Page 90 of Redemption

I spun to face him, the look of defeat on his face devastating me.

“No.” I turned back to Larry. “Have the day you deserve!” I said and spun on my heel, marching out of the store, dragging Jack behind me. I muttered all sorts of insults under my breath about Larry as I got into the truck and it wasn’t until I realized Jack was still on the sidewalk that I stopped.

I rolled down the window. “What are you doing?”

His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jeans, his biceps flexing from clenching his fists. “I think I’ll walk back to the ranch. That way no one will see us together.”

Anger flared in me. “Get in the truck, Jack, we’re not going back to the ranch.”

“Kat, it’s fine. I get it, you don’t need to be seen with me and—”

“Get in the damn truck, Jack,” I insisted. With a sigh, he did as he was told, my lip quirked up. “Good boy.”

“Jesus, Kat,” he groaned, clicking his seatbelt in.

I reversed out onto the main road and headed out of town. We rode in silence but it wasn’t the blissful silence from only ten minutes earlier.

“Where are we going?”

“Next town over to look at the boot store there. I’m not giving Larry our hard-earned money, even if it is tradition to get the boots from him.”

“Kat, no. Come on, don’t break tradition for me. Just go back and look at boots for Tilly. I’ll wait in the truck.”

I didn’t reply, just kept driving and I could tell he wanted to protest but he didn’t say anything more. The drive was about thirty minutes and when we were almostthere, I turned to him. “Is it always like that?”

He didn’t look at me, just stared out the window and I looked back to the road. “Yep.”

“I’m sorry you’re treated like that.”

He turned to me, his expression fierce. “Do not apologize to me, Kat.”

I took his hand and brought his knuckles to my lips and then placed his hand on my thigh for the rest of the journey. I pulled off the highway and drove through the sleepy town of Haven, our closest neighbors. I didn’t come here often, only when I couldn’t get something in our town, and it was a nice change of scenery. The layout was similar to Reverence, same strip through the middle of town where all the stores and bars were.

I pulled up outside Carl’s Leather Goods Store and Jack followed me silently as we headed towards the building that looked exactly the same as Larry’s Leathers. Another bell tinkled as we entered. We must have looked a real pair, both trudging in with sour pusses and a tension between us that was palpable.

“Well, it’s not everyday I seen a fine-looking couple like you in my store.” An elderly man with a paunch and Stetson came over. “I’m Carl, nice to meet you.”

I found myself smiling, tension easing. “Nice to meet you too, Carl. I’m Kat and this is Jack,” I pointed at the grumpy man beside me. “We’re looking for some boots for him and while you two gentlemen get to know each other, I’ll browse the ladies’.”

I abandoned Jack, knowing that if I was still around he wouldn’t shake off his funk. He needed someone like Carl to tease him out of it. I peeked at them over a row of boots I was browsing and watched as Carl held out a couple of types of boots to Jack and they talked about styles. After a moment, I heard Carl’s loudguffaw and looked up to find Jack smiling while Carl dropped a matching black Stetson on his head. Damn he looked good dressed up like a cowboy.

I rummaged through the ladies’ boots and although there were some great options, I just couldn’t find what I was looking for.

Eventually I gave up and went back to Jack and Carl to find that Carl had talked Jack into buying a hat and two pairs of boots. A nice, sturdy black pair and a deep brown pair.

“For dancing,” Carl winked at me, and I giggled.

“You find what you needed for Tills?” Jack asked softly, placing a hand on my lower back as we stood at the cash register.

I shook my head. “Some nice ones but nottheboots.”

“I’m sorry sweetheart,” he said, leaning forward and dropping a kiss on my head. I closed my eyes, tilting my head up into his lips. As we were leaving the store, Jack paused by the window display.

“Did you see these?” He pointed at a pair of boots in the window. “You think Tilly would like these?”

I looked down and saw a pair of powder blue boots with a white chunky heel and white stitching up the calves. I tried to keep the smile from my face. “Doyouthink she would like these?” I asked, knowing full well they were damn near perfect.

He scrubbed the back of his neck. “I think so. I mean, as soon as I saw ‘em I thought…they’re cute but not too girly, like Tilly.”

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