Rock Country

by K. Webster

  Markwayne had been a football hero in high school and had only grown bigger over the years. He worked out every single day and was absolutely massive. My two black eyes and nearly broken nose were proof that he was the stronger of the two of us.

  “Please, Ju Ju. I’m so sorry I did that to yer face. Ya know I love you, girl. Yer my wife,” he pleaded.

  My heart was already over him and had been for some time. His outburst from last night had been the last straw.

  “It’s done, Markwayne. You better be glad I didn’t call the cops. Do not talk to me and certainly do not ever touch me again,” I seethed, jerking my arm from his grasp.

  Not waiting for a response, I stormed over to my truck and left him in the dust as I pulled away.

  Not even twenty-four hours after Mom had handed me those letters, I was driving a rental up Dad’s driveway. Seeing my old home for the first time in fifteen years caused emotion to bubble in my throat and I fought to choke down a sob. Parking the car, I nervously stepped out of the vehicle and made my way up the front porch.

  The house had fallen to shambles and the porch seemed ready to cave in on some parts. Looking over at the swing where I’d kissed June, my heart hurt as I realized that one of the chains had come loose and the side of it rested on the porch floor. Sighing, I knocked on the door.

  I could hear slow shuffling through the house before the door finally opened. My dad looked horrible. His face was void of all color, and he seemed to be a little spaced out. At first, he looked over my tattoos and piercings with a frown, which made my heart race at the prospect of being rejected by him. It was only natural for me to feel that way since I had been made to believe he’d never wanted me my entire teenage and adult life. But when his eyes met mine, the unease faded as I was hit with the love and acceptance I remembered from my childhood.

  “My boy,” he choked out. I could tell he wanted to hug me so I made the first move and enveloped his frail body in a tight embrace. We both cried loudly, not releasing the other.

  “Daddy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” I managed to explain through my tears.

  He shook his head and patted my back before pulling away. “Bobby, it doesn’t matter. You’re here now, son. I’ve missed you so much. Please, come in.”

  I followed him into his house and noticed that everything looked exactly the same as I remembered. It was if I’d walked into a time capsule. My heart ached as I took it all in.

  “Daddy, if it’s okay, I’m going to stay with you until, you know…” I trailed off, not wanting to say the words. He was dying from pancreatic cancer. There was no coming back from that.

  “It’s all I ever wanted,” he said softly.

  By lunchtime, we’d already laughed and caught up. It was amazing to finally get this relationship back with my dad. Mom had tried calling a few times but I’d ignored her. After we’d finished some lunch, I had told Dad I was going to fix the porch and swing. We had just pulled back into the driveway and stepped out of Dad’s truck when he passed out, hitting the gravel hard.

  “Dad!” I yelled, running to him. Pushing him over to his back, I sighed heavily when his eyes fluttered open. I dusted the dirt from his face and hair while he blinked away his disorientation.

  “I’m sorry, Bobby. That happens if I do too much. I think I should rest for a bit.”

  Nodding, I pulled his frail frame from the ground and walked him into the house. Once I’d helped him settle into his bed and brought him some water, I made my way into the living room and called some home nurses I’d found in the classified ads. Tomorrow, I would interview three to help take care of Dad.

  Finally, I made my way back out to the truck to start on the porch project.

  “Ju Ju, will you take this extra plate of cookies over to Mr. Acer? He’s not doing so well lately, and I know how much he loves my cookies.”

  “Sure, Momma. Let me change and I’ll take them to him.”

  Heading to my room, I took off my jeans and slipped into some cut-off shorts. It was an unusually hot day in Texas, and I’d be drenched if I wore jeans out. Locating a pink tank top, I pulled it over my head. My hair was a little on the wild side today since I had let it dry naturally, but I was just taking cookies to Mr. Acer so I wasn’t too worried about fixing it. Finally, I found my cowboy boots and put them on, deciding to take the short walk over there. On the way out, I snatched my oversized Jessica Simpson sunglasses and the plate of cookies.

  As I walked up the driveway to Mr. Acer’s house, my heart hurt for him when I realized he had hired someone to fix his porch. He knew he was dying and was getting it ready to sell. I choked back the sadness I had for him.

  The banging of a hammer echoed loudly as I neared the porch, and my throat went completely dry as I took in the sight of the construction worker. He was wearing a pair of low-slung jeans that allowed his Calvin Klein’s to poke above. His entire back was colorfully decorated with the most beautiful tattoos, and I found myself gaping at how they were delicately spread over his muscled back. He was lean but his body was extremely fit, and his biceps bulged every time he swung the hammer. Since his back was turned to me, I could see black hair poking out the bottom of his cowboy hat. Dragging myself away from ogling him, I stepped up on the porch, causing him to turn to me.

  His eyes widened at the sight of me and he stood quickly. Today, the wind was blowing pretty hard, so I wasn’t surprised to see the bandana tied around his face, protecting him from the dust. He looked like some sort of urban outlaw, and my body shuddered at the beautiful sight. The tattoos also littered his chest, neck, and arms. I found myself following them down each curve of every muscle with my eyes. Not being able to help myself, I licked my lips before glancing back up at him.

  He narrowed his eyes at me, his chest still heaving from the exertion of hammering. As he waited for me to say something, he raised his arm and leaned it against the railing on the porch, giving me a glimpse of the dark hair under his arm. My mouth was dry as I skirted my gaze down his body to the dark trail of hair that led to his boxer briefs. Both nipples were pierced and so were his ears, all holes proudly displaying hoops. What else is pierced? God, this man was gorgeous.

  A deep chuckle brought me from my blatant staring, effectively snapping me out of it, and anger coursed through me at his haughty attitude.

  “Excuse me,” I snubbed, pushing past him toward the front door, and knocked.

  He stomped over to me, putting himself between me and the door, making me gasp at the proximity. Sweat drenched his body, and I had a sudden urge to touch him. Instead, I took a step back.

  “What do you need?” he asked suggestively in a voice that was making my panties melt. He was wagging his eyebrows at me, and even though I couldn’t see the rest of his face, I knew he was grinning.

  I sighed and put my free hand on my hip. “I’m here to see Mr. Acer. My momma wanted me to bring him some cookies since he’s sick and all. Now, maybe you should get back to work instead of takin’ advantage of this poor man. He’s probably payin’ you by the hour, and I can assure you he ain’t payin’ you to flirt.”

  His laughter boomed across the porch and my insides warmed at the sound.

  “By all means, Daisy Duke. Don’t let me get in your way,” he responded before reluctantly getting back to his hammering. Moments later, Mr. Acer answered the door, looking pretty happy for once.

  “Mr. Acer, I brought you these cookies,” I told him, handing them over.

  His eyes were dancing with an emotion I hadn’t seen from him before. Momma’s cookies weren’t that good. And here it came, the expectant look. I knew my line.

  “So when is Bobby coming back?” I asked, ignoring the hammer that dropped loudly on the porch behind me. Mr. Acer grinned and nodded his head to indicate for me to look behind me. My heart went into overdrive and a shudder racked my body.

  “I’m here,” the sexy voice answered from behind me.

  Spinning around, I drank in his beautiful face tha
t was now being revealed as he pulled down the bandana. His cheeks sported a small amount of stubble. The smile that stretched across his face, showing off his perfect teeth, made me weak in the knees. When he started playing with his tongue ring, I clenched my thighs together as dirty thoughts about what he could do with it raced through my mind. Dark eyes stared knowingly at me when my own met his. He knew he was hot. Bastard.

  The front door closed behind me, bringing me out of my stupor, and anger set in. Mr. Acer had taken the cookies and left us alone.

  “All of these years and not a word from you?” I seethed but continued. “He’s been waiting for you for fifteen years and you decide to show up when he’s dying?” My voice is shrill, and I can feel myself dangerously close to tears.

  “You don’t know the whole story,” he growled.

  “I know that, every single day, that man in there hoped and prayed that each day would be the day you came home to him. It is all he ever talked about,” I hissed, overcome with emotion.

  Swiftly, he stalked over to me, grasping my upper arms with his strong hands, and planted a tender kiss on my lips. The same butterflies that had danced in my belly all those years ago were back. I was stunned for a moment before I wrenched myself away from him and slapped his cheek.

  I couldn’t help myself when I kissed her perfect lips. The slap that followed was totally worth it. She was a damn goddess. No way could I have ever dreamed that sweet, pigtailed June could grow up to be this beautiful woman.

  When I first laid eyes on her, I’d thought she was hotter than any of the plastic women I was used to seeing these days in Vegas. Her blond hair blew wildly in the wind, and I wanted nothing more than to drag my fingers through it. Obnoxious sunglasses covered her face, barely held up by her pert nose. Her plump lips were moist and begging to be sucked on.

  The tight tank top did nothing to hide her full, natural breasts, and the short cut-offs revealed tan, smooth legs. The cowboy boots were sexy as hell, and I wanted them digging into my back. She was fucking hot, and I wasn’t about to let her get away from me that easily.

  Once again, I brought my body close to hers, but this time I refrained from touching her. Needing to see her eyes, I quickly reached up and pulled the sunglasses from her face. What I saw shocked me and I immediately boiled with anger.

  “Who fucking did this to you?” I demanded as I studied her blackened eyes. There was no way in hell whoever did this to her would go unpunished. I was going to throttle him.

  “My husband.”

  As if cold water had been splashed on me, I took a step back from her. My sweet June was married to an abusive, backwoods asshole.

  “You tell your husband if he ever touches you again, I’ll kill him,” I roared.

  “Bobby, you can’t come here after fifteen years and go back to being my protector. I can protect myself!”

  Stepping back to her, I lifted her chin so that I could see her face better. Her green eyes were fiery and expressive, just as I remembered them to be. Using my thumb, I pulled her chin down a bit to part her lips. Not waiting for permission, I dipped my head down and brought my lips to hers once again. When my tongue entered her mouth, she moaned into it.

  The sweet sound lit a fire in me, and I finally was awarded the opportunity to grab ahold of her hair. She kissed me back with a passion I hadn’t expected from an abused married woman. Moving my hand from her chin, I slid it down along her neck, stroking the flesh along the way. June offered another moan into my mouth. My dick was straining to be freed of its denim prison.

  Finally, I broke away from her and rested my forehead against hers so that I could look into her eyes. My thumb stroked her collarbone and she shivered under my touch. If Dad weren’t on the other side of the door, I would have had my way with her right now.

  “I missed you, June Bug.”

  As if breaking from her trance, she stepped away from me. “I can’t do this right now, Bobby. My life is a mess. Your timing is horrible. Catch you later,” she huffed and took off down the porch steps in a full sprint.

  Oh, hell no. June knew I’d always catch her.

  Tearing off after her, I ran hard and fast. Her blond hair was bouncing around wildly as she flew off ahead of me. It was slightly distracting to watch her tiny ass jiggle in her barely there shorts.

  Gaining on her, I taunted her like old times. “I’m coming for you, June. I always catch you.” Her squeals made my heart tighten as I realized just how much I’d missed her.

  “Oh, Bobby, you won’t catch me this time,” she teased back, barely out of breath.

  Me, on the other hand—I was panting like crazy. Damn cigarettes. It didn’t matter though. I would get to her and soon. She was within yards of me as I closed the gap.

  Just as I was about to reach out for her, she yelled, “Bye, Bobby!”

  Suddenly, she burst out ahead of me and sprinted so fast that I could do nothing but gape after her. What the hell? A trail of dust was forming behind her on the dirt road as she left me. I slowed to a stop, panting heavily as I watched her run into her momma’s house and slam the door behind her.

  First order of business—quit smoking. Second order of business—start running again. Third order of business—catch my June Bug.

  My chest heaved as I leaned my back against the front door. He was back and gorgeous as hell. I was conflicted though. How could he have left his dad—and me—for so long without a word? If it hurt me this much, I could only imagine how Mr. Acer felt.

  I stomped into my room and flopped onto the bed, kicking off my boots. Grabbing my phone to play some music, I frowned when I saw that I had sixteen missed calls from Markwayne. He was impossibly persistent, which was quite possibly the reason I’d gotten together with him in the first place. The phone rang once more, so I answered it to give him a piece of my mind.

  “What?” I snapped as a greeting.

  “Baby, hear me out,” Markwayne begged.

  “You lost the right to call me baby when you punched me in the nose and kicked me in the ribs, Markwayne.”

  “I know, dammit, and I am so sorry, Ju Ju. Come home so we can work this out. I love you.”

  Sneering at his love confession, I spoke my words carefully so that he wouldn’t miss any of it. “Listen up, Markwayne. We are through. Don’t call me. Don’t touch me. Don’t look at me. Keep yer ass away from the diner too. I don’t want to see you. EVER. AGAIN.”

  I didn’t give him an opportunity to beg anymore and hung up. After scrolling through the songs on my iPhone, I settled on the newest Alice in Chains album and drifted off.

  “Wake up, Ju Ju! They’ll be here soon!” Momma shouted from my doorway.

  Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I sat up, confused. “Who, Momma?”

  “Well, I called Mr. Acer to see if he enjoyed the cookies. He told me that Bobby was back! I figure this called for a celebration and invited them both over for dinner. It’s almost ready and they’ll be here any minute. You might want to freshen up before they get here. I still can’t believe you saw him and didn’t tell me. You two were so close, and you were devastated when he left. I would’ve figured you would be dying to tell me he was here.”

  “Ugh! Okay, I’ll be out in a minute,” I told her, ignoring the last part. She scooted out of my room, closing the door behind her.

  After a quick shower, I scrunched my hair with some gel and applied a little makeup. I found some clean jeans along with my Ramones T-shirt and dressed. Hearing voices in the living room, I finally made my way out of my room.

  Mr. Acer and Momma were laughing about something, so they both were too preoccupied to notice the way Bobby and I drank each other up. He’d clearly taken a shower as well and gotten impossibly hotter. His longish, obviously dyed-black hair was styled in a messy way on top of his head. He had shaved his face, and I had the desire to run my palm across his cheek. I had to keep my tongue in my mouth as I unabashedly checked out the way his tight black T-shirt stretched across his sculpte
d chest. He had on a different pair of jeans this time that were incredibly holey. His red Chucks poked out from underneath, and I suppressed a giggle at seeing them.

  “Hey, June Bug. You look beautiful tonight,” he spoke softly, walking up to me. Every time he talked or stood near me, my heart pounded like it was going to beat out of my chest.

  “Hey, uh, yourself. Thanks,” I stammered. The breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding rattled out when he grabbed my hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing it gently. I tried to pull my hand from his, but he gripped it tighter. He was studying me with such intensity that I almost couldn’t take the scrutiny and squirmed a little under his gaze.

  “The Ramones?” He quirked up a dark eyebrow with his question. His gaze fell to my chest and I breathed heavily knowing that he was looking at my breasts.

  “Yeah, so?”

  “I fucking love the Ramones. It surprises me though. I kind of had you pegged for a Carrie Underwood or Keith Urban kind of girl.”

  “One more reason why I don’t belong in this town,” I muttered under my breath.

  Bobby’s eyes darkened at my honest admission, and I could see the questions dancing all over his face. He had no idea how lifeless I felt in this shitty town.

  “I want to take you for a walk after dinner, June. We need to catch up.”

  “That sounds nice, Bobby.”

  I could barely sit still through dinner in anticipation of talking more to June. While we were eating, I learned that she was going through a divorce—thankfully—from that asshole. I also discovered that she worked at the diner. Other than that, I had yet to find out what made June June. She hardly ever smiled, and when she did, it never reached her eyes. I’d have given anything to see the smile I remembered from when we were kids.

  Finally, after dessert and coffee, Dad mentioned that he was tired. I was happy to see him smiling so much. Even though I knew he was dying, he looked better tonight for some reason.