Summer Days

by Susan Mallery

  “Yes, and sooner than we’re willing to admit.” Her blue gaze was steady. “I think your heart was in the right place, but your actions were a little ahead of where they should have been.”

  “Is that why you’re not wearing a Team Heidi button?”

  “I’ve found it’s better for everyone if I don’t take sides.” She studied him. “I’ve learned not to interfere. It was a hard-won lesson, as the most important ones are.” She paused. “My daughter died a few years ago.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said automatically, not sure why she was telling him.

  “The tragedy is so much more than her death at a relatively young age. Because that’s not when I lost her. I lost her years before, when she was a teenager. I demanded too much, expected more than was reasonable. I might be a relatively benign mayor, but I was a difficult mother. I held on too tight. Maybe I was afraid, maybe I thought that’s what love was. Rather than fight me, she ran away. She was still a teenager.”

  “Did you ever reconcile?”

  “No. I finally found her, but she wanted nothing to do with me. She had a daughter, my only grandchild, who I didn’t meet for years. I learned a harsh lesson.”

  “If you love something, set it free?”

  She smiled. “In part. But I also learned that who we love and who loves us truly defines us as people. Who do you love, Rafe?”

  The question surprised him and caused him to shift on the too-soft sofa. “My family.”

  “Including the brother and sister you never speak to?”

  “How do you know about them?”

  “I have a network that puts the CIA to shame. People talk, I listen. It’s not too late for you. With them, or with…” She paused. “This can all be fixed. You can belong here again.”

  “This isn’t my home.”

  “Of course it is. Home is where there’s love. We would like you to be part of the community that is Fool’s Gold.” She smiled. “If you’ll have us. As for those homes that need to be built, I have some land I think you’d be interested in.”

  “A bribe?”

  “A mutually beneficial business deal. You should respect that.”

  “I’ll call your office and set up an appointment.” He waited. “Aren’t you going to ask me about Heidi?”

  “No. You’re not ready. When you are, I won’t have to ask.”

  He chuckled. “You like being cryptic.”

  “At my age, I need to find my simple pleasures wherever I can.”

  * * *

  RAFE LOADED UP HIS CAR. He should have left town days ago, but until a few minutes ago, he hadn’t known where to go. Now that he had an address, he was ready. Dante had already sent over the paperwork releasing Rafe from title on the ranch.

  He got into his Mercedes, but before he could start the engine, a very large fire truck pulled in behind him, effectively blocking him from backing out. A tall woman climbed down and slowly walked toward his car.

  Rafe recognized Heidi’s friend Charlie and knew immediately she’d come to remind him of his promise. That he wouldn’t hurt her friend.

  He got out of his car and prepared for her to take him on.

  Charlie was only a couple of inches shorter than him. She was large boned. There was plenty of muscle and lots of attitude. He had no idea how to win a fight when she had all the advantages. After all, it didn’t matter if she took a punch. No way he could ever lay a hand on a girl.

  “Leaving?” she asked, the truck’s engine still rumbling.

  He nodded.

  “You haven’t said goodbye.”

  “Heidi doesn’t want to see me.”

  “About the only time she’s shown any sense where you’re concerned,” Charlie told him, then crossed her arms over her chest. “Why isn’t she good enough for you? What do you need that she doesn’t have?”

  “Nothing,” he said honestly. “Nothing at all.”

  “Don’t make me hurt you, jerkwad,” Charlie growled.

  “I’m not playing. I’m telling you the truth. This isn’t about Heidi—it’s about me. There’s something I have to do, and then I’ll come back.”

  Charlie’s lip curled. “And I should believe you, why?”

  “You shouldn’t. Take Heidi’s side. If I’m wrong, then hunt me down and do your worst.”

  “That’s a very interesting invitation. Why should I wait?”

  “Because I might be telling the truth.”

  She muttered something under her breath. “Why couldn’t all women be lesbians? Life would be a whole lot easier. At least, mine would.”

  “Less fun for us guys that way.”

  “You’re not my main concern.”

  He stepped toward her, put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Trust me.”

  “You’re trying to piss me off, aren’t you?” she asked, pulling away.

  For a second Rafe would have sworn Charlie flinched when he kissed her, but then he told himself he was imagining the reaction.

  She glared at him, then returned to the fire truck. After moving it back far enough for him to get out, she waited, as if prepared to follow him, to make sure he made good on his word.

  Rafe was fine with that. He no longer had anything to hide.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  WHEN PEOPLE THOUGHT about Los Angeles, they generally pictured theme parks, the beach or Beverly Hills. There were a lot of other parts to the sprawling city, many of them comfortably middle class. Some neighborhoods were remembered more for what they had been, years ago. Slowly, they lost their way, declining year by year, until the buildings were more than a little ragged around the edges.

  Rafe pulled up in front of the two-story apartment building and studied the parched lawn, the leaning palm trees by the sidewalk. A couple of windows had aluminum foil as a stand-in for curtains, and there was a car up on blocks in the carport. He looked at the address on his cell phone, then back at the building and knew he’d found the right place.

  It wasn’t supposed to be like this, he thought grimly. He should have done a better job of protecting those he was responsible for. He wondered if Evangeline would agree.

  He got out of his car, then locked it. The Mercedes stood out on the quiet street, a flashy and unwelcome reminder of his wealth. He crossed the lawn, climbed the steps to the second floor and knocked on the door of apartment 220.

  A busty blonde opened the door and smiled up at him.

  “Hi. You must be lost, because we don’t get guys like you in the neighborhood. Not that I’m complaining.”

  She wore tiny shorts and a cropped T-shirt, makeup for five and her toenails were covered with orange polish that glittered.

  “I’m here to see Evangeline.”

  The blonde gave him an exaggerated pout. “Can I get you to take me out instead? I’m much more fun.”

  “No, thanks.”

  The blonde motioned for him to step inside, then turned toward a closed bedroom door.

  “Evie, there’s some guy here to see you. If you don’t want him, can I have him?” She gave Rafe a sassy eyebrow wiggle as she posed the question.

  The bedroom door opened. “A guy. I’m not expecting—”

  Rafe hadn’t seen his sister in nearly seven years. She was tall and slender, with a dancer’s build. Unlike May’s other children, she had green eyes and honey-blond hair. But he could see May in the shape of her face.

  Her expression was more resigned than excited—not a surprise, considering their last conversation. But it hadn’t been a conversation, he remembered. He’d yelled, and she hadn’t said a word. Then she’d walked out, and he hadn’t seen her again until now.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “You know him?”

 
; “He’s my big brother.”

  The blonde started toward him.

  Rafe shook his head. “Still not interested.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m with somebody.” At least he hoped to be. Very soon. But first he had some fences to mend.

  “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” he asked Evangeline.

  He suspected she wanted to say no, but also didn’t want to risk his talking in front of her roommate. She nodded once and disappeared into the bedroom. Seconds later, she reappeared, a small handbag with a long strap slung over her body. Unlike the blonde, she wore jeans, and her T-shirt actually covered her waist. She’d stepped into loafers.

  “I won’t be long,” she said, as she followed him to the door.

  They didn’t speak as they got in the car. He’d already located a Starbucks nearby and drove directly there. They went into the shop, ordered, picked up their drinks and a couple of scones, then settled in a table in the corner.

  Rafe studied his sister, taking in the defined lines of her face. Evangeline had always been thin. It was her natural build, and her dancing had only emphasized the leanness of her body. But now she was almost gaunt, and there was something in her eyes. Wariness? Or desperation?

  “Are you getting enough to eat?” he asked, before he could stop himself.

  She looked at him, her eyebrows rising. “Really? That’s where you want to start this conversation?”

  “Sorry. No.” He sipped his coffee. “It’s good to see you.”

  She leaned back in her chair. “Why are you here?”

  “I’ve been thinking about you and wanted to know how you were doing.”

  “You could have called.”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “Why? We don’t stay in touch.”

  He wanted to point out that she’d been the one to walk away, to disappear. He’d gone after her.… Okay, technically, he’d sent an assistant to talk to her. Evangeline had said to stay the hell out of her life. That was a direct quote. So he had. He’d told himself she would come around when she was ready. That she knew how to find him. Or their mother or Shane or Clay.

  What he’d chosen to ignore was that she’d been all of eighteen. She’d walked away from Juilliard with no skills, no experience in the world, and he’d let her. Because it was easier than dealing with her directly. He’d dumped a few thousand dollars into a checking account and, through the assistant, had told her to come see him when she wanted more. She’d taken the money and closed the account the next day.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “Fine.”

  “Are you dancing?”

  She glared at him. “Why are you here? What do you want?”

  “To talk. To reconnect. We’re family.”

  “No, we’re related. A family is a collection of people who care about each other. Who look out for each other. I have a mother who has ignored me from the time I was born, and an oldest brother who’s spent my life disapproving of every decision I’ve ever made. I guess Shane and Clay are my family.”

  She stood. “Thanks for stopping by.”

  “Wait,” he said, coming to his feet. “Please.”

  She stared at him. “Please? Can you say that word without turning to dust? I wouldn’t have thought it was possible.”

  He felt her anger and understood it, but what bothered him more was the sadness lurking underneath. The profound sense that she was completely alone in the world.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “Please stay for a few more minutes.”

  She reluctantly sank back into the chair. He settled across from her.

  “I’m sorry,” he began slowly. “I was wrong to walk away from you. I was wrong not to listen or try to understand. You were a kid, and I turned my back on you.”

  “So did Mom.”

  He nodded. “So did Mom.”

  He’d always thought about his sister in terms of the trouble she caused, and how her dancing consumed her. He’d never considered what it must have been like from her point of view. Growing up an obvious afterthought, the result of a single night spent with a stranger. He and his brothers had been born to a couple very much in love. They’d been the family Evangeline had talked about. But she was a constant reminder of the pain they’d felt after their father had died. Odd man out.

  May had been uncomfortable with Evangeline from the beginning. The woman who loved her children unrepentantly had kept her only daughter at a distance. Rafe had been too busy being the man of the house to worry about a little girl. It had fallen on Shane and Clay to parent her, and they’d only been kids themselves.

  “It was your birthday a few weeks ago,” he said. “I thought of you then.”

  “Did you? You thought of me?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, Rafe, that makes everything so much better. Knowing you took the trouble to think of me. I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “Dammit, Evie.”

  She stood again. “Go to hell. I don’t want you around, and I sure don’t need you. Maybe I did once. But you weren’t there. Not you or Mom. I had to figure it out on my own.” She narrowed her gaze. “Whatever you want, you’re too late. I’m not interested.”

  “I don’t want anything.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  “Because I was wrong before. Because I want us to be a family again.”

  “We were never a family.”

  “Then let’s be one now.”

  She turned to leave.

  He stood. “I need you.”

  She stopped, but didn’t look at him.

  He circled around the small table and stepped in front of her. “I need you,” he repeated. “I was such a jerk. I never asked why you left school. I never asked what went so wrong. I never bothered to find out where you went or what you did. Hell, I didn’t even teach you to ride a bike.”

  “Shane did,” she whispered.

  “I’m glad. Please. You’re right. I do want something. I want to get to know you. Just give me your phone number and take mine. We’ll talk every couple of weeks. I’ll come back, and we’ll go to dinner. We’ll start slow.”

  “I don’t trust you,” she admitted.

  “Fair enough. I wouldn’t trust me, either.”

  She stared at him for a long time. Her gaze seemed to see inside of him, down to his soul. He hoped she would be generous in her assessment, because he doubted he would earn many points based on merit.

  She turned back to the table and sat down. “I’ll take your number. You can’t have mine.”

  He chuckled. “Okay.”

  “You can’t date Opal.”

  “Who’s Opal?”

  “My roommate.”

  He thought about the busty blonde and held up both hands as he sat across from his sister. “Not a problem. I have no interest in Opal.”

  “Also, no questions. I’ll tell you what I want you to know. You don’t get to dig around in my life or pass judgments.”

  “Forget it,” he told her, picking up his latte. “I’ll ask all the questions I want.”

  One corner of her mouth turned up, even as she was careful to look bored. “I won’t answer them.”

  “Fine. You always were stubborn.”

  “You don’t know enough about me to say what I was.”

  He ignored that. “So, Evangeline, what are you doing these days?”

  “I’m a neurosurgeon. In my free time, I fly fighter jets and solve crimes.”

  “Ambitious. I like that. Is there a guy in your life?”

  She rolled her eyes. “No. What about you, Rafe? Still married? Any little mini-tycoons running around?”

  “I’m not married.”

  Her distancing facade fell as she leaned toward
him. “What went wrong?”

  He saw the moment she remembered she wasn’t supposed to care. The slightly bored mask slipped back in place.

  He took advantage of her interest and told her the truth. “We got divorced years ago. But now there’s this woman. She’s making me crazy.”

  “I like her already.”

  “You would like her. She raises goats and makes cheese, and when she smiles, it’s like the sun has come out.”

  His sister stared at him. “You’re in serious trouble.”

  “I’m starting to figure that out.”

  * * *

  HEIDI RETURNED TO THE MUDROOM with the fresh milk to find May waiting for her. Heidi had done her best to avoid the other woman for days, slinking in and out of the ranch, dumping some of the milk so she didn’t have to face May. But orders were piling up and she had cheese to make, so she’d braved the house, only to come face-to-face with Rafe’s mother.

  “Good morning,” she said, setting the milk on the long table.

  May put her hands on her hips. “You’ll finish there and come into the kitchen. You’re not leaving this ranch without talking to me. Is that clear?”

  Glen had been a loving grandparent. He’d preferred to leave the discipline to others. Even so, Heidi recognized the steely tone, the promise that she didn’t want to know the consequences of disobeying.

  “Yes, ma’am,” she murmured before she could stop herself.

  “Good.”

  May disappeared back into the kitchen.

  Heidi poured the milk into bottles and stuck them in the refrigerator, then washed out her buckets and the funnel. Sanitizing could wait, she told herself. Better to get the conversation over with.

  She already had a plan. Although she’d been unable to bring herself to sign the lease on the rental, she vowed she would take care of that as soon as she was done here. The kitchen was big enough for her to work in, and the second bedroom would be a perfect office and shipping area.

  The rental payments were so much less than the mortgage on the ranch that she would be able to save a fair amount each month. In two, maybe three years, depending on how her business went, she could buy another piece of land. Start over.