The Cowboy's Way(34)
His three brothers nodded their agreement. Their foster father had instilled a keen sense of what was right and what wasn’t. Leaving a woman in distress without helping her out of whatever situation she found herself in was an unforgivable sin. No exceptions.
“Did you know she had a kid when you were giving her such a hard time about that horse?” Ryder demanded.
“No.” T.J. shook his head. “I wouldn’t have been so demanding if I’d known she was trying to juggle taking care of a baby and running the Circle W by herself.”
“Where’s the little boy’s daddy?” Sam asked. “Can’t he lend a hand?”
Filling them in on what Heather had told him about losing her father and her fiancé just a few months apart, T.J. left out how much she was struggling. His brothers didn’t need to know how hard she was finding it to make ends meet. For one thing, he had to consider her pride. She hadn’t liked having to tell him and he didn’t figure she would appreciate him discussing her business with his brothers. And for another, they had probably already figured it out for themselves.
“You’re going to continue helping her out, aren’t you?” Sam asked, his know-it-all smile almost as irritating as Lane’s.
“I owe her,” T.J. said, nodding. “It turns out that stud of hers is a registered quarter horse and a multi-champion horse in the pleasure class.”
“And you thought he’d screwed up your breeding program,” Lane said thoughtfully. “While in fact, he might have improved it.”
Ryder laughed. “Funny how jumping to conclusions can come back to bite you in the butt.”
“Shut up, smart-ass,” T.J. muttered, wishing he’d skipped having supper with his brothers.
“What can I get for you guys?” a young, ponytailed waitress asked as she walked up to the booth. Snapping her chewing gum, she smiled as she added, “Our special tonight is a T-bone steak smothered in onions and green peppers with sides of French fries and coleslaw.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sam said.
“Make that two of the specials,” Ryder agreed.
“How about you, T.J.?” Lane asked. When he nodded, Lane turned back to the girl. “Looks like we’ll all have tonight’s special, medium rare and add another round of beer to that order.”
The girl nodded. “I’ll be back with your beer in just a minute.”
T.J. was relieved that once she left, the conversation turned to other things. By the time they finished dinner and got ready to leave, they all agreed they needed to get together for a brothers’ night out more often.
“I guess I’ll see all of you in a couple of days at the Dusty Diamond,” T.J. said, reaching for his hat.
“We’ll be there. Be prepared to help me carry in all the baby stuff we’ll have to bring for Katie.” Ryder laughed. “Going anywhere with a baby is like moving.”
Sam nodded. “You got that right. It is getting a little better now that little Hank is almost a year old. But damn, even a trip to town can be a major undertaking.”
“We’ll be there if Taylor feels up to it,” Lane said, nodding.
“She called Bria this afternoon and asked if Bria could handle making the dinner and the snacks they’d planned for our New Year’s Eve party by herself,” Sam said, looking concerned. “Have you taken Taylor to the doctor?”
“She has an appointment tomorrow afternoon,” Lane said as they all stood up.
“Maybe he can give her something to get rid of whatever’s making her feel bad,” T.J. offered when they stopped to pay their checks at the bar.
“Let us know what the doctor has to say,” Ryder added. As they walked out to the parking lot, he asked, “So are you going to invite your neighbor to the party, T.J.?”
“You really should,” Sam said, grinning. “If you two are going to continue seeing each other, she might as well meet us now and see what she’s up against.”
“I’ll think about it,” T.J. muttered as he waved goodbye to his brothers and got into his truck.
On the drive home, he thought about what his brothers had said. He had entertained the idea of asking Heather and Seth to join the annual New Year’s Eve party, but he hadn’t had a chance to weigh the pros and cons of having her meet his family.
It wasn’t that he thought they wouldn’t welcome her or that she wouldn’t fit in. He knew for a fact they would accept her and Seth with open arms and he was pretty sure Heather would become instant friends with all of his sisters-in-law. So why was he holding back?