The Long Way Home

by Liz Isaacson

  She glanced over her shoulder, where Ty stood watching her, an intensity in his gaze she could feel from twenty feet away. Katie said something to him, and he focused on her, breaking the spell he’d cast on River. As she bent to lift Hannah into her arms, River reminded herself that she hadn’t come home to find a new husband, but to start a new, more stable, life with her girls.

  And not the kind of stable where she’d find a handsome cowboy waiting to hold her hand.

  Ty took a few seconds to explain to Katie what she’d interrupted. She cocked her hip and folded her arms, a look on her face he’d seen before. “Really?” she asked.

  “I sort of dated her in high school,” he said.

  “Yeah, right.” Katie glanced back to where River Lee now crouched in front of Hannah. “We grew up together, and I would’ve known. Plus, she’s way out of your league.”

  “It was a summer fling,” Ty said. “And you’re totally right about her being out of my league. That’s why I need your help.”

  “Why should I help you?” She narrowed her dark green eyes at him, and he could see so much of Caleb in her. “You dumped me after one dance.”

  “Katie,” he said, pressing his hand over his heart as if she’d hurt him. “I did no such thing. Caleb wouldn’t let me ask you out.”

  “At least one of you has a brain.”

  “C’mon, Katie.” He linked his arm through hers. He had asked her to dance, one time, one summer several years ago. Caleb had put a stop to that immediately, which was fine with Ty. Katie was cute, but there was no spark between them. Now River Lee…. There was an entire fireworks show happening inside Ty’s chest, and he didn’t know what to do with the explosions, the smoke, the heat.

  “Just, say something nice about me if she asks,” he said.

  “She won’t ask.”

  “She won’t?”

  “She’s pretty private.”

  “Closed off,” Ty said, thinking that was a better way of putting it.

  “She’s divorced,” Katie said. “Raising two kids by herself. She’s guarded.”

  Mind working overtime, Ty faced Katie. “How long do you think she needs?”

  “How long for what?”

  He glanced back at River Lee, his desire skyrocketing when he caught her looking at him too. “How long before she’s ready to start dating again.” Ty focused on Katie again, desperate for a number so he could stop obsessing about when he could ask her out.

  “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

  Ty grinned. “Nope. Broke up with her at church this morning.”

  “You are something else.” A look of disgust crossed her face a moment before she broke out laughing. “You broke up with a woman at church?”

  “It’s not like we were really dating. I hadn’t even kissed her.”

  “Oh, is that the measurement you’re using? You’re not dating a woman until you kiss?”

  “Sure,” Ty said. “That sounds good.”

  Katie rolled her eyes and tossed her caramel-colored hair over her shoulder. “Six months, Ty. I think you should give River six more months.”

  Disappointment blipped through Ty like the rhythm on a heart monitor. Six-months. Six-six-months?

  Six months seemed like a lifetime to Ty. But he put on a smile he hoped indicated he wouldn’t ask River Lee to dinner for six—more—months, and broadcast it at her as she rejoined them, Hannah balanced on her hip. “So I heard your mom brought her cake. Can you help me find that?”

  The mask she wore cracked, and a tiny smile slipped through. Ty felt like he’d won the Heisman trophy with the appearance of that smile, it being the first she’d given him since practically trampling him the previous day.

  “You better hurry,” she said. “Might want to go for dessert first.” She nodded toward the tables laden with food, where people had started to line up.

  Before he could think, he grabbed her free hand and towed her toward the end of the table covered with desserts. “Which one is it?” He liked the way her hand felt in his, but he tried not to focus on it too much. If he did, everything in his life would slow down, operating as if he were underwater. Except his heart. That raced liked it was fleeing from a predator.

  She laughed—really laughed—and nodded toward a tall, four-layer cake bearing deep, dark chocolate icing and adorned with red frosting roses.

  “Get me a piece,” River Lee said as Ty searched for a knife, and then a plate. The line of people inched closer, and he really should be helping to make sure the rolls didn’t run out, but he sliced and scooped and scampered away with River Lee’s giggle searing his eardrums.

  Once in the safety of a tall birch tree, he handed the plate to River Lee. “You guard this for me. I have some things to take care of, but when I get back, I’m going to enjoy every bite.” Her bright blue eyes sparkled like the sun shining off Caribbean waters, and he got lost for a moment thinking about what he really wanted to taste.

  Only his sense of community duty tore him from her—and Katie’s warning that River Lee needed six more months before Ty could take her to dinner—and he hurried to the pavilion to see where he was needed. He cut rolls for barbeque sandwiches, and replenished napkins and plates, and cleared away dishes as they emptied. He flashed smiles here and there, but he still felt removed from the people surrounding him. Mostly families or couples, Ty wasn’t sure where he belonged. He’d volunteered to see if he could find somewhere or someone to connect to, and he hadn’t really done that yet.

  He pushed back his frustration in favor of patting a little dog being led by a little girl, and removing the pan that had once held delicious-smelling peach cake squares, and reporting back to the group service leader for his next assignment.

  “Go eat,” Pearl said, and Ty didn’t ask twice. By the time he returned to the shady tree, River Lee leaned against the trunk, both her daughters fast asleep and snuggled into her side.

  “Hey.” Ty eased to the ground and picked up the hunk of cake she’d left for him. “Nap time?”

  “Mm.” She let her eyes fall closed as a smile graced her face, the slow, sleepy quality of her the sexiest thing Ty had seen in a long, long time.

  “How was the cake?” he asked.

  “Fantastic.”

  “Did you get lunch?” He surveyed the plates littering the ground nearby, with various leftovers.

  “My mom brought us sandwiches and chips.”

  Ty nodded, his stomach roaring for more than chocolate, but as soon as he took a bite of cake, he changed his mind. This was all he needed.

  Chocolate and the company of River Lee.

  Six months, he thought as he allowed himself to study her while she had her eyes closed. He wasn’t even sure he’d been in a relationship for that long, let alone waited that long for something he wanted. Of course, if his sisters were to be believed, that was Ty’s biggest problem: impatience. That, and all the girls he dated.

  Still, Vienna always said if Ty were a little more patient with the girls he dated, he might’ve actually found one he could stand to spend his life with. He’d always argued that he knew within the first hour or so if he wanted to spend more time with someone.

  Vienna had been married for eight years, and well, Ty wasn’t even close to getting married. As he glanced around the park, he realized why this picnic had always held such allure for him. Almost a sense of wonderment.

  There were families here. Couples. Very few single men or women. This monthly summer picnic was a life Ty didn’t have, a life he’d never even thought he wanted.

  His gaze landed back on River Lee and her girls, and something in his life shifted. River Lee hadn’t been especially welcoming to him, barely speaking to him at the horseback riding lesson and her house, and only allowing herself to give him one smile in all the time they’d talked over the past couple of days.

  But he was willing to be patient—for her.

  She opened her eyes at the same moment he scooped the last of the cake into h
is mouth. “You ate that fast,” she said with a playful glimmer in her eyes.

  “It’s all I’ve had today.” He stood. “I’m gonna go grab some real food. You’ll be here when I get back?”

  She nodded toward her oldest daughter. “I don’t think I’m going anywhere.” When she lifted her chin again, a beautiful smile hugged her face. Ty basked in the warmth of it, even if it wasn’t for him.

  He beat a path back to the food tables, made himself a couple of barbeque pork sandwiches, and snagged an almost-empty bag of sour cream and cheddar potato chips. With a couple cans of soda tucked under his arm, he went back to River Lee’s side.

  She watched him and he struggled with something to say, something to ask her. “What are you doing at Silver Creek?” he asked.

  “I’ve got my degree in general counseling,” she said. “I’m going to be a therapist there.”

  “So you aren’t one of the counselors who oversees a group of girls.”

  “I will have eight girls assigned to me, yes,” she said. “But no, I’m not the one who’ll get them to their activities and such. Those people are called group leaders now.”

  “I was wrong then,” he said. “I think it’s the group leaders who have a high turnover.” He focused on his food. “Do you like counseling?”

  “Sure.” She spoke with such a false note, though, that Ty didn’t believe her.

  He studied her from under the brim of his cowboy hat. “Have you ever been a counselor before?”

  Those aqua eyes hardened into gems as brilliant as sapphires. “No, actually, I haven’t.”

  “So you don’t know if you like it.”

  “I spent six years in college doing it.” She glared at him with all the ferocity of a mama bear. “I like it just fine.”

  Ty raised one hand in surrender. He didn’t want to argue with her; he just wanted to talk, and she certainly wasn’t putting forth any conversation topics.

  Thankfully, before Ty could ask another potentially relationship-ruining question—like “Will you go to dinner with me tomorrow night?”—Pearl appeared.

  “When you’re finished there, would you mind helping with the trash? Charlie insisted he could do it, but well, he’s already replaced one hip.”

  Ty glanced up into the older woman’s face, a kinship forming at the respect in her eyes and the concern for Charlie in his voice. “Sure thing, Pearl.”

  “Thanks, Ty.” She glanced at River Lee. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

  “Oh.” Ty wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Pearl Gregory, this is River Lee Whitely. She’s—”

  “It’s not River Lee Whitely.” She threw him an impatient glare. “It’s River—no Lee—Taylor.”

  Ty blinked and blanched, his brain sorting information so fast, he couldn’t keep up with the exchange in front of him until Pearl said, “Looks like you got your hands full there, but we could always use more help.”

  “Yes, I know. Ty’s invited me to help out with a few things.”

  “You really should,” he said. “It’s fun, and it’s not hard. You could’ve helped with this while the girls played.”

  She cocked her head, amusement running through her expression. “I’m thinking about it.”

  “You are?” Ty couldn’t help the disbelief in his voice.

  River Lee rolled her eyes. “Go help that poor old man with the trash before he hurts himself.”

  Ty grinned, sensing a weak spot in her defenses. “Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her and sprang to his feet, making it to the trashcan in the pavilion mere moments before Charlie threw out his back trying to lift an overly full bag.

  Chapter 5

  It’s River—no Lee taunted Ty for the rest of the evening. He wouldn’t see her until next weekend, and that just didn’t sit right in his gut.

  Yes, he had her phone number, but he didn’t dare use it. He stood in front of the mirror in his cabin and said, “River. Riv-River Taylor.” There was just so much wrong with that name. It didn’t even fit her. She was River Lee, heavy on the twang, her second name almost two syllables by itself.

  And how would he have finished that sentence if she hadn’t interrupted him? “This is River Lee,” he said. “She’s my—” He stared into his own eyes, at a complete loss for what River Lee was to him.

  If he said a friend, would that be a lie? They’d been friendly that day. Maybe not on Saturday, what with her practically trying to use one of his beloved horses to cause his death.

  She certainly wasn’t his girlfriend. A wicked smile curved his lips. “Yet.” He turned away from the mirror, a bit of embarrassment slipping through him for his personal pep talk. If Caleb had witnessed such a thing, Ty would never hear the end of it.

  But Caleb lived with Holly now, just a couple cabins down. Ty had never been a jealous man, but something strange coated the back of his throat when he thought of Caleb and Holly. When he remembered how shocked he’d been to realize all the girls at the summer dances were so much younger than him. It was like he’d aged and hadn’t realized it.

  He had never minded dating girls in their early twenties, but now that he’d turned thirty, he felt a bit squicky about it. Problem was, there weren’t that many women more his age in Gold Valley. And Ty had been looking.

  “Always looking,” he muttered to himself as he grabbed a frozen burrito and stuck it in the microwave. Caleb would be horrified—he put together the most random ingredients to make things like tuna fish sandwiches with potato chips and tomatoes, or scrambled eggs with everything but the kitchen sink mixed in.

  Ty was more of a food purist, plus he was useless in the kitchen. Useless with laundry too—he actually hired his out after he’d turned all his socks and underwear pink. And he’d had to invest in new socks and underwear. It was actually cheaper to pay for the laundry service than it was to replace the clothes he ruined.

  He slathered sour cream on the burrito and ate it, the walls of his cabin pressing ever closer. He needed to get outside, get on his horse, and get up the mountain. Once free of the cabin, Ty finally breathed. He went through the motions of saddling his personal horse, Abracadabra, his fingers doing the work but his mind circling River Lee and if he could really hang on for six months without asking her out.

  He’d already touched her, and she hadn’t jerked away like she loathed the feel of his skin against hers. And the flirting with giving the kiss another try…he probably needed to stuff talk like that down his throat and keep it there.

  The mountains surrounding Gold Valley had always enthralled Ty. He loved getting on his horse’s back and going steadily up. Up to check the herd. Up to plant the crops. Up to harvest. Up to the remote cabins the cowboys used when they did their chores on the mountain. Just up, and away from his life, his worries, his concerns.

  And honestly, Ty didn’t have a lot of those anyway. As Abra clomped steadily up the hill, the tension in Ty’s shoulders waned. He whistled a tune his grandpa used to sing while he whittled in the tool shed, Ty’s absolute favorite place as a boy.

  So he didn’t quite fit in with Caleb and Jace anymore. So they’d gotten married, and Jace had a son now. Big deal. Ty was still healthy, still happy, and still honest. He’d never given much thought to marrying, especially because dating and experimenting with different girls every so often was fun.

  When he’d told Vienna he liked dating a lot of girls, she’d rolled her eyes and told him to “get serious.” And, well, Ty liked dancing through life. If he didn’t care about something, he wouldn’t be disappointed when he didn’t get it.

  Still, his heart kept tripping around River Lee, and he wondered if he’d change the tune to which he was dancing if she’d step in and tango with him.

  By the end of the week, River felt like she’d been run over by ten horses. The aches in her back had been amplified by the bendy way she’d let Lexi and Hannah sleep on her at the picnic on Sunday. Coupled with her natural hunched position at her desk for the past week, and River needed to get
outside, stretch out, and then find time to catch a nap.

  But she had no time for napping, she knew. With horseback riding lessons in the morning, River wouldn’t even get a break on the weekend. Moms never did get a break, she supposed.

  Her mind landed on Ty, as it had been doing all week. At first, she’d pushed him out as soon as he appeared, but as the days wore on and her traitorous brain kept bringing him to the forefront, she’d entertained a few ideas about him.

  Ideas about holding his hand. Her fingers trembled.

  Ideas about serving with him on the community events. Her throat turned dry.

  Ideas about kissing him. Her heart thumped.

  It was about this point that she shut the fantasies off, cleared her throat as if those in the nearby vicinity would know what she’d been thinking about, and refocused on her tasks.

  With him so ingrained in her psyche, she had done something she hoped would cure her: She’d called Pearl Gregory and volunteered to help with the town’s Harvest Days festivities. A week-long affair in the middle of August, Harvest Days had been running in Gold Valley for over a century.

  As a child and teen, River had enjoyed the parade, the carnival, the fun run, the tennis tournaments, all of it. Several of the events had changed, and the committee was meeting for just a “quick half hour” according to Pearl to get some assignments made before too many more days passed.

  River’s pulse beat a frantic rhythm against the back of her tongue. She wasn’t sure if Ty would be at the meeting or not, and she hadn’t had the courage to ask Pearl about him specifically. No need to get people talking when there was nothing to talk about.

  Plus, it was a long drive up the canyon to Horseshoe Home Ranch, and surely he couldn’t jaunt down every time there was a quick meeting. Still, as she pulled into the community center’s parking lot, the muscles in her body quivered in anticipation of seeing him.

  Why, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like she was going to touch him. An echo of his fingertips running down her arm made her shiver, and she shook her head. “Get ahold of yourself,” she whispered furiously as she entered the building.