Steal You Away

Chapter Twenty-Four

All damn day Trent had been waiting...dreaming...of this moment. Ever since Chase texted him that photo of Mackenzie wearing a short yellow sundress that made the orb in the sky pale with envy, he'd thought of nothing else but getting home, and wrapping his own personal beam of sunshine in his arms. He'd been so consumed with his need to see her, he almost arrested half the fucking town for standing in his way. He grimaced, remembering how he threatened to shove the Rapture Ranger's confetti canon up Mr. Skinner's mule loving ass and firing. Not his finest moment as Sheriff, but, oddly enough, not exactly his worst either.

It had seemed like hours playing referee between the two aggravating men before they had finally managed to come to an agreement of sorts. Skinner would help clean out the cannon, and Coach Griffin promised to only fire it out of ear shot of Skinner's temperamental mules. Little did any of them realize, Skinner's solution to the problem of clearing out the cannon was firing the damn thing, sending mule shit flying far and wide across Main Street and half the people lining up for the parade.

He would have loved to have said that was the only issues he encountered, but sadly, it was just the beginning of a miserable morning to be the Sheriff of Rapture. Today, he had to oversee the Indian encampment set up for the reenactment being held the next evening, and then calm down old Mrs. Phelps when she had a flashback. The old biddy had grabbed her double barrel shotgun and had started popping off rounds, sending volunteers scrambling for their lives. Fortunately, she couldn't hit or see the broadside of a barn, and nobody was injured. Her gun was currently locked up in his gun cabinet in his office for safe keeping, or at least until the reenactment of the Rapture massacre was concluded.

Two lawnmowers had run out of gas halfway through the three block parade route, and one had burst into flames from an ill-placed sparkler next the gas tank. If finally came to an exhausting end with the tuba player from the high school marching band inadvertently swallowing a June bug. It took him and three paramedics an additional half hour to convince both the kid and the parents there would be no long-term side effects from accidental insect ingestion.

The only thing that had kept him going through the day were the stolen glances he took off his phone, and knowing Mackenzie was waiting for him at home. And now he had her in his arms, anticipation thrumming through his body as he pulled her closer. For the first time today, he felt himself able to relax. She was soft, warm, willing, and smelt of sweet summertime and lavender. He'd walk through all the mule shit in the world, put out a forest blaze of lawnmowers, and run through a hail of buckshot if it meant he could have this beautiful woman in his arms.

Mackenzie was the most exciting thing to happen to him romantically in a long time. Sure, he and his brother had been involved several times after Tina, but it never lasted. He was always more than willing to pick up and haul ass if things started to get too serious, because none of them had been more than a fling. Mackenzie was the type of woman he had always imagined when he fantasized about settling down and having a family. And to think...he almost missed his chance because of his bitterness.

He'd been dead serious about going the traditional route after Tina left. For a while, he had thought she was the one. The one he and his brother could marry, make a life with, but now, looking at Mackenzie, he knew in his heart she had been nothing but a bad mistake. Tina was the type of woman who would have taken all they had to offer, and would have given nothing but misery in return.

It had hurt at the time, watching those taillights speed down the driveway and out of his life. Not because he loved her or anything, but because he had tried so hard to feel something, anything, for her and failed. It had made him wonder if maybe love just wasn't in the cards for him, or that he was incapable of being in love. He'd been ready to spend the rest of his days in peaceful contentment with his job and horses. Now, he looked down at the gorgeous woman he held in his arms, he knew he had really dodged a bullet. He was glad he hadn't settle for a mediocre existence with Tina. And how fucking boring his life would have been, if he had given everything he dreamed of up just because he had mistakenly thought himself a failure. After all the mistakes he'd made in his life, he must finally be doing something right to earn a chance at a love like this.