After Tex by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online

her—Tex’s chair, the leather one that was oversize to fit a big man. Jake looked as at home in it as Tex ever had. The relief she felt at Jake’s being there unnerved her. The house was too empty without Tex. She accepted the fact that it would have felt that way even if it had been crowded with people. She told herself that a cattle thief was a poor substitute for the honorable man her grandfather had been, but she was a little too grateful for the company just the same. That made it all the more important to see that he left.
    â€œDidn’t you hear what I said?” she asked testily.
    â€œYou trying to get rid of me, Meggie?”
    â€œI was hoping to, yes,” she said bluntly. “I’m tired, Jake. It’s been a long, grueling day.”
    â€œI’m sure it has been,” he agreed. “But there are matters we have to discuss.”
    â€œTonight?”
    â€œI think so.”
    â€œSuch as?”
    â€œTess.”
    Her head pounded just thinking about Tess. “I told you I am not talking about Tess.”
    â€œYou can’t ignore the subject, Megan. She’s not going to vanish overnight.”
    Megan closed her eyes as if to deny the truth ofwhat he was saying. Unfortunately, Tess was very real and apparently very much her responsibility. Megan didn’t have to see the terms of Tex’s will in black and white to prove it. She doubted that Jake, for all of his flaws, would have the audacity to lie about something so important.
    â€œI can’t deal with this now.”
    â€œYou have to,” he insisted.
    â€œAren’t you the one who just finished saying that Tess wasn’t going anywhere? I’ll deal with that situation tomorrow.”
    â€œOr the next day or the one after that,” he suggested sarcastically. “She’s a kid. You can’t just back-burner her until it’s convenient. She needs some reassurance that things are going to work out, that you’ll take care of her now. She’s already convinced you don’t want her. Can you imagine how insecure that makes her feel?”
    The memory of another terrified, insecure little girl came back to haunt her. Megan tried to push it aside, bury it where it belonged, in the past. “Where did this show of concern come from?” she asked Jake. “I don’t remember you being the fatherly type.”
    â€œI’m talking common decency here. Tess is scared. Can you blame her? Of all people, you ought to know what it feels like to be dumped on someone’s doorstep.”
    Megan shuddered despite herself. The memories flooded back once more. It had been more than two decades ago and she still remembered how terrifyingly alone she had felt in a strange house, knowing that her mother had gone away, more than likely for good.
    What was it about the women in Tex’s life—his own daughter, Tess’s mama, even Megan herself—that they all fled? Had they been overwhelmed by the sheer force of his personality? Had they needed to escape to find themselves?
    â€œI’ll check on Tess when I go upstairs,” she said, resigned to the fact that he wouldn’t leave her in peace without such a promise.
    â€œIt’ll take more than a kiss on the cheek and tucking the blankets around her to fix things,” Jake pointed out, still not satisfied.
    â€œDammit, I know that,” Megan said, frustrated by his persistence. “I’ll do what I can. You’ve known about this for how long now? Weeks, maybe. Months. I’ve had less than a day. You’ll have to excuse me if I’m inept at the maternal bit. As you just reminded me, I never had an example to go by.”
    He looked vaguely guilty. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to reopen old wounds.”
    â€œOf course you did. And you were right,” she admitted with a sigh. “I should be more understanding, since I went through the exact same thing.” She thought of