Page 74 of Wrangled Up

The sweetest words she’d ever heard.

* * * * *

Tucker drew the steaming mug of coffee to his lips. When the delicious brew hit his tongue, he groaned. No one made coffee like Letty. A time or two early on when he was toying with Claire, he’d been invited into Letty’s small and efficient kitchen and given the aromatic nectar. Now with her as a permanent fixture in his home, he couldn’t regret sharing his space with Claire’s aunt.

“Mmm.”

“Good?” Letty cocked a brow at him. Her hair was loose around her shoulders today—she’d gotten up early, insisting upon fixing him breakfast, and hadn’t pinned her hair into the usual neat curls.

“Delicious. I don’t know how you make black sand and water taste so good, but you do.”

“Oh, I have a few years’ worth of practice.” Letty turned back to the ham slices she was frying.

Tucker appreciated every meal this woman put before him. It was nice to have someone take care of him. It had been too long since he’d grabbed more than a store-bought bagel or a bowl of cold cereal before hitting the ranch chores.

Letty finished frying the ham while Tucker sipped. When she set a plate of ham, biscuits and gravy before him, he shot her a grin.

“Don’t you turn your charms on me, young man. I see right through your act.”

His grin spread. “Yeah?” Holding his fork tines down and using his knife, he sliced off a square of ham.

Letty pulled a vacant chair away from the table and sank to it. Her wispy figure hit the chair. This morning, she looked worn.

Tucker studied her face, trying to detect pain or illness. If she were sick, he’d feel like a total shit since she’d gotten up early on his account. “Everything okay?”

She sighed and dragged her coffee mug across the table. But she didn’t lift it. “Oh, justthat I’m sitting here with my niece’s boyfriend, while she’s still in bed with her other boyfriend.”

Tucker’s mouth quirked up higher on one side. He stuffed a bite of ham into his mouth. “Bother you, does it?”

“Not as much as it might,” Letty said in a quieter tone.

He laughed outright. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Not as much as it bothers Claire’s daddy.”

He sobered. “Well, he’s an ass.”

She didn’t say anything for a minute then finally nodded. Her white hair brushed her shoulders like fine, thick webs dangling from a strong but wiry oak. “I can’t deny he puts me on edge with the way he storms in and tries to take over Claire’s life. She’s a grown woman, has been since she was a child, if you really look at it.”

Tucker blinked at her until she explained.

“Claire’s momma was a loss early on. The girl had to grow up fast. I didn’t always have the care of her, you know. She had about ayear alone with Jake, and he hauled her around on the rig with him.”

“What?” Shock sidled through his belly, low and slow. Damn good thing the man had taken off after a home-cooked meal and a night’s sleep on the couch. If he’d decided to hang around, Tucker would have no choice but to take Jake’s challenges to fight.

“That’s right. Claire was taking care of that man when he shoulda been caring for her. Wore on that girl heavy. You know she is a listener and will hardly say anything out of turn. But by the time I got ahold of her, she was a shadow of herself. Fought hard and long with Jake to let me take her. Jake pulled her into the middle of it and asked her outright if she preferred staying with him over me.”

“Unfair.” Tucker speared his ham with aclack.Too easily he pictured the vulnerable girl, torn between what she wanted for herself and what she thought her father needed—

Wait.Tucker felt as if he’d just spent eight seconds on a bucking nightmare. He was as guilty of not providing the things Claire needed—deserved—as her father.

He set his fork down with aclatterand scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m such an ass, Letty. How can I make it up to her?”

When he’d left Claire, he had just furthered the cycle her father had begun years before. Leaving her yearning for a relationship she felt was out of reach had probably abraded their relationship more than he knew. Mostly because Claire would never say.

“I have to make her tell me what she wants and needs. She has to demand it,” he cut in when Letty opened her mouth.

The woman gave a nod. Then she buried her nose in her mug and drank deeply. Somehow the scorching coffee didn’t affect her at all. She cradled her mug and smiled. “Knew you were a smart one.”

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