Chapter 30

On the afternoon of February 14th, Delon stood in the Super Shopper store in Dumas and stared down an entire aisle stacked with boxes and bows in every possible shade of red and pink. He’d tried to hustle Beni past, but the kid had locked up his brakes.

“You always buy Mommy a valentine,” Beni insisted.

“I know, but…” What? She’s on a diet? She developed a sudden allergy to chocolate? She’s sleeping with Joe now, so it’s his job to buy her a cheesy cardboard heart? “You know, Beni, now that you’re six years old, I think you should give Mommy her valentine.”

Beni paused to consider, eyes narrowing in a way that indicated deep thought or plans for large-scale destruction. “Do I have to pay for it out of my allowance?”

“Nah. I’ll front you the money.”

Beni’s face cleared. “Cool.”

He scampered down the aisle, dodging shoppers. It was a measure of how much Delon’s knee had improved that he could keep up. In the past two weeks he’d done everything Tori had asked and then some, thanks to Beni and Gil throwing everything from Frisbees to medicine balls at him to improve his left-handed coordination. Even his dad had joined in, showing up last Sunday morning with a pair of left-handed clubs and dragging Gil, Delon, and Beni out for a round of golf. Merle played surprisingly well. Gil played as if the ball had insulted his manhood. Beni claimed he beat Delon by three strokes, but for a kid who was a whiz at math, the numbers on his scorecard didn’t quite add up.

“This one!” he declared, standing on tiptoe to fetch down a god-awful neon pink and gold heart.

“Wow. That’s really…big.”

“And it’s bee-oo-tiful.” Beni clutched his prize and tromped back to their shopping cart.

Delon hesitated, then grabbed another—left-handed because, yes, he was still stuck in the damn brace—just to see Tori’s face when he gave it to her.

“Who’s that for?” Beni demanded, when Delon dropped the second box in the cart.

“Miz Tori. For helping me get better.”

Beni hopped up to hang on the side of the cart as a man squeezed past, loaded down with enough valentines for an entire office staff, or a whole passel of special someones. “Do you sleep at her house now?”

Delon choked, coughed, and fielded a raised eyebrow from the guy with the armload of chocolate. Like he had any room to talk. “No. Why would I?”

“You don’t sleep at Mommy’s house anymore. And I saw you kissing Miz Tori.”

Damn. He should have known Beni would spy on them. “I only stayed at Mommy’s house when I got in late from rodeos and wanted to see you first thing in the morning, or if I had to drop you off then leave real early the next day. Now I’m not traveling, so I don’t need to sleep over.”

“And you don’t want to sleep over at Tori’s house, either?” Beni persisted.

Oh yeah. He definitely wanted. It was pathetic how much he looked forward to their weekly appointments. The way his heart skipped when she called with her latest tweak to his program or to share some research she’d dug up. How he craved her smile, her approval, the too-brief, too-professional touch of her hands.

“Tori and I are friends,” he said.

“Regular friends, or friends with benefits?” Beni asked.

Delon choked on his own spit again. “What do you know about benefits?”

“My friend Avonlea says that’s what babies are made of, and you and Mommy used to have benefits but now you don’t ’cuz she’s friends with Joe instead of you. Are they going to make a baby?”

So many questions and not one single coherent answer to be found. Delon could feel the sweat springing up in his armpits. Where did he start? Nowhere near that part about Violet and Joe and babies, that’s for damn sure.

“Mommy and I are still friends.” Sort of.

Beni fingered the neon pink bow on the box of candy, his expression uncharacteristically somber. “Avonlea said her mommy says I was a mistake.”

Double damn. Call him selfish, but Delon had always hoped Violet would be the one who got stuck with this conversation. He crouched and put his hands on Beni’s shoulders, so they were eye to eye.

“You were a surprise, that’s for sure. The best surprise in the whole world.” After the panic wore off, and Delon had been sure Steve Jacobs wasn’t going to haul him down to the corral and castrate him like a fence-jumping bull. He squeezed Beni’s shoulders. “And you know what? Uncle Gil and I were surprises, too. And your cousin Quint. So you’re just like all of the Sanchez men.”

Beni puffed up a little at being called a man. “Really?”

“Yep.”

Beni cocked his head and thought about it for a minute. “That’s cool.”

Then he scampered off to check out a purple teddy bear with a red heart that lit up when you squeezed its paw. Delon dragged Beni away as it warbled You light up my life, insisting that no, Grandma Iris would not love to have one for Beni to squeeze over and over and over until Cole ripped its head off. They got in line at the checkstand, an elderly couple in front of them, a trio of slouchy teenagers behind, and a prune-faced checker who, as far as Delon could remember, had been installed right along with the register when the store was built.

Delon blew out a sigh of relief. All in all, he hadn’t handled that so bad.

Then Beni looked up and asked in a clear, penetrating voice, “Daddy? Does anyone in our family get born on purpose?”

* * *

Delon had never been so glad to park in front of Violet’s house. He’d distracted Beni from the talk of benefits and babies by handing over his smartphone, a rare treat since the last one had died of accidental root beer poisoning. Also, there was no chance of bumping into Joe. Joe had been on the road since the birthday party, and for one reason or another had only been able to make time for one short visit in three weeks. Possibly the first sign he was starting to chafe at the bit.

Beni grabbed his box of chocolates and shot out of the car. Delon followed more slowly, schooling his expression. Violet was likely to be feeling lonely and let down and he didn’t want to rub it in by letting slip that he was eager to get on with his evening. But he couldn’t be overly nice, either. Any hint of sympathy could get him throttled because she would read it—rightly—as doubt on his part. Damn Joe Cassidy.

“Mommy!” Beni yelled, thundering through the front door and into the kitchen. “Hey, Mommy we got you—” He stopped dead as Violet stepped out of her bedroom. “Whoa. Who’s getting married?”

“Married?” Violet’s face went pink as she twitched a skirt that didn’t quite reach her knees. Delon could feel his eyes popping. The dress was very red and very clingy, especially the top, and there was a lot of Violet to cling to up there. “Does it look okay?”

“You look beautiful. Here.” Beni shoved his box of chocolates into her hands with so much enthusiasm he nearly knocked her off her heels. Delon hadn’t realized she owned a pair.

“Hurry up and open them,” Beni demanded, dancing around. “I’m starving.”

“The chocolate is for your mother. And it looks like she has plans.” Big plans she hadn’t bothered to share with Delon.

“I just found out a couple of hours ago.” She set the chocolates on the table and picked at the cellophane. “Wyatt is flying Joe over from Fort Worth for the evening. We’re going to the Lone Steer for dinner.”

Because of course Wyatt had his own plane and flew it himself, so he could drop Joe practically at Violet’s front door.

Beni brightened. “Hey! While you and Joe have dinner and stuff, maybe Wyatt could take me—”

“No,” Delon and Violet said in unison. On that, at least, they still agreed. Wyatt Darrington was not taking Beni off barnstorming, or God knew what, in his shiny little Cessna.

Beni pooched out his bottom lip. “How come you and Daddy get to do something fun for Valentine’s Day and not me?”

Violet’s gaze shot to Delon. “You’re going out?”

“I…sort of.”

“You better take Tori her valentine tonight, else you’ll eat it all like you did my Halloween candy. And the Christmas fudge Grandma Iris sent,” Beni said, with an accusing glare.

Tattletale. “I left you the peanut brittle.”

“Only ’cuz you don’t like it.”

Violet’s eyebrows arched in amusement, but flattened when she considered the rest of what Beni had said. “You bought Tori a valentine?”

Delon couldn’t stop from ducking his head like an embarrassed eighth-grader. “To, um, thank her. For helping me out with my knee and all.”

“I see. Delon, are you sure—” Then Violet stuck a hand up, stopping herself. “Never mind. I’m staying out of it. And, Beni, Grandma made Valentine’s cookies for you to decorate.”

“Are there sprinkles?”

“Loads.”

“Well, I guess.” He heaved a put-upon sigh, but he was already sidling for the door. “I’ll just go to Grandma’s now.”

Delon edged after him, working up a smile. “Have a good night.”

Violet’s return smile was equally ambivalent. “You too.”

* * *

His nerves jittered and danced all the way to Dumas. He turned the MP3 player over and over in his hand, mentally reviewing the playlist he’d been working on for days. Probably too schmaltzy, but too late to fix it now. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the lights glowing in Tori’s windows and her car parked out front. He’d been afraid she might be out with her dad or something. Tucking the gaudy candy box under his arm, he took a deep breath and marched up to the front door to jab the bell before he lost his nerve.

Silence.

He shifted the box to his other arm. Brushed a Snickers peanut crumb from the sleeve of his coat. Counted to thirty. Damn. He hadn’t considered that this might be a terrible night for Tori. What if she was huddled in there crying over her wedding pictures? He counted to sixty, cursing his dopey plan. He didn’t want to force her to come to the door with red, puffy eyes, but he’d made his presence known, so it would be weird to just leave. He shifted the box to the other arm again. He could write a note and leave it on her doorstep with the box of chocolates, if he had a pen and paper and any idea what to say.

Sorry I missed you? Geezus. That sounded like a package delivery service. He searched his mind, but he seemed to be fresh out of witty messages for a former lover turned therapist turned— The door was yanked open so suddenly he jumped back, tripped, and nearly ass-planted on the front walk.

“Hello, Delon. Fancy you showing up all unexpected,” Tori said sweetly. Too sweetly. And she sure as hell hadn’t been crying. That smile of hers looked a little mean, and he could’ve sworn he heard a muffled f-bomb from around the corner behind her.

Her smile widened. “Where’s your wrist brace?”

“I took it off, just for tonight.”

She was in dusty jeans again, with her hair yanked back in a straggly ponytail. His gaze dropped to the floor. She’d kicked her boots off in the foyer. His stomach did a sick clench when he saw a second pair beside them. Fuck. There was a man in her house. Who? And when had she—

Tori grabbed the box of candy from under his arm. “Aw. Are these for me? That’s so sweet.”

“Uh…” Humiliation burned like acid injected straight into his arteries. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…didn’t think…I should’ve called first.”

“Yes. You should have.” Her false humor dropped away, leaving only cool reproach. “We’re not doing this again, Delon. If you want to see me, you pick up the phone and make a date, preferably at least twenty-four hours in advance.” Her smile was a lethal weapon, slicing clear to the bone. “But thanks for the chocolate. And the thought.”

Then she closed the door in his face.