Meet the Blakes (9 page)

“That’s right,” the host squealed. “You are on fire, Mr. Blake.”

“Daddy, you won the paintball game, do you have to win this too?” Tyler yelled out.

He flashed a cheesy grin at his son. “Not bad for an old timer, eh?”

“Now it’s time to tally the points,” the host said before she stepped off the podium.

“There’s nothing to tally. We won, hands down.” John Jacob huffed.

Teri-Lyn nudged him. “I thought you were going to be a gracious winner?”

“The heck with that. I feel like a teenager. Speaking of, where are Avery and Wyatt?” John Jacob looked around.

“I think they went for a walk,” she said in a low voice. “And you men are not going to go after him like an angry mob. It’s a lovely day and they deserve a break from babysitting duties and imaginary ranch chores.”

The host returned immediately to officially declare John Jacob and Teri-Lyn the winners and presented them with a trophy. The family went over to the food pavilion and had dinner. It had been a fun day, but John Jacob really wanted some time alone with his wife. She seemed to be enjoying herself, but she was disappointed that the Shaws, who had finally arrived in town, had not shown up for the day’s festivities.

* * *

Even the comfort of John Jacob’s arms couldn’t help Teri-Lyn get a good night’s sleep. She was so pissed off. Sure, the Shaws were finally in Texas, but they’d complained that their connecting flights rendered them too tired to participate in the day’s events. Which wouldn’t have been an issue if they hadn’t refused the private jet that she’d offered. And to add insult to injury, Hyacinth had said she wouldn’t be able to attend the bachelorette party. Teri-Lyn had seen the disappointment in Cassidy’s eyes. Now she and John Jacob would be meeting her parents for the first time at the wedding, and well, that was just bad manners all around.

John Jacob was sleeping soundly despite her restlessness. She needed to talk to Cassidy’s mom, and there was no point of ruining his night, so she gently moved his arm from around her waist and eased out of bed. After digging around in their walk-in closet in the dark, she found a pair of jeans and a sweater, but she couldn’t find her favorite boots. How she wished she had those glasses he was always kidding her about needing. She fumbled around until she picked up what she thought were cowboy boots but were in fact her rain galoshes. She dropped one, and when she bent down to put it back on the shelf, she came up too quickly and hit her head.

“Damn!” she tried to whisper, but it was too late. John Jacob’s bedside lamp came on.

“Teri, are you all right? What are you milling around in the closet in the middle of the night for?” He came over and slid the double doors open.

“It’s not the middle of the night. It ten o’clock. It only feels like that because we’re old.” Forget the boots. She reached for a pair of tennis shoes instead.

“We are not old.” He tugged on her hand, pulled her back into the bedroom, and made her sit on the bed. “Why are you getting dressed?”

“Did you see Cassie’s face tonight?”

“I saw it and thought it was a damn shame.”

“Well, I won’t accept it. Hyacinth is going to talk to me tonight whether she wants to or not.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes. I won’t be able to sleep until I’ve said my peace. We practically had to drag her from Ohio and now she’s still being uncooperative. Cassie deserves more support from her family.”

“Well.” John Jacob ran his hand over his face. “Give me ten minutes to get dressed. I’ll drive you to the Crystal Lily Hotel.”

“You’re not going to talk me out of it?”

“It’s a very bad idea. But I know better than to try and stop you when you’re fired up like this.” He kissed her and pulled a pair of jeans off a hanger.

“I’ll go make us some coffee for the road.”

“Make mine a double.” He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “Just remember, they’re family now. Whatever is going on, let the kids have their wedding, and we can sort it all out later.”

* * *

These days it wasn’t that simple to just venture off the ranch in the middle of the night. So after informing the Regency security detail stationed at the main gate that they were going out, Teri-Lyn and John Jacob were finally on the road.

Teri-Lyn’s anger hadn’t diminished since they’d left the ranch, and when John Jacob offered to go upstairs with her, she said she preferred to talk to Hyacinth alone, mother to mother. He kissed her for good luck and told her he’d grab a drink in the bar. Regency had already alerted the Shaws of their impending arrival, so it was no surprise that Hyacinth, dressed in an elegant pantsuit, was waiting for her at the end of the hallway.

“Good evening, Hyacinth. I’m Teri-Lyn Blake, Channing’s mom.” Teri-Lyn extended her hand, not sure if the woman would shake it.

“It’s nice to meet you, Teri-Lyn.” Hyacinth shook her hand. “I feel like I’m meeting the president of the United States.”

“I apologize about all of this. Security is a necessary evil for my family.” Teri-Lyn had seen pictures of her, but the resemblance between Hyacinth and Cassidy was more obvious in person. Cassidy had her eyes and the same graceful disposition.

“No need to apologize. A wealthy and powerful family like yours can never be too careful. Cassidy has told us some funny stories about the specialists who shadow her.”

“She’ll always have someone looking after her. I don’t want you to worry that being in our family means she can’t live her life.”

“The thought never crossed my mind. She’s a very capable person, even without the detail.”

“Can we talk? I know it’s late but there’s something I need to get off my chest before our children walk down the aisle together.”

Hyacinth looked at her for a moment. “There’s a nice garden area near the west wing of the hotel. If your security detail is OK with it.”

Teri-Lyn looked at the security specialist who then spoke into the microphone concealed in his sleeve. A few minutes later, the ladies were sitting on the bench.

“Do you not like my son?” Teri-Lyn asked.

Hyacinth gasped. “No, I think Channing is a wonderful young man.”

“Are you against this marriage?” Teri-Lyn looked her in the eye. There was the possibility that the woman had reservations for other reasons.

“She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her. I’d be an idiot to be against her marrying the man of her dreams.”

“If it’s not those things, I can’t understand why you haven’t been involved in your own daughter’s wedding and why you’ve turned down all our invitations. It’s a special time in a woman’s life and I know she wanted you to share it with her. It really hurt her feelings that you canceled tonight.”

Hyacinth was silent a moment. “To be honest, I really didn’t think she’d care if I helped or not.”

Teri-Lyn’s eyes widened. “How can you say that?”

Hyacinth moved closer and clasped her hands together. “Cassidy has always been very independent. Do you know what it’s like to have a self-sustaining child?”

“I have an idea. I am the mother of five strong-willed men who always wanted to do things their own way.”

“She’s never really needed my help with anything for as long as I can remember. Not like my other children. She potty-trained herself. She was a bright child, and we got her tested one time and they said her IQ was through the roof. From that point her life became…so focused. I had teachers telling me she was special and I needed to do all I could to harness her potential. Sometimes they made feel like I was holding her back. She got excellent grades, developed a strong moral compass on her own. It was like I was there just in case she needed something. I guess I reinforced it for so long my own daughter couldn’t tell me she had cervical cancer. She decided to handle it on her own. It broke my heart.” Hyacinth closed her eyes.

Teri-Lyn reached out and gripped her hand. “Channing was upset with her too.”

“I wanted to throttle her. Then I felt like an idiot, angry with my own daughter who had cancer and didn’t tell me because she obviously didn’t trust me to be there for her. Then I was angry that she went into remission and met your son and opened up her heart to someone else. My chance to be in her life in some significant way had slipped through my fingers.” She shrugged.

“Like you said. She’s a very strong woman who made the decision to go it alone. But she’s been learning. We talk all the time while gardening and she knows why the people she loved were angry with her about excluding them during her time of need.”

“Cassidy? Gardening?” Hyacinth stammered.

“She’s pretty good at it. She’s planting some lovely vegetables in her own garden and she’s so excited about it. I think it gives her hope about having a family someday.”

“I pray for a miracle every night before I go to bed that she’ll get the family she wants.” Hyacinth pulled out her cell phone and opened the photo gallery. She stopped at picture Cassidy had sent her of her and the boys. “But it looks like she has it already.”

“The boys love her.” Teri-Lyn laughed. “She’s their legal counsel.”

“Isn’t that cute. She’s their pretend attorney.”

“No, she’s their real attorney. She took a retainer from them and everything. I think it was a toy car and a stuffed bunny. I love your daughter like she was my own, but I’m not trying to take your place.” She squeezed Hyacinth’s hand. “There’s still a chance to have a relationship with her. She’ll need all the mothering she can get if she and C.J. decide to try for children. We can both be there for them.”

“Despite what it looks like, I love my daughter very much and I am so proud of her. Your son is a good man and he’s good for my daughter.”

“I think they’re perfect for each other.” Teri-Lyn smiled. “Listen, it’s not too late to get in on the wedding festivities. We’re having a family trail ride on Friday and I’d love it if your husband and Cassidy’s siblings can make it. If you don’t ride we’ll have wagons on the trail.”

“That’s awfully kind. But I don’t know if she’ll want me there.” Hyacinth sighed.

“I know for a fact that she does. Life is too precious and fleeting to miss out on participating in things that bring family closer together. I’ll have someone pick all of you up and we’ll barbecue after that. Then later that evening, we’re having the girls’ bachelorette party at my house.”

“Wow. It’s going to be an action-packed day.”

“Nah, it’s just another day on the ranch.” Teri-Lyn laughed as she stood up. “Call her. She and C.J. are night owls. I’m sure they’re still up.”

“Thank you for coming by, Teri-Lyn.” Hyacinth gave her a hug.

She hugged her back. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for your daughter.”

Teri-Lyn got on the elevator feeling good about her talk with Hyacinth. She could see a fierce, independent Cassie setting her own rules at a young age. She and Channing worked on supporting each other in ways that didn’t make it feel like dependency. She totally understood Cassie’s desire to make her own way in life.

When she arrived at the elegant restaurant, she found it nearly empty. John Jacob was at the bar sipping a scotch and scrolling through messages on his cell phone. As she made her way across the room, she could see two young women at the other end of the bar giggling and gawking at him. He still had it. Those good looks of his just magnified with age. The gray at the temples and the sparse laugh lines only made him appear more ruggedly handsome. For years women damn near trampled over her to get at him, and he’d always ignored the attention.

The bartender came over with a drink and motioned his head to the ladies, who waved their perfectly manicured fingers at him. She could see that he refused it, but he waved hello to them.

Teri-Lyn gripped his arm and slid onto the seat the next to him. “I’m upstairs trying to save a wedding, and you’re down here flirting.”

“I have boots older than those girls.” He laughed and pulled her close for a kiss. “I only have room in my heart for one woman, and that’s always been you.”

“You better keep it that way.”

“How did things go with Cassidy’s mama?”

“We talked and I think things are going to work out.”

“I think so too.” He held up his phone. “C.J. sent me a text that Cassie was on the phone with her.”

The bartender came over again, this time with a glass of Riesling for Teri-Lyn.

“Thanks,” John Jacob said. “I know it’s past our bedtime, but I think we could celebrate Cassie and her family reuniting before we leave.”

“No, it’s not too late.” She smiled.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. We have a lot of good years left in us and it’s time you start seeing it that way.”

“Did I mention that I ran into Kent the other day?”

“You did not.” He sipped his drink. “Did he flirt with you? I’ll go knock him in the nose.”

“He tried, but it just made me appreciate picking the right man all those years ago.”

“I’d still like to hit him.”

“And I’d like to go give those girls at the end of the bar a good talking to. But just like your Neanderthal tactics, it would be pointless.”

He raised his glass for a toast. “As if they could be in any competition with you. To true love and aging well, like a fine wine.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

The whole family met at the stables in the wee hours of the morning for the trail ride. Cassidy’s face beamed when the van pulled up and her whole family spilled out. John Jacob went over and introduced himself to her father and they talked for a bit. He put his arm around Teri-Lyn when she looked like she was going to start the water works again, but she muddled through. After several introductions and a group photo, they were ready to go.

Bo gave a quick speech before leading the way, and as each person followed, John Jacob waited to ride at the end. Cassidy had gotten over her fear of riding, and she was now comfortable with her horse Buttercup. Michelle looked like a champion rider on Heaven’s Helper, the horse she’d picked out at Jeb’s horse ranch. Some of the novice riders and the Blake children rode in the wagons, accompanied by Morgan. She’d handed off Reed’s Fire to the ever-appreciative Avery.