Between Hope & the Highway (44 page)

I frowned. “On the way home, I saw his truck at a bar. He did show up…just not to the dance like he promised. And since he hasn’t called or texted, I’m assuming he’s done with me.” I shrugged, trying to appear like I didn’t care.

“Oh, Liz.”

“I knew this would happen. I mean, your son is the most gorgeous man I know, and I’m just”—I waved my hands in front of me—“well, you can see.”

Charity’s eyes glistened. She really was a sweetheart. I wished my own mother could be as sensitive and kind. When she opened her arms for a hug, I walked into her embrace and savored the feeling of acceptance.

“You’re the most beautiful girl I know, inside and out. Don’t give up, my dear. Law men can be foolish—I should know since I’ve been married to one for twenty-five years—but their love can’t be matched. I dated many men before Bart, and thought I knew a thing or two about love. But after meeting him, I realized I’d only glossed the surface. Rawson’s like his dad. He’s dated numerous women, but you’re the first who’s captured his heart. And once a Law man loses his heart, they will live and breathe for only you.”

I didn’t believe her, but her words soothed me nonetheless. As I crawled into bed later, I made two vows. First, I would emulate Charity in thought and deed; and second, I would avoid men like the plague. They only brought chaos and heartache.

Chapter 76

Rawson

Dust swirled in the air as I threw my duffel into the back seat of Mom’s Tahoe. When she climbed into the driver’s seat, I raised a brow.

“Oh, get in.” She waved for me to go around to the other side. “I’m just driving to the house. I forgot my purse. Surely you can handle being a passenger for a minute.”

I didn’t move. “If you don’t have your purse, you don’t have your license. Scoot over.”

“Heavens. You’re acting like a Law man.”

I cracked a smile. “Punny.”

Mom slid over, and I climbed into the captain’s seat. I don’t know why she always messed with me. She never won the battle. No one had except Liz.

I winced as she hijacked my thoughts once again, as she had all week. Rehab would be a welcome relief.

“I’m really not a bad driver. You should let me show you sometime,” Mom teased.

“Maybe,” I murmured. Not.

Like my weird sensitivity to cloth, my driving fetish was ingrained in me. The loss of control I felt when others drove made me literally insane. As a child, I’d sat in the back and dug my nails into my arms until they bled whenever we took a trip to town. As I considered my mental flaws, I couldn’t help wondering why I’d never minded Lizzie driving. It hadn’t hit me until now that I’d made a huge jump into the realm of impossibility. That time I wedged my way into her and my siblings’ movie date, she’d asked me to drive…and I turned her down. A first! Sure, I’d ragged on her driving and riled her to the point she got out and began hoofing it home, but when I apologized and she insisted on driving again, I acquiesced. Why?

“You going to sit there all day and daydream, big man?” Mom grinned at me from her seat.

“No, ma’am.” I turned the key and started the engine. “I’m ready to leave this stinkin’ dive behind.”

“I’m telling Susa you think her house stinks.”

A smile formed against my will. “You do that.” Mom was the master of teasing me out of sour moods. She’d had her work cut out for her this week as my disposition had been downright vile.

Pulling away from the Susa’s non-stinky abode, I drove down the lane. As we neared the ranch house, my muscles tensed. When the green roof of the stable appeared, my grip tightened on the wheel. Lifting my foot from the gas, I coasted to a stop.

“I don’t think—”

“Hop in the back and lay down so no one sees you. We’re almost there. You can handle ten seconds of me driving, right?”

The thought of running into Liz or Garret—let alone my little brother—made me willingly comply. As she switched spots and pulled back onto the road, I dug my nails into the soft skin of my wrist until I felt pain. Maybe after six weeks in detox, I’d be mentally stronger.

When Mom parked and got out, I relaxed. A few minutes passed before she returned.

“Hey.” She peeked at me over the seat. “Addie has a fever. I don’t dare leave her. I asked Liz if she would drive you to the airport since everyone else is busy. Don’t get up. You need to rest after what your dad put you through. Have fun in Portugal,” she called as she backed out of view. “Thanks, Liz. I owe you.”

I scrambled into a sitting position as Liz climbed into the driver’s seat. Just the sight of her packed a punch that sucked the air right out of me. Her soulful brown eyes met mine, long enough for me to notice they didn’t hold their usual sparkle. Clenching my jaw, I turned to see Mom blow a kiss from the porch.

Traitor.

“Hey,” Lizzie said as she caught my eye in the rear view mirror.

I checked my watch. “We better go if I’m going to make my flight.”

“Yes, massah-sir.”

My lips twitched at her attempt at humor. As she pulled away, I realized I’d once again relinquished control to her without thinking…a bad habit that had to end.

“Pull over,” I snapped. “We’ll never get there at your turtle pace.”

She braked hard, launching me into the back of her seat.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she gushed. “Maybe you should check to make sure you’re wearing a seatbelt before you order the driver to stop.”

As I threw open my door and jumped out, Lizzie pulled forward. Out of sorts already from being blindsided by Mom, I watched in helpless rage as she drove up the road about fifty feet before stopping and leaning out her window.

“Gotcha.”

My jaw ached from clenching it so tight.

“Now show some respect. I’m missing out on Yakama Yoda’s training to drive you.”

“I’m driving,” I growled.

“Whatever.”

I jogged to the Tahoe and climbed in while she scooted over to hug the other window. The SUV fishtailed in the loose gravel as I punched the gas. Lizzie’s hands splayed out, searching for something to grab onto for support. For the next ten miles, I fed off her fear. Increasing my speed, I took turns practically on two wheels and caught air on every hill. Her hyperventilating breaths brought me perverse satisfaction.

As I tipped the speedometer over seventy, a deer bolted out of the scrub oak. Slamming on the brakes, I swerved hard to the right to avoid hitting it. Mom’s Tahoe slid off the road and careened down a muddy embankment until we plowed into a tangled mess of river willow. The weedy tree-bushes did what my brakes hadn’t, and brought us to an abrupt air-bag exploding halt.

Encased in billowy white, I took a wheezy breath as the past rammed into my conscience with the same force the SUV had broken through the bushes. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to rid my brain of the picture of that deer jumping in front of Damon and me years ago…exactly like the one today. No matter what Liz had done or how I felt about her, that didn’t justify showing such blatant disregard for her life. I could’ve killed her just now—like I had Detrick six years ago. Or I might have maimed her—like Bentley.

Weeping brought me back to the present. I glanced over to see Liz struggling to escape her airbag. “Why do you hate me so much? What have I done?” she cried. “I knew you’d eventually tire of me, but I thought we’d stay friends. I didn’t think you’d try to kill me.”

The sight of her swollen red eyes made me feel like a louse. “Sorry,” I muttered.

She ran a jerky finger beneath her eyes and turned away.

As I pushed my airbag off me, I peeked at Lizzie. Her luscious curls pulled back in her signature ponytail seemed to accentuate the delicate lines of her cheekbones, drawing my eyes to her perky chin that begged me to explore its zenith. The graceful tilt of her neck acted as a spring on a pinball machine, and the stubborn set of her inviting lips launched a chain reaction of bouncing steel balls through a maze of blood vessels, veins and muscles. It was all I could do not to pull her into my arms.

“I thought we had something special.”

As she met my gaze, I realized I’d spoken aloud.

“We did,” she whispered.

“Then why, Lizzie? Why did you kiss him?”

Her delicate brows pulled together. “Kiss who?”

“You damn well know who! That Florida ferret!”

“You came?”

“Yes, unfortunately. I saw every nauseating second of you trading slobber with your new boyfriend.”

She lowered her head. “I didn’t want him to kiss me.”

“I didn’t notice you pulling away.”

“He surprised me and I—”

“Save your breath,” I snapped. “I’ve had enough of women lying to me.”

She opened her mouth, but I jumped out and slammed the door before she could spew out more lies. Marching around the Tahoe, I surveyed the damage. Nothing major, but the windshield was cracked in several places and the body was scratched and dented. I dug my hands into my coat pockets, aching for another beer. How could Mom have tricked me like this? The last thing I needed was to be anywhere near Liz. I feared I might lash out with words, or worse, use my tongue in other ways. And I wouldn’t go gentle on her.

Taking a few deep breaths, I climbed back into the Tahoe. I only had to endure her until we reached the airport. Then I’d wash my hands of the treacherous woman.

Backing out of the thatch of broken willow, I turned the Tahoe and gunned the engine to claw our way back up to the road. Mom’s vehicle didn’t seem to drive any worse for the beating I’d given it, but it would need a hell of a lot of body work. Miles passed in silence, but I preferred that to her lies. Even though I’d donned a fresh shirt before leaving, the stress of sitting so close to this woman I’d grown to love had me itching and digging my nails into my sleeves. As soon as I reached the airport, I’d have to change. This shirt was tainted from her close proximity.

Liz didn’t say a word until we pulled into town. Then she surprised me. “I’ll tell your parents I lost control of the car.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because I don’t want your father to kill you. This way you can enjoy Portugal without having to deal with his anger.”

Her kindness made no sense, especially after what I’d done with my reckless driving. I pulled into an empty parking lot and cut the engine.

“Tell me why you did it? I moved earth and hell that night to get to the dance. Things took longer at the Johnsons’ because I had to help fix a tractor. My phone broke. My tire blew, and I…” When I noticed tears cascading down her cheeks, I paused.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “All night I watched for you. Garret kept telling me you weren’t coming…that you didn’t care about me. He dragged me out onto the dance floor—said I had to have some fun. I thought he was my friend. When he kissed me, I froze. I didn’t want to publicly humiliate him.” She threw her hands over her eyes. “But I should have.”

My stone-cold heart began to thaw. The poor girl seemed miserable, and I realized she’d been played. That sneaky ferret had looked up and seen me while they danced. I knew it. That’s why he kissed her. To prove some macho point. I should’ve stayed and confronted them. Liz would have told the truth and maybe I could’ve flattened the ferret and saved us all this pain. Instead, I’d fled the scene like a sniveling coward.

Scooting over, I pulled her into my arms. “I’m such a fool.”

“Me too. Garret drove me home and pulled over by a bar to point out your truck. He made me believe you chose to go there instead of coming to see me.”

I ground my teeth together, hating Garret more than ever. Lousy, sneaky vermin.

Chapter 77

Liz

“I should’ve stayed.” Rawson bit his bottom lip as he met my eyes. His haggard expression made me want to comfort him.

“It’s all right. When you get back from Portugal, we’ll start fresh.”

He looked down and frowned. “Lizzie, I’m not going to Portugal.”

“But your mom said—”

“I know what she said. But I want you to know the truth.”

“O-kay,” I said slowly.

“I got drunk that night with Damon after seeing you kiss Garret.” He grimaced.

Another tear slipped down my cheek. Rawson had gone so long without drinking. Benny told me he swore to stay sober after the accident. To think my frozen moment of indecision made him break that oath made me choke up.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I was too. If only I’d pulled away, Rawson wouldn’t have stormed out and sought his cruddy friend. I could have saved us both so much pain.

As he nudged my chin up, I closed my eyes. For the last few days, I’d believed he had tired of me. But no. He loved me so much that I had sent him over the edge when he believed I chose another man over him. When his lips settled on mine, I opened to him in sweet surrender. The walls I’d thrown up to protect myself fell like in that Bible story Daddy told me as a little girl. Joshua’s army had brought down the walls of Jericho with the sound of trumpets. Rawson’s kiss did the same to me. No walls. No rules. No inhibitions as we kissed like a crazy couple in the front seat of his mom’s beat up Tahoe in an empty parking lot in the middle of downtown Bozeman. Although it wasn’t the most romantic setting, I doubted any other place could have beat it right then. Our explorations became almost desperate in our desire to make up for lost time. His hands became too friendly, but my walls were down and I dared not raise them…not after driving him to the brink. In penance for doing nothing when Garret kissed me, I allowed Rawson to claim me as his. It wasn’t like he could go too far in a public parking lot in the middle of the afternoon. Right?