Home by Melissa Pearl

Author:Melissa Pearl [Pearl, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: second chance, country music, coming of age college romance new adult, new adult clean romance, small town country western romance, songbird novel
Publisher: Melissa Pearl
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

Josh

“Duke, come on, boy. Get inside.” I clicked my fingers and slapped my thigh, grinning when my bloodhound came running.

He galloped across the backyard and barreled past me into the kitchen. Stopping at his water bowl, he guzzled loudly while I petted his back. I’d made him run a little farther than usual that morning, but I’d needed it. Running seemed to soothe me in a way other things couldn’t. Once I’d set my pace, I was able to zone out, the world going into soft focus for a while.

I liked the world that way—it didn’t sting so bad.

Aunt Lindy had gotten me into running as a kid. Every time my dad deployed, she’d force me to go exercising with her. At the time, I loathed it. I wanted to wallow in my room, missing and hating my dad for leaving me, but she got me out on those country roads and forced me to run…and it had been exactly what I’d needed.

I’d never broken the habit, although having Rachel in my bed in the mornings had me cutting my runs pretty short. But she wasn’t there anymore, and the more time passed, the longer my runs became.

Nearly seven weeks and I still hadn’t called her back.

I was a stubborn fool, or maybe just a really smart man.

Pulling my hair free of its ponytail, I flicked my curls out before splashing water on my face. It dripped off my chin as I gazed in the mirror. I didn’t know what my reflection was trying to tell me. People kept saying I looked tired. Mrs. Watters down the road was a mite worried. She kept on dropping off meals for me, muttering about that heart-breaking wench who left me. I didn’t like that part so much. Yeah, Rachel had left me, but I was the only one who was allowed to complain about it! And she sure as hell wasn’t the slutty whore everyone claimed she was. She’d done those things out of pure survival, plain and simple.

Duke trotted over to me but stopped halfway, his head jerking for the back door. His bark was gruff, but the way his tail wagged told me this was no guest. Whoever was walking in that door was coming home.

“Rachel?” I whispered, hope soaring through me until I rounded the corner and saw my uncle rubbing Duke’s head.

“Hey, boy!” He chuckled, crouching down and getting a fair lick to his ginger-speckled beard. He laughed and kept rubbing, throwing me a broad smile.

“What are you doing here?” I leaned against the doorframe with a grin.

His gaze remained on Duke, and he finished his petting session before standing tall and coming toward me with a cautious expression.

My face wrinkled, instant tension knotting my shoulders. “Everything okay?”

His nod was too short and sharp to be sincere, and dread spiked through me. Uncle Amos did not deliver bad news well. I would never forget the day he told me Dad had died. He’d just blurted it out, and I’d gone into a state of shock.

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