Love's Deception (2 page)

“Are we home yet?” Danny’s sleepy voice asked.

Startled, Cat looked behind her. Still standing by the driver’s side of the truck, though not as close as before, Larry seemed to notice her son for the first time. When Cat looked back at the guy, their gazes locked and she saw something that hadn’t been there before. He turned away, fired up his motorcycle, and disappeared around the bend in the road behind her.

Had she misjudged him? She remembered the last time she’d asked herself that question. The details of that moment would be forever seared in her memory. It was twenty-four hours after she and Eric were married in the Portland temple. A beautiful reception, well attended by family and friends, followed the wedding. The newlyweds caught a red-eye flight to Maui that night and spent the next day in their hotel room. Blissfully in love, they had gone to a restaurant to share a romantic candlelight dinner.

A sad smile touched Cat’s lips at the memory. The perfectly pressed tablecloth, fine silverware, and delicate wine glasses were luxuries she’d never experienced before. She had stared in awe when the waiter pulled out her chair and laid the napkin across her lap. The candlelight flickered in the trade winds blowing over the Pacific, the roar of the distant surf in the distance mingled with the strains of an island melody. Eric had smiled and reached across the table to take her hand in his. The dim lighting accentuated his flawless features. He had been handsome—there was no denying that.

“Cat, I have something to tell you,” he’d begun. “I didn’t want to say anything before the wedding because I wanted that day to be perfect for you. But . . . I . . . I changed my mind about school. I know we talked about going to BYU for winter semester, but there’s something more important I need to do first. I feel strongly that this is what I’m supposed to do right now, and I hope you understand. After serving a mission in New York, I couldn’t with a clear conscience do nothing after what I saw happen on September 11. So I enlisted last week with Bryce, one of my mission companions.”

The food Cat had been chewing stuck in her throat. She’d stared at her new husband in stunned silence before choking down the bite and speaking. “What do mean, enlisted? Like join-the-army enlisted?”

A proud smile had spread across Eric’s face. “That’s right. We joined the army. I’m so glad you understand. I worried you might be mad or something. It will only be for a few years. The army really trains their people. I’ll get great experience and good benefits, and the pay’s not bad, either. You know I’ve been worried about how we would pay for school. You could live with your mom while I’m gone. That way you’ll be close to your horses. We’ll save my paychecks, and after I get back we’ll have enough to buy a house. It might be tough at first, but wait and see, Cat. In the long run it will be good for us financially.”

But she hadn’t understood. What kind of man asks a girl to marry him and then makes a decision that big without talking to her? Cat knew Eric had loved her. She knew he only meant well, but the sting of that day never disappeared. He’d joked about joining the military, and she knew he was patriotic, but she never imagined that zeal would trigger something as impulsive as enlisting mere days before their wedding.
Did I misjudge him?
she had wondered that night.

“Who was that, Mommy?” Danny asked, pulling her back to reality.

“I don’t know. Just some guy who changed our flat tire.

Two

Cat tucked Danny into bed and went to check on her mother. For the past three months, following a breast cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy treatments had rendered Sally nauseous and weak. Cat couldn’t believe they might be facing another round of chemo; it broke her heart watching her mother suffer. The doctors were hopeful for a full recovery after surgery, although time would tell, they had said. Cat prayed it would be so, but yesterday’s routine CT scan hinted at something questionable on her mother’s  liver. They scheduled a biopsy for the next week to identify it.

With all the force she could muster, Cat pushed away the thought of her mother leaving this life so soon. Losing her would be the last straw. Cat had faith her mother would be well again. Any other outcome would be more than she could bear.

She slowly opened the door to her mother’s room, not wanting to wake her if she slept. Her mother looked at her and raised a weak hand.

“Hey, Mom, how are you feeling?”

“The usual. How did it go getting the hay?”

Exhausted, Cat flopped onto the other side of her mother’s king-size bed. Dust and hay clung to her jeans and T-shirt, but she knew her mom wouldn’t care. Life revolved around the horses, and a little hay on the bed wouldn’t even be noticed. “Good, but I got a flat tire on the trailer. Luckily some guy stopped and changed it for me. We now have seven tons of orchard grass stacked in the barn. I’ll get the ten tons of alfalfa on Tuesday, and then all we’ll have left is the timothy. Bill said that won’t be ready for another couple of weeks, though.”

“You really should have some help hauling that hay,” Cat’s mother said. “You’ll wear yourself out doing it alone. Do you want me to call the home teachers and see if they can meet you here on Tuesday? Or maybe some of the young men in the ward could help.”

“No, I’m sure they’re busy, plus it’s too much to coordinate. We can manage.”

“If you change your mind, I’m happy to make the calls for you. Now tell me about the guy who changed the tire.”

Blue eyes and broad shoulders jumped to the forefront of Cat’s memory. “What is there to tell? He was riding a motorcycle. He stopped and changed the tire and he left.”

“I can always tell when you’re hiding something, Cat. Was he nice? Was he cute?”

“Mom!” Cat sighed. She could swear her mother was telepathic. “What if I told you he was an old man with gray hair?”

Her mother smiled weakly. “I’d know you were lying. Now ’fess up. He obviously made some kind of impression.”

“He did make an impression, and no doubt I made one too, but I’m not sure it was good.”

“Yours or his?”

Cat thought for a moment. “Both, I guess. And it was a little odd. He scowled the entire time, yet he did stop and change the tire. He had a perfect haircut but wore dirty mechanic coveralls and smelled like cigarette smoke. When I drove away he followed me. So I stopped, hoping he’d pass, but he got off his motorcycle and walked toward the truck. It felt like I had a stalker on my tail. That’s when I freaked out and started calling 9-1-1. When he saw what I was doing, he looked upset. But what good reason would he have for following me? It creeped me out.”

Cat’s mother turned over to look at her. “What did you talk about while he changed the tire?”

“Nothing.”

“What’s his name?”

“It said Larry on his coveralls.”

Cat’s mom sent a questioning look in her direction. “You never even asked for his name?”

“Why should I, when it said Larry on his permanent name tag?”

“But you did thank him, didn’t you?”

“Of course I thanked him, Mother.”

“Did you tell him your name?”

“No! I don’t tell strangers my name, plus he never asked for it.”

“Well, there’s your answer, Cat. He probably thought you were cute and wanted to ask your name.”

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Now that she was horizontal, it was all she could do to stay awake. “I don’t know, Mom. Maybe. But it doesn’t matter—I’ll never see him again. He probably thinks I’m psycho anyway.”

“I do like that you’re cautious. Don’t get me wrong. I want you to be safe more than anything, but you shouldn’t be so quick to judge people. They aren’t always out to get you.”

Cat sat up, then pulled out her ponytail and ran her fingers through her sweaty hair. “I need to take a shower and go to bed. I’m so tired.” She stood and took a step toward the door.

“Good night, honey. Thank you for getting that hay. I appreciate it. You know it kills me to be stuck in bed.” Her mother’s voice was filled with emotion. “I hate this. I wish I could be hauling hay with you.”

Cat turned to smile at her mom. “I know. I wish you were too. Next year you will be.”

“Sure, Cat, next year.”

By the time Tuesday rolled around, Cat felt like her muscles had barely recovered from last week’s hay hauling. She didn’t look forward to the three loads of alfalfa looming ahead of her. One of her home teachers was out of town on business and the other had a bad back, so they couldn’t help her. She had asked the president of the Young Men if any of the boys were available, but they either had jobs of their own or were on family vacations that week. So, it would just be her and Danny again. One long, hot, miserable day, and then she’d have a two-week break before the last of the hay was baled and ready to haul.

“Here are the directions, Cat,” her mom said. “I just got off the phone with Riverside Farms. Someone will meet you there to load the trailer. But make sure you open up a bale and look at it first. If it wasn’t baled dry enough it’ll mold in the middle. I don’t want a bunch of rotten hay come December.”

Cat snatched her keys off the counter. “Thanks, Mom, I got it. Don’t worry. I’ll check the hay. I better leave or I’m gonna be late.” She dashed to the door. “Danny, come on. Let’s go.”

She followed her mother’s directions and soon pulled onto a private drive with grass growing in a strip down the middle. Next to the weathered “Riverside Farms” sign, a classic “Century Farm Established 1898” plaque hung from a metal post near the main road. Cat parked her truck between the quaint farmhouse and the large red barn, then told Danny to wait while she figured out where they should go.

She strode over to the front door, and when her knock went unanswered, she started toward the barn. A man in a straw cowboy hat slammed the door and started in her direction. Cat watched him stop in his tracks, turn around, and head back the way he’d come. He must have forgotten something. But he did another U-turn before he got to the barn and walked toward her, tugging the hat brim lower on his forehead. He wore faded blue jeans, work boots, and a white Glencoe High School football T-shirt that looked one size too small. Cat quickly looked away, embarrassed at having studied his broad shoulders and perfect biceps in such an appreciating manner.

The crunch of the farmer’s footsteps on the gravel forced her to look at him. Her eyes widened as she met the penetrating blue gaze of the motorcycle-riding mechanic. He gave an amused smirk. “You must be Cat Lewis, here for the alfalfa.” He said it as a statement of fact, not a question. His eyes twinkled while she squirmed in her boots at the memory of their last encounter.

“That’s right, Larry,” she said, mustering some confidence. At that, he laughed. Cat put her hands on her hips. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m not Larry.”

“What, do you have a twin or something?”

The guy may have stopped laughing, but the expression on his face made it clear he intended to have fun with her. “No.”

Not about to be teased, she fired back a response. “Don’t go wearing clothes with someone else’s name on it, if you don’t want to be called that. You should have told me your real name.”

“I would have if you’d given me half a chance. Why’d you go running away like a bat outta—” He stopped short when something behind Cat caught his attention.

She turned to see Danny holding out a granola bar. “Mommy, open this for me.” She ripped open the treat, then handed it to him and stuffed the wrapper in her pocket.

“Blond hair. Blue eyes. He must take after his dad,” the farmer observed.

Cat met his gaze, smiling at the thought of Eric. It pleased her that Danny looked like his father. She liked to imagine a part of him living in her son. “Yes, he does.” She dropped her eyes to the gravel.

“What kind of father lets the mother of his child haul this much hay by herself?”

She jerked her head up at the disapproving tone of his voice, instantly feeling defensive. “The kind who had the misfortune of driving his Hummer over a roadside bomb in Baghdad.”

That put the farmer in his place. His expression softened and he cleared his throat to say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

Cat felt a twinge of guilt over her blunt rebuke and smiled, shooing Danny toward the truck. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago. But I’d better get going on this hay.”

“Sure. Drive around to the back. It’s in the third bay. I’ll meet you there.” Cat watched him walk back to the barn, wondering about his name, if it wasn’t Larry.

She backed the trailer next to the stack of alfalfa hay. The farmer pulled on a pair of leather gloves and began tossing bales onto her trailer. “I’m supposed to cut open a bale and look at it first,” she said. “You know, make sure it was baled dry enough.”

He didn’t even pause, just kept on tossing bales onto the trailer. “You don’t need to. It’s dry enough. In fact, it was so dry I had to bale it at midnight to keep from losing the leaves.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry, it’s dry enough,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You better be right or my mother will kill me,” Cat muttered.

“What did you say?” The guy sent another bale rolling onto the trailer.

“Nothing.”

A Hispanic man with a gold-toothed grin appeared and helped load the trailer and truck. “Thank you,” Cat said when they finished. “Should I pay you now or when I get the last load?”

“You can pay me when we’re done,” the farmer answered. Cat started to climb into her truck, but he stopped her with a question. “What are you going to do now?”

She turned to see him take off his gloves and brush the bright green flecks of hay from the front of his shirt. “Go stack this in my barn and then come back for the next load. I expect ten tons will take three trips.”

He raised his eyebrows. “By yourself?”

Annoyed at his skepticism, she lifted her chin. “Of course. I’m quite capable.”

He walked toward her, his eyes sparkling as if he were suppressing a laugh. When she tried to pull the truck door closed he caught it in his hand and held it open.

“I’m sure you are, but these are heavy bales. If Ricardo and I follow you to unload it, will you try to call 9-1-1 on me again?”

Embarrassed, she turned her attention to her son. “Danny, put your seat belt on. It’s time to go.” Even with her back to the farmer, she felt his nearness. She met his gaze, wondering why she felt so flustered, why her heart raced wildly when he leaned his head into the cab of her truck, smiling as he waited for her answer. “I don’t even know your name,” she blurted out.

His voice came out soft and gentle. “Ty. I’m Ty Bradford. Now, can I unload this hay, or will you be calling the police when I follow you? You know, that was all I was trying to do the other night—offer to help you.”

This close to him, Cat couldn’t help but notice the strong set of his square jaw and the way his broad shoulders filled the space next to her. A rivulet of sweat trickled down the side of his face, distracting her. “Uh . . . no . . . I don’t think I’ll be calling the police today.”

Abruptly he stepped back and closed her door, watching her through the truck’s open window. “Ricardo, let’s go help the lady unload her hay.”

“Sí,” Ricardo said with a smile.

Curious, Cat kept an eye on Ty while she turned the key and waited for the diesel engine light to turn off. The two men got into an old black Dodge that rode on big mud tires and had lost its tailgate. The truck roared to life.

Cat shifted into drive and pulled out of the barn.
Hopefully I won’t regret this.