by Claire Adams
“Yeah, that sounds great,” I said.
“Okay. See you then.”
I hung up, bid Lacy goodnight, and strode out of the barn. Pete was sitting on the porch, a cool beer in his hand. I loved the nights we just sat on the porch, drinking and trading stories until we ran out of time to make a good meal. Those were the nights we threw a frozen pizza in the oven and ran back to his messy bedroom for a quickie while we waited on dinner. I hated to miss that tonight, but I was excited to catch up with Jack after spending so much time apart.
I ran up to press a kiss onto Pete’s salty lips. “Jack’s in town tonight. I’m gonna meet him at the diner.”
Pete grinned up at me. “Shucks, I had a frozen pizza picked out, too.”
I laughed. I hoped I’d never stop giggling at how damned silly he was. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Em,” he said.
I went to get my car started and drove away. I thought about how different my life had become in just a few short weeks and was grinning by the time I parked in my short driveway. I went in, peeled off my dirty work clothes, and jumped into the shower, scrubbing my skin and washing the horse smell out of my hair. I blow dried my hair and put on a nice dress. I was out the door and in my car again in twenty minutes flat. I didn’t trouble myself with makeup. I didn’t even own any besides chapstick, but Kasey said that didn’t count.
I drove through Round Rock to get to the Diner. We used to hang out here after school most days, just gossiping, sipping on milkshakes, and stealing each other’s fries. I pulled into an empty space and went inside. Jack was waiting at the booth in the corner. I smiled wide when I saw it was our usual booth.
He looked up, and the smile that broke out on his face was just as familiar as the booth. Nothing in this old place had changed much. Kasey didn’t like coming in here because she’d hung out at another place across town, so it was my first time back since high school.
I slid into the seat across from Jack. “Golly, this brings back memories,” I said, grinning.
He ran a hand through his short blond hair. He never could keep his fingers out of it. At least it was tidy now. Daddy used to joke about holding him down and shearing him the way you would a sheep. “I haven’t been back here in years.”
“Me neither.”
The waitress wandered over to take our drink orders. I didn’t even need to look at the menu. Nothing in Round Rock changed that much. I ordered a burger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake, extra thick.
Jack was grinning at me when I finished my order. “You haven’t changed one bit, Flowers.”
I laughed. “Let’s see you order!”
He did just what I’d done — ordered his old favorites. The chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, all of it drowning in gravy, and a strawberry shake.
“Old habits die hard,” he said with a shrug.
“How’ve you been, Jack?” I asked, lifting my eyebrows. I leaned my elbows onto the table, still drinking in the sight of him. There’d been months at a time growing up that I didn’t go a single day without seeing Jack Terrance. Now, it’d been just about four years.
“I’ve been good, Em. Missing Round Rock some, but I loved going to school up in Dallas. It’s like a whole different world up there.” He whistled and shook his head, which reminded me of Pete.
“Dallas damn near swallowed you whole. Every time I came back to town, I swung by your house and ended up having dinner with your mama and daddy instead of you.” I didn’t add that I eventually just stopped going by after a while.
He laughed again, his dark eyes taking on a high shine. That reminded me of Pete, too. Damn, what didn’t nowadays?
“Didn’t you love Austin?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I liked it well enough. It’s no Round Rock.”
He had a damned deep laugh at that, and I joined him. Even way back in school, I knew this town would never be enough to hold Jack. He wanted bigger things while I was happy just where I was. Not that I minded Austin. It was lovely to visit, but that was about it.
The waitress brought over our milkshakes and waters first. I had to eat mine with a spoon it was so thick, but that was just fine by me.
“I never pictured you as a fireman,” I said, and spooned more milkshake into my mouth.
He grinned around his straw, not answering until he’d had a good long pull of that strawberry goodness. “Some guys from a local fire department came to speak at the college my freshman year. That got me thinking about it. I took extra classes over the summers and during the term so I could graduate a year early. As soon as I was done with class, I signed up. I had to go through training and shit, but I made it. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“That’s good, Jack. I’m glad you’re happy.”
“You seem happy, too, Em. I never seen you smiling the way I did that night at the bar. What’ve you been up to since college?”
“I’ve been working on a farm outside of town. Pete owns it.” I paused, but, this time, I knew just what to say. “We’ve been dating for a few weeks now. I take care of the horses on his ranch.”
“Dating the boss, huh?” he asked, his smile widening.
I smiled, too. It didn’t bother me anymore, really. I felt at home on the ranch, with Pete. “He got the ranch from his daddy right out of high school, and he’s kept it running since then. It’s such a beautiful piece of property. He has acres and acres. It reminds me of growing up working side by side with Daddy and Kasey. I basically get paid to play with horses all day.”
“I remember you running home from the diner after hanging out because you had to feed the horses or mow the side lawn or some other terrible chore,” Jack said.
I laughed out loud, covering my mouth at how loud it sounded in the mostly quiet restaurant. “It’s good honest work. That’s all I’m after.”
“That’s fair,” he replied. “I work hard as a fireman, too, just in a different way.” He puffed out his muscular chest. I couldn’t get over him not being the gangly teenager I remembered. I was sure I hadn’t changed even half as much as he had.
The waitress brought us our meals, setting a steaming plate of what looked like lumpy gravy in front of Jack and a burger and fries in front of me.
Jack took a good long whiff of his food, his eyes rolling dramatically back in his head. “Damn, I missed this.” He cut a big hunk of his fried steak while I bit into my burger. No place I’d ever gone outside of this diner made a hamburger this good.
“We have to do this more often,” I said. “Do you come home much?”
He had to get through a nearly overflowing mouthful of steak and potatoes to answer. At least that much hadn’t changed. The boy could still eat. “More than I did before. Being so close helps. You can come out to see me too whenever you like.”
“Pete gets out to Austin pretty often for rodeos and other ranch-related business. I’m sure I could tag along with him.” I didn’t care much for driving long distances and never had. I could ride a horse for hours, though.
Jack’s dark eyes were shining, and I knew that look from hours spent staring into them. He was about to jump on me about something, teasing until I yelled at him to stop. But as soon as he finished what was in his mouth, he said something that brought tears to my eyes.
“I’m happy for you, Emma. You seem to be doing exactly what you love. And, it really looks like you care about this Pete guy.”
I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face at hearing that. I hadn’t meant to bring Pete up quite so much tonight. But when I talked about my life now, most of it involved him. We worked together all day and spent most nights together, either out or at home. I’d even spent a few full nights with him, waking early to the sounds of him frying up eggs and bacon in the kitchen as he hummed and slid around on the linoleum.
“I really couldn’t be happier right now,” I told Jack. “My work, my love life, things with Daddy and Kasey. It’s all perfect.”
<
br /> He lifted his water glass. “Cheers to perfection, however it comes.”
Grinning, I lifted my glass to clink the rim with his.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Pete
Friday
I’d barely rested my ass in my seat on the porch before Emma’s cute little sedan turned off the main road and came tooling down the driveway. It wasn’t even five thirty. What in hell had gotten into her this morning? I knew she was an early riser, but damn. I was grinning by the time she walked up, always just so glad to see her. Half of me kept expecting her to disappear just as unexpectedly as she’d arrived, but she kept turning up every day.
“Howdy, pretty lady,” I said, and she smiled. I loved that. Making her smile.
“Howdy, yourself.” Instead of climbing the steps up to the porch, she rested her booted foot on the first step. “How does breakfast at the Texan sound?”
I slapped my empty belly. Well, mostly empty. I’d had a mug of coffee right after I dragged my ass out of bed. “Sounds damned good.”
She tilted her pretty head, her grin getting even wider so it was the brightest thing in the dark. I swear to God she glowed with some inner light I still didn’t understand but was happy to bask in.
“I thought you might say that.”
We took my truck into town, the windows rolled down so we could enjoy the coolest part of the day before the sun rose. Emma went straight for the old timers’ table in the corner, where we sat down side by side. I liked how easy she was with them. The waitress came over with some fresh mugs of steaming black coffee for us.
“I’m usually the one who picks the number,” Big Tom said, his dark eyes on Emma. “But I’d like to let the lady have the honor.”
A hush fell over the table. I wondered if Emma knew how big of an honor this was. The only time any of the other guys had been able to choose the number was if Big Tom had somewhere else to be that morning. I’d never chosen it. My chest swelled with pride at how well they’d welcomed her into the fold. I’d never brought a woman I was interested into the Texan. Most of them didn’t get up this early.
“I’d be happy to,” Emma said with a smile. After a moment, she nodded. “I’ve got it.”
We went around the table, starting with me, picking numbers while she told us lower or higher. I tended towards being unlucky and this morning was no different. It came down to me and Winston. I picked the second to last number.
Emma grinned, her green eyes teasing me so I knew before she even opened her mouth how this was going to go. “You lose, Pete.” She bumped me a little with her shoulder as the table erupted in laughter, the guys cheering her and poking fun at me, the way they had been my whole life. Being around them made me miss my daddy a lot less.
We ordered our usual breakfasts — why improve on a good thing? — and kept chattering.
“You haven’t gotten sick of this old boy yet, Emma?” Laraby asked, sending a sly grin across the table to her.
She flashed those knockout eyes at me before answering. “Not yet.”
“It’s only a matter of time!” Tex announced, and the guys had another hardy laugh at my expense. I didn’t mind one bit. I was here with the prettiest lady in Round Rock. And, somehow, she hadn’t gotten tired of me yet.
“I don’t know,” she said, bumping my shoulder again. “He’s not so bad.”
“That’s the God’s honest truth,” Big Tom said, his weathered face suddenly serious. He looked from Emma to me. “You have to hold on when you find someone special in this life. I was fortunate enough to have my dream girl in my life for forty-six years before she passed. We met in high school, raised a family, and grew old together.” He smiled sadly, his old eyes glistening. “Not as old as I’d have liked, but I’m thankful for every minute I spent with that woman.”
Emma glanced at me, her eyes shining, and I felt that kick to my gut that I sometimes did when I met her eyes.
“Y’all remind me so strongly of me and my Luanne when we were young,” Big Tom said. “I can see what you have is really special. Don’t let go of that. You might not find it again.”
Emma shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable from all the attention. I didn’t know what to do or say. I couldn’t turn to meet her eyes again. Big Tom cracked a smile and went on talking about some nonsense going on at another farm just past the border of Round Rock, but I couldn’t shake the worry twisting in my gut. It kept churning, making eating breakfast hard. Emma seemed to relax as soon as the conversation steered away from us, but I couldn’t.
“Ain’t you hungry, boy?” Winston asked, eyeing me closely. He mostly kept to himself at these breakfasts, letting the chatter go by without adding much to it. But he watched everything. I had a feeling he knew just about everything about everybody in town.
I forced a big grin. “I’m just thinking about the work I’ve got to do on the farm.”
“All the more reason to eat while you can,” Laraby replied. None of them had food. They sat here for hours in the morning. Every single one of them had retired a number of years ago. This served as their social club. I’d once asked my daddy about it, and he told me a person could do whatever the hell he wanted after working hard his whole life, that it was the best version of the American dream.
I dug into my food, forcing it down so no one would say anything else about it, the biscuits sitting heavy in my stomach. After we finished, I paid the tab — our food plus everyone’s coffee — and Emma and I left, telling the old timers goodbye until the next time, probably tomorrow.
We drove home in silence, Emma sticking her arm out the window and opening her hand to the breeze. She didn’t seem troubled by the lack of conversation, which was good. I couldn’t shake the worry that was turning in my gut. I was sick from putting food on top of all that unease.
I couldn’t deny that things were getting serious with Emma. Hell, I’d fully admit that I loved her and wanted to spend my life with her, but I didn’t know how she felt. She liked me, I knew that, but if she felt the same way about me that I did about her, that spelled trouble for me and Lacey. I dreaded the moment the woman I loved would ask me to choose between her and my best friend. I wasn’t ready for it.
And, I had no idea what I would do if she asked me. Refusing to pick at all was the same as picking Lacey. And picking Emma would mean stabbing Lacey right in the middle of the back.
We pulled up into the driveway, and saw that Lacey was here already. The sliding door to the barn was open. Emma looked just as relaxed and content as usual when we climbed out of the truck, dressed in her usual t-shirt, jeans, and boots, her dark hair pulled into a tight ponytail.
“I’ve got to spend all day at the back of the property working on the fence line. There’s plenty to do.” I really did have a pile of wood that I’d bought a few weeks ago and piled into the back of the storage barn. And, there really were a few hundred yards of fencing that could use repairing, but it wasn’t an emergency. In this weather, it would be long, sweaty work. I was saving it for the late fall after the weather cooled. But I needed some time to get things figured out, and I could barely think with Emma around. “I might not see you before you leave tonight.”
She kicked the dirt with the toe of her boot, a small smile on her face as she looked up at me.
“You want to come by for dinner tomorrow night?” I asked. “We could grill.”
She nodded, her smile expanding to put a twinkle in her dark green eyes. “That sounds nice. I can bring dessert and a few sides since you’re doing the grilling.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said.
I watched her walk off to the barn, enjoying the sight of her swinging hips and firm little ass in her jeans. I wandered back up to the house and went inside. I had a lot of thinking to get done today. I might as well just go start on that damned fence. Sweating hard cleared my mind and made it easier to puzzle through my problems.
I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t good at making hard choices. And, I never
wanted to betray anyone I cared about. I loved both of these women in different ways. I wanted them both in my life. If I had to choose, I knew I’d never be happy with the consequences either way.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Emma
Friday
I finished my work in the barn just as the sun was setting. I gave the horses each a good scratch before I left, sliding the door shut behind me. Pete wasn’t up on the porch. I squinted in the direction of the rear of the property, but it was a long ways off.
I hadn’t seen him since breakfast. Things between us had been good, natural, on the way to the Texan. But then Big Tom had to go and say that stuff about us reminding him of the relationship he’d had his wife. I’d thought it sweet at the time, but Pete got strange immediately after that, staying distant all the way back to the farm before he scurried the hell off and stayed scarce all day.
I wanted to talk to him about all this, hating to leave things as uneasy as they were, but maybe this was his way of telling me he needed his space. We were seeing each other tomorrow night. I’d see how things were then. Maybe he had something else going on that he needed to work through.
I drove home to shower and change into something that didn’t smell like sweat, hay, and horses, and then went over to Daddy’s house. He was cooking tonight, which meant he’d have something going on the grill.
I walked into the house without knocking, finding Daddy and Kasey in the dining room. The meat was already on the table — three steaming slabs of steak that got my stomach growing to see — and Kasey was adding the sides: green beans and her special lumpy mashed potatoes glistening with butter.
“Hi, Daddy. Kasey,” I said, sliding into my place at the table. I took a deep swallow of the iced tea Kasey’d been nice enough to pour for me. She might not be able to cook worth a damn, but the girl could brew a pitcher of sun tea that would give you a run for your money.