Wide Open Spaces (Shooting Stars 2)

“Smart ass.” I grin, and her lips tilt up farther.

“I can’t believe I forgot about Paul or that he’s still here.”

“Still here, and still the only one in town who’s capable of getting Louie out of your place without hurting anyone. Now go on in and get something on. Aubrey will show you around.”

“I’ll get dressed then wait out here.”

“Shel,” I warn, and she pulls in a breath before grumbling, “Fine.”

“I’ll get dressed, Dad, and help,” Steven interjects.

“ ’Kay, bud.” I lift my chin, watching him head into the house.

“I’m staying with Zach and Steven,” Hunter pipes in, when Shel’s head turns toward him. She starts to say something, but I cut her off before she even has a chance to open her mouth.

“He’s good with me.”

“But—”

“He’s fine, Shel. Go on in.”

Her eyes narrow, and I hear Aubrey giggle and watch her take Shel’s hand and give it a tug as Shel glares at me and I fight back a smile.

“Nowhere near the bear,” Shel demands, pointing at Hunter.

“I’m not crazy, Mom.” He rolls his eyes.

“Well good,” she huffs, sending one last glare my way before turning on her bare feet and following Aubrey into the house.

Chapter 4

Shelby

Looking out the window, I wonder if it’s too early to go to the liquor store and buy a bottle of vodka or tequila. “I can’t believe there was a bear in the house,” I whisper, and Aubrey, who is standing next to me looking out the window, giggles once more, making me glance at her and smile. I think I’ve repeated that same phrase twenty times since the guys—those guys including not only Paul and a young guy Stevens age but Zach, Hunter, and Steven—helped carry the unconscious bear out of the house on a large stretcher.

At first, I wanted to run out of the house, yelling for them to get away from the bear, but when Hunter smiled at Zach and Steven said something to make them laugh, I held my ground. Max loves Hunter; I know he does. Hunter is probably the only person on the planet who Max loves completely, but he’s still Max. Uptight and demanding, even with his ten-year-old son. And Hunter takes that on acting not like himself, but like an adult most of the time when he’s around him.

Stepping back from the window, I look around Zach’s living room, which is smaller than my own. One large couch is in the corner, and two chairs are seated in front of it, with a coffee table in-between and a shelf off to the side that looks like a ladder covered in odds and ends. I did my best not to look around when we ran over here this morning to see about using the phone, but now, I see there are a few pictures of the kids on the walls, but besides that, there’s no real personality in the space. I wonder absently if Tina lived here with them before, or if they all lived somewhere else. Spotting a stack of boxes in the corner, I walk over and pick up the one on top without thinking and turn to Aubrey.

“My gramps used to love puzzles.” I smile, holding up the box and shaking it, listening to the puzzle pieces inside rattle together.

“I used to put them together with him,” she says shyly, and I feel my face soften at her confession.

“Really?” I ask, and she nods, tucking a piece of long dark hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, um… before he moved away, Steven and I used to go to his house after school, if Dad was working, and he and I would put together puzzles.”

Taking a seat on the couch, I look at the box in my hands then at Aubrey. I love that she got to experience that with Gramps. I love that he had her here after I left. “I love that you got to share that with him,” I say aloud.

“I miss him,” she confides, and tears fill her beautiful eyes that look so much like her father’s. Without thinking, I set the box on the coffee table and move toward her, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug.

“What’s going on?” Zach asks, and we jump apart, each of us wiping our faces while we smile at each other.

“Nothing. We were talking about starting a puzzle,” I reply, keeping my eyes on Aubrey when I speak. Her face goes soft, making something in my chest shift and fill with warmth.

“And that brought you both to tears?” he prompts in disbelief. I chance a look at him, wondering how he seems to get more beautiful every time I see him. Judging by the stubble shadowing his jaw, he didn’t shave this morning, and his hair is growing out. A little is curling around his ears and hitting the top of his Henley, this one dark blue and matches the blue of his jeans. The belt around his waist with its large silver buckle and his badge are the only real contrast between the two.

“We’re women. We don’t need a reason to cry,” I state.

“Yeah, Dad. We’re women. We don’t need a reason to cry,” Aubrey repeats, making me turn to smile at her.

“If you say so.” He shakes his head then looks from his daughter to me with a look in his eyes that make my insides flutter. “The boys are gonna ride with me and Paul to release the bear.”

“Excuse me? You guys are doing what?” I sit up farther, balling my hands into fists in my lap.

“We need to go release the bear out of town. The boys are gonna ride along.

“I don—”

“It’s safe, Shel,” he says quietly, cutting me off. I chew on the inside of my cheek in response. I wanted Hunter to have a different life than he had in the city, but having a bear break into your house then releasing said bear into the wild seems a little extreme. Especially when I was thinking more along the lines of him being able to fish and grow up enjoying the outdoors, instead of sitting in front of the TV or a computer all day. “The bear’s not Louie, and since he got into your house once, I don’t want him to think he has free rein to do it again.”

“Who was it then?” I frown.

“Don’t know his name.” He smiles, and I try to tell myself he’s not funny, but I still grin anyway.

Letting out a long breath, I ask the question I don’t want to know the answer to, “How bad is the house?”

“Not bad, considering there was a bear in it. There’s a few things broken, and most your food is gone but nothing major.”