by Debra Webb
“What about a birth certificate?”
“The young woman pretended to be Colleen when she gave birth at the clinic in Chicago. No questions were asked.”
Beth rubbed her forehead. This was crazy. She couldn’t believe Colleen would buy a baby. Dear God. Zach. How would he take this?
“I can’t believe Colleen would do anything like this,” Beth insisted. It was like something from a movie. Things like this didn’t happen to real people, especially not upstanding people like the Ashtons.
“Before you go judging her too harshly,” Helen warned, “think long and hard about how desperately she wanted a child. How much she loves Zach. She and Zacharius gave him anything he ever wanted. Would you rather he have been an illegitimate child born to a mother without a high school education and with no way to support herself much less a child?”
“No.” Beth shook her head. She was confused. “It’s just such a shock. Keeping this from Zach all this time…”
“And you must do the same thing. You can’t say a word.”
Reality crashed down on Beth then. She’d promised she wouldn’t tell anyone.
“The only reason I’m telling you this is to protect you. I can’t just sit back and let you go falling in love with the man without knowing all the facts. I love you too much to let that happen.”
Beth wasn’t surprised that her mother saw through her so easily. As usual her mother was right. Beth was definitely head over heels in love with Zach. And she knew all too well how this secret, if he ever discovered the truth, would devastate him.
He was adopted…no…bought and paid for.
If he ever found out she’d kept this from him…
“What are we going to do?”
Her mother shook her head. “There’s nothing we can do. It’s out of our hands.”
Chapter Twelve
Saturday had arrived. The parade was only a few hours away when Zach, with Beth’s help, hung the last of the streamers and ribbons on the gazebo. He stood back then and admired his handiwork.
“Not bad, Ashton,” Beth said. “Although I do think the one on the left is a little lower than the one on the right.”
He climbed down from the ladder, grabbed her and kissed her soundly on the mouth. “I’m tired of working.” He nipped her lower lip. “I want to play.”
Beth shooed him away. “Stop it. You’re going to shock our mothers.”
He draped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her close while they both admired the decorating they’d done. “I think my mother is unshockable.”
“Really.” Beth looked up at him. “What makes you think that?”
Zach grinned. “Oh, just a feeling I have.” He hadn’t forgotten the wicked amusement in his mother’s eyes that night at the drive-in. She was quite pleased that he and Beth were “involved” as she labeled it.
The grin left Zach’s lips. Involved wasn’t exactly the right word for what he felt. He wasn’t even sure he could leave tomorrow. As much as he loved his work, the thought of leaving Beth behind was more than he could tolerate. So he didn’t think about it. Apparently, she was avoiding thoughts of the future as well. He’d asked her at least three times what she’d decided about the job offer and she’d played the whole thing off. He had a bad feeling that she wasn’t as ready to go back to city life as she’d insinuated.
“We did good,” she said, then looked up at him. She frowned at what she saw before he could mask his feelings. “Why the long face?”
He kissed her nose. “I’m just thinking that it’s going to be late this evening before we can get together.”
“It won’t be that late.” She curled her arms around his waist, taking his breath. “I was thinking I might sneak into your room tonight.”
The idea of making love to Beth in his bed thrilled him unreasonably. “What if we still have lingering guests?”
She gave him a tempting smile. “Then we’ll be very, very quiet.”
That put a vivid mental picture in his head. He could imagine making love to Beth, taking care not to make a single sound as they reached that moment of unparalleled pleasure together. He had lots more to learn about this lady. He slipped his hand beneath the hem of her blouse and fingered the tiny gold ring at her belly button. She shivered. He closed his hand around her waist and pressed another kiss to her sweet lips.
“Until tonight,” he promised.
They’d been together every night during the past week, but it wasn’t enough. Zach felt certain that a dozen lifetimes would never be long enough for him to get his fill of making love with Beth.
If only he didn’t have to leave tomorrow.
“Pardon me, lovebirds.”
Zach looked up, as did Beth, to find his mother approaching. He smiled. “Sorry, Mother. I try to restrain myself in public, but Beth just won’t keep her hands off me.”
Beth elbowed him in the gut. He grunted.
Colleen rolled her eyes. “I’ll reserve comment.” She turned to Beth. “You left your cell phone on the kitchen counter. When it rang I felt obliged to answer.”
“Thank you.” Surprised, Beth took the phone. She wasn’t on call today. She glanced at the display to see who the caller was before she answered. The hospital. She frowned. She hoped the Ellroy girl hadn’t been readmitted.
“Hey, Beth, it’s Cindy.”
The lab results.
Beth’s internal thermometer plummeted. Ice slid through her veins. “Hey, Cindy.”
“Well, I got around to your test. It’s positive.” There was a moment of silence. “Who’s the lucky father?”
Beth moved away from Zach. “I appreciate you calling. I’ll talk to you on Monday.”
“Oh, I get it,” Cindy said knowingly. “He’s with you.”
Beth glanced over her shoulder at Zach who was still caught up in conversation with his mother. “Yeah, he is. Thanks for letting me know, Cindy.”
“What’re you going to do?”
The distress in her friend’s voice echoed her own. “I don’t know. I’ll see you Monday.”
Beth closed the phone and blinked back the tears that wanted to rise. What a mess she’d created. Every other time except that once she and Zach had used protection. But once was all it took. She knew that. And there was definitely no point in crying about it now.
It was done.
She was pregnant.
Now all she had to do was decide how she was going to tell Zach. If she told him at all.
She closed her eyes and held on to the warmth that just the memory of making love with him kindled inside her. She loved him so very much. If there’d ever been any doubt, the third time he’d made love to her had erased that possibility. She’d come home from work too tired to talk and too drained emotionally to feel. An elderly patient of hers had died despite her best efforts to save the woman. Advanced age and severe heart disease had rendered her efforts futile.
Zach had insisted on taking care of her. He’d gone home for a few minutes, then he’d returned for her. His mother was out for the evening so he’d turned her master bath into a getaway for Beth. Scented candles had encircled the huge garden tub. The slight breeze from the open window had made their flames dance. He’d slowly undressed her, taking time to massage her tense muscles. Then he’d assisted her into the hot depths of the whirling water. There he’d served her wine, cheese and grapes. He’d left her to soak and enjoy. When he’d returned to help her dress and walk her home, she hadn’t wanted to go. Taking her cue, he’d made love to her right there on the elegant marble floor.
Beth threaded her fingers through her hair and sighed wearily. What the hell was she going to do? Now she was keeping two secrets from Zach. The first was life-altering enough. But this…
Beth closed her eyes as Zach came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
“I was worried that maybe Laurie Ellroy was sick again.�
�� He rested his chin on her shoulder. “You haven’t mentioned her in the past couple of days.”
“I spoke with her mother on Wednesday. She’s doing as well as can be expected.”
“Good.” His palm flatted on her abdomen and he pressed her against him.
Beth squeezed her eyes shut to ward off the tears brimming all over again with him touching her that way.
“How about we take a walk? It’s over an hour until the parade.”
“Okay.” She turned around and offered him her best smile. “You can tell me what’s in that huge box for your mother.”
He grinned and took her hand. “You’ll just have to wait and see like everyone else.”
COLLEEN CHECKED her reflection in the mirror once more. She’d purchased a lovely pale lavender suit for the occasion. The cut of the suit was both flattering to her figure and youthful looking. The color highlighted rather than washed out her coloring. She was pleased with what she saw.
“Pretty good for an old lady,” she mused aloud. If only Zacharius was still here.
She sat down at her dressing table and struggled again with the horrible weight sagging her shoulders. She simply could not tell her son the truth. No matter what Helen said, no matter what anyone said. She’d written the letter to be opened at her death. That would tell Zach everything he needed to know. Then she wouldn’t be around to see his confusion or to feel the withdrawal of the love he gave so freely. She couldn’t bear the thought of him looking at her in a different light. He was her son. She was his mother. She didn’t want it to be any other way. Besides, she was seventy-five years old. How many more years on this earth could she have?
She’d be damned if she’d spend even one moment feeling as if her son no longer loved her or viewed her as his mother.
Not for Helen.
Not for anyone.
Colleen stood and walked determinedly from her bedroom. This was her day. She intended to enjoy it.
At the bottom of the stairs Betty waited for her. She’d been on vacation this past week. Betty served as housekeeper and assistant of sorts to Helen. The woman was much younger than either Colleen or Helen, but she was dependable and an excellent housekeeper.
“Mrs. Ashton, I was just about to come up and get you. You have a visitor in the parlor.”
Colleen smiled. A visitor? Had Harold arrived early to give her his present in private?
“Thank you, Betty.”
She nodded and scurried back to the kitchen where Helen was overseeing the caterer’s work.
Signing contentedly, Colleen made her way to the parlor. She paused before entering and patted her hair. Harold was no Zacharius, but she did so enjoy his company.
She smiled widely and entered the room. “Hello, Har—” She halted abruptly, the rest of her words withering in her throat. Her heart jumped into an erratic rhythm, making her chest ache.
A woman stood waiting in the parlor. A woman Colleen would know anywhere, despite the passage of nearly four decades.
“What are you doing here?”
“I have to talk to you.”
Jenny Ellroy looked haggard and pale and too old for her fifty-six years. Her hands trembled visibly so she clasped them in front of her. Colleen would have trembled herself had a kind of shock not set in the moment she laid eyes on her visitor.
“We have nothing to talk about,” Colleen said shortly. “I’d like you to leave.” She wondered briefly where Zach was. She didn’t want him to see this woman. She didn’t want him anywhere around to hear what was likely going to be said.
“I can’t.”
The pain and determination in those two words sent fear hurdling through Colleen. “You’re trespassing. I didn’t invite you here. Now you have to leave.”
Jenny shook her head. “You have to help me.”
“I don’t have to do anything.” Colleen stepped toward the woman in hopes of intimidating her somehow, but she just stood there, looking helpless and desperate.
“My daughter is dying.”
A pang of sympathy ached through Colleen. “I’m sorry. If it’s money you need, I’ll be glad to help. You should have told me what you needed in the first place. I wouldn’t turn my back on anyone in their time of need.”
That was the truth if she’d ever told it. Colleen had spent her life helping others. The way she saw it, it was the least she could do after God had blessed her with such a perfect son.
Jenny shook her head. “I don’t need your money, Mrs. Ashton.” She blinked furiously, battling the tears Colleen could see shining in her eyes. “I need my son.”
The room tilted a bit and Colleen clutched at the back of the sofa. Her heart pounded so fiercely she thought it might burst from her chest. “He’s my son, not yours.”
“My husband is dead,” Jenny went on as if Colleen had said nothing.
“So is mine,” she challenged. “But I still have my son.”
“Due to my own health problems I’m useless to help my daughter.”
Colleen held on to the back of the sofa, feeling more unsteady by the moment. “I don’t know why you’re telling me all this.”
“My daughter, Laurie,” she began, “has leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant she’s going to die.”
Sweet Jesus, Colleen knew exactly what the woman wanted then. “I’m sorry, but this doesn’t concern me or my son.”
As if Colleen had said nothing, Jenny continued, “When his father came back alive from that POW camp I was so relieved that he was alive and that he still wanted me.” She shook her head slowly. “I couldn’t tell him I’d given his son away. How could I?” She sighed wearily. “Later we had a beautiful daughter. And now she’s dying.” She hesitated, her eyes settling on Colleen’s. “He’s her only hope. He’ll surely be a match.”
Fear and anger rocketed inside Colleen. “I will not spend my final days on this earth with my son calling another woman mother. Do you hear me? I won’t do it.”
“But you have to help me,” Jenny pleaded. “He is my biological son.”
“You gave up your rights to him a very long time ago. He has not been your son since the day you accepted my cashier’s check and turned him over to me.”
Color darkened the woman’s pale cheeks. “So you’re just going to let my daughter die?”
“I’m sorry for you and your daughter. But you can’t be absolutely certain he’d be a match anyway. I won’t risk everything for a mere chance. Now if you don’t mind I’d like you to leave. This is my birthday and I don’t want to be upset any further.”
Jenny stepped toward her. Colleen tensed.
Their gazes locked and Jenny shook her head slowly from side to side. “How old are you today, Mrs. Ashton, seventy? Seventy-five?”
Colleen didn’t answer. She wanted Jenny Ellroy to leave now and never come back.
“My daughter is twenty-two years old. She should have her whole life to look forward to, but she doesn’t. She’s going to die if she doesn’t find a donor. Are you so selfish that you won’t risk facing the consequences of our actions for the innocent life of a woman poised on the verge of her whole life?”
The mixture of emotions twisting inside Colleen held her silent. She couldn’t speak.
Jenny Ellroy left without saying goodbye.
Colleen closed her eyes and fought the tidal wave bearing down on her. Dear God, what was she going to do? If she didn’t tell Zach the truth…?
But how could she?
“What are you going to do?”
Colleen turned to face Helen. “Go away, Helen, I don’t want to talk right now.”
Helen looked almost as pale as the Ellroy woman had. “I heard all of it. You have to tell Zach the truth. You can’t let that girl die. Do you hear me, Colleen? You can’t let that girl die.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Colleen snarled.
“Then tell me what you’re going to do,” Helen pressed, her tone urgent, filled with fear for a girl they didn’t even k
now.
Colleen met Helen’s gaze. “I honestly don’t know.”
She’d sworn she wouldn’t risk her son’s love for anyone…not for anything.
“YOU THINK she looks okay?” Zach looked to Beth for confirmation of his concern. His mother looked rigid and on the verge of tears.
Beth didn’t look at him. He frowned. “Beth, do you know something you’re not telling me? Is my mother not feeling well and going on with this celebration anyway?”
“Maybe all the excitement has been more than she anticipated,” Beth suggested. “But she assured me that she isn’t having any worrisome symptoms. I asked how she was feeling earlier. I’d tell you if she’d even hinted at feeling any discomfort.”
Zach wasn’t convinced. His mother looked ready to burst into tears on her birthday when the whole town had turned out to honor her and Beth was behaving strangely as well.
Beth squeezed his arm. “You have to admit, this has been a rather long day.” She offered a smile that fell short of her usual sincere beam.
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
After the parade the whole crowd had gathered around the gazebo for the official party. Lucky for Zach and Beth it hadn’t rained and their decorating job still looked top-notch. Zach only wished he could say the same for his mother. Usually she loved attention. He just didn’t get it. Something had to be wrong.
A drum roll sounded and Mayor Chadwick tapped the microphone to get everyone’s attention.
“Now, ladies and gents, it’s time for that special moment when we would generally sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the birthday girl. But for this special occasion, Mr. Zach Ashton has offered to sing to his mother accompanied only by Viola on the piano.”
Viola hit a high note on the piano they’d moved onto the lawn for the occasion.
Beth patted Zach’s arm. “Don’t worry, big guy, you’ll do fine.”
Zach grinned half-heartedly. “I’ve been practicing in the shower.”
Beth smiled, the image of Zach naked in the shower and singing in that deep baritone was enough to chase even the worst of her worries away. “It’ll make your mother’s day,” she murmured softly. At the moment Beth knew Mrs. Ashton needed reassurance from her son even if he didn’t know that’s what he was giving.
