by Kristi Gold
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yeah. Caroline’s downstairs. She’s going to give me a ride to the jail. Grant’s being released as we speak.”
“I’m so glad, Ford. I truly am.”
“And none of this would be happening without your help.”
Regardless of the fact her heart would surely break when he was gone, she didn’t regret a minute of their time together. Didn’t regret that she’d taken a chance on him after he’d deceived her, because now, more than ever, she knew his honor as well as she knew the touch of his hand, the sound of his voice, the feel of his body so close to hers. “I’m glad I was able to help. Please give your uncle my regards and tell him I’m very sorry for what he’s suffered.”
“Why don’t you tell him yourself?”
“I really have to go, Ford. I need to get back to work.” She needed to have a long cry.
He streaked a hand over the back of his neck. “Okay. I understand. But I’d like to at least talk to you before I go tomorrow.”
“Sure. I’ll give you my number. We can talk for a while tonight. Right now you better get downstairs. I’m sure Caroline’s wondering where you are.”
Fighting back a rush of tears, Kerry started for the door, but before she could grab the knob, Ford was there, pulling her around into his arms. He kissed her again, soundly, gently, movingly, until she felt as if she would never be able to react to another man in this way.
He released her and thumbed away a rogue tear that had fallen down her cheek despite her effort to stop it. “I’m going to miss you a lot.”
“Me, too,” she said, worried that if she said more, she might actually begin to sob. “I really need to get going.”
“So do I. Will you at least walk down with me?”
“Sure.”
He took her bag, took her hand and held on tightly to her even in the elevator. When they exited the car, the lobby was crowded with both businessmen and tourists checking out of the hotel. Kerry spotted Caroline first, standing alongside Anna Sheridan who was holding a precious little red-haired boy on her hip. And positioned beside Anna, the very tall, very handsome Grant Ashton.
Ford tightened his grip on Kerry’s hand, then muttered, “I’ll be damned.”
“Looks like you have a nice surprise.”
He stared at her momentarily, shock in his eyes and something else she couldn’t quite name. After taking the bag from his shoulder, she smiled. “Don’t just stand there. He’s waiting for you.”
“Come with me.”
“This is your reunion. I’ll be right here.” At least for a few more moments.
Following another squeeze of her hand, Ford let her go, in every sense of the word. Kerry watched as he elbowed his way through the crowd and immediately embraced his uncle. Although she saw little resemblance between Ford and Grant Ashton, they both wore jeans and boots. Both emitted a confidence that was palpable even in the jam-packed lobby. Two men who stood above the crowd in every sense of the word.
The family gathered round then, his family, not hers. She didn’t belong in this picture, would never be a part of his world. That realization sent her toward the revolving doors, but before she left she took one last look at the beautiful man with the unruly blond hair, the heartbreaker smile and the hypnotic blue eyes. The man with a heart of gold and hardworking, wonderful hands. The man who had totally captivated her from the moment they’d met.
Ford caught her gaze in that instant, and as if her heart protested the hasty departure before she’d revealed its secret, Kerry raised her hand in a wave and mouthed, “I love you.”
Stunned by the spontaneous act, she rushed out the exit and hailed a nearby cab, leaving Ford Ashton behind, not knowing if he’d deciphered her declaration. Even if he had, would it make a difference? Probably not. But at least she could say she’d tried. The rest was up to him.
“You okay, bud?”
A long moment passed before Ford found the mental resources to join back in the conversation. He turned his gaze from the place Kerry had been to Grant. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
He wasn’t fine. Not in the least. Unless he’d imagined it, the woman who’d spent the better part of a week in his arms and his bed had just told him she loved him. And he didn’t know what the hell to do now. He was torn between running after her to make sure his eyes hadn’t deceived him, and remaining with the man who had devoted the better part of his life to raising him.
“I told Grant that Kerry Roarke was instrumental in gathering the evidence,” Caroline said. “She’s such a sweet, sweet girl, isn’t she, Ford?”
Sweeter than any woman had a right to be. “Yeah. She’s one in a million.”
“And she wasn’t tangled up with Spencer?” Grant asked.
“No. She was too good for that.” When Ford realized his screwup, he sent Anna a look of apology. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult your sister.”
Anna smoothed a hand over the boy’s head. “No apology necessary. Alyssa made a huge mistake getting involved with him. Except, because of it, she had this little one. He’ll never be a mistake.”
Both Grant and Anna looked at the baby simultaneously before turning their gaze to each other. Ford saw something that looked like a lot more than just simple friendship. Right now he didn’t have time to ponder anyone’s love life other than his own.
“Ford, can I see you alone for a minute?” Grant asked.
Looking around the crowded room, Ford wasn’t sure where they could go to have a private conversation. “Do you want to go back to my room?”
Grant pointed behind him. “Caroline and Anna need to get back to The Vines, so this will only take a minute. We can step outside.” He regarded Caroline again. “If you’ll excuse us, I have a couple of things to discuss with Ford.”
Caroline waved a hand in dismissal. “Go ahead and take your time. We’ll go into the restaurant and have some coffee.”
“I’ll make it quick,” Grant said.
Ford was more than curious about the content of the impending conversation. He presumed Grant would want to know how things were going back at the farm, maybe how Abby was doing, too. When they stepped outside, Ford immediately scanned the sidewalk hoping to find Kerry. Obviously, she’d headed home to get ready for work. He planned to call her tonight, although he wasn’t exactly sure what he would say to her.
Ford stayed in step with Grant as they strode down the sidewalk in silence, past a steady stream of tourists. After they went a block, he indicated the park where he’d sat with Kerry that first night ten days ago and told Grant, “Let’s go over there.”
They took the same bench in front of the same fountain, and once they were settled in, Ford decided he’d had enough of the suspense. “What’s on your mind, Grant?”
Grant leaned forward, hands clasped together between his parted knees. “How’s Abby?”
“She was fine as soon as I called her and told her you’d be getting out soon.”
“And the farm?”
“Russ and Buck have everything under control. We’ll see for ourselves when we get back. By the way, I made your reservation last night, so we’re set to go tomorrow.”
“Cancel it.”
“What?”
“I’m not leaving California yet.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because the D.A. strongly suggested I stick around until they find the murderer. I think he still assumes I had something to do with it.”
After all they’d done, Grant was still under suspicion. That didn’t sit well with Ford at all. “Where are you going to stay?”
“At The Vines like I was before. Caroline asked me to, and I agreed.”
Ford strongly suspected that Anna had something to do with that decision, too. “How long do you intend to stay gone?”
“Until my name is cleared and I find out exactly who killed Spencer.”
“That could take years, if ever.”
“Then I’ll be here that long.�
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Ford wanted to knock some sense into his uncle, but even a left hook to the jaw wouldn’t cure him of his stubborn streak. Not that he would ever actually punch Grant. Not if he wanted to live to tell about it. “Okay. Have it your way. Abby’s going to be pissed off if you’re not there when the babies are born.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and I’ll be home by then.”
A span of silence passed before Ford asked, “Anything else you want to talk about?” He figured at some point in time, Grant might want to discuss his jail experience, although he wasn’t one to be that open with his feelings. But then, neither was Ford.
“I just wanted to say thanks. You’ve done me proud, as always.”
“Again, I only had a small hand in it. If Kerry Roarke hadn’t helped me, I doubt we’d be sitting here together now.”
“You like her,” Grant said in a simple statement of fact, not a question.
“Yeah.”
“Did you spend a lot of time with her?”
Not nearly enough. “Every day since I’ve been here.”
Without straightening, Grant glanced back at him. “Every night, too?”
Ford started to lie but realized Grant would see right through him, as he always had. “For the most part, yeah. Are you going to lecture me about it?”
“You’re a grown man, Ford. I’m not going to tell you how to run your life even if you are in love.”
In love? “I didn’t say that.” He did sound way too defensive.
Finally Grant leaned back against the bench. “You don’t have to say it. I saw you looking at her when she left, and I saw what she said to you. It’s pretty damn obvious to me how you two feel about each other.”
“I admit, I do care about her. A hell of a lot more than she realizes.”
“Did you tell her that?”
He’d wanted to that morning, but the timing just hadn’t been right. Either that, or he’d been too afraid of his own feelings, a more logical explanation. “No, I didn’t tell her.”
“Then I suggest you go find her and talk this out. What I said to you in that letter about settling down, I meant it. Don’t let the right woman pass you by.”
“What exactly are you suggesting I do?”
“Ask her to come back with you.”
“She won’t do it.”
“She might.”
“She wouldn’t stay.”
Grant’s jaw tightened, and Ford braced for a verbal assault. “Dammit, Ford, not every woman is your mother. If this Kerry feels the same way about you as you do about her, she might be willing to make your home her home.”
“She has a home here, Grant.”
“Well just maybe she might believe her home’s with you. If not now, eventually. All you can do is try. Otherwise you’re going to end up like me, in the prime of your life without a good woman to share in it.”
“You’re only forty-three, Grant, not ninety. One of these days you’re going to find the right woman.”
Grant looked cynical. “If you say so.”
Ford started to ask Grant if he might have found that woman in Anna Sheridan but thought better of it. Grant could dish it out, but he sometimes couldn’t take it. The last thing Ford wanted was to get into a heated discussion about relationships. But he was beginning to see the wisdom in his uncle’s words.
As soon as he saw Grant off, he would go back to the hotel room and think about it. He had until tonight to decide whether it would be best to return home never knowing the possibilities, or to shore up some courage and tell Kerry exactly how he felt about her. He would have to weigh the risk of asking her to come back to Nebraska with him and face her rejection. Worse, she might agree and then eventually, leave him, too.
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d run off with your fellow, my dear.”
With only a cursory glance at Millie, Kerry started up the staircase to her room. “I’m here, and I’m running late. I need to get dressed and get back to work.”
“Kerry Ann, I need to speak with you about something now.”
With one hand braced on the banister, Kerry faced Millie and sighed. “Can it wait? We can have a nice dinner together tonight and catch up.”
“I would prefer not to wait. I wouldn’t ask if this were not of the utmost importance.”
Resigned to the fact her mentor wasn’t going to give up, Kerry trudged down the three steps she’d taken and followed Millie into the kitchen. They sat across from each other at the oak dinette in the usual places, Millie’s prim hands folded before her, Kerry’s white-knuckling the edge of the table.
“Did Sandra leave?” Kerry asked.
“Yes, dear. Early this morning, as soon as we finalized our plans.”
“Plans?”
Millie looked disturbed. Very disturbed. “She has asked me to come live with her, and I’ve agreed.”
Kerry swallowed around her shock. “When did you decide to do this?”
“While you were with your young man.”
Millie was mistaken. Ford wasn’t hers at all. “What about the house?”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to sell it.”
And Kerry had thought she couldn’t be more stunned. Wrong. “But it’s been in your family for years. It’s your home.”
“A home that I have mortgaged to the hilt. My pension will no longer cover the payments, much less the upkeep.”
“I can help out more.”
Millie reached out and pulled Kerry’s hand into hers. “My angel, your salary can’t begin to cover my debts. I admit that I have squandered my fortune, but I did so with the best of intentions.”
She’d given most of it away, Kerry realized. To foundations, to the needy, to her. “You don’t have anything at all left?”
“Only a small amount of savings and the roadster, as well as all the furnishings. And you are welcome to anything here that you wish.”
Great. She would have furnishings, but no house. No home. “I couldn’t do that, Millie. Besides, I’m sure Sandra would like to have some of your things.”
Millie waved her free hand. “Posh. Sandra has her own furnishings. And she will never cherish my things the way you will.”
Kerry felt as if Millie had told her she was about to pass on to the great unknown. “You’ve always told me you’ve never gotten along that well with your niece. How are you going to live with her?”
“As best I can. I have no choice.”
Kerry bit her bottom lip, hard, to stop the threat of tears. “I wish there was something I could do.”
Millie squeezed her hand. “My dear, you have done so much already. You have been the best companion. The best daughter a woman could ever hope for. I only wish…” Her gaze drifted away.
“You wish what?”
“I wish that I wasn’t forced to put you out in the street.” She leveled her sad eyes on Kerry. “Perhaps Ford will be asking you to go with him?”
The hopefulness in Millie’s voice only added to Kerry’s despair. “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. He’s leaving tomorrow. He has a life somewhere else, not with me.”
“But you wish that weren’t so, don’t you?”
This time Kerry looked away. “I’m a realist, Millie. I had a wonderful time with Ford, but I knew all along it couldn’t last.” And though she owned that knowledge, she still didn’t hurt any less.
“You say he isn’t leaving until tomorrow?”
“That’s right.”
“Then perhaps between now and tomorrow he will have a change of heart.”
“That’s not likely, Millie. Again, we had a nice time together, but it was less than two weeks. You can’t make a decision like that in such a short time.”
“My second husband and I only knew each other five days and we married on the sixth. Anything is possible.”
Kerry wanted to believe as strongly in miracles, the way Millie always had. But she had yet to see anything that qualified, except for the miracle of making love wit
h Ford. Tugging her hand from Millie’s grasp, she came to her feet and offered a smile. “You go on believing that, but it’s time for me to go back to the real world. And that means going back to work.”
“Yes, dear. You do that. In the meantime, I have errands to run and a bridge game tonight, so you might return from your class before I get home. Do you want me to drop you at work?”
“No, thanks. I’ll probably walk.” Kerry needed to walk off her melancholy. In fact, she probably should run in hopes of escaping thoughts of Ford Ashton. But that would require a lengthy marathon and even then she couldn’t guarantee she would forget him. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
Ten
H ow could he forget her when everywhere he looked she was there? Standing by the window. Lounging on the sofa. Lying in his arms.
Ford paced the hotel room, restless with each hour that passed. He’d picked up the phone twice to call her at work, stared at the receiver, started to dial, then hung up. He didn’t know what to say or what to do. He hated the thought of leaving without at least a proper goodbye, another kiss. Maybe even another round of lovemaking. But it wouldn’t be fair to ask her to be in his bed if he couldn’t offer her more than that.
A sharp rap came at the door, sounding like wood against metal. Ford started not to answer, but the prospect of Kerry standing on the other side sent him across the room in a rush. But he didn’t discover Kerry on the threshold. He did find Kerry’s landlady leaning both hands on her cane, a look of disapproval on her face made worse by her severe scowl.
“I have a bone to pick with you, young man.”
Ford had no doubt she did, considering she looked like she could beat him about the face and head with her walking stick. “Come in, Mrs. Vandiver.”
She hobbled past him and before he even had the door closed, she spun on him. “I have a question to ask you, and I want you to think about it before you answer.”
Ford slid his hands into his jeans pocket. “Okay. Shoot.”
“Do you realize what you’ll be losing if you let Kerry Ann go?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Ford was taken aback by the ease of the admission, and so was Millie, apparently, when she said, “You do?” in an awed tone.
