Chapter 24
Mace
A Little Over a Week Later
The low rattle on the bar top filled the silence before my Thursday night shift kicked off. A faint vibration from my phone cut through the steady quiet of the place, making me glance up to pretend to see whose phone needed attention.
I searched the saloon, only seeing the usual rows of tables and chairs, not the camera that Slade must have had installed.
My chuckle allowed the crazy thought to develop.
He installed a sneaky spyware camera trying to watch me.
Such a ridiculous idea, but seriously, how did Slade always know where I was and what time I was there?
“You aren’t foolin’ anyone. Everybody knows you got a new girlfriend,” Charlie, my uncle, said from down the bar where he finished up his shift.
“Do I?” I said, reaching for the heavy ice bucket, lifting it to dump inside the basin.
With several loud clanks, the ice dropped into the bin, hopefully drowning out Uncle Charlie.
This wasn’t the first time I’d heard these new suspicions in the bar.
They started last weekend. Nothing I said seemed to change anyone’s mind.
He wasn’t wrong, I guess. I had found a special love, no question there. I loved Slade and he loved me. I only wished that crazy good love came with a single text message a day rather than the dozens I got. Even one every twelve hours worked for me. Then I could get some shit done in my day.
“Well, I wish that love interest would leave me alone long enough to catch a breath,” I said, using my short sleeve to remove a layer of sweat resting on my brow.
The cackle Uncle Charlie gave said many things. I took it as a kindred comradery of dealing with all things girlfriend—or in my case, boyfriend—rang true. “They ain’t good at lettin’ that happen, son. It’s against their nature.”
The laughter must have been a really good memory he was now lost to as he grabbed his till and started to cash out.
As I reached for my phone, it vibrated again. I had two missed text messages. I quickly opened the first to see what I missed. Both were from Slade.
“You have a minute before work. Tell me you love me,” Slade texted.
“Great, now the minute’s gone and you didn’t reply. What’re you doing that you can’t reply?”
Another popped up while I was reading the screen.
“Oh, is Charlie around? That’s an acceptable excuse to miss my love notes.”
Like always, I locked onto his words as if nothing mattered more. My grin spread wider as I created a silly reply, one sure to aggravate my guy.
“I’m glad I got your permission to lead my life today. Nobody’s here. I was just taking a minute to myself,” I typed teasingly and pushed send.
The dots drumming on the bottom were instantaneous. Only seconds passed before his reply, “It took you long enough to figure out who’s the alpha between us. Now tell me you love me.”
Due to me being in joking mode, I placed the phone face-down on the counter as the front doors opened and both my parents walked through.
My gaze went to the time. At four o’clock on a Thursday, they should be settling down, preparing for the weekend and all the rides home they planned to offer the customers.
“Hey, Mom,” I said to her smiling face. “What’s goin’ on?”
I propped my ass against the edge of the back counter, crossed my arms over my chest, and glanced past her to my dad who winced, which didn’t bode well. He wasn’t here by choice.
“I believe… We believe…” She patted the back of her hand against my father’s chest absently as she beelined for me. “That you’re keepin’ secrets from us. We went by your place and saw the changes.”
Her tone held all sorts of accusation, but she wasn’t sure where to place it, except on me.
“Everyone’s seen the changes, son,” my dad said apologetically, taking a seat next to my standing mom, as they both stared at me.
I blinked then blinked again, proud of my parents for not confronting me weeks ago when the semi’s started driving through town on their way to my property.
“I feel like you know the answers already,” I teased.
“Is this fancy woman we’re hearin’ about the reason for your refuge?” my mom asked.
I glanced at my father to see if he had the same question. He shrugged, meaning he did and he was sorry for it.
“Maybe you don’t know the answers,” I said, pushing forward to pour another drink for the patron raising an empty mug in the air.
“No fancy woman. The state’s got some help available that I applied for,” I said, concentrating on the pour.
“Right now, it’s considered a loan, but if I follow through, it’ll be a grant. ”
“You’re kiddin’,” my dad said, slapping his hands together. “That’s great news.”
“So what about the new woman? How’s she involved?” my mom asked, excitedly. “I always wanted him to be with someone…”
I let her spin and went around the bar to place the new beer on the table, taking the empty glass. I glanced over my shoulder in my mom’s direction, rolling my eyes for the table to see. The cackle of laughter helped secure my efforts at hiding.
“Mom, seriously. I’d tell you if that were true.”
“Mace.” Her palm slapped gently down on the bar top, giving a noticeable pop against the old wood. “I want grandbabies.”
Her sudden delight turned to aggravation as her eyes narrowed at me.
“Mama, one thing at a time. Do you have animals? How does it work?” my father asked.
“I’ve been workin’ with a quarter horse organization. I got a new stallion,” I said, placing the mug in the dirty dishes tub under the bar, feeding my father a metaphorical apple like I did Whiskey.
“You’ve ridden again and we didn’t know?” my mom shot out. Clearly her feelings were all over the place, currently locked into hurt. I knew her well. She’d let it go and be happy for me if I gave her a minute.
“Mom, it was a lot on me. This has been happenin’ pretty quick and I’m determined not to fuck it up with my own head issues, so I’m goin’ with it. I need you to too.”
Thankfully, she let that sink in then smiled her small smile and met me between where she had sat and the edge of the bar top, arms open wide. Ready for a hug I readily gave. “This wasn’t what I hoped, but still very good.”
“Mom, I’m sure all of your grandbabies need to be had by Lori. I’m not interested in havin’ children,” I said into her thick head of hair.
“You didn’t always feel that way, Mace,” she said, cocking her head to stare up at me.
“I know.” I patted the top of her head and placed both hands on her biceps, using force to remove her tight grip on me. She never made it easy.
“When do we get to see what you’re doin’ out there?” my dad asked.
“Any day next week. That’s why I switched to Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. I was surprised you didn’t ask about that,” I said, heading for the jukebox, manhandling it aside until I was able to plug it into the electrical socket.
The music began before I was able to carefully nudge the box back in place.
“Honey, we try to give you room,” my mom said.
“Mama, he knows you’re lyin’ when you say that,” my dad said, caught in the act of leaning over the bar top and reaching to grab a cold Corona. Not the first time he’d made that move, or the following move where he twisted off the cap and let it fly to the trash can, nailing the landing.
As the first chords of a Garth Brooks song filled the air, I went back to the bar and rearranged the liquor bottles in my preferred placement for fast pours.
“Ignore your father, son. I do give you room,” she said as if her words held truth. They still didn’t. Dad and I both knew it.
“Look, I’m tryin’ to not allow myself to be freaked out. I will if y’all make a big deal about all this,” I explained, handing her a cold can of Dr. Pepper Zero. “How’s Lori? I haven’t heard anything since she had the baby.”
“She’s okay. Angry. Like always,” my father answered then took a long swig of his beer before continuing.
“Maybe I’ll go by her place tomorrow before work,” I said. “Let her give me some chores to do.” As I spoke, the front doors banged open. Four or five dusty construction workers came inside, loud and ready for a good time.
Here we went, another Thursday night ready to log into the record books.
=?=
Slade
A Few Days Later
The jonesing for Mace was getting the best of me.
Same as every other day since I’d left Texas, but this time, I was practically home.
My heart latched onto the simple comfort of knowing I had someone waiting on me to arrive.
It meant dreams did come true. My heartbeat picked up when I spotted Mace, leaning against the bumper of the hood of his truck.
The cowboy hat was a new staple to his wardrobe, he wore it all the time.
So was the close crop cap of hair. He complained about the crazy style his loose curls made when he was hot and sweaty.
Since I loved that look, reminding me of when we first met, I’d snapped a picture before he went for the buzz cut.
He also regularly wore a goatee with a bit of a beard hanging off his chin.
The closer I got, the more my thighs thrilled at the anticipated tickle of those sexy whiskers.
My heart locked on my cowboy as I listened to my pilot talking into his headphones and mic to Nico, who went with me everywhere. I was four hours into this rushed travel plan. I only had twenty-one hours left before jetting off again. We needed to land this bitch.
“Sir, you’re clear. Watch your head and stay toward the nose,” the pilot said seconds before I ripped off the headphones and left them dangling as I slid the door open.
I left the rest of my belongings inside the helicopter as I hopped down to the skids and took off in a crouched jog, heading toward my target.
The whomp-whomp of the blades and the flying dust had me squinting but not stopping.
Mace lifted his sunglass-covered gaze to me, standing straight when I got within ten feet of him.