Page 32 of Roots of Redemption (Hicks Creek #4)
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sutton
I guess people can change. Or maybe, I never really knew Wade Callahan at all. Sure, he’s always been a smart man, but his words just now were beyond insightful.
I sit at the kitchen table, his words playing on a loop in my mind.
Most of the time, people will tell you that you can’t choose your family and that you just have to live with their behavior.
Much like my mother, she’d excuse it away and blame it on something else entirely.
That’s always been the response, honestly.
But Wade, he didn’t excuse it away. He also pointed out that none of this is actually because of me.
Did I know that already?
Yeah, probably. Deep down, I think I’ve always understood that my dad’s behavior is because of him and not because of my actions.
It’s easy to convince yourself otherwise, though.
I remember hearing my aunt say that my dad always wanted a son and got a daughter.
I was probably six at the time. After that, it was like the explanation for everything.
Whether it was true didn’t matter. It’s the story that I told myself, and I’m certain it only made the divide between us become the Grand Canyon.
I sigh, pushing myself up and heading for the bathroom. The hot water feels like a blessing as it cascades over me, washing away the dirt from the day but not the thoughts swirling in my head. I’m falling for Wade. Hard. And I don’t know what to do about it.
I let the hot water and steam ease the aches in my body, melting the stress away as best they could.
The way Wade kisses me is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and I wish that he would’ve kissed me tonight instead of leaving.
After my shower, I wrap a towel around myself and wander into my bedroom, opening drawers in search of pajamas. Of course, none of my favorites are where they’re supposed to be. Typical. I’m mid-search when my phone buzzes on the nightstand. Grabbing it, I see Kelsey’s name flashing on the screen.
“Hey, Kels,” I answer, tucking the phone between my shoulder and ear as I rummage through another drawer.
“Hey, yourself,” she replies, her tone light but with that knowing edge she always has. “How’s life on the ranch? Coming any closer to figuring things out?”
“Not really. I did send some cattle to the lab for a necropsy rather than sending tissue samples. Maybe that will get us further along. I think it’s bovine respiratory disease, but the symptoms aren’t textbook.”
“I’m learning that nothing is textbook,” she laughs “It’s like they need to rewrite them all because these diseases are growing legs or something.”
“Haha, yeah, you might be right. I had one ranch show signs of lepto, so I don’t know if it’s related or something completely separate. Hicks Creek is definitely keeping me on my toes.”
“Yikes, lepto is way scarier.”
“Yeah, no one wants to be the vet who missed the symptoms and caused a virus outbreak for humans, too. Hicks Creek would really be a ghost town.”
“Ah, humor in the midst of chaos, look at you,” she teases.
“Dark humor is what gets me through the tough days,” I say lightly. “I feel like I’m getting close to a breakthrough, that’s the important part.”
“How are things with your dad? Are you staying there?”
“No, I found an Airbnb close by, but things are the same with Dad,” I chuckle. “You’ll never guess whose property the Airbnb is on, though.”
“Is it a celebrity?”
“No,” I chuckle. “Remember the guy from my hometown that I unknowingly hooked up with in Texas? When we were celebrating our acceptance to vet school?”
“Of course, I do! Well, I forgot about it until you just mentioned it. Whyyyyyyyyy are you just not telling me this? Is he single? Oh my God. Or should I say, how’s life with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broody?”
I roll my eyes, even though she can’t see me. “It’s been busy. You know how it is. He is single.”
“Uh-huh. And how is he ? You know damn well that I don’t want to hear anything about the cattle anymore. Tell me everything about this man again,” she presses, not letting me off the hook.
I pause, biting my lip. “He’s… good. Supportive. Mature. More than I expected, honestly.”
“Supportive, huh? More than you expected.” Her voice is teasing now. “It sounds like you really like him.”
“From a few words?” I protest weakly.
“It’s not just the words, I can tell by the tone of your voice,” she says with a laugh. “Come on, Sutton. Spill. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
I flop onto the bed, the towel slipping slightly. “I don’t know, Kels. He’s… different. He makes me feel safe but also like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to jump. And that scares me.”
“Of course it does,” she says, her tone softening. “You’ve been through a lot. It’s natural to be scared. But you can’t let fear keep you from something good.”
“What if it’s not good?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. “What if I get hurt again?”
“Then you pick yourself up and keep going,” she says firmly. “You’re one of the most resilient women I know.”
“But I’m tired of being resilient. I just…I just want it to work out, you know? I’m tired of the lessons.”
She giggles softly. “Girl, I feel that in my soul. You have to look at it from this point of view, though…Everything in life is a lesson in some way. If you’re always thinking it’s a negative lesson, then it will be.”
I let out a long groan. “Man, you and Wade are full of the wise advice today.”
I think back to the way he looked at me earlier, the way he held me like I was the most important thing in his world. I smile.
Maybe I should be looking at those positives.
“Maybe it’s time you let yourself be all in,” she says gently. “You deserve to be happy, Sutton. Don’t let your past steal that from you.”
I’m quiet for a moment, her words sinking in. “Thanks, Kels. I needed to hear that.”
“Anytime,” she says. “Now, what’s the latest on the cattle situation? Any new leads?”
I fill her in on what we’ve found so far, bouncing ideas back and forth. She’s sharp as a tack, and her insights always help me see things from a different angle.
Even in college, we would talk through assignments and scenarios to see things from different ways, and we almost always figured out what we needed to.
“I’ve missed these sessions,” I laugh.
“Me, too. Thank goodness for modern technology that we’re able to still do them even when we’re in different states.”
“For sure. It’s nice to have another person’s point of view. Doc Lucy is great, but her experience is limited to what she’s seen in Hicks Creek.”
“I feel that. We’re lucky that we’ve been able to travel for our experiences.”
“Maybe I should explain that to my dad,” I sigh. “I know he thinks that I abandoned our family by going to A it’s not unprofessional. Who knows, that might be what the cows need to be healed miraculously.”
“Stooooop,” I laugh again, tightening the towel even more.
I can feel my face is bright red, and I’m grinning widely. Wade chuckles as he puts the plate on the kitchen table.
“I was on the phone with my friend Kelsey and half looking for my pajamas. I wasn’t thinking that I hadn’t gotten dressed. What are you doing here?”
“Caleb and I made dinner. I thought it would be nice to bring you down some food so that you didn’t have to mess with it.”
“You cooked for me?”
“Yeah, I guess,” he laughs. “You’ve been running yourself ragged, and I figured you’d use wine instead of food tonight.”
I let out a small groan because the thought had crossed my mind.
“I really appreciate the gesture. This is so nice.”
I walk over to him, reach up on my tiptoes, and kiss him softly. “You really always know what I need before I even do,” I continue.
He shrugs, his eyes roaming up and down me again. I bite my bottom lip as my eyes go directly down to the very noticeable bulge in his pants.
I could drop the towel and be very clear about what I want right now. It’s completely out of character for me, but sometimes it’s good to get outside of your comfort zone.
The heat in his eyes has practically scorched this town into oblivion as it is. I can feel my thighs getting wet as our gazes lock.
Welp, it’s now or never.
I lift my hand to the top of the towel, loosening it before I drop into the floor.