by Dylann Crush
“I’m headed down to wrap up at the festival. You need a ride?” Bodie asked.
Jasper nodded. Hopefully he’d have a chance to get to her. Before it was too late.
twenty-eight
Delilah smiled and nodded, even though her heart wasn’t in it, waving at the small crowd from the steps of the gazebo. It was hard to believe that this was where it had all started just thirty days ago. She’d borrowed a spare outfit from Lacey after arriving back at the festival with grass stains all over her dress and rubber boots on her feet.
Looking out over the group, she tried to keep her emotions in check. Her time in Ido had come to an end, and not a moment too soon. Watching Jasper get arrested had ripped her to pieces. She thought she’d found a safe place with him, free from the lies and betrayals she’d lived with her whole life at the hands of her mother.
Truth was, she couldn’t count on anyone. It was just too bad that she’d had to learn that lesson the hard way. The one man she thought she could trust, to be there for her through thick and thin, had been leading a whole other life.
Lacey turned off the mic and pulled Delilah into a hug. “Thank you so much for being here. I just wish Jasper was here to say a few words, too.”
Numb, Delilah nodded. Obviously, Lacey hadn’t heard the news yet that the hospitality host had proven to be less than hospitable.
“You want to meet up for breakfast tomorrow? I wasn’t sure what time you’d be leaving.”
“I’ve got so much to do back in Dallas. I figured I’d head out tonight. I’m eager to get home and sleep in my own bed for a change.” Delilah didn’t even bother trying to force another smile. Her job was done.
“You sure?” Lacey squeezed her hands. “Don’t you want to get a good night’s sleep and leave in the morning?”
“No.” Her original plan for the night had been to spend the evening in Jasper’s arms, joined together in every way that mattered. But that had been dashed as she watched him get put into the back of a squad car. “I think it’s best to get on the road tonight.”
“If you’re sure . . .”
“I am.” Delilah let go and turned to scan the departing crowd. She’d been looking for Jasper’s family, but they all seemed to have disappeared. It was best that way. She hadn’t been looking forward to saying good-bye, especially to Abby. This would make it easier.
She caught a ride back to Taylor Farms with one of the volunteers. All the lights in the house were out. The long driveway usually held at least two or three cars, but thankfully, no one had come back yet. She didn’t want to be there when they did.
Jasper had hooked her trailer up for her earlier that day in preparation for her trip home. At the time he’d planned on going with her, saying he wanted to make sure she got back to Dallas safely and that he didn’t want her to have to face Stella alone.
So much for that.
She didn’t even bother to change out of the borrowed clothes. Just got behind the wheel, turned over the ignition, and slowly pulled out of the drive.
* * *
* * *
Jasper glanced around the circle of people surrounding him. His mom and dad stood to his left. His brothers fanned out on his right. Even Suzy had come to the station and stood next to Abby, who hadn’t stopped crying since he’d exited the sheriff’s office a full five minutes before. He’d been doing his best to explain himself to everyone, with mixed results.
“You’re telling me you’ve been lying to us for the past three years?” Dad’s cheeks always got red when he was pissed off, and now they looked like two bright, ripe apples as he whipped his hat off his head and tossed it on the ground.
“Frank, calm down. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack.” Mom bent down to pick up the hat while Jasper tried to hold his ground against the withering gazes of his brothers.
“So, you’re not running the dog-fighting ring.” Trent nodded. “That’s good to know. I didn’t want to believe it but when I saw you standing there . . .”
“I’m sorry. I owe all of you a huge apology and I hope you can forgive me.” Jasper shuffled his feet. “All I ever wanted to do was protect you. I figured if you thought Colin was just mad at me, it would be easier than having to tell you he’d gotten himself mixed up in all of this.”
Mom put a hand on his shoulder. “You should have told us the truth.”
He met her gaze, only able to hold it for a moment before looking away. The disappointment in her eyes mixed with motherly love, and he was afraid to see which one was stronger. “I know that now.”
“What’s going to happen to Colin?” Mitchell asked.
Jasper shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“I’m going to find out.” Dad pulled the door open and disappeared inside the building. Mom gave Jasper’s hand a squeeze, then followed right behind him.
Davis checked his watch. “Fall Festival just wrapped up. Do we need to clean up now or can we take care of it tomorrow?”
Jasper swallowed, hard. He’d let so many people down tonight, especially Delilah. The horror on her face when she’d realized what she’d walked in on kept playing through his mind. He’d never forget the look of sheer terror in her eyes. If she never wanted to speak to him again, he deserved it.
“I’m going to head that way now. See if I can catch Delilah and try to explain what happened.”
“Good luck, bro.” Trent clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”
Jasper shook hands with Davis and Mitchell before pulling Abby into a hug. “I’m sorry, Little Bug. I didn’t mean to mess things up so bad.”
“Remember what I said about Heraclitus?”
“Hera who?” Trent asked.
“Abby’s a budding philosopher.” Jasper tucked her head under his arm and rubbed his knuckles over it. “What’s the latest, wise one?”
She pushed against his side. “The road up and down is one and the same. He said that, too.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Trent asked.
“Jasper knows.” Abby stood there, a girlish grin on her face.
“It means I got myself into this mess, so I ought to be able to find my way out.”
“That works.” Abby skipped over to Davis’s truck. “Can we stop at the Dairy Dell on the way home?”
“Here”—Jasper peeled off a twenty from the bills in his wallet—“get her whatever she wants. My treat.”
Trent had already started his truck when Jasper slid into the front seat. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Thanks for not being the asshole I was afraid you might be when I saw you standing in that barn tonight.” Trent shifted into gear and pulled out onto the main road.
“You’re welcome?” Jasper let himself return Trent’s smile. It might be rocky for a bit, but things were going to be okay with his family. They understood why he’d done what he did, and even though none of them seemed to agree with how he’d handled things, at least they’d be willing to forgive him. Eventually.
With any luck, Lacey and Delilah would feel the same way. If not, he may as well ask Bodie to book him.
twenty-nine
Delilah woke and for several moments had no idea where she was. When she’d arrived back in Dallas last night, she’d parked the truck and trailer in the lot of her condo and somehow managed to make her way inside. Her phone had buzzed and constantly pinged the first hour of her drive, so she’d turned it off.
She wasn’t ready to talk to Jasper yet. A tiny part of her wondered if she ever would be. All she wanted to do was sleep.
A quick glance at the clock on her nightstand showed her she’d done just that. It was after three o’clock in the afternoon. She’d been gone for so long that her refrigerator was as bare as the first time she’d seen Jasper’s.
She pulled a can of organic lentil soup out
of the cabinet and heated it on the stove. Even though she didn’t feel like eating, didn’t appear to have any feelings about anything at all, she figured she should put something in her stomach before she turned on her phone again.
After finishing the soup and scrubbing away any remnants of her time in Ido with a hot shower, she sat down at her kitchen table and faced her phone.
The first voice mail was from Jasper.
“D, hey, it’s me. I’m so sorry about tonight. I just need a chance to explain. Please call me. We need to talk before we leave tomorrow.”
Her heart squeezed at the hope in his voice. He could have the best reason in the world for doing what he did, but it wouldn’t change the fact that he’d lied to her.
She pressed play on the next message.
“It’s me again. I came by the Fall Festival to find you, but Lacey said you headed out already. I’m on my way back now. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Please give me a chance to make this up to you.”
Her heart lodged in her throat. She tried to force a swallow past it as the next message began.
“Where are you, Delilah? The trailer’s gone, your truck’s gone. I thought we were going to head back to Dallas tomorrow. Together. I need to talk to you. We can work this out.”
She couldn’t handle any more. As she stared at the phone, it rang, vibrating against the table. Her mother’s number flashed on the screen. Feeling like she was trading one evil for another, she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Darling, are you home? I got a call from Jasper and he was worried sick about you. I know we’ve had our differences over the past couple of weeks, but I need to know, are you okay?”
Hearing her mother’s voice seemed to loosen the cork on the emotions she’d been trying to bottle up. “Jasper and I broke up. Can you come over?”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
Stella disconnected, and Delilah turned off her phone.
* * *
* * *
Jasper didn’t know what to do. He’d been trying to reach Delilah for three days. He was tempted to drive to Dallas to try to talk to her in person, but Lacey had forbidden him to go after her. At least until after the big gala celebration this weekend. Since he’d probably be the reason Ido lost their chance at the title, he felt obligated to honor her request. Even though every part of him urged him to do it anyway.
At least he’d put all of that nervous energy to good use. The barn had been cleared out and he’d made a list of everything they’d need to do if Dad decided to move forward on the wedding barn idea. He’d cleaned up after the Fall Festival, except for the Pucker-Up Path. Lacey thought it made a nice addition to the town and had started incorporating the hashtag into her marketing materials for the wedding business.
Abby even showed him a picture his mom and dad posted. They were sitting in the swing under the flowery arbor he and Abby had built together. Maybe something good would come out of all of the bad, even if he hadn’t been able to talk to Delilah.
He’d even spent a few days over at For Pitties’ Sake. Thanks to Mitchell calling Bodie when Jasper still thought he could handle things himself, they’d managed to rescue the dogs that had been in the barn that night and were getting close to issuing warrants on several other locations that had come to light during interrogations. Zina had her hands full with almost fifteen new dogs and possibly dozens more on the way.
That should have made him feel better, but nothing seemed able to pull him out of the black hole he’d fallen into.
He’d finished feeding Tie Dye and was heading to the big house to wash up before dinner when he spotted Suzy and Abby sitting on the porch.
“There’s double trouble waiting to happen.” He stopped at the railing and watched Suzy trying to pull Abby’s hair back into some kind of braid.
“How are you holding up?” Suzy asked.
He shrugged. “I’ve been better.”
Abby sighed. “I don’t know why you can’t just go to Dallas and talk to her.”
Jasper missed Delilah like a hole in his heart, but Abby missed her, too. He hadn’t been kidding when he told Delilah that Abby had taken to her like the sister she’d never had. Knowing he’d broken Abby’s heart, too, only made him feel worse.
“Lacey won’t let me. I promised her I’d wait until after the big party in Houston to go talk to her. Lacey’s holding out hope that there might be a slim chance of Delilah choosing Ido.”
“Slim to none and Slim left town.” One corner of Suzy’s mouth ticked up. “I’m sorry, sugar, but I think the writing’s on the wall with that one.”
“Dad said we might have to sell the horses.” Abby hugged her arms to her stomach.
Jasper cringed. “I’m so sorry, Little Bug.”
“It is what it is.”
“You know what? These fingers aren’t made for braiding hair. I’m sorry, honey, but I think Delilah’s the only one who can tame these unruly locks.” Suzy smoothed her hand over Abby’s hair.
Abby let out a sigh as she slumped farther into the chair. “I wish she’d come back.”
“You and me both, kiddo.” Jasper squatted down next to his sister. “I’m going to do my best to talk to her before it’s too late.”
Abby’s eyes sparked. He’d seen that look. Right before she’d insisted he add the swing to the arbor.
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what’s on your mind?”
“It would suck to have to sell the horses, but I wouldn’t mind.”
“No?” He had the feeling that wasn’t all.
“Not if you bring Delilah back. I think you ought to go to that fancy party and tell her you love her.”
“Just like that?”
“Well, no. You should bring her some pretty flowers and get dressed up, too.”
“Thing is, I don’t think she likes me anymore.” Sooner or later he’d have to make peace with the fact that he’d done the worst thing he could have done when it came to Delilah. “I lied to her, Little Bug. If I go to Houston, all she’s going to do is turn me down.”
“She might turn you down, but do you think she’d be able to say no to all of us?” Suzy bent over and put an arm around Abby’s shoulders just as Trent and Mitchell stepped onto the porch.
“What’s going on?” Mitchell asked.
“We’re figuring out how we can help Jasper win back Delilah.” Abby looked at Trent. “Go get Lucas and Davis. They need to be part of this, too.”
“Abby, it’s not going to work.” Jasper couldn’t fault his little sister for wanting to try. She was still young enough to believe that true love could conquer all and that everyone deserved a happily-ever-after.
“Wait a minute.” Trent tapped his lip. “You’ve been protecting us, trying to keep us all from getting hurt all this time.”
“Yeah, and look how that turned out,” Jasper said.
“The whole reason you were such a jerk was because you love us so much. I know that’s why you were trying so hard to help.” Abby seemed so much older, so much wiser than he was at her age. Who was he kidding . . . than he was even now.
“What’s done is done.” Jasper shrugged.
“Be ready at five o’clock on Saturday. Wear something nice and leave the rest to me.” Abby got up and made her way to the front door. “By the way, I’m not just talking to Jasper. All of us are going. We’re a family. We’re all going to win her back together.”
thirty
Delilah held Stella’s hand as she waited in the wings to go onto the stage. She’d managed to bail on the dinner portion of the evening. Stella lied for her and said she’d been battling a migraine. The last task she had to complete to fulfill her contractual obligation was to announce the winner at the final gala. With her heart thundering in her chest, she trained her gaze on Mr. Plum while he talked about all the criteria
that went into selecting the winner of the Most Romantic Small Town in Texas competition.
Lacey was in the crowd. Delilah had caught a glimpse of her and Bodie when she’d arrived. Although she’d removed Jasper’s name from the guest list, she still wasn’t looking forward to seeing anyone from Ido. Her feelings were still too raw, too painful.
She’d had to relive all of them over the past week while she sorted through the time she’d spent in each town. Her decision had been a difficult one, even more so due to the circumstances, but she was comfortable with her choice and couldn’t wait to put the past few months behind her.
“Without further ado, let me introduce the contest judge to announce the winner. Please welcome the reigning Miss Lovin’ Texas, Delilah Stone, to the stage.” Mr. Plum clapped his hands while he waited for her to meet him onstage.
“This is it, go on.” Stella gave her a tiny nudge.
Delilah took a deep breath in through her nose and held it for a count of three before letting it out in a slow exhale. Then she pasted on the biggest, brightest smile she could muster, and stepped into the spotlight.
“Thank you, Mr. Plum. It’s been my pleasure being involved in such an exciting competition. All three towns put their best foot forward, making my decision an incredibly difficult one.” Delilah smiled into the crowd, her gaze drawn to Lacey, who sat at a table right in front of the stage.
Bodie had moved his chair right next to his wife’s and held her hand. They both looked so hopeful, it almost made Delilah forget her next line.
“Ms. Stone?” Mr. Plum blinked a few times. “Would you do us the honor of announcing the third-place winner?”
Her attention snapped back to the laptop sitting on top of the podium. She clicked the mouse and a picture of East appeared on the screen. “Coming in third, I’d like to congratulate the town of East, Texas.”
A polite smattering of applause came from the crowd.