Free Tuffer's Christmas Wish by Jean C. Joachim Page B

feet
seemed glued to the floor.
    “ Don’t be afraid, Tuffer. He can’t
hurt you now. You’re a grown man.”
    “ Why did he want to see
me?”
    She shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him. I
hope you’re not mad.”
    “ Thank you. For bringing him here.”
Tuffer leaned over to kiss her cheek then pushed out of the booth
and headed for the door.
    The man shifted his weight as Tuffer
approached. What do you say to a guy
you’ve never met who’s supposed to be your father? The
stranger extended his hand.
    Looking at his face was like looking in the
mirror for Tuffer. The shape of the jaw, the length of the nose,
and those hazel eyes. The man’s hair was darker—“dirty blond,” they
called it, dusted with a little gray. But he was about Tuffer’s
height, maybe an inch shorter.
    “ Hey, Tuffer. I’m Rusty Fowler. Your
dad.”
    The footballer accepted the shake. The
silence grew awkward.
    “ Nice to meet you. Finally,” Tuff spat
out, to fill the heavy air.
    “ I know, it’s about time.”
    “ You took the words right out of my
mouth,” the linebacker said, narrowing his eyes at the older
man.
    Rusty raised his palm. “Look. Before you
deck me, let me explain.”
    Tuffer rested back on his heels for a
moment.
    “ Can we take a walk? Do you have
time?”
    “ I can give you an hour.”
    “ That’s all I need.”
    The men headed for the snowy woods behind
the diner. Someone had tamped down a path of hard snow that
crunched under their feet.
    “ I’ve watched you play. You’re a fine
defenseman,” Rusty said.
    “ It was you! I wondered where I’d seen
you before. You’re the guy. The stalker. Who showed up at the games
in college. Aren’t you?”
    “ I didn’t make them all. Just a few.
Mostly away games near Nebraska. It was hard to sneak
away.”
    “ Lying to your wife?”
    “ You know I’m married?” Rusty’s face
reddened.
    “ Shayna told me.”
    “ Shayna? That’s what you call
her?”
    “ I have a mom and dad. Bev and Ralph
Demson.”
    “ Oh, yeah. She told me about
that.”
    “ You’ve been in touch with her this
whole time?”
    “ No, no. Only in the last month or so.
She looked me up. We’ve met a couple of times.”
    “ Then, how did you know about
me?”
    “ I was a pro too. I’ve kept up with
college football. Hell, when a player who looked just like me was
breaking records as a defenseman, well, you’d have to be pretty
stupid not to know you were my kid.”
    “ I’m not your kid. Let’s get that
straight. Ralph Demson is my father. You’re a complete
stranger.”
    The man’s brow wrinkled. “True, true. I’m
sorry.”
    The wind picked up. Tuffer popped up the
collar of his coat. Jamming his hands in his pockets kept his
fingers warm. Anger burst forth inside him, warming his chest.
    He faced Rusty. “Why did you do it? Why did
you leave Shayna? Let her fend for herself? Why didn’t you help
her? Or me? You must have been making a bundle. Shayna’s been
scraping by for years. Do you know what she’s had to do to get
along? Didn’t you feel anything for her…or me?”
    “ Sure I did. But I was in a tough
position. Being married. And I know Lurlene would never have liked
the idea of me having a bastard son, or Shayna, or any of
it.”
    “ Messy, expensive divorce?” Tuffer
raised his voice.
    Rusty blushed. “I’m ashamed to admit it.
Yes.”
    Tuffer pushed ahead, ducking under some
branches, shoving others away.
    “ Wait! Wait. Please, let me
explain.”
    “ There’s nothing to say. You deserted
us. Abandoned us. Then forced my mother, Shayna, to abandon me and
live like a whore.”
    “ I was wrong. I was selfish. I admit
it. I had no idea what I was giving up.”
    “ Now, you’d like to have a son who
plays pro ball for the Kings?”
    Rusty nodded.
    Anger rose, heating Tuff’s neck all the way
to his ears. “Honestly, I could kill you right here with my bare
hands.”
    The older man stepped back, and fear flashed
in his eyes for a moment.
    “