Operation Cowboy Daddy. Carla Cassidy
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“You can set up the playpen in here.” She pointed to an empty space near the window. “I need to get back to the kitchen. You can come back in there when you’re finished in here.”
Tony watched as she left the room and disappeared down the hallway. He set the playpen box down on the carpeting and opened it.
He was just placing the pads around the sides when he sensed somebody nearby. He turned to see Halena standing in the doorway. “Hello again,” he said.
“Tony Nakni. Are you a good Choctaw warrior?” Her gaze was dark and unfathomable.
He didn’t know how to answer. He wasn’t a good Choctaw anything. He knew nothing about that part of his DNA. He’d been taught from a young age that his Native American blood was something to be ashamed of.
Still, he had a feeling that the question was far more important than anything Mary had asked him and that his answer might screw up this whole arrangement.
“I try to be,” he finally replied.
Halena stared at him for another long minute. Her piercing gaze seemed to be probing into the very soul he believed he didn’t possess and then she turned and walked away.
* * *
“I knew that girl was big trouble from the time she was young,” Halena said as she came into the kitchen. “And I’m not sure that man in there is any better.”
Mary turned from the stove, where she’d been stirring a big pot of stew. “None of that matters. What’s important right now is the baby.”
Halena sat at the table. “I know you, my granddaughter. I know your heart and I don’t want you getting involved in somebody else’s problems. Your spirit is very fragile and I don’t want it to be further broken by anyone or anything.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Mary assured her. “And my spirit is just fine.” She opened the oven door and bent down to pull out a dish of thick corn bread.
Her grandmother was worried about the baby weaving a basket of love in her heart. But Mary wasn’t going to allow that to happen. She would feed and change the little fellow for the few days he’d be here, but there was no way she intended to allow him into her heart. This was just a temporary situation and she couldn’t allow herself to embrace Joey.
Still, the very heart she wanted to deny accelerated its beats as Tony walked into the kitchen. “The playpen is all set up with sheets and I put the bouncy thingy in the living room. I also bought a few little toys Jenna said would be age-appropriate. They’re also in a bag in the living room.”
“Thank you, it sounds like you got everything we might need,” Mary replied. “We’re just about to eat. You’ll join us.” She said it as a statement rather than a question. It was still early and as far as she was concerned he was officially on daddy duty for the rest of the evening.
“Uh...okay,” he replied, appearing immensely uncomfortable. “Can I do anything to help?”
“Check on your son,” Halena said as she rose from the table. “We’ll take care of the meal.”
It always made Mary nervous when her grandmother grew too quiet, and it was a silent Halena that helped her set the table and fill water glasses for the evening meal.
When the food was on the table, Mary went to the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room. Tony sat on the edge of the sofa and stared at the sleeping baby. Bewilderment radiated from him, reminding her that he’d been thrust into this drama as unexpectedly as she had been.
“Tony,” she said softly. “Dinner is ready.”
He looked up at her and his eyes quickly shuttered. He followed her into the kitchen and she motioned him into a chair. The pot of stew was the centerpiece and the slabs of corn bread were on the side, along with butter and honey.
“This all looks and smells delicious,” he said.
“Mary knows her way around the kitchen,” Halena replied. She pulled the stew closer to her and began to ladle it into her bowl. “And you, Tony Nakni...what do you know about life?”
He looked at her grandmother in surprise. She’d asked him a question he didn’t seem to know how to answer.
“Grandmother, behave yourself,” Mary said with a small laugh.
“I’m old enough that I don’t have to behave myself anymore,” Halena replied. “I’ve earned the right with age to do and say what I want. If I wish to dance naked in a rainstorm, I will. If I decide to wear a winter hat in July, it’s okay. And that’s that.” She looked at Mary and then at Tony, as if daring either one of them to disagree with her.
“And that’s that,” Mary agreed with amusement.
Tony’s eyes lightened and his lips twitched, as if he was controlling a smile. He filled his bowl and then slathered a piece of corn bread with butter.
It was the first hint of a smile she’d seen since he’d arrived here earlier in the day. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see a real smile. She remembered when he’d come to visit with Amy those couple of times and how that expression had lit up his face and created a warmth in her...a warmth she had no right to feel. She still didn’t have that right.
“Do you have any idea where Amy might be now?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I know she was living in Oklahoma City and I’m hoping she’s still somewhere in that area,” he replied. “She doesn’t have any relatives that she ever mentioned. I know her parents are dead.”
“They were both addicts,” Mary replied. “When we were young, Amy spent most of her time at my parents’ house. She was like an adopted daughter to my mother and father and then to my grandmother.”
“She was broken as a child and she’s still broken,” Halena said. “Why would you choose to date a woman with such problems?”
Mary knew the answer. Amy was beautiful, and when she was clean and sober, she was effervescent and funny and loving. Any man would be drawn to her.
Tony set down his spoon and met Halena’s gaze. “When I first started dating her, I had no clue about the demons she was fighting. I made it clear to her from the very beginning that I wasn’t looking for marriage and I had no wish for children. She told me she was on the same page as me and we were both just enjoying each other’s company. It was only as the relationship went on that alarm bells began to ring in my head.” He frowned and looked beyond Halena’s shoulder to the window, as if he was reluctant to say anything bad.
“She started lying to you,” Mary said softly. “And she became unreliable. She didn’t show up where she was supposed to, and when pressed about where she was, she became combative.”
Tony looked at her in surprise. “Yes, exactly.”
“I love Amy like a sister, but I know the pattern. I only hope she didn’t use during her pregnancy,” she replied.
Tony’s eyes widened. “Do you think it’s possible that she did? Maybe I should make an appointment for the baby to see a doctor to make sure everything is okay.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” Mary agreed, although during the hours she’d been with Joey she hadn’t seen anything that concerned her.
“And while I’m at it, I’ll have Dr. Rivers do a paternity test.” Tony’s cheeks flushed with faint color.
That might not be a bad idea, either, Mary thought, although she didn’t say it aloud. Just because Amy had told her that Tony was the father didn’t necessarily make it true.
“You make baskets,” he said, as if eager to change the subject.
“We make traditional items to honor our heritage,” Halena replied.
“It’s what I do for