Bates #2
Lana shrugs again. “Making stuff with Martha. Sports games with Harper. Coming to terms with himself about Sadie Lawrence, so he can send her flowers and take her on picnics and shit. He pretends he doesn’t like that kind of thing, but I’ve never seen him more at peace than when he’s lying on a blanket outside, staring at the sky.
I don’t know. He’ll probably just buy a new dozer or something. He likes those too.”
I note that she’s mentioned nothing to do with herself, and I nod as much to myself as to her.
“What he really wants is a compact trommel with hydraulic riffles that he can tow more easily into the hard to reach places, but I figure you probably said dozer to make up for that one he lost to Scully in last year’s wager.
It’s not your fault he lost that, you know.
He’s the one who gambled it. He knew the risk. ”
Lana shakes her head and sips her coffee, still unaware that her father is leaning on the far wall behind her.
“No, he didn’t. He didn’t understand what he was up against. My ideas were too…
weird and hard to believe in.” She lowers her head and closes her eyes.
“We should go find Martha and tell her to quit stalling or you’ll drag her to her truck. ”
“I’m not laying hands on her. She bites,” I reply, hoping for a smile.
Lana laughs softly and nods. “We’d have to sedate her, obviously. But that would depend on our access to tranquilizers. Without them, I think the most efficient way to manhandle her into submission should only take about twelve hours. If we start now, we could be in Dawson by nightfall.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You’re underestimating how long it’ll take me to build a cage strong enough to hold her, and you’re off-topic. What’s the next thing your dad wants after the money? Tell me what else Hawk will get if you stay.”
Her eyebrows judge me in the sweetest way.
“He’ll get you.”
“And I’m… the guy who’ll be spending every night with his daughter. Why would he want that?”
“Because you make the money happen. You fix all his broken shit. You boost morale and productivity just by being present. You’re his reliable sounding board, and he can’t afford to lose you — financially or socially.
He doesn’t like losing people, especially if he’s emotionally invested in them.
It’s why he tries not to get attached to anyone, but you’re pretty irresistible, so he got sucked in before he had a chance to block you out.
He’s going to forgive you. It’s inevitable. ”
“And you?”
Lana shrugs and then shakes her head. “I don’t think so. We don’t have the same connection.”
“You’re his daughter.”
Lana gives me a weak smile. “Yeah, but there’s so much friction between us we can’t ever seem to get close.
He’s not overly attached, which actually works in your favor.
I’m the only daughter he’d ever forgive you for fucking, and I hope he does.
I don’t want you to lose your family over me. You’ve been through enough.”
Her face pales drastically, and she sets her coffee down with a shaking hand. “I’ve ruined everything.”
“No,” I growl at her, making her jump a little. “You haven’t. Whatever you’re thinking in that big, beautiful brain, you fucking stop it. You’re my family, Lana. We’re all one family. We’re just caught in a rough patch, but we’ll get through it.”
Lana leans her head forward to rest against mine.
“I hope you’re right. It mostly comes down to his relationship with me.
I don’t think he’d stay mad at you about the dating-his-kid thing.
He knows you well enough to know that you’d take good care of his daughter, Bates.
On some level, he’s probably relieved to have someone take me off his hands.
He’ll be able to get his ducks in a row without having to worry where the goose fits. ”
She lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug and continues despite the quivering of her chin.
“Maybe I’m just meant to stay further away.
I can do that. It could still work out. Maybe.
With time. If I just… try harder. I’ll try harder,” she whimpers, her shoulders already shaking from the sobs that are about to overwhelm her.
I fold her into my arms and glare at Hawk over her shoulder, but I can’t stay mad for long. He looks as broken as she is. I help Lana to her feet so I can hug her better, then I wave for Hawk to come closer.
“Your list had some fine points on it, and I know you snuck family time and grand-babies in at the bottom, but I think you miscalculated your dad’s priorities. You basically left yourself off the list, but you’re the fucking prize, Lana.”
She sniffs into my shirt and mumbles something disagreeable, so I kiss her head and keep rubbing her back as I meet Hawk’s eyes.
“You know what your dad gets if you stay, Lana? He gets a chance to make things better. He gets the opportunity and the privilege of knowing you. He’ll get to spend time with all of his family together — the way he’s always wanted but never thought possible — because you made it happen.
He gets to see you happy for the first time in his life, and that’ll help bring him peace and mend his heart.
He gets to show you how much he believes in you.
He gets the straight-shooting daughter who’s not afraid to deliver truth bombs, verbal ass-kickings, and romantic advice directly where they’re needed for maximum effect. You’re irreplaceable, and he knows it.”
I turn Lana into her father’s arms and watch as she stiffens and then melts into his body, sobbing even harder. Startled by her emotion, it takes Hawk a moment to respond, but once he does, he clutches her to him the way he should.
“I’ll give you two some space,” I say quietly, before joining Martha out on the porch. I shoo her away from the door, where she’s had her ear pressed to for the last ten minutes, and I sit with her on the steps.
“Nicely handled,” she says.
“Thanks.”
Martha nods and looks out over the scarred landscape of the Gambler’s Creek Claim. “I know you two were clueless when you met and hooked up before you got here. She couldn’t stop raving about you — not that she used your name. Even drunk as a skunk, that girl’s got brains.”
Not sure where she’s headed with this conversation, but knowing I don’t want to be on her bad side, I keep my eyes low. “She’s something special, alright.”
When I glance her way again, Martha’s scowl is still set in a harsh appraisal as she seems to assess and re-assess my suitability for her sister.
“She told me she thinks you’re pretty,” she says eventually.
I can’t help but smile as I nod. “She told me that, too.”
“You smitten fuck.” Martha gives me a playful shove and then stands to dust off her jeans. “Do you think we should get her eyes tested?”