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“That was a long time ago.”
“You proposed to me that day,” Tara reminded him, giving him one of her patented sideways glances that was both coy and mischievous.
“For either the third or fourth time. I did a lot of proposing back then, as I recall.”
There was an opening there, but Tara let it pass. “We were so young back then. Or at least I was. You were too serious to ever really be young.”
“I suppose.”
She deliberately let the silence lengthen a little. “It’s sad, isn’t it?”
“What?” Ty’s glance touched her with mild interest.
“That you have to lose someone close to you, someone you loved very much, before you realize that money, status, the opinions of others—none of that matters. Only the people in your life are important. All my life I’ve been so ambitious—” Tara stopped and darted him a wry look. “But you know that better than anybody. Now—now, I realize that I spent all that time chasing the wrong things. And that is very, very sad.” She knew there was nothing Ty could say to that, so she didn’t give him the chance to respond. “Sorry. As always, I’m so wrapped up in myself and my troubles that I haven’t even asked how you are.”
“I’m fine. Busy as usual.” It was exactly the kind of noncommittal response Tara expected from him.
“And Jessy?” It was so hard to keep her lip from curling in dislike.
“She and the twins are fine.”
“She’s had the babies, then.” The news was like a lead weight in her stomach.
“Last week,” Ty replied, with a hint of pride in his voice. “A boy and a girl.”
“A boy and a girl.” Tara didn’t have to feign her surprise. Therefore, she let it work for her. “Then, you have been doubly blessed.”
“We think so.”
The pronoun grated at her with its reference to Jessy. “What are their names?” She tried to sound interested.
“Laura Marie and Chase Benteen Calder III.”
So the name continues, Tara thought, tasting bitterness. She had never gotten along with her former father-in-law despite numerous attempts to gain his favor. In his inimitable way, Chase Calder had made it clear he tolerated her only because his son had chosen her to be his wife.
“That’s quite a mouthful for a little baby,” was the comment she made.
“Dad has taken to calling him Trey, and the nickname’s caught on.”
Tara leaned into his shoulder as they walked. “You sound very happy, Ty. I’m glad for you.”
When he glanced down, Tara observed the doubt flicker in his eyes, questioning the sincerity of her words. She looked away, irritated that, in some ways, he knew her so well.
A gust of wind buffeted both of them. Taking advantage of its cold blast, she shuddered. “It’s positively freezing. I don’t suppose you would have time to buy a girl a cup of coffee, would you?”
“I think it could be arranged.”
The café Ty chose was in the Stockyards District, not far from the cemetery. Personally Tara would have picked a trendier spot than this over-the-top cowboy-themed café that catered mainly to the tourists. But the abundance of empty tables suited her purposes, creating a privacy and intimacy that she might not have attained in other places where she would have been more readily recognized and their conversation possibly interrupted.
With her usual skill, Tara made sure that she became the subject under discussion. She was well aware that Ty pitied her. If pity was the only emotion she aroused in him, then she was determined to use it.
“I was there when Daddy died. Did you know?”
“No.” His expression softened with deepening sympathy.
“He was gone so quick, there wasn’t anything anyone could do. The heart attack was massive and sudden. He collapsed and I screamed. In those few seconds it took to rush to him, it was over and he was dead. I keep telling myself that I’m glad he didn’t suffer long, but—” Tara broke off the rest of the sentence, punctuating it with a vague shrug and a teary-eyed smile.
“At least you were with him,” Ty offered.
