Christian had read the letter so many times during the past three days that the edges were worn and crumpled. No matter how many times he read it though, he could find nothing to make him think Whitney would ever return. He had scared her away forever. How could he have been such a fool? But then, how could she have lied to him like she had?
“Had she really?”
He wasn’t sure where the irritating little voice was coming from but he had begun hearing it at the oddest times ever since Whitney had left. He wished it would just shut up. The things it told him made him look too closely at himself and he wasn’t sure he liked what he saw.
An angry pounding at the front door drew his attention momentarily from the log he was adding to the fireplace. He knew without looking who it was. In fact, he had been expecting Stephan soon and was glad he had been given time to try to think of a reasonable excuse for his behavior. Even now listening to his friend’s footsteps bounding up the stairs and stomping down the hallway he still wasn’t able to formulate anything that sounded remotely plausible. He had treated Whitney like the jerk she had accused him of being. He didn’t deserve her love. He didn’t deserve her.
“Christian Dade! You blasted son of a—” Stephan burst through the door and his fist connected immediately with an uppercut to Christian’s nose, “bitch!”
“What in the world possessed you to treat someone like Whitney the way you did? Are you blind, man? She’s an angel, she’s perfect! What were you thinking blackmailing her into marrying you?”
Staring up at Stephan from where he had landed on the floor, Christian was wondering the same thing but he wasn’t going to let anyone else beat him up more than he had himself. Whitney had lied circles around him and let him make a fool of himself while he ranted and raved about Lane McLaughlin. He couldn’t let go of his anger no matter how hard he tried. And lord knew he had tried. Every waking moment since he had realized she had actually left him. It wasn’t easy.
“She was no angel, friend or didn’t she tell you the whole truth?” Christian sprang to his feet and caught Stephan off guard, pushing him into the wall. “Did she tell you she and Lane McLaughlin were one and the same? Ahh. I see that little tidbit was conveniently overlooked while the two of you were planning your life together!”
“What do you know about this Lane McLaughlin? Who the hell is she?” Stephan demanded, grabbing the front of Christian’s shirt, poised to deliver another crack to his face.
Christian easily broke his hold and took a step back and a deep breath. “She’s a lying, manipulative shrew ready to use anyone for her own personal gain and she and Whitney are one and the same!”
“What are you talking about for heaven’s sake?”
“Whitney is actually a romance writer, a very successful one I might add and she hired me to sell her blasted books, then after I made her mad she bought my place out from under me.”
“If you disliked her so much, why’d you marry her?” Stephan demanded refusing to believe that Whitney was capable of anything he had heard so far.
“I didn’t know she was the writer yet and it seemed the only way I could get the inn back. I didn’t have the money to buy it and she seemed receptive to the idea.”
“She wouldn’t have been receptive to that idea, you idiot! She and I were going to be married, why would she need to marry you when she could have what she wanted without going through such drastic measures? Unless. My God, she must not have…”
“What? What! You’d better spit it out quick, Stephan, before I beat it out of you!”
“She didn’t tell you there was a problem with the sale, did she?” At the negative shake of Christian’s head Stephan slumped into the nearest chair and pushed his hands through his sandy hair, his face suddenly looking haggard and drawn.
“Sit down, Christian. I have a lot to tell you.”
Suspiciously, Christian complied, sure that somehow he wouldn’t like what he was about to hear.
“When Whitney came out here last spring she was just a shell of the woman she is today.”
“I know,” Christian muttered under his breath.
“Of course you would,” Stephan growled, “and if my bloody hand didn’t already hurt like hell, I’d take your head off again.”
“What for this time?” Christian questioned, not relishing the idea of once more trading blows.
“She told me that you met in New York. It didn’t take a genius to figure out you had hurt her very badly. That’s what has kept her from committing herself to me all this time.”
“Oh,” was all Christian could answer, for once all out of quick retorts.
“Well, thanks to you, she decided that she needed to change her attitude about herself and Mountain Meadow Inn seemed the perfect place to do just that. She told me she was quite welloff but not that she was this Lane McLaughlin you mentioned. Once she bought your place, the change in her was immediate. She became more sure of herself, more confident. She lived to take care of that place, loving every minute, every detail that needed taking care off. Most of all she loved meeting all the new people who would come through those doors, giving her chances every day to practice the people skills she said she had always lacked due to her upbringing. I didn’t question her about her past and why she was so reserved when it came to men but I did make it quite clear that I was interested in more than just a casual relationship with her. On several occasions, she talked about wanting to be able to feel the same way and that if I could just wait for her to work through some personal problems she knew that we would be able to share a wonderful lifetime together.”
“Sounds like you two were Ozzie and Harriet all over again.” Christian’s pride was taking a beating at discovering that Whitney hadn’t been lying about her desire to marry Stephan. She really hadn’t wanted him.
“We could have been if you had stayed out of the picture,” Stephan snapped. “Right before I left town my secretary found that the documents for the sale of the inn had not been signed correctly. Whitney had signed Lane McLaughlin’s name rather than her own. When I questioned her about it she admitted that Lane McLaughlin was her former employer and since she had signed her name so often she must have done it again out of habit on your document as well. Did you know that she made the decision to purchase the inn before she even knew who the seller was? She nearly backed out when she heard your name. And she would have returned it to you as soon as we married. I had planned to make sure she wouldn’t need it anymore once we were together.”
Christian’s mind was racing as these new details were brought to light. The first night of his return, Whitney had thought she had the upper hand but she must have seen Stephan the next day before he had left town and found that she didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to ownership of the inn. Once he found out about the mix-up she knew she would have had to rely on his generosity and honor to allow her to rectify the situation before the deadline, or she would have to forfeit her position. It all made sense now. That was why she had accepted his proposal. She hadn’t wanted to give in to him. So much for Stephan’s theory that she was ready to give it up. Marrying him had insured her half ownership, just as it had him. But he hadn’t needed to go to such lengths. And she had known that, damn her! No wonder she had wanted to hold onto her precious virtue so she could have an annulment. She’d been willing to take her chances in court too. What other explanation could there be?
Maybe she loves you too.
“Oh, just stay the hell out of this,” Christian muttered.
“Did you say something? Stephan asked, unwilling to let Christian continue spouting lies about Whitney.
A vague shake of Christian’s dark head was all the answer he received.
“I can only assume,” Stephan continued, unaware that Christian wasn’t really listening anymore, “that she saw your proposal as her only chance to hang on to a share of the house, considering the background you two shared. I need to know if there was anything else that happened i
n New York that I should know about.”
“Only the fact that she allowed Tess to hire me to make her books sell like hotcakes so she’d have enough money to buy my home away from me. I guess my commentary about Lane McLaughlin the night we tried to go out didn’t sit well since I was actually slamming her and she didn’t bother to point it out. She took the woman scorned thing a bit far though…”
“How can you sit there and make jokes, Christian, when what you’ve actually done is totally destroy three people’s lives with your highhanded behavior.”
“Don’t lay the blame for this on my shoulders, bud. That little firebrand did her fair share of stirring the pot too, you know. At any given moment she could have told me who she really was and saved herself and me, a mountain of aggravation. But she chose not to do that, didn’t she? She chose to pretend to be someone she wasn’t, all the while trying to manipulate my home away from me. The way I see it, the least she deserved was to be forced to accept my attentions for a while.”
“The way I see it, you captured a very special woman’s heart and then did your best to twist the pureness right out of it.”
“What do you mean, captured her heart?” Christian scoffed, not really wanting to hear Stephan’s answer.
“Any idiot, ’cept you it seems, could see that she was still in love with you when she got here. But you were too stupid to admit it, weren’t you? You had no idea what a precious treasure you’d been given.”
Yes he did but Christian’s head still wasn’t ready to acknowledge what his heart was screaming, what it had been telling him since his hot-headed angel had saved his soul from the darkness he had been living in.
He loved her. He hadn’t realized how much until the morning after the snowstorm when he couldn’t find her and had been wild with worry to find she had left. She had taken his truck and managed to get through the drifts in the driveway to where the snowplows had cleared the highway. Standing in the freezing morning air, staring at her tracks, Christian knew he had lost the one woman who could ever tame his roving heart. Loving her was the easy part. How did he forgive her?
Because of the letter, that was how.
The letter. Was it true? Had everything just been one huge coincidence? Was it possible that Whitney hadn’t set about to take revenge upon him by buying his home away from him while he was down on his luck? He looked down in his clenched fist and studied the ragged paper filled with the only words that could ever hurt him. It was even more crumpled after his fight with Stephan. Silently he handed it to his friend.
Stephan smoothed the worn piece of paper carefully, then slowly read the contents, occasionally glancing over at his friend whose shoulders now slumped with dejection brought about by the realization that he had been wrong all along. And now it was too damn late.
Christian,
By the time you find this I plan to be as far away from you as possible. I can’t stay with a man who treats me the way you do. I never intended to stay anyway.
I wanted Stephan to draw up an annulment as soon as he returned so that I could leave you. I think he’ll understand my reasons for marrying you and can explain them, but he’ll never be able to forgive me for surrendering to your touch when I had the chance not to. I’ve lost him too, it seems.
When he comes to see you on his return he’s to have divorce papers ready for you to sign. I think we can both agree that this would be for the best. I can’t keep you from your family’s home, no matter how much it has come to mean to me during the past year, so I’m returning it to you and relinquishing the proceeds of the sale back to you. Consider it a gift to ensure the continuation of something very near and dear to my heart.
One last thing. You shouldn’t judge Lane McLaughlin too harshly. Everyone needs a little romance in their lives, even if it is just the stuff that dreams are made of. If it weren’t for the storytellers, our dreams would surely die.
Whitney
“That pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?” Stephan asked coldly, handing the paper back to Christian. “Unlike some, I followed Whitney’s wishes to the letter and have the divorce papers drawn and ready for your signature. Believe me, I’ve never enjoyed preparing documents more in my life.”
Christian flinched. He deserved that and more for all the injustices he had heaped on Whitney. She hadn’t deserved any of the accusations he had thrown at her. She had simply fallen love with his home and had possessed the means to procure it. Reaching out his hand he took the envelope being offered and stared at it for several moments before opening it. There, in bold black and white, were his name and Whitney’s—Mr. Christian Warrington Dade and Mrs. Whitney Alison Dade. Reason for divorce; incompatibility. The paper seemed to burn his hands almost as much as the tears burned the back of his eyelids. He couldn’t lose her. He wanted her too much, loved her too much. Divorce was out of the question.
Turning to the fireplace Christian deliberately threw the papers into the flames, watching them curl up and disintegrate. He wouldn’t let the same thing happen to his marriage.
“What are you doing?” Stephan cried, diving for the papers and snatching them from the flames. They were past saving and he reluctantly let them drop, glaring at Christian and waiting for an explanation.
“I won’t divorce her.” It was a simple statement, matter-of-fact and to the point. Christian thought it said it all. Stephan didn’t.
“You’ll give her a divorce if that’s what she wants. I won’t stand by and watch you put her through any more hell.”
“Believe me, she’ll think she’s died and gone heaven by the time I get done with her, friend. Don’t be mad, Stephan. I know you love her but the problem is that so do I and since I’m already her husband, sort of, I think that means I have dibs on her.”
“You love her?” Stephan repeated and was actually smiling. Christian found himself grinning foolishly back as he confirmed the question.
“If loving her means I feel like I’ve had the crap kicked out me just because she thinks she needs a divorce, then, yes, I guess I love her.”
“Well, if I can’t have her I guess I’d want her to end up with the jerk she lost her own heart to. That is if you can convince her to have you. I’m not sure that’s possible anymore.”
“It’s possible,” Christian answered, already planning exactly how he’d convince her to change her mind.
“You have to find her first, you know,” Stephan said, standing and stretching his legs.
“I know where she is. I’ll be leaving for New York in the morning.”
“And I’ll be going with you.” At Christian’s surprised look Stephan explained, “I’m not giving you the chance to mess up again.”
* * * * *
“Tess! Oh, lady, I’ve missed you so much!”
Whitney grabbed her friend around the neck and hugged the stuffing right out of her, unmindful of the stares she received from the office help who had stopped to watch.
“Uhh, Tessy can’t breathe, Whitney,” Tess choked out, grinning over Whitney’s shoulder and waving her employees back to work.
“What? Oh, I’m sorry!” Whitney released the tiny brunette and stepped back. It felt so good to be back in New York and away from Christian. Christian. Had a moment passed since she had left that she hadn’t thought about him?
It had been the hardest thing she had ever done to leave him but she couldn’t have stayed. She would have gone mad knowing that each day one more tiny bit of her love would be destroyed by the hatred she had armed him with. She blamed herself. She could have told him who she was but she hadn’t. She’d been too afraid. She could have tried to contact him herself after she purchased the inn, seen for herself why he had stayed away but she hadn’t. She could have done a million things differently but had chosen not to. Instead, she had let the situation get out of control and now what did she have to show for it? A broken heart, that was what.
“My gosh, let me look at you, girl. You’ve certainly changed, haven’t you?” Tess
circled Whitney, taking in the changed hairstyle and fashionable clothes. “I’ll have to watch you or you’ll be stealing my men now.”
“I really don’t think that will be a problem, Tess,” Whitney answered, her smile fading.
“Are you ready to tell me what’s wrong, Whitney?” Tess asked.
It had to be bad, or Whitney wouldn’t have stayed away for almost a full year without calling and only sending an occasional letter filled with nonsense about how much fun she was having jet-setting around the world. Sure. All by herself. And each letter had been postmarked from Washington. Tess couldn’t wait to hear the real story.
Tears welled up in Whitney’s large green eyes and threatened to spill forth at any moment. Tess quickly ushered her into her office and closed the door behind them. Wrapping an arm affectionately around Whitney’s shoulders she led her to the nearest chair and made her sit down. There was a small bar along the wall and Tess stepped to it and half filled a wineglass with Jack Daniel’s. She decided Whitney looked like she needed something stronger than white wine. Handing her friend the glass Tess perched herself on the edge of her desk and waited.
Whitney gratefully accepted the drink and raised it to her lips, swallowing a large mouthful, which really set her eyes to watering.
“What was that stuff?” she finally managed to sputter.
“Whiskey. You looked like you could use it.” Tess grinned. “Now, spill it. I want to know what’s going on with you. You’ve had me very worried, you know.”
“I’m sorry, Tess. I didn’t mean to, I just haven’t been myself lately. Well, actually that’s not true. I’ve been more myself than I ever have and that’s what’s caused the problem.”
Tess raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction and Whitney sighed. “It’s really very simple.”
“Of course it is, sweet.”
“Don’t call me that!” Whitney cried, jumping to her feet and spilling the contents of the glass onto the floor.
“Ooookay,” Tess said quietly, “but I think you need to start at the beginning and tell me why.”
Don’t Call Me Sweetheart Page 19
