Stuck Together (Trouble in Texas Book #3) (23 page)

Tina helped Mother to her feet, and Vince went to assist. Tina said, “He told us he’d been using this cave to stash furs and other things he traded whiskey for.”

Vince kept Mother close at his side while Luke finished securing Tug, leaving his feet unbound.

Tina went on, “Tug said that as soon as he heard what Wilcox had done to Red Wolf, he knew it was time to hit
the trail. He’s got two packhorses outside, all loaded and ready to go.”

Seconds later, Dare stepped in with Wilcox, who was barely able to walk. Jonas brought up the rear.

Dare gave Vince an incredulous look. “Never thought of Tug being involved in all this.”

“Me neither,” Vince said. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a lawman.”

Vince wondered how long they had before Red Wolf came in with his band of warriors. Everyone else seemed to be here, why not them? “Are the Kiowa gonna trust us to punish these coyotes?”

Dare gave a nod. “He saw us pull Wilcox down off that bluff, and it seemed to satisfy him that we put shackles on him—especially since it was mighty clear he’d been whacked on the head. I told Red Wolf we’d make sure he paid for his crimes. He wasn’t real happy, but he rode off with his men.”

Vince felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

Mother turned to Vince, her eyes wide and childlike. “Vincent, what are we doing out here in this cave?”

Everyone in the cave gasped . . . well, except Tug and Wilcox. Tug was unconscious or he might’ve gasped, too. Wilcox didn’t come to town that often.

The rest of them knew Mother would probably go back to calling Vince Julius just as soon as she was feeling better, which was just the worst kind of dirty shame. But for now it was nice to hear his name on her lips.

“You’re right, Mother,” Vince said, offering her his arm. “This is a cold, dirty place. Let’s get you back home this instant.”

Mother took Vince’s arm and smiled. He looked around the cave, took stock, and found Luke and Jonas hoisting Tug to his feet and unbinding his hands. Tug’s arm was slung over Jonas’s shoulder.

“I’m going back for the horses,” Luke said. “I’ll bring ’em to town tomorrow when I come in for church.” He turned for the tunnel that led to the canyon.

Jonas slapped himself on the forehead. “I forgot what day it is.” He gave Missy a private sort of smile. “I need to write a sermon.”

“You’ve been distracted,” Tina said.

Jonas nodded. “But I know what I’m going to preach about.”

Vince thought he knew, too. “What’s that?” he asked anyway.

“Trusting God with your future.” Jonas smiled, then half dragged, half carried Tug out of the cave entrance that led toward Broken Wheel.

“Tomorrow’s plenty soon enough for the horses. If we need one, I reckon we can use Tug’s. He ain’t riding anywhere anytime soon.” Dare shoved Wilcox along, following after Jonas.

Missy went next, then Tina. Vince walked out with Mother on his arm. When they all got outside, he saw Missy hurrying to catch up to Jonas. Tina had lingered and, with a very smooth move—or so Vince thought—he snagged her hand. She looked sideways at him, smiled and didn’t pull away.

With Mother on one side and Tina on the other, they walked toward town. Livvy trotted faithfully along at Mother’s side.

“So, you carry a knife with you all the time?” Vince asked his little spitfire.

Grinning, Jonas looked over his shoulder. Then his eyes went to Vince’s hand, joined with Tina’s, and his grin quickly faded. He arched a brow at Vince, demanding his intentions without uttering a word. Vince had thought he was being discreet with Tina, but Jonas had said something earlier that told Vince his preacher friend knew something was going on. And now they were holding hands.

“Why, yes, of course I carry a knife.” Tina started to pull her hand away, but Vince hung on tight and she didn’t really fight him. “You should have known that.”

“How could I have known if you didn’t tell me?”

Tina quit trying to get loose and smiled that shining smile that made Vince ache to marry the woman and have her all to himself. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a dozen times, a woman needs to know how to take care of herself.”

That surprised a laugh out of Vince.

“Amen,” Missy called over her shoulder.

Jonas laughed, then Missy joined in, and Tina added her pretty ringing laughter. Vince realized he hadn’t heard Tina laugh nearly enough. He right then and there vowed to change that. And he’d tell her so, along with a few other things, just as soon as he could get her alone. It better be soon, because he intended to marry her right after he asked the question.

Mother reached across Vince and patted Tina on the hand. “You’re going to make a wonderful addition to the family.”

Tina, caught in mid-laugh, started choking.

Tina sensed something different about Vince. The way he held her hand, for one, right in front of Jonas and everyone. Jonas had noticed for sure.

Mother Yates had noticed too, and she wasn’t exactly famous for that.

Vince leaned down and whispered, “I need to talk to you, but I want to stay with Mother until she forgets me again.”

That made Tina smile. She thought Vince was finally getting used to the idea that his ma wasn’t going to be thinking straight a good chunk of the time. They needed to watch out for her and enjoy her company as she was.

While Tina completely understood and sympathized with Vince’s priorities, she itched to know why he wanted to talk to her alone.

They were a while locking the prisoners away and getting Virginia Belle cleaned up. Vince ignored the jail and stayed with his mother, talking quietly with her. There was no time to be alone until they sat down to dinner.

When Tina was finally done cooking—for all of them again—she hung up her apron and walked out of the diner kitchen to join the others. Vince took Tina’s hand and
nodded toward the kitchen. If he wanted her to cook some more, the man was in for a big disappointment.

He led her straight out the back door.

The sun was setting and it was getting cool. But the building blocked the wind, and when Vince pulled her into his arms, Tina didn’t notice the weather at all.

“You know, Tina, I said I’d never marry because of my worries about being like my father or my mother. Either would be a disaster for a wife and children.”

“I remember.” Oh yes, she remembered it all too well. She braced herself to be told the same thing again. Otherwise why would that be the first thing out of his mouth?

“Well, I was an idiot to say all that.”

Tina’s head came up, and she met his eyes. Her heart sped up and her spirits lifted as he smiled that flashing white smile. “You were?”

He definitely was, but she never thought he’d admit it.

“I’ve wasted a lot of time, not just with you but in other ways, because I was worried about the future. Well, no more. I’m turning my life over to God, the present
and
the future. Please forget my foolishness and forgive me for the attention I paid you without honoring you as I should have with a proposal. Can you do that? Can you forgive me?”

Tina couldn’t resist reaching up to touch his lips, to stop his words. “I understand why you were worried. And your worry was all for me, that you’d be a poor husband to me and a burden. Of course I can forgive that.”

“I love you, Tina Cahill,” Vince said, then leaned down and kissed her.

It wasn’t the kiss that touched her as much as it was the words he spoke. Tina’s heart ached with the pleasure of
hearing those words when she’d given up on them at last. She wanted to believe it so badly she might have told herself to refuse the words, just to keep herself safe.

She might have, if not for Vince’s kiss.

It was a different kind of kiss. It wasn’t the stolen kiss that came out of an attraction they were trying to fight. This was an honorable kiss, though no less passionate because of that. In fact, it was more passionate because of that.

When finally Vince lifted his lips from hers, they stood mere inches apart, his dark eyes shining, his handsome face full of kindness and love.

“Marry me, Tina. Please tell me you’ll join your life with mine.”

The only thing stopping her was that she had a smile so wide she hardly had control of her lips to speak. But her smile seemed to be enough to make Vince wait patiently. He kissed her again, and this time he tasted her smile so thoroughly he might well have forgotten he’d ever proposed.

Against his lips, Tina whispered, “Yes, I will marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

He kissed her forehead, then her nose. “Mother will keep us busy, I’m sure. You already know how much that’s going to occupy our lives. Today, finally, I accepted that she’s not getting better. I understand now that I need to accept her and care for her to the best of my ability. It’s going to be hard work for the both of us.”

“I love your mother, Vince. I think because I didn’t know her before, I don’t have any idea how she used to be. All I see is a genteel Southern belle who’s slightly dotty and in need of protection. I think, after I was so unkind to Duffy, only to find him helping at every turn, and that
low-down Tug Andrews was the real outlaw, I might leave off my picketing and spend my energy caring for your mother.”

Vince kissed her soundly. “Well, Duffy is innocent of what happened here, but you were right about whiskey being a scourge. So, if you want to picket in your spare time, I’ll help you paint up another sign. And maybe, if the weather’s fair, Mother can march with you.”

Laughing, Tina threw her arms around Vince’s neck and kissed him back just as soundly.

“Can we tell Mother now that we’re getting married?” Vince asked. “I like the idea of her knowing her son’s to be married to someone as beautiful as you.”

“I’ve got a better idea.” Tina took Vince’s hand, weaving her fingers between his to get a good grip. “Let’s go get married right now and see if Jonas wants to make it a double wedding.”

Vince flashed a smile at her and kissed her again, then pulled her back into the dining room.

Tina kept up with her fast-moving, soon-to-be husband. In fact, she might have gotten a little ahead of him.

“Dearly beloved . . .” Jonas began. Earlier, he’d put on his parson’s collar and led the happy couple over to the church. He and Missy had chosen to wait a bit for their own wedding. Jonas thought it might confuse Mother to have a double wedding.

“You should really wait for Luke,” Dare said, standing beside Vince to act as a witness.

“I told you why I can’t.” Vince tilted his head toward his mother, who stood smiling beside Jonas, almost like a
second parson. But Vince wanted her to have a good view of the goings-on, so he encouraged her to be right there front and center.

“Do you, Tina Cahill, take this man . . .”

Glynna stood beside Tina, Missy beside Jonas—the man was surrounded and yet he didn’t seem to care at all.

Jonas quit talking, and Tina said, “I do.”

Vince felt Tina’s
I do
all the way to his heart. He looked at her and couldn’t stop smiling, and she smiled right back.

“And do you, Vincent Yates, take this woman . . .”

Vince had to pay close attention because this was his part. Although, honestly, the way Jonas held Missy’s hand while he talked, the man almost seemed to be speaking the vows with her in mind.

Which was fine, but Vince sort of wished Jonas would pay more attention to the wedding ceremony he was performing.

Jonas sped through the service, and that might’ve been because they were all afraid Mother would forget who Vince was any minute.

“I do,” Vince said, more sure of this than anything he’d ever done.

“If anyone here knows any reason why these two should not be wed, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”

“Well, I think he should wait for Luke.”

“Drop it, Dare.” Jonas broke out of his fast reading of the vows. “That don’t qualify as a reason they should not be wed. Luke woulda liked to have been here, though.”

“Just get on with it,” Vince growled. Tina shot him an irritated look, and Mother reached out and whacked him with her fan.

Vince was learning more about women every minute that
went by. Growling during a man’s wedding was definitely not appropriate, and he’d never do it again. Of course he was only getting married once in his life, so any lessons learned were pretty much useless.

“A reading from the book of First Corinthians, chapter thirteen. ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels . . .’”

Vince didn’t remember this part from other weddings he’d attended. Of course, Jonas had married Ruthy and Luke on a dark midnight, about two minutes after Luke proposed. And those vows had been spoken when Luke was figuring to get shot in the near future.

Things hadn’t gone badly, but no one was real confident when Luke and Ruthy married.

Jonas might well have lingered over Dare and Glynna’s marriage vows, except Dare had been stabbed only hours earlier and he was a little pale and none too steady on his feet. Jonas married the couple up quick so that Dare could sit down before he fell down.

Jonas was lingering over this ceremony, although reading one chapter from the Good Book didn’t count as a whole lot of lingering.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Jonas narrowed his eyes and leaned close to Vince. “As if you haven’t already kissed her, Yates.”

Vince grinned, and Jonas couldn’t keep up his scowl. At least it was gone by the time Vince was done kissing the living daylights out of his brand-new wife.

Jonas offered Vince his hand. They shook, and Jonas clapped him on the shoulder. Dare joined in, and Paul got
in on it with a handshake too, while Glynna and Janny swarmed Tina, along with Missy and Mother.

The burst of congratulations faded as Vince turned to Mother, who beamed up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

“What a beautiful ceremony, son.” Mother dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief, and it didn’t even bother him to see her cry, not over an important moment like this. “I’m so glad I got to Texas in time for the wedding, even if I did have to be abandoned by your worthless father and get kidnapped.”

Vince hugged her hard. He pulled back and smiled at her. “There’s no one around here who doubts there is trouble to be found in Texas, and I’d say we’ve more than found our share.”

“Well, I’d prefer if things quieted down now,” Mother said, looking right at him.

She knew him. For right this moment, Mother knew she had a son and she was pleased by that. Then Mother turned and reached out for Tina, who went into Mother’s arms with all the kindness of a true daughter.

Watching his two favorite women in the world share a hug was the sweetest moment of Vince’s life.

Vince was waiting for her outside Mother’s room. Tina swallowed hard, but when he reached for her, she went into his arms without hesitation.

He held her close, and all her fears about the wedding night eased. She was in the keeping of a fine man. She relaxed, and Vince raised his head. “Let’s go.”

Nodding, he led her to his room . . . their room. When he drew her inside, she said quietly, “I’m so glad your mother was there for our wedding.” She hesitated. “Vince, you know . . .”

“That she will likely wake up tomorrow and not remember any of it, including me?” Vince sounded sad but accepting.

“I’m sorry for that. I know how much—” A kiss quieted her apology.

“I consider myself a reasonably smart man, but I’ve been acting like a fool thinking I could cure Mother. Being called Invincible Vince by my friends went to my head. I let myself believe that if I wanted to solve a problem badly enough, I’d find a way. But part of realizing I can’t cure my mother is accepting that I haven’t been anything close to invincible in the most important things. I’ve never figured out how to make my parents love me.”

“Vince, I’m sure they love you.” Tina touched his lips, wishing she could hold back those feelings even more than the words.