Page 30 of Rainwater

“All right, but stop that blubbering,” he said gruffly, with more compassion than irritation.

Ellie smiled and wiped at her tears.

“How about an ice-cream cone on me?” he offered, chucking her under the chin.

Ellie’s grin widened. “Mom says that ice cream can just about cure anything.”

“Your mom may be on to something there.”

Later that night, he sat on the motel bed, watching Ellie sleep, worrying about tomorrow and hoping he had made the right decision. He thought about calling Jennifer, had just about dialed all the numbers when he heard Ellie’s voice.

“Don’t call her. She’ll make me come home,” Ellie pleaded.

“Ellie, you’re my responsibility. Your mother has a right to know if something happened to you.”

She sat up in bed. “I agree, but I’m not seriously injured. In fact, my wrist doesn’t even hurt at all. So I’ll have a cast for a few weeks. Big deal.”

“Ellie, your mom will want to know.”

“She’s probably still in Phoenix conducting business. You don’t want to upset her when she needs all her negotiating skills.”

“Ellie…” He stopped, at a loss for words.

“Please, Corey. I’ll just die if she makes me go home. I don’t want to give up.”

The fresh tears were more than he could stand. “Ellie, I don’t like this.”

“Please,” she said brokenly as she shifted to sit next to him. “I promise I’ll tell her it was my idea not to call her. Please, please, please. I’m begging you .”

Some father he would make, Corey thought. A little pleading and a lot of tears, and he was considering doing something totally against his conscience. But he knew that it was right to call Jennifer.

“I have to call her and you can explain things. If she says you have to come home, then that’s it.”

She took a shuddering breath and nodded. “All right.” Pulling out her cell, she put the call through.

Ellie’s young, passionate voice must have convinced her mom. “She said maybe. She wants to talk to you.”

He took Ellie’s cell. “Jennifer?”

“That kid is going to be the death of me. What do you think?”

“I think she’s as brave as hell. She does only need one arm to rein the horse. But it’s up to you.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Jennifer spoke. “All right. Let her ride. She derserves the chance. I’ll see you soon,” she said huskily.

Corey ended the call and nodded.

Ellie squealed and bounced on the bed.

“You get some sleep now.”

Ellie nodded and lay back against the pillows again. It didn’t take long before he heard her even breathing.

Her red hair was tousled, thick and rich on the pillow, her dark lashes like half-moons on her delicate cheeks.

He knew without having to think about it that he loved her.

He wanted to be there for her when she needed him.

He wanted to soothe her tears when a stupid adolescent boy broke her heart.

He wanted to nurture and teach her. He wanted the responsibility of her life in his hands.

A life he would cherish and hold right up against his heart.

And the painful realization that he couldn’t tore his heart to shreds.

The fear he had lived with since he became an adult was too real, too near, always waiting to grab him unaware.

What did he have to offer to either of these delicate souls?

Jennifer, with her full giving heart and Ellie with her innocence and trust.

Unable to answer his own questions, he slept in the adjacent bed, because he needed to be fresh and alert for Ellie.

He would be driving her home tomorrow and he needed his wits about him.

Home to Jennifer. He couldn’t help it, he moaned out loud thinking about Jennifer, recalling the way her hands had kneaded his back.

The softness of her mouth, the way she gasped and cried out when she found her release.

He hugged his pillow to him and pretended it was her and finally dropped into slumber.

The next thing he knew, it was morning and Ellie was shaking him and telling him she was hungry. They got dressed and started out for the motel diner. He checked Ellie’s cast.

Unlike yesterday morning, Ellie ate a hearty breakfast and even managed to chatter all the way through it. He enjoyed every minute of her breathless questions, smiled at the serious way she listened to his every word.

They got to the rodeo in plenty of time. As they walked over to the booth to get Ellie’s number, his arm loosely around her shoulders, he heard a voice from the past.

“Rainwater, is that you? I heard you turned yellow, so did you decide to ride in the baby rodeo?”

He turned around and faced the man, not noticing Ellie’s gasp and stiff posture.

Sonny Braxton. Once he had been great and on top, but now he was a drunken lout who didn’t have the manners of a goat. He had once been handsome, but excess living had put pounds on his body and carved deep grooves in his face. Pale blue eyes, glazed by alcohol, challenged Corey.

“Braxton, don’t you have anything better to do than hang around the junior championships?”

“My girl has a kid riding in this baby’s circus,” he said, his gaze shifting to Ellie. “Picking them up kinda young, Rainwater. You must be hard-up.”

Before Sonny could say another hateful word, Corey’s fist connected with his jaw and laid him out on the ground. With clenched teeth, Corey snapped, “Shut your filthy mouth, you poor excuse of a man. And stay out of my way.”

Corey turned around, grabbed Ellie by the arm and dragged her after him.

When they reached the check-in booth, he finally noticed how pale she was.

She looked as if she’d seen a ghost. He let his anger go and crouched until he was eye level with her.

“What is it, honey? I’m sorry you had to see that. ”

To his complete horror, she broke into sobbing tears. Her chest heaved with them, her eyes full of horror from something Corey couldn’t pinpoint.

He scooped her up and found a quiet spot near the fence where he cradled her against him, her number still in his hand. “Ellie, what’s wrong? Please tell me, little darlin’. The fighting upset you. Do you want me to take you home?”

“N-no,” she stammered, crying as if her world had suddenly caved in on her.

“Ellie, please,” he begged, “tell me.”

“H-he’s my father,” she said in barely a whisper.

“Braxton?”

“Yes. I saw a picture of him a long time ago before Mom destroyed them all. She never told me his name, but I heard her and Grandpa talking about him one time. His name was in the paper, so I cut out the clipping and saved it. I wanted to meet him one day. I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought of him. I never… I felt... Oh, God, he’s repulsive.

He’s awful. I hate him.” She cried harder, and Corey didn’t know what to do. He just held her and rocked her.

He knew how she felt. He’d seen a dream die before. He’d hated as she hated right now. He knew what it meant to be disillusioned by a father. He knew what it was like to hate a father.

“What did you want to tell him?”

She swallowed and wiped at her face. Taking the handkerchief he offered, she blew her red, swollen nose.

“I wanted to tell him that he was a fool to leave us. That we were the best things to ever happen to him, and he threw us away like garbage. I wanted to show him how wonderful I turned out. I wanted him to know what he was missing.”

And she wanted to know why he’d left. She wanted his love.

He pulled her tighter. “He is a fool, Ellie. A big, sorry fool.”

That started her crying again, and his words were thick with understanding. “I know how you feel. He’s not worthy of your precious tears, but somehow you can’t help caring. Can you, little darlin’?”

At those words, her jaw hardened and anger blazed in her eyes. “Yes, I care, but you’re right. He isn’t worthy. And I have a championship to win.”

Corey smiled. “That’s right. Let’s go get Limelight saddled up and make Molly Duncan really anxious.”

Corey was relieved to see that sly look back on her face, even though beneath it, he knew she still reeled from the shock of finding out what a bastard her father was.

“Let’s,” she agreed.

Hours later, he drove up the long winding driveway of the Triple X. He could feel Ellie’s nervousness.

She searched out the first sight of the house.

Pleasure was on her face, and Corey envied her the sheer joy of knowing what it felt like to come home.

But then her expression turned serious. “Corey, I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention that run-in with my father. I’ll tell Mom in my own way.”

“Sure, little darlin’,” he replied.

He could almost pretend that this was real. That he and Ellie were returning to Jennifer as a family. He could see his life spread before him.

But it was a dream. Jennifer could never be his wife, Ellie could never be his daughter, and this wonderful place full of warmth and love could never be his home.

“I can’t wait to see Two Tone. I bet he missed me. Do you think Mom missed us?”

Corey felt his body tighten and heat. He knew that he’d missed her. He wanted his mouth on hers, her whimpering cries like sustenance. The woman had gotten under his skin, into his soul, embedded in his heart.

He looked over at Ellie, watching the pleasure on her face flare and blossom as she caught the first glimpse of her home. This little girl had gotten to him, too. He reached out and pulled on her braid.

“Corey?” she asked, her big serious eyes turning to him, her hand landing on his forearm. He clenched the wheel tighter, knowing that what was coming was going to be painful for him.

“Yeah, sweetheart,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.

“Thanks for, you know, being there at the hospital, for not leaving me alone with those people.” A tremor touched her smooth pink lips.

“I promised your mom I’d look out for you. No one was going to make me leave when you wanted me to stay.”

“I was scared, and it hurt,” she said, keeping her features deceptively composed, but her eyes said all he needed to know.