Can’t Hurry Love

by Nadine Millard

  For the first time it dawned on him that it wouldn’t only be Beth he had to convince to give him a second chance when this mess was straightened out.

  “So rude,” Elaine went on. “I thought people were supposed to be friendly in these hick towns. Anyway, we won’t have to worry about that sort of thing when we’re back in Chicago.”

  She turned and walked back toward the kitchen before Josh could even form an answer. Moving after her, he saw that she’d set the small table complete with candles. His uneasiness grew. He didn’t know if she was genuinely suffering some sort of delusion, or if she was playing some crazy game.

  But either way, he had to make it very clear to her that they were done, and she was going back to Chicago with her parents. And then he was going to moved heaven and earth to win Beth back. But he knew he had to handle Elaine with care.

  Deciding it was best to keep her calm until she was in the care of her parents, Josh quickly washed up in the bathroom and returned to the table where a plate of something he didn’t recognise awaited him.

  He sat across from Elaine, refusing her offer of wine and taking water instead.

  The atmosphere was stiff and tense, thanks in no small part to his own feelings, Josh knew. After a couple of minutes of stilted conversation and awkward silences, Elaine set her fork down and picked up her wine glass, downing the contents before refilling it.

  “I’m not stupid, you know,” she blurted.

  Josh put his own fork down, all the while watching her carefully. “I know that,” he answered levelly. “But I don’t know why you’re here, Elaine.”

  She downed most of her second glass before answering. “I’m here because I’ve decided to forgive you.” She sighed, and he almost laughed at her audacity. “I know I made some mistakes, but the way you just abandoned me, Josh… Let my parents leave me in those awful places as if I was some sort of addict.” She shuddered in distaste. “But being away gave me some clarity. And I’ve decided that it’s time to start over. We’ve both hurt one another. We’ve both made mistakes. But we belong together. You know it, and I know it.”

  She glanced around his apartment, her mouth pulling into a line of disapproval. “You certainly don’t belong here. You’re so much better than this place, Josh. I hate to think you’ve fallen this far. But I’m back now, and when we get home, we can put all of this unpleasantness behind us, and—“

  “Elaine,” he interrupted because he couldn’t listen to any more of this. “I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible. We’re not together anymore, and we never will be again. I’m happy here. I like it here, and…“

  He took a deep breath not even sure if he was doing the right thing. Josh had done one psych rotation. He was nowhere near well enough equipped to deal with this.

  “…and I’m in love with someone else. Someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

  She didn’t say anything, just finished the rest of her wine before pouring another glass.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” he continued sincerely. “I’m glad that you’re back in Chicago with your parents and the people who care about you. But we can’t just forget our past, Elaine. What happened to you and to your baby… and everything before that. I’m more sorry than I can say.”

  It was cathartic in a way to be saying all of these things to her.

  “It’s taken me a long time to move on, too. To forgive myself for the mistakes I made.”

  She still didn’t speak.

  “We didn’t get married for love, Elaine. We got married because it was the right thing to do in the circle we were in. But now that I’m out of that, I see what sort of life I really want to live. What sort of man I really want to be. And — and I know who I really want to be with. I truly hope you find the same thing.”

  To Josh’s shock, she laughed, but the sound was harsh.

  “You’re not telling me that you’re leaving me for some country bumpkin who lives over a bakery? Don’t be foolish, Josh. I don’t know what this town has done to you, but the sooner you get back to reality, the better.”

  Josh could only stare at her. Out of the two of them, he wasn’t the one vacationing outside of reality. He felt a spurt of anger at her dismissal of Beth. Elaine would never be half the person Beth was. He didn’t know a soul alive who was her equal in any way.

  “Her name is Beth, and she’s the woman I love,” he said firmly. “She doesn’t live above a bakery. She owns Big Sky Ranch with her family. And even if she didn’t, I’d still love her more than anyone or anything in my life.”

  He stood from the table, not wanting to lose his temper with her.

  “I’m getting in the shower. Your parents will be here in the morning to take you home. And that will be the last time we’ll speak, Elaine. I want you out of my life. And I want out of yours.”

  He walked down the hallway, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. And although he wouldn’t feel properly calm until Elaine was in the care of her parents and on the way home, something inside of him felt whole again. Though he wouldn’t have wished this situation on any of them, he was actually glad he’d gotten the chance to sit down with his ex-wife and say the things that needed to be said.

  A weight had been removed from his shoulders, and he was more certain than ever that the man he’d been and the life he’d had were behind him for good.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Beth flicked through Seth’s Netflix account, looking for something to watch. Her own was too full of romance to be good for her right then. She needed something filled with guns and explosions, not hearts and flowers.

  Her phone was beside her on the chair, filled with missed calls and voicemails and texts from Josh. She was going to hear him out, she’d told Zoe earlier. But then Zoe had called to say that his ex-wife had come into the bakery for dessert for their ”romantic catch-up dinner,” and Beth felt as if a knife had twisted in her heart at the news.

  “It mightn’t mean what we think,” Zoe had said but Beth had heard the doubt in her friend’s voice.

  There weren’t many ways to misinterpret romantic catch-up dinner.

  Beth figured that he’d resisted a relationship between them because he was being a faithful husband. Maybe a year of celibacy was too much for him. Maybe he’d decided to take what she’d been throwing at him, not caring about her or his wife.

  She flung the remote to the seat and dropped her chin into her hands.

  That just didn’t match with the man she knew. Even though the evidence was pretty damning, she just couldn’t get her head around Josh treating her that way.

  And what about him saying he wasn’t staying in Rocky Valley, a voice that sounded weirdly like Brooke’s no-nonsense tone piped up. He obviously never meant to stay in Rocky Valley forever. There has to be a reason for that.

  Beth had assumed it was just the change between being a hotshot hospital consultant and a country MD that had him rattled. And she’d stupidly let herself think that maybe with things going so well between them, he was starting to change his mind about leaving.

  She was an idiot.

  If he was really through with that woman, if she was out of his life, he’d have sent her packing. She wouldn’t be walking around Rocky Valley planning romantic meals for her husband.

  Beth felt her eyes smarting. She’d cried enough to flood the valley between last night and today. And if she dehydrated, she couldn’t exactly seek medical help from Dr. Larson, could she?

  She had to admit that her years of obsessively reading and watching over-the-top romance had bitten her in the butt. She’d turned her and Josh into a fairy tale in her mind, when in reality, he was nothing more than a dirty cheat, and she was the other woman. She’d helped him cheat on his wife!

  All day Paige, Brooke, Zoe, Jenna, and Tara had been calling and texting offering her a shoulder to cry on. Well, Brooke offered to help her smash things to get her anger out.

  But she didn’t feel angry,
not really. She just felt desperately sad. She’d turned down their offers of support, she’d avoided mealtimes with her brothers who, thankfully, hadn’t set the kitchen on fire fending for themselves.

  She just wanted to be alone to wallow.

  There was nothing else for it. Only Air Supply could help her now. Dragging herself off the couch, she put on the sound system. All Out of Love blasted through the speakers.

  The only men she could rely on in life were her brothers and Air Supply, she decided tearfully.

  Well, them and Ben & Jerry.

  She was about to grab a pint of chocolate healing from the freezer when a set of headlights lit up the darkened windows, and Beth froze.

  Had Josh driven out here? She’d half expected it, and even though it was idiotic, she’d actually felt disappointed when he hadn’t.

  Frowning, she watched the car speed up the driveway. Whoever it was, he was driving way too quickly. Nobody would drive like that unless there was something wrong. Worried now, she rushed over to open the front door and out to the porch.

  It was Josh’s car, she saw with a painful thump of her heart.

  What was he doing driving like a maniac? He’d get himself killed!

  The engine cut out, plunging them into silence and darkness, and she opened her mouth to chew him out for his dangerous driving. But when the door opened, it wasn’t Josh who stumbled out.

  It was his wife.

  Josh walked out of the bedroom, feeling calmer than when he’d gone for his shower.

  The romantic music was still playing on the stereo, making him feel vaguely uncomfortable. Passing by the kitchen he saw no sign of Elaine. Or the wine she’d been drinking.

  Great.

  She may not be taking anything, but she was clearly drinking a lot.

  Preparing himself for a difficult night, he walked into the living room. It was empty. He frowned in confusion. He’d been using the only bathroom in the place. There was nowhere else she could be.

  A flicker of panic started in his stomach.

  Just then his phone rang. Rushing back to the bedroom to get it, his heart hammered when he saw Beth’s name on the screen.

  “Beth,” he could hear the relief in his voice, but the timing couldn’t be worse. “I’m so glad you called and believe me, I really want to talk to you but—“

  “I’m not calling to chat, Josh.” Her voice was as cold as he’d ever heard it. “I’m calling because you need to come and collect your wife.”

  Josh froze as fear gripped him. He didn’t know Elaine’s true state of mind. He didn’t know how far she’d go when upset.

  “Shit. Beth, listen to me — Elaine is— She’s troubled. Don’t do or say anything to upset her. I’ll drive out there now. You’re at the ranch?”

  “She came in your car,” Beth said, but there was a note of fear in her voice now.

  He didn’t think Elaine would hurt her, but he couldn’t be sure. She was drunk and erratic.

  It was a miracle she’d managed to drive there in one piece with the amount of alcohol in her system. He cursed again.

  “Where’s Grayson?” he asked, his brain running a mile a minute. “Or Zach, or Seth?”

  “They’re all in town,” she said, sounding a little panicked. “They’ve been out on dates all week with the festival going on.”

  So, she was alone out there with Elaine.

  “Alright,” he kept his voice calm and even, not wanting to frighten her more. “That’s good. That means I can take one of their cars. I’m gonna go find one of them and drive out there. I’ll be there soon, sweetheart, I promise. Just hang tight.”

  Beth didn’t say anything else, just hung up, and he tried not to think it was for any reason other than she was still angry with him.

  It took only minutes to track down Grayson in Joe’s Bar & Grill. He was sitting across from a brunette Josh didn’t recognise, and from Grayson’s stony expression, he couldn’t tell if the other man was enjoying himself or not. He hoped not, so he wouldn’t want to kill Josh for ruining his date. Because he’d already have reason enough when he heard why it was being interrupted.

  “Grayson.”

  The rancher looked up and frowned at Josh.

  “I need to take your truck,” Josh didn’t even bother apologising.

  “What’s going on?” Grayson asked, standing up.

  He was slightly shorter than Josh’s six feet, two inches, but he was broader.

  Josh sighed, hoping that Grayson would wait until after they’d made sure Beth was okay before punching his lights out.

  “My ex drove out to the ranch. I don’t know why but she’s drunk and — and a little troubled. I don’t think she’ll do anything dangerous, but I need to get out there, and she took my car.”

  Grayson swore under his breath, and with a fleeting apology to the brunette, he stormed out of the bar, Josh hurrying in his wake.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Beth ended the call to Josh and turned to face Elaine. She really was beautiful. There was no denying it.

  She towered over Beth even more now, given that she was wearing three-inch heels, and Beth was barefoot. Her dress was skin-tight and expensive-looking. Beth was in pyjama shorts and a t-shirt that said I heart Mr. Darcy. The difference was miserably striking.

  Josh’s warning, the panic in his voice, were rattling around in her head. But the redhead didn’t look dangerous, a little unsteady on her feet, but that could be the heels as much as whatever she’d been drinking.

  Still, Josh had sounded genuinely worried…

  What was the social etiquette for your boyfriend’s ex-wife, who he may or may not be reconciling, with turning up drunk and uninvited at your home?

  “Um — can I get you something?” Beth ventured.

  “This place is quite impressive,” the other woman said by way of an answer. “I mean, for Colorado.”

  Beth didn’t know what to say. “Er — thank you?” she ventured.

  “Nothing compared to my family’s properties, of course. Or Josh’s.” She flashed a look full of contempt at Beth. “You know Josh comes from an excellent family?”

  Beth didn’t even know what that meant.

  “That’s why you’ve tried to get your claws into him, I imagine. Because you know he comes from money. I’m only surprised that it seemed to be working until I got here.”

  There were so many insults in that sentence that Beth had trouble deciding which one to object to first. “I don’t care about Josh’s money,” she finally said with as much pride as she could muster. “But I didn’t know he was married. He — he never told me.”

  The other woman raised a haughty brow, and Beth found herself wishing Brooke was there. She could match this woman’s icy composure. Even Zoe being British had that stiff upper lip thing when she needed it.

  Beth just didn’t have it in her.

  “Men,” Elaine tittered. “It seems they’ll take any opportunity that comes along. Even if it means slumming it for a while.”

  Okay, now she was getting angry.

  “Look, I’m sorry about me and Josh. I didn’t know about you, like I said. And I didn’t know that he was planning on going back to Chicago. He — he didn’t tell me that either.”

  Ugh, she felt like such an idiot.

  “But to be honest, I don’t know what you’re doing here. If you’re trying to rub my face in it then—“

  “I’m here because Josh is confused. It’s a little cliché, falling for the peppy blonde but what can I say? His head was turned, and I was curious about the woman who’d turned it. Having talked to you, I can’t say it’s any clearer.”

  Beth clenched her fists. This woman wasn’t erratic, she thought, just unbelievably rude and nasty.

  “But I’m sure we can both agree he’d be wasting his potential in some mountain backwater. He doesn’t belong here. And he doesn’t belong with some farm girl.” She ran a disgusted eye over Beth then suddenly leaned forward, her green eyes
flashing dangerously. “So, stay out of his life and my way,” she hissed. “Otherwise, we’re going to have a problem.”

  For the first time Beth could see what Josh meant by troubled. It was as if a mask had slipped from Elaine, and her face contorted with a vicious anger.

  Even if Josh found one of her brothers right away, it would still take a good thirty minutes for them to get here. The best thing to do was to appease the other woman, keep her calm, and wait for Josh to arrive.

  “I’m not going to get in your way,” Beth said in a placating tone. “If you and Josh are getting back together, then that’s wonderful news.”

  Elaine narrowed her eyes as if trying to decide whether to believe her or not. Finally, she shrugged. “Do you have anything to drink around here?”

  “I was about to make a pot of coffee. Would you like some?”

  Elaine rolled her eyes. “I meant a real drink,” she snapped.

  There was no way Beth was giving this woman more alcohol. “I’m afraid not,” she said evenly.

  “God, does nothing go right in this damned town?” Her eyes glittered furiously, her cheeks flushed angrily. “Why did he have to choose here?” she spat. “And you?”

  She stumbled forward, and Beth quickly backed around the couch.

  “He was my husband. We belong together. We’re going to have another baby,” she said almost triumphantly. “Did you know that?”

  Beth had already decided to ignore the woman’s ranting, but her mind caught on that. “Another baby?” she repeated, feeling sick.

  He hadn’t walked out on a child, had he? There was no way. No way he’d do that. He’d talked to Beth about his distant relationship with his own father, how he wished it could have been different. He wouldn’t do that to a child.

  Would he?

  “Yes.” Elaine shrugged. “After he killed the last one, I figured it was time to try again.”

  Beth’s mouth opened in shock and no small amount of horror. “I’m sorry.” She was struggling to hold it together. “You’re saying Josh killed your baby?”