A Path Less Traveled (31 page)

Jealousy crested
in her chest. How she missed having Doc come home to her at the end of a long
day. “I understand. Give her my love, and thanks again.” As he sauntered away,
his boots scuffing against the concrete, she shut the door and leaned against
it briefly before moving to the kitchen to deal with the fish.

“Mo-om!” Bo
hollered down the hallway then appeared, wrapped in a towel, and his hair
tousled and wet.

“You weren’t in
there long. Are you sure you got clean?”

“Yep, I even
washed behind my ears. See?” He pushed an ear forward as evidence.

A smile tugged at
her lips. “Very good. Now what did you want?”

“Oh yeah, why are
all those boxes in the hall? I thought the tornado blowed them all away.”

Her muscles
froze. The moment she’d dreaded. “These are new boxes I picked up today.” Trish
laid down the fillet knife and knelt in front of him, placing her hands on his
still-damp arms. “Honey, you remember when we took the trip to Austin to see Delaine?”

He nodded. “Yep,
we had lots of fun at the water park and playing video games and eating pizza.”

She released a
shaky breath and followed it with a smile. This was gonna be easier than she’d
originally thought. “We sure did. How would you like it if we moved to Austin so we could go to that water park whenever we wan—”

Bo yanked away
and bolted for his room, slamming the door behind him.

Trish followed
and opened the door. He lay on his bed, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Her
heart ached. What could she say to make him understand? “Oh, honey, it’s gonna
be all right.” She perched on the bed next to him and rubbed his back.

“No, it’s not.
Nothing will ever be all right again!” He jerked to a sitting position, tears
streaking down his chubby cheeks. “I don’t wanna leave here.” His shoulders
still shook, the result of hard crying, and he sniffed.

“I know, honey.
I’ve tried really hard to keep us here, but there’s no work I can do in
Miller’s Creek to give us enough money to live.”

“But here’s where
Domino and Papaw and Mama Beth and Uncle Steve and Aunt Dani live.” More tears
brimmed in his big brown eyes. “But I ‘specially don’t wanna leave Andy, ‘cause
then we won’t have nobody and he won’t either.” He threw himself back on the
bed, face to the pillow, and sobbed like his heart was broken.

Chapter 28

A
ndy forced his
eyelids apart and sat up in the king-sized bed, uncertain where he was. Once
his eyes adjusted to the darkened room and his brain started functioning, he remembered.
His new place. He allowed himself a brief sense of accomplishment. Finally, he
could put down roots in Miller’s Creek instead of living out of a suitcase in
the cramped apartment above City Hall.

Truthfully
though, he’d done very little except unpack and hang pictures. Trish had taken
care of the rest while he’d handled his heavy caseload and looked in on his
dad. He released a weary sigh and scratched his face, still bothered by the
fact that she wouldn’t take the bonus money he’d offered. She’d given some lame
excuse about all he’d done for her and Bo, then had waved and driven off, not
giving him the chance to ask if she’d like to go out again sometime.

A subtle, but
definite, chill hung between them, brought on most likely by his absence the past
few weeks. The uneasy feeling had kept him praying until the early morning
hours, and what little sleep he’d managed to get had been restless.

He untangled his
legs from the maroon bed sheet and padded to the bathroom, impressed as always
by Trish’s careful attention to detail. The floor, cool beneath his feet, was a
tasteful combination of tan and taupe diagonally-laid tiles that flowed up the
side walls of the shower. A beautiful space.

Just as he
reached to turn on the tap, the phone rang. He retraced his steps.

“Hi, it’s Trish.
Sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but I . . . um . . . have a favor to ask.”

“Okay.”

“I wouldn’t have
called, but everyone else is busy.”

Hurt bubbled up
inside. Was he supposed to be grateful that he was last on her list of people
to call when she needed help? He clenched his jaw.

“I had an
unexpected appointment pop up in Morganville this morning. Would you mind
watching Bo for me?”

“Not a problem,
but I have an afternoon meeting with a client. What time will you be finished?”
Otis had called last night demanding to see him. Just what he needed—another
battle with Otis.

“I should be back
by two at the latest.”

“That’ll work.
Would you mind dropping him by here dressed in something to go fishing in?”

“I’m sorry, I
didn’t even ask if you had other plans.”

“I can still
fish. It’ll be great to have Bo’s company.” Come to think of it, why couldn’t
she take Bo with her? It wasn’t like he was any trouble. “I’ll even take him to
my afternoon appointment if I need to. I’m sure he’d play quietly until the
meeting was over.” His words held the intended accusation.

A tense silence
now hung between them. “I could take him with me, too, but—”

“No need to
explain.” He huffed a frustrated breath through his nostrils. “I’ll see you in
a little while.”

Half an hour
later, they arrived. “Andy!” Bo squealed out his greeting, then launched
himself into Andy’s arms.

“Hey, kiddo.
Missed you!” He gave him a squeeze.

“I missed you,
too! When you gonna take me riding again?”

Andy glanced at
Trish. She was dressed in a pink business suit, with her face made up, and her
nails done. The look was topped off with an expensive-smelling perfume. He’d
seen enough businesswomen in Dallas to know that something was up. She quickly
looked away and pretended to search for something in her purse. “You’ll have to
ask your mom.”

“When, Mom?”

Trish looked up
nervously, a terse smile pasted in place. “We’ll talk about it later, sweetie.
Mama has to go to her appointment right now.”

Bo’s face fell.
“’kay.”

Poor kid. Andy lowered
him to the floor tickling his ribs on the way down. “Ready to do some fishing?”

“Yep!” His smile
returned.

“Where do I need
to pick him up?” Trish spoke softly, and still refused to make eye contact.

“After we go
fishing, we’ll grab a bite to eat and head out to your house, if that’s okay.”

She nodded and
gave Bo a quick hug. “See you later. You have fun and mind Andy.” Her lips
clamped together briefly before she turned and let herself out the door.

An acidic taste
landed in his mouth. What was up with her? He puffed out his cheeks with air
and released the breath between pursed lips. Better to forget it and enjoy this
time with Bo.

The day was
unusually cool for August, so they fished until late morning. After stopping
for chili-cheese burgers at Granny’s Kitchen, they made their way to the ranch.
Andy’s mouth gaped open at the destruction. “Man, I didn’t know the tornado
left this much damage out here.”

Bo pointed to the
blank space in front of the main ranch house. “Yeah, it blowed over all those
big trees in front of Papaw’s house.”

“What about your
house? Is it okay?”

“Mom cried the
other day. She said the tornado hurt our house and it was gonna cost a lot of
money and time to fix. Plus it blowed away her painting place.”

Andy’s heart
pounded. “The cottage?”

“Yep.”

The news socked
him in the gut. No wonder she’d cancelled the art show and been so withdrawn.
He’d been so consumed with work that he’d let Trish handle the details of
fixing up his office and house. She’d sacrificed the art exhibit to help him.
Though the thought hurt, it also sowed hope in his heart. Maybe she cared about
him after all.

A second later
they pulled in front of Trish’s house, and his jaw flopped open. In several
places, the long front porch sagged. The jagged edge of broken tree branches
made the house feel deserted. Why hadn’t she said anything? Better yet, why
hadn’t he thought to ask?

His chest
tightened with knife-like remorse. After his meeting this afternoon, he’d come
back out to see if he could repair the damage—not just to the house—but to
their broken friendship.

Bo let him in the
garage door with the key he wore around his neck, an item of jewelry that
bothered Andy to no end. A bucket was propped next to the back door, the
ceiling above it stained.

“Can we go riding
now?”

Andy squatted in
front of him. “Tell you what. I’ll saddle the horses while you take a nap. You
were yawning all over the place today. Don’t you know cowboys have to be rested
up before they saddle up?”

Bo giggled and
grinned, sending warmth coursing through Andy’s veins. “’kay.”

As soon as Bo
disappeared into his room, Andy sauntered to the barn behind the main ranch
house and saddled the horses, then returned to the house. He moved to the back
door and peered outside. Trish’s cottage was completely demolished. Piles of
debris littered the back yard where someone had made an attempt to clean up. He
imagined Trish courageously trying to rake up her shattered dreams, tears
streaming down her face.

Andy raked a hand
through his hair, his insides churning. How could he ever make it up to her?
Sobs and sniffles sounded from Bo’s room. Frowning, he hurried down the hallway
and opened the door. “Bo, you okay?”

The boy’s cheeks
were wet. “No. I’m very, very sad.”

“How come?” Andy
perched on the edge of the bed.

Wiping his eyes
with his fists, Bo scooted back against the wagon-wheel headboard. “Mom says we
have to move to Austin.”

The news jabbed
him in the stomach. So it was true. She was leaving. No wonder she’d erected a
barrier between them.

“But I don’t wanna
go. I’ll miss you and Domino and Papaw—” His sobs started afresh.

Andy yanked him
into his lap and rocked back and forth. “Shhh, it’s okay.”

“It’s all my
fault.” Bo whimpered the words.

The
all-too-familiar words sent alarm drag-racing through his veins. He set Bo back
at arm’s length to make eye contact. “What’s your fault?”

“Everything. Mom
moving . . .” He started crying again, but this time it was harder, his face
screwed up in intense pain. “But ‘specially Daddy dying. I should’ve minded
him, but I didn’t.”

“Bo, it’s not
your fault.” Andy hugged him to his chest, an achy feeling shooting through his
entire body. He knew exactly how he felt. The drunken words his Dad had spoken
after Mom left had haunted him for years. “It was an accident, Bo, not your
fault.”

The boy’s cries
softened, but he continued to sniff.

Mind a-whirl,
Andy searched for words. What could he say to offer comfort? I’ll talk to your
mom and see if she’ll change her mind? You’ll like living in Austin away from
everyone you know and love? His cell phone vibrated at his waist. One arm
wrapped around Bo, he pulled the phone from its holster. Otis Thacker.

He sat Bo on the
bed and stood, one hand in the air. “Bo, I have to take this call, but I’ll be
right back, okay?”

The boy shook his
head slowly, his eyes full of sorrow.

Andy cringed as
he hurried from the room. Poor little guy. He had no way to understand
everything that was happening. After this phone call, he’d sit down with him
and try to explain.

The call took
longer than expected. When Otis got a bee in his bonnet, there was no moving
quickly. Afterward, Andy made his way back to Bo’s room, expecting to find him
waiting patiently. Instead, the boy hunkered down under the dark blue
comforter, a big lump, snoozing away.

It was for the
best. After Bo was rested, the situation would be easier to explain. Andy
quietly closed the door and moved to the living room to catch some ESPN, and
for the first time noticed the bulging boxes stacked in the dining room.

* *
* * *

Trish navigated
the rutted ranch road as quickly as possible, her mind staggering with all that
had transpired. Francesca had driven all the way from Austin to meet with her,
and the meeting had gone extremely well. The job was hers, but the woman wanted
her to start Monday morning. She combed a hand through her hair, then removed
the heavy silver loops from her ears and dropped them into the console cup
holder. Did she not realize how difficult it was for a single mother to move at
the drop of a hat? Still it must be what God wanted. Especially since
everything had fallen into place.

She released a
breath, willing her mind and heart to slow their quickened pace. Somehow she
had to find time to get Bo enrolled in a new school. Thankfully, Delaine had
already agreed they could crash at her place until they found a place to live.
That wouldn’t be easy on any of them, but it couldn’t be helped. At least she
had a high-paying job now, and once she proved herself, she might qualify for a
raise that would provide a very nice life for Bo.

Heaviness
descended on her heart. Andy deserved to know about the move, and she needed
for him to understand why.
God, give me the strength and the words. And
while You’re at it, could You help my family understand, too?

She grabbed her
cell phone to call Steve. “Hey, I need to talk to you and Dad and Dani about
something. Will y’all be around later this afternoon?”

In the background
lively chatter erupted and Steve chuckled in response. Sounded like they were
having a good time. “Actually, we’re all headed to the lake. What about
tomorrow?”

The news that
they were once more on an outing without her and Bo knifed into her. “Yeah,
that’ll work. I’ll talk to you then. Bye.” She clicked the phone shut and
tossed it to the passenger seat, and ache in her heart. The house came into
view and she checked the dashboard clock. Thirty minutes late. Hopefully, it
wouldn’t make Andy overdue for his appointment.