{Chapter 34}

“Daddy, Momma, I’m going back to Sundance” Aubrey announced at breakfast a few days later.

Everyone stared at her.

“You’re leaving again, Aubbie?” Bridgette looked devastated.

“He’s my husband, Bridgette. I love him, and I need to hear him out. It was wrong of me to run off before he had a chance to explain” Aubrey said.

“Aubrey, what makes you think he deserves it?” her father asked.

“God has convicted me of this, and I’m going to act on it. I’m twenty-one now, and according to you I’m an old woman. So, I don’t see that I have to allow you to tell what to do about this” Aubrey kept her voice as respectful as possible.

“This is ridiculous, Aubrey” her mother said in a pleading voice.

“What’s ridiculous is that I had to come all the way home and be without him for over a week before I realized what I’ve done. I’ve done wrong by him and Jay, Momma. I need to set things right” Aubrey defended.

“But, Aubrey…”

“No” Daddy interrupted her mother. “If she wants to be this stubborn and hard-headed, let her do so. Don’t guess we should keep her from acting on her convictions. After all” Daddy looked down as if what he was about to say would kill him, “I don’t suppose that I can envision Wade Dylan doing much to hurt you.”

Everyone’s eyes focused on their father.

“Who are you and what having you done with my father?” Aubrey said with a smile.

“Now, don’t make a big deal about it or I’ll change my mind. Take what money you need and get a train ticket,” Daddy said, his gaze not meeting her eyes.

Aubrey smiled and jumped up to hug her father, feeling joy burst inside her. “Thank you, Daddy,” she said.

She ran off to her room to pack with a grin on her face.

*Thank you, Lord!*

**********

Toni munched on an apple and groaned.

“Why am I always so hungry? It’s not going to help my weight problem,” She said to Katie.

“You forget that you’re eating for a little person now, too,” Katie said, focusing on her crocheting.

Toni sighed. “I ate all the time while expecting Sandy, too. Guess I’m just destined to get fat.”

“Don’t worry about it” Katie smiled. “Erik’ll love you either way.”

Toni smiled. “I guess he would.”

Suddenly, she realized how hot it had become in the house.

“I’m gonna step out for a few minutes, okay?” she said.

“M’kay” Katie mumbled.

Toni walked out onto the front porch and breathed deep of the chilly air. It felt good against her skin and cleared her head.

She saw Erik slapping his hat against his jeans to get the dust off, coming from the corral where a bronco bucked around and snorted.

“That’s a completely exasperating animal,” he mumbled as he neared her.

“He’s giving you fits again?” Toni asked.

“I’m about to just plug him between the eyes and forget about the whole thing” Erik threw a glance back at the animal.

“Patience is a virtue” Toni smiled and took his hand in hers.

“Patience” Erik rolled his eyes.

“He’s a horse, he doesn’t know the annoyance he’s causing” Toni couldn’t believe the words that came out of her mouth.

Being pregnant had made her mushy and softhearted.

“He’s dumb,” Erik mumbled.

He got agitated at the horses easily when he had other things on his mind.

“Something eatin’ at you, sweetheart?” Toni asked.

Erik shook his head. “Nothin’, babe. I’ll talk to you later.”

He kissed her on the cheek before walking to the barn where it was his day to care for the horses and water and feed them.

“Love you!” she called after him.

“Love you too” he smiled at her over his shoulder.

**********

Aubrey looked at the big train that would take her halfway across the country.

*God, I hope I’m doing the right thing here. Be with me.*

She gave her luggage to the man and walked toward where she would board. After saying goodbye to her family, she had stopped by Brooke’s house and endured the “This is ridiculous” speech again.

Nothing could change her mind. She was going to hear Wade Dylan out. She had to in order to move on with her life, whether it be with him or not.

Passengers disembarked the train in waves, and Aubrey looked at each of their faces. No telling what brought them to Lovelace. She looked down toward the livery, the place that had brought Wade here in the first place.

“Lord, even though this hasn’t turned out so grand yet, I thank you for putting me through it. It’s taught me a lot of life lessons that I needed to learn,” she whispered.

She boarded the train and took a deep breath.

This had to come out good in the end. She had gone to too great of lengths to right this wrong to walk away with it not meaning anything.

The train ride to the next stop was long and torturous. Not only was it boring, but it seemed that it was the same exact tree passing by mile after mile.

“Where ya headed?” her seatmate asked.

A girl about her age, maybe a few years older, sat across from her dressed in fancy attire and had a smooth, buttery Southern accent.

“Texas” Aubrey smiled.

The girl’s eyes widened. “That’s quite a ways to go. Mind if I ask what for?”

Aubrey smiled. “A man.”

“I see. I’m going to Alabama. Gotta funeral to attend” the girl answered.

“I’m sorry,” Aubrey muttered.

The girl nodded.

“I’m Aubrey Dylan” Aubrey smiled.

“Amber Sullivan” the girl answered.

“You from here in Tennessee?”

“All my life.”

“Me, too. Well, I grew up here. I’ve lived in Texas for the past couple of months” Aubrey was desperate for someone to talk to.

She missed Katie and her listening companionship.

“What is Texas like?” Amber asked.

“Hot and dusty” Aubrey looked out of the window. “But the people are so friendly in the town I lived near.”

“Maybe I’ll visit there someday. Find me a cowboy husband” Amber grinned. “Is that what your man is?”

Aubrey nodded. “He is.”

Oh, but he was so much more than that.

**********

“Casden!” the conductor yelled to the passengers as the train stopped for their short stop in Casden, Louisiana.

Wade sat in his seat by the window, his anxiety growing with each passing mile. What if Aubrey refused to see him? What if Roy actually used that shotgun on him? The thought itself of seeing Roy again made his jaw sore. Standing, he decided to stretch his legs for a while.

He got off the train and shoved his hands in his pockets, meandering down the street past the Sheriff’s office, the newspaper office, and the big orphanage that emitted children’s laughter that could be heard from the street. He thought of Jay, the little boy who had turned into one of the biggest blessings in Wade’s life.

He walked on until he passed a little pond. A tiny piece of wood stood beside it with the words “Miller’s Pond.”

“Cam, stop it!” a girl’s merry voice giggled and echoed to him.

Two teenagers stood on the tiny pier across from the equally small pond. The boy was tickling the girl, laughing as she slapped at him and begged him to stop. Her giggles could be heard clear across the pond.

Wade felt his heart drop. What he wouldn’t give to be that young again.

What he wouldn’t give to have Aubrey as close as the boy had his girl, too.

“Cam, I’m serious. I’m about to fall in” the girl clutched the railing of the pier.

“I won’t let you fall” the boy’s arms encircled her waist.

Wade took his leave of them and walked back toward the main part of town.

One day he was going to have Aubrey back. He could feel it.

Got this up sooner than expected! Real quick because I have to go to bed!

Who got what I did here? Who read "Still My Heart"?

:P