Two of a Kind Read online

  “You swear?”

  “I swear. Your uncles love you more than anything. I promise you.”

  “Okay.” He wiped the back of his hand across his nose. “I need to wash up.”

  “You do. I’m gonna go check on the girls.” He patted Braden on the back. “Come out when you’re ready. There’s food.”

  Tons of food. Vast amounts of food.

  “I’m not hungry, but I could eat a sandwich.”

  “I bet Dolores will make you grilled cheese.”

  “Okay. I should come out and play with Ames and Court, huh? I bet they’re scared.”

  “Amelia could totally use your company. Something kinda quiet. She’s melted down.”

  “We can watch Nick Jr. It’s for babies, so it’s easy, and it’ll make her laugh.”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea. Just don’t call her a baby.” He winked when Braden glanced at him uncertainly, making Braden laugh.

  “It’s good, you being home. Uncle Daddy misses you.”

  “Does he? I miss him, and all you yahoos too.” He did. God, he did.

  “Me too.” Braden gave him a hug, then backed off.

  “Okay. You have your mission.” He needed to pack a bag for Trey, check on the guys in the barn, and check on Bettie the horse, as well. Not to mention making sure someone was going to be here with the kids for the rest of the day.

  There had to be someone. Coach was coming back with his wife, so someone just had to stay until then.

  “You look wiped-out, Denny.” The parish priest, Father Garcia, caught him in the hallway. “You ought to sleep before you drive downtown. It’s so early.”

  He looked at his watch. It was just about seven thirty. “I caught a nap at a truck stop. That’s why I’m a little late.” Guilt had eaten at him, but if he died on the road, he was no help to anyone.

  “How about I drive you down? I know Trey has a truck there. I’d like to be able to say a prayer for her.”

  “Oh.” His eyes stung again. “I would really appreciate that, Father.” If they had to coordinate another car, someone would come down.

  “No problem. Let’s grab a couple of tacos each, and we’ll head out.”

  “I can totally have a taco.” He stopped himself from saying murdering one, because you know, priest. He needed to check on Court as well. She needed to see his face. “I’m going to grab Trey a bag. Can you send Courtney in to hug me if she’s awake?”

  “I can. I’ll get those tacos in the kitchen too.” Father Garcia left, and he headed to his and Trey’s bedroom, where he grabbed a couple of days of clothes and toiletries.

  He needed to get down there; he needed to see Bella with his own eyes.

  “Uncle Ap?” Courtney’s voice was very small and very sleepy.

  “Hey, baby.” He turned to hold out his arms for her. “Come here?”

  “I seed Bella’s blood. Her’s hurt bad.”

  Lord, he hadn’t heard baby talk from her in forever.

  “She is. She had surgery, though, and they’re watching her super careful.” He picked her up and held her close. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  “Uncle Daddy cried.” She snuggled into him.

  “I bet. You can’t blame him for that, right? It’s scary for all of us.”

  He carried her and Trey’s bag to the kitchen.

  “Hey, Court.” Cole was right there. “You want to come watch cartoons with Braden and Ames? There’s blankets and pillows and color books and crayons.”

  She nodded. “Are you home, Uncle? All the way home?”

  “I am, baby girl. I promise. I’m gonna go see Uncle Daddy, but I’ll be back.”

  She hugged him again, holding him tight. “I love you. So bad. Tell Bella to come home and I’ll share my baby doll with her.”

  “I will. I promise.” He was making a lot of promises. She went with Cole, so he hoovered up two tacos. “Has anyone looked in on Bettie? The horse who kicked her? She was having hoof issues.”

  “Mr. Gary stayed and worked on her hooves, did the evening feeding and milking with Cole when he got back,” a grizzled older man he didn’t recognize told him.

  “Ap McIntosh.” He held out a hand.

  “José Maez. I belong to Dolores. I’m the little adobe three ranches over.”

  “Nice to meet you.” He shook hands. “Thank you and your family for all you’re doing.”

  Father Garcia handed him one more taco. “Eat up, son.”

  “Yes, Father.” God, this was heaven on earth, and hellish, all at the same time.

  He ate up, then went to wave at the kids. They didn’t need him pulling them away from each other. “Okay. I’m ready.”

  “Let’s do this. I know Trey’s waiting for you, and so’s that little girl.”

  “Yessir.” He was going to do this even though it terrified him. That was what parents did.

  God help him.

  TREY prayed for hours, and then he had another coffee and prayed some more. He prayed for Bella. He prayed for the kids at home. He prayed for Ap. He prayed for forgiveness.

  Everything in his body hurt.

  He sipped his coffee, wincing when yet another chirpy talk show came on. He heard someone come in, so he looked up, and damn if it wasn’t Ap and Father Garcia.

  He stood up, swaying a little bit, blinking to clear his eyes.

  “Hey.” Ap hurried to him, grasping his upper arms. “Hey. You’re okay.”

  “You made it.” He focused on Ap’s green eyes. “She’s still in a coma. There’s a lot of swelling, but she’s hanging in there.”

  “Hanging in there?” Ap searched his face in return.

  “Her vitals are stable, and she’s got brain activity.”

  “That’s good, baby. Listen to me. I’ve seen this a thousand times. She’s a cowboy. We come back from this.”

  He clenched his teeth against the cry that wanted out, but then he found a smile. “She is a cowboy, down to the bone.”

  “Yep. And she’s young. Strong.”

  “Trey, would you mind if I went in to see her? They know me here.” Father Garcia smiled gently at him.

  “Please, Father. Tell God we need her here.”

  “I will.” Father Garcia gave him a one-armed hug when Ap stepped back to give him room.

  As soon as the good father was gone, Ap looked at him, not missing a thing. “Bathroom.”

  “This way.” He dragged Ap down the hall, past the nurses’ station.

  Ap followed him, and as soon as they were sure they were alone in there, Ap was hugging him close and kissing him with a fierce desperation. He held on tight, sobbing into the kisses.

  “I got you. I got you, baby.” Ap cried with him, just holding him.

  “I swear to God, I told her to be careful. I told her not to mess with Bettie.”

  “I know you did.” Ap rocked them back and forth, almost like a dance. “She’s so stubborn.”

  “She is. Her poor baby head, Ap. You…. God, the blood.” He rested hard, knowing that he wasn’t alone now.

  “I told Courtney, and I’ll tell you. I’m sorry you ever had to see that. Christ, baby. I’m here now.” Ap just kept talking, which was what he needed.

  “Thank God. How are the kids? Are they holding up?”

  “They’re scared. Braden thinks you’re gonna blame him.” Ap smiled a little. “I told him you might talk to him about doing what you ask him to, but that was it.”

  “It’s been a hard week. I’m sorry you had to leave, but I’m so glad to have you here.”

  “No. I really was leaving. I was calling the house to tell you when Cole answered.” Ap was serious as a heart attack. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want your mind here when you were sitting on the back of a bull.”

  “No, I get that. I do. But Rootin’ Tootin’ is just a bad bull, and something was telling me to get home.”

  “Yeah. We needed you.” He needed help, needed a friend, needed
his lover.

  “I love you.”

  That was the second time Ap had said that in the last two days. God, he hoped it was true. Like really real.

  “Good. I don’t want to be the only one in this….” Trey’s phone rang, and he grabbed it. “Yeah?”

  “She’s got a bleed. We’ve called the surgeon.”

  He grabbed Ap’s hand and ran.

  Chapter Nineteen

  AP had never been so tired in his whole life. Then again, he didn’t think he’d ever been as scared. Bella had come through the surgery, and they had her stabilized, but—

  But damn, that was like her having a stroke.

  They sat together, hands linked, neither one of them saying a thing.

  Ap was afraid Bella wasn’t the only one broken here. Trey’s shoulders were hunched, the strong man’s face lined with his fear.

  He wanted to tell Trey it would be fine, that she would sail through this, but he didn’t want to lie.

  Hell, he was fighting puking with every fiber of his being.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Trey whispered. “I’ve spent the last six fucking years not knowing what to do, and it’s not getting better.”

  “Do you think Tammy and Daniel would know what to do right now? Or our folks? No one knows, baby.”

  “I keep waiting to be good at this whole thing with the kids. I keep waiting for it to be okay.”

  “Baby.” He squeezed Trey’s hand. “You are good at it. So good. I know you don’t feel it now, but this isn’t your fault.” He squeezed, trying to get that through.

  “I know. I mean, no more than anything. I just hate this. I swear to God, I’d take her place in a second.”

  “I would too. But neither of us needs to get hurt.” He grinned a little, then glanced at Bella. They’d let them both come sit for a few hours because of the surgery. Soon they would probably have to go back to trading off, but that was damn lonely.

  “Fair enough.” Trey reached out and stroked Bella’s cheek. “You need to get better, baby. You have yaks that need tending.”

  She didn’t move, and she was so pale it hurt to look at her, but he touched her poor baby arm, full of needles and monitor thingees.

  She was warm, and that helped. She was here with them, fighting to get better.

  “Did you know that I have some friends from the finals coming down when you’re better? A couple barrel racers want to meet the girl that’s going to kick their asses.”

  Trey chuckled, the sound a little clogged. “We really need a casita.”

  “Someone told me you’d promised a little playhouse in the back.”

  “Oh yes. For Ames and Court.”

  “Uh-huh. We can make a little casita instead, with a bedroom and a front room. They can use it like a family room unless we have guests, huh?” He kept stroking Bella’s arm.

  “You know Bella will raise chickens in it.”

  Was that a smile? Could she hear them?

  God, he hoped so. The doc said talking to her was important, that her brain activity would be increased by it.

  “I bet she will. Maybe turkeys. Didn’t she sneak quail babies in last year?”

  Trey snorted. “Quail. She has a little setup for them in the back so the hawks can’t get at the babies. Like we need more quail.”

  “She loves them; don’t you, baby girl?” It felt so strange not to hear her laugh at them.

  “She’s our cowgirl, to the bone. She’s going to work the ranch like a hellion. I’m so damn proud of her.”

  Trey’s words were strong, fierce, and yes, that was a smile.

  “She is. You are, baby girl. I can’t wait to get you a barrel horse. I have a buddy who trains them. He’s a horse whisperer like you’re the yak whisperer.” He babbled, wanting more reactions.

  Trey looked at her, and he saw Trey’s face relax at her smile. “Oh Lord, you do that and I bet she names it the Trigger. You know, I’m pulling the Trigger?”

  “Oh God.” Ap had to laugh, and if it was low and pained, so be it. “No. I bet she calls him Roland. You know, Roland the barrel?”

  Trey laughed, and this one was real, almost shockingly loud.

  Bella’s fingers curled, and Ap grabbed her baby hand, letting her hold on. “You there, baby girl?”

  She squeezed his hand.

  Her eyes weren’t open, and he knew the doctors would say she wasn’t awake, but he knew better. She was right there. Oh God, she was there. Tears streamed down his face. “We see you, baby. We’re right here. Me and Uncle Daddy.”

  “You know it. We’re here, planning your life.” Trey knocked their shoulders together. “We’ve decided to marry you off to a bulldogger named Ralph.”

  Her little face screwed up in a frown.

  “Oh, see, I thought we’d decided on that boy from church. Esteban?”

  “The boy that picks his nose? Nah, Braden wouldn’t approve.”

  “Yeah, ew. Okay, Ralph it is.”

  She squeezed his hand again, and her monitors beeped a little faster.

  “We’ll build them a house across the street so we can see her whenever we want to.” Trey’s eyes were glistening, but that smile was real.

  “I like it. No one leaves the ranch. Bum bum bum.” He made ominous noises.

  Her mouth moved, like she was trying to talk to them. Like she was dreaming.

  Oh, thank God.

  A nurse knocked softly before entering. “Hey. I saw her numbers go up. I just thought I’d check in.”

  “She’s smiling and trying to talk.”

  “Yeah? That’s great. Let me page the on-call and we’ll have him give her a peek.” She came over to the side of the bed and smiled. “I can’t wait to talk to you, Bella. Did you know that’s my daughter’s name too? After the book. I loved Twilight.”

  “Her great-granny was an Isabella.” Trey grinned when Ap looked at him, wide-eyed.

  “Oh, that’s great. How many do you have?”

  “Five in total. We have two boys and three girls.”

  “Wow. That’s so cool.” She saw Bella’s face move and made a happy noise. “Let me get the doc, huh?”

  “Please.” Trey leaned close. “I see you in there, baby girl. Uncle Ap is home, and we love you.”

  He loved them both so much he could hardly breathe. For the first time since Cole had told him about the injury, Ap thought it really might just be all right.

  Trey squeezed his hand and rested against his side.

  Yeah. They couldn’t relax too much; she wasn’t out of the woods yet. She was their girl, though, still in there and fighting.

  Their cowgirl.

  Chapter Twenty

  TREY missed his house. He missed his bed. He missed his sons and his baby girls.

  He wanted to sit at his kitchen table and drink his coffee and listen to his kids chat about school.

  Instead, he was down in the waiting room, waiting for Bella’s teacher to come out of the ward. They were back to one visitor at a time.

  She was awake, though. Awake and in there. She was having a little trouble with walking and using her left hand, but the physical therapists were all enthusiastic and encouraging.

  His phone rang again, and he glanced down. If it wasn’t Ap, he didn’t care. He loved that the community was with them, but he needed a second to be quiet.

  Ap. He clicked Answer. “Hello?”

  “Hey, baby. How’s it going?”

  “Miss Traynor’s here visiting. I’m sucking coffee and Excedrin. How’s you?”

  “I’m ready to come trade off. The kids are gonna plotz if they don’t see you soon.”

  “Yeah. She’s wide-awake. She threw a temper tantrum today.” It had made him so happy. She was on fire.

  “I never thought I’d be glad to hear it. Amelia wants to play her solo for you, and Cole wants to talk about Christmas.”

  The unspoken question was right there—was Bella going to be home by then?

  “Sure. God. I hate t
his….” He wanted to go home. He wanted to bring Bella home.

  “Well, I’ll be down in about an hour.” Ap had gone home to spend the night with the kids once they knew Bella was coming out of her coma. “You can turn around and take my truck back up and sleep and bathe and spend some time.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” Except the thought made his belly hurt. What if she got worse while he was gone?

  “Hey, the other kids need us too. I’ll stay with her, you know that.”

  “I know.” He did know, but he worried.

  “Well, you stay right there, and I’ll be down.” Ap sounded better, more rested.

  “Sure. I’ll be here.”

  “Love you.” Ap hung up, and Trey sat back, rolling his head on his neck.

  He was beginning to learn this new normal. Bella was losing patience, was feeling good enough to be frustrated and angry.

  She didn’t remember getting kicked at all. In fact, she remembered zero from the day before the accident. And she was refusing to believe she needed to rest and recover. Which she so did with a hole in her head.

  Miss Traynor came out with a weak smile. “She’s not a happy camper, Trey, but she can read, do math. That part is just like it has been.”

  “Yeah. They say it may manifest more in her temper and balance for a bit.” He smiled back, rising to shake her hand.

  “She’s always had a bit of a temper, sir.”

  “A bit? She gets that from the McIntosh side.”

  “Does she?” She chuckled. “Well, good luck. I look forward to seeing her back at school.”

  “I’m praying she’ll be back after the break. Will someone at the school help me work it out?”

  “Absolutely.” She dug in her purse for a card, then handed it right over. “Call Mrs. Gonzales.”

  “I can do that. Thank you for coming down. I know she loves you.” Or at least tolerates you.

  “She tries.” She left him, and Trey steeled himself to go back in there.

  It was like facing a little pissed-off, bored lion.

  He washed his hands, then went in. “Hey, baby girl.”

  “I want to go home.”

  “Me too. I think it’ll be soon. You’re like the miracle girl. You’re working so hard.”