“He said if you come with us, he’ll let us drive with you in the passenger seat ’cause you ‘got nothing to live for’ … whatever that means.”
Stetson smiled at that. He knew the boys could only drive with an adult along, so they begged everybody to go for rides. So Gavin thought Stetson could be the fall guy to allow the crazy boys time to drive the Razor? Sadly, he agreed. He didn’t have much to live for. “I guess nobody’s gonna sit around and mourn Papa for a day?” He shouldn’t have said that to these two, but it just popped out. He’d only been home for a couple of days but was impressed with his family’s positive attitudes and resilience, especially Mama’s. He had nothing but good examples of making the best of whatever life dealt you. If only he could follow suit.
Austin tilted his head and studied him. “You think Papa would want us to sit around crying about him? No way. He’d want us having fun together like he always wanted, even though he missed out on most of it.”
Stetson’s eyes widened. “You’re pretty wise for an eleven-year-old,” he teased.
“I just turned twelve,” Austin shot back.
“You coming, Uncle Stetson?” Will asked. “I told Austin how you fell down the ravine yesterday and you might be too beat up.”
Stetson nodded. “I am kind of beat up. I’m going to talk to Mama and go see Doc, but I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Okay.” Their shoulders rounded like he’d just taken away their new Razor. It was almost six months old at this point, but luckily for Gavin, the big-boy toy hadn’t lost its luster for these two.
“You two can give me a ride in the Razor when I get back.”
“Yes!” they screamed, jumping in the air to high-five each other. “Thank you!” They gave him fierce hugs—they only hurt like a three-hundred-pound offensive lineman tackling him—then pounded down the hallway and up the stairs.
Stetson showered and dressed quickly—well, as quickly as his stiffness would allow. He wanted to talk to Mama before the boys got done lifting weights. Cassie and Jed were staying here with Will and Izzy, but the rest of the family had their own rooms over at Gavin and Kari’s huge home across the small canyon from Mama’s.
He checked his phone before he headed upstairs. There were some Snapchat messages from teammates and some girls he’d dated recently. No emails or texts from his agent or pro scouts, not that he’d really been expecting any, but a guy could hope.
Slowly navigating the stairs, he found Mama in the kitchen, humming and sautéing veggies in one pot and sausage in another. She was such a beautiful lady, even with the stress of the last few days of losing the love of her life and becoming a widow.
“Hey, Mama.”
She whirled and smiled softly. “Stetson.” But then her smile slid away. “What happened? You look like dog dung.”
He grinned. “And here I thought you were looking like the prettiest Mama I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh, you.” She pushed a hand at him. “Sit down and tell me what happened to you.” She pulled out a barstool, then hurried back to the skillet.
Stetson sank down. “Are you doing okay?” he asked before he got into what would surely bring a lecture.
She nodded. “It helps having all of you here. I’ll probably break down after everyone has to go home.”
“I can see that. But you’ve got Gav, Kari, Austin, and a new baby coming soon.”
“True, and Trey and Ella are going to stay through the summer with that fat, adorable Tate.” Her face lit up. “What about you, love? In all the craziness, we haven’t had much time to talk. Have you heard from other pro teams or your agent?” She turned off the sausage and poured two bags of frozen hash browns into two large casserole dishes.
Stetson was glad her hands were busy so she wasn’t giving him that perceptive Mama look. “No, Mama. The truth is, it’s finished. Nobody needs me right now, and I’m not going to wait around for a year hoping somebody gets injured or breaches their contract to give me a spot.”
“Oh, bud.” She dropped everything and came around the counter. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pulled him into a soft hug. Amazingly, it didn’t hurt at all. “I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault,” he murmured, holding the tears at bay. He’d cried a few times since Papa had passed. That was enough.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“What choice do I have?”
She released him but sat down on the barstool next to him. “So what’s your next step?”
“Giving up.” He met her gaze and said the words without wincing.
“It’s not giving up,” she said. “It’s called life. Sometimes dreams change.”
Stetson stared at her for a few beats. “It sure feels like giving up.”
“You’ve worked so hard, and you’re so incredible.” Her eyes were bright as if she wanted to cry too. “It’ll be hard for me to give up the dream too.”
“Maybe Austin will play in the NFL.”
She smiled but shook her head. “It’s a pretty incredible dream, and you got really close, love. Don’t beat yourself up. How many teams told you they’d sign you if they had the money and the position?”
“Too many.” He looked down at the swirls in the gray granite countertop.
“So what’s the next dream?”
Teal’s face flashed through his mind. He ignored that and said, “I don’t know, figure out something to do with my degrees.”
“You want to coach high school or college? Maybe teach as well?”
“That was always the plan, after I played for a while.”
“Well, now it’s the new plan. Start applying for jobs, you’ll find the perfect spot for you. And I wouldn’t complain if it was close by. The Golden Miners’ coach is retiring. He would’ve given his left nut to have you play for him.”
“Mama.” Stetson smiled. He’d always liked the small college west of Denver and their coach. The man had generously used his contacts to help Stetson get looks from D1 schools, even though he would’ve given anything to have Stetson play for him.
Mama started to stand, but Stetson grabbed her hand. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Okay.” She sank back down and looked him over. “Is it why you look so thrashed?”
“Partly.” He took a deep breath and forced himself to meet her gaze, only because Papa would’ve been disappointed if he didn’t. “I was so upset yesterday about Papa and not getting to play anymore.” He paused, and she nodded her encouragement. “So I reverted to acting like a child and went out with Tyler and Judd.”
“I wondered when they showed up at the funeral. You know I loved all of your friends, but those two have always been … a little shady.”
Stetson smiled slightly at her description. “Yeah.” He blew out a breath. “In high school we used to go up one of the canyons, drink, and place bets on fights with each other, and whoever else we could get to fight us.” He kept his gaze steady on her face.
Mama’s eyes didn’t even widen. “I know,” she said.
“You … you know?” Here he was, thinking he was confessing his deep, dark, guarded secrets—secrets he’d kept, and felt guilty about, for years—and … “You knew?”
Mama nodded. “Gavin wanted to punish you, make you join the army, something. Papa was always so calm about it.” She smiled fondly. “He told Gavin he’d done much worse as a boy, and you were smart, talented, and driven. He knew you’d grow out of it and go on to do great things.”
“Great things,” he muttered. “I’m glad Papa can’t see me now.”
Mama reared up, and fire flashed in her eyes. “Don’t you dare talk like that. You were the top defensive end in the Big Ten. You led the conference in tackles for two years in a row. You didn’t find the right fit in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean a thing to anybody who loves you.”
Stetson felt his throat grow thick with emotion. “Thank you, Mama.”
She smiled at him. “Well, it’s tru
e, and I don’t want any nonsense about you not doing great things. You’ll be the most incredible football coach any high school or college has seen.” She leaned closer. “Now why are you so beat up?”
“That’s the part where I admit to you that I haven’t grown up.”
She arched her eyebrows. “What happened?”
“I was so ticked yesterday. Judd and Tyler asked me to go fight some guy last night. And I did.”
Mama acted as if it was no big deal. “How tough was this guy? He beat you up this badly?”
“No.” Stetson smiled. “The police came, and I ran. I couldn’t stand the thought of getting arrested on Papa’s burial day.”
Her eyes were wide now. “Do I need to go turn you in to the police, then?”
“I don’t think so. Judd came late last night and said they let everybody go, except those with hard drugs or running the betting.”
Her eyes were definitely not happy, but they weren’t filled with disappointment either. “And you got so beat up … how?”
“I fell down a ravine. Luckily, a woman who has a cabin up there found me and brought me home.”
“What was that?” His mama leaned forward.
“What was what?”
“The woman. Describe her for me.”
Stetson knew it was a trap, but he said, “She was an angel, Mama.”
She smiled knowingly. “And are you going back to visit this angel?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It sounds like Austin has a pretty big day planned for us, and a visit to Doc Mullen might not be out of order.”
She stood, leaned down, and kissed his cheek. “I love you, son. Never go to a stupid fight again. Never stop believing you’re going to change the world. And never miss an opportunity with an angel.” With that, she went back to assembling ingredients for breakfast.
Stetson knew he should offer to help, but he couldn’t even move. He sat there on the barstool, partly because he was still in pain from last night, and partly because he was dumbfounded by how well that conversation had gone. His mama was the best, and he wouldn’t mind going after the angelic Teal. Not at all.
Chapter Four
Teal woke late and went on a long hike through the woods. She loved this location, spending a good portion of the day out of doors. Quite often she traveled to remote and beautiful locations like this to paint. It was so different from when she lived in the city, where she was surrounded by people and had to seek out parks and green space to feel fresh air and sunshine on her face.
She spent the rest of the morning and afternoon at the spot by the ravine, fleshing out the painting. She could only get the lighting right and the details of sunset later, but it would come. She was in no hurry.
As she walked back to the cabin with her supplies, she debated if she should take a long bath and read a book, make herself something to eat, or maybe go into town. She loved the ice cream shop downtown, but she’d really like to try out the restaurant up at Angel Falls Retreat.
She smiled to herself, thinking of Jade’s advice last night when Teal had called her on the drive back from taking Stetson home. Her sister told her to go after the “macho man” and not worry about his issues. Everybody had issues and it wasn’t like she was going to marry him, but Jade thought Teal could definitely use some physical interaction with a fine-looking man. Jade had begged to know his name so she could Google him, disgusted with Teal for never looking on social media, but Teal wanted to keep Stetson to herself, at least for now. She probably wouldn’t see him again anyway. Unless she chased him down like Jade wanted her to.
Teal walked up her cabin steps, still smiling to herself as she thought of her sister. She knew she wouldn’t be brave enough to go try to chase Stetson Strong down. Yet what would it hurt to get dinner at his brother’s restaurant?
Hurrying through a shower, she put on a pretty floral sundress, brushed out her hair, and even added some base makeup, eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. She grabbed her keys, squared her shoulders, and imagined Jade telling her how smoking steamy Tempting Teal was. She could do this, and it would be good for her to interact with someone other than her paintbrush. It was only six o’clock, and sunset wasn’t until after nine on this beautiful summer day. She’d get back in plenty of time to maybe finish up her painting. She’d found an amazing meadow of wildflowers on her hike today that she wanted to start painting next. Unlike the sunset painting, she could work all day on that one.
Flinging the door open, Teal saw a large man standing on her porch. She screamed and slammed the door shut, clutching her heart. Stetson? She’d only gotten a glimpse and he looked very different from last night, but she was pretty sure it was him.
“Teal?” he called through the door.
“Stetson?”
“It’s me. Sorry if I scared you. Can you open the door?”
She grabbed the handle and swung the door wide, struggling to catch her breath. He was incredible. As tall and fit as she remembered, he was wearing a soft-looking blue T-shirt that did nothing to hide the well-formed muscles of his chest, and gray shorts. There were a few scratches on his face, arms, and legs, and a bruise had formed on his cheek, but this handsome, delicious-smelling man was a far cry from the man she’d met last night, and she’d thought he was ultra-appealing then.
He held up a bag, and more delicious smells wafted to her—the yeasty scent of fresh rolls and something spicy. “I, um, wanted to take you out, but I thought it might be less threatening if I brought you dinner and asked if I could join you.” His smile was as appetizing as the rest of him.
“What if I say no?” Teal bit at her lip, knowing she couldn’t say no to this vision, even though she still had a lot of questions for him.
“Then I leave the food for you … and hope you say yes tomorrow night.”
“So if I say no, I get dinner delivered tomorrow too?” She tilted her head and grinned at him.
Stetson stepped closer. “If you say yes, I’ll bring you dinner tomorrow night, and every night after that until you tell me no.”
Teal put a hand on his chest. It was partially to stop him from advancing, but mostly because she just wanted to touch those muscles. When he sucked in a breath, she could feel his heart racing against her palm. Time stood still as they stood there, looking at each other. She appreciated the well-developed muscles in his chest, but the meaningful look in his dark eyes was even more intriguing. He was pushing past all her inhibitions, quickly. She should have been concerned. For some reason, she wasn’t.
He leaned closer, and his musky cologne swirled around her. “Also, if you say yes, I’ll answer all those questions you had last night.”
She waited. Of course, she knew what her answer was, but she wanted him to sweat it out. “You had me so confused and stirred up,” she admitted.
“Stirred up?” His eyebrows rose. “In what way?”
“Confused. Let’s stick with that.”
He grinned, and she was afraid her knees would buckle.
Pulling her hand from his chest, she stepped back and gestured inside. “I’ll let you feed me, tonight. If I like your answers to my million questions, maybe I’ll let you come back, or even take me to dinner tomorrow night.”
His mouth tightened, and she wondered if he’d answer her questions honestly, but there was no guile in his dark eyes. She was probably only wondering that because she’d been lied to throughout her childhood and had a hard time trusting anyone, besides Jade. Jade would be begging her to trust him. Jade would also be searching the internet for any info on him, just to make sure. Even if Teal had Wi-Fi, she doubted she’d Google him.
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s eat.” He walked to the small table. She bit at her lip and followed him. He had come for her when she’d been hoping she could find him. She wasn’t about to complain about that.
The cabin was simple with a large open area that comprised the kitchen, dining room, and living room, and then a couple of bedrooms and a shared bath at t
he back of the cabin. She led him to the table.
Stetson’s gaze swung to the paintings on the log walls. “Yours?” he asked.
“No. The paintings I’ve worked on the past couple of weeks are in the spare bedroom.”
They sat, and he started pulling food containers out. “Can I see them?”
She smiled to hide the sudden angst. “Maybe.” Her paintings were showcased in galleries throughout the United States and online. It was silly for her to get nervous to show them to Stetson. Yet she wanted him to love them. Very silly.
“Where do you store the rest of your paintings?”
“Sometimes at my parents’ house in Denver, the ones I sell directly from my website, but for the most part I ship them to art galleries.”
“Where?” He started opening containers, and she glimpsed salmon, chicken, steak, veggies, and rolls. Her stomach grumbled with hunger.
She shrugged. “A lot of places: New York, Boston, L.A., Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Park City, Jackson Hole, Asheville.”
“Where is Asheville?”
“North Carolina. It’s a hub for art.”
“Which do you prefer, selling online or through galleries?”
“No, wait a minute.” She held up a hand. “I’m supposed to ask the questions.”
Stetson chuckled. “Okay. Let me bless this food, and you can ask away while we eat.”
She raised her eyebrows and bowed her head. She hadn’t taken him for a praying kind of guy, but as his deep voice thanked the good Lord for the food, their blessings, and their newfound friendship, she found she liked that about him.
Stetson handed her a plastic fork and knife and said, “You can choose which entrees you want, or we can share and try them all. That is, if you like sharing.”
“I’m not shy.” Her mother would say that was a lie, but Teal thought it was true. She was reclusive and appreciated her privacy, but she wasn’t afraid to interact with people.
He smiled at that. “Good.” He inclined his head. “You go first.”
The Strong Family Romance Collection Page 92