by Gina Wilkins
He remembered the first time he’d seen Hannah, the powerful impression she had made on him even then. He remembered the first time he’d kissed her, how every cell in his body had vibrated in reaction. He thought of the way she had stayed in his head since he’d met her, how her image had popped into his head at random and inconvenient times. He recalled every minute of the one night they had spent together, every touch, every sensation. Just as he remembered how hurt he’d been when she’d sent him away afterward, making it very clear that she saw that night as a one-time fling and that there was no need for him to contact her in the future. Neither of them had known, of course, that there would be a very compelling need for them to stay in touch for the foreseeable future as a result of that night.
Every time he saw her even now he responded dramatically. Was that love? Lust? Admiration? Shouldn’t he know?
Sparks flew between them whenever they touched, but it was obvious that she was still wary of getting too closely involved with him. She’d told her sister that she didn’t need or want a man in her life. Would she be fighting the attraction between them so fiercely if she were “the one”?
He knew now that his life and Hannah’s would be intertwined for the next eighteen years, minimum. He had every intention of being involved in his child’s life. As for the personal relationship between himself and Hannah—well, that remained to be seen. Unlike his brother, he had no confidence in his ability to predict his romantic future.
They said little as Aaron drove past the cabins, slowing a bit when he passed Cabin 7 where Shelby had been held at knifepoint, then speeding up to drive perfunctorily past the now-empty day-use area, the closed main building, the empty pool and quiet motel. A couple of teenagers were making out in the otherwise deserted playground, thrown into silhouette by security lights above them. Aaron drove on, leaving them to their youthful kisses.
Aaron parked the cart in the drive to the manufactured home he now shared with Shelby, next door to Steven’s. Andrew glanced across the road, noting that lights still burned in both Maggie’s and Hannah’s trailers. Aaron followed his glance. “Anything you want to talk about, Andrew?”
Dragging his attention away from Hannah’s bedroom window, Andrew asked, “Like what?”
“Like why you dropped everything and showed up here. You’ve been pretty evasive about that. At first I was sure you were here to talk me into going back home or to try to convince me to give myself more time to decide how I really feel about Shelby. Heck, I didn’t even blame you. I can see how you and the rest of the family would be concerned about how fast this all happened. But that’s not the only reason you came, is it? Something else seems to be bothering you.”
Resisting an impulse to glance back at Hannah’s place, Andrew shook his head. “I’m not ready to talk about it just yet.”
Although he really wished he could. He wanted to talk with his brother about the shock he was still dealing with, the anxiety and uncertainty—even the eagerness—with which he contemplated his child’s arrival. They would discuss all of those things after he and Hannah had broken the news. He could wait—but it wasn’t easy.
Fortunately, Aaron chose not to press him just then. Which didn’t mean he wouldn’t eventually. Maybe Aaron was still too caught up in his own major life changes to pay much attention to Andrew’s distraction, but more likely he was just biding his time until Andrew was ready to spill everything. Andrew was quite sure Aaron would become more insistent about answers as his twin’s departure grew closer.
Andrew saw the curtains twitch at Hannah’s bedroom window as he walked toward Steven’s place after bidding good-night to his brother. Maybe she’d heard voices and had looked out to investigate. Was she watching him as he crossed the dimly lit yard? He had a brief urge to change direction and knock on her door, but he resisted. He would see her tomorrow when he accompanied her to the obstetrician. He anticipated that visit with a mixture of nerves and eagerness. He wondered how Hannah was feeling just then.
He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the curtain fall back into place. Pausing with key in hand at the door of Steven’s trailer, he smiled, though he doubted she was still watching. “We’ll talk tomorrow, Hannah,” he said aloud, and even though she couldn’t hear him, the words were a promise.
Chapter Four
Friday dawned cloudy with a chance of rain later that afternoon. The gray-mottled skies didn’t notably discourage the summer-morning lake enthusiasts; if anything, the slightly cooler temperatures had brought out even more early boaters, fishermen and swimmers. Fridays were always busy in summer, kicking off three-day breaks for many guests, but this weekend would be especially hectic with the additional business from the unlucky neighboring resort. Hannah and her family had been forced to scramble to work in the extras along with the standing reservations for the next few days.
Hannah enjoyed a slight breeze on her face as she walked to the main building at a quarter till nine, after breakfast at her place. Golf carts and utility ATVs were readily available to the family for getting around the resort quickly, and bicycles were parked beside all the family homes, but Hannah preferred to walk most of the time. She figured that would be more difficult as already-hot June became blazing July and she became more heavily pregnant. She decided she’d better enjoy a cool morning while she could.
She exchanged smiles, nods and greetings with guests and employees she passed en route. As she drew closer to the main building, a shriek from the swimming pool on her right drew her attention and she smiled when she saw that it was already filled with kids being supervised by coffee-sipping parents. It was a good way to burn off the children’s morning energy, and too early to have to worry about sunburn.
“Good morning.”
Hannah glanced at the woman who’d murmured the greeting from just behind her and smiled in recognition. She searched her memory for a name, hoping she had it right when she said, “Good morning, Ms. Gibson. Are you enjoying your stay with us?”
The other woman reached up to push a limp strand of faded red hair from her red-splotched face. The hollows beneath her eyes hinted at sleepless nights and she didn’t even try to return Hannah’s smile, though she spoke politely enough. “You can call me Patricia. And yeah, it’s nice here. I was just going to pick up a pack of doughnuts or something from the store for breakfast.”
“We serve an excellent breakfast in the grill,” Hannah suggested, thinking that this seemed to be a very unhappy woman. “Three dollars will get you a cup of coffee or juice and an egg-ham-and-cheese sandwich on an English muffin. Or there are always fresh-made muffins. My aunt usually bakes blackberry muffins on Fridays. They’re excellent.”
Patricia looked less than enthusiastic about the recommendations. “I’ll probably just eat in my room. Maybe on the balcony. Got a book I’ve been reading. It’s not all that good, but I might as well finish it now that I’ve started it.”
Goodness, this woman was a downer, Hannah couldn’t help thinking. Either she was just naturally the morose type, or the personal trials she’d mentioned when checking in had left her depressed and weary. Because there was no way to find that out without prying, Hannah settled for making her smile extra warm as she held the door open for the guest. “Let us know if you need anything at all.”
Patricia nodded. “I will. Thanks.”
People milled inside the entryway, entering and exiting the store and grill or standing around the reception desk. Mimi had opened the desk at seven, a long-standing tradition she maintained by choice. Hannah always relieved her at nine—as Lori had while Hannah was away for the past couple of weeks. At a spry, still-sharp seventy-nine, Mimi was far from ready for full retirement, though her eighty-year-old husband had relegated most of his former duties to his sons. Pop preferred to take it easy now, hanging out around the marina, pitching in when needed, but mostly just shooting the breeze with guests, many of whom he’d known for years.
Carrying a clipboard and a travel cup
of coffee, Maggie came down the stairs from the private offices above. Seeing Hannah, she smiled. “Good morning. Sleep well?”
“I did, thank you,” Hannah lied blithely. “Maggie, this is Patricia Gibson, a guest in our motel. Patricia, my sister Maggie Bell. She’s in charge of maid service, so be sure and let her know if you have any problems or requests.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Gibson,” Maggie said with her usual warm smile. “I hope everything is satisfactory in your room?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s a real nice place,” Patricia replied, her tone devoid of emotion. “No complaints.”
Maggie nodded. “Let us know if that changes.”
“Good morning, ladies.”
Just the sound of Andrew’s voice made Hannah’s heart take an extra-hard thump. She hoped she hid that reaction when she turned to greet him as he and Steven came out of the diner, her cousin more confident now on his crutches. “Good morning,” she and Maggie said in chorus, while Patricia murmured something inaudible.
Nodding to them all, Andrew kept his eyes on Hannah. “Steven and I are going out to fish for a couple of hours, but I’ll be available to drive you to the doctor’s appointment and to pick up your car because everyone else is crazy busy today. What time do we need to leave?”
He had spoken breezily, as if it were no big deal at all that he would be the one giving her a lift, and Hannah hoped the others accepted it that way. “My appointment is at two-thirty, so I’ll need to leave just before two. But if there are things you’d rather do on your vacation, I’m sure one of the others—”
Andrew was shaking his head before she could even finish the sentence, just a hint of reproach in his dark eyes. “There’s no need to take anyone else away from their work when I have the whole afternoon free. I’ll meet you here at one-fifty.”
She nodded in surrender, trying to ignore her sister, who was watching a bit too closely. “Thank you.”
He gave her a little salute as he and Steven headed for the marina. “See you.”
Looking more glum than ever, Patricia headed toward the store. “Y’all have a good day,” she mumbled over her shoulder to Hannah and Maggie.
“I’ve seen her around the motel the past couple of days,” Maggie whispered to Hannah when the other woman was out of hearing distance. “Don’t think I’ve seen her smile once. I wouldn’t say she’s having a great time, but she hasn’t caused any problems or lodged any complaints.”
“I feel sort of sorry for her,” Hannah murmured in reply. “She seems very unhappy.”
Three men shoved noisily out of the diner, almost colliding with the sisters. Hannah repressed a wince when she recognized the man she still thought of as Skinny Romeo. His narrow face flushed when he saw her, and one of his companions elbowed him meaningfully. Apparently his friends were still giving him a hard time because he had hit on a pregnant woman, which she found vaguely insulting even though she hadn’t welcomed his advances. Nodding, the men headed for the exit while Hannah walked to the desk to relieve her grandmother, who’d been occupied on the phone ever since Hannah had entered the building. Maggie followed.
Hanging up, Mimi stood when Hannah rounded the desk. “We’re still getting tons of calls asking for reservations for the July 4th week,” she said with a shake of her silver head. “Some folks don’t take it too well when I tell them we’re full for the holiday.”
“Then they should have booked earlier,” Hannah said with a shrug, stashing her small shoulder bag in a drawer behind the desk. “Anything else I need to know?”
“That about covers it. So I understand Andrew will be your personal chauffeur this afternoon?”
Hannah shot her grandmother a look of warning. In response, Mimi chuckled and held up her hands. “I was just going to say how nice it is of him to step in when everyone else is so busy today. Those Walker boys are good men. You can tell they were raised right.”
Even though she didn’t believe for a minute that Mimi wasn’t still matchmaking, Hannah nodded. “I appreciate all the help both of them have given our family,” she said noncommittally.
Mimi had the tact to let it go then. “I’ll go see if I can help your mother in the store. She’s already had a steady stream of customers this morning.”
Knowing how busy everyone was, Hannah was a little surprised her sister was still hanging around the desk. Taking advantage of a quiet moment with just the two of them, Maggie leaned a hip against the desk and tossed back her sun-streaked brown hair. “Did you notice the earrings I’m wearing today?”
Hannah recognized the casual set. Three silver chains in graduated lengths dangled from each earring. The chains ended in little metal balls, one gold, one silver, one copper. “I gave them to you for Christmas.”
Maggie nodded, making the chains dance with the movement. “I love them. Wear them all the time. You picked them up in Dallas, didn’t you?”
The too-casual question made Hannah’s muscles tighten. “Um, yes. Why?”
“Just a comment. You know, it occurs to me that I never asked and you’ve never commented—did you happen to run into Andrew while you were in Dallas that weekend?” While the question was asked lightly, the expression in Maggie’s eyes was quite serious.
Hannah should have known her sister would be the first in her family to put the clues together. She didn’t know if Aaron had figured it out yet—or if Andrew had told him, though she didn’t think he had—but then Aaron wasn’t necessarily aware that she’d been in Dallas in December. She cleared her throat, trying to decide what to say.
The buzz of the phone was a welcome distraction. She reached for it quickly, giving her sister an apologetic shrug.
“We’ll talk later,” Maggie mouthed.
Hannah nodded, handling the reservations call by rote while watching her sister leave the building. The discussion with her family loomed ever closer. Perhaps Andrew was right that it would be best to get it over with soon.
He would be leaving Sunday. Everyone planned to meet at her parents’ house tomorrow evening for one last big gathering before Andrew left. Maybe that would be the best time for the announcement. She felt her throat tighten just at the thought of the pandemonium that would surely follow, but it had to be done. As happy as she was about becoming a mother, she couldn’t help wishing the circumstances were different. That was only normal, she assured herself, patting her tummy apologetically.
She stayed busy for the next few hours, which was a good thing because it didn’t allow her too much time to fret. She wasn’t really hungry at lunchtime, so she sipped a strawberry-banana smoothie at the desk, washing it down with water from the bottle she’d kept filled all morning in preparation for her ultrasound.
Lori showed up a few minutes early to fill in while Hannah was at the doctor’s office. She wore her usual floaty garments in her typical gray color palette, though she’d added a touch of lavender this time with a very pretty sheer scarf. Despite her somewhat limited choice of color, Lori definitely had a knack for wearing her wardrobe like a supermodel.
“You look nice,” Hannah told her.
Lori smiled faintly. “Thanks. I have a date later.”
“Oh.”
Lori frowned. “Now, don’t you start. I get enough of the disapproving looks from everyone else in the family.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Hannah reminded her.
“I got the message anyway.” Her cousin scowled as she tossed her gray leather bag beneath the desk. “None of you know Zach, but all of you disapprove of him. It’s not fair.”
“How can we know him when you haven’t even brought him around to meet us?” Hannah asked reasonably. “No one even knew you were dating him until last week.”
“Yeah, right. Like I’m going to bring him here to be grilled by everyone in the family. God knows what Mimi or Pop would say to him.”
Hannah shrugged. “That’s true, of course, but it’s just the way it is here. Maybe if the family got to know Zach they’d b
e less disapproving.”
“Or maybe they’d still hate him,” Lori muttered.
“That’s possible, too, I guess. And if they do, well, maybe you should consider the reasons why.”
Lori planted her hands on her hips. “You’re saying I should let the family decide who I can or can’t date?”
Hannah sighed. She was making a mess of this, probably butting in where it was none of her business. But still she felt compelled to offer advice in hopes that she could help Lori avoid the mistakes she herself had made. “I didn’t say that. It’s just— Well, you know what kind of mess I got into when I married too young and somewhat impulsively. I’d hate to see you get into that sort of situation.”
“Yes, well, I’m not you. And Zach’s not Wade. And thanks for giving me credit for having some intelligence.”
Hannah frowned. “I like to consider myself reasonably intelligent. I still made a mistake by marrying Wade.”
“So now you’re going to give me advice?” Lori looked pointedly at Hannah’s baby bump. “Thanks, but no, thanks.”
“Hey!”
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
Hannah wasn’t surprised that Andrew had showed up exactly when he’d said, at precisely one-fifty. He’d changed from the shorts and T-shirt he’d worn for fishing into a white short-sleeved shirt and khaki pants. She didn’t know how he’d managed to keep his hastily packed clothes so crisp and tidy or look so put together and professional even after a morning in a fishing boat. Whatever magic he used, it worked for him. He looked great, making her glad she’d taken a little extra care with her own appearance that morning. She wore a loose plum-colored top and cream linen drawstring slacks—summery, comfortable and easy to move out of the way for the ultrasound.
She turned the desk over to her now-rather-sullen cousin, trying and failing to meet Lori’s eyes. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut, she thought regretfully. She supposed nobody could have talked her out of getting involved with Wade either, but she sure wished someone had tried.