“That’s nuts, Libby. Dad was a heart attack waiting to happen. He’d been on medication, and he hadn’t done anything I could see to be healthier. He didn’t exercise, he drank coffee like it was water, he ate anything he damned well pleased, and he certainly wasn’t taking it easy.”
“But don’t you see, that is exactly what he wanted me here for, so he could take it easy. He said as much, but I never thought he meant it.”
“You know he would have never taken it easy. It is not his nature. Look, this has nothing to do with you. This has to do with a lifetime of issues that just caught up with him.”
“That’s pretty much what Chance said.”
At the sound of his name, Chance glanced in their direction. From his seat on the couch, he could see Libby smiling at him, but it was a sad smile, a resigned smile.
She turned her attention back to her brother, and they began to discuss how to get Sam Brennan to change his ways. From Chance’s perspective, they had about as much chance of that as hell freezing over. Sam was stubborn and set in his ways, and Libby being here wasn’t going to change that. But it would relieve Libby of guilt, he supposed.
After the last few weeks with Libby and particularly the last few days, Chance had started to hope. After all, she’d been willing to accept his terms, and she’d seemed amenable to staying on. Who knows where that could have led? In time, maybe, just maybe, he would have come to trust her enough…
But this proved it would have only resulted in another, more painful, broken heart. Because if this had happened a year down the road, or if they had actually tied the knot, then what? They’d be living in two different states because Libby would have come back to her daddy no matter what. Just like before. Only this time she was older, independent, more mature, and she had, once again, chosen her daddy over him. When would he learn?
The hurt was like an old wound that had opened up, only to bleed even more.
He checked his cell phone. He’d texted Lonnie as they’d exited the hospital and his friend should arrive soon. Then he could move out and not look back. Never look back.
He’d gone through this before. He was wiser now, and better at burying his emotions. After all, he’d had a lot of practice.
“It’s good to see you, Chance.” Doug was making his way into the great room, the sibling conference over. Libby’s brother looked ragged around the edges, like he’d been roused after a night of hard partying. He extended his hand and Chance rose to shake it.
“I’m beat, so I’m going to go back to bed and get some shut-eye before visiting hours start at 10:00 a.m. By the looks of you, guess you should too. I’ll catch up with you and Libby then.”
Doug continued to the hallway that led to the bedrooms and didn’t look back.
Chance raised his gaze to where Libby was still sitting on the stool by the kitchen island. She was staring at him as if expecting him to say something. But he knew she wouldn’t like what he had to say.
Libby’s heart took a tumble as she watched Chance slowly walk the distance to the kitchen island. The room had never seemed so big as it did waiting for him to approach.
This situation with her father changed everything, and yet, she hoped it changed nothing between them.
“We should get some shut-eye, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep.” She felt beat up, exhausted, and bruised, and yet, until she saw her father with her own eyes, she wasn’t sure her mind would let her body rest. Maybe if Chance held her in his arms, she could sleep.
He was staring straight at her as he approached, but it was as if he didn’t see her but was seeing through her. Something told her this wasn’t going to go well, and yet, she still hoped.
“I’ll be heading out. Lonnie should be here shortly.”
Libby tried to absorb that news, but she didn’t want to think what that might mean. “I need you, Chance.” It was the truth, and Libby was in no shape to equivocate.
He shook his head, denying her words.
“You’ve got your brother. Your father is going to be okay, Libby. You’re just tired.”
She rose off the stool and moved to hug him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, his warm body felt solid and strong. She felt safe, anchored. He had to stay.
“This changes nothing between us, Chance.” She wanted him to understand that.
“You already said you’d be staying here.”
She rested her cheek against his shoulder. “Yes, but you can just come here between rodeos instead of Colorado.”
“My home is in Colorado, Libby.”
He pulled back from her, and she could see from the emptiness in his eyes that he was moving on without her. Tears sprang to her eyes. So much had gone wrong in such a short time.
“Home can be where you want it to be.”
“You’ve made your decision to live your life here. Your father needs you.”