His First and Last (Ardent Springs #1)

by Terri Osburn

  So it was no surprise that her grandmother had put herself into the fray, but pulling a gun on a man shot past protective and into crazy territory. Then again, Lorelei had kicked the man in the groin, so who was she to judge?

  “We need to talk,” Spencer said, joining Lorelei at the sink where she was loading the dishwasher. Carrie and Granny were sitting in the living room looking at old photo albums. Granny never passed up the chance to show off embarrassing pictures of Lorelei riding her rocking horse in nothing but a diaper.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, still shaken by the thought of what Patch could have done to him. Not that Spencer couldn’t hold his own, but Carrie’s husband was already nuts. Add in uncontrollable rage and there was no telling what he might have pulled. What if he’d had a gun of his own?

  She shuddered to think of how bad the morning could have been.

  “I’m fine,” he said, taking her hands. “This is important.”

  Before Lorelei could answer, her cell phone went off. “Hold that thought,” she said, sweeping the phone off the table near the house phone. “Hello?”

  “Lorelei, it’s Snow.”

  “Hey. Is it getting busy over there already?”

  Snow dropped her voice. “Not yet. Mrs. Mitchner was in here with her daughter a few minutes ago.”

  “So Haleigh Rae is in town,” Lorelei said, remembering how Cooper had reacted when Spencer had mentioned her at the bar. Maybe they could all get together before she headed back to Memphis.

  “Right. Haleigh.” Snow spoke to a customer, then returned to the call. “I heard them talking to the mayor’s wife, and I wouldn’t have paid much attention, but I heard Mrs. Winkle say your name.”

  Lorelei was not surprised to be the topic of gossip, especially considering the source. “That’s nothing new,” she said, holding up one finger to Spencer, who looked agitated.

  “This was new.” Snow’s voice dropped so low that Lorelei could barely hear her. “Mrs. Winkle said that Mike Lowry is your father.”

  Dropping into a chair, Lorelei said, “What?”

  “Mrs. Mitchner didn’t seem to believe her until she said that her daughter had heard the truth directly from Spencer Boyd, so it had to be true.” Snow told a customer she’d be right with them before whispering again. “Anyway, I don’t know if it’s true or not, and I’m not asking, but I thought you’d want to know.”

  Locking eyes with Spencer, she said, “Thanks, Snow. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Disconnecting the call, she rose from the chair and said, “Outside. Now.”

  Chapter 28

  He knew the second she looked at him that she knew. Why the hell hadn’t he stopped her from taking that call? Dammit, he’d wanted to be the one to tell her.

  “Lorelei, let me explain,” he said as soon as they reached the porch.

  “You told Becky Winkle?” she demanded, turning on him. “Why?”

  “I didn’t mean to.” Spencer took her by the arms, but she shook him off. “The words just came out.”

  Running her hands through her hair, Lorelei looked incredulous. “What, were you two talking about the weather and the words ‘Mike Lowry is Lorelei’s dad’ came flying out of your mouth?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Why were you even talking to Becky?” she asked. “Of all the people . . .”

  “She found me at the Ruby tent. Becky was all worked up and said she’d caught you and Mike making out in an alley or something.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Lorelei said.

  “That’s what I told her. I knew she was lying, and I called her on it.”

  With a muscle ticcing in her neck, she said, “You called her on it by telling her that Mike is my father?”

  “No.” This was all wrong. He needed to make her understand. “Not at first. I kept telling her she didn’t see anything of the kind, but she wouldn’t admit she was lying. She wouldn’t give up, and I lost it and said it couldn’t be true because Mike is your father.”

  As the hurt crossed her face, Spencer said, “She was trying to drive a wedge between us, to make me believe that you were seeing Mike behind my back. She even had the nerve to say that you were making a fool of me like Carrie did.”

  “And your ego couldn’t let her get away with that,” Lorelei said, her voice even, monotone. “You had to set her straight.”

  “I told you,” he said, reaching for her again, “I didn’t mean to tell her. Dammit, I’d give anything if I could go back and change what happened, but I can’t.”

  Lorelei stepped back. “No, you can’t.”

  “Lor, don’t pull away from me. I’m sorry.”

  “I need to go back in.” She moved around him.

  “We can talk inside.”

  “No.” Lorelei stopped at the screen door. Without turning around, she said, “You need to leave.”

  “Darling, please—”

  “You couldn’t stand it, could you?” she said, turning on him fast enough to force Spencer a step back.

  “Couldn’t stand what?” he asked.

  “That my father is still alive. That he never abandoned me. That he wanted my mother.”

  Hot anger danced at the base of his skull. “You’re going too far,” Spencer said. “You know I’m happy that you and Mike found each other.”

  “Right,” she snorted. “So happy that you had to blab it to the one person who would make it sound tawdry.”

  “Listen to what you’re saying, Lorelei. You know I wouldn’t do that.”

  “At least I was conceived by two people who loved each other,” she yelled.

  Spencer closed his eyes, the words hitting like a blow.

  When he opened them again, he said, “And I’m the unwanted accident of a casual fuck. Thanks for the reminder, Lorelei. I’d almost forgotten.”

  Turning on his heel, Spencer walked down the porch steps with his head high. He’d known Lorelei would be angry and disappointed, as she had every right to be. But he’d never imagined she would lash out at him, striking a blow to his very core.

  And he’d had no idea how much it would hurt when she did.

  By dinnertime Saturday evening, Lorelei had found only one shelter for battered women within fifty miles, and the facility had no beds available. The caseworker she’d finally reached suggested filing a police report, requesting a restraining order, and said a shelter in East Tennessee might be Carrie’s best option.

  She’d also explained that restraining orders were practically useless, and that if they could get the victim to relatives out of state, that was likely the safest way to go. But Carrie’d made it clear that staying with her mother wasn’t possible, and she refused to call her sister.

  Lorelei was half tempted to inform the woman that she didn’t have the luxury of holding on to her pride, but then she saw the determination in Carrie’s eyes and kept the thought to herself. So other than hiding the pregnant lady in the attic, they hadn’t come up with anything viable.

  At which point Granny suggested Carrie might like to learn how to crochet. The younger woman looked surprised, but also as if she didn’t want to offend her hostess. When Granny said she could make a baby blanket, Carrie nodded and followed her into the sewing room to pick out some skeins of yarn.

  Lorelei took the opportunity to consider the last twenty-four hours. Seconds after she’d watched Spencer walk away, still riding on anger, she’d called Mike to let him know their secret was out. He sounded almost relieved, as if Spencer’s big mouth had done them a favor. Lorelei didn’t feel quite as charitable. Every time she thought about Becky Winkle telling everyone in town that Mike was her father, likely adding her own details, like Lorelei’s mother had gotten pregnant to trap him, she wanted to scream.

  Oh, how Becky would relish the idea that Donna Pratchett hadn’t been able to leg shackle a man, even when she was expecting his child.

  As if Becky “divorced-three-times-by-age-thirty” Winkle was any better.
>
  Now that Lorelei was alone for the first time all day, the tears came. She crossed her arms on the table, dropped her forehead onto them, and let go. Yesterday morning she’d woken in Spencer’s arms, feeling as if something good had finally come her way.

  How had she said such horrible things to him? She might as well have put a bullet through Spencer’s heart. There would be no coming back from this. No rainbows on her horizon. No Spencer loving her, faults and all.

  As Lorelei sniffed and reached for a tissue, Granny’s ancient computer in the corner of the living room dinged to alert that an e-mail had been received. Lorelei hadn’t owned the address for long, less than a week, which meant she never got messages. Wiping her nose, she crossed the room to sit at the desk and checked her inbox.

  There on the second line was a message from the last person she’d expected. And above it, a subject line revealing a plane ticket confirmation. It looked like Lorelei would be heading back to the airport.

  Spencer was supposed to work the Ruby Restoration booth again on Sunday, but he’d called Buford to let him know he wasn’t coming. Though he wasn’t the type of man to wallow in self-pity or hide from his mistakes, the thought of leaving his apartment made him want to get in his truck, point it toward the state line, and never look back.

  Champ never left his side, the animal sensing that his master was injured, even if the wound wasn’t visible on the outside. Spencer didn’t eat. He didn’t shower. To keep his mind occupied, he tried working on the paper that was due on Tuesday, but after reading the same paragraph four times and not comprehending a word it said, he gave up and closed the file.

  The television stayed on, but he paid it little mind. Until a story on the news caught his attention.

  “Police are investigating the death of a Robertson County man last night at a bar in Gallatin,” the announcer said. Spencer recognized the green Ford pickup in the inset picture over the woman’s right shoulder. “Patrick ‘Patch’ Farmer reportedly got into an altercation with another patron. Witnesses say he was severely intoxicated and continually repeated a statement to the effect that he wanted his wife back. The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office is working with Robertson County officials to locate Mr. Farmer’s wife, whom authorities haven’t been able to find. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Caroline Farmer is asked to contact the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office.”

  Dragging a shirt over his head, Spencer didn’t bother with shoes. He was at the front door of the house in seconds. When Rosie opened it, she said, “Spencer, Lorelei is sleeping, but I don’t think she wants to see you.”

  “I’m not here for Lorelei.” He pulled the screen door open and brushed past the older woman. “Where’s Carrie?”

  “I’m right here,” his ex-wife said, entering the living room with a ball of yarn and a long needle in her hand. “What’s going on?”

  “Have you seen the news?” he asked.

  Carrie shook her head. “No. Why do I need to see the news?”

  Shock had carried him this far, but Spencer hadn’t thought about how he would say the words. Crossing the floor to stand in front of her, he said, “It’s Patch.”

  The yarn and needle hit the floor. “What about him?” she asked.

  “He got in a bar fight down in Gallatin.” Running a hand through his hair, he spit out what he knew. “Patch is dead.”

  The color drained from Carrie’s face seconds before she crumbled. Spencer caught her before she hit the floor and carried her to the couch. As Rosie joined them with a cold washcloth, Lorelei stepped out of the stairwell.

  “What’s going on? What are you doing here?”

  Spencer didn’t look up from dabbing Carrie’s forehead and cheeks with the rag. “I had to tell Carrie something.”

  Lorelei charged over to the couch and looked down at the unconscious woman. “What the hell did you tell her that made this happen?”

  “Patch Farmer was in a bar fight last night.” Meeting Lorelei’s eye for the first time, he said, “Her husband is dead.”

  Spencer stuck around long enough for them to revive Carrie and then contact the authorities, but he was gone before the sheriff’s deputy arrived. It was going to be hard enough for Patch’s wife to explain why she’d been so hard to find. Explaining why her ex-husband knew her whereabouts when her current husband did not seemed like an unnecessary conversation to have with the police.

  But then Patch was now Carrie’s former husband as well. Her reaction to the news had been a clear indication of how she’d felt about the man whose baby she was carrying. For all his faults—and from what Lorelei had learned, Patch had many—his wife still loved him. In fact, she insisted he had a tender side and could even be romantic when he wanted to be.

  Unfortunately, he could also be a real SOB, and he chose to be that more often than not.

  By nightfall, Carrie looked exhausted and had said more than once that she felt overwhelmed. She could return home now, since the danger that had kept her at the Pratchett house had passed—literally. But Lorelei had grown to like the expectant mother, and Granny looked ready to adopt her. Together, they convinced her to stay one more night, though they did make a quick run to her double-wide for some personal items and a fresh change of clothes.

  She’d been borrowing pieces of Lorelei’s, but as Carrie was a good four inches shorter and twenty pounds lighter, even at three months pregnant, than her fashion benefactor, she was in desperate need of something that didn’t make her look like a castaway.

  “I can tell you one thing,” Snow said while tapping a nail on the dining room table, “this town always had its drama, but things have gotten a whole lot more interesting since you walked into my store.”

  Lorelei wasn’t sure if the statement was a compliment, but she did know she couldn’t take credit for everything. “I had nothing to do with what happened to Carrie’s husband.”

  “Well,” Snow said, “you did kick him in the nuts and take his wife.”

  “I didn’t know that would make him get roaring drunk and take on three guys in a fight.”

  The police had shared more details than Spencer had gleaned from the news coverage. Patch had run into some coworkers in the bar in Gallatin, and they apparently weren’t his friends. When one of them asked where Patch’s pretty little wife was, Farmer snapped and jumped him.

  No one knew for sure who broke the beer bottle that killed Patch, as the incident happened in the parking lot and none of the men were being very cooperative, but all three were currently being held in the Sumner County Jail as authorities continued to investigate.

  “This is true,” Snow said, glancing at Carrie, who sat with Granny in the living room. “I feel so bad for her. Talk about a crappy weekend.”

  Lorelei propped an elbow on the table and dropped her chin into her palm. “From what I’ve gathered, she’s had a crappy life. While the threat of being backhanded is gone, she still has a baby coming. With Patch gone, not only is there no father, but now she has no income.”

  “Do you think he had life insurance?” Snow asked.

  Patch Farmer hadn’t seemed like the kind of guy to have his own insurance agent. “Maybe they offer something through his work. I’ll make sure Carrie looks into it.”

  Tilting her head to the side, Snow said, “That girl is lucky you found her when you did. But doesn’t your shared connection with Spencer make this somewhat . . . complicated?”

  Mention of Spencer brought Lorelei’s anger back to the surface. Deep down, she knew he would never have intentionally spewed her secret to Becky, but she also didn’t understand how something so important could just slip out. Unable to reconcile her feelings one way or another, she’d pushed the whole topic out of her mind.

  “I wouldn’t know what to do if things weren’t complicated,” Lorelei replied. And she was telling the truth. The good came with the bad. Her mother had sacrificed and suffered, but she’d also known real love. Carrie had endured more than her fair share of crap,
but she remained sweet-natured and still had a new little one to look forward to.

  And Lorelei had more than a complicated relationship with Spencer, to say the least. If they had any relationship at all at this point. She was still too mad to even think about forgiving him. And after what she’d said, she doubted he was feeling very forgiving in her direction either. Spencer may have been an endlessly patient man who’d seen past the attitude and bravado and declared that he liked her, faults and all, but they’d both crossed a line this time.

  “Lorelei?” Snow said. “Where did you go?”

  Shaking her head, Lorelei apologized. “Sorry. What did you say?”

  “I was lamenting that the store isn’t busy enough for me to give her a job. Not that what I could pay would be enough to support her and a baby, but it would be something for now.”

  Talk of giving Carrie a job planted an idea in Lorelei’s mind. “I may be able to help her in that area.”

  “You know someone who’s hiring?”

  “The position is currently filled, but that will be changing very soon.”

  With narrowed eyes, Snow dropped her voice. “I admit, I haven’t known you very long, but that look is pretty universal. You’re up to something.”

  “Like you said yourself,” she answered with a smile. “I do like to keep things interesting.”

  And it was about time Lorelei used her powers for good.

  Chapter 29

  Spencer didn’t see Lorelei on Monday or Tuesday. He knew she’d been helping Carrie clean up the mess Patch had dropped in her lap. As much as he hated to think ill of the dead, he couldn’t help but be pissed at the man who’d slept with his wife, taken her for his own, then been irresponsible enough to get himself killed while Carrie was carrying his baby.

  The fact that he’d abused her would have been enough to keep Spencer’s blood boiling, but he also couldn’t ignore his own part in pushing Carrie in the jerk’s direction. Yes, they’d been young and hurting and neither knew how to deal with losing a child, but maybe if he’d tried a little harder. If he’d put in more effort or talked through it instead of keeping it all inside.