36. Jack
SWEAT POURED OFF JACK’S FACE, EVEN THOUGH THE TEMPERATURE stayed cool in the shade. Teddy stared at him as if waiting for an explanation. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave,” or something like that. He’d been too afraid to man-up, thinking he would lose Teddy. Now, maybe he’d lose her anyway.
Did he need to come clean on everything right now? Did Teddy need to know-Wainsworth encouraged Jack to stay in Bird Isle in order to keep an eye on Teddy? Not only that, but Teddy’d also be furious to hear her grandfather arranged for Ace and the concert—more than arranged, Pops sponsored everything. Teddy might even blame Pops’s heart attack on all the stress of worrying about her.
The pulse in Jack’s wrist ramped up into high gear. He stood between a cactus spine and a cow pie with nowhere to step. Teddy’d be mad. But keeping silent was not an option, and certainly no way to start a relationship.
“Explain what?”
“It’s just . . . well, you see . . . oh, the hell with it. I know Pops. I’ve known him a long time.”
Teddy stared at him. Her jaw dropped. He turned away. His stomach soured. Was she angry? Or, just stunned?
“I buy his beef.” From the expression on Teddy’s face, he knew he needed to throw a Hail Mary. Maybe he should explain about last night. If he hadn’t been there, what would have happened? He sucked in a deep breath. “Yesterday, I stopped by the ranch. He asked me for dinner. I stayed late, so I spent the night. Good thing, because he woke me up around four and said he had chest pain.”
Teddy put a hand to her mouth.
“You know Pops never complains, so I insisted we go to the hospital.”
“Thank God you were there.” Teddy’s lower lip trembled.
For Teddy’s sake, Pops must survive. The rest of this could all be sorted out. Surely Teddy would forgive him. But for now, she remained silent as a sinner at a revival.
“Why am I just now hearing that you know Pops?” Teddy checked a pretend watch on her wrist. “You could have told me, I dunno, like two months ago.”
“I wanted to tell you. I just didn’t want to mess things up.”
“So, you decided to collude with my grandfather.”
“He wanted me to help you.”
“You did this. This heart attack is on you. I didn’t want his help. He’s an old man. His daughter died. He didn’t need to be involved in my troubles.”
“I just wanted to help.”
“That’s no excuse for your lies.”
Bam! Right on target. He reached for her hand. Teddy pulled away.
“When I first met you, I didn’t know you were Pops’s grand-daughter.” He cleared his throat. “When I learned he was your grand-father, I never found the right time to tell you I knew him.”
“So, what’s the big deal? Why would you need the right time?
There’s something you’re not telling me.”
Teddy’s crossed arms signaled trouble.
“When I told Pops, I’d been to Bird Isle, he told me you lived there. He wanted me to check on you. He wanted—”
“He wanted you to keep watch over me.” Teddy’s eyes narrowed.
Jack shrugged. “More than that.”
Teddy tilted her head. Jack had seen Teddy mad before, and he didn’t want this whole thing to blow up.
“I’m waiting.” She tightened her arms across her chest.
“He wanted me to help out. Make sure you got on your feet. You know, grandfatherly stuff.”
Teddy raised her eyes to the sky as if trying to piece things together.
“So, this whole thing between us . . .” Teddy pointed her finger back and forth between them, “was a setup. Kinda like a reality TV show. That’s it. You come in here, pretend to care about me, and all you want to do is increase your ratings.”
He put a fisted hand to his heart. “Ouch. You know it’s not like that.”
“And the concert . . .” Teddy glared at him. “Just some ploy to increase your sales. Good ol’ Jack Shaughness, what a great guy he is. Always on duty to help out in a crisis,” Teddy shouted.
How could she think that of him when he had painted over a barbecue wagon for her? Not halfway through his explanation, and she’d checked out.
“I’m going back in the hospital.” Teddy stood. “You’re leaving. Go back to wherever you came from. Fort Worth, is it? Or, is that a lie as well?”
“But—”
“I can’t hear you.” She marched away.
“Wait!” He was tumbling off a cliff, grabbing for tree branches, and dodging falling rocks. Just a day ago, he had a future. Now, he’d landed at the bottom of a gulch.