Page 28 of The Texas Cowboy's Proposal

“They make a cute family. Sorry it didn’t happen that way for you, but you did have your shot and you blew it. You really should move on with your life. Seems like as her mother, you’d want Lacy to have a real family life with two parents who truly want her. I feel sorry that you made the wrong choice.”

Sammi Jo turned on her heel, but then she stopped. Something took over her brain. Whether it was insanity or finally having had enough of everything, she turned back to the woman who was still trying to wrap her mind around Sammi Jo’s previous comeback. Well, she was in for another surprise.

“And in the interest of saving time, I’ll let you in on a couple of things you should know. First, I was on my way to share a pizza dinner with Beaudry and Lacy and her teacher. Call it something like a parent-teacher conference. Oh, sorry about that—guess you wouldn’t know anything about something like that, would you? And one more very important thing you also don’t know but should be aware of... the Burkitts have an entire law firm working twenty-four hours a day. All they do is whateverIwant them to do. And with that pot of gold you like to refer to so much in my back pocket, well, I always get things my way, one way or another. So, I would get any thoughts of causing Beaudry any trouble with custody or upsetting Lacy’s childhood with your greed and conniving ways out of what little brain you have. And expecting me to share any of my ‘gold’ with the likes of you would definitely be a huge mistake on your part. I can make your life miserable. And that would be for therestof your life. So, it was good having this little chat between us girls. You be careful now as you head your car out of town—and keep it headed that way for a very long time. Bye now.”

This time, when she turned, she had a view of Sandy Lou’s pale face and her mouth dropping wide open. And that was enough impetus to carry her across the street and straight into The Pizza Pie Pantry before she had a chance to chicken out.

“It’s Miss Sammi Jo, Daddy! Hi! Can you eat pizza with us?” The child was more than pleased to see her. Her gaze swept over to Beaudry, who was clearly surprised by her appearance. The teacher was nowhere in sight at the moment.

“Well, I just stopped to order a pizza to go. I wouldn’t want to intrude in your dinner plans.” Her earlier bravado was quickly dwindling; she needed to find a graceful and fast exit strategy.

Beaudry smiled. “Actually, you could keep me company. I was going to take a pizza home, too, instead of staying and eating alone here.”

“Alone? I thought you had plans with... others.”

“Miss Crawford and her student teacher are treating Lacy and her class to pizzas tonight in the party room to celebrate their latest test scores. I was going to drop her off here and come back later. But if you’ll take pity on me, we can share a pizza and each other’s company instead.”

So he wasn’t dining with Miss Crawford. Sammi Jo smiled inside. She had taken the problem by the horns instead of slipping away like some weak female to nurse her wounded ego and bruised heart. Sandy Lou’s penchant for poisoning things hadn’t worked this time. And Sammi Jo had yet another reason to trust in Beaudry.

“That does indeed sound better than dining alone this evening. Only I have to warn you, I expect at least half of that pizza to have pineapple on it. Are you man enough to accept that?” She tossed that out, along with a grin and a wink at Lacy.

“It is indeed a hard task for a tough cowboy like me, but I think I’m not too old to learn new things. You run along, Lacy, and help your teachers get ready. Us old folks out here will be just fine.”

A few minutes later, they were both seated in one of the red leather booths, their pizza and drink order turned in. The lighting was dimmer in the restaurant seating area, and the booth backs were high and made for more intimate settings for couples on dinner dates. Although it was still a bit early for the evening diners, there were two or three booths taken. All the usual noise and loud games and music were kept in the large entertainment party room at the back of the building.

“I’m glad you happened to walk in the door. A very nice surprise indeed.”

“I’m afraid I have a confession tonight. Although once I make it, you might not want to share that pizza with me. You did say we should put things out on the table between us in all of this. So I guess I get to do just that.” She needed to come clean. It was time.

*

Beaudry settled intothe booth, his long legs stretched a bit, and he swept the hat off his head and laid it on the edge of the table. Whatever Sammi Jo was about to impart, it sounded serious. And once she had said her piece, he might need to share some things he had been thinking about too.

“Ladies first. I’m listening.”

“I really didn’t come into town for pizza. I was across the street at the vet and then I was headed to the tile store. But I ran into Sandy Lou—or she ran into me, which was probably her plan all along.” Sammi Jo continued to give him the details, if not the whys, then at least the conversation.

“So either the cat got your tongue or you are not pleased in some way.” It was obvious Sammi Jo was reconsidering whether she should have broached the subject at all. To his credit, Beaudry took his time with a reply.

“Sandy Lou approached you to what—spew her venom around some more? She hoped to cause an issue between us by her insinuations about me and Miss Crawford? To what end?”

“Because that’s what she does. She places burrs under saddles, not caring about harm to the animal or the rider, out of pure spite. She wanted to stick a barb in me about you and Lacy’s teacher, hoping to hurt me or shake my confidence or whatever. Who knows why she does the things she does?”

“I became aware of her mean streak a little late in many cases. I apologize for that. But what did she hope to gain by driving a wedge between you and me? If, as you accused her, she hoped for some monetary gain in all of this via my association with you, then she overplayed her hand. She punched your buttons easily enough but got a totally different response than one she probably expected.”

“Why do I think you really aren’t very pleased by what I did?” She sat back as the waitress delivered their drinks and then left them alone again.

“Maybe because I’m not. If she didn’t have it in mind to go after Lacy for monetary gain from you, well, she certainly has the idea in her head now. Matt said to leave her alone and let him handle it, and that is what I have pushed myself to do. Then along you come and find your avenging angel wings or sword or whatever and speak before considering that maybe it isn’t your place to do that.”

The moment the words came out, he knew he had made a huge mistake. He saw the flash of pain that shut down the blue gaze across from him. He felt the force of it. “Look...” He lowered his voice and tried to find the way to soften the blow he had dealt. But it was like the horse that left the barn ahead of the fire. “I know that you meant well. You thought you could help Lacy. But you haven’t really had experience with...”

Sammi Jo stood, the napkin going onto the tabletop. “You’re right. I haven’t had the experience with children, certainly not to match someone like Miss Crawford. I end up making a mess of things when I try to help. How could anyone think this would ever work between you and me? I am the last person you and Lacy need in your lives. Thanks for pointing that out for me so clearly tonight. Enjoy the whole pizza.”

“Daddy, where’s Miss Sammi Jo going? The waitress and I brought your pizza on the tray. I wanted her to see how I could be a good server.” Lacy was in time to see Sammy Jo’s back as the door closed behind her. Add the disappointment in his daughter’s eyes to the hurt he had caused in Sammi Jo’s and he was having a red-banner evening.

“She had to go back to the ranch because there was an emergency. She was sorry she had to leave. But I think you’re doing a great job. Get a little older and you can get a job here and support your dad in his old age.” He tried to crack a joke and get a smile out of her. All it earned him was one of those looks that was meant to let him know what a really lame dad joke he had just made. He had failed with both females in his life in the space of minutes. The problem was, he had a sinking feeling that he might not be given another chance with Sammi Jo.

He should have told her up front that he felt proud she would stand up for herself and for him and Lacy as she had done. He should have asked her what it was that really possessed her to do it. It wasn’t just her concern for Lacy—his gut told him there was more. He let her leave, feeling like a failure, and that was far from the truth. It was time for the truth, all of it. He just had to figure out how to get her to stand still and listen to what he really wanted to say.

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