Beneath the Stetson(44)

“For Alex’s sake, I hope you’re right.” Even after her earnest reassurances, his shoulders were still rigid, his hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel.

She bit her lip. Confrontation had never been her strong suit. But in ten minutes or so, the talkative Cade would be joining them. Before that happened, Bailey wanted to clear the air.

“You seem upset,” she said.

Gil’s scowl was dark. When he took his eyes off the road for a brief moment to look at her directly, the turbulence in his gaze shocked her. “And you’re not?”

“I don’t understand.”

With a jerk of the steering wheel and a flurry of gravel, he pulled off onto the side of the road and shoved the gearshift into Park. Turning to face her, he shocked her with the vehemence of his icy tone. “Maybe I can explain it in words that make sense to a by-the-book government type.”

“That’s not fair,” she said, tears stinging her eyes.

“Too bad, because that’s how I see it.” He was furious, that much was clear. “Your boss summons you, and it doesn’t bother you at all that you and I are in the middle of a—”

She punched him in the chest, halting the flow of heated sarcasm. “I know what we’re in the middle of,” she cried. “But we both know the statistics on long-distance relationships.”

His lips twisted, his expression bleak. “So we were merely scratching an itch?”

“Don’t be crude.” She was shaking. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she held on to a thread of composure. “When we were together before...and again today. It was wonderful.”

“The sex, you mean.” His eyes were flat, accusing.

“What do you want from me, Gil?”

The silence lengthened. “Nothing, Bailey. Nothing at all.”





Thirteen



She didn’t know what to do. Never in a million years had she expected this reaction to her announcement. Inside, she grieved for the moment she would have to say goodbye. Of course she was sad. The thought of leaving Gil was tearing her apart. But moaning about it wouldn’t help.

He moved back out onto the highway, merging with the traffic and eating up the miles to Midland.

The hostile silence shredded her nerves. “Tell me about your friends,” she said. Anything to pass the time until Cade would join them. With the little boy in the truck as a buffer, the trip home wouldn’t be so bad. At the moment, however, her head was throbbing, and she needed a distraction sooner rather than later.

For several long seconds she thought Gil was going to ignore her request. But finally, he inhaled and exhaled, and some of the tension left him. “We all went to college together,” he said. “Got married about the same time. Had a son about the same time. They were an incredible support to me after Sherrie was gone. Food. Companionship. Advice when I asked. A shoulder to cry on.”

“I can’t imagine you letting down your guard enough to admit you needed help.” It was a true statement, but as soon as the words left her mouth she realized they came out sounding sarcastic. Fortunately, Gil didn’t take offense.

“I was a mess,” he said with raw honesty. “I was still adjusting to being a parent, and I was terrified I would do something wrong. Plus, the guilt about Sherrie was overwhelming.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Doesn’t matter how true that is or how many times you tell yourself so, the burden is crushing when someone you love commits suicide. I felt like a complete failure.”

Only hours ago she would have slid across the seat and put her arm around him. Now, she didn’t feel as if she had the right. “I’m glad they were there for you.”

“My parents were, too. They still lived in Royal back then.”

Bailey stared out the window. She was under no illusions that her father would ever rush to her aid in a similar situation. The divide between them was much too large to cross.

Perhaps that was why she hadn’t let Gil see the depth of her despair about leaving Royal...about leaving him. She had learned early on in life to pull herself up by her bootstraps and deal with hardships on her own. Self-sufficiency had been one of the few things of value her father gave her. That and the certainty that if she ever had a child of her own, she would wrap him or her in love that would never be doubted.

In the midst of her soul-searching, the truck rolled to a stop in front of an attractive two-story home in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. Bailey touched Gil’s arm. “I’m going to stay here.” He had already told her he didn’t plan to linger.

Gil frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous. Come meet my friends.”