As she wrapped her arms around his waist, she realized she needed it, too. A moment of closure that had never happened to their intimate relationship—a quiet good-bye before the real thing that would take place in front of Olivia and Cole when the park job was finished.
She felt his kiss on the top of her head, the gentle way he stroked her back, and she ached for what might have been.
Then she stepped back. His hands cupped her face, his thumb wiped away a silent tear. “I’m going to miss you.” He kissed the wet place left by her tear.
A sharp clatter jerked her attention to the stairs. She just caught sight of Cole as he spun around and ran back down. The picture that had been on the wall now lay on the floor at the top of the stairs.
“Ah, shit!” she said under her breath. “Cole, wait!” she called as she started after him.
Rufus ran out the door with her, and she could hear Luke pounding down the stairs behind her.
Cole was halfway across the back yard when she caught up with him.
“Cole.” The only way she got him to stop was to grab his arm and force him. “Let me explain—”
He jerked his arm free, but stood to face her. “There’s nothing to explain—I’m not stupid!”
“Luke—”
“Was supposed to be my brother’s friend!” Cole walked in a little circle, gesturing as he talked. “God! How could you, Ana? How could you do this?” Then he stopped and looked sharply at her. “Does Mom know?”
“I’m trying to tell you, there isn’t anything for her to know. Nothing is going on. Luke was just comforting me—”
“Is that what you want to call it? Don’t treat me like a stupid kid. I saw!”
Analise reached out to him, but he jerked away.
“No! Don’t you touch me.” He stopped his agitated movements and looked at her with light dawning in his eyes. “The word painted on your car . . . someone else knows—and they’re right!”
He started toward the house.
“Cole, wait!”
He paused with his back to her.
She didn’t want to ask, but there was so little time before he exploded through the kitchen door. “What are you going to tell Olivia?”
Slowly he looked over his shoulder at her. There was such cold hatred in his eyes that it cut straight to her heart. Then he turned around and walked stiffly back to her.
“You want me to be the one to tell her you’re screwing Calvin’s best friend right under her nose?”
She slapped him. It happened in the blink of an eye and there was no taking it back.
He stood firm, his chest heaving with his agitated breath, staring her in the eye for a long moment.
Then he turned around and walked to the house.
Analise prepared dinner as usual, but what was going on inside her was anything but usual. At least Cole hadn’t burst through the door shouting at the top of his lungs that she was screwing Luke. He’d stalked silently through the house and headed to his room.
Still, Analise worried what he might decide to say to Olivia. The longer she thought about it, the angrier she became at herself. If confronted, it would be impossible for her to deny that she’d slept with Luke. Olivia was too perceptive to accept a lie—and lies were the worst affront imaginable in Olivia’s book. If it came to the moment of confrontation, how could Analise explain that she’d chosen her family over Luke without making things worse?
She was so stupid. What had made her think she could act so selfishly and not have it come to light?
When Luke came down from his shower, Olivia was outside feeding the goose. He stepped quietly into the kitchen. “Should I try talking to him?”
Slamming the oven door, Analise snapped, “And tell him what? That we had sex right here in this house while he was in the hospital? That it was a good thing he had that wreck so we had the opportunity?”
He looked like she’d slapped him, too.
Closing her eyes, she let out a breath and raised a hand. “Sorry. I just . . .” She threw her pot holder onto the counter, then rubbed her forehead. “I don’t think he’s in the mood to listen to either one of us right now.”
“I know how you feel . . . what’s at risk for you. But”—he hesitated—“I want you to know I’m not sorry it happened.” He held her gaze. “Nothing could ever make me sorry.”
Unable to look at him with her emotions in such an upheaval, she turned her back and braced both palms on the kitchen counter. She wanted to tell him she wasn’t sorry, either. But the words just wouldn’t come. He was right, there was a lot at stake—the entire life she’d built for herself here at Magnolia Mile. She just couldn’t bear to hurt Olivia so deeply.
Analise heard Luke quietly leave the room. Then she busied her hands, hoping to still her weeping heart.
“Poor Cole,” Olivia said as she looked at his empty chair at the supper table. “Maybe I should take some tea and toast up to him.”
Analise forced the bite of food in her mouth over the lump in her throat. “I’ll do it.”
Olivia waved a hand in the air. “When a boy’s sick, he needs his mother.”
Luke’s head snapped up. He gave Olivia a look that Analise couldn’t read. There was concern, but not the kind of concern that said, I’m afraid someone’s going to tell on me. It was more sad than worried.
After a moment, she decided she wasn’t going to figure it out, so she got up and started to gather up the dishes. “Did you let Rufus in? I normally have to trip over him until he’s fed.”
Olivia looked toward the back door. “No. He hasn’t barked at the door.” She huffed. “After that rain, he’ll probably come back covered in mud.”
She and Luke got up and helped Ana clear the table.
Analise felt awkward in her own kitchen, trying not to get too close to Luke as they shuttled dishes to the sink and leftovers to the counter. Her tension hummed so much higher with both him and Olivia in the same room with her. She was constantly aware of every detail of her behavior, worried that she’d say or do something to give herself away to Olivia. Finally, Luke said he was taking one of the kitchen chairs that had become wobbly out to the carriage house to reglue it, and Analise breathed a sigh of relief.
Olivia put the kettle on for tea that Cole didn’t really need and Analise went to the back door to call the dog. Then she started the dishes. When Rufus hadn’t barked at the back door by the time she was drying the pots and pans, she began to get worried. Rufus never missed his dinner.
Just as she went to the back door to call him again, Dave pulled in the drive. He was wearing jeans, so he wasn’t on duty. Analise whistled again for Rufus and held the door open for Dave.
“Hey, there. What brings you out here this evening?” she asked.
“Just thought I should check on y’all. Olivia called me today and told me about Rufus getting a piece of Roy last night.” He stepped into the kitchen and Analise closed the door. “Any more problems?”
Ana shook her head. “Actually, there shouldn’t be any more problems. Luke hunted him down today and told him to take off.”
Dave’s gaze stopped roving the leftovers on the counter and snapped to her face. “He did what?” He pointed to his cruiser. “There’s proper channels for this sort of thing. Taking the law into—”
“It wasn’t a big deal. He just talked to him. Roy said he came back here for his mother’s Bible. He’s leaving Grover.”
Dave put his hands on his hips, cast his gaze to the floor and shook his head. “I don’t like it. He didn’t leave last time. That houseguest of yours wants to be a damn hero.” He looked at her again. “What if he just pushed a crazy man to do something crazier?”
“I really don’t think Roy—”
“Dammit, Ana! What’s the man have to do to convince you he’s dangerous?”
There was a loud thud against the back door. Analise jumped. “Look, you’ve got me all jittery,” she said as she headed to the door to see what it was.
“It’s probably Rufus. I called him for dinner.”
Another thud sounded against the door and the knob rattled. “Ana! Open up!”
“Luke?” She hurried and opened the door. Luke stood on the stoop with the big bloodhound in his arms. “Oh, my God! What’s happened to him?”
“I don’t know. I found him curled up in the bushes. Tried to wake him, but no response.”
“Here. Lay him here.” Analise shoved the placemats off the kitchen table. “Is he breathing?”
“Barely,” Luke said in a strained voice as he laid the heavy dog down. “Call your vet, I’ll get the truck.”
As Luke started out the door, Dave grabbed his arm. “Goddammit! I was afraid he’d do something like this! You pushed him and now look!” He jabbed a finger at Rufus’s still form.
“Shut up and get a blanket on him while Ana calls the vet.” Luke ran out the door.
Ana’s fingers fumbled as she dialed the number; she had to do it twice. Luckily their vet was an old friend of Olivia’s, so she could call him at home. While she waited for him to answer, she said, “There’s an afghan on the sofa. Get it.
“Dr. Flynn! This is Analise Abbott, something’s happened to Rufus. He was outside. He’s not conscious, his breathing is shallow. No external injuries.” She glanced at Dave coming back with the blanket. “He may have been poisoned.”
Dr. Flynn said, “Keep him warm and get him here as fast as you can. I don’t want to risk you doing anything until we know what the problem is.”
She slammed down the phone and yelled for Olivia and Cole. Then she looked at Dave. “You think Roy did something to him?”
Dave’s face was grave when he said, “You got any other explanation for a healthy dog dropping in his own yard?”
Luke burst through the back door at the same moment Olivia and Cole arrived at the kitchen. Analise explained as Luke scooped up the dog and hefted him out to the truck.
Chapter 18
They made the ten-mile trip to Dr. Flynn’s office in record time, thanks to Dave’s cruiser leading the way with lights and siren going. Analise and Cole rode with him. Olivia and Luke went in the truck, with Rufus securely wrapped in a blanket in the bed.
The doctor was waiting at the front door of his clinic. He was a squat black man who looked to be about Olivia’s age. He started asking questions as soon as Olivia was out of the truck.
“Do you have any chemicals where he could have gotten into them?” the doctor asked.
Dave helped Luke carry the dog into the examining room.
“No,” Olivia said. “Everything that could be harmful is kept in the storage room with the door closed.”
“No rat poison out, anything of that sort?”
“No. Could it be a stroke or something?” Olivia twisted her hands in impotent frustration.
“Not likely. Dogs rarely have strokes. Antifreeze—any bottled around, any leakage from your vehicles?”
“I don’t think so. None that we’ve noticed.”
Dave offered, “They’ve been having some mischief out at Magnolia Mile. Could be somebody gave him something.”
Dr. Flynn had his stethoscope on Rufus’s chest. “I’ll check for that first. Now y’all go out and wait in the front. Tildie’ll be here in a second to help.”
All five of them just stood, staring at the limp dog on the table. Cole put his arm around his mother.
“I mean it.” Dr. Flynn moved quickly to gather the things he needed. “Y’all are in the way here.”
Slowly, they left the room. Analise collapsed into a chair, burying her face in her hands. Dave sat beside her. Olivia stood looking out the front window, staring at the gathering darkness with one hand across her middle and the fingers of the other over her chin and mouth. Cole hovered near his mother. Luke noticed this was a change from the boy’s natural gravitation to Analise, or more recently himself, in times of stress. Cole didn’t so much as look at either one of them.
In a few minutes Luke heard a woman’s voice in the back and assumed Tildie had arrived.
After pacing the room a couple of revolutions, he stopped in front of Dave, looking down at him. He asked quietly, “So you think Roy poisoned the dog?”
Dave looked at him with earnest eyes and matched Luke’s hushed tone, “What else could it be? Maybe he wanted the dog out of the way. Maybe he’s planning on coming back tonight.”
“For what?” Analise asked. “Why would he come back?”
Dave gave her a pointed look. “The man is not stable. If Mr. Macho here”—he jabbed a finger at Luke—“hadn’t backed the guy into a corner, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
Luke glared at Dave, ready to drive home his point. Then he decided to soften his approach, just to see what kind of reaction he might get from the deputy. “You know, I’ve been thinking about this whole thing. If Roy’s so determined to hurt Analise, why did he just paint on the windshield, where it wouldn’t leave any permanent damage?” He rubbed his chin. “Got any ideas on that, Deputy?”
For the briefest of moments, fear flashed in Dave’s eyes. But it was enough to give Luke what he was looking for. Then Dave drew himself up in his chair and said, “Like I said, the man’s unstable. Logic doesn’t apply.”
Luke stared at him for a second before he turned and walked out the door. He needed some air. If he stayed in that confined space, it would be too tempting to put Deputy Dave’s head up his ass, where it belonged.
Once in the parking lot, he began to pace. An outdoor light hung on a telephone pole, casting a sickly glow and emitting a steady buzz that soon got on his nerves almost as badly as Deputy Dave.
After a few minutes, Cole stepped out. Luke’s expectant gaze immediately cut to the boy.
Cole read the look and said, “No news.” Then he shoved his hands into his jean pockets and walked closer to Luke. After a relatively short but uncomfortable silence, he said, “I want you to leave.”
Luke cast a glance back toward the waiting room.
“I want you to leave Magnolia Mile and not come back.”
Luke waited a moment, sorting out his words carefully. “That was the plan from the beginning. I’ll go as soon as the park is finished.”
“So you don’t love her.”
Luke didn’t answer.
Cole shifted, suddenly agitated. “What is it with you?” He threw his hands in the air. “I thought you were my brother’s friend—I thought you were my friend! You just want to hook up with her, then leave. She’s Calvin’s wife! How can you be such a jerk?”
Luke tried to explain something that seemed to be beyond his own grasp at the moment. “I came here because I owe your brother. I didn’t plan to stay. . . . I didn’t plan a lot of things. This situation is complicated. I care for Analise—I care about all of you.”
“Oh, save the bullshit for Ana!”
Looking the boy sharply in the eye, Luke said, “Analise loves you. She loves your mother. And she loved Calvin. What more can you ask of her?”
“Are you going to ask her to leave with you?” The set of Cole’s chin was challenging. Luke had to give the kid points for facing him down like this.
“No.”
“Then you should go now. Staying will just make it harder for her.”
“Not until the job is done. Magnolia Mile can’t afford to pay late-completion penalties.”
Cole sucked in a deep breath that filled his chest. “We can do it without you.” There was that challenge again.
“I’m sure you could. But you won’t have to. I’m staying.”
For a long moment, Cole just stood there, looking like he wanted to punch Luke in the face. Then he turned around and went back inside the clinic, his every move radiating his anger.
Luke stood in the cooling air, glad for the feel of the chill on his face. The boy’s resentment hurt—more deeply than Luke
could have imagined two weeks ago. He’d come here to put certain things to rest. Everything that had happened since only tied him more closely to Calvin’s family. And that was the key—it was Calvin’s family and always would be. What had seemed so simple when he drove into Grover now wrapped a thousand silken threads around his heart, tying it to these people.
Luke forced his mind away from an emotional dilemma that had only one way it could possibly end: with his leaving. He needed to look at the problem at hand and deal with it. Could his assessment of Roy have been that far off? The man had been genuinely frightened by Luke’s visit. Roy was emotionally unstable with uncontrollable anger, but Luke couldn’t see him being calculating and vindictive. Roy’s world consisted of that which was right in front of him at the moment. Elaborate plans for revenge and criminal plotting just weren’t within his grasp. Yes, the man was dangerous, but only in the immediate sense.
Someone else was stalking Ana. And Luke was gaining perspective as to just who that someone was. But he had to tread carefully, or it was all going to blow up in his face.
About fifteen minutes later, Olivia stuck her head out the door. “Doctor’s coming out.”
Luke hurried inside, but lingered near the door, away from the tight knot of family. He listened as the doctor spoke.
“We’ve pumped his stomach and run a couple of preliminary tests. Looks like Benadryl. We found an undissolved capsule inside a chunk of beef. Had to have been a lot of them to take down a dog that size. Not much chance of it being fatal, but it’s a good thing you brought him in when you did.”
Analise gave a little sob of relief. Dave put an arm around her and gave her a comforting squeeze.
Olivia’s response rode out on an exhaled breath. “Oh, thank goodness.”
Dr. Flynn said, “I want to keep him here for a day or so, just to watch him.”
Olivia nodded. “Can I see him before we go?”
The doctor put a hand on her shoulder. “Yes. He’s still not conscious and he’s got tubes.”
“I understand.” She followed him back into the examining area. Just before she went through the door, she looked back and asked, “Anyone else want to come in?”
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