Texas Rebels: Quincy Read online

Later, Wendy got dressed to go to dinner and a movie with a friend. She had a sister who helped her out now and then, but other than that she had the sole responsibility of caring for Little Will. She needed some time for herself, so Quincy made sure she got some when he was there.

  After she left, Quincy put a saddle on Horsey. When he was three, Will had named her. The boy helped him with the cinch. They encouraged him to do as many things as he could and he didn’t like it when someone helped him unless he asked. Quincy lifted the boy into the saddle and walked Horsey around the small corral. Will’s little face beamed.

  Quincy had always wanted children, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Without Jenny... He couldn’t stop thinking about her. He just wished he could stop remembering her touch, her kiss, her smile and the way she made him feel. Maybe soon...

  The next morning Wendy went into town to buy groceries and shop and Quincy took care of Will. He left about four Saturday afternoon to go to a horse auction outside Austin the next morning. After checking into a hotel, he called Grandpa to let him know he wasn’t coming home just yet because he knew Grandpa would keep calling if he didn’t. Nothing suited him at the auction, so he headed home early. He would make it there by noon.

  It was good to get away and it was good to come home. Now he could deal with his broken heart. He didn’t even look as he passed the Walker place. If he saw her...

  Grandpa was sitting on the front porch with Mutt at his feet. “Hey, boy, it’s about time you came home,” he said as Quincy walked up the steps. Grandpa followed him into the house. Elias was lazing on the sofa in front of the TV.

  “Hey, Quincy, how you doing?”

  “Not as good as you.”

  “I fed cows all morning and I deserve some downtime on Sunday. So don’t bother me.”

  Yep, it was good to be home and back to normal.

  “Jenny came over yesterday.” Grandpa stomped into the kitchen.

  Unable to stop himself, Quincy swung around, his heart pounding at the sound of her name. How he hated that.

  “What did she want?”

  Grandpa shrugged.

  “What did she say?”

  “Well, let’s see.” Grandpa rubbed his scraggly jaw. “She said, ‘Hi, Mr. Abe, is Quincy home?’ I said no. She then asked if you were coming back and I told her I didn’t know, that you went to see your woman friend in Plano. Her face kind of went all sad.”

  “Yeah, Quincy,” Elias shouted from the living room. “Her face was real sad.”

  His gut tightened, but he didn’t respond.

  Grandpa kept talking. “She said she’d lost her phone and she thought it was in the barn, but the door was locked. Elias showed up and told her he’d go open the door. He started flirting and she told him to give it a rest. But she went with him and she found her phone.”

  “I think she has a crush on me,” Elias said. “I’ll have to ask her out.”

  “He’s nuts,” Grandpa said.

  Quincy marched into the living room. “Stay away from Jenny.”

  Elias sat up. “Paxton’s out of the picture. Why not?” He stood with a glint in his eyes. “Why not, Quincy?”

  “I don’t have to tell you why. I’m just telling you to stay away from her.” Elias was goading him and Quincy wasn’t going to react. Letting out a long breath, he realized he was doing just that. Reacting.

  Elias eyed him with that stupid look. “For the first time in your life you want something, and if you don’t go after it, then you’re a fool. That’s all I’m going to say.”

  “Good.”

  Elias was right. Quincy knew what he wanted, but it went against everything his father had ever taught him. It went against his principles to break the brothers’ code. If there was any hope for him, though, he’d have to make a decision soon about his future.

  “Your mom’s waiting on us for lunch,” Grandpa reminded them. “When you two get through staring at each other, we can go.”

  Not another word was said as they walked to their mom’s house. Quincy was fine with that. He wasn’t in the mood to talk. By the time they got there, everyone had arrived: Rachel and Egan. Falcon, Leah and their family. And Jericho. Of course, Jude and Zane lived there.

  Rachel was holding Falcon’s youngest, baby John. She kissed his head. “He smells so good it makes my ovaries kick in.” She handed him to Egan. “Hold him.”

  “Rachel...”

  Rachel placed the baby in Egan’s arms and Egan was startled for a moment. He looked awkward with a child in his arms. Baby John looked around for his mother, his bottom lip trembling.

  Leah immediately went to him. “Mommy’s here.” She took the baby and he rested his head on her shoulder. Leah held him close. Kissing his cheek, she said, “This was worth all the pain and all the suffering.” Eden went to her mother.

  Falcon watched his wife and children with a look of total love on his face. His brother and his family were finally happy and Quincy was happy for them, too. As he watched them, he knew he was witnessing true love. But he had a feeling that would never happen for him. His heart had taken a wrong turn somewhere and he was lost and couldn’t find his way back to a future he wanted.

  Chapter Nine

  Jenny curled up on the sofa, exhausted from working the weekend, which she didn’t normally do. But she’d needed to stay busy and the hospital had needed the extra help.

  The door opened and Lindsay came in with a bag of groceries. She did the grocery shopping because she said it was relaxing after a stressful day at work. That was fine with Jenny, who’d rather be outside. Her sister gave her one of those looks and Jenny couldn’t blame her. Lately, Jenny had been as conflicted as a teenager. She was supposed to be way past that. It was time to get her act together. She followed her sister into the kitchen.

  Lindsay put milk and juice into the refrigerator. “What has you so sad looking, or do I even need to ask?”

  “No. I’m just tired and I plan to stay that way for a long time.”

  Lindsay placed bread and a bag of cookies on the counter. “Just live, Jenny. Everything will work its way out. The nurses are having a party next weekend and you’re going.”

  “I’ve already made plans with Beth and Jasmine. I’m looking forward to getting out and having fun.”

  Having fun without Quincy. Her heart ached at the thought. Quincy. Just thinking his name made her sad. Her head was beginning to throb, so she got up and headed for the back door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To check on the horses. Don’t wait on me for supper.”

  “Jenny...”

  She closed the door and ran for the barn. After she fed the horses, she spent time with White Dove. With a horse brush, she made long strokes down the horse’s back.

  When would the pain stop?

  * * *

  QUINCY STAYED BUSY. If he wasn’t working on the ranch, he was taking care of his horses. One afternoon, he and Zane mucked out the stalls and then hauled the manure and old hay to his mom’s garden to be tilled early next year. Then Zane wanted to ride the paints.

  Quincy now had five mares and a two-year-old colt, the first from Red Hawk. The seventeen-hand stud was a registered Tobiano paint horse, but the mares he picked up at horse auctions across the state. Later, he would invest in some registered mares. For now, he was happy learning the breed.

  He favored the Tobiano paint because of their white legs and solid face with a star or a blaze. Also, the spotted round marking pattern of more white than dark was attractive. The mares were mixed breeds and their patterns varied from speckled to bold markings.

  Running Bear, the colt, was a chestnut-red-and-white paint and the horse was fast. Zane had fallen in love with the foal and Quincy had given him the horse. He’d given both his nephew and ni
ece a horse and they helped him whenever he needed it. He was close to both of them.

  Zane came through the big barn doors that led into the corral. He’d finished exercising the mares and Running Bear. Quincy had given all the horses Indian-type names: White Dove, Breaking Dawn, Snowbird, Prairie Flower, Foxy Lady and Dancing Cloud, who belonged to Eden.

  Zane handed him several bridles he’d been using. “I was thinking I’d like to ride Running Bear in the Horseshoe race in the spring. He’s really fast, Uncle Quincy.”

  Quincy hung a bridle on the wall. “Did you ask your dad about it?”

  Zane shook his head. “He’ll just say no. He won’t let me do anything unless it has something to do with school and my studies.”

  There was no missing the resentment in Zane’s voice, which was so unlike him. He and Jude had a good relationship, so Quincy wondered what was going on.

  “What’s this really about? You and your dad get along so well.”

  “But he won’t let me do anything I want to do. It’s always about how smart I am and how I need to think about college and all that kind of stuff. I’m twelve and I just want to have fun.” Zane looked up at him. “Can you talk to him, Uncle Quincy, please?”

  So much hope in the boy’s eyes, as if Uncle Quincy could fix everything. Uncle Quincy couldn’t even fix his own life, but he would never let his nephew down.

  He placed an arm around Zane’s shoulder. “What would you like for me to say to him?”

  “Ask him if I can race Bear. The McCrays always win and I know Bear is faster than any horse they have.”

  “That would mean a lot to you to beat the McCrays?”

  “Dudley’s always bragging about his horses at school. He calls me names and I want to show him that I’m a cowboy just like he is.”

  “What does he call you?”

  “Nerd, geek, egghead, bookworm, anything to get at me. I just ignore him.”

  The sad voice got to Quincy. “I’ll talk to your dad.”

  Zane’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Uncle Quincy.”

  “I’m not promising anything. Your dad has the last word.”

  “I know.” Zane kicked at the dirt with the tip of his boot.

  There was silence in the barn, and Zane kept staring at the dirt. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  Zane raised his head. “Do you think my mother will ever come back?”

  That was a powerful question—one that Zane had never asked before. Paige had given up her baby, and Quincy wasn’t sure how to ease the boy’s bruised heart.

  Quincy hugged Zane’s thin shoulders. “I don’t know, partner, and that’s the honest truth. Teenagers make crazy mistakes and your mother made a big one.”

  “I don’t want her to come back. It’s not like Eden’s mom. Mine gave me away because she didn’t want me.”

  Quincy never realized how much this bothered Zane. It probably stemmed from Eden’s mom returning home last year.

  He squatted in front of the boy. “But there’re a whole lot of people here who want you, and love you and I’m one of them.”

  Zane threw his arms around Quincy’s neck and hugged him. The skinny arms held on fiercely. “I love you, Uncle Quincy.”

  Quincy hugged him back. “Love you, too, partner.”

  The boy drew back. “I better go. Grandma probably has supper ready.” Zane ran out of the barn and Quincy went back to his lonely, lonely life.

  He missed Jenny.

  Chapter Ten

  Quincy hadn’t heard from Jenny and that was just as well. He believed everything he’d told her. Paxton would come home soon and he and Jenny would get back together, like always. He’d been told since he was a boy that a Rebel man only loved once and he would not stand in the way of Paxton’s happiness or Jenny’s. He would find his footing and love a woman deeply one day. She just wasn’t going to be Jenny.

  He used the tractor to put a roll of hay in the pen with the horses. Since it was November, the weather was getting chilly and he usually fed them more.

  As he drove the tractor into the barn, Jude walked up. His brother hesitated and then asked, “Could I talk to you for a minute?”

  “What’s up?”

  Quincy jumped off the tractor and Jude sank onto a bale of hay. His face was creased into a worried frown, but then that was a perpetual look for Jude. For once, Quincy would like to see his brother happy.

  “It’s Zane. He’s starting to talk back to me, and he’s never done that before.”

  Quincy had been meaning to speak to Jude, but they always seemed to be going in different directions. Now was the perfect time. He sat by his brother and thought he really needed to get chairs for the barn. A lot of talk went on there.

  “Did something happen?”

  “His teacher thought it would be a good idea if Zane tutored some of the students who are having trouble with math. It would help him to not be so bored if he was helping others. I thought it was a great idea, but he had a fit when I told him.”

  “You didn’t discuss it first?”

  “What?” Jude stared at him with dark, troubled eyes.

  “You didn’t ask how he felt about it?”

  Jude stood and stretched his shoulders with a deep sigh. “No. I made the decision all on my own.”

  “Why are you treating him as if he’s five years old?”

  “You don’t understand how hard it is to be a parent and trying to make all the right decisions when you feel as if you’re making all the wrong ones.”

  “I know it’s been difficult, but Zane is a good kid. You’ve done a great job with him. Don’t screw it up now.”

  Jude resumed his seat. “Zane is different, Quincy. He’s smart and he can do anything he wants if he would just apply himself.”

  “But what if he’s not happy? Don’t you want him to be happy?”

  “Quincy...”

  “Okay, I’m not a parent, so I don’t know those deep feelings you have inside. But I know Zane. He’s your son and he’s just like you. He likes horses and he likes to rope and he likes to race and he loves this ranch. Going off to a big college is not on his dashboard of things to do right now. Just talk to him. Zane will listen, but stop pushing. You’re pushing too hard, Jude. Let him be a little boy and enjoy this ranch like you did when you were a kid. Everything else will fall into place.”

  “I’m just so afraid.”

  “Of what?”

  “Of making wrong decisions for him.”

  “Jude, just talk to Zane about the tutoring. Let him decide whether to continue or not. Just don’t force him. And I’ll tell you something just between brothers.”

  “Okay.”

  “Zane wants to ride Bear in the Horseshoe race in the spring.”

  Jude frowned. “What? He never mentioned that to me.”

  “Because he knows you’ll say no without even thinking about it.”

  “Do I do that?”

  “Yes. You don’t give Zane a choice in anything.”

  “Do you think he can win?”

  “Bear is fast and by spring he’ll be really fast. The McCray boys always win and this time Zane wants to prove to them that he’s a cowboy just like them.”

  “He tells you all this stuff?”

  “He just needs to talk to someone because his dad is always thinking of his future instead of his present.”

  Jude stood. “I’m going to the house and have a long talk with my son.”

  “Just listen to his point of view.”

  Jude walked out of the barn and Quincy felt a pull on his heart for his younger brother. He’d had it rough raising a son on his own. But they’d all been here for him. That still wasn’t the same thing, though.

&n
bsp; The horses pushing against the gate to get into the barn snagged Quincy’s attention. “I’m coming.”

  After getting the horses settled into their stalls for the night, Quincy went to the house to fix supper for Grandpa. He didn’t feel like cooking so he just made sandwiches. Grandpa wasn’t pleased.

  “I wanted soup,” Grandpa announced.

  “I didn’t have time to fix anything, but I’ll do it tomorrow.”

  “It’s gonna get colder, you know.”

  “Yeah.” Quincy had been listening to the weather, and a cold front was coming in earlier than expected.

  Elias came in, stomped the dirt off his boots on the mat and sailed his hat for the rack. “Damn, it’s getting cold out there, but we got everything fed and in good shape.” His brother grabbed a box of Oreos out of the pantry.

  Grandpa shook his head and headed for his recliner.

  “Is that all you’re going to eat?” Quincy asked.

  “Nah. I’m going down to Rowdy’s later.” Elias stuffed his face with an Oreo and then swallowed. “So?”

  “I thought I might go out for a while.” Quincy glanced toward his grandpa in his recliner in front of the television. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he needed to get out. It was time to start living instead of working all the time.

  “Come on, Quincy. There’s nothing wrong with Grandpa except a little senility. He doesn’t take any medication or need watching every second of the day. You baby him too much.”

  “I guess.”

  “I know. So go out and do whatever you want to. I am. Tammy Jo’s in town for a couple of days and I’m looking forward to a fun time.”

  “Bob’s gonna kill you when he finds out you’re sleeping with his daughter.”

  “Bob’s too busy running Rowdy’s to keep track of his grown-up daughter. She does have a mind of her own, you know.”

  Quincy shrugged. Trying to talk to Elias was like talking to a two-year-old—only so much got through. He walked into the living room. Grandpa was flipping through the channels with a deep frown. He handed Quincy the control.

  “Find a good Western.”