“I’ve got our things,” he said. His eyes were shuttered and cool.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and tried to think beyond the pain. “Where’s Lissa? Do you know?”
“She went to Ginger’s.”
Karin nodded. “What about a car? You can take mine if you want. You can leave it at the airport and I can get it later.”
He shook his head. “They’d be watching for your car.”
“How about Mom’s then? She hardly uses it and it wouldn’t be traced that easily.”
He hesitated for a long moment, but finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll call and let you know where we’ve left it.”
“That’s fine.”
She went into the kitchen for the spare set of keys and handed them to him. Then there didn’t seem to be much else to say.
“Good luck,” she said.
He nodded. “Thanks. You, too. With the baby, I mean.”
She nodded also, feeling like a dog looking out the back window of a car, just bobbing its head with the motion of the car.
“Well.” He picked up the suitcases. “This is it then.”
“Yep.” Not much chance of a goodbye hug with his hands full of luggage. Just as well. She didn’t want one anyway. She opened the back door for him.
He started out the door, but paused at her side. His eyes had softened but she couldn’t read any message there. It was probably just the glare of the late-morning sun. A long moment passed, then another, but then he took a deep breath and went outside without a word.
She watched him go out on the porch, blinking back a sudden wetness in her eyes. She was not going to stand there and watch him go. The whole world would know how she felt then, and that was something nobody needed to know.
“I’m going back out the front way,” she called after him. “Just in case someone was watching.”
He turned, about to start down the steps. “Sure. Good thinking. Want to take that roll of film on the bar to your mom?”
“Glad to.” How was her voice so bright and lively when her heart was dying? “So long.”
“Bye.”
She barely heard him as she closed the door. Maybe it would have been more polite to watch and wave from the door, but that was more than she was able to give. She took a deep breath that only increased the ache in her heart and walked slowly through the apartment.
In the living room, Shilah was sniffing at something on the floor under an end table, batting at it with a little paw.
“What’s there, pussycat?” Karin asked. “You find a bug?”
But when Karin moved the cat aside and looked under the table, she found the little bunny rattle they’d gotten at the baby fair. Karin sank onto the floor, looking at the tiny toy and feeling the baby stir inside her.
She’d been wrong before when she’d thought that all she had left from Jed’s visit was pain. He had given her a lot, if she wanted to be honest about it. He’d given her belief in herself and her ability to mother. Quite a gift, when she thought about it. Quite a magnificent gift.
Maybe there was a way to repay him. To give him a small gift in return. She scrambled to her feet and hurried to the door. She had to find Heather ... and fast.
Jed drove the car down the alley where fewer people were walking. At every parking spot he passed, he had the urge to park and run back to see Karin. What the hell was the matter with him?
It was just that he had handled things so badly. He should have told her about Lissa, except that Chesterton seemed so far removed from Los Angeles, he felt as if he and Lissa were different people here. They could be whomever they wanted to be, and no one would care.
But he should have known better. Even if Lissa had been sucked into the role of being a regular kid, he shouldn’t have forgotten that she wasn’t. He should have been more on guard for the secret getting out. And he should have been watching out to make sure no one else got hurt. He hadn’t watched out for Karin nearly well enough.
He stopped at a stop sign and waited for a giggling group of girls dressed as wicked witches to cross the street. They were safely across but he still didn’t move. He had this nagging feeling he was forgetting something, that he was leaving something important behind, but a quick check in the back seat said he had three suitcases—which was all they came with.
It was leaving in a hurry that was causing his hesitation, he told himself, and drove across the intersection. If he didn’t have time to think things out, he usually forgot something. But if he had left something behind, he could always ask Karin to send it.
Karin.
Just to say her name in his mind hurt. Damn, but he was going to miss her. She’d been a good sport about everything. Fun to argue with and even more fun to make up with. He hated like hell to leave her. He wondered if there was any chance she’d get offered a position at an L.A. hospital. Or if there was any chance she’d accept one if it was offered.
He stopped in front of Ginger’s house and got out of the car, walking slowly up to the porch where Lissa was sitting as Ginger braided her hair.
“Hey, darlin’,” he said.
She looked up. “Hi, Daddy. What are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet at Munchkinland.”
“Something came up, darlin’, and I need to talk to you.”
Lissa frowned. “Dad, we’re practicing for the play.”
“It’s important, Lissa.”
The lights dimmed in Lissa’s eyes. She knew something was wrong. Damn. He was messing this up.
She came over to him slowly and he led her over to the car where they could talk without Ginger overhearing.
“Lissa,” he said softly and stooped so he was eye level with her. “Reporters know you’re here in town. They’re looking for us.”
The light went out of her eyes. “What are we going to do?”
“Nothing much we can do but leave.” He tried to make his voice softer to gentle the hard truth. “If we drive into Chicago, we can lose them pretty easy.”
“But it’s almost time for the play. Will we get back in time?”
His heart was about to break. She didn’t understand. “We’re not coming back, darlin.’ We’ve got to go home.”
She just looked at him, her eyes reflecting her disappointment. “But what about Karin and Grandma? And I promised Shilah I would brush her tonight after dinner when we watch television together.”
“They’ll understand. They’d want you to stay safe.”
“But I don’t want to go,” she cried, her voice becoming a wail.
“We don’t have a choice.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her, feeling her disappointment in the air. This whole thing had gone wrong from start to finish. He should have insisted on Walt Disney World. They would have had a great time there, lots of fun and no hurt.
He loosened his hold on her. “Go back over and tell—”
Just then a car pulled up behind Marge’s at the curb and he stiffened. Had they found him already? But it was only Heather jumping from the car.
“Thank goodness, I found you guys,” she said, breathing hard as if she’d been running. “Come on, take my car and go on over to my house. We haven’t got much time.”
“Time for what?” Lissa asked.
Jed continued to hold Lissa’s hand in his. “Actually, we were just on our way,” he said. “Once Lissa’s ready, we’re going to be leaving.”
Heather glanced around her. “Yeah, I know all about everything,” she said. “Karin told me. She sent me here.”
Karin sent her? “Why?”
“To fix things.” She rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“There isn’t time to explain right now.”
“There isn’t time not to,” Jed said. “Exactly what did she tell you?”
“Not much that we all didn’t know already,” Heather said, then turned toward the house. “Ginger, want to ask your mom to come out here? I need to ask her a favor.”
“Okay,” t
he girl said and ran into the house.
“Heather—”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. Quickly. Karin told me about Lissa being the Crunchy Flakes kid, which we all knew since some of us watch television on occasion.”
“You knew?” Lissa asked, her voice almost breathless.
Heather smiled at her, then it turned to a frown. “Hey, sugar. What happened to your braid?” She turned Lissa around and began to fix her hair. “Yes, we knew but we figured if you wanted to keep it secret, you must have a good reason.”
“But...but...” Jed didn’t know what to say.
“Some reporters are in town now,” Lissa said and handed Heather a ribbon for the braid. “Daddy said we need to leave.”
Heather tied the braid up, then gave Lissa a hug. “Leaving would be one solution, I guess. But Karin thought up a better one. One so you could stay in town and see the rest of the festival.”
“How can we do that?” Jed asked, his heart leaping up with hope. It was just that he didn’t like to see Lissa’s vacation ruined. That was all. Seeing Karin again had nothing to do with it.
“Easy,” Heather said. “Instead of dressing up like Dorothy and the Tinman, the town is going to dress up like Jed and Lissa.”
Chapter Twelve
Lissa giggled. “Really?” she asked.
But Jed was dumbfounded. The town was going to dress up like him and Lissa? How in the world were they going to do that?
Heather handed him her car keys, and took his from his hand. “Go on over to my house and wait for me. I’ve got some planning to do with Ginger’s mom, then I’ll drive your car over. If someone saw you leave the bar, this will throw them off. You do remember where I live, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but—”
Heather waved her hands, shooing them toward her car. “Get going. If this gets messed up, Karin will never forgive me.”
But his feet wouldn’t move. “Why is she doing this? I don’t get it.”
Heather just looked at him, then burst into laughter. “Why do you think, silly?”
“But you don’t understand. Our relationship wasn’t...” How could he put it? “What it seemed.”
“I know all about the fake engagement,” Heather said. “I told you she told me. Now, will you get going?”
“I gotta get my stuff,” Lissa said and ran back to the porch. In a moment, she was running back to the car, her Dorothy dress, magic shoes and a small picnic basket in her arms.
Ginger’s mom came outside. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Go,” Heather ordered Jed, then hurried up to the porch herself.
Jed got Lissa into Heather’s car, then climbed in. There didn’t seem much point in arguing and, to be honest, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Heather’s house was only a couple of blocks away, so minutes later he pulled into her driveway. The house looked quiet and still.
He turned off the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition. “I hope her house keys are here.”
Lissa had opened her door, but stopped to give him a look. “Dad, this is Chesterton.”
“I forgot.” Chesterton, the land of the trusting. Leave your house open. Take in strangers. Trust them with all you hold precious.
For all her big-city ways, Karin was still a smalltown girl and way too trusting. What if he’d taken advantage of her kindness? A little nagging voice pointed out that he had. And repaid her with hurt.
Jed took Lissa’s hand and hurried up the walk. Heather’s husband, Alex, opened the door for them and waved them in as he talked into a cordless phone.
“That’s right, blue jeans and a white shirt.” Alex looked Jed over from toes to head, a frown on his face. “Medium blue. Washed-out look. What? Oh, okay. You aren’t the only one. Gym shoes’ll have to do. And girls should dress as Dorothy.”
Alex broke the connection and smiled. “Come on in and sit down. There’s stuff to eat or drink in the kitchen if you’re hungry. I’d fix you something but I’ve a list of people to call. Just make yourselves at home.”
“We’re fine,” Jed said and went into the living room as he heard Alex entering another number into the phone.
So that’s how it was going to work. Other people were going to dress up like him and Lissa. He supposed it might work, but why would they bother? Why would the town go out of its way to do this for strangers?
Alex’s voice drifted in. “Mickey? You heard? Yep, that’s the routine...”
“Look, Daddy, a kitten,” Lissa said. She sat down on the floor and tried to coax a little gray tabby cat out from under a chair. “Isn’t it cute?”
“Yep.” Jed sat down and picked up the newspaper. It was a local one, filled with Oz-festival stories and pictures. Filled with Karin. He stared at her picture until he could have sworn she smiled at him.
That’s why the town was helping him and Lissa, he realized. For Karin. Because they loved her and thought he did too.
Lordy. He pulled off his hat and sat there, arms on his knees and hat in hand as he stared at the floor. What a mess this all was turning out to be. Just yesterday he’d been talking to Karin about his sense of honor, and today he was leading a whole town on. A whole generous town full of wonderful people. He was worse than a scoundrel.
A sound at the door woke him from his brooding. Heather was back and she was all smiles.
“It’s going great,” she said as she tossed her purse into a chair. “By the time the play starts this afternoon, you guys should be invisible.”
“Like a ghost?” Lissa asked. “Cool.”
Heather laughed. “Not exactly like that, but close.”
He couldn’t go through with this. “I really appreciate all that you’re doing but—”
Alex came in from the kitchen, still holding the phone. “We’ve got a slight problem,” he said. “Nobody has cowboy boots. The jeans and shirt are easy, and Marge has more hats than we have heads in town, but hardly any of the men in town have cowboy boots.”
Heather’s face turned serious as she turned toward Jed. “Guess we have to find you another kind of footwear,” she said. “What’s your preference? Athletic shoes or work boots?”
“Maybe we should forget all this,” he said.
“Daddy can’t wear some other kind of shoes,” Lissa said. “Cowboys always wear their boots.”
Jed put his arm around her shoulders. “No, it’s not that, honey. It’s not fair to make everyone go to so much trouble for us.”
“Trouble schmubble,” Heather said and turned to Alex. “Go with gym shoes. We’ll find Jed a pair.”
Didn’t anyone in this town listen? Jed got to his feet. “I meant what I said. This is too much.”
Heather did stop then, but just shook her head. “We want to do it. You both mean a lot to us.”
“But—” Jed stopped.
Lissa was watching him, her heart in her eyes. She wanted this vacation so much. Letting the town hide them would mean she’d get to stay for the whole festival. Did he have the right to deny her that?
He tried to concentrate on that fact, but all his mixed-up mind kept telling him was that, if they stayed, he’d see Karin again.
Toto took off his cowboy hat and waved the audience back with it. “Let’s not crowd the stage, folks. If we stay back, everybody can see.”
Satisfied that the audience was going to stay behind the portable barricades, he went back to his place off to the side of the flatbed truck being used as a stage. Up on it, Mickey Juarez was narrating the story of The Wizard of Oz, while costumed volunteers ad-libbed their way through a scene with the Flying Monkeys.
“Those hats come in handy, don’t they?” Karin whispered to Toto.
“I don’t feel like myself in it though,” he said. “Or this getup. I should be in uniform.”
“I think you look very handsome,” Karin told him with a smile.
Toto glowered at her, good witch that she was dressed up to be, and went back to watching the crowd. It was the weird
est thing, looking out over the people watching the Wizard of Oz production and seeing at least a hundred cowboys. A hundred Dorothys was no big deal, they got that and more each year. But all those cowboys was sure an oddity.
“How many cowboy hats did your mother have anyway?” he asked Karin. “I could swear she didn’t have this many.”
“She didn’t,” she said. “Once Heather and everybody started making calls, they found out lots of people had one they could use.”
“Huh.” He looked out at the crowd again, wondering if the reporter was still around or not. Didn’t matter either way. He’d bet she’d never find Jed or Lissa. “Guess it worked out pretty good, didn’t it?”
Karin didn’t answer him for a moment and he turned back to her. Maybe she hadn’t heard him over the clapping of the crowd, but he could tell by the shadow in her eyes that she had.
“Yes, it worked out wonderfully,” she said. Her voice was filled with forced emotion. “Just as perfectly as I had hoped.”
“Why do I think you’re lying?” Toto asked. “If you don’t like what’s happening, do something about it.”
“You’re a fine one to talk,” she said. “When do you plan on doing something about you and Dorothy?”
“What’s there to do? She’s happy with things the way they are.”
“Is she?” The clapping stopped and Karin turned toward the stage. “Oops, that’s my cue. At last I get to be in a scene.”
While he watched, she climbed up the stairs on the side of the stage and walked up to the front to announce the next scene’s location. Then she drew the numbers of the volunteers who would get to play characters in the final scene.
“Dorothy will be played by Dorothy number 87,” Karin said and a squeal went up on the far side of the crowd.
“You don’t go in for costumes?” someone asked Toto.
He turned and found Jed at his side. A Lissa-sized Dorothy was nearby with three other Dorothys, all dressed nearly the same as the hundred or so other Dorothys in the crowd.
“You don’t call this a costume?” Toto asked, waving at the cowboy clothes he was wearing. “I feel like I’m ten and it’s Halloween.”
Pregnant & Practically Married (The Bridal Circle #3) Page 19
