But not while she’s healthy and whole,his mind hissed at him, and the three of them seemed to know it.
“I’ll check in with you in the morning,” he said. “Our dinner is almost ready.”
“All right,” Bobbie Jo said.
“Did you guys want to come here?” Tarr rocked back on his heels, swiped up his phone, and stood. He turned toward Briar. “I’m sure we could rustle up enough food for you guys. If you’re not even home yet?—”
“We just ate dinner, and we were on the way home when everything went dark,” Tuck said.
“At five-thirty?” Tarr asked. “You guys seem a little young to be eating the early bird special.” He chuckled, and Briar turned toward him, a smile blooming to life on her face too.
“We were out shopping,” Tuck said. “And decided to stop before we came home.”
“Sure, all right,” Tarr said easily. “Well, I’ll touch base with you in the morning so we can go over the feeding schedule.”
“All right.” Tuck drew a breath in a way that Tarr had heard countless times before. He quickly tapped the speaker icon and moved the phone to his ear so Briar wouldn’t be able to hear whatever embarrassing thing Tuck was going to say next. The man really didn’t know how to hold his tongue, and most of the time, Tarr appreciated that fact.
“Hey, brother, just be careful, okay?” Tuck said. “I worry about your heart.”
“He has a good heart,” Bobbie Jo said. “Leave him alone.”
“It’s his good heart that I’m worried about,” Tuck said. “Briar has punctured it before, and he just keeps going back for more.”
“I’m still on the line,” Tarr said.
“I know you are,” Tuck griped at him. “I’m just worried about you.”
“I appreciate the sentiment,” Tarr said. “But I’m a grown man, and I think I can handle it.”
Tucker, once again, remained silent—his way of saying he wasn’t sure Tarr could handle it or not.
In all honesty, Tarr agreed with him. He could just see Briar squashing his heart again and then puncturing it with all of the thorns after which she was named. He’d retreat again, like a dog who’d been kicked, his tail between his legs.
But he’d come back. He knew he would, because something about Briar called to his soul, and just like he hadn’t been able to leave her home alone yesterday, he couldn’t imagine a scenario where he could turn his back on her and walk out of her life for good.
No, she would have to be the one to do that to him. And yes, then he’d have to figure out how to stem the bleeding from all the holes she would leave in his heart.
As he watched, she flipped off the flame underneath the pan where she had been making the sauce, and Tarr knew dinner was ready. “Hey, we’re going to eat,” he said. “I’ll text you later.”
“Bye, Tarr,” Bobbie Jo called, and Tarr hung up as she hissed something else to Tucker about being more supportive of his best friend. Tarr knew Tuck loved him and supported him in anything and everything, and it sure felt nice to have someone worrying over him.
“Are they coming for dinner?” Briar asked.
Tarr shoved his phone in his back pocket as he took the few steps into the kitchen. “No, ma’am,” he said. “They got dinner on their way home.”
She nodded and indicated the pan, which now sat on her island next to the chicken cordon bleu and the roasted potatoes. “I don’t have a vegetable, but we could open a bagged salad or something.” She looked at him with apprehension in her eyes.
Tarr simply grinned at her. “I don’t need to eat something green with every meal, honey. I’m an adult.”
Briar’s shoulders went down, and she ducked her head too. “All right. Well, then let’s eat.”
“Do you mind if we pray?” He’d left his cowboy hat in her spare bedroom, but he reached up in a nervous gesture and ran his hand through his hair. “I can just say it real quick, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind,” she whispered.
In the quickening darkness, only punctured by the flickering firelight several feet away, Tarr reached for her hand as he bowed his head. His fingers fumbled over hers, but he managed to align them and tighten his grip before he said, “Dear Lord, I sure am grateful to be here in Briar’s house during this winterstorm. I’m pretty mad about the RV not working out, and I know I need a better solution for housing. I don’t know what that is yet, but I’m grateful to have this warm, safe place, at least for a couple of nights, where I can figure it out.
“I’m grateful that Briar has finally allowed me to take her out on a date, and I’m grateful for this food that she made for us. It seems like I’m taking a lot from others around me, Lord, and if there’s any way that I can give back, please inspire my mind and give me willing hands to do the work.” He cleared his throat, suddenly anxious for this prayer to be over. “We’re really grateful for all of Thy blessings in both of our lives, and I ask that if there is anything Briar stands in need of at this time, that Thou wilt grant it unto her, according to Thy will. Bless our food to nourish us and strengthen us and help us do good. Amen.”
