Runaround by Jay Crownover

Author:Jay Crownover [Crownover, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Runaround
Publisher: Jay Crownover
Published: 2018-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

Ten

Even in the murky darkness, it was easy to see that Webb was related to the older woman standing next to an old, battered pickup truck. Her hair was more white than blonde, and she was shorter and wider in the way many women got as age and years of less-than-healthy living caught up to them. But the neon blue eyes, complete with a mischievous twinkle, and the smile, full of charm and a little bit of trouble, were all Webb. I eyed the shotgun she must have dropped when she recognized Webb. The stout woman left the weapon behind as she rushed to sweep Webb up in her arms.

At first, he was stiff, not seeming to know what to do with the exuberant affection. It only took the older woman’s quiet cry on his chest for him to melt like butter. His strong arms wrapped securely around the smaller woman and hugged her back. I could hear him muttering soothing words into the top of her bent head, and my heart tried to knock its way out of my chest in response. Every time I turned around, he was showing me something new, unveiling hidden parts of himself. All those delicate pieces he’d lost to Jolene Bryant so long ago but was finding once again. I’d always been intrigued by the bits and pieces I’d glimpsed before when he let his guard down, but now I was getting the whole picture of who Webb Bryant was, and I couldn’t look away.

“I can’t believe it’s really you. I shoulda’ known that idiot sister of mine was going to snatch you and your brother away in the middle of the night when I told her she had to leave. I’ve been kicking myself in the rear for years for not taking you boys before she could rabbit out of here with you in tow.” The older woman pulled back and ran a hand over her damp face. She put her hand on Webb’s arms and tilted her head back so she could look up at him. A blinding smile split her weathered face. “You sure grew up handsome, didn’t you, boy?”

It was too dark to tell if Webb was blushing, but by the way he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and shuffled his feet, I bet he was. His reaction was cute and made me smile.

“Turned out all right, I guess.”

The older woman snorted and crossed her arms over her ample chest. “No thanks to that mama of yours, I gather.”

Webb shook his head. “No, Jolene didn’t have anything to do with how I turned out or anything I accomplished. That all falls on Wyatt. He raised me, gave up pretty much everything to keep me out of trouble and off the streets. He’s the best of all of us.”

The woman sniffed and wiped away a tear. “Maybe you can convince him to come home for a visit. I’ve missed you boys something fierce. Always kinda thought of you both as my own.

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