by Kay Correll
Sophie leaned over and whispered something to Beth, too low for him to catch any of the words. Beth blushed a delightful shade of rosy pink.
“What was that all about?” He cocked his head to the side.
“Just… Sophie being Sophie.”
They walked back out into the sunshine. They continued down the river walk, back in the direction of Bookish Cafe. He felt her shiver and looked down at her. “You cold?”
“The temperature has dropped a bit, hasn’t it? I guess I should have worn a sweater.”
“I’ve got a jeans jacket in my truck. Let me run and get it. Won’t take but a few minutes. It will be a tad large on you, but at least you won’t be cold.”
“Okay. I am chilly. I’ll meet you back by Annie’s and we’ll walk around that end of town until Mom and the boys are ready.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He hurried down the pathway, back out to the street, and over to the parking area. The lot was full of cars now, and for a minute or so he couldn’t figure out where he’d parked his truck. He wandered around the area until he found it, making a mental note where it was so he could find it again when it was time to leave.
He snatched the jacket from the car and headed back toward Bookish Cafe. Just as he got close, Daniel Smith stepped in front of him. “Mr. McKenna, I need a word with you.”
He gritted his teeth. Danny Boy was getting on his last nerve. “What?” He saw Beth approaching them with a questioning look on her face.
“Some cars were broken into at the parking lot. You were seen walking around the lot.”
“So were a million other people.”
Beth walked up to his side. “What’s going on?”
Before she could get her answer, the boys and Nora came out of Bookish Cafe. Great, he could have a full audience while he was questioned.
“Hey, Mr. McKenna. You should have had ice cream with us.” Trevor came up beside him and tugged on his arm. “I had chocolate.”
“Daniel?” Beth asked again.
“I was just telling Mr. McKenna that some cars were broken into in the parking area.”
“Oh, did someone break into his truck?”
“No, Mr. McKenna was seen walking through the parking lot, though.”
Beth reached out and took the jacket from him. “He was getting this for me. I was cold.” She shrugged into the jacket as if to prove her point. “So you were wondering if he saw anyone suspicious while he was getting this for me?”
“No, I was actually questioning him regarding the break-ins. He does always seem to be around when there’s trouble. Awfully convenient coincidence, don’t you think?”
“Mr. McKenna wouldn’t break anything.” Trevor stood in front of him and faced off with the officer.
“What’s going on?”
Mac looked at the man who walked up to them. He looked vaguely familiar.
“Dad.” Trevor raced over and threw himself into the man’s arms.
Chapter 18
“Scott, what are you doing here?” Beth looked at her ex-husband. In typical Scott fashion, he hadn’t mentioned he was coming to the festival. She actually thought he was still out of the country on business.
“Got back earlier than I thought from my trip. Thought I’d come by and see the boys.” Scott reached out his hand. “Daniel, good to see you.”
Daniel shook his hand.
“What’s going on? Is there a problem?” Scott eyed all of them.
“Just asking Mr. McKenna a few questions.”
“Mr. McKenna is my friend. He didn’t break any cars.” Trevor stepped over in front of Mac and slipped his hand in Mac’s.
Scott narrowed his eyes. “Mac McKenna? I remember you from school days.”
Beth saw the look. He remembered Mac as the kid with the troublemaker reputation.
“Some cars were broken into at the parking area. Mr. McKenna was seen in the area. He was also seen at the site when your wife’s tire was slashed.”
“I’m not his wife.” Beth corrected. “And Mac wasn’t involved in the tire incident.”
“He also had access to her keys when her house was broken into.”
“What? The house was broken into?” Scott shot her an accusing look. “Don’t you think that was something to tell me since my sons live there?”
“I was going to tell you when you got back from your trip. It’s not like you could have done anything while you were in Europe. I handled it.”
And it wasn’t like he’d called the boys during the weeks and weeks he’d been away, either.
“Can we not talk about this here? Now?” She looked pointedly at the boys.
“I think I’m going to take the boys back for some more rides. What do you say?” her mom offered.
“No, I want to take them for ice cream.” Scott stopped her.
“We just had ice cream, Dad,” Connor said.
Scott looked incredibly annoyed. “I only have a few minutes. I thought I could at least take my sons for ice cream.”
“I didn’t know you were coming, Scott.” Beth pointed out the obvious, annoyed that Scott was annoyed. Annoyed at Daniel Smith. Annoyed that Scott hadn’t bothered to say he was coming to the festival.
“We could have more ice cream,” Trevor suggested.
Scott looked at his watch. “I really need to get home, anyway. Been away a long time. I’ll see you boys soon.”
Scott walked up to her, leaned close, and put a strong grip on her arm. “I don’t want that Mac McKenna anywhere near my sons. He’s nothing but trouble.”
By the look on Mac’s face, it was obvious he’d heard Scott’s not so quiet whisper. So had her mother, because her face held a disapproving look. She wasn’t Scott’s fan even on a good day, though she never let on to the boys.
Beth pulled her arm from Scott’s grasp. “We’ll talk later.”
“Bye, boys.” Scott turned away and stalked off down the sidewalk without so much as a hug for the boys or a civil goodbye to her mom.
“We’re going to go on just a few more rides, how about that?” Nora looked directly at her, her eyes filled with support.
“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll meet you here in a bit.”
She watched as her mom led the boys away then turned to Daniel, still standing beside them. “So, you’re finished, right?”
He looked at Mac, then back to her. “For now.” He turned and headed down the sidewalk.
“Mac, I’m so sorry. Sorry about all of this.”
“None of this is your fault.” Mac raked his hand through his hair.
“I’m still sorry.” She rested her hand on his arm. The sleeve of the jeans jacket almost covered her hand.
“I can’t seem to shake my prior reputation.”
“If people would just take some time to get to know you now.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I don’t think your reputation was deserved back then. I don’t think anyone gave you a chance.”
“Appears they still don’t want to.” He took her hand and led her over to a bench. “I think we should talk.”
“Okay.” Beth slipped down onto the bench, and he refused to think about how adorable she looked in his jeans jacket.
“I…” He didn’t know how to even say the words that he really didn’t want to say. But they needed to be said.
“What?” She looked up at him, her eyes trusting and full of support.
He was going to ruin that. Ruin everything. But it was for the best.
“I don’t think this is working out.”
“What’s not?” Her eyes clouded with worry.
“Your whole life is here in this town. The boys, your family, your job. You’re even running for mayor of the town.”
“And?”
“And this town is never going to change. They aren’t going to change their opinion of me or give me a chance. They’ll always think the worst of me.”
“Just give it some time.” She reached out and took his hands in hers.
He ignored how soft they were, how warm.
“Beth, I do care about you. My time with you has been special. But I don’t think we should continue seeing each other.”
“Yes, we should.”
“No, we shouldn’t. I… I can’t.” He took his hands away from her grasp. “I can’t keep coming back here and be questioned by the police for every little thing that happens here. I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am now. A business owner where people like me and respect me. It took me years to have any confidence in myself. I can’t let this town destroy me.”
“Mac, don’t do this. We’ll work it out.”
He reached out and touched her face. “I have to. This town will destroy me, but it’s woven all through your life. I’ll ruin your chance at being elected mayor, and you heard your ex. He doesn’t want me around the boys. I don’t want to cause problems for you and him and the boys.”
“I don’t care about that. Scott doesn’t control my life. And if being with you costs me the mayor job, I don’t care about that either.”
“I care.” He slowly took his hand away from her face. “This is for the best. For you. For me. I can’t let this town destroy me.”
“Mac, please. Let’s work this out.” Her eyes pleaded with him and tore a hole the size of Montana in his heart.
“I’ve got to go.” He stood up.
She stared at him with the saddest eyes he’d ever seen. “Your jacket.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she started to shrug out of the jacket.
“Keep it.”
He turned away and strode down the sidewalk before those sad eyes made him change his mind. He was doing the right thing. For both of them.
But if it was so right, why could he barely breathe? Why was there such an ache oozing through every fiber of his body?
“Goodbye, Beth.” He whispered the words into the cool Colorado breeze and they drifted off into eternity.
Chapter 19
The heat of a lone tear trailed down Beth’s cheek. She swiped at it with the palm of her hand. She watched as Mac walked away until she could no longer see him. She kept herself from racing after him and throwing herself into his arms because part of what he’d said was right.
She didn’t care about Scott’s threats or how being seen with Mac might affect her running for mayor. Not a bit. But she understood how Sweet River Falls was crushing Mac’s soul. He’d tried too hard to outrun his reputation. He finally fit in at Mac’s Place in Mountain Grove. The people there liked him and trusted him. He wasn’t being questioned by the police at every turn.
And he was right about another thing. Her life was entwined with Sweet River Falls. Her family and her job. Everything was here.
Sometimes the fates were cruel. They brought someone special into your life but then took them away, leaving a gaping hole in your heart.
“You okay?” Her mother stood at the end of the bench, her eyes filled with concern.
“Where are the boys?” She avoided her mother’s question.
“Right over there. See? They’re watching Jimmy Nelson at the face painting booth.” Nora sat beside her. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”
Her mother wasn’t one to let things go. Beth turned to her and tried to put on a smile. “Oh, Mac and I decided not to see each other anymore.”
“Why in the world would you do that? I’ve seen how you look at him. You care about him.”
“I do. But… well, it’s complicated. It just wasn’t… right… for us.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.” Nora narrowed her eyes. “Did you just get scared? It is hard to trust again after what Scott did, but honey, you have to take chances in life. If you don’t, you miss so much.”
“It was a bit scary, but it wasn’t that. It just… it wasn’t working for us.”
Her mother didn’t look convinced but dropped the topic when the boys hurried up to them.
“Where’s Mr. McKenna?” Trevor peered around the crowd.
“He had to go home.”
“That’s too bad. I wanted to see if he’d come over and play in our tree house again.” Trevor frowned.
“I think it’s time we head out, boys.” Nora stood.
“Already?” Connor scowled.
“We’ve been here for hours. Let’s head out. How would you boys like to stay with me tonight?”
“Yes.” Trevor fist pumped the air.
“Beth, you want to come stay too?”
“No, I think I’ll just have you drop me off at home.”
Her mother didn’t look happy at that decision but nodded. The four of them wound their way through the crowd to the parking area. She glanced back one more time, looking at the bench where she’d been sitting. Where Mac had touched her face. Her heart crumbling with the thought that it was the last time she’d ever feel his hand on her. She grabbed the edges of his jacket and wrapped it tightly against her body as if his very arms were around her.
Beth changed into her favorite flannel pajamas after her mother dropped her off. She wandered aimlessly around the house, picking up toys, stacking magazines. The pile of papers to grade beckoned her, but she couldn’t convince herself to sit down and work on them.
She slipped Mac’s jacket on over her pjs and went out to sit on her back porch. She sat sipping a glass of wine and watching as the evening darkened, surrounding her in its shadowy cloak.
She hadn’t felt this lonely in… well, she’d never felt this lonely before. She hadn’t even felt this deserted when Scott had left her. Now she felt like she was being swept down the river, adrift, with no way to catch hold and get back under control.
She swiped at yet another tear. She wasn’t usually a crying person, but the ache inside of her just would not abate.
“There you are.” Sophie came walking around the side of the house. “I saw your car and knocked, but you didn’t answer. Figured you were back here.”
Beth took one look at Sophie and burst into tears. Sophie, her best friend, the one who always seemed to know when she needed her. She let the tears flow freely now, and Sophie sat down beside her and wrapped her in her arms.
Sophie let her cry it out, then sat back and looked at her. “So, what happened?”
“It’s Mac.”
“You two looked cozy when you came by the gallery. What happened?”
“Everything fell apart.”
“I’m going to need more than that…” Sophie jumped up. “Just a sec. I’m going to go grab a glass of wine for me.”
Sophie came back with a glass of wine and an afghan. She settled beside Beth and pulled the afghan around them to chase off the chill of the evening. “Okay, now tell me what happened.”
“Let’s see. There was Daniel Smith confronting Mac about break-ins to the cars in the parking lot.”
“Why would he question Mac?”
“Because Mac was seen walking through the lot.”
“I’d imagine hundreds of other people were too.”
“Well, I think Daniel is convinced that Mac is behind a bunch of problems in town.”
Sophie took a sip of her wine and a thoughtful look crossed her face. “I think Daniel still has a crush on you and he’s jealous of Mac.”
“What?” She shook her head. “No, that’s crazy.”
“Is it?” Sophie eyed her.
“I don’t know…” Beth thought about it. She’d known that Daniel had had a crush on her in high school and maybe even still did? All these years later? “Maybe…”
“Maybe, nothing. I bet that’s why he’s got such a target on Mac.”
“Well, then it got worse.”
“Worse?”
“Scott showed up.”
“I thought he was off somewhere in Europe.”
“Well, he’s back. The boys were there, Daniel was there accusing Mac of the break-ins, puncturing my tire, and mentioned he’d had access to my keys before the house got broken into.” Beth let out a long sigh. “Scott got mad
I hadn’t told him about the house being broken into, but I had every intention of telling him after he got back into the country. Then he demanded that I keep Mac away from the boys. Said Mac was a bad influence.”
“He can’t tell you what to do like that.”
“Evidently he thinks he can. And Mac heard him say it to me.”
Sophie scowled. “Scott likes to blow into town, tell you what to do, then just drop out of sight for months on end.”
She sniffled and snatched a tissue from her pocket, done with this crying jag. “Anyway, after Daniel left and Scott stalked off, Mom took the boys to ride a few more rides.” She tugged the afghan closer, tucking her feet beneath her. “Mac said we should talk… and he said we should stop seeing each other.”
“Because of what Scott said?”
“Partly. But also because he just can’t be pushed back into trying to defend himself all the time. So many people in Sweet River Falls just look at him as the troublemaker. They aren’t willing to give him a chance. I think it took years for him to overcome his insecurities from growing up here and always being an outsider. He fits in over in Mountain Grove. He doesn’t want to be constantly questioned and reminded of his past. I can’t blame him.”
“And your life is here in Sweet River Falls.”
“My life, my family, my job.” Beth took a sip of her wine. “Not to mention I’m running for mayor. He thinks being seen with him will hurt my chances of getting elected.”
“It does get complicated.”
“I just… I like him. I like him a lot. I finally admitted it to myself and to Mac.”
“Don’t you think you two could work it out?”
“I don’t think it’s fair to Mac to even ask that. He can’t stand coming to Sweet River Falls, and I don’t blame him. I’m sure it brings up memories of everything that he’s tried to put behind him. And how would that work? I’d only go over to Mountain Grove?”
“I don’t know. It just seems like a shame to let it all die before you even got a chance at seeing where it was going. And I’m telling you, it was going somewhere. I saw him looking at you when you were at the gallery. He’s smitten.”
