Welcome Home, Bobby Winslow

by Christyne Butler

  “The vaulted ceilings are over twenty feet high and those are hammered beam trusses,” he said. “They start back at the entry and run the entire length of the room and out onto the deck.”

  “Well, when you said impressive, you meant it. Looks like it came right out of Luxury Homes of the Rich and Famous.”

  Zip had pretty much said the same thing this morning. So why did it bother him more coming from Leeann? “I wasn’t about to move into an empty space. Having my home ready when I got here was important—”

  He was interrupted by barking that started in the distance but quickly grew in volume. The sounds of doggy nails on the hardwood floors announced Daisy’s arrival. She skidded to a stop at Bobby’s feet, catching him at mid-calf with her forehead.

  Ah, damn! Bobby gripped the cane with two hands and locked his knees. “Thanks a lot, Daiz.”

  “Come back here, you crazy mutt,” Zip called out, rounding the corner that led from the kitchen and adjoining family room. “It’s just Ace, and it’s about time. I was getting worried. Hey! If it isn’t my favorite cop.”

  Leeann offered an easy grin. “And just how many cops do you know, Mr. Zippenella?”

  Zip offered one of his lady-killer smiles. Bobby wanted to cross the room and give the guy a quick cuff to the back of his head.

  “Not counting two of my sisters, three uncles and my pop?” Zip spoke over the dog’s continued barking. “And what’s with this mister stuff? Call me Dean—okay, Daisy, knock it off!”

  She left Bobby’s side, making a beeline for her master, but continued with a vocal assault directed at Leeann so strong it had the dog’s hind legs kicking up off the ground.

  “Oh, I’m not going to hurt you,” Leeann cooed, dropping to a crouch and holding out her hand toward Daisy. “Come here, come say hi.”

  “Whoa, you shouldn’t—”

  “Lee, don’t.” Bobby’s command overrode Zip’s as he hurried across the room.

  She slowly withdrew her fingers and looked up at him, then to Zip and back to him. “What—why?”

  “Daisy doesn’t like females.” Zip snapped his fingers to get his dog’s attention. She finally obeyed and sat at his side, low growls vibrating deep in her throat, her shaggy coat standing on end in a straight line down her back.

  “Really?” Leeann rose. “How come?”

  “We don’t know.” Bobby stepped closer, moving in front of his best friend. “She’s been that way ever since Zip found her.”

  “Let me get her out of here or she’ll never stop.” With one hand scooped under her belly, Zip easily picked up the dog and headed for one of the matching glass doors that led to the covered deck. “Daisy’s still got lots of moxie for an old broad.”

  “Oh, no, please don’t tie her up because of me.”

  “He’s just going to put her outside,” Bobby said.

  “But she might run off.”

  “Naw, she’s only gone out as far as the closest tree to pee behind.” Zip plopped the dog down on the wooden surface and quickly closed the door.

  Daisy whined, but stopped when Zip leveled a pointed finger in her direction. Instead, she started to pace back and forth, pausing at times to place one paw on the glass.

  “I don’t think my baby is a forest kind of girl,” Zip continued. “She prefers the open beaches of the Jersey Shore. I guess sand’s in her blood.”

  “So is mistrusting females,” Leeann said. “Poor thing, she must’ve been hurt pretty bad by someone in her past.”

  “Yeah, well, a female will do that to ya.” Zip joined them again. “At least that’s what I know from my limited experience.”

  Bobby rolled his eyes, wishing his buddy had gone outside along with Daisy. “Limited experience, my ass.”

  “Come on, now, bro. Don’t be dissing me in front of our guest.” Zip grinned. “So where did you two run into each other. Oh, wait, I get it now. The law is a trespasser.”

  “I wasn’t trespassing,” Leeann protested. “Well, not much.”

  “And as a reward the master of the house offered a tour of his humble abode.”

  Leeann looked around the room again, her gaze lingering on the signed Ansel Adams photograph hanging over the fireplace. As hard as he tried, Bobby couldn’t get a read on what she really thought of his home.

  “Humble, indeed,” she said. “Plenty big enough for the two—ah, three of you, I guess.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Zip beckoned with a wave of one hand, backing through the archway behind him. “Come check out this killer kitchen.”

  Leeann walk into the adjoining room and Bobby was pleased to hear a catch in her breath as she came to a stop.

  The furniture in there was more casual in design. Built-in cabinets lined the far wall; a flat-screen television, state-of-the-art stereo and video gaming system lay hidden behind the doors. Books and artwork, mainly his collection of Frederic Remington bronze sculptures, filled the open shelving. The other wall held an original, one-of-a-kind oil painting by contemporary cowboy artist Michael Swearingin that dominated the space with its sheer size.

  “Oh, how wonderful!”

  Bobby followed her, eager to see which piece had caught her eye, but Leeann had gone straight to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that allowed a breathtaking view of the forest and Laramie Mountains outside.

  She spun around, a wide smile on her face. “This is so beautiful. What a view! Our kitchen used to be on this side of the house, but the windows never let in a sight like this!”

  Leeann turned back to the scene and Bobby walked over to the bar that separated the open kitchen from the family room. He grabbed one of the water bottles Zip had taken from the refrigerator, ignoring his friend’s pointed stare.

  “Museum-quality fingerpaints and enough bronze to sink a battleship, and that’s what impresses the lady?” Zip’s voice was low as he twisted the cap off a bottle, replacing it with the still-closed one in Bobby’s grip. “I like her.”

  “Yeah, big surprise.”

  “Take her a drink—she looks thirsty.”

  Crossing the room, Bobby joined Leeann, holding out the water. “Thought you might need this.”

  “Thanks, I do.” She took the bottle and easily put a couple of feet between them as she faced the room. “I know I keep saying this, but again, pretty impressive.”

  Yeah, just like she kept moving away from him. “Let me show you the rest while Zip whips up something for lunch.”

  Leeann tipped the bottle to her lips for a quick sip while crossing the room, heading for the kitchen. “Don’t tell me you’re Bobby’s personal chef?”

  Zip let out a laugh and leaned against the counter. “Why? Don’t I look like a chef?”

  “Hmm, I think not. Maybe you’re one of his mechanics?”

  “Well, I keep his engine running, but it’s more of a personal thing. I’m his physical therapist.”

  She turned back to look at Bobby.

  He forced himself to stand perfectly still as her gaze traveled the length of his body, pausing on his cane, before she spoke.

  “You have your own physical therapist?”

  “Yes.”

  Silence filled the air as she stared at him. Bobby caught Zip shooting him a scowl from behind Leeann, a silent demand that he offer more of an explanation.

  “We met a little over ten years ago while in the army,” he finally said. “Zip was the medic in my unit and we usually ended up on patrol together. We spent a lot of time in the Middle East, between official wars with fancy names like Desert Shield and Enduring Freedom, doing—well, doing our jobs.”

  “That’s where I found Daisy. She followed us back to our base one day and stuck around,” Zip added. “It took a bit of maneuvering, but I managed to get her back to the U.S. in one piece. Thanks to my boss I managed to do the same.”

  “Zip and I ended up leaving the army around the same time,” Bobby interrupted, walking over to join them. “Went our separate ways but kept i
n touch. Zip continued working in the medical field, becoming a physical therapist, and I got into racing.”

  “And now you work for him?” Leeann asked, looking at Zip.

  “As soon as I heard about Bobby’s accident, Daisy and I hopped in my car and left the Garden State behind.”

  “After my mom, his ugly mug was the first thing I saw when I came out of the coma.” Bobby propped a forearm against one of the leather and hardwood counter stools as the memory returned. He swallowed hard against the sudden dryness in his throat. “I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down. Zip promised me I’d walk again. He was right.”

  “As long as he paid me to work my magic,” Zip added with a grin, flexing his fingers. “So I quit my job, moved to North Carolina and five months later we’re in his beautiful yet boring log castle here in Destiny, Wyoming.”

  “Speaking of my castle—” The ringing of his cell phone cut him off. Grabbing it from his pocket, he looked at the display. “Damn, I need to answer this.”

  “Oh, well.” Leeann placed her half-empty water bottle on the counter. “I should be going anyway. I need to get down to the Youth Center in a couple of hours.”

  “This place is big, but the rest of the tour won’t take that long.” Zip slid around the counter. “I’ll take over as your tour guide. We’ll start with the two guest rooms on this side and then proceed to the lower level. Nothing else is interesting up here, just the master suite at the other end. But you’ve got to see the wet room.”

  “Wet room?” Confusion colored her voice as she glanced over her shoulder at Bobby.

  “Yeah, you know, the sauna, hot tub, an indoor lap pool…” Zip’s voice faded as he led Leeann away.

  Bobby watched them go, pushing down the rush of panic that had filled him when she’d mentioned leaving. He had no idea where that had come from or why a perverse sense of satisfaction took its place as she deftly put space between herself and Zip.

  Just like she’d done with him.

  He took the call when his phone rang again, knowing his business manager wouldn’t stop trying until he reached him. “Hey, Jasper.”

  “So you made it to the Wild West in one piece?”

  “We got in yesterday afternoon. I was planning on calling later today.”

  “This can’t wait, Bobby. Rawhide Cologne heard you were out of rehab and they want to move up the photo shoot.”

  Now that he was alone, Bobby finally sat down on the stool, appreciating the chance to take his weight off his legs. “We’ve already talked about this. I’m concentrating on getting healthy. I don’t want anything on my schedule for the foreseeable future, and that includes endorsement work. You said you got the okay from all the sponsors.”

  “I did, I did, but the parent company has decided to hold back the new commercial you shot before the accident for their men’s bath product line until the football playoffs. Maybe even the Super Bowl.”

  Bobby sighed, wishing he hadn’t agreed to this contract. He never used the stuff, preferring nothing on his skin but soap and water, but the money had been too good to pass up.

  “They’ve offered to send a sizable check to your favorite charity if you agree.” Jasper paused, letting that information sink in. “It’s just for a few hours and the same guy who shot the commercial will do the stills. And they’ll come to you.”

  “Meaning what? Come to the house?”

  “With the way you’ve done the place up, it fits perfectly with the product!” The Southern twang deepened in Jasper’s voice, as it always did whenever he was excited about an idea. “The old West, the forgotten and lonely cowboy waiting on his lady love to return, then the image morphs from black-and-white to color, the modern cowboy still waiting on a lady…”

  Bobby had to agree, remembering how the commercial was shot partly in a ghost town in the Dakota badlands.

  “Okay, but this is it, and tell them to make that check out to that kid’s camp, Victory Junction, in Randleman.”

  “Will do. The photographer and his team arrive in Cheyenne in a few days. They’ll be at your place next Friday, around nine.”

  “That soon?”

  “Yes. And remember, the more you cooperate the sooner it’ll be over. Then you can go back to doing whatever it is you couldn’t take care of in Carolina.”

  “Jas, I told you. I wanted to continue my recuperation here—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. So, how are you feeling?”

  Bobby honestly didn’t know. Physically he was okay, even though he should probably sit with his feet up for the next couple of hours.

  It was a different story when it came to what he was experiencing deep inside. He hadn’t been this torn up emotionally for years, not since his return from his last tour overseas, a week before his honorable discharge.

  Was it being back in his hometown? Or was it Leeann?

  Not willing to go into any of that with the man who handled his business dealings, he instead assured Jasper he was fine and would check in with him next week. Ending the call, he pushed away from the bar, anxious to find Zip and Leeann.

  His legs a bit shaky, he used the elevator he’d included in the home design, more in case his mother needed it someday, but a fateful decision considering the accident. Stepping out into the exercise room on the lower level, he didn’t hear anything. Unusual because Zip rarely shut up unless he was asleep.

  After a quick peek into the pool area, he walked into the rec room and found Leeann alone, standing in front of the display of awards, honors and promotional work he’d done over the years.

  Most of the plaques and photos had been stored away in North Carolina, unseen by even him for years. When he’d given the design team permission to take anything from the waterfront condo he lived in for this place, he never thought they’d bring this stuff out here, much less create a floor-to-ceiling display.

  Not that he wasn’t proud of what he’d accomplished in his life. Damn straight he was. He’d worked hard for every one of those accolades, both on the racetrack and off.

  He watched as she looked at the wall, arms crossed over her chest, that ball cap of hers making it hard to read the expression on her face.

  Thick carpeting silenced his steps as he passed by twin couches and matching chairs that looked too comfortable. He headed instead for the pool table in front of the double doors that led to the lower-level outdoor patio. A wall of glass flooded this room with natural light. The two other bedrooms were down here—one of which Zip claimed last night—along with an adjoining room that held the full-size bar and another fireplace.

  “So, what do you think?”

  Leeann spun around. “Oh! I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “I figured you might not hear me coming because Zip loves the sound of his own voice, but you’re here all alone.”

  “Dean went to go check on Daisy.”

  He nodded. “I’m not surprised. Those two have quite a bond.”

  “So do the two of you, it seems.”

  “He’s the brother I never had.” Bobby hitched one hip on the edge of the table. “I know I wouldn’t be standing here on my own two feet without him.”

  “And it’s a pretty impressive place to be standing.”

  He faced her again. “That seems to be your favorite word when describing my home.”

  She looked around. “Well, it’s…big.”

  His internal radar went on full alert. What wasn’t she saying? “Why don’t you tell me what you really think?”

  Leeann shrugged, still refusing to meet his eyes. “Your decorators did an amazing job.”

  “But?”

  “But something about it is just too…”

  “Too…” He prodded again when her voice trailed off. “Come on, Lee, we’ve known each other too long for you to be firewalling me like this.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Sorry, racing term. Just tell me what you think, okay?”

  She raised one hand in a helpless gesture before
letting it fall back to her side. “It’s really more of an attraction than a home. Yes, all the artwork, expensive furniture and fixtures are beautiful, but it feels…lifeless.” She turned back to the awards wall. “Like it’s all just for show.”

  Her words caused a deep freeze low in his gut. “For show? As in showing off?”

  “Look at all of these.” She waved at the section of framed photographs. “You with the vice president, with George Clooney, with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. Heck, this one has you sandwiched between Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen.”

  “That was taken at their wedding. I was a guest.”

  “Of course you were.” She again crossed her arms over her chest and took a step backward even though there was at least three feet between them already. “Destiny is a small town with real people living normal lives. They worry about keeping their jobs, paying their bills and finding a way to put their kids through college.

  “But you know all that, Bobby, because you too once lived in this town. Back when you made a promise not to set foot in it again until you could return a big success with all the money in the world.”

  An icy wave coursed through him despite the warmth of the sun hitting his back through the glass doors. He remained silent and allowed her to speak, to throw his words back at him this time.

  Yes, he’d said all that—and more—the day she’d told him she’d chosen a shot at the glamorous life of high-fashion modeling over being his teenage bride.

  “What can I say?” His reply came out clipped and edgy, sharp as a shard of cut glass. “Mission accomplished.”

  “Yes, so it seems.” She pressed the fingers of one hand against her lips, as if she was stopping herself from saying anything more. “It’s probably best if I go now. Don’t worry, I can show myself out.”

  And just like that, Leeann Harris walked out on him.

  Again.

  Chapter Five

  “And then the great Bobby Winslow walked into the Youth Center and the kids went nuts.” Leeann crushed another shell between her fingers. Digging out the peanuts, she tossed them into her mouth and chased them down with a healthy swallow of frozen margarita.