Diamonds and Dust (Lonesome Point, Texas) (7 page)

Watching Tulsi pet Clementine’s hair, as her daughter hugged her tight, had nearly been enough to break his heart all over again. Tulsi was never more beautiful than when she had that sweet, loving look in her eyes, and she obviously loved her daughter more than life itself.

He had to remember that side of her. It wasn’t okay to fantasize about bending Tulsi over a stack of boxes in the stock room. No matter how tempting it was to imagine her heart-shaped ass tilted toward him as he slid inside her, no matter how much he wanted to hear her calling his name, begging him to make her come—that could never happen.

Fantasizing about his ex wasn’t going to help him loosen the mental hold she had on him. And no matter how much he wanted another taste of Tulsi, falling back in bed together would be a bad idea. He couldn’t afford that kind of emotional mind-fuck and on the off chance he still had the power to affect Tulsi the same way, he owed it to her daughter to keep his distance. He had to put his anger and desire aside and think of what was best for Clementine.

Even before he’d met the little girl in person, he’d had a soft spot for her, but now he was a bona fide fan. Mia’s stories hadn’t done her justice. Clementine was a bundle of energy with personality to spare. The fact that Tulsi had ended up with a kid, who was more like a young Pike or Mia than a shy, did-as-she-was-told Tulsi, was a satisfying bit of irony. She clearly had her hands full and didn’t need any more drama in her life than the drama introduced by her little blond look-a-like.

They really did look almost exactly the same. It was as if Clementine had been cloned from a strand of Tulsi’s DNA, leaving Pike no clue what the father had looked like.

“So Clementine’s never met her dad?” he found himself asking before he could consider the wisdom of letting Mia know he was still dwelling on their morning visitor.

“Nope. No letter, cards, money for diapers when Clem was a baby, nothing,” Mia said, popping the last bite of her English muffin into her mouth. “Tulsi talked to the bastard on the phone once not long after she found out she was pregnant, but it obviously didn’t go well. She never told me the specifics, but she cried for two days after and never mentioned the asshole again.”

Pike scowled, not knowing what bothered him more—that Tulsi had been so emotionally attached to the jerk or that the man had abandoned her. Tulsi was far from Pike’s favorite person, but no woman deserved to be treated that way, especially not when she was only eighteen years old. When Pike had been twenty-two, eighteen hadn’t seemed young. But now, looking back on those years as he was approaching his thirtieth birthday, he realized that Tulsi hadn’t been much more than a baby having a baby.

Still, she’d stepped up and done everything she could to be a responsible parent, something he admired her for no matter how much she’d hurt him.

“You still hungry?” Mia pushed her chair back from the table and carried her plate to the sink. “I can fry up some bacon before I go down to open up the shop if you want.”

“No, I’m good.” Pike stood and stretched, ignoring the twinge in his knee that assured him his ACL was still healing at a snail’s pace. “I’m going to go for a run, clear my head.”

Mia shot him a look over her shoulder. “Why do you need to clear your head? Tulsi and Clem are fine, Pike. You don’t have to worry about them.”

“I’m not,” he said, with what he hoped was a casual shrug. “I wasn’t.”

“You sounded worried.” Mia turned, wiping her hands on one of her rainbow colored dishtowels. “But they’re good, I promise. They’ve done great without that asshole. I know you saw them arguing today, but they really are the cutest little family. They love each other so much.”

“I could tell.” Pike ignored the sudden flash of discomfort in his chest. He’d probably had too much coffee. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had more than one cup. Usually, he was in too much of a hurry to get to the gym to linger over breakfast.

“Then why are you a sad clown?” Mia’s brow furrowed.

“I’m not a sad clown.” Pike rolled his eyes as he reached around her to drop his coffee cup in the sink.

“Are you nervous about seeing Dad tonight at dinner?” Mia pressed. “I know he was awful last time, but he’s mellowed out a lot this past year. He only gave Sawyer shit for about two weeks after we moved in together. You guys are going to have a great visit. No need to stress.”

“I’m not stressed.” Pike backed out of the kitchen before Mia could succeed in making him that way. “It’s eight thirty in the morning, sis. I’m still half asleep.”

“Well, I’m here if you need to talk about Dad or the break-up or whatever,” Mia called after him. “I know break-up pain can linger, Pike. Don’t be afraid to bend my ear if you need to!”

“Okay!” he called back before shutting the door to the guest room and changing into his running clothes and knee brace, wishing he’d never invented the stupid break-up story. The longer he was in Lonesome Point, the more the lies seemed to mound up around him. He hadn’t technically lied to Mia this morning, but he hadn’t told the truth, either.

But what was the truth, he wondered as he slipped out the back door to Mia’s shop and started down the road at a slow jog. The past was clear, but Pike had no idea what was going on between him and Tulsi now. Logically, he knew that moment of chemistry in the stock room was better off forgotten, but he couldn’t seem to keep from replaying every moment of their brief interaction as he ran. The way Tulsi’s lips had parted and her breath rushed out. The way surprise had lowered her defenses, giving him a glimpse into what she was feeling. She’d seemed sad, lonely, and as hungry for a taste of what they’d once had as he was. He’d felt her longing thrumming in the air, plucking the strings inside him only Tulsi had ever been able to touch.

Even after an hour long run, a half hour of PT exercises, a cold shower, and another hour spent answering email from his agent, doctor, and physical therapist, he still couldn’t get her face out of his head. By the time Mia got back to the shop after her lunch date, Pike was itching to get out of the apartment and do something to get his mind off a certain curvy little blonde with eyes that saw to the bottom of his soul.

He dug Chad’s card out of the pocket of the shirt he’d worn last night and punched the number into his cell.

“Hey Cutter, it’s Sherman,” Pike said when the other man answered on the first ring. “I was wondering if you’d be up for that beer. I could use a couple before I head to my parents’ house for dinner tonight.”

“Sure thing, just a second.” Chad conferred with someone in the background before getting back on the line. “My secretary says I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes, but it won’t take long. Just have to tell this woman she’s not getting any more easy money and I’ll be free for the afternoon. Want to swing by the office and I can show you around before we hit the Blue Saloon’s happy hour? I’m on Main, next to the old theater.”

“Sounds good. See you in a few.” Pike hung up and grabbed his black Stetson from the bureau, settling it on his head before moving quietly down the stairs. He waved to Mia, who was busy with a gaggle of women loudly discussing the evils of the underwire bra, and escaped out the front door of the lingerie shop before he could attract attention.

Outside, the bright summer day made him grateful he’d remembered his hat. He rarely wore a cowboy hat when he wasn’t at the ranch, but it felt good to have protection from the glaring sun, as well as the citizens of Lonesome Point. On the whole, the people in his hometown had been respectful of his privacy the few times he’d returned home, but a near mobbing at a Halloween carnival a few years back had made him wary. He usually kept his hat pulled low and his eyes on the sidewalk when he went outside, making it clear he wasn’t looking for attention, but today he couldn’t resist looking around.

Main Street had undergone a facelift in the past few years and was starting to look more like something out of Disneyland rather than the well-worn town of his childhood years. The old west style buildings had been refurbished and repainted, antique gas lights lined the street, and horse hitches graced the front of several buildings, giving the people who organized historic trail rides a place to tie their horses when they ended their tours. His grandmother’s restored ghost town was bringing in more visitors than ever before and the city council expected tourism to double after the newly renovated portion of Old Town opened next summer.

Lonesome Point was experiencing a second heyday, but even if it weren’t, the rest of his family would never consider living anywhere else. This town was in their blood. Pike was the only Sherman in eight generations to buy a home outside of southwest Texas. Maybe if he and his dad had been able to get along, things would have been different, but they hadn’t, and Pike was happy on his Montana ranch.

This town was where he’d grown up, but it wasn’t home anymore. His home was in the Bitterroot Mountains, where there was nothing but land and sky for miles and he could always hear himself think. He’d been in Palm Springs with Bella before the wedding, but he was going home when the week was through to enjoy a few cool, Montana mornings before, hopefully, rejoining the season already in progress.

His thoughts were still on blue sky and the sound of the wind through the pine trees on his four hundred acres when he ducked inside the Head Starts office to hear a familiar voice coming from behind the cracked office door to his left.

“Respectfully, Chad, I have to disagree. This program isn’t new age fluff. I’ve seen autistic kids transformed by equine therapy.”

The tone was firmer than anything Pike had ever heard out of Tulsi’s mouth, but there was no doubt the voice belonged to his ex. For a second he considered easing back through the door and waiting for Chad outside, but the secretary at the front desk had spotted him and was motioning for him to take a seat in an overstuffed armchair in the waiting room near the fish tank.

Pike slid into the chair and reached for a magazine to distract himself, but it was virtually impossible not to eavesdrop.

“This is real medicine,” Tulsi continued. “And a powerful healing tool for children who haven’t responded to traditional methods.”

“Listen, Tulsi,” Chad said in a condescending tone very different from the friendly one he’d used with Pike. “I understand this is your livelihood and you’ll be out of a job if you can’t find someone to pay you to work with these kids for free, but—”

“This isn’t about me,” Tulsi said, voice trembling as she cut him off. “This is about giving hope to children who have spent their lives suffering. This is about giving victims of abuse and kids who feel powerless in their own lives a way to experience control, responsibility, and the capacity to nurture another creature when—”

“Wow,” Chad laughed. “You’re really worked up about this.”

“Of course I am,” Tulsi said incredulously. “I love these kids. So much. If you could just take a look at the footage I sent, you’ll see—”

“You’re prettier when you’re angry,” Chad interrupted. “Brings out your eyes.”

“Well…th-thank you, but I’m n-not angry,” Tulsi said, stuttering the way she did when she was anxious, making Pike want to shoulder his way into the office and tell Chad to back off. There was a time and a place to give a woman a compliment and in the middle of a business meeting wasn’t it.

Besides, Pike didn’t care for the edge in Chad’s voice, that hard note that made the compliment come off as an act of aggression.

“I’m just c-concerned about what will happen to my kids if their therapy is cut off,” Tulsi continued. “I want to do whatever I can to make sure their services continue. I’m already applying for other grants, but it takes time for awards to be decided. If you could just give me a few extra months, I’m sure—”

“I’m sorry, the money’s already been promised to another program,” Chad said, not sounding sorry at all. “But we could talk about a loan. Are you free for dinner tonight?”

“Um…no, I mean y-yes,” Tulsi stammered. “But I don’t see why we can’t discuss this now. That’s why I’m here, right?”

“You’re here because you didn’t like the answer I gave you on the phone and thought you could sweet talk me into changing my mind,” Chad said, clearly enjoying lording his power over a woman who needed his help. “But if you want to hear a no turn into a yes, I’ll need more convincing than we can get into at the office. I think that kind of…meeting of the minds works better after hours. I could pick you up at six. We could get dinner, then go back to my place.”

Tulsi was quiet for a long moment, a moment in which Pike had to fight the urge to storm into the office and punch Chad in the face. He wasn’t about to go out for a beer with a man who was insinuating he needed sex in order to consider a request for charitable funding, but he couldn’t leave, either. He had to stay until he knew Tulsi was okay and didn’t agree to do something she would regret because her back was against the wall.

“If you’re asking me out, the answer is no,” Tulsi said, her voice trembling. “I thought this was a professional meeting.”

Chad chuckled again, but it was a nasty sound, not an amused one. Pike glanced up at the secretary, wondering what she thought of all this, but her gaze was fixed on her computer screen and her jaw set. She obviously wasn’t surprised, but she didn’t intend to intervene, either. She probably needed her job more than she needed to stick up for a woman being sexually harassed, but Pike had no such conflict of interests.

He surged to his feet and started toward the office.

“All right, I understand,” Chad said.

Pike paused with his hand on the door, giving the other man one last chance to dig himself out of this hole before it was too late.

“It’s clear you think very highly of yourself, Tulsi,” Chad continued. “Hopefully that will help you in your search for funding because you won’t be getting another dime from the Head Starts organization. I’m withdrawing all support, starting today.”

“That’s not fair.” Tulsi’s breath rushed out with a stricken sound. “You said two more months! Please, I’m begging you to reconsider. This isn’t about you and me, this is about innocent kids who—”