Welcome Back to Rambling, TX

by June Faver

  “Daddy, what have you done?”

  He was grinning. “I just called my good friend, Vern Garland. We’re both members of the Elks, y’know?” He raked his fingers through his hair. “And the Veterans of Foreign Wars…and we are the founders of the Rambling Cruisers Classic Car Club.” He nodded as though this should impress her with the solidarity of their friendship.

  “Are you talking about Sheriff Vernon Garland, my friend Jill’s dad?”

  “Damn right.” Henry’s grin was so wide it appeared his face might break.

  Reggie pulled the drapes aside to see a patrol car pulled up behind Kenny’s truck. Two uniformed deputies climbed out, weapons drawn. Her heart fluttered in her chest. “Are they going to shoot him?”

  “I hope so.”

  “Not funny, Daddy.”

  The deputies ordered Kenny out of the truck. He threw the door open and came out yelling and red-faced. Waving his hands, he approached the officers. One officer grabbed him by the arm, spun him around and slammed him against the truck’s fender while the other stood by, his weapon pointed at Kenny.

  “Hah! Way to go, gentlemen.”

  “Daddy!”

  “Well, I never could stand that guy.”

  She raised her brows as high as possible. “Oh, really? Name one male I ever dated who you did like.”

  Henry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, there was that one guy…”

  Reggie noted that Kenny had been handcuffed and was being loaded into the back of the deputy’s vehicle. “Daddy, you have to know that I’m in love with Frank Bell. Don’t worry. I don’t think he cares that much for me.” She shrugged. “It’s not like we have anything in common.” She turned to find her father frowning at her. “What?”

  “All this ‘things in common’ stuff is a lot of hooey. Your mother and I didn’t have that much in common. We got married, and guess what?”

  “What?”

  “We got things in common. We had a budget. We had bills. We had the store. We had a kid.” He waved his hand in her direction. “But we loved each other, so we worked it out. Just find someone you can love as much as your mom and I loved each other. That’s all it takes.” He flapped his hand at her as though she was being totally frivolous.

  She frowned. “What are you saying?”

  Henry opened the drape and waved. “There goes Kenny. Hope they lock him up for a hundred years.” He turned to face Reggie. “Here’s what I’m saying. I don’t hate Franklin Bell.”

  “You don’t hate—”

  “No, I don’t. He seems to be a responsible young man.”

  Reggie was stunned. She couldn’t recall her father ever approving of anyone she had been involved with. Of course, that amounted to a couple of nerdy high school boys before Kenny…and now Frank. “Well—well, I’m glad you like him because I’m crazy about him.” I just haven’t heard from him.

  Henry nodded. “Good to know.”

  * * *

  The next day brought a ton of work. Seeing Kenny being hauled away in handcuffs had brought her a sense of relief, at least for the evening. She had slept well and awoke feeling rested.

  But as the day progressed, so did her anxiety. She wasn’t naive enough to think spending the night in jail would deter Kenny from whatever he intended to do. She hoped he wasn’t serious about wanting to spend time with Shannon. Surely he didn’t intend to do the dad thing. It just wasn’t in his nature.

  “Here’s the last of them.” Gayle slid another folder onto her desk.

  “More invoices?”

  “Yep. You can put them off until tomorrow, if you like. It’s getting dark outside.”

  Reggie glanced out the window and noted that, indeed, night had fallen and it was black outside. Thankfully, there was a full moon to brighten the sky. “Why don’t you go on home, Gayle? I’ll just sign off on these and put the folder on your desk.”

  Gayle glanced toward the door. “Okay, if you don’t mind. I need to run by the grocery store on my way home.” She stood and headed out.

  “I’ll be right behind you.”

  “See you tomorrow.” Gayle gave her a little wave as she left the office.

  Reggie moved the picture of Shannon atop her desk, smiling as she did so. She sighed and picked up her pen again. Going over every invoice was important. She had found several errors in the billing and refused to authorize any invoice for payment unless she had examined it personally and signed off on each one.

  When she finally pushed her chair back, she stretched her cramped limbs before standing up. She took her purse out of the bottom drawer and picked up the folder, dropping it on top of Gayle’s desk. Taking a last look around the deserted office, she flipped off the lights and stepped outside. It only took a few moments for her to find her keys and match one with the front lock. She turned to see her solitary car parked nearby, gleaming in the bright moonlight.

  Her footsteps crunched in the gravel as she crossed to her vehicle. She clicked the remote and heard the comforting chirp. She had just reached for the door handle when she was jerked backward.

  “Surprise.” Kenny’s voice was rough, close to her ear, and he reeked of alcohol. “You think you can screw me over and I’ll just walk away?” He maintained his grip on her arm, making it impossible to move.

  “Stop. Let me go.”

  Kenny huffed out a single laugh. “You don’t tell me what to do.” He slammed her against the car, knocking the breath out of her.

  “P-please stop. You’re hurting me.”

  “You think you’re so high and mighty now.” He pulled her back against his chest, his breath hot against her cheek. “With your fancy office and all those people kissing your ass.”

  Reggie tried to control her fear, but her voice came out all thready. “I’m not like that, Kenny. What do you want?” She braced herself for his response.

  “What do I want?” His grip tightened. “I want what’s due me. If you want to stay in your little ivory tower with our kid, you need to pay me for that privilege.”

  An epic shiver convulsed her body. “P-pay you?”

  “Yeah. You wouldn’t have none of that without me. And I’ll do what it takes to get the kid if you don’t play ball.”

  “Kenny, I don’t think—”

  “Shut up. You just don’t know when to shut up.” He raised his free hand as though to strike her.

  “No, don’t,” she screamed.

  Heart thudding against her ribs, Reggie tried to twist out of his grasp, but he held her in a punishing grip.

  Headlights washed the parking lot as a car pulled in and came to an abrupt stop, the tires spewing gravel.

  “Get your hands off her.” It was Frank. He was out of his BMW and coming on fast.

  Kenny made a growling sound. “Well, if it ain’t the pretty boy from school. Didn’t I whip your ass enough back then?” He spat out a derisive laugh.

  Frank snorted. “Apparently not. Let Reggie go.”

  Kenny released her and swung around, his fists raised. “I’m gonna kill you.”

  “Reggie, move away.” Frank dodged a roundhouse punch, but Kenny managed to grasp Frank’s shirt, popping off the buttons as it ripped down the front. Frank shrugged out of it and danced away from Kenny’s powerful punches.

  Reggie shrank away, rubbing her bruised wrist as she ran toward the fence. Gasping for breath, she turned to see Frank take a running leap, landing one foot in Kenny’s midsection. Kenny let out a grunt and fell backward with a thud, landing hard against her car.

  He cursed and rebounded, his fist raised, but as he attempted to punch Frank, he was caught off-balance. Frank grabbed his wrist and spun him around, flipping him face-first down onto the gravel. “Call the sheriff’s office.”

  Reggie glanced around for her purse, finally locating it near her front tire. She fum
bled with the clasp and drew out her phone. “Oh, be careful, Frank.” She punched in 911 and spoke hurriedly to the operator.

  “Not a problem.”

  Kenny threw Frank off and scrambled to his feet. Blood dripped from his lip. He wiped it away and ran at Frank again.

  Reggie watched in horror, cringing as Frank stood calmly in the path of the rushing behemoth. He appeared as a statue, both hands fisted in a pose to protect his core, his expression composed but watchful.

  Kenny, on the other hand, appeared to be rabid. His face looked like raw liver, and his lips were drawn back in a grimace.

  Reggie wondered why she had ever found him attractive.

  As Kenny made a grab for him, Frank struck out, popping his foe in the nose.

  It happened so fast, Reggie wasn’t certain what she had seen.

  A spurt of blood streamed down Kenny’s face. He stood as though dazed, shaking his head as Frank circled around him. He let out a scream of rage that sounded more like a bleat.

  Kenny flexed his muscles, turning to face Frank.

  “You need to stop,” Frank said. “Just stop being such an ass, Kenny.”

  “You broke my nose,” he shouted. “I’m gonna rip you apart.”

  Frank didn’t appear to be fazed by this pronouncement. “Bring it,” he bit out and waggled his fingers in a “come on” motion.

  Reggie couldn’t seem to move. She was mesmerized by Frank’s confidence and the rhythmic way he moved. He was almost dancing as he circled and fended off Kenny’s attack.

  A squad car rolled into the parking lot. The siren whooped once before a spotlight scanned the area. Both doors flew open, and two deputies sprang out the moment the vehicle drew to a stop. Weapons in hand and yelling orders, they approached the combatants cautiously.

  Frank stepped back, his hands raised, but Kenny lurched toward him.

  Reggie screamed, causing Frank to turn suddenly. That was when Kenny’s fist connected with Frank’s jaw, knocking him off his feet. He did something like a sideways somersault, landing on his feet in a crouch.

  “Nooooo,” she moaned.

  One deputy tased Kenny, who fell face-first to the gravel, twitching. The other deputy squatted above him. Ignoring the spasms, he fastened handcuffs around his wrists.

  Reggie rushed to Frank, kneeling beside him. “Oh, Frank. Are you all right?”

  Grinning, he rubbed his chin. “I’m okay. How about you?”

  She burst into tears, nodding. Throwing her arms around Frank’s neck, she rained kisses on his face. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t shown up.”

  Frank cast a menacing glare at Kenny. “I hate that he even touched you.”

  She nodded. “Thank you, Frank.”

  As one of the deputies was loading Kenny in the back of their vehicle, he seemed to recover. “That’s my wife,” he shouted.

  Both deputies looked at Reggie.

  “No, we’ve been divorced for years. He attacked me when I came out of my office.” Her voice faltered.

  “He assaulted her.” Frank spoke calmly, but there was a deadly undertone.

  “Is that right, miss?”

  Reggie nodded. “Mr. Bell saved me. I—I don’t know how this would have ended if Frank hadn’t shown up.”

  Kenny cursed and struggled but settled down when the deputy pointed the taser at him again. They shoved him in the back of the squad car and slammed the door.

  One of the deputies took out a notebook and wrote down the details of the incident, advising Reggie and Frank to go to the sheriff’s office to make a formal complaint in the morning.

  The deputies drove away, leaving Reggie clinging to Frank like a lifeline.

  He held her tight, kissed her hair, and didn’t appear to be in the least bit interested in letting go.

  “How did you learn to do whatever it was you did?” She gazed up at him.

  Frank shrugged. “I’ve owned six different bars over the past years, and sometimes the patrons got rowdy. Somebody had to handle it.”

  A nervous giggle escaped her throat. “And that somebody was you?”

  “After quite a few intense lessons in various martial arts, it was me.”

  The weight that had settled between her shoulder blades lifted. She felt a sense of lightness and security. “I’m glad.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m glad I could be here for you.”

  “Speaking of that, where—”

  “Let’s get out of here.” He lost no time in helping her gather her things and loading her into the passenger seat of the BMW. He tossed his ruined shirt under the seat.

  “Where are we going?” she asked when he inserted the key in the ignition.

  “Does it matter?” He sent her a scorching look. “I just need to be with you.” He backed out into the street and took off with a squeal of tires. “We have some important things to discuss.”

  Her stomach caught. He sounded so serious. Was he about to break up with her? Had he already done so?

  He drove to the park and got out, slamming the door. The park was bathed in light from the full moon, reducing everything to black, white, or shades of gray.

  Reggie jumped out before he could open her door. She swallowed hard when she glimpsed his face in the moonlight. Grim could best describe his expression.

  He paced away from her, pivoted, and returned to stand before her, his face a study in distress. “Reggie, I—”

  “I—I missed you,” she stammered.

  “I missed you too.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her lips. “I missed you so much I thought I was going to die from it.”

  She pulled away, exasperated. “If you missed me so much, where the heck have you been?”

  “I—uh—I…”

  “You didn’t come by, and you didn’t call.” She heard the accusation in her voice.

  He took her hand and led her to the concrete table and benches they had used for their picnic. With ease, he lifted her to sit on the table. “I was confused. Everything was happening so fast. One day I was a free and easy bachelor with no responsibilities and no ties at all, and the next—”

  “And the next?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “And the next I’m in love with you.”

  His pronouncement caused a swirling sensation in her chest. “I’m not some disease you caught like measles or the plague.”

  Frank drew a deep breath and exhaled. “Not a disease. More like being blown off course by a storm…Hurricane Reggie.” He shrugged. “Everything in my life changed when I looked into your big brown eyes. I was knocked for a loop. And then there’s Shannon. For the first time in my life, I thought how great it would be to become her father. To watch her grow and maybe…maybe give her a brother or sister.”

  Reggie’s stomach did a tumble and roll. “So what are you saying?”

  He threw his hands up in the air. “I got scared. I was afraid I couldn’t live up to the whole ‘forever’ thing.” His voice dropped in timbre. “So I left. Just took off.”

  “You could have called me. You could have let me know.” She crossed her arms over her chest, a protective gesture.

  He raked his fingers through his hair. “I wanted to… I just didn’t know what to say.”

  “Anything would have been better than not knowing… I thought maybe you had called your New York girlfriend.”

  “No way.” He held her by her shoulders, gazing deeply into her eyes. “You didn’t call me either. After our getaway in New York, I thought maybe you were having second thoughts.”

  “Second thoughts? How could you think that?”

  “I’m Mr. Nice Guy.” He stared down at her.

  Confused, she blinked. Mr. Nice Guy? Her stomach clenched as though a giant fist squeezed it. “You—you’re Mr. Nic
e Guy?” A flicker of anger spiraled through her. “How could you lie to me? How could you—?”

  “Easy, baby. You made no secret of the fact that you hated me…but I needed you to tell me how to bridge the gap.”

  “Bridge the gap? You made a fool of me… You preyed on my sympathies…”

  Frank gathered her in his arms and stopped her tirade with a kiss, a kiss so deep and passionate she could barely breathe and certainly couldn’t recall why she had been angry a moment before.

  He pulled away slightly but spoke against her lips. “I have been in love with you since I first laid eyes on you…but we didn’t sync when we were teens. And when I returned to Rambling, I realized I was still crazy about you. But you were so cold and distant. I had no idea how to get through your shell…how to let you know that I wasn’t the boy you hated…that I had grown to be a man you could trust.” He nuzzled her cheek and ear, sending tingling sensations down her spine.

  Reggie made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a moan.

  “As Mr. Nice Guy, I confessed how I felt about you, but you told me to step away. I know we’re miles apart on some things, but I hoped…” Heaving a deep sigh, he sat on the table beside her, feet on the concrete bench, elbows planted on his knees. He looked dejected. “When you told Mr. Nice Guy to get lost, I thought that might be the only fair thing to do. I don’t have any experience in a real relationship. I’ve never been in love before.” He shrugged, looking as helpless as a hot guy could look. The muscles in his bare shoulders flexed with the movement. “I was afraid I couldn’t live up to your expectations. My parents shoved me off on Aunt Rosie when I was a kid. No matter how much I want it, I don’t know if I’m a good enough person to take on the role of parent.”

  Kenny’s angry face flashed through Reggie’s brain. “Yeah, I can see how you might have come to that conclusion. I guess not everyone is cut out to be a parent.” She reached out to stroke the side of his face. “But I think you will make a great dad…whenever…”

  A wide grin lit his face. “Do you really think so?”

  He looked like a hopeful little boy…well, as much as an incredibly hot guy with a ripped naked torso could look like a little boy.