Rae, Beverly - Saving Mandy [Night Runner Werewolves 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) (4 page)

“The mayor didn’t send me.” She dropped her suitcase, belatedly wondering if the weight of it would take it through the boards to the ground underneath the porch. “I’m Mandy.”

The frown deepened. “Yeah? So?”

He didn’t know her. But then, she’d been a young child when he’d left. “My name is Mandy Garland.”

Still no recognition. He was intoxicated, but she still hoped he had a few brain cells left. At least enough to remember her name.

She gritted her teeth, keeping back the angry words. “I’m Mandy Garland. Your daughter.”

Her father blinked at her, the frown giving way to a confused expression. “Naw. My Mandy’s a little girl. She lives with her mother in another town. Hell, another state.”

My Mandy?
Revulsion roiled her stomach.
She may have been his Mandy when she was a little girl before he’d left her. But she wasn’t his Mandy now.

“I was just a young girl when you left my mother and me. But that was a long time ago. I’m a grown woman now.”

His stark appraisal scanned her from top to bottom. “Well, well. Look at you. Yeah, you did grow up.” His leer crept into his tone. “You grew up real good, too. I bet you’ve got a pack of horny hounds after you.”

She swallowed the bile rising to her throat. “I came to see you. To get to know the father I never had.”

He stepped back, holding his hands in front of him, and almost dropped the bottle. “You came to visit me?”

“Yes.” She glanced behind him into the dimly lit interior. Papers lay strewn over most of the battered and torn furniture. An older television set flickered in one corner of the small living area. A scrawny cat licked one of the many dirty dishes filled with half-eaten food. “May I come in?”

“Fuck, no.”

She’d expected many different answers, but she hadn’t expected an outright refusal. “What?”

He waved the bottle in the air. “I said, fuck, no. I didn’t ask you to come, and I ain’t asking you to stay.”

She caught the door, keeping him from slamming it in her face. “Are you serious? After all these years? After coming all this way, you don’t even want to sit down and talk?”

Her goal of knowing the man who’d left her, of finding out about his life and trying to understand him died a quick death. Her mother, Jimmy, and the people of Lost Hills were right. Her father was a loser.

“I said no and that’s that. Got it? Now get off my porch and go on home.” He cackled, enjoying her reaction, and pushed her hand off the door. Aiming for her, he flicked his cigarette into the air and shoved the door closed.

Chapter Three

Mandy stared at the door, unable to believe what had happened. Her father had closed the door on her, literally. But what now? Go home and try to forget his rebuke?

“I’m sorry, Mandy.”

She pivoted toward Jimmy, her mind still refusing to make sense of what had happened. He stood at the bottom of the steps, his face a mask of controlled anger. “He just…I mean, how could he dismiss me like I’m some kind of door-to-door salesperson? Like I mean no more to him than a stranger?”

Jimmy came beside her and pulled her to him. She didn’t resist, instead leaning against him for support. The now-familiar tingle speared into her, and she welcomed it like an old friend. A tear streaked down her cheeks, but she hid it from him, keeping her head on his shoulder. His strong arms enveloped her, comforting her, keeping her safer than she’d ever felt. He ran a hand along the back of her head, stroking her as he whispered soft words to soothe her.

“It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.”

She closed her eyes, letting her body relax and her mind forget everything except the way Jimmy’s body felt. If she could’ve stayed wrapped in his arms forever, she would have. His gentle kindness gave her what her father had refused to give her.

“You’re more than a stranger to him. You’re worse.”

As much as she wanted to keep the world at bay, she opened her eyes and moved away, but not out of his arms. She couldn’t break their connection. Not yet. “What do you mean?”

He wiped a tear away with his thumb. “Glen Garland’s an irritable, nasty coot, but I don’t think he would’ve treated a stranger as badly as he treated you. A stranger wouldn’t have meant enough to him.”

She tried to understand, but her brain wouldn’t function. “Are you saying he does care about me?”

His eyes softened as though they could ease the blow of his words. “No. Not in the way you want him to. I think seeing you brought up old memories and reminded him of a past he’d rather forget. You’re the physical representation of the worst side of him. Seeing you, acknowledging you, means he has to accept how he treated you and your mother.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Who are you? Lost Hill’s answer to Dr. Phil?”

“Well, I am taking a couple of psychology classes.”

“And I bet you’re getting As, aren’t you?”

He chuckled. “What else would I get?”

She wanted to keep joking with him, but the image of her father throwing a cigarette at her brought another round of misery and anger. “I wish I’d picked up that damn cigarette and snubbed it out in his face.”

Fury swept from him and into her, surprising her with its intensity. Why did he care so much?

“I wanted to shove it down his throat, but I didn’t want to interfere.” His jaw muscle jumped, showing his restraint.

“You did the right thing. Although I do like your idea better than mine. Besides, I owe him a swift kick from my mother.”

Bending over to take her suitcase, he released her, and she almost wept at the loss of his body next to hers. But her pain didn’t last long as he slid his arm around her waist and led her away from the house.

They walked in silence, the hot
Texas
sun beating down on their backs. Where he led her, she didn’t know or care. She trusted him. More than she trusted everyone else except her mother. More than she trusted Decker. The realization bothered her, sending a fresh wave of guilt. How could she trust a man she’d just met? Yet, for some inexplicable reason, she did.

Decker had forced her to take this journey on her own, without telling him she was leaving. Why hadn’t he supported her decision to go instead of refusing to discuss the trip any further?

But she was too tired, too emotionally drained to think any longer. She dipped her head, concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, and tried not to relive the awful moment of meeting her father.

“Jimmy?”

Mandy jerked up her head to find a beautiful woman, her brown hair swept away from her face, her big brown eyes regarding her with curiosity. She exuded a confidence, an understanding of her place in the world that Mandy wished she possessed.

“Hi, Sara.”

Sara perused her, sliding her attention over Mandy, taking in details. Mandy tugged at her shirt and hoped she looked presentable. She caught a glimpse of Jimmy.

The woman meant a lot to him. Her stomach clenched, jealousy making a direct hit. But why should she care if Jimmy and Sara had something going on?

“What are you doing in town?” His tone was respectful, yet it held an irritation the respect couldn’t conceal.

“I’m just picking up a few things.” Sara reached out her hand to Mandy. “Hi. I’m Sara Hutchinson.”

Mandy wiped her hand on her skirt and took Sara’s. “Mandy
Garland
.”

A flicker of realization flashed across Sara’s face. “Any relation to Glen Garland?”

“She’s his daughter.”

Sara’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Really? I didn’t know he had a daughter.”

“It’s okay. Not many people do. Although I would’ve thought in a town this size, everyone would know everyone’s business.”

Sara laughed and waved her hand toward a cluster of homes. “Trust me. They know more than they let on. They’re watching us right now, I bet. But I haven’t lived here very long, so I’m still learning how the town’s gossip mill works.” Her gaze jumped to the road behind her, then back. “Have you seen your father yet?”

“She did. Unfortunately, he was his usual charming self.” Jimmy shifted the suitcase to his other hand. “He slammed the door in her face.”

Sara’s mouth dropped open. “What? You’re kidding.”

Mandy shrugged. “I wish I was. I didn’t expect him to welcome me with open arms, but I had hoped to at least have a civil conversation with him.”

The two shared a look Mandy couldn’t interpret. Sara took Mandy’s hand and pulled her alongside her. “Well, don’t give him another thought, okay? At least not for the rest of the day. Tell me. Where are you staying?”

Although Mandy guessed Sara was about her age, she acted like an older, wiser person. A person who’d seen more of life like the older sister she’d always wanted.

“I’d kind of planned on staying with my father.”

Sara shook her head, her hair shifting with the brisk movement. “Even if he’d acted like a decent man, we couldn’t have you staying with him. The man lives like an animal. No offense.”

“None taken.” She looked around, wondering for the first time if the town had a motel. “Could you recommend a hotel, Sara? Something very reasonable? I’m, uh, on a strict budget.”

They strolled down the sidewalk leading back to the main street until coming to a stop beside a pickup truck. Sara motioned to Jimmy who tossed the suitcase into the bed of the truck.

“I sure can. You can stay at our place.”

“No, no. I can’t impose.” She couldn’t stay with strangers. Yet hadn’t she been ready to stay with the stranger that was her father?

Wait. Their place?
Were Jimmy and Sara a couple?
A twinge of envy hit her.

“It’s no trouble.” Sara opened the passenger-side door and motioned for her to get in. “We’d love to have you. Besides, where else are you going to stay?”

“Yeah, Mandy. The bus only comes through here once a day. You’re kind of stuck.” Jimmy grinned then offered his hand to help her step up into the cab.

She was stuck. Stuck in the middle of west
Texas
with a father who didn’t want to see her and a man who couldn’t keep his eyes off her. A man she found sexy as hell.

Maybe staying in the same house isn’t a good idea.

Going against the warning thought, she let the sensations rush over her. His touch left her wanting more, ready to risk throwing caution to the wind. She scooted across the seat, settled next to Sara, who’d hopped into the driver’s side, then waited as Jimmy climbed in.

The closeness of him, his arm pressed against hers, flashed heat into her abdomen. A heat spread outward to sear desire into every nerve. She swallowed, unable to remember a time when she’d had such a strong reaction to a man.

Fearing she might take what her body wanted, she clasped her hands in her lap and looked straight ahead. Jimmy shifted, moving closer to her, putting his hard thigh against hers. Her mouth dried up and she stiffened, and she tried to keep her mind on other matters.

Think about Decker. Think about the weather. Think about anything else. But whatever you do, don’t look.

She lost the battle, letting her gaze slide to his crotch.
Damn it. Stop it!

“So are you and Jimmy a couple?” She had to know, had to squelch her interest.

Sara started the engine then gripped the wheel. “No, we’re not involved. Not like that anyway.”

Good. Urgh! No. Not good. Come on, Mandy. Knock it off. You didn’t come here to get it on with another man.

Sara pulled the truck into the street and picked up speed. “We should, however, explain our living situation.”

Hell. What had she gotten into? Why had she let her hormones do her thinking?
She took her hair and twisted it around her finger. “Please don’t tell me you’re part of a cult.”

Sara punched on the radio, and an old country song filled the air. “Hardly. But the Matheson Ranch is a big ranch which means we need a lot of hands to help with the chores.”

Mandy let out a sigh. “So it’s a working ranch?”

Sara pushed on the accelerator, racing the truck down the deserted stretch of highway.

“A hard-working ranch. Michael Matheson runs the place like a slave driver.”

Sara cast Jimmy a pointed look. “Jimmy’s never been big on working cattle. He’d rather use his head than his hands.”

I wish he’d use his hands on me.
Sara groaned, unable to stop the wayward ideas from running rampant. “Right. He told me he’s in college.” She started to relax, their easy way telling her she had nothing to fear. “How many hands do you have?”

“I wouldn’t call them ranch hands exactly. Everyone on the ranch is a partner, sharing in the work and the money.”

Sara stopped the truck in front of a sign reading
Matheson Ranch
and nodded to Jimmy. He hopped out, opened the gate for the truck to get through, then closed the gate and snapped the lock closed. He was back in the truck in a few minutes.

A gravel road led to the big, two-story home. Windows sparkled in the sunlight, and colorful flowers sprouted from boxes positioned under every window. Another pickup and a sports car rested on the gravel parking lot next to the home.