Lone Star Nights (6 page)

He cursed himself. Huffed. He needed to take his own advice. Yeah, stereotypes weren't a good idea.

“Are you two together, then?” Mackenzie asked. “The lady doctor and you?” she clarified, though her question needed no such clarification.

Lucky almost preferred the silence to this. “No. I was business partners with Cassie's grandmother, Dixie Mae, and Cassie and I went to high school together.”

“I know who her grandmother is,” Mackenzie snapped.
“Was,”
she added, also in a snap. She didn't offer more on the subject of Dixie Mae, but since Mackenzie didn't complain about her, maybe that meant she'd gotten along with the woman.

That would be a first, but hey, miracles happened. Lucky had found a way to love the woman so maybe Mackenzie and Mia had, too. Or rather just Mia, he amended when Mackenzie's scowl deepened.

“I just thought you and the lady doctor were...” Mackenzie said, but she waved it off. “It was just something Dixie Mae said.”

That got his attention. “What'd she say? Specifically what'd she say about Cassie and me? Because if this is Dixie Mae's way of matchmaking from the grave—”

He stopped. Wished he hadn't said it because of the look it put on Mia's face. Little name, little girl. Whopping big ears. She'd already been shuffled around too much, and she didn't need to hear that she might go through another shuffling all because Dixie Mae wanted her granddaughter and her “boy” to end up together.

Something that wouldn't happen.

Cassie had already made that plenty clear.

“We need to get one thing straight,” Mackenzie continued a couple of seconds later. “If you hurt my sister, I'll punch you and the lady doctor right in your faces.”

“Kenzie doesn't mean it,” Mia whispered behind her hand. She unwrapped her piece of gum, tore it in half again. One piece she put in her mouth. The other, in her pocket.

“I do mean it,” Mackenzie insisted. “Nobody hurts my sister.
Nobody
.”

“I understand. I've got a kid sister of my own. Her name is Anna.” Because he thought it might give them some common ground, he started to tell her about Anna, that she was a college student in Florida, that he'd walk through fire for her. But Lucky stopped.

And he silently said another
hell
.

Had someone hurt Mia before? Was that why Mackenzie had doled out that threat? And for the record, he did think she meant it.

Mackenzie clammed up again, and even though he looked at Mia to see how she was dealing with all of this, she was swinging her legs, humming to herself and rolling the silver foil from her gum into a little ball. Lucky would have pressed Mackenzie for more info, or rather
any
info, but he heard the footsteps coming up the hall.

Finally.

He stood, moving in front of the girls in case Cassie and Bernie had to tell him something that wasn't meant for those big ears. But selective muteness must have been catching because Bernie sure wasn't talking, and Cassie dodged his gaze.

“Well?” Lucky finally prompted in a whisper. Probably not a soft enough one because Mackenzie and Mia weren't doing any gaze-dodging at all. They had their baby blues pinned to him.

“We reached a solution,” Cassie said.

“Good?” And, yes, it was a question. One they didn't answer. “All right, where are they going?”

Bernie and Cassie exchanged uneasy glances. “Home,” Bernie answered, looking right at Lucky. “With you.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“H
OME
,
WITH
ME
?”
Lucky said.

All in all, Lucky took the news about as well as Cassie had expected. He added, “No.” And he kept on adding to that no. “It's crazy there now what with Riley and Claire's wedding coming up. They're getting married in the house.”

She knew Riley and Claire, of course. Had even heard about Riley leaving the Air Force and getting engaged to Claire. But Cassie hadn't known about the wedding planning. Still, their options were limited here.

“It'll only be for a day or two,” Cassie reminded him. She also tried to keep her voice at a whisper, but there wasn't much distance between them and the kids. It didn't help that Mackenzie was glaring at her.

“You don't know that,” Lucky argued. “
He
doesn't know that.” He flung an accusing finger at Bernie. “I'll get us all rooms in the Bluebonnet Inn—”

“I've already tried,” Cassie explained, “and they're all booked for the high school reunion, class of 1948.” Some might cancel because they weren't spring chickens and might not be able to make it, but Cassie couldn't count on that.

“We can all go to Dixie Mae's house in San Antonio, then,” Lucky suggested.

Cassie really hated to be the bearer of more bad news. “She's already sold it. The new owners apparently closed on it earlier today.”

“When did Dixie Mae arrange that?” he snapped.

Cassie had to shrug. Apparently, her grandmother had been up to a lot of things that Cassie and Lucky hadn't known about, but from what she could gather, these buyers had agreed to purchase the place months ago and had already done all the paperwork in advance.

Lucky stayed quiet a moment, but the quietness didn't extend to his eyes. There was a lot going on in his head right now, including perhaps a big dose of panic. “Another hotel, then. Or are you going to tell me every hotel in the state is booked?”

“Told you they wouldn't want us,” Mackenzie mumbled.

Good grief. This was exactly what Cassie was trying to avoid so she took hold of Lucky's arm to pull him down the hall. “Watch the girls,” she told Bernie.

Lucky didn't exactly cooperate with the moving-away-from-them part. “That's not true,” he told Mackenzie, surprising Cassie, Mackenzie, maybe even himself. “This isn't about wanting or not wanting you. It's about, well, some other stuff that has nothing to do with you and Mia.”

Cassie tugged his arm again, and this time she managed to move him up the hall and hopefully out of earshot. “All right, what's the real problem here?” Cassie demanded. “I mean, other than you don't want to be home, and this would require you to be. Is it because I'd be there, too?”

He looked at her as if she'd just spontaneously sprouted a full beard on the spot. “What?”

Since that question could cover a multitude of things, Cassie went with the one most obvious to her. “I've resisted your advances for years, and you hate me. Now you don't want me anywhere around you.”

More of the sprouted-full-beard look. “I don't hate you, and you might not have noticed, but I quit
advancing
on you a long time ago.”

Ouch. Well, that stung, a lot more than it should have. And it was stupid to feel even marginally disappointed. But there had been something about Lucky's attention that had made her feel attractive, especially in those days when no other guy was looking her way.

“I don't hate those kids, either,” Lucky went on. “In fact, the little one's a sweet girl.” He paused, not exactly hemming and hawing, but it was close.

“Is it because there aren't enough rooms in your house?” Cassie asked. “Because it looks huge to me.”

“It is huge, and there are plenty of rooms. That's not the point.” But it still took Lucky a while to get to what the point was exactly. “Logan's at the house,” he finally said. “His loft apartment in town's being renovated so he'll be staying there until it's finished. Heck, he's probably there right now.”

She waited, hoping for more of an explanation. Cassie had to wait several long moments.

“Logan and I don't exactly get along,” he admitted.

“Okay. That's a valid argument. I understand not getting along with relatives.” Mercy, did she. “But there are advantages to being here in Spring Hill, since it's where Bernie is. We could be right in his face every day to make sure he's doing everything he can to resolve this.”

Lucky kept staring at her. Then he turned the tables on her. “What's really going on here with you?”

Perhaps all those years of seducing women and being seduced by them had honed his perception. Or maybe he had ESP. This definitely wasn't something she wanted the girls to hear so she pulled Lucky back into Bernie's office.

“Dixie Mae told Bernie that she thought Mackenzie might be suicidal.” Cassie didn't add more. Didn't want to add more. She especially didn't want Lucky or anyone else to see that just saying those words felt as if someone had clamped on to her heart with a meaty fist and wouldn't let go.

Breathe
.

“If she's suicidal, why isn't she in a hospital or someplace where she can get help?” he asked.

“Because she doesn't have an official diagnosis. That was only Dixie Mae's opinion. I've asked Bernie to try to get Mackenzie's medical records, but that'll take a while. By then we should have found their next of kin or made other arrangements.” God, she hoped so anyway.

“There's something you're not telling me,” he pressed.

Yes. Something she wouldn't tell him, either. Cassie somehow had to get past this so she could try to work out things in her head. If that was even possible.

“I just don't want Mackenzie to slip through the cracks,” Cassie added. That was true, but it had nothing to do with what she was holding back. “No matter how she dresses or how she acts.”

Though the dressing part did push Cassie's buttons. Again, old baggage, because it reminded her of her trashy-dressing mother.

“Agreed,” Lucky said right away. “But stating the obvious here, I don't know squat about kids. Much less ones who might or might not be suicidal.”

Cassie knew more about the suicidal part than she wanted to admit. “If you have another option about where to take them, I'm listening.”

Lucky had no doubt already gone through the options, and it wouldn't have taken him that long. Because other options didn't exist. With no next of kin, that left foster care, and while it could be a good thing for some kids, it could spell disaster for someone like Mackenzie, especially if she got placed in a separate home from her sister. Worse, once Cassie signed over the temporary custody, she wouldn't even have any legal right to check on the girls and make sure they were in good homes.

The muscles in Lucky's jaw started stirring. “And you really think it'll only be a day or two at most?”

“I sure hope so. You're not the only one who'd rather not be here.”

His eyes met hers, and she halfway expected him to ask if he was part of the reason she didn't want to be there.

He was.

Lucky had a way of stirring things inside her that shouldn't be stirred. Along with heating parts of her that should remain at room temperature. She had enough bears chasing her without adding Lucky McCord to the furry mix. But adding him was something she was apparently going to have to do.

At least for this guardianship facet of her life anyway. No heating or stirring allowed.

“With the Bluebonnet Inn booked, I don't have a place to stay,” Cassie added. “And I need some office space. I have a client I have to see. It can't wait, and she'll be flying in to San Antonio in the morning. I can have her come to the house, or I can leave you with the girls while I go to San Antonio and meet—”

“You're not leaving me with the girls. Especially when one might be suicidal. You can have your meeting at the house. There are two offices. My brother Riley's been using one, but the other one should be free.”

“Thanks.” Of course, office space was really only a minor part of this. “You'll need to keep the girls away from this particular client.”

That put some concern on his face. “What kind of client is this?”

“The worst kind. A person who's a celebrity only because she's a celebrity.”

Lucky really didn't show any interest in this client anyway, but he probably would when she arrived tomorrow.

“Other than being with this client, you're not to let Mackenzie out of your sight. Agreed?” Lucky pressed.

“Agreed. Well, except that I'd like to go back over to the funeral home and say a proper goodbye to my grandmother.”

Certainly, he couldn't deny her that. Even though he looked as if he would do anything to avoid being alone with the girls.

“All right,” he finally said.

“I also left my rental car there,” she added. “My suitcase is in it.”

“I can have one of the ranch hands pick it up if you need it before you can make it back over to the funeral home.”

So, they had worked out the immediate details, but maybe this pact wouldn't have to last long. And there were some things she could do to make sure it didn't. Like hiring some private detectives to speed up the hunt for the girls' next of kin.

“I'll call ahead to the housekeepers and tell them to get a couple of guest rooms ready. I'll also need to get another vehicle since my truck won't hold all four of us. And I need to cancel out of the rodeo I'm supposed to be leaving for in the morning.” He reached for his phone but stopped when they heard the voice.

“Uh, we got a problem,” Bernie called out.

“What now?” Lucky grumbled, and he hurried toward the reception area with Cassie right behind him.

Bernie wasn't in the hall where they'd left him. He was at the front door of his office, and he had a thunderstruck look on his face.

“The girls are gone,” he said.

* * *

“H
URRY
UP
,” Mackenzie told her sister.

But Mia didn't listen. She was poking along, looking back over her shoulder at the lawyer's office. “Lucky was nice,” Mia insisted.

Sometimes, her sister could be so dumb. “It's an act,” Mackenzie said. “He's only being nice because he has to be, because he wants to get money or something.”

“How'd he get money or something?” Mia asked instead of hurrying.

Mackenzie ignored her. It wouldn't be long now before the lawyer looked out and spotted them. Well, it wouldn't be long if he ever managed to finish that text he'd been pecking out on his phone. Sheez. Old people and their fat, slow fingers!

“How'd Lucky get money or something?” Mia repeated, and since she probably wouldn't shut up—or hurry—until she got an answer, Mackenzie ducked into an alley with her so they'd be off the sidewalk.

“Dixie Mae had money, stupid. Lucky and the lady doctor will probably get it if they have us. People leave that sort of stuff in wills.”

She nearly said
shit
instead of
stuff
, but Dixie Mae had said it wasn't a good idea to cuss in front of little kids, that it could make them get into trouble. Dixie Mae had said that it happened to her. Since Mia was a little kid, Mackenzie had tried to cut back just in case Dixie Mae was right.

“I'm not stupid,” Mia protested.

Great. Now she was about to bawl again. “I didn't mean it. Just quit asking so many questions and keep walking. Your feet don't move fast when you keep saying things.”

“Where we going?” Mia asked less than two seconds later.

“Away from here. We're not staying where we're not wanted.”

Of course, they hadn't been wanted in a long time, not since their grandmother had gone to heaven—and Mackenzie was sure that's where she'd gone. Maybe Dixie Mae had, too, but maybe it was a different part of heaven from where Granny Maggie had gone because Dixie Mae probably wouldn't like living with angels, nice people and shit. Plus, she wouldn't be able to smoke up there and cuss.

Mackenzie led Mia to the other end of the alley and was about to cross the street when she spotted the Spring Hill Police Department. She definitely didn't want to go in that direction, and if the lawyer had finally finished that text, he might have noticed they were missing. He could have already called the cops.

Or maybe he wouldn't call anybody at all.

Those three beep-heads—that wasn't the name Mackenzie really wanted to call them, but she was trying to think with less cussing, too—anyway, maybe the three would be glad Mia and she were gone so they wouldn't have to upset their pretty little lives.

Mackenzie waited a sec to make sure the police weren't going to come storming out of the building. No storming so far, though. But just in case that happened, she took Mia up the street and to the right, away from the police department.

She'd paid attention when Scooter had driven them in from San Antonio to Spring Hill, and there was a bus station just on the edge of town. If they could get there, she had enough money for two bus tickets to San Antonio. From there they could get to Dixie Mae's house. As big as the place was, they could hide out there until Mackenzie could come up with something better. With the cash she had stuffed in her shoe, they could get by for maybe a whole week as long as they ate just French fries.

They passed in front of the grocery store, and Mackenzie tried to keep her head down, tried not to get noticed. But people noticed all right. Probably because of her clothes. Nobody dressed like her in this hick town. Too bad she hadn't had anything else to put on. All her clothes were black.

Just ahead, Mackenzie spotted something that balled up her stomach. A cop wearing a blue uniform. And he had a gun. Jail might be better than going with Lucky and the doctor, but being locked up would probably just make Mia cry. A lot of things made her cry.