Catch Me a Cowboy (25 page)

“Oh, no,” Shirlene shook her head as she wrangled with the baby. “You can take a bath in the morning.” But all it took was Brody’s bottom lip quivering for her to change her mind. “Fine. Hop in. One more can’t hurt anything.”

She was wrong. Brody might want to take a bath with Adeline, but Adeline didn’t want to take a bath with her brother. Once Brody was in, she started throwing a fit that rivaled any Hope had ever thrown—and everyone in town knew Hope could throw a fit—and taking the baby out of the tub only made her madder. Looking for anything to distract her, Shirlene grabbed up a brush and waved it around. When the baby stopped crying and reached for it, she gladly gave it up. She didn’t know if it was an appropriate toy for an eleven-month-old, but at this point, she didn’t care. After drying her off, Shirlene spread a towel on the floor and set Adeline down so she could bathe Brody.

While his sister had been throwing a fit, it looked like Brody had gotten bathed all by himself. Using an entire bottle of baby shampoo, he and Barbie were covered in a slick, golden-tinged slime that took turning on the shower to finally remove. By the time Shirlene had him rinsed and out of the tub, she turned to discover a cyclone had hit the bathroom. Toilet paper was strung from one side of the room to the next. The cabinet underneath the sink was opened and more rolls of toilet paper littered the floor, along with bars of soap and other bathroom necessities. Adeline and Sherman sat amid the disaster, the pig’s big, pink ears wrapped in toilet paper and Adeline waving a tampon.

Two hours later, the kitchen and living room didn’t look much better. The floor was littered with plastic bowls and pans from the bottom kitchen cabinets, crackers and dry cereal, half-full bottles and sippy cups, and the tiny bits of material Brody was cutting from the pleated bottom of the couch.

As Shirlene sat on the floor watching him, she realized she’d gotten her wish: Adeline was cuddled up against her shoulder sleeping. It was really too bad that Shirlene was too mentally and physically exhausted to enjoy it.

“What the…?”

She glanced up to find Bubba standing in the doorway with Jesse. For once, the kid didn’t seem to have anything to say. In fact, both he and Bubba had such shocked looks on their faces that Shirlene couldn’t contain a giggle—a giggle that ended on a hysterical sob that had Bubba dropping the bag to the floor and striding over.

He leaned down and slipped a hand between her breasts and Adeline’s belly. But when he tried to pull the baby away from her, Shirlene’s arms tightened reflexively. “It’s okay to let go now, Shirley Girl,” he said in a soothing voice. “I’m just going to put her down for the night.” She released her hold. And once the baby was gone, her arms flopped limply to her sides.

“Jesse, get those scissors away from Brody,” Bubba said as he headed to the bedroom Mia shared with Adeline, “and get him ready for bed.”

Brody didn’t utter a peep when Jesse took away the scissors; he just allowed his brother to lead him to the bedroom as if he hadn’t just thrown a major fit when Shirlene had tried to do the exact same thing.

Bubba came out of the bedroom with the smelly
bedspread and headed for the door, Sherman close on his heels. When he returned from outside, he was minus the bedspread and pig, but had gained one teenage girl. He must’ve told Mia about the state of the trailer because her eyes only widened for an instant before they returned to Shirlene.

“Are the babies okay?” she asked.

“They’re fine,” Bubba answered for her. “Adeline was sleeping when I got here, and Brody was playing.” Shirlene was thankful he’d left out the scissors part. Although she figured Jesse would enlighten his sister soon enough. “But I think Shirlene needs a little break,” Bubba said. “We’ll be just next door if you need us.”

Once Mia disappeared into the bedroom with Jesse and Brody, Bubba came back over and scooped Shirlene up in his arms. She was too tired to resist or form coherent speech. So she closed her eyes and let him take her where he would. He took her back to his trailer and maneuvered her through the door and into the tiny bathroom where he set her down on the lid of the toilet.

Bubba stood over her, his chocolate-colored eyes comforting. “The clean towels are in the cabinet, and the soap and shampoo are in the windowsill.”

She didn’t know what it was about soap and shampoo that had the tears falling, but suddenly there they were, trickling down her cheeks and dripping from her chin. Shirlene expected Bubba to run for the hills. Instead he squatted down next to her and reached out to smooth her sticky bangs from her eyes.

“Hey, now. You’re all right. You’re gonna take yourself a hot shower, and you’ll feel just fine and dandy in no time.”

“I thought it would be easy,” she whispered. “They’re no bigger than gnats. But then Adeline wouldn’t hold still… and those diaper do-hickeys got all tangled up.”

He nodded solemnly. “Those can be tricky.”

“And all I did was turn my back for a second—just one second—and the toilet paper…”

He reached up and grabbed a washcloth from the rack. “Kids are as quick as greased lightnin’.”

She swallowed hard and blinked back the tears. “And when they cried, I pretty much let them do whatever they wanted—even if it was bad for them.”

He tipped up her chin and gently wiped off her cheeks. “I’ve always been a sucker for tears.”

“They hate me,” she sniffed. “They really hate me.”

“Well, I’m not an expert, but it looked to me like they like you just fine.”

She shook her head. “No, they hate me, and they have every right to. I can’t even watch a couple toddlers for two hours without putting them in danger—Brody could’ve cut himself, and Adeline could’ve found something really poisonous in the bathroom cabinet.”

“But they didn’t,” Bubba said.

“Only because you got there in time.” She sniffed and attempted a smile. It was a weak effort. “It’s funny, when you think about it. After all the fertility specialists, the tests and the drugs, it turns out that God knew exactly what he was doin’, after all.” The washcloth Bubba held in his hand stopped in mid-stroke. “It appears that Shirlene Dalton is infertile for a very good reason—I suck at being a mama.”

A sob escaped, followed by another one and another one until she jerked the washcloth from Bubba’s hand and
buried her face in it. Only seconds passed before she felt two warm hands slip under her elbows and lift her to her feet.

Bubba pulled her close to his warm chest. “What am I going to do with you, Shirley Girl? Just when I think I have you all figured out, you up and surprise me.”

Shirlene surprised herself. She had never been much of a crier, but she stood there crying in Bubba’s arms like a kindergartener on the first day of school. She waited for the teasing jokes to start, but he only held her, his hands rubbing up and down her back until she finally quieted. When she did, he spoke softly against the top of her head.

“Being a mama isn’t just about changing diapers and keeping kids from making messes. It’s about love. And it seems to me, you’ve got plenty of that to give.” He pulled back and grinned down at her. “Even if you don’t want to send any my way.”

Before she could absorb the sweetness of his words, he leaned over and turned on the shower. “Now you take your time. And if you need me to wash your back, Honey Buns, you just holler.” He tossed her a sexy wink and was gone.

Shirlene wasn’t sure if it was the good cry or the hot shower that revived her, but by the time she stepped from the bathroom, she felt much better. She found Bubba stretched out on the sofa in the living room watching the smallest television she’d ever seen in her life. But it was hard to notice the television when Bubba wore only a pair of faded jeans and a bright smile.

“So I see you found the shirt,” he said as his eyes shimmied over her squeaky clean body in the cut-offs and western shirt.

“It was a little hard not to, seeing as how you set it
on the back of the toilet.” Her gaze drifted over all that smooth skin and rippled muscle. “I’d ask if you peeked, but I’m afraid I already know the answer.”

His grin got wider as he got to his feet and turned off the television. “Now I wouldn’t be as low as that, Shirley Girl.” He moved into the small kitchen and opened a cupboard. “You want something to drink?”

She really did. Not only because of her harrowing night with Brody and Adeline, but because her heart rate had just tripled at the way Bubba’s back muscles rippled when he reached for the bottle of tequila. Still, she wasn’t about to go back to the trailer with alcohol on her breath. Not after being such a disaster as a babysitter.

“No, thank you. I’ve sworn off the stuff.” When he shot her a surprised look, she shrugged. “At least, until I find a home for the—” she left the sentence hanging for only a brief second before adding, “me.”

Bubba put the bottle back and turned. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, but his posture was anything but relaxed.

“So the kids don’t have a mama, do they?”

Shirlene wondered if she should ask for that drink after all. But instead she walked over to the recliner and flopped down. She hated to break her promise to Mia, but she was tired of having the burden of four children on her shoulders. And for some reason, she trusted Bubba.

“No,” she said. “They don’t have a mama or a daddy. From what I could get out of Mia, they were living with foster parents in Houston before they ran away. Thus the name ‘Foster’.”

“So they aren’t even sisters and brothers?”

Shirlene shook her head. “I guess not even Brody and
Adeline are related. And it sounds like Jesse had more than a few foster parents.”

“Were they abused?” he asked.

“I’ve only gotten bits and pieces,” she said. “But I think there was physical abuse, and I’m starting to wonder if there wasn’t sexual. Mia has this look that’s almost….”

“Haunted,” Bubba finished for her. A long silence followed before he moved over to the sofa and sat down. “So what do you plan on doing with them?”

She leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling. There was one point where she’d actually thought about adopting them herself, but tonight proved her inability to handle even two children—let alone four. She looked back at him. “I figure that there has to be someone in the entire state of Texas who wouldn’t mind having four cute kids—someone who would love them like they deserve to be loved.”

He stared at the carpet between his bare feet. “And until you find those people, you’re planning on letting them live with you in the trailer?”

“Do I have another choice?”

“You could call Sheriff Winslow and let him handle it,” he said.

She shook her head. “I can’t do that. I can’t trust that he won’t send them back to Houston before I can get things worked out. Besides, I promised Mia.”

He looked up and studied her. “And do you always keep your promises, Ms. Dalton?”

Nine months ago, she would’ve answered “yes,” but nine months ago she’d had a husband who didn’t expect anything more from her than to be happy. At the time, she thought her life had been perfect. But now she realized that expectations—from yourself and other people—were what
made a person grow. Without them, you were nothing more than a stagnant puddle of water. Or a ditzy trophy wife.

“No,” she said. “I haven’t done a very good job of keeping my promises lately. But I plan to keep this one.”

“Even if it’s against the law?”

“Even then,” she said as she got to her feet. “I probably should get back. I don’t want Mia to worry.”

“I’ll walk you.”

The trip back to the trailer wasn’t as enjoyable as the trip from it—more than likely because Bubba wasn’t carrying her. Still, when she stumbled over a tree root in his yard, he reached out and took her hand. He didn’t cradle it, but rather interlocked every finger with his until their palms touched.

When they reached the trailer, she turned and tried to come up with the words to thank him. But she couldn’t seem to find any that would express her gratitude. So instead she kept it simple.

“Thank—”

Her words were cut off by a pair of very warm lips. This kiss wasn’t like the ones he’d given her before. It wasn’t deep, hot, or hungry. This one was brief and sweet, a mere brush of moist lips as he cradled her jaw in his hand. Yet the tenderness of the kiss left Shirlene reeling. Afraid she was going to do something really stupid, she hurried up the steps. But before she reached for the doorknob, she couldn’t help but look back.

Bubba stood at the bottom of the steps. A country boy in faded jeans and bare feet. A redneck with stubbled jaw and wavy hair. A knight in shining armor who always seemed to be there when she needed him.

“Goodnight, Bubba,” she whispered.

“Billy” he said. “My name’s Billy.”

T
HE RINGING OF HIS CELL PHONE
woke Billy from a sound sleep. Rolling to the edge of the mattress, he felt around for his shirt and pulled the phone from the front pocket. Noting the number, he pushed a button and answered.

“Damn it, Brant,” he grumbled. “What the hell are you doing calling so early?”

His brother chuckled. “If you think nine o’clock is early, little brother, you’ve taken too much time off work.”