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Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Gilbert fixed Tex a cup of coffee, and Tex sat at the kitchen table, a place where he’d eaten many meals.

As Tex sipped his drink, Gilbert began to cook some ground beef for the spaghetti. The truth was there was only one homemade meal Gilbert had mastered, and that was spaghetti with meat sauce. Everything else had been prepackaged and frozen, and he’d just had to heat it.

Tex’s mind drifted to Chelsea again. He couldn’t believe she’d been in the house when he got here.

An image of her long, curly blonde hair and heart-shaped face filled his mind. He’d missed that face. That hair. Her smile.

Still to this day, she remained the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. Not because of her outward looks either. She had an inner beauty that radiated warmth and kindness.

He hadn’t talked to her in years, though on occasion he would look for her online. But he’d forced himself to stop doing that several years ago. It was too hard to see how her life had gone on without him.

“I’m glad you came,” Gilbert started as the meat sizzled on the stove in front of him. “I had to run back to the school for a meeting, but I managed to slip away a little early.”

“You haven’t retired yet, huh? How long do you plan to be the football coach in this small town?” Certainly someone else had to want—and be qualified for—the position.

“Gives me something to do,” Gilbert shrugged. “Especially since I’m not fostering anymore.”

The man seemed to be doing pretty well for himself, Tex mused. This house was one of the nicer ones in town, not one that most could afford on a teacher’s salary. Gilbert had always had a refined taste for designer merchandise, whether it be a luxury car or high-quality leather furniture.

Tex swallowed hard, his throat suddenly tight. He didn’t like small talk. He didn’t want to pretend like this was normal, that being here was something routine.

“Look, you know me,” Tex started. “I’m never one to skirt around the truth. Is everything okay? I was concerned when I got your text.”

“I’ve always appreciated your honesty.”

“You usually go to Hawaii every Christmas,” Tex said. “I guess you’re not this year?”

Every Christmas, Gilbert would scatter his foster kids to various group homes in the area during the holidays. It was the one time of year he wanted to put himself first. That was what he’d always said, making it clear he deserved a break from his saintly actions of taking troubled youth into his home.

But that fact had made Tex dread every Christmas, still to this day.

“Yes, now that Anna and I are together, I decided to stay home this year.” Gilbert stepped from the stove and turned to him, his gaze heavy. “Truthfully, it’s Patrick I’m worried about.”

“Patrick?” Patrick Day was another boy who’d been here at Gilbert’s with Tex. He was a couple of years younger than Tex and had become like a true little brother to him.

Tex didn’t stay in contact with very many people from his childhood. But he had reached out to Patrick a few times just to see how life was treating him.

The man seemed to be doing well for himself. He’d always been smart, so it hadn’t been a surprise when he’d gotten into medical school. Last Tex had heard, Patrick had graduated and was now working as a general practitioner here in town.

“Is Patrick sick?” Tex asked. “In trouble?”

Gilbert shrugged and then shook his head, his gaze appearing lost. “I’m not really sure what’s going on with him. I’ve heard rumors there’s a lawsuit against him.”

Tex blinked in surprise. “What? Why?”

“Malpractice, among other things. Nothing confirmed.”

“Certainly that’s not uncommon in the medical world. Isn’t that why doctors have malpractice insurance?”

“In theory, yes. But he could still lose his license.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that, and I hope it’s not true.” Tex paused. “However, I’m still not sure what that has to do with me being here.”

“I was hoping you might help him. I know the two of you were close. If there’s anyone he’ll open up to, it’s you.”

Something uncomfortable jostled inside of Tex at the thought. “Of course, I’d like to help Patrick if I can. But we haven’t talked in years, and for me to waltz back in town and somehow try to offer advice . . . I’m just not sure how well that would be received.”

“Don’t you do private security for people?”

Tex gripped his coffee mug. “Do you think Patrick needs a bodyguard?”

“I heard he’s been getting threats. A smashed car window. Cryptic messages online.”

“Did he go to the police?”

Gilbert shook his head. “No. At least I don’t think so. Like I said, this is all word of mouth. But I’m worried about him. He needs someone who will be there to help him. I think you might be the only person he’ll open up to.”

Tex’s first thought was to dismiss the request. But maybe he should think about it. “I can’t make any promises. But I’ll see what I can do.”

Gilbert flashed a smile. “Perfect. I knew I could count on you. Of all the kids who stayed here, you were always one of the most dependable. I didn’t have to worry about you like I did the others.”

Tex couldn’t deny his words. Growing up in foster care wasn’t easy. Trauma played a huge role in each of their lives, causing them all to act out in different ways.

Tex had devoted his time to working out. To playing on the football team, which Gilbert had loved. He’d been the coach back then also.

But most of the other boys didn’t operate the same way Tex did. Some of them snuck out at night. Some did drugs. Others met up with girls. One of them had been responsible for some vandalism in town. Another had been arrested for stealing.

Despite all that, most of them had turned out surprisingly well. On occasion, Tex looked his foster brothers up online. He’d seen that Patrick was a doctor, Wyatt an attorney, Aiden an engineer, and Tex had even heard Pete Lawson was running for state senate.

“We can talk more later.” Gilbert raised the wooden spoon he used to cook the sizzling ground beef. “But right now I’ve got to get this spaghetti done. My neighbor will be over in an hour and a half—and so will Anna.”

Chelsea’s image flashed through Tex’s mind again. He had so many questions about her still living here. If she was married or had kids. How her parents were.

But he didn’t want to ask Gilbert for the answers.

No, he wanted to ask Chelsea herself.

She’d been lying earlier about why she was in Gilbert’s house. She’d clearly been looking for something. And she’d acted spooked.

Tex tried to think it through.

There was more to her story.

One way or another, he would find out what.

Chelsea had come up with a million excuses why she couldn’t go to dinner tonight at Gilbert’s place.

For starters, she couldn’t stand Gilbert and feared he might be up to something.

Then there was the fact she’d been caught snooping in his house. She didn’t trust the situation enough to think those details hadn’t been shared.

But perhaps the biggest reason not to go was also the biggest reason to go.

Because Tex would be there.

On one hand, seeing him again today had been thrilling. Chelsea wanted to know what his life had been like in the twelve years since they’d last spoken.

But on the other hand, he’d left without saying a word and hadn’t tried to stay in touch. He clearly wasn’t the man she’d thought he was. He had shown her his true colors.

Just like her mom. Her biological mom.

She’d left when Chelsea was only six months old. Said that mom life wasn’t for her. Chelsea hadn’t seen her since then and had no memories of the woman.

Thankfully, her dad had remarried when Chelsea was two. Connie was a wonderful woman who’d adopted Chelsea and taken her in as her own. Sometimes, Chelsea even forgot the woman hadn’t been the one to give birth to her.

She’d been truly blessed.

But she subconsciously remembered what it was like to know her birth mom hadn’t wanted her.

Maybe that was one more reason why she and Tex had bonded so quickly. They’d both known rejection at a young age.

Some people bad-mouthed Tex—bad-mouthed all the boys who came to stay at Gilbert’s. But Chelsea had always known that people were wrong about Tex. She’d stood up for him when others had started rumors or put him down because of his tough background.

She’d come to his defense when no one else had.

But apparently, she’d been the one who was wrong, and everyone else was right.

As “Jingle Bells” played in the background, she stared at the salad on the kitchen counter in front of her and let out a sigh.

She might as well go. If nothing else, maybe she could find out more information about Gilbert.

She grabbed the salad she’d made using ingredients she had on hand. She’d placed it in an antique bowl once belonging to her grandmother before stretching plastic wrap over the top.

Then she started across the lawn toward Gilbert’s house. A hedge of Leyland cypress separated the two properties.

She had to admit that his yard looked so much fancier than hers. The landscaping was impeccable, and he had actual grass instead of weeds that were cut short to look like grass. And he even had Christmas lights strung around the house that made the place look festive.

Her house, on the other hand, was considerably smaller. She really needed to paint the exterior again as the yellow had begun to fade. Her flowerbeds looked plain, with just some shrubs but no flowers. She planned on changing that in the spring.

She simply spent most of her time as a teacher at school with the kids, grading papers, or preparing lesson plans. Since she wasn’t married, she could afford the extra time. She loved teaching both classic literature as well as theater.

She cut through the hedges, taking a shortcut to the front porch.

When she reached the concrete steps, she paused, hesitating a moment.

Did she really want to do this?

No, she didn’t. But she couldn’t turn back now.

She rang the doorbell and listened to the cheerful chime.

A moment later, heavy footsteps pounded, and the door opened.

She expected to see Gilbert.

Instead, Tex stood there.

Her throat went dry at the sight of him. She took a moment to soak in the details about his appearance. The changes he’d undergone in the past twelve years. His shoulders had broadened. His face had become more chiseled. He had the shadow of a beard across his cheeks, but his dark hair still had a touch of curl.

If possible, he was even more handsome than before.

“You came.” He sounded just as surprised as she felt.

She held up her salad and forced a smile. “Of course. Who am I to turn down a free dinner?”

Tex still had that hard look in his eyes. Was it hard? Or was it simply perceptive?

He clearly knew there was more going on with her. But Chelsea didn’t plan on telling him everything.

She didn’t know his character anymore. Didn’t know if she could trust him. Especially after he’d left without a trace.

The one thing she did know was that if she told the wrong person, it could be really bad for her. Dangerously bad.

“Come on in.” Tex opened the door farther.

Chelsea slipped inside, catching a whiff of Tex’s evergreen cologne as she did. She’d smelled it earlier also, but she’d been too frightened to really appreciate the scent.

Now the aroma was so alluring that she wanted to lean into him and enjoy it just a bit more.

But, of course, she’d never do that.

Tex gave her a quick once-over before offering an approving nod. “You’re looking good, Chelsea. It looks like the years have treated you well.”

She glanced at her jeans and red sweater.

Had the years treated her well?

She supposed she had nothing to complain about, especially when she considered others who had it much tougher than she did.

Others like Tex.

At least she’d been raised in a loving home with a stable, secure environment. She’d always had a place to fall back on if she ever needed it.

Tex had never had any of those things.

For a while, Chelsea had hoped she could be that person for him, the one who always gave him a shoulder to lean on.

But that hadn’t worked out. It hadn’t been her choice, however. She hadn’t had a say in the decision.

She swallowed hard and shoved away those thoughts.

“It smells good in here.” Now that she was farther away from his cologne, the aroma of ground beef and garlic hit her.

“Gilbert has always been able to make a good pot of meat sauce and spaghetti.”

“That’s what I hear. Believe it or not, I’ve never had any of his.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Not in all these years living beside him? That is surprising.”

Chelsea had never been in Gilbert’s inner circle—and she was okay with that. She’d never had him over either.

“I can’t believe that you’re still living here,” Tex said as he walked with her down the hall. “I fully expected you to have spread your wings and found a life somewhere else.”

“I considered it. But my parents decided they wanted to downsize and move into a retirement community. They were going to sell their place, and I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else living in the house I’d grown up in.” She shrugged, feeling self-conscious at her words. “So I bought it. They gave me a great deal, of course. But I’ve made the place my own, and I couldn’t be happier about it.”

Tex smiled, the first real smile she’d seen on him since they’d run into each other earlier. “I think that’s fantastic. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating your roots.”

If anyone knew what it was like not to have roots, it was Tex. He’d gotten his nickname because all the government knew about him when he’d been left outside a fire station at a week old was that he was from Texas, thus the nickname. He’d then been passed around different foster families for years, until finally being placed with Gilbert.

Before they could talk any more, they reached the kitchen—and Gilbert.

Any of the warm feelings that had started to simmer inside Chelsea quickly disappeared, and her nerves kicked in.

This dinner might be a good way to find out more information on Gilbert and what was going on in his life lately, but Chelsea would have to broach the subject very carefully.

“Where’s Anna?” Chelsea didn’t know the woman well, but she seemed nice enough.

“She just called and had to cancel. Something came up at school, and she needs to oversee the situation.”

“That’s too bad.”

“I was looking forward to meeting this woman who managed to rope the town’s confirmed bachelor,” Tex spoke up.

Gilbert laughed. “She’s a special one.”

Before their conversation could go any further, the sound of glass shattering in the distance filled the air.

In two seconds flat, Tex was in front of her, his broad shoulders blocking her from any incoming harm.

Her heart raced.

What had just happened?

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