Page 76 of Something Tangled Something True (Rosa Ranch #1)
MR. LICKERTON
My pocket vibrates with a call. Excusing myself from Dr. Becerra, I leave her to check on Daisy, who’s due in September, before answering.
“Hello, this is Ryder Lockhart.”
I’m met with an unfamiliar male voice, it’s smooth and low, with a hint of an accent I can’t pinpoint. “Hey, man. A friend of mine sent a picture of one of the fliers you put up in town. It looks like you found my little guy, Mr. Lickerton.”
I almost choke on my spit, pounding on my chest to speed up my recovery.
“You good?” he asks.
“Ye–Yeah, I’m good. Must’ve breathed in some dust,” I explain.
Now that the coughing fit has worn off, his words fall into place, and I’m hit with a wave of sadness.
Nugget’s dad wants him back and, presumably, he’s been looking for him all this time.
I’m conflicted by the loss, happy he’ll be reunited with his original family and that Lola and I had the opportunity to give him a good life while he was away from them, but unbelievably sorrowful he isn’t ours to keep. “So the little guy is yours?” I ask .
“Yeah, I’ve been looking all over for him, and when my friend sent the flier, I thought ‘no way it could be him.’ I’d lost all hope, but sure enough, the photo was an exact match.”
“Hey, I’m really glad—” I’m getting choked up, hot tears springing to my eyes that have no business being there.
“Glad we could reunite you. Would you mind sending me a picture of you and”—my teeth grind as I scrape the atrocious name past my lips—“Mr. Lickerton? I believe you, but you know how it is. I have to check for his safety and can’t just trust anybody.
” I chuckle to diffuse any potential tension, but he takes it in stride.
“No worries, I get it. I’m sending a pic right now.
” I wait a few moments for the photo to populate: a handsome guy with dark, short-cropped hair on the sides and a mop of near-black curls piled on the top of his head, Nugget tucked against his chest, staring into the camera with glittering brown eyes and a white, disarmingly wide smile.
Nugget’s mouth is open, his pink tongue hanging out; he seems completely at ease, no evidence of abuse.
“Got it. Thanks for confirming. Looks like you’ll both be happy to be reunited. When would you want to meet?” I ask, pacing the hay-covered cement corridor between the stalls.
“I live a few hours away, but I need to drop into Washita for work. If you’re available, I could meet you somewhere around there tonight.”
“Washita is about an hour and a half from me.” I don’t want him to have to drive too far, but I hate the idea of leaving Lola at home or making her sit in a car that long with the weather we’ve got rolling in.
Heavy rain always makes her joints ache.
“Would you mind meeting me in Snapdragon?” It’s still about an hour out for me, but a two-hour drive seems more manageable than a three-hour round-trip.
“Uh, sure, man. Not a problem. I’ll send the address for a place I can stop for a coffee or something before heading home with the little guy. And thanks again for doing this,” he says, ending the call and shooting me an address with his ETA a few minutes later.
By the time I make it home to Lola, the sky has opened up, heavy gray clouds blocking what’s left of the sun's rays, pouring sheets of rain that show no signs of letting up.
“Hey, Teddy. Sorry you’re out here like this. You sure you don’t want to come inside?” I ask the blond biker seated on my porch, his feet kicked up, reading a book.
“That’s alright. I’m enjoying the rain. If it starts thundering, I’ll take you up on that though. I’d rather not wind up with a new tattoo courtesy of a lightning bolt.”
“Good deal,” I say with a chuckle, kicking my boots off at the door and shaking myself out like a wet dog before knocking to alert Lola I’m home.
She’s napping on the couch with her legs elevated, ice packs resting on her knees and a heating pad over her tummy.
Nugget is curled up beside her, his snores vibrating through the living room like a motorcycle gang passing through, a sound I’ve become very familiar with. The little guy needs a CPAP.
“Hey, darlin’,” I whisper, crouching down beside her, my knees digging into the thick carpet, my jeans stretching uncomfortably over my thighs.
Her dark lashes flutter open as I gather her hands in mine, kissing her knuckles, then her smooth, rhythmic pulse against the inside of her wrist.
My pulse matches hers, speeding up as she wakes, those cinnamon eyes looking at me like I hung the moon and all the stars in the sky. A small smile curves her lips, and it feels like I’m glowing from within. I earned that look, and I intend to work for it each and every day.
“Hi,” she says in a dulcet tone. “How was work?”
“It was good. Daisy’s doing well, and Dr. Becerra says she’s not seeing signs of the same issues she had last time. We aren’t in the clear yet, but we’re on the right track.”
“That’s great news, Ry.” She shifts, brushing her lips against mine, and honey oozes in my blood.
“It is, but—” My voice is hoarse as I prepare to deliver a blow she had no way to anticipate. “I got a call about Nugget, Lols. His dad finally got word of him being here, and he wants me to meet him tonight.”
Rain pounds on the slate roof, rumbling through the house as she whips her head around to peer out the window by the front door. “Tonight, Ry? The weather is horrible, and we’re barely getting to say goodbye,” she says, her voice cracking more with each word.
I wrap my arms around her, cradling her to my chest. “I know, darlin’, but if he were ours and we’d lost him, imagine how happy we’d be to have him back.
His dad sent me a picture of them together; they both looked real happy,” I tell her, reaching into my back pocket to retrieve my phone.
She rests her hand on my arm to stop me, shaking her head.
“No, that's—” She sighs, slumping into the cushions. “I’m glad Nugget has a good home to go back to, but I don’t want to see the picture. Not now anyway. I don’t think I can be happy for his dad while being so sad for us.”
“That’s quite alright, darlin’. Just tell me if anything changes.”
She nods in agreement, shuffling to sit up. “When are you meeting him? And what’s his name?”
“Six o’clock, and Mr. Lickerton,” I tell her, unable to contain my laughter.
“I meant his dad , Ry, not Nugget. But that is a terrible name.”
My heart sinks a bit. “Oh, I hadn’t thought to ask him. I’m sorry, Lols. That was shortsighted of me.”
“It’s fine, Ry. I’m sure you had a million things on your mind when you got that call.”
This is the sort of thing Lemmon would’ve lost it on me over, and it only acts as another reminder of how right Lola and I are for each other.
“How about you stay here till I get back so you don't have to sit in the truck that long? When I get home, we can go over to the main house and have a family night or something.”
“Sure, Ry. That sounds good,” she says as I stand. She gets up to stretch, Nugget jumping up when he wakes, realizing I’m here. He shimmies over to me, tiny tail shaking with unbridled excitement as he releases a couple of good, yelp-like barks.
“Hi, handsome,” I say, picking him up and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” I tell him, talking him through this evening's plans.