Chapter Eighteen
Tucker Rawlings couldn’t stop pacing. But where the hell was his son? Grady never arrived late. He checked the clock on the wall, then the watch on his wrist, and cursed. If the kid didn’t walk through that door within ten seconds—
The door opened and Grady entered. Tucker almost jumped out of his skin. Okay, that was Twilight Zone weird.
Whistling as he moseyed through the entrance like he hadn’t a care in the world, Grady lifted his hand in greeting, and Tucker returned to his senses.
“Grady, where the hell have you been? The meeting was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago. Your mother’s been trying to entertain a room full of investors with coffee and doughnuts, but they’re getting restless.”
“Oh, hell,” Grady yelped and leapt into action, hurrying toward his office. “I completely forgot about the meeting.”
“Do you have your presentation with you?” Tucker trailed his every step, unable to believe his ears. Grady never forgot meetings...and come to think of it, he never whistled either. Not since—
He slowed to a stop.
“It’s in my office,” Grady assured him, opening the door and flying into the room. He snagged the folder off his desktop.
Tucker shook his head, forcing his mind back to the task at hand. Meetings. Investors. Got it.
“Thank God,” he said, but only paused again as he took in the features on his son’s face. “Jesus, Grady,” he said, stepping forward and reaching for his son’s crooked tie. “What’ve you been doing? You’re a complete mess.”
He straightened the knot and started to smooth out Grady’s unruly hair before he realized his son was coughing into his hand and turning tomato red. Pausing, Tucker frowned in confusion until Grady lifted his head, letting his dad see the glow of contentment in his eyes.
Dropping his fingers, Tucker took a shocked step back. Then he shook his head and laughed. “I guess this means your marriage is going well.”
Grady grinned as they shared a knowing look. With a nod, his son answered, “Can’t complain.”
Tucker chuckled again and grabbed Grady’s shoulder, feeling a blast a relief. “Shit,” he murmured and turned his son toward the meeting room. “Go give your presentation already.”
As Grady tucked his file under his arm and hurried to comply, his father stood there a moment, staring after him. An emotion of immense pressure slipped off his chest and loosened the knot that had been there for two and a half long years.
Running his hand over his face, he made sure there weren’t any tears in his eyes. But, God. He’d waited so long to see his boy happy again.
****
A Rawlings Oil company truck sat parked at the Gilmore hangar when B.J. landed her plane for lunch. She taxied to a stop near the entrance of the opened double doors and killed the engine. Rudy had agreed to go up with her today to take some aerial pictures but once again hadn’t shown on time. So she’d gritted her teeth and dragged Leroy along. But her older brother had actually been halfway decent for once in his life. They’d gotten six farms photographed, and he hadn’t made one rude comment about her marrying a Rawlings.
But all her morning’s work was instantly forgotten as she stared at the parked truck.
Grady.
“Horny bastard,” she muttered even as her heart sang at the thought of him coming to visit her at work. “Hey, Leroy,” she called over her shoulder as she unstrapped her safety harness. “Can you get the equipment? I’ve got company.”
“I guess,” came the reluctant grumble. “But you owe me.”
“Thanks.”
Grinning, she popped from the plane and nearly sprinted down the tarmac. But as soon as she entered the hangar, she slowed to a stop. The smile dropped off her face as she stared at the man who was chatting with Pop. It wasn’t Grady at all, but his father.
Tucker glanced over when he heard her enter. Instantly, he straightened from where he’d had his foot propped on a bench. Turning to face her fully, he gave a brief and solemn nod.
Not realizing she was holding her breath, B.J. returned the silent greeting. Her steps were much slower as she approached.
“B.J.,” he said.
She didn’t answer.
“Got a minute?” he asked.
She nodded, cleared her throat, and pointed to the closed door of the office. “We can talk in there,” she said, irritated with herself for letting her voice go hoarse.
Tucker stepped back to let her lead the way. He was just like Grady, she realized, letting the lady go first. Her heart clenched in misery.
Grady.
She opened the door and started to enter, but immediately realized someone—probably Pop—had just brewed a fresh pot of coffee. Slamming a palm over her mouth, she backed out of the doorway and spun toward Grady’s dad.
“We can talk out here,” she amended.
He grinned at the humor in the situation, but politely asked, “Want to go outside to get some fresh air?”
She didn’t answer immediately, still fighting back the nausea. Then she closed her eyes, blew out a breath and shook her head. “No. I’m good.” Straightening, she faced him head-on. “Look, I don’t know what you want now, but I’m not making any more deals. You can just keep the goddamn plane. Okay? I can’t—”
“B.J.,” he broke in. His smile faltered, and he shifted uncomfortably. “No. I, uh...to be honest, I’m here to apologize for all that.”
B.J. nearly passed out at his feet. Striving to hold in her shock, she managed a casual shrug. “Well...don’t worry about it. No harm done.”
“No,” he said. “There was harm done. I offended you and…” He paused and shook his head, looking ashamed. “I get a little overprotective and irrational when it comes to my children. I—”
“Mr. Rawlings, you have every right to worry about Grady. I don’t blame you at all for anything. In fact, I probably would’ve thought less of you if you hadn’t done anything. I—”
“B.J.,” he said, stopping her again with his soft voice, shocking her into silence as he took both her hands into both of his. “I was wrong,” he murmured, looking into her eyes with a penetrating blue stare so like his son’s that she could only gape back, holding her breath.
“You’re not some scheming gold-digger. You’re not out to hurt or cheat anyone. You’re just a woman who’s in love with a man.”
She sucked in a surprised breath. Wow, it felt extremely uncomfortable to hear anyone actually say that aloud. She sent Grady’s dad a leery look. “You’re not going to tell him that, are you?”
Tucker sputtered out a surprised laugh. After a moment, though, he squeezed her fingers reassuringly. “I’ll leave that detail to you.”
Her shoulders deflated, and she nearly fainted once again.
“Oh! Before I forget. Here. This is for you.” Tucker yanked an all-too-familiar-looking document from his back pocket and tried to hand it to her.
B.J. backed away from the deed as if it had lice. Then she lifted her eyes. “I can’t take anything for marrying Grady.”
Lips parting in dawning realization, Tucker glanced down at his hand and then tried to shove it at her again. “Well, look at it as a wedding present then.”
She shook her head. “I can’t take it,” she whispered.
Tucker looked distinctly uncomfortable as he continued to hold out his hand. “B.J., honestly. I don’t want your plane.”
He glanced in horror at her Cessna, and B.J. finally grinned. “I’ll tell you what,” she relented. “How about I make the same payments to you I was making to the bank and buy it back?”
“That would work,” he said, his shoulders sagging as tension eased out of them. “That would work just fine.”
“And about the prenuptial agreement,” B.J. started. “I don’t mind letting Grady have everything that’s already his. But the baby—”
“I’ll have a new agreement worked up by the end of the week,” Tucker said.
This time it was B.J. who was relieved. “Thank you,” she said.
He nodded. Thinking that was all the business they had to discuss, B.J. shifted when Grady’s dad merely stared at her a moment longer.
“I, uh, came to give you something else too,” he finally said. She frowned just as he added, “This,” and enfolded her into a huge hug. Too bowled over to resist the fatherly embrace, she just stood there like an idiot with her arms hanging down limply at her sides.
“Thank you,” he said into her hair, “thank you so much for bringing my boy back.”
Confused, she pulled away and looked up at him.
He smiled, his eyes damp with emotion. “I never thought we’d see the old Grady again. He was so lost. But when he came into work this morning…”
For a second he looked too choked to speak. Then he broke into another brilliant grin. “He was smiling. You made him smile.”
Emotions engulfing her, B.J. covered her mouth with her hands and burst into tears.