Blame it on Texas Read Free Page B

you’d come flying in here, guns blazing, if you didn’t get your way.”
    “Guys, really—”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “What do you think it means?”
    “I don’t know. You tell me.”
    “Guys—”
    “I know how you are.”
    “You don’t know me anymore.”
    “I know this: You’re a coward. Come down here demanding a divorce after seven years. You didn’t give us a chance. Ever. First sign of trouble and you were out the door. Just took the money and ran. You’re running still.”
    “Both of you shut up!” Craig’s command rattled the windows.
    Shelby took a deep breath. Ritt was wrong. She wasn’t running. She was beginning. She could only do that with an end to her Texas life, and that started and ended with her husband.
    Funny, but she hadn’t thought about him that way in a long time. Not since those first days filled with hope as bright as the sun. Those days were gone forever. Now he was merely someone she’d once known, someone she’d almost had a baby with.
    “Sit down, Shelby.” Craig’s words sounded like he was talking to a pet, but she did as he asked. She wasn’t getting anywhere with Ritt like this.
    As the thought crossed her mind, he stood. “You know what? I’m outta here.”
    “Ritt.” Craig’s voice was low with warning.
    “I don’t have to sign. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not.”
    She watched speechless as he walked out the door. That was so like Ritt. He accused her of running, but who was the coward now?
    The paneled oak slammed behind him, and Shelby turned back to Craig.
    “I’ll talk to him,” he said.
    She pressed her lips together and nodded. What else could she do?
    Craig picked up the thick packet of papers that held her dreams, her do-over. “Would you like to take a look at these?”
    She forced a smile. “Not right now.” Her head was starting to pound, her thoughts chasing themselves around in circles. Maybe tomorrow he’d said, which meant another night at the hotel. She’d have to call the shop and tell Kathryn that she’d be out for a couple more days. Luckily she didn’t have anything waiting for her attention. There was the Anderson’s birthday party this weekend, but Kat could handle that one by herself. The Riley wedding was still two weeks away. Plenty of time to finish that when she got home.
    Craig slid the papers into the manila envelope and pushed it across the desk. “You can look over them later.”
    Shelby nodded. “Why is he—?” She didn’t finish. Why was he acting like this? Why was he being so stubborn?
    “Your leaving really hurt him, Shelby.”
    “He didn’t even know I was gone.”
    Craig shook his head. “He knew all right. He lost everything when he lost you and the baby.”
    It had been seven years. It shouldn’t hurt so much when someone mentioned the baby that she and Ritt had made and lost. Yet it did. Some pains never eased.
    As bad as it hurt to admit it, losing the baby had been a blessing in disguise, a twist of fate that they needed. Without a baby and a wife, Ritt could play ball for Texas. Shelby’s grades weren’t bad, but not good enough to get her into the university. Her mother didn’t have the money to put her through college. What choice did Shelby have but to move to California? She was going to be left behind anyway. He’d be leaving. Her mother was leaving. What did Ritt expect her to do? Stay living with his parents?
    She shook her head. “I left so he could go back to school.”
    “He’d already lost his place on the team.”
    “But—” Her mother had told her it was for the best. They would leave, get a fresh start. Ritt would go to school, play baseball for Texas University like had been his dream since as long as she could remember, then everybody would be happy again.
    What did you think? That he’d graduated with a degree in engineering and that’s why he works at the bait shop?
    “You know Ritt.” Craig’s words brought her out of her thoughts.
    She thought she