Which is why my parents sold the feed store to me. And why Grace, as smart and perfect as she was, taught second grade. I thought my little sister would follow in the exact footsteps my parents wanted her to be in but she had stood tall and proud exclaiming when she was nine years old that she was going to be a teacher. And she was.
My parents owned a manufacturing company that built silos for ranches and all of their friends were people within the same profitable bracket as them. Mr. and Mrs. Wiseman manufactured metal corrals, some panels I sold at the feed store. Mr. and Mrs. Farris manufactured metal roofing materials which they mostly sold for commercial buildings. Couldn’t forget Mr. and Mrs. Shields who manufactured all types of fences and their fifty other friends who I couldn’t care less about.
I bought Thatcher’s feed from them a few years before my grandfather passed away. He’d left me in his will but he’d also given me money before his passing and I wasn’t ever clear on why he did it that way. Now, at the ripe age of thirty, Thatcher’s feed had expanded from being only one store in Lone Star to another three stores within a hundred and fifty-mile radius of here. Unfortunately, one of those stores was in the red and I needed the other half of the promised inheritance. As fucked up as that situation was, this was my livelihood and there was no way I could let it go. Getting the Deer Creek feed store back in the black was going to require money and lots of it.
Needless to say, I wasn’t ever going into the silo business and neither was Grace. I about shit bricks when she declared she wasn’t going into the business, as did my parents. She was so prim and proper, following my parent’s orders to a T all her life, that when she went into college, there wasn’t a thing I was more proud of. I assumed she would be the Patterson poster child but I was wrong.
My father couldn’t wait for one of us to have an heir to his throne. Preferably a grandson for him, a granddaughter for my mother, so they could have someone to take over their business someday. I thought of Thayer, of course, wondering what he would want to be when he grew up. Spider-man, yes. Because wasn’t that every man’s dream? Hell, I still wished I had some type of superpowers and I was thirty.
Enough superpowers to catch Abigail and Thayer in my web to keep forever. She’d been all I could think about since she and Thayer had come into the store. I didn’t get to see them very often, but shit, man, when I did, it was a full-on sucker punch to the stomach. I’d managed to live without them this long, and I told myself I could continue to do so. It wasn’t the truth though. I knew it. They didn’t. I could never admit how deep my feelings went for Abigail. Especially since she was happily married to one of my best friends. There was no way in hell I was going to fuck with that.
Especially since Adrian married Abigail for me.
I chose to ignore that situation and wondered if Abigail ever thought of me, the way I did her. Was I the farthest thing from her mind? Did she see me every time she looked at our son? Was there even a small part of her that wished we could have explored our life together? Or was she too angry with me for never stepping up to the plate to take care of her and Thayer?
I’ve grown from all the reasons why I gave the little boy up. I regretted it. But because of the will, it was forcing me to act now. So what if I couldn’t have Abigail? I could sure exercise my right to legally obtain partial custody over Thayer.
“Thatcher, you in here?”
I let go of those thoughts and made my way to the front of the store where Cap sat at one of the stools already digging into my bag of peanuts.
“You’re here mighty early.”
“Just rode into town. Thought I’d come in here and then get some sleep.”
“Where’d you ride to?”
“Took her all the way out to Dead Man’s Pass. Beautiful out there, man.”
“Have you slept at all this weekend?”
“Oh yeah, slept both nights. Each night with a different broad.”
“When are you going to grow out of that?”
“Grow out of what?”
“Sleeping around.”
He threw a peanut at me. “Does one ever grow out of wanting to fuck?”
Abigail flashed through my mind, even after all this time I could still taste the strawberry wine from her lips, “Guess not. Where’d you pick these chicks up from?”
“Same place I always do, Lazy Dogs Saloon. Women there just beg for it, know what I mean?”
“Not from experience but I get the idea.”
Cap came from a long line of bikers. While his father was currently in prison, I didn’t get the feeling that Cap ran with a biker gang or anything like his dad had. He was just rough around the edges and didn’t care what people thought of him, living his life the way he wanted.
“You should go with me sometime. Separate, of course. I can’t let you on the back of my bike.”
“Yeah, that would be breaking some biker code, I’m sure.”
“Damn straight.” He cracked open a few peanuts and we sat in silence for a few moments before I had the urge to tell him about seeing Thayer.
“Thayer came in the other day.”
“No shit. Who brought him?”
“Abigail.”
“Is that why you look all fucking mopey?”
“I’m not fucking mopey. Just wondering what could have been.”
“Yeah, well quit wondering. Never gonna happen. Just like me dating your sister would never happen.”
Confused, I stared at him wondering where the hell that comparison came from. “Don’t even mention my sister. She is way too good for you.”
“Hell yeah she is. She walks with her nose so high in the air she has to get better air than the rest of us. I can’t imagine who would ever want that.”
“She does not.”
He raised his dark eyebrow at me.
“Okay, she does. But she is fantastic and why the hell are we even talking about Grace?”
“We weren’t. We were talking about your girlfriend.”
“Funny. Adrian would have me by the balls if he knew I was even thinking about his wife. Much less you referring to her as my girlfriend.”
“I can handle Adrian. I got your back, Bro. Lips are sealed.”
Which is why I shouldn’t be talking about her. Because talking led to thinking and thinking led me to places I shouldn’t be remembering. The way she tasted when we were five years younger and how hungry she used to be for me. I’d never experienced a hunger like that. The way she would cling to me like I was her last breath of air. Exploring every piece of my body with her mouth, her fingers. For not the first time, I wished she wasn’t that way with Adrian but in my heart of hearts I knew she was. That side of her wasn’t something one practiced. It was just who she was. Built into her the way the flight was built into a bird. It just was.
And it made me sick every time I thought about it.
“Thatch? Snap out of it, man.”
“Fuck off.”
“Why didn’t you stay with Abby when you got her pregnant? Are you ever gonna tell me?”
I shook my head to silence Cap. No. I wasn’t going to tell him. I wasn’t ready to tell anyone what had me so graciously call in a favor from Adrian when I’d gotten the one woman I truly loved, pregnant. I didn’t need to relive the past any more than I needed to think about Abby.
“Speaking of sealed lips though, can I bounce something off you?”
“Bounce away.”
“I got a letter from the trustees of my grandfather’s will yesterday. Further instructions on how I can obtain the rest of my inheritance.”
“The rest of it?” he cocked his brow at me.
“Four-hundred and fifty thousand dollars to be exact.”
“Go get that shit, man.”
“I need proper documentation that I’m in custody of a child.”
I watched the words sink in, just as they’d done with me. I knew the gears were turning in his head. In the silence, I could hear a dog barking in the distance. Cap a
nd I stared at each other for a good minute before he finally spoke.
“Go get a fucking letter or something from her.”
“It’s not that simple, Cap. I have to have custody. Which means I can ask nicely and watch her laugh at me or take her to court.”
“It’s four-hundred and fifty thousand dollars, Thatch.”
“With the Deer Creek store in the red, I’ve got to go to court.”
“She’s going to fucking hate you more than she ever has.”
Before I could answer, the bell above the door signaled the arrival of a customer.
“Ryan, what’s up?”
“Thought I’d stop by. Cap,” the two shook hands as Cap offered Ryan the bag of peanuts. “Hell no. Who eats peanuts this early in the morning?”
“Hey man, I’ve been abusing my body all weekend, what’s wrong with a little healthy snack?”
Ryan glanced at me. I threw my shoulders up. “He’s been out at Dead Man’s Pass all weekend with the ladies.”
“Ladies? Or not quite ladies?”
“I take what they offer and that’s all I’m gonna say about it. You just missed a great conversation, we were talking about our boy here and how-”
Giving a death warning to Cap, I cut in. “Just discussing how my parents are throwing another awful party they want me to go to. There’s no way Grace is getting stuck attending alone.”
“Can’t say I blame her. How is little Gracie these days?”
“She’s not little Gracie anymore and she’d stick one of her pencils in your eye if she heard you calling her that. But she’s good. Likes being a second-grade teacher. Of course, it’s only her second year teaching so she’s still wet behind the ears.”
Cap snorted as he threw another peanut shell into the trash.
“What?” Ryan and I turned out attention to Cap.
“I saw her coming out of the elementary school the other day. Course she’d never give me the time of day, but there she was walking tall, her book bag in her hand and lookin’ about as prim and proper as one could get.”
I cocked my head, “This is the second time you’ve mentioned her. What the hell?”
Cap stood from the bar stool, throwing his last peanut shell into the trash. He took his time adjusting the black do-rag he had secured on his head before turning toward Ryan and I.
“Nothing,” he shrugged his shoulder in that lazy way of his. “I agree with you, that’s all. She’s definitely not nerdy little Gracie Patterson anymore. She’s all,” I waited, watching Cap struggle to find the right words all the while considering where he might fall if I had to hit him. “She’s all growed up.”
The bell did its ring-a-ling as Cap took off and this time it grated on my nerves, leaving me standing there with my hands clasped into fists against my sides, wondering what the hell he was getting at. The loud rev of his motorcycle engine reverberated through my chest, making the ‘open’ sign knock along the glass as he tore off out of the parking lot.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Ryan asked.
“That he better stay the fuck away from her?”
Ryan laughed, “Good luck with that, man. Cap gets what Cap wants.” The annoying bell rang once more as Ryan left me alone, fuming in my shop, his final words a warning bell in my head. Cap gets what Cap wants. Not in my lifetime. I shrugged my shoulders. Knowing Grace, I knew I had absolutely nothing to worry about. She’d never go for a guy like Cap. I’m talking Johnny Depp and Ivanka Trump here. I laughed out loud. Never going to happen. What was I worried for?
~
A few days later as I’d finished up with a couple customers, my mind wandered back to Thayer and what a smart little boy he was. He was joyful, like his mom and so eager to learn things. Could I go through with this plan and convince Abby to share him with me? She is all he’s ever known and what was my plan exactly? Have him come live with me – a man he only knew on the surface – part time? Full time? Nah. I wouldn’t do that to Abby. I wasn’t the greatest guy in her eyes now; I definitely wasn’t going to be once she learned about this.
Aside from all of that, was I meant to be a father? Self-doubt crept into my gut warning me that I could never be the kind of dad Thayer deserved. I mean, wasn’t it true that we are all our parent’s kids? Father like son? It was the reason I gave them up in the first place. Ironic how my past was rearing its ugly head again.
My phone rang and seeing it was Cap, I debated for a second on whether I should answer it.
“Thatcher.”
“There’s a fire. You’ve got to get over here real quick, man!”
“A fire where?”
“Here, man, at your girlfriends.”
Shit. Abigail’s. “Are they hurt?” My life depended on his answer and I waited for him to speak, hearing the sirens and voices in the background.
“Cap?” I screamed into the phone. I was already locking the register and shutting off the lights to drive over to her and Adrian’s house.
“I can hear you. No man. No one’s hurt. But her house is in flames. The both of them are sitting in a police car.”
“Where’s Adrian?” I asked as I jumped into my truck.
“She said Adrian’s been out of town. She’s pretty shaken up.”
“I’ll be there in three.” I spun out of the parking lot making that three into two. When I arrived, a police officer had half the block cordoned off and I couldn’t go any further. I jumped out of the truck, making a beeline to the first police officer I could find.
“Where’s Abigail Murphy? That’s her house.” I pointed to the plume of smoke that drifted from her house. Black smoke billowed into the sky, two by fours of what used to be her garage and front door, were engulfed in flames. My heart swelled as a memory of my ten-year old self ran along an old dirt road in the night, trying to get to the neighbors as fast as my little cowboy boots could carry me. The memory of me looking behind my shoulder as I ran, of my childhood home being engulfed in flames, was so vivid in my head, I could feel the heat from that fire kissing my body.
“Sir! You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I told the officer. “Where is she?”
The officer, R. Jones, as printed on his badge, pointed me to a second police cruiser that sat at the curb a few houses down, along the far side of the street. I took off, running toward them, and the familiarity of running from the fire when I was younger, gave me such a strong sense of déjà vu, I almost choked.
“Abigail? Thayer?” I screamed as I ran up to the vehicle. I pulled open the back door and Abby flew out of the car and into my arms. Her shoulders heaved, her body shook against mine as she sobbed into my chest. Thayer, crawled out of the back seat, and not giving the poor guy a choice, I swung my arm out and cradled him against my leg, into his mother’s side.
“Are you okay? What happened? When’s Adrian coming home?” I tried pulling back from her body but she clung to me tight, her sobs wracking her body and in that second, I hated Adrian for all of the things that were my doing; things that were now beyond my control. I hated him for being out of town, now, when his wife and his child needed him the most. I hated myself for doing what I’d done.
“Abigail, tell me what happened?” I demanded.
“I don’t know. We weren’t home. We were at the park and when we walked up-” She stopped and pressed her face into my chest once more. I could tell by the way her shoulders were moving less that her tears were subsiding.
Thayer pulled from my grasp, “Spider-Man!”
“Thayer-”
A guy I went to high school with who was also a firefighter, Grant Hoffner, came barreling over to the police car, holding the same plastic bin they’d gotten at my shop just the other day.
“Here, little man. Let me help you with that.” I pulled away from Abby and took the bin and turtle from Grant. “Thanks.”
“I’m sorry to tell you this but there’s no way you’re going to be able to go back, Abby. It was a miracle I arrived when
I did. I was first on the scene, it spread quickly. Do you have somewhere you can stay?” he asked.
“Of course. My mama’s not too far away, I could probably stay with her. Do they know what happened?”
“Not yet. I’m sure someone will come talk to you soon.”
“Thanks, Grant.” I set the turtle’s bin onto the grass and knelt next to Thayer. “Think you could do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Think you could keep an eye on Spider-Man while your mom and I talk for just a second?”
“Yes.”
I stood and turned to Abby who was mesmerized by the sight in front of us. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her body as she watched, tears ran down her cheeks and even though the August weather was pushing ninety-five degrees today, she was shaking. Neighbors that had to be evacuated stood huddled in little circles along the sidewalk. America’s Finest stood in random spots speaking with each other and firefighters were scattered around her house and I suspected there were more of them than we could see.
“Abigail, have you called Adrian?”
“What? No. I-”
She probably hadn’t thought of it yet with all of the commotion as well as the realization that all of their things were long gone. Her shoulders were slumped in defeat and I resisted the urge to take her in my arms once again and kiss all her sadness away. My heart ached for Thayer and knowing everything the little boy owned – all Spider-Man, no doubt – was lying in ruins inside the burnt home.
“I’ll call him.” I had my phone out and was already ringing Adrian when she turned to me.
“Adrian. Look, I’ve got bad news. Abby and Thayer are alright, but your house burned down.”
“What? When?”
Wild: A Small Town Romance (Love in Lone Star Book 2) Page 3
