Page 3 of One Lustful Summer (Texas Summer #14)

Rowan

“What kind of cow wears a crown?”

I set the milk carton on the island counter in front of me and tilt my head to the side as I stare at my daughter sitting on the other side of the island. Jodi’s strawberry blonde hair is pulled up in lopsided pig tails. A pink bow clipped to one and a bright green on the other. Her freckled face dances and her green eyes light up as she giggles, waiting for my answer.

“A bull king?”

I answer. I honestly do not know where she gets these jokes, but it is our morning routine. A breakfast joke.

“Daddy,”

she giggles, the sound always tugging at my heart.

“It’s a dairy queen.”

I shoot her a look of amusement, a gentle laugh escaping my lips.

“That’s a good one, Jo.”

She preens at my comment, like a peacock showing off their feathers. She sits up straighter; her smile lighting up her entire face.

“Thanks, Daddy! Papa Coe, told it to me.”

“I’m sure he did,”

I answer and grab the milk to fill my cereal bowl. I know we should have a more nutritional breakfast, but some morning call for the fruity circle cereal. And this morning is one of those.

I woke up late, and everything has been a rush since then. And we now have five minutes before we need to be out of the house and on the road to school. We were in the last few weeks of school. The home-stretch before summer break.

After finishing my bowl of cereal, I grab Jodi’s empty bowl and mine. At the sink, I rinse them out and place them in the dishwasher. Throwing in a washing tab, I close the door and then press start.

“You ready, Jodi-Bug?”

I ask as I walk towards the mud room that leads out to the garage.

“Sure am, Daddy-O.”

Jodi answers as she meets me at the door. She has her backpack on and her lunch box in her hands.

I look at the unicorn lunchbox and my chest squeezes. I know I didn’t pack a lunch for her and if she packed it herself, it’s probably full of chips and fruit snacks.

“Did you pack your lunch?”

I question cautiously. Jodi tries to be very independent for a six-year-old. I try to use caution when questioning her. I don’t want to dampen her independence or free spirit.

She opens the door to the garage and looks back with a smile.

“Nope, Meme helped me last night.”

“Bless our Meme,”

I answer as I usher her out the door.

And it’s the truth. I don’t know what Jodi and I would do if it weren’t for my parents. They have always been a constant in my life. My lighthouse in a storm at sea. The ones to have my back and be my biggest support. If it wasn’t for them, I’m not sure I would have survived being a single father at twenty-five.

I help Jodi buckle in and then shut the back door of my truck. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I shut the door and Jodi hits me with another question.

“Why are cows such awesome dancers?”

I look back at her through the rear-view mirror and my heart clenches. She is my whole world. Nothing prepares you for being a father. And even with all the hic-cups we have endured, the uncertainty and surprises. Every moment is new and exciting. A picture in the reel of life.

“I don’t know, why?”

I answer as I put the truck in reverse and back out of the garage.

“They’ve got all the right moo-ves,”

she answers as she shimmies in her booster seat.

I chuckle at her antics and start the drive to town. Jodi keeps the conversation going the entire drive. She tells me about what she will do at school today.

As she rambles about music class and recess, I half listen as I plan out my day. I need to head to the hardware and secure a load of supplies for the building renovation my crew is working on. After that I plan to stop at the job-site and check in with the crew and then head over to the library to talk with Ms. Eden about the bookshelves she has commissioned for the kids’ section.

Pulling into the car rider line, I wait my turn as the line slowly creeps up to the drop-off location. Jodi sees that our time is almost up, so she hits me with one more joke.

“What do you call a sad cow?”

I shake my head and look back at her.

“I have no clue, Jodi-Bug,”

I tell her. Although I believe I know the answer, I never try to get it right. Giving her all the glory.

“Moo-dy,”

she giggles as we move up closer in the line. The cars move forward and I pull up as Jodi works on releasing her seat belt. I put the car in park and shift in my seat to see Jodi off. She leans up and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

“Love you, Daddy.”

“Love you, Jodi-Bug. Have a good day!”

The back door opens and a teaching assistant helps Jodi out of the car. With one last wave in her direction, I drive out of the school parking lot and head into town.

The automatic bell on the hardware door chimes as I step inside.

“Morning, Rowan,”

Carla, the cashier says as pass over the threshold.

“Good morning, Miss Carla,”

I reply, giving her a nod and a small wave. I make my way to the counter at the back of the store that leads out to the lumberyard.

While I wait for Joe, Carla’s husband, to finish his phone call, I scroll through my emails on my phone. A minute later, he’s standing in front of me with his ever-present smile on his face. There are only a few times in my life that I have ever seen Joe frustrated or upset. He always wears a friendly demeanor in whatever capacity I have seen him in.

“What can I get you today, Rowan?”

I go over the list of things that are needed for the job site for this week. We make plans for delivery of the items that he has on hand for this afternoon, and he makes a call to set up another delivery for tomorrow for what he doesn’t have in the lot behind the store.

“I can take those for you,”

I hear Carla say a few aisles away. My curiosity overcoming me, I turn to see who she’s talking to. I didn’t hear anyone come in and didn’t see anyone else in the store when I arrived.

I watch Carla walk out of an aisle a few rows away with her hands full. She has a couple pairs of gardening gloves, a roll of black trash bags and a few brown landscaping trash bags laying on top. She walks the items to the register and sets them on the back counter.

Looking back to where Carla came from, I’m stunned to see the woman that emerges out of the aisle. She’s not from here. An outsider, but a stunning-looking outsider. Her brown hair is on the top of her head in a messy knot of sorts, with a few pieces framing her face. Brown eyes search the store.

While she looks around, I continue my perusal of this newcomer. Dressed in a white tank top and denim shorts, her long, tan legs catch my eye. Her tennis shoes look new and I wonder how long they will stay clean.

I draw my eyes back up to her face. She’s watching me and raises her eyebrow before she gives me a once over. When her eyes meet mine, I smirk. She shakes her head, a small smile on her lips, and heads down the next aisle.

“Okay, I have that delivery all lined up,”

Joe says, making me turn away from the mystery woman.

“Thanks, Joe,”

I tell him and with a handshake to seal the deal, I head out of the hardware. My eyes looking for one more glimpse of the woman.

“Have a good day, Rowan,”

Carla calls out as I exit the door. I throw my hand up above my head, giving her a wave as the door closes behind me.