Page 18 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“Your place sounds wonderful, Rod.” I liked the way his face lit up when he talked about it. I couldn’t imagine Rod having anything less than fabulous.
“If you ever travel down that way, I would love to show you around.”
I grinned. “Sounds like I need to plan a trip to the Hill Country.”
Rod stood and motioned toward the door. “Let’s sit in my office. Bring your coffee.”
Rod took his usual seat while I scooted one of the guest chairs closer and set my coffee mug on his desk. “I talked to Walt after I got home from the concert on Friday. He said your surname sounded familiar, and remembered our grandfather mentioning something about our great-uncle and a guy named Bonner.”
“Oh?” Rod paused. “It sounds like our ancestors crossed paths. I wish we had more history. With our parents and grandparents gone, we don’t have any way to find out.” He paused again, rubbing his forehead. “My great-grandfather owned a dry goods store here in Blackfield, so our family history goes way back. But I'm not aware of any written history.”
“I’ll ask Walt if we can go through Dad’s things. We might find something in his papers.” I snapped my fingers. “And speaking of Walt, he teased me about my guitar playing and suggested I ask you to teach me a thing or two.” I winked.
“Well…You offered to teachmea thing or two about playing guitar. I’m a guitar moron, but always wanted to learn.”
“Walt said I should ask you to the ranch for steaks.”
“Steaks?” Rod’s eyes lit up.
“Yep. How about next Thursday evening? Walt’s traveling to Oklahoma City to check out a horse he’s considering buying, so the place is ours.”
“Let me check.” Rod opened the calendar on his computer.
I never developed a fascination for computer applications. I can put together a mean program for encryption and understand coding and programming. Anything more complicated than a simple document or spreadsheet, and any elementary school kid puts me to shame. Spending all day focused on a computer screen left me with no desire to go anywhere near a computer in my off time.
“Next Thursday evening is perfect.” Rod smiled. “I would love to meet your horses.”
“Fantastic. You bring a salad and your guitar. We’ll make some music after I show you around the place.”
Something odd flashed through Rod’s eyes before a smile lit up his face. “Salad and guitar…check!”
What have I done? Yes, I wanted to know Rod on a deeper level, but it would open up the old wounds from Dusty. I couldn’t go through a repeat of the Dusty debacle. Not that I expected Rod to turn on me. What could it hurt to introduce him to the horses and grill steaks and teach him to play a guitar scale? I need to keep reminding myself of two things: I’m not out to anyone here at home, which complicates things, and a relationship with Rod is a bad idea for both of us. His Ph.D. put him out of my league. Except for the training the Marine Corps provided, a high school diploma completed my educational credentials. But teaching him guitar…safe, right?
Aside from lecturing myself about what I ought to do, the idea of having Rod on the ranch excited me.
Chapter Thirteen
ROD
In the early afternoon, a soft knock startled me.
“Yes?” I sucked in a breath. Wyl stood in my doorway, but not Wyl. I blinked to clear my vision. “Can I help you?”
“Dr. Bonner?”
“Yes.”
He removed his cowboy hat and stepped into my office. “I’m Walt Sterling, Wyl’s brother.”
“Oh…Walt.” I stood and smiled at Walt, relieved that my phantom loony bin state hospital stay was canceled. “Please, come in. I’m glad to meet you.” I offered my hand. “You and Wyl are almost twins. For a second, I thought I was transported to a parallel universe or something.”
“Nah.” Walt grabbed my hand in a vigorous shake. “I’m an inch shorter. Couldn’t you tell?”
I laughed. “A whole inch, eh? Funny, I didn’t detect the vast height difference.” Walt gave the same Sterling smile and a firm handshake. I liked him at once. “Take a seat.”
He sat. His warm brown complexion and raven hair matched what I found so attractive in Wyl, but he sported a burr haircut.
“My brother talks about you all the time and how much he enjoys your class,” Walt said. “I wanted to meet the guy who brought Wyl out of his shell.” Walt crossed his legs and placed his hat on his knee. “I haven’t seen him this happy since he retired from the Marines. I’m grateful for your encouragement and for helping him appreciate school. You have no idea how hard I worked to get him to enroll and how much he resisted. He feared he wouldn’t fit in. He was a different man coming home on the first day of class. From what he shared, I think it’s due to you.”
