Travis, darn his hide, had Sarah blushing furiously as they wound up another morning of Carolina Daybreak. He seemed to take great pride in getting her all flustered on the air by saying the most outrageous things. Today, without actually saying it, he’d managed to suggest to the entire community that she was tired because she’d been out cavorting with him the night before. He never actually crossed a line and lied, but he was a master of suggestive innuendo. Listeners clearly thought their love life was a whole lot more interesting than it was.
As soon as Bill had gone on the air in the control booth, Sarah scowled at Travis. “Why do you do things like that? You know perfectly well what people are going to think.”
He grinned without the slightest hint of guilt. “Yes, I do.”
“Does it occur to you that you might embarrass me?”
“That’s half the fun,” he admitted. “I love seeing you get all flustered.”
“Well, what if Walter decides I’m making a spectacle of myself on the air and decides to sue me for custody of Tommy and Libby? Will it still be all innocent fun for you, then?”
Travis’s expression sobered at once. “He wouldn’t dare.”
To be honest, Sarah didn’t think he would either, but it wouldn’t do to let Travis know that. “He might,” she said direly. “Are you going to explain to my kids why they have to leave Mommy?”
“I’ll beat him to a bloody pulp before I allow that to happen,” Travis said.
He sounded so grim, she backed off. The last thing she wanted was to have Travis and her ex-husband brawling on the town green. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” she said. “I’m just saying you need to think about the consequences before you say some of this stuff.”
“One of the consequences I’m hoping for is that me talking about the two of us often enough will get you to believe we’re destined to be a couple.” He grinned. “Who knows, you could go crazy one day and seduce me.”
“Don’t count on it,” she said, hoping her tone was firm instead of filled with the quivering anticipation his words had set off inside her.
He perched on the corner of her desk, his knees crowding her. “How about we talk about this some more over lunch at Wharton’s? You can fill me in on what you think is appropriate and what’s going too far.”
It almost sounded as if he really wanted to know. Before she could utter her usual refusal, she found herself nodding. “Okay.”
Travis regarded her with a startled expression. “Was that a yes?”
“Don’t push me,” she told him. “I could change my mind. Let’s get over there before it gets too crowded.”
He stood up, grinning, then signaled to Bill with an exaggerated thumbs-up. “She said yes,” he mouthed.
Beside him, Sarah rolled her eyes. “To lunch,” she said before Bill announced to all the world that the question had been something else entirely.
At Wharton’s, most of the regulars had already claimed their booths, but there was one left in the back. As they walked toward it, the mayor winked at Travis. “Good show today.” His buddies seemed to concur.
“They just enjoyed it because they think you got the better of me,” Sarah grumbled at the demonstration of masculine support. “Men in this town stick together.”
“Come on, sugar, everybody in town knows it’s you who’s got me twisted in knots,” he replied.
“As if,” she murmured, grabbing a menu and burying her head in it as if she didn’t already know it by heart.
When Grace appeared to take their order, she was grinning from ear to ear. “I swear I can’t get a thing done in here when you get to going on the air. I haven’t had so much fun listening to two people courting since back when Dana Sue and Ronnie were shooting off sparks all over town.”
Sarah gaped at her. Courting? That’s what Grace—and most likely everyone else in town—thought was going on? Oh brother. It was already worse than she’d thought.
Once Grace had gone, she studied Travis to see if he was finally beginning to understand the risk of his on-air games. He didn’t appear to be the least bit fazed.
“You did hear what Grace said, didn’t you?” she prodded.
“Which part?”
“People think we’re courting.”
Travis met her gaze evenly, his expression about as serious as Sarah had ever seen it. He didn’t look upset. In fact, he appeared totally calm and relaxed.
“Haven’t you figured it out before now, sugar?” he asked. “Courting is exactly what we’re doing.”
“I’m not,” she said at once, then blinked. “Are you?”
A smile played on his lips. “I am.”
She sat back in her seat, her heart hammering. Well, I’ll be, she thought. She’d thought she understood all about Travis playing a game on the air. It was second-nature to him, but this? He was actually serious? That was an entirely different kettle of fish.
“Are you sure?” she asked, earning a full-fledged grin.
“Very sure.”
“Well, you need to stop it,” she told him. “My divorce is barely final. I can’t be thinking seriously about another man, especially you. A game’s one thing. I’m a lot rusty at those, but I can probably handle it. Courting? I am not ready for that.”
He laughed. “Why especially me?” he asked.
She waved off the ridiculous question. “Because you’re you.”
He feigned confusion, though he had to know exactly what she meant.
“You mean because I’m tall?” he asked.
“No.”
“You don’t like dark hair?”
“Oh, stop being ridiculous. You know who you are, what you are.”
“Oh, we’re back to me being an irresponsible player again, is that it?”
“Hey, I didn’t pin that label on you,” she said defensively. “You came to town with it.”
“And I think I’ve done a pretty good job of trying to live it down,” he said quietly. “Have you even seen me look at another woman besides you?”
“Mariah Litchfield,” she said at once.
His brows shot up. “We had one conversation in the studio, and it was about her daughter’s singing.”
She realized she was on thin ice with that one, so she moved on to a more recent example. “Rory Sue,” she said.
“She looked at me,” he corrected. “I haven’t given her the time of day.”
She honestly couldn’t deny that’s the way it had seemed, at Rosalina’s anyway. She still wasn’t quite ready to let it go, though.
“Well, I have no idea whom you see in your spare time,” she retorted, aware that she was losing her very best argument for continuing to keep him at a distance.
“I have almost no spare time,” he said. “And every minute of what I do have is spent trying to persuade you to give me a chance. I could probably give you an accurate accounting of every minute over the next week, if that will help. I’ll keep one of those charts you love so much.”
She scowled at the ridiculous offer. “Will you just stop it, please? You don’t have to account for your time with me.”
“Apparently I do.”
Sarah sighed. She wasn’t going to win, no matter how hard she tried. He talked faster and had the skill to spin just about anything to his own benefit.
Fortunately, before she needed to come up with some quick-witted reply, she looked up and saw Walter heading in their direction, a determined expression on his face. For once, she was almost glad to see him. That reaction was startling enough to keep her from worrying about Travis for a half second.
“You looking for me?” she said, then slid over to make room for him.
The instant Travis realized whom she was speaking to, his expression turned sour.
“You two have met,” she said a little too cheerfully, then fixed her gaze on her ex-husband. “Is there a problem with the kids?”
“No, I was actually hoping to talk to you about something,” Walter said.
Though she’d usually rather be tortured than left alone with Walter, she immediately nodded. “Travis won’t mind leaving us alone, will you? I’m sure Grace can fix your order to go.”
Travis scowled and didn’t budge.
Beside her, Walter squirmed uncomfortably. “Actually, I’d like him to stay,” he said, then glanced across the table. “If you don’t mind.”
Since Travis had shown no sign of leaving anyway, it was a moot point.
Walter cleared his throat, then met Travis’s gaze. “I know you and I have gotten off on the wrong foot. You’ve probably heard a lot about all the things I did wrong while I was married to Sarah, and I can’t deny a one of them. I’m trying to do better by her.” He turned to Sarah with a hopeful expression. “You can see that, right?”
She realized now where this was going. She didn’t want to sabotage him, so she nodded. “You have been trying harder.”
“The bottom line is that I love my kids and I want to stay close to them, but the way my job hunt has been going, I’m going to have to think about moving over to Charleston or Columbia.” He leveled a look into Travis’s eyes. “Unless you’ll at least consider interviewing me for your sales position.”
Sarah knew what it had taken for Walter to swallow his pride just to ask for a chance, especially with Travis. A glance across the table told her that Travis understood it, too.
Travis turned to her. “Sarah? How do you feel about this? You, Bill and me, we’ve been a team from the beginning, so you have a say in this, too. You say no, and we stop this right now.”
She met Travis’s gaze evenly and repeated what she’d told him in private when she’d first heard about the job opening. “I think you should talk to him,” she said sincerely. “Walter’s more than qualified for the job. He’d be great for the station. As for him and me getting along, we can manage to be civil, right, Walter?”
“I promise there will be no friction,” he said, then ventured a grin. “I imagine Sarah will be the first to call me on it if I get out of line.”
Travis didn’t look entirely convinced by their show of unity, but he nodded. “I’ll see you at two-thirty at the station. I’m not making any promises, but we’ll talk and see how it goes.”
Sarah could feel the tension go out of Walter’s body and realized just how badly he wanted this to work out.
“Thank you,” he said to Travis. “Now I’ll leave the two of you to your lunch.”
He’d barely walked away before Grace appeared with their meals. “I didn’t want to interrupt. Things looked pretty serious over here.”
“Just a friendly chat,” Travis said, clearly disappointing Grace, who’d obviously been hoping for fireworks.
After she’d gone, Sarah reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for agreeing to see Walter. I know it took a lot for him to ask. Walking away from his family’s business and being out of work has been humbling for him.”
Travis nodded. “I got that. In fact, that’s what decided me. It takes a certain amount of courage to go to someone you know dislikes you and ask for a chance.” He studied Sarah intently. “I know you said you could handle it, but are you sure it’ll be okay for you working with him?”
“We’ll make it work,” she said with resolve. For Tommy and Libby’s sake, she couldn’t do any less.
“If I overhear him saying one thing to cut you down, he’ll be booted out the door,” Travis warned.
“And I’ll be holding the door open for you,” she promised.
His apparent anxiety faded. “You had me worried for a minute. I thought maybe you were mellowing toward the man.”
“I’m mellowing. I’m not nuts,” she said.
It was a relief to figure out that she actually understood the difference.
* * *
Walking back to the station, Travis reached for Sarah’s hand, half anticipating that she’d yank it right back. When she didn’t, he took it as another sign that maybe she was starting to get used to the idea of them as a couple.
The shocking part was how content he was with the simple act of holding her soft, delicate hand against his callused skin. He’d always moved directly past the hand-holding stage—or even the kissing stage—to get to more intriguing intimacies. Because of Sarah’s reticence, he was coming to appreciate the foreplay.
“This feels like courting to me,” he said casually. “How about you?”
She glanced up at him, a twinkle in her eye. “Could be.”
“Can you live with that?”
“I’m starting to get used to the idea,” she admitted.
Travis would have danced a little jig right there in the middle of the square if he hadn’t spotted his mother steaming toward the door of the radio station. Her arrival couldn’t mean anything good.
“Who’s that?” Sarah wondered when she saw the woman opening the door to the station.
“My mother,” Travis said with an air of resignation. “You may want to run for your life.”
“Why?”
“Because something tells me she’s not here for the grand tour of the station.”
“Oh?”
“It’s bound to be about my father. It’s always about my father. From the time I was ten, when he had his first very public affair, she has vented about his behavior to me.”
“Even when you were just a kid?” Sarah asked, looking shocked.
“She thought I could shame him into walking the straight and narrow.”
“What a horrible position to put a child in!” Sarah said indignantly. “She should have been trying to shield you from what was happening, not putting you into the middle of it.”
Travis nodded. “I couldn’t agree with you more. At least that might help you to see why my father and I have this strange sort of love-hate relationship. I was taught to judge his actions at an early age. Then people started comparing me to him. Until recently, I had no idea whether I could be a decent husband or if I even wanted to try.”
“And you know now?”
He met her gaze. “I do,” he said solemnly. “At least I’m going to do my best not to be like my father. If and when I make that kind of commitment, it will be because I know with everything in me that I can make it work.”
“So, what do you think your mother wants from you now?”
“My guess is she’s heard about the baby and she expects me to fix things.”
Sarah looked justifiably bewildered. “How?”
“Beats me.” At the door to the station, he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “Go on home. There’s no reason for you to get dragged into this.”
“But I have some paperwork to do.”
“You won’t get it done with my mother ranting for the next hour,” Travis told her.
“I could provide backup,” she offered.
He chuckled. “Nothing I’d like to see more than that, but no. It’s my family drama.”
“You’ve been dragged into mine,” she reminded him. “Walter will be here at two-thirty.”
“Yet another reason for you to leave,” he said. “Go home and take a nice long bubble bath. Thinking about that will get me through the next couple of hours.”
“If I stay in the tub that long, I’ll shrivel up like a prune.”
“You only need to promise you’ll do it in order for me to get the picture,” he assured her. He closed his eyes. “Yep, there it is. The image I was hoping for. Very sexy!”
Sarah laughed. “You’re a little crazy, you know that, don’t you?”
“Does that bother you?”
She reached up tentatively and touched his cheek. “Not half as much as I expected it to.”
* * *
It was a rare night when all of the Sweet Magnolias—young and old—could get together these days. All of them had busy lives and too many of them had young children. Apparently, though, Raylene had spent the day organizing it.
“I was going a little stir crazy for some adult company,” she admitted sheepishly when Sarah got home. “I called everyone, and they all said they’d come. While the kids were napping, the sitter ran to the store and picked up everything we’ll need. She’s taking Libby and Tommy over to Annie’s and will watch them and Trevor tonight.”
Sarah was startled and pleased that Raylene had taken the initiative. She wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, though. Was Raylene ready to take the next step and ask for help? Rather than pressing her, though, she merely asked, “You haven’t already made the margaritas, have you?”
Raylene looked genuinely horrified by the suggestion. “Absolutely not. That’s Helen’s job.”
“Whew! I’m glad you remembered that. And the guacamole?”
“Stop worrying. Dana Sue’s making it. I know the pecking order in this group. Those two and Maddie have a practically lifelong system. I’m not about to tamper with it. I’m just glad they’ve welcomed us into the margarita-night tradition.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Sarah said.
That night, she repeated the same thing when they were all gathered together. “Do you know how rare it is to have two generations get along as well as we all do? I feel so blessed.”
Annie feigned a scowl. “It’s easier for you. You don’t have to bare your soul in front of your own mother.”
Dana Sue sat up a bit straighter. “Do you have secrets, young lady?”
Annie chuckled at her mother’s exaggerated indignation. “You bet I do, and they will never come out in front of this crowd.”
“Now that’s a fine thing to say,” Maddie said. “You’re married to my son. I want to know any secrets the two of you might have.”
Annie blushed and tried to avoid Maddie’s gaze.
“Oh my gosh, you’re pregnant,” Sarah blurted without thinking. “How long? Does Ty know?”
Annie whirled on her, her stunned expression giving away the secret even before she demanded, “How on earth did you figure it out? I only found out today after using about four different home pregnancy tests.”
“Then it’s true?” Maddie asked, even as Dana Sue sprang up and ran to hug her.
Then Maddie and Dana Sue were embracing. “We’re gonna be grandmas,” Dana Sue exulted. “Can you believe it? Not that we’re not already, because of Trevor, but this will be ours, together, if you know what I mean.”
Annie shook her head. “This is exactly why I wasn’t ready to tell you yet. Suddenly it’s all about the grandmothers, and not one bit about me.”
“Oh, of course, it’s about you,” Sarah said, giving her a hug. “You’re going to have a baby! This is so exciting. You never did say, does Ty know?”
Annie shook her head. “Since it’s still pretty early, I wanted to see the doctor and get final confirmation. Then I’ll tell him in person. The team will be home this weekend, though, honestly, if I make the mistake of trying to tell him on the day he’s pitching, it’ll probably go in one ear and out the other. All he can think about is the opposing team and his notes on the batters and whether his stupid fastball is losing some of its pace.”
Maddie gave her a sympathetic look. “I remember days like that. I’ve never known a kid to concentrate on a game the way he did. Cal says that’s how he knew Ty was going to be great.”
“Well, as long as I get my timing right, he’ll only be concentrating on me,” Annie declared. “I’ve already bought the lingerie to be sure of it.”
Maddie and Dana Sue clapped their hands over their ears. “Too much information,” Dana Sue said.
Annie gave her an amused look. “Mom, how exactly do you think we made this baby?”
“I try not to think about it,” Dana Sue told her. “And you really do not want to ask your father that question. As much as Ronnie loves Ty, he still has mixed feelings about his baby girl being married.”
Raylene had been fairly quiet during the excitement, but she regarded Annie with surprising longing. “This means a baby shower. Please let me plan it, okay?”
“It’s way too soon to be thinking about a baby shower,” Annie said. “Let me at least grow a bump before we even start talking about a shower.”
“But when the time comes, you will let me plan it?” Raylene persisted.
“Sure,” Annie said, though she looked puzzled by her insistence. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” Raylene said, but there were tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to brush them away, but Sarah caught her.
“Raylene, what is it?” she asked quietly as the others went back to talking.
Raylene just shook her head. “Not now. Leave it alone, okay?”
Sarah backed off because she looked so distraught, but the minute everyone had left, she cornered Raylene in the kitchen. She gestured toward a chair. “Sit down and tell me what had you so upset earlier.”
“Just forget it, please. It’s over and done with.”
“Not if it still has the power to make you so sad. Tell me.”
Raylene sat down and closed her eyes. Tears leaked out and spilled down her cheeks. In all the months she’d lived with Sarah, in all the times they’d talked about the past, tonight was the first time Sarah could recall her crying. When she’d arrived, she’d been defeated, then eventually angry, but sad was something new. It gave Sarah a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Raylene?” she prodded more gently.
“The last time,” she began in a halting voice. “When Paul hit me that last time, I was pregnant. I was only as far along as Annie, more than likely.” When she opened her eyes, they were filled with despair. “That night I lost the baby.”
“And that’s why you finally left him and came home,” Sarah concluded.
“Hurting me, that was one thing, but our baby,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “How could I stay after he killed our baby?”
“Oh, sweetie,” Sarah murmured, gathering her close. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“No,” Raylene said fiercely, pulling away. “Don’t be sorry. Not for me, anyway. It was my fault. I put my baby at risk.”
“You were living with a monster,” Sarah said.
“But I knew what he was and I didn’t make myself leave,” Raylene said. “I should have gone the second the doctor told me I was carrying a child, but stupid me, I thought maybe Paul would be happy about it and maybe we’d finally have a real marriage. Instead, he was furious. It was the worst argument we’d ever had. How can I ever forgive myself for letting that happen? I’m the one who didn’t deserve to go on living.”
Suddenly it all came crystal clear for Sarah. “And that’s why you’ve stayed shut up inside this house, because you don’t think you should have a life of your own. It’s more than just being afraid of Paul. You’ve been punishing yourself all this time.”
Raylene shook her head, then said, “I guess. Maybe. I don’t know. I can’t seem to sort it all out.”
The admission was all it took for Sarah to make a decision. “Then it’s time to talk about all this with someone who can help you. I’m calling Dr. McDaniels in the morning.”
“No,” Raylene said. “I’ll do it.”
Sarah studied her doubtfully. “You will?”
“I promise. I’ll do it soon.”
“Tomorrow would be good,” Sarah pressed.
A fleeting smile touched Raylene’s lips. “Does Travis know what a nag you are?” she asked.
“Actually he does.”
“And yet he still cares about you,” Raylene said, feigning astonishment.
“Why not?” Sarah retorted. “You do.”
“Right this second, not so much,” Raylene insisted, but the sparkle was back in her eyes.
Maybe, Sarah thought, Raylene was finally ready to take the next step toward reclaiming her life.