One by one, the horses were led to a rail, where the kids were helped off. Haley lifted Ryan out of the saddle and kept hold of his hand as she gathered all the kids together and led them toward the house. Some of them were still wet from the apple bobbing, and one girl had skinned her knee when she’d fallen during the three-legged race, but everyone was happy and laughing.
Ethan watched the sway of Haley’s hips as she started another game with the kids. Reluctantly pulling his gaze away, he went to help Hank and Ashley unsaddle the horses, feed them, and put them out to pasture. “How come we never got to have a party like this?” Ashley asked good-naturedly.
“It’s been pretty awesome,” Ethan responded. “Haley outdid herself for sure.” Ellie couldn’t be bothered to come to her daughter’s party, and Haley had worked from sun up until sun down every day this week to pull this together. It never ceased to amaze him how different Haley and Ellie were. “Guess Haley should get a bonus for all the work she did.”
“She loved every minute of it.” Ashley pulled the saddle and blanket off Teddy and settled them on the rail. “I seriously doubt she would take a bonus,” Ashley added. “Now do something useful instead of just ogling Haley.”
“Party pooper.” Ethan turned away from the view and quickly unsaddled a roan mare, settling the saddle and blanket on the fence rail. “Did you know Ellie sent Kayla a gift?” he asked his sister. Ashley’s mouth set in a firm line but not before she let out a few choice words. Ethan sighed. “Well said. I’m surprised she even bothered with a gift.”
“That ex of yours is a definite piece of work,” Hank said as he un-cinched a saddle. “Sure am glad you came to your senses about her. Kayla has a chance at a normal life with Ellie gone. Might be rough for her now, but Kayla will be okay.”
“Gee Hank, that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at one time.” Ashley pulled off another saddle. “But I have to admit you’re right.”
Ethan clapped Hank on the back. “Sometimes Ashley acts like a green-broke horse with a burr under its saddle. Ignore her.”
“He always ignores me,” Ashley muttered.
Hank turned away from Ashley and pulled off the last saddle. “I’ll get these horses fed and out to pasture, then put the saddles up. You two take off. I’ll be there shortly.” Ignoring Ashley, he hoisted a saddle up with each hand and strode out of the riding arena.
“I can never tell what’s really going on in that head of his,” Ashley said, watching him go.
“That doesn’t give you an excuse to shoot your mouth off.”
Ashley narrowed her gaze on Ethan. “At least you know what I’m thinking.”
“Can’t argue with that. Don’t know why you can’t figure Hank out. He’s easy to read and when he does talk, he’s blunt and to the point.”
“He’s blunt alright.” Ashley shoved Ethan toward the barn door. “I’m ready for cake and ice cream. How about you?”
“I’m ready for the camp out. I haven’t slept outside in a long time.” He chuckled. “We decided not to go far since the kids might get scared. We’ll be lucky to make it through the night only a hundred yards from the backdoor.”
Ashley laughed. “Glad it’s you and not me.”
“Thanks for the support, little sis.”
“Anytime.” Ashley nudged him with an elbow. “So what’s going on with you and Haley?”
Ethan stopped dead in his tracks. “That obvious, huh?”
“Oh, yeah.”
He winced. “Don’t tell Haley.”
“My lips are sealed,” Ashley said with a grin.
“I doubt that, but seriously don’t say anything. It would upset her.” Ethan took the porch stairs two at a time. If Haley knew his family had figured out they were involved, she’d be upset. Her determination to keep him at arm’s length was about to kill him, and it hadn’t even kept the gossip at bay, but no way was he giving his sister any more information.
****
Kayla ripped the glossy pink paper from Haley’s gift and squealed when she saw a baby doll. She tore open the box and hauled the doll out, hugging it close. Scrambling to her feet, she ran over to Haley and threw her arms around her neck. “Thank you, thank you. Will you take me shopping for clothes for her?” she asked hopefully.
“Of course I will,” Haley responded, giving her another big hug.
Grinning from ear to ear, Kayla skipped back to her gifts and began unwrapping more presents. Haley watched, her heart full, but when Kayla picked up her mother’s gift and hugged it to her chest before opening it, tension coiled in Haley’s stomach. She glanced at Ethan, who arched his brows at her, and she knew he felt the same way she did. The entire family probably had knots in their stomach right now.
Kayla ripped the polka dot paper off the box, opened it and pulled out a framed photo of herself and her mom at Disneyland. She held it up. “That’s me and Mama when she was on television.”
“Wow,” one of her friends said. “Your mom’s on TV?” Kayla nodded, a smile filling her face. “But she has to be gone to do that,” she added with a long sigh.
“Is she a princess?” another girl asked.
Kayla stared at the picture. “No, but she’s as beautiful as a princess.”
Each girl took the picture, obviously totally enamored. Haley would bet money this was exactly the response Ellie had wanted. When the picture got close enough for her to see, Haley clenched her jaw tight enough to make it ache. The picture was autographed, and not even with Mama, but with Ellie.
She glanced at Ethan, whose jaw looked set in granite.
“What does it say, Daddy?”
“Just her name, honey.”
Kayla shoulders drooped. Setting the picture down, she pulled a DVD out of the box. “What’s this?” she asked with a frown.
Ethan walked over and took it. “Looks like something about—he hesitated—about modeling,” he finished through tight lips. “Go ahead and open the rest of your gifts. We’ll look at this later.”
The silence in the room lay heavy until Ryan picked up a wad of wrapping paper and threw it at Kayla. The kids laughed and Kayla chose another present to unwrap, but the twinkle had left her eyes. Pain sliced through Haley as she watched Kayla. Ellie might have given birth to this girl, but she was toxic to her every time they communicated. Talk about a mother who didn’t care about her child’s needs. Haley suspected the woman didn’t care about anything that did not benefit herself.
She pulled in a deep breath and tried to shove thoughts of Ellie away and get back in the party spirit, but it was difficult. She could only imagine how Kayla must feel. She slid a glance at Ethan. He stood stone-faced, arms crossed over his chest. She hated that Ellie had given Ethan and Kayla more rejection to deal with.
After the last gift was unwrapped, Haley clapped and got the kids’ attention. “Have you girls worked up an appetite for cake and ice cream?”
They scrambled to their feet and let out a whoop, causing Francie’s baby to jerk awake and let out a loud wail. Francie patted Elisa’s back and snuggled her close and she went back to sleep.
Dottie handed Ethan the ice cream scooper. “Make yourself useful,” she said as she cut into the bright pink and blue flowers that made up the puppy’s collar on the cake.
Haley’s attention returned to Francie as she handed the baby to Matt and gave Kayla a big hug. “If you want me to watch your modeling DVD with you, I will. But I’ve got to tell you, I think riding horses and playing with puppies is much more fun than modeling. Just think what your party would have been like if you girls had walked around the room showing the clothes you wore. Boring is what it would have been. Very boring.”
The kids laughed and Kayla gave her aunt a weak smile. “Did you ever model?”
“Goodness no. I sit a horse real good though.”
“She sure does,” Hank added from the back of the room. Haley knew Kayla thought the world of Hank and was delighted he’d spoken up.
“I modeled
once,” Ashley piped up. “Tripped on the stairs and some good looking man caught me before I fell on top of him. I was mortified. Since then I’ve stuck to just plain walking to get me places.” Everyone laughed, breaking more of the tension.
Maggie leaped onto Kayla and licked her face, and she hugged her wiggling puppy. “I’m good with my dog, and she loves me.”
“That’s for sure,” Ethan said, turning toward the kids, and holding a butter knife with icing on it. “And I’m proud of how good you treat your puppy, Kayla. I’m hoping you’re good at camping out, too, because I need you and Maggie to help me.”
Kayla pursed her lips. “Can we build a fire?”
“Absolutely.”
“And roast marshmallows?”
He nodded and Kayla grinned. Haley’s heart melted. Ethan was such a loving father. Kayla raced over to her dad, and her friends followed suit. “Tonight’s going to be so much fun. My daddy has it all planned,” Kayla said smiling up at her father.
“He certainly does,” Dottie chimed in. “Now eat your cake and ice cream so you’ll be sure and have enough sugar in you to stay awake for all the fun.”
Ethan rolled his eyes at his mom. “We’re roasting hotdogs and heating beans on the fire, so don’t eat too much,” he said to the chattering girls. His words went totally unheeded, and he looked at Haley and shrugged.
She patted his arm. “Better eat some cake. Something tells me you’ll need lots of energy for tonight.”
Ethan started to reply when Matt strode up and grabbed a piece of cake off the table and wolfed it down. “Yum.”
Ethan slapped a paper plate at him. “Pretend you’re civilized and use this.” Matt grabbed the plate.
Haley laughed as Matt handed the plate to Francie. “Here. You be the civilized one.” He lifted Elisa out of her arms and the baby woke and gurgled at him. He grinned like a fool. “This little angel and I are ready for some father-daughter bonding time.”
Grinning, Francie put cake and ice cream on her plate, took a big bite and licked the pink icing off her lips. “Delicious, Dottie. You outdid yourself.”
Hank sidled up to Ashley. “Did you really trip and fall into a guy’s arms?”
Haley was eager to hear her response. The woman flirted with ease, and Haley wished she could be more like her.
A wide grin split Ashley’s face. “Yep. Then we dated for about a year.”
Hank stared at her, his expression unreadable, then shook his head. “I wouldn’t put it past you to have fallen on purpose.”
Ashley looked taken back. “Just shows you don’t know me very well.”
His blue eyes narrowed. “That’s for sure.” He grabbed a corner piece of cake and ate it in two bites. “You can make my birthday cake this year, Dottie, but I want a horse cake.”
Laughing, Dottie dropped another piece onto a plate and handed it to him. “Don’t say things like that unless you mean it.”
Hank wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You know me too well.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
Ashley turned her attention to Ethan as Hank and Dottie continued to banter. Haley couldn't help but laugh at the Richardson family antics, knowing part of it was their way of trying to perk Kayla up. Her admiration for them grew. No doubt about it. This family stuck together. Kayla was a lucky little girl in spite of having a neglectful mom. Kayla would eventually come through the emotional turmoil with her mother and be okay. How could she not with a family this loving and understanding?
Haley knew that if she and Ethan did somehow manage to make their relationship work, she would be a part of all this. A real part of it. She took another bite of Dottie’s sinfully delicious chocolate cake, determined to enjoy the rest of Kayla’s birthday celebration.
****
Ethan strolled over to where Haley visited with Francie and Matt. “You pulled off quite the party, Haley.”
Her blue eyes twinkled. “Thank you. I think it was a success in spite of . . . well, you know.”
“Yeah, in spite of the bitch,” Francie finished for her, covering Elisa’s ears.
Matt draped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “You scared she’ll repeat that word at six months?” Francie elbowed him and he laughed and grabbed her arm. “So how’s the house coming along, Ethan? Sorry I haven’t had much time to help lately.”
“I hired a couple of workers last week, and they’ve made some progress. I need to spend more time on it, especially if I want to be in by fall. I’d planned on only living here part-time, but I’m re-thinking that. If I decide to pull up and move out here for good, might as well get it done before Kayla starts school.”
“Smart thinking,” Ashley said as she joined them. “So what’s left to do?”
“Way too much,” Ethan answered.
“How about giving your little sister a tour?”
“Me too,” Francie chimed in. “I had so much fun picking stuff out for our house. Matt was delighted I wanted to do that. So delighted that he turned me loose with a credit card and said, ‘Have at it.’ I especially had fun choosing the kitchen counter tops. Have you chosen yours yet?”
“Nope. Thought I’d take Haley out there tomorrow after all the kids leave, see how she likes it and get her opinion on everything before I do much more.”
All eyes turned to Haley. “Is there something you want to tell us, big bro?” Ashley asked, sending him a mischievous grin.
A sudden memory of Ellie yelling at him when he hadn’t made a huge production of his proposal even though she’d insisted she didn’t want that, flashed through his mind. The fiasco with her engagement broadsided him too. She’d almost had a coronary in an upscale restaurant when he’d given her a half carat diamond ring, after she’d insisted ‘nothing fancy’. That was Ellie. Said one thing but meant another.
He glanced at Haley suddenly not sure which way to jump. “Nothing to tell,” he finally said. “But I’m doing my best to change that,” he added, winking at Haley. “If I get lucky, she’ll have my credit card permanently someday.”
Haley’s mouth dropped open and she looked like she wanted to fall through the floor. Or punch him. His stomach dipped and then bounced back up, threatening to bring birthday cake with it. Dammit. “Seriously, I’d really like your opinion on the house,” he added quickly “I have a lot of decisions to make—tile, paint, counter tops—you name it.”
“Excuse me,” Haley said, her voice as distant as the roll of thunder in a far-away storm. “I need to help Dottie in the kitchen.” She turned to go and then pivoted back around. “Francie, I heard you and Matt are heading out early to go see a friend’s new baby. Okay if Ryan and I catch a ride?”
“Ah, sure,” Francie said.
“Thank you. I’ll pack after I help Dottie so we’ll be ready whenever you are.” Haley stormed away before Ethan could think of a response, let alone verbalize it. Just as well, since he wasn’t sure he had enough air in him to talk. He’d sure blown the hell out of that.
“Whew! Looks like you pissed her off royally,” Ashley said. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Leave it alone, Ashley.” Cursing, he strode after Haley. He didn’t have to notice the stiff set of her shoulders to know she was mad as hell.
He caught up to her and grasped her arm, but she jerked away. “Come on, Haley. Don’t leave. I really need your help with the house. No pressure, just your opinion.”
Her blue eyes narrowed on him. “That’s not how you made it sound and you know it. How dare you put me on the spot in front of your family.”
He narrowed his gaze, anger churning through him, both at himself and her. “They had already figured out that I’m crazy about you. All I did was confirm that.”
The look she gave him churned with anger. “What you confirmed was that you’re trying to talk me into marriage. And your smooth side-stepping words after you’d blown it, didn’t even begin to clean up the mess. Have you not heard a word I’ve said about pressuring me
?”
“Trust me, I’ve heard every word you’ve said,” he answered through clenched teeth. “Now that they know you don’t want to help me with the house, I’d say the pressure’s off.”
“Think again. All eyes are on me, waiting to see if you can sweet-talk your way out of this and exactly what I will do.” Glowering at him, Haley strode to the kitchen.
Ethan ran a hand down his face and let out an exasperated breath. He’d messed up big-time, and had no idea how to fix it. This was the feeling he used to have with Ellie because she’d say one thing but mean another, and he was forever trying to second guess her.
But Haley wasn’t Ellie. He should have trusted his gut about that, but when he’d had that sudden flash of Ellie’s spectacular fits when he had done precisely as she’d said, doubt had stolen through him. God he was a fool. He’d known Haley was different. Known with every fiber of his being that she was everything Ellie was not.
Cursing, he headed out to set up camp for the all-nighter he had to somehow get through, when all he really wanted to do was figure out a way to make things right with the woman he loved.
***
After quickly rinsing Ryan and tucking him into bed, Haley sank into a tub of hot water, feeling totally drained. This evening had been almost unbearable, from both the need to get away from Ethan and the overwhelming sadness that permeated her. She still couldn’t believe he had put her on the spot like he had. Talk about not respecting her wishes.
Feeling alone and exhausted, she got out of the tub, dried off, pulled on a nightgown and scooted into bed. She closed her eyes, determined to get to sleep and have this day behind her. Tomorrow she would go through the Sunday paper and look at housing. See what was available to rent. She could kick herself for not doing that last week, but after she and Ethan had talked, she’d thought he would quit bugging her about marriage. She closed her eyes and breathed in several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. There was nothing she could do tonight except try to get some sleep. She needed a good night’s sleep to get through the rest of this weekend. Hopefully, she would find something to rent tomorrow and be out of Ethan’s house within a week or so.
A Home for Haley Page 24