Page 18 of Travis

“But keeping them from it isn’t going to break their hearts?” An exasperated sigh. “God, Travis. It’s over. I don’t know why you wouldn’t tell them…unless you…unless you feel like there’s a chance we might get back together.”

I look at her as though she’s figured it out, and I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

She knows that I know. Her face is like stone. “Travis.” A pause for emphasis, and her voice turns cold. “Don’t wait until I tell them.”

I see my brother Buck’s truck parked outside his business, and I wait until the last customer walks out, before I head inside. “Howdy.”

He lifts his head up from the desk, folding a leather vest. The smell of leather and hide fills my nostrils, reminding me that I need to get a new pair of boots soon. “Hey,” he chuckles. “I was just about to call you and ask if I can come by later.”

“Oh yeah? What’s up?”

He lifts up a pair of boots. “I wanted to drop these off. Those old things of yours look like they’ve been through a war, man. It’s an insult.”

I laugh. “Great minds think alike, man, that’s all I’m saying.”

Taking the boots from him, I nod in thanks, and remove my old ones. He unceremoniously tosses them into the garbage bin next to the register. They smell so new I can’t help but inhale deeply. “God, I love that smell. Takes me right back to Meepaw’s place, doesn’t it?”

Buck smiles. “Yep. That’s half the reason why I run this place. That, and daddy couldn’t stand the sight of it, himself.”

“Daddy wasn’t cut out to do this. He’s a numbers guy.” Daddy has been Buck’s accountant since he opened his doors for business.

“How’s it going, living over at the ranch? Y’all ready to pack it up and camp out on my couch?”

I wave. “Na, they’re good to me.”

“Yeah? Not asking loads of questions?”

“Grayson comes over to make sure I haven’t slit my wrists yet, but, other than that, no.”

He leans on the counter, where a stack of leather gloves sits, waiting to be put on the shelf. This is a small store, and Buck only has two employees, both are students. He runs the place during the day, and they come in after hours. The hides and leathers come to him raw, and he cuts them, treats them, and does all the fancy stuff to them to make them ready for sale. Laura’s even ordered a few things from him in the past, and he partners with another local company in town that makes saddles and other horse equipment.

“Mama’s been talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas.” Buck’s tone is warning. “I suppose y’all ain’t told mama and daddy yet, huh.”

I shake my head, looking at the polished linoleum floor. “No. Not yet. Becky’s just given me fair warning today, as a matter of fact.”

“You can't ask her to lie, brother. It ain’t right. Besides, mama and daddy can handle it, if y’all break it to them gently.”

“I know.” I grunt softly, clasping my hands together.

“But if you tell them, it makes it real.” he says, catching on.

“Something like that.”

Truth be told, if I had my way about it, I’d have only told Buck about it. Laura found out because I kept showing up to work real early and staying real late. She’s not stupid. And if Buck had offered me a place to stay any sooner, she wouldn’t have known anything. “And with Christmas coming, it’s going to make it all that much more difficult.”

Buck gives me a ‘level with me’ look. “Best just break it to them, man. Even though they don’t live here in Huttonville, Dallas is a hop-skip-jump away, and they’ll find out somehow. Also, if mama calls Becky, you’re sunk.”

Mama didn’t often call Becky. So, that I'm not worried about. We were closer with Becky’s folks, if I'm being honest. And only because of Sara and her clan, too. None of my siblings are married or have kids. I'm the only one married, and I think I've mentioned many times now, that we were working on having kids. I’m still pretty close with Ron, too. I’ve met up with him here and there, but he’s careful not to bring up Becky. Sara and I, well, she’s the best sister-in-law a guy could ask for, and that’s the truth. I'm sure to this day she’s still going up to bat for me with Becky.

And just as I’m getting up the gumption to agree to break it to my folks…

…my daddy walks in the door.

Chapter 6

Becky

Heshowsupwitha briefcase in hand and a face that says ‘don’t fuck with me’, and I admit that he looks a little intense to be my assistant, but I’m short on help and time, with a tall order to fill, so there’s not much room for being choosey. Greg knocks on the door and I’m standing on the other side of it, but I give myself a moment to pull myself together, before answering. God help me. I thank the lord that I’m recently single, and very career-driven, on account of how gorgeous this man is.

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