envied. “You’re invited, of course,” she said to her warmly. “In fact, some friends are giving me a wedding shower next month, and I’d love for you to come.”
“If I’m still here, I’d love to,” Jenny found herself saying with genuine pleasure.
“I’ll have my maid of honor send you an invitation. Maybe we could even have lunch together before that. I understand you were born here. We might have some mutual friends.”
Feeling an immediate connection with the little brunette, Jenny copied her phone number to her cell and promised to call her with a date for lunch before she left. After the couple left, Hawk had Jenny help him cover the groceries with a tarp, then strap them down for the drive home.
“Scott and I have been friends since junior high school,” Hawk said after they climbed into the cab of his truck. “We were partners in petty crime,” he added with a reminiscent laugh. “Until your dad straightened us both out and got us involved in other things. Scott didn’t have a dad growing up, so Tom ended up being a substitute dad for him, too. When we got out of high school, Scott and I traveled the rodeo circuit together. We started out bull riding, and ended up team calf roping. By the time we quit, Scott had enough for a down payment on his ranch. He does pretty well, considering the times. Tom helped him out with some stock.”
“I think my dad must have helped a lot of people in some way. He had so many friends at the funeral.”
“Your dad was an exceptional man. He sure as hell saved my sorry ass. I figure I would have ended up in juvenile hall for sure without him. “
“Yeah, Daddy was one of a kind.” The pain hit hard and fast. But, for a while, it had abated, and once again the cowboy beside her was the reason.
By the time they reached the little house where they had left Eli, he was sitting on the front porch with his female friend, waiting for them. After he got into the truck, Hawk told them he had one more stop to make before heading home— a quick trip to the bank to make a deposit and drop off a mortgage payment.
Jenny and Eli stayed in the truck while he went inside. Fifteen minutes later, he was leaving just as Brad Caldwell was walking into the building. Jenny watched as the two men stopped to speak to one another. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but within a few minutes they were exchanging heated words, their voices raised just enough for her to tell that they were arguing.
“What’s that all about?” she asked Eli, who was also watching the exchange, scowling.
“Don’t rightly know this time, but there’s been trouble between them two for a long, long time. They never have gotten along. It’s gotten worse the past six months.”
“What kind of trouble?” She’d felt trouble at the funeral. Right now that trouble looked serious. Hawk was barely containing his fury, and Mr. Caldwell seemed to be enjoying the reaction.
“It started when Hawk went to live with the Caldwells. After Hawk lost his mom, he went from one foster home to another. He ran away a lot, skipped school, got into some minor trouble with the law, and ended up in Judge George Caldwell’s juvenile court. Brad’s dad gave him two choices. He could go to the boy’s ranch north of here or go live with him. Obviously, Hawk didn’t want to go to the juvenile detention facility. Old man Caldwell had other boys he had taken in at his ranch. I suspect it was more a matter of free labor rather than compassion that motivated the judge.
“All those foster kids never set too well with his own kids, I hear. Brad didn’t like Hawk, in particular. They used to get into it a lot— lots of fisticuffs, knives once in the while. I remember Hawk coming over pretty bruised and cut up a few times. He became a pretty tough kid while he was there. After your mom took you away, Tom asked George to let him take Hawk in. Personally, I think your dad put a little pressure on his high and
“If I’m still here, I’d love to,” Jenny found herself saying with genuine pleasure.
“I’ll have my maid of honor send you an invitation. Maybe we could even have lunch together before that. I understand you were born here. We might have some mutual friends.”
Feeling an immediate connection with the little brunette, Jenny copied her phone number to her cell and promised to call her with a date for lunch before she left. After the couple left, Hawk had Jenny help him cover the groceries with a tarp, then strap them down for the drive home.
“Scott and I have been friends since junior high school,” Hawk said after they climbed into the cab of his truck. “We were partners in petty crime,” he added with a reminiscent laugh. “Until your dad straightened us both out and got us involved in other things. Scott didn’t have a dad growing up, so Tom ended up being a substitute dad for him, too. When we got out of high school, Scott and I traveled the rodeo circuit together. We started out bull riding, and ended up team calf roping. By the time we quit, Scott had enough for a down payment on his ranch. He does pretty well, considering the times. Tom helped him out with some stock.”
“I think my dad must have helped a lot of people in some way. He had so many friends at the funeral.”
“Your dad was an exceptional man. He sure as hell saved my sorry ass. I figure I would have ended up in juvenile hall for sure without him. “
“Yeah, Daddy was one of a kind.” The pain hit hard and fast. But, for a while, it had abated, and once again the cowboy beside her was the reason.
By the time they reached the little house where they had left Eli, he was sitting on the front porch with his female friend, waiting for them. After he got into the truck, Hawk told them he had one more stop to make before heading home— a quick trip to the bank to make a deposit and drop off a mortgage payment.
Jenny and Eli stayed in the truck while he went inside. Fifteen minutes later, he was leaving just as Brad Caldwell was walking into the building. Jenny watched as the two men stopped to speak to one another. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but within a few minutes they were exchanging heated words, their voices raised just enough for her to tell that they were arguing.
“What’s that all about?” she asked Eli, who was also watching the exchange, scowling.
“Don’t rightly know this time, but there’s been trouble between them two for a long, long time. They never have gotten along. It’s gotten worse the past six months.”
“What kind of trouble?” She’d felt trouble at the funeral. Right now that trouble looked serious. Hawk was barely containing his fury, and Mr. Caldwell seemed to be enjoying the reaction.
“It started when Hawk went to live with the Caldwells. After Hawk lost his mom, he went from one foster home to another. He ran away a lot, skipped school, got into some minor trouble with the law, and ended up in Judge George Caldwell’s juvenile court. Brad’s dad gave him two choices. He could go to the boy’s ranch north of here or go live with him. Obviously, Hawk didn’t want to go to the juvenile detention facility. Old man Caldwell had other boys he had taken in at his ranch. I suspect it was more a matter of free labor rather than compassion that motivated the judge.
“All those foster kids never set too well with his own kids, I hear. Brad didn’t like Hawk, in particular. They used to get into it a lot— lots of fisticuffs, knives once in the while. I remember Hawk coming over pretty bruised and cut up a few times. He became a pretty tough kid while he was there. After your mom took you away, Tom asked George to let him take Hawk in. Personally, I think your dad put a little pressure on his high and
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