house.”
“Seriously. You’re going to do that?” Miranda asked, hands on hips.
“I’m not having any man with that reputation anywhere near my girl.”
“We talked about this. If you feel that way then pack your bags and leave, but don’t be a hypocrite. You had the same old bad reputation, and I still took you in. I still do. I cook for you, clean for you, and everything else.” Miranda stepped up to him.
Clark glared at him. “Take your shoes off before you step in here, boy!”
“Dad, stop it.”
“It’s all right.” Stood outside, he removed his boots, and waited to come in.
“Socks too!”
“Dad!”
“Clark!”
Socks came off. “It’s no problem. I heard your pork roast, Mrs. Howard, is the best.”
Miranda chuckled. “Call me Miranda. Mrs. Howard reminds me too much of Clark’s mother, and she was a handful.”
Raven giggled. They stepped inside the house, and Drew knew that wasn’t going to be the end of it.
“Have you asked her to marry you yet?”
“Dad!”
“It’s his right, dear. Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in check. Let’s head on into the kitchen.”
“Leave us men to have a nice long chat. That is, are you a man or a boy, Drew?”
“I’m standing right here, sir. I’m happy to have a chat with you.”
He followed Clark into the sitting room, and he noticed all the pictures of Raven, Miranda, and Clark. The happiness shone in the pictures. “You’re a lucky man for Raven to be looking at you.”
“I know, sir. I’m the luckiest man alive. Yes, I do intend to marry your daughter. Right now, I’ve got to show her I’m the right kind of man she wants.”
“Right kind of man doesn’t go around screwing other women.”
Drew took a seat opposite him. “I get what you have to do. I really do. I love your daughter, and I’ve loved her for a long time. Touching those women, it was a mistake. I wish I hadn’t done it, but I did.”
“Well, that’s good to know.”
“I was hoping I could ask you for advice.”
“Advice. What advice do you think I could give you?” Clark asked.
“The kind of man who had my reputation who has been married to a woman for many years.”
Clark sighed. “I’m still not done with you.”
“I know. You’ve got to make my life miserable. I accept that, and I’ll jump through all the hoops I can. Tell me how to handle it.”
“You could ask your own mother. She had to deal with your father’s reputation as well.”
“You called them all out, the women?”
Clark looked away. “I didn’t know how bad Miranda was getting it. I was a looker, all right. I was even hotter than you. What was worse, I was cocky with it. I thought screwing the girls, and the women, made me all big and powerful. Then Miranda came to town. She was a seamstress, and highly respected. Every other woman faded in comparison. She’d heard about me. At first, she told me no. Point blank no. I stopped screwing the women, and after a few months of me showing I’d changed, I got her. She was mine, and I knew in one date I had met the woman I was going to love for the rest of my life.”
Drew smiled. It was how he felt around Raven.
He saw their future, growing old together.
“Anyway, we got married, moved in together. We were so damn happy, and Miranda never once told me the crap they were saying. Calling her a city whore, telling people I was only with her because she was pregnant. Making up vicious rumors saying she did something that no other woman would do, and crap like that.” Clark ran a hand down his face. “It still makes me so fucking mad right now, thinking about what they did. I was in town, and I was heading toward the diner. I was going to meet up with Miranda for lunch. I happened to be behind her when I watched some guy I didn’t recognize try to convince my woman to go with him. I’m not going to tell you exactly what, but once Miranda made it to the diner, I grabbed that bastard, and made him tell me who was spreading
“Seriously. You’re going to do that?” Miranda asked, hands on hips.
“I’m not having any man with that reputation anywhere near my girl.”
“We talked about this. If you feel that way then pack your bags and leave, but don’t be a hypocrite. You had the same old bad reputation, and I still took you in. I still do. I cook for you, clean for you, and everything else.” Miranda stepped up to him.
Clark glared at him. “Take your shoes off before you step in here, boy!”
“Dad, stop it.”
“It’s all right.” Stood outside, he removed his boots, and waited to come in.
“Socks too!”
“Dad!”
“Clark!”
Socks came off. “It’s no problem. I heard your pork roast, Mrs. Howard, is the best.”
Miranda chuckled. “Call me Miranda. Mrs. Howard reminds me too much of Clark’s mother, and she was a handful.”
Raven giggled. They stepped inside the house, and Drew knew that wasn’t going to be the end of it.
“Have you asked her to marry you yet?”
“Dad!”
“It’s his right, dear. Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in check. Let’s head on into the kitchen.”
“Leave us men to have a nice long chat. That is, are you a man or a boy, Drew?”
“I’m standing right here, sir. I’m happy to have a chat with you.”
He followed Clark into the sitting room, and he noticed all the pictures of Raven, Miranda, and Clark. The happiness shone in the pictures. “You’re a lucky man for Raven to be looking at you.”
“I know, sir. I’m the luckiest man alive. Yes, I do intend to marry your daughter. Right now, I’ve got to show her I’m the right kind of man she wants.”
“Right kind of man doesn’t go around screwing other women.”
Drew took a seat opposite him. “I get what you have to do. I really do. I love your daughter, and I’ve loved her for a long time. Touching those women, it was a mistake. I wish I hadn’t done it, but I did.”
“Well, that’s good to know.”
“I was hoping I could ask you for advice.”
“Advice. What advice do you think I could give you?” Clark asked.
“The kind of man who had my reputation who has been married to a woman for many years.”
Clark sighed. “I’m still not done with you.”
“I know. You’ve got to make my life miserable. I accept that, and I’ll jump through all the hoops I can. Tell me how to handle it.”
“You could ask your own mother. She had to deal with your father’s reputation as well.”
“You called them all out, the women?”
Clark looked away. “I didn’t know how bad Miranda was getting it. I was a looker, all right. I was even hotter than you. What was worse, I was cocky with it. I thought screwing the girls, and the women, made me all big and powerful. Then Miranda came to town. She was a seamstress, and highly respected. Every other woman faded in comparison. She’d heard about me. At first, she told me no. Point blank no. I stopped screwing the women, and after a few months of me showing I’d changed, I got her. She was mine, and I knew in one date I had met the woman I was going to love for the rest of my life.”
Drew smiled. It was how he felt around Raven.
He saw their future, growing old together.
“Anyway, we got married, moved in together. We were so damn happy, and Miranda never once told me the crap they were saying. Calling her a city whore, telling people I was only with her because she was pregnant. Making up vicious rumors saying she did something that no other woman would do, and crap like that.” Clark ran a hand down his face. “It still makes me so fucking mad right now, thinking about what they did. I was in town, and I was heading toward the diner. I was going to meet up with Miranda for lunch. I happened to be behind her when I watched some guy I didn’t recognize try to convince my woman to go with him. I’m not going to tell you exactly what, but once Miranda made it to the diner, I grabbed that bastard, and made him tell me who was spreading
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