Page 28 of Texas Scandal

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The toe tapping sped up.

“He didn’t deserve what happened to him,” Melody continued. “I don’t have children, so I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through.”

“Then don’t.”

“I was hoping to talk to you, but I understand if you can’t—”

“It was only a matter of time with the track he was on,” Bebe said through clenched teeth. Even though her beauty had faded, remnants remained. Her hair still had a shine that made it look raven-like. Her face was heart shaped and her eyes big and brown. There was a dullness to them now but he could see where they would have been beautiful when they sparked. She was slim, but hints of curves remained. Although she was mad right now, it was easy to see that she wasn’t hardened. It was more like tired. Heavy. Like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. There was no wedding ring or tan line where a band would have been, giving the impression she’d been a single mother. A tough road. His own mother had brought up six children on her own while living on her father-in-law’s ranch. At least she had her mother to pitch in. Still, Tiernan and his siblings would qualify as a handful.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know about him until now,” Melody said.

“I’m not surprised,” Bebe bit out. She ground her back teeth as the clank of a metal reindeer smacked against the tile behind her. “I have work to do and we’re not exactly family, so...”

“Jason deserved better from my father,” Melody said. “He was a bastard for treating people the way he did.”

“Heard he was in jail,” Bebe said with unbridled animosity in her tone. She turned before Melody could respond. “Serves him right.”

Melody caught Bebe by the arm. “It does.” Bebe froze and slanted a death stare on Melody’s hand. “But Jason didn’t deserve what happened to him. I’d like to talk to you about it because all the women around my father are treated like throwaways, including me.”

Bebe didn’t meet Melody’s gaze. She stood still for what seemed like minutes.

“I’m the wrong person to ask for help,” she said with finality as she jerked away from Melody’s grip.

Melody glanced over at Tiernan, and then they retraced their steps to the pickup where Loki sat. Tiernan opened the door, and the rambunctious pup jumped out. He ran over to a patch of grass and did his business before hauling back.

“Good boy,” Tiernan said as Melody reclaimed the passenger seat.

“That was useless,” Melody said. “All I did was cause that woman more pain. My family has done enough to her. I shouldn’t have come here.”

“Mind if I let Loki run in the field next door for a few minutes?” Tiernan asked, figuring the dog had sat inside the cab and been good long enough. His energy was ramping up and needed release before they made the trek home.

“Of course not,” she said. “He’s been so good. Besides, it’ll give me a chance to get through some of these texts.”

Tiernan called Loki after grabbing a tennis ball from the back seat. Loki came roaring over. Thankfully, the lot was empty save for two cars parked up closer to the front door. He’d intentionally parked far away in case Loki bolted when the doors opened.

As Tiernan cut across the parking lot toward the field, he saw Bebe standing at the window, hands on her hips, looking in the direction of the truck.

MELODY’SNERVESWEREon edge. Tiernan’s presence had kept her calm enough to follow through with talking to Bebe, but staring into those dull brown eyes had pierced her. Knowing her father had broken more than just her family caused a knot to form, braiding her stomach lining. Even though she realized none of it was her fault, she couldn’t help feeling like dirt for his actions. The man had hurt so many people. Guilt slammed into her at ever believing in him, thinking he might be a decent human being after all.

On a sigh, she glanced down at her cell phone and the number of texts she was facing with no desire to read any of them. The promise of feeling better after clearing the deck was the only reason she pushed forward.

A knock on the window startled her. A gasp escaped before she could suppress it. A woman stood next to her. Bebe.

The window was cracked but the pickup was turned off. Melody motioned for Bebe to take a step back. She complied.

“Hey,” Melody said as she exited on the passenger side.

Bebe clamped her mouth shut, and for a second, Melody wondered if the grocery manager would decide coming out here had been a bad idea and bolt back into the store. Her eyes said she had something to say.

“You really didn’t know about us?” Bebe asked.

“No,” Melody said a little defensively. She glanced over at Tiernan in the field who was watching with interest. Having him there was nice even though it was a temporary arrangement. “I distanced myself from my father when I caught him in the act cheating on my mother with my high school English teacher.”

“Ouch,” Bebe said, twisting her face in discomfort as if she’d been the one to walk in on them.

“You could say it scarred me,” Melody admitted, letting a little bit of her guard down with Bebe.

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