True Love Cowboy by Jennifer Ryan

Jon held up his phone and snapped a photo of Emmy and Trinity holding up their hands to show off their painted nails and Emmy’s new do. He owed Trinity big-time for setting up the appointment right away and turning the disastrous chop job into a stylish haircut that actually suited Emmy nicely and would be easier to maintain.

“Do you love it?” He smiled to let Emmy know he sure did.

She flipped her hair back with one hand. “It’s so bouncy.”

The short cut did in fact bounce and swish as Emmy walked with them to the car.

Her smile delighted him, but the images of Emmy’s hacked hair and the bruises on her arm and darkening under her eye still blazed in his mind and kept his anger roiling in his gut.

He expected to hear from DPHHS any minute. Nerves and anxiety made his chest tight.

They all climbed into the car and he pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward Steph’s place.

Trinity glanced over. “I thought you were taking me back to the store.”

“I will. I just want to do one thing first.”

Emmy hummed along to the song on the radio and stared out the side window.

He used her distraction to pull onto a side street and park.

“Where are we?” Emmy met his gaze in the rearview mirror.

“I just need to make a quick stop here. Wait with Trinity. I’ll be right back.” He left the keys in the ignition and jumped out. He smiled and waved to Emmy to ease any concern she had about the detour.

It took him only a couple minutes to walk to the apartment from the back entrance. He knocked on Steph’s door even though he didn’t see her car in her assigned spot. He used his key to enter and found what he didn’t want to see in the living space. Right there next to the dining table, spread all over the floor, was his daughter’s long, dark hair. The pair of sharp scissors sat on the table atop a stack of unopened mail.

Because of the video calls he had with Emmy every night she stayed with Steph, the place wasn’t that bad. Not spotless, but okay.

He snapped several photos of Emmy’s discarded hair littering the floor to hand over to his lawyer.

Just because he was curious, and his kid lived here part-time, he opened the fridge to make sure Steph had enough food. He snapped a photo of the dismal contents. No milk or eggs or cheese. Just a bunch of condiments, an open bottle of wine, two juice boxes, some sad salad greens that didn’t look edible, and half an apple that had been placed face-down on the dirty glass with no protective covering. The whole thing needed a good cleaning. And to be restocked.

He opened the pantry cupboard. A box lay on its side, oat cereal spilled everywhere. Who knew how long it had been there? The remaining contents were probably stale and inedible now. He spotted a couple cans of chicken noodle soup, a bag of unopened rice, three bags of pasta, no spaghetti sauce in sight, and a box of strawberry Pop-Tarts. That was it.

The contents filling the garbage revealed Steph preferred the drive-through.

Seriously, Steph worked at a grocery store. How hard was it to pick up food on her way home? Even the store deli counter had better offerings than a fast-food place.

Why couldn’t she take care of herself and Emmy better?

Steph’s parents had done such a good job doing everything for her, she didn’t know how to do anything herself. That’s the only explanation that made sense.

He snapped a picture of the pantry, closed the door, made sure he didn’t leave anything out of place. Not that Steph would notice.

Emmy and Trinity were probably wondering what was taking him so long. He wanted to check out the rest of the apartment, but decided against it. He’d gotten what he wanted.

He locked up behind him, then made the trek back to the car and climbed in. He handed Trinity his phone and lifted his chin toward it to get her to look at the screen.

Her eyes went wide with shock.

Seeing his daughter’s hair scattered everywhere like that after hearing what happened, and trying so hard to console her earlier, hit him hard in the chest again.

“I’m glad you got this. I think it will help.” Trinity handed the phone back, then glanced at Emmy. “I’ll run into the shop when your dad drops me off and get you a snack for the ride home, okay?”

Emmy nodded. “Spaghetti.”

“Not in the car,” he quickly interjected. “But we could take some home.”

Trinity reached back and patted Emmy’s knee. “I’ll see what we have in the shop.”

“Can I pick?”

“Sure.” Trinity never minded letting Emmy be involved in what they did.

“Will you be staying at the ranch tonight?” Something about Trinity seemed off and it concerned him. Maybe it had to do with all the drama with Steph and Emmy. Maybe she was worried about work.

“I’ve been gone most of the day. I’ll probably need to close. Plus it’s not a good time for us to finish the discussion we started this morning.”

Shit. He forgot about his business proposal.

“Like I said earlier, it’s not what you think.” He pulled into the Almost Homemade lot and parked out front.

“It’s been a long day.” She slipped out of the car without another word.

Emmy unbuckled, scrambled into the front seat, and climbed out with her.

His girls walked toward the shop door hand in hand. He went after them, knowing he needed to explain, but also understanding now wasn’t the time.

Emmy followed Trinity back behind the counter like she owned the place, too. Trinity picked her up and held Emmy on her hip. She grabbed a to-go container and let the little girl check out all the hot food behind the counter.

“I want the spaghetti and the cheesy thing.” Emmy pointed to the chicken broccoli cheesy casserole thing that looked amazing.

“Make us a big one of that.”

Trinity set Emmy down and made one large container of each of Emmy’s choices, then added a salad for him, garlic toast wrapped in foil, and two big brownies to the meal she placed in the large bag.

He held up his credit card.

She stared blankly at him, shook her head, and handed the bag over.

The guy who’d interrupted his meeting with Trinity that morning came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin, spun around at the same time she shoved Emmy behind her, and then put her hands up to ward off an attack that never came.

The guy startled and stopped short. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to talk to you about selling the store.”

Trinity’s whole body trembled. She glanced from the guy in front of her to Jon, then ran into the kitchen.

He’d seen that panicked look before and went after her, waving for Emmy to follow him. He found Trinity halfway up the stairs to her apartment, sitting with her head between her knees and completely out of breath. Her whole body shook, and sweat had broken out down her back.

He knelt on a step below her and brushed his hand over her head. “You’re okay, sweetheart.”

She shook her head. “No. I—I’m not. So stu-stu-pid.”

“It was just a scare. That’s all.” He rubbed his hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her.

Emmy scooted by him and hugged Trinity. “Don’t be sad.”

Trinity raised her head, sucked in a deep breath to calm the ragged pants, wiped the sweat from her brow all while Emmy tried to hold her around the neck. Trinity hooked her arm around Emmy. “I’m okay. I just couldn’t catch my breath.”

“When I cry too hard, Mama gives me water.”

How often did that happen? Jon stood. “I’ll get you a glass.” He went back down into the large kitchen and pulled a paper cup from the dispenser by the sink and filled it.

Trinity stood and held hands with Emmy as they walked back down the stairs and met him. She took the cup and guzzled the water, then glanced down at Emmy. “I feel much better.” Her gaze found his. “Thank you.”

“Are you really okay? If there’s something I can do . . .” He wished he could take away the pain and trauma that haunted her.

“I’m fine. It’s . . . fine.” But Trinity’s eyes went wide again. “What are you doing here?”

Jon turned toward the blond guy walking up behind him.

“Didn’t you see me out front at the register?”

“I . . . I guess I didn’t.”

The blond kept a close eye on Trinity. “Is there something going on with you and Nathan? Is he bothering you? If he is, you should fire him.”

“Who is this?” Jon broke into their conversation.

Trinity quickly shook her head as if to clear it. “Sorry. Uh, this is my brother Tate. Tate, Jon and his daughter, Emmy.”

Tate held his hand out. “We need to talk about the horses I found for you.” But he didn’t give Jon a chance to say anything about that before he turned to his sister. “You. Nathan. What’s up?”

“Nothing. It’s been a long day. I’m tired. I didn’t see him come up behind me. I overreacted.”

Emmy tapped Tate’s arm. “You’re Trinity’s brother.”

Tate bent low. “Yeah. I am. She told me how much she loves spending time with you.”

Emmy beamed him a smile, then turned to Jon. “I want a brother.”

Tate’s eyes bounced from him to Trinity and back. “Something you want to tell me?”

“No,” he and Trinity said in unison.

Tate eyed Jon for a moment and decided to drop it. “If you’re having a hard time after—”

“I’m fine,” she said, cutting him off. “I need to get to work. We were supposed to do inventory today.”

“I took care of it.”

Trinity held her arms out, then let them drop back to her thighs. “What are you even doing here?”

“When Adria found out you had to leave for a tiny-tot emergency”—he bopped Emmy on the head with his palm—“she called me in for backup at the store.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Tate turned back to Jon. “About those horses.”

“I’m hungry,” Emmy announced.

He knew that was coming sooner rather than later. “I’m sorry, but we’ll have to discuss that another time. I need to get her home and fed. She’s got a homework packet to catch up on.”

Tate smiled down at Emmy. “I’m glad I got to meet you, tiny tot. I love your hair. Very sophisticated.”

Emmy hid her smile and face in Jon’s thigh.

Jon appreciated the way Tate engaged Emmy. Especially today of all days.

“Don’t forget to take the food,” Trinity reminded him.

“I really need to talk to you.” He didn’t want to leave things unsettled between them.

“It can wait. I need to get to work.” She tried to walk past him, but he took her trembling hand to stop her. She looked up at him, something strange and unsure in her eyes.

“You have no idea how much I appreciate having you with me today. Emmy and I needed you, and you being there made everything better. So thank you.”

Trinity’s eyes glassed over. “I love her.”

His chest went tight. He hoped that love extended to him, too, because what he felt for her, he’d never felt for anyone else. And because it was so big and new and all-encompassing, he didn’t have words to adequately express it. So he kissed her, hoping she felt everything he poured into the simple yet poignant touch.

Deep inside, he wished Trinity was Emmy’s mom and that she was his forever.

He ended the sweet kiss and stared into her eyes, hoping she saw those wishes and how earnest he was about making them come true.

She put her hand on his chest and fisted his shirt in it. “I’ll see you soon.” She still seemed conflicted, but she wasn’t backing away.

“I will explain everything.”

Tate jumped in. “What’s going on with you two?”

“Leave it alone,” Trinity warned.

Nathan stood in the entry and interjected, “She’s selling the shop.”

“Almost Homemade is not for sale.” Fed up, she gave Jon a disgruntled look, then walked back into the main part of the store.

Tate and Nathan looked to him for an answer. “This is between me and her.” He picked up Emmy and followed Trinity back into the shop to pick up the food she’d packed for them, say one last goodbye, then reluctantly head home. All he wanted to do was have a conversation with Trinity, but somehow that had become complicated. And it shouldn’t be. Not after all the time they’d spent together and how close they’d become.

But he needed to get home and call his lawyer and prepare for a visit from the authorities investigating whether or not Steph’s neglect and abuse meant he got full custody.

Probably not. Because they always favored the mother and gave them every chance to do right by their kid. Yes, Emmy needed her mother. The psychological damage of taking her away could be deep and long-lasting. But Steph could inflict even more harm if given a chance she didn’t deserve.

Trinity was helping a customer at the counter. He didn’t want to hover and take her away from work any longer than he already had, so he picked up the bag of food, gave Trinity a smile, and hoped she’d call him later.

If not, he’d call her after he put Emmy to bed.

He walked out of the store and found Tate standing off to the side of the lot. They met by Jon’s car as he loaded Emmy and the bag of food. He kept Emmy’s door open and turned to Tate. “What’s up?” He really didn’t need a brotherly interrogation about his and Trinity’s relationship right now.

Tate pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “What happened in there?”

“What do you mean?” He didn’t give anything away.

“She got totally spooked. All the blood drained from her face and she fled.”

So this was about Trinity’s emotional state. He pulled his phone out and tapped the color-matching game Emmy liked to play. “Here, sweetheart, you can play this while I talk to Tate.”

Emmy took the phone and he waved Tate to move to the back of the vehicle where they could speak without Emmy overhearing them.

“Do you blame Trinity after what happened with that guy Clint? I know you and Liz had a deadly run-in with him, and so did Trinity.”

Tate raked his fingers over his hair. “I was scared to death he’d kill her.”

“She was, too, which is why she doesn’t like anyone sneaking up behind her. It sets her off. The nightmare comes back.”

Tate gripped the back of his neck. “I had no idea this was still going on. In the beginning, sure, we all saw how guarded she was and how she’d gone quiet. But I thought . . . over time . . . well, I hoped it had faded away.”

“Maybe it was easier for you and Liz because you have each other. She lives alone in the place she was taken from. This is supposed to be a safe place for her. For the most part, I think she sees it that way, but I parked out back once and I could see that going out there disturbed her.” He didn’t want to give away all of Trinity’s secrets, but Tate’s deep concern allowed him to open up. “She checks the locks here and at my place at least three times. She tries to stand so that no one can come up behind her. She doesn’t have nightmares most nights, but believe me, the couple times she did were not fun. She kicks and screams and wakes up in a cold sweat.”

Tate stared up at the sky, taking that all in. “We knew she had some lingering anxiety and . . . overly cautious behavior. But I didn’t think it was still this bad.”

“She gets by most days without it really interfering in her life. I’d like to think being with me and Emmy helps her focus on good things and not the past.”

“We’re all happy that she has you. At the last family dinner, we all noticed the difference in her. We hadn’t seen her so relaxed and happy. She teased and engaged everyone like she used to before everything happened. It’s why I was so surprised to see her kind of lose it over something that seemed as innocuous as Nathan coming up behind her.”

“She told me a little about Drake. I’m sure he’s got his good days and bad. Though he went through a hell of a lot more than her, it’s all trauma.” He glanced toward the shop, thinking about Trinity. “This thing today with Emmy was emotional. Trinity turned Emmy’s distress into a day of pampering and helped her get past the bad stuff and smile again. I think that’s all we can do for Trinity. Be there for her when she needs us.”

“That’s the thing—she doesn’t lean on us.”

“I think she leans on Adria the most because they work together. But she knows you’re all there for her.”

That seemed to ease Tate’s mind and relax his tense shoulders. “Okay. But you’ll let us know if things change or get worse for some reason.”

“I will. Like I said, most days it doesn’t intrude on her life. Others, like today, something happens and she deals with it the best she can. She’s really strong. She understands it’s her mind’s way of dealing even if it is hard on her.”

Tate shifted from one foot to the other and hit him with his next concern. “What’s this about you trying to buy Almost Homemade?”

“I’m a businessman. I have some experience in the grocery store industry. I want to talk to Trinity and Adria about it. That’s all.” He wanted to clear things up with Trinity himself without Tate going to her and explaining for him. He wanted to make his plans for the business, and for them, clear.

“They’ve worked really hard to build this thing. I can’t imagine they’d simply want to just sell it all.”

“Their plans to expand it are impressive.”

Tate tilted his head. “You believe in what they’re doing.”

“They are smart businesswomen. The concept is great. I’m not surprised others have made offers on the business. Getting in now, while they’re still expanding, it’s a smart move.”

“And you’re a savvy businessman.”

Jon nodded, but didn’t add to what he’d already told Tate, except . . . “I’m looking toward the future.” With Trinity. But that was also for him and Trinity to discuss. So he changed the subject this time. “About the horses . . .”

“I can have them delivered this week if you’re ready. Unless you want to check them out first.”

“You’re the expert. I trust you found suitable horses. But instead of just the two for me and Emmy, I want a third for Trinity, so she can ride with us.”

“I can bring her horse over from Cedar Top.”

“That would be great. She spends a lot of time with us, and now she’ll be able to have her horse there, too.”

“I’m sure Luna will be happy to spend more time with her.”

“I like the name.”

“Yeah, she’s white with gray speckles. She looks like the moon, so that’s what Trinity named her.”

“Emmy will love to hear about that and see Luna.”

“I’ll text you with the delivery details.”

“Sounds good.”

“Are you planning on running cattle?” Tate studied him.

“Eventually. Right now I have my hands full with my daughter.” And the very real possibility that Steph could decide she wanted to go home to California where she had family support that would bolster her case for keeping Emmy.

“Maybe Declan and I can talk to you about that. We’re looking to expand our operation to supply Almost Homemade as they open new stores.”

That fit into his plans with Trinity perfectly. “Great idea. Let’s talk soon. Right now, I need to get Emmy home.”

“No problem. And hey, I like seeing the way you and Trinity are together. She deserves to be happy.”

“I’ve never been as happy as I am with her.”

That earned him a nod of approval from Tate. Not that he needed it. He intended to keep making Trinity happy.

“Get tiny tot home. I’ll see you later this week.” Tate waved bye and went back into the shop.

Jon went to Emmy’s door to close it. She was still playing her game, but when the phone chimed with a text, she handed it to him.

He closed the game and pulled up the text.

So Daddy came through and hired a lawyer for Steph. He expected it, but it still grated that her family was helping Steph continue to make Emmy miserable. And now they all had to go through this tedious process that would end with Steph doing what she had to do to keep Emmy but ultimately wouldn’t change who she was or how she acted when no one was watching.

He sighed and checked Emmy’s buckle. “Ready to go, sweetheart.”

“When is Trinity coming?”

“We might not see her until tomorrow.” He hated that she didn’t plan to drive out to stay overnight with him like she’d done so many other nights. Distance was the last thing he wanted from her.

Maybe he should have kept business out of their relationship. But when he had an idea, especially one this good, he had to go for it. And that it included Trinity, well, that just made it better.

He hoped he could get her to accept his proposal.