by Jillian Hart
There it was…a pushy groom, a nervous bride and a bad case of cold feet. From the distance of time, he saw his part in it. “It wasn’t all your fault, Cassie. I pushed you too hard.”
“Even so—”
“Don’t punish yourself,” he said gently. “It’s over.”
She swallowed hard. “Can you ever forgive me?”
He already had. “We both made mistakes. I’m sorry for being impatient. Let’s forgive each other and move on.”
“Thank you, Gabe.” She dabbed at her tears with her sleeve. “It doesn’t matter now, but I want you to know…Leaving was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
Leaving Guthrie Corners or leaving him? He didn’t know, but he wanted to wipe her tears with his thumb. Before he could decide what to do, she squared her shoulders. “You’ve been great with Luke. I can’t thank you enough.”
Mention of the boy pulled Gabe back to the problems at hand. “He’s a good kid. I’ve been wondering what happened to his father.”
Her eyes blazed. “He’s not in the picture.”
“I figured that.” He counted it as good riddance. “For Luke’s sake, I’d like to know more. The boy misses him.”
“How do you know?”
“He told me.”
Cassie frowned. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Neither did Gabe, but he needed the whole story. According to Luke, she’d left O’Rourke the way she’d left Gabe—in secret and without a goodbye. Had she been justified, or did she always run at the first sign of trouble? Gabe had to know. If she’d changed, they had a chance at a future. If not, he’d be her friend and nothing more. He didn’t like using Luke to pry, but the boy had a stake in her answer.
He kept his voice low. “I can’t help your son if I don’t know what happened.”
With a quiet dignity, she raised her chin. “Ryan O’Rourke was a philandering two-bit actor. He charmed me like a snake and I fell for it. We got married at City Hall and I count it as the second worst mistake of my life.”
They both knew what the first one had been. “You left because he cheated on you?”
“No,” she said, drawing out the word. “I left because he hit me.”
“Oh, Cassie—”
“He threatened Luke, too.”
When she walked to the window and touched the glass, he imagined a moth trapped in a jar, spent and still. He wanted to pound Ryan O’Rourke into the ground. The man wasn’t fit to walk this earth, let alone claim Cassie for his wife. A good woman was God’s most precious gift. A smart man cherished her. He lived for her and he’d die for her, too. And Luke…What had the boy witnessed?
Two steps brought Gabe to Cassie’s side. Without a second thought, he put his arm around her shoulders. “You were smart to leave.”
“Was I?”
“Yes.” Adultery. Assault. Ryan O’Rourke had thoroughly broken his vows. “How can you even doubt?”
A shudder raced up her spine. “Even with the infidelity, I’d have stayed for Luke’s sake. You can see how much he needs a father.”
“How old was he when you left?”
“Barely five,” she said wistfully. “Ryan didn’t fight the divorce, but only because I didn’t ask for alimony. I worked as a bookkeeper to make ends meet. A neighbor watched Luke after school, but then he made new friends.”
“And you came home to get him away from them.”
“Exactly.”
With his arm still around her, she tilted her face up and to the side. At the same instant, Gabe looked down. When her mouth parted in surprise, he trailed a finger down her cheek. Her breath caught and so did his. He wanted to kiss her…He wanted to go back to a week before the wedding and do things differently. Did Cassie share the same hope? He didn’t know, but a kiss would reveal her answer.
Slowly, giving her time to say no, he angled his head above hers. When she stayed still, he cupped her chin. When her eyes drifted shut, he knew…then, suddenly a rock shattered the window.
Chapter Four
Broken glass…shattered dreams. Cassie pulled away from Gabe with her heart pounding and her eyes wide with shock. She’d almost kissed him. For a moment she’d gone back in time and been young and unencumbered. The broken glass at her feet was a sober reminder of Luke, why she’d come home and the sorry state of her reputation. She had nothing to give Gabe Wyatt except grief and public scorn, a point made clear by the glass sparkling at her feet.
As Gabe bolted through the office door, Cassie ran after him with thoughts of Luke flooding her mind. She wanted to believe the best of her son, but who besides Luke would break a window? She didn’t think for a minute it had been an accident. Rocks didn’t sprout wings and fly. Boys threw them.
Cassie caught up with Gabe as he trotted down the church steps. “How could he do that!” she cried. “After all you’ve done for him—”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Cassie.”
To her, the evidence seemed overwhelming. Luke had become resentful after cleaning the church and retaliated. Or worse…Maybe he’d seen them about to kiss. Her stomach knotted. How would she explain that to her son? Had anyone else seen them? It seemed unlikely. The bright sun would have turned the glass into a mirror. They’d been in the shadows, but perhaps someone had seen them slip alone down the hall and had jumped to the wrong conclusion.
As they crossed the churchyard, Cassie scanned the path to town for Luke but saw nothing, not even dust. She turned to the meadow stretching north and saw only waving grass. To the west lay rolling hills that turned into distant, insurmountable mountains. She felt as if Luke were lost to her forever.
Pastor Hall approached from the side of the building with his black robe billowing behind him. He had his hand on Billy Drake’s shoulder. Behind Billy, Cassie saw Maude and her husband dressed in their Sunday best, a black suit for Mr. Drake and a prim gray gown for Maude. They looked as polished as silver candlesticks. Cassie, dressed in a green frock with leg o’ mutton sleeves, felt like a peacock.
Maude’s gaze shot from her to Gabe and back again. Her lips quirked into a haughty half smile Cassie recognized from their youth. Maude looked ready to accuse her of everything from low morals to being a bad mother.
Cassie opened her mouth to apologize to Reverend Hall for Luke, but Gabe took command of the conversation. He hadn’t worn his gun to church, but he had his badge and a natural authority.
He looked straight at Billy. “What happened?”
Billy had a chin as haughty as his mother’s. “Luke broke the window. I saw him do it.”
Gabe made a humming sound. “That’s funny.”
“Why?” Billy asked.
“Because I was looking out the window.”
Cassie sealed her lips. Gabe had been looking at her, though she supposed a lawman was allowed to bend the truth in the course of seeking it.
Billy shrugged. “He threw the rock. You must have blinked or something.”
Cassie held back a cringe. Or something would include nearly kissing her. His lips had been an inch from hers. She’d seen gentleness in his eyes, then a question and an offering of sorts. She’d been ready to grab that gift and hold tight, but the rock had brought her to her senses. People in Guthrie Corners hated her, especially Maude who looked as smug as a debutante in her new hat. Cassie recognized the haughty look because she’d seen it fourteen years ago in her own mirror. Back then, she’d thought she owned this town. Not anymore. She’d never hold her head high again.
She refocused on Gabe. He was looking at Billy with a flat expression that belied nothing. “What exactly did you see?”
Billy shrugged. “He picked up a rock and threw it.”
“I wonder why?” Gabe asked.
“I dunno.”
If Luke had spoken in that tone, Cassie would have told him to answer Deputy Wyatt’s question right now. Maude, though, glared at Gabe as if he’d called Billy a liar.
Gabe didn’t seem to notice. “It just seems
odd. When someone throws a rock, there’s usually a reason.”
“Maybe he was mad.”
“At what?” Gabe sounded conspiratorial, as if he were including Billy in a secret. Cassie flashed back to the jail where he’d used silence to break Luke. Billy had a different personality and different motives. Gabe, she realized, had become an expert in setting verbal traps. She’d have to be careful. If she didn’t watch her words, she’d end up telling him that she still loved him.
Billy seemed eager to help. “I don’t know why he got mad, but I saw him break the window. I told him to stop, but he ran away.”
“What exactly did you say?” Gabe asked.
Billy’s cheeks turned from pale to pink. Looking down, he played with the grass with the toe of his shoe. “I just said, ‘Stop.’”
Cassie knew a half truth when she heard one.
So did Gabe. “Just stop, huh?”
“Yeah.” Billy sounded defiant.
Gabe crossed his arms. “So you saw Luke throw the rock. And you said ‘Stop.’”
“That’s right.”
Gabe stared straight into Billy’s eyes. “You know what I can’t figure out?”
“What?” Billy sounded defensive.
“Why would Luke throw a rock when you were standing right there? Unless maybe something else happened.”
Billy’s face raised his chin. “I saw it. I swear it!”
Whenever Luke talked like that, Cassie knew he was hiding the truth. He’d inherited his father’s flare for drama. She glanced at the Drakes and saw nothing but pride. Reverend Hall hadn’t said a word, but she looked at him now and saw the sad expression of a wise man. He, too, suspected Billy of lying.
Gabe’s eyes glinted. “You need to ’fess up, Billy. Now.”
Maude broke in with a shrill voice. “My son is not a liar, Gabe. You know that!”
The three of them went back a lot of years, but Maude’s use of Gabe’s first name struck Cassie as out of place in front of Billy. It undercut Gabe’s authority. It also put Cassie in her place. I know him…I belong here. Cassie no longer belonged in this town, but she’d do anything for Luke. Right now, that included standing shoulder to shoulder with Gabe.
Ignoring Maude, he turned to Mr. Drake. “Sir, I believe your son is holding back.”
The man’s eyes glinted. “Perhaps you should speak to Miss O’Rourke’s son—”
“It’s Mrs. O’Rourke,” Cassie insisted.
Maude lifted her chin. “Of course, it is.”
Her words dripped like honey, sweet but sticky enough to cause a mess. Cassie wanted to tell Maude to jump in a lake, but antagonizing the woman would do no good. Cassie had made mistakes, but she’d done her best to clean up the mess. Why couldn’t Guthrie Corners give her a chance?
Gabe stayed focused on Mr. Drake. “I’ll speak to Luke, but I was hoping Billy could provide some information.”
Mr. Drake opened his pocket watch, read the time, then shut it again. “Speak to him if you must, but we don’t have all morning.”
“I do,” Gabe said easily.
With those two small words, Gabe had announced he’d do whatever it took to find the truth. Until now, no one had ever believed in Luke or in Cassie. It felt good.
With her chin up, she followed Gabe’s stare to Billy. She guessed the boy to be Luke’s age, but he was maturing faster. Luke had grown two inches since Christmas, but he still had the stick-like body of a boy. Billy was taller, heavier and far more confident. In a fight, Billy would win hands down. He also looked just like his mother, a fact Cassie tried to overlook.
Gabe kept his voice mild. “Where were you standing when you saw Luke throw the rock?”
“By that tree.” He pointed to a cottonwood.
“Why?”
“My mother told me to wait for her. She had to speak with Mrs. Hall about something important.”
Cassie heard Maude’s arrogance in the boy’s voice. There’d been no need to inform them of his mother’s importance. Everyone knew Maude ran Guthrie Corners. Cassie felt sorry for Billy. Someday he’d learn that not everyone is impressed by a high-and-mighty attitude. Cassie had learned that lesson herself. In a blink she’d gone from a promising actress to a lowly bookkeeper.
Gabe kept pressing Billy. “Did you two speak at all?”
Billy paused. “Sort of.”
Cassie could hardly stand the silence, but Gabe let it build until the tension crackled. Billy looked ready to break, but Maude interrupted. “Boys will be boys. There’s nothing more to say.”
“And we have a luncheon engagement,” her husband added.
Gabe’s expression went from blank to hard. “I’m done with Billy. You folks go and enjoy your meal.”
Right in front of them, he touched Cassie’s arm with reassurance. “Don’t worry. I’ll find Luke.”
His eyes met hers with the intensity she recalled from fourteen years ago…from fourteen minutes ago when his mouth had come within an inch of hers. He’d used her first name, too. It was a claiming of sorts, a statement that she belonged as much as Maude did. Cassie wanted to accept that gift, but she feared it. Maude hated her. William Drake owned the bank. They had the power to make Gabe’s life miserable.
Looking at Gabe now, she felt the weight of every mistake she’d ever made. She couldn’t bear the thought of causing this good man any more grief. For his own good, she had to keep him at arm’s length. She stepped back, breaking his touch but not her gaze. “Thank you, Deputy.”
The corners of his mouth lifted, but the smile stopped short of a grin. “You’re welcome, Mrs. O’Rourke.”
Reverend Hall broke in. “Thelma always has refreshments after church. Cassie, you’re welcome to join us. Maude, William…I know you have an engagement, but a cup of tea wouldn’t spoil your meal.”
The couple traded a look, then Mr. Drake shook his head. “No thank you, Reverend. Not today.”
Not today had meant not with her. Cassie didn’t want to sip tea with Maude any more than Maude wanted to share an hour with her. She had intended to make her own excuses and she still did. She needed to look for Luke.
Reverend Hall looked pointedly at Maude. “Another time, then.”
“Of course.” Her voice dripped with cool disdain. After a glance at her husband, she slipped her hand in the crook of his elbow and looked at Cassie as if she were dirt. “Have a nice day, Mrs. O’Rourke.”
The Drakes walked down the path to town with Billy at their side. When they were several feet away, the boy looked over his shoulder with a smirk. Cassie saw red. Gabe and Reverend Hall traded a look but said nothing. The arrogant look on Billy’s face reminded Cassie that she had a job to do as a mother.
“I should go, too.” she said to Reverend Hall. “Luke might have gone home and the apartment’s locked.”
“I’ll check for you,” Gabe said.
“No, I’d rather—”
“Stay here, Cassie.” The invitation came from Reverend Hall. If anyone had cause to judge her, it was this elderly minister with yet another broken window. Cassie could hardly look him in the eye. “I’m sorry about Luke and the window. I just don’t know what to do.”
Gabe interrupted. “I do.”
“So do I,” said the reverend.
Cassie gave a small laugh. “I’m glad, because I don’t know my son at all right now.”
Both men chuckled. She didn’t see the humor, but the deep rumbling gave her comfort. Reverend Hall smiled at her. “Thelma and I raised three sons. Luke’s being a boy. Granted, he’s troubled and bitter and can’t go around breaking windows, but he’s not a bad seed. No child is.”
“Especially not Luke,” Gabe added. “I’ll find him and we’ll have a talk. My gut tells me Billy left out a few details.”
“Mine, too,” said the Reverend.
These men, both strong and honorable, believed in her son. A lump pushed into Cassie’s throat. She’d never felt such acceptance. When she looked at Gabe, she sa
w the man she’d almost kissed. He’d be a good father, but in the next breath she called herself a fool. She had no right to such a thought.
His expression stayed neutral. “I’ll find Luke and bring him here. Wait for me.”
“All right,” she answered.
Gabe bid the reverend goodbye, then strode down the path to town. Cassie couldn’t take her eyes off his straight back and wide shoulders. Dressed in his Sunday best, he cut a fine figure of a man. She couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t married. She’d hurt him, but surely he’d healed with time. People learned to live with their scars. Cassie had. Those marks were deep and she’d never marry again because of them, but she’d made a good life for herself and her son.
Reverend Hall touched her back. “Let’s have some of Thelma’s lemon cake.”
“I’d like that,” Cassie replied.
As they crossed the yard, Cassie took in the whitewashed porch and the pots of geraniums on the steps. It looked picture-perfect, but Thelma had often been candid with Cassie’s mother and Cassie had heard their conversations. This house had known the heartache that came with a rebellious child. Thelma’s middle son had settled out West but not before running wild. He’d even done jail time in the Laramie Territorial Prison.
Walking with the reverend, Cassie thought of his words about children and bad seeds. He’d voiced her deepest fear. Luke had his father’s blood and his looks, even his taste for sweets. Did he also have his tendency to deceit? Cassie’s biggest mistake as a woman had been jilting Gabe. Her biggest mistake as a mother had been choosing Ryan O’Rourke to father her child.
She lifted her chin and looked at the reverend’s profile. Gray hair crowned him with wisdom. The hint of a smile gave her hope.
“Do you believe what you said, Reverend? That no child is a bad seed?”
“I do.”
“Even when they do bad things?”
He chuckled. “That’s when I believe it the most. If love covers a multitude of sins—and I believe it does—then the lack of it leaves those sins uncovered. They fester. I don’t know what happened to Luke’s father—”
