{Chapter 28}

“What was that about?” Aubrey sat Wade and her father down at the kitchen table, standing in front of them with her foot tapping.

“Ask him” Daddy shoved a finder in Wade’s direction.

Wade looked at Daddy and rolled his eyes, rubbing his bruising jaw. “He didn’t like what I said to him earlier.”

Aubrey sighed. “I knew it. Daddy, you’ve got too much pride. Wade was just protecting me from what he thought was a bad thing. He doesn’t understand how we operate.”

“Then help me understand” Wade said. “By what stretch of the imagination is hitting a woman okay?”

Roy opened his mouth to reply, but his voice was interrupted.

“I saw the whole thing,” Jay said from behind them.

Aubrey turned to the boy. “Is that so? Then please tell me how this happened?”

“Sure” Jay sat at the table with Sadie in his arms. “Well, after Pa went into the barn, Mr. Roy came outta the dark and punched him back on the ground. Pa got up off his back and acted like nothin’ happened, sayin’ that he wasn’t gonna fight him. Mr. Roy was madder ’n a hornet and started sayin’ all this stuff about how he should face him like a man. Pa never raised a finger to ’im. Then Mr. Roy put a finger in Pa’s face and Pa pushed it aside. Then Mr. Roy punched him again. Then we heard you squeal and Mr. Roy looked awful scared then.”

Wade put his head down and Aubrey saw his neck heat during Jay’s narrative. What did the man have to be embarrassed about? He behaved nobler than her father ever could.

“Is that true?” She asked the both of them.

“It didn’t happen exactly like that” both men said at once.

Aubrey looked at Jay.

“It happened like that,” Jay said.

“Daddy, how could you? Jumping a man like that” Aubrey felt her eyebrows drawing close together.

“A pure coward is what you are” Brooke piped up for the first time from her place off to the side.

Daddy sent Brooke a look, to which Brooke replied with the same expression.

“Now you two are going to sit here and resolve this right now. Daddy, apologize” Aubrey commanded.

“Why?” Daddy asked as if she told him to do something impossible.

“Because you punched Wade twice for seemingly no reason. Swallow your pride and apologize or I’ll have Brooke tell Momma all about this” Aubrey threatened.

Daddy gave Wade a strange look.

“Aubrey, its fine. We’ll just forget about the whole thing. I have to take care of the horses” Wade stood.

Aubrey sent him a look. “This is ridiculous. Daddy, you’re acting like a child!”

She had never seen her father act so immaturely. It was degrading to her entire family.

“Let’s cut the chit-chat and get down to what this is all about” Wade spoke up, turning to her. “Aubrey, do you want to stay here with me and Jay or go home? I’ll respect either decision you make.”

“Your mother and I have decided to give you back your inheritance. When we die, the store is yours. You can live with us in the meantime” Daddy told her.

“What about the will?” Aubrey asked.

“Well, there’s a little catch to that. If you haven’t found a husband after four weeks, you can move back. We weren’t allowed to tell you that until after four weeks,” Daddy explained.

“That’s not even normal! How can that be legal?” Aubrey asked.

“It’s all in the will,” Daddy explained. “So, home in Tennessee where you belong or here with…” he shot Wade a disgusted look “…him?”

“I’ve done told you that I’m not leaving. My home is here with my husband” Aubrey was sorely tempted to tell Wade her feelings right there under her father’s upturned nose, but refrained.

“I’m offering you a chance to have your life back, and you choose to stay here with… with… with a dumb cowboy!” Daddy looked outraged.

Aubrey clenched her fists and looked at Wade, the very picture of calmness.

“Wade is not dumb, Daddy. He takes very good care of me,” she reasoned.

“The thing is, honey. Your mother sent me to fetch you. We all miss you,” Daddy admitted.

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you married me off to a complete stranger. What if he had been an outlaw or a murderer? I could have been dead by now” Aubrey crossed her arms.

“We’ve been over this. It was improper the way you two were gone all night long” Daddy looked at Wade harshly.

“Did ya see the tornado?” Brook intervened.

“People would talk!” Daddy defended.

Wade shook his head.

“Who cares?” Brooke said.

“You can’t get back a good name overnight!”

“That would be Aubrey’s problem, not yours!”

“Shut up!” Aubrey yelled.

Brooke and Daddy looked at her in disbelief. Wade grinned.

Aubrey was exhausted by the conversation and wanted it over.

“I’m staying with Wade Dylan on the MC Ranch in Texas and that’s all there is to it!” Aubrey opened the front door and exited to shack, slamming the door behind her.

Her father was just exasperating! How could he come and try to drive a wedge between her and Wade? They loved each other, and their love was meant to be. It had to be.

**********

“Bye, Brookie” Aubrey hugged her friend the next morning.

“You know, Aubrey. Maybe you really do love Wade. Maybe love really doesn’t have a watch,” Brooke admitted, blinking back obvious tears.

Aubrey hugged her again. “You’ll be very happy with Ryne, I’m sure of it.”

“I know” Brooke smiled.

“Give my love to my family” Aubrey told her.

“I will.”

Aubrey turned to her father. “Well, goodbye.”

Her father nodded and mounted his horse. “Your mother is going to kill me.”

“Probably,” Aubrey smiled.

Her father scowled but made no comment.

“I love ya’ll” Aubrey said.

“We love you too,” Daddy said.

Brooke looked to Wade. “You take care of my best friend or I’ll come back and beat you up myself.”

Wade smiled and wrapped an arm around Aubrey’s shoulders.

“I promise I will.”

Brooke and Daddy left, leaving Aubrey somewhat relieved to see Daddy gone yet sad to see Brooke leave. She loved them both, though - flaws and all.

Wade had talked to Brooke and now they knew that Daddy wouldn’t hurt her, and even if he did, Brooke could handle herself.

Aubrey waved to them and leaned into Wade, enjoying his strength.

“I’m glad that’s over” she whispered.

Wade chuckled and rubbed his sore jaw. “I think it went rather well.”

Aubrey looked up at him and laughed. “I’m still sorry he hit you.”

Wade shrugged. “I’ve been through worse.”

Aubrey laughed and they both walked toward the little shack they called home.

“Now” Wade said. “About this pillow wall…”

**********

“Erik, quit yer fondling over me!” Toni slapped at Erik’s hands. “I’m not a china doll.”

Erik backed off with his hands up and let her deal with the spooked horse. She settled him down within a few minutes.

“See there” She grinned at Erik.

“You’ve got to start settling down. You near’ drove me to drinkin’ last time with Sandy. I’m not gonna go through it this time” Erik told her.

He was resigned to the fact that God had given them another child, and was trying not to be nervous about it. Yet the thought of Toni pregnant again and all that we would have to go through… all that she would have to go through, too… it made him cringe at the thought.

“You worry too much about me, Erik. I’m gonna be just fine. You know I wouldn’t do anything reckless, don’t you?”

“I most certainly do not!” Erik enunciated each word perfectly.

Toni smiled at him. “Oh, stop worrying over me. I told you I would settle down at five months, didn’t I?”

“You said four,” Erik corrected.

Toni huffed. “Four, then. What’s the difference?”

“A month. I’m gonna make you live up to that promise you made, love” Erik sent her a commanding look.

“I know” Toni tied up her horse and brushed her hands off on her jeans. “I have no doubt of that in my mind.”

Erik smiled at her. She was going to hate what he was going to do to her, but it was for her own good.