In the Prosper, Texas, diner near her design studio and apartment Rose looked at the man sitting across the table. “Thanks for coming, Chandler.”
“Are you kidding? No way I’d have missed this.” He smiled warmly and settled his hand on hers. “Although I have to admit it was a surprise when you called and asked me to meet you. After our phone conversation the other day I had no idea when I would see you again.”
That talk was before Linc kissed her. The kiss had changed everything. It hadn’t taken her long to know what she had to do. After letting Linc know she’d be gone for a couple days she caught a flight to Dallas and here she was with Chandler. One look at him confirmed that the simple touch of Linc’s lips to hers was more powerful than anything she’d ever felt with this man.
“Well—” she shrugged “—here I am.”
“Yes.” He turned his hand over and snuggled her fingers into his palm. “Here you are.”
The man was handsome, charming, smart, funny and kind. He was terrific and as far as she could tell had only one flaw. He wasn’t Lincoln Hart.
She slid her hand from his. “Chandler, we need to talk—”
“I think you felt it, too,” he interrupted.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“You know. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Since you’ve been gone, I realized how much I really care about you. I—”
“Hey, you two.” Janie Tucker stood at the end of the table. She was working her shift at the diner and seemed pleased. The smile made her look younger and put a twinkle in her blue eyes. Dark hair the same shade as Rose’s was cut into a short bob. “Good to see you, Chandler.”
“You, too, Janie.”
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“I think we need a couple of minutes. Do you mind?” Chandler gave her the smile that broke every female heart except Rose’s.
“Sure thing.” She walked back to the counter.
Her mom didn’t know what was going on and Rose wanted to keep it that way until she broke the news to this man. When they were alone she sighed and met his gaze. “The thing is this job has turned out to be more complicated than I expected.”
“I guess that means I’m going to miss you longer than we expected.”
If it was just about time and distance, he’d be right. But it was all about that kiss. “There’s something else.”
“Whatever it is, I’ll be there to work it out with you. That’s what a significant other does. And I think you know I want to be more than that. I want to marry you.”
“Oh, Chandler—”
He smiled, mistaking her distress for something else that encouraged him. “I’ve been looking at engagement rings and I want to ask—”
“Don’t.” She held up a hand to stop him.
“What?”
“Don’t ask me. Don’t say the words. Please, Chandler,” she begged.
“I can’t help it. I have to. Will you marry me, Rose?”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Of course you can. The job in Montana won’t last forever. We’ll figure out a way to make it work. All you have to do is say yes.”
“I can’t.”
“You keep saying that.” His excitement slipped, giving way to confusion. “Why?”
She blew out a long breath and it flashed through her mind that Linc must have experienced a little dread like this before he told her about not being divorced. But he was the last person she wanted to think about right now. If he’d just kept his mouth to himself...
“Rose?”
“I’m married.”
“You’re what?” Chandler blinked at her. “I don’t understand. You’re joking.”
“I wish,” she said miserably.
“Married? If you don’t want to marry me just say so. There’s no need to lie to me—”
“It’s the truth.”
“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I didn’t know. I thought I was divorced.” She explained what happened ten years ago—falling in love, the quick marriage, what felt like a quicker split with very little explanation from her husband. Why there was no divorce, although it was progressing now. “Linc promised he would take care of it this time and get it right.”
“And you believe him?”
“Yes.” Trust him, no. “He wants this over with as much as I do.”
“Lincoln Hart is your husband?” Chandler frowned. “Is he the man you’re working for now? In Montana?”
“Yes.”
“What’s going on, Rose?” It was not a voice he’d ever used with her. “Is there still something between you?”
“No!” At least she hoped not.
“But you agreed to go with him to Montana. And didn’t think it was necessary to tell me you’re married to him.”
“You know my business is in trouble,” she said.
“And I offered to help.”
“It’s something I have to do alone.” Every instinct she had told her not to let him, which, in hindsight, was a sign of something not right. “Vicki said I should tell you about the divorce. It was my decision alone to—”
“So your friend knew the truth but you didn’t think it was important to tell me?”
“I should have. I know. I just didn’t think that—”
“What? I’d ever find out?” He dragged his fingers through perfectly cut dark blond hair. “So he married you under false pretenses to get you into bed and now you lied to me.”
“I didn’t overtly tell you an untruth.” It was a small hair but she split it anyway.
“A lie of omission.” His lips pulled tight for a moment. “The two of you should be very happy together. You’re cut from the same cloth.”
Rose knew he was right, although not about her and Linc being happy together. “Chandler, please listen. Let me try to explain.”
“Try? How much more can there be? No. I’m done.” He glared at her. “But I have one question and you owe me the courtesy of the truth.”
“Anything.”
“Why not just tell me this when we talked the other day?”
Because Linc was sitting there listening to every word. “At that moment I didn’t plan to break up. There was a lot to think about—”
“Or,” he interrupted. “Better yet you could have called it quits in a text.”
Rose winced. She probably had that coming. He had every right to be bitter and though she wanted to get up and walk out right this minute, she didn’t. Chandler wouldn’t want to hear it, but the real reason she was here had to do with Linc. He’d had the decency to tell her to her face that they were over and she couldn’t do less.
And she wouldn’t make this worse for Chandler by revealing that after kissing Linc she realized if she had forever-after feelings for Chandler another man’s touch wouldn’t have affected her the way it did. There had been signs that it wasn’t right but her mom really liked him and Rose wasn’t getting any younger. Wishful thinking collided with reality the moment Linc’s mouth touched hers.
“I’m so sorry.” She met his angry gaze. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Go to hell, Rose.”
It was a technicality, but she didn’t need to “go” anywhere because she was already in hell. “Chandler—”
He slid out of the booth and didn’t look back as he passed her obviously puzzled mother and headed straight to the diner’s exit.
Moments later Janie was heading her way. Too late Rose realized she hadn’t carefully thought through the location for this meeting.
“What’s going on, Rose? Why did Chandler leave so suddenly? He looked really upset.” Janie glanced toward the door he’d stormed through just a minute ago.
“What did you say to him?”
“I broke things off.”
“But why?”
“I’m not in love with him.”
“Are you sure? Maybe if you gave it a little longer.” Janie sat down in the booth.
“I’m sure, Mom. When you know, you know.” With Linc it had been like an electric storm, immediate and powerful. That made it all the more painful when he left her.
“Does this have anything to do with that man you’re working for?”
There was a lot of potential here for yet another lie. Ten years ago Linc was the only one who knew she’d married him. Even her mother was in the dark. Rose always intended to tell her but then it was over and she’d believed the heavy burden of foolishness was hers to carry alone.
“Mom, there’s something you need to know.”
As Rose talked, a series of emotions drifted over Janie’s still-pretty face. Shock, anger, sympathy and, worst of all, a mother’s helplessness to fix her child’s trouble.
There was so much disappointment in Janie’s voice when she said, “You could have told me, honey.”
“Yeah. I should have. I’m sorry.” Apparently it was the night for those two words.
“You didn’t have to go through all of that alone. I should have been there for you.”
“You always are, Mom.” She reached over and took the other woman’s worn hand. “It’s just—You work so hard. I didn’t want to put one more worry on you.”
“You’re sweet.” She squeezed her daughter’s fingers. “But I’m tough. And so are you. Always remember if you need me I’m there and together we can handle anything.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it.” She almost smiled. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m still pretty mad at you. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love you more than anything in this world.”
“I love you, too, Mom.” It occurred to her that Linc’s sister said almost the same thing to him.
“Now tell me about this guy you’re working for. The one you’re still married to.”
“There’s not much to say—”
“No. Not getting away with that again.” Janie shook her head. “When you left Texas things with you and Chandler were practically perfect. After a short time in Montana you come back here to break up with him? I know there’s a few years on me but I’m not that out of touch. Something happened and now is as good a time as any to break the pattern of keeping things to yourself.”
So Rose told her mother about kissing Linc and found sharing the burden helped in an unexpected way. It became clear why she hadn’t called it quits with Chandler on the phone. She didn’t want Linc to know about the breakup. The idea of her being involved with someone might be the only thing that stood between her and falling for Linc again.
That was called making the same mistake twice and only a card-carrying fool would do that. He didn’t have to know that she no longer had a boyfriend.
Chapter Eight
Rose had left Blackwater Lake after giving Linc some vague excuse and now he was wandering aimlessly around his sister’s kitchen while said sister was preparing dinner. More often than not he was in Ellie’s way, but at the moment she stood in front of a wooden cutting board and pounded the living daylights out of a perfectly innocent boneless skinless chicken breast.
It occurred to him that hitting something might be just what he needed. “Hey, El, want me to do that for you?”
She met his gaze. “That offer sounds an awful lot like a cry for help.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You look like testosterone central, which is code for wanting to put your fist through a wall.”
“I do not.”
“Do to. You’ve had that look on your face ever since Rose left.” She smacked the chicken, then looked up. “Where is she anyway?”
“Home. Something about taking care of an issue and seeing her mother.” Every time he thought about her evasive answer his gut knotted with irritation.
“Linc?”
“Hmm?” He blinked and focused on his sister.
“I was talking to you.”
“Sorry.” He didn’t bother to share the train of thought that distracted him. “What did you say?”
“Is Rose coming back? Or did she come to her senses and figure out what a toad you are?”
“Funny.” His niece came toddling over and held her arms out to be picked up. He was happy to oblige. “Your mom is a funny girl, princess. She called me a name.”
A fitting one since he was the frog who’d kissed Rose. Frog? Toad? Same difference. But didn’t they say you had to kiss a lot of frogs before finding your prince? Again he thought it best not to share the information.
“So is she?” Ellie persisted. “Coming back, I mean.”
“She didn’t say she wasn’t. And I have a signed contract for her to decorate my condo. I’m going to hold her to it.” He looked at Leah. “Right?”
“Wight.” She nodded vigorously.
“It’s unanimous. If she doesn’t provide mutually agreed upon services, I can sue her.”
“That’s productive. Go straight to the bad place.” Ellie gave him her patented “you’re an idiot” stare. “Have you called her?”
“Once or twice.” He’d struck up quite a friendship with her voice-mail message and now her mailbox was full.
“And?”
“She didn’t pick up.”
“What did you do, Linc?”
“Why would you go there? Does it have to be my fault?” He looked at Leah. “Does it?”
“Yes,” she said.
“See.” Ellie looked triumphant. “Even an almost-three-year-old gets it.”
“Traitor,” he said to Leah, who just grinned at him.
This argument was on shaky footing because he was almost sure that kiss was the catalyst for her disappearance. And it had nothing to do with toads and frogs. He’d challenged her and they kissed. It didn’t take a relationship genius to know there was something going on between her and the boyfriend and it wasn’t love.
And, yes, he was aware he’d taken advantage of the situation but it was in the spirit of doing her a favor. If the guy was right for her she wouldn’t have been affected. And she had been. On the flip side of that coin, he’d been affected, too. It was official. He really, really wanted her.
Ellie sighed. “Why is it so hard for you to just admit you still have feelings for Rose?”
“It’s not hard. I freely admit to having feelings. Let me count the ways. Annoyance, irritation, vexation, exasperation, frustration—”
“You’re just being a stubborn—” She stopped and looked at her daughter. “J-a-c-k-a-s-s.”
“Takes one to know one.”
“You like her, Linc.”
He was feeling backed into a corner. “What is this? Junior high?”
“Clearly not. Those kids have more maturity than you do.”
“Wow. Hostile environment,” he said.
“The atmosphere here in my home is just fine. You’re the hostile one.” She smiled at her daughter. “Leah, Uncle Linc could sure use a hug. He’s sad.”
He wanted to tell his sister what she could do with her hostile environment, but two chubby little arms came around his neck.
“Don’t cwy, Unca ’Inc.”
“Okay.” He hugged her back as a lump suddenly formed in his throat. He wanted one of these little people but... There was always a damn but. He kissed the little girl’s cheek. “Thanks, princess.”
“Welcome.”
He set her down. “I’m going out.”
“Me go, too?” Leah looked up hopefully.
“Next time,” he promised. “Bar None doesn’t allow anyone under
twenty-one.”
“That’s a great idea.” Ellie smiled approvingly. “It’s ladies’ night. Happy hour prices are good for single women all night. You’re unattached. Do the math.”
“Have I ever told you how aggravating you are?”
“Every day. But you love me anyway.”
“I do.” He kissed her forehead, then headed for the front door, where his car keys were in the basket on a side table next to it. He called out, “Don’t wait up.”
Laughter drifted to him. “In your dreams.”
A short time later Linc pulled into the parking lot at the local drinking establishment. The sign over the roof had crossed cocktail glasses, while neon lights in a window spelled out Beer. There was no mistaking the purpose of this place.
He got out of the SUV and chirped it locked, then walked up to the heavy double doors and grabbed one of the vertical handles to open it. The bar and grill was crowded. There were a lot of ladies sitting at the bistro tables scattered around the center of the room and couples occupying booths lining the perimeter. He stood just inside the door for several moments, scoping out everything, and didn’t see an empty chair or stool at the bar against the wall.
So, to sum up, he was oh for two. He couldn’t take out his frustration on the chicken and now every seat in the bar was occupied. He’d apparently ticked off fate and she was getting even with him.
He was about to turn around and leave when a redhead approached him.
“Hi.”
“Hi. Is it always this crowded in here?”
“I wish. It’s my place. Delanie Carlson.” She held out her hand and he shook it. “But I get a good crowd on ladies’ night.”
“I can see that. Standing room only. I’m Linc Hart.”
“Nice to meet you. My friends and I were wondering if you’d like to join us. We can squeeze in another person. Unless you’re determined to be by yourself and brood?” She angled her head at a table in the corner, where two attractive women were sitting.
“The brooding can wait,” he said. “Lead the way.”
She did and stopped at the table where the two women waited. She held out her hand and indicated the one with short, blond hair and blue eyes. “This is Lucy Bishop. She’s the cook and co-owner of the Harvest Café.”
Just a Little Bit Married Page 10