by Regina Duke
The soft knock startled her. She went to the hall door, but no one was there. She heard it again and closed the door. Puzzled, it took her a moment to spot the adjoining door between their rooms.
Her pulse raced.
“Hi,” Thor said when she opened the door, the husky rasp of his voice giving her shivers. “I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward. I usually don’t come on to married women.”
All of Ashley’s fatigue was gone in an instant. In its place, her body tingled with excitement. At the same moment, she felt uncertain.
“What about Rocky?” She couldn’t believe she’d just said that.
Thor smiled. “He’s asleep on the bed. Out for the night.” He traced the outline of Ashley’s cheek. “Have I told you how beautiful your hair is?”
Ashley felt heat rising to her cheeks, and in other locations as well. “My hair?” She mentally groaned at her own lack of verbal skill.
“And your skin. So smooth, so perfect. Makes me want to kiss it all over.” He leaned forward and touched his lips to her cheek.
Ashley’s eyes closed.
Thor’s lips caressed her chin, then moved slowly down her neck.
Ashley moaned.
“Mmmm, my favorite song,” whispered Thor.
Ashley felt her brain letting go of reason. Thor’s caress was delightful. Something she’d been longing for since she first laid eyes on him. Big, blond Thor with a six-pack that defied his tee shirt to cover it up. Thor with the bulging biceps. Thor with the lips that knew how to send a thrill of longing straight through the core of her being.
Thor, with a whispered, “Are you okay with this?”
Ashley nodded. Still couldn’t manage a coherent sentence.
“Just wanted to make sure.”
“We’re married,” she gasped.
“Yes, but there’s nothing on the napkin about you having to make love to me.”
Ashley felt a giggle bubbling up from inside. “Guess we’ll have to rewrite it. Where is it?” She was trying to pull her arm out of the sleeve of her pink hoodie.
Thor slipped his hands under the sweatshirt and lifted it gently over her head, then tossed it aside. “It’s in my office, in the safe.”
“Great.” Ashley sounded like she’d been running a race. “We can change that line tomorrow.” She pulled at the sleeve of her thermals.
Once again Thor obliged.
The touch of his hands against her skin elicited a tiny whimper. He paused on the way up and unfastened her bra, then lifted both over her head.
Ashley sagged against him. “I want to see your chest,” she murmured.
Thor’s eyes were molten. He pulled his own sweater and shirt off over his head and stood bare-chested, mere inches from her.
Ashley lay her palms on his perfect muscles. Her gaze drifted down to where Thor was unzipping his jeans. She wobbled forward and pressed her bare bosom against his muscles.
Thor tossed his head back and made an animal sound. A moment later, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. Every time he touched her, kissed her cheek, held her hand, his body responded with electricity. Holding her close, feeling her skin against his, was almost more than he could bear. Now she was lying on the bed, ready to give herself to him.
Slowly, gently, he unfastened her jeans.
“Once these come off,” he whispered gruffly, “I’m not sure I can control myself. So please tell me now if you want me to stop.”
“Stop? Are you mad? I’m about to burst into flames!”
Their mouths met in a long, deep kiss. It took hours to quench the blaze.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Thursday
Ashley woke first and lay for a long time watching Thor sleep. At some point, she realized she was smiling and hadn’t stopped smiling for...? Come to think of it, she was sure she’d smiled all night and woke up that way. She tried to stop, but couldn’t. Ordinarily such a condition would have alarmed her, but considering the night they’d spent together, she decided not to fight it.
Thor was deeply asleep.
Ashley wanted to watch him wake up, but once she was fully alert, she wanted a shower. Carefully and quietly, she extracted herself from the bedcovers and slipped into the bathroom. When she got out of the shower, she combed through her wet hair, but hesitated to use the dryer. If Thor was still asleep, she didn’t want to wake him.
Or rather, she did want to wake him. She wanted to wake him very badly.
She giggled at herself in the mirror.
She tried to remember what her life was like just a week ago. Alone, grieving, worried about money, no job, no boyfriend, nothing. And now, everything had changed.
Except the grieving. But she realized that she could let go of her dad now without feeling like she was abandoning him. She’d given up everything for him during that last year, and now it was time to begin living again.
She patted the ends of her hair with a towel and peeked into the bedroom.
Thor was now sprawled over the entire bed.
Since she had no negligee or anything sexy to put on, she pulled clean undies out of her suitcase and dressed in the black jeans and pink hoodie from the day before. She’d barely got her shoes on when someone pounded on the door of the room next to hers. Rocky barked.
Ashley shot out of her chair. She’d forgotten all about Rocky! And someone was knocking on that door expecting Thor to answer it. She went through the connecting door and managed to survive an onslaught of bouncing Doberman long enough to open it.
Polly Garrison stood in the hall, blond hair askew, eyes wild.
“Where’s Thor?”
Ashley waved her inside. Half a second later, she realized that the adjoining door was wide open, and it was probably obvious that she and Thor had slept together. Oh, well, they were married after all.
Polly didn’t even seem to notice. She trotted through the open door into the other room and shook Thor by one ankle.
“Wake up, wake up! Britney Beth is missing.”
Ashley took a long breath and muttered under her breath, “Of course she is.”
Thor squinted through sleepy eyes. “What? Mama? What are you doing here?”
“She left the hospital while I was sleeping. The nurses said she must have breezed on out during the shift change.”
Thor took a moment to assess his situation.
Ashley could practically read his thoughts. Mother in room. Naked under covers. She decided to take action.
“Polly, let’s give Thor time to get dressed, shall we? It’s not like Britney Beth was bleeding or anything. I’m sure she’s okay. We’ll take Rocky outside for a bit, then all sit down and figure out where Britney Beth is, all right?”
Polly nodded. “Good idea. Poor Rocky. Did you wait to go potty all night?”
Ashley reassured her as she clipped a leash onto Rocky’s collar. “He got a break at two a.m. Don’t let him tell you any different.”
Polly gave her a weird look, then laughed. It was a dry sound. “You’re starting to sound just like Thor,” she said. To her son, “We’ll be back in five minutes. Get dressed.”
Rocky was thrilled to be outside. He sniffed all the bushes as if he didn’t visit them almost every day.
It was only eight o’clock. Ashley was familiar with hospital routine, and shift change was probably seven a.m. So her errant rival hadn’t been gone for long. She tried to keep Polly’s mind distracted.
“What time is your husband arriving?”
“Rooster? Oh, he’ll get here about noon. I don’t know when Ulysses will arrive. He stayed behind to take care of some things so Rooster could travel. But he said he wouldn’t miss the ceremony. Of course, now we may not have one.”
Ashley chewed her bottom lip, wondering if she should let Polly in on their Vegas marriage. She had almost convinced herself that the answer was yes when Polly’s hands flew to her head and she stood staring at an empty parking space.
“Her ca
r is gone! Her Mercedes was parked right there, and it’s gone. Oh, no. What am I going to tell her mother?” She clutched Ashley’s arm. “What if she drives that car into a tree and finishes the job?”
Ashley’s brow furrowed. “Now, now, let’s not create a crisis before the facts.” Polly was almost as much of a drama queen as Britney Beth. Fueling each other’s crisis fires was probably the cornerstone of their relationship. “Let’s go get Thor and think this through.”
Polly looked very tired. “Good idea. You’ve got a level head on your shoulders, Ashley. It’s going to be so nice to have you in the family. Lord knows we need some level heads.”
They didn’t have to go far to find Thor. He was already coming out of the elevator in the lobby. His hair was freshly shampooed.
Ashley was impressed. “That was fast.”
“Fireman, remember? More than one alarm has interrupted my shower in the past.” He pulled his jacket on. He, too, was wearing yesterday’s clothes.
Rocky was thrilled that they were all together.
Polly gave the leash a single snap and commanded, “Heel.” Rocky settled at her left side.
“Wow,” said Ashley. “That’s amazing.”
“I’ll teach you all about it,” said Polly. “First, Britney Beth.” To Thor, “Her car is gone.”
Thor nodded. “Okay. Let’s check the obvious places first. My office.”
“Why there?”
“Because it’s morning and The Muffin Man opens at six a.m. and Britney Beth loves those muffins. Good coffee, too. It’s just down the street.” He frowned down at his mother’s lightweight shoes. “Let’s take the car. Your feet must be freezing.”
It only took a minute or two to drive down the street, around the corner, and park in front of his office. No Mercedes.
“Maybe she parked in back,” said Ashley. “That would make sense if she didn’t want to be found right away.”
Thor agreed. “She must have. The lights are on, and I turned them off when we came back for Rocky.”
Polly was visibly relieved. “Oh, thank God.” She practically spilled out of the back seat. Rocky followed close behind.
Ashley and Thor exchanged long-suffering glances.
“Hawaii is sounding really good about now,” said Ashley.
“Yes, ma’am. Or maybe someplace even further than that.”
Ashley flashed him a smile. “Okay, then, let’s go help your poor mother.”
They walked into the office. Not only were the lights on, but a white sack from The Muffin Man sat open on Thor’s desk along with a styrofoam coffee cup. Specks of powdered sugar were all over the desk. Rocky started licking them up at once.
Britney Beth looked pretty good for a woman who spent the evening in the emergency room. Her hair was coiffed. Her makeup was perfect. She’d obviously taken the time to freshen up.
Then she’d cracked Thor’s safe. The door stood wide open.
Britney Beth whirled when they came in. She had the good grace to look guilty, but it didn’t slow her down much. She was holding a white paper in the air. A folded paper napkin. The napkin.
“I knew it!” Her eyes were wild but her expression was triumphant. “It’s all a sham. I knew Thor couldn’t love a fat cow like her. Polly, look at this. Their whole plan is right here. She’s a gold digger, and not even a good one. She’s giving it all away for a new car!”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Polly was taken aback. “Britney Beth Beale, what on Earth are you doing? Did you swipe my emergency keys so you could get in here and open Thor’s safe?”
“That’s not the point, Polly. This is the point. Read it.” She thrust the napkin at Polly.
Polly took the napkin and handed it to Thor.
“What are you doing?” Britney Beth lunged for the napkin, but Thor tucked it deftly inside his shirt.
Polly pulled herself up and tucked her chin in her most disapproving attitude. “I am ashamed of you, young lady. I know you’re distraught. I know you were very upset last night. But what in the world do you think you’re doing? Do you know you scared the living daylights out of me by sneaking out of the hospital? Girl, I thought your life was in danger. And here you are, sneaking around, opening safes, and calling people names.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I declare, I’m going to have to call your mother this very minute.”
Her final words had an effect. Britney Beth made an effort to collect herself.
“You are so right, Polly. I don’t know what came over me. I had no right to open that safe. Thor, I apologize. It’s not becoming behavior at all. Those pills I took...they must have addled my brain.”
But Polly was not so easily swayed. Her eyes narrowed as she examined Britney Beth. “I cannot say at the moment that I see any true remorse. Your mama counts on me to keep an eye on you. How am I going to explain this to her?”
“Well, frankly, Polly,” said Britney Beth with a hint of exasperation, “you could just not tell her.”
Thor put up both palms and backed away. “Whoa.”
Ashley started to ask what was going on, but a moment later it became evident.
Polly Garrison was not amused. Her tone became terse and her expression was grim. “Are you suggesting to me that I lie to your dear mother?”
“Neglecting to report is not a lie. And who are we fooling, Polly? You know it’s my daddy who keeps after you to spy on me.”
The two women stood and glared at each other for several seconds.
Britney Beth blinked first.
Polly’s words cut like a knife. “Thor, you were right to choose a different bride.”
Britney Beth’s face crumpled and her pupils shrank to pinpoints. “No, no, Polly! Please. I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to speak so cruelly. You are my only friend.”
Polly frowned at her. “And what of your mother? Darlene deserves that honor.”
Britney Beth looked from Polly to Thor and then to Ashley. Her face betrayed the workings of her mind. She was desperate to regain Polly’s good graces, but she couldn’t think of a way to do it. At last, her expression sank again into bitterness and her voice began to squeak.
“What about your own son? It’s not like he tells you everything. He tried to kill me! Did he tell you that?”
Polly held up a hand to stop the flow of accusations.
Ashley could almost see the walls going up between the two women.
“He did! Polly, I swear to you. That fire in Texas. Remember? He went in there and yes, he saved those two babies, but he only did that because the woman in that fire looked just like me. He decided to leave her there to die because he thought it was me, and he wanted to be rid of me.”
Polly now looked horrified. “Girl, you have lost your ever-loving mind.” She turned to Thor. “Tell me this is nonsense.”
Thor reached for Ashley’s hand before he spoke. “The woman did look just like Britney Beth,” he said. “It stunned me. I called out to her. But she was unconscious. I had to make a split second decision. I grabbed the babies and took them out. By the time we got back for the mother, we couldn’t revive her.” His voice grew cold. “She was Britney Beth’s twin.”
Polly spread her hands. “What are you talking about? Britney Beth’s not a twin. Her mama never told me anything about her being a twin.”
“My twin was adopted by a family that only wanted one girl. Then things went bad for them, and she ended up back in the foster system. We ran into each other in high school. When her football team played mine. I was a cheerleader. She was a tramp. She found out my adopted daddy was Judge Beale, and she was furious. She made my high school years a living hell. She never let me forget that I was the so-called lucky one.”
Ashley had been standing apart, trying to stay out of the way but she couldn’t help herself. “Sounds like you had a lot in common.”
Britney Beth turned on her, eyes blazing with hatred and contempt. “She was a meth addict. Popping out unwed babies right and
left. She was nothing like me.”
Polly’s brow furrowed. “Thor Baby? Those children you saved were Britney Beth’s kin?”
He nodded. “I was stunned by the face of the woman in the fire. I thought it was Britney Beth. It was crazy in there. The kids. I had to get the kids out. I didn’t know for sure who had died in the fire until I got home and found you and Britney Beth and Darlene at your bridge game. When Britney Beth finally told me about her sister, I wanted to tell her mother about the kids, but Britney Beth said she’d kill me—” He broke off and chose different words. “She begged me not to mention the dead woman or her kids to her mother.”
Polly’s pupils shrank. “Lord Almighty! Britney Beth, you never told your mother about your sister living right there so close? Didn’t it ever occur to you that she might want to reach out? Extend a hand?”
Britney Beth stomped around the office, gathering her purse, her keys, and the suitcase in which she’d stored her wedding gown. “Are you mad? You know what a soft touch my mother is. She’d have moved Annie Sue into the spare bedroom.”
“But those kids are your kin. How could you? And Thor, you should have said something.”
Thor spread his hands. “I’m sorry, mama. I should have told the Beales. But Britney Beth—.”
Britney Beth thrust her chin at him. “Shut your mouth, Thor Garrison! Don’t you be telling tales years after the fact. Annie Sue is dead, thanks to you. I’m not the one who left her in that burning building.”
Ashley strode across the room and stiff-armed Britney Beth backwards. She stumbled over her suitcase and fell on her butt.
“That’s enough, you mean-spirited witch!” Ashley’s eyes flashed with fire. “Don’t say another word. How dare you try to smear Thor with your own wrongdoing? I have had it with you. You are not invited to the wedding.”
Britney Beth stared up at her in disbelief. A moment later, she burst into tears, rolled onto her knees and clambered to her feet.
