Deadlier than the Male

by Sharon Sala

Even worse, Lena began to hear Stewart’s voice, chiding her for her rash behavior, blaming her for sending him to his death. She knew it wasn’t real, but she couldn’t get his words out of her head. She tried mopping the floors to occupy her mind, but it didn’t help. Both Tom and Judd kept walking in and out of the room, sometimes separately, sometimes together, but always leaving tracks all over her clean floors. She couldn’t seem to get through to them that they were making her job more difficult.

  “You’re dead!” she insisted. “You’re both dead. Go away and leave me alone!”

  The day was cold but the sky was clear. Haley was comfortable in the choice she’d made to wear jeans and a white cable-knit sweater. Her dark navy peacoat brushed the backs of her knees as she walked up the steps to her mother’s house and rang the bell. Mack had headed home to paint walls, and she was already anticipating their reunion later.

  When she heard the steady sound of footsteps clacking across the hardwood floors, she left her fantasies behind and braced herself for the confrontation. She knew before she entered that everything inside would be in its place, dust-free and shining. Beautiful to look at, but cold and unwelcoming, just like the woman herself.

  When the door swung inward, Haley saw the shock come and go on her mother’s face. Then, to her surprise, Lena stepped back and motioned with her hand. “Come in.”

  Haley entered before Lena changed her mind, then took off her coat and laid it on the back of a chair.

  “Here, let me hang that up for you,” Lena said.

  “Don’t bother,” Haley said. “I won’t be staying long.”

  Lena’s eyes narrowed as she lifted her chin. “So…do you have time to sit, or is this going to be another hit and run?”

  Haley grinned. “Why, Mother…that almost sounded like a joke. I don’t think I ever knew you had a sense of humor.”

  Lena’s lips narrowed as she clutched her hands in front of her stomach and faced the thorn in her side full-on.

  “What do you want? Why are you here? If you came to pick a fight, I’m not in the mood.”

  Haley eyed her mother carefully, noting a muscle twitching near her left eye, then the way she kept clenching and unclenching her hands. She looked like a woman on the verge of coming undone, and, to Haley’s surprise, she felt a spurt of empathy. Even though there was no love lost between them, she needed to remember that her mother had just lost her husband. Sympathy might be hard to come by, but she could at least manage a little understanding.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be confrontational,” Haley said. “I wanted to talk to you before I left, that’s all.”

  “Oh. You’re leaving?”

  “Soon,” Haley said, stifling a smirk at the relief she’d just heard in her mother’s voice. She sat down in an overstuffed chair and waited until her mother took a seat on the sofa.

  “So what is it that we need to talk about?” Lena said.

  “Why were you and the Brolins always at odds?”

  Lena stiffened. “That’s none of your business.”

  Haley leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “But, Mother…you made it my business. You made it everyone’s business. There wasn’t anything subtle about the hate between you people, just like there wasn’t a thing wrong with Mack Brolin except his last name, and that wasn’t right. I’m not a child anymore. I think, at the least, Mack and I deserve an explanation.”

  Lena’s nostrils flared. She could feel the blood rising to her face, and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep from raising her voice.

  “Oh. So it’s ‘Mack and I’ again, is it? I know you spent the night with him.”

  Haley rolled her eyes. “Good Lord, Mother. I’m twenty-eight years old. Mack is thirty. Neither one of us is married, and whether I slept with him or not has nothing to do with what I just asked you.”

  Lena stood abruptly. “I won’t discuss my business. What’s past is past, and that’s where it’s going to stay. You know how I feel, and yet you continue to rub your ugly behavior in my face.”

  Haley stood. “And that’s where your sick mind immediately goes…calling what Mack and I feel for each other ugly. Well, guess what, Mother? There’s a real possibility that he’s going to wind up your son-in-law one of these days, whether you like it or not.”

  Lena shrieked, then covered her face with her hands. “No. No. I won’t listen to this. Get out. Get out!”

  Haley put on her coat and walked toward the door. “I’m leaving. But this isn’t over. You nearly destroyed the both of us, and I want to know why. Whether you tell me or I find out from someone else doesn’t matter. You’re not in charge anymore. And just so you know…even though there was no love lost between Daddy and myself, I am truly sorry for your loss.”

  Haley closed the door behind her and was halfway down the steps when she heard her mother scream. The skin crawled on the back of her neck, but she kept on walking. Even after she’d gotten in her car and was driving away, she couldn’t quit thinking of how crazy that scream had sounded. Suddenly she shivered, as if a ghost had popped up behind her. She couldn’t help but glance up in the rearview mirror, just to make sure she was still alone.

  “Lord. Just one day back and she’s already making me crazy,” she muttered, and took the turn onto Main Street.

  She hadn’t gone far when she saw Retta and her mother coming out of the pharmacy. When Retta saw her, she started waving madly, trying to get her to pull over.

  Haley pulled in to the curb and got out, smiling. Retta was already squealing and holding her arms open for a hug. Retta’s little belly was round with a baby and she was a good five inches shorter than Haley, but her welcome made Haley feel protected and loved in a way she rarely remembered.

  “Hey, you,” Haley said, as she patted Retta’s belly. “I see congratulations are in order.” Then she smiled at Retta’s mother. “Hi, Mrs. Woodley. You look great. Ready to be a grandmother?”

  Retta giggled. “This will be numbers two and three, thank you, so she’s already had the pleasure. However, Mother is in as much shock as Billy about this pregnancy.”

  Haley laughed out loud. “You’re having twins? Wow. How old is your first?”

  “Four. Thank goodness he’s in prekindergarten or I’d be losing my mind. He’s Billy all over.”

  “Billy who?” Haley asked.

  “Billy Tyler,” Retta said, and then giggled again. “I know, I know. Don’t say it. I know I couldn’t stand him. But he changed, okay?”

  Haley grinned. “I wasn’t going to say a word.”

  “We’re about to go have some tea. Come with us. We need to catch up,” Retta said.

  Suddenly it dawned on Haley that Retta’s mother just might be someone who could answer some questions about her own mother.

  “Yeah, sure…I’ve got a little time,” Haley said. “But only if it’s on me.”

  “Great,” they both said, and led the way down the street to a small tearoom—another new addition to Stars Crossing.

  “This is nice,” Haley said, as they walked inside.

  Mrs. Woodley nodded. “My cousin, Mollie, owns it. Let’s sit over here, where it’s quieter.”

  Retta giggled. “Mother, there’s no one else in here.”

  Her mother grinned. “I know. But if it does get busy, then it’s quieter over here.”

  Haley watched their byplay with regret, wishing she could have had such a warm relationship with her own mother, instead of the constant conflict with which she’d grown up.

  As soon as they gave their orders to the waitress, Haley turned to Retta’s mother.

  “Mrs. Woodley…”

  “Judy…call me Judy,” the older woman said.

  Haley smiled. “Okay…Judy. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?”

  Judy looked a little surprised, but quickly agreed. “Not at all, although I thought you two girls would want to play catch-up.”

  Haley gave Retta’s hand a squeeze. “She’ll forgive me, just li
ke she always did…especially when she hears the subject.”

  “What’s the subject?” Retta asked.

  Haley’s smile disappeared. “My mother.”

  Retta rolled her eyes. “Oh. Lord. I am keeping my mouth shut now,” she said, and held up her hands and leaned back in her chair.

  “Judy, you grew up in Stars Crossing, didn’t you?” Haley asked.

  “Yes. Born and raised here. Never lived anywhere else, actually.”

  “So you’ve known the Shores and the Brolins all your life.”

  Judy nodded.

  “So what’s the deal between them?” Haley asked. “Mother just clams up and gets angry when I ask, and truthfully, after what their feud put me through, I would like to know what started it. Do you have any idea?”

  Judy frowned. “You know…I never understood it myself.”

  Haley groaned. “Darn. I was hoping—”

  “Well, what I mean was…when we were all in school, everyone was friends.”

  Haley’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

  “No. In fact, Lena had the biggest crush on Tommy Brolin forever. They were quite the item. Then Chloe’s family moved to Stars Crossing, and Tommy never looked at another girl after Chloe.”

  Haley was so stunned she couldn’t think what to say. Surely all that animosity didn’t boil down to plain old unrequited love? People grew up and got over high school crushes, didn’t they?

  “Wow. I never knew that,” Haley finally said.

  Judy shrugged. “Tom married Chloe about a month after high school graduation. Your mom and Judd got married before them, but not by much.”

  “Good Lord,” Haley muttered, and glanced at Retta. “Did you know this?”

  “Shoot, no. If I had, you know I would have told you. I never could keep a secret.” Then she giggled.

  Haley smiled. “I never knew until just now, but I’ve been missing that giggle.”

  Retta’s eyes teared. “Oh, honey…you’re going to make me cry.” She grabbed a paper napkin from the table dispenser, blew her nose, then giggled again. “Sorry. These days, everything makes me cry. So…changing the subject. Sorry about your dad.”

  “It might as well have been a stranger,” Haley said.

  Retta frowned. “You guys never made up? I mean…after the, uh, the thing at…”

  “You mean when he beat me?” Haley said.

  Retta sighed. “And you never minced words. Yes, I mean after that night in the E.R. You guys never spoke again?”

  “I wrote a letter home about a year after I left. No one answered. Figured that was that.”

  “But you came back for the funeral,” Retta said.

  Judy frowned. “Retta! For goodness’ sake, honey.”

  Retta waved her mother’s criticism away. “Oh, Mother. This is Haley. She knows what I mean.”

  Haley nodded. “I get it. Why come back now, after ten years of silence? It’s easy. I got a letter telling me about his death, and the time and date of the funeral. So I came.”

  “Oh. So your mother finally relented?” Judy asked.

  Haley smiled slowly. “At the time, I thought so. But as it turns out, Mack sent the letter.”

  Retta squealed. “I saw him at the funeral. I was hoping you guys could at least, uh, you know… He’s not attached or anything.” Then her eyes widened. “Are you?”

  “No,” Haley said.

  “Have you talked to him?” Retta asked.

  Haley smiled. “Let’s just say we got some issues settled between us and decided to see what happens next.”

  Retta leaned back and folded her hands across her round belly.

  “You’ll wind up together. I just know it. You two were meant to be together.”

  Haley shook her head. “Thank you, oh wise one, for the prediction.”

  They laughed again, and then their order arrived and the hour passed.

  By the time they were ready to part company, Haley realized it was nearly noon.

  “It’s been great seeing you two again. Judy, thank you for the information. Retta, behave. I’ve gotta go or Mack will be wondering what happened to me.”

  “Be happy!” Retta said.

  Haley nodded. “Doing my best.”

  By the time they exited the tearoom, the sky had turned overcast, making the day seem even colder than it had before.

  Haley jumped in her car and headed across town to the Brolin house to see what Mack wanted for lunch.

  Chapter 6

  H aley parked behind Mack’s car and made a dash toward the house. Mack met her at the door before she could knock, swept her up in his arms and then kicked the door shut.

  One moment she was laughing and breathless, and the next he had her up against the wall and was kissing her senseless.

  They were at the point of looking for a bedroom when Mack’s phone began to ring.

  “Darn it,” he muttered, as he glanced at the caller ID. “I’ve got to take this. It’s one of my foremen.”

  He pressed a finger against Haley’s lips to seal their last kiss, then winked and walked away.

  She couldn’t help but stare at the wide sweep of his shoulders and the taut shape of his backside as he sauntered out of the room.

  “Lord have mercy,” she muttered. What a big man he’d turned out to be—a big man who made her ache for his touch. Where was her resolve to take this slow?

  As she waited for Mack to finish the call, she began wandering through the rooms, trying to picture him growing up in this house and wondering how he felt about selling it. Unlike her, he’d had a wonderful childhood. There had to be lots of great memories in the place.

  She paused in front of a grouping of photos in what she guessed was the den, then laughed out loud. There was a school picture of Mack from about second or third grade. His hair was sticking out on one side, and he was missing a tooth. But it was the grin that stole her heart. Even then, the little devil in his personality had been apparent.

  As she started to move on, something crashed to the floor in another room. She heard a very loud thump, the sound of breaking glass and then curses. Her heart skipped a beat as she spun and started running.

  “Mack! Mack! Where are you?” she yelled.

  “In the kitchen!” he yelled back.

  She took a right in the hall and burst into the room just as Mack moved from cabinet to sink. Blood was dripping steadily down his arm and onto the floor.

  “Oh, no! What happened?” Haley cried, as she ran to his side.

  “I was on that ladder, which is now on the floor, screwing on that new light fixture, which is also now on the floor, when it just fell apart in my hands. It must have been cracked already and I didn’t see it.”

  As Haley unbuttoned his sleeve and shoved it up his arm for a better look, her stomach rolled.

  “Mack, this is bad. That cut is almost to the muscle.”

  “What do you mean, almost?” he asked. “I’m the man, therefore it’s all muscle.”

  “So you’re bleeding like crazy and you still have to be macho?”

  His grin was a little shaky, but it was definitely there.

  “You’re impossible,” she said.

  She yanked a dish towel from a nearby rack, tied it firmly above the cut, grabbed his coat from the back of a nearby chair and threw it over his shoulders.

  “Come on,” she said. “We’re going to the E.R.”

  The fact that he didn’t argue caused her even more concern.

  By the time she got him in the car and jumped behind the wheel, her mind was racing.

  “Is the hospital still in the same location?” she asked.

  He nodded, then leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

  She gunned the engine, backed out of the driveway and left rubber on the pavement as she drove away.

  “I would like to get there in one piece, thank you,” Mack grumbled.

  “Too late. You already took care of that yourself,” Haley fired back.r />
  He winced as she took a curve on what felt like two wheels. “I predict at least one of our kids will love NASCAR.”

  “Shut up,” Haley muttered, and then cursed beneath her breath as she glanced into the rearview mirror. “We’ve got company. Dang it!”

  She pulled over to the side of the street as a police car pulled up behind her with lights flashing. Before the cop could get out, Haley was out and running toward the cruiser.

  “Mack cut his arm badly. He’s bleeding….”

  Chief Jack Bullard hadn’t seen Haley Shore in ten years. It looked like her…and yet it didn’t.

  “Haley?”

  “Yes, it’s me, Chief. Mack’s hurt. Gotta get to the E.R.”

  “Good Lord, girl. You two are an accident just waiting to happen,” he muttered. “Get back in your car and fall in behind me. I’ll get you there.”

  Haley ran back and jumped in the car, and when the chief pulled out in front of her with lights and sirens running, she put the car in gear.

  “Hang on, honey,” she said shortly. “We’ll be there in no time.”

  Blood had already soaked through the dish towel and was running down his arm again. Haley groaned beneath her breath as she saw the blood, then accelerated, following the police cruiser all the way through Stars Crossing to the hospital. By the time they arrived, a doctor and two nurses were waiting outside with a gurney. Obviously the chief had radioed ahead.

  Haley wheeled up under the drive-through and slammed the shift into Park. She was out and circling the car just as a nurse opened the door for Mack to get out.

  Mack swung his legs out and was about to stand when Haley slid her arm around his waist and pulled him out. It was the first time he realized how strong she was, and how adept she must be at her job. As heavy as he was, she’d almost lifted him off the ground as she helped him onto the gurney.

  “Lie back, son,” the doctor said, and Mack stretched out as ordered.

  Seconds later, they were pushing him inside.

  “I’ve got to move the car, Mack, then I’ll be right there.”

  She turned around just as Chief Bullard walked up.

  “Thank you so much,” she said, and threw her arms around his neck.

  Bullard grinned. “You’re welcome, honey.” Then he saw the inside of her car and winced. “Damn, he must have cut a vein. What happened?”