funny
smile.
"Yeah, I guess that's his name," Joel said
then tossed back the rest of his beer.
"I don't know, his boyfriend showed up, so he
had to go," she told him with a chuckle, then took a bite of her
burger.
CHAPTER FOUR
Last night at the bar, after she'd finished
the last bite of her hamburger, Joel had hustled them outside and
to her car so fast Terri's head had spun. Without a word, or having
received a bill from Jerry, he tossed two large bills on the
counter, then grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the
door.
Yeah, he had to get to Dallas, but after they
left the bar, he acted like his pants were on fire to get away from
her. He hadn't talked in the car, just drove to her apartment,
parked then tossed her the keys and left. Something was eating at
him, but as much as she'd tried to figure it out last night laying
in her bed staring at the ceiling, Terri was at a loss.
The only thing she could figure was maybe he'd
been jealous of Solly, or worried about the ranch. But she'd
basically told him Solly was gay, so that couldn't be it. And the
ranch was opening in five days, he better not be worried
about that. She was leaving everything familiar to go there, so it
better not be a losing proposition.
At Sunday dinner at her parents house, she'd
broken the news that she was moving. Her mother had about collapsed
in a heap of tears, and her brother Ethan had just stood there with
his mouth pinched. Before she left, her daddy shoved a wad of
hundred dollar bills in her purse, and refused to take them back.
Terri wasn't certain, but she was sure there were tears in his
eyes. She'd never seen her daddy cry before. Her family acted like
she was moving to Outer Siberia instead of Amarillo.
Today though, she had more to worry about than
what was in Joel's craw, or how her family was taking the news she
was moving. The movers were here and her stuff was fast
disappearing from the apartment, before she could give them
instructions on what to take first. By the time she managed to get
their attention, there were only three boxes left in her living
room. Even her sofa was gone.
Most of her stuff was going into storage, but
she had separated the things she wanted to put on the truck last,
so she could unload what she wanted at the bunkhouse first. Thank
god, she'd marked the boxes, so she could at least identify them
when she unloaded at the storage unit.
When the movers closed the back of the truck,
Terri did one more walk through of her apartment to make sure she
hadn't left anything, then stopped at the door and took a deep
breath.
This was it, she was really moving to
Amarillo, and her stomach did a little somersault at the thought.
For the fifteenth time since last night, she wondered if she was
making the right decision. Like she had the other fourteen times,
Terri reminded herself that she didn't have a choice. Until
recently, her time here in her hometown had been good, but it was
time for her to find greener pastures with less bullshit to contend
with.
With determination, she dropped the keys on
the carpet to the right of the door, like she told her landlord she
would, then she locked the door and slammed it behind her. The
moving truck had already pulled out, but she knew in her car she'd
catch up with them shortly. If she didn't, they were going to meet
at the storage unit.
Four hours later, Terri still hadn't seen hide
nor hair of the moving truck and she got a little worried. She
grabbed her GPS unit from the glove box and plugged in the address
of the storage facility. By the time she pulled up in front of the
storage facility an hour later, the British woman voicing
directions to her was on her last nerve, but she had guided her
right there. Terri was exhausted, she had to pee, and she still
didn't see any sign of the moving truck.
The movers had either hauled ass and broken
everything she owned in the process, or they'd had an accident
breaking everything she owned. Visions of her furniture and
smile.
"Yeah, I guess that's his name," Joel said
then tossed back the rest of his beer.
"I don't know, his boyfriend showed up, so he
had to go," she told him with a chuckle, then took a bite of her
burger.
CHAPTER FOUR
Last night at the bar, after she'd finished
the last bite of her hamburger, Joel had hustled them outside and
to her car so fast Terri's head had spun. Without a word, or having
received a bill from Jerry, he tossed two large bills on the
counter, then grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the
door.
Yeah, he had to get to Dallas, but after they
left the bar, he acted like his pants were on fire to get away from
her. He hadn't talked in the car, just drove to her apartment,
parked then tossed her the keys and left. Something was eating at
him, but as much as she'd tried to figure it out last night laying
in her bed staring at the ceiling, Terri was at a loss.
The only thing she could figure was maybe he'd
been jealous of Solly, or worried about the ranch. But she'd
basically told him Solly was gay, so that couldn't be it. And the
ranch was opening in five days, he better not be worried
about that. She was leaving everything familiar to go there, so it
better not be a losing proposition.
At Sunday dinner at her parents house, she'd
broken the news that she was moving. Her mother had about collapsed
in a heap of tears, and her brother Ethan had just stood there with
his mouth pinched. Before she left, her daddy shoved a wad of
hundred dollar bills in her purse, and refused to take them back.
Terri wasn't certain, but she was sure there were tears in his
eyes. She'd never seen her daddy cry before. Her family acted like
she was moving to Outer Siberia instead of Amarillo.
Today though, she had more to worry about than
what was in Joel's craw, or how her family was taking the news she
was moving. The movers were here and her stuff was fast
disappearing from the apartment, before she could give them
instructions on what to take first. By the time she managed to get
their attention, there were only three boxes left in her living
room. Even her sofa was gone.
Most of her stuff was going into storage, but
she had separated the things she wanted to put on the truck last,
so she could unload what she wanted at the bunkhouse first. Thank
god, she'd marked the boxes, so she could at least identify them
when she unloaded at the storage unit.
When the movers closed the back of the truck,
Terri did one more walk through of her apartment to make sure she
hadn't left anything, then stopped at the door and took a deep
breath.
This was it, she was really moving to
Amarillo, and her stomach did a little somersault at the thought.
For the fifteenth time since last night, she wondered if she was
making the right decision. Like she had the other fourteen times,
Terri reminded herself that she didn't have a choice. Until
recently, her time here in her hometown had been good, but it was
time for her to find greener pastures with less bullshit to contend
with.
With determination, she dropped the keys on
the carpet to the right of the door, like she told her landlord she
would, then she locked the door and slammed it behind her. The
moving truck had already pulled out, but she knew in her car she'd
catch up with them shortly. If she didn't, they were going to meet
at the storage unit.
Four hours later, Terri still hadn't seen hide
nor hair of the moving truck and she got a little worried. She
grabbed her GPS unit from the glove box and plugged in the address
of the storage facility. By the time she pulled up in front of the
storage facility an hour later, the British woman voicing
directions to her was on her last nerve, but she had guided her
right there. Terri was exhausted, she had to pee, and she still
didn't see any sign of the moving truck.
The movers had either hauled ass and broken
everything she owned in the process, or they'd had an accident
breaking everything she owned. Visions of her furniture and
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