“What are you talking about? I did mean it. I still do.” Standing in the middle of Main wasn’t the right place to have this talk. Judges were getting ready to taste test the chicken and pork entries and a crowd had gathered. I lowered my voice and leaned in. “Can we talk about this later? When we’re alone?”
She shook her head. “It hit me this morning. You want me to stay until Callie enters school. Then what? You’ll kick me out of your house and out of your bed since you won’t need me anymore?”
“Baby, that’s not what I meant.” I shifted Callie to one arm and reached for Rose with the other. “I asked if you’d stay that long, then we…”
“We what? You can say it. We fucked.” She shrugged it off like what happened between us didn’t mean a thing.
“Hey, Cullen. Smells good.” Sage walked by with his kid but didn’t stop. “Can’t wait to try whatever you’ve got in that smoker.”
I smiled and nodded, hoping they hadn’t overheard our conversation. After they passed, I pushed the stroller closer to my truck and Rose followed. “That’s not exactly how it happened. I didn’t mean for it to come to that.”
“Just a bonus then, huh?” She finally looked at me. Streaks of red cris-crossed the whites of her eyes. Dammit, she’d been crying.
“Rose.” The timer went off, signaling I needed to mop the meat with sauce again. “What’s really going on? Last night wasn’t just a bonus. It meant everything.”
“I can’t do this.” She pulled her bag out from the basket underneath the stroller. “I don’t want Callie to go through what I did as a kid. She needs someone who will be there for her for the long haul.”
“You’re right. That’s what I want too. You and me and?—”
“No.” She took a slow step back as she shook her head.
The ground underneath me shifted. She didn’t understand. “I need you, Rose. I can’t do this without you.”
She took another step back, then another. Her forehead creased, and she wiped the tears away from her cheeks with the sleeve of my own damn shirt. “You can, and you will. You don’t have a choice.”
“But you do, right? Aren’t you tired of constantly moving?” She was scared. I understood that. But I also knew that if she ran now, she’d never stop. “Don’t leave, sweetness. Stay with me.”
She shook her head one last time, then turned around and didn’t look back.
“Rose!” I called out over the sound of the timer going off again. Callie started to cry. There was no one around to hand her off to. No one to check on the brisket to make sure it wasn’t getting too dry. No one but me.
I killed the timer, set Callie back in the stroller with her favorite wolf stuffie to keep her company, and checked on the meat. If Rose didn’t want to be part of our lives, I wouldn’t force it. She’d told me who she was and what she wanted from the start. I should have believed her. Hell, I should have known better than to trust her with my heart. Should have known better to trust anyone with it.
Ruby walked up a few minutes later. “Where’s Rose?”
“She left.”
“Well, where did she go?” Ruby looked around like she expected to see Rose rounding a corner any second.
Defeat had my shoulders sagging. “I don’t know. North Carolina, maybe?”
“Oh, stop teasing.” Ruby let out a soft laugh. “I wanted to wait to share the good news with both of you, but I can’t keep it to myself.”
“What good news?” I set the basting brush back in the metal bin and faced her. The excitement in her eyes made her look like she was about to burst.
“Someone is wondering if you might like to set up your own barbecue restaurant right here in Mustang Mountain. I know you’re committed to the fire station, but have you ever thought about it? We haven’t had a good place for barbecue around here in years. And when you win that first place trophy, folks are going to want to be able to try your brisket for themselves.” Ruby clapped her hands together and smiled.
“Who is it?” The only person I’d ever mentioned my dream to was Rose. Had she told Ruby about it this morning?
“Someone who wants to be a silent investor. This particular individual has helped quite a few other local businesses get up and running. It’s a legitimate offer, sugar. What do you think?” Her eyebrows arched while she waited for me to reply.
“What’s the catch?”
“No catch. There’s a stipulation that you’d work with ranchers in the area to keep things local. I can even set up a meeting for you with the Kincaids if you’d like.” Ruby crouched down to pick up Callie’s wolf that she’d tossed onto the ground. “Can I give the go ahead to get some papers drawn up? Orville said there’s a perfect spot downtown, right across from the Merc, that’s coming available soon.”
It was happening fast. Maybe too fast. Or maybe this was how it was meant to be. I’d always wanted to find a way to honor my great-aunt who’d raised me. Maybe this was the way to do it. I could build something that would last. That I could pass on to my own child. Something we could grow together.
“That would be great, Ruby. I’d appreciate you getting the conversation going.”
