by L C Taylor
Standing up, she dusted her leg off, wincing when she put pressure on her wrist. “Fuck.” Cradling her injured hand, she started walking. At least the path would take her home, she hoped Ed found his way and wasn’t in the overgrown woods stuck somewhere.
Her legs were aching by the time she broke through the tree line into the yard. She laughed when she saw Ed eating grass near the barn. “You asshole.” She hollered out, getting zero response from the ornery beast.
“Hey, Delilah!” Jed hollered out, walking towards Delilah.
“Hey, Jed. You bring my truck back?”
“Yep – she’s parked by the front. Hey,” he got closer to her, “What happened to ya?”
“That dumb old horse got spooked and threw me.”
“Well shit.”
“Yeah, think I broke my wrist.”
“You need a ride to the ER? Don’t think you should try and drive yourself with a bad hand.”
“I think I’ll be ok.”
“Now you look here. Your grandma would tan my hide if I let you drive yourself… so I insist.”
Delilah sighed, “Fine. But I can get a ride home later, so you can just drop me off. Let me go grab my purse.”
Chapter 16
Delilah was pissed. Parker stood outside the ER, waiting for her to come out. Jed must have called him after he dropped her off. She’d told Jed she’d just call a cab or something. He must have taken it upon himself to call Parker.
“What are you doing here, Parker?”
“Jeb called me. Said you’d need a ride. What the hell happened, Delilah?”
“Doc says it’s a hairline fracture. The cast has to stay on for four weeks.”
“I can see you messed up your hand. That’s not what I was asking. How in the hell did you fracture your wrist?”
“I fell off my horse.”
“You mean that ornery bastard bucked you off. Jeb told me, Delilah.”
“Then why the hell did you ask?”
“Delilah. Can we not fight? I came to get you, but I am too exhausted to argue with you.”
Delilah realized he was in his uniform, “Wait, did you work today? I thought you only worked nights.”
“I do, but I stayed over to cover someone else’s shift. So, I’ve been up for going on twenty-four hours and am dead tired.” He climbed into his truck, waiting for her to get in, as he cranked the engine. Taking a deep breath, she climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door. The drive to her house was silent, but Delilah could see how tired he was, his eyes didn’t shine like they usually did.
“Parker, you don’t need to drive home. Stay here. There is plenty of room.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather go home.”
Huffing out a breath as she slid out of the truck, “Fine, but can you at least text me to let me know you got home?”
“Yep.” His response was curt and hurtful.
She watched as he backed out and left her standing in the dusty drive. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she turned and went inside. She noted that Jed had come back and put Ed back in the barn, she would need to send him a thank you at some point, but for now, she just wanted to go inside and sleep. It was only eight, but she was worn out. A whole day wasted, and the only thing to show for it was a bright pink cast on her hand.
∞ ∞ ∞
Parker pulled into his driveway and cut the engine. He was ready to fall face first into bed, but he couldn’t kick the guilt that riddled him. Delilah had been hurt and he was a dick to her. But he was trying to guard himself. She was still confused and he was afraid he’d get hurt if he didn’t back away. Funny thing was, he was hurting anyway.
Trudging inside his tiny house, he kicked off his boots and tossed his belt onto his kitchen table. He was bone tired and wanted to sink into his bed. Ensuring the door was locked, he meandered back to his room and stripped down to his boxers. Visions of Delilah assaulted his head, his dick woke to the thought of her being close. God, even in sheer exhaustion his body reacted thinking about her. Crawling beneath the sheets, he laid staring at the ceiling. His cock was painfully hard now. Slipping his hand beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs, he rubbed his hardon willing it to go to sleep. He was tired, but his erection was not cooperating. Closing his eyes, he pictured Delilah. His fist wrapped around the base, squeezing as it pulsated in his hand. “Fuck.” He muttered to the empty room. Even pissed this woman had a hold on him. His fist had a mind of its own as he began massaging his extremely hard cock. His body responded, the orgasm building quick as he pictured the last time, he and Delilah were together. Her body fit his like a glove. His legs tensed as his seed spilled into his boxers. Kicking the sheet off, he stood and stripped the ruined briefs onto the floor. Stalking naked to the bathroom, he washed his hands and wiped off with a towel. Once back in his room, he sat on the edge of the bed. He pressed his hands to his face, screaming into the room. Parker knew without a doubt, he was in love with Delilah. Glancing at the clock, he noticed the letter from Momma Belle. He snatched it off the table and pulled the letter from the envelope. He read over her words again, smiling as he did. Folding it back, he slipped it into his drawer. The frustration he had been feeling vanished. Momma Belle was right. And eventually, Delilah would realize she was his.
Chapter 17
Parker slept restless, his dreams filled with the woman who kept him at a distance. The sound of knocking pulled him from his semi-sleeping state. He pulled his jeans on before heading towards the front door. Confusion riddle him as he pulled the door open. Standing on the other side was a man he didn’t think he’d ever see again.
“Hank?” It came out more like a question.
“Parker, you going to let me in?”
“Holy shit…yeah – get in here!”
Parker couldn’t believe that Hank Peterson was standing in his house. They’d been close when he was in the Marines, but after his parents died and he left the service, they lost touch. And now, he stood in his kitchen.
“Hank, I am surprised you’re here. Don’t get me wrong I am glad to see you – but how the hell did you end up at my front door?”
Hank slumped into a kitchen chair, rubbing his face with the palm of his hand, “It took some digging to see where you landed after everything that happened. Once I found out, I figured I’d come here. I’m out.”
“What do you mean you’re out?”
“The Marines. I’m done and need somewhere to land like you. Thought maybe till I figure it out, you’d let me stay here.”
“Of course, you can stay here. But I thought you were going to retire from the core. What changed?”
“I fucked up.”
Parker sat across from Hank, finally seeing the worn, tired look in his eyes. His friend looked like hell. “What do you mean you fucked up? Come on dude, you were the best Marine I ever worked with – hell, you were the best of the best.”
Hank sighed, “I fell in love with the wrong woman.”
“A woman? I don’t understand.”
“Turns out the woman I thought was the ‘one’”, Hank emphasized one with finger quotes, “was married to a two-star general who was deployed in Afghanistan. When he came back and found out, she tried to say I’d forced her into the relationship. Fortunately, there were plenty of people who knew I hadn’t. But you know how it works. I was the low man on the totem pole – so I was offered an honorable discharge, which I took. My almost 20-year career flushed in a twelve-hour span. Now – here I am.”
“Damn – and the woman?”
“Still married to the general. Is it too early to drink?”
“Nah – it’s never too early for a beer under these circumstances. Besides,” he stood and looked at the clock, “it’s almost eleven. Close enough to lunch.” Parker pulled two beers from the fridge and handed one to Hank. “So, what do you think you’ll do now?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I can get on with the fire department. All those years as an Air Rescue and Fire Fighter should lend m
e to getting on easy. Know anyone at the fire department, put in a word for me?”
“Yeah, I can ask my Chief. You’ll like it here if you really decide to stay.”
“What about you?”
“I work for Lauderdale County Sheriff’s office and some odd jobs on the side.”
“Like building shit?”
“Yeah,” Parker chuckled, “You’re welcome to come help and I’ll split the money until you get on your feet. Honestly though, I’ve only been working on one house – forever. Isabelle Greyson paid me a pretty nice sum to get her house in shape.”
“I’d like to meet a woman willing to pay you a hefty sum to do anything.” Hank laughed.
“I wish you could have met her. She helped me acclimate here after everything that happened.” Parker zoned out, memories of the woman he’d grown to think of as family.
“Damn – sorry brother. You still working on her house?”
“Yeah – she left it to her granddaughter.”
“Oh, I see.”
“What do you see?” Parker looked up at his friend, realizing he’d glanced down at the table when he mentioned Delilah.
“You got a thing for this girl, don’t you?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Usually is. My friend.” Hank stood, tossing his empty bottle into the trash.
“You want to head over to the house with me? I need to finish fixing the deck. You’ll make it go quicker.”
“Well, let’s get to it.”
Parker slapped Hank on the back, “It’s good to have you here.” Deep down he was relieved to have something to take his mind off Delilah. Hank was a perfect distraction.
Chapter 18
Delilah woke to banging – a lot of banging. Rolling out of bed, she was shocked to see it was after noon. “Shit.” She forgot about her hand, smacking the bright pink cast against her forehead as she attempted to run her fingers through her hair. She pushed to her feet and headed to the bathroom.
Delilah was disgusted with her reflection. Her brown hair was looking sad and her eyes had lost some of their glow. Turning on the water, she took a quick shower. The banging seemed to be double – making her head pound even under the spray of the water. Turning off the water, Delilah hopped out and toweled off. She was going to kill Parker. Her head was not in the mood for all the noise. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and stormed down stairs.
“PARKER!” Delilah yelled as she pushed through the back door, unaware that the decking had been ripped up in a few places, her foot hit a hole throwing her forward.
“Whoa there,” strong arms wrapped around her, tugging her to a stand, “you alright, Darlin?”
“Who in the fuck are you?” Delilah spewed as she dusted herself off, “And why in the hell is there a giant hole in the deck?”
“I’m Hank. You must be Delilah.”
“Where is Parker?”
“He just left to go pick up some decking nails. As you so gracefully saw, we are replacing some bad wood.”
“Ugh… Whatever. Tell Parker I want to talk to him when he gets back.” Delilah was mumbling her fury as she stepped over the gaping hole. “I’ll be at the barn.”
“Delilah,” Hank called out after her, “You need to quit playing my friend.”
“Who. In. The. Hell. Do. You. Think. You. Are?” She spun piercing him with a glare fit to kill a man.
“Whoa, hold up hot pants. I’m just saying Parker has lost enough in his life. He doesn’t need some chick playing around with his heart – it’s been through enough.”
“First of all, I am not playing your friend. And second,” She calmed herself, “what do you mean he’s been through enough? How would you even know that?”
“Parker and I were in the Marines together. I watched when his whole world crumbled, right along with his desire to serve his country.”
“I don’t even know what that means. But Parker is a big boy – I think he can handle himself.” Delilah turned, heading for the barn.
“Yeah – except I am pretty sure my friend loves you. And if you don’t feel the same, you should steer clear.”
She stuck her hand up, giving him a one finger salute, as she disappeared around the barn. How dare Hank, whoever the hell he was, tell her what to do. She wasn’t intentionally leading Parker on. Hell, she was scared to death about how she felt. But space and time is what she needed to get those feelings worked out in her head.
Walking towards Ed’s stall, she heart stopped beating and the air left her lungs. There, laying on the ground was her beloved horse. She dropped to her knees, not realizing she’d screamed.
“Delilah?” Hank’s voice called out, “Well shit.” He dropped next to her, seeing that the horse was most likely dying. “Darling, we need to call a vet. Now, I can do that, but you’re going to need to tell me who to call.”
“I…” her voice cracked, unable to make a coherent sentence.
“Hank?” Parker called out, “What are you… FUCK!” he pushed passed Hank, kneeling beside Delilah. “Delilah, honey – let me see him.”
Delilah scooted back, giving Parker room to look at her horse. She couldn’t move much, and words betrayed her.
“Parker, tell me who to call. She’s in shock.”
Parker tossed Hank his phone, blurting out a name to call. Hank made the call, giving details to the person on the other end of the phone. “Can you stay out here until the vet gets here? I’m going to take Delilah inside.”
“NO! I need to stay here.” Snapping from her shocked stated, Delilah shook her head.
“Delilah, they will need room to check him. Let’s go inside and wait, I’ll sit with you, ok?”
Delilah simply nodded and let Parker lead her into the house. He guided her to the couch and helped her sit. “Let me get you some water.”
“He was fine.” She took the glass from him and sipped.
“Awe, damn. Delilah that horse was old when I came to work for your grandma. He lived longer than any horse I’ve ever known. But’s let’s wait and see what the doc says, ok?”
Needing something to take her mind off Ed, Delilah decided to find out about Hank. “Who is Hank?”
“An old buddy from the Marines. Why?”
“He told me to stop playing you.”
“What?”
“Hank thinks I’m leading you on. I’m not, you know.”
Parker started to speak, but Hank came through the door, followed by the local veterinarian. “Hey, Meghan,” Parker stood and shook her hand.
“Hey, Parker. Ma’am.” She spoke to Delilah, “Ed’s your horse?” She asked, her expression somber.
“Delilah,” she held her hand out to shake the woman’s hand, “yes… he’s mine.”
“Look, there is no easy way to say this, but Ed is old – and well,” Meghan swallowed, trying to gather herself.
“Is he dead?” Delilah probed.
“Not yet, but I suspect his body is shutting down. I wouldn’t know for sure but moving him would just make matters worse. And I can do blood work, but again, it would just agitate him and take hours to get results. I’ve seen this many times in old guys like him. I can make him comfortable, but…” her voice trailed off as she glanced towards Parker.
“No – let him die in peace.” Delilah didn’t try and hide the tears splashing down her face. Parker gripped her shoulder, nodding towards Hank.
“Hank, can you help Meghan with anything she needs? I’m going to sit with Delilah.”
“Sure – let’s go outside and talk.” Hank guided her outside, giving Parker and Delilah some privacy.
Chapter 19
Delilah sat with her legs crossed beneath her. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to feel, but she was feeling everything. Parker sat opposite of her, waiting for her to speak. They stayed like that for hours before Delilah finally spoke, “You can leave, you know.” Her tone curt.
“I know. But I wan
t to be here – in case you need anything.”
“He was the only thing I had left of Momma Belle.” Delilah swiped at a tear rolling down her face.
“That’s not true. You have this house. You have your memories, hell, you have me.”
Delilah laughed, “You don’t understand, Parker. I left. And when I did, I left her behind like she wasn’t important. Who does that?”
Parker moved to sit next to her. He placed a hand on her knee, “Delilah, you’re punishing yourself for no reason. Momma Belle was damn proud of you. She talked about you every day. The stories she told me were not stories of someone who was holding a grudge. She wanted you to be happy.”
“That’s just it, Parker.” Delilah shifted to face him, “I wasn’t happy. But I was too proud to admit it – and I let a man keep me from the only family I ever had.”
“She’s not all you have, Delilah. When are you going to open your eyes and realize you’re not alone?”
Sighing, “Parker, I appreciate that. I do. But I need to get my life in order and figure out what I’m supposed to do now. She’s gone. And now,” she hiccupped a sob, “I have nothing left.” She got up from her perch on the couch, “I’m going to lay down.”
Parker watched in frustration as she headed up the stairs to her room. His heart ached for her, not just because he was in love with a woman who continuously pushed him away, but because she was hurting and he couldn’t stop the pain.