Page 107 of Nashville Cowboy
Then she pulled away from him and nearly jumped out the passenger door. He sprinted, getting ahead of her to open the door and let her fly inside.
“Well, it’s about time.” Mima had come to the front door and after one look at Eve, she understood. “Sugar, she’s okay. Got her lying on my bed. Why don’t you go check on her?”
Eve disappeared down the hallway before the last sentence. Wanting to go with her, but also wanting to give Brenda her privacy, Jackson hung back. Hank stood by the fireplace staring into the flickering flames. Jolette Marie and Daisy were huddled together on the couch.
Mima followed his gaze. “Jolette Marie came over and got caught in the downpour so I asked her to stay.”
“What happened to Brenda?”
“Maybe I should let Hank explain.”
“Someone better. I didn’t even know shelikedto ride horses.”
“She doesn’t know how.” Mima pursed her lips. “Apparently Hank was teaching her, and they got caught in the rainstorm. Her horse went right when she went left, and well, that doesn’t work.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
Jackson strode over to Hank. His father’s face was as ashen as the stormy sky. “Want to tell me what’s goin’ on here?”
“What’s goin’ on is, I’m an idiot.” Hank scowled, using the poker to stoke the fire.
“You’re goin’ to have to give me a little more detail than that.”
“Want detail, do ya? I was stupid enough to think that at my age I might also get a second chance. Lot of that seems to be goin’ around here.” He gazed significantly at Jackson. “Brenda has always said she wanted to learn how to ride a horse, and so last week when I saw her at the feed store, I said she could come by anytime. She pickedtodayof all days. I dropped everythin’ I was doin’ when she came over unannounced but sure didn’t expect the thunderstorm to start this early. It wasn’t supposed to rain until tonight. If then.”
“Doesn’t sound like your fault.”
“Maybe not but she got hurt on my watch.”
“How bad?”
“I’d say maybe a mild concussion, some cracked ribs. I don’t know, I’m not a doctor!”
“Calm down,” Jackson said. “Eve will know what needs to be done.”
“Glad you finally wised up, son.” He glanced at Jackson again. “That girl is the best thing to ever happen to you and don’t you forget it. Don’t care if you win yourself a hundred Grammys.”
“I know. I got my second chance. I’m lucky.”
“I shouldn’t have made a dang fool of myself going for it at my age.”
“Dad, you’re notthatold.”
“Ha! I have to take blood pressure pills now.”
Jackson was surprised Hank hadn’t been taking those for decades. He’d been angry for as long as Jackson could remember. Naturally he’d assumed it was his cowboy nature, ornery like his father had been, tired all the time, working the land. With a bad back for the last ten years Hank had popped anti-inflammatories like they were candy. Jackson’s mother leaving was no small amount to blame for his hostile nature, but since that had been about twenty years ago, he’d have thought his old man would have moved on. So, either he still loved Maggie, or he loved someone else.
Someone he thought he couldn’t have.
“Hey, if you feel something for Brenda, you might want to tell her.”
“That’s not my way.” Hank bristled. “A woman has to know how I feel by my actions.”
“And your action was…to teach her how to ride a horse?”
“Myactionwas to give her what she wanted, to drop everything I was doin’ because she showed up.”
“Sometimes a woman…” Jackson was about to school his dad but there was really no point. The man wouldn’t listen anyway. “Nah, never mind.”
