Song of the Meadowlark (Intertwined Book 1) (16 page)

Three hours later, Cora pulled Dad’s spare car into the driveway. His new car wasn’t there, but an unfamiliar truck was parked behind Mom’s Lexus. As her headlights shined in the dark through the fog, they revealed the tag on the back of the truck—a rented vehicle. She was in no mood to even greet someone, much less entertain. Cora flipped the visor down and opened the mirror to check her face. She frowned at her reflection. The dark circles were back.

Cora sat in the car for a minute, holding the keys in her hand. What should she say when she entered the house? So many emotions raged through her mind. She could no longer stay here in this house. But where would she go?

Cora climbed from the car and ran to the front door through the stinging rain. The cold and foggy dampness chilled her to her core. She needed a cup of hot cocoa.

She put the key in the lock and turned the doorknob, unlocking the uncertainty of her future. When she entered the foyer, she took off her raincoat and hung it on the hall tree. No one greeted her at the door. She looked back out at the truck in the drive and called, “Where is everyone?”

Cora shut the door and proceeded down the hall toward her room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone standing in the living room. The hair on her arm bristled.

When she turned, a man—a tall, dark man—came into her line of vision. The lights were off in the room, the only light coming from the hall. She couldn’t quite make out the identity of this person, but something about him was familiar. Rex?

She paused, squinting. This must be a guest of her Dad’s. “Hello?”

Chapter 14

“Hello, Cora.”

Cora’s breath caught at the medicinal sound of the voice. “Rex? What are you doing here?” She stepped into the living room, moving closer.

“I came to see you to tell you I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat.

“Oh.” Her knees weakened.

“I’m sorry, Cora, for being so rude. For hurtin’ you.”

“That’s okay. I’m sorry for the things I said too.” Her emotions were reeling. “How did you get here?”

“I flew and rented a truck.”

“That explains the truck outside.” She motioned outside. “How did you get in? How long have you been here? Have you been waiting for me?”

“Your parents let me in. And, according to them, I arrived about fifteen minutes after you left.”

“Rex, I’ve been gone for hours. You waited?” Her mind spun like a merry-go-round.

“Yeah.”

“Where are they?” She stepped closer, tilting her head.

“They went out to dinner. They said you might not want to see them when you returned—that you might want to be alone with me.” Rex held his Stetson in one hand and rubbed the rim of it with the fingers of his other hand.

Cora walked over to turn on the lamp on the table next to where Rex stood. When she turned around, his appearance caught her off guard. Her throat went dry like she’d eaten a bag of pretzels with nothing to drink.

Rex stood there in black jeans, a button-down shirt, with a big belt buckle shining in the dim light and his dress cowboy boots. It wasn’t what he wore, however, that thunderstruck Cora the most. He'd shaved his beard, leaving only his thick mustache to line his upper lip. His fresh haircut kept his unruly curls and waves neatly in place.

Cora felt herself melting at the first sight of him. He was so handsome. He had a strong square jaw and chiseled cheekbones. Did the personality fit the looks, or was it the other way around?

Cora’s eyes finally shifted to Rex’s dark eyes…eyes as dark as they had always been, but soft and caring at this moment. She gazed into them, mesmerized by his tenderness. Did she ever have to look away?

In the dimly lit room, Rex moved toward her. “Are you okay?” He delicately stroked her shoulder.

Goosebumps ran down her spine. “I suppose. I’m in shock over you being here and over the way you look. I can’t believe you shaved.”

“I wanted to look nice for you.” He smiled, revealing a dimple on his left cheek.

“Well, you do.” Cora felt her face redden at her boldness.

Rex smirked a bit. “Thank you.” Then somberly he said, “Let’s sit down.” He led Cora to the camelback sofa. “They told me what happened. I’m sorry. You’ve had one thing after another.”

Rex's eyes held the same compassion of the night she’d found out about Clark’s death. She burst into tears. Rex wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Cora allowed him to hold her and cried without reservation. This man was so big and strong, yet soft and gentle at the same time. He smelled of musk, which put Cora’s senses into a frenzy of frustration. Would the Lord let this man be the one for her? He made her feel so safe.

Rex slowly released Cora but didn't let her move too far away. “Do you want to talk?”

“I don’t know if I can, but I’ll try. I want to.” She sighed. “I’m so hurt, so betrayed. How can a woman raise another woman’s child and not tell her? I'd have been better off if I’d been given away at birth. I never felt like my mother loved me fully. I always knew there was something keeping us from having a close relationship. I finally grew to believe the type of relationship we had was normal for a mother and daughter. My father always seemed unhappy with me. Supposedly, he wanted me to be perfect so his wife would love me more. The years of dance and beauty pageants and ice-skating…all to please her for him. I finally learned through caring for Susie that there was much more to being a mom than mine had been.”

Rex was listening intently to her without looking away. At last he spoke. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Cora. You’ve been through so much. What can I do for you? How can I help?”

“You’ve helped more than you know already.”

“Good.” He smiled, the dimple popping out again.

“But you can do one thing for me.”

“What’s that?”

“Never let Susie feel like she doesn’t measure up.”

“I will do all I can.” He nodded.

“Thank you. And thanks for being here.”

“I’m glad I came.”

“That reminds me, why are you here, really? I mean, I wouldn’t think you’d come all this way just to say you’re sorry. Is everything okay at the ranch?” Cora shifted sideways to face Rex. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and patted her nose and wiped her eyes.

“Yes, everything’s okay at home. Except for the fact you’re not there. The place hasn’t been the same since you left. I came because I want you to come back with me.”

“You do?” Cora’s heart beat so fast and loudly, she could barely hear herself think.

“Yep. I had a talk with Mom, thinkin’ she’d help me forget about you. Instead, she helped me see how blind I was being.” He chuckled. “Actually, she told me I was a fool.”

“What do you mean, Rex?” Cora squirmed.

“I’m full of pride...and I'm stubborn.”

“No! I’d never have known if you hadn’t told me.” Cora slapped Rex on the arm and laughed.

“Come on, now. Be nice to me. It’s hard for me to open up.” He gave her a sad puppy dog look. “Anyway, it took me so long to warm up to you because of Patty. I knew instantly there was something different about you. And when you came to the ranch, I really liked the way you and Susie were together. But I wasn’t lookin’ for a replacement for Patty as my wife or as Susie’s mother. I started havin’ feelings for you, and I didn’t want to. I didn’t know how to act. You were such a good person, and I had changed so much. Her death made me bitter. I knew you'd never accept me because I'd become so…I don’t know...” He grunted and rubbed his hands together.

Cora smiled at Rex because his words were right but said nothing.

He continued, “Then we got closer, and I liked that. But when you found out about the money and said you needed to go home for a while, I felt rejected. I knew if I let myself care for you, I’d get hurt again. Then I realized I already did care for you. It would hurt worse to lose you than it did to lose Patty, because you’d still be alive somewhere out there away from me. I could never adapt knowin’ you were here in Florida goin’ on with your life or even somewhere in Georgia or South Carolina, when we could have a life together…I mean, try to have a life together.” Rex gazed at Cora.

Cora still said nothing. Rex didn’t often speak his true feelings. She wasn't about to stop him.

“I want you to come back with me. I want you to help care for Susie. I’d love to have your input with the ranch. Or you could do your own thing. I don’t care. I want the chance to get to know you better. If you decide you’re not happy at the ranch, I want you to find a place and be happy. If you’re still not happy, then…well, I’ll have to let you go. But I can’t stand the thought of never findin’ out if we could make it together. I need you.”

Cora’s mouth hung open, and she sobbed. Of course, she wanted to be with him, but there was so much still to find out about him. Could she move back to the ranch and be with him without losing control? What should she do?

“Rex, I really want to be at the ranch. I told my parents this afternoon I wanted to return because I wasn’t happy here. I told them I needed Susie and your family. I tried to explain to them about you, but they wouldn’t listen. I tried to put my feelings for you into words, but there aren’t any. It’s kind of crazy, you know? I, too, want to see if something’s truly happening between us or if this is nothing more than attraction or maybe just desperation because we’re both lonely.”

Rex nodded.

“I hurt them when I told them I didn’t want to stay here. They can’t understand why you all feel more like family to me than they do. That’s when my mother, if I can still call her that, told me about my father’s affair. Now I don’t know if I should leave. If I leave them now, it'll probably sever our ties forever. I’m not sure, but that might be what I want anyway. I know deep down, though, I can’t leave on bad terms with them. It's killed me to be away from you like this. I know it'd do the same to me to leave them.” Lightning flickered outside, followed by a distant rumble of thunder.

“I understand. And I agree. You have to mend the broken relationship. It’s like back on the ranch when there’s a hole in one of the fences. You can’t leave it because it gets bigger.”

“Yeah, I know. I can’t leave the way things are now.”

“Remember, while holes in the fences are bad, fences themselves are good things. They set those boundaries. They keep in what needs to be in, and they keep out what needs to be kept out. I think maybe you need to mend the fences and then you all can move on. I’ve had to do that with my parents and me livin’ back at home. They don’t own me just because I live there. I’m still an adult man who’s a father.”

“True.”

“Of course, lately I haven’t been actin’ too much like a man. But I’m changin’ things. So, do ya think you'd want to come back after things are better with your folks?”

“I want to be there, Rex. With you.” Cora gazed into his eyes, the magnets pulling her toward him.

“You do?” A laugh escaped his lips. “I can’t believe it. I totally don’t deserve you.” He took her hands in his.

“Don’t say that. You're a good person. You’re considerate and caring. You've helped me so much. Really. It seems like, ever since you’ve known me, you’ve seen me do nothing but cry and get hurt.”

“That isn’t true. I’ve seen you smile a lot, especially when you’re with Susie. I know you love her. It makes me feel—I don’t know—loved.”

“That isn’t the only reason you want me to be there, though, is it? For Susie?” She let go of his hands.

“I want you to be there because I want you.” He grabbed her hands. “I want to spend time with you gettin’ to know you.” Rex looked into Cora’s eyes until his own misted.

“Rex, I don’t know if I can be what you need. I’m scared I might not be able to keep you happy.”

“What do you mean? You’re more than I could ever need.”

“I mean, I can’t
be
with you.” Cora searched his eyes for mutual understanding.

At first, Rex appeared confused then his face turned red. Cora giggled to see him blush. His eyes widened, and he shook his head. “Cora, I never meant to imply I expected a physical relationship. You must think I’m awful. You should know by now, after everything that happened with Veronica, I'd never ask that of you until you were ready.”

“But I wouldn’t ever be ready.” She looked away.

“What?” He raised his right eyebrow.

“Not unless our relationship turned into something more...more permanent.” She glanced up at him, and their eyes locked.

“Do you mean marriage?”

If she could have crawled under the couch, she would have. She couldn't presume Rex would ever want to marry her. She nodded.

“Cora, that’s what I meant to say. I just didn’t want you to think I was bein’ too pushy. I couldn’t be with you unless we were married either. And hopefully, that'll happen.” Rex looked down at his folded hands.

“What are you saying?” Cora placed her hand on his.

“I hope we become close enough to want to get married.”

“Really? You feel that way about me?”

“Yeah.”

“Boy, this is deep, isn’t it?” She wiped the remaining tears away.

“Yeah, it is. But we needed to talk about it. I want you to know my intentions. I want to make you feel the same way the song of the meadowlark makes you feel.”

“How did you know I love that bird?”

“I noticed how it affected you when you heard it sing.”

“I miss hearing it.” She slumped.

“I miss you bein’ there to hear it. Please come back with me? I'd love to have your input. We’re gonna open a bed-and-breakfast, even though I don’t want to, and it looks like Ms. Lottie’s gonna come stay with us and help run it.”

“When are you leaving?” The rain no longer came down. Only the sound of the gutters dripping the remnants could be heard outside.

“Not for a few days. I planned on stayin’ until I could talk you into goin’ with me.” A deep laugh escaped his mouth.

“Oh, you’re good.” She crossed her legs, finally relaxing. “Where are you staying?”

“I got a room. Don’t worry about me. Please come back with me. I already bought your ticket.” He placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

“You did? Well, aren’t we presumptuous?” she taunted.

“No, just hopeful.” He winked at her.

“There is one other thing I have to know before I can make my decision.”

“What?”

“How do you feel about God? Please be honest with me. You haven’t been to church with your family since Patricia passed away. You haven’t gone at all since I’ve been there. Not that church attendance is everything, but it’s a good indicator. I need to know.” This could be the end of what was about to begin between the two of them. However, if she didn't get this out in the open before leaving with him, she might make the same mistake as she did with Clark. She held her breath.