A Hope Undaunted (23 page)

Faith blinked, completely stunned. She clutched her arms to her waist to stop from slapping his face. Her upper body thrust forward in anger. “Because my husband didn’t bother!” she shouted, unconcerned with the woman in the next room.

“And for precisely this reason!” he yelled back, his noise level matching hers. “Look at you – ready to condemn me and that woman for something that isn’t true.”

She shivered and fixed her gaze to the floor. “Lizzie says you were . . . involved with her.” Her eyes flicked to his face. “Is that true?”

The air seemed to heave still in his throat, her question obviously stealing his wind. He looked away. “Yes,” he said, sucking in a deep breath, “but that was almost twenty years ago, Faith, and we were both kids. For pity’s sake, she’s a widow with a thirteen-year-old son.”

She paused, fear trapped in her throat, and for a brief second, her eyelids flickered as she tried to form the words on her tongue. “Did you . . . sleep with her, Collin?”

His face bleached white. He slashed shaky fingers through his dark hair, refusing to meet her gaze. She tensed, watching the muscles in his throat work hard.

It was only seconds before he answered, but it seemed eons until he lowered his head to stare at the floor. “Yes.”

She listed to the side, shock and jealousy warring within. She’d always known the kind of man he’d been before God, well aware of his reputation with women. But she wasn’t prepared for the pain of it now, so close and so personal. She lifted her chin. “More than once?”

His head jerked up and his eyes seemed to plead, sorrow and shame evident in their depths. “Yes,” he whispered, “but why dredge it up, Faith? It’s only hurtful to the both of us, and it doesn’t matter now – ”

“It matters,” she rasped, her voice thick with pain. “It’s the difference between a night of indifference and a relationship in which you gave this woman a piece of your soul.” She looked up, her eyes locked on his. “How long, Collin?”

He exhaled slowly, the fight leaving his body. “Over a year,” he whispered, his voice resigned. “We were young and stupid, Faith, barely sixteen.” He put a hand to his eyes. “We had dreams of getting married one day.”

She staggered back, bracing herself with a hand to the table. She knew his past, but the reality of that woman in his bed cut through her like a shard of glass. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her mouth, rivulets of tears seeping through her fingers.

Within one silent heave, he was at her side, seizing her in his arms with fierce possession. He buried his face in her neck, his words and kisses repentant in the folds of her hair. “Faith, I’m sorry, I was stupid. I should have told you, I know, but I didn’t want to hurt you.” He pulled back to stare at her, palms caressing the sides of her face. Moisture glimmered in his eyes. “I love you, Faith, more than life itself, and I would never hurt you for the world.”

She sagged into his arms, her body heaving. “Why, Collin? Why would you hire her?”

She felt his hand in her hair, stroking her, comforting her. His voice was low and thick with emotion. “I can’t explain it, Faith, but I . . . had to. I swear I had no intention of hiring Evelyn, ever. But when I found out she just lost her husband to a debilitating disease, watched him die a slow, hard death, I . . .” She felt his shiver all the way to her bones. “I couldn’t help but think, what if that was you or me, if one of us were to . . .” His voice broke, and she clutched him tightly, pressing in to become one in his pain.

He drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, bundling her closer. “Forgive me, Faith, please. I should have told you.”

She pulled back to stroke his cheek, the shadow of dark stubble rough beneath her hand. Her eyes softened as she stared up at her husband. “I love you, Collin McGuire, because of your sensitive heart and sometimes in spite of it. But you and I both know . . . this woman can’t stay.”

Sorrow reflected in his eyes. “I know it’s painful for you, Faith, having her here. And it’s painful for me, truly. But I can’t let her go. She has a sick boy to support.”

“She’ll find another job.”

His fingers traced the curve of her jaw, eyes gentle but firm. “No, Faith, she won’t. She hasn’t worked in years, and her schedule is . . . sporadic at best.”

Faith cocked her head. “Then why – ”

His hand glazed across her lips, caressing her mouth, stilling her words. His voice was quiet, but it pulsed with feeling, reflecting the man she was privileged to love. “Because she needs the money, Faith. She needs to get by, just until her son . . .” He looked away, and she could see the tears well in his eyes. He swallowed his emotion in one painful gulp. “He’s very sick, in and out of the hospital at various times. Evelyn’s mother will stay with him while she works, but there are days when she . . . she won’t be able to be here. No other employer would agree to that, Faith.” His eyes returned to hers. “Trust me on this, please. I can’t let Evelyn go.”

She stared at her husband, moved by the intensity in his eyes, the passion in his face. The passion that had once driven him as a lost young man prone to dark moods and a hunger for love. The same passion that now cherished and protected her and the girls every day of their lives. He was a man gifted with a wellspring of love. How could she stop the flow of his heart?

She released her surrender in one frail breath. “All right, Collin. I trust you.”

He crushed her to him in a desperate hug, his broken words muffled in her hair. “I love you, Faith, with every fiber of my being. No other woman has ever captured me like you, possessed me so completely. You and the girls . . . you’re my reason to live, the reason I rise in the morning and the breath in my lungs.”

Hot tears sprang to her eyes and she clutched him with violent devotion. “I love you, Collin, with all of my heart, and I trust you. God has used you to pour abundant blessings into my life.” She closed her eyes and allowed her trust to rest in both God and her husband. “And Evelyn’s, apparently,” she whispered against his chest.

And at the sound of her own words, peace lighted upon her soul.

9

We’re going to
Kearney’s
?” Katie asked in a shocked whisper. She stared up at one of Boston’s most notorious pubs with a look of awe.

Betty gave her a sideways glance and grinned. “It’s my birthday, so it’s my choice. And this is where I wanted to go.”

Katie’s tone was almost reverent. “But I’ve heard rumors it’s a speakeasy, and I’ve never been in one before. Jack promised to take me, but Father’s threats always kept me away.”

Betty glanced back at Parker and Luke, deep in conversation a few paces behind. “Don’t worry, we won’t be tipping booze if I know those two.” She looped her arm through Katie’s and stared wistfully at the charming glass-pane-and-brick storefront with its red potted geraniums and a green awning emblazoned with “Kearney’s Café.” “We’ll be sitting up front in the café, not in the speakeasy in the basement,” she said with sigh. “Although I’d give my mother’s eyeteeth for a frosty Guinness along with a hamburger right about now.”

Katie tugged on the brass handle of the ornate cherrywood door, and instantly her mouth watered at the rush of tempting smells that escaped the noisy pub. The sound of a jazz piano rag set her legs twitching while the aroma of frying fish and chips and grilled meat rumbled her stomach. She held the door for Betty. “Maybe Luke will buy you a beer for your birthday.”

Betty laughed as she sailed inside, tugging Katie along while Luke propped the door for more patrons behind them. She leaned close to Katie’s ear. “Maybe the Luke I used to know, but not this one. He’s gone all chaste on me, like Parker. Heaven forbid either of them should break the law.”

“Chaste? Luke?” Katie halted on the spot, grateful for the barrage of music, laughter, and off-key singing that covered her shock. The memory of Luke’s ravaging kiss against the wall suddenly heated her more than the sticky closeness of the crowded room, making it hard for her to breathe. Her eyes drifted closed for a moment and she swallowed hard, irritated by the heat that pulsed in her cheeks. She’d been far from successful in forgetting what happened that night. And she knew as sure as the flutter in her stomach, Luke McGee’s lips, his hands, his intent had been anything but “chaste.”

“Oh, look, those people in the back are leaving – come on!” Betty literally dragged her through the crowd to the back of the pub in the direction of a rounded booth in the corner, not quite vacated. Betty smiled and waited patiently as the party gathered their things and departed. With a smug look, she slid into the booth and pulled Katie in alongside, her lips close to Katie’s ear. “Trust me – complete bluenoses, both he and Parker.” Her eyes followed Luke and Parker as they made their way through the crowd to the booth. “But Luke wasn’t always like that, I can tell you that. Back in New York, our boy had quite the reputation with the ladies.”

“You mean . . . ?”

Betty gave her a pointed look. “And then some.”

Katie gulped. “Oh.”

For the briefest of moments, a hint of melancholy shadowed Betty’s face. “Yeah, but then he got religion,” she said with a slant of her brow, “and now he and Parker are a matched set.” Her voice softened as she watched their approach. “But you know what? Sometimes I really, really miss the old Luke.”

“What’s your rush, Galetti? You act like they’re giving away free beer or something.” Luke jerked his tie loose and shed his jacket, placing it neatly folded between Katie and him before dropping into the booth. “Man, it’s hot in here.” He rolled his sleeves and gave Betty a grin. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat somewhere we can sit outside?”

Betty pursed her lips. “Nope, it’s my birthday, and you and Parker promised me dinner anywhere I want.” She folded her hands on the table. “So I suggest you stop grousing, McGee. I could have just as easily chosen Frankie & Johnnie’s and set you both back a pretty penny.”

“She’s right, you know,” Parker said, tie still intact but jacket discarded on the seat. He sifted a hand through sandy brown hair as he scanned the café. “Anybody see a waitress?”

Luke leaned back against the cherry-wood booth with arms folded and eyes closed. “Yeah, Shirl knows we’re here – she waved when we came in.”

“You mean when
you
came in,” Betty said. “Come on, McGee, wake up! This is a party.”

One of Luke’s blue eyes edged open. “Can’t help it – the heat’s putting me to sleep.”

“I’ll bet a nice, frosty Guinness would wake you up,” Betty said with a wiggle of brows.

The slitted eye closed once again. “How ’bout a nice, frosty Bevo instead?”

“Come on, Luke – make me a happy woman just once – embrace the moment. I want to celebrate my birthday with alcohol, not near beer.” The pout was evident in Betty’s voice.

“Bevo has alcohol, Bets,” Parker said with a patient smile. “One-half of one percent in the finest malt beverage Anheuser-Busch makes.”

“You guys are hopeless,” Betty muttered. She gave Katie a look. “See what I mean?”

“You spinning tales about your superiors to this innocent young woman, Galetti?” Luke’s eyes opened to reveal a hint of a tease.

“Humph, nothing to spin. You guys make the Hardy Boys look like Capone’s thugs.”

“Sorry for the wait.” A perky brunette with unusual green eyes plopped four menus on the table. She scanned the booth with a bright smile. “It’s good to see you again, it’s been too long . . . Parker, Betty . . .
Luke
.”

It was obvious from the look in the waitress’s eyes that it was particularly good to see him again. Katie frowned, taking an immediate dislike to the woman.

A heart-melting grin lit Luke’s face as he crossed muscled arms on the table. “Hi, Shirl. Yeah, it’s been brutal at work lately. No rest for the wicked, I guess.”

Miss Perky pressed her order pad to her ample chest and smiled. “You? Wicked? Now why do I find that so easy to believe, Luke McGee?”

“Because you’re a Dumb Dora,” Betty whispered to Katie behind her menu.

Katie giggled, and Luke shot them a look of warning before inflicting further charms on the waitress. “Well, ‘wicked’s’ not on the agenda tonight, Shirl, so just bring Parker, Betty, and me a round of Bevos while we look over the menu.” He glanced at Katie. “What’ll you have?”

“Well, since a Guinness is out of the question . . . I guess I’ll have a Bevo too.”

He turned back to Shirl. “Bevo all around, then.”

“Sure thing,” she said with a sultry smile. She stacked the few dirty plates left on the table, then leaned to wipe it clean with a wide stretch that Katie felt sure was for Luke’s benefit.

“So, when’s Bobbie Sue coming?” Parker asked after Shirl left, his attention focused on the menu.

Betty glanced at her watch. “As soon as she gets the kids fed and watered, I suppose.”

“I hope she doesn’t take too long – I’m starved.” Katie flipped her menu on the table and glanced at Betty. “I just may order two hamburgers.”

Luke glanced up. “Settle down, Katie Rose, this isn’t Jack you’re stiffing with the bill, you know. Just two impoverished lawyers.”

“You can fit two hamburgers into that tiny body?” Betty asked, mouth gaping.

Katie nodded. “And a chocolate milkshake, if I’m really hungry.” She tilted her head and gave Luke a smirk. “Like tonight.”

Luke glanced at Parker with a groan. “I don’t have enough cash. Did you bring enough?”

“For the girls, but not for us to eat too,” Parker said with a serious face.

Katie placed a hand on Luke’s arm, her face the picture of innocence. “Don’t worry, McGee, something tells me ol’ Shirl will take something other than cash.”

His gaze flitted to the hand on his arm before it rose to settle on her face with a lazy smile. “You think?” he asked in a husky tone.

Blood rushed to her cheeks. She jerked her hand away and placed it in her lap. “I meant washing dishes, McGee. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

He grinned and leaned back against the booth. “Can’t. It’s where I was born, remember?”

“So, what’s it going to be?” Shirl reappeared, suddenly smelling a whole lot more like gardenias than chicken-fried steak. She unloaded their drinks on the table, took their orders, and then disappeared again with a final smile in Luke’s direction.