Chapter Six

 

By five o’clock and Toni could finally close the office, she wanted nothing more than to go home and collapse. At least this was the last day of the workweek. It had been wild ever since Chad had left. The small town’s gossip vine had been active all day. Clients had called to find out what she’d heard about Ellen and her baby, but poor Ellen was still in labor. According to Ethan when he’d checked in with her, the younger woman was unfortunately one of those first time mothers who experienced long labors. But the doctor wasn’t worried. Her husband was a bit nuts with the situation, as was her large family, who had insisted on staying at the hospital. Ethan had decided to stay there as well and help keep everyone as calm as possible. He was a good man. Widowed years ago, back when Chad was eight.

For the first time since she’d started work here, no one who called had made her uncomfortable. Some even knew what had taken Chad away from the office and his scheduled appointments. They’d acted concerned for the elderly woman and had no problem rescheduling their meetings with both Chad and Ethan. Basically, the day had gone far better than she’d thought it would.

Except for her family. Her mother had called to check on her several times. Her father had stopped by to make sure she was all right. Ted, too, had called and dropped in. While their concern felt good, she hated that they must think she was incapable of dealing with a job on her own. That depressed her. She wasn’t looking forward to an evening being smothered by their good intentions; by their belief that she needed coddling.

She pulled the front door closed, locked it, and stood on the porch for a second. The air had turned colder and a bitter breeze whipped around her. Almost March and snow was still a possibility and she could almost feel it. What she really wanted was to go to her own home - not her parents’ house - and curl up on a sofa with a glass of red wine and….

No, there wouldn’t be any wine or alcohol of any kind involved in relaxing anymore. Her life with Stanley had meant attending far too many parties where the only drinks were alcoholic, or spending evenings with his friends and doing wine tastings. She’d discovered that she was susceptible to the lure of getting a buzz on. When the social experiences were difficult for her, she’d found surviving them easier with more and more alcohol.

The wind making her shiver, she squeezed her eyes shut as a still raw memory swept over her, one just over a year old. Although she had told Stanley she hadn’t been feeling well all day, he had insisted they attend a Valentine’s Day fundraiser ball. She’d been running a fever, but he just told her, “Tough it up. You’re going.”

They’d been arguing more and more by then, at least when he bothered to come home. She hadn’t wanted to suffer another lecture on what was expected of her, so she went. Wine and heavily doused alcoholic punches were the only drinks available. He abandoned her from the moment they walked into the event. She wasn’t up to making conversation with the few women who bothered to stop by and talk to her. Before she knew it, she’d started drinking; punch, wine, more punch. Her inhibitions loosened.

One of Stanley’s business friends found her and they started talking, flirting. She didn’t even really like the man all that much, but Stanley had been dancing with what seemed like every woman there…all but her. Suddenly she was getting dizzy, but happier. The man had touched the side of her face and smiled in temptation. And then she was kissing him.

In that second, Stanley had finally looked at her from across the room. She’d given him a sassy wave and all but draped herself over the other man. Stanley had stridden through the crowd. He’d grabbed her by the arm, hard, even though his friend had frowned at that. Her husband hadn’t cared a bit what the other man thought. He’d dragged her from the party. He hadn’t even stopped to get her coat.

The awful recollection made her tremble, feel his anger again. That had been another time he had physically abused her. The instant they entered their house he shook her so hard that she’d whimpered. He’d pushed her up the stairs to the bedroom and then he’d….

Oh God. She forced that awful recollection away. Never, ever did she want to think again about what he’d done to her. What she’d allowed him to do, because it had been easier than fighting him. Why hadn’t she had the good sense to leave him the next day? Why had she still tried to save a marriage not worth saving?

Heart pounding, she opened her eyes and drew in a deep breath like her therapist had taught her to do. “Take one day at a time. Put the bad memories aside. Start over. Make a new life. Don’t let him have control over your life ever again.”

She was trying to do that. She’d gotten a divorce from the vile man. She’d moved back to the place she’d missed and was starting to make amends with her family. She had a job. Well, temporarily and only because she’d gotten in legal trouble. But she would get a real one as soon as she could. What she didn’t have was a home of her own, yet. As much as she loved her parents and appreciated them taking her in again, she needed her own home and privacy.

The carriage house. She’d forgotten all about it, what with everything that had happened lately. It had been remodeled into an apartment. She’d paid a large down payment toward buying the property, all of it. Maybe the situation was a complicated mess at the moment, but Chad and his father were using the house for their office, for however long. She could certainly use the apartment for her temporary residence.

It still annoyed her that she hadn’t been able to talk to Caruthers today, even though she’d left him message after message. Tomorrow. She’d talk to him tomorrow, or try to figure out another way to get in contact with him.

With that in mind and feeling better in anticipation of the apartment, she hurried around back, pulling out the key she’d already been given. It was time to check out her new home.

***

Chad sat across the desk from his friend in the Sheriff’s office, waiting for Alex to finish his phone call to the hospital, checking on Alberta Harper. It had been a long day for both of them. Dealing with her difficult situation had taken a toll on everyone involved. She’d been horrified at the idea of Alex arresting her great-grandson for assault and battery. She’d tried to stop it out of love for the “poor, misunderstood boy.” The “boy” was twenty-six and had always been into trouble of some kind. Chad had no use for him. He would do his best to see that he went away for a long time. This hadn’t been his first brush with the law.

Alex looked exhausted from having to deal with Alberta, her great-grandson, his almost equally worthless father, and trying to explain the situation to Alberta’s seventy-year-old son, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Plus, he’d had to transport her to the hospital in Topeka because she’d refused to go in an ambulance. Chad had gone with them. He’d tried to soothe her worries and used all of his persuasive skills to finally get her to agree to press charges.

He was mentally worn out. His arm hurt. Even the healing scratch on his face stung. He wanted to go home and crash, let his mind shut down, and slip into blessed sleep. At least he’d learned that Ellen had finally delivered a son about an hour ago. Which meant he and his father had to face the problem they’d foolishly put off handling: finding her replacement for the two months that she planned to take off for maternity leave.

Maybe Toni would…

Toni! Damn, he’d barely checked in with her all day. He thought about the antagonism she’d faced from some of their loyal clients and groaned. He’d called and talked to each one he’d learned had given her grief, and he hoped they hadn’t made problems for her today. She wasn’t the teenager many of them recalled who had been in and out of basically innocent trouble in the past. She deserved a break.

Alex hung up and heaved a weary sigh. “At least Alberta is calmer now, accepting that she needs to stay in the hospital for a few days.”

“Alberta can’t continue living on her own,” Chad said, knowing there was a lot of work ahead for him in convincing her of that. “She’s nearly blind. Frail. She’s obviously unable to maintain her house any longer.” He rubbed his stubbled jaw in frustration. “I can’t believe no one else in town has seen how she lives, or at least tried to do something to help her.”

He visualized what he and Alex had walked into. Her small house was on the outskirts of town, isolated, and looked almost normal from the street. Inside, though, there were piles of old newspapers, trash of all kinds, and a narrow pathway from room to room. A vacuum hadn’t touched the place in who knew how long. Unsanitary and unsafe. Sadly, he’d seen similar living situations many other times in the homes of some of the elderly people he’d worked with.

“A problem for another day.” Alex stood and rubbed at his eyes. The day had been a strain on him as well. “I’m done in. It’s time I went home and let my deputy take over.”

Chad got to his feet, studying his old friend. Alex had been quieter than normal today, withdrawn. He’d done his job, but something was bothering him. Now that he thought about it, he’d noticed a change in Alex lately. He’d just been too caught up in his own drama filled life to think about it. But something told him this wasn’t the time to bring the matter up, either. Soon, though.

“I totally agree. My bed is calling me, too,” he said instead. “Except I need to go lock up the office. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought to give Toni a key earlier.” Or did she have one? Had the realtor given her keys and they just hadn’t ever discussed the matter?

Alex met his gaze, concern in his expression. “She’s calmed down? Not still behaving like a…well, wild woman?”

Chad stiffened his shoulders, feeling familiar irritation. “She had a bad moment. I wish everyone -including you - would stop focusing on that.”

“Be careful, my friend,” Alex said, looking even more worried. “From what Ted told me, she’s got some serious emotional baggage. I know you had strong feelings for her in the past, but…”

“In the past, like you said. All I feel now is concern,” he cut off the warning. He didn’t want to think about his complicated feelings for her. Or the innocent kiss they’d shared. Or the way he basically obsessed every day about buying her a new rose because he wanted to make her happy.

One of Alex’s reddish eyebrows lifted in doubt. “Just saying, is all.”

With a curt nod, Chad turned to leave. He didn’t want to get into any kind of argument with Alex. “I only want to help her get on with her life. Nothing more.”

He wondered who he was trying to convince; himself or his friend. Sure, he felt sorry for her. She needed people at her back now, and helping wounded souls was what he did. That’s all it was. Toni’s psyche had been badly bruised. But he already had a full plate of elderly clients needing his assistance. He couldn’t take on another problem. Yet he knew that’s exactly what he was going to do, whether she wanted his help or not.

Again, he thought about that simple kiss, holding her in comfort. Both things he wanted to do again, as wrong as they were.

***

Toni fell in love with the apartment the second she walked inside and flipped on the pair of switches beside the door. A ceiling fan hummed lightly and the attached light illuminated what she could see of the small space. Most of the area was open concept, with the living room and kitchen together. She assumed a bathroom and one bedroom were through the doorway across the main area. The whole place had less square footage than the master suite she’d had in Denver. What made it feel perfect to her were the furnishings, pure casual. Not designer elegant. Not more for looks than comfort like the furniture in the Denver house.

She couldn’t resist kicking off her heels and walking barefoot across the wooden floor to the thick, deep rose colored area rug. It had seen better days, but was far from worn out. She made her way to sink down onto the over-stuffed, pink floral sofa and sighed in pure pleasure. It, too, wasn’t new by any means, but still in good shape, and cushioned a body just right. A pair of rose colored, stuffed and worn chairs sat one on each side of the sofa. A round, white distressed table was in the center of the tight space, with a light coating of dust. She could picture a few of her favorite magazines and a partially read book or two on it. And she could envision stretching out here to pick up one of those books to lose herself in the story. Reading had long been her escape from the reality of her marriage.

Maybe this wasn’t what she’d pictured in her mind after she’d remodeled the big Victorian house. But it felt warm and comforting, at least for now. She would definitely move here as soon as she could gather up what she’d brought with her from her parents’ house. The idea alone made her smile in anticipation.

Footsteps sounded outside the door she’d left open, snagging her attention. Someone was climbing the staircase.

Her heart raced and she sat up straighter, waiting. She was almost certain it was either Ethan or Chad. Would whoever it was be upset with her for being here? They wouldn’t know she had a key to both this apartment and to the house because they’d never talked about it. A conversation that needed to happen soon.

“What are you doing in here?” Chad asked, a furrow marring his forehead, that sexy lock of hair curling downward. “How did you get in?”

He looked more curious than upset, so she relaxed. “I have a key. Actually, I had planned to live here while I worked on the main house.”

His broad chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh beneath his leather jacket. “We need to discuss that mix-up, but not tonight. I’m beat. Tough day.” He frowned at the furniture, glancing around. “I forgot how girly this all was.”

That didn’t keep him from stepping inside, closing the door, and walking over to drop into one of the chairs. Now that she studied him, she saw the lines of strain beneath his wearily lined face. His vivid blue eyes appeared tired, too; mirrored pain he seemed to be trying to hide.

“Did you get everything taken care of with Mrs. Harper?” Again, she felt empathy with the older woman. She knew how painful physically and emotionally it was to be slapped around; worse when it was done by someone close to you.

As if he’d read her thoughts, Chad leaned toward her, elbows on his knees, and met her gaze. “She’ll be all right, like you. Even at her age, she has a lot of spirit.” He chuckled and shook his head. The curl of dark hair that she found sexy seemed to irritate him and he pushed it away. “I need a haircut. One of these days when I have some spare time.”

“I like it this way.” Her face heated as she realized what she’d admitted. Too personal.

One side of his mouth tipped up with an intimation of amusement. “I like seeing your hair down.”

She’d forgotten that she had pulled out the banana clip earlier. The instant her hair was not controlled, it became a mass of thick, reddish-blond waves that fell past her shoulders. It wasn’t as wild as it had been when she was a young girl, when he’d….

“I miss the Little Orphan Annie hair,” he teased with a smile.

He’d been the only one to ever call her that. A long ago memory. She chose not to go back to it. “Ellen had her baby. Did you hear about that?”

He sat back with a nod. “Dad told me. A boy. We’re happy for her, her husband, too.”

“Speaking of Ellen, did you have a chance to figure out a temporary replacement for her?” Her stomach fluttered with nerves. She wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with having to work with someone else for the rest of her community service time, or if it was because she wanted to take care of the exhausted man in front of her. She’d never felt nurturing toward Stanley, so this was a new experience for her, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

He threaded a large hand through his hair, making that curl fall over his forehead again, making him frown. “I haven’t had a second to discuss the matter with Dad today.” He glanced at her, hope and a sense of helplessness in his expression. “I don’t suppose you could…”

Once more she suffered from an awareness of her inadequacy, her incompetence. She admitted quietly, “You haven’t seen my resume; not that I actually have one. I have no skills of any real value. Unless you count knowing how to serve on a committee or host a cocktail party.”

His brow pinched. “Don’t belittle yourself like that.”

“It’s not really belittling; it’s speaking the truth.” She jutted out her chin. “It has been a lot of years since I worked anywhere, and then it was fast food. Stanley insisted I not work. He wouldn’t even let me go back to college.” She slammed her mouth shut and looked away in embarrassment. She hadn’t meant to blurt that out. A year into the marriage she’d decided she wanted to work on a degree in marketing. He’d hated the idea; actually laughed at it. Since then she hadn’t even thought about the idea, not really.

She heard Chad mumble something under his breath and was certain it had to do with Stanley. He’d made it clear that he didn’t think much of her ex, but then she didn’t either.

“Look,” she said going back to the subject at hand, “you’ve got my services for another three weeks. I’ll do whatever I can, but my office skills are extremely limited.”

Their gazes met and he nodded in understanding, although he didn’t look happy about it. “All right. Dad and I will do some searching starting tomorrow. At least you can answer the phone and do the basics for now.” He hesitated. “I assume you need to work. Have you thought about where you’ll look for a job?”

Uncomfortable with baring even more of the awful truth about her life, she stood and walked over to the front window. She looked toward the big white house and felt the frustration and disappointment she’d been facing every day that she’d come to the office to work. “Originally, my plan was to focus on the Victorian and remodeling it into my home. Maybe making part of it into a bed and breakfast place. I wasn’t sure about that.”

She heard him get up to walk behind her. As he drew close, she felt the heat of him, drew in the scent of his after-shave; something sensual that made her pull in another deep breath. She tingled all over; more so in her woman’s places. And that worried her. After what she’d gone through with Stanley, she hadn’t believed she would ever be drawn to another man. But she’d always liked Chad, even when they argued in the past, even when he’d not seen her as girlfriend-worthy. And she’d liked his kiss, and the way he’d gently held her.

“I’ll check into the legal situation. I’d like to see all the paperwork you have first.” He touched her shoulder ever so gently. When she flinched, he drew his hand away. “Somehow we’ll get this all worked out. I promise.”

She faced him and hated that tears misted her eyes. “I trusted the realtor. Naïve, right? I’d trusted Stanley, too, and look how that worked out.” She blinked and sniffed. “I know we have history, but it seems ages ago. I want to trust in you, but…it’s hard to do. My instinctive trusts have failed me for the last six years.”

“I know. God, just having to say that makes me sick, Antoinette.” He held her gaze, frustration etched in his expression. “Believing someone shouldn’t be so damn hard.” Pain reflected in his eyes. He, too, had trusted someone he’d been married to and been betrayed.

She gave him a wobbly smile and dared to put her palm to the side of his face. The day’s worth of bristles felt strange against her palm; strange but nice. “We’ve both got issues to deal with, difficult ones.”

His vivid blue eyes narrowed. “You know about what happened with my ex-wife?” He stepped away, hands fisted at his sides. “Your brother, I suppose. Hell. That was personal stuff.”

“It’s not like Ted announced your secret to the world,” she snapped. It angered her that he thought his “personal stuff” was more private than hers. She was sure that Ted had shared what little she’d told her family. And she’d told even more to Chad, though she still wondered why she’d done so. “Not like my marital issues were shared all over Denver.”

She slammed her mouth shut, face heating at what she’d confessed.

His shoulders slumped and he calmed down. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. It’s just that what Sandy did is like a raw wound that continues to fester.” He hesitated. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever get over it.” He pulled in a breath and blew it out. “You probably feel much the same way. I’m sorry for that, too.”

Before she could respond, he reached for the door. “Not that we have much say in what you do here, but Dad and I won’t have a problem with you moving into this apartment.”

“Good, because I’m doing it tomorrow.”

He smiled back at her. “That’s my girl.” He met her gaze. “Let me know if you need any help.”