by Linda Warren
“You got any beer, Elias?” Freddie asked.
“You know I’m not giving you beer. Where y’all going?”
Freddie came to the window and Scooter and Leonard hung back. “We’re in summer school cause our grades are bad. The principal sent us home because we broke a computer. They’re always picking on us.”
“Hop in. I’ll give you a ride home.”
Freddie jumped in the passenger seat and the other two boys got in the back seat. Scooter was big and pudgy while the other two boys were skinny. Scooter had a learning disability and he didn’t talk much. He just mumbled. He was in special ed classes and the kids made fun of him.
“Thanks, Elias. You’re a good person.”
“Just stay out of trouble, Freddie, and stay in school. Things will get better.”
“Thanks, man.”
Elias drove to the Dairy Queen and bought them hamburgers and drinks. He had a feeling there wasn’t much food at home. It was a little thing, but they needed to know that someone in this town cared. There wasn’t a father in their lives and the boys desperately needed guidance.
He thought about Chase growing up without a father, but Chase would have a father in his life from now on.
Chapter Ten
Every day they continued to work on the house. The roof was done and now they were concentrating on the inside. Chase finished his first community service day and came home all excited and eager to tell Maribel about everything.
“Billy Tom, Brandon and I worked on the community center. We had to sweep, mop and clean up. The sheriff said a high wind blew off some shingles and for us to nail them back on.” The kid thumbed into his chest. “I told him I could do it and I showed Billy Tom and Brandon what to do and we had the shingles on in no time.”
Her kid was proud of himself.
“Wyatt has all of you working together?” Maribel asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t know how that was going to go. I didn’t think we’d ever be friends again. I said I was sorry and that seemed to do the trick. And since he paid for all the beer we stole and their parents weren’t out any money, that helped, too.”
“Son, his name is Elias.”
“I know.” He looked down at his sneakers. “I don’t know what to call him.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah. Anyway, we talked about football a lot. Billy Tom is the quarterback and Brandon’s an offensive lineman.” He thumbed into his chest again. “And I’m the wide receiver who Billy Tom’s going to throw to. Pee Wee is Brandon’s younger brother and he’s the running back. I met him today, too. We’re going to win the state championship this year. For Judge Henley.”
It was refreshing to listen to her son. Gone was the sourpuss of a week ago. He was putting down roots and making friends and finding out what small town life was all about.
* * *
Maribel had swept and mopped the whole house, but there was one piece of linoleum she couldn’t get up in the kitchen. When Elias walked in, she was pulling with all her strength and her face was red from her efforts.
“Hold on.” He went outside and came back with his ice chest and poured the cold water on the linoleum.
“What are you doing? Now I’ll have to mop that up.”
“Just wait a minute and you’ll see what it will do, or at least what I hope it will do.”
She sat back on her heels. “What is it supposed to do besides make a mess?”
“It’s about ninety-five degrees today so the linoleum is very warm. The icy water will make it contract.”
“It’s making a popping sound.”
“Try pulling it up now.”
She stood up and, with her gloved hands, reached for the end of the linoleum and yanked. Not expecting it to be easy, she put more strength into it than necessary and went flying backward on the concrete. She just lay there completely still. Stunned and sore.
Elias fell down by her side. “Are you okay?”
“My pride is damaged. Or is that my butt?” She turned her head to glare at him. “Why didn’t you tell me it would be easy to come off?”
“I thought I did.”
“Yeah.” She laughed. It was the first time she’d heard herself laugh since she’d made the decision to move back to Horseshoe. The sound vibrated through her whole body and her heart raced as she stared into Elias’s dark eyes.
“You know, you have freckles right across the bridge of your nose.”
“I’m well aware of that, Elias.”
“I wonder what it would feel like to kiss them.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Ah, Maribel, don’t you know better than to say things like that to me.”
“Eli...” Her breath caught in her throat as he gently kissed the bridge of her nose. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. All she could do was enjoy the sensation that made her want to laugh again from the sheer pleasure of it. She sat up to stop the crazy thoughts in her head. She couldn’t let anything happen between her and Elias. It had taken too long to get over him the first time.
“I better go home and start supper.” She slowly got to her feet.
“Go home and soak in a hot tub. The kid and I will pick up Mexican food.”
“That’s nice, Elias.” She tapped his dirty T-shirt with one long finger. “You better be careful or everyone will think you’re getting soft.”
“Not anyone who knows me.”
* * *
MARIBEL WENT HOME and soaked in a hot bath. She heard the guys come in and leave again. She dressed in shorts and a tank top and went to the kitchen to make iced tea. The guys came back with bags of Mexican food and Mr. Abe was with them.
They sat at the kitchen table talking and eating. Or rather, Chase and Mr. Abe were doing all the talking. Maribel was tired, more so than usual. She got to her feet. “I’m going to soak in the tub again. Good night, everyone.”
“Good night,” echoed behind her.
She filled the tub with warm water and sprinkled lavender salts in it. It was soothing and relaxing and she let the warm water ease all the aches and pains from falling backward on the concrete floor. Her thoughts drifted to the house.
She’d had her doubts when she’d first looked at it, but now she was excited. Elias was turning it into a really nice home for them. Them. What did that mean? Did that include Elias? She’d only been in Horseshoe a few weeks and Elias seemed like a part of her life now. Every day, she fought her attraction to him. But then he was Chase’s father and she couldn’t ignore that. Little by little, Elias was weaving his way back into her heart, and the emotions of that seventeen-year-old girl were still alive and well inside her.
But as the saying goes: you can never go back.
It shocked Maribel that she wanted to.
* * *
AFTER CHECKING ON Chase and Grandpa, Elias went to the master bedroom and slid into bed. Flipping off the light, he wondered how long Maribel was going to stay in the bathroom. His phone buzzed and he reached for it on the nightstand. It was Quincy with a text.
Come home. Talk to Mom.
He got the same message every day from his brothers, but Quincy was the most persistent. He was the peacemaker in the family and it was probably driving him crazy that he couldn’t fix this without someone being hurt.
Elias missed the ranch and the work. He missed his brothers and his mother. But he was content working on the house and being with his son. And with Maribel. He still had those same feelings for her as he’d had when he’d been a teenager. He’d always wondered how something that had felt so right could be so wrong. But to him it had never been wrong.
He flipped over and grabbed his phone again to look at the time. Maribel had been in the bathroom over an hour. What was she doing?
Maybe something had happened. He jumped out of bed and knocked gently on the door.
“Maribel.”
No response.
He tried again and still no response.
He tried the handle and the door wasn’t locked. Stepping inside, he saw her in the bathtub, asleep. He wasn’t a voyeur, but he stared at her for a full minute. The water did little to disguise her perfect feminine frame from her full breasts to her rounded hips and long legs. Oh, man. You don’t stare at a naked woman like a teenager even when you care about her. There it was. He cared about Maribel. He’d cared about her for a long time. He grabbed a big towel and gently shook her. “Maribel.”
She sat up straight, her eyes wild. “What...what...are you doing in here?”
“You’ve been in here over an hour and I came to check on you.”
She tried to cover her breasts with her hands and the triangle between her legs.
With a sigh, he shoved the towel into her hands. “It’s a little late for modesty.”
“You had no right...” Her voice wandered off, as she was still half-asleep.
He reached for her T-shirt on the vanity and slipped it over her head. She stepped out of the tub and dried herself with the towel and then stuck her hands through the armholes of the T-shirt.
“How long have I been in here?” she asked sleepily.
“Too long.” He swung her up into his arms and marched across the hall and tucked her into bed. “Good night, sleeping beauty.” He leaned over and kissed the freckles on her nose.
“Elias...”
If he was the man everyone thought he was, he would have climbed into bed with her and the night would have ended on a pleasant note. But would it have been pleasant? He would have been taking advantage of her. And he would never do that. He cared for her, but he wanted more. He just had to figure out what that was. Thinking about it made his head ache or maybe he was just as tired as she was.
* * *
MARIBEL WOKE UP at five o’clock, as usual. Something was different, though. Her T-shirt was damp and she couldn’t remember coming to bed. Oh, oh, no! She had a flashback of Elias handing her a towel. And then...he kissed her freckles on her face. She was sure of that. Had she...? Had they...? Oh, no.
She quickly dressed and headed for the kitchen to fix breakfast. All the while, she was trying to remember what had happened last night. She’d been tired, but not that tired.
Elias walked in as cool as a spring breeze, poured a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter. He didn’t seem smug or anything so she just came out and asked, “What happened last night?”
“You fell asleep in the bathtub. That’s not safe, you know.”
“Elias, don’t...” He had helped her last night and she decided not to get into an argument. “Thank you for helping me.”
“My pleasure.”
She glared at him and then took the biscuits out of the oven.
“I’ll butter those.” He reached for a hot pad. Slathering a biscuit with butter, he added, “You know, your body hasn’t changed a bit in all these years.”
She gritted her teeth. “Yes, it has. I now have stretch marks thanks to your nine-pound son.”
“I’ll have to take a second look.”
She shook her head. “No, you...” Her words trailed off as Chase and Grandpa came into the room.
They had breakfast and went their separate ways. As she parked at the diner, her hand touched her nose. It was strange how she remembered his lips touching it last night. Soft and gentle. Yet evocative and stirring. He’d called her something. Sleeping beauty.
Tough and ornery, Elias had said the words and it gave her the warm fuzzies. Good heavens, was she falling in love with him all over again?
* * *
BY NOON, ELIAS had fixed the hole in the bedroom and had all the bad Sheetrock pulled out. He was measuring to see how much he needed to buy when Grandpa walked in.
“I got something for you, Elias.”
“I’m rather busy right now, Grandpa,” he replied, as he measured a wall. “I’m trying to figure out how much Sheetrock we’ll need.”
“Well, you don’t have to figure anymore. Come look at my truck.”
“What are you talking about?”
Grandpa walked out the door and Chase followed. Elias said a cuss word under his breath and trailed after them. He stopped short when he saw Grandpa’s truck. It was loaded with Sheetrock.
“Where did you get that?”
“Phoenix and Falcon sent it. It was left over from building their houses.”
Elias eyed his grandpa. “Did they send it or did you just take it?”
Grandpa slapped him on the back. “Now how would I get it on the truck?”
Good point. The brothers had always helped each other and even though Elias was an outcast, sort of, they still stuck together.
Elias let down the tailgate. “Come on, kid. Let’s unload this into the house.”
Elias and Chase worked on putting the new Sheetrock up. Maribel came at about 2:30 p.m. and went to work in the spare bathroom, removing the old tile. She worked as hard as he did and he realized they had that in common. She wasn’t afraid of work. Their son had those genes, too.
As he worked, he thought of her and last night, all soft and cuddly—dreamlike. He’d always said he’d never get married. Being tied down wasn’t for him. Yet, it had been weeks and he hadn’t had a drink of beer since he’d found out he was a father. He didn’t even have the inclination to go down to Rowdy’s. Nor did he have the time. He couldn’t figure that one out. He’d lived for his evenings at Rowdy’s, talking to the ladies and having fun. Now all he wanted was to spend time with Maribel and Chase. They say you can never be too old to grow up.
He and Chase went outside to get more Sheetrock. Elias froze as he saw Ira McCray drive up. His sons, Gunnar and Malachi, were behind him in another truck. Ira got out with a shotgun in his hand. His sons tried talking to him, but Ira pushed them away and walked toward Elias.
“Go in the house,” Elias said to Chase.
“No. I...”
“Go into the house. Now!”
Chase disappeared into the house and the old man confronted Elias. “You raped my daughter and now I’m going to kill you.” He pointed the gun at Elias’s chest.
Elias flung his arms wide. “Go ahead, Mr. McCray. If it will avenge some of the pain caused by the Rebel/McCray feud, go ahead and fire away. But I have to tell you, there was no rape involved.”
Before Ira could pull the trigger, Maribel came storming out of the house with Chase behind her. “What are you doing?” she asked her father.
“This man raped you. That’s why you wouldn’t tell me who the father was. You knew I’d kill him.”
“Oh, please. You’re concerned for me now? Eighteen years ago, you kicked me out and I had nowhere to go, so please don’t make this about me. Elias and I had consensual sex in high school one time and we both knew it was wrong. It was my choice and I don’t regret it. My pregnancy has nothing to do with you or your high moral ground. And I do not appreciate you coming here all indignant on my behalf.”
The loud wail of a siren could be heard. Wyatt pulled into the driveway. He jumped out and rushed toward them. He walked straight to Ira and yanked the shotgun from him. “Let’s go, Ira, you’re trespassing.”
“My daughter...” The old man’s skin was pasty white and he seemed wobbly.
“Your daughter is fine and no one is harming her. She’s where she wants to be and you have to accept that.”
“I’m not pressing charges, Wyatt,” Elias said. “Let him go.”
Wyatt looked perplexed. “Are you sure?”
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t come back,” Gunnar said.
“Mr. McCray,
I’m going to let you go, but if you point a gun at someone else, you will spend some time in jail. You’ve let it go for several years. Don’t change that now.”
As the McCrays walked off, Maribel shouted, “Wait!”
Gunnar and Malachi stopped and looked back. Her father kept walking.
Maribel reached for Chase and pulled him forward. “I want you to meet someone. This is my son, Chase. And these are your uncles, Gunnar and Malachi.”
They shook hands. The kid stood there almost paralyzed with this unexpected development of meeting his new relatives. Chase inched closer to Elias while Maribel talked to her brothers.
Malachi hugged his sister. “It’s good to have you home, Maribel. Maybe we could have you out to dinner one night so you can meet my family.”
“I’d like that, but it might be too soon.”
Malachi glanced toward his father’s truck. “I know, but he’ll come around. He’s just stubborn and clings to the old ways.”
The McCray boys walked back to their truck and Maribel went into the house.
“Was Mom crying?” Chase asked.
“I’ll go see.”
“It’s best to leave her alone when she’s upset,” Chase told him.
“Yeah, that’s what a sane person would do.”
Maribel was in the spare bathroom, breaking tile with a hammer and throwing it into a bucket.
“Are you okay?”
“Go away, Elias.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I know you’re okay.”
She turned around, her blue eyes blazing. “I just met my family again for the first time in eighteen years. How do you think that makes me feel? And you? How could you dare my father to shoot you? Did you even think about me and Chase?”
“I just went with the moment, like I always do.”
She brushed away her hair with an angry hand. “Sometimes you need to think.”
He tilted his head to look into her eyes. “Were you worried about me?”
