Chapter 2 #3
“No sir, I do not. I used to date some, but my job is very demanding, and honestly… Ash was a hard act to follow. Nobody ever measured up.”
He frowned. “It’s not my business, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but what happened between you two?”
There were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.
“That’s the pitiful part. Nothing happened.
We used to stay in contact…and then one day I looked up and realized it had been months since our last email, and for no apparent reason other than we didn’t put each other first. I haven’t spoken to him in years.
I didn’t even know where he was living or what he was doing. ”
“And now you do,” Jacob said. “They always come home for Christmas. If you’re still here, maybe you can catch him under the mistletoe or something.”
She laughed. “I think that ship already sailed, but a nice thought. Anyway… I’ll let you finish your lunch before you get busy again.”
She stood, and when she did, Jacob stood with her and walked her to the door.
“This has been an absolute delight. Don’t be a stranger.
Women are welcome at the Tumbleweed, too, but you might have to fight off the lonesome cowboys who wander through.
They’re terrible romantics and always looking for a pretty girl to dance with. ”
She laughed. “Sounds a little risky, but I’ll definitely come see you again.” And then she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
Jacob watched until she drove out of sight, and then went back to his food, picked up his phone, and sent Asher a text.
You’ll never guess who brought me lunch from the Rose today.
Nora. Her dad died. Her mother passed four years ago, and now she’s in Crossroads trying to figure out what to do with the family home.
She is sweet as ever. Turned into a real beauty, but she looks lost…
and tired. And she’s still single. Crying shame.
That’s what it is. A crying shame. Anyway…
It’s cold as blazes here and I’m eating some of Pearl’s chili and cornbread. I never could make good cornbread.
Love you, son.
Be safe wherever you are.
* * *
Asher was sitting at a red light in downtown Austin when he got the text. He smiled when he saw it was from his dad, but then he read it, and a wave of longing gut-punched the smile off his face.
Nora.
They’d let time and distance change the paths they’d meant to take. Dad said she’d turned into a real beauty, but he didn’t see how she could have gotten any prettier. She’d always been a beauty to him, and he also read between the lines of his dad’s text. Crying shame.
“Yes, Dad, I screwed up on that front,” he muttered, and then the light turned green, and he drove through the intersection.
There was still time and distance between them, and right now, there was nothing he could do about it, and it was after 8:00 p.m. before he made it home.
His feet were dragging as he walked into the house, hung up his Stetson, left his wallet and keys on a silver tray in the foyer, and then went to his bedroom, locked up his gun, and took off his boots.
He sat down on the side of the bed to order DoorDash, then changed into a sweatshirt, sweatpants, and a pair of thick fuzzy socks, and walked back into the living room, plopped down on the sofa, and turned on the TV.
He was tired. So damn tired, but the current investigation he’d been involved in was finally over, which meant a lull in stakeouts and hunting down witnesses who flew the coop before they were meant to testify at trials.
By tomorrow, there would likely be a handful of new cases and more facts to confirm, and reluctant witnesses to find, but not tonight.
The text from his dad had resurrected old memories, and not all of them were about Nora.
He leaned back and closed his eyes, but when he did, all he saw was the look on his mother’s face that last day when she took them to school. It was almost as if she was memorizing their faces.
A whole hour had passed, and he was almost asleep when his doorbell rang.
“DoorDash,” he muttered, reminding himself that was still imminent, and got up.
A few minutes later, he was downing a chopped brisket sandwich and a double order of onion rings and thinking about what was on the agenda tomorrow.
But this was still today, and he was weary to the core.
First food.
Then a shower.
And finally, bed.
But alone. Always alone, except for tonight. Tonight, he took memories of Nora with him and woke up regretting that he’d let her slip through his fingers. At that moment, he rolled out of bed and called into work.
“What’s up on the agenda?” he asked his boss.
“Nothing. Our witness turned up in court, thank you very much for your efforts, and we just got some delays on the other cases… Why?”
“Then I’m requesting the next two days off for personal reasons,” Ash said.
“Done. Be safe. See you in three.”
Ash sighed. “Thank you.”
Then he made a call to the hangar where he kept his chopper.
“Rafael, this is Asher Kingston. I need you to fuel up my chopper and do a thorough flight check. I’m flying out this morning.”
“Will do, Mr. Kingston. It will be ready,” Rafael said.
After that, Asher filed a flight plan, packed an overnight bag, and went to shower and shave.
He ate toast standing up in his kitchen and took a to-go cup of coffee as he headed for the hangar, and called his dad as he drove.
When Jacob answered on the second ring, Asher could hear the surprise in his voice.
“Morning, son! What’s up?” Jacob said.
“Just calling to let you know I’m coming to Crossroads this morning in my chopper. Didn’t want you to freak out when I land in the open land behind the house.”
“That’s awesome! What’s going on?”
“Nora. I didn’t know she lost her mother.
I didn’t know her dad even had Alzheimer’s.
I didn’t know she was still single. The thought of all she’s gone through alone is hard to hear.
I’m about to pay my respects. If she runs me out, I’ll be spending the night with you.
If she doesn’t, I’ll be there, hoping to talk my way back into her life. ”
“Finally,” Jacob said. “Safe travels. See you later.”
“Right, and thanks for the heads up,” Asher said, and disconnected.
* * *
A little over two hours later, the Tumbleweed Bar was busy and loud. But not too loud to drown out the sound of a chopper overhead.
The crowd suddenly hushed.
“Not a LifeFlight chopper. Just Ash coming to pay a visit.”
An old man sitting at the bar frowned. “Sounds like ’Nam,” he said, then took a sip of his beer.
They all knew the old cowboy had seen the fall of Saigon, but he rarely talked about it, and now Asher’s visit was bringing back unwelcome memories.
“Sorry about that,” Jacob said.
The old man shrugged. “Ancient history. Ain’t no never mind.”
A few minutes later, Asher came into the bar from the house and gave Jacob a hug.
“Want the keys to my truck?” Jacob asked.
“It’s just four blocks up the alley. I’ll walk,” Asher said, and then he was gone.