Page 29 of Love Me, Cowboy
“You will not choose a dirty cowboy over your family.”
“The hell I won’t,” Claire said, dragging Tyler back through the living room.
“What are you going to do, Claire?” her mother asked, following them into the foyer. “Marry him? And then what?”
“We haven’t gotten that far, Mother,” she said, handing Tyler his jacket, then reaching for her own. “But if we do, don’t worry. I won’t involve you in it in any way.”
“How is he going to take care of you? He rides bulls for a living, for heaven’s sake.”
“I can take care of your daughter just fine, Mrs. Campbell.” Tyler had played a bystander in this confrontation long enough.
“And what happens the next time you get thrown off a bull?” she asked, waving a hand in the air. “When you break your neck this time? Is my daughter supposed to waste her life taking care of a vegetable?”
“Mother, how could you say that? And it’s not as if he’s going to ride bulls forever,” Claire said, shoving an arm into the sleeve of her coat. “He’ll get a respectable job eventually, and we’ll be fine.”
Tyler froze, feeling as if he’d taken a horn to the chest. A respectable job? So riding bulls, his life’s passion, wasn’t respectable?
Silence loomed as Claire covered her mouth and turned wide eyes his way. “Tyler, I didn’t—”
“I’d better go,” he said, ignoring the older woman’s smug expression as she opened the door for him.
“Wait,” Claire yelled, grabbing his left arm. When she yanked, Tyler winced, hating the weakness that gave weight to her mother’s accusation. “I’m so sorry. Please, let me explain.”
Tyler wasn’t interested in explanations. She’d made her feelings clear. If she couldn’t respect what he did, then she couldn’t respect him. There was no future for them if Claire was only biding her time until Tyler found something else to do with his life. Until he gave up what he loved.
“This was a mistake,” he said, stomping down the porch steps. “Better we know now than later.”
“No,” Claire cried. “We’re not a mistake. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Tyler stopped and turned fast enough to force Claire to stop on the bottom step.
“But you did.” He let his words sink in and watched her face fall. Then he climbed into his truck and left.
* * *
Claire couldn’t breathe. Why had those words tumbled off her lips? Why had she said such a horrible thing? When Tyler turned on her, she saw the anger in his eyes. But it was the hurt lingering deeper that did her in. She’d done that.
Shattered the most precious thing she’d ever found.
“What’s going on out here?” her father asked, stepping onto the porch behind her.
“Just taking out the trash,” her mother said, sending Claire spinning in her direction.
“Tyler Holly is a better human being than you will ever be!” she screamed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Anger, guilt, and fear pulsed until Claire could hear little over the buzzing in her ears. “I never should have brought him anywhere near you.”
“You’re the one who drove him away, missy.”
“That’s enough.” Richard Campbell turned on his wife. “Leave her alone.”
Chapter Ten
Sufficiently silenced, Claire’s mother disappeared into the house. Her father became a watery silhouette against the light pouring through the front door.
“Are you all right, honey?”
Claire shook her head. “No,” she said. “Nothing is all right.” Reaching the top step, she asked, “Why does she have to be so hateful?” But she knew her mother was right about one thing. It was Claire’s words that sent Tyler away. Dropping to the wooden planks beneath her feet, Claire dropped her head into her hands. “How could I say something so horrible?”
Taking a seat beside her, Claire’s father put an arm awkwardly around his daughter’s shoulders. “There, there now. It can’t be that bad.”