AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You wouldn’t.” She sighed. “Makes it hard to hear a damn thing when the only thing exchanged is sex.”
“Let’s leave my recreational activities for another time, okay?” Toben shook his head. “Have time for lunch?”
She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Is it really one already? Sure.”
The vet hospital was on the other side of the highway, a world away from everything that made Stonewall Crossing a visit to times past. Here the buildings were new and eco-friendly, with solar panels on the roofs, fast-food eating establishments and several apartment complexes for the students of University of East Texas.
They picked one of the burger joints, found a small booth and placed their order before Tandy finally asked, “So what’s the crisis?” She spun her sweet tea with her straw.
“Crisis?” he echoed. Poppy reappearing in his life was...odd. But Rowdy? He didn’t classify any of this as a crisis. “I have something to tell you.”
Tandy nodded. “So tell me.”
He sat back, glancing around the restaurant, drawing his courage.
“Just spit it out, Toben.” Tandy was all smiles. “We can figure it out.”
“Okay.” Toben blew out a slow breath. “You remember Poppy White?”
Her smile disappeared and she leaned back against her seat. “Of course I do.”
“She moved to Stonewall Crossing—”
“So you’re leaving?” Tandy frowned. “Dammit, Toben, you’re finally putting down some roots. Don’t let her chase you off. Please. I know Uncle Teddy, Hunter—hell, even Archer—need you on the ranch.” She sat forward. “And me. I’d like you to stick around.”
“I’m not leaving. Turns out we... She has a kid. And he’s mine.” His words were soft.
Tandy’s expression shifted, from anger to nothing. He knew that expression, blank and stiff and hiding so much pain. And it killed him to see it. “What?” she whispered.
“His name is Rowdy.”
She stared at him, not saying a word.
“Tandy?” He reached for her, taking his hand in hers.
She blinked.
“She says she tried to reach me.”
“You believe her?” she asked.
He sat back, running a hand over the back of his neck. He’d been thinking about that very thing. A lot. After he left her, he’d gone a little crazy. He’d finally got what he wanted: Poppy in his bed. But the morning after, everything was...different. Hell, he’d felt different. He’d held her close, soft and warm against him, watching her sleep. And his damn heart had felt as if it were on the verge of pounding itself out of his chest. He’d been a damn fool to think Poppy was just another good time. She’d been...they’d been...real. Too real for someone like him. He’d only mess things up, hurting them both along the way. So he’d grabbed his boots and run, but he’d never found an escape.
After Poppy, everything had been different. It had been awful. No matter how many soft and sweet women he took back to his room, he’d wish it were Poppy he was holding. Hundreds of miles, countless six-packs of beer and far too many bottles of whiskey later, he’d done his best to let her go. He didn’t remember much clearly. It was all sort of blurred and horrible. Made worse when her letters started coming. Letters he’d shredded without opening, too chicken to face words she’d written. Or what those words might do to him. She had tried. Over and over.
It was his fault. All of it. It wasn’t easy to accept. “I...I do.”
“What does she want?” she asked. “What’s she after, showing up now?”
“She didn’t know I was here. She bought the old Travis place—off Highway One-Twenty-One? Plans on settling down, raise Rowdy here and opening a shop on Main Street.” He smiled.
“Rowdy?” Tandy nodded. “Sounds like you. Strange how things turn out.”
“Strange, yes. But it’s given me a second chance.” He rubbed his neck again. “I don’t want to screw this up.”
Tandy sighed, her posture easing. “Then you need to make things right, Toben.” Her words were raw. “We know what it’s like to grow up without a father, how it eats at you, makes you doubt your worth. Give your son better than that.” She paused, her voice going hard. “Be there. Stay.”
He heard the pain in her voice. “That’s the plan.”
