Why the River Runs Read online

  Her cell phone rang with an incoming video call. Tina melted at the sweet, chubby baby face and walked down the hall from her father’s office. “Is that my little Noah-bear?” Her voice pitched up an octave and she gave an exaggerated smile.

  Megan, one of her dear friends from high school, held her baby in her lap and made his arm wave. “Say hi to Aunt Tina.”

  Noah gave grin and she could count all his teeth on three fingers. He mumbled something unintelligible and tried to grab the phone from Megan’s outstretched arm.

  This was a phone call they made every week and Tina loved it. She missed Megan terribly. “Tell her, baby, tell Mama you want to come see Aunt T. I can teach you to play with nail guns and chainsaws.” Noah giggled, drool dripped onto Meg’s arm and she wiped it away without even thinking about it. Tina laughed. Man, Megan had made a cute kid. His bright blue eyes shined like the summer sky and it touched her heart. “Did he get my care package?”

  Megan laughed and rolled her brown eyes. She held up the plastic hammer and screwdriver. “We did. He loves to eat them. But it’s helping with the teething, so I’m not complaining.” She pulled her red hair out of his fingers and held up the toys to get his attention.

  Sure enough, Noah grabbed the bright yellow and red plastic screwdriver and stuck it into his mouth.

  “Funny, that’s what I do with mine, too.” Tina and Megan laughed, which made Noah laugh.

  “Tina’s so silly?” Megan kissed his forehead and moved the phone again so he wouldn’t whack it with the toy.

  Tina giggled. “That kid is just like you, can’t sit still. He’s like a little worm.”

  “No kidding.” Megan sighed. “So, how’s it going down there?” Meg had moved a few years ago and married Noah’s father, Cole, who most of their friends despised because he treated her like total crap.

  “Totally great. Business is booming, we just hired someone else yesterday and Dad finally brought the bookkeeper on full time to help him in the office. He knows just enough about computers to be dangerous.” Tina crinkled her lip, Megan knew all about her father.

  “I heard that!” Daddy hollered from down the hall, making the girls laugh.

  “He’s trying, T, give him credit.” Meg pushed her hair back behind her ears. “Have you heard from Lynette? What country is she in this week?”

  “Australia, she’s studying law there, too. She wants a degree in Homeland Security. Who comes up with that shit? What kind of job do you get with that?”

  Meg threw back her head and sighed. “That’s our girl, she’s never thought small, has she?”

  “No, but I wish she’d think about the continental United States at least. Jayden hates her being gone, you know how close she is to her cousin.”

  Megan swallowed hard and set Noah down on the floor beside her. She leaned in close to the phone screen. “How is she?”

  Tina let out a breath and bit her bottom lip. “She’s okay, most days. She still hasn’t really grieved, but her mother is determined to make this some sort of public relations bullshit. The two-year anniversary is coming up and Keri and I are arguing over how to handle it.”

  “Let me guess, Jayden has to remain Miller-perfect at all times?” Meg shook her head, her face frowning.

  “Oh yeah. I’d give anything for her temper to overflow the dam and let her get it all out, you know? She’s working at the clothing store with her neurotic mess of a mother.”

  About then, Noah yelled out and Meg turned to check on him. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Did you drop your toy?” She faced the screen again.

  “Your hair is getting so long.” Tina grinned, knowing that Cole hated it. “It’s like a flaming beacon of rebellion.”

  Meg wiggled her brows and suppressed a smile. “It sure is.” There was a hint of defiance in her voice that made Tina proud. She turned her head to something in the background and frowned. “Cole just drove up, better go. It’s good to see you, T. I love you and miss you. Can I call when he leaves again and we can talk more about Jay?”

  “Any time, you know that. I miss you, too. Love you and my Noah-bear to pieces. I need to see him again before he turns into a freaking toddler. He’s growing so fast.”

  Meg picked up the baby and Noah focused in on Tina. “Say bye to Aunt Tina.”

  “Bye-bye.” Tina waved at the screen and grinned widely and talked to him in that silly voice everyone used with babies. “I love you, love you, sweet boy. Yes, I do.” She blew him kisses. “Take care of Mama for me. Bye-bye, baby.”

  After she hung up, her heart hurt. Meg was halfway across the country in Boston with that stupid husband of hers. Tina and Jayden had both flown out there when Noah was born to help out, but that was the last time they’d been face-to-face. The distance hadn’t lessened their contact or their love as friends, but Tina still rubbed her chest where her heart ached to be closer to Noah. She didn’t have siblings and that baby was as close to a nephew as she was going to get. Naturally, she wanted to spoil him, even from afar.

  “T?”

  She swung around to see Bo standing in the hallway holding his baseball cap and curling the brim. “Hey.” Tina blinked back the emotion and put on her professional face.

  His body angled back towards the office and pointed with this thumb. “I can wait in—”

  “Nope. We need to get going.” She bustled past him and grabbed her keys.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Bo was hot on her heels as she grabbed her clipboard of current jobs and notes and headed for her truck.

  Being alone in the truck with Bo might not be the best idea. “Dixie, come.” Tina whistled for the dog and she came running, her bushy tail wagging with excitement. Even though her truck had a back seat, Dixie would make a good buffer up front. Dixie ran to the door and sat, waiting for Tina to invite her into the truck. Tina opened the door of the truck and snapped her fingers. “Up.”

  “Someone’s worked with her.” Bo slid into the truck and buckled his belt. “That’s a good dog.”

  “That would be me.” Tina ignored the way the texture of his voice reminded her of leather—thick and rough, like he didn’t use it enough to warm up his vocal cords.

  She took a call from one of her electricians who needed the status of permits then had to call Daddy to transfer the message. Tina had a love-hate relationship with her cell phone. It rang all day, sometimes customers, sometimes family, sometimes friends. But that damn thing rang all day.

  “I shoulda figured you were one of them.” His tone hinted of either admiration or sarcasm, but she didn’t know him well enough to judge.

  “What does that mean?” It might’ve been petty to get defensive, but it was too late now.

  Bo flicked his finger at the picture Tina kept in her truck. It was from her junior year of high school featuring her drill team. That year the team took the State Championship in cheerleading and dance, then made runner up in their division at Nationals. That Championship, ten years ago, solidified Tina’s relationships with most of her friends, including Meg. But it didn’t solidify the meaning of Bo’s comment.

  “You were one of the girls who went to Nationals.”

  Tina scowled. “How do you know what that’s from?” She backed out of the lot and headed down the road than ran perpendicular to the river.

  “The year before that I was second string kicker on the varsity football team. We used to talk about how the girls on the drill team were—”

  “Drones who shared the same brain.” Tina smarted. “Yeah, I remember that well.”

  Bo threw up his hands and grinned. “Easy, easy. It wasn’t supposed to be an insult.”

  Just because she felt bratty, Tina lifted her chin. “I guess you didn’t make an impression, because I don’t remember you.”

  Bo turned his face to the window, his shoulders dropping slightly. “I tried not to make impressions.”

  Now she just felt like an ass. Thankfully, she had to take another phone call.

  “I guess you know
Bear and Marshall, huh?” Tina tried to make conversation but she wasn’t always good at it.

  “Oh yeah, Bear was a beast even as a kid and Marshall Miller was a legend.” Bo let out of huff. “I read he was headed to the pros.”

  Tina turned onto the bridge that connected one side of Riverview to the other. “Marsh played four years of college ball, he had sponsors lined up, was headed to the combine for scouting. Then he had that horse accident and,” she shook her head, “well, you know. It messed him up.”

  “What happened?”

  She saw him staring in her periphery but didn’t look directly at him. Her cheeks heated under his gaze. The spice of his cologne made it hard to concentrate on anything but how warm and delicious he smelled. She’d caught the scent yesterday, and wouldn’t you know, it was part of her dream last night. If only she could hold her breath. “He came home for Jayden’s wedding and decided to impress his wife while they were out for a ride. Horse tripped and rolled, crushed his right leg from the knee down. Doctors said the bones looked like a shattered window.

  Bo made a clicking sound and shook his head. “Tough break. He was good.”

  “So you went to Riverview, but did you graduate from here?”

  “No, ma’am, I was only here for a few years. My family moved here when I was in grade school, then I moved to California after my junior year. I was gone by the time this happened.” He pointed to the picture of the girls holding their trophies.

  How could she not remember him? If he was on the football team, she had to have seen him at games. Then again, that was a decade ago and this was no high school boy sitting beside her. This was a full grown, buff and brawny man with a deep voice that made her toes curl. Not good.

  She racked her brain trying to remember the guys on the football team. “Crazy, I don’t remember you. Riverview High School wasn’t that big. It’s almost embarrassing.”

  “Don’t worry, I don’t remember you, either.”

  “That actually does make me feel better.” She chuckled and shook her head. He didn’t laugh, only nodded.

  He put his arm over the back of the seat and rested his hand on Dixie’s head, giving her a good scratch behind the ears. Tina took another phone call from her concrete contractor wanting to know when she could go by and approve the slabs they’d poured so the lender would release funds.

  Bo pointed, ever so casually, at the cute little white farm house on the right side of the road. It was surrounded by patches of gardens and fields of vegetables. “That’s my grandmother’s house.”

  “I’ve talked to Nancy in passing several times at the farmer’s market. She seems very sweet and I could eat her tomatoes like apples.”

  “She is sweet, unless you eat her tomatoes right off the vine. Then, not so sweet.” Bo grinned, but not at her, at a memory. His turned to the window as they passed by his house. When he met her gaze, the affection softened his hard face, making him even more attractive.

  God and hormones, have mercy on me.

  Her nerves were shot by the time they arrived at their first job. As she exited her truck, she took a deep pull of air that wasn’t spiked with his delicious scent. “Dixie, come.”

  She had to get her head in the game. This was her inspection day, she had things to do, important things, things that didn’t involve getting hot and heavy with Bo in a truck. Tina grit her teeth and flipped the switch in her brain. There was no room for errors or distractions on the job site. If this continued, she would have no choice but to get rid of the distraction.

  “Do you paint?” she asked Bo as they approached the nearly completed house.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Cut-ins and trim work?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good. Pay attention to the trim-out guy’s work.” They opened the front door and the chemical scent of freshly spread paint hit her nose. It was one smell she didn’t mind. Everything looked better with a fresh coat of paint—even people. It hid so much.

  A short guy with glasses came up to Tina. “Hey, T. She’s really coming along.” He turned his eyes to Bo and they widened a fraction. “Man, did ya hire a body guard or what?”

  Tina played along with Gary, who had worked for her father for nearly eight years. “Someone has to protect me from all the men I piss off every day.”

  Gary pushed his glasses up and gave a toothy grin. “What happens when you piss him off? Cause it’s bound to happen.”

  Tina examined Bo, dramatically rubbing her chin and squinting her eyes. “I bet I have a nail gun that will fix him right up.”

  Gary clapped his hands together and laughed. “Take pictures this time.”

  “I quit.” Bo held up his hands and the faintest smile pulled his lips back. He shook hands with Gary and they joked a bit more about Tina’s obsession with nail guns.

  She, on the other hand, turned her attention to the work being done before she could get caught up on Bo’s lips.

  Their trim-out guy was on a ladder in a bathroom, painting crown molding bright white. He had painter’s tape across the wall and the ceiling, something she didn’t like. The ninety-degree corner cuts looked like hammered horse crap and one of the trim boards had a gap between it and the ceiling where it needed another nail.

  How many times do we have to go over this? She could think of two times right off the top of her head.

  “Rodman?”

  “Whatd’ya want, boss lady?”

  “How many times have I personally showed you how to cut corner molds?”

  “I don’t know, why?” He shrugged, turning on the ladder to look at her. Paint dripped off his brush and onto the concrete floor. Not a big deal, if it wasn’t supposed to be stained. Rodman didn’t even acknowledge the splatter. Sure, her concrete guys would clean it up when they prepared the floor for staining, but it showed a poor level of workmanship on his part. His familial ties with Trey were the only reason he was even here and, at this point, even that wasn’t working in his favor.

  “Duane has your quarterly review in his office. Go see him before five.” She would just have to deal with the drama when Trey found out.

  He nodded and went right back to work, clearly too stupid to realize he was getting canned. Tina moved on to the next bedroom where two of her other painters were finishing up the walls in a soft gray.

  Luke and John had the radio playing classical music as they worked. They both seemed off in their own minds most of the time rarely talking to each other while painting.

  “Look who’s here to break our silence.” John’s chubby cheeks balled up as he greeted her with a smile. “How are you today, General?”

  “I’m good. How are my two favorite prophets?”

  “Good.” Luke gave her a high five. He, too, was a heavier set man with a beer gut. “This color is great. It spreads nice.”

  “It’s perfect.” Tina glanced around the room, envisioning the final product with carpet and white trim. She’d already picked out charming light fixtures to top it off.

  “This house will be ready for Keri to list pretty dang fast…if we don’t have to clean up after shit-for-brains in there.” Luke winked at her.

  “Yeah, about that. It’s handled. I found a trim-out guy for y’all to try out.” She turned her head to see Bo examining the work Rodman was doing in the bathroom.

  Hopefully he didn’t lie on his resume.

  BO CLIMBED UP IN the truck knowing just what Tina was thinking. “You want me to replace him?”

  She backed her truck out onto the street and didn’t look at him. “If you can.”

  If he could? Of course he could. Painting a house required attention to detail and a master’s degree in common sense, both of which he had. Was she trying to test him? Trying to see what he was capable of or willing to do? “I can.”

  “We’ll see what your strengths are.” She casually shrugged a shoulder, as if she didn’t believe him.

  “Hmm.” He scratched on Dixie, who laid her head in his
lap and gave him the most pathetic puppy eyes. “You’re a sad one.”

  “Isn’t she?” Tina patted her twice on the rear. “Daddy has her so spoiled. She thinks every time you open the car door she should go.”

  “I’m sure your father isn’t the only one who gives her that impression.” He didn’t smile, but she caught his teasing.

  “Watch it.” Tina gave him a side-grin and then answered her ever-ringing cell phone.

  Her phone was turned up loud enough he could hear every word from every conversation coming over the line.

  “Hey sweetie,” said a male’s voice who was not her father. “Are you free tonight?”

  “I have some paperwork to do, but it won’t take long.”

  “Do you want to go see that new assassin movie?”

  Tina groaned. “I have no desire to see that movie.”

  “Oh…well…I really want to go.”

  Bo didn’t have to know this guy to hear the whining in his voice and the uncaring distance in hers. Why in the world would she even give this guy the time of day? The pieces didn’t fit in his head.

  “I know you do, but it looks like every other action movie out there.”

  “Well, the guys from work are going—”

  “Then go with your friends, Trey, I don’t have to go.” She stopped at a crossroads and picked up her clipboard, checking off the address of their next destination.

  “You won’t be offended if I go without you?”

  “I would have to care to be offended and I don’t.” She laid the clipboard down and put on her blinker, completely blowing off the guy. “Go, have fun.”

  “Well, I guess I’m going with them, if that’s okay with you, sweetie.”

  There was no warmth in her voice and very little inflection to indicate that she was emotionally connected. “Yeah, okay. I’m about to pull up to a job.”

  “I’ll call you later, sweetie. Bye, T.”

  “Later.” She clicked off her phone and turned up the radio, unconcerned with her phone call, and focused on the road.

  Bo tucked that conversation into his memory bank. He couldn’t imagine a woman as rough and tough as Tina Foster would appreciate being called sweetie. Not to mention that she completely lied to get off the phone with him.