Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3)

by Peel, Jennifer

  “Very nice.” I knew Andrew loved to camp, but I wasn’t sure about fishing. And I was definitely not buying him a trip to Alaska. Maybe I could find out what Jessie was getting Blake, or what Abby was buying Shane. Or I could ask Evelyn. In fact, I thought she would like it if I did.

  We walked into Jessie’s home and it looked like it had been showered in pink. Even the food was color coordinated, except for the fruits and vegetables we had for our guest of honor and resident clinical nutritionist. The rest of us were planning on eating unhealthy for the night, right down to the pink sparkle cupcakes Jessie made.

  While everyone flocked to the guest of honor, I scooted over to the gift table. It was overflowing. I deposited my wrapped gifts before heading to the kitchen to grab some food. I was starving.

  I took some of everything. Jessie was the best cook I knew, until I met Andrew, though I would never tell Jessie. His ex-fiancée had been an excellent teacher. I wondered what else she had taught him. I knew her clientele were among the rich and famous. Much different than mine. Though I wouldn’t trade my farmers, ranchers, and everyday regular people for any of that. But it made me wonder if Andrew would find my life boring. And I wondered how involved he would want me to be in his crazy, high-profile life. He talked like he wanted me to be involved in every aspect, but I preferred the quiet life in our sleepy town of Merryton. I supposed we would have to compromise.

  The pastor’s wife, Kristen Bates, greeted me by the food table. “Rachel Laine.”

  “Hello, Kristen. How are you?” The pastor and his wife were the cutest couple. They were both in their early fifties, but they were as energetic as any young couple I had ever known. They served our community well.

  “Wonderful,” she responded. “This is such a happy occasion.”

  I glanced Taylor’s direction and agreed. I was happy for my friend and occasional sounding board.

  Kristen stepped closer to me and lowered her voice. “I was wondering,” she said before hesitating. “Well, my brother-in-law, Aidan …”

  I knew this was going to get awkward before she finished her thought.

  “You’ve met him, right?”

  I nodded.

  Her nervousness showed in her strained smile. “He’s a great guy. Hard worker, musically talented. He plays the guitar and the piano, and oh, he sings beautifully.”

  I took a bite of my chicken salad sandwich and swallowed slowly. I was hungry and she was taking forever to get to the uncomfortable part. “That’s nice.”

  Her green eyes sparkled. “He’s had a bit of a hard time. He moved here for a fresh start.”

  I gave her some more of my attention. Aidan was mysterious to all of us. Extremely attractive, but probably the most reserved person I had ever met. There was pain and emptiness in his eyes. You never saw him with anyone except his brother and sister-in-law. There was a rumor he was divorced and had children, but no one knew for sure. He wasn’t the kind of man that invited confidences. He gave off the “leave me alone” vibe. Don’t get me wrong, he was never unkind, but you could tell he wanted to be left alone.

  “I hope he’s settling in,” I said.

  She grinned wide. “We were hoping … that is my husband and I were thinking, maybe you and Aidan could get to know one another better.”

  I dropped my sandwich on my plate and cursed Andrew in my head. “Well, here’s the thing …”

  “You aren’t seeing anyone, are you?” She said that way too loud.

  All the ladies at the shower turned our way and waited for me to answer.

  My eyes went directly to Taylor, like she could help, but all she could do was give me a sympathetic smile. I’ll tell you this, I have never been so thankful for Cheyenne and her loud mouth in my life.

  “Are you kidding me? She doesn’t date,” Cheyenne practically yelled. I don’t know how many men in this town she’s turned down.”

  Kristen turned to me for confirmation.

  I shrugged my shoulders, took my food, and fled to the safety of the group. Technically, I could have answered that I wasn’t dating anyone, but that felt like a lie. I had feelings for Andrew that I wanted to explore. He was usually the first person I talked to in the morning and the last person I spoke to before I went to sleep at night. I frequently thought about how much I wanted to be in his arms, for his lips and mine to finally get acquainted. Maybe we couldn’t physically see each other right now, but our relationship was real.

  I sat next to my savior, Cheyenne.

  She leaned over and whispered in my ear, “You’re welcome, but don’t think I don’t know something is going on with you. The question is, who is it going on with?”

  I looked at her in amazement.

  She smirked beautifully.

  All I could do was mouth, “Thank you.” Occasionally, Cheyenne surprised me. Despite her crass behavior at times, she was a loyal friend.

  She gave me a look that indicated I owed her, and that she wanted details. Details would come, and I had no doubt they were going to send this town into a tizzy. Andrew worried about what his political opponents would do with the news, but they had nothing on the people of Merryton. Once word got out that Andrew Turner was Drew’s father, my life was going to become a fishbowl. Not to mention the heads that were going to turn when they found out we were romantically involved. I wondered how Cheyenne was going to feel about it.

  I had done my best over the years to fly below the radar of Merryton’s grapevine. The only thing I had ever done worthy of being on it was adopting Drew, but everyone in this town saw that as honorable. How noble was everyone going to think it was for me to get involved with the man that slept with my sister? And was Sydney’s name going to get dragged through the mud again? Unlike me, she was the star of the grapevine back in the day. Whether it was for underage drinking, a brief fling with our current mayor when she wasn’t legal, or all of her minor run-ins with the law, she kept the gossip alive and well in this town. But surely in light of her tragic death, people wouldn’t disparage her, would they? Would they vilify me?

  I sat and watched Taylor open gift after gift. The baby was set for the next year, at least for new clothes. Taylor seemed both delighted and overwhelmed. And twenty-some of us did our fair share of oohing and aahing at all of the adorable items.

  “So, have you decided on a name?” Abby asked Taylor.

  Taylor’s smile gave off a feeling of serenity. “We’re going to name her after both of her grandmothers. Tessa will be her first name, after my mother, and Marie will be her middle name, after Easton’s.”

  “That’s lovely,” Abby commented. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

  Both of their mothers had passed away. It was a sweet way to remember them, especially Tessa, since her life had been nothing short of tragic. Taylor’s family had also found itself subject to the grapevine as well. But at least Taylor had found peace.

  I had a feeling my peace would be vanishing soon.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Andrew called late that night after I had put Drew to sleep. It had taken him a while to calm down after all of the soda Easton had let him drink.

  “You’re quiet tonight. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, per se, but I’ve been thinking about what everyone is going to think and say about me when they find out I’m involved with you.”

  “They’re going to think you’re the luckiest woman alive,” he teased.

  I sighed.

  “Rachel, you know I’m not serious. It will be the other way around.”

  “I don’t know. Think about how it will look. You knew my sister; in the most intimate way you knew her.”

  “You didn’t need to clarify. I knew what you meant.”

  “Well, how do you think it’s going to look from the outside? What kind of sister does that make me?”

  “You don’t know how many times I’ve wished it was you that I had met, and not Sydney.”

  “I wouldn’t have slept with you.�
��

  “I know.”

  “And who’s to say you would have even liked me then, anyway.”

  “I say. There’s no doubt I would have been taken with you.”

  “What about Heidi?”

  “Since knowing you, she hasn’t been a second thought. I know the way we came to find each other is unconventional, and you’re right, it might not sit well with people, but no matter how we came together, I’m happy we did. You don’t have anything to be ashamed about. You have been, and still are, loyal to your sister.”

  For a moment, I sat quietly on my end, trying to take in everything he had said.

  “So, tell me how the baby shower went,” he interrupted my thoughts.

  “It was perfect. Now we wait until she has the baby.”

  “Do you want to have more children?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said with no hesitation. “How about you?”

  “Is that an invitation?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Maybe someday it will be.” I could hear the seduction in his voice.

  “So, do you want more children?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  I was glad to hear that. I had wondered if we felt the same way on that subject.

  “Children,” he said, “were one of the reasons Heidi and I kept breaking up. She never wanted any.”

  “And you always have?”

  “Yes, but I wanted to wait until my baseball career was over. It’s difficult to be on the road so much and raise a family. I’ve seen how hard it was on some of my teammates’ families. I didn’t think it would be fair to my wife or children.”

  “Children? So you wanted more than one?”

  “I wanted a couple. How about you?”

  “I would probably have a whole house full if I could. I love being a mom.”

  “A house full, huh?”

  “Maybe half a house.”

  “That sounds more manageable. We’ll see what we can do.”

  “What do you mean we?”

  “You need a man if you want to have all of those kids.”

  “And you’re volunteering?”

  “Let’s just say I’m putting in my application.”

  I laughed at him. “Just so you know, any approved applicants must supply a ring and a date with my pastor.”

  “I love when you laugh. And don’t worry, I know the entry fee.”

  “I should probably go, our late night calls are catching up to me.”

  “I can’t wait until it’s in person,” he responded.

  “Me, too. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, beautiful gorgeous.”

  I went to sleep with a smile on my face. I woke up with an idea for a present for Andrew. The baby book Taylor had received last night got me to thinking, and I decided I was going to make Andrew a scrapbook of Drew. I also planned on calling Evelyn to get some other ideas. I thought the book could be from me and the other gifts could be from Drew. I also wanted to get Evelyn something as well. I would like to make her a book, too, but I wouldn’t have the time. I was already running behind. I was trying to get the office in order before I left on vacation for Arizona to be with my parents, Drew had Christmas programs he was participating in and class parties, not to mention I had some Christmas shopping left to do. ’Tis the season.

  Drew and I must have been on the same wavelength that morning. “Mom, can I get Andrew something for Christmas? I have some birthday money left over.” He was the sweetest kid sometimes.

  “I think that would be a great idea. I can pitch in if you want.”

  “I want it to come just from me,” he responded.

  “Okay,” I said with a smile. He must really like Andrew; he usually held on to his money tighter than Scrooge.

  “If you hurry and get ready, we can drive to Denver and do some shopping.”

  His face lit up. Again, that was saying something—he normally dreaded shopping.

  “Do you think we could see Andrew?” The excitement to shop was explained.

  I ran my hands through his bed-head hair. “Honey, not today. Remember what Andrew said about his job?”

  He nodded with a frown.

  “I know it seems like forever to you, but you’ll see him again before you know it.” I was saying it as much to comfort me as him. I wasn’t prepared to miss him the way I had. He had infiltrated our lives.

  “Will he come watch me play baseball?”

  “I’m sure he’ll come to as many games as he can.” I pulled my little man to me and hugged him tight. “I love you infinity.”

  “I love you infinity plus one.” He shook me off and ran upstairs to take a shower.

  I took advantage of the time and called Evelyn. “I hope I’m not calling too early.”

  “Not at all. My body has a bad habit of getting up before the crack of dawn,” she responded.

  “I know the feeling. I was calling to ask for some suggestions on what we could get Andrew for Christmas.”

  “That’s a tough one. He’s one of those people who, if he wants it, he buys it for himself.”

  “That makes sense being a single guy. Is there something besides camping that he and Oliver loved to do together? Something he would love doing with Drew?”

  “If it was outdoors, they loved it. They took whitewater rafting trips, they hiked, fished, and skied.”

  “Hmmm, I’m not sure if I’m ready to send Drew down a raging river, yet, but maybe skiing could be fun. They might be able to sneak in some spring skiing if I bought him some lift tickets.”

  “You better make that three. I have a feeling Andrew will want you to come as well. I hope you know how fond he is of you.”

  “I’m beginning to see, but it’s a little overwhelming for someone like him to be interested in me. I’m a small town girl who likes the quiet life. I’m not like the other women he’s dated.”

  “No, you’re not, and that’s a good thing,” Evelyn said.

  “I hope so. I worry about some of our incompatibilities.”

  “Every relationship has those. It’s a not bad thing. Oliver’s and my incompatibilities actually made us better. He got me out of my comfort zone, and I was able to help him take a step back when he needed to.”

  “You didn’t like being in the spotlight?”

  “Not at all, but my husband and son being who they were and are, I learned to cope and say no when I needed to. I didn’t want to attend every event, but Oliver loved having me by his side, and I loved him, so we made a deal. For every event I attended in a year, that’s how many days we would spend in some tropical location, just the two of us.”

  “That sounds like my kind of deal.”

  “It’s not all bad, you know. I met some great people along the way, and helped more people than I would have ever been able to before.”

  “Well, we aren’t really dating yet, so I guess we’ll cross those bridges if and when we need to.”

  “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I’m hoping for when.”

  “Thanks, Evelyn. Do you think I could drop off Andrew’s gifts to you before we head to Arizona?”

  “I would love to see you and that grandson of mine. Name the day.”

  “I’ll let you know. And just so you know, you’re welcome here anytime. I want Drew to get to know you.”

  “Thank you, Rachel. You don’t know how blessed I feel that you are my grandson’s mother. I know I’ve said it before, but a lot of women in your situation would exploit this.”

  “I would never use Drew in that way. And like I said, I like the quiet life.”

  “And like I’ve said, I think we will be the best of friends.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Me, too, dear.”

  So, lift tickets and scrapbooks it was. I decided I would make the time to make one for Evelyn, too. I wanted to do something nice for her. I liked her a lot, and I even thought my mom would like her. I could see them being friends and hoped they would be. I also hope
d my parents could accept Andrew. I knew they weren’t going to be happy when I told them about us. I was waiting until I could talk to them face to face, but I wondered if my mom already knew. Every time I talked to her on the phone, she kept saying I sounded different. She kept asking me if anything unusual had happened.

  This situation was definitely unusual. It sounded like a good Lifetime movie plot.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Mom, look who’s on TV.”

  I looked up from dinner preparations to see Andrew, front and center. I wiped off my hands and walked into the great room. “Will you please turn that up, bud?”

  Andrew looked stately and handsome in his dark suit and tie, surrounded by supporters and several members of the Denver media. If I wasn’t mistaken, I noticed some national sports and news outlets. I guessed being who he was, it made sense.

  “I’m honored today to accept my party’s nomination as the next state representative for District 43. We have a time-honored tradition of being one of the leading districts in education, employment, values, and technology. I look forward to continuing to lead the way in this great state and district of ours …”

  “Mom, what is he talking about?” Drew interrupted his father’s speech. That was okay. It was like every other politician’s speech. Not that I was going to be saying that to Andrew.

  I turned toward my son, smiled, and prayed he never wanted to follow in his father’s political footsteps. “You know in school how you’ve been learning about state government?”

  “It’s sooo boring.”

  I smiled some more. “Well, Andrew is running as a state representative. He will get to help make the laws in Colorado, and help the people he represents where he lives.”

  “He gets to make laws?”

  “He gets to help.”

  “That’s cool. I hope he makes good ones.”

  “Me, too,” I laughed.

  “So, can he come and see me now?”

  “As soon as the election is over. He’s going to be really busy for the next few months.” I turned back to the TV in time to hear one reporter ask him how he felt running for his father’s old seat.