Rugged Cowboy - Elana Johnson Page 0,49

and picked up a tiny piece of feather for the mayfly he was working on.

“I’m trying to restore the family name,” Dallas said. “Honestly, Daddy, I am.”

His dad looped a wire around the feather and the hook, the fly already starting to come together. “I know you are, son,” he said, his voice gruff and low.

Son.

Dallas’s whole world shifted with that one, three-letter-word.

“I love you, Daddy,” he said, his voice a whisper.

“I love you too, Dallas.” He stood, and their eyes met again. So many things paraded across his father’s face. Dallas felt the stomping boots in his own soul, taking out the parts that were dark or rotten.

They embraced, and his dad clapped him loudly on the back. “It’s taken me a long time to realize that you’re a good man,” he said. “Who just got caught up in some bad things.”

Dallas thought that summed up what had happened fairly well, and he just held tightly to his father, this hug almost better than the one he’d gotten from his mother.

Almost.

“I heard you have a girlfriend,” Daddy said as he stepped back. He cleared his throat and made a big show of rubbing his eyes, as if that would somehow convince Dallas that he hadn’t wept a little bit.

Dallas simply wiped his eyes, because his tears of gratitude had managed to leak out too. “Yeah,” he said. “Her name’s Jess.”

“Why didn’t you bring her?”

“Uh…I don’t know.” The truth was, Dallas wasn’t even sure his father would talk to him. He wasn’t sure what kind of reception he’d get at all, and he wanted Jess to meet his family when things were as good as they could be.

“We’re going really slow,” he added, because that was true too. He and Jess had agreed that they didn’t need to rush into anything. They could enjoy getting to know one another, and she could take her time getting to know the kids. They’d gone to dinner, to movies, even to a theme park together, and the four of them got along great.

Remmy liked Jess the most, but even Thomas would answer her questions, especially if they were about science. Jess was no idiot, and she’d realized quickly how to get the boy to open up.

Dallas had loved her in that moment, but he knew he wasn’t in love with her. He liked her a lot, sure. The kids did too. But they all needed more time to get to a place of love.

“Going slow is probably a good idea,” his dad said. “I suppose your mother will need help with carving the turkey.” He looked at Dallas. “Take your time with Jess if you need it, son,” he said. “If she’s the one, it’ll work out.”

“Thanks.” Dallas wasn’t sure what he was thanking his father for. Perhaps just letting him into the shed and then forgiving him so easily. Dallas knew it hadn’t been easy for his dad to get to that point, and he knew he still had a long way to go to show that he was a Dreyer, and that that meant something.

He couldn’t wait to call Jess and tell her how things had gone with his father, and he supposed it meant something that she was the one person he wanted to share his good news with.

Chapter Fourteen

Jess refused to allow herself to look toward the clock hanging in the stables. Dallas would call her when he got back to town. They’d spoken that morning, and he’d said he was going to eat breakfast with his family and then hit the road. From Temple, Sweet Water Falls was just under four hours, and he had children who might need to stop.

She missed him, that was all.

Jess knew it was a little bit more than that, as she’d had a serious discussion with Dallas when he’d brought up the idea of going to see his family for Thanksgiving. She’d thought he was inviting her along and wanted to know her opinion on what they should do.

Turned out that no, he just wanted her opinion on what he should do. He’d told her that he didn’t get along great with his father, and perhaps him making the drive and showing up for the family feast would put too much tension and awkwardness on everyone else, himself included.

Once she’d learned that, she’d been flustered. He said he wasn’t ready to introduce her to anyone in his family yet, and Jess supposed she could respect that. She’d spent a lot of time