The Bad Daughter(74)

“Alec…,” Robin warned, although the question wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

“Just asking,” Alec said with a sly smile.

The men on horseback drew closer, their faces emerging from the shadows. Beneath the wide-brimmed hat he wore, Landon was grinning from ear to ear.

Robin thought it was the first time she’d ever seen her nephew smile.

Melanie was also smiling, albeit faintly, a sight almost as rare.

“Hold on,” Alec said, his eyes narrowing. “Are you fucking this guy?”

Melanie’s head snapped toward her brother.

“You are,” Alec said. “You’re fucking him.”

“Shut up,” Melanie said.

“Melanie’s got a boyfriend; Melanie’s got a boyfriend,” he taunted.

“I’m warning you…”

“Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s terrific,” Alec said as Donny Warren jumped off his dark brown horse, removing his hat and walking toward them. “Hypothetically, of course, if someone hated her father and Tara enough, she might enlist the help of her lover and son…”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Robin sneezed.

“God bless you,” Donny Warren said as he approached, pulling a tissue from the pocket of his jeans and offering it to Robin.

“Thank you.”

“I’m Donny. You must be Robin. I think I saw you the other day on the side of the road.”

Robin nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

“And I’m Melanie’s brother, Alec,” Alec interjected, extending his hand and wincing as Donny shook it. “Whoa there, cowboy. That’s some grip you’ve got.”

“Sorry.” Donny took a step back, and Robin saw that in profile his face was less intimidating than it appeared full on. There was a softness, even a twinkle, in his coal-black eyes. And despite the intense heat, he looked entirely comfortable in his deeply tanned skin, his checkered shirt unstained by sweat. A man at peace with himself and his surroundings, she thought. Robin couldn’t imagine him killing anyone.

Then she remembered he’d served two tours in Afghanistan.

“I was explaining that you’ve been teaching Landon how to ride,” Melanie said, watching as Landon dismounted from his dappled gray horse.

“Yeah. He’s a quick learner. He did great today. Didn’t you, Landon?”

Landon looked toward the ground at his feet, still holding tight to the horse’s reins.

“It’s very generous of you,” Alec said, “to spend so much time with Landon.”

“Well, I like the kid. And we both like horses and motorcycles,” Donny said. “Plus I grew up with a brother with learning disabilities, so it’s really no big deal for me. You want to come inside for a drink?”

“I think we better be heading back,” Melanie said.

“Sure,” Donny said. “Anytime.” He glanced at Landon. “I’ll take those, partner,” he said, lifting the reins from Landon’s hands.

“Come on, Landon,” Melanie said.

“Nice meeting you,” Donny said to Robin and Alec as they turned to leave. “Same time tomorrow, Landon? You, too,” he said to Alec, “if you feel like going for a ride.”

“Just might take you up on that,” Alec said, smiling at Melanie.

“If somebody doesn’t shoot you first,” came Melanie’s quick reply.





CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE


The call came the next morning.

“Robin?” The small voice vibrated with enthusiasm.

“Cassidy?” Robin responded.

“Guess what? The doctor says I’m ready to be discharged.”

Robin looked toward Blake, who was sitting at the kitchen table, answering his email on his laptop.

“What?” he asked with his eyes.

“The doctor says Cassidy’s ready to come home,” she whispered. “That’s fantastic, sweetheart. Did he say when exactly?”

“He said you can come and get me anytime. Now, even. I mean, if it isn’t too much trouble.”

What do I do? Robin wondered. This wasn’t her home anymore, and Melanie wouldn’t take kindly to Robin making a decision like this on her own. But Melanie wasn’t here, and she couldn’t very well tell the child she’d have to think about it and call her back. “Of course it’s no trouble,” she said. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“Robin…”

“Yes?”

“Can you bring me something to wear? I was wearing pajamas when…you know. And they got kind of ruined…”

Robin pictured a child’s pajama top shredded by bullets and soaked through with blood. “Sure. We’ll go to the house and get something.” The police tape had been removed from around her father’s mansion, but the thought of returning there, of seeing the blood that covered Cassidy’s bed like a blanket, made her stomach lurch. “You know what? This is the first good news we’ve had in a while and you deserve something special. We’ll stop at a store and get you something new to wear.”

“Really? There’s this awesome shop on Main Street called Trendsetters. I love their stuff.”