Awakening Veronica (40 page)

Hank and Veronica streaked across the finish line amidst wild cheering. The crowd surged around them as Hank grabbed her from the wheelchair and gave her a big kiss right there in front of everyone. Once he set her back on her feet, she jumped up and down, and Travis grabbed her up after the race organizer handed her the first place trophy and declared them the winners of the First Annual Wheelchair Drag Race Charity Relay. She laid a sweet kiss on his lips as he lowered her to the ground.

“Hey, hey! Get a room, you two!” Maizy crowed gleefully as Heath ran by with her over his shoulder, their second place trophy in her hand.

All of the teams had gone around town getting sponsorships and one-upping each other, procuring matching funds, and making challenges to double money if the other runners finished the race. In short, there were no losers. The event was a fantastic success and the crowd cheered when the amount of money raised was announced and all of the businesses offering matching funds were named.

Their friends crowded around, congratulating them. Grace and Charity waded into the throng and hugged Veronica and Travis, and Charity said, “Travis, I can see the difference the two of you have made in Veronica’s life. I hope you plan to keep her.”

Travis grinned. “We’re going to do our best, Charity. Y’all taking off for your ride?”

Charity grinned, “Yeah, our friends have showed up. We’re going to hang out for a few minutes and eat lunch before heading up into the Hill Country. You should come with us sometime.”

He’d often thought about investing in a bike but hadn’t wanted to store it in DC. Maybe now that could change.

The event organizers came forward to congratulate them and thank them for being good sports and participating in the race in costume. Travis met one of the boy’s ranch coordinators and after he briefly shared his qualifications, he had an interview lined up and a new frame of reference for his future. They were looking for a facility director and ranch activity coordinator, and he knew he fit the bill perfectly.

As the crowd milled around, Travis pulled Veronica and Hank aside and told them the exciting news and said he’d decided to turn down the job offer in California if it came through.

“The money isn’t as good, but I’d be here in Divine and I’d no longer be living out of a suitcase. That would make the pay cut more than worth it. Plus I’d be making a bigger difference in some kid’s lives.”

Veronica threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Well, it’s not a done deal yet, Nika. But I decided I have to stay in Divine. There’s just no other way for me to be happy unless I’m near you.”

Hank nodded at him, as though he’d known that was the conclusion Travis would come around to all along. “Good going, Fishcop.”

“What about your bid for reelection, Hank?” Veronica asked.

Hank smiled down at Veronica and stroked her cheek before wrapping his arms around her, lifting her off her feet, and kissing her right out there in the street. “I’m going to leave that to the voters decide. I won’t refuse to be reelected but I’m content to watch the young guys put all the miles and hours into an election campaign. We’ll just see how it goes.”

“That sounds great.”

A shrill voice shattered the steady rumble of conversations around them. “Sheriff Hank Stinson! You should be ashamed!” The gathering parted as Tabitha Lester came marching forward with her “
Keep Divine Pure—Say No to Polyamory!
” picket signs and a pitifully small band of followers cowering behind her. Many members of the crowd scowled at they read the signs and some rolled their eyes, gathering their families to wander off to the food booths.

“Miss Lester,” Hank said firmly. “Go home.”

“No! You should be
ashamed,
joining in with the rest of these perverts! And with a
pornographer
, no less!” she screeched as she pointed at Veronica, who gasped. Hank knew a moment of searing affirmation when the woman he loved looked to him, asking for defense with her eyes, rather than accepting the abuse. Tabitha continued her diatribe. “I will be revealing your perfidy to the world in my next blog post! You can kiss your reelection goodbye, sinner!”

Hank stood up to her. “You know what? You go for it. Blog about it. Stage protests. Bring it on! Here’s your scoop, lady. I love Veronica Benedict, and so does my best friend, Travis McDaniel. You do with that whatever you want. And Veronica is not a pornographer. She’s a reputable author. By turns, you’ve terrorized and bored my friends and constituents with your gossip and hatred and we’re all tired of it.” Several people made noises of affirmation and patted him on the back.

“Well get ready for more,
sinner
, because I’ll cry it to the heavens until this town rids itself of the polyamorous perfidy that pollutes its people!”

Charity scoffed. “Nice tagline. Did you come up with that yourself?”

Tabitha turned to the crowd. “Good people, we must stand up for what is right, and stamp out what is wrong in this community!” She shrieked over the din of voices, ignoring the growing crowd of citizens and city and county leaders who formed ranks around Hank, Travis, and Veronica.

Jerry Batson, who also served on the town council, yelled, “Go home, Tabitha!”

“I will never give up!” Suddenly she broke out in song. “Stand up, stand up for—”

Woody Porter stood up to her, nose to nose, and said, “Don’t you
dare
sing ‘Stand Up for Jesus,’ you self-righteous harridan! I’ll stand up for the Jesus that challenged the Pharisees to cast the first stone. Go home, Miss Lester!”

Tabitha frowned at Woody, and Travis thought it was an amazing impression of Grumpy Cat. “I will not—”

“Go home!” Joe Warner called out.

“Go home! Go home!”

Soon, the chant spread through the fringes of the crowd and then suddenly, a deep voice shouted. “
Tabby Cat
!”

* * * *

The hellfire and brimstone was burning in Tabitha’s gut when the voice crossed the gathering, as surely as if it had crossed the years.

No! After all this time? No!

In her wild youth, when she’d lived on her own in Austin, she’d become enamored with a leather-wearing biker. She’d fallen hopelessly in love with Stubby Joe. She’d spent every spare moment with him. And then one day his two friends, Black Mike and Big Dick had shown up in town. Tabitha had taken an immediate liking to his friends. When they’d said they were hoping to hook up with the two of them, Tabitha hadn’t understood. But Stubby Joe had quietly explained to her that they didn’t mean going out to supper. Once she was over her shock and she’d gotten to know them a bit, wicked temptation had visited her. Then she’d discovered that Black Mike and Big Dick liked each other as well as Stubby Joe. And Stubby Joe loved all of them, including her.

They wanted her to join their polyamorous group, which had included one other woman who evidently had a liking for Stubby Joe. Tabitha hadn’t been too sure about that woman but she’d tried. God forgive her, she’d tried to be with them, but she’d been disgusted by their actions and she’d been furious because the other woman had done subtle little things to make her feel left out, pushing her aside and claiming all of their attention without the men realizing it. Tabitha wasn’t the one in the middle like she’d fantasized about. To top it off, the other woman had gloated about how good Stubby Joe was in the sack, meaning that she’d had him before. Tabitha had decided that if Stubby Joe was so good to her she could just keep him. Without explanation, she’d run away from their campsite during the night and never returned. It’s shattered her heart permanently, the way that woman had stolen her men from her. She gone home to her mother—

“Tabby! Tabby!” the voice hollered again, getting closer, then echoed by two other deep voices.

“Tabby Cat!”

“
Kitten
!”

Her resolve to stand up to the gathering of polyamorous pervert lovers suddenly shriveled as she was met face-to-face with her sinful past. She spun, took one look at the gutless followers cowering behind her, darted through the crowd, and broke into a run as the crowd began to snicker and laugh.

“Kitten!”

Tabby Cat!”

“Pussy girl! Come back! We still looooooove you!”

“We love you! We’ll take better care of you this time, just the three of us! We’re sooorrryyyy!”

Stubby Joe, who was anything but stubby anywhere on his body. Black Mike, with hair like a raven’s wing and a big and many-times-broken nose. And Big Dick, who—well—his name was appropriate if her memory was accurate.

She glanced back and gaped when she saw the now gray-bearded bikers break through the crowd, spot her, and pursue her down Main Street at a dead run. Oh, they’d catch her for sure now! She tossed the picket sign in the air and ran as fast as she could around the corner.

Oh, her mother was going to have a conniption fit if they chased her all the way home!

Her mother and father had caught her pining over a picture of the three men and found a letter she’d tried to write to them and they’d taken it upon themselves to contact their preacher who had come to her and cleansed her of her sins. He’d browbeaten the devil right out of her until she knew she’d done wrong going with them.

She’d moved to Divine, where her parents had lived, joined her church, and starting teaching bible study with her best friend, Elizabeth Owen.

She’d fallen in everlasting love from afar with her boss, Clay Cook, only to have him stolen right from under her by that Lily…into a polyamorous relationship with his brother, Del, no less.

She’d pined for Patrick Owen after Elizabeth conveniently vacated herself from his life for a prison cell—stupid wench. And just when she’d thought the time was right to voice her affection for him and that unruly boy of his, Lucy had come along and snatched up both him and Beck O’Malley. No one woman deserved two men who were so sinfully delicious.

Those women were man-eaters, scooping up more men than they deserved. Tabitha deserved them.
She did.
Though, they’d never come close to her memories of the three that she’d run from in order to escape the hell her parents had convinced her was awaiting her if she didn’t fight the temptation.

She’d found that picture of Stubby Joe, Black Mike, and Big Dick and had kept it hidden. A reminder of her sinful, ugly past. A reminder of how close she came to hell’s fire. A reminder of everything she’d ever wanted and could never have. It was wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Wrong
.

That word echoed with each rapid step in her sensible shoes until she finally reached her mother’s front stoop, the men hot on her heels. Her mother was standing on the porch, disapproval pursing her shriveled miserable lips, and hellfire burning in her eyes.

“Oh, Lord! What now!”

* * * *

Veronica craned her neck as she watched the three leather-clad bikers chase Tabitha Lester down the street, calling after her at the top of their lungs. “Can someone tell me what just happened?”

The amused crowd dispersed and their group of friends, who had been victimized and demonized by that woman for so long, gathered as Charity began to laugh.

Lucy suddenly squealed and turned to Val Teller, Justin’s cousin. “You finally remembered where you knew Tabitha Lester from, didn’t you?”

Val pushed his sunglasses up, revealing beautiful chocolaty-brown eyes and long eyelashes and said, “Yeah. It’d been a long time since I’d seen her and she’d changed a lot. She hung around with a good friend of mine. Stubby Joe, from Austin. He had it
bad
for Tabitha when she was younger. Really bad. But he had this situation. He’s bisexual and he was also in love with Black Mike and Big Dick.”

Charity snorted with laughter. “I’m sorry. That gets me every time I hear it. Go ahead, hon.” Justin smacked her butt for interrupting Val and then kissed her when she feigned a protest before she giggled again.

Val chuckled. “Tabby Cat and Stubby Joe were way into each other…at least until Black Mike and Big Dick rolled back into town after a long absence, and they wanted Stubby Joe with them. Like…
with them
. Funny thing was, they were really digging Tabby Cat, too.”

“That little sinner!” Camilla said with a chuckle.

“I get a shiver every time Val calls that odious woman Tabby Cat,” Lucy said with a snicker. “Sorry, Val. Continue, please.”

“And she was really digging Black Mike and Big Dick,” Val continued, ignoring Charity’s snicker. “She liked them enough that she didn’t mind at first that they wanted to include another woman in the mix. Stubby Joe has never shared all the details with me but I guess she gave them a try and couldn’t handle the other woman in the mix. She split without a word to anyone. She doesn’t know they all three love her. They realized they’d neglected her when the other woman gloated to her friends about running Tabitha off so she could have them to herself and word got back to them. The three of them wanted to make it up to Tabitha and they’ve been looking for her ever since. When I told them I knew where she was, they didn’t hesitate to make the trip.”