13
Gabe returned to the truck so Amy wouldn’t see him crossing the square, then drove to the library for Tess’s books. Afterward, on the way to the auto parts store, he spied Amy’s BMW outside a coffee shop. He immediately turned into the next side street and parked in the first empty space. As if his mind was on autopilot, he entered the coffee shop, ordered an iced tea and a Danish he didn’t want, and took a seat by the window.
He shouldn’t be doing this. Amy wasn’t his girlfriend, not now, not ever. She was only his first crush, his first kiss. His first broken heart.
Most men got over their first. They grew up, found the woman of their dreams, and no longer thought about their teenage romances.
For some reason, Gabe had never done that.
Maybe because the grief over losing his mom was still so new when Amy entered his life. Maybe because Amy lost her parents too, and that had somehow joined them together in a way that could not be broken.
That theory would make more sense if Amy still felt about him the way he did about her.
He should get in the truck, finish his errands, and get back to the stables. Instead, he sipped the tea without tasting it.
Amy sucked on the straw and pretended to savor the chilled sweetness of her iced mocha. Concentrating on the rich flavor kept her from thinking about the calories. The icy coldness helped her focus on the drink instead of the anger she wanted to unleash on Dylan.
At least he couldn’t initiate his own lawsuit. He had no standing to do so. But what hubris the man had to think, even for a minute, that Amy would try to persuade AJ to sell Gran’s property in exchange for a referral fee. The land might belong to AJ, but it meant something to Amy too.
Logan sat quietly beside her, wisely not saying a word while she calmed herself.
“What exactly is your role in all this?” she finally asked.
“Same as always. Cut through any bureaucratic red tape to get the project approved. Jump through hurdles to change the agricultural zoning.”
“Who on the Glade County commission is in Dylan’s pocket?”
Logan pressed his lips together in a tight smile. She hadn’t expected him to answer. In his shoes, she certainly wouldn’t have. But his silence told her that at least one commissioner was willing to change the zoning designation. It shouldn’t be too hard to find out which one.
“Maybe I should talk to Dylan,” she said.
“I’d rather he didn’t know I talked to you.” He gave her a conspiratorial grin. “A little question of breaching client confidentiality.”
“Then what was all that about offering me a referral fee?”
He leaned back on the bench, staring at the sky as if he could find the answer in the clouds.
“We’d work that out in final negotiations. He wouldn’t have to know.”
“I can’t help you, Logan. I’m not even sure why you told me any of this.”
“Maybe I just wanted an excuse to see you again. It’s been too long.” He caressed her neck again.
“And?”
“And I wanted to see where things stood between you and your cousin. Forget about Dylan, Amy. I’ll see what I can do to steer him elsewhere.”
“You mean it?”
“For you? Anything.”
“Be serious, Logan.”
He chuckled and took her hand. “May I walk you to your car?”
Instead of answering, she let him pull her to her feet. When they reached her BMW, Logan maneuvered her between him and the door. “I meant what I said earlier. I’d like to give us a chance.”
His directness scattered butterflies in her stomach and flattered her ego. The only male attention she’d had lately was from Brett and AJ. Brothers and cousins didn’t count. Gabe counted, but he didn’t look at her like most men did. Maybe he held a grudge because she said she didn’t remember him.
Why couldn’t he see through her lie?
“There’s a benefit at the governor’s mansion on Friday night,” Logan said. “I forget the cause, but I could use a gorgeous plus-one. Come with me?”
A year ago she would have accepted any invitation to spend an evening at the mansion. Especially with someone as handsome and self-assured as Logan.
But now the thought almost made her ill.
“I can’t,” she murmured.
“Then how about something less formal? Dinner and a movie?”
“You’d give up going to the governor’s mansion for a movie?”
“You bet I would.”
For a moment she let herself get lost in his eyes, appreciative of his obvious admiration.
He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “Just say yes.”
The butterflies stirred again, and a slight smile eased the tension in her jaw. She needed this. She deserved this.
“Yes,” she said softly.
Gabe clenched the sweating cup as he stared through the window. The man bent toward Amy, and a sweet smile curved her lips.
Forcing himself to look away, Gabe balled up a paper napkin, then gulped his drink.
He should be happy for her. If she’d found someone to make her happy . . . wasn’t that what he wanted for her? Besides, he wasn’t the guy for her. Not after what he’d done.
At least now he knew she had someone in her life. And he was free to do what he needed to do.
Sunday afternoon he would go see Ellen.
Amy set the canvas totebag on the ground and stepped onto the bottom rail of the arena’s wooden fence. Tess stood in the middle of the corral, a lead rope in one hand and a training stick in the other, as a glossy black quarter horse went through his paces. He lunged, his ear cocked toward Tess, waiting for her next instruction as he circled her.
Tess acknowledged Amy’s presence with a quick nod but otherwise stayed focused on the horse.
As he trotted over a series of low jumps, Amy felt herself being drawn back into this world she had once loved so much. If things had turned out differently, if she hadn’t given up riding, this might be her life. Stables of her own, training a horse that belonged only to her, riding whenever she wanted.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the sun-soaked breezes as they puffed wisps of her hair across her cheek. On a day like today, when the sun played peekaboo behind giant cotton clouds, it was so easy to forget the heartaches of her past.
If only.
The saddest words in the English language.
Several more moments passed, then Tess had the horse change direction. He nodded his sleek head, whinnied, then decided to do what she asked.
To the untrained eye, it might have appeared that the horse was behaving perfectly. But Amy detected the arch of the neck, the slant of the ears that indicated he wasn’t as placid as the casual onlooker might think. Even so, Tess handled him with skill and precision.
Eventually Tess halted the horse and shortened the lead. When he reached her, he lowered his head and she gave him a treat while stroking his smooth nose. After a moment of affection and praise, she led him toward the fence.
Amy stepped back.
“Hello, neighbor,” Tess said cheerily, but Amy caught a wariness in her dark eyes. “How are you settling in at the hideaway?”
“I still need to paint the bathroom. Gabe helped me with the cabinet doors a couple of days ago.”
“So he said.”
“Who’s your friend?” Amy gestured at the horse. “He’s beautiful.”
“This is Knight Starr. He’s definitely my pride and joy.”
“You handle him well. I’m guessing he can be ornery.”
“You’ve got a good eye,” Tess said approvingly. “Would you like to go through an exercise with him?”
“No, but thanks.” Amy took another step backward. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around horses.”
“That’s a shame.” Simple words spoken with a thin sheet of ice.
Tess removed Knight Starr’s halter. He whinnied, then wandered away to graze. Meanwhile, Tess slipped through the gaps in the rails. She wore a cotton V neck over jeans and laced-up work boots. Her straight black hair, graced with dignified streaks of gray and longer even than Amy’s, was pulled into one thick braid.
“Gabe isn’t here,” Tess said. “He’s working with AJ, but I’m not sure where or what they’re doing.”
“I didn’t come to see Gabe,” Amy said with a hint of defensiveness. “I came to apologize for my accidental rudeness.”
She removed a purple African violet in a ceramic pot from the canvas bag.
“When we were at the softball game Tuesday, Shelby said something about full and empty plates. I don’t remember the exact phrase. Anyway, this is for you.” She thrust the plant into Tess’s hands. “As a thank-you for the cookies.”
“You didn’t have to do this.” The icy tone seemed to thaw a little.
“I wanted to. I want to, I don’t know, do things right. As a neighbor.” She closed her mouth to stop the prattling.
“This is lovely, and I appreciate it.” Tess cradled the plant, and they walked toward the house. “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea? I’ve got batter in the fridge, so it’ll only take a few minutes to bake a dozen more cookies.”
“Maybe another time, thank you. I promised to take Jonah and the girls to a matinee in town. Shelby and Dani are busy with preparations for the Heritage Celebration, so I’ve got to put on my cool aunt persona.”
“What’s that?”
“Extra patience, mostly. Especially with Tabby. Jonah and Elizabeth are close enough in age that they tend to buddy up. When Tabby feels left out, she gets boisterous.”
“I suppose I should know this, but how old are the children?”
“Jonah is eight, Elizabeth is seven, and Tabby is four.”
“That has to be hard on Miss Tabby,” Tess said. “Just give her a little extra attention and you’ll be fine.”
“I’ll do that.”
“And feel free to bring them over here sometime if you want. They might like to pet the horses. Explore a little bit.”
“I’m not sure Brett would want me to.”
“Why not?”
“Jonah wants to ride. He even asked his doctor if he could. But Brett’s afraid. He’s so overprotective.” Amy almost scoffed as she said the words but stopped herself. At least Brett was afraid for his son’s well-being. Her fears were only for herself and for reasons she didn’t want to think about.
“Jonah’s been through a lot. It’s understandable that Brett doesn’t want him to injure himself.”
“I suppose I could bring him over—”
“No,” Tess said sharply. “Don’t you dare do something like that.”
“How did you know what I was going to say?”
Tess stared at her, then slightly smiled. “Because it’s exactly the kind of thing I would have thought of doing.”
“You?” Amy said skeptically. “That’s hard for me to believe.”
“Don’t let the grown-up act fool you. I’ve had my mischievous moments. But bringing Jonah here without his dad’s approval is foolhardy. You’d never forgive yourself if something happened to that child.”
“You’re right. I only wish Brett didn’t worry so much.”
“Give him time. It can’t be easy to adjust to being both a new husband and a new father.”
“I suppose not.”
They’d reached the rear of the house, where Amy had parked her BMW beside Tess’s pickup. She dug her key from her pocket and hit the unlock button on the remote. It hadn’t been necessary to lock her car while it was parked here, but it was a habit she couldn’t break after living all those years in the city.
They chatted a few more moments, then Amy drove to Misty Willow to pick up the kids. Before she left, Tess had invited her to come over again when she could stay longer. It had been a polite invitation, but Amy couldn’t decide whether it had been sincere. When Amy had arrived at the stables, Tess had been guarded. Even wary. Though she seemed to relax while they talked, Amy wasn’t sure how welcome she would be if she returned.
Maybe gossip about Amy had reached even this out-of-the-way place. Tess wouldn’t approve of Amy’s heavy drinking and especially not her casual affairs. Those things were in the past, but that didn’t matter to most people. They would define her by how they knew her instead of giving her a chance to be different. To change.
She couldn’t erase her past. So how could she make people forget about it?