Free Rori and Jackson: The Sons of Dusty Walker by Randi Alexander Page A

life will lead you.”
    “Aw, Mom. Now you’re making me all creeped out.” He tried to
make the words lighten the mood, but they came out sad.
    “You’ll be fine.” They reached the airport and the pilot
opened the hatch and lowered the steps. “I’ll be fine.” She let tears flow.
“Even though I’ll miss you.”
    He pulled her close and let his own eyes water. “I’ll be
home in a couple weeks. I love you, Mom.”
    “I love you, honey.” She pulled back and kissed his cheek.
“Now, am I going to get that fancy crab claw appetizer on this flight, like I
did on the way out here?”
    He laughed through the blur in his eyes. “If not, you just
have the pilot stop at a grocery store and pick up some.”
    “That’ll work.” She opened her door and slid out, Jackson
grabbed her bags and handed them to the pilot with his thanks.
    “I will see you very soon, my wonderful son.”
    “Very soon, Mom. And thank you. Your being here…I know it
was difficult, but I needed you with me in this new place. I feel more grounded
now. Like I have a real purpose.”
    She blinked a few times. “You don’t know how happy I am to
hear that.” She took his wrist in her hand. “Jackson, I like Rori for you. I’ve
said it a dozen times, but you two together are a little bit of magic.”
    “I know.” But did Rori feel the same way after he’d been so
indecisive? Would she look at him as a flight risk, both now and sometime in
the future when, for instance, they had three or four kids? She might not be
willing to take that risk. “I’ll remember what you said.” He kissed her cheek
and helped her up the steps. “I love you.” They hugged one more time, then he
trotted down the stairs and waited for the plane to take off, waving as the
wheels left the ground.
    A part of him went with her. He loved that woman so much. He
wanted to be closer to her. But then, Rori was here, and he could barely take a
breath without thinking of her. His brothers were here, his company was here.
    Still, he felt the call of the rodeo. He had to make time,
evenings and weekends, for Red Creek. If he chose to settle down here
permanently, how did he expect to continue rodeoing and find opportunities to
see his mother? She’d told him he had some choices to make. He jumped into the
truck and fired up the engine. He needed to make them right now.
    ****
    Three days later, Rori still hadn’t seen or heard from
Jackson. Her days and nights were filled with work, busily trying to find a
competent computer engineer to work in her new KC shop, and making constant
trips to the front windows to look for her cowboy. Nothing.
    She’d poured out her mistakes to Lexie, Kit, and Zoe one
night over a couple bottles of wine in her living room, but all their advice
didn’t give her the courage to approach him. What if he said it was over? What
if there was nothing left in him that could let him forgive her?
    While she was sitting at the worktable at the back of Cyber
Wise, her phone rang. Lexie’s number.
    “Hi.” Rori sounded lethargic, even to her own ears.
    “It’s her. She’s back. That woman.”
    Rori stood. “What? Where?”
    “She just got a coffee and is walking your way.”
    Running to the front windows, she pressed her face to the
glass to look down the street. “What does she look like?”
    “Tall and blonde. Long hair, and a cup of coffee in her hand.”
    Rori nearly smiled. Nearly.
    “Oh, her name is Louisa, and she’s carrying a long cardboard
tube. I tried to get info out of her, but she shut me down.”
    “How’d you get her name?”
    “Uh…” Lexie chuckled. “I picked up a marker and a paper cup,
and asked her for her name. Even though she was the only person in the shop.”
    Rori laughed, then caught sight of the woman. “Got her. I’ll
call you back.”
    “You’d better.” Lexie hung up.
    Pulling her keys from her pocket, Rori flipped the sign to Closed and stepped outside just as the woman reached the store.