Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
JULIE
“Wow,” Mom beams, placing her hand over her chest as she takes in the outdoor decorations. “You three did a great job.”
“I gotta agree,” Dad nods from beneath his cowboy hat, as we all stand in the front yard. “Saved me a lot of time. I appreciate it.”
I smile, eyeing Tucker, who’s been quiet ever since we finished the roof. I don’t know what’s going through his head, but I hope that he’s ready to talk business with my dad. I set up the lunch, and that’s the best I could do.
“How about we meet at Boomer’s?” My dad turns to Tucker and me. “I have another appointment this afternoon, so you and Tucker can meet me there.”
“Sure,” I choke out. “Are you ready now?”
Dad nods, looking a little fatigued under his cowboy hat. He’s been managing the ranching operation as well as his investments on his own for years, and now, even though Carson helps, he still carries the load mostly himself.
“Awesome, we’ll meet you there.”
“Your mom is coming along,” Dad adds as I start to walk away. “I think it might be nice for her to get some time to talk with you and Tucker, too.”
“Yeah, of course,” I say, inwardly grimacing. It’ll be much harder to bring up the whole cattle operation thing if my mom is there. She’ll be focused on learning more about my relationship with Tucker…
“You all have fun,” Carson smirks, giving me a look that makes my stomach roll. He knows the drill. He went through the parent interviews when he brought Jessie home—and now it’s my turn with Tucker…
And I am not prepared.
I thread my arm through his and then drag him toward his truck. He grunts with disapproval but doesn’t say anything until we’re out of earshot.
“Why is it a big deal if your mom comes?” he asks as he opens the passenger door for me. “I saw the look on your face.”
“It’ll just be harder to talk about business, but…” The realization hits me. “If you can handle this well, it’ll get my mom on board with your expansion—and my dad never tells my mom no.”
“That sounds unhealthy,” Tucker mutters, and then walks around the front of his truck and climbs in. “I thought you promised that you could get this deal,” he shoots me a glare. “And now I feel like I’m goin’ to have to do a lot more than just talk about the business plan I have.”
“Well, yeah, I mean, I do promise,” I urge, shaking my head as he starts the engine. “It’s just that it’ll be easier for us, and we need to convince them at lunch that we’re perfect for each other.”
He frowns. “I have no idea how to do that.”
“You just have to act like you love me. You know, everything you see on TV and stuff between prince charming and?—”
“I don’t watch that trash,” Tucker cuts me off, shaking his head. “That’s the most unrealistic portrayal of love. Love is sticking it out for better or worse, and choosing each other, no matter what—no matter how bad they act. It’s unconditional.”
My heart lodges in my throat. “That’s… That’s impressive.”
“Just because I haven’t ever experienced it, doesn’t mean that I don’t know what it is,” he says quietly, navigating the driveway to the highway. “I’ve seen that kind of love.”
I can’t hide my curiosity. “Who?”
He shrugs. “My buddy Cash and his wife, Lindsey. Those two have it figured out and have since they met in college. I’ve learned a lot from them.”
“So then why are you single?” I blurt out, immediately clapping my hand over my mouth when I realize how rude I sound.
He chuckles. “Well, just because I know doesn’t mean that I’ve found someone interested in me—or that I’m interested in. It’s been a long time since I’ve thought I was in love.” His lips flatline, his slight smile fading as we enter the small, sleepy town of Hillsdale.
“Who was it?”
“What?” Tucker glances over to me as he takes a right, heading toward the restaurant.
I wring my hands in my lap, hating the small pang of jealousy thrumming through my chest. “Who did you think you were in love with?”
“Oh, that was… It doesn’t matter,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “That’s a story for another day.”
“I wanna hear it,” I tell him, placing my hand on his forearm. “I didn’t realize there was so much I didn’t know about you, Tucker Madison.”
He eyes my hand, and then meets my gaze. “Get me the deal, and I’ll tell you whatever it is you want to know.”
“Deal.” I grin, patting his arm as I unclick my seatbelt. “Let’s do this.” He nods, and then jumps out of his truck, jogging around to open my door for me as my parents pull in and park beside us. My nerves flutter in my stomach, and I know that I should’ve been prepping Tucker for the grilling he’s about to get…
But then again, maybe my parents will go easy on him.
After all, they already know him, right?
I swallow hard as I slide out. Right. Tucker’s fingers intertwine with mine as he closes the door, and I catch my breath at the way it feels. I shouldn’t be caught up in such a small gesture, but…
Maybe it’s just been a long time. I peer up at Tucker as he leads me to where my parents are climbing out. He’s either growing on me, or maybe I just never noticed how handsome he is. His thick lashes accent his forever five o’clock shadow, and I catch myself staring at his mouth, wondering if his lips are as soft as they look.
Stop being weird, I chide myself internally. I don’t have an attraction to cowboys anymore. They’re nothing but appealing heartbreak in boots and a hat.
“Shall we?” My mom gives us both a warm smile. “We haven’t really had a chance to talk to just the two of you.”
Tucker nods, and then holds the door open for all of us, while still holding my hand. If he’s nervous, he doesn’t show it, and I find it all the more admirable as we’re greeted with the warm scent of pies and homemade foods.
The waitress leads us to the back corner booth, and we all slide in, Tucker sitting on the outside. I take a deep breath as we all order waters, telling myself, I can do this. It’s fake, but it’s not like Tucker is a stranger.
“So,” Mom begins, sipping on her water. “I’m glad you decided to let me join in on your luncheon with your dad.” She eyes me, and I can’t tell if she’s irritated I asked for us to go to lunch with dad alone or suspicious.
“Of course,” I chime, keeping a painful smile on my face. “I was just hoping that Dad and Tucker could get more acquainted with each other. They’re both in the cattle business.”
“So, I’ve heard,” Dad grunts, eyeing Tucker. “What kind of business are you running?”
“Cow and calf,” he answers. “Right now, me and my business partner, Cash Whitney, are running about four hundred head, but we’re limited on space. We’re hoping to expand, and the goal would be to keep the herd together. It’s a lot easier to manage the cattle when they’re in the same place. Takes less guys that way. We aren’t getting rich by any means, but we’re making it work.”
Dad gives him an approving nod. “Seems like you have it figured out.”
“Took a few years to get the kinks worked out,” Tucker says, and I notice the slight bounce of his knee beneath the table. He is nervous. Without even thinking, I place my hand against it, and he stills against my touch. “We have the whole expansion planned out.”
“I’d love to take a look at it,” Dad says, taking a sip of his drink. “I’m always looking for the next good investment. Cattle can be a hard business, but if you do it right, you can go far with it.”
“Hmm, yes,” Mom hums, and I know it’s unfortunately the official end of the conversation. “You boys can talk business later, I’m dying to know how the two of you make the long-distance work. You live in Oklahoma, Tucker?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Tucker answers before I can. “I just make the drive to see her, most of the time. I don’t like her having to run up the mileage.”
Ah, so he really can play this game. I peer up at him, and he glances back down at me. “He’s a good boyfriend,” I say, smiling sweetly to my mother. “With all the working he does, he still makes time for me.”
“And what’s the plan long term then?” Mom furrows her brow. “You can’t just leave your business and move to Texas…”
It’s the perfect set up, and I see Tucker’s eyes light up. “Oh, I’m hoping to expand to Texas. That’s the goal. That would allow for me to be closer to Julie, while also letting her pursue her career.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you,” Mom leans against her hand, just as the waitress returns to take our order. I get my usual chicken tenders, and Tucker orders the pulled pork. My parents both order a chicken fried steak, and the conversation commences.
“So, you were on the rodeo team in college,” Mom heads right back into it. “Do you still rodeo?”
“On a rare occasion, Cash and I will do a ranch rodeo. Most of the time I’m too busy.” Tucker is careful with his answers, and I find myself so caught up in the moment, I don’t realize my hand is still on his knee. I only notice because I feel his fingers brush across the top of my hand, slipping between mine and giving it a squeeze.
Heat creeps across my face, as my heart skips a beat. “When he does compete, I try to make it to watch,” I say, knowing good and well, I’d love to see him try to wrangle a wild cow into a trailer.
“Why haven’t you told us about him?” Mom sounds borderline hurt, and the guilt of my lie comes crashing down on my shoulders.
“I just wanted to wait until I knew it was something real,” I say quietly, self-loathing catching me off guard as I only dig the hole deeper.
Dad nods. “I think that’s perfectly fine. I didn’t bring anyone home until I met your mom. I think it’s important that we only introduce the people that are going to be there to stay.”
“Of course,” I choke out, and Tucker’s hand suddenly leaves mine. I can feel him stiffening, against the booth, and thankfully, the waitress appears with our food, ending the tense moment. I can only imagine how Tucker is looking at me now—probably thinking I’m a terrible person for deceiving my parents…
But seriously, he hasn’t seen the previous miserable years.
We eat the rest of our lunch in mostly silence, Mom and Dad jabbering on about the party that we’ll be putting on. I force myself to eat my lunch, though nearly drop my fork as a familiar face suddenly appears at the end of our booth.
“Hey, Julie,” Maddie’s voice is bright and cheery.
The nerve of this woman.
“Hi,” I grit out, setting my fork down. “How are you?”
“Good,” she chimes. “I just saw the four of you come in, and I thought I’d say hello. Nate is out of town at the moment, but I’m sure he’d want to extend his greeting as well.”
My mom smiles—like she’s happy to see her. “Well, it’s good to see you. I was hoping to stop by the store recently, but we’ve been busy.” Mom turns to me. “Maddie is on the parade committee this year.”
“Oh, lovely, ” I say, my cheeks now burning from my smile. Tucker’s hand returns to mine and gives a light squeeze.
“I was thinking,” Mom hums, pressing her lips together. “You ought to come to the Christmas Eve party. I think this is the perfect year for new beginnings.” She gives me this I’m so proud of you look, and I feel nauseous.
“Of course,” I say, and Maddie claps her hands together.
“Oh, that’s so exciting,” she beams. “It’s been years since I’ve gone to one of the Cooper parties.”
Yeah, because you slept with my boyfriend behind my back. But I just keep smiling, even as she walks away.
“I know things went sour between you two,” Mom leans across the table as soon as Maddie is gone, “But now that you’re with someone, I think we can let bygones be bygones? I always felt so bad excluding her from the guest list. Now that you have Tucker, you won’t have to feel awkward.”
Tucker coughs, and I can’t tell if he’s choking or trying to cover a laugh. Either way, I want to punch both of them right in the face.