Big Sky Eyes

by Sawyer Belle

  “Yes, Dad,” Mackenna answered, gripping Brent’s forearm for support. “I’m married.”

  Her parents stood, shocked pale and wide-eyed. Helen looked from her, to Brent, to her father, then to the ground, unsure what to say. Her father swelled with protectiveness, stretching every inch of his six-foot-four frame.

  “Last week you were engaged to Rick,” he said as though trying to reason through a riddle, “and this week you’re married to…” he broke off and turned his penetrating gaze on her husband. “I’m sorry, what is your name again?”

  “Brent,” he offered casually and unafraid.

  “Brent,” her father repeated, rolling the name off his tongue as if doing so would help him learn more of the man. “Do you mind if we speak to our daughter alone, Brent?”

  “Not as long as she doesn’t mind speaking to you alone, Sir” he answered bluntly, if respectfully.

  Mackenna couldn’t help but smile at his protectiveness. She looked up into his eyes, showing him that there was nothing of regret or fear inside of her. He smiled in reply and they exchanged a light kiss before he walked back to her truck. She turned pleading eyes onto her parents. Her father spoke before she could say anything.

  “Macks,” he said. “What’s going on here? Who is this guy? How can you be married to him when you were just engaged!?! Did he force himself on you?”

  “No! Dad, no!” she cut him off before he continued on his tirade. “Look, I know this is hard for you to understand, but I love Brent. I’ve loved him for three years. I never loved Rick, and I should have never agreed to marry him. I only did so because I thought it would help me get over Brent, but I was wrong. I accept responsibility for that, and I will talk to Rick. Trust me.”

  Her mother looked sympathetic. Her father untrusting.

  “He’s a good man, Dad,” she said. “I wish I could tell you all the ways he is good, but I can’t. You’ll just have to see for yourself.”

  Her father sighed through his nose, casting a glance of thinly-veiled dislike toward Brent and she stepped between them, bringing her father’s eyes back to hers.

  “Dad, he makes me happy,” she said her eyes filling with tears. “Look at me. I’ve never been this happy in my entire life. That man is all I’ve ever wanted. Please don’t push him away because I’ll follow him wherever he goes.”

  “And where will he go, Mackenna?” her dad asked, emotion and worry softening his features.

  “Wherever I go,” she said with a smile. “He’s a talented photographer, and a skilled ranch hand who has worked for the McCraes for almost ten years. He’ll work wherever we are, but he has chosen to follow me wherever I want to study to become a vet.”

  Her father eyed Brent, leaning casually against her truck. He was only half-convinced.

  “Dad,” she said, drawing him back to her. “Please, just trust me. Trust that I’ve chosen well for myself. Give him a chance.”

  He looked at his wife, who shrugged lightly as if to say “why not?” and he huffed a hot breath.

  “Fine, Mackenna,” he relinquished, “but you better talk to Rick. He deserves to hear this from you.”

  “I know,” she agreed. “And I will. I promise.” She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “Thank you, Dad. This really means a lot to me.”

  “He just better be good to you. That’s all I got to say.”

  She laughed. “He is.”

  “So, what happens now?” Helen asked. “I mean he lives in Montana. You live here. Or do you even still live here?” Her brow suddenly creased with worry.

  “He doesn’t live in Montana anymore,” Mackenna answered. “That’s why I had to stay the extra days. We had to go through his mother’s things and pack up the apartment. He didn’t have much of his own stuff. Everything he wanted to keep flew back with us in two large duffel bags. He sold his truck to Ty McCrae and his motorcycle is in storage. We’ll make a trip up there sometime in the spring to bring it down.

  “So, we figured that we would get an apartment somewhere near here and that I would continue to help you out until the fall term starts. I want to go to UC Davis. It’s only about two hours away and they have one of the best schools.”

  “And what’s Brent planning to do until then?” her father asked.

  “He’s going to find work, of course,” she answered evenly with a roll of her eyes. “We should get going, though. We want to go look at apartments and hopefully find one to stay in tonight.”

  “Mackenna,” Helen called before she could turn away. “That’s just silly. You just got back in town. Why don’t you guys stay here for a few nights? Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and we’re having a few friends over. Besides, it’ll give us a chance to get to know your husband better.”

  Mackenna’s father looked at her mother, his eyes widening at her extended invitation.

  “Don’t look at me like that, David” she shot at her husband. “You know I’m right, so just suck it up.”

  Mackenna laughed and said that she’d have to talk to Brent about it first, and as she walked back toward him, David leaned in to speak to Helen.

  “She needs to talk to him about it first?” he said incredulously. “Last week, this was her home. Now, she needs to ask him if she can stay here?”

  “Well, a lot has changed in the last week, honey,” she answered her husband. “Honestly, I don’t know why you’re so bothered. I’ve never her seen her shine this way before.”

  David studied his daughter’s face as she smiled up at her new husband. Her eyes were glistening with a happiness he never saw when she had looked at Rick. Her entire being glowed. His gaze shifted to the man beside her, and he saw the same look in his eyes. That they were in love was certain. That she had been engaged to someone else less than a week ago was disturbing. The couple hugged and walked toward him, hand in hand. Brent thrust his other hand out toward David.

  “Thank you for your hospitality, Sir,” he said. David shook his hand and answered with a nod.

  “Let me help you with your bags,” David offered, extending the olive branch.

  “Much obliged,” said Brent and the men headed toward the truck while Mackenna and her mom went to the house.

  As soon as she stepped through the door, the heavy scent of roses infiltrated her nostrils. Every spare inch of shelf space, be it on a table, a hutch or a stand, was covered with bouquets of roses. Red, pink, white, even yellow ones filled the house and Mackenna’s shoulders sagged beneath the weight of the guilt she felt.

  “They’re all from Rick,” her mother said.

  “Shit,” Mackenna muttered under her breath. She sighed. She would have to face him sooner rather than later. Brent and David entered behind them, their hands burdened with bags. Mackenna saw Brent’s eyes go wide at the sight of the flowers, but he respectfully kept his mouth shut.

  “This way,” she told them as she led the way to her bedroom.

  Once the bags were deposited, her parents left them alone to get situated. As soon as the door was shut, Brent turned an amused grin onto her.

  “Your mom really loves roses, doesn’t she?”

  “Uh…yeah,” she said uneasily. “Those were all sent here for me from Rick.”

  Brent straightened and the grin vanished. “Ah,” he said. “I’ve suddenly decided that I don’t care for roses.”

  Mackenna chuckled and closed the distance between them, running her open palms over his torso.

  “Husband, are you jealous?” she cooed.

  “No,” he said, running his hands down her back to grip her buttocks as he added, “but I am possessive.”

  “Mmm,” she moaned. “Possess away.” She leaned her face up to his, waiting to be kissed.

  “I can’t,” he sighed, releasing her and taking a step back. She looked up in question.

  “Why not?”

  “We can’t have sex here,” he said in a hushed whisper, his eyes widening at the very thought. “This is your parents’ house.”

&n
bsp; “Yes, and we’re husband and wife. What’s shameful about wanting to be together?”

  “We just…can’t,” he said nervously. “Your dad already wants to kill me.”

  “Well,” she huffed impatiently, “I’m going to kill you if you don’t get over here and rip my clothes off!”

  “Sshh!” he said as he laughed. “I’m serious. Not here.”

  Mackenna harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest in a pout. “If I had known you were going to turn all nineteenth century on me, I would have insisted we stay in a motel.”

  He looked her up and down, an appreciative smile tugging at the side of his mouth. Her hair was tumbling over one shoulder, covering her crossed arms. Her eyes were on fire with desire and love for him. One hip was cocked out to the side in an impatient stance. This was his wife. Damn, he couldn’t be happier!

  “I love you,” he said.

  Her agitation melted and she shooed him away with her hands.

  “Oh, get out of here then,” she said playfully. “I have to make a phone call.”

  He laughed and let himself out of the room. As she studied the cell phone in her hand, her own smile faded. This was going to be difficult. She had been too furious with Rick to care about his feelings the last time she saw him, but her happiness with Brent had softened her heart toward her former fiancé and his unreturned love.

  She swallowed and dialed his number. The rings drew out in four long purrs before his voicemail message came on. She sighed in relief. Before she had time to compose her thoughts, the beep rang, signaling her to speak.

  “Rick…um…it’s Mackenna. Look, thank you for all of the flowers. They’re beautiful, but please stop sending them. Things are over between us. I’m sorry for hurting you. That was never my intention. I really do hope that things work out for the best in your life. Please take this as my final goodbye. Take care.”

  She hung up the phone, nursing an uneasy tingling in the back of her neck. Something inside told her that it wasn’t over with Rick. He was too emotional to just walk away at a voicemail. No, she knew that it would come down to her facing him. She just hoped that by the time it happened, he would have grown more accustomed to the idea of life without her.

  She left the room and before she even made it down the stairs she heard the ring of laughter floating through the air from her parents’ kitchen. She heard Brent’s, her mother’s, and if she wasn’t mistaken, even her father’s. She stopped and listened as Brent recounted tales from the summer of their first meeting. She let the memories invade her on a rush of sentiment. Three and a half years went by in a blink and yet seemed so long ago.

  Rounding the hallway, she joined them and Brent reached out to her from his perch on a barstool as he carried on speaking. She went to him and settled comfortably on his lap. His story never missed a beat as he told them of their long night in the meadow with the grizzly.

  “I’d have died of a heart attack,” Helen said with an astonished shake of her head.

  “I was just about there,” Mackenna added. “It was the scariest night of my life. Coincidentally, it was also the night I realized I was falling in love with Brent.”

  “Really?” he said, leaning his head forward to look at hers. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Mmm hmm,” she nodded. “I was in agony with my leg. I was out of my mind with fear. I just knew that I was going to die that night. Then you wrapped your arms around me and all of that just suddenly went away. As I started to fall asleep, I thought if you could make all of that go away with a simple hug, you were the man I wanted with me in life.”

  They locked eyes and in the background she heard her mother’s “aww” on a sigh. She turned to face her.

  “Oh, don’t you ‘aww’ him,” she teased. “He made me suffer for the next three years!”

  “Hey!” he defended. “I resent that. I did my own suffering. Every single day for the past three and a half years, I carried your picture around. Yours was the last face I saw before I went to bed, and the first one when I rose.”

  “Yeah right! Even when you were with Leann?”

  “Even then.”

  “Please,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

  “Don’t believe me?” he raised his eyebrows in challenge and then reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He withdrew the folded square of paper and pulled apart the folds, tossing the photograph on the island counter for them all to see.

  “Count the creases on that thing,” he said. “I’ll bet you’ll find over a thousand.”

  He was right. The photo was so creased that it had torn in places, and her image was barely recognizable. A ball of emotion formed in her throat, imagining him staring at her picture every day for the past three years while she cried her eyes out with longing. How could they have dragged things out so long? How could they have mistimed, miscommunicated and misunderstood what seemed so blaringly obvious now?

  Her father reached out and lifted the photograph from the countertop, drawing all eyes to him. He peered intently at it until his brow wrinkled in confusion. He turned the photograph around, displaying its image to them all before he posed a question to Brent.

  “So, is this supposed to be Mackenna as an old woman?”

  They all stared at the used image, with fold lines criss-crossing over her face. In a way, it did look like an aged Mackenna. The timing and nature of the question was so odd that one by one they began chuckling. Soon, they were each doubled over in laughter, their tears wetting the countertop. As they regained control of themselves, her mother put a pot of coffee on, and they wore away the night in much the same way.

  Chapter 38

  The benefit of having no job, no school and no responsibilities was that it allowed the newlyweds to sleep until well past noon. Brent was the first to stir, and he did so with the smell of Mackenna’s hair falling over his face. He reached up and took a handful of the silky strands, pressing them closer to his nose to breathe her in fully. His body responded by springing to life and he eased himself out of bed to avoid the temptation.

  He went to the window which offered an untainted view of all that her parents’ possessed. Horses grazed, chickens and peacocks scuttled about. The ground was speckled with yellow leaves that had abandoned the tree limbs overhead. Mackenna’s mother was already up and leading a limping horse around as she scratched beneath his chin and whispered to him. Would that he could provide his own children with such an upbringing.

  His eyes strayed back to Mackenna. What if she were already carrying his child? They’d used no protection from the get-go, so they really were tempting fate. He imagined the day she would tell him that she was pregnant, followed by the day she’d give birth. Would it be a boy like him or a girl like her? Would he be a good father?

  He dressed and kissed her lightly on the lips before making his way outside to watch her mother work her magic. Less than an hour later Mackenna joined them, and they helped out in any way they were instructed. As night fell, so did the temperature and they retreated indoors. They grabbed a light snack and then went to prepare themselves for the night’s festivities.

  Mackenna stripped down and put on a long fleece robe before heading into the bathroom. She turned the shower on and stared at the water. A determined smirk stretched across her face as an idea came into her head. She leaned out of the bathroom door and called down the hallway for Brent. He poked his head out of her bedroom in response.

  “Can you come here and help me out with the shower?” she asked. “I think the hot water’s not working or something.”

  “Sure,” he called and headed her way.

  He brushed passed her in the doorway and went to the shower. Mackenna silently shut the door behind him and locked it. He leaned in and felt the water, jerking his hand back with a yelp.

  “This water is burning hot, Mackenna. What are you talking about?”

  He spun around and stopped in mid-turn. She was staring right at him as she slowly pulled her r
obe free of its belt and let it slide to the floor. He shook his head in admonishment, but he knew that he was going to lose this one, to her and to his own body. He tried to dissuade her anyway, but all he could say was her name in a hoarse whisper. She stepped toward him and he forgot whatever he had been planning to say as he gave in to what they both wanted. When they broke free so he could strip down, she looked at him in mock curiosity.

  “You were saying?”

  “Oh, hush!” he scolded before pressing her up against the wall.

  The tiny gathering had been pleasant and mostly uneventful until the eleven o’clock hour. Drinks had been flowing, food savored and devoured, music played and conversations grew louder and louder. The ring of the doorbell was almost unheard in the midst of everything. David went to the door. From where Mackenna sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, she saw him as soon as the door opened.

  Rick was there, looking worn and haggard. His face had earned a few more grooves and patches of thin stubble. His eyes drooped at the outside edges. His hair was unkempt and his clothes wrinkled as if they’d been slept in. Her throat tightened as he scanned the room and found her. Brent noticed the look on her face and followed the path of her eyes to find Rick in the doorway.

  Brent appraised the man. He was taller, but thinner. He was obviously under emotional strain. It was written across his face. His eyes were cold and hard, and something about the way they pinned to Mackenna put Brent on his guard right away.

  “Can I talk to you Mackenna?” he asked as a plea across the suddenly silent room.

  Mackenna cringed inside. She knew she had to do this, but she was dreading it just the same. She nodded slowly and began to rise. Brent reached out and grabbed her hand, looking up at her from his perch beside the fire.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze.

  She crossed the room and grabbed a small jacket from the rack.

  “Let’s go outside so we don’t disturb the party,” she told him and he followed without a word.