Marnie had given Blaire her opinion on David more than once, that she was playing with fire by letting another man escort her around town. Only after Blaire had assured her that her husband had given his blessing to spend the time with her old friend had the woman stopped nagging.
The townsfolk were defensive when it came to Dr. Lyle Frazer and it appeared the man could do no wrong. She said nothing to feed the gossip vine, knowing Liza-Mae was doing a fine job smearing her reputation all by herself.
“Oh, there is my man,” Marnie giggled like a newlywed. “Best go and snuggle on his blanket. The show is about to start.” She gave Blaire a quick peck on the cheek, whispered in her ear, “Behave yourself,” and darted away.
The audience settled into their places, prepared to be entertained. A live band started the show, and then act-one of the production began. The quality was every bit as good as she’d witnessed in the city, and she made a mental note to perhaps join the group if she stayed in Spalding. The spectators’ eyes were fixed upon the performers’ movements, their ears tuned to every musical note and every spoken word. The players brought life to the drama, keeping the captive audience spellbound.
Blaire was uncertain as to the source of her distraction: Perhaps it was more of a sensation than a specific movement that caused her gaze to shift suddenly to the left. They stood in full view in the shadows of a nearby lantern. Lyle’s attention was on center stage while Liza-Mae studied him. Blaire witnessed his wife’s awestruck gaze penetrating the man beside her, and although she appeared to be a woman in love, an underlying shadow tainted its purity, causing ripples of shivers to invade Blaire’s arms.
Blaire shivered and hugged the shawl closer around her as she looked away.
On stage, the music suddenly slowed, encapsulating its attentive audience within its aura of love, and the observers felt it penetrate the crowd.
All eyes were bolted to the unexpected romantic ending; all except Blaire, who averted her gaze back to the left, where the strains of music had touched Liza-Mae’s eyes, and she made her move, securing her end to their real-life story. Boldly stepping in front of Lyle, she slipped into his unexpecting arms, sweeping him away in her sea of passion.
Blaire held her breath as she watched and waited. Time seemed to stop, and what might have been mere seconds in real time seemed to drag into an eternity. Lyle’s face was smothered against Liza-Mae’s, leaving Blaire to draw her own conclusions as to how he’d responded to the surprise embrace. They untangled—in slow motion, it seemed to Blaire—and Liza-Mae smiled the tell-tale grin of a mischievous cat on the prowl. In one movement, the woman, with loving on her mind, looped her arm through Lyle's, veered him away from the crowds, and disappeared into the shadows of the starless night.
Blaire’s heart pounded, she felt chilled to the bone, and she shook involuntarily. What had she expected? She had no idea what they did together every evening, and she did not know to what lengths Lyle would go to seek the answers to his personal mystery, or if even his convictions could survive the onslaught of Liza-Mae’s manipulation.
Blaire did not pretend to understand anything anymore. Tears gathered like mourners for her soul as she lowered her head.
David, perhaps assuming her emotions to be a result of the play they had just witnessed or simply taking advantage of the mood surrounding them, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to him.
Blaire reacted in total surprise and fear without taking the time to discover the motives for David’s embrace. The image of Lyle and Liza-Mae still burned fresh in her mind, and David’s action only served to spark another fire of hurt and anger that bubbled from within. She took it out on David. “Don’t touch me!”
Blaire spun around and ran, her shawl slipping from her shoulders to the ground, and her arms pushing against every person who barred her way. She raced through the crowd oblivious to their thunderous clapping. Blaire heard David faintly calling from behind her, but she couldn’t have stopped even if she wanted to. A suffocating panic encompassed her, steering her forward with a blinding rage. The tears flowed freely, and before long, she could only see one step ahead of her, blindly stumbling forward.
In those brief seconds of time, Blaire covered her ears to shut out the continuous, thunderous clapping. She raced on, catching only glimpses of the fireworks exploding into the sky, announcing the grand finale.
Too late, she saw the danger inches in front of her. A driver attempting to leave the scene fought to gain control over his spooked team of horses, and his wagon bolted into action uncontrollably. He seemed to come out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time, and Blaire fell prey to the ill-timed collision.
Strange how time can slow to snail-speed, so slow you can hear the ticking of life. The wild frenzy of fireworks, the deeply emotional play, the intimate vision of Lyle and Liza-Mae, the surprised look on David’s face—it all passed before her in slow motion, in a heartbeat, just before the collision.
Upon impact, Blaire vaguely recalled the sensation of flying, and in her foggy mind, mused how grand it must be for birds, but it was the debilitating final thud that she felt sure she would remember to her dying day—which might be sooner than planned. Just before she passed out, the clunk of her landing echoed through her brain, and she welcomed the release from her pain—all of it, physical and emotional.
Chapter 11
The sun rose, as it did every morning. Blaire could feel the warmth on her face, but her head throbbed, and her body ached. She chose not to open her eyes, not to greet another morning of pain—if she could only sleep forever!
Inwardly, she cursed the frantic team of horses, she cursed Lyle and his sleazy wife, and she cursed life and all the ache it inflicted on weary hearts. Physical pain was proving to hurt as much as the mental and emotional stress of late, and she’d had enough of both.
When she attempted to shift in her bed, an involuntary moan escaped her lips. There was a nearby rustle in response, as someone moved closer. His voice spoke compassionately. She’d heard the same, comforting tone many times when he’d ministered to his patients. That day, she was Lyle’s newest patient in their last fleeting relationship, and she decided right there and then that it was time to come to grips with that truth.
She opened her eyes, and the room slowly came into focus.
Lyle was preoccupied, checking her vital signs. His strong, capable hands moved gently over her bruises, his face wincing every time she groaned. He paused to write his diagnosis on the medical chart.
Blaire remained quiet, but her eyes followed his every move, noticed every detail, remembered every familiar gesture, and seared it into her memory for later recollection.
He, in turn, avoided her study of him, speaking only when he could bury his head in his chart. In that sudden realization, her world hit rock bottom. Somewhere in the night, she had lost him somewhere in Liza-Mae’s arms. “In some ways, you are a very lucky girl,” he offered half-heartily.
“You will excuse me if I don't feel so lucky.”
A faint smile touched his lips. “Definitely a good sign, disagreeing with the doctor.”
“Spare me the bedside manner,” Blaire muttered. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Okay.” He sucked in a deep breath and continued rather formally, “You were thrown clear of the team, thankfully not trampled in the commotion. In fact, you landed on a bale of straw that had been set up for people to sit on at the show, but not before your body and head first connected with the tree. I gave Stanley a piece of my mind, trying to move a wagon when the racket of fireworks was sure to make the animals jumpy.”
“The driver wasn’t completely to blame,” she said in his defense. “I wasn’t watching where I was going at the time.”
Their eyes met, and he held hers for a long moment. “You always were the romantic. Probably all caught up in the drama.”
Was that a question she heard behind his words, a hopeful question, that maybe—just maybe—she hadn’t see
n him with Liza-Mae? She decided to oblige his curiosity, and a bit of spunk managed to rise to the occasion to combat that day’s ache. “I probably wasn’t prepared for the tragic ending. Too much like real life.”
Blaire felt annoyed with herself that she couldn’t out and out accuse him and throw a hissy-fit. She certainly did not want his pity, yet, something inside her refused to lie down and die. It plunged on with a mind of its own, oblivious to her desire to steer clear of the subject nagging at both of them. Her last vindictive thought before she burst out the question was, ‘Let him bury himself.’
“Were you there, last night?” she said.
He dropped his gaze. “For a while.”
“Were you unable to handle the ending, or did you run off to make a happier one of your own?” she asked, blinking hard and turning away, but not before she saw guilt spring to his face.
“Blaire, I...”
“Don’t bother, Lyle. I don’t want to hear your lies again.” She suddenly wanted to hurt him as much as he’d hurt her. “Is David here?”
“Of course. He’s kept vigil in the waiting room all night.” Was that disapproval in his voice? He smoothed it over by saying, “He appears to be a rather dedicated friend.”
“You sound surprised that I have any left, Doctor.”
“That’s not what I meant, Blaire. Especially now, I am relieved that—”
“Save your pity for other patients, Dr. Frazer.”
“Blaire, I don’t know what you think has happened since we last met.” He lowered his gaze, and Blaire remembered their last fling at love when they’d pushed the world aside and allowed themselves the luxury of living in the moment. Never again would she be so naïve!
She tugged the covers up under her chin. The words swimming in her head pushed ruthlessly for release, demanding their venom be heard, but she smothered them out, deep in the pit of her heart, where her life’s rejections resided—no sense adding idiocy to her disgrace.
“Lyle, I have no desire to discuss anything of a personal nature with you, today or ever, but I would be interested in knowing when I’ll be released. I have some packing to finish.”
“I thought we settled that.”
Blaire glared. She wouldn’t wait for him another minute. Blaire bit her lip to quench the outburst that would only cause them more needless agony.
When Lyle noticed she was not about to address the packing debate, he continued. “You can’t go anywhere for a couple of days.”
“What? I’m fine. Just a few aches and pains. Lyle, don’t do this to me. I can’t stay here. I won’t stay here, having everyone whisper behind my back when they visit the office. Poor little Blaire is not up for display.”
“We both know it’s me you can’t stand to see. People around here have you perched high on a pedestal. It’s me who made this mess, and I made sure everyone knew you played no part in it.”
“My hero.”
“Still, my medical decision stands. You are staying right there in that bed until I release you.”
Blaire swallowed hard and tried another tactic. “Lyle, I’ve attempted to understand your situation, truly, I have, but now I’m simply too tired to care. Liza-Mae can have you. I merely want you to leave me alone. You can’t keep opening old wounds and filling the space with new ones. I need to get on with my life, to deal with my single status again.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?” The accusation came swift and to the point.
Blaire swallowed hard. Of course, he’d have to know. It wasn’t the sort of thing you could keep from a doctor while under his care. “Don’t worry. My baby is not your concern.”
“Our baby,” he corrected.
“Oh, are you sure? Could be history repeating itself.” Blaire hated the lie, but she seemed unable to control the vile poison of her words and the bitterness accompanying them. It swept over her like a dangerous fog, blocking her view of the other side.
Lyle cleared his throat and tried again. “When did you find out? You did know about the baby, right?”
“I did know, but you were gone before I could tell you. Remember that special evening, that fateful night of no return? I planned to share the news then.” Blaire paused to let that sink in. “So, to re-emphasize my position: be clear that my baby is of no concern to you, and I certainly don’t want you to choose us out of some sense of false obligation.”
“I do choose us.”
“Well, you seem to already have enough on your plate,” Blaire said.
“Blaire, that’s not fair. I believe that we have been married all along, and our child was conceived in that love.”
“The law doesn’t care what you believe, Lyle. I’m pregnant and single, a tainted, disillusioned woman, according to the moral standards I have set for myself.”
Lyle paced the floor. He bit his lower lip until droplets of blood seeped from it.
“Stop pacing, Dr. Frazer. You’re not the caged animal here. I don’t need your help. I don’t even carry your name, so the responsibility is not yours any longer.”
He returned to the edge of the bed, sat, and gathered her hands from under the covers. Something in his eyes allowed her to be led like a little child. He pressed her hands to his lips, but she still did not yank them from his grasp. His tears flowed freely and trickled all the way down to her white knuckles.
“Shush now,” he whispered when she tried to speak, “My sweet Blaire, how we talked of children, dreamed of them as a perfect addition to our perfect family. You’re so beautiful.”
“Lyle, you must stop this babbling. Life is full of choices. You made yours, now you have to live with it.” Blaire witnessed fear clouding his eyes, and she read him as only a wife could do. “Lyle, is there something you’re not telling me?”
He gulped in air as if there were a sudden shortage in the room. Lyle leveled his gaze at her and said, “There’ll be no baby for us this time, Blaire. Last night, the fall caused a miscarriage. We lost the baby.”
Blaire stared at him vacantly. We lost the baby? No, she lost the baby! It was the only thing she had salvaged from their decaying relationship, the only thing she had left of him. Now, that was gone, too. There would never be a baby between them, ever.
Then, the flood gates opened, and she could not stop the tears, for the child that would never be, for the love she would never know again, and for her last lingering dream as it threatened to die. Blaire allowed all of the grief to spill out.
Lyle’s frame shook and she sensed he felt a father’s loss. Her heart softened as he clung to her fingers like a lifeline and buried his face in her palms. She felt his grief merge with her own, and they comforted each other. No words were required to voice their emotions, only deep agony.
The previous pain from Liza-Mae’s reappearance fell by the wayside compared to this second blow. Any lingering crumbs left for them to pick up had been swept away. Now, there was nothing left to bind them, no reason for Lyle to come home. She had no future in Spalding. With their marriage and the baby gone, Blaire’s last shred of hope disappeared into a vast wasteland.
Blaire was first to pull away. “I guess we’re really over now. I wasn’t aware that I’d secretly hoped…with the baby...that maybe, someday, you’d come home to us, but now there’s nothing.”
“That’s not true. We still have each other. We can start again. Please, don’t give up. I wired her father today, not because he cares about me, but I just can’t shake the feeling something is not right on the California home front. Liza-Mae was adamant about my not contacting her family, and that’s what got my suspicions up; she used to follow her father’s lead to the letter. I’m hoping he will provide some answers:”
“And that will take time,” Blaire said. “Forgive me if I don’t stand by with bated breath. I think what we need now is some space. I’ve been considering going back home with David and his mother.”
“Home? To Kentucky? It’s so far away,” Lyle groaned.
“It�
�s either there or Pelican Rapids—I haven’t decided yet. There’s a new doctor there, and maybe he will need an assistant. I’ve had a lot of time to think these days—too much time, in fact—about how wrong I’d been to pretend that the relationship with my family didn’t matter. I can’t justify my walking away on bad terms anymore. I can’t dream again without you or the baby in the picture. The present, the past…they contaminate one another like a disease ready to snuff the life out of me. I need to make peace with my father. I need to start there.”
“Will your brother be there?” he asked anxiously.
“My brother?”
“Yes, the one you call Timothy.”
“I suspect so. He helps with the family business.”
“Promise me that you’ll tread carefully with him.”
“Whatever are you on about? You’ve never even met him.”
“Just promise me, all right?”
“I am not your concern anymore.” Blaire had said the words with such finality that she actually believed they could be true.
“Keep the faith, Blaire,” he said briefly with a far away look in his eyes that warned Blaire of more secrets to come.
“Is there something else you’re not telling me, Lyle?”
He cleared his throat and stood, which Blaire knew was a sign of avoidance. “Just be careful…and don’t be surprised when I come to whisk you back home.”
“Your place is with your wife.”
“Agreed.”
“Lyle, there is nothing left worth saying between us,” Blaire said.
“When I clear up this mess with Liza-Mae, I will come calling, if I have to hunt the entire country for you.”
“Perhaps that gripping desire you’re feeling should help you see just how much your wife loves you, as that is exactly what she did.”
Blaire's Ambushed Heart Page 10
