A Heart to Call Home

by Amanda Torrey

  He waited until she was out of earshot before he burst out laughing.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I don’t believe a word of that nonsense.” Paisley slammed the dishes into the sink and began running the water. “And where the hell is your dishwasher?”

  “Hey, watch that. I don’t feel like buying new ones. And a dishwasher is low on the list of priorities right now.”

  “You need to ‘fess up. You came in here earlier wearing a man’s shirt. And humming. You never hum.” Paisley paced the area with her fingers in the air, counting off the points as she made them. “Simplicity came in squealing about the hot shirtless man in the woods. And you are being insanely evasive!”

  “And you are being insanely invasive.” Reed stormed off to her room. She needed some peace and alone time before they left for the festival.

  “Reed, come out here and talk to me.” Paisley banged on the door.

  Reed buried her face in her hands.

  She still smelled like him.

  She wanted to go back and hit instant replay on their midmorning activities.

  When she couldn’t take the banging on the door any longer, she whipped it open.

  “I’ll come out, but I refuse to be cross-examined. We’re not in the courtroom, you know.”

  Paisley stared at Reed, her expression softening.

  “I don’t want to see you hurt. You just got out of a bad relationship. It’s too soon to fall into another one.”

  “What do you know about my relationship?” Reed demanded. “Don’t come here and act like we’ve been in each other’s lives. We haven’t. All you know is that I’m divorced. You weren’t there for the bad parts.”

  Paisley blinked rapidly and lowered her head. A second later, she lifted her chin, cleared her face of any emotional expression, and stepped forward.

  “You’re absolutely correct. And I want to change that. All I know is what I’ve read in the paper. CEOs don’t get private lives. Especially the big successful ones who break all the rules. You know that.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Simplicity drifted in, carrying a bouquet of dandelions and interrupting Reed and Paisley’s standoff with her singing.

  “Why do people think of these beautiful flowers as weeds? They are triumphant symbols of life and love and perseverance. They never give up.”

  Reed rolled her eyes. Paisley crossed her arms over her chest.

  “What’s wrong with you two? You’re so tense.”

  “Reed refuses to admit she’s having a fling.”

  “Paisley refuses to butt out of my private business.”

  “Wow, and you guys think I’m the immature one.” Simplicity chuckled, twirling her way to the kitchen where she searched until she found the glass she wanted to use for her dandelions. “You may think I don’t notice things, but I sure noticed Reed’s cheerfulness. And hot contractor guy? I’ve never seen a man with a bigger grin. And if his wide shoulders are any indication, I’d say he has a bigger—”

  A knock on the wooden part of the screen door prevented Reed from screaming.

  “You think I’m hot, huh?” Rogan strolled in through the screen door, greeting each of the sisters with a smile and a nod.

  “Jury’s out on that one.” Paisley’s hands moved to her hips in a power posture move. “We’ll see how you treat my sister before we decide.”

  “Paisley…” Reed interjected.

  “Oh, ignore her, Rogan. She’s just jealous because she’s the only one of us who didn’t get to see you without a shirt,” Simplicity said, smiling.

  “I’m going to be in the other room. Dying.” Reed groaned and dragged her humiliated self into her room.

  She wasn’t ready for Rogan to pick her up. She had lost track of time with the craziness of getting the new grill set up and helping to make burgers—grass-fed, organic meat for Paisley and gluten-free veggie burgers for Simplicity. She was more behind on her tasks than she had been when she started the day.

  That’s what it felt like, anyway.

  “Should I go in there?”

  She heard Rogan ask the question, then heard creaking floorboards outside the bedroom door. Paisley, ever the protector, was probably blocking the door to prevent his entrance.

  Reed laughed to herself. Because if she didn’t laugh, she’d cry. Or have a nervous breakdown. All of those things sounded like good options at that moment.

  She rushed into a fresh outfit, ran the brush through her hair, then checked herself in the warped mirror above the dresser. She would have preferred to spend a little extra time on her appearance, considering she’d be seeing everyone in town, but she also preferred for Rogan to survive a little longer. Her sisters were dangerous women to be alone with.

  She took a deep breath, smoothed the front of her country-girl shirt to be sure she was presentable, and whisked past her guard (aka Paisley).

  Simplicity’s squeal nearly split Reed’s eardrum.

  “You look just like Mom!”

  Reed shook her head and looked away from Simplicity, ignoring the sharp pain in her chest at Simplicity’s declaration.

  “You’re gorgeous. As always.” Rogan swept her into his embrace, kissing her on the neck as he hugged her.

  Reed couldn’t contain her smile, marveling at how the blue of his shirt made his eyes practically glow. His cheeks were smooth, with none of his usual stubble.

  She inhaled his make-my-girlfriend-want-to-jump-me-now cologne, wishing for the billionth time that her sisters weren’t there. A quickie would have been such a soothing way to relax her nerves and prepare her for another town-wide event.

  Maybe she could send them ahead…

  “I’ll grab my purse. Okay if we ride with you?” Paisley asked, not waiting for an answer.

  “Of course,” Rogan said, making Reed’s negative answer sound petty.

  She inhaled deeply, allowing his sexy scent to penetrate her fog of annoyance.

  “Aren’t your kids going, too?” Reed asked, shocked that she’d prefer to ride with an SUV full of young children if it meant her sisters would have to take Paisley’s car.

  “They’re meeting us there. My mother insisted that she be allowed to bring them to show off to her knitting club friends. I think she secretly wants to get them filled up on cotton candy and fried Oreos before I get there to tell them no.”

  Reed almost blurted out that Dylan hadn’t mentioned that his grandmother was taking him to the carnival when he stopped by earlier that afternoon for his reading lesson. He had made her promise she wouldn’t tell his dad about their arrangement. She didn’t like keeping secrets between a parent and a child, but she figured this was a harmless one. If Rogan had seen Dylan there, she would have explained. But since he had been so caught up in working down back, it hadn’t yet become an issue. Besides, Dylan said he wanted to surprise his dad by reading aloud to him when he was ready.

  Reed did feel a bit uneasy about Dylan’s comments about Rogan liking Reed more than he liked Dylan, but she figured it was just some sort of tween angst. She had been quick to laugh it off and to reassure him that this was Rogan’s job, and that’s why he was spending so much time there. That the whole reason he worked so hard was to provide well for his kids.

  Dylan had shrugged it off. Reed didn’t see what could be gained by breaking the kid’s trust.

  Especially since breaking his trust would mean he’d stop coming by for lessons. And since he had made amazing progress in the past few days, she didn’t want to risk losing the opportunity to help the kid.

  Rogan gallantly gestured for the ladies to exit through the door he held open, then rushed to beat Reed to the car so he could open her door. She couldn’t help herself—she had to kiss him as she got in, ignoring the clapping and cheering from Simplicity and the groaning and sighing from Paisley.

  Simplicity babbled the entire ride, marveling over the beauty of the woods, the lovely tree-lined streets, the old houses that were maintained so true
to their historical heritage. Rogan patiently answered all of her questions.

  Once they arrived, Rogan dropped them off at the field so he could find parking elsewhere.

  “You guys go ahead. I’m waiting here for Rogan.”

  “No way! We could ride the Ferris wheel before he gets back. Come with!” Simplicity grabbed Reed’s hand and dragged her toward the entrance.

  Reed tried to pull away, but Simplicity was surprisingly strong, and their struggle started to grab the attention of others.

  With one final tug, Reed won her arm back. She ran her hand over her hair in an effort to compose herself, straightened her back, and told Simplicity they could ride one time, and then they’d separate.

  One ride turned into four. Even Paisley had started to smile, and when Simplicity begged for cotton candy, Paisley couldn’t help but buy the biggest bag they had.

  Reed checked her phone, but Rogan hadn’t tried to call or text. Maybe he had run into his kids and was off having a blast. They’d catch up eventually.

  Reed protested when Paisley and Simplicity forced her onto the bleachers for a farmer’s presentation.

  “I have to find Rogan.”

  “We’ll all look for him as soon as this is over. Holy cow—look what that pig can do!”

  Reed glanced over the entire audience, hoping she’d spot Rogan and his kids.

  No luck.

  Paisley left for a minute, then came back with a cold beer for each of them.

  “Thanks. Exactly what I need,” Reed said, opening the bottle and bringing it straight to her lips.

  Simplicity shoved hers back at Paisley.

  “You know I don’t drink that!”

  Reed grabbed it from Paisley’s hand.

  “I’ll take it.”

  “Double fisting, huh?” The deep voice of one of her least favorite people, Tim, the building inspector, interrupted what little joy Reed had been starting to feel.

  She attempted a smile and a professional greeting. He didn’t go away.

  “Doesn’t look like you’ll be able to finish up by the deadline, huh? Too bad. I liked the idea of having that old heap refurbished. I wouldn’t bother sinking anymore of your precious pin money into it, though. The town is all set to repossess.”

  Paisley whipped her head toward the horrid man and spoke up while Reed took her deep calming breath.

  “Excuse me? Are you speaking to my client about a matter pertaining to an issue which has not yet been settled through a fair hearing? You can direct all inquiries to me. Preferably in writing, and preferably not outside of regular business hours.” Paisley dug her business card out of her purse and handed it to the stunned man.

  “I was just, I mean, I want it to work out.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Ackerman. If you’ll excuse us…” Reed allowed her voice to trail off, dismissing him.

  He tipped his hat and scurried away.

  “Whoa, you two together are scary. Did you see how red his face got?” Simplicity bounced up and down in her seat. “Oh, oh! They’re starting the dance-off! Let’s do it! Come on!”

  “No way.” Reed and Paisley answered in unison.

  “Come on. This is our vacation!”

  “Like hell it is,” Reed said. “Matter of fact, I should be working right now. You heard the man—they’re ready to steal my property if things don’t get done on time.”

  “Bull. We won’t let that happen. And no, Simplicity, the puppy dog eyes won’t work this time.” Paisley delivered a stern look, one that would make young children take notice.

  “I want to dance.”

  “Then dance,” Reed suggested.

  “Remember when we were little and Mom would choreograph routines for us in the back yard?”

  Reed knew where this was going. She guzzled down one bottle of beer and opened the second.

  “Let’s do this for Mom. In honor of her memory.” Simplicity knelt in front of her sisters, hands crossed, pleading. “Pretty please?”

  Paisley said, “Ah, what the hell? Check out the competition. We could kick ass.”

  “I was counting on you to stay strong,” Reed said, sipping bottle number two.

  Simplicity grabbed each of their hands and pulled.

  “Fine, but after this, no more. I mean it.” Reed glared at her sister. “And we’re doing the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun routine.”

  “Yay—my favorite!” Simplicity squealed.

  Once they were on stage, the CEO Reed completely vanished, and the young child named Freedom returned full force. She lost herself in the music, in the stage, in the hot summer night air, in the joy of dancing with her sisters.

  Wild applause erupted when the song ended, and people shouted for an encore.

  The judges refused to allow another dance, but when the finalists were announced, the crowd went wild at the mention of their names.

  For the next round, they didn’t get to pick the song. They had to improvise.

  As the first beats of music began, Reed finally spotted Rogan. His four-year-old on his shoulders, he stood in the center of the crowd. She smiled and waved. He smiled, but didn’t seem overjoyed. He didn’t wave back, but Henry, the child, did.

  “Freedom, focus!” Paisley snapped. She didn’t take losing lightly, even if it was a silly small town dance competition.

  It took a few beats, but they managed to put together a somewhat cohesive dance.

  The crowd went wild once again, but Rogan was nowhere to be seen after they took their bows.

  Reed excused herself and ran through the area, wanting to touch base with Rogan. He had seemed so put out by her being on the stage. She needed to explain why she hadn’t met up with him yet.

  She saw him bent over, tickling baby Ivy’s feet while she kicked in her stroller. He was all smiles and laughter.

  Until she poked his shoulder.

  He turned around in annoyance.

  Taken aback, the apology and greeting she had planned slipped away.

  “Sorry, I just—”

  He raised his eyebrow and stood to his full height.

  “What took you so long to park the car?” she asked, meeting his gaze.

  “Didn’t take long at all. I looked for you for a while, but heard a rumor that you ditched me to get drunk and dance. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was true.”

  “I didn’t ditch you. And I most certainly didn’t get drunk.”

  He raised his eyebrow again. She had the urge to rip it off his forehead and shove it up his nose. His baby’s laughter was the only thing that stopped her from fulfilling this sudden violent need.

  “So I didn’t see you chugging beer before going onstage and shaking your ass for the whole town to see?”

  She opened her mouth to speak. Then she closed it.

  This was exactly what she didn’t need.

  “Peterson Sisters, please return for one last chance to be crowned Healing Springs Dancing Queens!”

  “I have to go,” Reed said, turning around to leave.

  He didn’t stop her.

  Good thing, too, because she had no need for manacles in her life.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I’ll meet you in the field before the fireworks start,” Rogan said to his mother as he kissed her cheek.

  “I don’t know what’s going on with you and that pretty lady, but you’d do yourself a favor not to mess it up.”

  Rogan’s mother pinched his cheek to reiterate her point.

  He gritted his teeth and loaded the diaper bag into the net compartment under the stroller.

  “You sure you’re okay with all the kids?”

  “You doubt my abilities?”

  Her stern look made him wince. He sure had a way with women these days… Hell, who was he kidding? He had never had a way with women.

  “I’d be crazy to doubt anything about you, Mom.”

  She smiled even as she raised her painted-on brows.

  “You remember that.”

  H
e pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to his mother. “Try to lay off the junk. Maybe they should jump around in the bounce house for a while to burn off some of that sugar.”

  “Don’t go telling me what to do with my grandchildren and your money, son. Now off with you. And don’t you dare pay any heed to the gossips in this town. They don’t always know as much as they think they do.”

  He kissed the baby on the head and tried to get the attention of the other kids, but they were busy digging in the dirt and paid him no heed.

  The words he had overheard rang in his ears. He hated gossip. Always had. Always would.

  He also hated being made a fool.

  When the old biddies had noticed him nearby, they had stopped talking abruptly. Not before he heard them mention the indiscretions of his wife and how sad it was that Rogan Douglas was falling for a woman who was already committing the same crimes against him.

  The music began to swell as he moved back toward the bandstand, home of the annual dance-off and trigger for his irritation.

  He was an idiot. No doubt.

  She was just having a good time.

  Yeah, and so was Sheila.

  Was Reed just like his ex-wife?

  Would she lead him on and betray him when she didn’t think he was paying attention?

  Sure, he was fine for Reed in private. When she had no one else. But bring her to a public place, and she disappeared in seconds.

  How was he supposed to trust that she had any feelings for him at all?

  What did he really know about Freedom Peterson, anyway? Hell, until the night of their arrest, he hadn’t even known her real name.

  Maybe he should have kept with his first instinct about her. She was trouble. With a capital T.

  Any brewing feelings he had for her were best squashed at the interception.

  No way would he put himself through the kind of hurt he had recently endured. No way.

  He forced his jaw to relax when Reed and her sisters strutted onto the stage for the final round.

  Yeah, he was onto her. She acted all regal and professional around him. Clearly an act if her current behavior was any indication. She looked like an attention-hungry pop star on that stage.