Why the River Runs Read online

  Duane’s eyes widened for just a moment before they narrowed, his lips curving up into a smile. “In that case, best of luck to ya, son.” He held out his hand and the two men shook.

  Tina came back downstairs and Bo rose again and didn’t sit back down until she was perched on the arm of her father’s recliner.

  “You need me today?” She kissed the top of his head.

  “Not that I know of. I can dial a phone if I do. Terry should be here by one.”

  “I hear Ms. Patterson is having another open house at the art gallery. You should go see her on your way out.” Tina nudged him with her arm.

  “We’ll see.”

  “Love you.”

  “You too.”

  Tina tugged at Bo’s sleeve and he bid Duane a nice day. On the way out, she snatched a tote bag and tossed it over her shoulder and snapped for Dixie to come.

  Once again, the effortless beauty of Tina Foster stole his breath. She was wearing a red plaid shirt that curved into her waist, the open button at the bottom gave a peek at her flat stomach, the open buttons at the top tempted him beyond comprehension. Her blue jean shorts hugged her hips and accentuated her toned legs. Even the simple ponytail was sexy without meaning to be.

  He was far more gone than he thought possible.

  He opened her door and helped her into the cab of his old Ford. It wasn’t nearly the luxurious ride as her truck, but it worked for now. It had sat for over ten years before he came back and got it running again. Now he just had to be patient while the kinks worked their way out.

  “Where to?” Tina asked happily.

  “Let’s just drive.”

  “Perfect.” Her smile was radiant as she slid on her sunglasses.

  They drove around the country roads of Riverview and Tina pointed out houses she’d worked on, places where she knew people lived, and places she’d like to get her hands on. He didn’t have to speak much, she was a talkative person. It took the pressure off him, another thing he liked about her. Bo wasn’t full of happy stories and funny jokes like she was. The last four years of his life had been a daily battle. There was no joy there or exciting things to reveal to her. It was all hard lessons and more close calls than he cared to think about.

  Throughout the old downtown area, Tina told him all about the latest drama, the town gossip, who was mad at who and who did what since he’d been gone. The streets looked the same as he remembered. Driving down them today, with a beautiful blonde by his side, the world seemed happier, fuller than it did yesterday.

  They ended up north of town and past the home of one of his old school buddies, the only one around this town who had any contact with him when he went off to California. The Buchanan place wasn’t at all what he remembered. It seemed, since the death of Mrs. Buchanan, the place had gone downhill.

  “So sad,” Tina said, shaking her head and examining the scene. “He’s drinking himself to death and no one can stop him. Daddy reached out to him, you know they used to be friends. But Mr. Buchanan turned him away. The Millers offered to buy his cattle and land. He refused. I guess he’s going to let them starve to death because of his pride.”

  The old farm house sat up on a hill, falling down and decrepit. Close to the road was a dilapidated singlewide the old man had moved into after his wife died. The cows that roamed the bare fields were emaciated, their ribs visible under their hide.

  “I need to let Drew know what’s going on,” Bo said.

  “You know where he is?” Tina was surprised. “No one has heard from him in years. Someone said he works for national security, someone else said he was a spy. Who knows?”

  Bo did. He couldn’t say what all he knew about Andrew Buchanan, but he could get a message to him about how far downhill the family homestead had gone. Maybe Bo could do something to help in the meantime.

  They doubled back and crossed the river headed to the west side of town. Tina rolled down her window and propped her feet on the mirror. He loved the way she entertained them both. She would talk, he would listen and laugh. Perfect.

  “See that gate right there? Pull in.” She was already unbuckling her seat belt.

  “What is this place?” He examined the tire path through the woods.

  “It’s the back entrance to Jayden’s land.” She slid from the truck to unlocked the combination gate, calling over her shoulder. “There’s a lake that’s fed by river water, it’s beautiful. We can go swimming.”

  “We didn’t bring extra clothes,” he yelled from his window.

  She pushed the gate open and cast him a mischievous, sexy glance over her shoulder. “I did.”

  He actually shivered in anticipation of what that filly had in mind.

  Tina was right. The Harris place was rolling hills, running creeks, pasture land and patches of forest. Once they finally found the lake, he felt like they were in another zip code.

  “That’s a big island right in the middle.” She pointed across the lake. “The two creeks go all the way to the main river. The Harris family cemetery is on that island.”

  “Creepy.”

  Tina elbowed him in the ribs, but grinned, so it was worth it.

  He parked near a wooden pier that stretched out into the water. Tina grabbed the tote bag and unloaded a blanket. She spread it over the ground under a shade tree and flopped down, patting the spot next to her. Her bag was full of apples, oranges, chips, nuts, and water.

  “How the heck did you pack this and get dressed in the five minutes I talked to your dad?”

  “I’m fast.” She shrugged a shoulder. Dixie ran around, checking out the water and the pier.

  Bo took the apple she offered and leaned back on his elbow. Right there on that blanket, Tina made herself at home. She took off her flip-flops, spread out and sighed as she relaxed. “I’ve been swimming in this lake since I was a kid. Had many picnics under this same tree.”

  “Is this where you bring all your boyfriends?”

  Her forehead crinkled as she thought about it. “Actually, no. I’ve never brought a guy here. You’re the first.”

  He shouldn’t be so happy about that, but he was.

  “The Harris family and the Miller family are like icons of the city. Their ancestors founded the town back when Moses was alive. I’ve been friends with both families since grade school. When Jayden and Christopher married, you would have thought the damn Queen was coming to town. Finally, the Miller and Harris families would be joined. It was a citywide event, ya know? Biggest party this place has ever seen. The Harris boys were like my brothers to me. I grew up with them, spent the night at their house all the time, hell, their mom taught me how to cook and Chris taught me how to sing. Chris was best friends with Jay’s brother, Marshall. I didn’t know if we would ever get over Chris’ loss. Some days it feels like we still haven’t.”

  “You miss him.”

  Tina nodded. “I do. Jayden was so different back then. Not nearly as neurotic as she is now,” she said and smiled. “I don’t know why I told you all that. Or why you even care.” She shook her head and laid back down on her back.

  Bo curved his body around her, looked down at her lovely face. “I care because you care. This place is special to you, and now it’s special to me. I’m also interested in the nail gun thing.”

  Her eyes widened and her mouth opened to speak before she clamped it shut. She adverted her gaze. “Well you just get right to it, huh?”

  “The first thing Terry said to me after ‘take these screws to T’ was ‘don’t hit on her unless you want nails in your balls.’”

  Tina burst out laughing and covered her eyes with her hands. “Oh my God. I didn’t know that.” She laughed until he was smiling along with her. He was learning to love that laugh, love the way it reached deep down into his soul and warmed him. “That sounds like Uncle Terry.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Steven,” she groaned. “We dated for a couple years. The first year was before my dad’s accident, right out of high school. The last year wa
s after. He was part of the crew.”

  “Ah.” Bo nodded, immediately understanding what went wrong.

  “It was one thing when he worked with my dad and had a man as his boss. It was something totally different when I stepped in.” Tina rolled over onto her belly, propped up on her elbows to look down at him. As she spoke, she absently shredded a few blades of grass. “See, I’ve been working with my dad since I was a little kid. During the summers, if I didn’t go to my grandparent’s house, I went to the job site. Not much choice, ya know? Daddy didn’t know what else to do with a little girl, so I was right there with him, swinging a hammer and sawing lumber. By the time I graduated high school, I’d helped him build over twenty houses. It was cool, I loved it. I started college to get my business degree just so I could help Daddy. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” She met his gaze. “He’s all I have. I might not be his son, but I can follow in his footsteps.”

  Bo reached up and ran his knuckles down her cheek. He didn’t need to say anything.

  “Anyway, Steven was hired, we hit it off immediately. Daddy warned me about dating guys I work with, but I didn’t listen. He was on the crew, I was in the office. It worked. When Daddy went down, it changed everything. I went to the field, he took over the office. It was very clear right away that Steven didn’t like having me around all day. It was too much. Not to mention, he thought he could boss me around.”

  Bo grinned. “Idiot. I knew right off the bat you have authority issues.”

  She laughed and threw grass at him. “So what?”

  “I’m not complaining.” Bo folded his arms behind his head.

  Tina frowned and bit the side of her lip. “He cheated.” Her blue eyes flashed over to his and then away again. “I mean, he was with me during all Daddy’s surgeries and he stayed at our house to help out while Daddy was in therapy.” She shook her head, balled up the grass and pinched it between her fingers. “I know people say there are things that lead up to men having affairs. I’ve heard it all. You’ve proven I can be oblivious, maybe I’m stupid too, because I never saw it coming. Hell, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed he was capable.”

  “Damn. You caught him?” His heart ached for her. There was nothing worse.

  “It was the end of the day. He said he was going to finish out some stuff and meet me at home. An hour later, he was still gone. I went back to the site to make sure he was okay and help him finish up. Surprise,” she said with a bitter huff. “I might have lost it for a minute. The bimbo immediately ran off, screaming that she didn’t know he had a girlfriend. She hid in the car. Steven tried to pull his pants back up and tripped when he saw me go for the nail gun. I put three nails right in the crotch of his pants while he crab-walked on his bare ass across the floor.”

  Bo chuckled, shook his head. “Bastard deserved it.”

  “I made him leave without pants. Then I nailed his jeans to a four-by-four and stuck it out in front of the house so the guys would see it the next morning.”

  “Please tell me he didn’t show up to reclaim them.”

  “No. He didn’t even try to get his final paycheck.” She cast him a half-hearted smile. Bo could see the pain she tried to cover. “I went home and cried all night. By that next day, I was so damned angry. For a long time, I thought it was all my fault. I changed the dynamics of our relationship. I…changed. We were young, what the hell did we know. Neither one of us was in our right mind.”

  He leaned over and gently kissed her shoulder. “Even if he couldn’t deal, cheating is a choice, not something you’re forced into. That’s all on him.”

  “It took me a long time to figure that out.”

  “For the record, I think the nail gun was a nice touch.”

  Tina’s awe-inspiring grin spread wide. “Steven told me I was a crazy bitch. I told him to suck my dick.”

  Bo fell over on his back laughing. He nearly choked on air. Man, he loved the strength and resilience he saw in her. Sure, she might have been heartbroken, but she didn’t apologize for being who she was. She’d made a lot of sacrifices so she could care for her father and that kind of love and loyalty made him respect her all the more.

  “I need to know something.” She angled her body towards him. They both laid on their sides, heads propped up, smiling at each other. “You said that things wouldn’t change at work. But I have a hard time believing that. How could they not?”

  “Because unlike that asshole you’re currently comparing me to, I love the way you command your troops. In jail, it’s survival of the fittest. I had to be as mean and as hard as I could just to get through the day. I didn’t make waves, tried not to draw too much attention to myself. At the same time, I made damn sure no one fucked with me. I know how to keep my head down and follow directions but still be strong enough to hold my own. You won’t walk all over me, baby. And I don’t feel the need to assert my manhood over you. It will be a give-and-take for us both.” He shrugged a shoulder. “We can handle it. Besides, I’d follow you to the ends of the earth if it meant I could stare at your ass all day.”

  THIS MIGHT JUST WORK. Tina gazed into Bo’s sexy eyes. There was always something just below the surface in his stare. Something dangerous and intense. In that moment, she realized Bo Galloway might just be the man she needed.

  Tina leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He had amazing lips, soft and warm. He knew how to use them, too. Their mouths slid across each other, coaxing and stroking with a seductive gentleness. She’d wanted to kiss him for so long, it felt good to finally do it.

  He’d be so easy to love, so easy to depend on. Bo was a pillar of strength and stability. He’d demonstrated that in his work ethic. Her biggest fear was losing herself to someone else. Then again, Steven had never promised her anything, much less to protect and guard her heart. Their relationship had been all guess work from the beginning whereas Bo laid it all out in the open. He wouldn’t make her step blindly into the dark then get upset when she didn’t know where she was headed. How nice would it be not to always have to lead? How would it feel to have someone take care of her for once? She desperately wanted to find out.

  “You realize I brought you here with the intention of getting you naked and wet.” She grinned.

  “Uh, baby, I think we should go over how this works. You get wet, not me,” he replied in a dry tone.

  Tina chucked and nudged him as she got to her feet. “I meant in the lake. You do swim, right?”

  “I wasn’t exactly expecting to take a swim today.” Bo tugged at his jeans and shrugged.

  Tina shimmied her hips out of her blue jean shorts to reveal her bikini. “I guess you can just watch me swim.” She unbuttoned her shirt and sashayed over to the pier with him hot on her heels. Tina didn’t have a confidence issue. She was blessed with good genetics and a job that kept her physically fit. Her mother was tall and thin, and Tina at least got the thin part.

  Bo rubbed his jaw and watched, his eyes holding a predatory desire. His darkening stare simmered her blood. He peeled off his shirt, kicked off his shoes and emptied his pockets. “It’s a good thing I live fairly close. Is this lake pretty deep out there?”

  “Yeah, why?” Tina dropped her shirt on the wood.

  Bo picked her up and jumped right off the end of the pier while she screamed and Dixie barked.

  The cool waters of the Sanguine River kept this lake circulating and cool all year long. The water hit her skin and washed all the summer heat away. She surfaced, but kept her eyes closed, soaking up the sun. Some called this river a taker of souls, a reaper. Sanguine was the Spanish word for blood and God knew plenty had been spilled in its murky depths. As Tina floated on her back, she couldn’t help but feel it more of an artery, giving life to its limbs, such as this one.

  Bo surfaced a couple feet away from her. “Damn, that feels good.”

  Water dripped off of every curve and ripple of his muscle. Trey might have had a pretty face, but he was nothing compare
d to the raw strength of Bo Galloway. Tina shook her head, trying to snap out of her trance. “Yeah. This place is perfect for swimming. Come on, Dixie. Come, girl.”

  The Border Collie hesitated only for a second before leaping off the pier and into the water. She swam around to Tina then Bo and then to the bank. She shook off and then went right back to the pier.

  Bo liked to play with Dixie and Tina could understand why. Dogs didn’t ask questions. Dogs didn’t judge people on their past. Dogs were the perfect example of unconditional love. No wonder Bo had bonded with Dixie.

  Tina wanted to learn more about him. “Let’s see some of that kung-fu mojo you’re so proud of.”

  He resisted, until she walked out of the lake and went to the pier. They took turns jumping off into the lake. Tina got fancy, doing kart wheels and flips. It was too easy to one-up her with his own flips and kicks. He took a running start and did a somersault high above the water, splashing down close to her. When he came back up she was clapping and whistling.

  “Perfect ten,” she said and laughed merrily. “That’s some badass stuff right there.”

  “That’s your man, a real badass.” He rolled his eyes, but smiled as he swam towards her.

  “Yeah.” She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. “That’s my man. Are you hungry?” She kissed his cheek, her lips trailing downward.

  “You have no idea.” Bo groaned when she bit his neck.

  “I meant for food, Captain Hormones.”

  “Food. You. They both make me happy.”

  Tina threw her head back laughing. “Come on, badass. Let’s go eat. Food.”

  Bo shook out the blanket and spread it over the tailgate of his truck. They munched and talked. Well, she talked. He answered direct questions and stared at her. Tina didn’t mind railroading the conversation. It’s not like he was chatty and there was so much she had to learn about him.

  “Can you still teach?” Tina noticed the way his jaw tensed.

  “No.” His hard tone took her by surprise. “I lost all my belts and titles upon conviction.”