“What’s that hmm for?”
He shrugs. "Oh, nothin’.”
“Mmm hmm,” I reply, earning an amused grin for my troubles. "Just say it, Dad."
“OK, then. I was just wonderin’ if there’s areasonyou know you’re back for good. And whether a certain rancher has anythin’ to do with it. I know I interruptedsomethin’ last week and I may have heard a murmurin’ at the Cow about the same man seekin’ advice from the old timers.”
My eyes bug out at the same time I feel a blush creep up over my cheeks. “I don’t–I mean, I–” I shake my head, trying to find out what part of that revelation I should address first.
“Cat got your tongue, sweetheart?” he muses.
“Um… what, when, how, and why?” I blurt out.
Dad leans into the counter. “Which question do you want me to answer first? When? That’s easy. It was last week after he left your apartment when we cleaned up.”
I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “OK. How about why?”
He chuckles softly before replying, “Well, I reckon that boy has had a thing for you since way back before you left. Known him along time and never seen him look at anyone the way he used to look at you.”
My heart skips a beat at his words, and I can feel a mixture of shock and elation washing over me. “You mean past tense, right?”
“I meanevery. time.Back then and the other day. I never had to worry about you growin’ up when you had Austin by your side. Then you went into the big bad world out there. You ask your Ma, there wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t worryin’ about you. Now you’re here, I figure I can go back to knowin’ he’s got your back.”
“Dad...,” I say softly.
"Just tell me I don't have to worry 'cause you and him are finally goin’ to be the you and him you always should’ve been.”
"I don’t know about that. We’re gettin’ to know each other again. There’s fifteen years to get over.”
He shrugs. “Always figured you two were meant to be, whether it was back then or now. Fifteen years or fifty. It doesn’t matter if it’s the one you love. I hoped you'd find your way back to one another eventually. You tellin’ me that might not happen?”
“I haven’t got a crystal ball, Dad. I know I want to get to know him again, maybe see if there’s somethin’ between us.”
His eyes light up. “There are a few people in this town that do, you know. Have a crystal ball, I mean.” I laugh, shaking my head with it. Dad smiles knowingly. “All I’m sayin’ is that sometimes it takes a while for folks to realize what’s been right in front of ‘em all along. And sometimes, life gives you a push in the right direction when you need it most.”
I nod slowly, processing his words. “And what about the ‘how’?”
“Ah, well, that’s a tale for another time,” he replies quizzically.
I roll my eyes. “I meanhowdid you know Austin went to the Cow?”
“Heard it from Ronnie. He likes a good historical romance would you believe it? He comes in here all the time. Anyway, I’m guessin’ you didn’t just come visit your ol’ dad to hear the town gossip. You’re lookin’ for some books?”
A wry grin curves at my lips. “Well, Ididwant to see you…”
“But youdoneed some new books to read too, right?”
“Guilty as charged. Wait… Ronnie, as in old farmer Ronnie who spends more time at the bar than at home, readsromance?”
Dad holds his hands up. “Hey, we don’t judge anyone around here. People like what they like. As long as they buy their chosen books from me and not the big corporate giants in the world, I’m not goin’ to yuck their yum.”
I burst into giggles. “Yuck their yum, Dad?”
“That’s what all the cool kids say these days apparently,” he chuckles.
“OK. So, what books do you recommend for a tired doctor who wants to be swept away with a story–or stories–and feel like I’ve been transported into a world the author has masterfully crafted?”
Dad doesn’t even take a moment to think about it. “I think you need to read Aster Hollingsworth.”
