Page 65 of All Night with the Cowboy
Lauren got up, drink in hand, to answer the door, smiling at her dad. She bet he always bought the kids’ fundraiser chocolate bars in particular—he had a mighty sweet tooth that her mother was always trying to discourage. She pushed aside a big silver balloon that was in the doorway she had to pass through, with HAPPYWEDDINGANNIVERSARYemblazoned across it. Her parents had been married forty years to the day, and they’d been having a wonderful time looking at their old wedding photos and listening to stories about their early years together.
There was a soft knocking again as Lauren reached for the door handle. “I’m coming,” she called out.
She yanked the door open and her glass almost slipped straight through her fingers. Tanner was standing there, wearing slim-fitting dark jeans, a dress shirt with the top collar undone, and a tailored jacket. Compared to the clothes she was used to seeing him in, he looked like he was heading somewhere special.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she repeated, not sure what else to say.
“I’m sorry to intrude, I know it’s a special night for your folks, but would you mind if I came in?” His smile was sweet but she could tell that he was nervous, and she had no idea why he’d turned up at her parents’ house.
“How do you know it’s their anniversary?” she asked, still standing in the doorway, trying to decide whether to let him in or try to convince him to go back to his car. The last time they’d seen each other hadn’t exactly gone well.
“Your sister posted it on Facebook,” he said. “I tooka shot that they lived in the same house, and that you’d all be here celebrating since it was a Saturday night. I remember how much your folks preferred to stay in rather than dine out.”
Lauren should have told him that they’d just sat down to dinner and were in the middle of toasting their marriage, so now wasn’t a good time, but instead she stood back and waved her hand into the house. She didn’t know what she had to lose and it was probably easier having him come in than walking him back to his car and having to be alone with the man. “Come on in then, I guess.”
Tanner stepped in and looked around, waiting for her and touching the small of her back to let her go first. He was a true Texan, his manners faultless when he was on his best behavior—only right now she wished he wasn’t. It was like his eyes were burning into her from behind, and her body was tingling from his touch, still craving what it had been denied.
“Cute photos,” he said as they walked past framed pictures of her and her sister as toddlers.
“You’d have seen them before if you’d ever bothered to come in when we were dating,” she pointed out. “I recall your preference was to sit outside lounging on your motorcycle, smoking a cigarette that you’d eventually drop and grind beneath your boot in my dad’s driveway—which drove him nuts by the way. And I’d be inside begging to go out with you.” She spun around. “You know, I’m pretty sure he still hasn’t forgiven you for all that stuff, so don’t go expecting Mr. Nice Guy, okay?”
Tanner groaned. “Okay, well, let’s not mention any of that tonight. It’s been a long time and I bet he’s forgotten at least half of the shit I put him and your mom through.”
She had no idea why he was even in her family home, but something told her this was no casual drive-by. He looked so handsome all dressed up—she was used to seeing him in his work clothes, which consisted of a simple rotation of plaid shirts and jeans, or his vacation attire, so either he was going somewhere after this or… she was puzzled. Would he dress up like that just to come here? His hair was combed back off his face, still too long on the ends but it suited him, and she saw that his boots were polished, too. For some reason he’d made a big effort with his presentation and attire. Some reason that was starting to make her uneasy, whatever it was.
“Ah, Mom, Dad,” Lauren said, as a hush fell over the room and every face at the table turned to Tanner. “We have a visitor.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Lewis,” Tanner said in a loud, clear voice. Something wasn’t right, she still had no idea why he was here or what was going on, but her anxiety was starting to build. Big time. He looked like he was about to ask her to prom.
She saw the shock register on every face, but it was her sister who frantically looked back at her, searching her face, dying to know if Lauren had known he was coming. Lauren shook her head ever so slightly and mouthedno, and her sister nodded, understanding in only the way a sister could.
“Tanner,” her father finally said, pushing out his chair and coming around the table to shake his hand. “It’s been a long time. Good to see you.”
Was it? Her dad had never been happy to see himbefore and she’d been so certain that wouldn’t have changed. Ever. Why would he feel differently now, or was he just being polite because Tanner was a man now and he was technically a guest in their home?
“Happy anniversary, sir,” Tanner said as he clasped her father’s hand back. “I hear congratulations are in order. Forty years is no mean feat.”
Her father had already downed a couple of drinks—they all had—so if there was ever a time for Tanner to get away with turning up at their house unannounced, it was probably now. She was surprised by how relaxed her dad’s body language seemed to be.
“I read that you were competing yesterday,” her father said. “Sounds like you had a good ride, is that the right terminology?”
Tanner laughed. “Yes and yes, it was a good ride. Climbing back on the beast that had thrown me and done its best to kill me took nerves of steel, I can tell you that. But I’m sore today, damn sore!”
“I didn’t know you’d been following Tanner’s bull-riding career,” Lauren said, trying to hide her shock.
“You’d be surprised what I know, sweetheart.”
Clearly she would be. After he’d as good as marched Tanner out of her life, she hadn’t expected her dad to have given him a second thought. But to find out that he’d beenfollowinghim?
“Mr. Lewis, I know I’ve interrupted your evening so I won’t take long, but I wanted to show you that the boy you knew, back when I was dating your daughter, well, he’s all grown up now.” Tanner cleared his throat. “I understand now why you asked Lauren to end things with me, because to be honest, if I was a girl’s dad, I’d have been holding a shotgun and marching me the hellaway, too. I was a bad influence on her and I needed to grow the hell up before I had any right to be laying claim to her.”
Lauren tried to stop her jaw from falling open as she looked from her father to Tanner. Surely this wasn’t actually happening? Did Tanner come here looking for forgiveness? Why the hell would he even care what her father thought of him now that he was a grown-ass man? And what was this talk aboutlaying claimto her? Any other time she’d have jumped up to defend her rights as a woman, but right now she was too shocked to say anything. And curious—she was deeply, painfully curious to know why this conversation was even taking place.
Her father made some weird hand gesture, shaking it like he was clearing the air. “Tanner, the past is in the past, and to be honest, maybe I was a little hard on you.”
Tanner grinned. “Seriously? Because with all respect, I think you were probably right about me.”
