Why the River Runs Page 6

  He was fuming by the time they left and she drove him home.

  “Spit it out, Bo. Smoke’s coming out your ears.”

  “Believe it or not, Tina, I know what the hell I’m doing with an engine. Why would I pay someone to do something I’m perfectly capable of?” He kept his face turned towards the window.

  “I don’t doubt your skills. But you need to get to work, right? You need that truck as fast as they can get it to you. Charlie-Ray’s the best around. Be happy I’m help—”

  “You need to stop bossing me around when I’m off the clock. I don’t want a warden.”

  It was the most he’d said to her in the two weeks they’d worked together. Every word dripped with contempt. His words hit her twice as hard as they should’ve. She didn’t understand the intensity of the impact, but Bo’s anger towards her cut deep.

  “Message received,” she whispered, turning her attention to the road. She was an absolute fool for allowing him to have that much power over her emotions.

  Bo’s big body sank back in his seat and he leaned his head against the headrest with sigh. “Tina, I’m—”

  “I don’t care.” His head whipped around, but she continued without looking at him. “Handle your shit however you want to.” She came to a screeching halt in his driveway and put the truck in park, still keeping her eyes straight ahead.

  His grandmother’s simple farm house was cute and well-loved. A couple of the windows were lit with a soft yellow glow and she could see the television as the old woman pulled back the curtains to see who’d driven up.

  “I didn’t mean to be a dick.” Bo opened the door and slid out. “Thanks for the ride and all your help.”

  Tine simply nodded and put the truck in reverse. She would not let him get to her just because she was physically attracted to him. Things had been better with Trey and she needed to concentrate on a guy who sincerely wanted her.

  BO HESITATED ENTERING THE house. Tires squealed down the road and the sound of Tina’s truck coming back caught his attention. The blue Chevy truck sped by his house like the hounds of hell were behind it. Gravel kicked up when she took the corner, her break lights illuminating for only a split second before she accelerated again.

  “What the hell?” Bo didn’t know what he should do. Follow her? Call her? What was the emergency?

  “Bo Allen?” his grandmother called from inside. “You’ve got a phone call.”

  He opened the door to the house, but he kept his eyes on the road.

  “It’s Mrs. Robin.” Nan handed him the phone. This was one call he had to take.

  “Hello, Mrs. Robin,” he said into the phone, his Nan giving him a questioning look. The weekly phone call from his parole officer wasn’t anything new, but his lateness was.

  “Hi Bo. I’m just checking in. How are things going?”

  Bo sat down on the couch. “Good, ma’am. Real good.”

  “I see you’ve been working for the Fosters. That’s wonderful.”

  Not at the moment. “Yes, ma’am, Duane has been good to work for.”

  “He’s staying in contact with me. He says you’re doing a good job, making friends.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He answered all her questions, but his mind was on Tina. What if she was in trouble? Was she that mad at him? What if she had a wreck, driving crazy like that?

  “Have you had any trouble? Anything we need to talk about? Heard from your mom?” Mrs. Robin’s voice was kind and soft, proving once again she cared. That was her job.

  “Not a word, and I’m glad. She can keep her drama in California.”

  “You’re still angry?” she asked with a heavy sigh.

  “No, ma’am. I’ve had four years to be angry. Now I’m just trying to move on.”

  “Good, Bo. I think you’re going to be just fine.” Mrs. Robin confirmed their face to face appointment for the next week and hung up.

  Bo leaned back on the couch and rubbed his eyes. Talking to Mrs. Robin every week wasn’t a big deal and it sure beat jail. He just didn’t want to have to tell Duane he had to take off work to meet at her office. He sure didn’t want Tina to know.

  “You okay, son?” Nan sat a plate of food in his lap. “Where’s the truck?”

  “The truck is in the shop having the heads worked on.”

  Nan sat beside him. “Oh no. Do you need money?”

  Bo patted her knee. “Thanks, Nan. But I can handle it.”

  She nodded and let him eat. Nan always knew when to give him space, like she had a sixth sense to know he didn’t want to be around anyone. Part of his adjustment to the outside was getting used to having people around all the time. He stayed a loner in jail, only made a peep when he had to. Now he had men he worked with all day, Nan at home always wanting to talk, a parole officer asking him twenty questions every week. Sometimes he wanted solitude.

  “Hey, Nan? Did you keep Grandpa’s tools in the barn?”

  Nan tried to hide her smile. “They’re all still out there. You’re welcome to them.”

  Bo made his way to the barn behind the house where his grandfather did woodworking. Most of the wooden benches in downtown were carved by his grandfather. He was a master at his craft and he had shown Bo how to do a lot of it. It had been years since he’d even picked up a carving knife, but it would be something to do in the evenings that could help bring in money to the household…if he was any good at it.

  Before he cleaned up the workshop, he texted Tina. He just had to know she was safe.

  NOT HALF A MILE from Bo’s house, Tina’s cell phone rang. The temptation to let it go to voicemail burned strong, but when she saw Jayden’s face on the caller ID, she answered.

  “Please come.” Jayden sobbed on the other end of the line. “I can’t do this. I don’t know who else to call.”

  “I’m on the way.” Tina whipped her truck into the bar ditch and turned around before she could hang up. She drove past Bo’s driveway and sped north to the gravel road leading to Jayden’s house in the country.

  It took her half the time as usual. She jumped out of the truck and took the stairs up the porch two at a time. Knocking was unnecessary.

  Jayden was curled up in the fetal position in the middle of the living room, sobbing like a baby, an empty bottle of Jack beside her.

  “Oh shit.” Tina dropped to her knees in front of Jay. “How much did you drink?”

  “I can’t do this,” Jayden cried. “I can’t pretend like I’m okay.” Her body shook with more sobs as Tina picked her up and laid her head in her lap. She took a deep breath and tried not to get sucked into her friend’s emotional grave until she knew if this was a medical emergency or not. Jayden had been on antidepressants since Chris died and they didn’t mix well with hard liquor.

  “Jayden, I need to know how much you drank. Did you take any pills? Do I need to be calling an ambulance?”

  Jayden hugged Tina’s waist. “No, just hold me.”

  Tina sighed and did as her very drunk and very upset friend asked. Everything about this situation sucked. It hurt to think about the root of Jayden’s breakdown, the loss of her husband. Christopher died a hero, saving a woman and child from the river, but he still died. A wife lost a husband. A mother and father lost their son. Bear, Sean, and Donnie lost their brother. Chris was all of this and more. He was one of Tina’s friends, always the life of the party, and she missed him terribly.

  Now, at the two-year anniversary, the pain of the loss came back for everyone, especially Jayden. Time had not dulled her aching heart.

  “It’s not supposed to be like this,” Jayden cried. “We’re supposed to be celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, having babies, living the life we planned. I’m not supposed to be a widow at twenty-six. I don’t want the money; I want my husband back. It’s not fair.”

  “I know, honey.” Tina’s lip quivered when she spoke, but she kept herself together. Only one of them could fall apart at a time. “It’s not fair and you don’t have to pretend like it
is. You don’t have to pretend to be okay.”

  “Yes, I do. Everyone expects me to act like I’m proud of his sacrifice, and I am. But I’m also fucking pissed. He left me. He risked his life, our life together, and he lost.”

  Tina had no words. She let Jayden cry it out while she stroked her hair and hummed to her. It was all she could do not to grab the bottle of Jack and sip the few drops that were left. As much as her heart had broken when Chris died, as much as she’d wept and missed him, she couldn’t imagine what Jayden was going through. The two of them had been inseparable since grade school, a true storybook couple. He played football and she was a cheerleader. Then, the prom king married the prom queen and joined the two most prominent families in Riverview. They moved into the house Chris inherited and were supposed to have kids and live happily ever after.

  Until the waters of the Sanguine River claimed him for their own.

  Tina closed her eyes and grit her teeth. She couldn’t lose it, she couldn’t breakdown, not right now, especially since Jayden was finally running out of steam. “Okay, honey,” she coaxed her softly. “You need to rest. You need to get up off this floor, okay? It’s time for bed.”

  “Not in our bed.”

  “I know, the guest room.” Tina helped her up off the floor. Jayden was wobbly and so drunk her legs gave out twice before Tina finally got her to walking. She took Jay to the first-floor guest room, glad she didn’t have to lug her tall ass up the stairs. Jayden hadn’t slept upstairs since the accident.

  Tina helped her get into pajamas, crawl into bed, and cover up. “How’s that? Better?”

  She grabbed the trash can out of the bathroom in case Jay was sick at some point during the night.

  “Tina?”

  “Yeah, hun?” She sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “You’re always strong for me. No one else is ever as strong as you are. No one else can handle it.”

  “I’m always here for you. You’re my friend, that’s what we do.” Tina smiled, her heart clenching at the raw emotions.

  “Will you talk to me until I can sleep?” Puffy, red eyes pleaded with her.

  “Yep.” Tina kicked off her boots and crawled right over Jayden to sit on the other side of the bed on top of the covers. About that time, her cell phone buzzed with an incoming text.

  I saw your truck fly by, you okay?

  Tina took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip. Bo. She texted him back. Yes, friend needed me.

  Everything okay? You were in a hurry.

  It will be. She watched her phone for a second before another text made it jiggle.

  Can I help?

  Not unless you can raise the dead.

  No, but I can bring ice cream or chocolate.

  Oh, Bo. All her anger from the ride home dissipated. If Bo could make her that mad and then make her this warm and fuzzy in the same day, he was dangerous. His next message only made her feel more inclined to forgive him.

  I’m sorry about earlier.

  You had a rough day, I understand.

  Not an excuse to be an ass.

  Tina bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling at the graphic of a donkey that accompanied his text. I wasn’t going to say anything…but since you mentioned it…

  Ha ha. Have a good nite, T. Hope your friend is okay.

  You, too. She tucked her phone away, glad to have some closure of that issue, at least.

  Jayden sniffed and pushed her mass of brown hair off of her neck, rolling on her side to get comfortable. “Tell me who put that smile on your face? Trey?”

  Tina took a deep breath and blew it out of her mouth. “Okay, well since you’re so sloshed you probably won’t remember this in the morning, I’ll tell you about Bo.”

  “The hot new guy?”

  “Yep.” Tina sighed. “The hot new guy.” With the shake of her head, she unloaded what she found enticing about Bo and every reason under the sun she didn’t need to find him attractive. “I have a boyfriend, you know? I…I can’t date someone who’s on the payroll. It never works. And it’s not like he’s put out any vibes. I mean, I think I see things, but what if I’m making that up?”

  “You don’t love Trey. Everyone knows it.” Jayden sniffed and adjusted her pillow.

  “He’s a nice guy.”

  “Yeah, so is your uncle Terry and your dad. Nice guys are everywhere.”

  “Trey puts up with me, though. That’s not easy.” Tina shook her head. “Not too many men can keep up with me.”

  “Can Bo?”

  “Maybe.” Yes.

  Jayden reached out and grabbed Tina’s hand, gripping it so tight it scared her. “Listen to me, please. I would give anything, anything, Tina, for one more day with Chris. The one thing that we did right was not to wait. We didn’t listen to anyone who told us we were too young to get married.” A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. “We didn’t listen when our families tried to talk us out of it, we just knew. As sad as I am now, I can at least say I gave it everything I had. There are no regrets when it came to our marriage or our decisions to be together.” Tears crested over her eyes again. “Don’t waste time. Don’t make room for regrets. That’s the one blessing I have in all of this. I gave Chris everything and we were happy until the very end.” She pressed her lips tight together and smiled through her tears.

  Tina angrily wiped away her own tears and leaned her head back against the headboard. “I don’t know if I can give that much to anyone. I’m not made that way. I’m not able to let go of my heart like that.”

  “But when you find the person who can take better care of your heart than you can, don’t let that go, okay?”

  “I won’t.” Tina hugged Jayden close and thought about the kind of love she had shared with Chris. It knew no borders, acknowledged no boundaries, and lit up the world. She could only hope to find a man who inspired such deep love from her.

  ONE MONTH INTO HIS job, Bo and the rest of the crew celebrated another finished project. Tina announced that since they came in under budget and on time, which was rare in construction, drinks were on her that Friday night.

  Jason happened to live close enough that he’d given Bo rides to work while Ray’s fixed his engine heads. As much as he hated to admit it, Justin Meyers had done a great job and hadn’t charged him an arm and a leg, either. In fact, he knew the bill was considerably lower than what it should’ve been.

  When he hit Tina up about it, she shrugged it off. “He’s like family. It’s what we do.”

  That only made him feel more indebted to her—an unwelcome sensation. He didn’t like owing people, especially women. Being under obligation to someone gave them power and he didn’t like anyone holding things over his head. It led to trouble and complications and he’d just assumed steer clear of such. He’d learned those lessons behind bars. Too many debts in jail and you don’t live through the payoff.

  It was hard, adjusting to the outside again where people did nice things simply to be kind to their fellow man. He kept looking for the catch, waiting for the other shoe to fall. Accepting that Tina and Duane were good people took time. Over the last four weeks, he had watched them with their crewmen, their customers, and through other business dealings. Tina might be a pistol, but she was also generous and fair, just like her father.

  Friday night they met up after work at Bear’s Bar and Grill. He’d ridden with Jason and they were kicked back when Jake “Bear” Harris came towards them. He was aptly nicknamed, at least six and a half feet tall and as wide as a barn door. Guys that tall usually appeared lanky and lean, but Bear was a giant among mortals.

  “Damn, Bo Allen Galloway.” He shook his head and extended his hand. Bo was shocked when Bear pulled him into a man hug and slapped him on the back. He didn’t remember Bear being so…big. “It’s good to see you on this side, you know?”

  Bo’s gaze darted to Jason, who might be a new friend, but he didn’t know about Bo’s past like Bear did. “Yeah, it’s good to be on this side of the countr
y again. California was rough.” He begged with his eyes that Bear catch his drift. Jason was about the only friend he had and he really didn’t want to ruin it.

  Bear’s face softened. “I know. But you’re home now and Riverview can wash the California right off.” A huge smile stretched across his face. He was a massive man, but he was also one of the friendliest people Bo had ever met. Even in school, they had become fast friends. Bear made the point of including Bo in the social scene, recognizing that Bo was naturally a loner.

  “How long have you been in town?”

  “A couple months.”

  “Months?” Bear’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open. “And you haven’t come to see me, you prick. What the hell?” Bear punched him in the arm.

  “My boss is a slave driver.” Bo chuckled, fondly thinking about Tina.

  Bear nodded. “I get that.”

  “You’ve been busy, too.” Bo looked around at the restaurant. It was just like Bear. Rustic, country, huge, and welcoming. “This is great, man.”

  Bear glanced around like a proud papa. “It’s my baby.” He took another good look at Bo and held out his hand once more. “Well now that you’re done hiding from me, we should hang, catch a game or go shoot something.”

  “Deal.” Bo clasped his hand and smiled. Bear had that effect on people. He just lit up the atmosphere.

  “Have a good time and your food is on the house.”

  “What about me?” Jason said, nursing his second beer.

  “Jason Tucker, you’d put me out of business with your hungry ass.” The two men shared a laugh but Bo got distracted by the beauty walking through the door.

  Tina sauntered in, wearing her hair down over her bare shoulders. She had on another tank top, baby pink, that brought out the blush of her cheeks. Her short, tight denim skirt was frayed around the bottom and cowboy boots came to her knees. It was the first time he’d seen her dressed like a chick with jewelry and makeup, like she’d really taken time getting ready.

  She was so damned beautiful it made his chest ache. He rubbed the spot, wishing like hell it would ease up. “Damn.”