Courted by Trouble: A Courting Romance (In Hyacinth Book 3)

by Bree Cariad

  While Cami was gone saying good night to her fiancé, Stephanie looked around her room, checking out a couple new things that hadn’t been here before. A clearing throat made her look to the doorway where Mr. Covington stood. “Come talk to me?” he requested and she nodded, following him down the stairs and into his study. She had only been in here once before. Stephanie and Cami were nine years old and had pulled a mean stunt on a girl in school, making fun of her weight and as they found out later, making her run home and cry. As her parents were out of town, he had called her as well as his daughter in here to discipline them. Stephanie still had the memory of writing I will not be mean to people whether or not I think they deserve it one thousand times. Then, he had made them go over to the girl’s house and apologize in person. Strangely enough, that was how she, Cami, and Dora became friends. Dora had never held a grudge against them for what they did.

  Stephanie really needed to find her.

  A folding chair sat in front of his and he waved her toward it after shutting the door.

  “How are you doing?” he asked seriously once she sat down. His kind eyes made her smile.

  “I’m doing fine. Getting there, anyway.”

  “Therapy going well?”

  “Jerod seems to think so.”

  “Enough work to keep you busy?”

  “It ebbs and flows. Sometimes I have too much work, sometimes not enough.”

  “Do you have enough food?” His tone took on such a serious quality that she knew he had seen how thin she was.

  “Yes, I do. I just don’t have much of an appetite. Plus, I haven’t really cared what I look like for a while. It’s only now…” Since seeing the green-eyed cutie at the coffee shop. Now she wanted to feel better about herself. “That’s why I asked Cami for a make-over. I want to look better.” There was a pause and then she forced out the words she had wanted to say for a while. “Mr. Covington?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you. For finding me in the woods and for helping me find a place to live. For the furniture that would just appear out of nowhere and the food…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged, finding the words hard to say. “Just thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome, Stephanie. You’ve been a bit of a second daughter to me for years. I wasn’t about to just let you struggle without any help at all. You know that if there’s anything you need, all you have to do is ask?”

  “I don’t want to be a burden.” She had been a liability to her own father. The last thing she wanted to do was to be a nuisance to the man in front of her.

  “Stephanie, I don’t think you could ever be a burden. To anyone. I’m pleased that you’re getting out more. You’ve kept to yourself for too long.” He cleared his throat and she could tell something big was on his mind. “I want you to know that we consider you family. As such, if someone wishes to court you, I would like to have that here, if you’d be willing.”

  Tears pricked her eyes, but she shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll ever marry, Mr. Covington. It’s… I just don’t see it.” For one thing, she was nineteen with a crazy father. All the men in town were sure to know the story. Plus, she hadn’t been in a disciplinary family even though her mother appreciated the values here. Even Stephanie appreciated the values, had wanted a strong head of the household at one point. Now she had no idea what she wanted.

  His eyes darkened softly and she could feel their sadness. “I hope whatever you do, Stephanie, it will be without regret. You’re a beautiful young woman who deserves the best in this life. Don’t cut off any avenues of happiness just because of one person’s delusions.”

  “But he was my father,” she said through a whisper. “My father, Mr. Covington. His insanity runs in my veins. For all we know…” Her words trailed off and she shook her head. “That last night he was so out of it, he claimed I wasn’t even his daughter.” The pain still shook her even at the thought. “He called me all sorts of hateful things.”

  He reached forward and took her hands in his. “Stephanie, you aren’t his biological daughter.”

  Startled, she stared at him. “What?”

  “I thought you knew. He married your mother when you were two years old.”

  “What?” The room spun a little as she tried to understand what he was saying. “Why didn’t they tell me?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not even sure who your father is. Your mother moved here right after you were born.”

  Taking a shaky breath, she slowly nodded. “I—” She shook her head violently trying to make sense of it all. “I’m not really Stephanie Knight.”

  “I don’t remember what your last name was before Ken adopted you. But I can find out.”

  “Could you?” she asked in a hopeful voice. “I-I don’t even know what to do with this, but it’s kind of a relief to know he isn’t actually my father.”

  He squeezed her hands. “You know, I think you’re ready.”

  “For what?”

  “When that horrible night happened and I found you and they arrested him, Charlotte went and did something that was actually not very kosher and we had more than one talk about afterward. She went to your house and boxed up everything she thought you would want to keep.”

  “Really?” Stephanie had figured it was all gone.

  “It’s in our storage shed. When you’re ready for it.”

  “Thanks.” Wondering if they would ever get a chance like this again, she asked, “What made you come find me that night? How did you ever find me?”

  He grunted softly. “I knew Ken was going downhill and was worried about you after we dropped you off. After we got everyone else home, I went back and forth on going over there. Interfering in the domestic life of another family is difficult and not something I choose to do, but I truly was worried. After dinner, I headed over only to find the door open and your living room a mess. It was the blood on the wall that truly scared me.

  “I had just run out the door when he pulled up. He got out of his car as though nothing was wrong, but I saw the windshield. It was cracked and had blood on it. I demanded to know where you were and he told me where to go.” Grimacing, he shrugged. “My right hook was my answer. I guess he figured keeping it a secret was just going to hurt more. So he told me about where he left you. I was afraid I would be too late or that you would have run off.” When he looked into her eyes, she saw the haunted look that told her how worried he had been. “Ken Knight was never a nice man. He straightened up because he fell in love with your mother. But his issues were always there. The man would go on camping trips that were nothing more than excuses to binge drink where she didn’t know. I do honestly think he loved you, in his way. But you must understand, Stephanie, that Ken is schizophrenic. How he kept from being labeled for so long, I don’t know, but he was good at hiding his issues. Those issues almost got you killed.”

  The room was absolutely quiet for a few minutes as she saw that night from his perspective. He must have been as terrified as she was.

  “I don’t want you to cut yourself off from a fantastic life because of the actions of one very ill man. You deserve the best. Please think about that.”

  She nodded, unable to speak. As he stood up, so did she and he pulled her into a warm hug. His strong arms felt good and she wondered what her life would have been like if someone like him had been her father.

  It had been a long time since she had been to a sleepover, but it felt like she remembered. Cami had her giggling for almost an hour as she told about Drake’s bromance with her fiancé. Unfortunately, when eleven struck, she did quiet down. “I promised Jerod I’d go to sleep by eleven,” she explained.

  Nodding, Stephanie settled down and closed her eyes. It must be nice to have a strong person to rely on who wouldn’t let you down. Camille had four strong men she could lean on if needed. Stephanie found herself thinking, “It might be nice to just have one.”

  * * * * *

  The Memorial Day Picnic was coming up and Cami wa
s excited to go and show off her fiancé this year, as well as introduce him to Hyacinth’s largest get-together. “I’ve told him all about it,” she explained as she cut Stephanie’s hair. Each snip of the scissors made Stephanie feel lighter, as though they were cutting off weight that had nothing to do with her hair. “He seems happy to go.”

  “He’s happy to go because you are,” Stephanie said with a smile. “He loves you. It’s kinda obvious.”

  Cami looked up and met her eyes in the mirror. “I know. And I know I’m one very lucky woman.” Reaching around, she hugged Stephanie before going back to cutting her hair. “Do you want bangs?”

  “What do you think?” Stephanie’s hair had been all one-length for so long, she never remembered having them.

  “I think they’d look cute.”

  “Then go ahead.”

  As Camille walked around in front of her and separated her hair, Stephanie said, “Cami, we need to go see Dora.”

  “I know. I feel so badly for not keeping in touch. Her dad died just after graduation and I was so deep in my funk that I didn’t know until months later. By then it was too late to say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ Hey, why not on Saturday?”

  “What on Saturday?” Cami’s conversation directions could change at the drop of a hat and sometimes it was difficult to keep up with them.

  “Go find Dora. We could meet her at the Lava Lamp.”

  One tired little butterfly fluttered in her stomach as Stephanie wondered if the green-eyed man would be there. Probably not. It wasn’t like he sat at the coffee shop all day long. “I like that idea. Let’s do it.”

  The rest of the morning was spent with her hair in either foil or rollers and by the time she left, Stephanie had to admit her friend had changed her look entirely. Her shorter hair made it nice and bouncy and the added curls added a new definition to her face. Add in the green highlights and she thought she looked kind of amazing. Cami had bleached out small sections of her hair and then covered them in green hair dye. “What do you think?” Camille asked once she was done.

  “Perfect,” Stephanie said, staring at her reflection in the mirror. It was her and yet it wasn’t. As she wanted to make a new life for herself, the woman in the mirror said she could do it. Stephanie just hoped the woman inside had the guts to follow through.

  * * * * *

  As Dora still lived in the same house she had always lived in, finding her was easy. Stephanie and Cami made plans to meet up for coffee and Stephanie, after pacing back and forth in front of Dora’s house, finally got up the nerve to walk up to the door and knock. Dora was their quiet friend and she felt horrible that both of them had disappeared on her. Stephanie hoped she had found others to hang around with.

  The door opened and there she stood, Dora Jane Lexington with her shoulder-length brown hair, wide eyes, and a shocked expression on her face. “Stephanie? Stephie!” she shrieked, jumping forward and hugging Stephanie so tight she almost couldn’t breathe. “Oh, I’ve been worried. How are you? Are you okay? Back in town to stay?” she asked, rattling off questions almost as fast as Cami could.

  “Hey, Dora,” Stephanie said when she released her. “Got time for a horrible friend?”

  A small smile crossed Dora’s face and she nodded. “Come in and we can talk.”

  They walked into the living room and Stephanie stopped. “Wanna go for a coffee?” she asked knowing she needed to get Dora to the Lava Lamp where Cami would join them.

  “Uh, sure?” At first Dora looked confused and then she smiled again. “Let me get dressed and I’ll be ready.” She ran upstairs and a few minutes later came back down in jeans and a sweater. “I like what you’ve done with your hair,” she said as they stepped outside the door. “It’s bouncy.”

  Stephanie laughed softly as they walked down the street. “This was Cami’s idea. I told her I wanted a change and she came up with green highlights.”

  “How’s she doing? I hear she got engaged.”

  “Lots of things have happened in the last year,” Stephanie said quietly. “For all of us. I was sorry to hear about your dad.”

  Dora nodded, her normal reaction to anything highly emotional. Her friend rarely gave emotion away, but she had several tells that as if the last year hadn’t happened, Stephanie could recall clearly. And she saw each and every one of them in the woman next to her. Dora was hurting. “Thanks. Mom and I are getting by.”

  “Are you?” Stephanie asked gently, not wanting to dredge up anything bad, but at the time needing Dora to know she could turn to her if needed. “We’ve all got some stuff going on, but at least we’ve got each other, right?” She wrapped her arm around Dora’s and pulled her into the Lava Lamp which was crowded on a Saturday morning. “Oh, a table’s opening up. Grab it while I get our coffees.”

  Dora quickly made her way over and captured the table while she ordered their drinks. “One peppermint mocha, one cinnamon latte, and one black coffee. All tall.” After paying, she waited the few minutes for their drinks to be ready and thought about how to bring their friend out of what was obviously a bad time for her. Stephanie knew she had needed to disappear, but that didn’t stop her guilt. Dora had never been anything but supportive and loving of her. She would find a way to make this right.

  “Who else is coming?” Dora asked as she removed the drinks from the tray, handing Dora her mocha while putting the latte in front of herself.

  “There you are!” Cami’s happy voice made Stephanie smile as Dora startled in surprise and then joy. In her normal exuberance, Cami tackle-hugged their friend, almost knocking her over. As she pulled back, she sat down and said, “Kathy would’ve come but every scent makes her ill right now.” She inhaled the coffee in front of her and took a large drink, humming in enjoyment.

  “How did you come to enjoy black coffee?” Dora asked, watching her. “You used to think it was gross.”

  Cami smiled. “Jerod loves it this way. I’ve learned to adapt.”

  “So,” Dora said after a couple uncomfortable moments, “it’s been awhile.”

  Wincing, Cami nodded. “Yes, it has. Sorry about that. I was involved in my own mess and kind of ignored what else was going on.”

  “Me too,” Stephanie said. “I’ve been living in Hins Creek.”

  “So close?” Dora said in surprise. “I’ve been worried about you both.”

  Stephanie felt like kicking herself. How could she have felt that she was the only one hurting? She felt so selfish.

  “So what are you two up to?” Dora asked, her tone clearing which for her meant that in that moment she had forgiven them for forgetting her. Stephanie shook her head, thinking that Dora had to be the sweetest and kindest woman alive. She wondered if Cami and she deserved her friendship. “I mean, I know you’re getting married, Cami. Congratulations, by the way. But what else?”

  And as if no time had passed at all, all of their stories poured out and it felt like back before all the troubles began as they laughed and giggled over the stupidest stuff.

  “So what about you?” Cami finally said. “Do you enjoy working for the auxiliary?”

  “It’s okay. It’s a job I can do.”

  “Oh, that’s a rousing recommendation,” Stephanie said dryly. “What do you want to do?”

  “You mean besides pour the rest of this mocha over your head?” Dora asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

  By the time the three of them had finished their coffees, she felt lighter and if Dora’s expression was anything to go by, she felt the same.

  “Come to the picnic with me?” she found herself begging as they left the café.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Dora said, frowning. “It’s such a courting fiasco.”

  Grimacing, Stephanie nodded. It was true. No matter what the town wanted to call it, the fact was, the Memorial Day Picnic was the day all the men who were considering courting got a good look at this year’s eighteen year olds.

  “Please?” she begged. “I’m trying to get out more and
while I’m going with Cami and Jerod, you know what they say about three being a crowd? Come be the third wheel with me.”

  “Besides,” Cami added, “I want you to meet Jerod.”

  Dora seemed indecisive. “I don’t have anything to wear,” she finally said. “All I have is work clothes or stay-at-home clothes.”

  Instead of being a downer, that just made their friend Camille beam. “Well, it’s a good thing you have as a best friend a personal shopper. Come on. I bet I can put the perfect spring day outfit together.” When all was said and done, the reason Dora finally agreed was that it was impossible to say no to Cami when she was so incredibly happy. Stephanie understood that all too well. Her whole life was evolving because she couldn’t say no to their friend. And fortunately, Cami had their best interests at heart. It made it easier to say yes.

  Chapter 3

  Staring into the mirror, Stephanie turned to her left and right, trying to decide if her dress was right. With her hair looking so different, the sudden need to wear something different struck her about midnight and she spent the next eight hours drawing, cutting, and sewing until her new outfit was done. In high school, she had always worn strange things when she wasn’t actually in school. Stephanie’d had her own unique sense of style and while she had faded into the background over the last year in simple jeans and tan shirts that helped her not be noticed, she no longer wanted to be a wallflower. No, now she wanted to be herself and if that got her noticed?

  She gulped and her heart pounded. Noticed. Was she ready to be noticed?

  The dress she was wearing would get her noticed. A bright fuchsia top, there was one strap over one shoulder and pleating along the bodice. That helped to hide the fact she was underweight. The skirt was in three layers. The bottom layer was green and came to her ankles, the middle layer was red and came to her knees and the top layer was white, only covering her hips. Some of the ladies in town would probably find it quite shocking and that thought made Stephanie grin. Of course, she wondered if that was a good idea. After all, she wanted to be good, right? Maybe she shouldn’t wear—