“I know, child.”Dolly eased her plump figure into a white farmer’s chair, patted Katie’s hand.“Heartache is a sad thing.Steals your breath, your appetite… your smile.”More patting, a quiet, “I remember when our Pete went through it.Never saw a sadder soul than that boy.For someone who never showed his feelings and had women dangling offers at him, it was a blessing and a curse to know only one woman held such power over him.”
Who hadn’t heard the tales of Pete and Elissa Finnegan?They fell too hard, too fast, too soon.Didn’t know each other.Too many secrets… not good.They got through it though, and when you looked at them, youknewthey were meant for each other.“Pete can’t see anyone but his wife.”What must it be like to care about someone so much that they were your world?
“Yes, indeed.And he’s a wonderful father.It’s heartwarming to see, especially since I often wondered if he’d ever settle down.”A laugh, a shake of her head.“I certainly never pictured him with a wifeorchildren.”
Katie sipped her tea, listened to Dolly talk about Pete and fatherhood and how some men just needed a little time to figure things out, but once they committed, they committed for life.Dolly loved a good romance, and she wasn’t afraid to talk about it, whether they were between the fictional characters she read about in the romance books she devoured or the real people in Magdalena.
“Dear, you didn’t come here to listen to me yammer on about love and meant-to-be or how my son found the woman who’s turned him into a better man.You came to talk because you have a problem.”She set down her mug, clasped Katie’s hand.“Tell me what’s bothering you.I want to help.”
Dolly was a kind soul, but she didn’t always know about boundaries or what keeping a secret meant.Still, she might be the only person who could provide guidance right now.Katie had chosen her because what she had to say involved Ian.“I don’t know what to do.”
The woman’s round face filled with emotion, her eyes crinkled at the corners.“You’re talking about Ian, aren’t you?You miss him, don’t you?I could tell the moment I opened the door.And not only that… it was quite obvious from your absence.Nobody’s heard from you.Nobody knows what you’re up to.Nobody sees you, and that’s become a concern.So, I have some things to say and don’t think I didn’t set that young man straight because I was not happy about the way he handled things…”Tsk tsk.“No, indeed, I was not and I told him myself and he agreed.He’s very sorry, said he wished he had another chance, but he knows it’s too late.And of course, I told him it was never too late and that you would–”
“I’m pregnant.”
Gasp.“Pregnant?”The word slipped out as though Dolly didn’t have enough oxygen to get it through her lips.
Katie fought the tears that were seconds from spilling.“My periods have never been regular, and I thought it was the stress and…we should have been more careful.Wewerecareful, but…”Not as careful as we should have been.
“Oh, dear.No wonder you’re in such a dither.”The flushed cheeks and shaky voice said Dolly was the one in a dither.
“It’s just that it’s not something I considered and I should have...I definitely should have.”
18
“Aren’t you supposed to be in another country right now?”
“I postponed the trip for a few more days.”Of course, Max Ruhland could not let that statement go.
“I see.So… Any particular reason?”
“Why does there have to be a reason?”The guy was too damn perceptive, and while Ian had only shared snippets about Katie, he’d made the mistake of telling Max that he and Katie had a history.Yeah, big mistake on that one.Max knew about history, especially one that went sideways, like what happened between him and his wife.They’d just been kids, but the breakup was bad.Max had never gotten over her, but when they finally had an opportunity to be together again, he almost blew it.
“Look, I’m not big on giving advice, but don’t let pride get in the way.Take it from someone who was too stubborn to admit she owned my oxygen.”
Max was talking about Grace.“Pride has nothing to do with it.You can’t bury the truth, and then, when she finds out, claim you were doing it for her own good.That never sits well.”I never want to see you again.Go away.I will never forgive you.
“If it’s anything like my story, I wasn’t much different than you.Hid who I was, pretended I was somebody else, and didn’t trust her enough to believe what she said.All that gets you is misery, but I got another chance, and maybe you could too.”
Go away.Stay away.I will never forgive you.“Yeah, probably not.”Ian cleared his throat, pushed aside the words and images that had burned his soul.“Anyway, I’ll be heading out soon, and once I finish that project, we can talk about what’s next with you.”
“I’ve got some ideas, so whenever you’re ready…”
“If you want, you can send the ideas, and I’ll think about them, maybe come up with a few possibilities.The Luxembourg project isn’t going to take all of my time, and I should be able to work on your stuff.”It’s not as though he’d be partying like the old days.He’d chosen this location because the company had been after him for two years, and he’d always turned them down.Bad timing.Wrong project.Too long of a commitment.But after the disaster with Katie, Ian needed to get away—a few continents away—so he didn’t do something stupid, like show up in Magdalena and beg her to forgive him.Again.Wasn’t going to happen.Time to move on.As if that were even possible.As if–
“If you ever want to talk about it, I can tell you everythingnotto do, but the one right thingto dois don’t stop trying.Don’t be an idiot like I was.”
Who would have thought that a guy who had more money than he’d ever be able to spend, more street cred…moreeverything, only wantedonething—a chance with the woman he’d never forgotten.
“I’ll keep that in mind.Thanks, Max.”
“If things work out, you might want to consider a move to this part of the country.Sure, there’s snow and sleet, and you won’t see a movie star in every restaurant, but you don’t need a dog park to exercise your dog or a playground that’s three miles away for your kids.You can just be yourself.”Pause and a quiet, “Real.”
Ian thought about his conversation with Max for the rest of the day.He’d flown back to California last week, walked around his condo, and wished he were somewhere else.The furniture was custom-built, many of the paintings were originals from local artists, the lighting high-end.And the sound system?You could hold a concert in this place.None of it mattered because all he could think about was the cabin in the woods…Katie’s kitchen…her four-poster bed with the patchwork quilt…the garden she’d planned to expand…the dark hair brushing her bare shoulders…the full lips…the whiskey-colored eyes…the soft sighs and laughs…
That was all gone, and one day he’d have to find another way to put joy and peace in his life, but it would not be in this condo, living this life.He loved Katie, and there was no sense denying that would ever change.
Ian had just finisheda run and was about to shower when Jack Finnegan called.The man had avoided him during most of his stay in Magdalena, and the few times Dolly invited him to dinner, his “uncle’s” commentary had been limited to grunts with the occasionalYupandnope.There’d been a sentence or two tossed in there, all having to do with the real reason Ian was in Magdalena.The man had figured out Katie was at the center of it, and how someone who never gossiped or shared information would know, was straight-up bizarre.
