by Holly Rayner
She remembered the way Jake had asked her to prom. It was during a cheer practice, and he’d made a public statement, complete with a bunch of red and white balloons and a dozen roses. All the girls had been swooning, and Delaney had figured she’d better swoon, too. After she’d said yes, everyone had assumed they were a couple.
I got so swept up in it all, Delaney thought. I never even stopped to consider if it was what I really wanted.
She sipped her wine and thought about how her friends had treated her like she was the luckiest girl in the world to be dating Jake Millhouse. Because of her friends’ attitudes, she’d even convinced herself that she was lucky to be with him—for two years, she’d remained convinced.
Then, finally, she’d come to her senses and ended it.
I had no idea Derek ever asked me… she thought, looking down at Derek’s writing.
How would things have been different if I’d gone with him instead? If I saw this note, back then, would I have said yes?
Would we have fallen in love?
She closed her eyes and allowed herself to daydream about the scenario. A vision of Sean’s face as it looked the last time she’d seen it floated into mind. He was perfect. So gorgeous. Strong. Thoughtful. Polite. Charming.
She recalled how it had felt to stand out under the moonlight with him, and the sound of his voice when he’d said he wanted to take her to dinner. So deep. So sincere. A tingling sensation ran up her spine at the mere thought of it.
Even though I didn’t get to go to prom with him, at least I have the chance to get to know him now, she thought.
She folded the note, and instead of tucking it back into the plastic bin, she set it on her nightstand. She wasn’t done enjoying it.
After putting the bin back up on the high closet shelf, she gathered her phone and wine glass. Mr. Butters needed to be fed, and she knew she should probably eat, too, though she was so wrapped up in memories and emotions that she didn’t have much of an appetite.
As she walked to the kitchen, her phone rang. The sound surprised her, and for a delightful second, she thought it might be Sean calling. Her stomach clenched when she read the caller ID. It wasn’t Sean—it was Jake.
She picked up. “Hey, Jake,” she said.
She reached her kitchen and flipped on the lights.
“Hey, girl,” he said casually, as though they were still dating and had just spoken yesterday. “Good time to talk?”
Delaney walked over to her refrigerator and pulled out a half-full can of cat food.
“Not really,” she said. “I’m just about to cook up some dinner. But I’ve got a minute. What’s up?”
She hadn’t talked to Jake in years. She didn’t even realize he still had her number. I guess that’s one downfall of having the same phone number for over a decade, she thought as she scooped some wet food into a dish. Mr. Butters rubbed against her ankles.
Jake spoke. “It’s about the reunion. That guy that owns Ranchos Caballos Blancos… the one you rented the barn from.”
Delaney narrowed her eyes. She didn’t like where this conversation was heading.
“What about him?” she asked, her tone cool and clipped.
She’d known, on the evening of the reunion, that Jake didn’t like Sean one bit. Delaney also knew that his dislike had more to do with how she and Sean were acting together when folks started arriving than anything else.
“Something was off about him, don’t you think?” Jake asked.
Delaney hesitated. She didn’t want to talk about Sean with Jake, but she also didn’t want to fuel his suspicions by staying too quiet. Sean had trusted her with his secret.
I have to proceed with caution, she thought. She walked over to the edge of the counter and set the dish of cat food down on the floor, on the little blue mat there.
“I don’t know about that,” she said. “What do you mean, ‘off’?”
“His story didn’t seem quite right. Just seemed fishy. Like he was nervous talking about it or something.”
“Maybe he was nervous because there were so many unfamiliar faces around,” she said. “Some people don’t like talking to crowds of people they don’t know.”
“Maybe,” Jake said. He didn’t sound convinced.
Delaney held her breath. She was hoping that Jake would just drop the subject and move on. Had he called to voice his suspicions about Sean? She hoped not.
He went on. “I picked up a weird vibe from him,” he said.
“Oh, now you pick up vibes?” Delaney said. She tried to keep her voice light and casual. “I didn’t know you were so intuitive, Jake. You weren’t when we dated.”
Jake didn’t mirror her light tone. “I’m serious, Delaney. Something was off about him. I did a little digging… found out that his whole story about inheriting the ranch from his parents before they died was all made up. I don’t know why, but he lied. He bought that ranch, five years ago.”
“Okay, so he paid for it,” Delaney said. “Maybe there was some kind of legal complexity going on with his parents’ will. Who knows? It’s really none of our business.”
“Why are you defending him?” Jake asked.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Delaney said. She heard her voice becoming heated.
Dial it back, she warned herself.
She tried to continue in a casual tone, but her voice sounded tight and high despite her efforts. “I just think we should leave the guy alone, okay?”
“Huh,” Jake said. “You sure sound defensive. Something going on with you and him?”
It’s none of your freaking business, Delaney thought to herself. She pursed her lips and held back. When she could trust her own voice, she said,
“I’d better get going, Jake. It’s getting late and like I said, I’m about to cook dinner.”
Jake ignored this.
“Just listen to this,” he said. “I asked a few folks… you know, my cousin’s an officer with the PD, and I’ve got a connection down at the DMV in Parshall. They can’t find any record of Sean Macintyre that goes back more than six years. It’s like before that, this guy didn’t even exist. There’s no record of him anywhere. Isn’t that strange?”
Delaney felt anxiety gnawing at her gut. She had to end the conversation with Jake before she gave away what she knew about Sean’s past. Just as she could read Jake well, thanks to the years they’d spent together, she was sure he could read her pretty darn well, too.
He could pick up on something in my voice. He could guess what I’m trying to hide, she realized.
“Jake, he’s a practical stranger. Just drop it,” she said quickly. “I gotta run. Don’t bother me with this stuff again, okay?”
She hung up and then set her phone down on the counter. Her hand trembled slightly, and her already weak appetite was now entirely gone.
The conversation with Jake had rattled her to the core. How far was he going to go to dig into Sean Macintyre’s past?
He’d already contacted both the police and the DMV. Was Sean’s secret safe?
Her thoughts turned to Sean. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to walk away from one identity and step into another.
How bad was Sean’s past, really? He’d admitted to running with a crew of criminals, but he hadn’t gone into any detail.
It must have been pretty serious, if he had to take such drastic measures as changing his entire identity, she thought.
This revelation stunned her.
Has he killed anyone? she wondered.
Her impression of Derek in high school had been of a kind person, and he said himself that he simply got tangled up with the wrong crew of kids.
He doesn’t seem like the type, she thought to herself as she recalled the way it felt to look into his eyes. There was compassion there, and awareness. I doubt he could take another life, she thought.
She felt lightheaded. Even though she wasn’t in the least bit hungry, she knew she had to eat if she hoped to sleep
through the night soundly.
She pushed the phone out of the way and slid a cutting board into its place. Then, she crossed to the fridge and pulled out a cucumber and a red pepper, so she could slice them up for a salad.
It’ll do me no good to speculate about Sean’s past, she realized. Better if I just ask him about it directly when I see him. And I can’t stress about Jake, either. That’s out of my hands, for now.
With that, she started chopping.
She let her mind drift to more pleasant topics, such as what she’d wear on her date with Sean. He’d mentioned the name of the restaurant he planned to take her to, and a quick online search had informed her that it was quite a fancy place.
I think I’ll have to wear a dress for a change, she thought as she ran the sharp paring knife through the red pepper. Or maybe a skirt and that periwinkle top that I got for Jessie’s wedding a few years back…
Chapter 9
Sean
Sean could see Delaney standing under the portico of Bianchi’s. She wore a pale gray trench coat that stopped just above her knees. The spring evening air was damp and cooler than usual. Heavy clouds obscured the evening sky and promised rain.
He noticed she was holding a black umbrella that matched the black purse over her shoulder. The pale blue hem of her skirt peeked out around the bottom of her coat, and she wore black stilettos. Her dark hair was down. She was turned to the side, talking to the valet attendant, and he could see her profile and the bright smile she gave the attendant as they chatted.
She looked gorgeous.
Sean stopped on the sidewalk and just looked at her for a moment with appreciation.
She must have seen him out of the corner of her eye, because she turned then, and offered him a little wave. Her smile faded, and she looked thoughtful. He resumed his walk and approached her.
“Delaney,” he said. “Glad you found the place. I really wish I could have picked you up.”
“No way,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I live clear across the city. It would have added an hour to your trip, what with rush-hour traffic and all. You drove far enough as it is.”
She gave him one of those searching looks, where she peered directly into his eyes as if looking for something in there. Sean was amazed at how she could keep up a flow of small talk and probe his depths at the same time. What was she thinking about, really? Something was on her mind.
Is she questioning her decision to meet me? he wondered. She’s here, at least, and that’s what counts. Whatever she has on her mind, she’ll talk about it when she’s ready. For now, I just have to try to put her at ease.
“I can’t imagine a better reason to come into San Antonio,” he said. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
He took in her long, dark hair, her thoughtful brown eyes, her perfect nose and the sweet curve of her lips.
His compliment seemed to please her. She hesitated a moment, but then smiled.
“Well, I’m glad we’re doing this,” she said. She stopped searching his eyes; she seemed to relax a little bit. “To tell you the truth, I haven’t been out to eat at a nice place like this in ages. I’m always grabbing meals on the road or popping into my local diner. Not that I’m complaining—they serve a mean bacon sandwich, with just enough grease.” She held up two fingers a half-inch apart.
Sean laughed. “And that’s a tough line to walk. You want some, but not too much. Let’s hope this place has the grease-to-food ratio worked out.” He offered an elbow.
She looped her arm through. “Let’s hope they do,” she said with a light laugh.
They climbed up the few white marble steps that led to the massive double-door entrance.
Inside, a coat check attendant offered to take their jackets and Delaney’s umbrella.
Sean admired Delaney’s beautiful figure as she removed her overcoat. Her skirt hugged her hips and trim waist. The top she wore was white, which perfectly contrasted her sun-kissed skin. The white, ruffled cap sleeves that fluttered over the tops of her toned shoulders reminded Sean of angel wings.
The host led the way through an upscale dining room. The floor was a pale, golden polished wood. Black leather seating surrounded each white-clothed table. Little squares of mirrored glass formed into mosaic patterns lined the walls, and the lighting above looked more like abstract art than functional lighting. Simple arrangements of red roses on each table warmed up the space.
Sean felt impressed by the atmosphere; it was even better in person than he’d expected. He hoped that Delaney liked it too.
Once they were seated, he saw that she did. She scooched her chair in carefully and reached for her glass of water with an excited smile on her face.
She leaned forward. “Sean, this place is amazing!” she said quietly, as if she didn’t want to be overheard by diners nearby. “I looked it up online to see what I should wear, and I saw that it was a nice place, but I didn’t imagine it’d be this…” Her voice drifted off, and she looked around at the surroundings in awe. “Pleasing, I guess.”
A soft mixture of piano and harp music floated through the air. Sean felt like all of his senses were alive and tingling. The space was lovely, and even more than that, he was there with Delaney—the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“So pleasing and… fancy,” Delaney finished after her eyes wandered over the room. “I love it. Have you eaten here before?” She sipped the water in her hand.
Sean shook his head. He chuckled. “Actually, like you, I’ve only been to their website. I was looking up places to take you—reading reviews and all that. This one has consistently high rankings, and one of the foodie magazines went on and on about their cocktails.”
“You did your homework,” she said with a nod.
“For once,” he said. “You know, I don’t think I ever did one lick of homework back at Pepper Ridge. Sometimes, I think it’s a miracle I graduated.”
“Oh, I was obsessed with homework,” Delaney said with a soft laugh. “My mother once told me that if I stayed inside with my books for one more minute, she was going to throw them in the fire pit. She used to make me go outside and exercise the horses so that I’d get some fresh air and sunshine. She thought homework was a crock of you-know-what, and that sunshine was more important.”
“Now that’s a philosophy I could get behind,” said Sean with a laugh, just as the waiter arrived.
He and Delaney had fun looking over a list of decadent cocktails, but in the end, decided that a bottle of red wine would go best with their meals. Sean ordered the wine, two appetizers, and two entrees. He and Delaney handed the thick, booklet-like menus back to the waiter as soon as the wine was poured.
“I am so glad you ordered for us,” Delaney said, sounding relieved. “That menu was something else.”
“I pretty much studied it in preparation for tonight,” Sean admitted.
Delaney held up her wine glass and grinned as she said, “Look at you! A real scholar, doing homework and studying. My mamma would probably kick your behind and tell you to go get some good old-fashioned exercise.”
Sean laughed. “I think I’d get along with your mom. She sounds like my kind of lady. I love being out in the sunshine, and I always feel better after being out in the fields. Sometimes, I don’t even really have to work—I’ve hired enough employees by now—but I still go out there anyway, just to feel the rays on my face and breathe in the fresh air.”
“Yeah, I have to admit it… I used to think my mom was crazy for shooing me out of the house, but to this day, I feel better after I’ve been outside for a while. I have a little balcony off to one side of my apartment, and sometimes I even bring my sleeping bag out there so I can sleep under the stars.”
“You do that, too?” Sean asked.
He was amazed. He’d thought that he and Delaney were so different, yet they both had some of the same quirks.
He shook his head. “I sleep outside on my porch sometimes, and I thought I was the only one
. Made me feel kind of crazy.”
“You’re not crazy,” she said. “I think people who sleep inside every night are the crazy ones.”
She sipped her wine. Her face shined with an expression of pure bliss.
Once she swallowed, she said, “Mm… now that is a nice bottle of wine. I’m sure they don’t serve wine like that at my local diner.”
Sean tried a sip. It really was good, full-bodied, with a hint of cherry and spice.
“You know,” Delaney said, as she reached for a piece of the rustic-cut bread that the waiter had delivered, “I used to think wine was sort of like bedsheets.” She smoothed butter over her bread.
Sean chuckled. “That’s never crossed my mind,” he said. “How so?”
“Well, I mean, you know how people go so crazy over really expensive sheets? The higher thread counts, they’re supposed to feel so much nicer. But do people really feel the difference? I mean really—a tangible difference. Personally, I think the bedsheets I love the most cost me about twenty dollars. I just love them. They feel like the softest vintage T-shirt you could imagine.”
Sean felt lost for a minute as he imagined the feel of Delaney’s bedsheets. He had to pull himself from this little daydream before he took it too far.
Delaney continued while looking at her wine glass.
“I thought wine was just like that. People went on and on about the flavors and all that jazz, and I thought they were just imagining it. I was totally happy getting my bottles from the liquor store down the block, and to tell you the truth, I usually just got whatever was on sale.”
“And that changed?” Sean asked.
She sipped her wine and paused reflectively after swallowing. She set her glass down and grinned at Sean.
“I visited a winery—a really gorgeous place over in Bryan. It was for a friend’s bachelorette party; otherwise, I probably never would have made the time to do it. And you know what? For the first time, I actually slowed down enough to taste the flavors… and I got it. I totally understood why a nice bottle of wine is worth the price. I saw the value. And I decided wine wasn’t at all like bedsheets.”