Karen Whiddon - The Texan's Return

Friends. They’d been that, once. And more. Much, much more. Not only best friends, but lovers and soul mates. She’d loved him, with all the fervor of a teenage girl. And he’d loved her back, or so she’d believed. Though when he and his family had moved away, under the cloud of shame caused by what Mac’s father had done, he hadn’t even said goodbye. Hailey had never heard from him again.

Not that she’d wanted to. That was what she’d told herself to mitigate the hurt. After all, there’d only been so many things she could grieve at seventeen. Her sister’s murder had been difficult enough. Once upon a time, Hailey had believed in true love, happily-ever-after and fairy tales. That was Before, with a capital B. Before everything had changed and she’d learned monsters really did exist.

“Hailey?” He cocked his head, clearly waiting for her to respond.

The sound of her name on his lips sent a shiver up her spine. Words. She needed to answer him. So she said the first thing that came to mind. “I thought you moved far away. Another state? Up north somewhere.”

“No. Mother and I settled in Huntsville, to be near my dad.”

She couldn’t suppress a shudder.

He continued on as if he hadn’t noticed. “My mother passed away three years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, meaning it. Then, because she had to ask, she did. “And your father?” Holding herself stiffly, she waited for him to say the words that, even now, might set her free.

Swallowing, Mac looked away for the first time since he’d arrived. “He’s been ill. Pancreatic cancer. It’s terminal.”

Heaven help her, she wouldn’t allow herself to feel pity. His father deserved none, that was for sure. Crossing her arms, she settled for a nod. “What are you doing here, Mac?” This time, she softened her tone. “Nothing good can come of dredging up old memories.”

Finally, he appeared uncomfortable. Shifting his weight from foot to foot—sturdy black motorcycle boots, she noticed—he sighed. “I’m home, Hailey. My father and I both. We’ve moved back into the old place on Front Street.”

“They let him out?” Shocked, she didn’t have time to think of the impact her words might have on him. He winced, and she scaled back her outrage, just a little bit. “I’ve been notified every time he’s come up for parole,” she informed him, her voice firm but softer. “I’d know if they were going to release that man.”

“That man is my father.” He rolled one shoulder in that shrug she remembered. “He’s sick, Hailey. Very ill,” he told her, his tone matter-of-fact since he definitely knew he couldn’t ask for her sympathy. “He’s dying, actually. His one wish was to come home and spend his final days in the house he built with his own hands. He needed someone to take care of him when hospice isn’t there, so I came with him.”

Hailey stared. She’d never been cruel, not to him. Even when the accusations had been flying like mud under a galloping horse’s hooves, she hadn’t blamed him for what his father had done. She wouldn’t be cruel now either.

Lips tight, she nodded. “Good luck.”

Before he had time to muster up a reply, she closed the door in his face and, for good measure, clicked the dead bolt into place.

Breathing as hard as if she’d just completed several runs up and down the stairs, she stared at the back of the closed door and tried to adjust to the sudden shift in her reality. As she trembled, she pressed her hand to her midsection, trying to regain her equilibrium.

She had a sneaking suspicion nothing would ever be the same again. Mac had returned. Despite knowing better, her heart had given a spontaneous leap of joy at the sight of him, proving old habits died hard.

Mac Morrison. The only boy she’d ever loved. He was a man now, devastatingly handsome, and even more ruggedly virile. The sight of him still captivated her. Despite everything. He’d come back. Who would have ever believed such a thing could be possible? Stunned, dismayed and confused, she wasn’t sure of herself anymore. The flare of sudden attraction at the sight of him made her feel as if she’d been catapulted into the past, before her entire life—both of their entire lives—had been irrevocably changed. She’d not only lost her sister, but her mother had descended into the depths of alcoholism, her stepfather had left and Hailey had become caregiver to her three younger siblings. For them, she’d had to be strong. For them, she’d buried her grief and sorrow deep inside and worked hard to make sure they’d have the most stable lives she could give them.

Since then, she’d clawed her way back to a semblance of normalcy. She refused to let that be jeopardized because of his return.

Why had he come to see her? Just to let her know he was back in town? Along with the monster he called his father. She supposed she should be glad for the warning. That way, she could make sure she avoided them.

Giving herself a mental shake, she straightened her shoulders, exhaled and turned to make her way back to the kitchen. She’d never liked change, but it sure looked like things were changing. She’d do her damnedest to keep any repercussions from touching her or her brothers and sister.

* * *

Mac Morrison had known his stomach shouldn’t have been twisted in knots because he meant to say hello to his old high school flame. Yet it was. The fact that he’d never forgotten her factored in heavily as one reason, but it could also be due to the possibility that she still hated him.

Did she, after ten long years? Wanting to know the answer was part of the reason he made this unannounced visit.

The other part? He simply wanted to see her. To find out if the years had been kind to her. To hear her speak in that slow, sensual Southern drawl he’d never forgotten. Even if she looked at him with her bright blue eyes full of hate, he thought he could take that. Maybe. Maybe now enough years had passed that he’d no longer feel that sharp stab of betrayal.

Foolish, he knew. But in the aftermath of Hailey’s sister’s murder, he and his family had been part of the fallout. The entire town had been in upheaval. He could have taken that; he could have taken anything. But when Hailey turned against him, that had been the final straw of many.

Now looking back, he could see a bit more clearly. They’d all been in agony. The unspeakable had happened right in the middle of their idyllic little town, and the consequences had been enormous. There’d been so much pain on both sides. So much loss. Surely not the worst, but definitely not the least of all had been their breakup.

If he’d wanted a fresh start, he wasn’t sure this town would be the best place to get it. But he owned the house and farm free and clear. This was what his father wanted, so Mac had come home. Because despite everything, no matter where he’d lived since then, he always considered Legacy, Texas, home.

Once he’d arrived back in the place that had haunted him since leaving, the first thing he’d done after getting settled was ask around in town about Hailey. He figured she might have gotten married by now, have a couple kids of her own. He’d been stunned to learn she hadn’t, even more surprised to find out she’d remained living in her childhood home with her mother and three younger siblings.

Of course he knew he had to head out to Hailey’s place. He’d driven there slowly, the winding, tree-lined roads as familiar as if he’d never left. The thick foliage, glowing in various shades of vibrant green, reminded him how beautiful spring could be in this part of Texas. With the backdrop of a cloudless sky in that particular shade of cornflower blue, the natural beauty lightened his heart. He thought it might be the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, except for the sight of Hailey’s gaze softening as she looked at him.