It Had to Be Them (An It Had to Be Novel Book 4)

by Tamra Baumann

  “Good morning to you too, Sue Ann. Is he in the study?”

  “Where else? That man spends more time in there than is healthy. You should get on him again for working too much, Ben.”

  “It all falls on deaf ears.”

  “Tell me about it.” She walked beside him down the long hall. “I told him he needs to lose a few pounds too, but he has to have his daily sweets.”

  Said the woman who ate whatever she wanted, and instead of dieting, flew to Denver and had all her extra fat sucked out. Probably best to stay silent.

  As usual, Sue Ann filled the void. “I’m thinking I might just have a few more headaches at night if he doesn’t start listening to me. If you know what I mean?”

  He remained silent on that matter too. The last thing he wanted to talk about was their sex life. Thank goodness Kline wasn’t the type of woman who played games like that to get what she wanted.

  The study door stood open so Sue Ann knocked on the frame. “Ben is finally here, so you can stop your bellyaching.” She turned to Ben. “I might have to come see you for that headache medicine real soon. Bye now.” Then she sashayed away.

  His father’s hard gaze didn’t bode well.

  “You looking for me?” Ben crossed the room and sat in front of the big oak desk stacked high with piles of papers.

  His father’s face turned a deep shade of red. “Did you listen to my voicemail?”

  Ben shook his head. “I was busy busting out of jail. What do you need?”

  “For Kline to get the hell out of town.” His father’s eyes narrowed. “Not for you to be throwing birthday parties for her and making her feel welcome here.”

  “I love Kline. It’d be easier for all of us if you’d just accept that.” Ben stood to leave. It was clearly not a good time to talk about his clinic. “I think your time would be better spent figuring out how to beat Kline on Thursday instead of worrying about how welcome she feels.”

  “I’m not nearly as worried about beating Kline now that I have the results of her background check.” His father leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Not too many around here’ll be willing to vote for an ex-con. I don’t suppose the love of your life mentioned that she’s spent time in jail, has she?”

  Of course his father would dig for dirt on Kline. Ben wished he knew exactly what she’d done, but wouldn’t give his dad the satisfaction of asking.

  “You mean besides last night because of you? Yeah. She mentioned it to me.”

  “Really? Did she tell you how many weeks she was in?”

  Weeks? What the hell? He couldn’t think of anything Kline would do to end up in jail for more than a day. He’d assumed she’d been arrested for another protest of some sort, but that wouldn’t result in real jail time. “What’s your point, Dad?”

  “That I’m going to drag Kline’s name through the mud with this new information unless you can convince her to go back to whatever jungle she came from. I’ve been talking to some people in Denver. I think I’ve found a way to get my building permit back before the sale falls through with Tara’s father. But I can’t make all that happen with Kline around sticking her nose into my business.”

  Crap. If Kline’s integrity came under fire it might give her an excuse to leave town rather than deal with his father’s bullying. He wanted to show her how different it’d be to live in Anderson Butte now. That it wasn’t high school any longer and people would treat her with nothing but kindness—for the most part, anyway. His father would never change his mind about her.

  “I think the better plan is to move the distillery to Zeke’s land. Then we can design a clinic that’ll work under the new restrictions.”

  “If I don’t get the money the land sale brings, I can’t fund a new clinic for you. It’s your choice. I’ll give you the weekend to change her mind about sticking around, or you can kiss both Kline’s reputation and your precious clinic goodbye.”

  Ben’s heart pounded as he withheld the biting words he wanted to spew at his father. Instead he said, “Maybe you should take a hard look in the mirror and see what you’re doing is wrong. You could’ve gone to jail too if Kline hadn’t stopped things yesterday. Quit blaming her for your own shortcomings.” Ben turned and walked down the hallway and through the front door, ignoring his father’s cursing and bellowing behind him.

  Once outside, he sank down on the top porch step and held his head in his hands.

  What was he going to do? The new clinic could potentially save so many lives. Ones he’d come to care for deeply. The residents of Anderson Butte weren’t just patients like Sam’s were to her in Denver. They were all like family to him. More so than his own father.

  His dad refused to see that the clinic could also provide skilled jobs for some of the local graduates to come back to after college, solving another problem the town had of losing its young people. He’d worked too hard to let it slip away now. It’d take millions he didn’t have to fund it himself, even if he could build it on Zeke’s land instead. He had to come up with another plan.

  But first, he needed to figure out what Kline had done. What if she hadn’t even told her mother? He had to warn Kline before his father revealed her secret.

  Damn. Just when it looked like things were going to work out, his father had to go and ruin his life. Again.

  Kline closed the front door softly behind her in case her mom was still sleeping. Unable to keep her bladder waiting much longer, she tossed her purse onto the couch, dodging bundles of campaign signs her mother had made, as she ran for the bathroom. She’d held on to her dignity in front of Ben, but just barely.

  After taking a shower and drying her hair, she felt a little more human again. Wrapped up in her robe, Kline walked toward her bedroom to change into fresh clothes. Her mother’s voice softly called out, “Kline? I need some help.”

  Alarmed, Kline changed direction and headed down the hall. Her mom’s door stood open, her bed made, but it was empty, so she jogged toward the bathroom. It was empty too. “Mom?”

  “I’m over here. On the other side of the bed.”

  Kline raced out of the bathroom and scooted around the bed. Her mom was on her back on the carpeted floor. “Are you hurt? How did this happen?”

  “Just my pride.” Her mom smiled. “I tripped over the comforter when I was making the bed and fell. I heard you come in so I was waiting until you were out of the shower. I can’t seem to get up.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to wait, Mom.” Kline knelt over her mom and helped her to her knees and then helped her stand. “Maybe I should call Ben to check you out?”

  Her mother waved a hand. “No, I’m fine now.”

  “What would you have done if I hadn’t been here?”

  Her mom shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I’m glad you’re here now, sweetheart.”

  Kline’s heart still raced. “I think you need to start carrying your phone in your pocket so you can call for help next time.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Mom sat down heavily on the side of the bed. “I’ll try to remember to do that after you leave.”

  A stab of guilt and worry pierced Kline’s heart. What would’ve become of her mom if she’d been alone? Maybe winning the election and staying in Anderson Butte with her mom for a few years would be a good thing. Leaving her on her own might not be an option anymore.

  Determined to enjoy her birthday party later that evening, Kline drew in the scent of the cold, pine-scented air and cleared her mind as she and her mom walked down the front porch steps.

  She’d spent the day talking to people in town and asking if she could put her sign in their yards. It was interesting to hear what people would like to see change in Anderson Butte. For the most part, they were happy with their benefits that the mayor had set up. The changes they wanted to see weren’t anything big, but little things it seemed the mayor could easily have given them if he’d cared enough to listen.

  Kline shortened her stride as she wal
ked alongside her mom on their way to Ben’s house. He’d called and asked if they could come a little early because he had something important about the election to discuss. They probably had a lot of things they needed to talk about.

  Mom said, “You’ve been quiet all day. Did something happen between you and Ben last night?”

  Besides the mind-blowing sex?

  “He told me how his father tricked him into staying here after college. And why he lied about it. Did you know about that?”

  Her mom cringed. “It came out a few years after you left.”

  “And you didn’t think to share that with me?” Her mom’s betrayal was another pinch to her heart. First Ben had lied and now her mom had hidden the truth too?

  Mom stopped walking and faced her. “I went back and forth about telling you. But then, all you ever told me after you left was how happy you were to never return to Anderson Butte, so what was the point?”

  Kline didn’t buy that answer. “Then why did you drop hints about how nice it’d be if I moved home every time I called?”

  “Well, um . . .” Mom blinked rapidly. “Oh, I’m just going to say it. We both know the real reason you never came home was that you were avoiding Ben. If I had told you that he’d lied to you on top of everything else, I would’ve never gotten you home.”

  “Gotten me home?” That was an odd way to put it.

  “I meant that it would’ve made things worse if you ever did come home.” Mom waved a hand. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now because confessing he lied will give you the perfect excuse to push him away. Avoidance is your soup du jour.”

  Kline crossed her arms as her mind raced for a proper defense. Why was everyone still accusing her of that? Maybe because she did tend to shy away from talking about emotions. She needed to get better about that. “I’ve been trying to come to grips with why Ben lied to me all day. The best I can come up with is that we were young and immature. Neither of us handled that breakup well. And I told you in high school that I’d never live here after I graduated.”

  Her mom sighed. “That’s what all kids say who grow up in small towns. But you’ve seen what else is out there now. Where would you rather raise a child? Here, where they’d be safe and surrounded by loving relatives, or a big city?”

  She’d never thought of it from a having-kids perspective. “What if I had kids who looked like me? A skyscraper with zits and braces? The teasing I endured from the Anderson kids was horrific. No thanks.”

  “And you don’t think that would’ve happened if you’d lived anywhere else? You’ve taught all over the world, so you have to know kids are kids. If anything, it gave you the opportunity to figure out how to shine, and look what you did with that. Dad nearly burst with pride when you got that basketball scholarship. And he always wished you’d have looked in the mirror and seen what a beautiful woman you became.”

  “He had to think that because he was my dad.” Memories of her father threatened to make her sad again. She still missed him so much. “I don’t want to argue with you, Mom. Let’s go eat cake and have some fun.”

  They started walking again and her mom whispered, “Avoidance in the form of cake and fun.”

  Kline wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulder and pulled her close. Maybe it was time to start working on her avoidance issue and come clean. “No, avoidance because not only did I spend the night with Ben last night, I slept with him. It left me feeling confused, happy, and incredibly sad all at the same time.”

  Mom tilted her head. “Why sad?”

  “Because I realized last night how much I’ve missed him, and how I should have done things differently when we broke up. I ran as fast as I could rather than fight for what I wanted. We’ve both changed some during our years apart, and I’m wondering if we can ever get back to that time when we were so happy, or if it’ll just never be that good again.”

  Mom nodded. “Only one way to find out.”

  “I know. I’m going to try again. But I’m equal parts excited and afraid of the answer. So now, because it’s my birthday and Ben is throwing me a party, I’m going to eat cake and drink lots of alcohol because they are guaranteed to make me forget my worries and feel better, even if just temporarily.”

  Mom slipped her arm around Kline’s waist and squeezed. “Maybe you should spend the night with Ben after the party. That’d probably make you feel better too.”

  “I never thought I’d see the day you’d tell me to sleep with a man to make myself feel better.”

  “I didn’t tell you to sleep with just any man. I told you to sleep with Ben. If I’d told you to sleep with Nate, may God strike me dead. He’d never make you happy.”

  It was true—she wouldn’t have been happy with Nate. How did her mom know that about him? Spidey sense was the only thing that Kline could think of. “But I can’t spend the night with Ben, leaving you to walk home in the cold and dark after the party. So no more nagging.”

  “Mothers don’t nag. They just suggest things for your own good.”

  “Call it what you’d like. But no more talk about my sex life at the party, please.”

  “Deal. But if I find a man to walk me to my doorstep tonight, promise you’ll give me an hour before you come home, okay?”

  “What?” Kline stopped dead in her tracks.

  “Gotcha.” Her mother laughed and led the way up Ben’s walk.

  “Funny, Mom.” Kline shook her head as they approached Ben’s front door. He had comfy-looking outdoor furniture, and even a swing. Very cute. Had a woman helped him pick it all out? Ben loved fancy shoes, but his usual taste in furniture ran more toward man cave than good design.

  Her mom opened Ben’s front door and hung up her coat as if she lived there. Ben stood just inside the foyer putting someone else’s coat on the rack next to her mom’s. When his stunning blue eyes locked with Kline’s, she smiled. He was dressed in nicely fitting designer jeans, equally fancy new loafers, probably to replace the ones she’d ruined for him that first day, and a shirt she’d given him the last Christmas they’d been together. It looked brand new, as if he had never worn it. Maybe he hadn’t because it’d been a tad big on him then. But now the perfect fit across his muscled chest and biceps made the shirt look as if it were tailored for him.

  After staring at each other for what seemed like a full minute while her mom masterfully disappeared, he finally moved closer. “You look beautiful, Kline.” He helped her out of her coat.

  She hadn’t known why she’d packed the jeans her last boyfriend had said made her butt look nice, a silk shirt that showed off the girls a bit, a leather jacket, and high-heeled boots, because usually she’d have nowhere to wear them in Anderson Butte, but she was glad she had. “You clean up pretty nice too. I especially like the shirt.”

  He moved his mouth near her ear and whispered, “I especially like the person who gave it to me.”

  That shouldn’t have moved her so much, for goodness’ sake. The man had confessed his love for her just the night before while making love to her, but that he’d kept the shirt made her heart all gooey. “I’m surprised you still have it.”

  He nibbled on her earlobe and made her knees go a little weak. “I kept your ring too.”

  Ben still had her engagement ring? He could have sold it and bought fifty pairs of fancy shoes with that money. “About that. I’m sorry I threw it at you.”

  “It was better than throwing one of the bats I had by the front door at me.”

  She used to hate how he’d dump his softball bag just inside the front door after his games. She’d asked him to put the bats away, but they never seemed to make it to the closet unless she put them there. She’d finally given up the battle and learned to step over the bag.

  She leaned away and studied his foyer. It had a low table with a pretty glass bowl that held his keys, a freestanding wooden coatrack, a live potted plant on a rustic stand, and an area rug. Not a piece of sports equipment in sight. “So did you put your softball b
ag away tonight on my account?”

  He shook his head and opened a closet door. There, on the top shelf, was a softball bag. “You aren’t the only one who’s changed. Let me show you around before the rest get here.”

  His polished wood floors looked new, and the sage-colored walls and white, three-inch-tall trim appeared freshly painted. She’d never have pictured Ben’s house to be so well put together.

  She followed behind him to a formal living room with soft, inviting, fawn-colored upholstered chairs and couches, but the star of the room was the baby grand piano.

  “Wow. That’s pretty. You still play, then?”

  “Yeah. But nowhere near as well as I used to.”

  He’d all but given up music because they hadn’t been able to have a real piano in their apartment, just his electronic one. He’d said it wasn’t the same. “I’m sure you’re still better than anyone else in town.”

  He smiled. “Choosing medicine over music worked out for the best.” He took her hand and led her farther down the hallway. “You were always my biggest, and only, fan.”

  “Maybe for music, but you’ve got a whole town full of fans now.”

  “I love what I do.”

  Yes, that much was clear, and she was glad to see him so happy. He loved the people in town like family and it wouldn’t be fair of her to ask him to leave them. She used to have to compete for his attention with just his needy family. Now, if they resumed their relationship, she’d probably have to compete for his time with a whole town.

  Next, they landed in a huge den with raised ceilings, wood windows, and French doors that looked out onto a deck with tall space heaters churning away for the few brave enough to bear the cold. On the opposite wall hung the biggest television she’d ever seen, and nearby sectional couches were placed for optimum football viewing, no doubt.

  “I think your television could be a tad bigger, don’t you?”

  “Always. I have my eye on a new one.”