A Texas Ranger's Family (17 page)

“Erin, you've got to match these letters with the right pictures and put 'em in a book. Just think how special that would be for Dana. But more importantly, you could be reaching thousands of people for the Kingdom who don't realize the glory and the proof of God all around us. Beauty's not the only thing in the eye of the beholder.”

Erin remembered those freaky old pop-art posters from the '90s. You stared for a minute at what seemed like one thing, then your vision blurred and rebooted and your brain picked out something entirely different. The
more recent picture-within-a-picture fad was a portrait made up of hundreds of tiny, unrelated photographs.

“LaVerne, that's a great idea and I promise to think about it. But the last thing I want to do is insult these people and my work by turning it into the latest craze at the mall.”

“I have a hunch the more you read those letters, the less you'll worry about man interfering with what God is going to do in your life.”

LaVerne opened her arms. Erin came to her feet and leaned into the comfort that only a mother can offer a child. Erin hadn't been hugged with such purity of heart in so long she'd forgotten how it felt. But she remembered how to respond. She rested her head against the shoulder of Daniel's mama and squeezed her eyes tight. For a moment Erin was a little girl again, before the grief of losing everyone she loved, before the loneliness of losing everything she knew.

It was a perfect parent-child moment that could only be better if she shared it with Dana.

“I think I'll go upstairs to see if my girl's awake yet.” She gave LaVerne one more quick squeeze then turned to go.

“You think you can manage those steps?”

Erin nodded, pleased with another area of progress made on her own. “I've been practicing when nobody's around.”

“Have you also been practicing what you're gonna say to Daniel? He loves you very deeply, you know.”

Erin didn't acknowledge the question. She slumped one shoulder against the door frame, and fixed her gaze on the not-exactly-ruby slippers.

“I love him, too,” her voice was little more than a whisper as she said the words for the first time in the presence of another person.

“You haven't told him, have you?” LaVerne's voice resounded with disbelief.

“No, ma'am.”

“You know, the longer I live on a farm, the more I'd take horse sense over common sense any day,” she huffed. She grabbed a blanket off the foot of the bed and made the soft fabric the target of her annoyance. Folding and slapping, folding and slapping, then shoving it into the cedar trunk beneath the window.

“Even the dumbest animal will show affection and love unconditionally if you give it the opportunity. But you take two perfectly intelligent adults, made for one another and blessed with a second chance, and they won't even speak their hearts. I just do not understand that.”

“LaVerne, with all due respect, this is between Daniel and me.”

“I beg your pardon, Doctor Phil, but you've been dispensing psychology on my turf all week long so I figured it was fair game to stick my nose in your business.”

Erin's insides squirmed. She hadn't been taken to task in a long time.

“You mean our discussion about you and the girls?”

“Among others, yes. And as it turns out speaking your mind was the right thing to do because some good came from it. So I'm not gonna keep quiet either and then play woulda, coulda, shoulda when you go back to Timbuktu and my son goes back to living his life for Dana and the Texas Rangers. My Daniel's a good man and he deserves a full life. He won't ever have that without you, Erin.”

LaVerne lumbered past and on down the hall to her quarters. A brick scraped the floor as it was scooted out of the way and the door shut with a thud.

The room was quiet with only the tick, tick, ticking of the bedside clock and Erin's breathing to compete with her thoughts. She prepared to do as LaVerne had suggested, practice what she would say to Daniel. As she closed her eyes to gather the words in her mind, an unexpected calm settled her nerves and a sense of purpose quieted her spirit. Comfort hovered over her like steam over a hot sidewalk after a summer shower and Erin knew what had to be said as soon as Daniel got back.

But just in case this moment never presented itself again, she would climb the stairs, slip beneath the comforter with her daughter, hug her close as only a mama can do and pray she'd be hugged in return.

A
folded sheet of white paper fluttered from the wooden clothespin his mama kept nailed to her front door. LaVerne said it made it obvious for a visitor to spot the note. Jake said it made it obvious for a stranger to come on in and help himself since nobody was home and the coast was clear. But LaVerne had the last say, as usual. If a thief was desperate enough to drive way out to the Double-S to rob a small-time cattle rancher, he was welcome to anything he could cart away.

Daniel could still hear his daddy's voice,
“It's just stuff and stuff can't make you happy. It's the joy you add to the days of others that brings peace to your own life.”

During the silence of the three-hour drive to San Angelo, Daniel had thought hard about adding joy to the days of others. Then on the return trip, he prayed as never before that the plan he hoped would restore the joy to his family wouldn't backfire and send it crashing to the ground in flames.

“Everybody's up at Jake and Becky's.” He relayed
the news of his mama's note through the open truck window. “I think it might be smart if you wait here and I'll bring them back in a few minutes.” He'd had enough kindred confrontation in the past six weeks to last a lifetime, but he was pretty sure this would top it all. Best to find out privately.

“That sounds wise,” Erin's sister agreed.

Alison Stone climbed out of the cab. She stretched the kinks out of her arms and legs before preceding Daniel up the six wide steps. He studied her from the back, recognizing her footfall, the tilt of her head, the square of her shoulders and the jangle of her concho belt and many silver bracelets. Dressed in expensive, handmade boots and a shirtwaist dress that resembled a crazy quilt there was no doubt about it. This woman with the thick auburn braid and dangling chandelier earrings was Dana's missing link. At long last, here was the family resemblance his daughter craved.

“The front door's always open. Make yourself comfortable and I'll be back as soon as I can.”

“I'll just sit out here and enjoy the view.” Her voice was calm. “And don't rush whatever you need to say to Erin. I've waited so many years for this reunion that a few more minutes won't make much difference.”

 

Daniel heard lighthearted laughter drifting beneath the portico that surrounded three sides of his brother's hacienda-style home. The heels of his boots resounded against the stucco tile announcing his arrival before he turned the corner.

“Daddy's here!” Dana's voice blossomed with unusual excitement as she sailed around a smoothed
cedar post and into his arms. There was urgency and fierce intensity in her hug.

“I should take unplanned day trips more often.” He patted her back. “A man could get use to this sorta homecoming. What's goin' on, butter bean?”

The smiling eyes that met his were the spittin' image of the woman he'd left just down the road at LaVerne's place.

“Daddy, Mama wants to talk to you.”

“Is that so?”

Dana nodded vigorously, her spikes wobbling. “I think she might have changed her mind about leaving.”

His insides quaked. Had Erin reconsidered everything on her own, without his meddling in her personal life? And now, would his interference solidify the situation or cause a complete meltdown? Either way, life would play out. Pandora was waiting at the ranch house and there was no putting her back into the box now.

“Hey, you two. What am I missing out here?” Erin stepped into view. Her short bob, petite body and simple clothing were in stark contrast to her sister's colorful, southwestern style.

Lord, what have I done?
Daniel's worry worsened. In the investigative unit of the Texas Rangers, he was known for rock-solid instinct. Had that sixth sense failed him when he needed it most?

He kept Dana secure with one arm and opened the other to Erin who stepped into their group hug.

“Well, this is sure a nice change from the last time the three of us were together.”

“You've missed a lot today,” Erin confessed.

“I'm sorry about that, but I had an opportunity I didn't dare pass up,” Daniel apologized.

“I understand. I had several of those today myself.” Erin's comment was mysterious.

Daniel noted the way mother and daughter stepped away from him but still clung together arm in arm. Something had definitely changed between the two and he was the odd man out. Dread crept up his spine.

“Dana, would you give us a few moments alone?”

“Sure,” she agreed, ready to rejoin whatever fun she was missing on the other side of the house.

“But don't go far. Someone's waiting for us at your grandma's, so we need to leave in a few minutes.”

Dana's brows pulled together, confusion and concern dampened her high spirits.

“It's okay. Don't worry,” he assured her.

Yeah, like you believe that, a small voice niggled at him.

Erin caught his hand and pulled him farther away from the hearing of others.

“Did J.D. send a car after I told him not to?” Her eyes narrowed as if considering what punishment would fit that crime.

“No, it's not that at all. I had to drive up to San Angelo for an interview and I gave someone a ride back with me.” He watched Erin's expression for any sign of recognition, but there was none. Alison confirmed there had been no contact between the sisters and their little brother since a family court judge had named them wards of the state nearly twenty-five years ago.

“So, you talked with J.D.” Daniel leaned against the warm stucco of a decorative wall that surrounded the
rambling house. She did the same, standing close enough for their shoulders to touch.

“Yeah, but we only spoke for a few minutes. Mostly I've spent the day talking about lots of things with LaVerne and Dana. And now, I need to share some thoughts with you.”

Daniel wanted to enjoy the confidence in her voice. It sounded like she'd weighed the evidence carefully and come to a conclusion. But the truth was she didn't have nearly all the facts. Once she did her security would be shaken. And it would be his fault.

“Remember those letters J.D. brought to me?”

Daniel bobbed his head. His flesh burned where she placed her hand on his forearm below a rolled up cuff.

“I finally read some of them. They're remarkable stories and your mother gave me a wonderful idea for a book that would combine the letters and my photographs.” Erin dipped her chin and teased a pebble with the toe of her boot before meeting his eyes again. “To tell you the truth, I'd already started considering a publishing project. I've got to believe the similarity of our ideas is more than a coincidence.

“Maybe Dana's right. Maybe I can retool my career and channel my ability in a way that doesn't require living on another continent.”

Daniel swept off his Stetson and dabbed his brow with his shirtsleeve. The afternoon was warm, but he couldn't attribute his sweat to the weather any more than he could blame his churning stomach on lunch.

“What are you saying?”

Erin's eyes searched his face, her lips parted as she prepared to answer. He wanted to kiss those soft lips but
deception was bitter in his mouth. Here was the moment he'd longed for, prayed for. And he couldn't concentrate for fear that whatever they wove together now would unravel within the hour.

“I'm saying if your offer's still open, I'd like to give us another try. Give family a try.”

She was accepting the proposal he'd made the night before and with the very words he'd used to suggest it. And in that moment he knew just
giving it a try
was not giving it enough.

God required more.

They all deserved more.

Her smile was weak. She read his face and his body language, knew something was wrong. He couldn't put her through this any longer.

“As much as I'd like to celebrate what you just said, the moment's not right. Let's get Dana and head back to the house and then we'll make some decisions together.”

 

Erin felt every accelerated beat of her heart through the throbbing of her right arm. She flexed and clenched her fingers to reduce the stress without respite. She ached low in her back, and her legs wobbled now that she was off her feet in the front seat of Daniel's SUV.

Medication would help the physical symptoms but there was no relief for the emotional pain she sensed bearing down on them. It began to form when she'd laid eyes on Daniel back at Becky's house and the foreboding had grown stronger with each breath.

Something was terribly wrong.

Daniel was an honest man. If he had a poker face, he
kept it in his desk at work. She didn't need a second opinion to know he was worried.

He must have regrets about what he said last night
. Erin racked her mind for what might have gone wrong.
He's had all day to reconsider asking me to be part of their lives and he's decided it was a mistake.

She could let him off the hook, give him an easy out, tell him she was flexible either way. But Dana was an arm's length behind in the backseat, tuned in to every word, every vibe in the vehicle. She too had grown quiet, knowing something was up with her dad.

LaVerne's big white house rose up a hundred yards in the distance. As they drew closer, Erin could make out a figure on the red glider. Dana leaned forward for a better look and the person stood, revealing a colorful, flowing skirt and boots.

It's a woman.
Erin realized with a jolt.
Is that it? Has he reconnected with someone from his past?

“Who's that, Daddy?”

“You don't know her, but your mama does. They haven't seen each other for a lot of years.”

They passed the last forty yards in slow motion. The woman took several strides toward the edge of the porch, into the late afternoon light. It glistened like an auburn halo around her face and danced on her shiny jewelry. She stood with her arms folded across her chest, but there was no hiding the fullness of her hourglass figure.

Daniel pulled to a stop. The stranger was only a dozen feet away. Erin stared closely at familiar elements; the fair skin, the high forehead, the pointed chin.

The visitor removed dark glasses revealing her eyes.

Dana's eyes.

Alison!

Erin clutched her stomach, certain she would be sick in the floorboard. She was assaulted by little girl memories, long ago and deeply buried for the self-preservation of a nine year old.

She turned on Daniel. “Why would you do this? How do you even know?”

“Who is she?” Dana's voice matched the near panic in Erin's.

“My sister!” Erin choked on an anguished cry. She pushed open the door and settled her feet on the dirt road. Then she turned away from the house, marching in the opposite direction as fast as good sense would allow.

“Erin Elise, wait!” Alison shouted, her boots pounding the road, closing the distance between them as she caught up, put her hand on Erin's shoulder.

“Don't!” Erin twisted away. “Don't call me that and don't you dare touch me.” She swung her right fist high to strike Alison. White-hot pain thundered through Erin's arm. Recovering muscles, weakened tendons and atrophied fasciae cried out. A gasp caught in her throat, her knees buckled, she folded at the waist and crumbled face-first into the dirt and gravel. The sound of Daniel's voice kept Erin from giving in to the luxury of a full-out faint.

“I've got you, baby.” He was there, scooping her against his chest, cradling her close, whispering words of apology interrupted only by tender affirmations of love. He whisked her up the steps, through the house and into his room where he settled her with great care against the pillows. With her arm pressed close she took shallow breaths, squeezed her eyes tight and prayed she hadn't done permanent damage.

“Dana, get a warm washcloth and your mama's ice pack from the freezer.” He barked orders and their daughter responded. Within minutes Erin's arm was immobilized with a sling and frozen gel pack and she'd gulped down the first pain meds since Houston. Her face was lovingly cleaned and Daniel applied antibiotic cream to the gravel scrapes. He murmured instructions to Dana in the hallway and then shut the door from the inside.

With her eyes closed beneath a cold cloth, Erin felt the pressure of Daniel's weight against the mattress. He eased close, slipped one arm behind her head and wrapped her carefully with his other.

“Baby, I'm so sorry.” His voice was choked.

She rolled her head to the side. The cloth fell away and she was nose to cheek with the man she loved. Tears rolled in quiet streams from his eyes to his quivering jaw and then dribbled to the pillow.

“Why did you do this to me, Daniel?” It was a simple question requiring answers on so many levels. “I wanted to stay. I even thought about finding Alison on my own someday. The two of you didn't have to ambush me.”