Texas Heat — Chapter 6
A thin line runs between betrayal and sacrifice. Figuring out the difference could cost a man his heart.
Corey took hold of Tiffany’s arm and led her a few feet from the car. “Why do you let him talk to you that way?” He lowered his voice so the boy wouldn’t hear what he had to say. “You’ve got to set limits or he’s going to walk all over you.”
“Who are you to give lessons? Her blue eyes darkened with resentment. “I don’t see you moving up on his list of friends.”
“He doesn’t need friends; I presume he’s got plenty of those. He needs parents that aren’t pushovers.”
“I’m not a pushover. He’s usually very respectful. He just has a problem with you and that’s not my fault now, is it?”
She was too soft, too much a lady, making herself an easy target for any pushy male who wanted to take advantage, even if he was only twelve. She couldn’t see trouble when it stood right in front of her, like now.
Was she blind to the thoughts that were probably flashing like neon in his eyes? Didn’t she know how she looked in her skin-loving black jeans and a snug black T-shirt? She sure didn’t look like anybody’s mother — more like a Saturday night fantasy. Her silver belt buckle hugged her flat tummy and matched the toe guards on her shinny snakeskin boots. Sexy blonde hair taunted him as the hot summer breeze tossed it against her neck.
He remembered all those Saturday night rodeos when she’d sat in her daddy’s private box looking expensive and untouchable. He was the only one who’d known differently. At eighteen, he hadn’t worried about her age. She’d looked and acted all woman to him, and he’d not been able to resist her. He hadn’t counted on falling in love. It had just happened. She’d become his world, and he’d done whatever it took to be with her, even taken a beating from three of her daddy’s ranch hands.
Corey roped in his wandering thoughts, pulling them back to the present. He removed his hat and slapped it across his thigh. Why was it so hard to remember that this woman was not for him? Despite the explanation she’d given him, it still didn’t sit right that she hadn’t come forward and told the truth at his trial. All it would have taken was for her to tell the world that he couldn’t have committed the arson he’d been framed for because he had spent the night in her canopied bed. He didn’t know how her father had found out, but he didn’t blame the man for the beating that had come later. He knew he’d break the neck of any boy that even thought about messing with any daughter he might have.
He’d been selfish. Tiffany had been too young and had deserved better. All-in-all, he’d deserved a lot of what he’d gotten as a cocky teenager. But twelve years of his life was a lot to pay for loving a girl.
“Corey, are you all right? You’ve been staring at me, not saying a word.”
“Yeah.” Corey looked back at the car, anywhere but those baby blue eyes. “I’m fine. You better get on your way; you don’t want the boy to be late for his competition.”
“I thought you might want to go. Maybe get a chance to talk with him a little. He doesn’t always act as badly as he has with you. If you’d like, you could ride with us.”
He grimaced. This woman was a walking invitation. She might as well be holding a neon sign advertising her naivety. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I might get down to the grounds later. If I do, I’ll make a point to speak to the boy.”
“His name is Joey. You never call him by his name.”
Corey stiffened. He didn’t turn or acknowledge her statement. He wasn’t ready yet. He didn’t know how to make this boy an intimate part of his mind or heart.
“Okay, I won’t push you,” she said. “But respect is a two-way street, Corey. How would you have reacted if someone kept calling you boy at that age?”
As the Lincoln moved back down his drive and onto the main highway, it left a dust trail, some of it settling on him. How ironic, he thought. Tiffany Covington had left him in the dust for the second time. If he didn’t want it to be three, he’d better string some barbed wire around his errant emotions and figure out where to fit these two people into his life.
****
Corey leaned on the arena fence, one booted foot resting on the lowest rung. He could have sauntered over to where Tiffany sat, in what had always been her Daddy’s private box. She was alone. More than that, she looked alone. He found that odd. He figured her to have a crowd of friends. May as well stay where he was; she would be leaving soon anyway.
The boy had just finished his last ride for the evening. The half-grown bulls used in the junior competition were as ornery as their big papas. The boy had drawn one that liked to spin. He missed the required eight seconds, but he’d done a good job of getting clear of the bull by rolling when he hit the ground.
Corey removed his foot from the fence and glanced back toward Tiffany’s box just in time to catch sight of her walking toward the exit ramp. If he was going to speak to the boy, he had best do it before they reached the car. They were not hard to spot. Most of the spectators were staying for the trophy presentations, so the parking lot was almost empty.
“Evening, Mrs. Covington.”
Tiffany turned at the sound of his voice and placed her hand on her son’s shoulder. “Wait, Joey. Hello, Corey. Are you just arriving?”
“No, I caught most of the events.”
The boy was not acknowledging his presence. He kept his eyes on the toe of the boot he was digging into the ground instead. So far, he’d managed to lock horns with the kid each time they met. He needed to make this time different, show the boy he wasn’t his, or his mom’s, worst enemy.
Corey put a smile on his face and a congenial tone to his voice. “That was a good roll you made out there tonight. Some bull riders never get that down as well as they should. It will save you a lot of injuries in the future.”
“What do you know about it?”
The boy managed to keep his tone respectful, but Corey knew the real implication that powered his reply.
Tiffany spoke up. “Corey was District Champion his last two years of high school. He had intentions of going pro.”
A small spark of interest flashed across the boy’s face. Flash was the appropriate term. He managed to kill it before it grew into anything bigger.
“I haven’t done much in the last few years, but I could give you a few pointers on that balance problem you’re having. Maybe you’d like to come over and we’ll set up a practice barrel.”
The boy lifted his head. “I don’t need any help. I’m doing okay by myself.”
Corey locked eyes with a set that was battle-brown and an exact match to his own. “Yeah, that’s probably why the bull scored more points than you did tonight. Don’t refuse help out of pure cussedness, boy. Learn to take help when it’s needed. You need to practice your rhythm if you ever expect to match your movements with the bull. Those judges aren’t going to give you anything you don’t earn.”
“Thank you for your offer, Corey,” Tiffany interjected. “Maybe when Joey isn’t so tired, he’ll feel more like taking you up on your kind offer.”
When snowballs have suntans, thought Corey. She was a mama, all right, and she was going to make a pansy out of his son. When he wasn’t so tired. Couldn’t she see that her son was a twelve-year-old boy on the fast track to manhood? He could rodeo half the night, carouse the other, and still not be tired.
“Corey, Joey, and I were just headed over to Telli’s for something to eat. Would you like to join us?” asked Tiffany.
“Mom!” The boy whined.
“Joey, it’s the least we can do after Corey’s kind offer.”
Corey studied the woman’s upturned face. The hopeful longing shimmering in her baby-blue eyes slammed into him, jarring him more than any bull he’d ever ridden. She didn’t have sense enough to bar the gates where he was concerned. He could take every sweet morsel she unknowingly offered, and leave her as empty as yesterday’s dreams.
“Why not?” He heard the words before he had time to think about them. Who was he kidding? He wanted to sit across the table and have her look at him as if he was the house specialty. Those adoring looks made him feel almost whole again. He wondered if she was prepared to do more than look. He could get used to her back in his life. This time around, he would keep his heart out of it.
To be continued…
