve already helped me more than I would have imagined possible.” He paused to see if maybe she might say something. But she didn’t. Great. He’d really messed up this time.

He turned and took two steps out of the kitchen, his chest heavy. Then he swung back around. “I didn’t say all this to get you to date me. I’m completely fine with just being friends.”

He took one step back. “I’m leaving now.”

This time he got halfway across the living room before turning and going back into the kitchen. “And while I’m fine with being your friend, it won’t be easy. The kiss you gave me was amazing.” He paused. “I didn’t want you to think that I wasn’t attracted to you. I am. I’m just saying that if friendship is all you want, then—”

She finally held up her hand, and she walked toward him. He didn’t know if it was to slap him. He deserved it, so he stood there willing to take it.

Instead, she got within a foot of him and stopped. “Do you ever shut up?”

“Not when I feel like I screwed up and this might be my last chance to make it right. Am I forgiven?” His chest hurt.

She nodded. “Yes, you are forgiven.”

He smiled. “Thank you.”

She stepped closer. Her blue gaze locked with his.

He swallowed. “Your eyes are telling me to kiss you again like when we were at the restaurant. Do you still want me to tell you to go to hell?”

She laughed.

“Are you finished fighting?” Britney asked from behind them.

“Yes, we are,” Ellen said.

“But I need to apologize,” Rick said. “I was upset at Ricky’s mother and said things I shouldn’t have. It was bad of me, and Ellen was right to correct me. I’m really sorry, son.” He watched Ricky’s face, not sure he was old enough to understand an apology.

Britney smiled. “She’s almost always right.”

“I’ll bet she is.” Rick grinned, even though he noted that Ricky wasn’t smiling, and he could kick himself for making things even harder for him. He’d done the same damn thing to Ricky that his grandmother had done, and he’d wanted to shoot her. Now he was the one who deserved to be shot.

CHAPTER THIRTY

“A M
R
. J
OHN
P
HILLIPS
is here,” Ellen announced on the phone’s intercom the next morning.

“Send him back,” Dallas answered, touching a button.

Tyler was just finishing his fifth cup of coffee. For the second night in a row, he had gotten maybe thirty minutes of sleep. His mind chewed on problems—Zoe Adams leaving, finding the lowlife who kidnapped her and tried to shoot her, Sam and her relentless need to make things right with Leo. His twin had gotten back about seven last light, teary-eyed, saying Leo still refused to see a counselor.

This kind of obsessive worrying wasn’t like Tyler. He normally approached his problems with logic. He threw enough questions at a problem until he found a resolution and then set out to fix it. And yeah, he’d tried doing the same with these issues, but he couldn’t find a resolution.

Not that all he’d done was obsess. When he wasn’t chewing on problems, he was having sex. Or he was contemplating the sex. Good sex. A lot of it. The massage idea was a hit. A big one. The memory wiggled through his mind like a breath of fresh air, and his chest expanded with
a feeling he could only define as… happiness. Because he hadn’t felt it in so damn long, he realized his family had been right all along. He’d been one damn sad clown lately.

Problem was, the thing that was making him happy was about to leave.

His phone dinged with an incoming text. He picked it up and looked at the sender. Zoe. He read the message.
Miss you.

Footsteps moving toward the office brought Tyler’s head up.

“Have a seat,” Tyler said when John Phillips walked in, carrying a briefcase. He wasn’t as old as Tyler thought he’d be. Maybe sixty.

“Something funny?” the old man asked.

“No, why?” Tyler asked.

“You got this big grin on your face.”

Tyler heard Austin and Dallas cough, covering up their laughter. Was that what he was doing all the time? And how they knew…?

“Just in a good mood,” Tyler said.

“Got lucky last night, did you?” Phillips asked.

This time Dallas and Austin didn’t even try to hide their laughter. Tyler grinned.

A few minutes later, when Tyler asked him about the case, all traces of humor had faded from his eyes.

“I guess we all have them, don’t we?”

“Have what?” Tyler asked.

“Cases that haunt us.”

“Yeah,” Tyler said, and he knew that Zoe’s case would be one of his. Not because he wouldn’t solve it but because solving it meant losing her. But damn, that thought hurt.

“About every six months or so,” Phillips motioned to
his briefcase, “I’ll go through my notes, thinking I’ll see something I missed.”

“You brought them with you?” Tyler asked.

“Sure did.”

“You wouldn’t mind sharing them with us, would you?” Dallas asked.

“We’d be quite grateful,” Austin added.

Phillips leaned back. “That depends on why you want to know. You guys don’t look like the type to chase a cold case for the fun of it. Tell me what’s up, and if I agree with what you’re doing, I might be persuaded to let you guys make some copies of what’s in this here briefcase.”

Tyler laced his hands together. “That sounds fair, but before we show our cards, would you mind answering a few questions?”

“Ask away.” Phillips reared back in his seat and crossed his arms over his barrel chest. “If I don’t like ’em, I won’t answer ’em.”

“Who did you really suspect for the kidnapping?”

The man rested his hands palms down on his knees. “My gut told me it was one of the lawn guys, Campbell. I just couldn’t prove it. And the week before the body was found, we actually put a tail on him. Forensics were certain that the body had only been in the new site for a few days. He couldn’t have moved that body.”

Tyler nodded. “Do you think he was alone in the kidnapping?”

“I never knew for sure. But I danced a jig when I found out Campbell died.”

Tyler leaned his elbows on the desk. “Why did you retire? You were young.”

Phillips crossed his arms over his chest again. “You’re
barking up the wrong tree, buddy. Don’t get me wrong. I respect you asking, but I’m telling you, that case ripped my heart out. That and losing my partner; it took a toll. I couldn’t face it.”

“You lost your partner?” Tyler’s curiosity was piqued. “Did he work on this case?”

“He assisted some in the very beginning, but it was my case.”

“What happened to him?” Tyler asked.

“It wasn’t related to the case. He was on vacation, doing some fishing, and someone robbed and shot him.”

“What was your partner’s name?” Tyler asked.

“Now don’t you go trying to find shit on a marble floor. Marcus Dean was a good man.”

Tyler leaned back and decided to follow this lead on his own. “Did you ever suspect any of the family in the kidnapping?”

“I know everyone wanted it to be that way. Rich family kills their own daughter, but I didn’t buy that. That girl’s mama, she was broken. A good woman. Not uppity like the rest of them. Honestly, when her plane went down right after that, I almost thought she wanted it that way. Losing that little girl ripped her heart out.”

“And Mr. Bradford’s daughter, did you ever feel…?”

“Never cared for that cold woman. She actually hit on my partner. Her niece was missing and she’s trying to get laid. But I don’t think she could have killed that child.”

“But do you think she might have been involved in the kidnapping?”

Phillips settled back in his chair. “You know what I find interesting?”

“What’s that?” Tyler asked.

“Why you keep talking about the kidnapping and don’t seem to give a rat’s ass that the girl was murdered. Maybe you don’t know how sick it was, but—”

“Hey,” Zoe said from the doorway. “Can I steal a cup of coffee?”

Tyler frowned.

John Phillips looked back at Zoe, and his face went instantly pale. He blinked, looked back at Tyler, and said, “Okay, this just got screwy, because I don’t believe in ghosts. So I think I’m done yapping my jaws until I get some explanations.”

Zoe awoke with a start. She reached for Tyler, but he wasn’t there. She looked at the clock. 3:33 a.m. “Tyler?” When he didn’t answer and she didn’t hear any bathroom noises, she slipped out of bed, naked. She spotted Tyler’s shirt on the dresser and slipped it on. The realization hit that in ten days, she’d be back in Alabama and sleeping alone. The thought grew heavy and landed with a thump in her chest.

She had accepted that she was in love with Tyler Lopez. She had also accepted that it probably wouldn’t go anywhere. Funny how she’d added the word
probably
to the sentence. She just kept hoping that maybe when it came time to leave, Tyler would suggest they rethink the whole long-distance relationship thing. But she vowed she wouldn’t be the one to bring it up. He’d made his position clear in the beginning, and she wouldn’t pressure him.