Texas Strong (20 page)

“Tell me.”

So she did, about her first sight of him, about the warnings. About him rescuing them on the road and fixing her car and unloading her belongings. About how he treated her kids so seriously and carefully.

“Tonight he talked a little about the impact on him, but I had already learned some from his sister. He keeps trying to send me away. Says he’s a bad bet. He came from a violent home, and from what I can tell, he deliberately incurred beatings to save his sister and his mom.” She looked up, eyes wet. “Nobody helped him, Laura. As much as people take care of each other around here, I can’t understand why they didn’t step in. His sister is married to the richest man in town, and Tank is a pariah. But she begged me to be there for him. He won’t talk to her, either. It’s as though he’s taken their assumptions to heart and let them decide who he is. That’s not what I’ve experienced here in this caring town. But he says he’s a terrible person and I should stay away.”

“Maybe you should.”

“No.” If she had doubted, Laura’s challenge settled the debate inside her. “I…can’t. He needs me.”

“Honey, you have so much on your shoulders…” Laura began.

“If I abandon him, he’ll have no one.”

“So this is a charity mission?”

“No!” She knew her voice was sharp. She heaved a sigh. “It began with gratitude, yes, but now I don’t know what it is. And I kissed him tonight. It wasn’t the first time.” She jutted her chin. “And I’m not sorry.”

“Is he?”

“He doesn’t seem to know how to handle being touched kindly.”

“So the kisses are out of kindness?”

“Maybe at first because he just makes my heart hurt, but—” She lifted her head. “Not the one tonight. Tonight I wanted to climb into his lap. And I’m pretty sure he wanted me there, except—”

“Except?”

“I don’t know for sure. He froze up. Part of me wants to give up because he’s in the wrong hands with me, and I should leave him alone as he asks. I have a terrible track record.”

“But you’re not going to.”

“I don’t know…” She shook her head. “No.”

“Of course you’re not. You wouldn’t be Chrissy if you did.”

“What? A sap? A perpetual screw-up?”

Her sister smiled and drew her close. “Sweetie, you’re not a screw-up. You have the biggest heart I know, and sometimes people take advantage of that. Is he going to do that?”

Chrissy rolled her eyes. “He’s more likely to run in the opposite direction.”

“I hope he won’t. He couldn’t be in better hands.”

“Oh, Laura…I have no idea what I’m doing,” Chrissy whispered.

“Join the club,” her sister murmured.

“Jake? You can’t talk to him about this?”

Her sister shook her head. “I’m afraid to.”

“Why?”

“You know how we are when we’re together. I’ll give in, and nothing will change.”

“But you love each other so much,” Chrissy began. “I don’t understand how this can be happening.”

“I do. I’m losing my husband, and he can’t even see what he’s doing.” Her always cheerful sister was distraught. “I’m fighting for our future. I don’t want to be a wealthy widow. I want the man I’ve loved since I was in college, and he’s never been farther away.” Laura buried her face in her hands, and Chrissy took her in her arms, this woman who had always been her rock, always had the answers.

Jake bolted awake, drenched in sweat. Hard and aching from a dream of Laura one summer night when the kids were off at camp, he put out an arm to draw her close—

And encountered air. Empty sheets.

She loves you, Jake
.

Did she? How was this love, to just pull up roots and leave? He’d never expected anything like it from her.

He launched himself from the bed, in no mood to concede that most of her belongings were still in the house, that he’d broken a sacred tradition. She was gone, damn it, and she should be here. How the hell could they resolve anything if she’d vanished?

But the word itself sent a small shudder through him.
Vanished
.

Every day in his work, he witnessed how easily a loved one could be lost. One moment a person was riding in a car or walking down the street or simply sitting in a chair and—bam. Life, so rich and potent, snuffed out. Or bodies shattered in such a manner that they’d never be the same.

No. Not his Laura. She couldn’t be stolen from him so effortlessly. He’d fight the devil himself for her—

He grabbed the phone, heedless of the hour. Dialed her cell. This was stupid. He’d missed an anniversary—okay, an important one.
The
important one. But they could talk. Work things out.

Assuming he could find her.

The phone kicked to voicemail. “Leave me a message,” said the beautiful half-husky tone that even now had the power to reach down inside him.

“Laura, where the hell are you? This isn’t funny. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove—”
Great, just great. That’ll bring her back
. One steadying breath, then, “Come home. I’m—” The beep signaled the end of the message right in the middle of “—worried.”

He stared at the receiver in his hand. Stifled the urge to throw it out the window. Debated another attempt. Not that it would help. He had to see her. Be with her. Hold her and everything would work out.

Where was she?

Jake tossed the phone onto the mattress. By the second bounce, he was already starting the shower.

No more sleep tonight.

Might as well work.

Laura jolted when the phone chirped with the salsa tune she’d chosen as her ring tone. She clasped it to her belly and skittered across Chrissy’s living room before the sound could awaken anyone else.

Once inside the kitchen, she glanced at the display.

Jake’s cell number as a missed call.

She hesitated. She needed to have her act together when they spoke. That first contact was all-important, would set the tone for whatever happened next.

She wasn’t ready.

She wished she hadn’t left the phone on; doing so actually made little sense when she didn’t dare speak to Jake, but she’d had some notion of remaining available to her children, however unlikely it was that they’d contact her. Zack did so infrequently. Carla and Gabe were barely back from spring break and had both been more than ready to return to school and their friends.

Anyway, they’d try home, not her cell at this time of night.

Panic struck. What if he was phoning because something had happened to one of them? She prepared to hit Call Back, then the voicemail icon brightened her screen. With haste she selected it.

Laura, where the hell are you? This isn’t funny.

She sank back against the wall. Blinked at the room gone wavery behind the moisture stinging her eyes. He didn’t sound sad or lonely or any of the emotions Chrissy had attributed to him.

He was mad, pure and simple. Aggravated. Demanding.

She let her head fall against a cabinet door. Maybe there was no hope for them. The first sound of his voice in nearly three days, and there was no love in it, not even lukewarm fondness.

Now she was really frightened. What if they were one of those couples who simply grew apart? Had nothing in common after the children left? He’d made a sharp left turn in his career and caught her by surprise—who was to say he wasn’t itching for a change in his personal life, as well?

Profoundly unsettled, she huddled in her sister’s kitchen, pondering whether the marriage that had once been nearly perfect—crazy, chaotic but perfect in its own way—was over.

Or had been a figment all along.

Her heart was as cold as the grave at the mere notion. She couldn’t think what to do. If she’d been at home, she’d have flipped on all the lights and begun cooking or something.

But she was in her sister’s home, and Chrissy worked so hard. She had this one day to sleep in.

The click of claws approaching sent a shudder through her. Puddin’ whimpered.

“Hey, boy.” She drew him near, wrapped her arms around him as if he were the only thing solid in her world.

He released one of his old-dog groans and licked her hand.

Laura let Jake’s dog comfort her and wondered if Jake himself would ever do so again.

Chapter Nine

T
hey loaded up Laura’s car with the food she’d spent the morning preparing, letting the children help cook and learn while they did. She probably could have done it all much faster without them, but that was who Laura was: a nurturer. She’d done it for her own kids, and now Chrissy’s were reaping the benefits.

“You’re so good with them,” she said to her sister as they brought out the last load.

“They’re great kids. I love them.”

“You were born to be a mom. Your kids had the best.”

Laura’s eyes were suspiciously bright. “I loved every minute—okay, when I wasn’t ripping out my hair. But what do I do now? The house is empty. And Jake is never there.”

It was so hard to see her so shaken, this sister who had the perfect life—or so Chrissy had always thought. “You can’t just enjoy having less to do?”

“The house echoes. It’s too big, and everywhere I look there are reminders. I was so happy in that life, and I thought that by now, Jake and I could be traveling together or…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. It wouldn’t matter to me what we did. It’s the together part that’s gone missing, and I don’t think we’ll ever get it back.”

“Laura, he loves you. Anyone can see it. He’s crazy about you.”

“Maybe. When he thinks of it. But mostly I’m an afterthought now.” She shook her head. “Oh, I hate when I’m having a pity party. That’s not me. I guess I just have to pick a direction I want to go on my own and…go there. He’s already found where he wants to be.” Her sister bit her lip and looked out the windshield, driving toward the Square.

Chrissy felt completely at sea. She wished she could talk to Jake and demand to know what was going on. Make him fix this.

But in some ways, Laura was right. She had to find her own place, not rely on him to create it.

Like she knew anything about a healthy relationship.

You can belong here. But I can’t, not really.

Tank believed he was right. She didn’t. But who was she to try to tell him how to live his life? Why didn’t she just leave him be?

Because
, said something inside her.
He’s so alone. And you do see him, in a way no one but maybe his sister does
.

He’d helped her, been good to her children…this didn’t have to be a romance for her to be his friend, and God knew he needed one.

She sighed.

“You okay?” Laura asked.

She had to smile then. “Men are a lot of trouble, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” her sister replied. “But there’s no better game in town.”

Then they were pulling up and parking, unloading the car, and she was too busy trying to restrain Thad, who was sure Tank was just waiting for him to be his helper.

“He had to work late last night, sweetie. I don’t even know if he’ll come. He might be catching up on his sleep.”

Thad’s disappointment was crushing—until he spied the twins, Emilio and Antonio. Then the second she released him, he was off to join them. Lorie and Quinn waved and nodded that they were watching, but she still went to them to have a word and make arrangements to help keep an eye on them.