by Debra Webb
Beth hung up the receiver and turned around to find Zach standing right behind her inside the granary office door. She couldn’t quite stifle the gasp his unexpected presence elicited.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” That one-sided half grin that made her heart hurdle into an acrobatics routine slid into place.
“It’s okay. I wanted to check on Laurie.” Beth ignored her traitorous body’s instant response to his.
“How’s she doing?”
“Better.” God, why did he have to look like he really cared beyond the usual basic human compassion? She didn’t want to think about the kind way he’d been so patient last night, especially considering Mrs. Ellroy’s strange behavior.
“Good.” He hitched a thumb toward the warehouse area where the floats were coming together quite nicely. “Everyone else is heading out to lunch. Helen left with Viola. I told her you could catch a ride with me.” He hesitated. “Unless you’d prefer to drive your own car.”
He had reached the same conclusion as she had. She’d known it! Neither wanted to risk what they already had. Regret niggled at her. Now she would never know if Zach was everything she’d dreamed he was all these years. Though he certainly looked the part, she mused as her wicked side conjured up his naked image. Would she ever be able to put the “what if’s” out of her head?
Beth smiled. “Or you could ride with me,” she suggested.
He shrugged. “Whatever.”
She cleared her throat and stepped past him. “Good. I’ll drive.” At least if she drove she’d be in control…to some extent anyway.
“About last night,” he began, his words slowing her step.
Reluctantly she turned back to face him. “You don’t have to say it,” she said before he could. “It was a mistake. I know.”
Beth didn’t give him the opportunity to explain his reasoning with the fancy words that were the tool of his trade. She didn’t want to discuss it. Not now. Not later.
She only wanted to forget that she had, yet again, behaved foolishly where Zach Ashton was concerned.
And just like fourteen years ago, she was still nothing but the girl next door as far as he was concerned.
AS USUAL on a Saturday, the diner was jam-packed at half past noon. It was Kelso’s only real restaurant in terms of a sit-down meal where a waitress served patrons at their tables, but in any other terms, restaurant only applied in the vaguest sense of the word. As a doctor, Beth recognized the possible hazards to one’s health when choosing to nourish oneself at the diner. But that fact did little to discourage those seated around the tables at the moment.
Zach had ushered her to a booth near the back since almost every table was occupied. As she slid in on the opposite side from him, Beth waved at her mother who looked exasperated with Viola—which was typical. Viola would exasperate the Pope himself if given five minutes of his time. But she got things done for the city council. The woman was relentless when she championed a particular cause.
“Everything seems to be coming together,” Zach commented as he perused the worn menu. Yellowed and cracked vinyl covered the same handwritten items offered for as long as Beth could remember. She couldn’t imagine why he even bothered to look.
Beth definitely didn’t have to see a menu. She’d order her usual, a salad with dressing on the side. It was the safest item listed, if not the most palatable.
“Everyone likes the theme you selected.”
“I’m glad.” Glad wasn’t really a strong enough description of what she felt—thrilled was the better word. She’d toyed with the friendship theme for days, but hadn’t really fleshed it out. Now she was thankful she’d gone with her gut instinct. Swaying Viola and Mayor Chadwick from their queen-for-a-day theme wouldn’t have been so easy had everyone else not latched on to the friendship concept and run with it.
“You did good.” Zach gifted her with an approving smile.
Irritation stirred when her heart responded in its usual reaction. “I did leave out one thing,” she began, the idea that had taken root days ago now blooming forth with renewed purpose. Why hadn’t she remembered this before?
“What’s that?” That analyzing blue gaze never deviated from hers as the waitress placed glasses of water before them.
“What can I get for you?”
Ignoring his question for the moment, Beth shifted her attention to the waitress. “A garden salad with vinaigrette on the side.”
“And you?” the woman turned to Zach, her pen poised above her pad. The white uniform she wore appeared to be several sizes too small and shrink-wrapped on her slim body. Apparently, in an effort to make up for the lack of material in her uniform, she’d layered on the cosmetics.
“I’ll take the blue plate special and a cola,” he told her, punctuating his choice with a wide smile and just enough charm to send her oozing away.
“You like to live dangerously?” Beth inquired, annoyed that his display of charm made her feel a decidedly obvious stab of jealousy. No doubt women fell at his feet on a daily basis. He’d been right when he’d said he wasn’t the marrying kind. Why hadn’t she noticed that years ago? God, she was full of questions for herself today. Too bad she didn’t have any answers.
Zach leaned back against the booth and draped his arms along the top of it. “From time to time,” he replied, clearly amused by her current irritation. “Life can get rather boring if you don’t teeter on the edge now and again.”
“You should watch your cholesterol,” she retorted, then sipped her water in an effort to cool the ire kindling inside her.
He chuckled. “Oh. You’re talking about the food.”
She refused to take the bait. “Yes. The greasy food.”
“I think we’ve had that conversation before.” The waitress returned with his cola. “Thanks, Wanda.” His smile was full wattage this time. As irritated as she was, even Beth’s pulse reacted.
“I had just one other suggestion for making your mother’s birthday perfect,” she said, drawing his attention back to her and away from the dramatically swaying hips of Wanda the waitress.
“What’s that?” He glanced at Beth, then stared after the waitress a couple seconds more.
Fury erupted inside Beth. If she didn’t know better she’d think he was purposely goading her. “The birthday serenade,” she said pointedly.
Zach dragged his attention back to Beth with obvious reluctance. “Serenade?”
“Of course.” Beth relaxed into the wide seat to enjoy watching him squirm. “You’ll sing happy birthday to your mother. Solo. It’ll be an unforgettable moment for her. I can see it now,” Beth enthused.
Zach’s expression fell instantly. “Me? A solo?” He made a disparaging sound in his throat. “I don’t think so.”
“Are you saying you can’t do it?” she challenged. “Or you won’t do it? This is a major milestone in your mother’s life. Surely you’re not going to let her down.”
He leaned forward slightly. “That little guilt trip won’t work, Beth, so don’t even go there.”
She shrugged. “I guess I’ll just have to tell Mrs. Ashton that you don’t want to do it.”
“You mentioned it to her already?”
“Do you think I’d ask otherwise?” Beth hedged. It wasn’t an out-and-out lie. She didn’t actually say she’d told her…
He sighed, his own annoyance showing now. “Fine.”
“Fine, you’ll do it, or fine that I’ve told her and you don’t care if it hurts her feelings?”
He glowered at her then. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Great. Your mother will cherish this birthday for the rest of her life.”
Zach relaxed again, resigned to his fate. “So all that’s left to do now is the rest of the decorating?”
Beth nodded. “Mayor Chadwick and his crew will finish the floats and organize the parade. Mother finally agreed this morning to oversee the caterers. All you and I have to do is decorate the west lawn and gazebo the day
before.”
“And pray it doesn’t rain.”
“Right.”
“By the way,” she said, feeling guilty herself for fibbing to him. “The gazebo looks terrific.”
“Thanks.”
He looked away again, as if her remark bothered him. Beth couldn’t imagine why it would, but then the whole situation was awkward. Maybe last night had been a bigger mistake than even she knew at this point.
Silence fell between them. Beth tried to think of anything else related to the party that they needed to discuss, but nothing came. She focused on the veined marbling in the old Formica countertop to keep her gaze occupied. Where was their food? How long could it take to dish up a special and throw a few lettuce leaves in a bowl? Did he somehow think less of her after last night? Was his image of her tarnished now?
Her gaze bumped into Zach’s and she couldn’t be sure which of them looked away the fastest.
She had to know if the “they” they’d always been was still okay. There had to be something they could talk about.
“How are things in Chicago?” she said in a rush, then composed herself. “You know, with the Colby Agency.”
“Great.” Using one fingertip, he traced the path of a bead of condensation as it trickled down the side of his sweating water glass. “I miss it.”
Another little prick of regret. “The work or the city?”
His gaze reconnected with hers. “Both.”
Beth tried not to show her disappointment. This was just one of the many reasons that the other kind of “they” could never be. “Tell me about your work,” she urged when she really wanted to know about his private life but wouldn’t dare ask.
His private life.
In that instant Beth acknowledged just how little she knew about the man Zach had become. He’d left for law school fourteen years ago. She’d never forget that day…or that kiss. Though he’d come home many times for visits since, she’d pretty much avoided him. But the fact of the matter was she did actually know what kind of man he was. Not only had her mother bragged on him too many times to count, she also knew firsthand the way he’d been raised. The Ashtons were among the finest people she knew. Colleen in particular. To Beth’s knowledge neither the woman nor her husband had ever done the first thing to harm anyone or anything.
“What would you like to know?” He took a drink from his cola and waited expectantly.
“Whatever you want to tell me, I suppose.” Was he trying to make this conversation difficult? She just wanted to know what he did all day long. Really, she fumed, what is it a lawyer does? It wasn’t like she was asking if he was still thinking about the waitress…or how many lady friends he had back in Chicago.
“I respond to legal inquires and make inquiries of my own,” he said simply. “Occasionally I argue a case in court, but not often. I can usually negotiate an understanding before it reaches that point.”
Oh, she would just bet he could negotiate anything he set his mind to. “Does the Colby Agency find itself at the wrong end of a lawsuit often?” That was Beth’s next thought. As a doctor, lawsuits were a looming threat every single day.
“Not that often. We play by the rules and we’re careful. Our investigators are highly trained. They know what they’re doing.” He quirked one eyebrow, giving an even sexier appeal to his handsome face. “That’s not to say that they don’t ever bend the rules. They just don’t break them.”
Beth struggled to block thoughts of how good he looked. Now was not the time to let her guard down. She’d finally made up her mind once and for all and she couldn’t let anything change it. Certainly not her carnal fantasies.
“Sounds interesting,” she said, plastering a pleasant smile into place. “Colleen tells Mom that Victoria Colby considers you the best there is in legal representation and that she’d be lost without you.”
A sheepish grin tugged the corners of his full lips into an unreasonably appealing tilt. “Well, I try.”
Beth frowned a little as she remembered something else her mother had said. “It sounds a little cloak-and-daggerish, if you know what I mean.”
“It’s the nature of the beast,” Zach explained. “Sometimes it takes a smoke screen to see the clear picture.”
Worry sneaked its way into her heart. “Are there times when your job is dangerous?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment, his attention seemingly back on the water glass. “In a business like the Colby Agency, you make a few enemies. Some are more powerful and vindictive than others. There’s always the risk that someone will retaliate for an assumed wrong.” He looked at her then, really looked at her. “I’m cautious, but I don’t dwell on that aspect of my work. I love what I do. I can’t imagine doing anything else anywhere else.”
There it was. The heart of the matter. They were from two different worlds. She didn’t belong in his any more than he did in hers. Why had she ever considered an affair with him? Didn’t she know that she’d only end up with a broken heart…because he really would leave? The tiny fledgling sprout of hope that he might take her into his arms and ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after withered and died.
They would never be.
ZACH STARED out at the cottage from his bedroom window. They’d finished up at the warehouse hours ago. He’d stood in this window wishing he could tell Beth what he really wanted ever since. Darkness had long since fallen, but he’d see her pass the kitchen window from time to time. She’d gotten dressed up for some reason. Some sort of dress. He couldn’t make out the details, but he didn’t have to. He knew her sweet body by heart.
He closed his eyes for a moment and savored the memory of kissing her skin, of reveling in her body’s response to him. She’d wanted him almost as badly as he’d wanted her. A smile nudged him when he thought about that belly button ring. Too sexy. He would never have guessed that little secret in a thousand years. He opened his eyes and continued watching for a glimpse of her.
She was right, though, last night had been a mistake. If he’d taken her, she would have been his in every way. He couldn’t possibly have walked away without her then. Dragging her off to Chicago would have made her miserable. She’d have grown to resent him in the long run.
But no matter how his brain reasoned the whole thing out, he just couldn’t, not deep down anyway, believe that it was a mistake. He told himself that she was right. He considered all the pros and cons and it was the only logical conclusion.
But a part of him, the part that had absolutely nothing to do with reason or logic, didn’t accept that verdict.
He wanted her desperately. Loved her to distraction. Zach blew out a weary breath and braced his hands against the window frame. He had to stop thinking about Beth and anything physical. It wasn’t happening. She’d realized her mistake, saving them both a lot of heartache.
It was a waste of time and energy to dwell on the issue any further. Zach knew when to admit defeat, though he rarely did so. This was different. This was Beth. He’d never have allowed things to go this far if she hadn’t—
An unfamiliar car came to a stop in the drive. Zach peered down at it in an effort to note anything recognizable about the vehicle or the driver when he or she emerged.
It was a he.
Zach leaned closer to his window.
The man rounded his hood and headed for Beth’s front door. He carried something in one arm…flowers.
Unbridled fury flamed inside Zach. What the hell was some guy, flowers in hand, doing at Beth’s door? He was far too young to be there to see Helen. The door suddenly opened and Beth stood before the stranger. When the man leaned forward and kissed her cheek Zach saw red.
He was down the stairs and in the kitchen before he could see clearly again. He snagged up his excuse from the kitchen counter and strode out the back door and straight over to the cottage.
He glared at the guy’s sedate-looking sedan. Gray in color, most likely a perfect match for the jerk’s personality. He probably l
iked listening to Michael Bolton and watching sitcom reruns. And Beth, obviously. A new flash of fury swept through Zach. He pounded on the door and imagined that the weathered wood was the guy’s face.
The door opened and Beth stared up at him. To say she looked surprised would have been a vast understatement. She looked downright befuddled.
“Oh, hello, Zach.” She pulled the door closer to her side, blocking his view into the house. “What’s up?”
Was that nervous tension he heard in her voice? He thrust the cup he held in her direction. “I need to borrow a cup of sugar,” he said flatly.
She looked at the cup in his hand then at him, her expression confused. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said, angling his head so that he could see beyond the half-closed door. “Sugar. I need a cup of sugar.”
She accepted the cup. “Okay. Give me a minute and I’ll get it for you.”
She left him standing at the door which only made him that much angrier. He flattened one palm against it and shoved it inward. As he entered, Beth disappeared down the hall. Zach strolled on into the living room and surveyed it until he found what he was looking for.
The guy wasn’t very tall, but not exactly short. He looked young and fit. When he turned around to see who’d entered the room he looked startled to find Zach. Zach instantly pegged him as a wimp.
Just like the guy she’d married before.
Zach crossed the room and stuck out his hand. “Zach Ashton.”
The guy faltered just as Zach had known he would. “Lane…” He cleared his throat and accepted Zach’s hand. “Lane Wiseman.”
Zach applied just enough pressure to the handshake so Lane would understand who was boss. Lane? What kind of name was that for a guy? “You hail from around here, Lane?”
Lane tugged at his shirt collar. “Ah…no. I grew up in Bloomingdale, but I moved to Cartersville to join the hospital staff a couple of years ago. The administrator is my uncle.”
Oh, gee, Zach mused. Uncle So-and-So had gotten him a job. This was great. Beth damn sure knew how to pick ’em. Another blast of unmanageable fury hit him.
