"I think that's mommy duty." Stetson bravely walked toward the waving spoon and gently took it away. He hugged Scotty, both laughing when they realized that Stetson was now covered in flour.
Scotty spotted the bags and boxes. His eyes widened in wonder. "What's that? Groceries?"
Storm felt sad that Scotty was excited about groceries. That's what usually was in the bags she had brought home.
Nellie handed Scotty a damp cloth. "Wipe your hands and go see."
Scotty cleaned his hands in record time and jumped off the chair. He walked toward the packages, hesitantly.
Stetson grabbed a box and handed it to him. "Open it."
The little boy looked at his mother. Storm smiled and nodded. He opened the box and yelled, "Yahoo!" Grabbing a cowboy hat and a pair of boots, he ran to Storm. "Look!"
Storm's heart opened wide at Scotty's happiness. Stetson was a generous man. She accepted the bag he gave her. Looking in it, she saw jeans and t-shirts. She wanted to smile, but her bottom lip quavered instead. Her clothes were old and threadbare, but she always tried to do the best that she could.
Scotty was whooping again at the clothes he got. Tears filled her eyes. She wanted to feel grateful, but her heart felt judged. Once again, she wasn't good enough.
"Hey, cowboy, how about you and your Aunt Nellie get you cleaned up and then you can try on your cowboy gear."
Nellie nodded to him. Grabbing Scotty's new clothes, she herded him up the stairs.
"Storm? Talk to me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just bought you clothes. I should have let you pick them out."
Turning, her eyes were filled with regret. "I'm sorry. Thank you. I needed new clothes. I haven't had anything new in about five years. Ever since my daddy put me off his ranch with only one suitcase, I've had to wear what I had."
Putting his hand on her soft cheek, he caressed it. "Tell me."
Giving him a sad smile, she shook her head. "It was hard enough to live through; I don't know if I can tell you. I blamed you for a lot of years."
"Not anymore?"
Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "I'm just less angry, more hurt. You never came back. I figured if you loved me like you said, you would have come back for me. But I guess that doesn't matter anymore. Thank you for the clothes."
Stetson took her into his arms. His palm cradled her head against his shoulder. He kissed her cheek and stared into her eyes He started to draw his lips down to hers when little feet running down the stairs interrupted the mood.
Stetson turned and grabbed up his son who had launched himself at him. "You look like a genuine cowpoke."
"Our hats are the same."
"We'll be the envy of cowboys everywhere."
"You can count me in as an envious cowboy," Joe said. "Nice duds."
"I'm not a dud."
Joe laughed, and then gave Nellie a big kiss. "Duds are cowboy clothes, Scotty. Yours are nice."
Scotty brightened. "My daddy boughted them. Now, let's go men, we have cattle to take care of."
Storm laughed. "All right, well you cowboys take care." She gave Stetson a mischievous look. "Nellie, what should we do all afternoon? No men around, we could paint our nails or something."
Stetson looked at Storm for help. "I really have a lot of work to do."
"I know, Daddy, let's go."
"Couldn't leave him?"
Storm smiled and shook her head.
"Okay, sport, let's go."
Stetson winked at Storm and left.
Later, Stetson looked tired. Storm had to hide her smile all throughout dinner. Scotty asked question after question about being a cowboy.
"Long day?"
Stetson nodded.
"Daddy, can we..." Scotty fell asleep mid sentence.
"Guess you tired him out." Storm stood to pick Scotty up.
Stetson got up and took Scotty from Storm. "Let's put him to bed."
Storm couldn't help but return his smile. Following him up the stairs, she was struck by how good he looked from the back. His shoulders were so brawny and wide, with lean hips. She blushed looking at his rear end. She had to admit, he was one sexy man. It was harder and harder to ignore that fact.
Moving in front of him, she pulled back the covers, while Stetson laid him down. Pulling off Scotty's shoes, Stetson pulled the covers up and kissed his cheek.
Talk about pulling at her heartstrings. He didn't want her though. No one wanted her in a loving, respectable way. She should be used to it, but it still hurt.
Stetson grabbed her hand, surprising her. "Let's go out for a walk."
She peered at him. "I thought you were tired."
"I am. I need to know what happened while I was gone. I need the details."
Storm gazed into his blue eyes wondering if it was a good idea to drudge everything back up. "It was an extremely painful time. I don't know if I can go through it again."
Stetson squeezed her hand, his eyes full of tender concern. Without answering him, she followed him outside.
They walked under the brightly lit Texas sky. The full moon seemed to glow just for them. Storm enjoyed the quiet companionship they shared. It was nice to be comfortable around him again.
Stetson gestured to a log lying in the grass. "Let's sit."
Storm tensed, but nodded. "I don't know where to begin."
"Why did your father make you leave?"
She could feel her throat tighten as she remembered. Her heart felt heavy. Maybe it would help to talk about it. "The day after you left, I went to talk to your father. I wanted to know where you went and when you'd be back. He went on and on about how you weren't coming back. I told him that I was pregnant and he laughed at me." She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry."
"He said it wasn't yours and I'd better not tell anyone it was. He told me I'd be sorry if I did. I left broken hearted. I went home to my daddy. I told him everything. Oh, Stetson, he was livid. He went racing over to see your dad. When he got back, he gave me ten minutes to pack my things. He had Dugger drive down the long drive and leave me at the side of the road."
"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"
Storm gazed at him, and smiled sadly. "I was going to tell you that night. Luck was not on my side. For a while, I wasn't even sure if God was on my side. I walked to town and I got a job at Daley's General Store. I even rented a room from them on the second floor. No one knew I was pregnant, and people were mad that my daddy threw me out."
"You're shivering." Stetson pulled her close, and put his arms around her. "I wish I'd never left. It kills me to think of what you've been through."
Storm nodded. "My daddy wasn't about to let the townspeople think badly of him, so he told the world that I was pregnant. I guess your father felt the need to tell one and all that I was a whore and it wasn't your baby." Tears filled her eyes. "It all went to hell after that. The Daley's fired and evicted me. I went everywhere looking for a job. No one would hire me. Only Miss Harriet and Miss Mable from the Tea and Yarn Shop were sympathetic, but they didn't have a job for me."
"I can hear the pain in your voice. We can do this another time." Stetson looked at her concerned.
"No, it's now or never. Frank from Faye's Diner finally gave me the waitressing job, graveyard shift. I found a place to live. I didn't know what was going to happen, but at least I had a roof over my head." She stood up and looked off into the distance. "When Scotty was born I had one visitor, your father. He wanted to be sure that I did not name my son Scott. He wasn't worthy of the Scott name."
"You named him after me anyway."
Looking over the land, she continued. "I had to have a cesarean and there was no one to care for me or Scotty. I had to walk home from the hospital. I did my best. The hospital bills kept sucking me down. I still owe them money."
Stetson stood and walked to her. He turned her toward him and held her tight.
She relished his strength. "Scotty never went without food or clothes or love. I did t
he best I could do, but I always felt as though I fell short. If it hadn't been for Mrs. Burns and Nellie, well, I hate to think about it. Men started showing up at my doorstep thinking I was easy. I guess when your father denied that Scotty was yours, every man in town threw his hat in the ring, claiming it could be his."
Stetson pulled her closer and gently rocked her. He didn't say anything and Storm was glad. She didn't want to hear words of pity. Should she even take comfort from the man that left her? He could have called. He could have come back at anytime. He didn't.
Storm pulled away. "I can't do this with you. I'm still angry and very hurt. Where were you? I needed you but you left and never looked back!"
She expected denial, anger, anything would have been better than the tears she saw in his eyes. His heart was reaching out to hers; she could feel it and it astounded her. Storm tried to glance away, but he held her eyes with his. It wasn't pity or anger; it was sorrow and tender concern.
Stetson grabbed her hand. He wasn't going to let her walk away. Listening to her, his heart tore in two. He knew that it had been difficult, hard even, but he really had no idea. Nellie had tried to tell him, but he never comprehended what it all meant. "You're right. I should have called. I should have come back. My pride got in the way. My fight with my father got in the way."
Gently wiping away a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, he found it hard to breathe. "There was never one day that I didn't think of you. I was a fool to leave you and a bigger fool for not coming back for you. I was too busy trying to show my father that I was a winner."
Storm gave him a ghost of a smile. "You did that. The local paper carried all the news of your wins. There was always a picture of you with a beautiful woman on your arm."
"And it hurt you." Stetson didn't wait for an answer. "I-- no one compared to you. I wasn't a saint, but it didn't take me long to realize that I left my heart behind when I left."
"I don't know if I can believe you. All I know is that we have a wonderful son and I do not want him hurt in any way."
"You know you're beautiful when your blue eyes flash like that?"
Storm shook her head. "I can't think about that or you."
Stetson nodded and pulled her close for another hug. "Just let yourself lean on me a little bit. That's all I want." She smelled of lilacs and he buried his face in her hair. Baby steps were what he'd have to take, but he was not a patient man. "I'm sorry for all the hurt my leaving caused. I'm sorry for all the heartbreak. I can't believe our fathers did all that damage to your reputation."
Storm snuggled against him. "That was one thing I could never figure out."
He felt as though they'd been robbed. They could have been married and who knew, maybe another child would have come from their union. What had he done that made his father hate him so? Storm was left behind to bear his wrath.
Her father had been just as bad. Why throw her out? The guilt he felt went soul deep. He should have stayed. He didn't know Storm was pregnant, but he should have stayed.
All his life, his dream had been to ride in the rodeo. He was good at it, damn good. Why couldn't his father have understood that? It wasn't going to be forever, but the old cuss gave him an ultimatum: stop riding in the rodeo or leave.
He remembered packing, putting his horses on his trailer, and heading out to the McCrory ranch. Storm's father refused his request to see her. In fact, he told Stetson that Storm had always known he'd leave, that his love was untrue.
It had cut him so deep that he practically staggered to his truck. Then he left. Somehow, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get Storm off his mind. There had been many groupies that wanted to be his, but no one measured up to Storm. That's why taking care of Chrissy came in handy. He told other women that he had to take care of his sister.
He never imagined the hell Storm had been through.
Chapter Eight
Storm looked down at Scotty's eager face. He wanted them to go to town with Stetson. Storm didn't think it was a good idea. People had been cruel to her.
"Just to the store and that's it."
Scotty jumped up and down. He was wearing his cowboy hat and his boots. It was really incredible just how much he looked like his father. Storm said a silent prayer and walked out the door.
Scotty jumped into the truck and Storm was about to follow when she felt Stetson's hand on her giving her unneeded help. She didn't even look at him. Ever since their moonlit talk, he'd been finding all kinds of reasons to touch her. It was nice to be friends again though.
"I want to get candy and a new belt and a big bone for Buck and a present for Mommy and one for Aunt Nellie. Then I'm going--"
"Hold on champ. One thing at a time," Stetson said, smiling.
"Scotty, you know that Mommy doesn't have that much money. Maybe we could get a few things, but--"
"Daddy is rich and I can have anything I want!" Scotty crossed his arms and gave her a look of mutiny.
Storm felt her mouth drop open. When did her kind loving little boy turn into a spoiled child? "Turn around."
"What?" Stetson asked.
"We are going home. I will not have you buying things for my son. He never acted like this before."
Stetson ignored her and kept driving. Her anger grew with each turn of the truck's wheels. She wasn't going to fight in front of Scotty, but Stetson was going to get an earful.
Stetson parked the truck and Scotty scrambled out his side. She saw Stetson lean down and talk to Scotty. Joining them on the sidewalk, Storm wanted to scream at Stetson, but she held it in.
Scotty stood right in front of her and held out his arms. Storm picked him up. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I was just excited. Daddy said we will only get what you say."
His sorrow-filled eyes were her undoing. Hugging him tight, she kissed his cheek. "Let's go shopping." Putting Scotty down, she gave Stetson a look that she hoped said 'wait until I get you alone'.
Storm hated going into the general store. She always remembered how nice they had been, and then how callous they became. Evicting a pregnant woman was just so wrong. Holding her head up high, she followed Stetson and Scotty into the store.
Mrs. Daley gave Stetson a great big welcome home smile. Upon seeing Storm and Scotty, she visibly stiffened and a look of disapproval crossed her face.
Stetson nodded to her, picked up Scotty, and took Storm's hand. "Nice day. We have a bit of shopping to do."
"I only take cash from that one," Mrs. Daley said, automatically.
"However you want to handle it is fine," he answered, politely. Storm could see the tick of his jaw and knew he was annoyed.
"Let's get B-Buck his ph-one." Scotty took off for the pet section.
Storm smiled at Stetson, her anger gone. They followed close behind. Scotty picked out a bone that was bigger than he could carry. Storm voiced her doubts, but Scotty had a million reasons why Buck deserved it. Finally, she gave in.
They went off on a secret mission at one point and Storm knew that they were picking out something for her. It would be Scotty's first time buying her a present. She loved his homemade presents, but he seemed so excited and proud.
"Well, now we need to buy something for Scotty," Stetson announced.
Storm felt embarrassed. She had all of ten dollars on her. It wouldn't buy much. "Stetson, money is a bit tight, maybe some candy...." Looking away, she wanted to cry.
Scotty wrapped his arms around her legs. "It's okay, Mommy. I don't need anything."
A lone tear trailed down her face. Stetson kissed her cheek. "We'll worry about the money when we get home."
"She's got you wrapped around her little finger!"
Storm turned and was shocked to see Chrissy standing there with a tall, dark, cowboy named Evers. He had a mean streak a mile long. "I didn't realize you were still in town."
"From what I hear, you're pretty clueless about a lot of things." Chrissy stared at her.
"Hey, did you finally convince someone to be a dad
dy to your boy?" Evers asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He had been one of the men that thought he could knock on her door for a good time.
Stetson stepped in front of Storm and Scotty. "Chrissy, I heard you left. Where are you staying?"
"Storm's daddy took me in. He didn't think it right that you got me in the family way and denied it."
Storm's gasp was loud. Her heart felt as though a knife was filleting it. Her father let Chrissy move in after he had thrown her out? Feeling sick to her stomach, Storm quickly rushed out of the store.
Leaning against the truck, she tried to breathe deep. What the hell? Why? Was she such an awful daughter? Why?
Soon enough, Stetson and Scotty came out with their purchases. Stetson helped her into the truck and gave her hand a quick squeeze. She tried to give him a semblance of a smile, but she failed.
Stetson waited anxiously for Storm to yell at him all day. He knew she was still mad he refused to turn the truck around and go home. He also knew Chrissy and Evers upset her. She'd been pert near to crying on the way home.
It was after dinner and she still hadn't mentioned anything. It was starting to worry him. She had a delicate, lost look about her. It hurt to look at her. She sat by the fireplace and stared into it, although it was empty. What was she thinking? How could he comfort her?
"Like this, Daddy?" Scotty asked, as he fitted one Lincoln Log on another.
"Exactly. Boy, you sure are smart and a quick learner to boot. If I recollect correctly, it took me a few weeks to master the building of Lincoln Logs. You must get your smarts from your mommy."
Scotty smiled broadly. "Did you hear that, Mommy? Daddy says I'm smart!"
Storm smiled, the love she felt for her son beaming on her face. "You have a good daddy."
"You betcha!" Scotty got up and began to chase Buck. He had grabbed one of the logs and wanted to chew on it. "I got you the biggest bone ever and you still want my toys!"
Storm finally laughed and the haunted look left her face. "Time for bed, guys."
"Did you hear that, Daddy? Mommy said guys. That means more than one. It means you and me. Get it? You plus me is guys."
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