His First and Last (Ardent Springs #1)

by Terri Osburn

  As Mike slid his hat back on, she said, “Thank you.”

  When he turned, she was surprised to see the hurt in his eyes. “You have nothing to thank me for. If I’d been here from the beginning, all of this would be different.”

  What he said was true, but there was no changing the past now. Lorelei had lived there long enough, running on anger about things she could do nothing about. She’d vowed to live in the now, and the now was too good to let Becky Winkle mess it up.

  “You were here tonight,” she said. “And that means a lot.”

  “We need to tell them. I’m tired of your mother being thought of this way.”

  Oh, no. Her mother had sacrificed too much to keep Mike out of the fray. Lorelei would not have that sacrifice be for nothing now.

  “We agreed, Mike. It’s how she wanted it.”

  He returned to the picnic table. “But we can fix it for her.”

  “And have them all turn their judgment on you? What if the high and mighty decide they don’t want to do business with a man who cut and run on his pregnant girlfriend?” she whispered. “You know they won’t care about the details. Who knew what and when. Honor our agreement,” she said. “For her.”

  Mike shook his head, then sat down at the table and dropped his face into his hands. Lorelei returned to her seat across from him. After several seconds, he looked her way. “I hate this.”

  She nodded. “Me, too.” With a smile, she tilted her head. “Is that true about Becky’s parents?”

  A dark brow shot up. “I shouldn’t have said that, but yeah. People seem to forget we were all kids in the 1980s, not the 1880s. Becky’s mom is the daughter of a preacher. Those girls were always the fastest.”

  “No,” Lorelei said, the word heavy with shock. “Mrs. Winkle, the queen of the cardigan and pearls, was a fast girl?”

  Her father narrowed his eyes. “Remember what it’s like to have your mom talked about, Lorelei. Don’t go doing the same to someone else.”

  Sobering, she tried to wipe the smile off her face. “I didn’t say I was going to mention it to anyone. But still.” The smile won out. “Mrs. Winkle?”

  “Lorelei.”

  “No, you’re right.” She made the motion of locking her lips and throwing away the key. “You won’t catch me repeating anything.”

  “Good,” Mike said. “Now how about helping me with this funnel cake?”

  Lorelei pulled the paper plate her way. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Fifteen minutes after Carrie had walked away, Spencer settled in his rickety metal chair, taking a break for the first time in more than an hour. The couple who’d come to the booth while Jebediah and Grady had monopolized Spencer’s attention had returned. As luck would have it, they’d spent their first date at the Ruby, and many more after that. As the theater had played such a significant role in their romance, Mr. and Mrs. Handleman were happy to join the cause. That made four new members on the night, including the Forbes woman, and Haleigh Rae’s mom, who’d stopped by the booth with her daughter to say hello.

  Spencer had been tempted to ask Haleigh if she’d seen Cooper, but he couldn’t think of a reason she would. Cooper had loved Haleigh from afar for years, long enough that the woman should have figured it out by now, but if she hadn’t, Spencer wasn’t going to be the one to let the cat out of the bag. Of course, if Coop would man up and ask the woman out during one of these visits, he might actually get somewhere. This stupid notion that a doc wouldn’t want anything to do with a mechanic was all in the man’s head, but Spencer had given up trying to change his friend’s mind several years ago.

  “You can’t say I didn’t warn you, Spencer,” Becky Winkle said, appearing to his left.

  Glancing to the heavens, he wondered what he’d done to deserve this much harassment in one evening.

  “I’m really not in the mood, Becky.” After his divorce from Carrie, Becky had kept him supplied with casseroles and the occasional Bundt cake. None of which she’d prepared herself, of course. He’d spent three months dodging her hints until the day he moved into the garage apartment at Rosie’s. It was as if the Pratchett house was surrounded by an invisible fence that the scheming woman couldn’t get through. Or wouldn’t. Either way, he’d been relieved to be rid of her, and she hadn’t shown any interest in him since.

  “She was never good enough for you, but you were too blind to see it.”

  Lorelei. Of course this was about Lorelei.

  “I’m not blind to anything. Between the two of us, I’d say you’re the one with the cloudy judgment.”

  Becky’s jaw worked as if she were trying to dislodge it. “You’ve been humiliated by a woman once, Spencer. I’d think you wouldn’t let the same thing happen again.”

  Why would she not give this up? “I told you, I’m not in the mood for your lies and innuendos. When are you going to learn to get your nose out of other people’s business?”

  “And when are you going to realize that Lorelei Pratchett is a two-timing slut like her mother?”

  If there hadn’t been a table between them, Spencer might have actually put his hands on the woman. “When are you going to realize that this petty jealousy only makes you look like a pathetic fool? There’s nothing you can say to me that is going to change anything, Becky. Give it up.”

  “I saw them,” she mumbled, struggling to maintain eye contact. A dead giveaway she was spewing one more baseless lie.

  “You saw who?” he asked, curious to see how far she was willing to go.

  “Lorelei and Mike Lowry.” Becky crossed her arms, looking around as if making sure no one else could hear. “They were in the alley behind Snow’s shop and they were making out. I saw them with my own eyes.”

  It was as if not a day had passed since high school. He actually felt sorry for her. The hatred she had for Lorelei said a lot more about Becky than the adversary she was determined to destroy.

  “No, you didn’t,” he said, refusing to play into the drama.

  “Yes, I did,” she screeched, her voice hitting an octave he hadn’t heard before. “The image is burned into my brain. It was disgusting.”

  With a sigh, Spencer said, “I’m sure it’s a dark and unhappy place in that head of yours, but there’s no way you saw Lorelei and Mike doing anything in an alley.” He walked away from her then, collecting the fliers and information cards spread out along the opposite table.

  As he assumed she would, Becky marched around the outside of the booth, joining him on the other side. “Like there was no way your wife was sneaking around with Patch Farmer, making a joke out of you?”

  She was pushing his buttons on purpose. Trying to get a reaction. Spencer counted to ten, reminding himself that history was not repeating itself. Of that he was certain.

  “Go home, Becky.”

  “Why won’t you listen to me?” she pleaded, as if she were asking for help and he refused to give it.

  “Because I know you’re lying.”

  “I’m telling you, I know what I saw.”

  “And I’m telling you, you didn’t see anything of the kind.”

  “Yes, I did,” she said, stomping a foot. “Why don’t you believe me?”

  Out of patience, Spencer slapped his hands on the table, leaning forward until they were nearly nose to nose. “Because he’s her father!” he yelled.

  Becky’s eyes went wide, and in an instant Spencer realized what he’d done. How could he be so stupid? Becky was trying to push his buttons, and somehow he’d let her do it. Only Becky had had no idea which button she was about to hit. Short of turning back time, there was nothing Spencer could say that would undo the damage he’d just done.

  Dammit to hell, what was he going to tell Lorelei? While he contemplated the mess he’d made, Becky stared with her chin nearly on the pavement. Then, without a word, the blonde turned on her heel and disappeared into the darkness. He called her name, but there was no point.

  Spencer had just unleashed a shit-sto
rm of epic proportions for Mike and Lorelei, and Lorelei was never going to forgive him.

  Chapter 26

  Brushing powdered sugar from the front of her shirt, Lorelei crossed Main Street on her way back to Snow’s store. She’d been helping out, as they’d agreed she would at the beginning of the month. Lulu’s Home Bakery had supplied twice as much product today, and Lorelei was enjoying hearing festivalgoers wax poetic about her treats.

  Though her baked goods had sold out nearly every day since they’d appeared in the store, Lorelei had never actually seen anyone enjoy them. She hadn’t realized how cool the experience would be, especially when some of those raving were people who’d never said anything nice about or to her.

  Which reminded her of the way the locals had sort of taken her side against Becky. Now that had been fun to watch, though not as fun as watching Mike take the wicked witch of Ardent Springs down a notch.

  If only they’d had a bucket of water to throw on her.

  “I only stopped to say hello,” came a frantic female voice out of the darkness. Lorelei scanned the street for the source. There weren’t any large parking lots around the town square, so anyone attending the festival had had to find a spot along the side streets.

  “What have I told you about talking to him?” said a male voice, anger clear in his tone.

  “Patch, please,” the woman replied. “Don’t do this. I swear it didn’t mean anything.”

  Wasn’t Patch the name of the guy who’d married Spencer’s ex-wife? How many men named Patch could live in the area? Lorelei walked farther up the street, pulled by the fear in the woman’s words.

  “You’re mine now, you hear?” The sound of a slap accompanied the words. “Don’t make me tell you again.”

  Lorelei spotted the couple in time to see Patch’s hand connect again with Carrie’s cheek. “Hey!” she yelled. “Leave her alone.”

  “Mind your own business, bitch,” the man ordered, grabbing his wife’s elbow tight enough to make her wince.

  “I said leave her alone.” Lorelei stepped close enough to be seen in the light from the streetlamp. Carrie gasped before Patch jerked her hard behind him. In that moment, Lorelei knew she had to get the woman away. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, asshole.”

  “I said this is none of your business.” Patch tried to tower over her, but Lorelei had learned a thing or two about taking care of herself while working overnight shifts in LA.

  “I’m making it my business,” she said, then kicked Patch hard enough in the balls to send him to his knees. “Come on, Carrie.” Lorelei took the sobbing woman’s hand and ran across the street, dodging between vehicles, then headed for Snow’s shop. She didn’t know how long it would take Patch to recover, but they needed to find a hiding place before he did.

  “What are you doing?” Carrie asked, but she kept up and didn’t try to break Lorelei’s hold on her.

  “I have no idea,” Lorelei said, out of breath from the sudden sprint, which was a good indication she should probably start working out. “But I couldn’t let him hit you like that.”

  Carrie didn’t answer as they charged into Snow’s shop, sending the bells over the door jingling as if someone were trying to rip them down. Three ladies perusing the jewelry section turned their way, causing Lorelei to stop in her tracks. She nodded and tried to look as if nothing weird was going on.

  Putting Carrie in front of her, she pushed her toward the back of the store, hoping to find Snow and slip into the back room to catch their breath. The groin kick had been spontaneous, but Lorelei realized this was a serious situation. They had to figure out what to do next. All she knew was that Carrie was not going back to that man.

  “You’re back,” Snow said, confusion etching her face as she took in Carrie’s red face and Lorelei’s heavy breathing. “Looks like I missed something.”

  Nodding toward the back room, Lorelei said, “I’ll tell you in here.”

  Snow followed the pair into the brightly lit storage room, where Lorelei put Carrie into one of the chairs at the metal table in the corner, then took the one next to her. Bending over, Lorelei put her head between her knees.

  “Are you okay?” Snow asked.

  Lorelei held up one finger. Carrie didn’t speak, but she didn’t seem to be as breathless as her rescuer. Damn, she was out of shape. First thing Monday morning, Lorelei was looking into a gym membership.

  After maybe ten seconds, she sat up and glanced over to Carrie, who was no longer crying. She looked like a deer caught in the lights of an oncoming bus. Lorelei couldn’t blame her, considering what had happened.

  “Seriously,” Snow said. “I’m dying here. What’s going on?” Glancing at the wide-eyed stranger, she said, “Do I know you?”

  Carrie shook head. “I don’t think so.”

  “She’s Spencer’s ex-wife,” Lorelei said. “Carrie, meet Snow Cameron. Snow, this is Carrie Farmer.”

  Snow dropped into a chair, looking from one woman to the other. “So Spencer’s ex-and-now-current girlfriend just ran into my shop with Spencer’s ex-wife. Do I have that right?”

  When she said it that way, it did sound strange. “This wasn’t planned,” Lorelei said, which didn’t really explain anything. “Carrie was in a bad situation, and I got her out of it.” She didn’t feel right telling someone Carrie didn’t know that her husband was beating her in the street. “We needed a place to figure out what to do next.”

  “I see,” Snow said, and the look on her face said she could guess the part that Lorelei didn’t say. Then again, the red mark on Carrie’s cheek was enough to tell the story without words. “Take all the time you need. There’s tea in the pot, and bottles of water and soda in the fridge.” Smiling at Carrie, she added, “It’s nice to meet you, Carrie. Let me know if I can help, okay?”

  Lorelei had already considered Snow a cool person, but in that moment she was promoted to freaking awesome.

  “Thanks,” Carrie said, speaking for the first time since they’d entered the store. “I appreciate that.”

  Snow offered an understanding smile, then left them alone. Lorelei didn’t say anything right away. Though Carrie clearly didn’t have a great life, by kicking her husband and then dragging her away, Lorelei had probably made it about a hundred times worse.

  “Do you have anywhere you can go?” she asked. “Family you can call?”

  Carrie shook her head. “Mama moved to Louisville a couple years ago. For a man,” she added. “And Daddy isn’t much different than Patch. He’d tell me to go home to my husband like a good wife should.”

  “No siblings?”

  “An older sister. She lives in Albuquerque and doesn’t have much to do with anything back here.” That was a diplomatic way of saying the older sibling had gotten out and wasn’t interested in helping her little sister do the same. “My little brother is in the military. I think he’s somewhere overseas right now.”

  “Right. Well,” Lorelei said, “you can’t go back to your house, so you’ll have to come home with me.”

  “What?” Carrie sat up straighter. “Did you say home with you?”

  “Yes.” Lorelei rose from her seat. “You want something to drink before we go find Spencer?”

  Carrie’s head shook from side to side as if she were watching a high-speed Ping-Pong match. “Spencer wants nothing to do with me. I can’t go to him with this.”

  “Spencer is my ride, and that means he’s your ride, too, now. And if you think he wouldn’t help you in this situation, then you never really knew him at all.”

  Snatching two bottles of water from the fridge, Lorelei muttered, “I need something a lot stronger than this, but it’ll have to wait until we get home.”

  “Why?” Carrie said as Lorelei set one of the bottles in front of her.

  “Why what?” Lorelei asked.

  “Why are you helping me?”

  Excellent question. Lorelei searched for an answer, but only one came to mind. “Because y
ou were in trouble. I couldn’t let that jerk knock you around and not do something about it.”

  “But you’re offering me a place to stay.”

  “Not forever.” Lorelei opened her water and took a drink. “We’ll find you another option tomorrow. But tonight you’ll have a hot shower and a warm bed.” Looking Carrie in the eye, she added, “You’ll be safe.”

  Looking as if she were holding back tears, Carrie stood. “I was wrong about you,” she said. “A lot of people were wrong about you.”

  The frail woman before her could have no idea what those words meant. With a half smile, Lorelei said, “Come on. As much as I hope your idiot husband is still puking on the curb, I’m sure he’s recovered by now. How are you at sneaking around in the dark?”

  “Lead the way,” Carrie said. “I’ll keep up.”

  The crowds thinned, and Spencer knew that Lorelei would show up soon, ready to head home. He knew he had to tell her right away. If someone asked her about Mike being her father before Spencer could confess what he’d done, getting her to forgive him would be even more difficult.

  But Lorelei knew what Becky was like. She’d know he never meant to say the words, that they’d just come out. And telling her tonight would give her the chance to call Mike and warn him. Then again, maybe Spencer should do that himself. Mike wasn’t as adamant about keeping the secret as Lorelei was. He might help her come around to see that this wasn’t the end of the world.

  Right. It wasn’t as if Spencer had slipped and blurted her shoe size. He’d announced to Lorelei’s sworn enemy the identity of her father, and without the chance to explain the details to save Mike from the assumptions people were sure to make.

  If only there was a way to find Becky and make her keep quiet. Barring sewing her lips shut, he couldn’t think of any way to do it.

  “Spencer!” Lorelei called in a loud whisper, if there was such a thing. He turned to see her shuffling through the shadows behind the tents to his left. Why wasn’t she walking on the street? She was going to trip over something back there and hurt herself.