Behind Closed Doors (7 page)

Every now and again he considered cutting down the hedges, but hadn’t followed through. He’d just left them, the way he had the roses. The gesture was a tribute to her, he supposed, though it was Kitty who took care of the flowers, along with the house. They’d hired her to help with the housework a year after he and Anne had married, and she’d been coming twice a week ever since. The woman had adored Anne. And he reckoned Kitty was fond of him, too, but if he ever got serious about getting rid of the garden she’d probably serve him his balls for breakfast.

Woody was leading the new mare toward the east corral when Nathan walked out from between the hedges. Big John and Troy were loading fence posts onto one of the trucks, and all three men did double takes. Hell, it wasn’t that big a deal. A man had a right to walk through his own garden.

He cringed...even the thought sounded weird. Hoping to avoid Woody’s meddlesome observations, Nathan veered toward the stables.

If he heard Beth’s name one more time, Nathan was going to gag the old man. Better yet, call his bluff and force him to go on the vacation he’d been threatening to take for eight years. The minute Nathan had returned from town yesterday, Woody had started with the questions and making noises about it being time Nathan got back in the saddle before certain body parts stopped working. It would’ve been funny if the old man wasn’t serious.

Even if Nathan was considering dipping his toe in the water, Bethany wasn’t the woman for him. Not for the long haul anyway. She was pretty and outgoing, but she wouldn’t last long in Blackfoot Falls. He’d bet she’d bought the old boardinghouse on a whim and hadn’t given enough thought to the renovation. She should’ve been going full speed, getting the outside work finished before the first snow, then moving to the inside on wintry days. And not installing new shutters that would have to come down again, just to make the place look nice. That dilapidated old building needed a lot more than shutters to look anywhere near decent.

She had a lot of energy and enthusiasm, he’d give her that. And looking at the glass as half-full wasn’t a bad attitude. That same sort of optimism had helped him get the Lucky 7 off the ground. But it only worked with a healthy dose of common sense. No, Bethany wasn’t the type for him. He’d already had one idealistic woman in his life, and that had ended tragically. For everyone.

Nearing the stable, he saw Craig brushing Romeo outside the tack room up front. Anne had named the stallion. He was a handsome chestnut, and the lousy name had stuck in Nathan’s craw, but again he’d allowed her that small win.

He never made decisions—especially ones that mattered—based solely on emotions. He didn’t understand whimsical thinking. Maybe that was why he hadn’t known his own wife. Though she’d apparently understood him well enough to hide certain things from him. Fanciful things. Like her dreams of being on the stage, in the spotlight. She knew he would’ve been confused or assumed she was joking. He might’ve blamed her friend Bella for filling Anne’s head with nonsense and dragging her to those crazy auditions. But it was more likely that he’d have dismissed the whole thing.

He just wished he’d had a clue. Then maybe Anne wouldn’t have ended up on the highway headed for Kalispell that night. Maybe she wouldn’t have died.

Craig looked up from brushing Romeo, but Nathan wasn’t in the mood to talk so he skirted the stables and kept walking toward the equipment shed.

Dammit, he didn’t need all this crap surfacing again. He’d rehashed everything a thousand times already. He would never know how their lives might’ve turned out if they’d been more honest with each other. If he’d realized she had a dream of her own. One that hadn’t necessarily included him.

If he wanted to feel guilty, he had plenty of other reasons. The strained ties with his family were all on him. He’d shut everyone out. The worst part was, he’d isolated himself for so long he wasn’t having an easy time letting people back in. Not even his brothers. And Clint and Seth had always been his best friends.

Yet spending time with Bethany had been surprisingly easy. If she knew anything about him, or about Anne, which wasn’t farfetched in a place like Blackfoot Falls, Bethany hadn’t let on. Yesterday had felt like a clean slate. Just two people who were attracted to each other having a little fun.

He knew she’d felt the same physical pull. He’d seen it in those sexy hazel eyes. What he didn’t know was whether the burning need for release had kept her awake last night, too. He’d taken care of himself once in the shower and then later in bed so he could finally get some shut-eye.

His venture into breeding Arabians had taken him out of town twice last month. He’d had the opportunity to hook up. He’d refrained, mostly because he wasn’t ready. But it reminded him that he’d become the subject of rumor and uncharitable gossip after Anne had died, which was yet another reason Bethany wasn’t right for him, whether she stayed or not. All he wanted was sex with no strings, period. If last names weren’t involved, all the better. He’d grown up loving his small town, but that love had vanished with the truth about Anne.

That left Bethany out. And yet, something about her drew him like a bear to honey.

He’d honestly thought that, after some sleep and distance, the feeling would go away. He wished to hell he’d been right.

* * *

“
N
ATHAN?
I
T’S
B
ETH.
Beth Wilson.” She plugged her free ear and hurried out of her office so she could hear. Of course, the hammering on the other side of the wall had started the second she’d made the call. “We met yesterday.”

“I remember,” he drawled in a mildly mocking tone. “What can I do for you
now?
You need nails? Hammers? Lunch?”

She grinned. “Really? Lunch? Dinner would be better so I wouldn’t have to come back to work, but sure, I’ll go to lunch.” At the expected silence, she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Until she couldn’t hold it anymore. “Relax, I know you were being sarcastic.”

He sighed, then after another pause, he asked, “Have you eaten?”

It was her turn to be shocked speechless. Her heart did a little two-step before she got it. Okay, he was teasing her back. Evidently he hadn’t made the connection between her and Liberty. But Beth wasn’t out of the woods yet. “Seriously, I do have a question. I’m horrified that I didn’t bring it up yesterday, but how do you want to handle payment for the lumber?”

“I thought we were doing a swap?”

“We can.” She glanced over her shoulder when the hammering grew louder, then took the porch steps and planted herself on the grassy area under the elm. “I’ve already paid Mr. Jorgenson, so that works for me. But if you have another order coming in Friday, I didn’t want the accounting to get complicated.”

She held her breath, hoping he’d take her explanation at face value. Even with all the craziness the day had hurled at her, she couldn’t stop thinking about yesterday. About him. About the possibility of them getting together. So she’d called to hear his voice, see if there was anything between them worth salvaging before she got ahead of herself. Before the subject of Liberty came up.

So far so good. Beth had teased him, he’d teased her back, so maybe...

“Since you’ve already paid him, I’ll let Jorgenson figure it out. I trust him.”

“Sure. He likes
you.
”

Nathan’s gravelly chuckle made her skin prickle. “Still paranoid.”

“I just don’t like having my hands tied.”

“No?”

The deepening of his voice made the word sound suggestive. Okay, this was promising. If only she could think of a quick comeback...dammit.

“Your workers showed up,” he said, his tone shifting back to normal. “That has to be a relief.”

“You can still hear them hammering?” It was probably her heart.

“Nope. Not now.”

“I think I’ll have them for the rest of the week. Unless one of them stubs his toe.”

“And here I thought you were the glass-half-full type.”

Sighing, she leaned against the huge ancient tree trunk, thumping her head back a couple of times. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m not usually such a grouch. It’s been a really bad day. Bad week. And it just started.” She straightened. “Except for you. You were terrific yesterday.” Grinning, she said, “I bet you’re still terrific today, too.”

Nathan barked a short laugh. “You setting me up?”

“For?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got the feeling you want to talk me out of something else.”

“Um...”
His jeans maybe,
she thought, and felt heat flood her face. “No,” she murmured, more to herself. “No, I’m going to let that one go.”

“Yeah.” He quietly cleared his throat, and then she heard someone muttering in the background. “Sorry,” he said. “They need me outside.”

“Is this the best number to call?” she asked quickly. It was his landline, and she was hoping for his cell number. “You know, in case I think of something.”

“To talk me out of?”

“Maybe.”

“Hold on a second.” It sounded as if he’d pulled the phone away from his mouth when he said, “I’ll meet you outside in a minute, Woody.” More muttering. “I’m back. Let me give you my cell number. Do you have something to write with?”

“I have a good memory.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, and recited the number. “The one I have...is that your cell?”

“It is. Sorry I kept you.” She saw the school bus pull away from the stop two blocks down but couldn’t see Liberty.

“No problem.” He hesitated. “I’ll call later.”

A shiver of pure pleasure slipped down Beth’s spine. “I look forward to it,” she murmured, then disconnected before her excitement tripped her up.

She spotted the trio of older girls who always got off the bus with Liberty and watched them disappear into the variety store. With them out of the way, there was still no sign of her niece. Beth pushed off the tree and craned her neck. Maybe Liberty had already ducked into the store for a soda.

“Hey, Beth...”

She glanced at Larry, who was poking his shaggy brown head out the front door. For a young man barely out of his teens, he’d really impressed her with his carpentry skills.

“I need to show you something,” he said. “A problem with the rear wall.”

Sighing, she nodded. Problems seemed to be in no short supply lately. And naturally he was working on the room that would end up being her living quarters.

She hurried up the steps, taking a final glance down Main Street. Still no Liberty in sight. Beth hoped she hadn’t been kept after school for causing trouble. No, she’d show up in a minute. And if not, Beth would stop overreacting and call her. Simple.

* * *

“
L
IBERTY, IT’S ME AGAIN
.” Beth stopped pacing the small kitchen and looked at the round clock hanging on the wall behind the microwave. “It’s six-forty. I’m at home now, so don’t go to the boardinghouse. Please call me. I’m very worried.”

She dropped her cell on the table. This was the fourth message she’d left, so she wouldn’t hold her breath. Except she was so tense that was exactly what she’d been doing. She exhaled slowly, pressing a hand to her chest, not surprised that her lungs actually ached. As soon as she made sure Liberty was all right, Beth was going to strangle her.

The kitchen was too small for her to burn off some adrenaline. The faux-wood microwave stand, its lower shelves crammed with pots and mismatched lids, kept getting in her way. She tried to steer clear of it but failed, ramming her foot against the corner.

“Ouch.” She went still, then, balancing on one leg, brought up her foot. “Dammit.” The flimsy boot hadn’t protected her big toe. She hopped to the chair, sat down and pulled off the boot.

Candace was gone. She’d left a note that she’d picked up an extra shift at the bar in Kalispell where she waited tables part-time. When Beth had called about Liberty, Candace’s lack of concern for her missing daughter had pushed every one of Beth’s buttons. She was still angry, more so than she’d been in a very long while.

She flexed her toes. They felt better already. But that was it for those boots. Liberty had been sweet to buy them, but they weren’t suitable to be worn outside or for work. Beth turned to the clock, then peered out the screen door. It was getting dark. Anger faded to fear. Why wasn’t Liberty answering her phone? She’d never ignored Beth’s calls before.

It was getting chilly, so Beth got up to close the storm door. She peeked outside first, just as she’d done a dozen times in the past thirty minutes. A black truck with heavily tinted windows slowed in front of the house. She moved down a step and leaned out as far as she could to keep track of where it was headed. The vehicle barely came to a halt when Liberty jumped out of the passenger side and slammed the truck’s door. Her face red and furious, she stomped toward the front of the house.

Beth hurried into the yard, realizing she wore only one boot when sharp weeds poked through her sock. That didn’t stop her. Before the driver left she wanted to find out what was going on and who’d dropped off her niece. But the truck wasn’t going anywhere. Not just yet. The engine was cut, the door opened and in preparation for battle, Beth drew in a deep breath.

When Nathan got out, she nearly choked on the exhale. She could only see the back of his head and broad shoulders, and the truck was different, no ranch logo on the door, but she had no doubt it was him. His expression grim, Nathan slowly turned to face her and shut his door.

“What are— How did—?” Beth glanced back at the house. Liberty was crouched at the window, peeking out from under the curtain. When Beth turned back to Nathan, he was eyeing the neglected lawn and shabby house. “What happened?” she asked, suddenly so tired she wanted to lie down in the middle of the prickly weeds and curl into a ball.

“I didn’t expect to see you,” he said, looking even bleaker than he had a few seconds earlier. “So Liberty is yours?”

Nodding, she shrugged. “My niece.”

“I’m guessing you know about her hobby.”

“Yes, I do.” The horror of what must’ve happened finally registered. “Oh, no. She didn’t...again?”