Authors: Cat Johnson
Midnight Wrangler (13 page)
Chapter Thirteen
Summer, 2015 (Present Day)
Bonnie knew she shouldn't be there, but there she was, standing outside Rohn's house about to go in for dinner. With him. Alone.
Why? For the same reason she'd said yes to his invitation to go with him to the reunion. Because it seemed the teenage girl who'd had a crush on him twenty-five years ago was alive and well inside her. All these years later she still couldn't resist Rohn Lerner.
Reason and good sense abandoned her when Rohn was nearâor even on the phone. That voice, deeper now than it had been when she'd known him, funneled directly into her ear, caused a shiver to travel through her, no matter how hot the thermometer said it was.
There was no use fighting it, so she might as well go inside and enjoy herself. Later, she'd worry about the future. Pushing that away, she strode to the front door.
Not wanting to arrive empty-handed, and knowing if she asked what she could bring he'd say
nothing,
she carried a six-pack of beer in her hand. She had no idea what he drank. That summer they'd dated neither of them had been legally old enough to buy a drink. The law had raised the legal drinking age to twenty-one just a few years prior to their turning eighteen.
nothing,
she carried a six-pack of beer in her hand. She had no idea what he drank. That summer they'd dated neither of them had been legally old enough to buy a drink. The law had raised the legal drinking age to twenty-one just a few years prior to their turning eighteen.
Standing in front of the door without knocking or ringing the bell wasn't going to get her inside anytime soon. And procrastinating was only making her more nervous. She raised her fist and knocked.
The sound of Rohn's quick, heavy footsteps reached her before the door opened and she saw him, smiling but looking a little frazzled and very domestic.
She let her gaze drop to the dish towel, creatively tucked into the pockets of his jeans to form a makeshift apron. “Nice apron.”
He rolled his eyes and pulled the towel from its perch. “I'm sorry. Things took longer than I thought they would.”
“I can help you.”
“Nuh-uh. You're not helping. I won't allow it. You're a guest. Besides, I'm pretty much done anyway. Come on in.” He tipped his head and took a step away from the door.
She held out the beer after she stepped inside. “Here. For you.”
“You didn't have to bring anything, but thank you.” Rohn took the six-pack from Bonnie's hands.
“You're welcome. And are you kidding? My mother would have a fit if she knew I came to dinner and didn't bring something.”
“You're right. How is your mamma doing anyway?”
“She's good. Enjoying the Arizona climate. It's good for her asthma.” Bonnie responded to Rohn's inquiry with her stock answer as he led her through his home.
The house was interesting. As Bonnie looked around her, she had trouble seeing Rohn in it. She'd entered through a door that led to a hallway.
There was a living area off to the right. Silver picture frames decorated the polished wood side tables. More frames were interspersed among the books on the shelves. A dining room was to the left, filled with a heavily carved wooden dining table and eight matching chairs, a sideboard, and a buffet.
Both rooms seemed so unlike the Rohn she knew. Then again, he'd been eighteen when she'd known him. It wasn't as if they had experience decorating a house together. What teenage boy would know or care about home decor?
It wasn't until they got farther into the house, to the kitchen, that she started to be able to see Rohn living here. Bonnie could picture him making coffee at the counter. She imagined him leaning against the sink and watching the sunrise out the window over the sink.
More, she could imagine herself standing there next to him.
Bonnie yanked her mind off that fantasy, putting a screeching halt to what was a dangerous and pointless dream. She was cleaning out her dad's house, selling or renting it, and leaving . . . but not tonight.
Tonight she was going to enjoy this dinner with Rohn. One look at that smile of his when he'd opened the door had her heart beating faster and she knew there was no way not to enjoy spending time with him.
Rohn put the six-pack on the counter and then tossed the towel onto the edge of the sink. “Something to drink?”
“Sure. What are you having?”
“I think I'm going to indulge in one of those nice cold beers you were kind enough to bring.”
“That sounds good to me. I think I'll join you.” Alcohol could only help the ridiculous nervousness she felt around him.
Rohn reached out and pulled a bottle from the six-pack while glancing at Bonnie. “You want a glass?”
“The bottle is fine.”
He twisted the cap off and handed the longneck to her. The condensation on the cold bottle made her hand wet as she took a closer look at the kitchen.
A vase full of fresh wildflowers on the table caught her attention. Rohn must have picked flowers. The image of thatâRohn bent over in the field grabbing handfuls of Queen Anne's lace, cornflowers, and daisiesâmade her smile.
He carried the remainder of the six-pack to the fridge, opened the door, and slid the carrier onto the top shelf. “I did pick up a couple bottles of wine, too, in case you wanted some. One red, one white, in case you get tired of the beer. The guy at the store said these two were good, so . . .”
“Rohn, believe me, I'm no wine expert. The few times a year when I buy a bottle for Mom and me to drink, I usually choose by which has the nicest label.”
He lifted one brow. “And how's that work out for you?”
She laughed. “Surprisingly well.”
“Good to know.” He lifted his bottle to his lips and swallowed, his eyes on her the entire time. “It's good to have you back in town, Bonnie Blue.”
“For now.” She had to remind herself as much as him that she was leaving. Eventually.
“For now.” He acknowledged that with a nod and then pushed off from where he'd been leaning back against the cabinets. “Come on out to the patio with me. I gotta throw on the burgers.”
Rohn looked so domestic flipping hamburgers on the grill that it had Bonnie feeling sad for the loss of what could have been. If she hadn't left. If she hadn't withheld probably the most important information of their lives from Rohn. If she hadn't made that decision and done what she'd done . . .
Summer, 1990
The sun was setting earlier and the nights growing cooler. All that did was indicate that Bonnie needed to enjoy each and every second she had left with Rohn before she left for college.
She slipped her hands beneath the hem of his T-shirt and ran her palms over the bare skin of his lower back as he loved her. He thrust into her one last time, groaning, before he rolled to the side to lie next to her on a blanket spread in the back of the truck.
There was a sheen of sweat on his face in spite of the chill as he gazed down at her, a smile tipping up the corner of his mouth. She hoped he didn't see the tears that just thinking of leaving him, even for the semester, had caused.
“Did you see the moon?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“It's almost full. Just like it was the first night we were here together.” He rolled onto his back to stare up at the sky, but his hand remained on her stomach and he left one leg tossed over hers.
He was right. The moon had been almost full that first time they'd had sex, which meant that was a month ago. Bonnie didn't need a calendar to see that her period was late.
Her heart knocked against her rib cage as realization crept in. They hadn't been careful that first time. Or the second time, for that matter. It wasn't until Rohn had snuck away to another town where no one knew them and bought a box of condoms that they started to use protection.
“Um, it's getting late. Can you take me back to town?” She had to get to the drugstore before it closed and buy a test.
Rohn groaned. “I hate dropping you off in town and letting you ride that bike home. It's not safe in the dark.”
“I'll be fine.” Roadway safety was the last concern on her mind.
Finally, he sat up. He handed her the shorts and underwear he'd stripped off her an hour ago, before reaching for his own.
She was silent as they drove back to town as the fear gripped her. She somehow managed to hide her fear from Rohn as he kissed her good night and left her alone with her bike.
That's when the adrenaline kicked in. Shaking, she rode directly to the drugstore and prayed she didn't know the clerk or see anyone else she knew inside. Hiding the pregnancy test beneath a magazine, she carried both to the counter. She was happy to see it was some young guy she didn't know manning the register.
Even so her heart pounded as she said, “Hi. Just these please.”
He didn't look twice at her as he tossed both items in the bag and took her money.
Bonnie stashed the test into the waistband of her shorts, beneath her shirt, just in case and then rode home as fast as she could. Her parents were in the living room watching TV as she came through the door.
“I'm home.” She turned toward her room.
“Did you have fun? What did you do?” her mother asked.
“Melody and I went to the diner and shared a plate of fries and then we went to the drugstore and bought a new magazine. It's the fall fashion issue.” She held up the plastic bag with the magazine inside as proof. Bonnie had become quite good at lying. “I'm going to brush my teeth and then head to bed early I think. I'm kinda tired.”
“Okay, baby.”
Luckily, her father hadn't even bothered to glance in her direction. Instead he'd focused on whatever was on television and let her mother ask all the questions.
She headed first to her room, where she closed the door and pulled the box from its hiding place beneath her shirt.
Holding it beneath the edge of her desk in case anyone walked in, she pulled the desk lamp closer and read the instructions. She'd have to take the test to the bathroom with her and then wait for the results.
In two minutes she'd know if what she suspected was true or not. And God help her if it was.
Chapter Fourteen
Summer, 2015 (Present Day)
Rohn wished he had some whiskey. Or tequila. Or vodka. Hell, a single shot of anything that he could down to take the edge off.
Around Bonnie, he was as nervous as a schoolboy on his first date, but worse because now he was an adult and knew all that could go wrong in life and love.
Nope. The beer wasn't cutting it. He took another swig from the bottle, anyway.
“So the boys who work for you are nice.” Bonnie glanced up from her plate.
They'd chosen to eat out on the patio. He appreciated that decision even more now as the warm breeze ruffled the hair around her face and the sun low in the sky cast a warm glow across her cheeks.
“They can be, when they aren't busting my chops.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I could see how they might like to stir up trouble. That Tyler especially.”
Rohn let out a snort. “You ain't kidding about that. He liked you, too, by the way. He said you were very pretty.”
“Really?” She looked surprised and embarrassed at the same time. “That's sweet, especially since I think I might be double his age.”
“Not quite, but yeah, I know what you mean. Makes a man feel old around all these young bucks.”
“I think you hold your own, all right.”
“Thanks.”
“I like your house,” she said, leaning back in her chair and looking relaxed compared to how he felt.
Good thing Bonnie was so good with the small talk. If it were up to Rohn, they'd be in trouble. He feared that he'd been out of the dating game for so long that if he couldn't talk to her about cattle or this year's hay crop, he'd be hard-pressed for a topic of conversation. They could talk about the past, he supposed, but given their history together, that was a bit of a minefield.
He dipped his head to acknowledge her compliment. “Thank you. I did a lot to it right after Lila and I bought it. Structurally it was sound, but it felt . . .”
“Like old man Jackson had been living here for the past sixty years?” she suggested.
“Yeah.” He laughed. “Lila was really great with fixing the place up.”
“I can see that. The living room and dining room are lovely.”
“And you can tell I had nothing to do with decorating them.” He grinned.
“Pretty much.” Bonnie looked so beautiful when she smiled like that. Just like she had when she was eighteen. If only he could get her to do it more often.
Rohn drew in a breath and, with enough beer in him to make him brave, launched into what he wanted to know. “You ever take the plunge, Bonnie Blue? Ever get married?”
“No.”
Her answer was as interesting as it was encouraging. “Why not?”
“I guess I just never made it a priority.” She shrugged.
“What did you make a priority?”
“My career.”
“What did you end up doing, anyway?” Rohn couldn't believe he hadn't already asked what she did in Arizona.
It was as if he knew her, but at the same time, he didn't know her at all. They'd been as close as two people could be all those years ago. Aside from those shared memories, they were strangers. He really did suck at communicating.
“I'm a teacher.”
He smiled at her answer. “That's what you always said you wanted to go to school for.”
School. That had been what had taken her away from him. Or at least he liked to think it was. It had been easy to blame the university in Arizona and the academic scholarship she'd gotten rather than turning his attention to something closer to home. Like the possibility she'd just outgrown him and that was why she'd never come home for summer or winter breaks.
Of course, her parents had divorced about that time. With her mother moving out to Arizona with her, it probably felt silly for her to come back to Oklahoma for school breaks.
Still, there was the phone. He'd called a couple of times but when he'd seen it was one-sidedâthat he'd do all the calling and she'd do all the avoidingâhe'd eventually stopped.
A man could only take so much rejection. Especially at that young age.
“I bet you had all those college boys wrapped around your little finger.” Maybe she'd disappeared so completely from his life because she'd met someone.
Bonnie shook her head. “No. Not really.”
That made no sense. She'd had a pretty good hold on him, all those years ago. And judging by how he couldn't stay away from her the past few days, it appeared that now was no different. He'd do anything she asked him to, including clean out that mess of a house of hers. He'd spend day and night there just to make her happy, and with the hope of seeing more of her.
“How long were you and your wife married?” Bonnie's question interrupted his thoughts.
“We were going on sixteen years when she died. Hard to believe it would have been our twenty-first anniversary later this year.”
“So you met and married her a few years after high school then?”
“Yup.”
If Bonnie was asking him how long it took him to get over her, that answer was a good long while.
Lila was by no means a rebound girl. He'd started dating her after the hurt had faded, but he also hadn't had another serious relationship in the middle. He'd been too skittish for too long after what had felt like such a world-altering love and loss with Bonnie.
He had bought Bonnie a promise ring that summer. He'd been waiting for the perfect time to give it to her, but she'd left before he got a chance. He'd wondered for years if his giving it to her would have made a difference.
Would that microscopic chip of a diamond set in a gold circle have kept her here and saved him a world of hurt?
“So, what grade do you teach?” Time for small talk again. His beer-soaked heart wasn't enjoying these particularly painful memories.
“Fifth grade.”
“Nice.” Not that he knew all that much about kids. He wished he did.
“Dinner was really good.”
“Was it?” He laughed.
“It was. I don't think you do yourself justice. The burgers were perfect. And everything else was really good too.”
“Everything else I bought premade at the store, but thank you. I do have some skills in the grill department. And there's even dessert.”
“Dessert?” She lifted a brow. “I'm impressed.”
“Don't be. Tyler's girlfriend made it.”
“Girls his age bake?” She looked surprised.
“No. His girlfriend is closer to our age.”
“Tyler's dating an older woman? Why am I not surprised?” She laughed.
“Yup. I guess I shouldn't call her a girlfriend then, should I? Lady friend? Woman friend?” He wrinkled his nose. “I'm not loving any of those.”
“Society hasn't really come up with a good alternative for people our age, has it?”
“Not really. No. Wonder what that says?” Rohn thought the message was pretty clear. That single women in their thirties and forties should just give up and be old and lonely.
“I think it's just that the world is changing but not everything has kept up. It's sad, really. There are a ton of people dating later in life. With divorces, and widowers, people are dating at all ages.”
He nodded. “Yet we only have the terms
girlfriend
and
boyfriend
to work with.”
girlfriend
and
boyfriend
to work with.”
“Or
significant other.
” An adorable wrinkle creased the bridge of her nose.
significant other.
” An adorable wrinkle creased the bridge of her nose.
“You have a significant other, Bonnie Blue?”
She raised her gaze to his before answering. “No. You?”
That she was interested enough to ask lightened his heart considerably. He answered happily, “Nope.”
She nodded, and a silence fell over them. All this serious personal talk had put a damper on the lighter conversation.
Uncomfortable with the silence, he said, “Anyway. Ready for dessert?”
“Can I have a tour first?”
“A tour? Sure. What would you like to see?”
“Your animals. I don't know. The whole place.” She lifted a shoulder.
“Okay.” He glanced at her feet and the open sandals she wore. “You good to walk in those? Wouldn't want you stepping in something unpleasant and ruining your shoes.”
She laughed. “I'll take my chances.”
He stood. She did the same. As he turned toward the field the bulls were in, he glanced sideways at Bonnie. “I remember a day when you wore exactly two kinds of footwear. Cowboy boots or flip-flops.”
“Not true. I had real shoes for the prom, dyed to match my dress.”
“Yes, you did. And you were the most beautiful girl there.”
She rolled her eyes. “Thank you, but I think that official honor belonged to the prom queen. Marie whatever her name was.”
“Jorgensen.”
She cocked one brow and glanced at him. “So, you remember her name, do you? Did you have a little crush on her maybe?”
“No. The moment you and I talked that night, I only had eyes for you, Bonnie Blue.” He watched the blush creep across her cheek. “I remember her name because her son works loading the trucks at the feed store in town. She's not exactly prom queen material anymore, but bless her, she's got four good, strong, healthy kids in exchange.”
Bonnie's eyes widened. “Four. Wow.”
“Yeah. All boys. She wanted to try for moreâlooking to get a girl. Her husband told me he put a stop to it. Told her he wasn't going to have a basketball team trying to get a cheerleader.” At that, Bonnie laughed. The sound made him smile. “I always thought you'd have a bunch of kids, Bonnie.”
“Me? Nope. Nice-looking bulls.” She walked a little faster as they approached the fence. If he wasn't mistaken, she was avoiding the subject of children. If she wanted the subject dropped, he'd let it go.
“You know bulls, do you?” he asked.
“No. But they're still nice-looking.” She cut him a sideways glance.
“Let me give you the rundown on who's who. This guy right here, giving us the stink eye, has made me a ton of money. He's a real good bucker. Tosses the riders in the dirt nine times out of ten. I just started selling his sperm. I get a good amount of money for each straw.”
Her brows rose. “I had no idea. So you're like a pimp. And he's the gigolo.”
“Kind of. Except he doesn't get to have any of the fun with the lady bulls. Never even gets to see them. I ship the stuff to whoever orders it.”
“So how do you get, the um, you know . . . stuff?”
Rohn laughed. “Let's just say, I'm thankful to have Tyler, Justin, and Colton around to do the dirty work when the time comes. You probably don't want to know the details.”
She considered that a moment and then shook her head. “Yeah, you're right. I think I'd rather not know.”
This conversation had taken them into whole new territory. But it wasn't the talk of bull semen getting to him. It was the fact the attraction between him and her was still as strong today as it had been twenty-five years ago. Back when he'd been a hired hand and she'd been the farmer's daughter.
That summer had been a hot one, and their love ran even hotter. Those were some powerful memories.
“Bonnie.”
“Yeah?”
“Tonight was just two friends having dinner, but I'd like it if we could go out on a real date.”
“Rohn, I'm only here for a little while and then I'm leaving again.”
He took a step forward. “Bonnie, you can make excuses all day long, but it's not going to change the fact that there's something here between us. Whether we choose to ignore it or enjoy it is up to you. I know what I wanna do. Even if it's just for the time you're here.”
“I don't know.”
“Let me help you decide.” He reached out and rested his hands on her waist. It felt as familiar as it did strange to be touching her again.
When she didn't retreat, he leaned lower. She raised her gaze to his and he saw a need to match his own in her eyes. There was no stopping him then. He closed the final distance between them and kissed her.
Fireworks on the Fourth of July had never seemed as bright as the sparks rocketing through Rohn at the feel of Bonnie's lips beneath his. It felt like he was eighteen again and damn, he never wanted the feeling to end.
She kissed him like she was as desperate for him as he was for her, then she pulled back. Fast, and far enough his hands fell to his side.
“I can't.” She shook her head.
He nodded. “I understand. We can take things slow.”
“No. That's not it. I mean I can't ever. I'm sorry. Thank you for dinner. I gotta go.” She turned and ran.
“Bonnie.” He took a single step after her before he stopped himself. She was literally fleeing from his kiss. It wasn't in him to stop her.
Rohn watched Bonnie drive away until the taillights of her car disappeared. Only then did he turn back to the house and head for the kitchen. There he saw the remnants of the dinner preparations. The dinner that had ended pretty disastrously, in his opinion.
Forget about the mess in the kitchen. It would still be there later. Instead, he turned toward the office.
Sitting in the desk chair, he booted up the old desktop computer. He drew in a breath of frustration as it took too long to come to life, and then a couple minutes more before something happened on screen and his browser window finally came up.
Tomorrow, he was looking at new computers. If he was destined to be on the damn thing more often, like it or not, he might as well make it less painful. And it was becoming quite obvious he
would
be online a lot more. After Bonnie's rejection tonight, he was hurt enough to go back to his damn online matchmaking account.
would
be online a lot more. After Bonnie's rejection tonight, he was hurt enough to go back to his damn online matchmaking account.
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