her. She’d find a man to love her. I had to believe that.
“Let’s go home and eat before Momma comes looking for the both of us,” Bray said.
With a nod I shifted gears. “See you there.”
DIXIE
I hadn’t asked to see the letters. I had needed that moment to be just about us. If that was the last time Asher Sutton would hold me, then I needed it. Nothing else but that.
I wasn’t sure I even wanted to read those letters. I didn’t know my mother. She hadn’t been around long enough for me to remember her. Reading words from her didn’t mean a lot to me. There was someone else I wanted to talk to. Someone who could tell me the truth. And if he didn’t know the truth, then we could find it together.
The man who had raised me and loved me was my father. Even if he wasn’t my blood, he was my father. Nothing could change that. I just hoped that the same was true for him. Because I had to face this with him. I couldn’t face it with Asher or Steel.
Daddy was out at the stable with his newest purchase, a pretty quarter horse that Mom had seen and wanted when they’d gone to the stock yard to buy some cattle. Mom had married daddy when I was little and she was a wonderful woman who made my daddy happy. She loved me and we loved her. My family had seemed perfect.
Losing that knowledge wasn’t easy. The last thing I had to hold onto in my life felt like it was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Maybe a normal person wouldn’t be determined to face the truth. Holding onto the love and security I had was the easy way, but I needed to deal with it. Ask him why he had loved me anyway. Raised me as his own. How could he stand to look at me?
When I thought there was a monster under my bed as a kid, I grabbed a baseball bat and went looking for it. I never backed down and hid. I faced my fears. This was no different. It was the biggest fear I’d ever faced.
“Hey, buttercup,” Daddy called out when he stepped out of the stables and noticed me headed his way.
“Hey,” I replied and my voice cracked as tears filled my eyes. Apparently this wasn’t like fighting the monsters under the bed. This was scarier. I loved this man and trusted him with my life. I trusted him to be there for me no matter what.
His smile fell. “Who the hell do I need to beat up? Why’s there tears in my angel’s eyes?” he asked taking three long strides, then grabbing both my arms and looking down at me. “Is this another Sutton boy job? Cause if it is, I’m gonna go burn that place down. I swear to God I am sick of those boys hurting you,” he roared.
The fact that he didn’t know the truth was even more apparent as he spoke. He couldn’t know. I had to tell him. I had to destroy the love this man had for me. Could I do that? Oh god… I felt my knees go weak. I couldn’t lose my daddy.
“Alright, buttercup, you’re scaring me. Is your momma okay?” he asked glancing back at the house.
I nodded. “It’s not about her,” I managed to say without sobbing.
“Talk, darling, because you’re scaring me. I can’t fix this if I don’t know what I need to fix.”
My daddy wanted to fix this. He always fixed my problems. Except he hadn’t been able to fix my broken heart when Asher had turned away from me. He wouldn’t be able to fix this either.
“I heard Asher Sutton was home. Is this about him?” Daddy asked, his voice laced with anger. “He’s a man now. I don’t have a problem beating the
“Let’s go home and eat before Momma comes looking for the both of us,” Bray said.
With a nod I shifted gears. “See you there.”
DIXIE
I hadn’t asked to see the letters. I had needed that moment to be just about us. If that was the last time Asher Sutton would hold me, then I needed it. Nothing else but that.
I wasn’t sure I even wanted to read those letters. I didn’t know my mother. She hadn’t been around long enough for me to remember her. Reading words from her didn’t mean a lot to me. There was someone else I wanted to talk to. Someone who could tell me the truth. And if he didn’t know the truth, then we could find it together.
The man who had raised me and loved me was my father. Even if he wasn’t my blood, he was my father. Nothing could change that. I just hoped that the same was true for him. Because I had to face this with him. I couldn’t face it with Asher or Steel.
Daddy was out at the stable with his newest purchase, a pretty quarter horse that Mom had seen and wanted when they’d gone to the stock yard to buy some cattle. Mom had married daddy when I was little and she was a wonderful woman who made my daddy happy. She loved me and we loved her. My family had seemed perfect.
Losing that knowledge wasn’t easy. The last thing I had to hold onto in my life felt like it was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Maybe a normal person wouldn’t be determined to face the truth. Holding onto the love and security I had was the easy way, but I needed to deal with it. Ask him why he had loved me anyway. Raised me as his own. How could he stand to look at me?
When I thought there was a monster under my bed as a kid, I grabbed a baseball bat and went looking for it. I never backed down and hid. I faced my fears. This was no different. It was the biggest fear I’d ever faced.
“Hey, buttercup,” Daddy called out when he stepped out of the stables and noticed me headed his way.
“Hey,” I replied and my voice cracked as tears filled my eyes. Apparently this wasn’t like fighting the monsters under the bed. This was scarier. I loved this man and trusted him with my life. I trusted him to be there for me no matter what.
His smile fell. “Who the hell do I need to beat up? Why’s there tears in my angel’s eyes?” he asked taking three long strides, then grabbing both my arms and looking down at me. “Is this another Sutton boy job? Cause if it is, I’m gonna go burn that place down. I swear to God I am sick of those boys hurting you,” he roared.
The fact that he didn’t know the truth was even more apparent as he spoke. He couldn’t know. I had to tell him. I had to destroy the love this man had for me. Could I do that? Oh god… I felt my knees go weak. I couldn’t lose my daddy.
“Alright, buttercup, you’re scaring me. Is your momma okay?” he asked glancing back at the house.
I nodded. “It’s not about her,” I managed to say without sobbing.
“Talk, darling, because you’re scaring me. I can’t fix this if I don’t know what I need to fix.”
My daddy wanted to fix this. He always fixed my problems. Except he hadn’t been able to fix my broken heart when Asher had turned away from me. He wouldn’t be able to fix this either.
“I heard Asher Sutton was home. Is this about him?” Daddy asked, his voice laced with anger. “He’s a man now. I don’t have a problem beating the
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