Page 58 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

Dad nodded once, like that clarified everything.Then his lower jaw shifted in a way that shouted a clearyou-messed-up, a motion I’d gotten a lot in my teenage years.

I dropped my elbows to the table and covered my face.“I’m too old for this.I’ve got too much going on to deal with whatever this might be with Gia.I should act like an adult and figure out how to let her go.”

Dad grunted.

I peeked at him through my fingers.“You don’t think I should let her go?”

He took a long sip of coffee, then looked at me over the rim of his glasses and grunted again.

Same grunt.Different meaning.

I set my mug down hard enough coffee sloshed over the side.

“Whatever you’re winding up to say, spit it out.”

“You rushed it.”Dad took off his worn ball cap and put it on the table.He ruffled a hand through his hair peppered with more grays each month.His ruffling barely fixed the mashed hat-head do.“You get that from your mother.”He took a deep inhale.“I wouldn’t want to be in this life without her.If she dies before me, I want to die the minute after.But when she puts her mind to something, nothing and no one’s going to slow her down.You should’ve seen her when she decided I was the one for her.”He whistled low.

I put a hand over my eyes and muttered, “No…don’t tell me.I don’t need to know.”

“That woman is ferocious.She darn near had me naked in the middle of the grocery store on a Tuesday afternoon in the cereal aisle.My shirt was off before we got back to my truck.”

I groaned but he didn’t even acknowledge me.Once my dad got going on a story, nothing could stop him.

He continued, “She had a ring on my finger within weeks after that.Ain’t got one minute of regret.”He rocked his head.“Except for that time I ate an entire rhubarb pie when she was insecure about changing up the recipe.I’ve never been a fan of rhubarb, but she had tears in her eyes—the big crocodile type.After an entire night on the toilet afterward, we decided it best she stick to the original recipe.I promised never to eat a whole pie again.”He cracked a smile as if about to burst into laughter.Then he waved a dismissive hand.“When she makes up her mind, you better hang on to your seat.Same goes for you.”

“Maybe I did go a little fast.”Perhaps, I should’ve taken her on dates and slowly introduced her to my life.Maybe that would’ve shown her she did know how to love enough.That I wouldn’t hurt her.I shouldn’t have lost my clothes and bared my soul the second she paid her full attention to me.But those green eyes hollowed out with pain did something awful to my insides and made me lose my sanity.

He shook his head.“And son…she’s a McClary.”

“I’m aware.”I rolled my eyes.“That’s not helpful.”

He gave me a look over the rim of his glasses.“You think you know what that means, but you don’t.”

I sat back.A story was about to come at me whether I wanted one or not.

“Jimmy wasn’t always in charge over there.His older brother, Caleb was a decent man.We had an arrangement for years.He took the bull calves for his beef operation, and in exchange, we used the north side of the lake for our herd.It was simple and neighborly.Worked fine.”

Dad took a slow sip of coffee.“Then he died in suspicious circumstances.Jimmy inherited everything.That’s when the peace ended.”

I opened my mouth, but Dad held up a hand.

“Listen, son, this matters.Jimmy doesn’t hate us because of some old family feud stretching back generations.That’s the story people tell because it’s easier than the truth.”He set down his mug.“The truth is, Jimmy hates me because I married your mother.”

I blinked.

“He chased her for years.Wanted her bad.Your mother has always had a gift.She sees straight into a person’s heart within minutes of meeting them.No pretending gets past her.That’s how she knew what kind of man Jimmy was before he ever opened his mouth.Same way she knew Milly wasn’t worth two bits.Same way she took one look at Gia and saw something worth inviting into our family.She also told me she sees ahellof a lot of hurt in Gia.Like soul hurt.”His lowered his tone.“Your mother said the h-word, son.That’s how serious it is.”

Mom said hell?

That was bad.

Dad’s eyes locked on mine.Apparently, this story wasn’t anywhere near done.“This lawsuit isn’t about land.Or cattle.Or some ancient nonsense people like to whisper about.It’s about a bitter man who never got the woman he wanted and spent decades feeding that wound until it poisoned everything he touched.”

Something dark moved across Dad’s face—anger, disgust… maybe fear.“He does horrible things to his wife.Poor Valerie.”His voice roughened.“Can you imagine if your mother had ended up with Jimmy?”He stopped there, shaking his head like even imagining it was too ugly to put into words.

“You’d be in prison.”

“Perhaps.”He glanced up from his coffee with determination etched into his face.“I’d make sure Lisa was free of him no matter the cost.”