Gage (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood #16)

Chapter Twenty-Two Epilogue

Nica’s hands were buried in the dirt, edging aside the tiny herbs, their leave sprouting with new growth, and searching for the weeds choking away their life. While she wasn’t an avid gardener, there were times when she needed to get her hands into the dark, rich earth, feel the Texas soil between her fingers. It helped her think, and right now she had a lot of decisions to make, and digging in the dirt helped. And she figured pulling weeds might help relieve some of the anger boiling inside.

“Hey, girlfriend, take it easy on that plant, you’re about to rip it right out by the roots.”

She looked up, spotting her friend Jill standing in the kitchen doorway. “That’s the idea. The weeds need to be plucked up and yanked out, to keep them from killing all the good growth around them.”

Just like some people I know. I’d like to grab them around the neck and yank hard.

“As long as it’s only the weeds you want to massacre and not anybody else in particular.”

Aw, shoot, Jill must have seen me talking with Suzanna at Girls Night Out, and figured something was up.

“Nope, everything’s fine. Momma asked me to pick some carrots and lettuce for supper, and I spotted these weeds, and since I’m already down here…”

Jill walked out the door and sat on the bottom step. “Nica, I can tell something’s wrong. You weren’t acting like yourself at Girls Night out. I don’t mean to be a buttinski, and if you want me to stay out of it, I will. But I’m your friend. I’m going to be your sister-in-law. You can talk to me.”

“It’s…complicated.” Nica yanked another weed out, tossing it on the growing pile of its kindred.

“Must mean man trouble.”

“Ha! Men are nothing but headaches and pains in the backside. Lousy ratfinks who think they know everything.”

“Whoa, Nica, tell me what you really feel.” Jill brushed back her hair, and raised her hand to shield her eyes against the sun. “Look, there’s nobody around but us. I promise, whatever you tell me, it’ll go no farther.”

“It’s nothing. I just have lousy taste in men. I can’t seem to pick anybody who isn’t a jerk.” Nica sighed. “I really thought I’d found somebody special. Somebody who saw me as more than just the Boudreau daughter, the princess of Shiloh Springs, or the spoiled rotten rich kid with all the overprotective big brothers.”

“You are so much more than that, Nica. Everybody loves you, and if they can’t see the real you through all the baggage, then it’s their loss. I bet there are a hundred guys out there who’d give anything to go out with you. Be with you.”

“Maybe, but they wouldn’t be…” She cut herself off before she blabbed his name. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the head, if everybody in Shiloh Springs found out who she’d been dating? Of course, if her family found out, she’d be shipped to a convent, and he’d be under one of the two lone oak trees in the front yard.

“They wouldn’t be…who? Or can’t you say? Wait! I saw you looking at…no! Nica—”

“Jill, you can’t tell anybody! You promised!”

Nica jumped up and started pacing back and forth in front of Jill, mumbling to herself all the reasons anybody finding out was a really bad thing.

“I promise, but Nica this is huge. For one thing, he’s older than you. Personally, I don’t care about that, but some people will frown on the age difference. Then again, he’s a friend of the family. Add in the fact he’s your dad doctor, and it’s a recipe for disaster.”

“Don’t you think I know that? It doesn’t matter anyway because we’re never going to see each other again.”

Jill snickered and Nica shot her a dirty look. “It’s going to be kind of hard to avoid seeing him when he’s the town physician. Unless you plan to live under a rock, you’re going to run into him eventually.”

“Oh, it’ll be easy enough to avoid him since he’s leaving Shiloh Springs.”

“What? I hadn’t heard anything about that. This isn’t good. Too many people depend on him now that Doc Jennings has retired. Are you sure he’s moving?”

Am I sure? Since that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, his decision to leave Shiloh Springs, yeah, I’m sure.

“Positive.”

“Nica, honey, is that what you two are fighting about? Maybe you can convince him to stay. If you care about him, you can make it work.”

Nica looked at Jill, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “Remember when I said it was complicated? The leaving Shiloh Springs part is hard enough, but how do I explain to my parents Gabe and I eloped, and he wants me to move away with him?”