“Don’t do it, Sam.” Maren latched on to his arm.
He looked down at her fingers with an expression that could have melted steel. “You can’t stop me.”
“No.” Maren gripped tighter. “But you won’t be able to do anything for Doug if you’re in jail. Do you want your son back or do you want to sit in jail knowing that Doug is across town, staying in a house with a felon, and there’s nothing you can do?”
Sam flinched and the bunched muscles under her fingers relaxed. Good.
“You have to stay calm,” she said.
“I’m very calm.”
Yeah. That’s what scares me.
“Okay, then, you’ve got to be patient and do this right.” She let go of his arm and stepped back. “If you want Doug back, there are two things you have to do, and you have to do them before Rita finds out and disappears again. You need surprise on your side, and you won’t have it if you go tearing up there and making trouble.”
“I’m listening.”
“First, you go to court here and get an injunction giving you full custody and holding her in contempt for refusing to let you see your son. Then, you show up in the Tennessee court, and you tell them she lied when she said she didn’t know how to find you. She’ll get punished in both courts, and you’ll get Doug back. She could be the one in jail, if you’ll just hold steady for a little longer.”
For a terrifying moment, Sam appeared ready to ignore her and go after Doug anyway. Then he nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it your way. For Doug’s sake.”
“You won’t regret it.”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a hint of a smile. “I already regret it.”
She smiled back. “Then you’ll change your mind.”
“I hope you’re right. What next?”
Maren dropped her gaze to the counter. “Next, I find you an attorney to push the case through.”
His brows dropped. “Another attorney?”
Guilt washed over her. Sam needed her, and she was walking out on him, just like Rita had done. When would she be able to make decisions without dragging regret around like a wet blanket?
“I’m sorry. I have to go back to Seattle.”
“No.”
Maren sighed. “Sam—”
“No,” he snapped. “It has to be you. You found Doug. You’re going to make sure Rita gets what she deserves.” He paused meaningfully. “So I don’t have to.”
“I want to, Sam. I do. But I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
Remorse clawed in deeper. Sam needed her. If she hadn’t talked him down, he’d be on his way to Rita’s already. He’d been there for her more times than she could count, and she couldn’t return the favor. “You don’t understand. I don’t have any choice.”
“No, I don’t understand,” he answered, nearly shouting now. “Why are you here, Maren? You came back for no good reason, and now you’re leaving when my son and I are counting on you.”
She reached for him, but he pulled away before she could touch him. “Sam—”
“If you cared as much for me and that farm as you claim to, you wouldn’t be running off again.”
“I don’t want to go back. I don’t have a choice,” she repeated, raising her voice to get his attention. “There was a good reason for me to come home. I was…” She trailed off, then squared her shoulders. “I was running away. I was engaged, and my fiancé embezzled a bunch of money and tried to pin it on me. I left because I didn’t know how to deal with it. Now, I have to go back because my lawyer thinks we need to…” She trailed off again.
“Need to what?”
She lowered her head. “If the search warrant they served on me is any indication, I might need a plea bargain.”
Sam whistled softly. “Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m not proud of it.”
“When do you have to go?”
She took in a deep breath, then let it out. “I’m going to the Board meeting to offer to sell my farm and vote in favor of the project. Then I’m going home to load my car.”
“So you’re leaving today?”
“Yes.”
Sam took her hand and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry. I know how hard that’s going to be for you. Are you sure that’s the right thing to do?”
No. I’m not sure about anything anymore. “Yes. I have to go back, and it doesn’t make sense to leave the farm here to fall in on itself while I…”
Sit in jail.
No. She hadn’t done anything. Bill took the money and ran. Once they finished sifting through all the evidence, they would reach the right conclusion.
I hope.
“Rebuild your life,” Sam said.
“Yeah.”
He glanced at the clock on the wall, an analog that had a wrench and screwdriver in place of hands. “Meeting’s in an hour. Want me to go with you?”
“That would be awesome.”
“It’s the least I can do. I owe you.”
He didn’t owe her. She owed him. Now, she would never be able to repay him. In another two hours, Sam and Doug would be left to their own fate.
And so would she.
Chapter Twelve
Maren’s stomach rolled when she slipped into the back of the town hall. Lance’s attempt to keep the meeting quiet had, apparently, been countered by her interview in the Times. People filled the room almost to capacity, and curious eyes followed her from the door to a seat near the front.
“Don’t pay them any attention,” Sam murmured.
“Easy for you to say,” she whispered back.
Her nerves pulled tight, and the next hour stretched endlessly in front of her. She hadn’t seen Jack since the afternoon she’d gone to his office. Not surprising. He had what he wanted. He didn’t need to talk to her anymore.
True, but she still had to face him today. Had he told Lance to expect her cooperation? Probably. Jack had done a good job of containing his excitement, but Lance wouldn’t have been so reserved. In fact, he might even go so far as to be nice to her today. Especially with the Times article fresh on everyone’s minds.
“Hey, girl!” Laura May’s enthusiastic voice interrupted her thoughts.
She gave Laura May a weak smile. “Morning.”
Laura May leaned towards her and dropped her voice. “I heard the news. You sure this is what you want to do?”
So Jack had told Lance. Of course he had. They couldn’t wait to plow down her grandparents’ home. Her stomach pitched again.
“Yes. I’m sure.”
Laura May patted her on the arm. “Then everything’s gonna be okay. You’ll have your money from the sale in no time, and you can forget all about this nonsense.”
Maren nodded. Right. She didn’t care about the money, other than what she would need to defend herself, but she did want to forget this. All of it.
As if.
“Thanks.”
The murmur of the crowd dropped when Lance entered the room, followed by the Board, and Laura May made her way to her seat at the front. Maren scanned the room with a growing frown.
“It’s alright,” Sam whispered. “He just stepped through the back door.”
How had he known she was looking for Jack? She swiveled her gaze towards the back, and her eyes locked with Jack’s.
This will be the last time I ever see him.
Stop it. She gulped, turned away and dropped into the nearest seat before her knees gave way. Sam settled in beside her.
She squared her shoulders, raised her chin, and fixed her gaze on Lance. True, she wouldn’t see Jack again. But she was ending all this by giving him what he wanted and protecting him from the feds. Unlike the last time she’d left Shepherdsville, she wouldn’t be running away. No matter how much it hurt, she would do the right thing and leave with her head held high.
“All right, folks, let’s settle down,” Lance called. “Let’s get the formalities out of the way, and we can get down to business
.”
Sam squeezed Maren’s hand.
Maren waited through the technicalities with less patience than the last time. Now that she had committed to going back to Seattle, she wanted to be on her way. Her suitcases were packed. A box of mementos from the house sat next to them on the floor. Nothing stood between her and a long road trip but this meeting. And she wanted it done and over with.
At long last, Lance thanked Ann, then turned back to the room. “We’re still discussing old business,” he began. “We tabled the vote on the industrial complex until the next meeting, so we could have some discussions about Maren Campbell’s farm.”
A murmur rippled across the room, and Maren’s jaw tightened. Ron’s article had everyone buzzing. How would everyone feel about her when she retracted those accusations and agreed to sell the farm?
I don’t care. Those who mattered knew what had happened. Those who didn’t would never see her again. This would be difficult enough without worrying about what the citizens of Shepherdsville had to say about her.
“Settle down, folks,” Lance said. “I know you’re all curious about Ron’s article.”
Maren winced. At least he’d attributed it to Ron.
“But you know how hard it is to sell a paper these days,” Lance continued. “We all get our news from the Internet. Let’s try not to hold it against him.”
Maren tightened her lips to keep herself from laughing. Ron would be sitting near the back of the room somewhere. Would that quote make it into the paper?
Lance gave the audience his most charming smile. “And now, let’s see if we can get this business wrapped up so we can get on to more positive things. Maren, do you have anything to add before we call the vote?”
Maren tried not to look at Jack, but she couldn’t help herself. She found him seated near the front of the room, that same impassive expression on his face. She shifted her gaze to Lance, got to her feet, and gripped the seat in front of her. “Yes.”
All eyes turned to her, and her fingers clamped down tighter. “I…” She glanced down at Sam who, bless him, smiled and gave her a nod of encouragement. “First, I want to apologize for the things printed in the Times. I’m pretty sure there was a misunderstanding, because I never said anyone was corrupt.”
Lance nodded. “Thank you, Maren.”
Can it, Lance. If she’d done this deal in his office, he wouldn’t have been nearly as accommodating.
She swallowed hard. The next part would be more difficult. She steeled herself, raised her chin, and ignored the tears that sprang into her eyes. “And I’ve decided that I do want to sell my farm to the county.”
“We all know how important the farm is to you,” Lance said.
She stared down at the chair in front of her. “Yes, it is. I loved my grandparents, and that farm is the only real home I’ve ever known. But I have to go back to Seattle and I…” She blinked to clear her eyes. “I can’t just let the farm waste away. If we can settle on a fair value, I’ll agree to sell.”
“Excellent,” Lance said. “Your grandparents would be proud.”
Stop telling me how my grandparents would have felt. You have no idea.
Maren didn’t reply. She couldn’t. So she nodded, smiled, and sat. He needed to end this thing so she could get away with her composure intact.
Lance called for a motion, then asked for a vote.
She had done it. She had given up the farm. For good. Her head told her she had done the right thing.
But she felt like her heart would break.
She hurried out into the corridor as soon as the meeting ended. Sam kept pace with her, his hand resting on the small of her back as he ushered her outside. He guarded her all the way to her car but stopped her when she laid her hand on the door handle.
“Maren, wait . . .” She looked up into his somber face, and he opened his arms and beckoned to her.
The tears did fall then, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Remember what I said about Doug. Promise?”
Sam nodded as she pulled away. “Promise. You’ll call me, right?”
“Yes.” And she would, too. She shouldn’t have let someone who had been such a good friend fade into her past.
“And once you get everything settled in Seattle, you’ll come see me and Doug?”
She hesitated. Clean break, remember? How could she come back here now? She’d barely been able to come back to visit her grandparents after she’d lost her mother and then Jack. Now that she’d lost her farm and Jack a second time, she didn’t think she’d ever set foot inside the county line again.
“I’ll try.”
Sam took her by the shoulders. “Thank you. For everything.”
She hugged him one last time. “Just get your son home without landing yourself in jail, okay?”
“I will.”
She jumped in her car without saying goodbye. After everything she’d been through, she couldn’t beat herself over the head with the word. It was too much. She tossed him a wave, then edged the car out of her parking place.
I wish I’d never come home. Things in Seattle were no better, and now she’d added heartache on top of headache. Her mind sent her an image of Jack, his face expressionless as she let go of her grandparents’ home. He’d gotten what he wanted. The intimacy they’d shared hadn’t mattered. Maybe he’d kissed her because he wanted to, or maybe because he’d hoped to soften her attitude toward him. Either way, those kisses had meant more to her than to him. She needed to forget them.
She doubted she would think of much else during her long, lonely drive back to Seattle.
She flipped on her blinker and stopped at the light that led onto the main road, glancing down at the cell phone propped in the car’s center console. She had forgotten it there in her rush to get inside. Francie had called eight times. Her final attempt to reach Maren had resulted in a text message containing the words “CALL ME,” followed by several exclamation marks and a hyperlink.
Terror clawed at her. Whatever Francie had been afraid of must finally have broken loose. She punched the call button and waited for Francie’s voice on the other end of the line.
Her attorney didn’t answer.
What would be waiting for her when she got back to Washington? Worse, what would be waiting for her at the farm? The urge to run hit her full force. She could take off with nothing but the clothes on her back and go….
Where? She’d just given up her last refuge. She ignored another stab of loss and set her shoulders with renewed determination. She’d done nothing wrong. She would accept whatever waited for her.
Maren pulled onto the road and pointed her car in the direction of the farm one last time.
# # #
“You proud of yourself, Mason?”
Jack let the town hall’s door swing shut behind him, turned to Sam, and fixed him with a level stare. Proud? No. Confused but not proud. “Not especially.”
Sam folded his arms over his chest and glared back at him. “Why don’t I believe that?”
“Because you haven’t believed anything I’ve said since our senior year,” Jack said through gritted teeth.
Sam shook his head. “Do you have any idea how hard that was for her?”
“Yes.” Anyone could have seen that. But why? She’d told him she wanted to give up the farm. She wanted to leave. Just like before.
Then why did it upset her so much?
“And you still let it happen. You haven’t changed at all. It’s all about what you want, isn’t it?”
“That was what she wanted,” Jack said, his voice laced with thinly concealed anger. “You don’t seem to get that about her, Sam. She told me she wanted to give up the farm, and then she came here and did just that. Why do you always blame me when she gets her way?”
“Because it’s not her way,” Sam shouted.
An older couple stopped on their way out of the building and turned to watch. Jack nodded towards them. “Relax, Bradley,” he muttered. “You’re mak
ing a scene.”
“Right. We’ve gotta protect your reputation.” He shook his head, his mouth turned down in disgust. “I can’t believe she apologized for that article. It was exactly what you deserved.”
Jack’s temper flared. What had he ever done to Sam to earn that much venom? “Really?”
“No.” Sam grimaced. “I just don’t understand how you can be so blind when it comes to her.”
Here we go. Sam had been so besotted with Maren that she could do no wrong. Still, according to him, Jack needed to open his eyes. “I’m not the one who’s blind. I told her to keep an open mind, and we’d work it out. She wanted this.”
“Work it out.” Sam snorted. “You were going to take that farm one way or the other. She didn’t have a choice.”
Jack took a step back. Why did he even bother? “That wasn’t because of me. She had to go home.”
“I know that,” Sam bit out. “But she could’ve come back.”
Come back? Did he know her at all? She’d left as a teenager because she didn’t want to be here. She’d avoided Shepherdsville like the plague until two weeks ago, and even then, she’d only returned because she had nowhere else to go. Even if she kept the farm for another ten years, she would never come back.
“You’re delusional, Bradley.”
“Am I? Then why did she tell me this morning that she didn’t want to leave?”
Jack gaped back at him. She hadn’t said that. Had she? It didn’t make sense. At first, she’d been determined to keep her grandparents’ home. Then she’d changed her mind. He’d assumed she’d finally realized how pointless it would be for her to hang on to a house she would never want to live in.
An image of Maren, red-eyed and impossibly vulnerable as she agreed to turn her farm over to the County, flickered through his head. Had she simply decided to leave the house behind and go home? Or had there been something more?
Why did she tell me this morning that she didn’t want to leave?
“I’ve gotta go,” Jack snapped.
“Jack!”
He almost ignored the command. Sam would never see reason when it came to Maren. Still, he couldn’t blame his former friend for protecting her. Right up until she’d changed her mind, hadn’t he wanted to do the same thing? He gritted his teeth and turned around. “What?”
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