Page 31 of Eye of Her Storm

Two hands rubbed her back, reminding her she wasn’t alone.

“It’s all right for her to travel?” Tai asked. He sounded shaken, but he was her strong one. In charge, taking care of them and seeing to details.

“Yes, she can travel. Just keep a close eye on her symptoms. You’ll want to be near facilities familiar with her care plan as things progress.”

“Thank you. We’ll take good care of her.”

“I’ll give you a few minutes. Just check in with the desk when you go. River, you have my office’s number if you have questions.”

No one said anything until after he’d left. “Fucker,” Tai muttered.

“Tai!” Seth admonished.

“Have you seen anyone else?” Tai demanded. “Gotten another opinion?”

“Of course. Tai, he’s the best here.”

“Yeah, he’s so great he let my father die, too.”

“Tai…” Seth whispered sadly.

River stared at him in shock. “I…I thought your parents retired to Florida.”

“Two of them did. My other father died in your doctor’s care.”

Seth shot to his feet. “I think we need to leave.” He held out his hand to help her up. “Come on, love. We’ve got to meet your dad in a little over an hour. We have just enough time to get back.”

She placed her icy fingers in his then looked over at Tai, who looked angrier than she’d ever seen him. Maybe, bringing him here had been a mistake. Tai glanced at her and must have seen her concern. His face cleared, and he forced a smile.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Silence reigned in the truck as they drove back to Daly from Gillette. River had asked to sit in the backseat, feeling like lying down for the trip back. Mostly, she wanted the option to cry without being between the two of them. She didn’t cry though. Despite the doctor’s report, she thought maybe she was better off than her two men. They seemed shell-shocked even though it wasn’t new news.

Tai seemed so pissed, and now she understood why he had such a need to physically take care of her. As she watched from her reclined position in the back, Seth, their emotional strength, kept shooting Tai concerned looks.

She knew the two had been together for a long time. An orphan and homeless, Seth had come to live with Tai’s family after Tai had gotten close to him during a trip to some rodeo camp for the summer. Seth hadn’t attended it but had picked up odd jobs all over the area, just to get by. One such job had him painting at the training ground. After meeting Seth, Tai had snuck out over and over to be with the boy. Somehow, they’d recognized each other as soul mates. They’d been fifteen and fallen in love. Tai’s family had taken care of everything needed to bring Seth to them from across the country and basically save his life. Because of that, Seth had known all of Tai’s parents well. He called the remaining pair Mom and Dad.

Seth claimed that same soul mate thing had happened with her. He and Tai had seen her, and they’d just known. Apparently, her destiny receptors were broken. She hadn’t been as sure about them. Now, she wished she had been.

“Will you be okay meeting with your dad alone for a little bit, baby?” Tai asked, startling her. Seth appeared just as surprised as his head whipped around.

She made a sound of assent. “I’ll be fine. It would probably be for the best anyway.”

“I want to run over and see if Jax has the papers ready, and I’m thinking Seth might go meet with Rayna over at the bed and breakfast. You know she’s a tourism and travel specialist. She can help him with our plans for the trip.”

“Good idea,” Seth said.

Tai nodded, and they dropped into silence again, River continuing to watch them. Tai grew solid, almost like a wall, as new tension seemed to flow into him, though she didn’t know what. Seth reached over and brushed his fingers over Tai’s cheek, murmuring something River couldn’t hear over the diesel engine. Tai nodded and caught Seth’s hand and kissed it. Glad they had one another, River closed her eyes and rested for the rest of the trip.

* * * *

“No.” Leo shook his head in denial, despair etched across his features. “No, River.”

Across the diner’s table, River studied her father’s grief-ravaged face, hating that she had to do this. She’d been through this conversation too many times, and it didn’t get easier. During their meal, she’d kept him talking about his life with Suzette and her youngest sisters. He’d recently taken an early retirement from the marketing company he’d worked for. Apparently, he’d been pretty high up at the firm, and come out of it with a good savings, retirement package and even stocks in the place. Now, he planned to pursue his first love: baking. He and Suzette had already lain out the preliminary plans for opening a bakery here in Daly, so they could be close to his oldest girls. That had led into River’s revelation.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” she murmured, aching inside. “I hate even having to tell you this. I’d hoped for better news, but the guys and I were at the doctor today. Things haven’t changed since the tumor was discovered last month. I wish…” She shrugged. She wished so many things.

“But you look fine.”

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