Feels Like Home

by Kelly Elliott

  “Pearl believed it, at first. Until Ida told her the plan she and Annie came up with. How do you think Annie found out about Kendall Inn? Ida told her! Ida had the room booked before y’all even got there. And Ida will kill me if she finds out I told you.”

  I stood and started to pace. “Those little…brats!”

  Mindy nodded. “I mean, no harm came out of it. Right?”

  My heart felt like it dropped straight to the floor. I hadn’t told Mindy about how Anson and I had unprotected sex. She knew we’d hooked up. She knew we will still had a million-and-one things to work out, but she had no idea about the little detail I left out.

  I swirled around, suddenly enraged. “How dare they! How dare they interfere with this. They…they pushed us into being together.”

  Mindy smiled. “It’s not like y’all didn’t want it to happen. So you have some talking to do. Bristol, you still love him, and he still loves you. You’ll work it out.”

  I chewed nervously on my lip. Why was I getting so worked up? Okay, maybe it was because of the real chance I could be pregnant. Clearly, Anson wasn’t worried since he hadn’t even bothered to reach out.

  The door to my house opened, and Drake walked in. He smiled at me, but when he saw Mindy, his eyes lit up.

  “Hey, I didn’t know you were here,” he said as he walked up and hugged me, then leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Mindy’s cheek.

  “You off today?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’m heading on out to the Meyer’s ranch to pick up Anson.”

  The mere mention of his name made my heart skip a beat.

  “Really? Seems like you two have gotten buddy-buddy again,” I stated.

  He shrugged. “It’s not like that. Someone came in from Nashville a few days ago. She’s been staying at a hotel in Kerrville.”

  “She?” Mindy and I both said at the same time.

  “Yeah,” Drake said as he headed toward my kitchen. Mindy and I exchanged a glance, and I had to cover my stomach to keep down the sudden onslaught of nausea. That was why he hadn’t called me. There was someone he knew in town. Was it someone he had been dating? Oh my God. What if Anson had a girlfriend he hadn’t told me about?

  Mindy stood and followed Drake. As she walked by, she squeezed my hand.

  “Do you know who she is?” Mindy asked.

  “Anson didn’t say. Just said he had to meet with her and needed a ride since he didn’t have his granddad’s truck.” He turned and looked at us. “Why?”

  When his eyes met mine, Drake frowned. “What’s wrong? Why do you look pale?”

  “I’m, I’m not feeling very well today.”

  “Should you be around Mindy and the baby if you’re sick?” he asked, concern in his eyes as he gave Mindy a look that honestly made my heart swoon. My brother was indeed falling for my best friend.

  “It’s nothing like that,” Mindy said with a laugh. “Drake, I walked over here, but I think the temperature was much warmer than I thought it would be this afternoon. Are you free to drive me home really quick?”

  He smiled. “Of course I am.”

  Then he focused on me. “Do you need anything, Bri? Need me to run and get you anything?”

  Suddenly, I felt so tired. An unbelievable sadness swept over me.

  I forced a smile and tried to look like everything was perfectly fine. “Nah, I’m simply tired. I’ve been pretty busy this week at the tea room. That’s all.”

  He nodded, but with the way he looked at me, I could tell he wasn’t convinced. “If you’re sure?”

  “I’m totally sure. Go take Mindy home and then run Anson on his…errand. I’m totally fine. I swear!”

  Drake looked over at Mindy, then back at me. “Let me grab a water real quick…You need one, Mindy?”

  She smiled and replied, “Yes. Please.”

  My brother grabbed two bottles of water, and I followed them both through my house and out the front door.

  “Call me later,” Mindy said as she gave me a quick hug.

  “I will.”

  Drake kissed me on top of my head. “Rest for a bit, will you?”

  With a forced smile, I replied, “I’m fine. I’ll talk to you later.”

  After I shut the door, I held my hand up to my mouth to keep the sudden urge to cry like a stupid fool at bay. I had no idea who Anson was meeting. She could be someone he worked with. She could be someone he’d dated. I forced it all out of head and headed to my bedroom to change. I needed to go for a run and clear my head.

  Anson

  THE YELLOW HOUSE looked bright against the late evening sun. I pulled Granddad’s truck up in front of Bristol’s house and turned to look into the backseat. When Lanny met me in Kerrville, she had a surprise with her. Brad had finally made it to town after being delayed a couple of weeks. And he had Zeus with him.

  “Come on, Zeus. Let’s go see how our girl is doing.”

  My chocolate lab jumped out of the truck and made a beeline straight up to Bristol’s front door. I couldn’t help but smile. The damn dog probably already felt like he knew Bristol with how much I talked about her.

  I still couldn’t shake the worry I had ever since Drake told me Bristol wasn’t feeling good. He said she looked pale and hadn’t been herself. If I hadn’t needed to meet with Robert’s assistant earlier, I would have gone straight over to Bristol’s place. Especially since I hadn’t seen her in a week.

  I knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. Another knock and still nothing. Zeus and I made our way around to the backyard. When she wasn’t there, I headed over to the tea room, which was right next door. The door had a closed sign on it, and when I looked inside, everything seemed to be turned off.

  “Where is she, boy?” I asked as I pulled out my phone and typed out a quick text to her.

  Me: Hey. You around? I’ve got someone I want you to meet.

  Hitting send, I made my way back over to her house. Zeus found himself a stick, and I sat down on her front porch. I frowned as I looked at the time. My meeting with Lucy hadn’t taken long. I had to sign a few contracts, which Robert had insisted be done in person and not scanned back and forth. They were for a deal to do a duet with another musician where all the proceeds would go directly to charity. They needed my signature first to move ahead with everything.

  Thirty minutes passed by, and I still hadn’t heard from Bristol. It was nearing 8:00, and the sun was already starting to sink lower in the sky. I stood, a heavy feeling sitting on my chest, and I pulled up Drake’s name and hit call.

  “Hey, miss me already?”

  “Have you heard from Bristol?”

  “No, not since I left there earlier today. Why?”

  “I called her earlier to tell her I was heading to her place, and she never called me back. Then I stopped by and knocked and she’s not here.”

  “The tea room?”

  With a sigh, I replied, “I checked it. I sent her another text about thirty minutes ago, and she hasn’t answered. I’m starting to get worried, Drake.”

  “Have you tried Mindy?”

  A flicker of relief passed over me. I hadn’t thought she might be with Mindy. “No, let me call her.”

  “Let me know when you hear from her. I’ll give her a call as well.”

  “Thanks. Let me know if you find out anything,” I said before I hit End and pulled up Mindy’s number.

  “Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying.”

  I laughed. “Mindy, it’s Anson.”

  “Anson? Um, hey. Guess I must have deleted your number.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Have you heard from Bristol in the last few hours?”

  “No, I haven’t heard from her since I saw her earlier today. Why?”

  “I’ve been trying to reach her, and she isn’t home, and she’s not answering her phone or texts.”

  “Maybe she’s pissed at you.”

  I sighed. “What for now?” />
  “Let me take a stab at this. You slept with her, then pretty much just ignored her for the last week, oh…and you met with some woman from Nashville at a hotel in Kerrville. Do you need me to explain it anymore?”

  “She told you we slept together?” I asked.

  “Or course she did. Best friends and all, in case you forgot.”

  I wanted to ask her if Bristol had mentioned how careless we had been, but I let that part go.

  “The woman I met with was my manager’s assistant. She needed me to sign a contract, and she flew into the Kerrville airport late last night and flew right back out. Granddad needed his truck today, so I asked Drake to take me. I’m guessing that’s how y’all found out about the meeting?”

  “You would be correct. I sent her a text, and she’s not answering me either.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “Mindy, it’s not like Bristol to do this.”

  “Really? How would you know what Bristol is like these days, Anson?”

  I didn’t want to admit how true her words were or how much they stung.

  “I’m going to hang out here a bit longer. If you hear from her, will you…”

  Zeus barked and ran past me. I looked over to see Bristol drop down and laugh when Zeus nearly knocked her over.

  “She’s home.”

  “Oh, good.” I could hear the relief in Mindy’s voice. “I’ll let Drake know. He messaged me too.”

  “Thanks. Talk later.”

  “Anson?” Mindy said.

  “Yeah?” I asked, my eyes taking in the sight of Zeus loving all up on Bristol. “It might not be my place to say anything, but as much as she claims to have moved on, she’s just as in love with you now as she was the day you left. I just thought you should know that.”

  I smiled. “The feeling is mutual, Mindy.”

  She wished me a good evening, and then the phone went silent.

  Zeus jumped all around Bristol, and she laughed as she told him what a pretty boy he was. Her laughter felt like a balm to my soul.

  “He’s beautiful, Anson!” she said with another laugh. My dog barked in agreement with her.

  “He is. My assistant’s husband looked after him for me when I left for Texas. He offered to drive Zeus down for me since I don’t like for him to fly. He was delayed coming down to meet her. They’re staying in Fredericksburg for a few weeks, although I think Robert, my manager, wants Lanny around for a while to keep an eye on me.”

  Her smile grew a bit more. “Why don’t you want him flying?”

  “Makes him too nervous, and he doesn’t handle the pills they gave him to knock him out very well.”

  “Poor baby,” Bristol said as she looked lovingly at my dog.

  Zeus ran and found his stick then brought it back to Bristol. She gave it a toss and watched him take off running to retrieve it.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been calling and texting you the last couple of hours.”

  She lifted her chin and started up the stairs to her porch. “I went for a run and then sat down by the river for a bit to think.”

  “Do you always make it a habit to leave your phone behind? What if something had happened to you?”

  She gave me a glare, then turned to her door. I watched as she punched in the lock code, and I committed it to memory.

  “If it’s any of your business, I left my phone behind by accident. My mind was…clouded earlier.”

  I followed her in, and Zeus stopped at the door. Bristol looked at him and then gave me a questioning look.

  “He’s not sure if he is allowed in, so he’s waiting for you to invite him.”

  A wide smile broke out over her face. “Come on, boy! Come on in!”

  Zeus flew into the house, ran around Bristol a few times, and then set off to sniff and explore every inch of her place.

  “Drake mentioned you weren’t feeling good. Are you okay?”

  Bristol looked at me with a surprised expression. “Um, yeah. I was a bit tired. I’ve been really busy all week.”

  I nodded.

  “Did you want a beer or anything?” she asked as she made her way through her house and to the kitchen.

  “Sure, I’ll take one. You’ve got an amazing place here, Bri.”

  She smiled over her shoulder at me. “Thank you. When it came on the market, I knew I had to have it. My folks helped me buy it, so I’m in debt to them, but with how well the tea room is doing, I’m hoping to pay them off in the next few years and then get the loan paid down on the tea room.”

  My chest ached knowing I could have easily bought this for her and not have thought twice about it. I made a mental note to have Lanny research how much Bristol still owed on the place.

  “I’m glad to hear it—you always were a planner. Did you hear back from Annie?”

  Bristol froze for a moment then shook her head. “Not yet. I’m afraid that deal most likely got ruined by Ida sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong.”

  I frowned. Bristol adored my grandmother, so I was stunned she would speak ill of her in any way.

  “What do you mean?”

  She sighed and then turned to face me. “Anson, are we going to pretend last Saturday night didn’t happen? Is that what we’re doing here?”

  I jerked my head back and replied, “No. I haven’t had a chance to speak to you. My father gave us a scare, Bri. I was busy trying to help out at the ranch while at the same time trying to get the stubborn ass to talk to me.”

  “Did he? Talk to you?”

  “Some, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

  She nodded and reached in for a beer. One for her, one for me. I guess she wasn’t worried about the whole pregnancy thing if she was drinking.

  Mindy’s words came back to me, and I decided to clear things up right away before I went any further.

  “My manager’s assistant had to fly in yesterday for me to sign a contract for a benefit record I’m doing. They needed my actual signature before things could move on. She flew right back out after Lanny and I took her to the airport in Kerrville.”

  That brought a little bit of color back into those cheeks. “Your manager’s assistant is the woman you met with?”

  I pulled a drink from the beer bottle and nodded. “Granddad needed his truck, so I asked Drake to give me a drive to Kerrville so Lanny didn’t have to swing by and get me out at the ranch. Hard to believe how much that town has grown in six years.”

  She stared at me for a moment then let out a soft chuckle as she shook her head. It was clear she had been jealous when she heard I was meeting with a woman from Nashville.

  “Yes, it’s grown a lot.”

  We stared at one another for a few moments before she finally sighed and looked away. “Anson, we need to talk.”

  “That’s why I’m here. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to break away, but I had something to prove to my father this past week.”

  She frowned slightly. “Prove? What do you mean?”

  “I stayed at my folks’ place all week. Got up at the ass crack of dawn and worked damn near until the sun went down.”

  “Did you work alongside Nick?”

  “I did. I’ll admit I didn’t like the little cocky bastard at first, but he’s a damn good worker. He’s been doing a lot for Dad but told me he thinks my father needs to slow down. After this whole scare with his heart, I agree.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked with a worried expression.

  “Dad needs to start thinking about stepping back some. That probably means Nick will take on more.”

  A look of disappointment appeared in those soft brown eyes. “So you’re going to be giving Nick more responsibilities?”

  “Not me, Dad. If Mom and I can talk him into it.”

  She smiled softly.

  “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, Bri. About us. The other night. How much I want a fucking do-over.”

  “A do-over?” she asked, her brows pulled in tight. “What do you mean?”


  “We didn’t exactly end the night how I wanted to.”

  A flush spread over her cheeks. “No, we didn’t.”

  I pushed off the counter and set my beer down. I slowly moved over, stopping in front of her.

  “Anson,” she whispered, “all these feelings are rushing through me, and I don’t know what to even think about any of it.”

  “Why do we have to think about it at all?”

  She smiled. “Because, right now, you’re living in a bubble, but you’re going to leave for Nashville again. Then what?”

  “Then, we figure out how to do this. I don’t have to live in Nashville full-time, Bri. I told you that.”

  Her eyes widened in shock. “What are you saying?”

  I cupped her face in my hands and smiled down at the woman I was madly in love with. “I’m saying I want to be with you. I want to make this work between us. Yes, I’ll be gone some, but I don’t think that should be a deal-breaker. Why can’t I—I mean, we—live in Comfort and in Nashville?”

  “You want to live…in Comfort?”

  Laughing, I shook my head and leaned down to kiss her. She practically melted into my body. When I pulled back, she looked up at me.

  “I just got you back, Bri. Do you really think I’m going to walk away now?”

  A wide smile spread over her face. “I could always come stay with you for longer bits. A couple weeks or so. I’d have to hire some additional people to help out at the tea room when I was gone, but I trust Terry and Mama to run things with me not there. And once I can afford to hire someone else to help out, I can make Terry a manager, give her more responsibilities.”

  It was my turn to smile. “What you’re saying is, you’d be down for giving this a try?”

  She worried her lip for a moment as she looked down at my chest, then back up into my eyes. “I think we need to talk about a few things first, but I don’t want to give you up either, Anson. The other night—I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt so alive for the first time in years. I felt whole.”

  “Complete.”

  We had both spoken at the same time, and Bristol laughed. “Yes. Complete.”

  I took her hands and led her back into the living room.