Welcome Home Read Online Free Page A

anyone but
Doug and Tommy, they had been rivals since they first laid eyes on
one another in kindergarten and gone from “frenemies” to outright
foes when Doug made a play for Christi during a month-long spat
between Christi and Tommy the summer after graduation. Christi
hadn’t slept with Doug—she was still a virgin when they reconciled
and Tommy finally made love to her—but it still rankled that he had
made every effort to move in on her.
    Tommy forced himself to turn around and nod.
“Westerman. How’re you doing?”
    The aroma of expensive Scotch emanated forth,
and Doug looked Tommy up and down. “A little better than you are, I
guess.”
    Tommy narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
    Doug looked around the table. “How’s
everybody?”
    “We’re good, Doug,” Roxanne said brightly.
“Here, pull up a chair.”
    “Don’t mind if I do.” Doug grabbed a seat and
slid it right in between Christi’s and Tommy’s wheelchair. Then he
sat down and signaled the waitress. “I’ll buy the next round for
the entire table,” he said as he got out a credit card. “I’m
celebrating. Passed my orals this morning for my master’s degree.
Woohoo! MBA from the UT School of Business!”
    Tommy half-heartedly joined in the hearty
congratulations expressed by everyone else at the table, but this
was yet another sore spot. Mild dyslexia had lowered his grade
point enough that badly needed scholarship money never
materialized, making college for the most part out of reach for
him. This bastard had just earned an advanced degree.
    Fresh drinks were soon in front of everyone,
and a return to the ribald teasing that had set Tommy’s teeth on
edge earlier. Doug seemed to feel the need to pontificate on the
pleasures of living in Austin, and in particular on the charms of
UT coeds. “Man, those ladies are some hot potatoes. Whoo-ie, I
remember one little gal barely got inside the door before I was
inside her. Screwed her pretty little butt most of the night.”
    “How ’bout the rest of her?” Rory teased.
“Just as pretty as her butt?”
    “Don’t rightly remember,” Doug said. “Except
for her butt, she was pretty forgettable. Unlike the ladies here in
Verde.” He leaned a little closer and slid his arm around Christi.
“Speaking of unforgettable, how have you been, darlin’?”
    “Fine, Doug, now that Tommy’s home.” Christi
turned and edged closer to Tommy, but seeing the expression on his
face she started to stand. “Speaking of, we have to hit the floor
running in the morning, so we need to get out of here.”
    Instead of letting go, Doug stood. He kept
his hand on her. “Aw, come on, darlin’. I just got here, and you’ve
got beer you need to drink. Besides, you don’t want to go home with him. You want to go home with a real man,
now, don’t ya?”
    Christi tried to pull free, but Doug turned
her away from Tommy and tightened his grip. “A real man, darlin’,” he continued. “Not a crip in a
chair who ain’t hitting no floor—or anything else—running, if you
know what I mean.”
    Christi and the other women gasped, and Rory
and Hutch started out of their chairs. Tommy, before he could stop
himself, swung his right fist up and into Doug’s face. Holding
nothing back, he hit the man as hard as he could, throwing weeks of
anger and sadness and frustration into the punch. Doug tumbled
backward, shattering a flimsy bar table on the way down, and hit
the wooden floor behind him with a thud.
    “You’re right, asshole,” Tommy said. “I’m not
the one hitting the floor at the moment, running or otherwise. You
are. If you know what I mean.”
    * * *
    Doug had held on to her, and Christi gasped
as she felt herself going down with him, but the quick, strong arms
of Rory Keller kept her from tumbling to the ground.
    Straightening, she stared at both Tommy and
Doug in dismay, shocked by the behavior of both men. What had
gotten into them? The bar was quiet, everybody in the place staring
at