Between Hope & the Highway

by Charissa Stastny

  As she went on to tell me about what she’d gone through over the last year, I soaked up her every facial nuance and emotional tone. How I’d missed her! A glance at my watch as I finished my Frosty showed we’d been talking for over an hour. I didn’t want to stop, but we were in a dang Wendy’s and a crowd of rowdy teens had taken over the booth behind us.

  We walked out to her Fiat. As I opened her door, I reached up and brushed her curly long bangs to the side. “I like these. You don’t look like a strict librarian anymore.”

  “You’re obnoxious.”

  My cheeks hurt from grinning. “And you’re more beautiful than I remember.” I blew her a kiss as I walked around the car to claim my seat next to her. We returned to Viktorya’s, but when she parked behind my trailer, neither of us opened our doors.

  “I’m sorry about your dad.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I miss him.”

  “Viktorya told me you moved in with your mom.”

  She nodded. “She tried to overdose on some pills after the funeral.”

  I closed my eyes. “That sucks.”

  “I won’t lie. It’s been hard.”

  I touched her chin. “I love how loyal you are.”

  “Your Love Triangle game saved me. Remember how you used to make me play that with you?”

  “You hated it.”

  “I’ve learned its value. After Dad died, I discovered Mom had bipolar disorder. I seem to trigger her nasty side, so I’ve had to become a pro at your game to survive her verbal attacks.”

  The thought of anyone belittling Lizzie angered me. For it to be her own mother made me absolutely furious. I took a long, cleansing breath to keep from ranting. “Can you give me a demonstration? All I recall is how much you sucked at the game. You came up with the lamest loves—like your toes or your beating heart.” I gasped. “Not that you suck or are lame. Gosh, that came out terrible.”

  She laughed. “No, you’re right. I sucked. It was so hard to see anything good in myself when Mom had told me for so long everything that was wrong.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with you. Nothing!”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t go that far. I definitely have my share of faults, but the past few months have forced me to dig deep in order to keep from succumbing to despair.”

  “I love your smile.”

  She gifted me with another one. “I love my smile too.”

  “What else do you love?”

  “My hair, especially in a stern librarian ponytail.” Her lips twitched as I reached to pull the elastic from her hair. Curls fell around her face and over her shoulder. “I also love my hair curling wildly around me.” She closed her eyes as I ran my fingers through her vibrant curls. “And I adore my hair when your fingers get all tangled in it.”

  “My, my. You have become skilled at this game. What else?”

  “My neck.” I watched her gulp and peek up at me.

  “What about it?”

  Her minty breath brushed my forehead as I leaned in to plant my lips on the graceful tilt of her throat.

  “I love how sensitive it is to your lips,” she sighed.

  The emergency brake dug into my side as I leaned over to properly nibble. She’d given me all the permission I needed with those words.

  “Oh, Rawson, I’ve missed you.”

  I trailed kisses down her neck and worked my way back up to her chin. “Not a day’s gone by that I haven’t missed you too, sweetheart.” I flicked my tongue out and heard an accompanying moan. The way her throat vibrated with sound aroused me like gas on a flame. I forced myself to pull back so my brain could function.

  As she caught her breath, she said, “I can’t believe you want anything to do with me after I ran away when you needed me. That was cruel.”

  I pressed my finger to her freckled nose. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for girls named Lizzie.”

  She frowned. “Are you okay now? Did rehab help?”

  “I’m much better now, especially now that I’m with you.” She raised a pretty eyebrow, so I explained. “I didn’t know you were gone until I got home at the end of summer. When I discovered you left and Damon had been sent to prison, I got super depressed. I tried to stay busy—volunteering in Benny’s Scout troop, putting in extra time at the ranch—but nothing helped.Then Addie got sick and needed a kidney. I was a match, so I gave her mine in November. I had complications and only started getting up and about two months ago. But saving my sister’s life turned my own around. I know it doesn’t make up for what I did to my brothers, but it’s meant everything to me.”

  Her eyes glistened.

  “I’ve been going to church too.”

  She smiled.

  “God’s been good to me. Life hasn’t been perfect. Heck, some of it’s been plain miserable, but I feel peace now that I never did before. I’ve accepted the part I played in the accident, but know my life doesn’t consist of that one moment. I can be a better man today than I was yesterday.”

  “I knew there was a reason I loved you.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You love me?”

  A tear trickled down her cheek. “Yes, Stash.” Though quiet, her answer echoed in my heart.

  “That’s good, Praline, because I felt complete those months we were together, and have had a huge chunk missing from my heart since you left. I’m glad you left though, because I had to dig deep to find myself, and I feel a tiny bit worthier of you now than I did back then.” I paused, but couldn’t look away from her misty brown eyes. “I know I’m not perfect; heck, I’m as imperfect as they come, but I don’t have any secrets to hide from you anymore, and I know that no man can offer you the love I have. It’s real. It’s true. And it’s all yours if you’ll just say you’ll marry me.”

  Her mouth fell open. “What?”

  I felt as shocked as she looked; but it was true and had burned a hole through my lips to release its message. “Marry me, Lizzie. I don’t want to live without you anymore.”

  Her brown eyes sparkled in the darkness of the cramped Fiat as she wrapped her arms around me. “I’d consider it the greatest honor of my life to become your wife.”

  I kissed her, and we didn’t stop for a long time. We had lots of time to make up for, and we made up for it pretty good, if I must say so myself.

  Chapter 90

  Liz

  “What is this garbage?”

  I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I only made it to six before Mom banged her fist on the table and spewed out more negativity.

  “You don’t expect me to eat this, do you? No wonder you can’t find a man, Elizabeth. You’re a terrible cook.”

  At least I cooked. If Mom had to fend for herself, she’d live off pita chips and hummus. It didn’t matter how healthy those might be, that alone did not a balanced diet make. I grinned, thinking I sounded Yoda-ish.

  “Wipe that smirk off your face and sit up straight.”

  A weary sigh escaped. I wished Rawson had been able to come see me this weekend. Since we’d reunited, he’d flown out the last two weekends to spoil me rotten. Last night on the phone, he suggested eloping to a wedding chapel on the Strip instead of waiting to marry in the small church I attended. I hadn’t told Mom. Truthfully, I didn’t want her to know. She’d only spoil my happiness. Only Esther knew, because she’d be moving Mom in with her once I married. Rawson hadn’t told his family either, wanting to surprise them when he brought me back to the ranch.

  “Should we say a prayer?” I suggested as Mom picked up her fork.

  She scowled. “You think I’m a sinner since I don’t bless my food?”

  “Not at all, but you raised me to always say grace.”

  “Well,” she huffed, “this garbage needs all the help it can get.”

  In the middle of my prayer, the doorbell rang. Mom didn’t wait for an Amen before she scraped her chair against linoleum and raced to the door. I took advantage of her absence to dish up a huge serving of Shepherd’s pie and take a bite without
her judging me on etiquette.

  “Well, come on in, cowboy. Aren’t you the most ruggedly handsome creature I’ve ever seen.”

  My loaded fork froze in front of my mouth. No! He wouldn’t have come without warning me, would he?

  “I’m here to see Liz. I’m Rawson Law. And you must be…?”

  I covered my mouth. I’d been so careful the last two weekends, keeping him busy so he didn’t meet my crazy mom. He’d wanted to, but I’d ensured we ran out of time. It was tempting to flee out the back door, but as I eyed that means of escape, Mom entered with my incredible fiancé in tow.

  “Elizabeth, you never told me you had a date with a hot cowboy. How rude.”

  “That’s my fault, Mrs. Ruthersford. Lizzie didn’t know I was coming.” He walked over and spun me around before pecking my cheek.

  “Why are you here?” I muttered.

  His loving gaze made a lump form in my throat. “I wanted to surprise you.”

  Well, he’d done that. And as soon as Mom humiliated me, Rawson would either join her in laughing at me like my other dates or he’d pity me. Either option was unacceptable.

  “Join us, handsome. We were just about to eat.” As he sat next to me, Mom snapped her fingers. “Elizabeth, don’t zone off. Make yourself useful and get a plate for this hunk.” As I crossed to the cupboard, she whispered loud enough for me to hear, “I apologize for her lack of manners. Elizabeth can be extraordinarily obtuse.”

  I rolled my eyes as I turned with plate in hand.

  “Your daughter is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I won’t allow you to belittle her that way.”

  I couldn’t move. No one had ever stood up for me against Mom. Not even Dad. He threw lots of support beams up to fortify my crumbling self-esteem behind closed doors, but he never outright opposed her tactics. Rawson’s challenging stance left me reeling.

  “Well, I never,” she huffed.

  He turned to me as if he hadn’t just fought a battle on my behalf. “Thank you.” He grabbed my wrist as I set down his plate, and brought it to his lips. “You look more beautiful every time I see you.”

  Mother snorted. “Love is blind.”

  My hero’s eyes narrowed into slits. “I’ve never seen more clearly, Mrs. Ruthersford.”

  Not wanting them to come to blows, I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s eat.”

  He took a bite. “This is delicious.”

  Mom’s lips puckered. “It’s one of Elizabeth’s crazy concoctions.”

  He turned to me with such a sincere grin that I knew he wasn’t hamming it up. “Wow! You’ll have to teach my mom how to make this. I hate her Shepherd’s pie. I always slip it into a napkin to toss.”

  I laughed, which caused Mom to glare.

  “Forgive Elizabeth’s unladylike laughter.”

  Rawson’s hands clenched. I rested my hand on his leg and mouthed, I’m okay. He seemed to relax, but still addressed Mom.

  “Mrs. Ruthersford, there’s a game I like to play where you say three things you love about yourself. I’ll start. I love my hands because they’re strong. I love my brain because it’s pretty quick on the draw. And I love my mouth because it’s excellent at kissing.” He winked at me.

  My cheeks and neck burned. I definitely agreed.

  “Your turn. What are three things you love about yourself?”

  Flattered by his attention, she primped and fluttered her fake lashes. “I love my eyes; they’re my greatest asset.”

  “They are beautiful. You passed them onto your daughter, you know? Lizzie’s are your same unique shape, only brown.”

  Mom stared at me across the table and shrugged. “I love my firm body; I’ve kept it in good shape as I’ve matured.” She didn’t condone the word old.

  “You do take good care of yourself. I’ll be proud to have you as my mother-in-law.”

  I kicked him beneath the table as Mom started choking on her food.

  “Yes,” he said with a cocky grin. “I’ve asked your daughter to marry me and she said yes.”

  “Elizabeth?”

  “Yeah. Lizzie.” He wrapped an arm around me.

  I frowned.

  “Elizabeth Belle,” Mom snapped, “sit up straight and wipe that scowl off your face. This handsome cowboy wants to marry you. Don’t make him run away.”

  “Oh, I’m not running away, Mrs. Ruthersford. If anyone should run, it’s Liz. And as for her scowl, she’s just wishing I’d stop talking and start kissing her. She gets grumpy when her lips are missing mine.”

  I bowed my head and laughed. When I managed to tamp my amusement into a twitching smile, Rawson grinned. Mom stared at me as though I’d grown a horn.

  “What’s the third thing, Mrs. Ruthersford?”

  “Oh,” she gave him a coy smile. “I love my hair. It’s tame and manageable, unlike Elizabeth’s chaotic mane.”

  “One of the things I love best about Lizzie is her curly hair.” He pulled out my ponytail and let my curls fall about my face. “You created the perfect woman for me, Mrs. Ruthersford. I’ll always be grateful to you for that.”

  He grabbed my hand under the table as Mom studied him through goopy eyelashes.

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  So was I. It was hard not to kiss his head off. When he first arrived, I thought Mom would cast doubt onto our relationship because that’s all she’d ever done when I introduced her to men. But Rawson handled her like a pro, leaving no doubt in my mind how he felt about me.

  When he led me out to his rental car, I gave into my desire to make love to his mouth. “You’re incredible,” I murmured into his demanding lips. “But why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

  “I knew you wouldn’t let me meet your mom if I did.”

  “You were amazing with her.”

  “I wanted to wash her mouth out with soap.”

  “Thanks for standing up for me.”

  His eyes glistened as he tipped my chin. “Thank you for loving me.”

  “That’s extremely easy to do.”

  “It hasn’t always been.”

  I pulled his head down to meet mine. “Kiss me, Lord Cootie Catcher. My lips are missing yours.”

  Rawson graciously gave into my request. “Okay, Stockholm. I don’t want you getting grumpy.”

  Chapter 91

  Bentley

  Brushing Han’s coat, I chewed on my bottom lip. Ever since Rawson had gone off on that purchasing trip, he’d seemed distracted. For the last three weekends, he’d taken off to who knows where, making me worry that he might be sliding back into destructive patterns. I stabled Han and walked to the house, wondering what I could do to help him.

  Extracting my boots, I headed to the kitchen to grab a snack. When the phone rang, I stopped in the hallway as I heard Dad pick up in the other room.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, before swearing a doozy. “All right. Thanks for calling.”

  “What’s wrong?” Mom asked as he slammed the phone down.

  “That was Dave at the airport in Bozeman,” he muttered. “I asked him to check into whether Rawson was flying out of there.”

  I tensed, curious about my brother’s secret trips.

  “He said Rawson chartered a flight out of there this afternoon to Vegas. When Dave checked the logs, he discovered that he’s done the same flight each of the previous three weekends.”

  “I’m sure he has good reason.”

  “Reason be damned, Charity. The boy’s probably chasing after skirts, or gambling his money away. He’s definitely not thinking with his brain.”

  I couldn’t move. Not Rawson. He wouldn’t do those things, would he? Yet when I caught him before he drove off last night, he’d had a suitcase in hand and had been wearing cologne. When I asked where he was going, he patted my shoulder and shot off some lame answer I didn’t buy. Come to think of it, he’d acted extremely suspicious for weeks—whistling for no reason, staring off into space as he worked, and smiling constantly. If I
didn’t know better, I’d think he was in love.

  That idea settled on me like a cockroach in mashed potatoes. Hobbling up to my bedroom, I knew what I had to do. I turned on my laptop and typed in Elizabeth Ruthersford. Rawson hadn’t had any luck finding her, but Liz might be back from South America and she was the only hope my lonely brother had of not losing his head to some money-grubbing bimbo. If I could locate her, I could stop Rawson from doing something he’d regret for the rest of his life.

  Chapter 92

  Rawson

  Never had I felt so enamored by a woman. Reaching out, I touched Lizzie’s sleeping face, tracing her delicate cheekbones and pixie nose. Though the clock showed it was the middle of the night, I was wide awake. I caressed her jawline and circled her perfect lips before letting my fingers meander down her neck and continue beneath the sheets. A faint hum alerted me that she’d awakened. Long lashes fluttered and she smiled in the darkness as she lifted her graceful hand to rest against my chest.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” I fibbed. Actually, I’d been anxious for her to awake once my eyes opened and I saw her cuddled next to me.

  Her adorable dimple dented her cheek. “I love you.”

  “I love you more, Mrs. Law.” I rolled over to give her my full attention.

  We’d married yesterday evening—eight hours ago to be precise—in a simple ceremony in front of Lizzie’s minister and a few witnesses, including Viktorya. Seeing how anxious Liz became thinking of planning a wedding that aligned with her mother’s exacting standards made me nix that idea. I called her ecclesiastical leader when I arrived and asked him to marry us that night. Neither of us cared about pomp and ceremony. We just wanted to be legally bound together as husband and wife.

  She was my girl now in every possible way. Thinking about it gave me a case of goosebumps. Lizzie hummed and closed her eyes as I stroked and kissed her body beneath the silken sheets, playing the part of a newlywed quite well.

  “I think I’m smitten with an acute case of love. There’s no cure,” I murmured as I clasped her thighs.

  “It must be contagious.” She nipped my ear. “I caught it too.”

  “We’ll have to quarantine ourselves and never leave this bed…to save the world.”