by Cee Bowerman
Shanda, Allie, and I all laughed at Rowdy’s pain and finally, the waitress came back with drink refills and the girls changed the subject. I reached over and took Rowdy’s hand and squeezed it. When he lifted his head and looked at me, I smiled at him. I leaned toward him and gave him a soft kiss.
“We’re a team now,” I whispered. “Remember?”
“Yeah,” he laughed. “I’m glad to have someone in my corner.”
“Oh, explanations are all you, buddy. You apparently do it much better than me,” I smiled. “But I’ll help when I can.”
12.
SIERRA
“Did you check your room to make sure you have everything?” I asked the girls when they walked through the door that joined their hotel room to ours.
“Dad doesn’t trust us, so he’s making sure,” Leia said as she flopped down on the bed. “I don’t want to go home yet. I’ve had so much fun here with my aunties.”
“I have, too!” Lexi agreed. “They said that they’d be my aunties now since you and Rowdy are getting married.”
“Yeah,” Leia smiled over at me. “I’ve been trying to tell her about everyone, but it will be easier to just introduce her at the wedding. She’s going to love Aunt Carlie and Aunt Lisa. We want to see if they think we’re old enough to babysit yet so we can make some money.”
“Leia and I are going to buy our own horses. She wants a gray one with spots and I want a black one.”
“We’ll have to keep babysitting even after we get them so we can afford feed for them. They’ll need hay and tack, too, but we can ask for that sort of stuff for our birthdays and Christmas.”
I looked up and saw Rowdy leaning against the doorframe listening in on our conversation. He had a secretive smile on his face and I knew he was planning something big. If I had to guess, he was figuring out how to afford a spotted gray pony along with a solid black one.
I walked over to him and when he stood up straight, I stepped into his arms.
“Things like that is what I want you to make sure to spend our money on,” I whispered. “And I don’t even want to hear any arguments on it, mister.”
Rowdy pulled me into the other room and shut the door firmly before he swept me up into a long kiss.
“The man I’ve been talking to about Leia’s dappled gray has a black with a white forelock and white socks. They’re both well-trained, well-loved horses who are calm and used to young riders,” Rowdy whispered when he pulled away. “We can see if he’ll sell us both and have them delivered on Saturday before the ceremony. We can give the girls a wedding gift.”
“I have no fucking idea what a forelock is or why a horse needs socks, but I’ll take your word for it.”
Rowdy laughed and kissed me on the nose.
“You’ve got so much to learn, baby.”
“Do you have any books that can teach me about horses?”
“Leia has about two dozen. I’m sure she’ll loan them to you.”
“We’re getting married in two days, Rowdy,” I whispered. “Are you as nervous as I am?”
“At least,” he said honestly. “But I think we’re doing the right thing, don’t you?”
“I do,” I nodded. “I like you. I enjoy spending time with you - you make me laugh and smile and you make me feel safe and wanted. I’m already head over heels for that sassy daughter of yours and can’t wait to watch our girls grow together as sisters and best friends.”
“I feel the same, baby,” Rowdy kissed me again, and this time it was hotter and longer than the one before it. “It’s an unconventional way to start a marriage, but I think it works for us, don’t you?”
“I do,” I told him.
“Practice saying those two words, honey. I’ll be needing to hear them again in a few days.”
“Mom!” Lexi yelled from the other side of the door. “We’re hungry!”
Rowdy dropped his forehead to touch mine and his long hair curtained our faces.
“I can’t wait to get you home and back in my bed,” he whispered. “I’m going to wear the girls out with manual labor so they sleep like the dead, then I’m going to crawl into bed with you and make you scream my name.”
“Yes,” I whispered, my face getting flush as heat pooled between my legs. “Do that.”
“I’ll be thinking of it the whole way home,” Rowdy said as he pulled away from me. “Now I need to have a minute to sit in here alone while I recite what I can remember about the periodic table while you finish getting ready to check out of the hotel.”
I giggled and walked toward the closed door. Before I opened it, I wiggled my ass a little bit and looked over my shoulder to see him flop down on the bed dramatically.
“You’re fucking killing me, girl,” Rowdy groaned. I laughed at him and then went into the other room while he calmed down.
I wasn’t happy that Rowdy seemed just as nervous as I was, but I was excited that he was thinking of ways to take both our minds off of it as soon as we got home.
◆◆◆
ROWDY
“Are you home yet?” Marcus asked as soon as I answered my cell phone.
“Just about to turn down our driveway, what’s up?” I glanced over at Sierra and saw her looking at me curiously, so I whispered, “It’s Marcus.”
“I’ve got some news for you two. I’m going to swing by on my way home from the office. Will you and Sierra be able to get the girls entertained so that the three of us can talk privately?”
“Sure,” I said as I pulled up into the driveway beside the house. The girls piled out of the truck, but Sierra stayed in her seat waiting for me to tell her what was going on. “We’re here now, so anytime.”
“You got something to drink?” Marcus asked me.
“No,” I tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a croak. “Am I going to need something?”
“I’ll bring a bottle. See you in a few.”
Marcus hung up without a goodbye and I flipped the phone shut and looked over at Sierra with a shrug.
“What did he say?”
“He said he had some news for the two of us and asked if I had anything to drink in the house,” I turned to look at her. “Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s good. We’ll need to get the girls occupied so we can talk to him alone.”
“Do you want me to call and see if Sarah or Kari can pick them up?”
“No, hold on,” I flipped my phone open and dialed my friend Grunt’s number, putting it on speaker phone so Sierra could hear. He answered on the first ring, “Hey, brother. You and your old lady at home? I need a favor.”
“Talk to me,” Grunt mumbled. “What can I do for you?”
“Can I send Leia and Lexi over to your place for a bit? Marcus is on his way over and has something to talk to us about. He said we need to be alone.”
“Sounds serious,” Grunt grumbled. “The gang’s all here, send them over. Shannon is making tacos for dinner and then we’re going to roast some marshmallows over the fire pit and the kids are going to make a fucking mess eating s’mores. Both your girls are welcome.”
“Thanks, brother,” I told him. “We’ll be by to get them as soon as we can.”
“No hurry,” Grunt told me. “Let them stay a while. We’re going to get a lesson about constellations from the boys this evening, they might learn something new. God knows I will.”
“Okay,” I laughed. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Grunt hung up and I flipped my phone closed again. I glanced out the window on Sierra’s side of the truck and saw the girls on the fence of the corral saying hello to the horses.
“I’m worried,” Sierra told me. “What if something went wrong?”
“We’ll find out soon enough. Let’s get our stuff out of the truck and send the girls over to Grunt’s house. I’ll start some laundry and head out to the barn to take care of the horses if you’ll scrounge something up for us to eat.”
◆◆◆
SIERRA
“Okay,” I jum
ped out of the truck without waiting for Rowdy to open my door and grabbed one of the bags out of the back as I walked toward the porch.
“Girls!” I yelled out for them. They both came running and helped us carry their things inside to the laundry room. I knew the minute Rowdy suggested that they go over to Grunt’s house because both girls ran through the living room at top speed.
“Mom! Rowdy said we have to go to the store and buy some boots for me tomorrow, but I can wear a pair of Leia’s tonight,” Lexi told me as she rushed by. “I want red boots!”
“We’ll see what colors they have tomorrow, honey,” I told the air since Lexi was long gone down the hallway.
Rowdy came out of the laundry room and smiled over at me, “We’ve got to get you some boots too, babe. And they come in every color of the rainbow, just so you know.”
“I have to go see my friends about my wedding dress tomorrow and Kari called and said she scheduled my doctor’s appointment. Do you still want me to go to that?”
“That horse has already left the barn, sweetheart,” Rowdy said as he put his arms around my waist. “But if you’d feel better about it, go and I will, too. I trust you. What are you cooking?”
“I’m making a quick dinner for us to eat before I help you in the barn. It will be ready in about five minutes.”
“What is that?” Rowdy asked me as he peered over my shoulder.
“Chicken and broccoli over noodles. You had everything in the pantry and freezer.”
“I did?”
“Yes,” I laughed. “Not exactly what I would have chosen to use, but it will work.”
“How did I have the stuff for chinese food?”
“Chinese food doesn’t just magically appear that way, it starts the same as every other dish.”
“Okay,” I felt Rowdy shrug behind me and then he rested his chin on my shoulder. “I’m definitely going to have to trust you on that.”
“How did the two of you not starve?”
“Canned food, frozen food, and spaghetti,” Leia answered as she walked into the kitchen. “I know we’re eating at Grunt and Shannon’s house, but I think whatever you’re making smells delicious and I’m so glad you are marrying us, Sierra. I thank you, my stomach thanks you, and my taste buds thank you.”
“It kept you alive this long, didn’t it?” Rowdy dropped a kiss on my shoulder and moved away. He swept Leia up in his arms and started tickling her. When Lexi came in, he grabbed her, too, and soon both girls were giggling. “I am way outgunned around here with you three, so I’m just going to start tickling you every time you side with Sierra. How about that?”
“No!” both girls yelled, still giggling.
Rowdy kissed both of them on the head and then turned them toward the front door.
“Get out of here, you filthy heathens! I’ll watch you two until you get to Grunt’s place.” Rowdy opened the door and the girls trooped outside without even glancing at me. It made my heart happy to see Lexi allowing Rowdy to play around and laugh with her and once again, my instinct to trust him and my decision to marry him were validated.
I had just served up our plates and set them on the table when Rowdy came inside. He kissed me as he walked past to sit in his chair and then the two of us dug into our food.
He didn’t have to say anything at all to let me know how much he liked dinner. The fact that he finished his plate and then dished up the rest and ate it just as greedily let me know.
“You may have hit the Texas Lottery, sweetheart, but I’m the winner here. A mouth like yours, that sexy body, and food like this? I’m the one who hit the jackpot.”
◆◆◆
I was sitting on the top rail of the corral when Marcus came up the driveway in his SUV. Rowdy heard him coming and walked out of the barn in time to greet Marcus as he walked in my direction.
I gave Lita Ford, the cream-colored horse that Rowdy had introduced me to, one final pat on the neck before I jumped off the fence to greet Marcus. The look on his face terrified me, not because he looked mean, but because he looked angry. I couldn’t imagine what had happened, and wanted him to just blurt the bad news out and get it over with.
I got my wish.
“That fucker Jackson is dead,” Marcus said without any warning. “Early on the day you left, before you guys even went downtown to get the marriage license, security at your apartments saw him lurking around and called the police. They came out before he made it into the complex and yelled for him to come out of the shadows. He came out with a gun in his hand and took a shot at the officers and they returned fire. Neither of the cops were injured, but Jackson took nine bullets and died at the scene.”
“Holy shit.” I put my hand over my mouth and sucked in a big gulp of air. “He’s dead?”
“It gets better, or worse, depending on your viewpoint,” Marcus hedged.
Rowdy’s arms came around me and he pulled me close, mistaking my tears of joy for sorrow, and tried to console me.
“It’s okay, honey,” Rowdy whispered. “Don’t cry.”
“You don’t understand,” I laughed. “I’m not sad, Rowdy - these are tears of relief. He’s dead. He can’t hurt us anymore. All I have to worry about now is his mother coming up with some plan to get Lexi.”
“I said there’s more,” Marcus shook his head. “It took them a little bit to identify him and when they did, they saw his record, his warrants, and the name of his next of kin. They called the police captain in the suburb where you used to live and got quite a story from him. According to the housekeeper at the old woman’s place, she had been hiding him since he escaped after kidnapping you. She had no idea he was scouring the internet for information and making plans to track you down. When she realized what he was doing, there was a big fight. The old lady sent her staff away and when they got to the house the next morning, they found her dead in the hallway right at the front door. Investigators think that the fight escalated and she tried to get away. He shot his own mom three times. One of the bullets went right through her heart and she was dead before she hit the floor.”
“Shit,” Rowdy whispered, truly understanding just how crazy Jackson was. “You made it sound like this was bad news, Marcus. Sierra, it all worked out for you, baby. You don’t have to marry me after all if he’s dead.”
“I still want to marry you,” I whispered. “Besides, what about Leia’s mother?”
“You’ll still marry me?”
“Yeah,” I smiled up at him and then felt shy about what I wanted to say, but I continued, “I’d marry you even if she wasn’t part of the equation.”
“I’d marry you, too,” Rowdy whispered.
“As sweet as that is, she’s still in the picture,” Marcus interrupted. “That’s where the really bad news starts.”
I felt Rowdy tense, so I tightened my arms around his waist.
“She was released last Wednesday, a little over a week ago. She used her bus ticket to take her to Lubbock and showed up at the halfway house she was assigned as part of her parole. She registered with her PO and did everything to the letter and now she lives two hours away from you and your little family.”
“Fuck,” Rowdy growled. I let him go and he stomped away. He put his hands on the rail of the corral and bent down, staring at the ground as he got himself together. “She’s never shown any signs of being dangerous, I just don’t want her poison anywhere near my little girl.”
“I completely understand that,” Marcus told Rowdy as he moved a few feet to stand next to me. “I think what she did to you and those other boys shows that she’s dangerous, but she hasn’t shown any violent tendencies. I wouldn’t want her anywhere near my kids either, the boys or the girl. They say they rehabilitate them in prison, but I wouldn’t use any of our kids as a guinea pig to test that theory.”
“Exactly,” Rowdy agreed. “I’ll have to talk to Leia. We’ll need to explain things to Lexi. We’ll teach the girls to be careful and we’ll always have to have an eye on them. No
more running through the field alone to Grunt or Nicole’s house, no more letting her run into the store by herself to grab a snack. Fuck, I wish that bitch would have just died in there.”
“We’ll handle it, Rowdy,” I told him as I moved closer to his side. “We’ll do all those things you just said and we’ll do it together. We’ll be married and Marcus can start the adoption proceedings on Monday, just like we talked about.”
“Her being out of prison doesn’t affect that at all. Part of her punishment was to give up all rights to Leia, so if she comes around, you can call the police and have her arrested. She has no business near you or your daughter and since she’s a convicted pedophile, you were her victim, and Leia is a minor child, they’ll take that shit seriously.”
“I’ll show that bitch what it’s like to be the victim if she fucks with my baby girl,” Rowdy growled.
“Just live your life, brother, and enjoy your new family. Go to work everyday and tend that yard of yours like you enjoy doing. Live a life she could only dream of. That’s the best punishment for now. She can deal with the devil when he takes her and get her just rewards then. If she for some reason comes to our town and fucks with one of you, we’ll get her to the devil sooner than she’d like.”
“And marry me,” I told him. “Start with that.”
Rowdy let go of the fence and pulled me into his arms. He held me close and whispered in my ear, “Thank you, baby.”
And the tears in my eyes were from happiness, once again.
13.
SIERRA
I parked Rowdy’s truck in the lot, close to the dress store Kari had told me to meet her. The girls chattered excitedly from the backseat and I had to smile about their conversation.
“We’ll get your daddy to braid our hair and Mom can put some flowers in it to match our boots,” Lexi told Leia. “We’ll make sure our dresses match and wear the same earrings - then we’ll really be twins!”
