LITTLE BIT STRONGER | A COUNTRY ROMANCE

Chapter Thirty-Two

Six months later...

Kate sat at the visiting room window with her fingers twisted together in her lap. It felt as if a rock was lodged painfully in her throat.

She declined her family's attempts to join her repeatedly and refused to even consider Josh's company on such an errand. He'd been through quite enough with Brian. Kate wasn't about to add one more thing to it.

The residual pain in Josh's shoulder and chest from the bullet wound might never fade completely. Rain or cold caused a strange numbness in his left hand. There was a chance he'd never regain full strength on that side.

He never complained - he had a genuinely sunny temperament - but Kate did plenty of raging in her mind. It was hard not to resent the damage her former husband had done to the man she loved.

Despite her protests, Josh waited for her in his truck beyond the prison walls. He insisted on driving her there, waiting, and comforting her no matter the outcome.

For a few minutes, she watched other inmates visit with loved ones as her tension grew.

The heavy door buzzed, opened, and Kate withheld her gasp of surprise when Brian appeared.

He was thinner, harder, and would have frightened her if they passed on the street. He lowered into a chair on the opposite side of the clear partition and stared at her for a long moment without speaking.

Finally, he murmured, "What are you doing here, Kate? You don't belong in a place like this." She wasn't sure how to respond and he gave her a slow smile. "We both know this is exactly where I belong."

Clearing her throat, she told him, "Caleb wanted me to ask if you like his drawings."

"His letters are the one bright spot in my miserable life. Thank you for putting money in my account."

"You're welcome."

For a moment, she almost asked if his family visited but caught herself. Not one of them was worth a damn. They were filled with irrational rage that was usually directed at the women in their lives or minorities.

It broke her heart that Brian managed to get through so much of his life without following their path...only to make one bad choice after another until he lost everything.

"I see your mind turning," he said. "No matter what I've done, you can't pass a wounded animal without trying to help it." He gave a slow shake of his head. "I'll be here another twelve years - ten if I manage to control my temper. You've done the math, same as me."

"Yes."

He sat back with a nod. "You want me to sign away parental rights to Caleb."

Taking a deep breath, she answered, "Yes."

Staring at the surface between them, he told her, "I know what I did. I let every bad bit of blood bubble up and out of me the last three years." Meeting her eyes, half his mouth curved into a smile. "We get therapy here. It's part of the all-inclusive visitor package."

"Th-that's good."

"It is. Most of this place is hell but forced therapy...it's the only way I ever would have gone." He tapped a rhythm on the table and sat up straight. "Causes a man to regret his choices and understand everything he lost making them."

Kate twisted her fingers together and waited.

"What I'm trying to say is...I'm sorry, Kate."

Eyes wide, she stared at him in shock. "Thank you, Brian."

"I spend my days working in a laundry, my nights in a cell, and keep one eye open at all times. Felicia broke up with me before the trial started. My dad - prince that he is - took my stuff from her place. He sold everything and pocketed the cash." Arching his brow, he added, "At least he saved me a box of keepsakes."

Folding her hands on the table, she said, "Your stuff is in storage." He looked at her in genuine surprise. "I asked Kyle to buy all of it from your dad."

"Why did you do that?"

"I didn't want you to leave prison and have nothing. I'll keep it safe for you." She swallowed hard. "I sold all the guns, ammo, and other weapons you collected. I-I used the money to open a savings account for you." She met his eyes. "Josh studied finance. He showed me which type of account would have the best return without a lot of risk. He-he thinks it will grow by about six percent a year."

Brian's looked stunned as he tried to process the information. He said so quietly she almost didn't hear him, "I tried to kill him. I would have killed him, Kate. It was a freak accident that I didn't stop his heart with that bullet."

The knowledge never failed to send a chill up her spine. "Josh believes you put out in the world what you want back. He wants you to have another chance after you serve your time."

A guard shouted, "One minute, Deltona!"

"Send my attorney the paper. For Caleb. I'll sign it."

"Thank you." She paused and considered how much to say. "I hate that you're in here, Brian."

"You don't like anyone in a cage, sweetheart. You never have." He sighed. "I got myself here. It's up to me to figure out what the hell I do when I get out." The guard gestured and Brian stood. "Tell Josh...well, tell him I'm glad I didn't kill him. Tell Caleb I love him - signing over parental rights won't change that. Thanks for coming, Kate - and for what you did. Don't come back here. It's not good for you."

The guard escorted him to the exit. Brian looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. A moment later, he disappeared from view, the heavy metal clanged shut, and Kate released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Like a final door closing on her old life.

One thing was certain...

Therapy could change the rest of Brian's life if he let it.

Then she left the prison and returned to the man who offered her a new one. A man who held her in the cab of his truck, murmuring gently to her as she cried tears she didn't completely understand.

When she was calm again, he wiped her face, smoothed her hair, and kissed her lips. "Let's go home, Kate."

All she could do was nod. He started the engine, took her hand, and covered it with his own on his thigh.

Eventually, she'd fill him in on her one and only visit to her ex-husband but first, she needed to process her own thoughts about it.

Josh, being who he was, gave her the space to do it. It was one of the many reasons she loved him.

And why she planned to ask him to marry her.

© Shayne McClendon