Page 23 of Wrangling a Texas Hometown Hero

It had made Hallie realize it too.

She no longer felt resentful about losing her job and being stuck living at home. She was grateful she’d been here for Sweetie and Decker.

She was also grateful they had Jace.

He’d stayed with Decker every night at the hospital so Sweetie could go back to the hotel and get some sleep. He played cards with Decker and wheeled him around the hospital when he got antsy. He rarely left Decker’s side. Which probably explained why Sweetie had insisted he come back and check on the house. She’d probably wanted him to get a break from the hospital and a good night’s sleep.

Sweetie wouldn’t have thought anything about Jace staying in the same house with Hallie. She thought they were just friends. And they were. They just needed to be reminded of that.

“It’s too late for you to drive back to Houston tonight,” she said. “You can stay here.”

Jace’s eyes widened before he shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hallie.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not with me. I’ll head back to the ranch.”

“Oh.” His face flushed bright pink and she couldn’t help laughing.

“What? Did you think I wanted a repeat with the great Jace the Ace?”

His blush deepened and he cleared his throat. “Sorry. I just . . .” He ran a hand through his hair and then squinted out the kitchen window. “Things have been a little uncomfortable between us.”

That was putting it mildly. “Yeah. I know what you mean. I guess having drunken sex will do that to people.”

He laughed. “Yeah. I guess so.”

She hesitated before she spoke. “You want a beer?”

He looked at her with surprise before he shook his head. “I’ve sworn off drinking.”

She figured she knew why. “One beer. No tequila.”

“In that case, I’d love one.”

After she got them each a beer, they headed out to the front porch and sat in the rockers. The night was hot and humid. Which explained why the dogs refused to join them and instead stayed in the air-conditioned house.

She held up her beer and toasted the air. “To late summer in Texas. Hell couldn’t be hotter.”

“Amen to that.” Jace set his beer on the railing and tugged off his boots before peeling off his socks. Then he picked up his beer and propped his feet on the railing. “That’s better.”

It was hard to keep her gaze off those bare feet. They were long and broad with the second toes just a tad longer than the big toes.

“Damn, I love this porch.” His words pulled her attention away from his feet. “I used to sit out here most nights in the summer. Nana and Papa would sit in these rockers and my mama would sit in that cushioned chair over there while me and Decker would perch on the railing like a couple of scrawny birds. We didn’t talk. We’d just sit and listen to the crickets and cicadas . . . the clicking of Nana’s knitting needles.”

“I remember how much your grandmother loved to knit. She knitted me and Noelle hats with bear ears one year for Christmas.”

Jace laughed. “She knitted me and Deck one too. I was seven at the time and refused to wear it because I worried my friends would laugh at me.” He paused. “My daddy didn’t help matters by teasing me when I put it on.”

Hallie glanced over at him. “I was sorry to hear about your daddy.” His father had died of cancer when Jace was a sophomore in college. When she’d heard the news, Hallie had thought about calling him. But then she figured he wouldn’t want to hear from his ex-girlfriend’s sister. Now she wished she’d made the call.

He shrugged. “It wasn’t like we were close.”

“He was still your daddy.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment and she started to change the subject when he spoke. “You know what broke me up the most when I got the news of his death?” He hesitated for only a beat before he continued. “I was never able to live out my fantasy of me being this famous pro football player and him coming to a game and begging for my forgiveness. After yelling at him about all the pain he caused me and Mama, I’d forgive him and we’d hug. Years later, once I was done with football and married, he’d show up at my house and we’d toss the football back and forth like we did when I was little.”

Hallie could no more stop the tears from welling into her eyes than she could stop the half moon from rising over the trees. She might not always get along with her daddy, but she knew he loved her. She didn’t know what she’d do if she lost him. She had come close when Hank had had his heart attack. She had been so scared she wouldn’t be able to tell him that she loved him. And yet, once he’d recovered, she still hadn’t told him.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m sure if your daddy was still here, he’d be proud of the man you became, Jace.”

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