lori king rough ride romeo (19 page)

with you and help if you’d like. We can take a trailer to collect the things you

want to keep. There’s not much space in my room, so if you have a bunch of

furniture we can set up a guest cabin just for the two of us.”

She cocked her head and for the first time in days, her lips curled up.

“Roman Freemont, are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Only if you’re saying yes. Otherwise, I’m asking you to live at the ranch

while you find your feet again.” He teased. He wanted to push her, but he knew

from experience that it would backfire on him. After Abe died, everyone told him

that he needed to allow himself to grieve properly and stop running away from

his problems. Instead, he’d run harder, and pushed farther. Everything he did was

an attempt to cover up the pain in his heart, and the guilt in his gut. Now it was

Franki struggling through it.

“I’m thinking about having her cremated. So that I can decide later where

she belongs. I don’t think she’d want to be left behind in St. Paul, even though

Mama is buried there.”

“I think Vivi would be happy with whatever you decided. From the way

you’ve spoken about her, she idolized you.”

Franki nodded, “In some ways I guess she did. I was the oldest, so I had to

be the mature one. Sometimes I resented her for it, but other times it made me

feel important. Whenever Vivi made a mistake I was the one to fix it, but this

time…” she paused, emotion clogging her voice.

“Why don’t we head in the house and find something for dinner. We’ll talk it

over with the family and see about making plans for a memorial service. I’m sure

Lacy and Marilyn will know where to start.” Roman said, sliding out of the truck,

and lifting her down after him.

She caught him off guard when she rose up on her tip toes and captured his

lips, kissing him hard and fast. “Thank you.”

With those two words she stepped back and headed for the house leaving

him befuddled and aroused. He knew he shouldn’t even be thinking about sex,

but damn, she was a beautiful woman, and they’d been explosive in bed. Perhaps

once she’d had more time to grieve they’d be able to revisit where this

relationship was taking them.

Before he could join Franki in the house, Vin stepped out of the shadow of

the barn, wiping his hands on a dirty bandana.

“Hey Romeo, looks like she’s doing better.”

Roman looked off in the direction of the house, but he couldn’t bring

himself to agree. Franki might be putting up a good front, but she was still in a

million pieces on the inside. “She’ll get through it.”

“Her bike’s done.” Vin said carefully. They stared at each other as Roman

processed the new piece of information. He’d damn near forgotten about the

motorcycle, but he was sure Franki hadn’t. Would she still want to stay once she

realized she had her freedom back?

“I’ll tell her.”

“Don’t wait, Roman. She deserves the chance to make her own decision.

Remember that saying if you love them set them free?”

“I’m not sure I can.” Roman admitted.

Vin nodded, “You’ve got it bad for her, huh?”

“I love her.”

“Does she know?”

Roman shook his head, “Now’s not the time.”

“You’re right about that.” Vin agreed, “But like I said, she deserves to know

all of the facts before she makes her decisions. No regrets.”

Those were the same two words Vin had been repeating to him for the last

year in relation to Abe’s death. They were the same words Abe had tattooed on

his forearm under the Navy insignia he’d worn since he was a teenager. No

regrets. Vin was absolutely right, no matter what the outcome, Roman had to

make sure that when he and Franki both looked back on this time they did so

with no regrets, and no guilt for what might have been.

Chapter 15

“I don’t want anything big. I think I’d just like a minister to say a prayer, and

maybe someone to sing for her.” Franki insisted. From the moment she’d asked

for guidance from Marilyn and Lacy the two had taken control and helped her

detail out what she wanted to do next. They’d already determined that Franki,

and Roman would leave for St. Paul early next week to work on closing accounts

and tying up the loose ends of her life there, and Drannon and Lacy would follow

at the end of the week with the truck and trailer to collect anything Franki

wanted to come home with.

Franki still had some savings money in her account, but she was going to

need to figure out work soon after she returned. For now she just wanted to make

sure that Vivi was at rest. That meant a memorial of some sort.

“You’re welcome to bury her in the Crawley family cemetery.” Drannon

offered generously. “It’s on a ridge on the Eastern edge of our property

overlooking pastures.”

“Thank you, but I’m going to have her cremated. I’m not sure if I’ll stay in

Montford permanently yet, and I don’t want to leave her behind if I move on.”

She saw Roman finch out of the corner of her eye, but she ignored him. There

was no reason to lie or avoid the facts. She hadn’t made any decisions yet and she

wasn’t going to be pushed into any.

“Do you know if there is anyone you want to invite from Minnesota?” Lacy

asked. “Anyone that might be willing to make the trip?”

Franki shook her head sadly, “Not really. I have to go back and tell Dottie,

she’s the closest thing we had to family besides each other. She owns the building

Vivi and I lived in, and she helped my mama out a lot with babysitting when we

were kids, but she’s older now. I can’t imagine she’ll be up for the trip. Vivi only

had a few friends, but no one that even seemed to notice she was gone. No, the

service is really just for me. I suppose it’s silly to even have one.”

“Absolutely not.” Marilyn said firmly. “Funerals are for the living, so that we

can have closure and a time to say goodbye. You need a service to honor your

sister’s life. From the way you speak of her she was no doubt a beautiful soul, and

she’s now a beautiful angel.”

The kindly woman smiled at her, and Franki couldn’t help but smile back.

She was right. The service was about honoring the memory of Vivi more than

putting a final note on her life. She deserved to be celebrated.

“I’l call the funeral home tomorrow and see what they recommend. I’m

sure they have a chapel—”

Lacy gasped, “No way! That’s so impersonal. Sweetie you can have a private

memorial here in the living room. All of us will be there, and I’m sure Bran will

come. Roman said that Destiny is supposed to be being released from the hospital

on Monday or Tuesday, so if we wait until you’re back from St. Paul she can

attend too. We’ll make it a celebration-of-life party and you can tell us all stories

about what kind of trouble you two caused for your mama as kids.”

Franki laughed, “I don’t remember being any trouble, but Vivi was a

handful.” She turned to Drannon, “Are you sure this is okay? You guys barely

know me...”

The big man smiled at her, and took her hand. “Of course it’s okay. You’re

part of the family now. Come hell or high water we take care of our own.”

Franki could only nod in response as emotion once again threatened to

overtake her. These people were way too good to be true. They’d taken her in

when she could have been an ax murder, and they had helped her when they had

nothing to gain from it. Now, at the lowest point of her life, they were not only

opening their home to her, but they were holding out open arms and accepting

her as one of their own.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s talk about the fair tomorrow,” Marilyn said

loudly. “I’ll need a couple of extra hands to put pies together in the morning.”

Hawke sat forward in his seat, but Vin groaned. “And I can’t recall if I mentioned

that I volunteered you boys to help with the carnival games. They needed a few

strapping lads to help run the activities, and you four came to mind.”

“Aw Marilyn. I’d planned to ask Nicole Summersby to ride along with me.”

Hawke groaned.

“Stay away from that girl.” Roman said sharply, giving his brother a frown

that raised Franki’s hackles. Did Roman have a thing for the woman?

“Why is that? You’ve got a woman. I should be allowed to have one too, and

besides it’s been months since I got laid. Everyone knows she’s a sure thing”

Hawke grumbled.

Roman shook his head, “Not that one. Stay as far away from her as you

can.”

Without explaining, Roman shifted in his seat and changed the subject

completely leaving Franki wondering why in the world he would interfere with his

brother’s dating life. The only explanation was that there was history between

him and this Nicole woman, but she’d have to wait until another time to ask him.

Right now she had to find a way out of the fair. She was in no mood to spend the

day laughing and pretending life was rainbows and unicorns.

“I can help you with the pies in the morning, Marilyn,” she offered. “It will

be my contribution since I won’t be at the actual fair.”

“Won’t be there? Why not?” Marilyn asked.

“I’m not much of a fair kind of girl, and besides with everything that’s

happened...”

With tears in her eyes Marilyn stood and moved to Franki’s side hugging her

tightly to her plump chest. “My dear, while I certainly understand your sadness, I

also know that your sister wouldn’t want you to stop living your life. Whatever you

choose is fine. We’ll support you.”

With that the conversation shifted once again, and Franki foundered for

footing. She couldn’t argue, and she couldn’t agree. Indecision and emotion

overwhelmed her, and she felt like she was suffocating. Taking deep breaths, she

surged to her feet and rushed for the back door, running from what she couldn’t

say, but she had to get away.

~ ~ ~ ~

Roman knew the moment Franki lost it. He saw the unfettered fear and

discomfort in her eyes, and the trembling of her hands. A moment later, she

launched herself out of the room, the back door slamming behind her. When he

would have followed her, Drannon stopped him.

“Give her some space, little brother.”

“I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

His older brother nodded, “I know, but you’ve been hovering over her for

days. Try giving her a little room to breathe. Some people need space to think.”

He resumed his seat begrudgingly, feeling like his skin was too tight as he

anxiously waited for Franki to return to the house. They finished dinner and

cleaned up, and she still hadn’t reappeared. Lacy interrupted his pacing by asking

him to play a video game with her. He knew she didn’t really want to play, but he

appreciated the effort to draw him away from his worries so he agreed.

“I want the M16 this time.” Lacy passed him a controller before settling in

on the oversized sofa with a blanket over her lap.

“You had it last time.” He argued.

“Yep, but you’ve had years to practice this game and I’ve only had months. I

need something to give me an edge.” She winked at him and patted the seat next

to her.

He looked back over his shoulder wondering for the hundredth time if he

should go search for Franki.

“She’ll come back,” Lacy said, not even looking his way.

“Well duh, her bike is here. I didn’t think she’d hop a plane out of state.”

Turning her narrowed eyes on him Lacy huffed, “You know what I mean.

She’s dealing with some serious shit Roman. Like Drannon said, you’ve got to

give her space.”

“I know, but I’m just…I just want to be there for her. You know, if she needs

someone to hold her, or listen to her.”

Lacy frowned. “She’s changed you, you know? You’re like a more grown up

version of yourself.”

“Is that so bad?” he asked with a laugh.

“No, but you shouldn’t have to change for someone.” She said with a shrug,

“I just want to make sure you’re not jumping in too fast. Franki’s going to have a

lot of healing to do, and the last thing I want is to see you two hurt each other—”

“Thanks, but I think I can handle my own love life.” As much as he

appreciated Lacy taking on the protective sister role, it was slightly disturbing to

realize that he’d harbored a secret crush on her months ago when she’d arrived at

the ranch, and now she was marrying his older brother. The last thing he needed

was love advice, especially when he wasn’t even sure Franki felt the same way

about him.

“Fine, just remember that wounded animals lash out. Protect yourself.”

With that, she turned on the game and proceeded to kick his ass with an

M16 assault rife. He played the game, but his heart wasn’t in it. All he could

think was that even if Franki did lash out at him he’d be there for her. She’d said

herself that she had no one else. He knew what it was like to feel alone with your

grief.

Unbidden, memories fooded into his brain, and he lost focus completely on

what he was doing.

“What are you still doing here?”

Vin stood outside the garage with a tire in his hands and a frown on his face. Anger rippled