Ever Hopeful Page 14

  Haddie chose that moment to chime back in and prove Ashley had been right about her lack of social graces and inhibition. “Did that witch, Martha Kensington, know what her son was doing to you? Did she know he was beating you?”

  The loud hum of conversation in both the kitchen and living room came to a screeching halt, and Laura looked around frantically for May who was headed toward her from the living room. Before May got there, before Laura could formulate any sort of response, Haddie continued.

  “I figured it out one night when you showed up on the television set with that high-necked dress on. Limelight Magazine had just done a big article on you and your classic sense of style. They even had a picture in the spread of the dress you planned to wear at a gala fundraiser that weekend. The night of the gala, I watched you walking down the red carpet on that news show that always covers all the stars, and you weren’t wearing that low-cut dress.” She looked around the table at everyone, as though she expected them to tell her the name of the show she was referring to, but everyone simply stared back, silent as mannequins.

  “Anyway, there you were in this high-necked wool monstrosity, and I knew—he was hitting you.” She finished with such an air of authority, Laura couldn’t utter a sound. Her throat simply seemed to close up.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Haddie. It was a dress. And, never mind that anyway. No one wants to talk about Laura’s past. We want to know about her present, about you and Cade,” Ashley said, turning to Laura. “I heard he was holding your hand in town the other day. Are you two going at it like bunnies out in the barn?”

  “Ashley! I swear you and Haddie are both ridiculous! Leave Laura alone,” Cora said.

  “Can she have sex? She’s pregnant,” came one of the disembodied voices from the living room. Laura’s face burned red as another voice answered, confirming that, yes, it was safe for a pregnant woman to have sex. She began to wonder if she could slide down under the table, crawl through the legs of the other women, and somehow make a break for the door without anyone noticing.

  “I wouldn’t mind knowing what’s going on with her and Cade. That boy’s been alone since Lacey left. We were beginning to think she’d screwed with his head so much, he’d never find love again,” said one of the women who now filled the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

  Laura’s head was spinning, and just when she was about to put her table-crawling plan into action to save what was left of her dignity, she processed what the last woman had said.

  “Who is Lacey?” she asked, turning to May who had made it over to her and now stood by her side. If it were possible for the room to grow even quieter, it just had.

  “For heaven’s sake, you all ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Can’t you let Laura just enjoy a day of baking? Maybe she would have liked meeting all of you. Now we’ll be lucky if we can convince her not to cross the street when she sees one of you coming,” May said as she placed a hand on Laura’s shoulder.

  “Who is Lacey?” Laura asked again, looking around the table this time.

  Nobody said anything. They all looked at each other until Ashley shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll tell her if you all won’t. She was Cade’s girlfriend for three years. Everyone thought they would get married. Well, it turned out he’d been trying to break up with her for about the last six months they were together. Every time he tried, she told him she’d kill herself without him. He eventually told her he couldn't stay with her because he didn’t love her, and she needed to get help if she was thinking about hurting herself. Cade told her father that he should get her some help, but her dad thought Lacey was just being melodramatic.”

  “Cade came home and found her in his place two days later. She had broken in and taken a bunch of pills then lay down in his bed,” someone from the other room said.

  Laura looked up at May, eyes wide.

  “She lived. He got there in time and called an ambulance. She was checked into the hospital and then spent a few months in a treatment facility. She lives with her mom now in Austin, and only visits her father here from time to time,” May said.

  “Cade blamed himself,” Cora said. “It was awful. Even though everyone told Cade he’d done the right thing, that he couldn't have let her keep holding him hostage that way, he wasn’t the same for a long time after that. I don’t think he’s dated anyone since then, has he, May?”

  Laura couldn’t even begin to process what that meant. And if this story was true, why would he date Laura after all this time and with her history? Why date someone with so many issues, so much baggage? Shouldn’t he want a nice, normal woman with a nice, normal life—and past?

  “All right, that’s enough, ladies. Back to work. We’ve got one hundred pies to make,” May said, clapping her hands together. She squeezed Laura’s shoulder then began issuing orders fast enough that no one had time to question Laura, much less continue the conversation about Lacey.

  It was only after the pie making had resumed its conveyor-belt-like pace that Haddie leaned over and answered the questions swimming through Laura’s head. “He saves people and animals, honey. Haven’t you noticed? He likes saving anyone he thinks needs it. Always has.”

  Laura pasted a smile on her face, but her mind was racing. She’d been such an idiot. How could she not have seen that? Of course, that’s why Cade was drawn to her. Haddie was right. He tries to save. It’s what he does. And, it made perfect sense that he’d want to save poor, helpless Laura.

  ***

  Cade had a hard time focusing on his work all afternoon. He didn’t want to wait even a few hours for his date with Laura. He’d seen the pie women leave about thirty minutes earlier as he’d been heading up the stairs to his apartment above the barn. He showered and then dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt before walking up to the main house to pick up Laura.

  “Hey, Cade. Laura’s waiting for you inside,” Josh said as he pushed May in her wheelchair down one of the paths leading from the house.

  “Thanks, guys. Going for a walk?” he asked as he took the steps two at a time.

  “You bet. Heading out to catch the sunset. It’s going to be a beauty today,” Josh said, one hand on May’s shoulder.

  “See you guys later.” Cade walked through the front door. If he’d been paying more attention, he would have noticed his mother was unusually quiet. That might have tipped him off about what was to come.

  As soon as he saw Laura sitting at the kitchen table, he knew something was wrong. She looked like she was waiting for him, but she didn’t look at all like she planned to go out with him.

  ***

  Laura looked up when Cade entered the kitchen and immediately wished she’d taken the coward's way out and left him a note. He looked so concerned for her, so worried that something might be wrong. Of course, he did. But, what would happen when she learned to stand on her own two feet? Would he want her then? And would she ever be able to stand on her own if she had him taking care of her all the time?

  “Hey. Laura, are you okay? Do you feel all right?” Cade asked, coming over to kneel down in front of her chair.

  “Yes, I’m fine, Cade. It’s just…I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Go out? That’s fine. We can stay in if you want. We can watch a movie here,” Cade offered and tried to take her hand. Laura pulled back, hating to see the confusion on his face.

  Laura shook her head. “No, I don’t think I can do this,” she said, gesturing from Cade to herself. “Us. I just can’t do this, Cade.”

  Cade studied her with those eyes that could see right through her. “What happened between this morning and this afternoon? Everything was fine this morning. What changed your mind?”

  “It just isn’t what I want right now, Cade. I just want to focus on myself and my baby right now, not try to lean on someone else. I know you want to save me, but I don’t need saving. I don’t want to be saved.”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t want to save you. I want to date
you.” Cade narrowed his eyes at her as if he understood suddenly. “They told you about Lacey, didn’t they? They told you all about Lacey and their theory that I was trying to save her.”

  Cade pulled away and crossed the room. “Damn it, Laura. I’m not trying to save you. What happened with Lacey happened because she was sick. And yeah, I stayed with her longer than I should have because I was afraid she’d hurt herself, but that doesn’t mean I’m running around looking for other women to save. I don’t care what the women of this town told you, you’re nothing like Lacey. You’re a hell of a lot stronger than she ever was.”

  Laura stood up, her arms wrapped around her middle. And at that moment she realized something she hadn’t been ready to admit. If she did go through with this with Cade and he lost interest when she no longer needed him, she wouldn’t be able to handle that loss. She might have been strong enough to handle what her father had done to her, what Patrick had put her through, but she wasn’t strong enough to love Cade and lose him.

  “You’re overreacting, Laura. I’m not trying to save you.”

  “Cade, you ordered a commercial greenhouse for me for heaven's sake! You want to talk about overreacting?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Cade. But, I just can’t date you,” she said and turned and walked upstairs.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Laura sat at the kitchen table the following morning, hoping she’d done the right thing. She and Cade had done the morning chores at the stable together, but they hadn’t talked any more than they’d needed to during the routine. He would usually come up to breakfast with her at the main house, but he’d gone back to his apartment over the barn for breakfast instead.

  “I think I’ll go sit on the front porch with this for a while,” Josh said lifting his coffee mug and leaving behind Laura, May, and the uncomfortable silence that had settled among them.

  Laura stood and began carrying dishes to the sink, then ran the water to warm it.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened?” May asked, and Laura wanted to laugh. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to May about her relationship with Cade.

  She shrugged. “Nothing. We just decided it wasn’t a good time to start dating.”

  “Hmmm. You’re probably right about that. You have a lot going on, a lot to figure out,” May said.

  Laura rinsed the last dish and shut off the water, ignoring the pang she felt in her chest at having May agree it wasn’t a good idea to date Cade. She took a deep breath and dried her hands. This was what she’d wanted. She had wanted to end the relationship, to nip it in the bud before Cade realized he only cared about her because she needed him. Before she was attached and it was too late to protect herself.

  Laura didn’t say anything as May sipped her tea and watched her. A few minutes later, May put her teacup in the sink and went to leave the room, but turned back just as abruptly as she’d left.

  “You know, though, Laura. I could be wrong. It might just be the perfect time to let someone in. It might be the perfect time to let someone support you and be with you. It takes a lot of strength and courage to lean on someone else, to let them help hold you up when you think you might fall down. Sometimes leaning on someone else is the strongest thing you can do.”

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “Your talents are wasted here, gorgeous,” Paul said, gracing the waitress with a smile that usually got him everything he wanted. She took the bait, of course, smiling back at him with what she must have thought was a sexy, come-hither smile. Two Sisters’ Diner was smack in the middle of Evers, Texas and Mark and Paul had learned that people liked to chat with newcomers in small-town diners.

  The waitress’s efforts to capture his interest were interrupted by a very bright head of red hair and a disembodied voice that must have gone with the head. That head seemed to bob as the voice spoke.

  “It’s not her talent. All she does is deliver the food and pour the coffee. I’m the one does all the cooking here.”

  The waitress rolled her eyes. “She likes to think people come for the food, but it’s the coffee. And, I’m the one that makes the coffee. My own special blend I mix from five different roasts.” She smiled her leering grin again. “I’m Gina. That’s just my sister, Tina.”

  Paul held in a laugh and raised his coffee mug. “It is really great coffee,” he whispered, with a wink.

  “Everyone knows it’s the coffee that keeps people coming back to a restaurant,” Mark agreed.

  “So,” Gina asked, “what brings two gorgeous men like you to our town? You visiting family? Couldn’t keep away from the hottest hot spot this side of Dallas? What is it?” she asked with a grin and a flirty flick of her very wide hip.

  Mark and Paul both laughed, but it was Mark who answered. “Nah. We’re on our way to Austin to see some friends, but we heard an old friend of ours was visiting out here. We thought we’d try to stop by and see him on the way.”

  “Huh. That would make three visitors all at once if your friend’s here. That’s more than we’re likely to get the rest of the year,” said Gina.

  “Well, we struck out. We thought we’d be able to get in touch with him, but it turns out he’s not answering the phone and we’ve got to keep moving,” Paul said.

  And, she fell for it.

  “Who’s your friend? Maybe I know him?”

  “Josh Samuels.” Paul saw the flicker in her eye as soon as he said the name. Honestly, she wasn’t very good at hiding it. “He’s a doctor. We worked together at a hospital up in Connecticut, but we moved on to another facility. We were hoping to catch up with him. He’s a good guy.” Paul finished the spiel but he could see she was gearing up for denial.

  Gina pursed her lips and shook her head. “Never heard of him. And, I usually know most people that come to town. Everyone passes under this coffee pot at one time or another. If anyone’d know him, it’d be me.”

  She was working too hard at the denial. Paul thought about asking about Laura, but a slight shake of Mark’s head warned him not to. Mark was right. If they let the waitress think they were leaving right away, she might not raise any alarms. If they pressed by asking about Laura, she might just run right on out and tell Josh and Laura they were searching for them. The last thing they wanted to do was push Laura further underground at this point.

  “Well, it was worth a shot,” Mark said and pulled two tens out of his wallet and tossed them on the table. “We’ve got to get moving anyway. We’re due in Austin this evening.”

  “Well now, you boys have a good visit in Austin,” she said, all smiles again as they headed for the door.

  Mark and Paul walked out of the diner and crossed the road to where they’d parked their car.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone downshift so fast in my life,” Mark said.

  “Yup. She knows exactly who the doctor is and probably knows who Laura is, too. We can lay low for a few days, see if we can find out anything. Maybe check into a hotel and see if we can get anything out of the staff?”

  Mark didn’t seem to be paying any attention to Paul. He was staring at a large truck idling in front of Jansen’s Feed and Grain. There were sheets of glass strapped onto special racks, and the side of the truck read Barrett’s Commercial Greenhouses in big lettering.

  “Thinking of buying yourself a greenhouse?” Paul asked, the sarcastic edge in his tone plain.

  Mark cocked his head as they watched a man from Jansen’s talk to the driver of the truck, gesturing down the road as if giving directions.

  “Didn’t Alec say Laura had a huge greenhouse in her backyard? That she spent a lot of her time in it?” Mark asked.

  Paul shrugged. “Yeah, but could it really be this easy?”

  “Got nothing better to do than follow a greenhouse. We don’t have any other leads, and we have to get something before Alec Hall decides we’re not worth paying anymore.”

  Paul dropped the keys to the rental car into Mark’s hand. “Lead the way.”

>   Chapter Twenty-nine

  Laura stayed back far enough behind the curtain of the living room window that she wouldn’t be in plain sight as the car pulled up the drive. The truck carrying the greenhouse Cade had ordered arrived moments before, and there were two men setting it up at Cade’s direction in one of the fields. After telling Cade she didn’t want a relationship with him, watching him take delivery of the greenhouse and oversee its setup made Laura feel like a complete jerk.

  But, she reminded herself, she hadn’t told him to order the greenhouse. In fact, he hadn’t even asked her. He’d just gone ahead doing what he thought was best for her at the time.

  Laura watched the car until she recognized the jet-black hair of the woman she’d met the day before. Ashley something-or-other. The one with all of the adopted sisters and no apparent desire to screen anything that came out of her mouth. Laura surprised herself with a genuine smile. She was happy to see the woman who didn’t seem to feel the need to walk on tip-toes around Laura.

  She walked through the kitchen and stepped out onto the front porch just as Ashley opened her car door.

  “Christmas come a little early this year?” Ashley asked, tilting her head to the monstrosity being assembled in the field.

  Laura rolled her eyes. “You could say that, I guess.”

  Ashley reached back into her car and pulled out two to-go cups of coffee and passed one to Laura when she walked down the steps of the house to greet Ashley.

  “Yours is decaf.”

  “Thanks,” Laura said and took the coffee from Ashley, giving her a quizzical look.

  Ashley rolled her eyes. “I know. You’re wondering what I’m doing here. My sister said I needed to come out and make sure we didn’t do too much damage yesterday. She’s picturing you shaken and shell-shocked from the encounter with the women of Evers,” she said, exaggerating the emphasis on the women of Evers as if naming a mythical creature or feared monster.