Cowgirl Crazy (#2, Cowboy Way) (23 page)

A shot of adrenaline when through her, and
Twyla wasn’t foggy anymore. “What I was doing?” she asked, playing
dumb, because she prayed it wasn’t what she thought. Oh, God. Her
daddy knew she’d been dancing at the Crazy Cowgirl, and Lord only
knew what else, if Ryan was the one doing the telling, and it
looked like he was.

Twyla glanced at her mother, and those blue
eyes that usually held patience and love, narrowed and heated.
“Don’t play dumb, Twy—we know what you’ve been doing.” Her gaze
darted to her husband across the bed, then she looked back at
Twyla. “You should be ashamed of yourself. I know we raised you
better than that. Your grandmother is going to be very disappointed
when she hears too.”

If Ryan had told us before now
what you were doing…

Twyla was sure he hadn’t sold himself out
though by telling them he was her first lover, had used his
knowledge of her dancing to try and blackmail her into having sex
with him.

Blinding anger hitched a ride with the
adrenaline coursing through her. Telling them was right on the tip
of her tongue. But she stopped herself, because that would most
likely mean none of them would ever speak to him again. And having
any
kind of relationship with the man would be impossible.
She just couldn’t make herself do that.

One thing was for sure though. Ryan Easter
needed to choose a side, either brother or lover. Riding the fence
had just gotten splinters in his ass. Twyla was choosing the side
for him now. Brother. She was done with that man as anything other
than that. And the brother role was even questionable now. If she
got her hands on him, she was most likely going to kill him, or at
least make him wish he were dead.

Another thought hit Twyla.

If her parents knew, the odds were Zack knew
too. He was probably twice as mad as her parents. The odds were he
was hunting down Ryan right now. Another layer of fear plopped down
on the mountain in her chest. Her brother could be a bear
sometimes, especially when it came to her. If Zack knew too, Ryan
could very well be getting his ass kicked somewhere.

Both of them would likely end up in jail, or
right here in this hospital bed with her. They had rodeo careers to
think of, but she knew from past experience that wasn’t their first
concern when they were pissed at each other.

“
Where are Zack and
Ryan?”

“
Ryan Easter is dead to this
family. He is no longer welcome in our home,” her father replied
angrily. “Your brother is out helping the police try to find the
man who assaulted you.”

Twyla’s heart jerked in her chest, and emotion
surged up to her eyes. Her daddy was serious about cutting Ryan
from the family. She was pissed at him, but she couldn’t let that
happen. He’d been through too much in his life.

“
Daddy, I asked him not to tell,”
she said taking the bullet for him.

“
That doesn’t make a hill of
beans, daughter. He had a responsibility to this family, and he
knew better. He made a choice, and needs to face the consequences
of that choice. He’s a grown man and your safety and our sanity
should’ve been his first concern, if he was concerned at all about
our family, which he was not.”

Frustration took the lead in the emotions
fighting for control inside of Twyla. “Daddy, I wasn’t doing a
damned thing illegal or immoral at that bar. I was dancing, and
making good money. I had to find something to do when I quit
racing.”

“
Well, if you don’t see that it
was wrong, that’s a problem. There were plenty of other choices you
could have made too, Twyla Renee,” he said with disappointment in
his tone.

God, she hated that tone. Twyla had heard it
enough in her life to know it when she heard it. And the two-name
thing magnified it tenfold. This fight would be better left for
another day, when her family wasn’t so upset. She’d let them cool
off, and try again.

“
Mr. Taylor,” the doctor said
putting his hand on her father’s shoulder. “I’m going to sign
Twyla’s release papers. She’s going to feel better tomorrow, but
she needs to take it easy for at least a couple of weeks. Her arm
should be ready to take the splint off then. The nurse will give
you more instructions when she comes in.”

Why was this man talking to her daddy, when
she was a grown woman, over the age of majority, who was
responsible for taking care of herself now?

The doctor stuck his hand out and her daddy
took it. “Thank you for everything, doc. I’m sorry if I got a
little agitated with you before.”

The doctor laughed. “You’re not the first.
When our kids are in trouble, it’s understandable. Call me if you
need anything.” With a sympathetic smile and a final shake of
hands, the doctor turned and walked to the door.

Kid? Twyla was a kid?

That was the problem here. Had been the
problem for years. Her family thought she was a kid, her brother
thought she was a kid, and Ryan Easter, even though he knew
firsthand she wasn’t, thought she was a child. Someone weak who
needed protecting and directing. Yeah, she’d gotten herself into a
bad situation, because she’d been stupid. It could have turned out
bad. But she wasn’t a child. The decision to walk out of that bar
with Jared Wilkins had been hers to make. Shock rocked her when she
realized she’d remembered she’d done that.

Twyla huffed out a breath, and closed her eyes
trying to remember more, but nothing would come. Maybe she’d
eventually remember. And maybe Ryan wouldn’t end up in a coffin,
and Zack in prison. While she had her eyes closed, she said a
silent prayer that was the case.

“
We’re taking you back to the
ranch with us so you can recover,” her father said shortly, and
Twyla’s eyes flew open.

Twyla stiffened her chin, and shored up her
confidence. This was the first time in her life she’d ever stood up
to her parents. “I have a shooting competition this weekend, but I
won’t be able to go because of my arm. I’m still going to watch,
and can practice for the one in two weeks. Besides, Tango is here.
I can’t leave him. I’m not leaving.”

“
You are leaving little girl. Your
mother will help you get dressed, and I’m going to pull the truck
around to the front of the hospital. We’ll stop to pick up Tango on
the way out and haul him home.”

“
I’m not going anywhere, daddy,”
Twyla replied firmly. “I’m going to my apartment until I get back
on my feet, and I’m going to stay here and train for the mounted
shooting competition. That’s what I want to do with my life now,
and I’m going to do it.”

Her father’s head rocked back on his shoulders
and he looked both angry and surprised. “You’re getting very big
for your britches there, little girl.”

“
My britches fit just fine, daddy.
I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m glad y’all care about me, and
came to take care of me, but I’ve got it now. I’m not ashamed of
what I was doing at the Cowgirl, and I’m not going to apologize. I
was being an adult, figuring things out for myself. I learned a
lesson with Jared that I won’t forget. But I need you to let me
grow up and learn those lessons myself.” Her eyes darted to her
mother who was quietly weeping. Twyla’s heart squeezed, but she
knew she had to do this while she had a head of steam worked up. “I
just need all of you to let me grow up.” She smiled at her father.
“But I would appreciate a ride to my apartment on your way out. I
don’t have my truck here.”

A weight lifted off of Twyla’s chest and she
felt like she could breathe a little better. Finally, she could
breathe. And live her life the way she wanted to live it. An
overwhelming sense of freedom made her feel a little giddy, as she
tossed back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. Things
happened for a reason. Twyla didn’t want what happened with Jared
Wilkins to happen, but she was almost glad it did. This was the
first day of the rest of her life.

The first day she didn’t answer to a soul but
herself and God.

***

Ryan watched as Heather bent to grab her bag
from beside his leg and rifle through it. When she raised back up,
she smiled and held her hand up to him. “You remember what this
looks like, don’t you, big boy?”

“
Oh, yeah, I remember,” Ryan
replied, rolling down the passenger side window of the truck so he
could hear if she screamed. “Just don’t let him take it from you
like I did. Stay back.” He wasn’t sold on this harebrained plan of
Heather’s, but it looked like she wasn’t giving him much choice.
He’d tried to tell her he could handle it just fine alone, but his
words had fallen on deaf ears. Her response was it was either her
way, or she was calling the police to let them know exactly where
Jared Wilkins was staying.

If she did that, Ryan wouldn’t have the chance
to get his hands on the man before they hauled him off to jail.
There was no way Ryan was going to let that happen. Ryan heard the
quiet hum of the air conditioner inside the small Airstream
trailer. “And make sure you’re not downwind of the air conditioner,
or you’ll wind up with a noseful of it too.”

“
Yes, daddy,” Heather replied with
a snort, as she opened the door of the truck. She looked back at
him one last time. “If you hear him screaming, just stay where you
are. I have a few things to teach Mr. Wilkins, before I give you
what’s left.”

“
Just do what you’re gonna do, and
call me.”

She laughed as she hopped to the ground, then
shut the door. Ryan watched Heather stop to jerk her short top down
further, and push her breasts up into more cleavage, and just shook
his head. She stuffed the can of mace into her pocket and wiped
hands on her very short shorts, before walking up to the trailer
door to knock. Ryan ducked down below the dash, so Wilkins wouldn’t
see him when he opened the door. He just hoped Heather could
convince him to leave the door open so he could hear.

Ryan waited until he thought she was inside
then took a peek over the dash. Sitting upright, he tuned his ears
into the faint words of the conversation going on inside the
trailer.

“
Hey, honey. I saw you at the
Rooster last night. Why didn’t you stick around to talk to me? I
saw you leave with Twyla and was a little jealous,” Heather purred,
and Ryan could imagine her raking her fingernail down his chest.
Don’t get too close darlin’, he thought, his fists clenching. “Did
you come to hear me sing?”

“
Yeah, I have someone interested
in signing you. But I think I need a little more convincing, before
I recommend you.”

“
Well, I have another gig set up
for next weekend. You could come see me,” Heather said, ignoring
the slimy undertone in Jared Wilkin’s words that Ryan heard
clearly. The convincing Wilkins wanted involved her with her knees
beside her ears. Anger made him almost light headed, as Ryan’s hand
shot to the door handle.

“
I had a little something else in
mind, beautiful,” Wilkins drawled, and there was silence for a
second.

“
Get your damned hands off of me!”
Heather yelled loudly. Ryan opened the truck door, ready to run in
there and beat the ever living shit out of that slimy bastard, but
then he heard a grunt, a loud squeal, followed by loud moans and
another grunt or two.

From the sound of it, if Ryan didn’t get in
there, there wouldn’t be anything left for him. It sounded like
Heather was killing the bastard. The trailer actually rocked a few
times, before she appeared at the door grinning widely to wave him
inside.

Ryan held back a laugh as he jogged to the
door. “Help! He assaulted me, and I think he’s getting up again,”
Heather said in a distressed voice, followed by a
chuckle.

She moved aside so Ryan could enter the nasty
trailer. It smelled like sex and stale beer. A perfect combination
to inflame Ryan to the point of murdering the bastard.

He walked over to the built-in table and
jerked Wilkins to his feet. The man moved his hands from his eyes
to push on Ryan’s chest, giving him the perfect opening to plant
his fist in the man’s face. Ryan jerked him up again, then spun him
around to hold him against the wall, while he landed blow after
blow. With every punch he landed, every pained grunt he made,
Ryan’s anger inched down a notch.

Before he knocked him unconscious though,
which seemed to be very close, Ryan wanted to let the man know
exactly what the beating was for. Holding Wilkins up by the throat,
Ryan kept him on his feet against the wall. “If you ever get the
urge to do to another woman what you did to the one I love, you
remember this,” Ryan growled, before he landed a quick, but deadly
punch to Jared Wilkin’s nose. He heard a sickening crunch, and the
man’s body went limp.

Ryan eased his grip on the bastard’s throat
and let his body slide down the wall to the ground. His head lolled
over to rest on his chest, and his nose bled profusely. Ryan’s
adrenaline finally cleared a little, and a dull pain shot through
his ribs. He grabbed them, and looked at Heather, who was leaning
in the doorway with her nose stuck out into the fresh air. He
needed some fresh air too.

“
Although, I’d like to leave the
bastard here to bleed to death, call the police and an ambulance.”
Ryan stopped to grab a towel off the counter. He wiped his bloody
knuckles, and then threw it in the tiny sink.