His dad was waiting in the kitchen. The aroma of coffee filled the air.
Rather than hanging back, Carolyn walked over to the counter. "If you"ll get plates and a pie cutter, I"ll dish up."
Carson didn"t offer to help. His dad needed to make up for being an a.s.s. If he"d had his way, his father would"ve been denied pie, just like her family had been.
They carried their plates and cups into the dining room. After a couple of bites, Jed McKay said, "This is good. Thanks for bringing it. I hafta get my sweet fix at the diner."
"You tick off all them women who were dropping off coffee cakes, pies and cookies?"
His father iced him with a look. "Yep. Not interested in getting married and that"s what they were all angling for." He looked at Carolyn.
She smiled. "Rest a.s.sured, Mr. McKay, I"m not interested in marrying you." She shoved a bite of pie in her mouth.
Carson about choked on his coffee.
"You don"t look old enough to get married. How old are you?"
"Dad-"
"That"s fine, Carson, I"ll answer. I just graduated from St. Mary"s. I"ll be nineteen soon."
"You sticking around these parts?"
"We"ll see. I"m here over the summer."
He sipped his coffee. "How"s your mother?"
Then everything started to fall into place. Talking to Carolyn"s mother after lunch, she"d asked about his dad. Obviously they knew each other. How well? Then he remembered the story Thomas told him about Eli West putting Jed McKay in the hospital years ago.
Had that been over Carolyn"s mother? That made the most sense. No wonder the men hated each other. And it had nothing to do with the supposed blood feud between Eli and Jed"s fathers.
"Right, son?"
He looked at his dad. "What?"
"I asked if she"d been at the dancehall last night when you mixed it up."
"I told him I"d already left and he said it was a good thing," Carolyn inserted.
He wasn"t about to let his dad deliver a lecture about fighting. He"d been hearing that same lecture since his first fight at age ten. He finished his coffee and stood. "We gotta run."
Startled, Carolyn pushed back from the table and said, "Excuse me. I need to use the facilities," and disappeared down the hallway.
As soon as she was out of earshot, his dad warned, "Don"t go getting serious about her."
"Why not?"
"She"s too d.a.m.ned young for one thing. She"s the daughter of Eli West for another."
"She"s also Clara"s daughter."
"Don"t matter. I don"t want you seein" her again."
"What you want don"t matter to me because I am seein" her and I"m already serious about her."
His father crossed his arms over his chest. "It should matter because I hold all the cards for your future. Be a mighty bleak one for you if you see her in it."
"So you"re...threatening me? You get off on makin" me jump through hoops. So go on and tell me, Dad. If I don"t break it off with her, you"ll disinherit me? Kick me off the ranch?"
"You mark my words, boy, that girl will-"
"I left you a slice of pie, Mr. McKay," Carolyn said as she breezed back into the dining room. "I promised the rest to your son."
"I"ll just bet you did."
Would Carolyn think less of him if he took a swing at his old man?
Probably.
"Come on, sugar, we got places to be."
Carolyn held the pie in one hand and he grabbed her free hand. "Nice meeting you, Mr. McKay."
They were out the door before they heard his dad"s response. They were out of the driveway before Carson spoke. "Sorry about that."
"What did he say to you that prompted our quick exit?"
"Nothin" worth repeating." He pulled off to the side of the road. "When I talked to your mom today she asked about my dad. Doesn"t it seem odd that my dad would ask about your mom?"
Her eyes went wide. "Do you think they...?"
"Dated? Snuck around? Maybe. Maybe even behind your dad"s back when he was dating your mom. Seems to be the reputation McKays have." He paused to breathe. "Years ago Eli put my dad in the hospital."
"I didn"t know that! How"d you find that out?"
"Thomas told me. He overheard it from Roscoe."
"Then it"s true because Roscoe is my dad"s one decent friend." She looked at him. "I thought all the bad blood was between your grandfather and mine."
"It was. But it appears that"s not where the bad blood ends between the Wests and McKays."
Carolyn set the pie on the dash and scooted closer, uncurling one of his hands from the steering wheel. Then she curled that hand around her face. "Maybe we"ll be the generation that ends it."
Or maybe by being together they were starting a third-generation feud.
Carson didn"t give a d.a.m.n about what"d happened in the past. When he looked in Carolyn"s eyes, he saw his future.
"That"s a pretty intense look you"re giving me, McKay."
He smiled and gently kissed the inside of her wrist. "Better?"
"Sweeter, definitely. So where to now?"
"I"m supposed to be meetin" my brothers at the Silver Spur."
"You hang out in a bar on a Sunday?"
"Yep." And just to be ornery, he said, "I"ve been to your church today, now it"s time for you to come to mine."
Somehow he"d forgotten she could hit that hard.
Cal had taken their usual booth in the back. He stood when they approached.
"Cal, this is Carolyn West. Caro, this is my brother, Cal."
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise.
"Cal is short for...?"
"Calvin. Can I get you a drink?"
"I"ll take a c.o.ke."
Carson gestured for her to sit on the inside. "I"ll take a double shot."
Cal raised both eyebrows in a silent "That bad?" and Carson nodded before he slid in next to Carolyn.
"Where are your other brothers?"
"They"ll be here soon." She was looking at him strangely. "What?"
"You and Cal aren"t identical twins but you look an awful lot alike."
"And?"
"And I"m just wondering if your other brothers look like you two."
"Why such a curious kitty?"
"Because you"ve met my brothers. None of us look anything alike. My sister Kimi is blonde like me, and she"s the spitting image of our mother, but Harland is the only one who looks anything like our dad."
"Huh. Same thing happens with cattle. Once in a while we get some weird color mixes."
She laughed.
"What?"
"I think that"s the first time you"ve brought the conversation around to cows."
"I can pretty much guarantee it won"t be the last time."
Cal returned with the drinks.
It was hard for Carson to sip his double shot of whiskey and not slam it.
Cal and Carolyn hit it off right away. He relaxed a little.
"Well, who we got here?" Casper said, grabbing a chair and flipping it around before he straddled it. "Didja bring dates for all of us? "Cause if we get to pick, I"m choosing her." He offered his hand. "Casper McKay."
Carson batted his brother"s hand away. "This is my girlfriend, Carolyn, so keep your paws off her."
Casper lifted his in hands in surrender. "No harm in tryin"."
Charlie slid into the booth next to Cal. "I told you they wouldn"t sell to me. Go up there and buy your own d.a.m.n beer."
"f.u.c.kin" little brat. What good are ya if ya can"t keep the booze flowin"?"
"I drive your drunken a.s.s home, remember?"
"Right. Guess you are good for something." Casper stood and headed to the bar.
"He is p.i.s.sin" me off today," Charlie said. "Ever since we fought them guys last night, he"s been talkin" about knockin" fool heads together." He snorted. "Big f.u.c.kin" talker. He"s usually pa.s.sed out in the truck when the real fightin" starts."
Carson didn"t want to dissect last night"s dust up, or anything about last night. "Carolyn, this is my youngest brother Charlie. He"s usually more polite than this. Charlie, my girlfriend, Carolyn."
"s.h.i.t. Sorry. Sorry for sayin" s.h.i.t." He rubbed his hand on his jeans before offering it to Carolyn. "Nice to meet you. What"d you say your last name was?"
"It"s West."
Charlie"s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "West? As in..."
"Yeah, that West," Carson finished.
"Now I know why Dad was bein" such an a.s.s when we stopped at home to get some money before we came here." His gaze slid to Carolyn. "No offense."
Cal rubbed his hands together. "Who wants to play pool?"
"What"s the bet?"
"Same as usual. Buck a game."
"I"ll play ya," Carson said. He tugged on a hank of Carolyn"s hair. "You can be my good luck charm."
Carolyn didn"t say much as they played pool. She seemed more amused than bored.
Cal beat Carson. Then Cal lost to Charlie. Charlie then lost to Casper. Carson challenged Casper and Casper beat him.