Read Online Renegade: A Taggart Brothers Novel by Lisa Bingham - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lisa Bingham
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now?”
Bronte opened her mouth to correct Barry, to tell him her daughter’s name was Lily. But in doing so, she caught the way Jace seemed to freeze, his eyes locking on Barry.
“Lily probably needs to eat first,” she said slowly, wondering at the sudden undercurrents in the room.
“We can eat in the tree house, Emily.” He turned to Jace. “Can we eat in the tree house, Jace?”
Jace cleared his throat before speaking. “I don’t know if Bronte—”
Seeing her daughter’s own eager expression, Bronte interrupted with, “Sure. I don’t see why not.”
As if they’d been friends for years, Barry and Lily jumped to their feet, each of them scooping a handful of bacon into their napkins, then heading for the door and slamming it behind them.
Silence seemed to flood into the vacuum of their absence. Then Tyson announced, “Jace, it appears the carrot curse has been broken. Now you’ll be cooking bacon for a month.”
Confused, Bronte looked at Jace in time to see him grimace. But before she could ask for a translation, Tyson continued, “Well, I’m starving. Someone pass the potatoes.”
In an instant, the awkwardness was broken. As bowls were sent her way, Bronte filled her plate with more food than she’d probably eaten in a month. It was as if the sun streaming through the window and the old familiar smells of country cooking were reawakening a part of that teenage girl who’d once spent her summers here with Annie.
Tyson clearly had never encountered a stranger in his life, because he filled her in on the happenings in town. Jace and she finished their food and nursed the last few drops of orange juice while Tyson finished his second plate of food . . . his third . . . and his fourth—all of them liberally dosed with salsa. Through it all, Bronte noted that Kari watched him eat as if he were Zeus on Mount Olympus and she wanted to feed him grapes. Much to Kari’s disappointment, seconds after he’d finally finished eating, Tyson abruptly grabbed an International Harvester’s hat with FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS D RIVE GREEN emblazoned on the front and stood.
What did that mean?
“Thanks for breakfast, Jace. I’ll triple-K the angle field. She should be done by”—he looked at his watch—“ten?”
Jace nodded. “Brandon and Jess should be here by noon so that the three of you can start working on the ditches. Once Scottie gets out of school, we’ll start drilling alfalfa down by the Rudds. It’s probably the only field dry enough.”
“Will do.” Tyson touched his brim. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cupacek.”
Kari looked miffed at not being included in Tyson’s farewells, but her pride was saved when Tyson said at the door, “You and your sister should come to the ranch sometime and check things out.”
“I will!”
Kari’s response was much too eager, but Tyson was already halfway across the yard. She watched him climb into a dilapidated Toyota pickup and drive away in a spray of mud. Then she whisked her iPod out of her pocket. But seconds after turning it on, she squealed in frustration.
“There’s no Wi-Fi!” She turned to Bronte in patent desperation. “Can’t I have a cell phone? Please,
please
,” she whined. “All my friends have one.”
“No.”
“Then can I use your cell phone to text McKenzie?”
“Why don’t you call her?” Bronte said wryly, pointing to the telephone bolted to the wall.
Pure horror crossed Kari’s face. “I can’t
call.
No one does
that
anymore.”
“I do it all the time.”
“Mother!”
Clearly, Bronte was asking the impossible—such as insisting Kari perform brain surgery with a rock.
“Fine,” she relented. “But we’re going to the hospital in a few minutes, so make sure you’re ready to walk out the door.”
She hadn’t even finished her sentence before Kari was racing out of the room and tearing up the staircase—probably to update McKenzie on the ranch hand-slash-mechanic who was
H-O-T!
“You
Bronte opened her mouth to correct Barry, to tell him her daughter’s name was Lily. But in doing so, she caught the way Jace seemed to freeze, his eyes locking on Barry.
“Lily probably needs to eat first,” she said slowly, wondering at the sudden undercurrents in the room.
“We can eat in the tree house, Emily.” He turned to Jace. “Can we eat in the tree house, Jace?”
Jace cleared his throat before speaking. “I don’t know if Bronte—”
Seeing her daughter’s own eager expression, Bronte interrupted with, “Sure. I don’t see why not.”
As if they’d been friends for years, Barry and Lily jumped to their feet, each of them scooping a handful of bacon into their napkins, then heading for the door and slamming it behind them.
Silence seemed to flood into the vacuum of their absence. Then Tyson announced, “Jace, it appears the carrot curse has been broken. Now you’ll be cooking bacon for a month.”
Confused, Bronte looked at Jace in time to see him grimace. But before she could ask for a translation, Tyson continued, “Well, I’m starving. Someone pass the potatoes.”
In an instant, the awkwardness was broken. As bowls were sent her way, Bronte filled her plate with more food than she’d probably eaten in a month. It was as if the sun streaming through the window and the old familiar smells of country cooking were reawakening a part of that teenage girl who’d once spent her summers here with Annie.
Tyson clearly had never encountered a stranger in his life, because he filled her in on the happenings in town. Jace and she finished their food and nursed the last few drops of orange juice while Tyson finished his second plate of food . . . his third . . . and his fourth—all of them liberally dosed with salsa. Through it all, Bronte noted that Kari watched him eat as if he were Zeus on Mount Olympus and she wanted to feed him grapes. Much to Kari’s disappointment, seconds after he’d finally finished eating, Tyson abruptly grabbed an International Harvester’s hat with FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS D RIVE GREEN emblazoned on the front and stood.
What did that mean?
“Thanks for breakfast, Jace. I’ll triple-K the angle field. She should be done by”—he looked at his watch—“ten?”
Jace nodded. “Brandon and Jess should be here by noon so that the three of you can start working on the ditches. Once Scottie gets out of school, we’ll start drilling alfalfa down by the Rudds. It’s probably the only field dry enough.”
“Will do.” Tyson touched his brim. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cupacek.”
Kari looked miffed at not being included in Tyson’s farewells, but her pride was saved when Tyson said at the door, “You and your sister should come to the ranch sometime and check things out.”
“I will!”
Kari’s response was much too eager, but Tyson was already halfway across the yard. She watched him climb into a dilapidated Toyota pickup and drive away in a spray of mud. Then she whisked her iPod out of her pocket. But seconds after turning it on, she squealed in frustration.
“There’s no Wi-Fi!” She turned to Bronte in patent desperation. “Can’t I have a cell phone? Please,
please
,” she whined. “All my friends have one.”
“No.”
“Then can I use your cell phone to text McKenzie?”
“Why don’t you call her?” Bronte said wryly, pointing to the telephone bolted to the wall.
Pure horror crossed Kari’s face. “I can’t
call.
No one does
that
anymore.”
“I do it all the time.”
“Mother!”
Clearly, Bronte was asking the impossible—such as insisting Kari perform brain surgery with a rock.
“Fine,” she relented. “But we’re going to the hospital in a few minutes, so make sure you’re ready to walk out the door.”
She hadn’t even finished her sentence before Kari was racing out of the room and tearing up the staircase—probably to update McKenzie on the ranch hand-slash-mechanic who was
H-O-T!
“You
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