“Oh, we’ve heard all about you,” Liam’s mother said as she extended her hand. “I’m Annabelle Parrish.”
India took the older woman’s hand and shook it. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And this is my husband, Jack.”
India shook Mr. Parrish’s hand, too. Up close, he looked even more like Liam. She dared a look at Liam to find him watching her.
“Looks like Skyler pulled out all the stops for the party,” she said.
Liam glanced around the room. “Yeah. You all didn’t have to go to this much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble.” India caressed Ginny on the top of her head then wondered if she should have. Would the Parrishes think more was happening here than there was?
“We hear you’re the one planning this rodeo,” Jack said.
“Not really. I’m just handling a few details. Liam is the one really putting it together.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Liam said. “She’s worked like crazy on this.”
India’s heart lifted at his praise. She looked at him and smiled. The tension that had formed between them since their date eased a little.
“How about we open some presents?” Elissa said as she stepped up between Jack and Liam, causing Liam to take a step toward India. Elissa made eye contact with India and gave her a quick wink.
“Yay!” Ginny said and hurried with Mia toward the table with the presents.
Liam and Jack followed the girls, leaving India standing beside Annabelle.
Suddenly nervous, India forced herself not to fidget. “Have you had a chance to get out and see Blue Falls yet?”
“No, we’ll poke around a bit in the morning before we head home. I want to check out this store of yours. And I hear there’s a marvelous bakery.”
“Yes. Keri made the birthday cake.”
“We met earlier. Lovely girl, with such a cute little one.”
Ginny dug into her presents with enthusiasm and impatience. She got coloring books and crayons from Mia and her dad, a little camera from her grandparents, a purple backpack full of books from Skyler and Elissa, and a stuffed bear from Verona.
“Well, you’ve got plenty to keep you busy on the road,” Jack said.
India winced at the thought that soon Liam and Ginny would be gone. How could she get so attached to them in so short a time? Unable to help herself, she looked at Liam. He was watching his daughter with a smile of pure happiness on this face, his parents flanking him. She sensed so much love among the four of them that it brought tears to her eyes. She blinked them away before she had to explain why she was crying at a child’s birthday party.
There were only two packages left, and India expected Ginny to pick the one from her next. Instead, she chose the one that had to be from Liam. She ripped the paper covered in brightly colored birthday cakes off the box to reveal a red cowgirl hat. India’s breath caught when she realized it perfectly matched the boots she’d bought for Ginny.
Ginny plopped the hat on her head and smiled from ear to ear. She hopped up and gave Liam a big hug.
Drat, there were those tears again. Across from where she stood, Elissa noticed and gave her a “What’s wrong?” look. India shook her head and shifted her attention back to Ginny, who was grabbing the final present.
When she finally got the box open, Ginny made a sound of appreciation. Then she grabbed the boots and held them up. “Look, Daddy. They match my hat!”
“I see that.” Liam made eye contact with India, but only for a moment.
She couldn’t tell what he thought of the present, but there was no mistaking Ginny’s appreciation as she ran to India and hugged her.
“Thank you. I love them.”
India bit her lip before patting Ginny on the back. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”
“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I think it’s time for some cake.” Skyler walked by and touched Ginny on the shoulder, guiding her toward the cake table.
When Skyler met India’s eyes, India saw that her friend knew how close she was to tears. Ginny’s affection had almost sent her over the edge. How was this child burrowing herself so deeply into India’s heart?
Skyler cut pieces of cake and handed them out. India stared so intently at her own slice that she didn’t notice Liam approaching until he was right next to her.
“That was a very nice gift you got for Ginny.”
She found the strength to look up at him. When their eyes met, she couldn’t help remembering their kiss and wishing it would happen again. “I’m sorry if you think it was too much. I sometimes go a little overboard.”
“You didn’t have to spend so much, but she obviously loves the boots.” Liam watched his daughter laugh as she shoved chocolate cake in her mouth.
“Not the type of thing I usually buy, but I thought they were something she’d actually use.”
Liam gave her a bit of a funny look she couldn’t decipher before he looked away as someone turned up the music that had been playing in the background.
Jack swept Annabelle into his arms and spun her around in time to the music. The way he looked at his wife, as if he were just as in love with her as the day they married, felt like a punch in the chest to India. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy that this couple still held so much love for each other. It was just that it reminded her of how she used to wish her parents were more like the Parrishes.
She swallowed hard as Liam took a couple of steps and swept Ginny up into his arms and danced with her, making her giggle. Jake Monroe danced with Skyler, and with a dramatic bow Elissa swept Verona into the whirl of dancers.
India hated to leave without saying goodbye, but she felt her resolve to stay cheerful breaking. If she didn’t get out of this room soon, she would make a complete fool out of herself.
But that was what she was, a fool for falling for a man with whom she had no future. Caring for a girl who wasn’t her daughter and never would be. Wishing a couple she’d just met could be her parents. She set her half-eaten cake on one of the tables and headed for the door while everyone’s attention was directed elsewhere.
Chapter Twelve
Liam finally relented to Ginny’s laughing pleas to set her down. But he stole a kiss before he let her go to play with Mia. He looked back toward where he’d left India to find her hurrying out the door. He took a step to follow her before he pulled himself up short.
“Is something wrong with India?” his mother asked from beside him.
“Probably just tired. Long day today, and more on tap tomorrow.” He knew in his gut that something else was going on, but it wasn’t his place to ask what. His jaw tensed when he thought she might be leaving to meet that guy, the one who was considering buying her building. Would she go out with him to convince him to let her store stay right where it was?
He jerked his gaze away from the now empty doorway. He tried to tell himself it wasn’t any of his concern, but he couldn’t get the way she’d hurried from the room out of his mind. Something told him she wasn’t rushing to meet someone, more like she had to get away. He had to remember that she wasn’t Charlotte. India had already shown Ginny more caring than Charlotte ever had.
When he glanced at his mom, she was giving him one of those “Mom knows everything” looks. The problem was, she usually did. That didn’t mean he was going to admit to anything yet, not when he wasn’t sure if there was anything beyond their one date and that really great kiss.
To escape the questions in his mom’s eyes, he moved toward where Elissa, Skyler and Verona were beginning to clean up the mess of ripped wrapping paper and used plastic cups, plates and forks. He bent over to pick up the big pink bow that had been on India’s package.
“Don’t worry about that,” Skyler said. “We’ll clean up.”
“It’s no problem after everything you all did to make sure Ginny’s birthday was a good one.”
“We love any reason for a party,” Elissa said.
“Where’d India get off to?” Verona said as she scanned the room.
“I think she headed home.”
He tried not to act as if he saw the meaningful look that passed between the three women, but it confirmed that something was wrong. Chances were he was the last person who should check on India, though, especially when he might very well be the reason she was upset.
After they’d cleaned the room and said their goodbyes, Liam walked over to where his parents were sitting, Ginny on his father’s lap. “You about ready to go, kiddo?”
“I want to stay with Nana and Pop-Pop.”
“We don’t get to see her that often, so we thought we might go watch some TV, have breakfast here in the morning,” his mom said as she squeezed Ginny’s hand. “We can bring her out to the fairgrounds on our way out of town.”
He nodded. “Okay. But you let your grandparents get some sleep tonight.”
“Party pooper,” his dad said.
“You can stay, too,” his mom said. “It’s a lovely place.”
“I can’t. I need to check on things tonight before I hit the hay.”
After kissing Ginny good-night, he headed to his truck. Once outside, he realized he was free to go see India. He just didn’t know if that was a good idea. The woman tied him all up in knots, something he hadn’t allowed to happen in a long time. Casual dating was way safer when you didn’t want to get tangled up in some emotional tug of war.
But, damn, one date should have been the definition of casual. Instead, he thought about her all the time, reliving that one kiss as if it’d been the first time he’d ever kissed a woman.
With a shake of his head, he climbed into the truck and drove back toward the fairgrounds. But as he hit the mostly deserted downtown, he considered stopping at the Frothy Stein for a beer. Just as he decided he’d better just go get some sleep, he noticed a car parked farther down the street, far enough that he suspected it wasn’t part of the Stein’s crowd. As he drove closer, his suspicion was confirmed. India’s car sat in front of her shop. Something told him she wasn’t there to work.
He parked behind her and got out of the truck. As he approached the front door, he noticed one faint light shining. He saw her sitting in the front part of the store at the table where they’d shared pie that day. She didn’t move, simply stared toward the main part of the store. He lifted his hand to knock, hoping he didn’t scare her.
He kept his knock light, but she still jumped. He gave her an apologetic look even though she probably couldn’t see it. Wondering if he just looked like a shadow, he pulled off his hat. That seemed to help her recognize him, and she slowly stood and walked toward the door. When she unlocked it, he could tell that she’d been crying. A surge of protectiveness swamped him, and it was all he could do not to take her in his arms.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look fine.”
With a sigh, India turned and walked back through the small room. Since she hadn’t slammed the door in his face, he stepped inside and pushed the door closed behind him. He held his hat in his hands and didn’t know if he should move any closer to her.
“I’m sorry if you’re upset because of me. You said you wanted to keep things professional, and I didn’t respect that.”
India shook her head. “It’s not that.”
He chanced closing some of the distance between them, stopping at the end of the glass display case a mere couple of steps from where she stood unnecessarily straightening a dress on a mannequin.
“Then what’s wrong?” he asked.
“You’ll think it’s crazy.”
“Try me.”
She glanced at him before shifting her gaze into the darkened part of the store. “Because I couldn’t stand how happy your family looked together tonight.”
She was right. That did sound crazy. Or maybe mean and selfish.
“It’s not that I don’t want you all to be happy. I’m glad that you are. It’s just that watching your parents, how they are with each other, how you are with Ginny, I guess I was a little jealous. I never saw my parents like that, never experienced the kind of love you shower on Ginny from either of my parents.” She laughed, but it wasn’t the good kind of laugh someone uttered when they were happy. “My parents were drunks and drug addicts. I can’t tell you how many times we didn’t even have electricity because they didn’t pay the bill. They used whatever money they managed to earn to buy drugs and alcohol.”
He hated hearing this, thinking about India as a little girl going through it. But he didn’t know what to do with this information. If he could go back in time and make things better for her, he would. But that wasn’t possible.
“I worked my ass off to do well in school, to earn enough in scholarships so I could get out and never go back. It’s part of the reason I entered that pageant, because there was scholarship money. That and the fact that for one night, I just wanted to feel pretty, like I wasn’t poor little India Pike whose parents weren’t worth the air they breathed.”
“They were still your parents.”
“In name only.” She sounded so harsh, so deeply hurt by them. “You know what the real kicker was? After I went away to college, they got the wild idea to become entrepreneurs. So they started cooking meth.” She shook her head in disgust. “They couldn’t even do that right. Halfway through my freshman year, they blew themselves up.”
“God, India.”
She met his eyes. “That is what Celene Bramwell sees when she looks at me. What T.J. said to me when he was drunk that night.”
“If this place has so many bad memories, why did you come back? You’re smart, talented. You could have gone anywhere.”
“Because despite my parents, I always loved Blue Falls. When I was a little girl, I dreamed of having a place like this store. For a long time, that’s all it was, a dream. And my best friends were here. I wanted to come back and make good memories to replace the bad ones. And for the most part, I have.”
“But we can’t completely escape our pasts.”
She shook her head.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that, but it made you who you are, a strong woman.” The words felt wrong even as he said them. Not that he wasn’t sorry, because he was. But his sympathy was a throwaway line he could have as easily told someone he’d just met, not the woman who’d gotten under his skin and into his head like no one ever had. He sounded more like a shrink or a motivational speaker than someone who actually cared about her.
Because he did care about her. Something moved deep within him, something that stole his breath. Something that suddenly scared the living daylights out of him. Against his will, his feelings deepened for her in that moment. The magnitude of that change stole the air from the room, and he fought the urge to simply turn and run out the door. As he looked at India, he had no idea what to say or do. It was as if his brain had received a jolt from a cattle prod.
“You should get back to Ginny and your parents.”
As he stared at her sad, tired face, he wanted to tell her that he was where he wanted to be. But common sense was telling him that this distance between them would make things easier when he left. After all, he couldn’t do anything to make her past pain go away, couldn’t ensure the future success of the business she’d worked so hard to build. Sometimes life just dealt you a crappy hand.
So instead of pulling her into his arms to give her some comfort, he took the coward’s way out and stepped toward the door. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” It sounded as if it took all her energy to push out the single world.
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As he left the shop and walked to his truck, he felt lower than he had in a very long time. But what good would getting even more involved with India do? Wouldn’t he end up hurting her more?
Or if he were being honest, was he more concerned about getting hurt himself? He wouldn’t have thought it possible. Damn it, that’s why he always kept things casual. Getting serious was just too much of a minefield, for him and Ginny. She’d already been left by her mother. He couldn’t stand the idea of getting serious with someone, Ginny getting attached, and then her getting her heart broken when it didn’t work out.
He slid into his truck and sat there in the dark wondering what part of his racing thoughts were the truth. Yes, he worried about Ginny getting hurt, but was he really just hiding behind his little girl?
With a sigh, he started the truck and headed toward the fairgrounds. When he pulled in, the fairgrounds looked more like an RV campground. But even with all the cowboys and stock handlers milling about, he didn’t think he’d ever felt so bone-deep lonely.
* * *
INDIA DIDN’T MOVE UNTIL she saw Liam drive away down Main Street. She should really go home. Tomorrow would be long, stressful and tiring. Instead, she wandered through the dim interior of the store, letting her fingers drift through the fabrics that all looked like varying shades of gray and black in the dark. When she reached the cushy chairs outside the dressing rooms, the emotions she’d been holding in broke free.
A ragged sob escaped as she sank onto the nearest chair. She shook as tears flowed and her heart broke. How had she allowed herself to get into such a vulnerable position, one where she irrationally fell for a man who could evidently never love her back? Hadn’t Liam just proved that? She’d told him about the darkest time in her life, what made her the way she was, and all he’d had to say was he was sorry. And then he’d just left.
Thinking about watching him walk out that door without a backward glance made her cry all the harder. She curled onto her side on the chair and its adjacent twin and let the sobs come. She realized all the tears weren’t for Liam and what might have been. Some were the tears she’d never shed over the death of her parents, tears she’d told herself they didn’t deserve. But if nothing else, Liam had been right about that—they were her parents, and some deeply buried part of the little girl she’d been loved them no matter how flawed they’d been.
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