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“Balderdash?” The corner of his mouth kicked up. “You’re in Texas now, honey. Down here we just call it plain old—”
“I know what you call it!”
“You sure are in a grouchy mood tonight. I’ll tell you what. Just to cheer you up, how about if I let you get me out of bed at six o’clock tomorrow morning? We’ll drive straight to Telarosa. We should be there for lunch.”
She stared at him. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not such a sorry excuse for a human being that I’d kid you about something so near and dear to your heart.”
“You promise we’ll go straight there? No side trips to see an ostrich ranch or visit your first grade teacher?”
“I said we would, didn’t I?”
Her crankiness evaporated. “Yes. All right. Yes, that sounds wonderful.”
She settled back in the seat certain of one thing. If they made it to Telarosa tomorrow, it would be because Bobby Tom had decided he wanted to be there, not because of what she wanted.
He turned back to her. “Just out of curiosity, how come you don’t believe me about those paternity suits? They’re pretty much a matter of public record.”
She had spoken impulsively, but as she thought over what she had said, she became convinced that this was simply another example of Bobby Tom stretching the truth. “I can imagine you doing many nefarious things, especially involving women, but I can’t imagine you abandoning your own child.”
He glanced over at her and the corners of his mouth formed an almost imperceptible smile. It broadened as he returned his attention to the highway.
“Well?” She regarded him curiously.
“You really want to know?”
“If it’s the truth instead of one of those tall tales you spin for the rest of the world.”
He tipped the brim of his Stetson forward a fraction of an inch. “A long time ago a lady friend slapped me with a paternity suit. Even though I was pretty certain the baby wasn’t mine, I had all the blood work done. Sure enough, her old boyfriend was the guilty party, but since he was a born-again sonovabitch, I decided to help her out a little.”
“You gave her money.” Gracie had watched Bobby Tom in action long enough to understand how he worked.
“Why should an innocent kid suffer just because his old man is a jerk?” He shrugged. “After that, word got out that I was an easy mark.”
“And more paternity suits came along?”
He nodded.
“Let me make a guess. Instead of fighting them, you made settlements.”
“Just a couple of small trust funds to take care of essentials,” he replied defensively. “Hell, I’ve got more money than I can spend, and they all signed papers admitting I wasn’t the father. What’s the harm?”
“No harm, I suppose. But it’s not really fair. You shouldn’t have to pick up the bill for other people’s mistakes.”
“Neither should little kids.”
She wondered if he was thinking of the tragedy of his own childhood, but his expression wa
s unreadable, so she couldn’t tell.
He pushed the buttons of his car phone and propped the receiver to his ear. “Bruno, I didn’t wake you up, did I? That’s good. Say, I don’t have Steve Cray’s number. You mind giving him a call and telling him to fly the Baron down to Telarosa tomorrow.” He pulled into the left lane. “All right. Yeah, I thought I’d do some flying when I’m not working. Thanks, Bruno.”
He replaced the phone and began to hum “Luckenbach, Texas.”
Gracie struggled to speak evenly. “The Baron?”
“A classy little turbo-charged twin. I keep it at an airstrip ’bout half an hour from my house in Chicago.”
