Chapter Four
The next morning, Retta didn’t even pretend to read her book while she sat out on the front porch waiting for Travis to come pick her up. It was only eight-twenty, and he’d said that he’d come for her at nine, but she was ready and eager to go. She’d told Callie that she was going to read out here because she was excited and didn’t want her daughter to notice and ask too many questions.
There was no way she could focus on her book, even though she had it open on her lap. She stared at the mountains, but it wasn’t the view that had her so distracted. It was Travis! The man was … she didn’t know the right word for him. Sure, he was a big old flirt, no question about that, but he was so much more. He was a joker; she’d enjoyed seeing him with his friend, Trip.
It was obvious that Trip adored him – although, it seemed that everyone did. Callie and Kolby thought the world of him, she knew that. And yesterday it’d been obvious that both Ty and Libby did, too. She pressed her lips together. It’d be hard not to like the man. He was agreeable, charming, kind … and he wasn’t just attractive, he was sexy as sin.
That was the part that had caught her off guard. Each time he’d lifted her and held her against his chest, she’d felt like a silly, swoony teenager. It was a good thing that she wasn’t supposed to try standing, and that she had a cast on her leg – she was sure that he’d make her knees buckle with that smile of his – and those twinkly eyes.
And this was just not like her. She’d given up on men years ago. When Callie’s father had walked out, he’d left her high and dry. She was only nineteen. With no family to help her, and no education, she’d worked whatever jobs she could find. She and Callie had lived in more rundown motels and cheap apartments than she could remember. They’d lived in her car for weeks at a time on a few occasions as well.
Even when she’d managed to get her feet under her, there’d never been much money. She’d done her best – but it hadn’t been good enough. She’d had a couple of relationships when Callie was still small, but each one had shown her that as hard as things were by herself, she was still better off that way. If a man wanted to share the burden financially, he expected a whole lot in return – around the house and in the bedroom.
She decided early on that she’d rather struggle to get by and be the only one responsible for her and her daughter’s lives than have a man around who wanted to be in charge.
Things had gotten better over the years. They still weren’t great when Callie was in high school, but at least by then they had their own little apartment, and – usually – enough to eat. Callie had it tough – kids were cruel. But she’d mostly lived in her own little world, writing her songs and playing her guitar.
Retta had encouraged her dreams, and when she graduated high school and wanted to move to Nashville, Retta had supported her the best she could. She’d sold her car to give her daughter a little bit of seed money – not that it was much, but it was better than nothing. She’d walked or taken the bus everywhere for a whole year after that, but it was worth it.
There had been guys since then, but Retta hadn’t gone on more than a couple of dates with anyone. Some of them seemed like decent guys. One of them had wanted to explore a real relationship with her, but she wasn’t interested. She felt like that chapter of her life was behind her.
She looked up at the sound of a vehicle approaching. That chapter of her life was behind her. She smiled when Travis’s truck came to a stop, and he jumped out. The smile he gave her as he touched the brim of his hat and said, “Mornin’, darlin’,” made her wonder if it’d be so terrible to start a new chapter.
“Morning. You’re early.”
He grinned. “I couldn’t wait. I figured I’d drive by and if you weren’t outside, I could head over to the big house or the barn, see who’s around.” He winked at her, “But it looks like you’re early, too.”
She chuckled. She probably shouldn’t admit it but … what the heck? “I couldn’t wait, either.”
His grin broadened and he nodded happily. “What do you think, then? Should we get going?”
“Yes, I …”
They both turned when the door opened, and Callie came out. “Hey, Mama, do you … oh, hi, Travis. You’re early.”
He chuckled. “I am. Are you good if we take off?”
Callie raised an eyebrow at Retta, and she nodded.
“Sure. You guys go ahead. I have to go up to town this morning. If you’re leaving now, I’ll head out. Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine thanks, sweetie.”
Callie smirked. “And what time should I expect you back – or shouldn’t I?”
Travis’s deep, rumbly laugh made Retta smile in spite of herself.
Callie waved a hand at him. “I don’t mean like that – and you know it! Of course, you’ll be back tonight, I just meant should I not try to pin you down to any particular time?”
Travis raised an eyebrow at her, and Retta shrugged. “Let’s see how it goes. I’ll text you and let you know.”
“Okay, but give me a clue – might you be back for lunch?”
“No,” Travis said before Retta even opened her mouth.
Callie laughed. “And dinner?” she asked him.
“Not if I can help it.” He looked at Retta. “But you have to promise that you’ll tell me when you’ve had enough.”
“I will.”
Callie gave her a stern look. “You must. You can’t keep quiet just to be polite, Mama. If you’re tired or if you’re in pain and you just want to come back, you tell Travis.”
Retta rolled her eyes. “I will. Now will you quit your fussing and go to town or whatever it is you’re going to do?”
“Not until I’ve helped Travis load your chair and …”
“I’ve got it, honey. You go do your thing.”
Retta took pity on her when Callie blew out a sigh. “You’re doing great, baby girl. I’m more grateful than you know, but you need a break yourself. Go and get ready and go to town. We can take it from here.”
“Okay, but do you need anything before I …?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Come here.” She held her arms up and when Callie leaned in, she hugged her tightly. “There, that’ll keep me going. I just needed a hug from my baby girl; I don’t get nearly enough of those.”
Callie squeezed her and kissed her cheek before she straightened up.
“You could have all the hugs you wanted, whenever you wanted if you stayed, you know.”
She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. She didn’t know what to say. It was hard to keep putting her daughter off, and she could feel Travis’s gaze on her, even though she refused to look at him.
Callie gave her a wry smile. “Okay, I’ll button it – for now. But I’m going to keep bugging you. I want you here.”
“I have my job, Callie, you know that.”
“But you don’t need it, you don’t even like it that much anymore, and …” Her eyes narrowed and she pressed her lips together in an expression that Retta hadn’t seen on her face in a long time – she was pissed. “… They haven’t even been in touch to see how you’re doing, have they?”
Retta shrugged. “Everyone’s on break for the summer. I …”
“I’m not going to get into it, but you know how I feel. They didn’t do right by you. They left you in the hospital in San Diego all by yourself. If we hadn’t come to get you, you’d still be there now. It’d be fine by me if you sent in your notice and never went back.”
She was picking up steam, and Retta wished that she’d stop, especially since Travis was listening. She knew there was no point in interrupting, though. Callie didn’t get mad very often, but when she did, it was better to let her blow off steam in one go. She’d get over it that way rather than let it simmer.
“And we still need to talk about what exactly happened.”
Retta held her breath. She’d been hoping that the time for discussing the details of her accident had passed. What mattered was her condition, and how to get better; she’d kept everyone’s focus on that from the moment they came to collect her from the hospital in San Diego.
Callie’s eyes narrowed as she leaned in closer.
“No, I haven’t forgotten. I’m not going to let it drop. I’ve just been waiting for the right time.”
“Well, this isn’t it.”
Her words seemed to snap Callie out of it. She glanced at Travis, then nodded slowly.
“Maybe not, but don’t think I’m going to drop it.” She came back and hugged Retta again. “Sorry, Mama. I’m not mad at you. I’m not trying to be mean, I just …”
Retta closed her eyes as she hugged her daughter to her. “I know. It’s alright. You’re not being mean, I get it. But you’re not going to get anywhere with it, so you might as well drop it. It’s all water under the bridge now.”
Callie kissed her cheek before she stood up again. “I’m not going to argue you with you.” She shot Travis a tight smile. “I’m going to wish you both a fun day and leave you to it.”
“Thanks, sweetie. You have a good day yourself.”
“I will. Call me if you need me, and text me when you have an idea of what time you’ll be home – if you’ll want dinner.”
Retta looked up at Travis, and he smiled. “I’d like to keep you for dinner, but you may want to be rid of me before then.”
“I’ll be home after dinner,” she told Callie with a smile.
~ ~ ~
Once he’d made sure that Retta was comfortable in the passenger seat and had her wheelchair stowed in the back, Travis glanced over at her as he backed away from the house.
“What exactly did happen?” It was obvious that there was something about the accident that had broken her leg that was a point of contention between Retta and Callie.
“Excuse me?”
He chuckled. “Don’t give me that shit, darlin’. You know exactly what I mean. How did you break your leg?”
She blew out a sigh. “It was an accident.”
Something about the way she said it made him uneasy – it sounded as though she was trying to defend someone.
“What kind of accident?”
“A stupid one.”
“Come on, you might as well tell me.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
She pursed her lips. “Because I’d rather just let it go.”
“Let what go?”
She let out a short laugh.
“I know I’m being a pain in the ass, darlin’, but Callie seems to think that it might not have been an entirely accidental accident. Why is that?”
“Because she’s had a problem with Jamie for a while now.”
“Who’s Jamie?”
“She’s one of the moms at school. Her daughter’s on the squad, and Jamie’s one of those moms who tries to live vicariously through her daughter. She doesn’t always agree with me. And things got worse a couple months ago when her husband filed for divorce. He’s a decent guy. Since they separated, he’s come to a couple of practices and to camp – to watch his daughter. Unfortunately, Jamie got it into her head that he’s taken a shine to me. He hasn’t of course – that’d be ridiculous – they’re a good ten years younger than I am. But Jamie’s had it out for me for a while.”
“And what did Jamie have to do with your accident?” Travis asked with a scowl. He didn’t like where this was going.
“Not a thing. I mean, she was there – but so was the whole squad, and at least half the parents who were chaperoning. It was just … everyone rushed together, and I was … I fell somehow.”
He glanced over at her. “Were you about to say that you were pushed?”
She shrugged. “Everyone was pushing and shoving, we were caught up in a whole crowd of people. Everyone surged forward at once and …”
“Do me a favor, darlin’?”
“What kind of favor?”
“Don’t bullshit me?” He knew it was a risk to talk to her like that, but he was hoping it might just startle her into telling him the truth.
It didn’t startle her, but it did the trick. Her shoulders slumped. “Okay, but whatever I tell you, you mustn’t under any circumstances repeat it to Callie.”
He didn’t say anything – he wasn’t going to make a promise he didn’t know he could keep.
“I mean it, Travis. I don’t want her to know. It’ll only cause more trouble. Are we clear?”
He thought it about for a moment before he said, “We’re clear.” That didn’t mean he was promising anything – just that he was clear about how she felt.
She didn’t say anything for a while. By the time he turned off the road and into his driveway, he couldn’t take it any longer. Just when he was about to ask again what had happened, she spoke.
“I wasn’t bullshitting you that everyone was pushing and shoving. I just … Jamie was doing more than that. She fought her way past people to get closer to me, and she …” She let out a short laugh. “She had this crazy look in her eyes. I asked if she was okay, and she didn’t even answer me. She just got behind me. When we got close to the railing, she shoved me into it, and I fell. Have you ever been surrounded by stampeding humans? It’s the scariest thing on Earth.”
Travis scowled but didn’t comment.
“It was scary enough being carried along with them, but when I went down, I thought I might be trampled to death. Jamie appeared above me, and I thought she was going to help me up, but she … She stomped on my leg. I’m sure she didn’t mean to break it – It’s not what you’d expect under the circumstances. I’m sure she only meant to hurt me. But my leg was at a weird angle against the railing, and my bones are brittle.” She laughed. “One of the many joys of getting older, is that I have osteoporosis. So …”
Travis was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
“Travis?”
“Be right with you, darlin’.” He needed to calm down before he spoke. He was furious that some woman could do something like that to her. That any human being would do that to another.
He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly.
“Look on the bright side – at least I didn’t get trampled to death.”
He glanced over at her. “How can you make light of it?”
She shrugged. “What else can I do?”
He scowled. “I know what I’d like to do.”
“Aww, thank you, sweetie.”
“Seriously, Retta. You need to do something – say something. Surely, the school will ...”
“No. She’s on the board. If I start throwing accusations around, she’ll turn it back on me somehow, and I’ll end up out of a job. She’s had run-ins with people before – they’re all gone, and she’s still there.”
“Would it be so terrible to be out of a job if you have to work around people like her?”
They’d reached the house, and he brought the truck to a stop before turning to her. “You keep saying that your life’s there, but …” He stopped when she met his gaze.
“I know! I … dammit, Travis. Do you know how hard it is to keep Callie convinced that everything’s rosy? Jamie’s made my life miserable for the last couple of years. But I feel like I’m between the proverbial rock and hard place.”
“How’s that?”
“You know what I mean – I don’t want to come barging my way into Callie’s life.”
Travis clenched his jaw.
“What? What’s that look for?”
“Because you’re a damn stubborn woman, Loretta Rayne.”
Her eyes widened and she sat back in her seat. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You’re stubborn.” He couldn’t keep the scowl off his face. “I get stubborn – understand it even. But, darlin’, you ain’t stupid. So, face the facts, would ya? Your daughter wants you in her life – in the everyday routine of life. You want to be around her. You have a whole bunch of family-in-law and wannabe friends who’d all love it if you moved here. You haven’t talked about one damn thing about your life in Georgia as though you love it. And now you’re telling me that you have some psycho crazy woman who broke your leg and could still do who knows what else to you if you go back there.”
He blew out a big sigh. “And I’m sorry. I’m not yelling at you. I know I have no right but …” He met her gaze. “I’d say the same to anyone in your situation, Retta. It’d bother me to know that anyone was in your shoes. But you’re not just anyone. I might not have a right to, but I care.”
She inhaled sharply, and he waited. He was fully aware that she’d have every right to bitch him out. He’d called her stubborn – he wasn’t going to take it back, but he could see that it was hardly likely to endear him to her.
He held her gaze and waited. The seconds seemed to stretch into minutes while they stared into each other’s eyes. A wave of relief washed over him when she laughed.
“Damn, Travis. Say it like it is, why don’t you?”
He gave her a rueful smile. “I couldn’t keep it zipped. Do you want me to take you back to Callie’s place?”
She sat up a little straighter. “Hell no! Unless you’re saying that you don’t want a stubborn woman’s touch in your cabins.”
He chuckled. “Not what I meant.”
“Okay, then. I don’t want to talk about it, but I will concede that you might have a point.”
“Yeah?”
She blew out a sigh. “Yeah. Like you said, I’m not stupid. I’ve been wondering for a while if it’s not time for me to give up some old habits.”
“What kind of habits?”
“Thinking habits mostly, I guess. I told myself some stories about how things were in my life – and in Callie’s life. I made some rules for myself based on those stories – rules about how I live.”
He waited, but when she didn’t continue, he filled in the gaps. “And lately you’ve been wondering if those stories are true?”
“Yeah.”
“Were those stories the ones about how you let Callie down, and you didn’t do enough for her?”
She nodded.
“Then, I reckon it’s definitely time to give up your habits – and burn those damn stories. They’re all lies. They might have gotten you through something – I dunno. But they’re not doing you any good now. They’re getting in the way of you making your daughter happy.”
He smiled. “You couldn’t give her what you wanted to when she was a kid, but you can give her what she wants now. You can come and live here.”
She nodded slowly. “I could.”
He smiled. “You can.”
She shook her head at him, but at least she was smiling back.
“Want me to drop it for now, and make you a cup of coffee instead?”
He knew that was the right move when she visibly relaxed. “Please.”
He left the wheelchair in the back and went straight to her door. When he lifted her out, she looked around for the chair, and he chuckled.
“I’ll come back for it. I need my coffee, and besides, this way’s more fun.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him as he strode up the steps to the front door. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t seem to have a problem with it. In fact, from the way she snuggled against him, it seemed that she liked him carrying her. She couldn’t like it as much as he did – he just hoped that being in his arms like this felt even half as good to her as it did to him.