Taking it in, a heavy mass of sadness settled over Davey. The calves were crammed into a tiny space and were more tightly packed than the larger cows. He wondered how they could even breathe, then wondered why Johnny, who seemed like a decent man, allowed them to live in these conditions. But the farmer probably didn’t think about it that way. He probably figured it didn’t matter since they were going to end up as someone’s dinner. The sorrow inside Davey stretched into a dark, bleak cloak of hopelessness, which was probably how the cows felt.
Concordia tugged on the halter and he let her loose. She rushed over to the calves and bumped her head against one of them through the steel bar slats. The baby cow spun around—no easy feat in the tight quarters—and gaped at Concordia, his eyes full of wonder. The mama cow lifted her head and let out a long joyful moo. The adorable brown and white calf moo’ed happily along with her.
Johnny made his way to the gate and tugged the calf out of the enclosure. “I guess this guy is hers.”
Davey nodded in agreement. His heart squeezed when the calf ran over to her and began nursing. In between sucking, the calf bumped his head against Concordia’s milk bag. It looked like it may have hurt, but Concordia’s expression was delirious bliss.
On the way home, Davey drove with his window down even though it was freezing cold outside. He reeked of manure and the bitter cold was better than his own stench. Along the way, Cruz called. Davey had a hard time hearing so he turned on his Bluetooth and put the window up. “Sorry, the window was down.”
“You crazy?” Cruz asked. “It’s like thirty degrees.”
“Tell me about it,” Davey grumbled. He proceeded to fill Cruz in on his day. “Before you say anything, I know it’s crazy, but it’s important to Nora.” Thinking of her made his heart happy. He imagined his expression looked like Concordia’s had earlier—pure, blinding contentment. He needed to call her as soon as he finished talking with Cruz. She was going to be ecstatic over the calf.
“Love makes you a little crazy.” Cruz chuckled. “But it’s sure as hell worth it.”
Davey’s breath stuttered and clogged. He wasn’t in love with Nora…he couldn’t be. He didn’t do relationships. He didn’t even believe in that kind of love. Yet over the last few months, his life had irreversibly changed—all for the positive. And it was because of Ben and Nora. He was no longer the nomadic single guy moving from one shallow relationship to another. These days he was committed to one woman. Six months ago, that would have scared the crap out of him. Now, it made him crazy happy. He loved the time he spent with Nora and Ben, and the time he spent alone with Nora. He loved having her at his races, in his home, in his bed. Hell, he loved every moment he got to spend with her. His heart kicked in his chest, calling bluff on his denial.
He’d fallen headfirst, body and soul, wildly and madly in love with her.
Nora awoke feeling momentarily disoriented, then rolled over and remembered. She could still smell Davey’s manly scent on his pillows even though he’d been gone for a few days. She, Ben, and Cosmo were staying at his place for two weeks while he and Cruz were at the Phoenix and California races. Staying at his place made it easier for her to care for Daisy and for her cows too.
She rubbed Cosmo’s head, then Daisy’s. Stretching, she gave herself the luxury of a few more minutes in the big, new bed. Davey had purchased one of those expensive adjustable beds after she’d seen a commercial and had commented on it. She used the remote to lift the top of the bed, then her feet, getting a kick out of the easy adjustments. Davey had been renovating his entire house, and in doing so, things she had mentioned were popping up. Like the sunken tub in the master bath, the skylights in the living room, and the new stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen.
“What do you think Cosmo?” she asked, rubbing his shaggy head. “I appreciate him taking my thoughts into consideration, but this is his house. It’s not like we’re getting married.”
When Cosmo yipped, she glanced down at him. He gave her a look that told her she was getting ahead of herself. Don’t worry about the future. Enjoy the now.
Right. She was supposed to be living in the now. She tossed back the soft sheets and made her way into the master bathroom, then stepped into the ginormous two-headed steam shower.
Later, after Jamie gave Ben a ride to school, Nora drank her morning tea on the back deck as Cosmo and Daisy ran gleefully through the fields. The property was expansive, with plenty of wide open space. A burbling creek snaked along the edge of the green fields, and beyond the creek, were acres of forest. She wondered why Davey wanted all that land since much of it required upkeep. Regardless of his motives, she was grateful because it was the perfect home for her cows.
She still wasn’t sure what she was doing with the cows, but the calling to save them had been so powerful she hadn’t been able to ignore it. It had clearly touched Davey too, considering the time and effort he’d put into rescuing not only Concordia, but her calf as well.
She took her time sipping tea and enjoying the peace and quiet. Her steaming hot drink and the strong morning sun counterbalanced the chill in the air. As she drank her tea, she thought about the dream she’d had last night. Pap had come to her to talk about Concordia and Chance, the name she’d given Concordia’s calf. She’d chosen the name Chance because he’d been given a second chance on life.
In the dream, Pap had indicated there was a reason why she and Davey had rescued the cows. He’d told her not to worry about what to do with the cows or how to explain it to others. Instead, he’d suggested she take this time to appreciate the cows and to get to know them better. He’d said there was a broader purpose and that the next steps would come to her at the right time.
She would do as her grandfather had instructed. Now that she thought about it, Davey had said something similar on the phone last night. He’d told her that she didn’t owe anyone an explanation and that she didn’t need to label her cows as pets or anything else. Just enjoy them, he had suggested, which is exactly what Pap had said.
Sighing contentedly into her mug, she took another long sip. She loved the stillness and tranquility at Davey’s. There was no traffic, only the sounds of Mother Earth—birds chirping, trees rustling, the distant creek bubbling. Someday, she wanted to have a place just like this. She would live on a farm and have a bunch of farm animals. Of course, her animals wouldn’t become food. Instead, she would recognize the animals as sacred, sentient beings and give them the opportunity to roam freely, to play joyfully, to love and be loved.
Someday, she thought again, rising and picking up her empty mug. For now, she would visit the animals she and Davey had rescued.
Stepping inside the house, a long skinny table at the far end of the dining room caught her eye. Framed pictures of all shapes and sizes were positioned on the new table. She made her way over to take a closer look.
The first picture was of Cruz with his arm wrapped around Davey’s shoulder. She smiled at Cruz’s expression of father-like pride. Davey was lucky to have a man as amazing as Cruz in his life. Next was young Davey standing in front of a lake holding hands with Steph. She was thrilled that Davey had been spending time with his mother and that he was starting to realize the wonderful woman that she was. There were race pictures—one of Davey’s car and another of Davey and Cruz holding a big trophy. Moving along the table, there were several pictures of Ben. She inched back in surprise after glancing at the last two pictures—they were of her and Davey!
She’d progressed to framed pictures in his house. Moving closer, she ran a finger over the photo of her and Davey at Talladega, as warmth spread through her body. The last picture was of the two of them on Christmas day. He’d been chasing her around the couch—although for the life of her she couldn’t remember why—and in the picture, he’d just caught up with her. His arms were wrapped around her waist and she was leaning into the camera, laughing. They looked giddy, joyful, carefree. When she was with him, that was how he made her feel.
She tidied up
the house, then grabbed her coat and headed to the barn. Davey had hired a teenage neighbor, Kenny, to keep the barn clean, but she visited Concordia and Chance every day.
Entering the barn, she drew in the scent of fresh hay. It warmed her soul seeing Concordia’s white nose nuzzling along Chance’s fawn-colored head. She ambled over, and kissed Concordia and then Chance. “It’s a beautiful day,” she said, opening the stall so the cows could roam the fields if they elected to do so. Either she, Davey, or Kenny, put the cows back in the barn every night.
She reached into her coat pocket. “I brought treats.” It had become a daily routine to bring a piece of fruit, vegetable, or a healthy cookie to give to them. Today, she had apples. She held them in the palms of her hand and both of the cows gobbled them up.
After, Concordia laid her head on Nora’s shoulder, as if giving her a hug. “How’s my girl?” She scratched the cow’s ears and then her neck.
She meandered out of the barn alongside the cows, enjoying the sunshine, as they made their way through the fields and down to the creek. Since she had the day off, she hung out with Concordia and Chance for a while, plopping on the ground in front of the creek. Thoroughly enjoying the peace of the land, she sat in stillness for a long while.
Sometime later, she jumped when someone nudged her from behind. She spun around to find Concordia. “You scared me,” she said, rising and stroking Concordia’s side. “Guess I zoned out.”
The cow gave her a knowing look and she lifted her hand. “Okay, okay…I was thinking about Davey.”
He’s a good man, Concordia said telepathically, nudging Nora again with her nose.
Nora had to agree. She just didn’t know what to do about her growing feelings for him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Davey returned from the west coast races feeling particularly good about his chances this season. He’d done well in Phoenix and had won the Auto Club race. He was thrilled for AJ too. The two of them had been going back and forth between first and second in points, and AJ’s teammate Ted, the not-so-Terrific, was currently third in the standings.
Davey made his way to the kitchen and drank his morning coffee with Cruz. He would miss his friend after he moved. That was probably why he was feeling all sentimental and girly over little things like morning coffee.
After their morning routine of coffee and watching sports highlights, they hit the garage to finish cleaning out the rest of his dad’s stuff. They had been slowly working their way through the house and now only had a handful of boxes left in the garage.
The first couple of boxes were filled with his father’s racing trophies and awards. Cruz took a few mementos of shared racing victories. Davey kept one of the trophies, but got rid of everything else. It brought back bad memories of his father’s frustration at his inability to win races and of his drinking with increased frequency. Davey’s dad had been a mediocre driver, propelled further than he deserved by Cruz’s innate ability to make anything with an engine run fast and smooth.
“Thanks for your help,” Davey said, flicking a glance at Cruz. “I really appreciate it.”
“We’re almost there.” Cruz tugged down the last three cardboard boxes. “After this, the place will finally be your own.” Cruz nudged him. “But it should feel that way now with all the money you’ve been spending on it.”
Davey had been renovating every inch of the house. Cruz had hit the nail on the head. Sometime during the renovations, he had stopped thinking about the place as his father’s and had started thinking of it as his own.
He took a quick break when Nora called to tell him about Ben’s upcoming school field trip to Chattanooga. When she’d driven Ben to school this morning, she had offered to chaperone. Ben had politely declined, asking for his dad this time since she had chaperoned last year’s trip. His heart tugged at Ben’s request and he had quickly agreed.
“A field trip, huh?” Cruz asked after he hung up.
He nodded. “Chattanooga next month.” He sat up a little straighter and extended his chest thinking about doing the dad thing.
When he glanced over, Cruz was grinning at him. “You’re getting into being a dad.”
It had been more of a statement than a question, so Davey just smiled and nodded.
“Ben’s a good kid.” Cruz’s lips ticked upward. “He’s gonna be my grandson soon,” he said, pride evident in his voice.
“He already is.” Davey caught Cruz’s gaze. “What we have is way thicker than blood.”
Cruz nodded. “Yeah.” He gave a simple response but the pride in his voice had kicked up a notch.
“More coffee?” Davey asked, rising.
“Sure.”
He grabbed both mugs and headed toward the door but stopped short when Cruz called out.
“Hang on.” Cruz pushed one of the boxes in front of Davey’s chair. “You need to look at this.”
The far-away look in Cruz’s eyes made Davey return to his seat without a coffee refill. Wondering what had caused Cruz’s reaction, he eased down and opened the box. Inside were stacks of letters. He picked up the first one and gaped at it in stunned shock.
It was an unopened envelope addressed to him from his mother, post-marked eleven years ago. With shaky hands, he opened it and removed the letter.
Dear Davey,
I wish I could explain why I had to leave. Sometimes things don’t work out between a man and a woman. I’ll leave it at that. But, it’s important that you know it had nothing to do with you. You have always been the bright light in my life, and you always will be.
I came by your race again yesterday…congratulations on your win! Your dad said you didn’t want to see me. I know you’re still angry but I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me for leaving, and that someday you’ll want to see me.
My door’s always open.
I love you,
Mom
Davey put down the letter and swiped at the tear that had rolled down his cheek. Cruz patted him on the back, then grabbed their mugs and disappeared. Davey flipped through the contents of the box, all letters and cards, all addressed to him, all unopened.
She had tried to contact him. A mix of emotions poured through him, fury at his father for not giving him the letters, irritation and annoyance with himself. He’d been such a shithead, causing his mother years of undeserved grief. Waves of sorrow flooded through him over their decade of lost years. But happiness swirled in the waves too. His mother had tried to contact him, and she had tried hard.
He hadn’t been abandoned, after all.
Cruz returned with two mugs of coffee and pushed one of them into his hands. Davey took a long gulp, then set the mug aside. He passed the letter he’d just read to Cruz. “Did you know about these?”
“If I’d known, I sure as hell would have given them to you,” Cruz said, pulling his chair in closer.
The dates of the letters spanned four years, with postmarks from both Tennessee and Arizona. Davey and Cruz both took a stack of letters and over the next couple of hours, they read every single one. By the time they had finished, the two of them were blubbering like little girls.
“Why didn’t Dad give these to me?” Davey muttered, even though he knew there was no answer. No good answer anyway. His muscles tensed as rage gushed through his blood.
“Maybe he thought they’d be a distraction, maybe he was angry with your mother for leaving.” Cruz shook his head. “Whatever the reason, he was wrong.” Cruz clasped his hands in his lap. “I wasn’t going to share this, but I think you need to know.” Cruz squeezed his hands tightly together as his eyes turned even darker than their normal dark brown. “I didn’t know this until recently and it’s a damn good thing.” Cruz paused for a long moment, as if trying to gain his composure. “Your mom hung in for longer than she should have because of her love for you.” Cruz caught his gaze. “She left after your dad started hitting her.”
Son-of-a-bitch. Davey fisted his hands at his sides. Over the years, he ha
d wondered. It was deplorable, dishonorable, and downright wrong of his father to take his frustrations out on his mother. But his dad was gone and there was nothing he could do about it now. The rage in his blood boiled, churning through his body.
This information explained some things. His dad hadn’t started smacking him around until after his mother had left. It had continued until Davey had gotten strong enough to defend himself.
Tuck had been smart about it too, he’d never touched Davey when Cruz had been around. Davey flashed back to the only time his father had come after him when Cruz had been there. Before his father could smack him, Cruz had stepped in between the two of them. “If you go after him, you’ll have to go through me,” Cruz had said, in a voice of pure steel. Tuck had immediately backed down. Usually Tuck had slapped his face or punched him in the gut. But that night after Cruz had left, he’d beat the shit out of him. Davey had convinced himself it had been because his father had been overly drunk, but he’d been sober enough to know not to leave marks where Cruz or anyone else could see them. A shaft of hot, jagged fear twisted in his gut and sweat trickled down his spine as he thought about that horrific night.
He forced his mind back to Cruz. The man had been a saint in Davey’s life. He had no idea how he would have turned out had he not had Cruz around to show him a softer, kinder world.
He glanced at Cruz, swiping at the water in his eyes. “Don’t know what I’d’ve done without you, man.” Tuck had supported Davey’s racing career and he was grateful for that, but it was hard not to feel resentment and anger toward his father over how he had treated him and his mother. Cruz, on the other hand, had taught him everything good in his life. Honor, respect, kindness.
“You’re a good man, Davey. And you got that way with little to no help,” Cruz said. But Davey knew he was wrong. Davey had gotten that way with Cruz’s help. Cruz put a hand on his knee. “At least you have some answers now.” His expression softened. “But you probably owe your mother an apology.”
Nora's Promise Page 26