12. Travis
CHAPTER 12
Travis
“Wren.” The moment I spotted my little sister, I rounded the bar and pulled her into a big hug. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Hey, big brother.” Wren laughed out, patting my back as I let her go to give her a once over. Her honey blonde hair was longer than it had been the last time I saw her, and she was wearing a baby blue button up along with her Wranglers and the boots Dad bought her before she set out for Montana. “Don’t tell me you missed me that much? It’s only been a few months.”
“Long enough.” I muttered. I had to admit my little sister leaving home wasn’t a feeling I got used to. I suspected if Finn left home, I’d feel the same strange absence.
Wren said, “I stopped by to see Mom and Dad first, and they told me you’d be here terrorizing your customers, threatening them to get a drink or get the hell out. ” She did a shit job at imitating my voice. “You know, the usual.”
I merely grunted in response to her teasing.
“How long are you in town for?”
“About that—” She yelped as Finn snuck up behind her and threw his arm around her shoulders. He put her in a headlock for a second before she punched him good in the ribs, making him release her with a groan. Her smile was as smug as my little brother’s when he was being a little shit disturber. When they were together they were quite the pair, and a pain in my ass. Back then I was always wrangling them into behaving. I doubted that would change no matter how old they were.
“What the hell are you doing here and why am I only finding out now?” Finn asks with a huge smile.
“I’ve got to keep you on your toes. It’s more fun that way.” Wren playfully made to punch him, and he dodged before putting his fists up. I rolled my eyes as they started this stupid habit they’ve always had when they were kids—sparring every chance they got—and it usually ended whenever Dad or I stepped in to stop them. I bet one punch from either of the Adler twins now would send a grown man straight to the hospital.
“If you’re gonna pull that shit, take it outside,” I said flatly.
“You’re no fun,” my sister said with a huff, dropping her hands but Finn, per usual, just ignored me. He ruffled her hair until she threw an elbow into his side. Children . They were still children. “And here I was thinking you were dying to see me again after you were practically begging me to come home as soon as I left.”
“Shut up, you know I’m happy you’re here.” It was my turn to ruffle her hair.
Patrons started to stare at the three of us now, and it was then that I noticed that Delilah was also watching us from behind the bar. A small smile on her full lips. I suddenly had the urge to kiss that smile right off her face and I forced myself to look away from her .
You can’t. Because you are friends, remember? Friends.
For some reason hearing Delilah refer to us as friends got under my skin in a way I hadn’t been counting on. Which is ridiculous because that’s exactly what I wanted. I wanted her in my life for longer than a few seconds before she bolted. So why the hell did I get this twisted feeling in my stomach?
“Really? She’s here?” I heard Wren ask incredulously from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder and frowned when I found Finn whispering something into my sister’s ear. Her lips were quirked up, growing wider into a grin the longer Finn said whatever he was saying to her. When they both looked at me with nearly identical expressions on their faces, I was tempted to drag them by the back of their shirts and kick them out of my bar.
Wren’s eyes shifted over my shoulder, and she arched one brow before walking right past me. I scowled at her as she went straight up to the bar and said, “Lila!”
Delilah blinked, about to reach for a glass on the shelf when she hollered her name.
Wren rested her forearms on the bar, “I didn’t know you were working here.”
Ignoring the glare I was giving him, Finn sidled up to them next.
“If you’re not going to get anything, leave,” I said as I made my way around the bar.
Delilah looked between us, and I realized I’d moved to stand right next to her.
“I’ll have an ice water. Thanks.” Wren waved a dismissive hand my way as she talked to Delilah.
The rest of the night went that way. My siblings hounding Delilah every chance they got to catch up with her, all while cracking jokes at my expense .
I went about my business serving a few bar regulars, including the old men who had nothing better to do than gossip amongst themselves.
I thought my sister paying us a visit would be the end of the excitement for one night.
I was wrong, because the next person who walked into my bar was none other than Victor Ward, looking as if he owned the place when he sauntered over to the bar with a shit eating grin.
Most of the patrons at The Rusty Pint went deathly silent as soon as Victor’s boots hit the hardwood floor, openly staring at him.
There wasn’t a single person in The Pint who regarded him with love. Not after what his father did some years back. Victor’s father had been caught rustling cattle from another ranch when we were in high school, and the first time he had the money to post bail. Turns out, the second time wasn’t a charm. A few years later, Dad told me that the eldest Ward was serving time for stealing upward of twenty cattle and trying to sell them at a livestock auction.
Nowadays, I heard Victor Ward wasn’t any better than his father. Always causing trouble wherever he went. The only Ward I didn’t mind seeing in my bar was Logan, Finn’s best friend, who was also coincidentally standing by the pool table. Based on the look of disdain on the youngest Ward’s face, I’d say he wasn’t a big fan of his brother either.
“I’ll have a Bud. Make it a bottle,” Victor said to Desi in a dismissive tone as soon as he walked up to the bar. She made no move to get him a drink after he barely spared her a glance.
I crossed my arms as I stopped to stand next to her, but he ignored me, turning around to survey the bar with interest. I was about to tell him to get out of my bar when he turned in his stool and zeroed in on Delilah.
“Well, look who we have here. Lila North.” Victor’s voice was a dry rasp that grated on my ears. More so when her name fell from his lips.
I placed the beer I’d been about to serve to another customer down behind the counter. Hating the way he was eyeing Delilah. The way she was ignoring him but visibly uncomfortable with his presence as she stood next to me.
Yeah, he wasn’t staying another second longer.
“Hey.” He slapped a hand down hard on the counter, and I saw her flinch from the corner of my eye. “Didn’t your mom teach you any manners?—”
“Do. Not . Talk to her.” I cut in.
“Travis, good to see you man.” Victor grinned before looking between us. “I can’t say I’m surprised you’re still running this dump. Trash likes trash after all.”
“Well, you would know.”
“I’d shut my mouth if I were you, Ward,” Finn said as he came around Wren’s stool and blocked her from his view. Based on the glare my sister was leveling him with, I’d say she could handle herself if he tried anything. Not that I’d let it get to that.
Victor raised his hands. “Hey, man. I’m just here to get a drink and have a good time. Just like everyone else.”
“Go somewhere else to do that then.” I nodded to the doorway. “You’re not welcome here, in case you forgot about the last time I kicked you out.”
“That’s harsh. You know we could have really been friends before you went all crazy over a piece of?—”
“Do you remember what happened the last time you opened your big mouth in front of me? Because I do.” I placed my hands on the bar top, feeling Delilah’s eyes on me as well as everyone else’s. I didn’t care. No one talked about her like that in front of me. I smirked as I watched Victor rub a hand over his face, his index finger lingering on his crooked nose as if he was remembering how I’d made him eat his own words.
But then he said as he raked his eyes over Delilah. “Oh, I remember. Trust me, I remember everything.”
Before he could see it coming, my hand shot out and I gripped the front of his shirt, yanking him to me. Victor’s eyes widened, and I would have laughed if I wasn’t so pissed. I pulled him close and said, “I broke your nose for talking about her last time. What do you think I’ll do to you if you look at her like that again? Try me. I dare you.”
“Travis!” I felt Delilah’s hands on my back. Warm and gentle just like her voice as she said, “It’s okay. Just…stop. He’s not worth it.”
I shoved Victor away, making him stumble off his stool and sending it clattering to the floor. His face was red as he looked at me, but whatever he saw on my face made him falter.
“Victor.” A deep voice cut through and he turned to face his brother. “Just walk away, man.”
The Ward brothers stared each other down for a long moment before Victor scoffed and shoved past Logan, the latter appearing unphased by his brother’s behavior. Victor muttered curses under his breath as he stormed out of the bar.
As soon as the door closed behind him, the bar erupted in cheers and hollers. The music from the jukebox blared to life with Brooks and Dunn’s “Play Something Country” all while I kept glaring at the door, waiting for Victor to stomp back in.
“Good job getting the crowd pumped, boss. Imagine what would have happened if you got into a fist fight.” Desi beamed enthusiastically as people started to gather around the bar, ordering more drinks and congratulating me on taking out the trash. Their words, not mine. “Now that’s something I’d pay to see.”
I ignored her. Not in the mood to joke around.
“Travis?”
I turned, feeling Delilah’s soft hands slide off my back as I faced her. Her touch like a brand against my skin. One I didn’t realize I’d missed up until now.
We stared at each other for one long minute. The world around us melted away as I looked at her beautiful face and wondered how the hell I could have gone four years without her.
Not a mistake I’ll make again.
“Why did you do that?” I almost couldn’t hear her over the ruckus people were making.
I didn’t hesitate. “You know why, darlin’.”
Her gaze turned gentle then. With an appreciative nod and a small smile, she turned to help Desi man the bar.
“Well, damn. I forgot how fun it is to be back home,” Wren said from her stool, making Finn laugh.
I could only roll my eyes.
The rest of Delilah’s first shift went by without incident. Taking over for Desi so she could go on a break, I’d kept an eye on Delilah in case she needed help making a drink. Considering she didn’t drink and had never worked behind a bar, I was surprised by her natural ease and quick learning on the job—as always, she struck me stupid. But not as much as seeing her direct one of her beautiful smiles at one of The Rusty Pint’s bar regulars, Saul. He’d been coming here since before I bought the bar from the last owners. He was also a shameless old flirt.
I caught her glancing at her cellphone on the rare occasion we weren’t too busy, and I knew she was checking in on River. She couldn’t help herself, and I wasn’t about to tell her not to text my mother if she was worried.
When Desi came back from her break, I wandered back into my office to renew the bar’s registration and cursed while I looked for a folder in the filing cabinets until I finally gave up. I’d talk to Desi about rearranging the paperwork again tomorrow.
I swear that woman had it out for me. Someone needed to teach her how to properly organize things. What made sense to her didn’t make sense to me, or any sane person for that matter. Just because everything was color coordinated or alphabetized didn’t mean it was right.
Once I noticed it was time for Delilah to get off shift, I shut off my computer and locked up the office to take over for her so that she could head to the ranch and collect River.
“Come on, honey! Just have one shot with us, that’s all. I’m beggin’ here.”
Stepping out onto the floor, I spotted Delilah standing behind the bar, facing three older men, including Saul. They all looked a little more on the tipsy side, but they were good men. Harmless really. I know this because anytime Desi had to announce a last call and one of them tried to convince her to serve one more drink, one glare from the fiery redhead sent them paying their tab that instant. They didn’t argue with me when I was behind the bar. If anything, they scurried away the moment I took over for Desi for the remainder of the night.
But tonight, it appeared neither Jake nor Desi were around. Leaving Delilah alone with a grinning Saul who slid a shot glass her way.
I frowned as she shook her head while saying politely, “I couldn’t do that, Saul. That shot’s for you, you ordered it.”
“Don’t you worry about it! C’mon. One drink!” This time Saul was supported by his two friends, all of them sporting excited grins as they watched Delilah with an eagerness that rubbed me the wrong way. Why the hell were they looking at her like she hung the moon? I could chalk it up to the amount of alcohol they consumed up to this point, but it didn’t mean I had to like it.
Did I have a right to feel this way? Probably not.
After Victor’s little visit, I was just about done with tonight. The last thing I needed was to kick Saul and his buddies out.
I tensed at the same time she did when Saul inched the shot closer. She was clearly at war with, once again, trying to reject his offer and confessing what I knew weighed heavily on her mind.
Delilah didn’t drink. As a rule, as a way of living, she didn’t drink. Not wanting to become dependent on something to make her feel good in the moment like Irene did.
I knew that was Delilah’s greatest fear—becoming like Irene.
Seeing her conflict etched across the furrow of her brows and flat line of her usually full lips, I was moving before I realized what I was doing. Just as Saul and the guys started to chant, “Drink, drink, drink!”
“No, really I’d rather not—” She swallowed nervously while they continued chanting, ignoring her completely.
Before her dainty fingers could graze the curve of the glass to push it back toward Saul, I snatched it up. Delilah gasped, looking at me with wide eyes. I took a second to lose myself in her eyes before I downed the shot in one go. The liquid hit my tongue and warmed my throat as I swallowed the tequila down and I found it impossible to tear my eyes away from the woman before me as she kept staring at me. Her lips parted in surprise.
I forced a grin, remembering we had an audience and trying not to kill Saul for pressuring her to drink when she clearly said no.
Because she was my friend and employee.
Yeah, that’s the only reason why—because she’s your employee .
“Stop trying to scare my girl away. I need all the help I can get if I’m going to wrangle you assholes out of here every night. Let her work in peace,” I told the guys.
Saul’s mouth opened and closed like some gaping fish. If I wasn’t trying to rein in my bubbling anger toward the men who frequented The Rusty Pint since it first opened, I would have laughed at the petrified look on their flushed faces.
“Sorry, ma’am,” one of them said to Delilah.
Before they could say anything more, I turned to face Delilah, who was sporting a shocked expression of her own. As if she couldn’t wrap her head around what I’d just done. Hell, I didn’t know why I’d done it either. All I knew was that I hated the panicked look on her face, and I wanted to erase it from existence.
“Why don’t you head out? I’ll take over,” I finally said.
“Are you sure?” She glanced between me and the guys.
I set the glass down and placed my hands on her slender shoulders, steering her away and giving her a gentle nudge. “I’m sure. Get going before it gets too late. Careful on the road.”
With a nod, she headed toward the break room down the hall, most likely to retrieve her bag. I tried to focus on anything but the curves of her body, closing my fists to trap the heat that seemed to sear my palms after touching her shoulders. It wasn’t like I hadn’t touched her before.
In much more intimate places, with far less clothes involved?—
Nope. Not going there. The last thing I needed was to fantasize about my ex-girlfriend.
That first year after she broke things off and we stopped talking all together, I can admit I was hurt. Really confused and angry. No woman had ever made me feel the way Delilah had—made me question everything, including what I’d meant to her—and I hadn’t wanted to feel that way anymore. I didn’t want to give her that power over me.
So, I did what she said she wanted four years ago.
I tried to move on. I went out with a woman if she caught my eye at a bar. I went on dates that never led to more. Not because I didn’t find the women I was with attractive or interesting to talk to. They just…weren’t right for me.
Because try as I did, I could never stop thinking about the one woman I’d wanted like I wanted air to breathe. It wasn’t just a physical connection between me and Delilah. Not like it had been with the other women I’d slept with in the past. I’d cared for her in a way I knew I’d never care for another woman. There was history that neither distance nor time could erase.
Shortly after buying The Rusty Pint, I’d had one bad night. I was exhausted that day, had been working at the ranch and needed to unwind at the bar with the guys. I’d gotten so drunk that night that the only thing I recalled was typing out a text meant for Delilah right as Mindy Kerrigan sauntered her way over. She kissed me or maybe I’d kissed her, and somewhere down the line she’d tried to get me to the bathroom to fool around by pulling me off the stool .
Then something clicked into place. Stark realization that I couldn’t— wouldn’t —find what I wanted in anyone other than Delilah. And wasn’t that a slap to the face?
I wanted the one person who wanted nothing to do with me, and try as I did, I couldn’t replace her. Didn’t want to keep trying to replace her when I knew it was impossible.
To this day I still remember the look of sheer horror and a little disgust on Mindy Kerrigan’s face when I’d all but fallen out of my stool to get away from her before I blacked out on the floor. Dad didn’t let me live that down the next morning after Finn hauled me through the front door.
After that the thought of touching another woman had repulsed every inch of my body, so much that I would have preferred a concussion over sharing any part of myself with anyone who wasn’t her. Did I still consider it a few times when my hand just didn’t cut it some nights? Yeah, I definitely did. But that was as far as it ever went.
I couldn’t do it. Our breakup did a number on me I wasn’t too willing to reveal to her.
Damn, she really did ruin me four years ago, and I had a feeling it ruined her too. If only on a completely different scale. For a different reason...
The sound of a cellphone ringing stirred me awake. I opened my eyes, immediately finding Delilah sleeping across my chest. The stars painted the night sky, greeting me between the leaves of the willow tree.
I frowned when the sound of my phone ringing didn’t stop. I gently ran a hand over Delilah’s back, kissing the top of her head as I maneuvered her off me. She let out a soft sigh as she settled onto the pillow as I covered her up with the blankets, taking my time to admire her before reaching for my phone.
My dad’s name popped up on the screen and I answered, concern already taking over given how late it was.
“Dad?” I murmured.
“Travis, is Lila with you?” The sound of his strained voice instantly put me on high alert.
“Yeah, she’s with me.” Given the knowing glances I’d seen him and Mom exchanging every time I mentioned Delilah this summer, I’m pretty sure they knew something was starting between us. Probably long before we did. Not that I cared if they knew. I wanted them to know. I’d have to talk to them about our relationship soon because there was no way in hell I was letting her go now. “Why?”
I heard voices in the background, one of them belonging to my mother. Before I could ask where they were, my dad said, “You need to bring her over to the hospital, son. Now.”
Something heavy sank in the pit of my stomach.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Irene’s boyfriend called an ambulance tonight for her. She’d taken something and it…she’s in the hospital right now. We’re here with her grandfather in the waiting room to hear some news. All I know is that it’s bad, son. Please, get Lila here.”
I hung up and sat there, staring down at my phone. My heart started beating harder in my chest. Dread filling every inch of me, washing away the last few hours we shared together. And now I had to ruin everything by telling her that her mother was ? —
“Travis?” Delilah’s soft voice snapped me out of my panic. I looked over my shoulder to see her staring up at me with tired eyes, a soft smile on her lips. “What are you doing? ”
I swallowed. I cupped her cheek and kissed her once, hating that I needed to give her the worst news she’d probably ever get.
“Delilah, there’s something I have to tell you…”
That night still follows me around whenever I think about it. The good that was blurred out by the bad.
Now seeing her nearly every day, casually brushing past her and catching her sweet scent when she turned around to reach for a glass, touching her the way I had earlier—it would only make it harder on me. Because she wanted a friend . Not a boyfriend or anything that could lead to more between us. I wasn’t about to push her for anything she didn’t want to give. I’d learned my lesson that same night. So that meant I needed to put some distance between us.
Keep things strictly as friends.
Which meant no more touching her. No more thinking about her in the way I had been today. I could admire her for being an incredible woman and a selfless guardian to River. But that was it. That was all it could be.
I was about to turn and head back to Saul as he waved me down when I heard her call my name. “Travis?”
“Yeah?” I forced myself to turn and look at her.
There was gratitude in her shining brown eyes as she said. “Thank you for today. With…Victor.”
I swallowed thickly. “Have a good night, Delilah.”