7. Beth

"How in the world did I get here?" Beth asked when she pulled into her driveway. She had absolutely no memory of the drive between the restaurant and her house.

Beth reached up and touched her lips. The kiss had been electrifying and had melted her insides.

Moving automatically, she grabbed her purse, locked her car, and went inside the house. She dropped her purse off on the counter and slumped down on the couch.

Her heart clenched tightly as her body shook. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Over the years, she had held in her feelings, moving through each day focused on Taryn and her clients.

Now, she couldn't hold back. The floodgates opened and raw pain and emotion exploded. Beth had missed Conner so much. She had never stopped loving him. Her pain had dulled down from a constant stabbing in her heart and soul to a dull ache. The kiss had brought it all back to the surface again.

Even though it was late, she called Savvy. She was likely just getting off work.

"Hello," Savvy said. "Why are you up so late?"

Beth wasn't a night owl. Savvy always teased her about being an old lady who went to bed as soon as the sun went down.

"You're never going to believe this. I went on a date with Conner tonight."

Savvy groaned. "I thought that you were going to avoid him."

"That plan didn't work out so great," Beth said. "He asked me to go out with him, and I argued with myself in my head. One of the voices inside my head lost, and I said yes."

"The voice of reason," Savvy said. "How did it go?"

"We had a great time," Beth said. "We talked about Taryn for a while. I did mention that she was stubborn just like her father."

"What did he say to that?"

"Nothing," Beth said. "We spent the rest of the night just talking about our lives." She paused for a minute. "Then, he kissed me."

"Wow," Savvy said. "How did that feel?"

"Overwhelming. Incredible. Stirred up everything that I've tried to suppress the last several years."

"You need to be careful. You've been hurt enough."

"I know," Beth said. "I just need to decide what to do. I can try to avoid him, which would be almost impossible since Taryn is competing at the rodeo. I could also tell him to bugger off and leave me alone."

"Sensible choice," Savvy said.

"Or, I could simply spend as much time as I can with him and tuck them into my memories."

"And get hurt even more," Savvy said.

"Honestly, I don't think that I could hurt any more than I already have been."

"You know that I have your back no matter what you decide," Savvy said. "I have a feeling I know what you've decided."

"Yep. I can't resist. More than anything, though, I wish that I could tell him the truth and see if his love for me is still there, buried somewhere deep in his psyche."

"Who knows, maybe you will find a way. A reverse fairy tale. You will kiss him and your Prince Charming will wake up. Then you can live happily ever after."

Beth coughed and laughed at the same time. "Doubtful. That is not the storyline that my life follows. Anyway, enough about me. How was your night?"

"Exciting. Some of the cowboys got drunk and commenced beating on each other. The bouncers threw them out into the parking lot and they continued fighting until the cops showed up."

The two friends talked for a while and then Beth said, "I need sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Taryn was hyper when she came home the next morning. "Mrs. Peters made pancakes and I had lots of syrup."

"Sugar rush. Great," Beth groaned jokingly. "You're going to crash just when you need to be on your game."

"Nah, I'll be alright," Taryn said.

Their conversation was interrupted when Matilda knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for an invitation. Taryn flashed her mother a look and then disappeared into the living room. She avoided her grandmother whenever possible.

"I need to start locking the door," Beth muttered.

"It wouldn't work," Matilda said. "I can unlock it with just a wave of my hand."

"You need to have some respect and wait for me to ask you to come in," Beth said.

Matilda grinned wickedly. "Nope. I would end up standing outside for hours."

Beth wasn't about to lie and tell her mother anything different.

"I saw you at the restaurant with Conner last night."

It figures. The one night that I go out, Mother happens to be there, too.

"And?" Beth asked.

"You need to stay away from that man. He is bad news. Conner is a rodeo man and is just going to hurt you again."

"He didn't hurt me the first time. You did. You were the one who put a forget spell on him. He was going to propose and we were going to make a life together."

"I did it for your own good," Matilda insisted. "You need to be careful. If he finds out about Taryn, he'll take her away from you. His brother is the alpha of the Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack and is very powerful. Although, now that I think about it, that might not be a bad thing. She is a wolf shifter and belongs to the pack."

Beth ignored the last part of the comment. "Conner would never do that."

"It's been eleven years since you have been with him. People change."

"He's a good man and that will never change. And it is your fault that we have been separated for so long."

"Why do you keep saying that like it's a bad thing? I put that spell on him to protect you, and I would do it again. Keep that in mind, Beth." Then, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

Beth sank down into the chair and ran her fingers through her hair. She buried her face in her hands and heaved a deep sigh.

She jumped when Taryn put her hand on Beth's shoulder. "Mom. What were you and Grandmother talking about?"

"Nothing important," Beth said.

"She said that Conner would hurt you again. What did she mean by that? And why did you say that he was going to propose to you?"

Beth's mind raced. She tried to figure a way out of this conversation. However, without lying to Taryn, she couldn't think of a single thing.

"Sit down," Beth said.

Taryn sat, folded her hands in front of her on the table, and waited.

"Eleven years ago, Conner was here with the rodeo. He was trampled by the bull and was brought here because Dr. Jean couldn't help him. I healed him. During that time, we fell in love."

Taryn didn't say anything. She simply looked at her mother and waited for her to continue her story.

"Conner was going to ask me to marry him. Mother headed him off at the jewelry store. She cast a forget spell on him. He forgot about me. Not too long after that I found out that, I was pregnant with you."

Taryn's eyes opened wide in surprise. Her mouth opened and she looked like she stopped breathing.

"Taryn?"

"He's my father," she gasped.

"Yes.

"That makes sense. I thought that he looked familiar. It's because he looks like me. He's a wolf shifter."

Beth nodded.

"I want to talk to him," Taryn said. "More than just to say hi."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Beth said. "There is no way to tell him about you. If I tell him the truth, he would think that I'm nuts. If we suddenly say that you're his daughter, he'll think that we're trying to scam him."

"Please," Taryn said. "I just want to see what he's like. I promise that I won't tell him anything."

Heaving a heavy sigh, Beth ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't think it's a good idea. He's not going to be around long. Once this event is over, he'll be gone. He won't remember either of us."

"I understand that, but I'll remember him."

Against Beth's better judgment, she said, "Okay. We'll figure out a way."

That afternoon, at the meeting, Beth and Taryn walked over to Conner and stood next to him. Taryn climbed up on the fence and sat on the top rail next to him. He smiled at her.

After the meeting was over, Conner asked, "Are you ready for this evening's events?"

"Yep," Taryn said. "Pegasus and I understand each other. Plus, he was trained by my friend's parents. Jenna's family has been training barrel racers and roping horses forever."

"I must say that you are an extremely talented young lady. Your mom tells me that you are using the prize money to save up for college."

"Yep. I want to be a veterinarian. I love animals and I want to help them."

"That's a very noble career," Conner said. "I can't stand the sight of blood, especially my own. I don't do needles either, so I could never do that."

Taryn laughed.

"What are you giggling at?" Conner asked, pretending to be mad. It didn't work, though, because the huge smile on his face gave it away.

"You're a big rodeo hero. You ride some of the meanest bulls in this country, and you're scared of a needle. Those bulls can hurt you a lot more."

"I know," Conner said. "Believe me, more than one of them has tried to kill me. But there is something about that tiny, shiny, sharp thing that doctors want to stick me with."

Taryn giggled. "I guess that's fair. I was afraid of clowns until I started with the rodeo. Even now, if I see one outside of the rodeo, I get scared."

"Why?"

"Pennywise," she answered.

"Your mom let you watch It?" he asked, looking at Beth.

"No. I read the book. I checked it out of the library. I learned to read when I was three and read a lot of different things."

"I like to read, too," Conner said. "I started reading when I was young, and I read almost everything but spy and war books. I really like mysteries."

"Me, too," Taryn gushed.

Beth listened while Conner and Taryn continued talking. He didn't condescend to her like some adults tended to do to kids. He spoke to her with the same respect as he would give any adult.

She could tell that Taryn really liked him.

He checked his watch and said, "We have some time before the rodeo starts. Do you want some funnel cake?"

"Yes," Taryn exclaimed. "Mom?"

"More sugar?" Beth asked with a smile.

"Yep," Taryn said.

They went to the fairgrounds and Conner treated them to funnel cakes. Taryn chattered away about animals, books, scary movies, and everything else she could think of saying. Beth realized that Taryn was trying to get a lifetime of information in a single setting. She knew that it was because Taryn knew that she might not get another opportunity. Even though Conner didn't know that she was his daughter, Taryn wanted to share her life with her father. He might not realize it and wouldn't likely remember the afternoon, but Taryn would for the rest of her life.

Beth's heart broke for Taryn, too. Taryn knew that Conner would leave and the two of them would be alone again. But that didn't stop her from pretending today. Beth knew exactly how she felt.

All too soon, it was time to go back to the rodeo arena and get ready for the evening's events.

"I really like him," Taryn said. "He's great. I wish…"

"I know, Baby Girl," Beth said, hugging her daughter and kissing the top of her head. "I wish, too."