“I am allowed toonlytake ordersfor two hours each night, Cousin Auggie.Someone else shall deliver them.No carrying anything.Fletcher is still in a room near the family wing.But my cowboy is a bit of an early bird, considering…He’s probably sleeping right now.I was going stir crazy in there, listening to him breathe.But…our new drone is here.I assembled it this morning.It’s the size of a basketball.I need a relatively flat, large empty field without a lot of cow poop and pine trees to test it in soon…Know where I can borrow one, by any chance?”
“I have a few you can use.All we’ve really had in it in years are pumpkins.Lots and lots of pumpkins.It does slope down a bit though, toward a creek.”
“Were they heavily fertilized fields?Did you let some self-seed?What does the snow do to pumpkin seeds, do you think?Can I get some soil samples, sometime?I really want to study what we’ve got in this county.See if I can match seeds to the environment.”
It took Cal a moment to catch up to what the younger woman was talking about.Auggie answered her questions easily, though.Comfortably.
Then they were sitting at their table,alone,waiting for their order to be delivered.“That one was the one with your cousin, right?”
She had left after they’d all been seated.Her fiancé had stayed behind, though.
“That’s Dylan.My father…almost got her killed four weeks ago.I’m very glad Dylan isn’t holding that against us.Now her father…well…that guy is real piece of work.Hehas a problem with Tylers anywhere in the same orbit as his precious daughters now.”
“But isn’t she involved with Gil’s brother?Like Dusty is the other one?”
“Most definitely.Dusty and Ben are getting married soon.Dylan likes to pester her dad about that, too.She’s threatening to use drones in her own wedding, whenever that will be.I think she’s serious, too.She’s good for Fletcher.He just lights up when she’s around.It’s nice to see.”
What would it take to make Augusta Dawn light up for a man, he wondered?
Cal really wanted to see.
He slipped his fingers into hers, and told her just that.
Her cheeks turned bright red, and he knew…she was thinking the same thing.
He just had to figure out how to make that happen as soon as it possibly could.
47
He droveher to Gil’s.He hadn’t been to the Preston Ranch since it became the Tyler-Preston Ranch, but he had been there several times before.The older man had been a real estate client in the later years of his life—and the earlier years of Cal’s career.Vince Preston had been a good man, a mentor to many in business, generous with his skill and knowledge.Cal had seen that before.He’d even benefited a time or two.
“I could have driven myself.I am going to need my van eventually.”
“We can figure that out.I can bring Cadell with me tomorrow and I can drive it out here for you.”He liked taking care of her.Cal knew himself well—he secretly liked to fuss over the people he cared about.Nothing wrong with that.This was a woman he could fuss over for a lifetime if she’d let him.
“So what happens next?I have no idea how long we are staying out here.”
And he suspected that was bothering her.He had no doubt her cousin would keep her and the girls there and safe until Bruce Tyler was caught.But how long was it going to be until that man was caught?It could be indefinitely.
They couldn’t stay with Gil forever.
Auggie and the girls would want to behome,living their own lives.Not stuck in limbo because of Bruce.“What did Claudia say?”
“Pack up the girls, get to Gil’s, and stay there.Until Claudia finds him.I think she’s making him a personal mission.”
“Not exactly reassuring me, considering that I know how stubborn she can be.”And no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t hide his precious baby sister away from the world and protect her.Any of the three—no matter how much he wanted to do just that.
“Yeah, no kidding.”
Then they were parked, and he was walking her to the door like a gentleman.“I am not too thrilled with the idea of just leaving you here.”
“You’re hurting.How bad did he really get you?I’ve seen you wince a few times.And I know what pain looks like.”
“I am big and strong and manly.An old fart like Bruce could barely touch me.”He made himself a vow right then and there.He would never call Bruce herfatherever again.A father was someone who cared for his children, period.Bruce didn’t deserve that honor with Auggie or her sisters.
The door opened, and Gil was standing there, barefooted, Markie in his arms.“We were starting to wonder when you’d get here.”
“We finished with the WHP and then grabbed something to eat.So we could talk.”She reached for her little girl.Cal loved watching her with the girls, she was so natural at being theirmom.And her defenses went down—the real Auggie Tyler was there when she was with the girls.“How are the girls?”
