Page 30 of Love Me, Cowboy

She leaned forward to rest against his chest. Shaking her head from side to side, Claire said, “I don’t know how to fix this, Daddy. I don’t know what to do.”

Lifting her chin with one finger until Claire was staring into hazel eyes that matched her own, he said, “Do you love him?”

Claire nodded, jerking on a hiccup.

“And does he love you?”

“He might have, but I ruined it.”

“Nonsense.” Pulling her into a hug, he added, “There’s always hope.”

She wanted to believe her father was right. That Tyler would let her explain that she didn’t mean what she said. Yes, the thought of him getting back on a bull scared her to death, but he’d told her once he couldn’t give it up. And she would never ask him to.

He needed to know that. To hear her say that whatever he chose to do, she’d be there to support him one hundred percent.

“I need to go after him,” Claire said, pushing out of her father’s arms. “I have to make him understand.”

“Give him some time,” he said. “If I heard right, you punched a hole in his ego. A man’s ego is a sensitive thing, though if you ever tell anyone I said that, I’ll deny it.” A soothing hand squeezed Claire’s. “Let him sulk for tonight, then he’ll be more likely to listen tomorrow.”

Claire swiped the tears away. “You really think so?”

“I do,” he said, tapping the end of her nose the way he had when she was a little girl. “And if he doesn’t come around, then he doesn’t deserve you.”

It was more likely that Claire didn’t deserve Tyler, but before she could say so, a black BMW pulled into the winding drive.

“I’d better go,” she said, rising to her feet with her father’s help. “Mom can’t possibly expect me to stay now.”

“I’ll take care of your mother. That’s something I should have done a long time ago.”

“I don’t know why she doesn’t like me.” Claire had never talked to her father about the tenuous relationship she shared with her mother. He’d always seemed to turn a blind eye, as if his only job was to tweak her nose and sneak her candy now and then, which he’d done often throughout Claire’s childhood.

“Your mother loves you,” he said. “In her own way. But she doesn’t know how to let you go.”

“Let me go?” Claire snorted. “She barely lets me breathe.”

Maneuvering Claire away from the entryway, her father greeted their guests. “Go on in,” he said, gesturing toward the door. “I’ll be right there.”

The Holly Hills sheriff and his wife nodded and moved inside as he turned back to his daughter.

“You’re all she has, Claire.” Her father’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Your mother lost three babies before we got you. And one more after. All that loss changed her.”

It was a good thing they’d reached the porch swing, since this unexpected revelation knocked Claire backward. “She lost four babies?”

The older man joined her on the swing. “Don’t ever mention it. She’d never forgive me for telling you.”

“But why?” This didn’t excuse her mother’s meanness, but it did explain her overbearing need to control Claire’s every move.

“Took me years to figure it out, but I think she sees it as her failure. She couldn’t keep those babies alive inside her, and that somehow turned to shame.” Her father sighed. “Once I realized what she was doing, I tried to make her see that none of it was her fault, but the guilt runs too deep. That guilt turned bitter, and I’m afraid you’ve gotten the worst of it.”

Would the blows never end? First Claire destroyed anything she and Tyler might have, and now she was being forced to see her mother in a new light. Anger and years of resentment melted into pity.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing to say.” Her father eased off the swing. “I’m only sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I thought she might ease up as you got older. I guess I was wrong.”

The resignation in her father’s voice brought out Claire’s protective side. “This isn’t your fault, Daddy.” She stood and straightened his tie. “This isn’t any of our faults.”

But the mess with Tyler was her fault. And Claire would fix it.

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