The Long Way Home

by Liz Isaacson

  “Hey, Ty.”

  His heart pumped out an extra beat as he glanced up. But Whitney stood a few feet away, wearing a tight, black dress that barely covered the necessary parts. She bit her lip and shuffled her feet.

  “Hey, Whitney.” He settled his weight away from her and glanced around for her usual posse of friends. He couldn’t see them. “How’ve you been?”

  She rushed him and put both palms flat against his chest. “Lonely without you.”

  “All right.” He stepped back to get her hands off him, hoping she wouldn’t topple forward or grab onto him again. “I see Troy over there. He’s lookin’ lonely too.” He nodded toward the other side of the dance floor, glad when Whitney gave him a pout before mincing away.

  He blew out his breath and turned around, coming toe-to-toe with River Lee. She tucked a curled lock of hair behind her ear and looked over his shoulder.

  “She one of your old girlfriends?”

  Ty checked over his shoulder too. “She’s the one I broke up with last weekend.”

  “Oh.” River blushed, and under the gentle lighting hanging from the trees, Ty didn’t think he’d ever seen anything so beautiful. His fingers twitched toward her, but he fisted them and nodded toward the dance floor.

  “Do you dance?”

  “Badly.” She giggled, and glanced at her feet. “And honestly, I can barely walk in these shoes.”

  Ty let his eyes slide down the length of her body, enjoying the silky, bright green blouse against her tan skin, as well as the black shorts she’d paired with it. A pair of strappy, tall heels adorned her feet, and Ty let himself reach for her arm. “Yeah, those look dangerous.” His voice broke on the last word, and adrenaline rushed through him when his skin met hers.

  She slid her hand up his arm and into his. “I believe you tried to lure me here with refreshments.”

  He snorted. “I did not lure you here. I enticed.” He steered her onto the hard floor so her heels wouldn’t sink into the grass.

  “That you did.” She smiled at him, and it lit up his whole world. His chest warmed and he returned the gesture, gripping her hand tighter when her step wobbled.

  He noticed several other men eyeing them, and he knew they weren’t looking at him. Ty didn’t want to share River Lee with anyone, and after he handed her a plastic cup of punch, he said, “Maybe we should skip the dancing tonight.”

  Her bright eyes filled with alarm. “I don’t think I can skip in these heels.” She sipped her punch as LeRoy Jones approached the table.

  “Hey, River.” He swept his cowboy hat off his head, and Ty suppressed a growl. “Do you wanna dance?”

  Pure panic paraded across River Lee’s face, and she choked on her punch. Her gaze landed on Ty, and it was clear she wanted—no, needed—his help. He stepped back and let her handle it, curious to see how she’d save herself when she showed up wearing heels that high and shorts that short.

  He cleared his throat, realizing why she’d worn those things, and ducked his head.

  “I’m—I’m sorry,” River Lee said, her voice set on sugar-sweet. She indicated Ty. “I’m here with him.”

  LeRoy glanced at Ty, nodded, and faded back onto the dance floor, his face reddening under the dim light.

  River spun to him. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Ty chuckled. “Now you’re talkin’. But you can’t blame the guy. You look great tonight.” He tucked her against his side and went to check out with Kevin. That done, they escaped the party atmosphere of the dance in favor of somewhere quieter.

  River Lee only made it half a block before she bent to remove the shoes. She sank to her regular height and sighed. “Learn something new everyday.”

  “Oh yeah?” Ty didn’t let her get too far from him. “What did you learn today?”

  She nudged him with her shoulder. “Several things. Number one, you can be bribed with cookies.”

  He laughed, sobering quickly. “I think any man can be bribed with homebaked goods, sweetheart.”

  “Number two, you look great under Christmas lights.”

  “I didn’t even change my clothes,” he said.

  “Number three, I shouldn’t wear heels if I have further than five feet to walk.”

  “Or if you don’t want men to ask you to dance.”

  She giggled and draped herself over his arm. “That was so embarrassing. I didn’t know what to say.”

  “You handled it just fine.”

  “No thanks to you.”

  “I didn’t tell you to wear that blouse.” He fingered the silky fabric, a rush of desire nearly knocking him senseless. “Or those shorts, and definitely not those shoes.”

  “Men are so predictable.”

  “Is that the fourth thing you learned today?”

  “No, I’ve known that for years.” She giggled, and the warm, soft sound washed over him.

  Ty hummed, the town around them peaceful in the dark. He liked that he didn’t have to talk to be comfortable with River Lee. He took a deep breath of her hair, enjoying the silence with her.

  “I divorced my husband, John, because he was cheating on me with his secretary.”

  Ty stumbled, completely not expecting River Lee to say that. He immediately disliked the man and squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It was hard at first. It’s been a while since I found out. A year since the divorce went through.”

  “Do you think about it—about what he did—a lot?”

  “Not often, no.” She took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. Ty wanted to erase her past pain, provide a soft place for her to land.

  “I came to Gold Valley because I’d been gone a long time, and my mother wanted me to. Plus, there was a good job here, and I needed it. And.” Her voice went up in pitch. “And I’d lost myself in Las Vegas.”

  Ty nodded and let a few seconds of silence settle into the night. “Have you found her here?”

  She tipped her head back and smiled at him. “Sort of. She’s a work-in-progress.”

  Ty spotted a bench in front of the closed bakery and eased onto it, exhaustion enveloping him as he sat. He groaned. “It’s been a long day. Sit with me?”

  She complied, positioning herself right next to him, and he lifted his arm and draped it over her shoulders. “I don’t like Saturdays,” she said, snuggling closer.

  “No? You’ve disliked our day together?”

  “I dislike horseback riding.” She rolled her head from side to side, finally letting it come to rest against his chest.

  “You’ll get used to it.”

  “It feels like my bones are grinding against each other.” She stretched her shoulders.

  He dipped his head closer to hers. “I’ve rather enjoyed today.” Despite its ups and downs, ending the day with River Lee in his arms practically erased the couple of hours he’d stomped around his mother’s yard, trying to get blades of grass all the same height.

  She tipped her face back and he leaned down. Only a few inches separated them, and with anyone else Ty wouldn’t have hesitated, wouldn’t have given kissing her an extra thought. But with River Lee, he did both.

  “How long are you going to make me wait?” she whispered. “My neck’s starting to get a crick.”

  “You want me to kiss you?”

  Her eyes drifted closed and open again as a playful smile crossed her face. “Very badly.”

  Ty didn’t wait another moment, didn’t give kissing River Lee any more hesitation. He closed the distance between them and touched his lips to hers, seeking, probing for the right match between them.

  He breathed in, a sliver of space between them before kissing her again, this time their mouths meeting in perfect tandem. She twisted to face him, her fingers tracing up his throat and the side of his face to land in the hair on the back of his neck. He shivered despite the warm night, this second kiss with River Lee even more spectacular than the first.

  The fireworks between them popped and sparked and Ty never
wanted to kiss another woman again.

  The hair on the back of Ty’s neck was soft and wonderful. The strength in his arms as he held her close, the tenderness of his touch as he cupped her face and kissed her more completely than she thought she could be kissed.

  She’d thought their first kiss had changed her life, but with his lips on hers again, she realized now that she’d been wrong back then. She couldn’t believe she’d left for college after he’d kissed her.

  As he pulled away and chuckled, River Lee kept her eyes closed, drinking in this moment and committing it to memory. She sent a prayer of gratitude heavenward. Gratitude that she’d been led back to Gold Valley, even if the path here hadn’t been easy and she wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

  She laughed softly with him as her hand slid down to his chest. “I promise I won’t leave in three weeks this time.”

  “That would be great,” Ty whispered. His chest lifted as he took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to kiss you so fast, River Lee.”

  “Maybe you better do it again,” he said. “And go slower so we can both enjoy it.”

  “You didn’t enjoy that, sweetheart? I can definitely try again.” And he did, and River Lee lost track of everything but the taste of him, the smell of him, the very solid presence of him next to her.

  Chapter 12

  River sighed, her heartbeat still erratic, as she leaned against the closed front door. She imagined Ty just on the other side of it, where he’d just given her the best goodnight kiss of her life.

  The best night of her life, period.

  Giddiness galloped through her the way wild horses did out on the prairie. She hummed to herself and went into the kitchen to fix a glass of iced sweet tea. Heat had draped itself over everything, and River wondered if she’d ever be cool again.

  She’d just get the smell of Ty out of her nose when she’d feel a phantom of his hands on her waist, causing her skin to dance in delight and a smile to slide across her face. Gulping the sweet tea to reduce her core temperature, River stepped down the hall to check on Lexi and Hannah.

  She choked on her tea. Her girls. She’d forgotten about them completely while she’d been out with Ty. Guilt streamed through her as if someone had opened the floodgates on a dam. She gripped the doorframe for support and ducked into their bedroom. They slept, completely unaware of her erratic emotions.

  Lexi snored softly, her stuffed elephant clutched against her chest while Hannah had kicked all the covers off and curled into a ball to sleep. River set the sweet tea on the dresser and wandered to the edge of the double bed the girls shared. She traced her fingers along Hannah’s hairline, a war beginning inside.

  They’d already been through so much. Their father leaving, a move across several state lines, a mother who now worked five days a week and had to subject herself to horseback riding on the sixth. Could she really start dating Ty?

  She reasoned that Lexi and Hannah had taken to Ty just fine, that they were young and resilient. Still, her chest felt like an expanded balloon, one breath away from exploding. She collected her sweet tea from the dresser and escaped to her own bedroom.

  Her thoughts played seesaw, first on a high from kissing Ty, then sinking to the low worries about her girls. She finally fell asleep some time after midnight, riding the adrenaline of that delicious kiss.

  She woke because of a dream where John showed up in the dead of winter and demanded she let him see Lexi and Hannah. She hadn’t seen what choice she had—he did have visitation rights, just not custody. He’d taken the girls out to lunch, but he’d never returned.

  Never brought the girls back at all.

  River’s heart tried to pound a hole through her breastbone, and she pressed one hand over her pulse to calm it. Sun shone through the window. River fumbled for her phone to check the time.

  She saw the nine in the first digit and kicked the blankets from her legs. She’d be late to church if she didn’t get showered right now. Lexi’s voice filtered down the hall as River strode in that direction. Her mother—her wonderful, caring mother—stood at the dining room table with her granddaughters.

  “You made breakfast?” River asked.

  “Muffins on Sunday,” her mom said. “Always.”

  “We didn’t have muffins last Sunday.”

  “But Miss Lexi asked for muffins on Sundays.” She beamed at the little girl. “So she gets muffins on Sundays.”

  One of River’s hands floated to her throat. “I used to make them muffins every Sunday.” Her voice barely made it out of her throat. The fact that Lexi could remember that suggested that maybe they had more memories of Las Vegas and their father than River gave them credit for. A viper struck inside her chest, causing a pinch of pain to radiate outward to all her limbs.

  “Coffee in the kitchen.” Her mom nodded behind River.

  But River shook her head. Caffeine would only make her jumpier. “I need to go shower. As soon as I’m out, you girls will need to get in the tub. Church today.” She turned away as Lexi asked if she had to wash her hair.

  “Yes, baby. You have to wash your hair. I’ll help you, okay?” River placed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead and hurried to get ready. She dressed while the tub filled for the girls, and she hitched up her skirt to kneel and wash two little towheads so they could all get to church on time.

  River skipped eating entirely, her stomach sour and swimming with sharks. She left the heels in the back of her closet and opted for a more sensible pair of two-inch wedges to go with her knee-length pink sundress. The summer breeze toyed with the skirt as she lifted Hannah to her hip and gripped Lexi’s hand in hers.

  The walk to the chapel felt somewhat like a death march, with too many pairs of eyes glancing her way. She wondered if they’d all been talking about her and Ty sneaking away from the dance. Main Street had been pretty deserted, and she didn’t think anyone had seen them kissing on the bench in front of the bakery.

  Still, she felt like everyone knew, like she wore the information like headlines on her face. She herded the girls onto a bench, barely sitting when Ty bent down and said, “Mornin’.”

  Everything darkened for a second, like the power had blinked out. Her heart stopped completely, but somehow she managed to smile up at him. “Hey.”

  “Do you guys have room for one more?”

  “Sure.” River twisted back to the girls. “Scootch over, Lexi. Mister Ty is gonna sit with us.”

  Hannah climbed over River’s legs and lifted her arms up for Ty to pick her up. River’s heartbeat exploded back into motion as he swept the little girl off her feet with a smile as genuine and gentle and giant as the state of Texas.

  He took up the space at the end of the bench and balanced Hannah on his left knee as he swept his right arm around River and pulled her into his side.

  “This isn’t holding hands,” she hissed.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” His tone mocked her, and she swatted his leg with a muffled giggle.

  His lips touched her forehead like a whisper just as the pastor got up. “Good morning,” he said. “Summer is my favorite time of the year.” He beamed over the congregation. “I’d like to talk to you today about keeping the Lord at the forefront of all you do and say. Are you His example? When people interact with you, do they see something different?”

  River cocked her head, trying to follow Dr. Pinnion’s line of reasoning. He had a soothing voice, and combined with Ty’s heady scent and River’s late night, she found her attention wandering.

  Before she knew it, the service had ended, but Ty didn’t move. She glanced at him, her brain sort of sloshing around in her skull.

  “She’s asleep,” he whispered, glancing down at a slumbering Hannah in his arms. “I don’t know what to do.”

  River’s heart swelled with love, and she tried to make it stop. Go away. Something. She’d been reunited with Ty for eight days. Eight days. She couldn’t be falling in love with him already.

  “I’ll take her.” She reach
ed for Hannah, waking the girl as she gathered her from Ty. “Lexi, get all your crayons now.”

  “Mom, are we goin’ to the duck pond?” Lexi didn’t gather her crayons. She stood at River’s elbow, a hopeful look on her face.

  “Yes, baby. Now get cleaned up.”

  “After lunch,” Ty said. “Right, Miss Whitely?”

  River found him looking at her mother, and she sensed Ty had been communicating behind her back. She swung her gaze back to Ty, who grinned like the devil himself. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I’m starving,” he said.

  The chapel was nearly empty, and River exhaled. “Mom didn’t make anything for lunch.” Now that River thought about it, the fact that her mom hadn’t made lunch was strange. Her throat itched like she’d swallowed frantic butterflies. “Ty.”

  “We’re goin’ to lunch with my folks.”

  River’s eyebrows shot toward her hairline. “All of us?”

  “All y’all.” He backed into the aisle. “My mother makes a mean potato salad, I’ll have you know.”

  River followed him, practically wielding Hannah like a shield between her and Ty. “I’ve had your mother’s potato salad. She wins every year at the Harvest picnic.”

  “And it’s good, right?”

  “It’s great.” River turned back to the pew. “Come on, baby.” Lexi stepped into the aisle, latching her hand onto Ty’s whether he liked it or not. River had met his parents several times. She wasn’t sure why she felt like throwing up, other than she would’ve liked some time to prepare for lunch with his parents.

  It always came down to having more time. A sense of self-loathing flickered through River. She didn’t want to miss out on something great because she wanted to analyze everything to death.

  She exited the chapel, and Ty slipped his free hand into hers. “Are you upset about the lunch?”

  She shook her head, her voice caught behind her tongue, behind her emotions. She wasn’t upset with him. She was upset with herself. She needed to figure out how to get out of her own way, because a guy like Ty wouldn’t hang around forever.