“Sean served me with papers. He wants full custody of James.”
“On what grounds?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“He said you attacked him at The Grove, and you have a criminal record—”
“But I don’t. He’s just throwing out accusations to see which ones stick.”
“Even so. If I fight him on the full custody, he might walk away with partial and...I can’t let that happen.”
William wrapped her in a crushing hug as he silently pledged himself to her and the children. They stirred a desire in him he’d never experienced before. It was a need to look out for them at any cost, to be there for them and...love them? He buried his face into her crown of wavy hair and breathed her familiar scent of chamomile, and caught himself considering the possibility he loved her and couldn’t let her go.
“I won’t let that happen,” William echoed her words.
“No,” Annie said, abruptly pulling away. “I’m the one who has to take care of this, William.”
“Not by yourself.”
“Yes. I came here to tell you...I can’t see you again.” Hearing her was like a vise wrenched on his heart. “Please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”
“Sean’s an excuse, Annie. Don’t be scared of this.”
“Of what?”
“You’re falling in love with me.”
“What?”
“And you’re scared of what it means.”
He searched her eyes for confirmation that he spoke the truth. It was the first time he had let the thought cross his mind, let alone uttered it aloud. And as soon as he had, he found himself wishing it would be true.
“William, I can’t be with you, because Sean is going to use your history against me.”
“He can’t win, Annie. Don’t pull away from me now.”
Annie straightened and blinked back more tears. “I have to protect James. Please tell me you understand and you won’t try to...”
“Kiss you? Hold you? Take you in my arms?”
“Don’t get involved, William. Please. It will only cause more trouble.”
“Annie.”
“William, please.” He searched her face for any indication...of what? That she really was in love with him and didn’t want him to listen to her protests? Did it really matter if she had grown to love him? Falling in love with her was the worst thing he could do, as he was leaving town again to escape Denver and his past.
He wanted to avoid causing her any pain, but he needed to know she loved him as much as he loved her.
“Kiss me,” he breathed, slipping an arm delicately around her waist.
“I can’t.”
“Kiss me goodbye, and I’ll leave Chinoodin tonight.”
“But Joyce...”
“All will be fine, as it should be. Folks’ll help her get reestablished and the new location should excite new business. With time—”
“You’d walk away? After all that’s happened?”
“Between us?”
Annie blinked. “What us? You won’t even tell me the truth about your past. About why you’re leaving.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cupped his hand at the nape of her neck. “Just trust me enough to believe I have to go, and I might as well go now if it’ll make it easier for you...for both of us. Please kiss me goodbye, Annie.”
He tilted his head, and she pressed her lips to his, telling him exactly what he needed to know. When she melted against him, a soft moan coming from her, he smiled and savored one last moment before she pulled away, her eyes fluttering open.
“Talk about someone who’s scared,” she murmured, her pout still puckered and poised inches from his. “I won’t give you the out you want, William. If you hightail it out of town and leave your mother twisting in the breeze, then you take responsibility for it. Don’t blame it on me, because I’m not asking you to leave. I’m only asking you to leave me alone.” She brushed her fingertips to her lips. “And promise me we won’t do that again.”
William knew she was right and looked beyond her to where a weeping willow tree soared. He had nothing to say, nothing to counter. But he couldn’t stand how she stared at him with sadness in her eyes. As he stayed transfixed on the graceful giant, its sweeping branches swaying with the wind, Annie eventually made her way to her car, and as best as he could assume, drove out of his life forever.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ANNIE MOTIONED FOR Karrin to follow her behind the kitchen doors before beginning her morning shift. As if ordering William out of her life the day before hadn’t been bad enough, the events later that evening still had her shaken. She needed a trusted confidante and hoped Karrin would be up for the task.
“Hey, girl,” Karrin whispered, studying her friend. “What’s going on?”
“James knows about Sean wanting custody.”
“What?” she said with a gasp. “How did that happen?”
Annie hung her head. “It was my fault. I thought he and Betsy were getting ready for bed, but they overheard me talking to Marjorie. He’s really shook up about it, K. I’ll fight tooth and nail before I ever let Sean take him.”
“We all will,” Karrin replied, squeezing her shoulder. “Do you need to take today off? I can cover the morning rush.”
“No. I need the distraction. My mind can only reel over Sean for so long.” The truth was, she didn’t want William to think she was hiding from him. That is, if he was still in Chinoodin Falls. She’d told him to stay away from her, but her heart had ached with each forced syllable. How she’d wanted to seek solace in his arms, but she’d never do that again. She was sure Sean had plotted it all: a selfish attempt to keep her within his reach. Even though she knew she was playing right into his hand, she’d do it because as much as she had fallen in love with William, she loved James more.
“Morning dare, Annie,” Danny called out.
“Good morning,” she said and poured him a cup of coffee.
“Oh, not lookin’ too good, though, is it?”
“Why do you say that?”
Danny leaned across the table toward her. “There’s something going on around here. I can feel it. Yous know what it might be?”
Annie attempted a casual shrug. “My morning’s been fine. Thanks.”
“Fine, eh?” Danny said, straightening up and taking a sip of coffee.
“Why don’t you give me something else to think about, all the same?” Annie pulled out her order pad. “Earl? What can I get you?”
Earl studied her silently from underneath his Kromer hat before shaking his head and returning to his newspaper with his typical harrumph.
“What’s with you dis morning, Earl?” Joe frowned as he and Danny shared an inquisitive look. “Just the usual for me,” he continued.
“You, too, Danny?” Annie asked. He nodded. Her eyes suspiciously darted around to the three of them before moving on to place their orders. Miles poked his head out of the kitchen.
“Is William coming in today?”
“I don’t think so.”
“I needed to talk to him about a strange call I received last night.”
“What call?”
“Oh, it was probably nothing. Never mind.”
Annie left the window, swerved around the corner and barreled up to Miles. “What strange call, Miles?”
He paused, cracking his neck as he recalled. “Last night a man called, asking if he and I had spoken on the phone the other day. I didn’t know what the heck he was talking about and told him so. He kept pressing, but when I said I had never talked to him and he must have the wrong person, he asked for Joyce.”
“What did he want with her?”
“I don’t know. She left right after she talked to him. She seemed kind of upset
. Any idea what it’s about?”
“I have a feeling I might know,” Annie said under her breath. “Tell me if the guy calls back. I want to talk to him myself.”
“Why?”
“Just do it, Miles.”
“Whatever you say, Annie.”
Annie returned to the dining room to take orders and serve breakfast platters, but her mind was on William. If he had left town last night, it wasn’t because of anything she had said or didn’t say. Someone was after him, and she worried what would happen if he was found.
* * *
ANNIE SLAPPED THE bill on the table and paused to listen as Danny teased Earl.
“It’s going to be nearly eighty degrees today, Earl. You have to take your Kromer hat off sooner or later. What does Joyce think of you wearing it all the time?”
“She don’t mind none.”
“She’s too nice for her own good. Sooner or later the beads of sweat streaming down your face will force it off.”
“I’ll swap it out for my hockey cap.” Earl retreated behind his newspaper while Annie cleared away their empty plates.
“What are you reading that’s so darn interesting, Earl?” Joe asked, swatting at the old man’s newspaper.
“Ah, leave him alone,” Danny said. “Earl likes to know the happenings in town, even if he don’t repeat ’em.”
Annie raised an eyebrow. “You’re a good secret keeper, eh, Earl?” Earl lowered his newspaper and cleared his throat.
“Yous could say that,” he stated, and rubbed a hand over his stubbly, gray chin. He then pointed a calloused finger to an article, asserting its importance with the thunk of his fingertip on the table.
“I’m not the brightest fella,” he started, glancing up at her with his clear eyes.
“I coulda told yous that,” Joe said, snickering.
“But,” Earl continued, “I’ve been known to connect dots others might not see.” Annie adjusted her weight to her other foot, the stack of breakfast dishes growing heavier in her arms.
“What are you mumbling about now?” Joe frowned.
“Somethin’ funny is going on around here,” Earl declared.
“Here?” Annie asked. “Pop’s Place?”
“Chinoodin.”
She smiled. “There’s always something funny going on, Earl.”
“Not like this.” He tapped on the newspaper article again, his eyes now boring into hers. “Not like the Heiress of Chinoodin.”
Joe wafted a hand in the air in dismissal. “Nobody knows what you’re talking about. Piece together more than six words, would ya?”
Earl refused to break his focus from Annie. “You can’t get rich without the law on your side. And if the law ain’t on your side, you hire someone to get it on your side.”
“How do I get it on my side?” Annie chuckled. “You all know I could use the edge.”
“Did you read another article about that land deal again?” Danny asked. “It’s all you’ve been blubbering about recently.”
“With good reason,” Earl said in a huff. “No one could buy that preserved land without the help of a fix-it man.”
Annie shifted the weight of breakfast dishes to her other arm. “A fix-it man?”
“That’s right. He gets you what you want, no matter what it is you want. Someone who has access to the mayor’s office. Someone with connections. Someone who doesn’t mind breaking the law none. Perhaps he even thinks he’s above the law. Now where could you find such a fella?”
Earl folded up his newspaper and motioned for Danny to let him out of the booth. Once he had finally pulled himself to his feet, he lay the newspaper on the breakfast dishes. “It’s just a hunch, but you’ve got something on him, love. See if you can use it.”
“Sean?” she said, barely audible.
“You’re smarter than he is. The question is, are you bold, too?”
Then with a dip of his Kromer hat, he shuffled past her to the front doors. Annie stared after him, confused.
As she made her way back to the kitchen, she chuckled at how Earl had spoken more to her in that one conversation than he probably had in the three prior years combined. He was a bit rough around the edges but had showed his soft underbelly once Joyce had glanced his way.
Annie’s eyes landed on the article he’d pointed to and her grin slowly faded. A company in California had bought up the preserved land—land that was never to be sold. This wasn’t news to her. The scandal had been the talk around town for weeks. But the article also asserted the Heiress’s will had mysteriously disappeared weeks before the land had been purchased and then it showed up again with a built-in loophole. It was all speculation, but The Chinoodin Chronicle suspected someone with ties to the mayor’s office had stolen and forged the will, so that the land could be sold and developed. Without a copy of the original, though, no one could prove it.
Annie stared out the window for several minutes as the dots began to connect in her mind, too. She transfixed on the way the mortar had cracked along the wall of the redbrick building across the street. The fracture formed a wandering line from the top to the flower beds below. She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing in place or how long Karrin had been watching her.
“Annie? Are you sure you don’t want to take off for the day?” the waitress asked.
Annie turned slowly, the hair rising off the back of her neck as she realized what she was prepared to do. “I have to call an old friend.”
* * *
WILLIAM DREW THE shades in his motel room and cast a dingy hue over his bare essentials tossed onto the bed: cash, cell phone, toiletries, broken-in leather jacket, night goggles, bandana. The Econo Lodge on the outskirts of town was probably the first motel Denver would check after staking out his mother’s house and Pop’s Place. But his options were limited. He knew he could covertly park his truck there until Mike could meet him. As ticked as Mike had been before for calling off the sale, he’d quickly jumped when William called to offer him a greatly discounted price. The only caveat was he had to act fast. Luckily Mike had happily swung into the Econo Lodge less than an hour later with an envelope of cash.
William ran a hand over the five o’clock shadow he had been growing since yesterday when he’d overheard Miles talking to Denver on the phone. Without waiting to hear what came next, he’d taken off. It was only a matter of time before Denver made a beeline to Chinoodin Falls, and William had no intention of waiting around for him.
William slumped against the nightstand as he contemplated his options. Denver had most likely enlisted the local police to keep an eye out for him. He had to stay off their radar. Once it was dark, he’d take a cab back to town to get Old Red.
He paced the tiny room while reassuring himself he wasn’t doing anything wrong. If Annie and his mother had misinterpreted his extended visit to mean he was returning for good, it was a mistake. If they knew the whole story, they wouldn’t second-guess him for a minute as to why he was leaving.
Although, he considered, if Annie knew everything about what had happened, she may not have fallen in love with him. And she was, wasn’t she? In love? Hadn’t he seen it flood her eyes when she’d first tipped her dainty chin up to meet his? Hadn’t she kissed him back in the parking lot when they knew they were parting for good? The ache he felt when they were apart couldn’t be one-sided. He was lovesick. Foolish and lovesick. And the only thing worse than feeling this way was if he stopped to consider the possibility she didn’t love him back.
Flopping onto the bed, fully clothed down to his work boots, he had just closed his eyes to catch a few winks when his cell phone rang.
“William?” His mother’s voice was in a panic, propelling him to his feet again. “Thank goodness you answered. I’m shaking like a leaf.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“A man came by the house. H
e said you were in a lot of trouble. He said he was some sort of...of...Naval Criminal Investigator of some kind.”
William kneaded his forehead with a knuckle. “Is he still there?”
“Heavens, no. I bolted the front door after he left.”
“Mom, calm down. I’m okay.”
“William, what’s going on? He said he’s been trying to get a hold of you, but you’re evading an investigation. He said bad things could happen.”
William pressed a cheek below the peephole on his motel door and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m okay, Mom. You don’t need to worry. Did you get the make or model of his car?”
“Oh, no,” Joyce cried. “I didn’t. Should I have? He left a little bit ago.”
“I can’t explain who he is or what’s going on right now, but you can’t tell him where I am. If he visits again, say you haven’t heard from me.”
“I haven’t heard from you. I went up to your bedroom and all of your belongings were gone!”
“I told you before I can’t stay in Chinoodin. I’m leaving tonight.”
“Tonight? My son! Are you even going to say goodbye?”
William closed his eyes as he replied. “Of course. Of course I will...”
“But?” His mother had sensed his hesitation. William waited a beat and then knew what he had to do.
“I need your help.”
“What can I do?” she whispered.
“I need Old Red.”
“Sure, but your truck?”
“Gone. I need wheels. I’ll be back to get the bike in a little bit. Call me if you see that investigator again or notice anything suspicious.”
“William.” Her voice cracked. “What’s going on?”
“Mom, I’ll be there in a little while.”
William shoveled all his belongings into his bag and ducked his head around the open motel room door, his eyes darting to every person within his sights. There was no time like the present. He had to go now.
* * *
A Promise Remembered Page 18
