“That’s exactly what I thought, but just in case anybody else comes up to visit, I tucked it away in a basket underneath the counter.”
“Very smart,” Rachael grinned.
So, Aunt Margaret is friend, not foe.
Aunt Margaret winked at her conspiratorially. And changed the subject to sorority life and Greek Week, some sort of fun-filled week that would happen sometime in Rachael’s near future.
At Travis’s the lights were burning brightly. Rachael could see him through the blinds setting the table and filling water glasses. She decided immediately staying the night tonight would be out of the question. Three nights in a row was really pushing it, and she wanted Aunt Margaret to not have to lie for her to her parents.
“He’s a keeper. Look at him in there. Is he lighting candles?”
“He sure is.” Rachael peered in through the sliding glass doors off of the porch. She rapped on the glass with her knuckles and Travis came over to let her in.
“Welcome, ladies,” as Aunt Margaret swept past him, he patted Rachael on the backside. She swatted his hand away and frowned at him. He merely smiled his crooked, cocky grin at her.
Aunt Margaret inspected everything, making sure it was still warmed to bubbly perfection. Travis and Rachael sprang into action helping her carry everything over to the table. A knock sounded at the door.
“We expecting company?”
“Maybe so,” Travis went to answer the front door.
Outside stood Maysie and Mrs. Baxter, along with her very own mother. “Surprise!” They all yelled.
“We all came to celebrate with you!” Maysie cheered.
“I didn’t realize that this was that big of a deal.”
“Well, it is around here. I wrote one of your letters,” Mrs. Baxter explained.
“I was never in a sorority,” her mother added.
“Me, neither,” Maysie bemoaned, “but I bet it’ll be fun!”
They gathered around the table where Travis led everyone in Grace. Mrs. Baxter asked Rachael how she liked Travis’s place and if this was the first time she’d been over for dinner. Travis nearly choked on a piece of garlic toast and actually had to gulp water to clear his throat. Rachael immediately spoke up when it looked like he had everything cleared up and explained how he’d had her over for dinner just a few nights ago. And while technically she wasn’t lying, she felt a pang of guilt for not being more truthful.
Maysie was quick to come to her rescue and give everyone all of the details of how she helped her mother choose the towels, dishes, and glassware for Travis’s apartment.
“But I draw the line at doing his laundry! The laundromat at our house is officially closed.” Maysie winked. “You know one of his dirtiest habits is to sneak his dirty clothes into my hamper. I’d go to do laundry and wonder how two pairs of his shorts, a polo, and a few pairs of socks made their way into my hamper every time.”
“You didn’t?” Rachael feigned shock.
“She does it better than I do,” Travis batted his lashes at his sister.
“Well, Travis Baxter, you’re not my laundry concern anymore. I gladly pass that along to you, Rachael.”
“I accept, and not to mention a sore subject from the past, but I remember a hospitalization a few years back and a scantily clad cowboy sans undergarments. Now Maysie, you made no mention of undergarments. Someone please tell me he wears them now.” Rachael knew of course that he still didn’t. That was one thing she’d found out for certain the other night. But she certainly needed to make it look otherwise.
“I certainly purchased a bunch for him,” Mrs. Baxter chided. “I was just as embarrassed as you were- I’m sure you remember.”
“Okay, ladies- if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to disappear into that kitchen and return with dessert. In the meantime, can we find a different subject please? Anything really.”
“Let’s talk wedding dresses.” Aunt Margaret prompted. “We brought several magazines for you to look at. Of course, you might want something custom-made.”
“Yep, and this is where I excuse myself. I’m going to throw darts with the boys.” Travis came back in carrying a tray with various slices of cheesecake. “I’ll just set this right here and see myself out.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Rachael volunteered, sliding her chair out from under the table.
The other women chatted excitedly, leafing through the magazines looking at bridesmaids dresses. Rachael skipped over to hold Travis’s hand, letting him lead her outside.
At his truck door he turned to lock eyes with her, running his hand through his spiked hair.
“That was grueling.” He sighed.
“I didn’t think so.”
“You don’t think my mom caught me nearly dying on a piece of bread? I think she knows you’ve been here more than once. I hate lying to her.”
“We didn’t lie exactly. It’s not like I’ve stayed here every night.”
“Nearly,” he reached around her, pulling her to him. “You better get back in there and not be here when I get back. Stay at your place.”
“And if I don’t?”
“There’ll be a price to pay.” He bent his head forward and kissed her lightly. “I’m serious. Stay at your place. I did some mental math. Seven months. Four weeks in each month. Once each week. That’s twenty-eight nights you can stay here between now and the wedding.”
“Am I on restriction?”
“Something like that. Look at it this way. One night each week will give us both something to look forward to.” Travis tried reasoning with her.
“Okay, but there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t think you’re going to like it.” Rachael had been waiting for just the right time to bring up Colten and his recent appearance in her hall. She’d debated on not telling Travis at all, but then she ran the risk that he bumped into Colten and got angry at her for not telling him at all.
“Are you stalling?”
“Nope, just,” Rachael placed her hands on his chest. “I ran in to a blast from the past today.”
“Who’s that?”
“Colten,” Rachael tried to gauge his response, but in the dimly lit parking lot she couldn’t read his face. “He lives in my building.”
“Really.”
“Yep, he does. He wants to be friends, but I just kind of blew him off.”
“I’m going to grow to hate this coed dorm thing, I’m telling you now. Just think about it- at home I can’t go down your hallway or upstairs. Here you live with other guys.”
“It’s no different than an apartment complex. I’m sure you have lots of female neighbors.”
Travis turned and opened his truck door, slamming it behind him. He started his truck and backed out of the parking lot leaving Rachael standing outside alone. Rachael knew he wouldn’t be happy about the whole thing, but she never expected that. She walked back inside and did her best to hide her face. She knew Maysie picked up on her change in mood, but was thankful that Maysie was gracious enough not to say a thing about it.
Rachael studied Maysie, while flipping through magazines. She’d brought a book of her own and was ecstatically describing her very own wedding dress. On her hand Rachael saw a very large sparkler. The two carat princess cut diamond caught the light and displayed a variety of colors. Rachael waited until just the right moment to point it out. Maysie had called a few weeks back with the news of their engagement, but she hadn’t seen the ring just yet.
“Your ring is amazing, Maysie.”
“He said a carat for each year he wanted to date me.” Everyone laughed at her joke. “But good things come to those who wait.”
If Maysie had said those words a few weeks ago they wouldn’t have held nearly the same meaning and the inside joke that they held for the two of them now was irresistible. Maysie started giggling uncontrollably and Rachael joined her. Mrs. Harte and Aunt Margaret joined in as well.
; “Okay, laugh it up girls, but Mr. Baxter and I don’t regret making Maysie wait to date Tristan.” Mrs. Baxter defended their decision to not let Maysie date Tristan until she graduated high school.
“We know, Mama.” Maysie grinned. “I remember when Shannah called him a man. That all seems so long ago now.”
“To us, he was a man, back then. We were such kids.” Rachael added.
“You still are kids.” Aunt Margaret teased. “Anyone under the age of thirty years old, to me that is, is still a kid.”
“You are too right,” Mrs. Baxter agreed.
Maysie and Rachael started clearing the table. They filled the dishwasher one plate at a time, rinsing each dish and placing it in the bottom rack. When they were sure the other women were involved in their own conversation and suitably distracted, Maysie whispered, “You seem quiet.”
“I just dropped a bomb on Travis.” Rachael admitted.
“What happened?” Maysie looked concerned that Rachael had shared her recent development.
Rachael shook her head back and forth, to put Maysie’s mind at ease. “It’s Colten. Turns out he’s my neighbor in the dorm.”
“What?”
“Seriously.”
“It’s like a reality show. You’re surrounded by men- and some girls, too.”
“I feel like I’m caught up in some sort of soap opera. I knew he’d be annoyed, but I never expected him to peel out of here like that.”
“I bet he’s missing his tractor right about now.”
“At least in the past I always knew where to find him when he got mad. But without a pasture to mow or chop, and no tractor work to do- where could he be?” Rachael shrugged her shoulders.
“I thought he said he was going to throw darts.”
“There’s a pub near campus. We should go check on him.”
“Give him some space.” Maysie offered. “He can’t stay mad at you. He never does.”
“Give who some space?” Aunt Margaret asked.
“Travis is angry that Rachael is living among rapists and thieves.” Maysie joked.
“He’s just protective. I agree with Maysie. Give him some space.” Aunt Margaret yawned. “Are you ready to call it a night? We are staying just up the road, but I can run you back to your car.”
“I am.” Rachael went over and hugged both her mother and Mrs. Baxter. Then, she hugged Maysie and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, all of you, for this amazing surprise. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Probably not, Michael has a ball game and we’re leaving at six in the morning to make it back in time.” Her mother wished her a goodnight.
Aunt Margaret and Rachael walked outside to her car, waiting for the others to leave first. They climbed in and rode in silence for the first few minutes. Once they were out on the main highway, Aunt Margaret offered some timely advice.
“It wouldn’t be admitting defeat to move out of that dorm and accept the offered apartment. Your situation is very different from the other people, both male and female, who live there. You are engaged and you’d like to stay that way. And while it shouldn’t be different than an apartment, in reality it is. There’ll be parties, and other things, that quite frankly don’t go on elsewhere. So, that being said, if you’d like to find a one bedroom apartment or even a two bedroom- let me know. I can help you out. Also, Lucia said a room is available at the house.”
“Really?
“Something about a girl who is not returning to school. The room has two beds. You could move in there.”
“But the cost,” Rachael knew she couldn’t afford it.
“I’ll cover it for the year. Please let me,” Aunt Margaret patted her arm.
“Thank you, Aunt Margaret. I accept.”
Chapter Six
A week passed and there’d been no word from Travis. She’d texted him a few times and he’d responded with only one and two word answers. He was probably busy with Rush himself. He’d mentioned it to her in passing, and she was sure it was keeping him busy. Yet, something was bothering him. While Rachael had theories about what it could be, she wasn’t sure that any of her assumptions were correct. He was not usually a moody person. In their three plus years together, from friendship to engagement, he’d never been this up and down. Maybe he was worried. She couldn’t be sure.
Rachael thought back to his parents, and the fact that they hadn’t really been all that supportive of him going off to college in the first place. His father needed him on the ranch and even Travis’s own dreams of becoming an artist had been pushed aside for the family business. Rachael knew the constant strain he was under to please his father, make her happy, and balance two very different worlds. She’d found herself feeling those same pressures long ago. From leaving behind her friends and prep school, to adjusting to life in the country, to watching her father go to prison- only to return a changed man. Rachael understood the struggles Travis felt more deeply than he realized.
If only he’d open up to me about everything. About how he really felt.
That was the problem about the cowboys and that tough exterior. They upheld a constant façade and it was seldom breached. He needed to learn to trust Rachael with everything and she knew in time he would do just that. Trust was a two-way street, yet he was holding back on her.
Tomorrow was her moving day. The day that she and Lucia would move into the sorority house and into an all-girl environment. Aunt Margaret had arranged everything, even paying for her room and board. Her food would be included, and while she could eat breakfast and lunch on her own schedule, dinner was a different story. It would be served at six o’clock sharp and Rachael knew that wouldn’t work for her schedule at all. She had a few night classes that didn’t let out until after eight o’clock, but that was school life for her now. As a freshman, she’d had to take the General Education required classes when they were available. If the daytime classes were full, she’d signed up for the evening classes. It was that simple.
Of course, Travis had gotten a much better schedule. His Mom knew the Registrar and made certain his schedule was set. Rachael on the other hand had registered online and the schedule had defaulted to what was truly open. She requested overrides for one Saturday evening class, but had been denied. So, she’d be in a Statistics I class every Saturday night between now and Winter Break.
I guess there are worse things.
Driving to Travis’s place now, she felt nervous. He’d not handled the Colten news well and she knew he might very well still be in a snit.
How do these things happen to me? Maybe I’d have been better off, closer to home, at Community College.
She parked the Mustang and shimmied across to the passenger side door to climb out. She couldn’t believe that after all this time she still hadn’t had the driver side door repaired. But in some strange way, it gave her car personality. She didn’t mind it so much anymore.
She decided to go in by way of the back porch. The sliding glass doors had become her front door. Travis had hidden a key outside underneath a potted plant and she knew he was home- his truck was parked out front. She knocked on the glass, lightly and waited. After more than two minutes she knocked again. It was after ten o’clock and he’d never been a late riser. She tried the sliding glass door, it was locked. Finally, she crept over to the potted plant and got the hidden key. She walked around to the front door on the opposite side of his apartment and opened the door.
Inside, his apartment reeked. The stench of male stink wafted over her in an instant and she stepped back. Covering her nose, she tiptoed inside and found a guy snoring on the couch who clearly wasn’t Travis. Another guy lay sacked out on the floor in nothing more than a pair of tighty whities. Rachael could see empty beer cans stacked on the kitchen counter, and dirty dishes piled sky-high in the sink.
She quietly made her way to the Travis’s bedroom and opened the door. He lay asleep in his bed, snoring loudly, not even stirring when she entered. She softly closed the door behind h
er and went to sit on the edge of his bed. She gently touched his side, startling him awake.
“Baby,” he grinned at her, his eyes still near slits in an obvious effort to avoid any sunlight.
“Are you hungover?”
“Maybe a little. Our Rush Week has been a little different than yours.” He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. “What time is it?”
“After ten o’clock.” Rachael rubbed his forearm, he felt warm. “Need an aspirin?”
“If you have one that’d be great. I’ve got the beer sweats,” he sat up.
“Well, you’ll get no sympathy from me, Travis. I remember the day you made me clean a barn, work cows, and all the while I was sick. Seriously sick.”
“I’m sorry about that now, Baby…” He winked at her.
“Yeah, sure you are. You just want my sympathy and some babying and you’re not going to get any. I’ve been worried about you, Travis, and here you are partying it up.”
Rachael stood and went to fetch him a glass of water. She searched his bathroom medicine cabinet and found a bottle of aspirin. Next, she passed through the living room, carefully stepping over the half-naked guy on the floor. “Up and at ‘em boys, this ain’t no hotel.”
Both guys rolled over and eyed her skeptically, then covered their lower halves. “Sorry, Rachael.”
Rachael shot them both a look, knowing she’d never met either of them. She walked back in and handed the pills to Travis, followed by a glass of water. “They know who you are,” he grinned at her from behind closed eyelids.
She sat back down on the edge of the bed. “I thought you were mad at me, maybe sad, depressed even. You don’t look all that sad to me.”
“I’ve just been missin’ you, darling.”
Rachael was annoyed and he knew it. She could tell by his effort at sweet talking her. “I think you’re still drunk.”
“Drunk on love,” he patted her thigh. “Want to take a shower?”
“Travis Baxter, get up and get it together. I have to move into that sorority house today. I know me leaving that dorm full of partying, female-hungry guys makes you sad, but moving day has arrived. If I leave it until tomorrow, you’ll be in class all day and unable to help me.”
Cowgirl Coed (Redneck Debutante Series Book 4) Page 6
