Every love affair runs strong on forgiveness. According to the Good Book, we are to forgive “seventy times seven,” but I suggest you stop counting.
PEARL CHAMBERS, The Gentlewoman’s Guide to Love and Courtship
Paul gave the red convertible another buff, then stepped back with a smile. He couldn’t wait for Heather to see it. She was going to love it. His cell phone rang, and he pulled it out and looked at it. His smile broadened. “Hey, Heather. I was just thinking about you. Want to go get ice cream tonight?”
“No, thanks. I just called to let you know I have turned over the farm project to my coworker, Jessica. She can take it from here.”
“W-what? No, I want you.”
“I’m afraid my schedule is too packed to let me finish it out.” Her voice could freeze an Eskimo.
“What’s going on? Has something happened? You sound mad.”
“Not a thing I didn’t expect. I have to go.”
The phone clicked in his ear, and he stared at it. She’d hung up. He jammed the phone back in his pocket. What could have riled her up like this? Things were moving along nicely, and he had high hopes of putting a ring on her finger one day. She was so skittish and afraid of being hurt. Something had to have made those fears come back.
Wait a minute. Could she have seen him last night with Isabelle? His gut clenched. He’d rebuffed Isabelle’s advances pretty effectively, but just seeing him with her might have sent Heather’s fears into the stratosphere. He clenched his jaw. Shouldn’t she have come to him and asked him instead of assuming the worst? Did she care so little she was willing to let go of something that could be very special?
He jumped into the car and fumbled for his keys. She might be afraid of confrontation, but he was going to tell her she was dead wrong.
As he was pulling out of the drive, his Aunt Rose came out of the house dressed in crisp linen slacks and a navy sweater. Her smile faded when she saw his face. “What’s wrong, Paul?”
He put the car in park and told her about the call and his suspicions. “It’s best I find out now, I guess. If she’s going to get upset if I even talk to another woman, it would be a problem forever.”
Aunt Rose pursed her lips, a sure sign he was in trouble.
“What? Am I missing something?”
“It’s not easy to overcome a past reputation, Paul. You can hardly blame her when she has seen a different person from what you are now. What did you do?”
“What makes you think I did anything?”
She skewered him with a stern look. “You mentioned another woman, so I assume Heather got the wrong idea somehow.”
He sighed. “I bought this car from Isabelle Morgan. She, uh, kissed me. On the cheek,” he added hastily when Aunt Rose looked horrified. “I put her in her place.”
“And you think sweet Heather saw this?”
“She just told me to go fly a kite, so I’m guessing something caused it.” He frowned, remembering her cold tone.
“She’s a reasonable girl. Just tell her what happened.”
He clenched his jaw. “And she might believe me until the next time. I’m not going to live with that every day.”
“Give her some time to believe the new Paul. She’s worth fighting for.”
His great-aunt was always so wise. He smiled. “You like her?”
“I’ve always liked her. She’s one who gives with her whole heart. You need that after the childhood you had.”
“I want someone to love me unconditionally. Not a woman who looks at me with suspicion every minute.”
“She’s just afraid, Paul. And you have to admit, if you’d seen her with a known ladies’ man who kissed her, you’d have been upset too.”
He hadn’t thought about it that way. “Yeah, I guess so.” In fact, he would have wanted to bust the guy’s jaw. And he’d have been hurt and mad at her. “I don’t really know if she saw me. It could be something totally different. I’m going to find out, though. Thanks, Aunt Rose. You’re the best.”
He started the car and sent up a quick prayer he’d be able to find her, even if he had to drive all over town looking for her car.
Heather sniffled and wiped her nose. Crying didn’t solve anything, but she couldn’t seem to stop the leakage ever since she’d arrived at Molly’s house. Thankfully, Charlie was playing with Noah and wouldn’t be upset by her lack of control. She and Molly sat at the kitchen table with some calming tea.
Molly handed her a tissue. “I’m sorry, Heather.”
She took it and dabbed her eyes. “Me too. I should have been prepared for this. I mean, it’s not like I don’t know his reputation.”
“Maybe you should talk to Natalie. She might be able to shed some light on this.”
“I don’t want anyone to know what a fool I’ve been.”
The doorbell rang. “Stay here in the kitchen. I’ll get rid of whoever it is.” Molly patted Heather’s shoulder as she hurried from the room.
Heather mopped her eyes and squared her shoulders. This was ridiculous. She and Paul had exchanged a few kisses. It was hardly an earth-shattering event that they’d broken up. But it felt like her world was ending. She just needed to focus on raising her boy and forget romance.
Footsteps sounded behind her, heavier than Molly’s bare feet had been. She turned and tried to pin on a smile, then froze when she saw Paul’s face. “What are you doing here?”
His gaze traveled over her face. “Looking for you. Have you been crying?”
“Of course not.” The tears had dried up with one look at his face. “If you’re here to try to talk me into going on with the project, don’t bother. You’ll do fine without me.”
“I don’t care about the project. It’s just a job. I came to find out what had happened between us. Did you see me with Isabelle last night?”
She gasped at his direct approach. “I did.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You kissed her, Paul.”
“I didn’t kiss her. She kissed me. I’m not interested in Isabelle or any other woman.” He took her hand. “I have something to show you.”
She allowed him to pull her to her feet and lead her toward the door. They passed Molly, who mouthed, “Listen to him” at her. Heather blinked at the sunshine when they stepped into the yard. The cherry red convertible she’d seen last night sat parked in the drive. The top was down, and the white leather interior gleamed.
She pulled her hand away. “What’s she doing here?”
“She’s not here. Just the car. I bought it from her because you said you’d like to go for ice cream in a convertible.”
She gasped as the words sank in. “Y-you bought this?”
“Yep. And for the record, when she kissed me, I told her I was seeing you and I didn’t want to mess up anything with someone I love.”
Tears sprang to her eyes again. A myriad of emotions swept over her. What had she done? She’d been so quick to judge him. “Oh, Paul.” She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, so sorry.”
He took a step closer. “You should be. I’m not a philanderer, Heather. I’m asking you to let go of your fears and trust me. Can you do that?”
Could she? She studied his face, the cleft chin with its slight bit of stubble. His brown eyes were earnest. She saw fear there too. He wanted this to work, and so did she, but they had no future if she couldn’t trust him. He’d been quick to come here and explain. If they both kept things open and truthful between them, they could work out anything, couldn’t they?
She took a deep breath. “I can, Paul. I trust you. I’m going to forget the past and move forward.”
His eyes lit, and his hands came down on her shoulders. The warm press of his fingers made her quiver. She tipped her face up to meet his as his lips came down on hers. The promise in his kiss made the last bit of her fear fly away.
Risking wasn’t easy, but it was so worth it. She remembered the last thing she’d read in the Gentlewoman’s Guide. Love runs on forgiveness. Maybe the book wasn’t so silly after all.