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“But that doesn’t excuse what you did to us,” Mrs.Stokes snapped.“This is your hometown.You were born just down the road at the county hospital.You got your first doll from Crawley’s General Store.You chipped a tooth when you fell off the statue of David Bowie at Remember the Alamo Park and broke your arm right out there on that street in the Fourth of July parade.Joe Baca sitting right there bonded that chipped tooth you broke and Decker Carson carried you all the way to Doc Weaver’s when you broke your arm.Everyone here cheered when you hit a home run on your softball team, when you were crowned Miss Soybean, and every time you played the piano or your guitar and sang.”
She had another coughing fit, then started right back up.“I get that you wanted to leave and stretch your wings in a big city.But no matter how high or far away you fly, you should never forget where you came from.And you, missy, forgot us.”
There was more nodding before Sheryl Ann spoke.“You didn’t even write to give us your address so I could send you a birthday card or your favorite lemon poppy seed muffins for Christmas.”
“You didn’t text either and we used to text all the time.”Tammy Sue joined the conversation.
Tammy Sue had gone to high school with Sweetie.She was one of those overachievers who excelled at everything.Sweetie took note of her large stomach and the double stroller she rolled back and forth with two sleeping toddlers.Obviously, she overachieved at baby making too.
“I’m sorry, Tammy Sue,” she said.“I thought everyone in high school hated me for breaking up with Jace and causing us to lose the state championship and wouldn’t want to hear from me.”
“At first, we did.But not because of the championship.You and Jace were the perfect high school sweethearts.When you broke up, I guess we felt a little blindsided.We thought for sure if anyone got married and lived happily ever after, it would be you two.But we would have gotten over it, if you hadn’t shunned us.After you broke up with Jace, you became this angry person who treated all of us as if we were suffocating you.”
Sweetie wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t.Shehadbeen angry.Back then, she had wanted to blame Jace, her daddy, and the entire town for making her feel like she couldn’t breathe.Now, she realized there was only one person to blame.
Herself.
She was the one who had let her father dictate her life.The one who so wanted to please him that she hadn’t stood up for what she wanted until her senior year in high school.Until then, she had acted like she wanted to run the ranch, marry Jace, and live in Wilder.If she had stood up for what she wanted sooner, maybe she wouldn’t have hurt her daddy.Or Jace.Or every person in town.
Maybe she wouldn’t have felt like she had to leave and couldn’t come back until she was famous and had proven she was worthy of their love.But it looked like she had been worthy.She was the only one who hadn’t realized it.Now it was too late.There was no way to make up for the years she’d ignored them.It was obvious by the way they were looking at her now.
Not with love, but with hurt and distrust.
She was standing there with tears brimming in her eyes and her heart in her throat when the door opened and Decker stepped in.The cute little dog was gone and his hat was pulled low.It didn’t take long for his blue-eyed gaze to zero in on her.His jaw tightened.She wasn’t surprised by his show of anger.He seemed to be perpetually angry with her.She waited for him to get after her for being there ...or maybe just for breathing.Instead, he turned that angry look on the townsfolk.
“Is there a problem?”
“There’s no problem, Deck,” Sheryl Ann said.“I’ll get your usual Cinnamon Monkey Swirl and a cup of coffee heavy on the vanilla creamer.”When she started filling his order, everyone went back to their coffee and conversation.
Sweetie should be relieved she was no longer the center of their attention.She wasn’t.The townsfolk’s attention had always made her feel special—like she could do anything.She’d give about anything to have it back.But she knew it was too late.They could forgive her for breaking up with Jace, but they wouldn’t forgive her for breaking up with them.
Accepting her fate, she turned for the door.Decker stopped her.
“Did you forget your coffee?”
She shrugged.“I guess the coffee machine is broken.”
He sighed.“I tried to warn you.”
“I don’t need your warnings, Sheriff.And why are you following me around?”
He snorted.“I have better things to do than to follow you around.I just needed some coffee.”
“Bull.I know for a fact that the sheriff’s office has a coffee maker.You came to watch the townsfolk take me down a peg or two.”
“If I had wanted to see that, I wouldn’t have intervened earlier.”
“So why did you?”
“Like I said.I’m responsible for the people in this town.”He hesitated.“Even the ones who no longer belong here.”
After what she had already gone through, that hurt.
“Order up, Deck!”Sheryl called and Decker walked over to get his cinnamon muffin and coffee.Sweetie should have let it go.But she was having a hard time letting anything go with Decker.She waited outside for him and ambushed him as soon as he stepped out of the café.
“I belong here just as much as you do, Deckster.More so, since I was born here and you weren’t.So if you think you can bully me into leaving sooner, you got another think coming.Got it?”
Decker’s Caribbean-blue gaze held her captive for a long moment before it lowered to her mouth.The sexual awareness hadn’t gone anywhere.It was right there singeing her nerve endings and making her knees feel like overcooked pasta.
