Welcome Home, Bobby Winslow

by Christyne Butler

  “Over me.” She finished his sentence, her hands tightly fisted around the blanket in her lap. “Oh, Bobby, I never realized…we were so young. So in love. So sure what we were planning was the right thing, but then I got scared.

  The closer we got to June, the more I realized I was trading one safe world for another.”

  “And you didn’t want safe?”

  “I was eighteen years old. I badly wanted out from under my parents’ control. Being with you was fun and passionate…and crazy. It took me a long time to figure out I’d really run from my folks as much as I ran from you and your engagement ring. Winning that modeling contest gave me a chance at being my own person, to be independent, and I had to grab that chance. Can you understand that?”

  Bobby jerked his head in a quick nod and slid out of bed.

  “Wait, are you the one running away now?”

  Grabbing a pair of sweatpants, he yanked them on over his briefs. “No, I just need to get up and move around a bit.”

  “Oh, are you in pain?”

  He had some faint twinges as he moved so it wasn’t a total lie, but he latched on to her excuse. “Yeah, my back is bothering me a bit.”

  Facing the window, he saw the storm had passed and only a light rain continued to fall. Slowly stretching his muscles, he was conscious of Leeann’s gaze on him.

  “You’ve gained back the weight you lost.” Her voice carried across the room. “People magazine will be calling you for their Most Eligible Bachelors issue again.”

  He spun around. “You saw that?”

  She nodded, having moved to sit in the spot he’d abandoned, the blanket now covering her body. “Both times. Those Hollywood hunks had nothing on you.”

  “I doubt that, and it wasn’t much compared to all your magazine appearances.” He nudged the footstool from the chair in the nearby seating area closer to the bed and sat.

  “It seemed like I couldn’t ever walk into the PX and not see your face staring back at me.”

  “PX?”

  “Ah, post exchange. That’s what they call the store on an army post. Sort of like a Wal-Mart for the military.”

  “Yes, I was very lucky with my modeling.” She released a deep sigh. “Luckier than most. In less than six months, I got my first magazine cover.”

  “I carried it around in my wallet for a long time.”

  Her gaze shot back at him. “You did not.”

  Bobby couldn’t believe he’d just told her that. “Yeah, well, my buddies thought I was lying when I told them I used to date you.”

  “You told people about me? About us?”

  Bobby leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, hands clasped between them. “Naw, not really. Just Zip.”

  “I use to look for you.”

  “Huh?”

  Leeann snuggled down against his pillows and stretched out her legs, bare toes peeking out from the ends of the blanket. “After 9/11, I did a USO tour of military bases. I used to search a sea of camouflage, looking for your face. I hoped we might run into each other again.”

  He found he liked the idea of her looking for him, even if it had been for nothing. “I was out of the army by then and living in North Carolina.”

  “Oh. Were you racing?”

  “No, but I did luck out and got hired on a crew as a mechanic. It was another couple of years before I got behind the wheels of anything more than a piece of junk.”

  “Until you took over for an injured driver and won the first major race you drove in.” She offered him a small smile. “I didn’t find out about that until the following year when you started driving full-time and were on the news a lot. Your first win…well, that happened right around the time my life was imploding.”

  Her star had fallen just as his started to rise. Within a year of that race he had endorsement offers coming at him left and right. He’d worked hard at his career, both on the track and off, and it was another year or so before he realized he hadn’t seen or heard anything about his former girlfriend. Until a late-night search on Google revealed her sudden retirement.

  “Is it okay if I ask—” a long yawn interrupted her and she cover her mouth with the corner of the blanket until it passed “—if I ask you what happened to that ring? The one you gave me?”

  “It’s at the bottom of Diamond Lake.”

  She startled. “What?”

  “Your pond out there?” He waved at the window, even though the body of water was on the other side of the house. “That’s what I’ve always called it. The morning I left town, I stopped by and heaved the ring as close to the center as I could.”

  “So it’s down at the bottom somewhere.” Her eyelids fluttered a few times, then closed. “Hmm, I like the sound of that. Diamond Lake. You know, I’ve decided something. If you make a go of the camp, it’s yours. You can have Diamond Lake.”

  Bobby’s chest grew tight at her generous offer, even though he knew he’d never accept it. “Lee, you’re half asleep. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  Her eyes popped open and just like that, the flames of desire for this girl, for the woman she’d become, started licking again at his soul.

  Her dark eyes, sleepy and sexy, stared straight into his. “I’m not asleep. I’m going back to my own bed in a minute and I know exactly what I’m saying. You’re still mulling over the idea of making the summer-camp plans a reality, I get that, but if you do take that leap, I want those kids to know the magic of that wonderful place.”

  Her eyes slid closed again and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her body settled deeper into his pillows and blankets.

  “Do me one favor, okay?” Her words came out in a soft whisper. “Don’t let anything happen to my bench.”

  The natural bench at the water’s edge created by two fallen trees. Bobby knew the spot intimately. He first kissed Leeann there, held her in his arms more times than he could count as they sat and watched the seasons go by. He’d knelt before that same bench when he asked her to marry him all those years ago.

  “I won’t. I promise.” He rose and walked again to the window. The dark night and rain made it impossible to see, but he knew what was out there. Acres and acres of some of the most beautiful land in the state of Wyoming. And he was going to make sure others knew that, too. “I’m going ahead with the camp.”

  The words popped out of his mouth and immediately he felt the rightness of what he just said. No matter what happened with his racing career, he wanted to build that camp and he wanted Leeann to help him.

  “Lee? Did you hear what I said?” He turned to face her. “It might be crazy, but I’m going to—”

  His words caught in his throat when he saw she’d rolled away, taking the blanket with her, leaving her back uncovered. His T-shirt hugged her curves but bunched around her waist displaying her perfect backside and her long, sleek and toned legs to his view. The word Heartbreaker was emblazoned in bold red letters across her bright pink cotton underwear.

  He dropped into the closest chair.

  It was either that or he was going to take the ten steps that would get him back to his bed and join her. What he should do is cover her, and leave. Find another bed. Goodness knows, the house had plenty of them, but he couldn’t move.

  He sat there, watching her, knowing they’d covered a lot of ground in talking about their past. Still, he was in awe by the fact she wanted to be in a physical relationship again, with him. But was that all she wanted?

  Was that all he wanted? Was he going to be the one to break her heart this time?

  Other than his just-made decision about the summer camp, he had no idea what his future held. Destiny was his hometown, but his life was in North Carolina with his race team. Yeah, they’d done okay without him this summer with a top-ten finish in the final standings, but that only meant he needed to make an assessment of his career plans.

  “Where do I belong?” He spoke the words aloud and waited. Silence was his only answer.

  Severa
l hours later, Leeann entered Ursula’s Updos, her aunt’s beauty parlor located in the center of town. The shop was so busy, it took her fifteen minutes to get from the front door to her aunt’s side.

  “Can we talk?” She tugged on her aunt’s sleeve and nodded toward the back of the shop. “I know it’s Wacky Wednesday, but I really need to. It won’t take long.”

  Ursula smiled around the bobby pins stuck between her lips and held up two fingers, forming a V, the universal peace sign. Leeann took that to mean her aunt still needed a couple more minutes to finishing twirling Ms. Dimpleton’s gray locks into pin curls.

  Yes, Wacky Wednesday, as her aunt had dubbed the busiest day of the week for her and her other stylists, was in full swing, all because Wednesday was bingo and chili night down at the fire station, where Devlin Murphy commanded the stage as he called out the bingo numbers.

  Dev had the true heritage of an Irishman, a leprechaun’s charm in a smoking-hot body. His way with the game of chance, and with the ladies no matter what age, was bringing them in from as far away as Cheyenne. Not that the volunteer fire department was complaining.

  But the beauty parlor being so busy also meant Leeann had a lot of chatting and hellos to return.

  Most of the ladies asked about her plans now that she was no longer employed by the sheriff’s department. A few, including Ms. Dimpleton, who showed off her Winslow pride by wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with Bobby’s image, had been bold enough to bring up her and Bobby’s past, noting she still remembered how they used to run around together as teenagers.

  Pushing aside the memories caused by the elderly woman’s questions, Leeann dug deep for her best pageant smile and a vague reply, and managed to get through the inquiries relatively unscathed.

  Grabbing a handful of green grapes from the basket of fresh fruit sitting on the front desk, Leeann headed for the back of the salon.

  She propped open the side door that lead to a quiet alley, allowing the fumes from perms and hair dyes to escape. Last night’s storm was long gone and another beautiful, warm fall day had arrived. A deep breath pulled in the mouthwatering smells of Sherry’s Diner from across the street.

  Boy, she was hungry.

  She’d refused Bobby’s offer of breakfast that morning because she’d wanted to get out of the house before Dean returned home. She’d asked him to drive her home soon after they woke up.

  With her alone in his bed and him sprawled in a nearby chair.

  Now it was almost noon and she still hadn’t eaten. Popping a grape in her mouth, she tried not to think about the past twenty-four hours.

  It was impossible.

  She’d fallen asleep last night, actually very early this morning, wrapped in the warmth of Bobby’s comforter even after she’d decided it’d be best for both of them if she went back to the guest bedroom.

  Instead she ended up staying right where she was with Bobby’s reasons for ending the kisses and touches between them echoing in her head.

  This shouldn’t be happening right now.

  I didn’t realize what I was doing.

  You’ve been through enough tonight.

  Every one made sense and, yes, she’d been nervous and jumpy, and altogether unsure of what she was doing, but six—no, more like seven years of celibacy could do that to a person.

  No matter what happened in the past.

  Then there had been the talk about their history, a much needed clearing of the air after all these years. She had to admit it felt good to talk about their old relationship with the observations of some hard-learned lessons and a growing maturity from adulthood.

  So why did she still feel so lost?

  “Whew, we are hopping today.” Ursula stepped through the doorway fanning herself with a celebrity gossip magazine. “God bless Devlin Murphy! If I was a little younger I’d show him just how much I appreciate all the business he brings me!”

  Leeann smiled. It was great to see her aunt, who reminded her of Jamie Lee Curtis with her tall, lean frame, short spiky hair artfully colored a deep brunette and a half-dozen gold hoop earrings dangling from her left ear-lobe. Ursula had recovered from cancer twice in the past three years, and she was back to her normal, wisecracking, hairstyling self.

  “Now.” Her aunt dropped into one of the metal chairs clustered around a small table the girls used during their breaks. “Tell me what’s got you so upset.”

  “What makes you think I’m upset?”

  “It’s written all over your face, honey. Let me guess…it has something to do with Bobby.”

  Leeann opened her mouth to protest, but it was useless.

  She plopped down and spilled everything that’d happened over the past few weeks, right up to last night when she woke Bobby from his nightmare and his passionate response.

  Her words came in a nonstop flow until she ended with a deep sigh and admitted, “And I have absolutely no idea what I should do now.”

  “Maybe doing nothing is the best thing. I know that’s hard for you. You were always a planner, long before it became your way to deal with your past.”

  “So, the plan is to do…nothing?”

  “Sweetie, you’re trying to handle two different things at the same time—the ‘will it or won’t it happen’ when it comes to the summer camp.” Ursula paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Yes, I know that’s supposed to be a secret. Don’t worry, I haven’t breathed a word to anyone.”

  “I think Bobby’s going to build the camp.”

  Her aunt’s face lit up with a bright smile, then it quickly faded. “You think?”

  “We didn’t talk about it too much last night, except for me telling him if he does go ahead with the plan I’m going to give him my land to be added to the total acreage.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Ursula said. “But you’re still not sure if he’s going to do this?”

  “I was half asleep and I’m afraid I only heard what I wanted to hear.” She sighed. “And this morning I couldn’t bring myself to ask him outright.”

  “Afraid of what the answer might be?”

  “About so many things.” Leeann paused, then licked her lips. “He kissed me. Really kissed me. I panicked at first, but then I was enjoying being in his arms, but he stopped…said I wasn’t ready to be intimate with him. Maybe he’s right.”

  “Maybe he’s the one who’s not ready.” Ursula reached across the table and took Leeann’s hand in her own. “I agree that talking about your breakup was long overdue, but that’s only one of the two pretty big conversations you had last night.

  “You need to remember, you’ve had six years and a whole lot of therapy to deal with your past. Bobby has had less than a day. Remember when you told me how Racy and Maggie reacted to your news? How you ended up reassuring and comforting them during your girls’ weekend? To you, what happened in New York is something you’ve moved on from, but to your friends, and now to Bobby—”

  “It’s still brand-new. Yes, he mentioned something like that last night. After he stopped kissing me.”

  “So, give him time to come to terms with your past. Then you two can decide if what you’re feeling for each other involves something more than just friendship.”

  Leeann sighed. “Maybe that’s just it. Maybe getting involved with Bobby again isn’t the right thing. I have no idea what his future plans are, no matter what he decides about the camp. He’s made it quite clear these last few weeks that he has every intention of going back to racing.”

  “Could that be because he doesn’t have anything else waiting for him? Like you?”

  Leeann had never considered that. Bobby had his home, family and plenty of friends in Destiny. Did he want her, too?

  “You know, for whatever reason, the universe has destined that the two of you are back in each other’s lives.” Her aunt, always a bit of a free spirit, offered a smile that spoke of years of experience. “Maybe someone up there is trying to tell you both that it’s time to take a chance again.” />
  Leeann remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Unsure if she had it in her to love Bobby again. To love anyone.

  “Think about what I said.” Ursula rose. “Come on, I need to make sure Ms. Dimpleton’s pin curls haven’t turned her into Medusa.”

  They walked back into the beauty parlor together and Leeann gave her aunt a peck on the cheek before heading for the front door. As she reached for the handle, Fay Coggen entered carrying a large, rectangular box in her hands.

  “Hey, there.” Leeann stepped back to allow the local florist, whose shop was just a few doors away, to come inside. “Don’t tell me you’re making personal deliveries now?”

  Fay glanced toward the doorway for a moment, her smile a bit wobbly. “No, but the man who was going to deliver—well, my delivery guy had to run another errand so I thought I’d bring these myself.”

  “So who are they for?” Leeann asked when Ursula joined them. “Have you got one of those cute doctors from the hospital courting you, Auntie?”

  Ursula laughed as Fay cleared her throat and said, “No, actually, they’re for you.”

  Shocked, Leeann could only stand there as the florist placed the box in her hands. “Me?”

  “I was going to drop them off at your house, but I saw your car parked out front so…here they are.”

  The packed salon went silent. Unable to think of a way to gracefully get out of opening the box in front of everyone, Leeann laid it on the counter and lifted the lid.

  Brushing aside the green tissue paper, she found a stunning mixture of deep blue-purple stalks and vivid long-stemmed yellow roses. The ladies offered oohs and ahhhs, but Leeann was speechless. She looked at her aunt, who only smiled and offered her a quick wink.

  “Wow.” Leeann struggled to put her thoughts into words. “They’re beautiful. What are…where…”

  “These are Blue Mountain Gladiolus. They symbolize strength of character.” Fay lightly caressed the flowers as she spoke. “And the yellow roses are for joy and friendship.”