by Linda Turner
With that realization, a load lifted from his shoulders, and he was stunned by the emotions that swamped him like a tidal wave. How long had he hated his father for what he’d done to his mother? It seemed like forever, but the truth was, his mother had never shared his feelings for Gus. In fact, she’d loved him until the day she died…because she’d known he was a man worth loving. Why had it taken him so long to see that? To realize that he didn’t have to hate him, either?
Years. He’d wasted years, made himself bitter and churned with anger. He’d thought revenge would heal the gaping wound in his heart, but he realized now that revenge was a double-edged sword. He was tired of the hate, the anger, the resentment. He wanted a relationship with his family, with the brothers and sisters he hadn’t had the opportunity to know as a child. And to do that, he had to tell them who he was. It was the right thing to do. The question was…how was he going to break the news to them after lying to them for weeks?
He would find a way, he promised himself as he returned to his car and headed back to town. He wasn’t going to lose the only family he had left now that he’d realized how much they meant to him.
The heady scent of flowers floated on the warm summer breeze, along with the quiet hum of honey bees as they busily worked their way through the garden that was just steps away from the dining room’s French doors. For as long as Phoebe could remember, Myrtle had talked about thinning out the overgrown plants and bringing some order to the flowers that had taken over the yard years ago, but her granddaughter was thankful that she never had. Roses and rhododendrons, daisies and black-eyed Susans, plus dozens of other blooms that Phoebe didn’t know the names of, created a profusion of colors that looked like a Monet painting.
Happily cutting flowers for the dining room and front parlor, their heady scent teasing her senses, Phoebe was unaware that she had company until she heard a step on the crushed gravel path behind her. Startled, she turned to find Taylor heading straight for her, and images of the last time they’d been alone together in the backyard swirled in her head. Almost immediately, her heartbeat jumped into a crazy rhythm, and all she wanted to do was walk into his arms. A quick look at the house next door, however, kept her right where she was. Nadine was working in her own garden and watching everything that was going on in the neighborhood. She must have had super-human hearing, because the second Taylor walked through the side gate, she looked up and made no effort to hide the fact that she was watching both him and Phoebe like a hawk.
Taylor noticed—he shot the older woman a quick look—but if he was concerned by her nosiness, he gave no sign of it. Giving Phoebe a smile that warmed her heart, he said, “Hi, sweetheart. Can I help you with that?” And with no more warning than that, he strode up to her, leaned over and kissed her on the side of the neck.
She melted—there was no other way to describe it—and completely forgot about Nadine. “Hi, yourself,” she said huskily and stepped into his arms for a hug. “I was just cutting some fresh flowers for the house,” she said with a smile as she drew back. “What have you been up to?”
“Not much,” he said easily. “I just went for a drive.”
Her eyes searching his, Phoebe immediately sensed that something was different about him, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. He looked just as he always did, only…more relaxed. And that was a rarity for Taylor. From the moment he’d first knocked at her grandmother’s front door, his intensity had been impossible to ignore.
Cocking her head, she frowned. “That must have been some drive. You look like you don’t have a care in the world. What’s going on?”
He shrugged, his smile turning wicked as he drew her back into his arms. “Nothing. Can’t a man spend some time with a beautiful woman in a garden without raising a fuss?”
“Of course, but—”
“But Mrs. Hawkins is watching,” he said with a grin. “She’s not going to stop me from kissing you, you know. I’ve been thinking about it for hours.”
“Taylor…”
“Say it again,” he murmured, kissing the side of her neck again. “I love it when your voice gets all husky when you say my name.”
She shouldn’t have. She would only encourage him and she needed to keep her head about her. And Nadine was watching! But when he whispered her name and trailed a string of kisses across her cheek to her mouth, she could no more resist him than she could stop her heart from thundering at his touch. With a sigh that was his name, she slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with a hunger that matched his own.
That’s when it hit her. Nadine might be watching…or the entire population of Liberty Hill…it didn’t matter. She was never going to be able to summon any defenses against him, even though she knew he was going to break her heart.
In the past, that realization alone would have been enough to send her running into the house to think about the hurt she was opening herself up to. But she didn’t want to think about the future, didn’t want even to contemplate the day he drove out of her life and returned to California. He was going to leave her with a broken heart, regardless of when he left, and worrying about that wasn’t going to change anything. In the meantime, they had today. Nothing else mattered.
Pulling back, she smiled up at him with her heart in her eyes. “As much as I’m sure Nadine is enjoying the show, I think we should take this upstairs—”
“My sentiments exactly,” he said and grabbed her hand to pull her with him toward the house.
Tugging against his hold, she laughed, “Wait! I didn’t mean now. I have to finish cutting flowers and meet with Heather and Doris in the kitchen at four. We’re making strawberry jam. Then I have to start dinner.”
Too late, he remembered her guests and wanted to kick himself. She was right, dammit! As much as he didn’t want to think of anything but her and how he wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon making love to her, she had a responsibility to her guests that could not be ignored. Their own plans would have to wait.
But only until tonight, he promised himself. As soon as her guests had retired to their own rooms, Phoebe was his. For the rest of the night.
Grinning ruefully, he said, “See what you do to me! I lost my head, and it’s all your fault.”
“Thank you,” she replied with twinkling eyes. “I do what I can.”
And she was damn good at it, the little flirt. Fighting the need to sweep her up into his arms and carry her off to bed, he growled, “Shall we make a date for later?”
“Ten o’clock sounds good to me. How about you?”
“Ten it is. My room or yours?”
“Mine,” she said promptly. “I’ll wear something special.” With nothing more than a few simple words, she conjured up an image that heated his blood, then gathered up her flowers and hurried inside. Already aching for her, the feel of her lips still warm against his cheek, Taylor stared after her like a man who hadn’t seen a woman in a decade. How, he wondered, groaning, was he going to make it until ten o’clock without going quietly out of his mind?
Four hours later, he was still wondering the same thing. The strawberry jam had been made hours ago, dinner was cooked and eaten and the hands of the clock on the mantel in the front parlor seemed frozen in time. He’d been watching them on and off for the past thirty minutes and he’d have sworn they hadn’t moved at all.
“Are you all right, Taylor?” Doris asked as she finished telling the story about how Lawrence had asked her to marry him with a cookie bouquet. “You keep looking at the clock.”
Caught in the act, Taylor swallowed a silent curse and forced a smile. “Sorry. I’m waiting for ten o’clock. I’m supposed to take some medication.”
“Oh, I know how that is,” she said, sympathizing. “If you don’t take things exactly on time, it can screw up your whole system. I told Lawrence that’s why he’s dizzy all the time—he never pays attention to the clock. Didn’t I tell you that, honey? You need to listen to Taylor. What are you taking
, Taylor? Or would you rather not say? I’ll talk about anything, but some people like to keep their medical conditions private….”
Fighting a smile, Taylor doubted there was much of anything that Doris kept private, but all he said was, “I really would rather not talk about it. I wouldn’t want to raise any eyebrows.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Phoebe bite back a quick smile and wasn’t surprised that she’d guessed she was the private medical condition he didn’t want to talk about. If her eyes had met his, he was sure Doris would have guessed that his clock-watching had nothing to do with medication and everything to do with a date with the lady of the house, but Phoebe luckily kept her gaze focused on the older woman.
Making a quick exit while he could, he rose abruptly to his feet. “I’m sorry to cut the evening short, but it is nearly ten. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll say good night. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
“That’s all right, dear,” Doris assured him as she, too, rose. “It’s time we turned in, too. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us tomorrow. We need to get a good night’s sleep. Thank you for a wonderful evening, Phoebe. Dinner was fantastic.”
“My pleasure,” Phoebe said with a smile. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Good-nights were exchanged, then while Phoebe was locking up, the older couple followed Taylor up the stairs and made their way to their room at the end of the hall. Slipping into his own room, Taylor glanced at his watch and wondered how long it would take Phoebe to slip into the special outfit she’d teasingly promised to wear. He’d give her ten minutes, and she’d be lucky to get that. He’d already waited hours for her. He couldn’t wait much longer.
His imagination running wild at the thought of what she planned to wear, he didn’t notice the disturbance that had erupted down the hall from his room until Doris cried, “Help! Somebody help us! Lawrence fell!”
Taylor didn’t wait to hear more. Jerking open his door, he ran out into the hall and reached the Coopers’ room just as Phoebe hurried up the back stairs from the kitchen. “What happened?” she asked as she and Taylor followed Doris into the suite, where they found Lawrence flat on his back just inside the open bathroom door. “Oh, my God! Lawrence, are you okay? Where did all this water come from? Did the tub overflow?”
“A pipe broke under the sink,” he said, only to groan as he struggled to sit up. “It was already all over the floor when we stepped into our room. I was trying to find the shut-off valve when I slipped.”
Frowning, Taylor stepped over to the sink and took a quick look. “The break’s below the shut-off valve,” he said grimly. “The water will have to be cut off outside. Where’s the cutoff?”
“Out by the street, next to the front gate,” Phoebe said as she hurriedly moved to Lawrence’s side when he tried to stand up. “Maybe you shouldn’t get up just yet. You took quite a fall.”
“She’s right,” Taylor said with a frown. “You should see a doctor. Let me turn the water off and I’ll drive you to the hospital. Just to make sure you didn’t crack a bone or something.”
“Aw, heck,” the older man grumbled, “the only thing I cracked was my pride. A man doesn’t like to make a fool of himself on his honeymoon.”
“But you could have seriously hurt yourself,” Phoebe argued, “and I feel responsible. Let me at least call Janey McBride and have her check you out. She’s a nurse and will know if you need X rays.”
“I don’t need a nurse to check me out,” he said stubbornly. “I just jarred my bones. Ask Doris. She’ll tell you I’m a tough old goat.”
Her smile worried, Doris nodded. “He’s like that watch that keeps on ticking when you hit it with a hammer. But he’s not as young as he used to be,” she added, shooting her new husband a frown. “And he’s all wet. I’ve got to find him something to wear.”
She turned toward their suitcases, which they’d left on the floor, only to notice that they were sitting in a puddle of water. “Oh, no! Our clothes! We had everything packed except our night-clothes and what we were going to wear tomorrow when we leave.”
“Don’t worry,” Phoebe assured her as she slipped her arm around her to give her a hug. “I’ll throw everything into the dryer for you and find a way to dry your luggage. In the meantime, we’ve got to move you to another room, and you can help Lawrence change into his pajamas.”
“But I thought all the suites were taken,” Doris said, surprised.
“They are, but you can have my room,” she replied easily. “I can move into my grandmother’s room. Just give me a few minutes to collect my things. Taylor, there’s a flashlight in the utility closet under the stairs. While you’re turning off the water, I’ll help them make the move to my room.”
“No problem,” he replied. “Then I’ll let the Winstons know about the pipe breaking and call a plumber for you.”
Relieved that he was there to help her, Phoebe hurried down the hall and breezed through her room, snatching up things she would need for the night and putting away items that would be in the Coopers’ way. It took all of two minutes to change the sheets and hang fresh towels in the bathroom across the hall, then she rushed to her grandmother’s room and dropped her things right inside the door. By the time she made it back to the older couple’s suite, Doris had found a dry towel and draped it over her husband’s shoulders. He was standing on his own, but he was pale and obviously still shaken.
“Lawrence, are you sure you’re all right?” she asked worriedly. “I just feel so badly about this.”
“You didn’t have anything to do with that pipe breaking,” he pointed out reasonably, “so don’t beat yourself up over it. I’ll admit I’m a little stiff, but who’s not at my age? I’m fine, dear. Quit your worrying. Doris’ll rub a little Ben-Gay on my back and I’ll be good as new in the morning.”
Phoebe doubted that he’d get over the fall quite that easily, but she couldn’t very well force him to see a doctor if he didn’t want to. “I hope so,” she said, “but if you start feeling worse, I want you to let me know immediately.”
“If he doesn’t, I will,” Doris promised as Phoebe escorted them to her room. “Thank you so much, sweetie, for all your help. When I saw Lawrence fall, I was scared to death.”
Phoebe could well understand that—she’d felt the same way. Impulsively hugging them both, she said, “I don’t want either one of you to worry about anything. I’ll take care of your clothes and see that everything’s dry. And the water’ll be turned back on as soon as possible.”
Her mind already jumping to everything she had to do, she quickly wished them goodnight and hurried down the hall to the utility closet next to their suite. Taylor had turned off the water, but the broken pipe was only the beginning of the problem. Grabbing her grandmother’s shop vacuum, which had been bought for just such an emergency, she went to work extracting the water from the bathroom and bedroom floors.
By the time the plumber had fixed the pipe, Phoebe had vacuumed up all the water and Taylor had rolled up the sodden rag rug and carried it outside to dry, it was going on midnight. And Phoebe still had to wash and dry two suitcases of the Coopers’ clothes. If she was lucky, she might be finished by two or three in the morning.
“Can I help?”
In the process of putting the first load of clothes in the washer, Phoebe looked up to find Taylor standing in the laundry-room doorway. Smiling tiredly, she said, “Not really. But thanks for all your help. If you hadn’t been here, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“You’d have done fine, but I’m glad I could help. You look beat. Are you sure you can’t do those things in the morning? It’s been a long night, and you have to be up early to start breakfast.”
“Don’t tempt me,” she began, only to remember the plans they’d made for the evening. Her eyes widening, she said, “Oh, Taylor, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot about our plans.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her, his grin rueful. “You had other things on your mind. Th
ere’ll be another time.”
She hoped so, but time was slipping through their fingers. Soon, her grandmother would return and she would have to go home and decide what she was going to do with the rest of her life. How could she even contemplate a future without Taylor? Pain squeezed her heart at the thought.
“I wanted to be with you,” she said huskily, honestly, tears squeezing from her eyes. “I had this special nightgown—”
Eliminating the space between them with a single step, he stopped her simply by gently pressing his hand to her mouth. “Stop,” he rasped. “Don’t ruin the surprise. We’ll get another chance.” And leaning down, he shushed her with a kiss.
In the days and weeks she’d known him, she’d lost track of the number of times he’d kissed her, but none of his kisses had ever been anything like the one he gave her at that moment. Hot and sweet and oh, so tender, it called out to her heart in a way no other kiss ever had and said things she was afraid to put into words. Tears pooling in her eyes as he lifted his head and slowly released her, all she wanted to do was melt into his arms. She knew if she did, however, she’d never finish cleaning the Coopers’ clothes. Considering how close Lawrence had come to seriously hurting himself, that was the least she could do for him and Doris in compensation.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said huskily. “Call me if you need me.”
She needed him more than he could possibly imagine, more than she was prepared to admit, but all she could manage to say was a quiet, “Good night.”
Later, she couldn’t have said how long it took her to finish drying the Coopers’ clothes. As the hours lengthened and the quiet of the night settled over the house, all she could think of was Taylor, upstairs in bed without her. She’d never been so lonely in her life.
Taylor knew the exact moment Phoebe came upstairs—it was going on three o’clock in the morning and there was no question that she was exhausted. Her steps were slow and heavy as she quietly made her way down the hall to her grandmother’s room.
