Waltz Back to Texas by MJ Fredrick

Author:MJ Fredrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-04-11T04:00:00+00:00

Trace moved into the main house the next day after church, while Mandy packed up her and Vivian’s belongings from their place. Grady had thought they’d go stay with Mandy’s mom in town, but apparently the woman was ashamed of her daughter’s choices, so wasn’t allowing Mandy to come home. Grady wasn’t exactly sure where they’d be staying. Trace was still too pissed to clue him in. Trace vowed to visit a lawyer in San Marcos first thing Monday morning to keep Vivian with him.

“I do not want my daughter in a house where Mandy’s men come and go.”

Grady’s mother was distraught. “Do you think she’s in love with this man?” she asked.

Trace turned pained eyes to his mother. “Does it matter? Do you think if she is, that’s better? She’s not in love with me anymore.”

“I just—I can’t imagine Mandy having a parade of men. I didn’t think—I thought she would be a one-man woman.”

Trace gave a bitter laugh. “So did I.”

He apologized to Juliana and Nick, then pushed his chair back and headed to the back patio.

Grady stood, too, fetched two bottles of beer out of the refrigerator, and followed.

Instead of sitting at the table, Trace was slumped on the steps, looking down on the house where his wife was packing up their life. The windows were lit, and the faint strains of music carried on the breeze.

“She’s happy to be going,” Trace said dully. “She’s listening to music and singing while she decides which parts of our lives she’s taking with her, and what isn’t important to her anymore.”

“I’m sorry. I should have told you.”

Trace shook his head, blew out a long breath and straightened, reaching for his beer. “Wouldn’t have mattered. Wouldn’t have saved anything but my pride.” Trace kept his gaze on the house as he lifted the beer to his lips. “That’s my problem, she says. My pride. Too like my father, too unwilling to admit I’m wrong. Hell, she had a whole list for me. Everything I’ve done wrong the past ten years. Every way I’ve failed her.”

“I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“Yeah, I am, too.” He took another swig. “What she doesn’t know is, she kept me from being an even more miserable bastard. Her and Vivian.” He rubbed his knuckle between his eyebrows. “Don’t know what’s going to save me now.”

Grady clapped his brother on the shoulder. “I volunteer to give you regular ass-whippings.”

Trace angled a look at him then. “Yeah? You didn’t do so hot last night. Didn’t even get one punch in, and had to be rescued by a girl.”

“Figured I deserved it.”

“You did.”

They sat silently in the cooling evening.

“You going to be okay?” Grady asked after draining his beer and setting it on the flagstone porch next to Trace’s.

Trace grimaced. “I’ll live.”

Grady pushed to his feet. “Tell Mom I’ll be back later.”

“Where you going?”

“To see my girl.”

*****

Cassidy’s house was dark when he pulled up and his heart sank a bit. He figured she might go to bed early, but it was only a little after eight.

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