Chapter Twenty-Eight

Austin parked his truck on top of one of the ridges on the outskirts of town and looked out over the houses and shops he was tasked with protecting. He loved his job, even if it came with certain ties and obligations to the Millers. But he felt like he was failing some of his citizens recently. And one in particular. He hoped that he had read too much into the situation between Isabella and David, as Aaron and Sean seemed to think he had, but he had a horrible feeling that the incident was only the tip of the iceberg. Austin sighed glumly at that thought. He genuinely hoped it wouldn't come to that.

He could see their bar from where he was stood, and it certainly looked better than it had done in a while. The two Tennants had been able to diversify their clientele by doing up some of the inside and simply by being behind the bar every day. Women felt like they were welcome again and most men didn't seem to mind the additional company either. Though, the ones who'd used the bar as an escape, a chance to drink and to have a brawl, weren't quite as happy with the turnaround. It did make his job a little easier.

Austin shook his head as he kicked at some small rocks in front of him. Being a Sheriff wasn't about having an easy job. Though he was unsure of what to do next. He'd heard some of the lads at the factory talking about Tatum and all those guys she'd supposedly been seen with since she'd come back to town, no doubt stories spread by the guy that Sean had ended up punching in the face. Hopefully for them Sean hadn't heard them talking, as he was sure his friend would find ways of making them pay one way or another. And if not, he may have to have a word of his own with them. He knew it probably wouldn't win Isabella back over, but it may get her to warm up to him a bit again. 

Sean looked up from his milkshake and saw Tatum crossing the street to head to the grocery store. "Mama, do you mind if I go take care of somethin'? I'll see you at home later," he turned to his mother. Every now and again, she insisted on taking an afternoon with one of her boys at a time. He hoped that the few hours they'd already spent together would be enough for her to let him go now.

"Sure thing, baby. I'll save you a seat for tonight's movie," Mrs Miller told him with a smile. She wasn't sure who he saw, but it was clear to her it was a girl. And the smile he gave her in response spoke volumes.

"Thanks mama," he said, leant in to give her a kiss on the cheek and set off with the rest of his milkshake. He reckoned he probably got his attitude towards the feud from her, as she had never really taken much interest in it either. He was sure his father would've and could've been a lot worse over the years, if it hadn't been for his wife's mitigating influence. Sean put all of that to the back of his mind as he crossed the street at a light jog. He'd been meaning to talk to her ever since the Kevin incident at the bar, but he hadn't really seen a good opportunity to do so, until now. He made sure to check who else was in the store as he made his way over to the redhead, who easily stood out in the crowd.

"Hey Tatum," he said, giving her a smile when she looked up surprised.

"Hey Sean," she smiled back. "Been at the café?" she asked, noting the milkshake in his hand.

"Oh yeah. Mama wanted to go," Sean nodded, looking a little embarrassed. He wished he'd come up with a better excuse as he'd crossed the street.

"That sounds nice," Tatum told him, relieved he hadn't been on a date, a feeling that took her a little by surprise. And at least his mother wanted to do nice things with him; her mother could only afford so much, and her father hadn't been interested in a proper father-daughter relationship until it had been too late. "Thank you again, by the way, for... last time. I know I wasn't very gracious at the time," she started to thank him again, not daring to look up in his blue eyes.

"That's okay. I have some making up to do on that front," the tall cowboy in front of her said with a wry smile. She gave a soft laugh in response, not knowing what else to say to that. It was true that he probably did have a lot of making up to do after years of standing by and letting Aaron torment her and her sister, but at the same time she couldn't blame him for not going against his family. "That's a lot of medication and creams for bruises," Sean said with a concerned frown when he happened to look down at her basket. "Is everythin' alright?" he asked, grasping hold of her arm as carefully as he could, but enough to make her look at him.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. It's for Izzy, she managed to trip up the last part of the stairs and face planted the door. Or at least that's what she says," Tatum quickly reassured him, at least as far as she was concerned.

"You don't believe her?" he asked, thinking of what Austin had said the other day about David roughing Isabella up.

"I don't know what to believe, to be honest," the redhead said thoughtfully. Even if she did know, she wasn't sure how much to share with him. After all, she was only starting to get to know him properly. And she'd already had a blazing row about it with Isabella when she finally got home from closing the bar last night. The younger Miller gave her a pensive look, not sure if he should share what Austin had told them. When he saw she was worried enough already, he decided to leave it for now.

"Do you have much else to get?" Sean asked now, thinking he could walk her home afterwards.

"Just a couple more things. Do you mind waitin' by the till and I'll quickly finish?" Tatum suggested. She'd be faster if she could just concentrate, having already decided that anything pregnancy-related could wait until he wasn't there with her.

"Sure," he nodded. She gave him a smile and headed further into the shop. He headed towards the till as agreed, flicking through one of the magazines on the display stand for something to do. He didn't really take in what he was reading though, as there were a couple of customers stood nearby talking about recent or upcoming dates.

"Dude, no way you went out with Tatum," one of them said, clearly not believing his blond mate, built like a jock.

"Maybe, maybe not. Wouldn't be too hard though, would it?" the guy, trying to be tough and cool, responded with a shrug.

"What?"

"Yeah, apparently, she's been dishin' out dates like candy," he said with a chuckle.

"So, what does it say about you that you haven't had one yet?" his friend, with a more diminutive frame, chuckled now.

"Guys, come on. That's no way to talk about a lady," Sean couldn't stop himself from interfering, seeing the surprise on their faces. They clearly hadn't expected anyone to say anything in her defence, least of all a Miller.

"Well, she ain't no lady from what I've heard," the jock said, guffawing as he elbowed his friends conspiratorially. They quickly fell silent when they saw the look on Sean's face.

"You heard wrong and, even if you hadn't, she'd still be a lady who deserves more respect than what you're showin' her," he set them straight. All three of them looked at him as if they weren't sure if he was joking or not, but they started chuckling and elbowing each other when Tatum came over to Sean at that moment with a smile.

"Yeah, sure thing. We get it," the jock winked and the three of them left before the Miller could object or stop them.

"Everything okay?" Tatum asked him a little nervously. It usually wasn't a good sign when guys like that were laughing at her expense.

"Uh huh," Sean nodded quickly, not wanting to tell her about the rumour that was clearly making the rounds outside of the factory now too. "Let me help," he offered now, taking her two bags of shopping to carry back. It made her suspicious that maybe he knew she was pregnant, but when he didn't follow it up with 'in your condition' or something to that effect, she simply smiled at him gratefully.

"Thanks," she said as they left the shop.

"Any time," he nodded as they set off towards her house.