Second Chance Cowboy

Chapter 12

Before Lanie even opened her eyes she knew Pete was already awake. A sick feeling welled in her stomach, and Lanie panicked.  She threw off the covers and dashed for the bathroom calling "I get first shower."  Pete said something, she thought, maybe.  She almost slammed the bathroom door in her rush to hide.  She still didn't know what she would say...how did such a wonderful thing get so complicated? She frantically unbuttoned the buttons, but gave up shortly and pulled the shirt over her head.  She threw it at the closed door, yanked back the shower curtain and literally jumped into the shower.

She yelped when the ice cold water hit her.  She sighed and cranked the hot water.  A normal, nice, cute, heterosexual man with velvet hands and eyes that seemed to see her soul LIKED her...and here she was panicking and running away.  Well, not running away, exactly.  She smiled sadly.  There it was.  The truth of it.  Lanie Jacobson was running scared. 

Tears of frustration stung her eyes and she let them fall.  She silently cried over the feeling that she was about to lose Pete.  She cried over the feeling that she didn't know what to do about it.  She cried over the frustration that she didn't want to run away from Pete, because she liked him, she really did.  She cried because she had really liked Bradley too, and that ended miserably, ergo, this was doomed too.  She let out all her frustration and her fears, and her shame.  She was ashamed of herself for lumping Pete with the likes of Bradley.

She was being a coward.  She hadn't known that Bradley would hurt her and cheat on her, but she had loved him anyway.  Just because Bradley had no use for her love, it didn't mean that Pete wouldn't.  In a moment of rare inner strength and clarity, she knew that Pete could love her.  She believed that he did love her and that made her fears less threatening.

She turned off the water and grabbed a towel. she had to face Pete while she still had the courage to tell him she thought she might be in love with him too.  Water streamed from her leaving puddles on the tile and she almost slipped.  Her hand flew out grasping for balance.  She grabbed the counter, but not before she knocked over the bag sitting next to the sink, spilling its contents into the sink.  She glanced down at the sink and her breath caught. 

Pete's things: his toothbrush, his razor...Pete.  Feeling welled up inside and before she could change her mind, she threw open the bathroom door.

"Pete!"

Her cry of joy fell on an empty room.  Bud was gone too.  She crossed to the door and looked out the peephole.  The truck was gone.  Her elation deflated.  In her mind's eye she saw the the Hindenburg exploding.  Yup, her hope died that fast, maybe even faster than that.  She shuffled to the bed and sat down, her hand reaching to touch his pillow.  She squeezed her eyes closed.

"This is all just a dream...a really bad dream.  When I open..."  Her eyes flew open when she heard the door.

*****

Pete sat on the bed and shook his head.  He couldn't blame her for not wanting to discuss anything.  Hell, he didn't want to talk about anything either, mostly because he didn't know what he would say.  He blinked when she slammed the door behind her.  The message was clear.  She needed some space.  Damn.  Because he needed to piss.  Hell.

Bud whimpered and walked to the door, sitting not so patiently.  In a minute and a half, he and Bud were climbing into the truck.  In five minutes they were turning into the burger joint down the street. He ordered two deluxe pancake breakfasts with orange juice and coffee.  Bud whimpered and he added two sausage biscuits.  As an afterthought he told them to add cheese and egg to the sausage biscuits.  Bud gave a short bark of approval.  Pete reached over and ruffled the fur on his head.