He slipped his cell into the breast pocket of his slick black suit jacket then turned toward the trail. Shock registered on his face when he spotted her, followed by a flash of anger. “Are you spying on me?”
An inexplicable wave of shame crashed over her, and she dropped her gaze. Suddenly, she was seventeen again, shrinking beneath his disdainful glower. She shook her head, still staring at the ground.
“Good. Whatever you think you heard, you’d do well to forget it.” He walked up the path toward her, pausing at her side. The overpowering stench of his expensive cologne elicited another wave of nausea as he leaned in and whispered, “I’ve stayed out of your way, and I suggest you stay out of mine.”
The heavy thud of his soles and snapping of twigs echoed in her ears as he left her standing there, trembling.
“Morning, Mayor!” Rhett’s jovial greeting was met with a curt hello as the two men passed each other, but it didn’t dampen his bright mood. “Fancy meeting you here. I take it we came for the same thing.” His smile vanished the second he saw her ashen face. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“No,” she whispered, a sob rising in her throat as the adrenaline fled her body. “I’m not.” Her knees weakened, and Rhett gathered her in his arms, cradling her against him as she wept.
He stroked her hair, silently holding her while she cried tears she’d hoarded for years. When her sobs finally subsided, he asked, “What happened? Was it Burns? Did he say something to you? I’ve never liked that guy.”
The protective growl in his voice both soothed and saddened her. What she wouldn’t give to have had similar support thirty plus years ago. But he was here now. Maybe it was time she finally told someone the truth. The whole truth.
“He’s Cassie’s father.” The words escaped in a weighty exhale, as if she’d been holding her breath her entire life.
Rhett stiffened, and his fingers tensed, briefly digging into her back before they relaxed, as it they’d coiled on reflex. He didn’t strike her as someone who resolved his anger physically, but she wondered what he would’ve done if Bryce had been standing in front of him at that moment.
“I’m sorry, Donna,” he murmured, his voice hoarse as he hugged her tighter. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“Because I—” She hesitated, drying her eyes. How could she explain choices she simultaneously regretted and would probably make again? “Because we didn’t want anyone to know.”
At her confession, she flinched as a memory forced its way into the forefront of her mind—a memory of a time when the decision of secrecy had been made for her.
How could you let this happen?Bryce’s seething accusation had dripped with derision, as if getting pregnant had been solely her fault.You need to take care of it. He’d spat the command like a manager ordering a clumsy employee to clean up their mess.
They were standing in the rosebushes behind his house, illuminated by the porch light. She could see every spark of contempt cross his face, and his dark eyes burned through her, completely devoid of affection or compassion.
When she told him she wanted to keep the baby, his posture had shifted to one of defense, as if her motivation was purely to attack his flawless character and ruin his chance of becoming mayor after his father.
“I’ll deny it,” he’d hissed with a vicious sneer. “And who do you think they’ll believe? The golden boy who can do no wrong? Or a screwup? No one’s going to believe I’d go anywhere near someone like you.”
At his heartless words, hot tears had scorched her skin, but they served only to deepen his disgust.
“If you tell anyone,” he’d warned, “I’ll make your life even more miserable than it already is.”
In that moment, she knew she’d never tell another living soul, and especially not her child. But not because of his threat. She wanted to destroy any connection to someone who could be so cruel.
“Does Cassie know?” Rhett asked softly, tugging her back to the present.
She shook her head again, a fresh wave of guilt washing over her, so deep and all-consuming, she could drown in it. All she’d wanted was to protect her daughter, to shield her from a truth more painful than uncertainty. In Cassie’s mind, her father could be anyone. She could create any story she wanted. She could dream, wish, and hope, all tenuous like a gossamer thread, but far less damaging than the ugly, unalterable reality. But what if, after all this time, her lie of omission turned out to be her greatest regret?
Her thoughts flickered to her conversation with Cassie and Eliza, and what her daughter said about Ben.You’re his mother, and he’ll always love you, no matter what.
Did Cassie really believe that? Would their own mother-child bond transcend a betrayal of this magnitude? Was it a possibility she could risk?
As if he could glimpse her innermost thoughts, Rhett brushed aside a strand of her hair. Meeting her gaze with unwavering empathy, he said gently, “You should tell her.”
“I know,” she whispered. Swallowing against the rawness in her throat, she added with fearful resolve, “But there’s something else I need to tell her first.”
CHAPTER29
CASSIE
Cassie’s heartbeat quickened with each new dollar amount as she read the winning bids off the silent auction sheets, pausing for Beverly to add them to the tally. They sat side by side at the vintage executive desk in the back office of the library, Cassie’s favorite room in the historic brick building. The mahogany shelves boasted a breathtaking collection of rare books and special editions that lent a comforting scent of aged leather to the elegant room. An oil painting of the founding fathers hung above the marble mantelpiece, their stoic stares ever vigilant. Her gaze settled on the dark-haired man in the center, Chadwick Burns. What had he been like? And what would he think of his descendant and predecessor’s former plans to sell out to a developer with deep pockets?
Her gaze flitted to the humble diary resting in a glass case for safe keeping. What had Lydia Burns written all those years ago? What secrets had she shared? And would she ever find out?
