Christmas Baby for the Cowboy (Sweethearts of the Rodeo #4)

Chapter Fifteen

Loretta

L oretta stared at the phone in her hand, willing it to buzz with a message from Taylor. The screen remained stubbornly dark, just as it had for the past two weekends. She sighed, tossing it onto the counter of Kelly’s portrait studio. The clatter sounded unnaturally loud, and she winced, glancing toward where Georgie was finally napping in his pack and play.

There weren’t a lot of customers coming in on the weekend, but she was still glad to be here to give Kelly the time off with her family. Loretta told herself that the light was better here than in the Winnebago anyway. She made a half-hearted attempt to work on her latest painting, but she was too distracted.

Two weeks and they hadn’t spoken for more than five minutes. Texts, yes. Voicemails, yes. But no FaceTimes or actual live conversations. She got that he was busy and trying to help wrap up the films, but she was beginning to feel like an afterthought. He hadn’t called every day, like he said. Granted, the cell service sucked where he was and by the time he got off work, it was usually too late to talk. She did save his voicemails and played them for Georgie to hear.

A soft whimper from the playpen had Loretta moving before she even registered the sound. She lifted Georgie up, breathing in his sweet baby scent. “Hey there, little man,” she murmured, bouncing him gently. “Did you have a good nap? Dreaming of horses and cowboys, were you?”

As she changed Georgie’s diaper, Loretta studied his features, searching for traces of Taylor. The shape of his eyes, the curve of his chin—it was all there, a constant reminder of the man who should be here but wasn’t.

“Your daddy loves you,” she told Georgie, trying to convince herself as much as him. “He’s just busy. I shouldn’t be so needy, right?”

Georgie’s only response was a happy coo as she lifted him back into her arms. Loretta needed noise, something to drown out the doubts that whispered in her mind. She put on a children’s show while she played blocks with Georgie. She was too distracted to paint.

Loretta half-listened, singing the songs to her son. It was a repeat, and she was glad when it was over. As she prepped a snack for Georgie, the next show came on. She listened with half an ear until the word “rodeo” caught her attention.

“We’re on the set of Rodeo Days , the highly anticipated film chronicling the life of bull-riding legend Buck Reynolds. Our Cindy Martinez is there with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look in Guadalajara.”

That was the film Taylor was working on. She pulled Georgie on her lap to feed him some applesauce. The camera panned across a bustling film set, people rushing back and forth with equipment. Loretta’s eyes darted frantically, searching for a glimpse of Taylor in the background.

“I’m here with the film’s lead actress, Savannah Moore,” the reporter was saying. The camera shifted to focus on a stunning redhead, all perfect teeth and sun-kissed skin. Loretta’s stomach clenched as she took in the woman’s flawless makeup and designer western wear. Her hands fluttered hello at the camera. Each finger had a glittering diamond ring on it.

Must be nice.

Loretta glanced down at her own paint-stained T-shirt and faded jeans, suddenly feeling every bit like a frump. She looked down at her nails. She could use a manicure. Maybe she could convince one of her sisters to come visit and they could have a spa night. Then a realization hit her like an anvil to the head. Speaking of flashy rings, Taylor had never given her his mother’s ring. He’d said he’d get out of the safe deposit box almost a month ago.

With all the holiday bustle and the art gala, it had slipped her mind. Now, the absence of the ring ate at her gut. Had he changed his mind or was it that he had been just as busy as she was?

“Savannah, tell us about your experience on set,” the reporter prompted. “I hear you’ve had some expert help getting into character.”

Savannah laughed, a tinkling sound that set Loretta’s teeth on edge. “Oh, absolutely! The consultants have been amazing. Especially one in particular.” She winked at the camera. “Let’s just say I’ve been getting some very hands-on instruction in the cowboy way of life.”

The implication in her words was clear, and Loretta nearly gasped as dread choked her. She couldn’t be talking about Taylor, could she? Her hands shook as she fumbled for her phone, nearly dropping it in her haste to dial Taylor’s number. It rang once, twice, three times before going to voicemail.

Crap.

She hated being like this.

There was a rational explanation, she tried to tell herself. But the gremlin continued with all sorts of conspiracy theories.

She hated it.

What the hell was she going to do?

She put Georgie on his floor mat so he could practice rolling around and getting up on his knees. She would do what she always did. She would go on and be grateful for everything she did have.

Staring at her new painting in dismay, she knew she wouldn’t be able to do anything right on it today. Instead, she checked her savings balance for the apartment fund. With this week’s paycheck, she’d have enough to get that two-bedroom apartment in the center of Last Stand. She still had the Realtor’s card and, fingers crossed, she hoped it was still available.

Except she was five hundred dollars short.

What the actual fuck?

After some investigation, Loretta saw that a withdrawal had been made electronically. Thinking she had been hacked, she immediately called the bank.

The cheerful hold music felt like a mockery of her growing panic.

Finally, a crisp voice came on the line. “Thank you for holding. This is Amanda. How may I assist you today?”

“Hi, Amanda,” Loretta said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’m calling about a withdrawal from my account. I think I might have been hacked.”

“I understand your concern, ma’am. Can you please verify your identity for me?”

Loretta rattled off her personal information, each second feeling like an eternity. As Amanda typed on her end, Loretta’s mind raced through worst-case scenarios. Had someone stolen her identity? Why hadn’t they taken all of the money? Had she caught it just in time?

She hoped so. And she hoped she could get the money back.

“Thank you for that information, Ms. Keller,” Amanda said. “I’m looking at the transaction you mentioned. It was processed yesterday at 3:47 p.m. The withdrawal was made using the authorized debit card associated with your joint account.”

Loretta frowned. “I didn’t make any withdrawals yesterday.”

There was a pause, then Amanda spoke again, her voice carefully neutral. “The withdrawal was made by the other account holder, Mr. Taylor Keating. It appears to have been an ATM transaction in…let me see…Guadalajara, Mexico. Is this a fraudulent transaction?”

Was it?

The world tilted on its axis. Loretta gripped the edge of the counter, her knuckles turning white.

“No, I… Thank you. That’s all.” Loretta ended the call, her hand shaking.

Five hundred dollars. Gone. Withdrawn by Taylor without so much as a word to her. Was he in trouble? Why hadn’t he called to tell her he needed the money?

She called him again.

“Taylor, it’s me,” she said, hating the tremor in her voice. “I need to talk to you. Can you call me back? Please? It doesn’t matter what time.”

Knew it , the gremlin said smugly.

A wave of emotion crashed over Loretta, threatening to pull her under. She thumped her fist on the counter. Georgie, sensing her distress, began to whimper.

“It’s okay, baby,” Loretta choked out. “Mama’s okay. We’re okay.”

But they weren’t okay. Nothing about this was okay. A familiar anger bubbled up inside her. It was the same anger she’d felt when Connor had decided he liked being a bachelor, and when she’d realized that Donny had been lying to her for months. At least they hadn’t taken five hundred dollars out of her savings.

There had to be an explanation. Was it bail money? Or something more sinister? Should she block Taylor’s access to the account?

Loretta let out a shuddering sigh. Now, she was just getting ridiculous.

Or was she? The doubt had taken root, feeding on her insecurities and past hurts. She thought of the beautiful actress from the news report, of Taylor’s unanswered calls, of this secret withdrawal. It all painted a picture she didn’t want to see but couldn’t ignore.

She just had to endure until she could close up the portrait studio and go back home. Home to the Winnebago. It wasn’t a comforting thought. Maybe she could drive to Paris and see her parents? No. She wasn’t going to run back there. She wasn’t going to lose what progress she’d made, no matter how tempting it was.

The rest of the day dragged on. After glancing at her incoming calls for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Loretta tucked her phone back into her pocket. Still no word from Taylor. With a sigh, she turned her attention to closing up the shop.

The bell above the studio door chimed, and Loretta plastered on her professional smile as she turned to greet the customer. Wasn’t that always the way? Nothing for hours, but five minutes before closing, someone walked in. But the smile faltered when she saw who had entered.

“Barney? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Mexico.”

He gave her a weary smile. “Was supposed to be. Damn truck broke down just outside of Laredo. Figured it was a sign to turn around and head home for a spell.” His eyes narrowed as he took in her appearance. “Everything all right? You look like you’ve been crying.” Taylor’s father stood just inside the doorway. His weathered cowboy hat was clutched in his hands, and there was an air of discomfort about him that Loretta had never seen before.

“I’ve had better days,” she admitted.

“Anything I can do to help?” Barney asked.

“No. I’m fine. I’m just closing up the shop for the day. Is everything okay? Is it Taylor?” Had he needed the money for medical bills?

Barney held up a hand. “Taylor’s fine, far as I know. I need to tell you something.”

Loretta gestured to a pair of chairs in the corner of the studio. “Why don’t we sit down?”

As they settled into the chairs, Loretta noticed the lines of fatigue on Barney’s face, the slump in his shoulders. Something was weighing on him, that much was clear.

“What’s going on?” she prompted gently.

He sighed heavily. “There’s something you should know,” he said. “Taylor pawned his mother’s wedding ring.”

“Pawned it? It’s not in a security deposit box?”

“No. He pawned it to pay off bills.”

“What bills?” she asked.

“He didn’t tell me. Anyway, I managed to track down where it is, and I want to get it back before they sell it. Do you have the pawn receipt?”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t.”

“Do you mind if we look for it in the Winnebago?”

“Uh, sure,” Loretta said. “Let me finish up here. I’ve got a call into Taylor and hopefully he calls me back. We can ask him where the slip is.”

“I have a feeling it’s in his wallet.”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“I did,” Barney said, frustrated. “I told him to send me a picture of it and I would get it out of hock.”

“When was this?” she asked.

“Yesterday afternoon.”

Loretta thought about the missing money from their account. “Around three thirty?”

“Yeah.” Barney shrugged. “Thereabouts.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing. I haven’t heard a peep out of him.”

It wasn’t a hard deduction to make that Taylor had taken the money out of their savings account to buy back the ring before his father could. Loretta just wished Taylor had talked to her about it first. It wasn’t as if she would have said no. This was his mother’s ring. It would be her ring.

Unless it wasn’t.

She was just so damned confused. Why did he pawn the ring if he knew he was going to ask her to marry him?

After locking up the portrait studio, Barney was happy to carry Georgie back to the RV. Loretta looked in any place she could imagine Taylor would put important paperwork, but she couldn’t find it.

“I’m sorry, Barney,” she said. “Maybe, he has a plan for getting the ring back in time.”

“I can’t take that chance,” Barney said. “I’m going to go down there and see if they’ll let me pay back the loan without the paperwork.”

“I don’t think it works that way. You should have a little faith in Taylor.”

You should listen to your own advice.

This time, the gremlin had a point.

“I can’t take that chance. I’m his father. He’s in Mexico for the rest of the month. I have the cash. Maybe I can sweet-talk my way into getting the ring back.”

“I think that’s illegal,” Loretta said, but she really wasn’t sure. All she knew about pawn shops was what she saw on television.

“Do you want to come with me? After all, it’s your ring.”

Loretta shook her head. “Not until Taylor gives it to me, it’s not.”

“Fair enough. If I get it, I’ll keep it safe until then.”

“Let me know how it works out,” Loretta said. “Georgie and I are going to have an early night.”

Barney kissed them both on the forehead before he left.

“Call me,” she muttered, staring at her phone.

Taylor didn’t call.