by Sable Hunter
“No, we can hurry.”
“Nope. Too dangerous.” He caught up with Nicky and walked him down the sidewalk until he came to his truck. “You head on in, I’ll get this done in no time.”
“How will you know where to put the boulders?”
“I remember what you told me.” He gave Nicky a smile. “And if they’re not where Jensen wants them, all she has to do is ask me and I’ll come back and try again.”
Even as the answer satisfied Nicky, Clint knew his words meant exactly what they said – and he wasn’t referring to moving a pile of damn rocks.
All she has to do is ask me, and I’ll come back and try again.
Chapter Five
As night drew near, Clint sat on the back porch of the Lago Vista house with his mother.
“Now that I have my inheritance money, I can pay you back all you’ve spent on us.”
Shaking his hand soundly, he put an end to that notion. “Absolutely not.”
“But this house was so expensive.”
Clint was proud of the Texas limestone house he’d found for his mother. “No, I got a good price. The owners were motivated.” He didn’t want to discuss prices with his mother. She still thought they’d overpaid for the fifty thousand-dollar tract home where they’d lived when Clint was in high school.
“You don’t think I’ll be too far from things?”
“No, I don’t. You’ll get used to the drive, it’s pretty. I’ll also show you a few shortcuts. Plus, I’ll just be up the road if you need anything.”
“When you’re home.”
Clint didn’t let his mother’s fretting worry him. If she wasn’t fretting about one thing, she was fretting about another. “This is the perfect location. You’re not only in the heart of Texas, you’re in the heart of your family. When I’m not here, I’m three hours south in Houston. Your other children are about the same distance north in Dallas and Fort Worth. Aron and the Tebow McCoys are south in Kerrville and Heath and his Highland McCoys are fairly close in Burnet to the north.” He went to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. “And you, my lady, are right smack dab in the middle of it all.”
“I just don’t drive like I used to.”
“You drive fine.” He pointed to the lake. “Plus, if you’re up for getting a boat, you could cross Travis and be in Austin in just a few minutes. We could keep a car stored for you at one of the marinas across the way. The drive around the lake is what takes the time.”
“Why don’t they build a bridge?”
“Good question. I’m sure thousands of people wonder the same thing every day.”
Gillian sighed. “Well, it’s lovely. I adore the trees and the arched windows. And the two fireplaces!”
Clint grinned at her approval. “Don’t forget the wine cellar.”
“Or the dock!” She clapped her hands. “Not to mention the golf cart. I really enjoy puttering around in it.”
“Good. I’m glad.” He patted her arm lovingly. “I want you to spend your money on yourself. Go to Europe. Buy a fur coat.”
Gillian laughed at her son. “I haven’t lost anything in Europe, and I don’t believe in wearing fur.”
“Well, whatever – just make yourself happy.”
She folded the deposit slip he’d given her and tucked it into the corner of her apron. “I am happy. The money will be a good security blanket.” Gazing into the night sky, she sighed happily. “We’re so lucky, Clint. We’re all healthy. Happy.”
“That we are.” He held his tongue about the wrecked truck they’d found on his property. Sheriff Saucier agreed to check the vin number for him. Tomorrow, Clint would call to find out what he’d discovered. Tonight, however, he’d think of other things. “I think I found a house for myself.”
“Really? Where?”
Clint held out his phone to show his mother some photos. “Just off Nameless Road. The property is called Sunset Ranch.”
“Oh, look at that old schoolhouse, it looks like a picture postcard.” She admired the white clapboard building nestled in a grove of oak trees.
“Yes, it does. I’m lucky enough to be able to see it from my bedroom window. The old one room schoolhouse is the only building remaining from the original Nameless community.”
“That’s a strange thing to call a town. Nameless.”
“In the late 1800’s, the community consisted of a church, that schoolhouse, a general store, and fifty residents. Primarily, the folks raised cotton and cut cedar posts for a living. When the town applied for a post office, every name they sent in for their town was rejected by the government – so they just said we’ll be nameless and be damned!”
Gillian made a scoffing noise. “Well, that’s not very nice.”
Clint had to laugh. “Truthfully, I felt an affinity for the place almost immediately. Nameless, I mean. Dad never told you anything about his family. We still don’t know where he came from or who he was related to. We can’t even be sure Wilder was really his last name.”
With a sigh, his mother acknowledged the truth. “I know, Son. My situation wasn’t any better either, being adopted and not knowing the identity of my birth parents. I can see how you’d feel rootless.” She clutched her purse tightly. “I still remember the day you came home with that damn family tree project. I felt so helpless.”
“Hey, no worries.” He touched her shoulder. “You’ve found your family now. And who knows? We may still learn something about the Wilders one of these days.”
“Speaking of…” She got up, stepped into her bedroom, and came back with something in her hand. “You might want to get this checked out.”
“What are you talking about?”
She gave him a small piece of paper. “The name of a small town in Louisiana. Bellamy’s friend, Riley, is from there. She said she grew up near a family by the name of Wilder. She thinks they could be your father’s people.”
With a slight frown on his face, Clint took the paper to read it for himself. “Hmmm, Egret Island, Louisiana. I’ve never heard of the place. Probably a long shot but I’ll be glad to check it out.” He pressed his lips together, determined not to tell his mom about the truck until they knew more.
“Good. Anyway, Riley was supposed to look for some old photographs at her grandmother’s when she visited last week. If she found any of that Wilder family, she’ll bring them to Bethany’s birthday dinner.”
“I’ll be interested to see what she brings, just don’t get your hopes up. You know we’ve been disappointed before. More than likely this is just another dead-end.”
“Oh, I won’t let myself hope too much,” Gillian assured him. “Finding out I am a McCoy is all the excitement I can handle for a while.”
“Yea, you need to take it easy and just enjoy life.” He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “Count your blessings.”
“How far away is your house from here?”
“About nine miles. Is that too close? With all the golfers around here, I figure you’ll have a boyfriend pretty soon.”
“Oh, stuff and nonsense.”
“I’m teasing. I’ll give you a key, how’s that?”
Gillian giggled. “I wasn’t hinting. I know you like your privacy. You’ll be dating…and such.”
His mind went right to Jensen and he rubbed his chest to ease the sharp ache. “I don’t think we need to worry about that. I’ll probably be too busy for dating…and such. The workouts and training don’t stop just because its off-season.”
“How about a vacation? You’re going to need some time off, Clint. You work too hard.”
“Most people would kill for my job, Mom. Don’t worry, though. I’m taking a couple of weeks off to join Joseph and Ten’s search and rescue group.”
“Oh, how nice. That makes me happy.” Gillian beamed as she gazed out over the hills rolling gently down to the lake. “I so want you all to be a family.”
He was trying. “We’re making headway, I think.”
“What will this
rescue thing involve?”
“As far as I can tell we’ll go through a period of intense training on everything from first aid to tracking, then I’ll be sent out on some kind of a field test.”
“I guess there’s a demand for that sort of thing.”
‘Oh, yea. Nationwide, Joseph said there’s a need for a unit to be dispatched over four thousand times a year.”
“Wow. With your job, you won’t be able to go very often.”
“No, but I’ll go when I can. Plus, I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to play, Mom. There are plenty of other things I want to do with my life.” One or two more seasons of playing professionally and all of his debt would be history.
“I’m glad to hear that. I worry about you.”
Again, he thought of Jensen and her concerns. They were legitimate, he knew. In fact, there was a running joke inside the NFL that the letters stood for Not For Long. Even if you discounted CTE, injuries were frequent and sometimes devastating. The sport just did a number on your body – another reason he wanted to get out while the getting was good.
As he mused about his future, he could hear his mother yawn. “Why don’t you go on to bed and I’ll lock up.”
“Okay. I am tired. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”
“I don’t want you working yourself to death. We could take Bethany out to eat for her birthday.”
“No, I want to have everyone here and show off my house. Cassidy will take care of most of the cooking.”
“Good. Let everyone pitch in and you take it easy.”
“Stop your worrying. I’m fine.” She rose and leaned over to kiss her son. “I know you want a place of your own, but I sure do enjoy having you here with me.”
“Ha! If I stayed, you’d feed me so well I’d be too fat to run the ball down the field.”
“Pooh. That’s not true.” She waved off the idea as she opened the French doors leading straight to her room. “Sleep well, darling.”
“I will. Night, Mama.”
Once he was alone, Clint propped his feet up on the porch railing. The weather was so nice, and the breeze was so enjoyable, he thought he just might sleep right here on the porch. Closing his eyes, he tried not to think about Jensen – but old habits were hard to break. He couldn’t get over how she made him feel. Deep in thought, he raised his hand to his lips. Hell, he could still feel her kiss. The thought of never seeing her again continuously ate at him. He’d even resorted to stalking her on social media, but she rarely posted anything personal.
Torturing himself, Clint relived their last few conversations, recalling every detail of her appearance, the sexy inflection in her voice. Somehow, she was different than before. A bit more fragile. Her demeanor was more subdued. She seemed to have lost some of her previous fire. “I don’t like that.”
In the deepening hours of the night, Clint admitted the truth. He wanted her to be happy. Yes, he was selfish. He’d much rather she be happy with him…but if that wasn’t possible, he still wished her well. His rejection of her offer of friendship might’ve seemed petty at the time, but that was a ruse. Actually, it was an act of self-preservation. He harbored no animosity against her. On the contrary, his feelings for Jensen were deep, real, and lasting. This realization made him sad. Clint knew he wouldn’t be getting over her anytime soon – if ever.
* * *
In her home in Georgetown, Jensen checked out her new reading glasses in the mirror. “Perhaps I do look smarter.” The thought made her shake her head in amusement. At least they worked well. After an early supper, she’d managed to complete one of the online SAR courses and planned to do another before she left for work in the morning. At this rate, she’d finish in plenty of time before the orientation session in Bastrop.
Turning away from her bedroom dresser, she walked to the window to look into the yard. The landscaping stones were perfectly arranged in an artistic design, mingled among her beloved Pride of Barbados. Jensen loved those orange and yellow flowers. They made her happy just to look at them. The stones were just the right touch, exactly as she knew they would be.
The only problem, as far as Jensen could see, was that she’d never be able to look at them without thinking of Clint. “Like you needed an excuse,” she mumbled to herself as she headed to the bed for an early night.
As she lay down, pulling the covers up under her chin, Jensen stared at the dance of light and shadow on the ceiling. The light came from a security lamp on the corner near the alley leading to her garage. The shadows were the regrets that kept her up at night, wishing for what she couldn’t have.
Raising up, she opened a drawer and took out a bottle of CBD oil. Just a few drops under her tongue and sleep would come easier. After squeezing the small amount of medicine into her mouth, she screwed the lid back on the bottle and replaced it in the drawer. “I’m ready for sweet dreams.”
But sweet dreams didn’t come.
Again, Jensen stared at the ceiling, but this time what she saw was a seemingly never-ending line of fluorescent lights. She was ice cold and her teeth were chattering Lying on a bed with raised rails, Jensen was being wheeled down a long corridor through two wide double doors.
Inside an even brighter room, she heard a voice speaking in a comforting manner. “Everything will be fine, Jensen. We’ll take a biopsy by cutting away the affected area, then we’ll send it off for testing. We should have the results by Thursday.”
“Okay,” she whispered as she felt a pinprick, then she knew no more.
When she awoke, her breast was taped up and sore.
“No. No. No.” Jensen tossed her head on the pillow as painful memories came rolling back.
“Jensen, we received your results. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we have detected the early stages of breast cancer.”
Scenes flashed by – tests, scans, needles. She lay down and tried to disconnect as a doctor drew an outline on her breast, explaining where he would be cutting. Tears flowed from her eyes as she tried not to listen. After another shot, she awoke with tubes in her nose and an IV pole at her side. Her throat was sore, and her chest felt frozen and numb.
Feelings of fear and despair assailed Jensen as she looked at the drain lines filled with bloody liquid leading from her chest to a plastic bag hanging on the bed.
Clutching the blanket, Jensen pushed it away, her hand coming to rub across her chest. Her whole body was shaking, and she couldn’t stop crying. She felt so odd. She looked odd. One side was completely flat. Jensen’s missing breast ached. She could actually feel the nipple throb – a nipple that was no longer there.
What would she do? Who would want her after this? Her world was irrevocably changed. Jensen knew she would have a hard time accepting herself after this. How could she expect anyone else to?
“Don’t feel like that,” a voice told her. Then another spoke up – and another. “You’re a beautiful woman. Someone will want you. Someone will love you. If you want, you can have reconstruction soon. You’ll look almost normal. There won’t be any sensation, of course – but at least you’ll have a breast.
“Just remember. We caught it early. You’re one of the lucky ones.”
Jensen didn’t feel lucky.
She felt…incomplete. Unsure. Alone.
Rolling to her side, she buried her face in the pillow, wishing for someone to be here with her, to hold her tight. To tell her everything would be all right. To love her.
* * *
“Oh, my God, Clint!” Bethany pressed a hand to her chest. “This is amazing.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the way his little sister threw her arms in the air and ran toward the house. Truthfully, if he wasn’t such a guy – he might do it himself. From the moment he spotted this little piece of paradise, he knew he’d found his home.
“I love the porch. And the dormers. And the buckboard out front!” she exclaimed about everything she saw.
“In the spring, the buckboard is surrounded by blu
ebonnets.” He led her through the yard. “There’s a covered pavilion for barbecues, a natural rock swimming pool, a log cabin guesthouse, a workshop, a gym and a fire pit. The house has five bedrooms, six baths, a thoroughly modern kitchen and a spa bath.”
“I want to see inside.” She hurried to the front door as he moved ahead to hold it open for her. After a complete walk-through, Bethany passed judgment. “This is incredible. I’m so happy for you.”
“I’m happy for me too.” He’d have to sell the apartment in Houston, but this place was well worth it. During football season, he’d commute part of the time. He could also rent a place when he grew tired of the drive.
“I swear, all this place needs is a woman’s touch. The pitter-patter of little feet wouldn’t be bad either.” She gave him a hopeful expression. “I’d love to be an aunt, you know.”
“Don’t rush me. Talk to Rowan, he’s the oldest. He should lead the pack when it comes to matrimony and reproduction.” Pulling a lock of her hair, he pointed Bethany in the direction of the front door. “Come on. We need to get back. The birthday girl can’t miss her own party.”
After loading up in Clint’s Stingray, they made the trip in record time. Once they found a parking spot near the patio, Clint gave his sister a card. “Here you go, girl. Happy Birthday.”
“Oh, thank you, Clint!” When they moved onto the patio to watch the sunset, Bethany stopped beneath one of the gas lamps to read the inscription. “How perfect, a weekend at the spa. I love it!” She linked her arm with his and gave her big brother a kiss on the cheek.
“You’re welcome, kiddo.” Pointing to an area near the water, Clint asked, “What’s that moving so fast through the grass?”
Bethany squinted to see in the twilight. “I think it’s a fox.”
“You’re right. I think it is a fox.” Clint watched as the small creature came closer. “I told mother not to throw out scraps, but she can’t resist.”
“Our mom’s a softie.” Bethany laughed as another fox came running up to join the first one. “Look, they’re a cute couple.”