The Wanted Series Short Stories
Other Books by Kelly Elliott
Wanted Short Story
Chapter 1: Ellie
Chapter 2: Gunner
Chapter 3: Ellie
Chapter 4: Gunner
Chapter 5: Ellie
Chapter 6: Gunner
Chapter 7: Ellie
Chapter 8: Gunner
Chapter 9: Ellie
Chapter 10: Gunner
Saved Short Story
Chapter 1: Jeff
Chapter 2: Ari
Chapter 3: Jeff
Chapter 4: Ari
Chapter 5: Jeff
Chapter 6: Ari
Chapter 7: Jeff
Faithful Short Story
Chapter 1: Heather
Chapter 2: Josh
Chapter 3: Heather
Chapter 4: Josh
Chapter 5: Heather
Chapter 6: Josh
Chapter 7: Heather
Chapter 8: Josh
Chapter 9: Heather
Chapter 10: Josh
Copyright © 2014 by Kelly Elliott
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Visit my website at www.kellyelliottauthor.com
ISBN-13: 978-0-99003210-6-4
I stood at the kitchen sink, rinsing off vegetables, as I listened to Alex and Colt fighting—again. Alex had just turned nine, and she was well on her way to twenty-one. Colt would be eight in a few months, and he lived to torment his sister.
The phone rang, and I leaned over to pick it up. I was hoping it would be Gunner. He’d taken a job designing a lawyer’s new house in Fredericksburg. It was a favor to the architecture firm where he’d worked part-time after college.
“Hello?”
“I need a drink—a tall drink filled with alcohol—preferably served by my naked husband.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ew…really? Come on, Ari. No matter how many times I tell you that grosses me out, you just never stop.”
I could picture her sitting at her desk with her feet propped up, smiling her devilish smile.
“Tell me you don’t feel the same way…well, not about my husband serving the drink to you. Instead, it would be your cowboy.”
I closed my eyes and tried to picture it. “That would be heaven, especially since I hardly see him anymore.”
“That sucks, sweets. With as busy as the ranch is, I’m surprised he took this job.”
I frowned and glanced back to the kids since they had been way too quiet.
“Oh my God, Ari, if you hear me scream, don’t panic. I’m fixin’ to pull my hair out. I’ll call ya right back.” I hung up the phone and walked over to the table.
I looked down at Alex. “What did you do?”
I peeked over to Colt. Alex smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she sat down in the chair. She gently laid the scissors on the kitchen table and attempted not to laugh.
I turned back to look at my baby boy. I tried really hard not to laugh, and I bit the inside of my cheek. “Colt, why did you let your sister cut your hair?”
I glanced at Alex. “And is that a wash-out dye, Alexandra?”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
Colt jumped up. “You said it would wash out, Alex! You promised it would.” He looked at me. “Did she cut my hair good, Mama? She told me she’s been practicing on her Barbie dolls.”
I placed my fingertips on my temples and silently prayed for a miracle. I wanted the last five minutes to be erased, so I could get a do-over.
I let out a long and dragged-out sigh. “Alex, how in the heck did you find the time to dye his hair and cut it while I was on a three-minute phone call?”
Again, she shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve learned to move fast, Mama. I have to with Luke and Will.”
My mouth dropped open. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I pointed to the door and said, “Go up to your room, Alex. You’re grounded.”
“What?” Alex said as she jumped up. “But, Mama, he was being so annoying. He wouldn’t stop talking. I had to do something.”
“So, you cut chunks of his hair out and dyed the rest?”
“Chunks?” Colt said with a concerned look on his face.
“I said, go to your room, Alex. Your father will deal with your punishment when he gets home because I’m too angry right now.”
“Mama, did you say…chunks?” Colt asked.
Alex turned and stormed off.
I looked down at poor Colt. “Baby, can you go into Mommy and Daddy’s shower and wash your hair like a big boy?”
He smiled big. “Sure, I can.”
As Colt headed off to our bedroom, I walked back over and picked up the phone. I was about to call Ari back when I decided to call my mother instead.
“Hello?”
“Mom?”
“Ellie, darling, how are you?”
I was about to answer her when Colt let out the girliest scream I’d ever heard.
“My hair!” he yelled over and over.
“Are you off work, Mom?” I said as tears formed in my eyes.
“I’m on my way.”
I shut Colt’s bedroom door and leaned against it. He had been crying nearly all night after I told him I had to cut his hair short, really short, to make it look okay.
I walked over to Alex’s room and opened her door. She was already in bed and sound asleep. If I didn’t know any better, I would say she had a smile on her face. I’d found out where she’d gotten the dye. It was from Luke, so Ari would be getting a phone call from me tomorrow.
I headed downstairs and smiled weakly at my mother. I made my way to the sofa and sat down next to her. “Mom, this is so much harder than I ever thought it would be.”
She put her arm around me. “I know, baby, I know. You have to admit though, it was kind of funny.”
I finally allowed myself to laugh. I nodded my head. “Yeah, it was.”
We laughed a bit more, and then I was overcome with sadness. I glanced over to the clock on the mantel. It was now after ten.
“He’ll be home soon, honey.”
I took in a deep breath and let it out quickly. “Something is wrong, Mom. Gunner is never this late. He never misses a baseball game or soccer practice, and he is always home by the time the kids go to bed.”
“Have you heard from him?”
I pulled out my cell phone and read his text message.
Gunner: Meeting ran late. Heading to dinner with client and Bill.
“Who’s Bill?” my mother asked.
“The owner of the architecture firm. If he says jump, Gunner will jump.”
My mother giggled. “Well, he won’t be out too late. I heard his daddy saying they have to fix the pump outside the well house, so they’re getting started early in the morning.”
I nodded my head. “Yeah, Jeff called earlier to talk to Gunner about that.”
My mother stood and stretched. “Are you okay now, darling? I should head back home before it gets too late. I’d better text Philip.”
I got up and followed my mother to the kitchen. She grabbed her purse, pulled out her phone, and sent Philip, my stepfather, a text.
We walked out to her car, and I leaned in the window to kiss her
cheek. “Thanks, Mom, for coming over and helping me. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. I just don’t feel right.”
She smiled and nodded her head. “Ellie, you’re going through a hard time right now. I think you need to get out. Maybe you and Gunner should go away for a few days. You know Phil and I will watch the kids.”
I smiled. “Mom, that would be so amazing. I’d love to get away for a couple of days.”
“Plan a trip. We’ll make it happen.”
I kissed her one more time before saying good-bye. I watched the red taillights fade away as she drove down the driveway. I walked back into the house and picked up the home phone. I dialed Gunner’s phone number. I pulled out my cell and looked at it to see if he sent a text.
“Hello?”
I was stunned at how loud the background noise was. “Gunner? Where are you? Are you still with the client and Bill?”
“Hey, sweetheart. Yeah, I am. I was just getting ready to leave. Bill, Karen, and I were about to walk out of the bar.”
I didn’t know what to be more shocked by—the fact that he was at a bar or that his client’s name was Karen. I’d never even thought to ask for the name. It turned out the client I’d assumed was a he was really a she.
Karen?
“Did y’all eat at a bar?”
“What? I can’t hear you. It’s loud. Let me walk outside. Hold on.”
I slowly started counting to ten.
One. Two. Three.
I’m so going to kill him.
Four. Five. Six.
Karen. Love how he failed to mention the client he’s been meeting for lunches and dinners is a damn woman.
Seven. Eight. Nine.
“Ells, can you hear me now?”
“Yep. I asked, did you eat at the bar?”
He let out a chuckle. “Nah. Bill wanted to bring Karen to the brewery, so we walked over. I’m on my way.”
“Well, I’m on my way to bed.”
Silence.
“Ellie, are you upset?”
Stupid men. “Am I upset? Am I upset that you called me hours ago and said you would be late but not too late? Am I upset that you missed baseball and soccer practice—again? Am I upset that I had to shave our son’s hair because your daughter decided to dye it with a color Luke had concocted, and then she cut chunks out of it? Am I upset that I had to sit with Colt while he cried for two hours before I put the kids to bed? Am I upset that I had to call my mother because I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown? And guess what? That’s because my fucking husband is never home! Ever! He’s out having lunch and dinner with Karen.”
“I’m going to go ahead and say you’re upset.”
I pulled the phone away and took a deep breath. “I’m going to bed. Be careful driving.”
I hung up and slowly made my way to our bed. I stripped out of my clothes and put on one of Gunner’s T-shirts. I crawled into bed and pulled my pillow next to my body.
Then, I cried until I fell asleep.
I pulled up behind Jeff’s truck and put my truck in park. I dropped my head back against the seat and sat there for a minute.
Ellie had been asleep when I got home, and by the time I’d woken up, she had already been up and out of the house. When I’d walked into the kitchen, I’d seen Sharon sitting at the kitchen table, and I’d panicked. She’d informed me that Ellie had gone into Mason, and she would be home in a few hours.
I closed my eyes and tried to understand why Ellie was so angry.
The knock on the window caused me to quickly open my eyes. Jeff was standing there, staring at me.
I opened the truck door and smiled as I got out and made my way over to Jeff. “Shit, dude. Sorry you and Dad had to fix that pump without me. I got home late last night.”
He nodded his head. “So I hear.”
“What do you mean by that?”
He gave me a funny look and jerked his head slightly. “I mean just what I said. So I hear. Ari said Ellie is on a rampage because you’ve been staying out late, and she just found out the client you’ve been meeting with is a girl.”
“So? What does that have to do with anything?”
Jeff placed the fence pullers on the bottom wire. He stopped and looked up at me. “Really, Mathews? Telling Ellie that your client is a female didn’t seem important to you?”
I shook my head. “No, it didn’t, and I still don’t think it’s important. I’m designing her home, and that’s it. She’s a very picky person, and I’ve had to meet her a few times to make changes. I’ve told Ellie this.”
“Well, if you don’t see anything wrong with it…”
I walked by him and grabbed the hooks for the fence. “I don’t. I think Ellie is behaving like a spoiled brat.”
He laughed. “Can I please be there when you tell her that? Please!”
I rolled my eyes and began working on the fence.
Jeff didn’t say anything else to me until we were getting ready to head back to the house. He walked up to me, and I could see the concern on his face.
“Gunner, all I’m gonna say is that Ellie stays home with the kids day after day. She works her ass off, helping out with running this cattle ranch and with Ari’s breeding business. When was the last time you took your wife out on a date?”
I shook my head as I felt the anger building inside me. “What are you saying, Jeff? I’m a shitty husband? When was the last time you took your wife out on a date?”
He gave me a shit-eating grin. “Don’t push this back on me, dude. I’m actually taking Ari with me to Kentucky in a few weeks. It’ll be just her and me for five days. I know we both need time to be alone together.”
I let out a sigh and turned to get into my truck.
“Gunner, is everything okay with you and Ellie?”
I stopped dead in my tracks. I quickly spun around and stared at him. “Yes. Why would you even ask me that?”
He took a few steps back and gave me a look. “Because the guy who married my sister would never go to the bars and hang out with another woman while missing his kids’ events, and I know for fucking sure, he would never call his wife a spoiled brat.”
I stood there and took in Jeff’s words. The more I thought about it, the more pissed off I got. “Ellie must be filling Ari in on everything.” I wasn’t sure why I’d said that. I was angry with myself more than anyone else.
For Jeff to think something was wrong between Ellie and me must mean that Ellie thought something was wrong.
“You know what? I’m walking away from this conversation, Gunner. For your sake, I really hope you don’t ever do something you will regret. Ellie is my sister, but she is the best fucking thing to ever happen to you. If you hurt her in any way, dude, it’s not going to be a happy ending for any of us.”
He turned and walked to his truck. Before jumping in, he gave me one last look. Then, he peeled off and headed back to the main barn.
“Fuck.” I got into my truck and headed in the same direction.
I watched as Jeff’s truck turned and headed to the barn. I pulled up and parked outside of Gram and Gramp’s house. I got out and made my way up the stairs.
Gramps stepped out the screen door and gave me one look. He shook his head. “Am I going to have to kick your ass?”
I smiled weakly. “No, sir.”
“Let’s go for a walk. I need some fresh air.”
I followed him around the porch and down the steps. We started walking in silence.
Gramps cleared his throat. “What’s going on, Drew? You look like you’ve got a heavy heart, son.”
I pushed both my hands through my hair and let out a sigh. “Besides Jeff just basically accusing me of being a shitty husband and possibly cheating on my wife, I’m not really sure what’s going on, Gramps.”
He nodded his head. “Are you?”
My heart dropped, and I froze in my place. Gramps stopped walking and turned to look at me.
“How can you even ask me that?”
&
nbsp; “Drew, I’ve had friends who loved their wives beyond belief, but they got tempted. They did things they later regretted, and most of them didn’t even have an affair. The idea that they even thought about having an affair drove a wedge between them and their wives.”
“I’m not having a fucking affair. I’ve just been busy with work. I’ve never thought about being with another woman—ever. It’s just work.”
“Work?”
I let out a deep breath. “Bill asked me to design a house. I said I’d love to. Gramps, I love designing, and honestly, I missed it.”
“I thought you loved the ranch.”
“I do love the ranch. I just needed a bit of a change. I needed something else to do, I guess.”
Gramps nodded his head and began walking again. “I’m sure the way you were feeling is probably how Ellie feels as well, considering her day is filled with the same exact thing day after day.”
Oh geesh. He’s gonna lecture me about this, too.
Gramps stopped and turned to face me. “Drew, I’m only going to say this because, to be honest with you, I don’t like the person you’ve become in the last month.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
He shook his head. “What bothers me the most is that you don’t even see it. You don’t see how unhappy your wife has become. You don’t see that when you miss your kids’ practices or games, you’re never going to be able to make that up. That moment in time is gone—forever.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m not cheating on Ellie. It’s never even crossed my mind, Gramps.”
“Why did you come here today, Drew?”
I tilted my head. “What do you mean? I came here because I needed to talk to someone.”
He gave me a weak smile. “The person you need to talk to isn’t me, son. It’s your wife.”
My cell phone buzzed, scaring me. I never got a signal out here. I pulled it out and read the text message.
Karen: Not happy at all with how the bathroom looks. I’m freaking out. When can you get here? I need this fixed, Drew. Now.
Me: Can it wait until tomorrow? I need to spend some time with my wife.
Karen: If you can’t handle it, I’ll call Bill. He’ll take care of it.
“Fuck!” I dropped my head back and looked up at the sky. I was already tired from being out late with them last night and mending the fence all morning.