Run To You

He’d called her phone four times in the past few days. She didn’t answer and he didn’t leave a message. “He feels responsible for me.”
    “Maybe.” Sadie giggled as a second pedicurist sanded her feet. “God that tickles.”
    The pumice stone did tickle a bit, but not like Sadie carried on. Watching her sister squirm and laugh brought a smile to Stella’s lips.
    “He obviously has feelings for you,” Sadie managed.
    Feelings. He cared. It wasn’t love and it wasn’t enough. After the pedicure, they drove to Lovett and bought glittery cowgirl belts at Deeann’s Duds. That was the first time they heard the latest gossip flying around town. The wild story about Blake’s twin brother chasing Sadie’s long-lost sister from his apartment wearing nothing but black boxers.
    “That is true,” she confessed to her sister on their drive to the JH. “But he chased after me. He didn’t chase me from the apartment.” She wasn’t used to strangers talking about her. Knowing her embarrassing business. It was bad enough that Sadie knew, but it got worse. A day later they heard a version where Beau had been naked.
    “I’m sorry,” Sadie said as they exited the Albertson’s, where a checker had relayed the latest.
    “No. I’m sorry to bring so much drama.”
    Sadie shrugged. “Everyone in town loves gossip. It was bound to happen.”
    That night she heard a third version as she sat in the barn next to Sadie petting Maribell’s forehead as the mare gave birth. Vince stood at the other end next to the vet and said, “Velma Patterson came into the store today and said you were seen running from my apartment building wearing nothing but army boots and a camo bandana.”
    “I was naked?”
    Vince shrugged. “I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but I thought you should know.”
    “Next they’ll say you parachuted in with a knife between your teeth.” Sadie sighed. “The truth is never quite colorful enough.”
    Maribell’s nostrils flared and the big animal groaned.
    “Holy shit!” Vince swore as he knelt by the vet. “I see a foot.”
    “You’ll see one hoof and then the other,” the vet said as he worked on the business end. After several more pushes, Maribell delivered a gray and white filly. She was beautiful and perfect, and Sadie openly cried as she knelt by the foal, the last link to her father. “She’s beautiful, Daddy.”
    Stella bent down by her sister and put an arm around her shoulder. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” she said as tears clouded her vision. “I’ll never forget tonight.” Stella and Sadie sobbed while Vince cleared his throat and stared suspiciously off at nothing. “It was truly a miracle. A treasure to see.”
    Sadie nodded and wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. “She is a treasure. I was going to name her Cadeau because it means gift and sounds fancy, but I think Tesoro fits her better. Or is it Tesora?”
    Stella smiled. “Tesora.” The moment was perfect. A perfect, joyous moment with her sister. But amid all the joy and tears, her broken heart reminded her that her life was less than perfect. She loved a man who didn’t love her. She was homeless and jobless and the small town of Lovett thought she ran around naked in combat boots and a camo do-rag. That night, she lay in bed and thought about her life. She had a few ideas about what she wanted to do next and she ran them through her brain. Mostly she thought of Beau. His laughter and rare smiles. His strength and his touch and the emotionless look in his eyes when he said she was a responsibility.
    She’d wanted him to be the first man to make love to her. She didn’t regret it. She loved him and he’d made her first time so good for her. Her only regret was that he felt the need to marry her out of obligation. Not love. Thinking back on it, she guessed she shouldn’t have been surprised. Beau always tried to do the right thing even if it wasn’t right for him. Now, five days later, that still felt like a blow to the chest.
    She swallowed past the pain in her heart. Someday, when she started dating again, it was back to skinny boys with black fingernail polish and eyeliner. No chance of her falling for those guys. At least not so hard. Not completely and totally in love.
    The next morning as Stella and Sadie checked up on Tesora a business envelope arrived for Stella. No letter. No quick message. Just a set of keys and the address to a storage locker in Miami. Beau really didn’t