Texas Rebels: Falcon Read online

  In this, Eden was most important. He had to make sure she was not hurt. He, on the other hand, had broad shoulders and could take it. That’s what he kept telling himself as he saddled Titan.

  “Hey, you’re back,” Quincy said as he walked into the barn.

  Falcon cinched the saddle a little tighter. “Why aren’t you with the roundup crew?”

  “Elias broke the tag gun so I came back to get another.”

  Falcon continued to work with the saddle, not in a mood to talk.

  “Are you okay? It’s not like you to miss the beginning of roundup.”

  “Egan knows the cows as well as I do and he knows how to cull the herd. Jude, too. And they have a good eye for saving heifers and bulls.”

  “Yeah, but we’re used to you giving orders.”

  Falcon turned to stare at his brother. “Are you saying I’m controlling and dominating?”

  Quincy held up his hands. “Whoa. Where’s that coming from? After Dad died and you took over, we accepted that because we needed someone to be boss. If not, we’d be arguing all the time. You’ve never minded before when we’ve teased you, so what’s up now?”

  He was feeling a little bruised by what Leah had said. But he was a leader and that meant being controlling. It wasn’t easy to corral six brothers and have them do their jobs the like were supposed to. It was different between a man and wife, though, and he should’ve been more receptive to Leah’s feelings. He hadn’t been and that’s why his ego had taken a hit. Having a daughter had changed him over the years. But he’d failed Leah so badly he was never going to lose that bruised feeling.

  Quincy was waiting for an answer and Falcon had just drifted off to another place. That was so not like him, and by the frown on Quincy’s face he knew Quincy was thinking the same thing. He and Quincy were more than brothers. They were best friends. And he had to tell someone, because they all had to know Leah was back.

  “I saw someone from the past this morning and it was jarring, reminded me of my faults and my weaknesses. It wasn’t a pretty picture and I’m still feeling conflicted.”

  “Who was it?”

  Falcon exhaled a deep breath. “Leah.”

  “What? She’s back?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What did she want? Where has she been?”

  “She wants to see Eden.”

  “Are you going to allow it?”

  Falcon shrugged. “Eden will be eighteen in January and I’m going to let her make that decision because I don’t want her to hate me later for keeping her away from her mother.”

  “Oh, man, I can’t believe she just came back like that.”

  “It’s a long story.” Falcon told Quincy everything Leah had told him and Quincy’s eyes opened wide as Falcon talked.

  “Is she okay now?”

  “She’s as beautiful as ever.”

  Quincy’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure she’s telling the truth?”

  “Yeah. I saw the scars.” And touched them, too.

  His brother eyed him. Falcon didn’t want him to see too much. His time with Leah was private and he wouldn’t share that with anyone.

  “I’ll tell the family later today, so keep it under your hat.”

  “No problem. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Falcon put his boot in the stirrup. “No. I haven’t been since the day she left.” He kneed Titan and rode out of the barn.

  And he wasn’t ever likely to be again.

  * * *

  ROUNDUP KEPT FALCON busy and he didn’t have time to think about what had happened today. It was late afternoon by the time they rode back into the barn. Some were in trucks pulling trailers. They’d culled several older cows that would go to the auction barn. Tomorrow they would start all over again.

  Everyone was unsaddling, finishing up for the day and eager to go their various ways. Egan was always the first one through, as he was today, and he headed toward the door.

  “I’m going to the house to fix supper for anyone who wants to eat,” his mother said, also heading for the door.

  “Egan, Mom, could you wait a minute? I’d like to talk to everyone.”

  Jericho quickly made his exit toward a back door and Falcon saw him. “You, too, Jericho. You’re not only Egan’s friend, you’re part of the family now.”

  Jericho strolled back in and leaned against a post. The man had more than proved himself and his loyalty to the Rebel family. Falcon trusted him completely.

  The rest of the family gathered around, most of them sinking onto bales of hay, including Grandpa, who was never far away.

  “Come on, Falcon.” Paxton sat by Grandpa. “We’re tired and you don’t have anything to complain about today. We worked our butts off, and I had a rope on the cow that tried to get away in a heartbeat.”

  “Yeah,” Phoenix spoke up. “On the second try.”

  “Shut up.”

  Phoenix danced in front of his brother with his fists in the air. “Make me.”

  “Stop it. I’m not in a mood for this today.”

  Phoenix stopped dancing and stared at his brother, as did everyone, and their mother walked closer to Falcon. “What is it, son?”

  He didn’t know how else to say it except to just say the words out loud. “I saw Leah today.”

  Complete silence filled the barn. Even the old tomcat stilled on the rafters.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” Grandpa was first to speak. “They say bad pennies always turn up.”

  “What did she want?” his mother asked.

  “She wants to see Eden.”

  “No way,” Elias said. “There’s no way any of us will allow her anywhere near Cupcake.” His brothers had always called Eden Cupcake. They probably needed to change that now since she was older, but it was just second nature to them.

  “It’s Eden’s choice, not ours.” Falcon made that clear in a voice they understood.

  “Where has she been?” Paxton wanted to know.

  Once again Falcon told the story and again there was silence.

  “That’s terrible,” his mother said. “And just so sad. How is she now?”

  “She seems fine.” He didn’t make the mistake of saying she was beautiful again. “I got the feeling she just wants to get on with her life now.”

  “With someone else.” Elias grunted. “That’s rich.”

  “I’m through judging Leah,” Falcon said. “I’d appreciate it if all of you would stay out of it. Right now, my concern is my daughter, and I will do everything to protect her.”

  “She’s not taking Cupcake.” Grandpa made his views clear.

  “She just wants to see her, Grandpa. That’s it.”

  “Nah.” Grandpa shook his head. “Something else is going on here. You better be on your toes, boy.”

  “I’m always on my toes.”

  “Yeah. And we’ll be right beside you.”

  “Just tell us what you want us to do,” Egan said.

  “Be there for Eden if she wants to talk and don’t say anything bad about her mother. That’s my bottom line. She has to make up her own mind about Leah so don’t share your viewpoint.”

  “You got it,” echoed around the barn.

  “Thanks. Now I have to talk to my daughter.”

  “She’s practicing with Dancer in my corral,” Quincy told him.

  On his way to Quincy’s paint horse operation, which was about a hundred yards from the main barn, he kept going over and over in his head what he was going to say. He didn’t have a set script. He would go with the truth and be as honest as possible with his daughter. And just maybe they could get through this.

  Chapter Six

  A time for mothers and daughters...

  John R
ebel had stipulated in his will that each son would receive one-seventh of the ranch, but only after their mother’s death. She would be in complete control until then or until she decided otherwise. Quincy had already staked out the part he wanted and everyone had agreed to it. It was still a part of Rebel Ranch, but eventually it would be Quincy’s.

  He’d built a barn and corrals for his paints and his off time was spent there. Large live oaks, at least one hundred years old, shaded a lot of it. A perfect place for a home. Quincy was thinking ahead, Falcon was always in the present looking back. Today, some of that would change.

  Eden was astride a brown-and-white paint and Zane sat on a post with a stopwatch. At Zane’s signal Eden shot out of the barn and made the cloverleaf pattern around the barrels Quincy had set up. Falcon leaned on the fence, watching his daughter. Her long dark hair flew behind her as she kneed the horse faster to get the best time.

  She was probably the best rider on the ranch. She’d been in the saddle since she was three months old and she moved with the horse, which was breathtaking to watch. His daughter was beautiful—just like her mother. Horse and rider shot into the barn and Zane clicked the watch. Eden slowly trotted Dancer out.

  “What was it?” she asked Zane.

  “Fifteen seconds.”

  “I can do better than that. Let’s go again.”

  “Zane,” Jude called. “We have to go to school to talk to your teacher again.”

  “Aw, Dad.”

  “I’m not the one falling asleep in class because I’m bored.”

  Zane jumped off the post. “I know all that stuff and it’s boring to go over it again and again.”

  “That’s what we’re going to talk about.”

  Zane was smart like his mother and he would probably go off to a prestigious college in a few years, as his mother had. Falcon hoped Zane made better choices than Paige. But then, everyone had to make their own choices and live with them. That’s what he was trying to do now.

  “You time me, Dad,” Eden said as Jude and Zane walked off.

  “We need to talk.”

  Dancer pranced around and Eden kept pace with her. “Can we do it later? I’m getting faster and faster. Did you see?”

  “Yeah. You’re doing great, but this is important. You can practice tomorrow. You have homework.”

  “Dad, I’m seventeen. You don’t have to tell me these things anymore.”

  He probably didn’t, but he’d hang on just as long as he could. “Unsaddle Dancer. I’ll wait.”

  She must’ve sensed the urgency in his voice because she complied without an argument. He followed her into the barn and she tended to the horse. He taught her that a long time ago, but it seemed like yesterday when she would say, “Daddy, I can do it. I can do it,” when she could barely reach the horse.

  He eased onto some bales of alfalfa Quincy had stacked near the door. He didn’t want his baby to be hurt but there was no way to stop that. No matter what happened next, Eden was going to be hurt.

  With her jeans tucked into her boots, she walked toward him. She’d worn her jeans like that as long as he could remember. She plopped down beside him.

  “What’s up? You have a big frowny face.”

  He wouldn’t argue that. Of all the talks he’d had with his daughter over the years this one would be the hardest.

  He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Something has happened and you need to know about it.”

  “Is Grandpa sick again?” Grandpa had had the flu last winter and Eden, afraid he was going to die, had waited on him hand and foot. His daughter had a very big heart.

  “No, Grandpa is his cantankerous self.”

  “Is it Grandma?”

  He had to stop the guessing game. “No. It’s about your mother.”

  “What?”

  Hearing a tremor in her voice, he turned to her. “She’s back.”

  Her eyes opened wide. “You mean here...in Horseshoe?”

  “Yes.”

  Eden jumped up, her eyes blazing. “Why now? What does she want?”

  “She wants to see you.”

  “Fat chance. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a mother. And how come you’re not angry? You’re so calm.”

  Falcon studied the tips of his boots covered in dust. “When she called, I was angry. Very angry. So I wanted answers before I would talk to her. She had to tell me where she’d been and what she’d been doing all these years and she had to explain why she’d left so suddenly.”

  “Did she?”

  “Yes, and it wasn’t what I’d expected. It was a bit terrifying to know what she’d been through.”

  Eden sat by him again, a little closer as if she needed his support. Again, he told the story as Leah had told him.

  Eden rested her head on his shoulder. “That’s so sad. But if she’s better, why has it taken her so long to come home?”

  As much as he hated to, he had to be honest with his daughter so he told her about David and the Thornwall family.

  “She found another family and forgot about us.”

  Falcon wrapped his arm around his daughter. “I don’t think she forgot about us. She was just afraid to come home and—” he took a deep breath “—she found someone to love her the way she wanted.”

  Eden jumped up again. “Why has she come back at all, then? It just makes it hurt that much more.”

  “I know, baby, and I can’t explain it. All I know is your mother wants to see you for a few minutes.”

  Eden shook her head. “No. I don’t want to see her. If she can’t stay, I’d just as soon she stayed away.”

  Falcon didn’t want to push her, but he had to make her understand something. “It’s your decision. This might be your only chance to see her or meet her. Think about that. You have a right to confront her and tell her how you’re feeling. You’re old enough to understand that.”

  “You’re not angry with her anymore?”

  “No, but I’m not happy about what she’s doing. It’s her choice, though, and I have to respect that. She wants to move on and as much as I want her to give us a chance I can’t make her do that, so I’ll give her the divorce that she wants. We all need to move on.”

  “I wish you were yelling or something because when you’re calm like this it gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

  He got to his feet. “It wasn’t easy to see your mother, but I’ve worried about her for years. I finally lost all that worry and I just want to put all this behind me. Above all the angst, I want you to be able to deal with this like an adult and I’ll be right there beside you whatever you decide.”

  Eden raised her head, her back straight. “I’m a Rebel, my father’s daughter, and I can handle seeing my mother. So tell her yes, I will meet her, but only here at Rebel Ranch with you beside me. I’m not saying I’ll be nice and cordial. I’m just saying I’ll meet her.”

  He hugged her. “I’m proud of you, baby girl.”

  Arm in arm they walked toward the house and Falcon prayed that everything went smoothly with Leah. Whatever happened, he had to pick up the pieces and move on for his daughter.

  * * *

  LEAH GOT FALCON’S call at about six and she was out the door in a few minutes. She was going to see her baby, or, more to the point, her grown-up daughter. David said she could do it, but her nerves were jumpy and her head ached. She just wanted to get through this to be able to face the future without all of the turmoil inside her. She wasn’t sure that was going to happen. It was a start, though.

  She was hoping Eden would come to the hotel, but Falcon had said that was out of the question. There was no room to bargain because this was her last chance and she took it. Facing Kate Rebel would be hard, but she could get through that, too. She and her mother-in-law had never gotten al
ong. Looking back, Leah really never gave her a chance. Just as she’d never given her marriage a chance. She had so much to deal with as a teenager and she wasn’t equipped to handle any of it. Now she had to be a mature adult and face what she’d done and say, “I’m sorry.” She could do that. She could do a lot of things, but she didn’t know if she could take her daughter’s hatred. The hour ahead loomed darkly and she wanted to turn around and go back to Houston. She didn’t.

  As she drove, she thought about what had happened that morning. Such a mistake. She guessed a person never got too old to make them. Putting the past behind her didn’t start with having sex with her husband. In response, she had lashed out at Falcon about the past and she’d never meant to do that. She would have to say another “I’m sorry” before she left for the last time.

  Driving over the Rebel Ranch cattle guard, her nerves tingled. She hoped there would be only her, Falcon and Eden. She wasn’t sure how many of the other brothers were married or still living around the ranch. It was none of her business. She had to concentrate on what was ahead. She parked in front of the house, drew a deep breath, got out and walked to the big pine front doors and knocked tentatively.

  Falcon let her in. His face was creased with worry, but she couldn’t turn back now. Her daughter awaited.

  “Be prepared for some attitude,” he said.

  “I never thought for a minute this would be easy.”

  “Then let’s go into the den.” She wanted to reach for his arm and ask for something but she didn’t know what. All she knew was that she needed his support. She swallowed hard and followed him. Eden stood by a big stone fireplace in jeans and boots, her long hair hanging down her back. Leah didn’t have time to look around, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the room. She only focused on the young girl who was glaring at her.