Page 7 of Don't Look Back

“Oh, sorry. I should probably be quiet then. Huh?” I smirk, hitting the metal one more time.

“Yeah, it would be appreciated.” I can hear the eye roll in his voice, even if I can't see him.

“Will you ask Skylar why she moved here?”

“No, Colt. If you want to know so badly, either ask Leslie or ask Skylar yourself. I'm not getting involved in this. I have enough on my plate.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I frown at the empty parking lot.

“I'm exhausted. Duke is teething and is barely sleeping. Skylar’s amazing and somehow handles it like a pro, but I’ve been trying to take him so Skylar isn't doing it all, especially since she’s running an entire school and dealing with countless kids all day. But it’s killing me. I just want to take a nap. Things seemed so much easier when Riley was a baby.”

“Because Mama Willow basically lived at your house the first year after Malory left.”

“Yeah… Do you think she’d move in again? I could really use the help.”

“Probably.” I chuckle. “She loves you and Skylar so much. And the love she has for those babies can't be matched. Hell, I think Marie and Pastor Barren would help out more if you guys asked them too.”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighs. “Skylar doesn’t want a lot of help though. She’s enjoying our time as a family and she doesn’t want to accept we might need help.”

“This is new for her, Tuck. She’s stubborn enough to keep saying she can do it all, until she can't. You need to show her it’s ok for her to ask for help, but also, you need to tell her you can't do it. You had a lot of help last time and she doesn’t know that because she wasn’t around for it. Talk to the strong-willed woman and get her to see reality. You can't keep going full steam if you’re running on empty.”

“I know,” he groans. “I just want her to be happy.” He climbs out from beneath the car and lifts the hem of his shirt to wipe his brow. I swear it’s always hot in this garage. It doesn’t matter how cold it is outside.

“Tuck, she’s not going to leave you again,” I say softly. “She’s not the same girl she was when she left last time and she regrets it. Stop worrying you’re going to lose her. It’s never going to happen.”

“It’s just hard. Sky left. Malory left. What if it’s me, man? What if I'm just not lovable long term?”

“Oh please! You’re the most lovable man in town! And the second hottest… maybe the third?” I scratch my chin.

“Really? Who’s hotter than me?” He rolls his eyes.

“First, me.” I point to myself.

“Of course.” He chuckles and shakes his head.

“Possibly Maverick? Women love the bad boy vibe and he has it in spades. I’ve heard so many women swoon over his long, dark, curly hair. His bright green eyes, the constant stubble, the ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude. And don’t even get me started on the muscles, tattoos, and necklaces around his neck. Apparently, womenlovethe necklaces. Something about when a man hovers over you and the necklace falls between you both. I don’t know! I just know women like him. It’s probably that mysterious air about him.” I lift my shoulders with a shrug. “There’s also Pecker. He’s my new deputy. He’s pretty handsome too.”

“So… who’s the first hottest guy in Maple Springs? I got confused after your long, drawn-out obsessive monologue about Maverick. Which by the way, I'm wondering if you have a crush on him. But continue.” Tucker folds his arms over his chest and grins at me.

“Dammit! He’s hotter than me, isn't he?”

“I don’t know, Colt. I'm not a chick and I don’t make a habit of checking out my friends, but I'm glad to know I'm officially the third, maybe the fourth, hottest guy in town. According to you, of course. Maybe I should ask some of the women though. You know, to get actual data on this.”

“Oh, shut up.” I roll my eyes.

“Imagine if you put this much thought and effort into work. Maybe poor Mr. Raven would finally know who’s TP-ing his property every month.”

“You don’t need to be a jerk, ya know,” I huff, pushing off of the car I was leaning against.

“Where are you going?” He chuckles.

“I'm going to camp out at Mr. Raven’s house to solve this once and for all.” I march out of the garage and into the cold air. Winter is definitely descending on us now.

I stare up at the sky and suck in a deep breath. It smells like snow. I wonder what the forecast is for this week.

“Colt, you can't camp out when we’re supposed to get a blizzard over the weekend and next week. You’ll freeze to death. Plus, whoever is doing this doesn’t follow a specific pattern. You’ve said so yourself. How do you catch someone in action when you have no clue when it will happen?”

“I don’t know! But I’ll be damned if I let this asshole keep getting away with it!”

---