During the viewing and before the service began, the others approached and offered their sympathies. Alec nodded and thanked them and told them how grateful he was that they could come.
The service was brief, a few hymns and hopeful verses from the Bible and some kind words from a robust, florid-faced minister. Once the last prayer had been said, the minister invited them all to proceed to the cemetery.
In the cemetery, the pallbearers carried the casket from the long limousine to the place that had been prepared for it, beneath the feathery green leaves of a jacaranda tree. Come June and July, the branches would be weighted with soft violet blooms. Jenna closed her eyes and pictured that, the masses of purple flowers arching over the cool, grassy spot. She found the image soothing.
Once the pallbearers had set the casket in place, the minister quoted more scripture and said another prayer. Alec placed a single white rose on the closed lid of the coffin.
And then it was over.
Lois whispered, "We're all going to the house."
Jenna nodded, Mack took her hand and they turned for the car.
At Alec's house there were cookies and cake and punch on the table. People stood in little groups and talked quietly, of what a nice service it had been, so simple and moving. They said fond things about Doreen, how quiet she'd always been, and so good at heart. Alec made a point of introducing Mack around, and of explaining how pleased and grateful he was that Dory's son had come to help him through this difficult time.
If people were surprised to find that Doreen had a son, they didn't show it. Watching their faces, Jenna thought that they really weren't surprised. It seemed to her that they simply hadn't known Doreen well enough to feel that her son was someone they should have been told about.
And why was that? Jenna wondered. Had Doreen kept people at a distance in order to minimize the possibility that the question of whether she had children would ever come up? Or was it, perhaps, just that Doreen was a very private sort of person?
Jenna wished it might be the latter, but feared the former.
How many different ways, she wondered, had Doreen paid for the choice she'd made to give her children away?
Jenna looked for Mack and found him across the room, talking quietly to Lois. He glanced up and their gazes met. Jenna let the wonderful jolt of awareness sizzle through her, watching as a smile teased the corners of his mouth.
She thought of the night before and felt acutely alive, all her nerves humming, her skin prickling. Was it wrong, to feel so wonderful on the day they laid Mack's mother in the ground?
She didn't think so. And she didn't think that Doreen would have minded at all—though of course, she'd never know.
People began leaving around six. Jenna and Mack stayed until everyone else had left. Then they, too, said their goodbyes. Mack explained that the two of them had a morning flight to Miami.
Lois said she was staying for another week or two, and then she would try to talk Alec into coming and visiting her in Phoenix for a while.
Alec said, "Mack, when you talk to your sisters, please tell them I hope someday to meet them."
Mack glanced away, then back. "It might be a while, Alec."
Alec squeezed his arm. "Whenever you get around to it, then."
"Fair enough. You know how to reach me, if you ever need me for anything."
"Yes, of course. I have that address and phone number you gave Dory."
"That should do it."
"Mack?"
"Yeah?"
"It's meant so much—that you were here."
Mack cleared his throat and nodded. The two men looked at each other, each seeming to have something more to say, but neither actually getting the words out.
"Go on." Lois elbowed her brother in the ribs. "Give him a hug. You know you want to."
Lois's prompting was all Alec needed. He reached out and put his thin arms around Mack. Mack returned the embrace, but awkwardly, as if a hug was something he wasn't quite sure he ought to be participating in.
Finally Alec took Mack by the arms and stepped back. "You're a fine man, son. Dory was so proud of you … and so am I."
Mack mumbled something. It might have been "Thank you."
Alec's eyes gleamed with held-back tears as he turned to Jenna. She grabbed him and hugged him hard. He whispered, "I hope things work out between you two."
She pulled back, gave him a nod and a smile, then turned to Lois to get one more hug.
"Don't be strangers. Stay in touch," Lois commanded as she let them out the door.
* * *
"You okay?" Jenna asked softly when she and Mack were in the Lincoln, headed back to the hotel.
He felt for her hand, found it. "I'm okay. Ready to get out of here, ready to hang out under the banyan trees, to watch a Key West sunset from the deck of The Shady Deal."
"That's the name of your boat? The Shady Deal?"
"That's right."
She lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of his. "I never pictured you living in a place like Key West."
He gave her a quick grin, then focused on the street ahead of them again. "I love it. It's tropical. And it's seedy. It has very little dignity. But it has style. It's the perfect place for me."
"Mack McGarrity. You are never seedy. No way."
"Hah. But you admit I lack dignity."
"I didn't say that."
"But you thought it."
"I did not."
He had to pull his hand away to make a turn. She watched his profile, saw his expression grow serious.
"What are you thinking?"
"So strange," he said. "Those people today, coming up to me, offering their condolences. Condolences for what? I never really knew her."
"It's what people do at funerals, Mack. A show of support, letting you know that they care."
"I understand that. I only meant that it felt strange. I kept thinking, Who was she, anyway? What in the hell went on in her mind?"
"I think … she was a good woman, at heart. That she made a tough choice, told a big lie to someone she loved and then never knew how to tell the one she loved the truth."
Mack laughed, a sound without humor. "I guess we can think whatever the hell we want now, can't we? She won't be around to tell us we're wrong."
"She was a good woman, Mack, I just know she was. After all, Alec loved her. A man like Alec could only love someone good … and I know that she loved you. I'm positive of it."
He sent her another glance, a glance with doubt in it, and the shadow of a lifelong hurt. But he didn't say anything. Not much later, they reached the hotel.
* * *
The minute they got inside the suite, Mack pulled her close and buried his head against the curve of her neck. She wrapped her arms around him, held him as tightly as he was holding her.
His lips moved against her neck as his hands fumbled at the few pins she'd used to hold up her hair. He found the pins, dropped them.
Her hair fell around her shoulders. "There," he whispered. "Yeah…"
She tipped her head back, offering her lips. His mouth covered hers.
Jenna gave herself up to his kiss, understanding his need right then—to touch, to feel, to reach out for life. She moaned as his tongue mated with hers.
He began to undress her, sustaining the kiss as he walked her toward his room. They left a trail of clothing through the main room, into his room, to the edge of the bed. They had to break apart to remove the rest: his shoes and socks and boxer briefs, her panty hose and bra.
He reached for the drawer in the nightstand and took out the condom. She rolled it down over him. They fell across the bed together.
Jenna ended up on top. When she took him inside her, they both kept their eyes open. The curtains were closed then, the room dim and cool. She moved above him, looking down, wishing she could take all his old hurts into herself and turn them to pure joy.
He surged up inside her. She felt him pulsing, finding release. She
didn't try to reach a climax of her own, but simply let herself relax on top of him, cuddling her head into the crook of his shoulder, smiling to herself as his arms came around her.
She turned her head, pressed her lips against the side of his neck. "It was a tough day."
He made a low, lazy sound of agreement. His hand was stroking her hair.
"And we'll be in Florida tomorrow…" she reminded him tenderly. "We'll spend the rest of our two weeks doing whatever you want to do."
"Hmm. Whatever I want?"
She nipped the place she'd kissed a moment before. "Don't push your luck."
* * *
They were still in bed an hour later when the phone rang. Mack answered it, then handed the phone to Jenna.
"It's your sister."
Jenna took it. "Lacey?"
"Oh, God, Jenna." Lacey sounded as if she might burst into tears. "Please don't hate me…"
"Hate you? Lacey, what are you talking about?"
"It's Byron," her sister said. "He ran away. I don't have a clue where he's gone."
* * *
Chapter 13
« ^ »
"Byron's missing?" Jenna held back her own cry of dismay. She thought of the strange way her sister had sounded the last time they had spoken. "How long has it been since you saw him?"
"Wednesday. He was here then, I swear to you."
"So he disappeared…?"
"Yesterday. I came back to the house to feed him and I couldn't find him."
"Have you checked all the closets? And the cupboards in the kitchen? Sometimes he—"
"I swear to you, Jenna. I've looked everywhere, into every cupboard, every closet, every nook and cranny. He must have gotten out somehow, though I can't figure out how he managed it. None of the screens are unhooked, and I never left any of the doors open." Lacey let out a moan. "I know what you're thinking. And you're right. I didn't pay enough attention to him. I've been having … well, the last few days have been… Let's just say I haven't been around the house much."
"What's going on? Where have you been?"
"Oh, Jen. It's … I think we'd better talk about that later. Right now, there's more you have to know."
Jenna slumped against the headboard, "There is?"
"Mmm-hmm. You see, today I … I thought I heard him, in the attic…" Lacey paused long enough to let out another small moan of misery.
Jenna sat up a little straighter. "You thought you heard Byron in the attic?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"I went up there."
"And?"
"I thought I heard him again, way over in the corner, under the eaves—you know, above the upstairs bedroom in the front of the house?"
"Yes. I know the place you mean."
"There's no attic floor there, just those big beams and the ceiling of the bedroom below and—"
Jenna was getting the picture. "You didn't…"
"I did. I put my foot through the bedroom ceiling. I smashed up the bone in my heel, 'mushroomed' it. That's what the doctor said. And I also left a big, ragged hole in the ceiling. You should see it. What a mess."
"Forget about the ceiling for now. What about you? How did you get back down out of the attic?"
"It wasn't pretty. But I managed it."
"And then?"
"I called 911 and they came and they carted me over to Meadow Valley Memorial. When I got there, they took X rays, wrapped up my foot and gave me some crutches. They sent me home for the night, but I have to be back tomorrow by two in the afternoon. For surgery." Lacey moaned some more. "Oh, I didn't want to call you. But I figured I'd better. I'm going to have trouble getting over to the shop to check on the money. And then there's Byron…"
"You say you're at home now?"
"Yes. Until tomorrow."
"Is someone there to help you?"
"Mira and Maud were here." Lacey spoke of the "terrible twins," her friends from high school. "They made me some dinner and a bed downstairs. Mira said she'd be back tomorrow, to take me to the hospital."
"So you're all right. For tonight?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I can get around on the crutches if I have to, and they gave me some painkillers, so it doesn't hurt too much."
"I'll be there tomorrow, as soon as I can get a flight."
"Oh, God. I've ruined everything. Jenna, I'm so sorry for messing up like this. And poor Byron… He has to turn up soon. I just know it. He's probably off somewhere sulking, don't you think? Oh, I feel so guilty. I feel like a real jerk…"
"Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow, I promise."
"Mack McGarrity will probably hire a hit man to do me in."
Jenna glanced at Mack, who was lying on his side facing her, his head propped on his hand. He'd been frowning since he'd heard that Byron was missing—and he'd started scowling at the point where Jenna mentioned getting a flight.
Now he demanded, "What the hell is going on?"
Jenna waved at him for silence and spoke to her sister again. "I mean it. Stop worrying. I'll be there. Probably not tonight. It's too late. But tomorrow, as early as I can."
"All right. I am so sorry."
"Relax. I'll see you soon."
Lacey murmured a pitiful goodbye and Jenna hung up.
Mack pulled himself to a sitting position and folded his arms across his chest. "Well?"
She hit him with it. "Byron's missing and Lacey broke her foot. I have to go back to Meadow Valley right away."
Mack said nothing.
He was thinking that the damn cat would eventually come back on his own. Bub knew how to take care of himself. He'd been a stray when he'd suckered Jenna and Mack into adopting him.
And didn't Lacey have a few friends in her hometown who could help her through the next few days?
But he could tell by the look in Jenna's eyes and the set of her soft, very kissable mouth that she was going. No sense getting on her bad side trying to talk her out of it. He'd worked damn hard, after all, to get himself on her good side. And he really liked it there.
"Mack." She looked adorably contrite. "I'm so sorry. Your two weeks in paradise don't seem to be turning out the way you planned."
"I'm going with you."
"Are you sure? We could—"
He didn't let her even suggest an alternative. "I said I'm going with you."
"All right. If you're positive that's what you want to do."
They arrived at Sacramento Executive Airport at 10:00 a.m. the next morning. Mack had a rental car, another Lexus, waiting and ready to go.
It was a little after eleven when they reached the house at the top of West Broad Street
in Meadow Valley. Mack pulled in behind a dark blue Cadillac.
He turned to Jenna. "Looks like your sister's got company."
Jenna gulped. "Yes. That's Logan's car."
Mack turned off the engine. "What's he doing here?"
"I don't know. I suppose he heard that Lacey was hurt. He's always thought of himself as a kind of big brother to her. I'd imagine he just wanted to check on her, to see that she's all right."
Mack didn't look the least satisfied with her suggested explanation. "You think he knows you're coming back today?"
Jenna let out a long, exasperated sigh. "I don't have the faintest idea what Logan knows about all this."
"I don't like it."
"Can we just go in, please? We can't learn anything sitting out here."
"Fine."
Jenna met Mack at the rear of the car and took the two bags he handed her. They trooped up the front walk, Jenna in the lead.
On the porch, Jenna set down her bags, anchored her purse strap more securely on her shoulder and unlocked the door. Then she stuck her head in and called out good and loud, "Hello? Lacey?"
After an unnerving three beats of silence, Lacey answered, "We're back here!"
Jenna turned to Mack, who stood on the porch behind her, holding a suitcase in one hand and a garment bag slung over the oppo
site shoulder. "They're in the back parlor."
He shrugged.
She thought of Logan, of the way the unshed tears had gleamed in his dark eyes the last time they'd spoken. Guilt gave her a sharp, very unpleasant little poke.
"Jenna. Are we going in?"
"Of course."
"Well?"
"All right." She pushed the door open all the way, picked up the bags again and entered the house. "Just, um, set everything down here."
They lined the suitcases up to the left of the door and Mack draped the garment bag over them. Then there was nothing else to do but seek out her sister and Logan in the back of the house. "This way."
Mack followed behind her, along the central hall to the back parlor.
They found Lacey sitting in the old velvet easy chair, her injured foot propped on an ottoman in front of her, with pillows stacked up to keep the foot high. A set of crutches lay on the hardwood floor beside the chair. And a TV tray sat on the other side, laden with tissues and a water glass, a thick paperback novel, the remote telephone and a bottle of some kind of prescription medicine.
Logan stood by the fireplace. He was a long way from tears right then. His strong jaw was set and his dark eyes glittered with what looked like anger. Lacey seemed upset, as well. Two vivid spots of color stained her pale cheeks.
No one spoke for an agonizing three or four seconds. The silence seemed to bounce off the cream-colored walls. Jenna cast a glance at Mack, watched him eyeing both her sister and Logan.
Then Lacey declared way too brightly, "You're early!"
Jenna frowned. "Not really." She had called Lacey from the airport and told her that they'd be about an hour.
"Well, I mean, I didn't expect… It's just that I…" Lacey waved a hand. "Oh, never mind. Um, hello, Mack. How have you been?"
"Just fine."
"You remember … each other?" Lacey put out a hand palm up and gestured from Mack to Logan.
The two men exchanged curt, unsmiling nods. Lacey looked at her outstretched hand as if she didn't remember how it had gotten extended. She brought it back and made a pretense of smoothing her hair. "Um, Logan heard I had hurt myself. He just came to check on me." Her big smile got bigger and her cheeks colored even more deeply. "Didn't you, Logan?"
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