Not a Chance(75)

She was smiling contentedly. "Why? I feel pretty damn good."

"Your old man asked me to leave. Not to fuck his daughter one more time."

"Hey," she sat up. "I don't appreciate the language. I asked you to stay. That's all that matters. Now come lay down. I'll go talk to my parents and you'll spend the night and..."

"No." He grabbed his coat off the footboard of the bed. "I'm going. But when can I see you again?"

It looked, for a moment, like she might decide to be angry with him. But at last her expression softened into resignation. She smiled. "Tomorrow would be fine with me. If you aren't too busy or anything."

"Too busy? You've got to be kidding. Tomorrow it is."

They kissed one last time and then Travis bounded down the stairs. He made it to the front door when Mark showed up.

"Travis, would you join me in the den for a few minutes," he said. And then he turned and walked to the den without looking back.

Travis followed, hoping he wasn't about to have to apologize for what he'd just done with Arden. It had only taken a few minutes, surely Mark wouldn't have known about it.

Mark gestured toward the couch and Travis sat in the place he'd been, not an hour ago, sleeping soundly. Mark went to the bar on the far wall and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.

"Hope you like scotch," he said.

"Thank you, sir. I don't drink."

Mark turned, his brows raised. He replaced one of the glasses, filled the other one and then opened a drawer and pulled out cigars. "Tell me you at least smoke," he said.

"Occasionally."

Mark snipped the ends off the cigars. He sat in a chair opposite Travis and handed him a cigar. Travis had his own lighter so he lit his up while Mark sat his whiskey down and lit his. Travis puffed a few times to get the smoke going and then inhaled deeply. He leaned back and exhaled slowly. This was the best cigar he'd ever tasted.

"May I ask why you don't drink?" Mark asked.

"I'm a recovering alcoholic, sir. I'll be five years sober the end of January."

Mark nodded. "That's a good long time. I guess Arden knows about all of that."

Travis nodded.

"May I ask what's going on between you two? Is it serious? Or just getting started?"

"For me, it's serious. I want to marry her. But I've got some things in my life I need to take care of first and besides, I don't think she feels the same about me yet."

Mark frowned. "She's pretty young. What're you going to do if she changes her mind and doesn't want to date you any more."

Travis went cold inside. "I try not to think about that. This was our first date. I'm just happy she wants me at all."

Mark smiled sadly. "My concern, Travis, is that Arden isn't usually impulsive. I've never seen her make a decision that wasn't well thought out. So I advise caution on your part." He took a sip of his whiskey. "I'll be honest, Travis. I don't know you, but I can tell you for a fact I wouldn't have ever picked you for my daughter. Both because you don't seem her type and because I'm not certain of your background. But I do trust Arden's judgment and if she says you're a good man, well then, that's that."

"Thank you, sir," Travis said, not entirely sure whether a thank you was appropriate or not since he may have just been insulted.

"You wouldn't mind telling me a bit about your father, would you?"

Travis laughed, leaning forward and tapping his cigar on the edge of an ashtray. He sat back and took another puff of the cigar. "I reckon you already know all there is to know. It was all the papers wrote about for weeks."

"So it's true, then? He murdered those two people?"

Travis shrugged. "He says he didn't. But I'm inclined to believe he did."

Mark frowned. "Do you keep in contact with him?"

Travis nodded. "I send him a note once a month. I visit him every year around Christmas. I guess that's about all you can do. I'd go see him more often, but, I don't know, time just gets away from you."

"I wonder that you see him at all? No one would blame you for cutting him off."

Travis shrugged. "He's my old man. The only one I've got, for better or worse. What can be the harm in keeping in touch?"

"I suppose. And you're close with your brothers?"

"Yes, sir. There's only one troublemaker in the bunch. And I'll figure out how to handle him before I bring Arden into my life. She's made very clear she doesn't want anything to do with my family problems."

"Mm-hmm," Mark said, nodding. "And it doesn't bother you? That the woman you profess to want to spend your life with won't be involved in that aspect of your life?"

Travis stared at him in shock. It would have been a lot easier if he'd held a gun to his head and told him never to see his daughter again. "What are you saying?"