by Desiree Holt
Alone, the evening dragged as if it had lead weights tied to it. As he did every day since he arrived at the emerging B&B, and at night now when he wasn’t in Georgie’s arms or sleeping, he relived the crap he’d made out of his life, disgusted with the person he’d been and praying that the results of this epiphany would last. He guessed he’d had to fall lower than the gutter to find his way up. Maybe if he hadn’t met Georgie he wouldn’t want this redemption so badly, but he wanted to be worthy of her. To be in a place where he could stand with her. Protect her. Prove to people that, unbelievable as it seemed, he had really changed and he was here for her in this massive undertaking.
He spent most of the night lying on the mattress, trying to watch television, but every time he turned his head, he inhaled Georgie’s scent that clung to the sheets and pillows, and it drove him nuts. He figured he looked at his watch at least every fifteen minutes. Every bad scenario ran through his mind. Maybe Amy and her friends had grilled Georgie and gotten everything out of her. Maybe they had told her about every rotten thing he’d done. Insisted she toss him out of here. Finally, when he was about to lose his mind, he heard her car pull into the gravel parking area, her steps on the front porch and the opening and closing of the front door.
He was on his feet when she walked into the bedroom.
“So how did it go?”
“How about a kiss hello first?” She smiled up at him, although he could see lines of strain on her face.
“Anytime.” He kissed her with as much feeling as he could put into it. They were both breathing heavily when he broke the kiss. “How’s the foot?”
“Who’s asking? If it’s my new friends, it hurts like hell. I need to get off it and ice it right away. If it’s you, it’s getting better every minute.”
“Let’s get you off it and let me take a look.” He eased her down to the mattress, took off the soft shoe she had on and prodded it gently with his fingers. When she barely winced, he nodded in satisfaction.
“Don’t worry. I kept it elevated all night and made a big deal out of it.” She lay back on the pillows and sighed. “Boy, I’ll tell you. Those women could give the CIA lessons in interrogation.”
“They really dove into you, didn’t they?”
“Uh huh.” She winked. “But I gave as good as I got. I dodged the questions I didn’t want to answer and talked so much about everything else they couldn’t get a word in. I did good, Cade.”
“I bet you did.” He gave her a soft kiss. “But you know it’s only a temporary reprieve. You can only put them off for so long.”
She looked up at him, brushing his hair back from his face. “And what if they do find out? I think it’s amazing that when Ed threw you out you didn’t just lie in the gutter and drink yourself to death. You deserve credit for this. For showing up here that day and sticking to this.” She frowned. “Is there anything you haven’t told me that they can spring on me? Anything I should know?”
Bitterness washed through him. “I don’t think so, but who knows? And Amy hates me so much who knows what she’ll come up with.”
“Listen to me.” She put her hands on his cheeks. “We’re building something here, Cade. Not just a B&B, but a relationship. It’s just as fragile as this house, but we’re working on both. If either of them fall apart, they weren’t meant to be. And I’m tired of hiding.” She let her hands fall back beside her. “I let a lecherous bastard spread rumors about me and chase me out of Dallas. I’m not going to let that happen again.”
“And if you end up not being able to open this place because of it?”
She shrugged. “Then I’ll sell it, take my money and find a place somewhere else where gossip won’t matter.”
Something inside him softened at her words. “If you’ve got the stomach for it, I guess I do too. Let’s give ourselves the rest of the weekend. On Monday I’ll take you to lunch at the Bit and Bite.”
I don’t deserve her. Not yet. But by God, I’m going to.
The Montgomerys and the Starks hung out with Jinx and Dillon until the evening chill chased them inside. The men appeared content to just sit back and finish their drinks. Dillon had turned on ESPN and they were watching the final minutes of a baseball game. The women, on the other hand, were huddled around the dining room table, consumed with curiosity.
“I agree with what you said the other day, Jinx.” Reenie paused to take a sip of her wine. “There’s definitely something she doesn’t want us to know.”
“What do you think it is?” Amy asked. “Is she having more trouble getting that place in shape than she wants to admit?”
Jinx shook her head. “Maybe, but I don’t think so. I checked with the plumber and electrician I recommended to make sure they gave her rock-bottom prices and she’s full steam ahead. I asked if she needed help with anything else and she said she’s got it handled.”
Amy leaned forward. “You know she’s not doing everything herself. But who the hell did she hire? You’d think by now whoever it is would be spilling all the details at the Lone Star Bar or the Bit and Bite. I mean, this town is a gossip-hungry animal. Everyone wants to know everything about everyone.”
Reenie downed the last of her wine. “I say we make an impromptu visit. Who’s up for it?”
The other two women looked at each other.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Amy said in a slow voice. “We want to be friends with her and we’ve made a good start. But if we just barge in and jump all over her, I think it would piss her off.”
“Maybe she just wants to wait until the place is really presentable,” Jinx put in. “Maybe she doesn’t want us to see it in process. Some people are funny that way.”
“I don’t know.” Amy fiddled with her empty glass. “Let’s meet for lunch on Monday. I have to take stuff to the post office. Reenie, didn’t you say you had to pick up some things at the office supply store?”
Her sister-in-law nodded.
“Okay,” Amy went on. “Jinx, lunch break? Bit and Bite at one o’clock?”
“All right.” Jinx frowned. “I just have a weird feeling about this whole thing. I hope we’re not going to piss her off before we hardly start being friends.”
“Friends care about friends,” Amy pronounced. “We’ll just do what we have to do.”
Chapter Seven
“Are you nervous?” Cade looked over at Georgie as he pulled her SUV into a parking space and killed the engine.
She smiled at him. “For you, not for me. Think you’re up to this?”
“I think we have to do it sooner or later, so we might as well get it over with.” He paused. “But, Georgie, if people—”
She pressed her fingers to his mouth. “If people are unhappy, that’s their problem. I believe in you, Cade. Let me help you start believing in yourself.”
He let out a slow breath. “Okay. If you’re game, I am. Let’s do it.”
He walked around to help her out of the vehicle, balancing her weight. Although she could walk on her sore foot by now, she still favored it and found herself with a slight limp. When he opened the door to the Bit and Bite and ushered her in ahead of him, people automatically looked up, curious to see who was arriving now.
All conversation suddenly stopped, as if the audio switch had been thrown. Eyes stared at them from faces frozen in astonishment.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Cade began.
But Georgie was getting angry. People needed to know that this man was working hard to redeem himself. To become a new person. With her.
“Let’s sit over there.” She pointed to an empty booth in the middle of the row along the wall.
“You sure you don’t want the one in the corner?” Cade asked.
“I’d sit in the middle of the damn room if there was a table empty. Come on.”
They slid into the booth, Cade doing his best to keep his eyes focused on Georgie. The waitress appeared at their side and slid one mug in front of Georgie.
&
nbsp; She looked up at the woman and gave her the sweetest smile she could manage. “Thanks. We’ll need another mug though. There are two of us, as you can see.”
The woman glared at her, shot a look of venom at Cade but went to fetch the mug.
“Told you this wasn’t such a good idea,” he reminded her. “To make matters worse, that woman and I had, um, what you might call a short relationship.”
“You slept with her.” Georgie stated it matter-of-factly. “Call it what it was. It’s over and done with. Time to move on and this is as good a place as any to show people the new you.”
“Yeah, right.” He snorted. “Like they’ll even care.”
She reached across the table and touched his arm. “Do you trust me, Cade?”
“I do, although why you believe in me is way beyond me.”
“My bullshit meter has had a lot of practice,” she told him. “And it tells me the new you is for real. Is it still a little shaky? Absolutely. But you’re moving forward. With me. So let’s have lunch.”
Although the waitress made her displeasure with him evident and people stared at them and whispered constantly, they managed to relax partway through lunch, and even laugh a little. Georgie was grinning at something Cade said when the door to the restaurant opened and the triumvirate walked in—Amy, Reenie and Jinx. They were busy chatting with each other about something and smiling, until Reenie caught sight of Georgie and Cade and nudged her sister-in-law.
Georgie didn’t think she’d ever seen such a combination of shock and anger on anyone’s face before, and she’d been in a lot of sticky situations. If looks could really kill, she and Cade would both be dead. At least Cade would, and she’d be severely injured.
“Don’t look now,” Georgie said in a low voice, “but I think we’re about to be the center of some very unpleasant attention. Just remember, I’m with you all the way.”
He set the half of sandwich he was eating down on his plate. “What now?”
In seconds, Amy Montgomery was standing beside their booth, the other two women behind her. She looked at Georgie, astonished.
“This is your handyman? This piece of crap? The one we warned you about?”
Georgie stared at her in shock. “Amy?”
“No wonder you didn’t want to tell us who you’d hired. I’m appalled at your lack of judgment.”
“Listen, Amy,” Cade began.
“Get out of here, Cade.” Her voice was heavy with venom and rage. “You don’t belong where decent people eat.”
“Amy, stop,” Georgie began.
But Amy was apparently on a roll and her friends didn’t look as if they were planning to stop her. Before anyone realized what she was doing she slapped Cade hard across the face.
“Jesus, Amy,” Reenie whispered. She reached for Amy’s arm but her sister-in-law shook her off.
“How dare you show your face here, Cade Hannigan, as if you’re some respectable human being. Which we all know you’re not.” She turned to Georgie. “So this is why you wouldn’t let us come to see you. I can understand it, because we would have told you to throw him off your property.” Her voice was escalating in volume and the entire restaurant was listening.
“Amy.” Reenie touched her shoulder. “Let’s go. We’ll eat someplace else. We can talk to Georgie about this later.”
“Absolutely not.” She pounded her fist on the table. “It would make me happy if you just dropped off the face of the earth, piece of crap that you are.”
“Amy, take a breath and listen to me.” Reenie reached for Amy’s hand again but the woman jerked it away. “Maybe Cade is making a real effort to turn his life around and that’s why Georgie hired him. You haven’t seen him the past few weeks—”
“Turn his life around?” She gave a hysterical laugh. “That’s just rich. Georgie, I can’t believe you fell for his line. You must be the only person in Rowan County who would.”
“I—”
“Do you know what he did to me? Do you?”
Georgie nodded. “He’s told me everything.”
“I don’t believe it. Did he tell you he lied to me when we were engaged and I ran into him in a bar with naked women draped over him? Or how about all the threats he made after I broke it off? Or the day he and his so-called friends trapped me in front of the post office. If Buck hadn’t happened to show up just then I think he was actually ready to beat me. Hit me.” Her eyes blazed. “How about that? You’re hiding a man who abuses women.”
Georgie glanced at Cade and saw every vestige of color leach from his face. She looked back at Amy.
“I think we can continue this discussion in a much less public place.” She was surprised her voice was as steady as it was. “There are things about Cade you need to know. Why don’t I call you later?”
She literally had to push her way out of the booth, forcing the women to move back. Cade dropped some cash on the table and followed her to the door.
“I have plenty more stories to tell you,” Amy shouted after them. “I guess we made a mistake thinking you were someone we wanted to be friends with. We don’t want anything to do with a person who hangs out with assholes, the kind who intimidate and threaten women. You should save yourself while you can.”
Georgie was shaking when they climbed back into the SUV. She waited until they had pulled out of town before trying to say anything.
“Cade, I want you to know—”
“Not now.” His words were like chips of ice.
“But—”
“I said not now.”
What frightened Georgie was the absolute lack of any emotion in his voice. She twisted her hands together in her lap on the silent ride to the B&B. Cade was still silent as he helped her into the house. After guiding her to a chair in the kitchen, he continued on to the bedroom. She started after him when she heard him rustling around in there but in seconds he was back with the beat-up suitcase he’d brought his things over to the house in.
“Where are you going?” She could hardly breathe.
“I knew this wouldn’t work. I told you that from the beginning. I’m poison. And poison’s bad for the system.” He headed toward the door.
“Don’t leave.” She limped after him. “I want to talk about this.”
He stopped and turned. The pain on his face was almost unbearable to look at.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I made my bed. I guess I’ll be lying in it for whatever’s left of my miserable life. I should have known better. People like me don’t get second chances.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “Do you think I believed what Amy said? You told me about those episodes yourself. Cade, she’s upset and holding a lot of anger. But do you really think I’d believe you would hit her? Or me? Or any woman, for that matter?”
“What’s the difference? Everyone else will believe it. Because they want to. You’ll never make a go of this place with me around here. People don’t forgive or forget.” He opened the front door. “The best thing I can do for you is walk out of your life.”
“No.” She grabbed his free arm. “I won’t let you leave. Not like this.”
“You don’t have a choice. I’m out of here.”
She stood in the open doorway, unshed tears burning her eyes. “What about us? Was that a lie? Were you giving me a line too?”
But even as she said the words, she knew they weren’t true. Cade had peeled away every layer of himself for her. He might have been able to snow her for a couple of days, but not for all this time.
At the door to his truck, he turned to look at her, agony etched so deeply on his face it pierced her heart.
“There is no us. There can’t be. You just saw the reason why. I was an idiot to think there could be.”
She limped out to the driveway, but before she could make it to the gravel, he’d backed up his pickup and roared out to the street. She stood there watching him pull away, feeling emptier than she had in a long time.
Finally, she t
rudged back into the house, locked the door and threw herself down on her mattress. Cade wasn’t the only fool here. How stupid was it to think everything was going to work out. The B&B and Cade had become her life. But without him this place didn’t seem quite so important anymore.
And for the first time in longer than she could remember, she indulged in a good long cry.
Her cell phone rang several times, followed by an assault on the doorbell and banging on both the front door and back.
“Georgie.” She heard Jinx’s voice. “We know you’re in there. Let us in. Come on. That business wasn’t really directed at you. Amy wants to apologize for making such a scene.”
I’m not the only one she should apologize to.
She didn’t have the strength or inclination for any kind of deep discussion with them right now. She was more worried about where Cade had gone, what he would do and if she’d ever see him again.
At last, they gave up and she heard their vehicles pull away. Still fully clothed, she pulled the covers over herself and tried to blank everything from her mind.
“Okay, who called this council of war?” Reenie filled her coffee mug and sat back down at the table.
“I did,” Jinx admitted. “We need to discuss Georgie.”
They were sitting in Amy’s kitchen with coffee and muffins from the Muffin Man.
Amy groaned. “She won’t even talk to me. I’ve tried. Although if I’m honest about it, if I were her I wouldn’t talk to me either.”
“She won’t talk to any of us,” Reenie pointed out.
“She wouldn’t have talked to me either,” Jinx said, “if we hadn’t had business to take care of. Even then she tried to get me to leave the ad in her mailbox for her.”
“What ad?” Amy and Reenie asked simultaneously.
“For the grand opening of the B&B. I insisted I had to go over it with her in person.” She looked at her two friends. “I’m here to tell you she looks like hell. The place has really turned out great, but you’d think she was preparing for a funeral rather than a grand opening.”
“What do you mean?” Reenie demanded.
