Tears burned Maura's eyes.
He started his car's engine. "Thank you, Mrs. Langley, for your time. You give your husband that card and have him call me. Sooner the better. This is a grand opportunity for your family, and I would hate for you to miss out on the chance to start fresh."
Maura could only nod. Her emotions were bubbling inside her in catastrophic proportions. She took several deep breaths to calm her hysteria and hurt to a manageable level. She stood on the porch and watched the man turn his car around and disappear out the front gate.
"Come on, Willow. Let's go inside. Aidan will be home soon, and we can get to the bottom of this mess."
Willow followed her inside, and Maura threw the card down on the table as if it burned her fingers. It wasn't the man's fault Aidan couldn't be trusted.
A sudden thought came to mind. Were Sully and Rachel in on this? They would have to be, wouldn't they? Aidan couldn't sign the contract without Sully and her papa signing off on it too, could he? So why would her papa do this to her and her momma?
Maura paced through the tiny cabin, furious that she was such a lovesick idiot. A piece of paper caught her eye on the table. She saw a note obviously scribbled in haste. Aidan must have been in a real hurry when he wrote this. She studied the note and weighed her options. She read it again. "I'm in town at Gino’s Bar meeting Tommy, Mike, and Jerry. Come join us around eight for dinner. A."
"Come join you?” Maura looked at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter till seven. "I'll come join you."
She ran water into the sink and wiped herself as clean as she could. There wasn't time for a proper bath. She rummaged through her clothes. Most of her dressy clothes were still in her closet at home. Her former home. She supposed it would be again very soon.
Opting for a simple dress with a sweater to stave off the evening chill, she slipped her feet into flat-heeled pumps and let herself out the door. Willow followed.
She needed answers from Rachel and Sully, too. Had her papa been right about the Langleys all along? Were they liars? She just couldn't believe it of them. She refused. But she needed to know before she told anyone about the baby. She would not allow her child to become a pawn in this stupid game of deceit.
She stuck her head inside the back door. Rachel and Sully were sitting at the table, eating pie and drinking coffee.
"Can I talk to you two about a very serious matter?"
"Of course, Maura. Do come in and sit down. Would you like some pie and—?"
"No, this can't wait."
She saw the shocked look on Rachel's face at her abrupt interruption.
"You sound serious, dear. Is something wrong?" Sully scooted his chair away from the table and gave her his full attention."
"There was a man at the homestead cabin just now when I arrived home this evening."
"A man? How did he get on the place without someone seeing him? Did he hurt you?"
"No, he was nice. Here's his card." Maura handed Sully the man's card.
Rachel looked over Sully's shoulder. "Abe Neddleman. Broker."
"What did he want?" Sully laid the card down on the table.
“He said Aidan contacted him about selling The Legacy and the Jackson land right along with it.” Maura blew out the breath she had been holding.
Shock colored Sully’s face a pale shade of gray. Rachel fell back into her chair. Tears sprang from her eyes. Maura had her answer. Rachel and Sully were as shocked as she was.
“But, Aidan can’t sell something that isn’t his. Are you sure you heard the man right, Maura? I’m not taking up for the boy, but something doesn’t make sense. He can’t sell the land. We have it in a contract that once we combined Jackson and Langley land, no one can sell the land.”
“All I know is what the man said, and he seemed very sure he knew what he was talking about.”
Rachel turned to Sully. “Where’s the contract you and Harvey signed?”
“At Gab’s office. Harvey and I thought it best to leave the original in Gab’s safe where he keeps his clients’ legal documents.”
“Could something have been misunderstood, Sully?”
“No, Sunshine. There was no misunderstanding about the wording Harvey and I agreed to in that contract. If something has changed, it was deliberate.”
Sully turned to her. "Where is Aidan now?" His words clipped and angry.
Maura showed him the note Aidan left on the kitchen table. "He left this note. Said he was meeting some guys at Gino’s Bar. I'm headed there now."
"You aren't going alone, Maura. We are your family now. That is, if you'll still have us—after this." He crumpled the card on the table. "I can't tell you what has gotten into Aidan, but I damned sure intend to find out."
Sully rose from the table and grabbed a key from a peg on the wall.
"Sully, this is something I have to do for myself."
Maura watched Aidan’s dad struggle with her request. She knew he was used to fighting his own battles himself. Finally, Sully nodded. "Here is the key to the truck. There's plenty of gasoline in the tank." Maura watched him hesitate. "And Maura, if things don't work out between you and Aidan, just know you have a place here, with us, anytime you want it. Because he’s not selling this land."
Tears welled in Maura's eyes. "Thank—you. Both." It was all she could manage without busting out bawling. She wished she could tell them about the baby, but now wasn't the time.
Maura waved and was out the door. Willow met her at the bottom of the kitchen steps. She reached down and petted the Australian Shepherd between the ears. "Goodbye, Willow. You've been a good friend and companion. I’ll miss you.”
Willow barked her reply and followed Maura to the pickup and jumped in the back, refusing to get out.
"Problem?" Sully came out on to the front porch.
"Willow is in the truck and won't get out."
"She's a smart dog. Maybe she wants to give Aidan a piece of her mind, too. Take her with you."
Chapter Twenty-two
The evening had started out on a happy note. When he and Tommy arrived in town, they headed straight for Gino’s Bar, a local watering hole for anyone who had a few cents to throw down for a little rest and relaxation.
Jerry Glass and Mike Foster were already there. He and Tommy pulled up two more chairs to the crowded table and ordered beers. The group of friends laughed, joked, and talked. One beer led to another, and soon Aidan was feeling the effects. Gino Demotto had blacked out the bar’s windows to keep unwanted wives and law enforcement from quashing the working man’s fun, so Aidan had no idea what time of day it was. Every time he tried to ask Gino the time, Tommy ordered another round of beers. Jerry and Mike chimed in. "What's your rush, the old ball and chain got you on a time schedule?" They would all laugh and poke him in the ribs. Aidan was finding it less and less funny with each jab.
Jerry brought out a deck of cards and dealt a hand of poker. No one had any real money to speak of, so they played for matchsticks. The player with the most matchsticks didn't pay for his beer.
Conversation drifted from player to player, everyone catching up on what they’d been up to since his wedding.
They played poker for a couple of hours. Aidan hadn’t eaten anything, and the beer was starting to fog up his brain. He needed to go home, and if Tommy didn’t want to drive him, he’d catch a ride with anyone headed in that direction.
The door opened and closed from time to time, patrons coming in and going out. He didn’t pay any attention until Tommy stood and hollered across the room. "Beth! Beth Chaplin! When did you get into town?"
It took Aidan more than a minute to realize the girl of his dreams was walking toward the table. And looking as good as ever. He stood to greet her. The movement caused his head spin. She reached out to steady him. Her touch sent him in to a tailspin, but the sound of her voice punched him hard in the chest.
"Whoa, there, handsome. You look a little unsteady on your feet. I'm sorry I'm late, but my mother
spent the last two hours reminding me I'm still not married, and she still has no grandchildren."
"Late?” Aidan's brain grasped hold of the word but was having a problem making sense of it. The shock of seeing Beth again muddled his soggy brain.
Tommy stood and gave her his chair. "Here, Beth. Sit right here. Next to Aidan." Tommy pushed him back in his seat and stood behind his chair. Before he had a chance to ask Beth what she meant about being late, Tommy took over the conversation.
"So, Beth, how have you been? You look great. Doesn't she look great, Aidan?" Tommy prodded.
The other guys nodded in agreement. Aidan nodded his agreement too. She did look great. Her willowy shape hadn't changed one bit since he had seen her last time. It had been sometime last year when she came to visit her mom in New Dawn Springs.
"How long you in town for, Beth?"
Again, Tommy with the questions. You would think he was interested in her. It would make sense. Beth was a city girl. And she dressed nice. Smelled nice. She would fit right in with Tommy's world. The thought should have made him angry—but it didn’t. Before he could analyze his feelings, he realized Beth was speaking to him.
"So, Aidan, Tommy here tells me you tied the knot. With a Jackson. I thought you had some kind of feud with them. What happened?"
Tommy answered for him. "Yeah, Sully and Harvey Jackson arranged to marry off their kids to one another to save their lands from the bank. Ain't that a dirty deal for a parent to do to their kid?"
Beth turned her face to him and leaned into him. "Aidan, how could you? I thought you were going to wait for me?" she whispered, inches from his face. He could feel her breath feathering his cheek. Suddenly, Aidan was very uncomfortable.
He shot Tommy a look that left no doubt what he thought about his friend making his private affairs the subject of public gossip. He would talk to Tommy about that on the way home.
"That's not exactly what happened." Aidan found himself defending his parents. And Maura.
"Then tell us. How did it happen you ended up married to that Jackson girl?" All the guys leaned in to hear his story.
What could he say? It started out that way, but somewhere along the way, he got to know Maura and what a good person she was. It was unseemly to be talking about his wife to an ex-lover and a crowd of men drinking beer in a bar.
"I'll admit, at first, it was a strictly business arrangement—"
"Yeah, but I added a new paragraph to the contract before his dad and Harvey signed it. Now, he can leave anytime he wants, and he gets to keep her land."
Bernie leaned forward. "You are gonna steal your wife's family's land? That doesn't seem right, Aidan."
This conversation was getting way out of hand. "Shut up, Tommy. Again, that's not the way it happened."
"Well, however it happened, Aidan was looking for a way out. Now that you are back in town, Beth, you can talk some sense into our boy here."
Tommy looked up, and Aidan watched his friend's expression change to unbridled joy. "Hey, there's someone I need to talk to. Beth, mind keeping Aidan company? I'll be back in five minutes tops."
Before Aidan could follow Tommy's line of sight, Beth scooted Tommy's chair closer and leaned into him. "Aidan, I know Tommy can be obnoxious at times, but he has a point. You don't want to be married to someone you—aren't attracted to. You remember us, don't you, Aidan? We had a definite attraction to each other. It's still there, I can see it in your eyes." She reached under the table and placed her hand on his knee.
His brain was soggy, but he wasn't drunk. He knew what she was doing. He just wasn't sure what Tommy was doing. Beth was late because Tommy arranged this little meeting. But why, when he knew he was married?
He removed Beth's hand from his leg. "You don't understand, Beth. Things have changed since you left town. And, Tommy has no right sharing my business. And he doesn't know what he's talking about."
Aidan stood to leave.
"Hey, hey, brother. Where are you going? The night is young." Jerry hollered from the pool table in the corner.
"I've got to go home. Work in the morning." Aidan stood, but the lack of food and too many beers made him wobbly on his feet. He tipped backwards into his chair with a thud.
"See, Aidan? You can't leave. The party is just getting started."
"Beth, I—"
"Tommy told me you weren't happy. You were looking for a way out of this arrangement. Was he lying?"
Beth was the woman he thought himself in love with. He had pined for her when she left town. Left him. But now she was back looking for a new beginning. Did he want that?
"Aidan? Was Tommy lying about you? Is it too late for us?" Beth leaned in to him and kissed him full on the lips.
He talked around her lips. "Maura is a good person. She's hard-working. And smart. And…and—"
"Aidan. You make her sound like a Girl Scout. Not a wife. And certainly not a woman. Not like me, Aidan. Not like us."
Beth stood and pulled him to the dance floor. "Dance with me, Aidan. For old times’ sake."
He let her pull him to the middle of the floor surrounded by tables. She moved into his arms, and she felt—familiar. And yet he was uncomfortable. They swayed to the music, Beth pressing against him from knees to chest. Her breasts pushing into him. He should feel something. After all, it was Beth. His Beth. She had come back for him after all this time.
But with sudden clarity, he realized—he didn't feel anything for her at all. Beth was a beautiful woman. And he had pined for her the last eight years when she left him to follow her dreams. Dreams that didn't include him. And now she was here. Wanting him to take her back. And he felt absolutely—nothing.
“Aidan, talk to me." Her head on his shoulder; she whispered into his neck. "Tell me what you want. Better yet, take me somewhere private. Somewhere we can be together." Her hands roamed his back. Then lower.
"Beth…I'm not sure what's going on tonight, and I can only imagine what kind of crap Tommy has told you, but the truth is, I just came tonight to meet my buddies, have a few beers, and go home to my wife."
Aidan stepped back and looked at the woman he thought of so often. Beautiful Beth. His Beth. But she was a stranger to him now.
"But, Aidan, Tommy said you were forced to get married, and you only did it to save your family legacy or some such nonsense."
"Beth—" He pulled her hands away from his body and dropped them to her side. "Tommy had no business involving you in this. And he's wrong. Dead wrong. I'm a married man now and quite frankly, I'd like to stay that way. I'll admit it didn't start out as a love match, but—I have feelings for her. I think we have a chance at a good life. A happy life. I don't want to mess that up, Beth. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
She hesitated for a moment. And then she smiled. "I understand more than you know, Aidan. I realized only too late I missed my chance with you. When I heard you got married, I was crushed. I guess, in my own self-centered way, I thought you'd wait for me to come home. When you didn't, I convinced myself you were a very unhappily married man. And then Tommy called me and played on those regrets. He told me everything I wanted to hear, and he begged me to come back and rescue you. I can see now none of it was true. It’s obvious by the way your eyes light up when you talk about your wife, you have fallen in love with her. You don’t need rescuing, do you, Aidan?"
"No, I don’t. And thank you, Beth, for understanding. I'm sorry Tommy brought you back to New Dawn Springs under false pretenses. I'll take care of Tommy later. Right now, I need to get home to my wife.”
Beth hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Go on. Get out of here before I realize what a mistake I'm making by letting you go. Again."
Chapter Twenty-three
Maura was lost in her thoughts as she steered the ranch truck into the parking lot of Gino’s Bar.
“Willow, you stay here. This won’t take long, and then we can go home.” She wasn’t sure where home was anymore, especially now that Aidan had betra
yed her. The pain in her heart solidified her resolve. She wanted answers, and she was going to get them one way or another. She owed it to the child she carried.
She stepped inside the dark bar, lit only by a few lights around the bar and over the single pool table in the corner. It took a moment or two for her eyes to adjust. And when they did, it didn’t take her long to locate her husband. It was hard to miss his bulky frame or the willowy dark-haired beauty in his arms.
Unshed tears burned her eyes. This was much worse than she could have imagined. Her husband was not only greedy and a liar, he was a cheat too.
She watched a moment longer because she couldn’t look away. It was as if she couldn’t believe what her eyes were showing her. But the man she loved, the man she had given her heart to, the man whose child she carried in her belly, was making love to another woman on the dance floor.
That was the only way she could describe what was taking place. Their bodies touched—everywhere. The woman’s hands roaming over Aidan as if he belonged to her.
It was obvious they knew each other well. And then realization struck Maura like a bolt of lightning out of the clear blue sky.
“Beth Chaplin.” She choked on the words.
She turned to leave when a familiar voice spoke to her from the darkness.
“That’s right, Maura. It’s Beth Chaplin. Aidan’s old lover. Although not so old, from the looks they are giving each other on the dance floor, wouldn’t you say?”
Maura wanted to leave before Aidan spotted her.
“Get out of my way, Tommy. This isn’t your affair.” She tried to push past him, but he blocked her path.
“Affair. What an appropriate choice of words. Who knew you were so smart? But as you can see, you hit the nail on the head. Aidan still loves Beth so I would think it’s obvious your days as his wife are numbered. Why don’t you make it easy on everyone and leave on your own accord? You can see his interests are—elsewhere.”
“Again, Tommy. None of your business. Now move out of my way before I—"
Aidan's Arrangement: (The Langley Legacy Book 4) Page 12
