Page 11 of Wrangling a Wild Texan

“Come on up, Reid,” Hallie called as soon as he got out of his truck. “Mama made cinnamon rolls and they’re still warm.”

He wasted no time heading up the porch steps. If he were going to be canned, he’d rather leave with his stomach fullof Darla Holiday’s delicious cinnamon rolls. As soon as Hallie handed him a plate, he dug in to the yeasty rolls covered in brown sugar, cinnamon, and thick white icing.

Mimi chuckled. “I do love a man with a good appetite.”

Mimi Holiday was a piece of work. She had been just as welcoming as the rest of the Holidays, but there was a calculating gleam in her eyes that always made Reid feel a little leery. Not to mention, she didn’t believe in beating around the bush.

Once Reid finished the cinnamon roll, she sent him a pointed look. “I hear your niece stole your truck and took it for a joyride.”

“Mimi!” Hallie said.

Mimi glanced at her granddaughter. “What? If it was a secret, you should have said so.” She looked back at Reid. “And it’s not like other parents haven’t had to deal with the same thing. Three of my granddaughters stole Hank’s truck without permission. Hallie here included.”

Hallie turned to her. “You knew? But I never told anyone. Not even my sisters.”

Mimi shrugged. “It’s called being older and wiser . . . and a bit of an insomniac. I watched you from my bedroom window.”

“Why didn’t you tell Daddy?”

“Because all you did was drive around in circles in the back pasture. And I knew why you did it. You were ticked off at your daddy and needed to blow off some steam. There’s no harm in that.” She looked at Reid. “But there is harm in what Sophie did. Sunny could have been seriously hurt . . . or even killed when Sophie ran her off the road.”

Reid wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You mean when Sunny ran Sophie off the road.”

Hallie sent her grandmother a warning look, but Mimi didn’t even glance in her direction. “That’s not what I mean at all. According to what Sunny told my granddaughters in their SecretSisterhood meeting, it was Sophie who ran Sunny off the road. Sunny just took the blame so Sophie wouldn’t get into trouble. And if it had just been a little joyride like Hallie took, I would agree. But looking at your phone while driving on a highway is not just a little joyride. It’s dangerous. As Sophie’s guardian, you need to know about it so you can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Reid looked at Hallie. “She was on her phone?”

Hallie sighed and nodded. “At least that’s what Sophie told Sunny.”

Reid didn’t know whom he was most mad at. Sophie or Sunny. Probably Sunny. Most kids would come up with a lie to get out of trouble. Sunny was an adult and he didn’t doubt for a second she was the one who had concocted the cock-and-bull story about hydroplaning and running off the road.

He jumped to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to talk with Sunny and get the information straight from the horse’s mouth.” But before he could turn to leave, Mimi pointed a finger at him.

“Sit down!”

He sat back down.

“You don’t need to go running over to Corbin’s with both guns blazing,” Mimi said. “That’s a sure way to get yourself fired. Corbin likes you a lot, but he adores his little sister and can’t see past the end of his nose where she’s concerned.”

“Mimi’s right,” Hallie said. “Besides, Sunny only lied because she was trying to protect Sophie.”

“From her own flesh and blood!” he snapped. “What did she think I was going to do? Beat my own niece black and blue?”

“Maybe she has reason to believe that’s how guardians deal with ornery teenagers,” Mimi said. Before Reid could ask what she meant, she continued. “But Sunny’s not the problem. Sophie is. She’s mourning her mama and having to deal with a newschool and a new parent. That would be too much for anyone, let alone a fifteen-year-old girl.”

Reid knew that. He just didn’t know how to help her.

Mimi reached out and squeezed his hand. “I know it’s not easy balancing discipline with love and understanding, but you’ll figure it out. And if you need help, you just say the word.” She winked. “I’m a bit of an expert on dealing with teenage girls.”

There was a part of him that wanted to take Mimi up on the offer, but the other part—the stubborn part—refused to let his bosses think he couldn’t handle his own family matters.

He got up and pulled on his hat. “Thanks, Ms. Mimi, but I got things taken care of.”

The first thing he was going to take care of was giving Sunshine Whitlock a piece of his mind.

Chapter Five

Sunny wasn’t surprised to wake up to full sunlight streaming across her bed. After she’d gotten back from Cooper Springs, she had tossed and turned until close to five o’clock in the morning . . . with Reid’s harsh words circling around and around in her head. Even as she blinked awake, the names he’d called her were still there.

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