Texas Heat — Chapter 12 — The End
A thin line runs between betrayal and sacrifice. Figuring out the difference could cost a man his heart.
The scorching light in Corey’s eyes made her suddenly shy and she lowered her head, hiding her heart from him.
“Don’t lower your eyes. I want them open to me. From this night on, I want every part of you open to me, as I will be for you.”
His strong emphatic words sent another shudder of anticipation through her body. She did as he asked, mesmerized by the intensity of his expression. He still stood several feet from her, leaning against the massive bedpost.
“First of all, I owe you a profound apology. I have treated you with little respect and I regret that very much. Thanks to our son, I now know that you never betrayed me. Second, I do not know what circumstances made you marry Les Covington, but I know in my heart, the decisions you made were for the welfare of our child. While I won’t deny that it eats at my gut that another man held what belonged to me, it is something I can live with. And I promise that it will never come between us in the future.”
Tiffany reached a hand toward him. “Corey, let me say one thing. Les Covington was a good man. He offered me what I needed most, independence from my father and a safe environment for our son. He treated me with dignity and affection.”
She could see the pain and deep jealousy her statement caused him, especially evident in the fists he held close to his side.
“One thing that is not widely known is why Les was unmarried and childless at the age of forty-six when I married him. In his late twenties, he was involved in a hunting accident, one that had made fathering children impossible. Les was not physically capable of consummating our marriage. While we shared a life and a home, we never shared a bedroom.”
Corey moved like lightning to kneel in front of her, grasping her hands in his.
She stared into his upturned face and continued. “Les also knew that he would have health complications from those injuries that would shorten his life. He believed that he would be gone by the time you were free, especially after having that extra five years added to your sentence. All he asked of me was that I give my full attention to making our home life as normal as possible as long as he lived, that included not seeing you. Joey and I had a very good life and I think that we gave Les the best years of his. He purchased Texas Glory and gave it to me as a gift and told me to do whatever I wanted with it. So I did.”
Corey’s hands tremble as they gripped hers. She smoothed the lock of hair that had fallen to lie across his forehead back from his face, revealing the lone tear that slid down his cheek.
“So you see, you are the only man ever to own my heart. For all this time, I’ve belonged to no one but you. Your brand still lingers on every inch of me.
Epilogue
Corey sat in Telli’s place and glanced around the table he shared with his family and friends. His son’s second-place bull riding trophy sat in a place of honor in the middle of the table.
He’d returned to this town to get answers and maybe some revenge for the wrongs done him by Sam Glory and his daughter. His lips curled in a roguish smile as he glanced at his wife. His compensation was far more than he deserved.
He’d officially been a husband and father for a little over a year. The miracle of it still took his breath at times. Most of the intense edginess he’d left prison with had melted away. Only occasionally did he feel the hard, sharp point of aggression raise its dangerous head. Mostly when some guy ogled his wife.
“Hey, Dad.” Joey got his dad’s attention.
“Yeah?”
“You gonna sing tonight? I told Bobby you were.” Joey punched his friend Bobby in the ribs. “My dad’s the best.”
Corey had not sung at Telli’s in months. But since tonight was special, he would oblige his son. “Sure, why not? What do you want me to sing?”
“How about Mom’s song?”
“You’ll have to ask your mom about that, I wrote it for her.”
He moved the arm he rested on the back of his wife’s chair to lay on her shoulder. A familiar jolt sped up his arm straight to his heart. She was so small compared to him, but a kiss, a look, or a touch, and he was weak. She could pin him to the floor with just the adoring smile she gave him now.
“Joey loves that song,” she said, “and I never get tired of hearing it. I don’t mind sharing it. Besides, the girls are restless. Maybe hearing their daddy sing will calm them down.”
Corey placed his free hand on his wife’s stomach, now largely rounded with their twin daughters. He felt a small kick against his hand and thanked God for the miracle that was his life.
“I’ll have to see if Telli still has that extra guitar in the back.”
“No you don’t, Dad,” Joey said. “I slipped yours into the backseat, just in case.”
“Well then, I guess you better go get it.”
Telli gave him his old intro, “Here’s Corey.”
Corey strode to the middle of the small platform, propped his foot on the wooden box, and adjusted the guitar. He took three seconds to scan the crowd. When his eyes found her, he did the only thing he could. Standing on the stage, holding a bright red guitar, he sang straight into her eyes. He sang to her, he sang for her, and knew that a life sentence loving her was true justice.
THE END
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