by Jamie Begley
“I’m tired. I have to get up early for church,” Lily said evasively.
“You can go to the evening service,” Shade countered amicably.
Lily flounced angrily out of the room.
“Ten to one she’s calling Beth as soon as she gets home.” Cash grinned.
Shade grinned back, taking his phone out of his pocket, quickly texting a message to Razer before putting the phone back in his pocket.
“Lily’s going to be furious at you for telling on Beth,” Cash warned.
“I’m counting on it,” Shade said with an anticipatory grin.
Chapter 26
Rachel knocked firmly on Willa’s door, determined this time not to be rebuffed. She had worried during church about her reclusive behavior. She had stopped answering her phone, and Evie had called Rachel that morning to tell her Willa had missed her last delivery of desserts. Evie was just as worried as her; therefore, Rachel had promised to check on Willa as soon as church was over.
Maybe she was overreacting and Willa was simply ill. Several members had been absent from church that morning—Lily, Winter, Beth, and Diamond rarely missed, yet none of them had showed. Maybe a virus was going around and Willa was sick.
Rachel froze in shock at the little boy answering the door.
“What do you want?” The belligerent boy, who judging from his size was around eight, had Rachel’s mouth dropping open in shock.
“Is Willa here?”
Had the woman moved and not told anyone?
Her eyes moved over the child’s shoulder, seeing another, smaller girl behind him, staring at her with baleful eyes.
“Charlie, what did I tell you about opening the door?” Willa came rushing toward the door, wiping her hands on a dish towel.
“I’m sorry, Rachel. I was cleaning up some broken glass.”
“Uh, okay.” Rachel took a step into the house, colliding with the small body of a little girl who reached out with grubby hands to grab hers.
“Move back, Chrissy.” Willa gently pried the small hands away from her.
Rachel closed the door, staring at the three children. Her eyes lifted to Willa, recognizing the children staring up at her.
“Willa…”
“Charlie, take Chrissy and Caroline to their room and put a movie on for them.”
“Why?” Stubbornly, the boy stared back at her.
“Because I asked you to,” Willa pleaded. “It won’t take long, and then I’ll fix lunch. All right?”
“Grilled cheese?”
“Yes,” Willa agreed.
The three children went up the stairs, leaving Willa trying to smooth back her hair.
She lifted her hand at Rachel. “I already know what you’re going to say,” she said before Rachel could open her mouth. “They were all going to be separated. I couldn’t let that happen when I was the one responsible for their father getting killed.”
“You had no choice, Willa. He had gone off the deep end. He would have killed me if you hadn’t shot him.”
A movement behind Willa had Rachel regretting her loud words when she saw the teenager listening to every word. Willa turned to stare at the teen girl.
“Sissy…”
“I finished cleaning up the milk and glass. Can I go to my friend’s house now?”
“I don’t know. How long were you planning on staying?”
“I’ll call and let you know.” The girl passed Rachel, going out the door without waiting for Willa’s reply.
“Want a glass of tea?” Willa offered.
“Yes, thanks.” Rachel went into the kitchen, stepping over the toys lying on the floor. Willa’s usually immaculate home was a mess with toys everywhere and dirty dishes on the table.
“I’m sorry about the mess. I didn’t realize taking care of children could keep you so busy. Leanne, could you check on the kids upstairs for me?”
“Okay.” A pretty girl around fifteen got up from the table, closing her book. Georgia’s daughter gave Rachel a smile as she passed. The sweet girl didn’t take after her mother, who everyone in town would agree hadn’t had a sweet bone in her body. Her older sister seemed to have inherited that particular gene in spades, though.
As soon as the girl disappeared from the room, Willa faced her with a resigned expression. “Okay, you can let me have it now.”
Rachel looked at her friend, who had been tormented by Georgia and then abused by Lewis. “You are the kindest person I know. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Deep in her heart, she didn’t blame Willa. It was a terrible responsibility, taking someone’s life.
Willa gave a relieved laugh. “Don’t tempt me. I’m behind on my orders and the house is wrecked.”
Rachel rolled up the sleeves of her dress. “I’ll do the dishes then clean while you bake.”
“I can’t ask—” Willa began
“You’re not asking; I’m volunteering. If I can donate my time to strangers, why wouldn’t I give it to a friend?”
“You consider yourself my friend?” Willa’s eyes filled with tears.
Rachel reached out, taking Willa into her arms, wishing she could give her the warmth of her touch the woman desperately needed. Instead, she tried to give it to her with words.
“You have a lot of friends that would help if you let us. Lily, Beth, and Evie—we all consider ourselves your friends.”
Willa brushed her tears away with a hand, giving a small laugh. “I always assumed I was pushing myself on you guys.”
“Willa, you couldn’t be pushy if you tried. Now, get busy while I take care of this mess.” Rachel sensed her being uncomfortable with the conversation, so she busied herself cleaning the kitchen around Willa, doing the dishes behind her, leaving her free to bake.
When she had the kitchen spotless, she worked throughout the house, picking up the toys and placing them in an empty laundry basket, making a mental note that would make Willa’s life easier. It came in useful that she had learned by living with Logan just how hard it was to entertain little ones.
She went upstairs, cleaning the bedrooms. The bathrooms were a mess of towels and a full laundry hamper. Rachel started a load while she cleaned the bathrooms, then dried that one when she’d finished and started another.
The children ignored her as she cleaned around them while Leanne flushed, looking away when she met Rachel’s recriminating gaze. Leanne and Sissy were both old enough to help out with the housework. Willa had literally been thrown into the deep end of the ocean without any help.
She folded the clothes and put them away, starting the last load before going back downstairs. It was beginning to get dark, so Rachel pulled out her phone, ordering three pizzas. Satisfied, she went into the kitchen to see Willa making roses to place on top of a cake while two other cakes were sitting on the counter as well as three pies.
“I can’t thank you enough, Rachel. I’ll call King and ask if someone can stop by and pick up his order.”
“I’ll drop it off on my way home. Which ones go?” Willa boxed up one of the cakes and all the pies. “His orders are getting larger each week. The money is really helping out with the extra expenses,” Willa said, closing the last box.
Rachel packed the boxes out to her car. She had closed the door when the pizza delivery truck pulled up. Rachel paid the driver then turned to take the pizzas inside before hesitating, turning back to the driver. Carl was a member of her church, working part-time at the pizza restaurant after being laid off from the coal mine.
“Do you have any more deliveries to make?”
“Nope, I’m headed back to the store.” The pizza joint was next door to King’s restaurant.
Going to her car, she pulled out her purse and took out another twenty. “Would you mind dropping these desserts off at King’s for me?”
“No problem. Mike won’t mind; it’s slow tonight.” He carried the desserts to his car.
“Willa has to make several deliveries a week.” Rachel took out a
pen and paper and wrote down Willa’s number. “Why don’t you give her a call tomorrow? Maybe you two can work out something.”
Carl’s face brightened; Rachel guessed he was eager for additional income.
“I can’t promise, but I’ll mention it to her.”
“That would be great. Thanks, Rachel.”
“I hope it works out,” she said, picking up the pizzas and saying goodbye.
Willa’s eyes widened when she saw the food. “You shouldn’t have.”
“I thought I would invite myself to dinner,” she said, taking out the plates.
Rachel explained that she had asked Carl to deliver the desserts and had told him to call Willa about a possible job.
“That’s a great idea. I can’t offer him a lot of hours, but it would take a load off my shoulders. I have to bundle everyone into my car plus the desserts to make a delivery now. Hiring him for a few hours a week would make it much easier,” Willa said, enthused by the idea.
“I think he will be happy with whatever hours you offer.”
Between the two of them, they fed the kids, and Rachel stayed and played with them while Willa gave the three younger ones their baths. Leanne had gone upstairs to her room.
Willa came downstairs after putting the kids to bed.
“Sissy’s still not back?” Rachel questioned.
“No.” Willa sank down on the couch next to her, clearly exhausted. “She comes in usually around ten and goes to bed. I’m not managing her very well.”
Rachel didn’t think she was managing any of the children very well. They all were dominating a soft Willa into exhaustion.
“I’ll stop by Tuesday. If you need me before then, just call.” Willa opened her mouth, but Rachel forestalled her. “I’m going to help regardless of what you say, so just deal with it.”
“I wasn’t going to refuse; I was going to say thank you. School will start back next week, then I can get better organized and do my cooking while they are in school.” The local school was on a year-long calendar. Unfortunately, they had the last week off and the one following.
“Sounds like a plan.” Rachel hid her worry over the older two girls’ behaviors, saying goodnight. It was going to take a firm hand to get those children under control, and Willa, bless her heart, was too soft to provide that discipline.
Rachel drove back to Mag’s house, deep in thought. She should have expected Willa to do something regarding Lewis’s children. However, the responsibility of caring for the five of them was going to be more than she was able to handle. Rachel was afraid for her. Willa set an impossible goal of perfection for herself that would be difficult for anyone to live up to.
Rachel pulled into the driveway, seeing Cash walking angrily toward his motorcycle, although he came to an abrupt stop when he saw her pulling in. Rachel parked, wondering why he looked so furious. Worried something had happened to Mag, she got out of her car.
“Where in the fuck have you been all day?”
Stunned at his anger, it took her a couple of seconds to reply. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes. Next time, answer your damn phone. Where’s it at?”
Rachel reached back into her car, picking up her purse. Pulling it out, she took out her phone and saw several missed calls from Cash. “Has something happened? I stopped by Willa’s and spent the day there.”
Relief crossed his face before hardening once again. “Next time, tell me where you’re at so I won’t worry that you’ve taken another hair up your ass to take off again.”
Rachel put her hands on her hips. “It’s none of your business where I go!”
Cash angrily stalked toward her, and Rachel found herself pressed against the door of her car.
“Listen to me carefully, Rachel. I’m pissed off right now, so I’m not going to be nice about this. You and me are going to happen. So, when I tell you I want to know where your ass is, you need to make sure I know.”
“You’re joking, right? Have you been smoking Greer’s green?” Rachel sniffed him, not detecting the scent of weed.
“I’m not high, I’m furious. I had planned to spend the day with you.”
“You planned to spend the day with me without asking me first? Then you’re dumber than my brothers.” She tried to push him away from him, only to find him immovable.
“Is that so?”
Rachel ignored the glint of warning in his eyes. He’d actually thought she would be sitting around waiting for him after their disaster of a date?
“Why would I want to spend the day with you?” she mocked. “I get to spend time with you between all the other women in town. Big freaking deal! You’ve lost your ever-loving, crazy-assed mind.”
Cash’s mouth twitched in humor at her words. “Sweetheart, if you spend time with me between two people, it won’t be women.”
His vulgarity had her blood boiling.
“You’re crude.”
“No, I’m telling you like it is.” His hand burrowed into her hair, tilting her head back to force her to stare into his eyes. “I’m done pretending. I’m not kind or sweet, and I sure as fuck am not a gentleman. I’m not going to court you the way you and your brothers want because that’s not working for us. We’ve already fucked, and as much as you want to pretend it didn’t happen, it did.”
Rachel squeezed her eyes closed, unable to look at him any longer.
“I watched my father become a shell of the man he was, devoting his life to a church and wife he didn’t care about to replace your mother. I wasn’t going to let a Porter woman steal my soul, so I stayed away until I realized when you disappeared it was already too late.
“We both know that you care about me.” Rachel opened her mouth to deny his assertion. “If you deny it, I will carry you to your bedroom and prove it.” He paused, waiting for her response.
Rachel wisely remained silent, glaring at him; she wasn’t stupid. Cash was an experienced lover. In the battle between bodies, she would lose, hands down. She might be furious at his arrogance, but the man had a body no woman in her right mind would want to resist.
“So, I’m giving you notice to prepare yourself. I will not have you throwing it out to me later that I swept you off your feet, that you weren’t experienced enough to handle me, or you didn’t know what you were getting yourself involved with. You’re going to be in my life as my woman from now on.” His thumb brushed against her nipple over her shirt. “Some things you’re going to enjoy and others are going to piss you off. But either way, you’re going to be mine.” His ruthless words excited something deep within her.
Cash released her, stepping back to get on his bike.
She started to argue with him, but the obnoxious man couldn’t hear her over the roar of his bike as he rode away. He had said what he wanted to say and left before she could tell him to jump in the lake. Rachel stood staring at his dust with her hands on her hips.
He thought he could order her to be his woman? Did he not know her at all?
Rachel stomped angrily into the house.
Their next date wouldn’t go any better than their last. Maybe then he would realize it was useless to keep pestering her.
She went into the house, locking the door behind her, wishing she could lock her feelings away as easily. The feel of his body pressed against hers had aroused emotions she had thought his hurtful behavior had erased. Her traitorous body wanted him again, any way she could get him, while her mind screamed to tell him to get lost. She was a smart, intelligent woman; she would be able to keep herself under control.
She needed a backup plan that would prevent her from losing to Cash again.
* * *
Rachel nervously waited for her date to show up. This plan may not have been one of her brightest, but she was determined to go through with it. King’s restaurant was just as busy tonight as when she had gone out with Cash.
“Hi, Rachel.”
“Hi, Evie.” She had been watching the door so closely she hadn’t noticed
Evie approaching her table. King’s wife and a member of The Last Riders was someone she didn’t know well yet had gradually become acquainted with because of Beth and Lily.
“You here alone?”
“Not exactly,” Rachel prevaricated.
“Cash meeting you?”
“No,” she said out of time, her date walking across the busy restaurant toward her.
“Hi, Rachel.” Scorpion smiled down at her then looked inquiringly toward Evie.
“Um… Scorpion, this is Evie. Her husband owns this restaurant.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand which Evie ignored, her gaze going to Rachel.
“I need to get back to the kitchen.” Rachel nodded her head as Evie left and Scorpion sat down.
“I was surprised you called and invited me to dinner,” Scorpion commented, ordering a glass of tea from the waitress who had come to take their order.
“I told you I would think about it when I saw you again at Pastor Patterson’s anniversary party.”
“I knew that something good would come out of me starting church again.”
Rachel smiled at his compliment.
“Why did you decide to start going to church in Treepoint instead of Jamestown?”
“Have you met the pastor in Jamestown?”
“No.”
“I don’t like to be told I’m going to Hell if I indulge in a beer.”
“Hell and brimstone?” Rachel laughed.
“That and the headaches he was giving me from the yelling.”
Rachel had suffered through too many of Saul Cornett’s sermons not to sympathize with him.
They ate their dinner and Rachel was pleasantly surprised at how well they got along.
“So, you work in the church store?”
Rachel nodded, leaning back in her seat. “I also study plants.” She found herself telling him everything about her schooling.
“I have a friend that works at the university.”
“Really. Who?”
“Dr. Alden.”
“He’s the advisor for my dissertation.”
