Long Way Home (4 page)

         “Susie,”
Luke warned but she ignored him.

         “Harrison
Kelly is trouble, Luke.  Shane doesn’t need to get pulled into that.”

         “I’m
taking Tessa to a movie tomorrow night,” he told his mother.

         “No,
you’re not,” she countered firmly.

         “I’ve
already asked her.”

         “Tell
her something came up.  I mean it, Shane, I do not want you getting
involved with that girl.”

         “You’re
being unreasonable, Susie,” Luke intervened.  “I talked to Mary
earlier.  We’re filing a restraining order against Harrison.  Their
divorce should finally go through in another few weeks.  Shane will be
fine.”

         “I
don’t want
my
son going out with
that
woman’s daughter!” Susie
exploded.  “It’s bad enough I had to watch them dancing together last
night, starting all the tongues wagging.”

         Both
Shane and his father gaped at her in stunned silence.  Shane thought about
what Tessa said, that her mom and his dad used to date.  Did his mom think
his dad still cared for Mary Kelly?
 

         “Go
on in to bed, son,” Luke said quietly.  “Don’t worry about your
date.  Everything will be fine.”

         “Luke!”
Susie gasped.  “Everything is not fine! I do not want Shane seeing that
girl.  Look at all the misery she’s caused him over the years already!”

         “We’re
not like that any more, Mom.  We’ve both grown up.  I like
Tessa.  She’s really nice.”

         “So
is Lauren Jenkins.  Or Ivy Sinclair.”

         “Ivy
is Gracie’s agei!” he countered, incredulous that she’d even bring up Steve’s
little sister.  “And it’s just a date.  It’s not like we’re getting
married.”

         “That’s
right,” Luke agreed.  “This is Shane and Tessa, not me and Mary...and I
married you, not her.”

         “But
you sure do drop everything and run to her side whenever she calls.”

         “That’s
my job.  You know that.”

         She
ignored him, turning to Shane.

         “Please
don’t do this.”

         “That’s
enough, Susie.  Leave him alone.  Go on to bed now, son, I mean it.”

         “Yes,
sir.  Good night.”

         He
left them on the porch, feeling shell-shocked and two inches tall.  He
hated that his mom was upset with him but he didn’t think it was fair for her
to say he couldn’t see Tessa.

         “You
know this really isn’t about you, right?” His sister Cordelia said, surprising
him.  She and Gracie were sitting at the base of the stairs in the dark,
having obviously been eavesdropping.

         “It’s
because of what Miss Nettie and Mrs. Pendleton said,” Gracie confirmed.

         “What
did they say?”

         “They
were talking about how you and Tessa are finally friends now and Miss Nettie
said you two were a good match,” Gracie, four years younger than him said.

         “And
Mrs. Pendleton said if the two of you started dating it would be God’s way of
righting the wrong Daddy and Mrs. Kelly did by not marrying each other,” Cordy
said.  She was just one year behind him.

         “That’s
just stupid,” Shane spit out.

         His
sisters nodded.

         “Mom’s
been really edgy ever since,” Gracie said.

         Shane
met Cordy’s gaze.  “I asked Tessa out for tomorrow.  What do you
think?  Should I cancel?”

         Cordy
shrugged. “I can’t make that call for you...but I do know that you like her and
she likes you...you’re only seventeen.  It’s not like you’re getting
married.”

         He
looked to Gracie.  “What do you think?”

         “I
think Tessa was right.”

         “About
what?” he asked.

         Her
eyes twinkled as she leaned in a little closer to him.  “You are going to
marry her someday!”

         Shane
thought about the conversation with his parents and his sisters when he was on
his way to pick Tessa up for their date the next night.  His mother spoke
very little to him that morning before he left for school and she wasn’t home
when he got home that afternoon.  His dad stopped by as he was getting
ready and told him not to worry about his mom, that she’d calm down about it
soon enough.  Shane felt torn, though.  His mother was upset and he
hated that it was because of something he was doing.  Truth was he’d
thought about canceling a hundred times today, but every time he saw Tessa he
couldn’t do it.  He wanted to spend time with her, just the two of them,
away from school and their friends.  He wanted to know if they were just
good friends or if there really was something more between them.

         Tessa
was sitting on her front porch swing when he pulled up.  She was wearing a
yellow sundress that showed off her tan and her long blonde hair hung loose
over her shoulders.  He sat for a moment just taking her in, and telling
his heart to calm down.  He couldn’t help it, though; he thought she was
the prettiest girl he’d ever seen.

         He
got out when she stood, smiling at her.

         “You’re
late, McCanton,” she admonished with a smile.

         “You’re
beautiful,” he countered.

         Her
smile was radiant.  “You’re forgiven.”

         He
opened the truck door for her.  “I’m only three minutes late, anyway,” he
defended.  “The Miller’s’ cows got loose.  I stopped to help Mark
herd up the last two.”

         “Their
cows always get loose.  I’ve nearly hit one a few times out on Thistle
Road.”

         “My
dad told them they’d better get the fence fixed before someone gets
killed.  Any sign of your dad?”

         “Not
that I know of, thankfully.  Was something wrong at school today? You
seemed quiet.”

         He
shook his head but kept his eyes on the road.  “Just worried about that
Lit test.”

         “Boy,
are you a lousy liar! C’mon, out with it, McCanton.  You were having
second thoughts about tonight, admit it.”

         “No,
I wasn’t,” he argued, but even to him it sounded forced.

         “It’s
OK if you were.  I would understand.”

         He
sighed.  “Look, it wasn’t about you, OK?  I mean, well, it was, but
not like you think.”

         “Uh
huh,” she said, her green eyes locked on his profile.

         “Ah
Hell,” he cursed, pulling over to the side of the road so he could face
her.  “Look, before I say anything else, I asked you out last night
because I want to spend time with you.  You’re beautiful and smart and
funny and while I’m being honest, I’ve probably had a thing for you since the
day we met in Kindergarten.”

         She
blinked at his honesty.  Admired it.

         “OK.”

         “Yeah. 
So, I want you to know that.”

         “But?”

         He
sighed and raked a frustrated hand through his dark hair.

         “Not
a but per se,” he began.

         “But?”
she led with a half smile.

         “OK...but...when
I got home last night my parents were waiting for me.”

         She
nodded.  “I made you late.  I’m sorry.”

         “They
were fine when I explained what happened...but then my mom was upset.  She
said she was glad I took you home and made sure you were safe but then she said
she didn’t want me spending time with you.”

         Tessa’s
eyes widened.  “Oh.  Wow.”

         He
shook his head.  “It isn’t about you, personally.  It’s that you’re
Mary Douglas’ daughter.  See, Cordy and Gracie told me that Miss Nettie
and Mrs. Pendleton were talking and said how if we got together it would be God
fixing the mistake your mom and my dad made when they broke up.  That
naturally made my mom uncomfortable.”

         “Wow...OK,
well, you should take me home.”

         “What?
No, that’s crazy.”

         “No,
it’s not.  I don’t want to cause problems for you with your mom. 
Just turn around and take me home.”

         “I
will if that’s what you really want, but it’s not what I want.”

         “Shane...she’s
your mother.”

         “Yeah,
and I love her and she loves me, but we’re three months from graduation, then
we’re off to college and my days of living at home are numbered...my days of
living in Indian Springs are numbered.  I want to go into DPS and try to
make Ranger.  And my mom, while well meaning, has very little to say about
the choices I make in my adult life.  And beside all that, Tess, you’re
one of my best friends now.  I asked you out because I want to see if we
can be more.  If we can, great.  If we can’t, that’s fine, too, but I
want to at least try, don’t you?”

         She
was quiet a moment.  She turned her head to gaze out the window, watching
other cars fly by.  When she looked back at him there were tears shining
in her eyes.

         “I’d
like that, Shane, but your mom...”

         He
raised her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.  “You let me worry
about her, OK?” She nodded.  “Good...now, you hungry? I thought we could
go into Sorghum Mills, to one of the places there instead of staying in
town.  That OK with you?”

         She
wiped an errant tear from her cheek.  “That sounds wonderful.”

         “Hey,
there’s no crying,” he teased, reaching up to softly swipe his thumb across her
cheek.  “Everything’s cool.”

         “I
hope you’re right,” she replied.

         “I’m
always right,” he countered with a wink and a laugh, putting the truck in gear
and merging back onto the road.

         Tessa
laughed.  He loved the sound of it.  The rest of the drive they
talked more about his plans for college and his hope to one day become a Texas
Ranger.

         “I
thought you wanted to grow up to be Sheriff of Indian Springs like your
dad.  You know what everyone says. 
Everyone feels better with a
McCanton in charge,
” she said when they were seated at the restaurant. It
was a town saying that had been around ever since Shane’s great-great-great
grandfather became the first McCanton to be Sheriff of Indian Springs.

         “I
don’t know.  Maybe someday after my dad retires...but he’s a long ways
from that.”

         “Would
you really want to come back?”

         “Guess
it would depend on what’s going on in my life at that time.  My dad’s only
42 right now.  He’ll be in office another twenty-five years at least.”

         “My
mom wants me to stay and help her run Dreams Come True and one day take it
over,” she said, referring to her mother’s wedding service.

         “Is that
what you want?”

         “I’m
not sure.  Part of me does.  I enjoy planning weddings and parties
and doing the decorating.  But I’d like to get out of town, too. 
Maybe go to Austin or the DFW area.  Somewhere exciting.”

         “What
do you want to go to school for?  Still journalism?”

         She
laughed.  “No, I think I outgrew that finally.  I’ve actually gotten
interested in criminology.  I don’t want to be a cop like you, but a
profiler maybe.  Or forensics,” she shrugged.  “I don’t know. 
It’s a big jump from Wedding Planner to Criminal Profiler.”

         “You’d
really like to study Criminal Justice?”

         “I’ve
thought about it.  Ever since your dad saved me that day when I was
little.  I’ve also toyed with going into the military.” She could tell
that she had shocked him with that statement with the way his eyes widened.

         “Really? 
Why?”

         “Well,
I don’t know if my mom can really afford to send me to college.  I could
pay my own way, though, through the G. I. Bill.”

         “What
branch?”

         “I’ve
looked into all of them.  I kinda like the idea of being a Marine,
though.”

         His
jaw nearly scraped the floor.  “You’re joking.”

         “No,
I’m dead serious.”

         “Wow. 
That’s kinda...sexy.”

         “Don’t
laugh at me!” she scolded though she was smiling.

         “Who’s
laughing?” he asked, holding his hands up in a gesture of innocence.

         “That’s
right, keep a straight face, McCanton,” she said, shaking her finger at
him.  “I’m sure I will end up staying with Mama at Dreams Come True.”

         “You
think so?  You might get a scholarship, you never know.”

         “Maybe,
but I’m not going to hold my breath.  I haven’t really talked things over
with her.  I’m just assuming she won’t have the money because of the
divorce.”