Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Flint continues his story, “I had my pick of swim scholarships in high school, and I chose to become a Marine. My parents were proud of me. But I can’t help wondering what would have happened if I’d been here. Maybe I could have saved them.”
I squeeze his hand again. “As a mom, I wouldn’t want my son to ever carry that kind of guilt. They went knowing you loved them and that they loved you. That’s the best you can ask for in those situations.”
He grimaces. “Today is your birthday. I shouldn’t make it heavy.”
“No, I’m glad you shared,” I say. “I lost my mom when I was so young that I don’t remember her at all. Then my dad passed when I was a teenager. There's a special kind of pain that comes from watching your parents’ lives get cut short.”
The waitress approaches our table, interrupting our conversation. I order a burger and chili fries, and Flint does the same.
“What happened after your parents passed? Is that how you ended up on Valor Ranch?”
“Not long after that, I was on a mission. We were doing some demolition in an abandoned part of the town. Thought I heard someone in a building cry out, so I went inside. Whole place collapsed on me.”
“You went in after someone else, that’s really brave.”
He groans. “Don’t look at me like a hero. I’m not anything like that. I was just hoping to find the mission that would let me join my parents. Instead, I lost a few organs and spent too long in hospitals and rehab centers. Marines couldn’t find a place for me after that, so Bronco took me in.”
“And you don’t want to run into collapsing buildings anymore?” I ask softly, my stomach tightening at the thought of this strong man hurting himself.
He shakes his head. “No, I miss them every day. I always will. It was just the grief, and I still think I heard something that day, crazy as it sounds. Plus, the ranch is a pretty good place to be. Always something to do. I’m around people that get it, who understand how serving feels like one of the coolest, hardest, and most rewarding things you've ever done. And at the same time, it's also something that fractures you in a way you never could have imagined.”
I nod like I understand, even though I don't. I’ve never served in any branch though I’ve always admired the men and women who have. “You have community around you.”
The food arrives, and when the waitress is gone, Flint redirects the conversation back to me. “What's your life like when you're not busy hanging out with a hot cowboy you just met?”
I chuckle at the way he describes himself as hot. I like his good-natured sense of humor and the way he doesn't take himself too seriously. “Well, I got married young, had twins. They’re both five now. I divorced my husband when they were about two.”
“Is he in the picture now?” Maybe it’s my imagination but I almost think I hear the slightest bit of jealousy in his tone.
“No, he fled to Thailand rather than pay child support,” I admit softly. It’s not what the boys know, but it’s the truth. I could forgive Richard for the cheating and the other women. I could even forgive him for making the divorce a difficult process. But the fact that he abandoned his children without a backward glance has always made me furious.
I emailed him twice, telling him he could have a relationship with the boys over email and video if he wanted. I told him that I didn’t care about the child support, that I only wanted him to be in their lives. Both messages went unanswered, and I haven’t reached out since.
Flint’s next words shock me. “Do you want me to track him down?”
I didn’t try to go after Richard for child support. But when you can’t make ends meet and you find yourself on assistance programs as a single mom, well, the state goes after your ex-husband. Richard knew enough to pick a country where he wouldn’t be extradited back home. I tell Flint, “There’s nothing that can be done legally.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I fight a laugh, thinking he sounds almost like one of the action heroes from grandma’s movies. “He’s not worth it. Besides, our life is good now. I've got the world's most amazing boys. I live with my grandma who helps care for them. We make it work.”
He doesn’t look happy. But he lets me drop the subject, instead asking me about my hobbies which I explain to him include cooking dinosaur nuggets, sneaking five minutes into read between jobs, and sipping cold tea after the kids have gotten out of bed for the tenth time in as many minutes.