by Ava Miles
There just weren’t any men in this town who could handle a woman like that.
And she wasn’t sure there were too many who could handle Elizabeth Saunders either.
God, she might have to start online dating with men in Denver. But that would mean commuting for dates—and sex—and where would that lead?
Jane and Rhett were happy here, but while the mountain vistas couldn’t be more incredible, she was starting to develop itchy feet. Jane might have survived epic Man Fasts, but she wasn’t interested in doing the same.
Not that Jane was on a Man Fast right now. No, she was late for their morning meeting for the first time ever, having texted that she was running late.
Yeah, late.
When her friend rushed inside, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glowing, Elizabeth crossed her arms and smirked. “And how was your morning?”
She plopped her red oversized Coach bag on the table in the foyer and dug out her files. “Fine. Sorry about that.”
“Please! At least one of us is having sex,” Elizabeth said.
“Is that why you’re cranky?”
“Probably. You’re practically beaming from the afterglow right now. I may need sunglasses just to look at you.”
Jane dug hers out and waggled them. “Here, you can have mine,” she said with a small smile.
They hunkered down and watched more tape. Elizabeth rewound to the parts she wanted Jane to see, and they conferred that Frank Pickers was bluffing when he stared at Rhett without blinking.
“He’s trying to intimidate him,” Jane said.
“Like anyone can do that with Rhett.”
They ran through four more hours of tape. When they finally took a break, Elizabeth realized she had avoided asking Jane for details about meeting Matt’s family. Friday night’s party had turned into Saturday skiing at Mac’s hotel, and then Sunday had been filled with lunch with his sisters before his sisters had returned to Denver. Other than a few texts, they hadn’t really done their whole go-into-details conversation.
“Okay,” she said, manning up. If her friend was serious about this guy—and she certainly seemed to be—she could set aside her doubts and fears for the moment. “Tell me about this weekend.”
The smile that spread across Jane’s face told her how much she’d been wanting to do exactly that. By the time she finished, though, Elizabeth was frowning.
“The old man could be a problem,” she mused out loud.
“You sound like a moll in a mobster movie,” Jane tried to joke. “I know what you mean. It made me realize he might dig deeper. He protects his family.”
“Was Matt upset?” If not, he was a class-A jerk.
“Yes, and really surprised. He wants to protect me, Elizabeth, but there’s no way he can.” She scooted closer and put a hand on her arm.
Oh, no. She was going to ask her again, and her heart rate spiked. Her answer hadn’t changed, not one bit.
“This new candidate who’s challenging Matt…well, his mother is known for being a mean old lady who stirs up trouble. I’m afraid she might cause problems. And I’m tired of still holding back from him. This weekend confirmed how serious we are. I really want to tell him about Raven, Liz.”
She made herself look away from Jane’s entreating gaze. “If you tell him about Raven, it’s not much of a leap to tell him about Vixen too. And what in the world happens when he tells the rest of his family? His extended family owns a newspaper, for God’s sake. What if they decide that it’s news fit to print? I mean, it’s a juicy story about local persons of interest, especially since we worked out of Mac’s hotel. You know the controversy caused by the opening of the hotel.”
Jane looked down in her lap.
“And what about Rhett and Abbie? It would embarrass them beyond words, Jane. And that’s not even considering what it could do to Rhett on the circuit.”
“I trust him, Elizabeth,” her friend said softly. “He has more integrity than any man I have ever met. Rhett included.”
Now that stopped Elizabeth in her tracks. “What do you mean?”
“Rhett has been a loose cannon at times without intending to be. All that’s changing now with Abbie, of course, but I can assure you that Matt is solid. He would never say anything to his family if I asked him to keep quiet.”
Elizabeth rose and paced by the fireplace. “You don’t know that. From what you’ve said, they’re incredibly close. We may not be used to that dynamic, but families like that don’t keep things from each other… I need a drink.”
This whole conversation was only causing her more anxiety. She wasn’t sure how long this situation could go on this way.
“When will it be enough that I trust him, Liz?” Jane asked, following her. “What if he asks me to marry him? Can I tell him then? Will that be enough of a declaration of faith?”
Marry him? “Jeez, he hasn’t mentioned that, has he?”
“No, not yet, but I’m hoping that’s the way we’re headed. His family is including me like I’m one of them, Liz. He’s only introduced one other girl to them, and that was in college.”
Well, that did sound serious.
Jane grabbed the glasses from the cabinet as Elizabeth reached for the sweet tea she’d made earlier. She blamed Rhett for introducing her to the Southern concoction. She didn’t need the sugar, but it sure hit the spot. Especially with a slice of orange, her favorite.
The two of them arranged a tray and Elizabeth carried their drinks out with some grapes she’d washed earlier. They settled back on the couch and sat in silence. Jane barely touched the grapes or tea, instead staring straight ahead into the cracking flames.
There had to be a solution…one that would keep everyone safe while giving her friend what she so desperately wanted. And then it dawned on her. “I have it!” she cried, and Jane dropped a grape she’d been holding.
“What?” she asked.
“You can hire him to be your lawyer. It would be covered under attorney-client privilege.”
Jane rose and put her hand to her heart. “You want me to pay my boyfriend money so I can tell him something vital about my past?”
When Elizabeth heard the quiver in Jane’s voice, she set her glass aside. “It’s also vital to my past, let’s remember.”
“You’re hamstringing me, Elizabeth. If he finds out that I’ve kept something this big from him, it could ruin us.”
“I would think you’d see this as a compromise.”
Jane’s hand slashed through the air. “Compromise? When have we ever needed to make one of those when it comes to the big stuff?”
Her heart squeezed. Jane was right. They’d never been at odds like this before. And it hurt. Made her want to cry, dammit, and she hated feeling that way.
“You know what we’re facing here? You’re losing sight of the big picture because you’ve fallen in love for the first time. Give it time.”
“Right, and that’s something you’ll never allow yourself to feel. Not even when you were with Terrance that summer.”
Right. Chef Terrance Waters of the Peacock Hotel in Atlantic City with his badass attitude, deep soulful eyes, and rock hard tattooed body had made her feel unhinged. The magnetic attraction between them, coupled with a warmth and intimacy she’d never before experienced, had made her feel weak…vulnerable. So she’d broken it off.
“What happened with Vince destroyed your faith in love,” Jane continued, “and I’m sad for you because there is nothing more precious than knowing you are cherished by a good man. Matt is a good man, and dammit, I wish you’d open your eyes enough to see that.”
The ground was cracking between them like an earthquake separating tectonic plates, putting them on opposite sides of the fissure. She rose and reached for Jane’s hand, and for the first time, her friend ignored the peace-making gesture.
“This is the best I can do right now,” she told her. “Have you talked to Rhett?” Perhaps it was time to deflect her views.
“No, I w
anted to talk to you first since I knew you had the biggest concerns. Rhett understands what it means to be in love, to trust someone.”
The accusation hung between them like the thick smoke that coiled from the fireplace when the flute was shut.
“I’ve told you what I can live with right now,” she said.
“Fine. I’ll talk to Rhett.” Jane walked to the door and grabbed her coat and purse on her way. “But I’ve told you that you need to do better, and I know you can.”
“You’re a big talker.” Jane was being unfair, and her anger spurted out. “But are you ready to leave the past behind? Everything with your parents?” Not that she had with her own.
She gave her a hard glance and left without putting on her coat first. Elizabeth dropped onto the floor by the fire. Drawing her knees up, she lowered her forehead to them.
Everything was changing, and she hated it. All of it.
Chapter 25
After attending to her dogs, Jane fumed the whole way over to Rhett’s. She had texted him with the request to talk as soon as possible, and he’d told her to come on over. Elizabeth’s idea that she should hire Matt as a lawyer rankled her completely. As she rolled down the window to cool her flushed cheeks, she took in a deep gulp of the mountain air. And realized suddenly that Liz was right. It wasn’t only her secret. Dammit, though, the whole bloody business felt like one of her father’s political Gordian knots. Elizabeth had suggested an out-of-the-box solution. It would undoubtedly upset Matt, but she hoped he would trust her.
And it was time for him to know the truth, however it needed to be delivered.
She’d loved him before meeting his family, but seeing the Hales together had made her fall for him even more.
When she arrived at Rhett’s, he met her at the door. “From that look on your face, I’d say you and Elizabeth had a fight.”
“We did.” They’d had their squabbles, but never like this.
He took her coat and hung it on the brass coat rack by the door. The house where he lived with his new family was warm and welcoming, with its muted gold walls decorated with dark furniture, landscape paintings, and spring bouquets arranged in eye-catching vases of glass and crystal on the various surfaces.
“Come on in and tell ol’ Rhett about it.”
It took a while for her to get it all out, but when she finally finished, he swore. “This sure is getting complicated.” Rising, he stalked to the window that framed a stunning view of the valley, including snow-capped peaks, a jagged tree line of pines, and a breathtaking expanse of blue sky.
“I know.”
“Any way you look at it, someone’s happiness is at stake,” Rhett mused. After another moment he turned around. “That’s what concerns me. I’ve talked to Mac. We’re fairly certain that I’d be okay if this whole business were to come out. At the highest levels, we don’t think anyone wants bad press. There could be media blitzes on cheating, and no sport—even one like poker—comes off looking good in those articles.”
Jane thought of baseball and all the performance-enhancing drug scandals and nodded. Scouts weren’t illegal per se, but… Gray areas didn’t matter to the media.
“Mac is concerned about some of the rising players, though, the ones who’ve been trying to stick it to me. And I talked to Abbie too.”
This time he turned back to the window, and her stomach dropped.
“She understands your conundrum, but she wants to raise Dustin here, and she’s worried what might happen if the news were to come out. High school kids can be cruel.”
None of this surprised her. In their shoes, she would have felt the same way. Which left Elizabeth’s suggestion. “And what about Liz’s solution?”
His sigh was long and deep. “It’s worth considering. Of course, if I were in Matt’s shoes, I wouldn’t like it one bit.”
“I know.”
“But he’s a lawyer, so perhaps we’re underestimating him. God knows, we pay lawyers enough to deal with these moral gray areas. Maybe he’ll surprise us.”
He might understand why she needed to do things this way, but it still needed to be done, and the sooner the better. The fear that someone was going to find out and use the knowledge against him had become bone-crushing.
“I’m sorry about all this, Rhett,” she finally said and put her face in her hands, suddenly overwhelmed by the situation and how it was threatening her relationships with the people she loved.
Elizabeth.
Matt.
Rhett.
“Hey, now,” he called and drew her hands away from her face, kneeling in front of her. “I hate seeing you like this.”
“Do you want me to quit, Rhett?” God, just saying it was like driving a stake through her own heart. “Would that make it better?”
He pulled her into his arms. “Cut that out. You know it wouldn’t. Now you’re really scaring me.” Pushing her back a step, he stared into her eyes. “Okay, we’ll go with Elizabeth’s solution. Hire him. Tell him the truth. We’ll play the hand, one card at a time. I’m not going to lose you over this. We’ll figure it out.”
God, she was such a baby because tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, Rhett.”
“Now, now, it’s going to be all right, Janey. If you need Matt to talk to me, you just let both of us know. We’ve opened our circle to a few others before without any bruises, and I do believe you’re right about him being trustworthy. Plus, a man in love always protects his woman. That alone will make him want to keep this to himself.”
It all made sense, but when she imagined telling him like this—as his client—all she could see was his face falling, his disappointment in her painfully clear. Would he walk away from her for good?
“Okay, we’ll see how he reacts. I honestly don’t know.”
“If he loves you, he’ll find a way to accept the truth.”
She hugged him again, and he squeezed her tight.
“None of us ever thought we would come this far when I hired you girls so long ago, but you know what?”
“What?”
He tapped her nose. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“I wouldn’t either,” she responded, and that gave her some peace.
“Now, off with you. Don’t you have some dogs to walk?”
“Yes, boss.”
“Right. Boss. Hah!” He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the door. “Like you girls ever treated me that way.”
“You wouldn’t have wanted us to,” she said, tugging on her outerwear.
“You’re right. In that way, I am totally unconventional.”
“One of the reasons I love you. Thank you, Rhett. For everything.”
“Hey now, you’d better stop that before I tear up. You girls mean the world to me.”
As she drove home, the thoughts swirling madly through her head, something else Elizabeth had said drifted to the surface. Jane’s parents did still have a hold over her.
Perhaps it was time to address that too.
She dialed the number she knew from memory and pulled off the road onto a mountain overlook. The sun cast a brilliant glow over the valley, making the snow sparkle like diamonds.
“Wilcox residence,” a familiar voice answered.
“Betty?” she asked. “Is that you?” It was good to know her parents’ long-time housekeeper still worked for them. Betty had to be getting on sixty by now, and while she’d always been stern, she’d sometimes given Jane a lollipop when no one was looking.
“Miss Jane? As I live and breathe. We lost all hope of ever hearing from you.”
That had been the plan. “How are you?”
“Good. Busy as ever. Your parents are having twelve people over tonight, so I’m finishing up the final preparations.”
Nothing had changed there. “Are they around? Is my…mother there?”
Betty clucked her tongue. “No, I’m sorry. She had some meetings in town, just like your father. But I’ll tell them you called. Can you giv
e me your number?”
She recited it. They chatted a little while longer. When she hung up, she exited the car. Let the wind blow across her face. What would she have said if they’d been there? Well, maybe they’d call her back. She wasn’t the same scared girl she’d been at Harvard. Maybe they had changed a bit too, and she could come to a new understanding with them. It felt right, the idea of burying the hatchet.
One of her biggest questions had always been whether they missed her at all. She was their child, their only child, so surely they had. On holidays and her birthday, even she found herself missing them, wishing things could have been different.
Well, she’d taken the first step, and now she’d just have to wait and see.
Now it was time to confront Matt—even if she didn’t like the means by which she would share her deepest, darkest secret with him.
Chapter 26
When Jane cancelled meeting him at the dog park, asking if she could swing by his office instead, his gut told him something wasn’t right. She’d never come by his office, and right now it was filled with his small crew of volunteers. They were calling Dare citizens from his two conference rooms, asking them to attend his first town hall meeting. Rob had organized the event a few weeks ago, and they’d thought it would be a cake walk. Now, Florence Henkelmyer was stirring up trouble around town, calling him an outsider who was out of touch with Dare Valley’s needs. Her son had actually put up signs around town with an X over Matt’s face and the bold letters of the word OUTSIDER at the bottom. If it had happened to anyone else, he might have laughed.
He gently herded everyone out of his office, including his secretary, by telling them they’d worked hard enough for one day. But his lovely Easter Brigade lingered by the door, and he was still talking to them when Jane arrived. Her face looked wan, and he knew deep down she was hurting over something. He introduced her to Joanie, Margo, and Hazel right away, and she managed a small smile for them. The stiff way she held herself made him long to take her into his arms and reassure her that whatever it was, it would be all right.
When the older ladies left, she swept her arm across his reception area. “Lots going on here. I’m sorry about the signs, Matt. I saw them when I came down Main Street.”