He gurgled, then coughed. “W-what?” His eyes bugged like his tongue was strangling his windpipe. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid if I did, you might not leave for the Marines.”
His brows bunched. “But I was only in basic training for a few weeks, then I was coming back to get you.” Accusation brimmed in his eyes. “You knew that. Don’t try to act like you didn’t.”
She hugged her arms. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said flatly. “The truth is that I was terrified of ending up with an alcoholic. And then there was a baby to consider. We were so young. I didn’t know what to do.” Her voice trailed off.
A horrified look came over him. “Did you give the baby up for adoption?”
“No, I miscarried a week after you left.”
He shook his head, a dazed look in his eyes. Then he raked both hands through his hair. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” His voice broke. “Why couldn’t you trust me?”
“I don’t know.” The words sounded empty and hollow. “Maybe it was myself that I couldn’t trust.” She let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I knew if I didn’t leave you while you were gone, I’d never have the strength to leave you. I loved you so much. You were my world.” She threw up her hands. “Heck, a part of me still loves you, even though heaven knows I’ve done everything I can to move past this.”
“Do you have any idea what you put me through?” His eyes were harder than flint.
“It’s not like you’re the only one who was hurt,” she flung back, heat spiking through her. She should’ve known better than to try and fix the past. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered, jumping to her feet. She gritted her teeth, glaring at him. “I don’t know why I bothered to come out here and try to explain this to you because you’re never going to see anything other than your side of the story!”
He also stood, a fierce look in his eyes. “Don’t walk away from me. We’re not done here. Not by a long shot!”
She snorted out a laugh. “Oh, yes we are!” She felt first one raindrop then another. A second later, the bottom fell out, drenching them. She let out a shriek and was about to run back to the mansion, but he caught her arm, a hard smile stretching over his lips. “Looks like you won the wager. I guess we’ll have to plan that walk.”
“Yeah, I’ve changed my mind.” There was something primal and raw about being out here with him in the rain, stripping away all pretense. His hair was pressed flat to his head, drawing attention to his rugged features. The wet t-shirt clung to his chiseled pecs and abs, his biceps as hard as granite. Attraction simmered through her, making her warm despite the cold.
He cocked an eyebrow. “You know what? All right. If that’s the way you wanna play it. I changed my mind too. I’ll take a kiss instead.”
Her stomach flipped. “What?”
Before she could get away, he encircled her waist and pulled her close. The feel of his body against hers was overwhelming. Tingles burst through her when his lips came down on hers. She put up a half-second protest before the flame ignited. Seven years of wanting him was a long time, too long for her to deny him now. His lips were demanding as they licked fire through her toes, making her weak in the knees. He dipped her back as a groan escaped her throat. She ran her hands up his tapered back, burying her fingers in his hair. Delicious shivers circled down her spine as he intensified the kiss. A thrill of exhilaration shot through her and she had the sensation of soaring.
Parker had never kissed her like this, like he was drinking the last bit of her strength from her lips and then giving her back even more. She would’ve given up a thousand lifetimes for this kiss … a thousand lifetimes to be here in Dalton’s arms. The feeling of love that poured through her was so swift that she thought her heart would burst.
When he released her lips, she tried to catch her breath, her hands resting on his rock-hard chest.
A satisfied smirk tugged at his lips.
“What?”
“I’ll bet your boyfriend never kissed you like that.”
She gasped like she’d been slapped. “Really? That’s all you can say to me?” It then occurred to her that it was pouring buckets. A shiver ran through her. She was sure she had mascara trailing down her face. She tried to escape from his arms, but he held her in an iron grip. “Let me go,” she seethed.
“For the record. I love you too.”
“You’re such a jerk,” she said reflexively, then realized what he’d said. “Y-you do?” she sputtered.
He laughed. “Yes, I do.”
She cocked her head. “But you said I’d done you a favor by leaving.”
“I lied.”
She frowned. “What?”
“You hurt me, so I wanted to hurt you.”
“You’re such a dork,” she muttered. All that crap he said threw her for a loop, just as he knew it would.
He searched her face. “What now?”
She could tell from the intensity in his eyes that he was asking where they went from here. And truthfully, she didn’t know. Could she leave New York and Parker and come back here? All her insecurities came flooding back with a vengeance. “I—I’m not sure.” It was the most honest answer she could give him right now.
He seemed to be reading her mind as he frowned, a wounded look settling into his eyes. “Would you really leave me again?”
Everything was coming at her so fast she couldn’t make sense of it all. “I have commitments in New York. A job. Parker.” Oh, gosh. What would Parker think if he saw her now? Suddenly, she was ashamed of herself. Ashamed and confused.
His jaw went hard. “I see.”
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t stay here with you. I’m just saying I don’t know right now.” She hesitated. “Please, just give me a little time to sort this out, okay?”
His eyes narrowed. “Seven years isn’t enough?”
“No … I …”
He dropped his arms. “You’d better get inside before you catch your death.”
“Dalton … please.” A wave of panic rose in her chest, bringing tears to her eyes. “I’m just trying to be honest with you. All of this is too much for me right now, especially with Bennie’s problems.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
But she could tell that he didn’t.
He motioned with his head. “Go on in. I’ve got to get my tools out of this rain before they get ruined.” His voice sounded as flat and dead as she felt.
“I’ll help.”
“No!”
She flinched at the hard edge in his voice.
He held up a hand. “I’ll take care of it. Just go. Please.”
She cringed at the desperation in his voice. A curious numbness came over her. “Okay.” Her voice sounded small and insignificant in her ears as she turned and trudged back to the mansion, her tears mixing with the rain.
Chapter 15
You know, it’d be so much easier if you’d just swallow your pride and go talk to Dalton.” Bennie shook her head remorsefully. “I can’t stand to see you moping around. You’ve been like this for days.”
Sierra ground her teeth together, her eyes narrowing to slits. “I have not been moping around.” She drew herself up. “I’ll have you know, I’m perfectly fine.” She wasn’t fine. She hadn’t slept well in days, and she kept replaying that kiss—could still feel the burn from it on her lips, could still smell Dalton’s clean masculine scent with a hint of musk and mint.
Bennie let out a long sigh. “Well, you certainly don’t look fine.” She was sitting at the kitchen table playing Solitaire. Sierra was at the sink loading the dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher. It had been a week and a day since she and Dalton had kissed and then everything fell apart. She’d not seen hide nor hair of him since.
According to Bennie, he’d been coming every evening to work on the set, but Sierra wasn’t about to go out there. If Dalton Chandler wanted to talk, he knew where to find her. She still couldn’t believe he
’d pushed her away like that, just because she wasn’t ready that instant to flush her life and career down the drain and put down roots in Sugar Pines. He was an egotistical jerk who was way too good looking for his own good. Well, she hoped he had a long and happy life with Ivie Jane Compton. Her insides shriveled at the thought.
“Your foolish pride’s gonna be the death of you.”
She threw down the dish towel and spun around. “What?” An unreasonable anger seized her. “My foolish pride?” She belted out a hard laugh. “I’m not the one who put the mansion in jeopardy to finance a stupid theater.”
Bennie pulled the tie on her robe tighter, her eyes sparking. “You’re out of line.”
A raucous laugh scratched Sierra’s throat. “Seriously? Do you know what a difficult situation you’ve put us in?” Her voice rose. “Do you? I’ve tried everything I can think of to boost ticket sales for the second round of performances and we’re only at thirty percent capacity.” Her voice went shrill. “Do you know what that means, Bennie?”
Her jaw went slack. “I thought you’d worked out something with the tourist companies.”
“Yeah, one gave me the brush-off. One sounded fairly interested, and the third is on board … six months from now. That’s how far in advance they book their events.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
A deep weariness settled over Sierra as she folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to cause you anymore stress.” She looked at Bennie’s knee. “And have you end up in the hospital again.”
Bennie let out a long sigh. “You know what? You should stop worrying about the mansion and take some time for yourself. Go shopping for a dress to wear tonight at Boyd Compton’s party.”
An incredulous laugh rose in Sierra’s throat. Had she really just heard her aunt correctly? “I have to worry about the mansion. Otherwise, we’ll lose it.”
“It’ll work out. You’ll see. I’ll make an appointment with Leo Farnsworth at the bank the first of next week. I’m sure the two of us can work something out.”
Sierra’s hand flew to her hip. “Well, according to Nadine, unless you can produce twenty-two thousand dollars, the bank’s going to foreclose.”
She clucked her tongue. “Nadine’s a worry wart. She’s exaggerating.”
“And you’re like an ostrich, burying your head in the sand. But it won’t work this time, Bennie. You can’t just close your eyes and hope the problem will go away. We have to face it.”
“Yes, you’re right. That’s why I’ll go and talk to Leo next week. Okay?”
Sierra blew out a breath. “Okay.” She and Bennie ripping each other apart wasn’t going to solve anything.
Bennie’s eyes lit up. “All right it’s settled then.”
“What’s settled?” Sierra smelled a trap.
“You’re going to get something nice to wear for Boyd Compton’s party tonight. Oh, and while you’re out, maybe you could pick up some milk and bread. And ham and cheese.”
A sense of horror trickled down her spine. “I’m not going to that party,” she spat. The thought of being there with Dalton and Ivie Jane churned her gut sour.
Bennie peered over her glasses. “I promised Dalton and Boyd that I’d be there tonight.” She punched the table with her finger, enunciating every word. “And I can’t go alone.”
Sierra felt the noose closing in around her as she touched her neck. “What about Nadine and Hal? Can’t they take you?”
“Nope. They’re having their kids and grandkids over for dinner tonight.”
She waved her hand. “Well, what about Wesley? Can’t he take you?”
“He has to work tonight.” She flashed a checkmate smile. “So, it’s you and me, kiddo. Are you going shopping?”
“No, I’m not,” she huffed. She might be getting roped into going to the stupid party, but she was drawing the line at going shopping for it.
Bennie’s eyebrows went down in a V. “Well, what’re you wearing then?”
“Something that I already have.” Geez Louise. The woman could pester the horns off a goat.
“What?” Bennie pressed.
“A dress.” Her voice took on a spiteful edge. “Don’t worry. It’ll be something nice. I won’t embarrass you.”
“We’ll see.” Bennie rolled her eyes.
Sierra’s phone buzzed. She reached in her pocket to retrieve it. Parker. Was he calling about work? No, that wasn’t it. Everything was on schedule for the Pristine Pizza account. Ross Snyder, the owner, went gaga over the old-fashioned soda shop idea. All was good with the team. This had to be a personal call. She’d been dodging Parker’s calls all week. And when she couldn’t avoid talking to him, she’d kept the conversation short and relegated to surface items. She was sure Parker knew that something was wrong, but it would have to ride for a while because she wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. First, she had to get this thing with Dalton sorted through.
It was scary how much Dalton dominated her thoughts the past week. And what was even worse, she actually missed him. How was that even possible? Was she losing her mind? Probably. Yesterday, she’d called Harley, her best friend from Camp Wallakee. She’d hoped the conversation would help her get back on track, but it did just the opposite. Harley was falling for some cowboy, the antithesis of a Jane Austen hero. It was like Harley was throwing everything they’d planned and worked for right out the window. And Harley even had the audacity to suggest that Sierra give Dalton a second chance. Had the whole world gone nuts?
Yes, it had gone nuts … including her, because she was thinking of taking Harley’s advice. Despite her best efforts to steer away from Dalton, all roads kept leading back to him. Heaven help her!
Bennie put down her cards. “Have a seat.”
For a second Sierra thought about refusing, but then sighed irritably as she pulled out a chair and slumped down.
Bennie looked her in the eye. “Okay, it’s time for the two of us to talk turkey.”
Uh, oh. She didn’t know if she was up to having a heart-to-heart with Bennie. She felt haggard and defeated and so dang unsure about everything. Before coming home, everything was clicking. Sure, she was disappointed that Parker didn’t propose, but it would come … eventually. She scrunched her brows. At this point, she wasn’t sure that she even wanted Parker to propose.
“How are you doing?”
The tenderness in Bennie’s voice brought tears to Sierra’s eyes. She hiccuped a laugh. “Not too good,” she admitted.
Bennie nodded. Then she took a deep breath, her lips forming a straight line. “I’m going to ask you a simple question, and I want you to give me a truthful answer.”
“Okay,” she said wariness trickling over her.
“Are you still in love with Dalton?”
She laughed in surprise, balling her fist. “What?”
Bennie sat back and folded her arms over her chest, eyeing her.
Her mind ran through a dozen answers, creative ways to dodge the question. But then she experienced a blip of clarity. Just like that, Bennie had pulled away the superfluous and gotten to the root of the problem. “Yes,” she heard herself say. It was actually a relief to admit it out loud. Her pulse cranked up a notch. She was in love with him now as much as she’d ever been. All the time apart, the goals she’d set for herself, the Jane Austen Pact, her bright future in New York … None of it could withstand a handful of days with Dalton.
“He loves you. You love him. What’s the problem?”
“Well, for starters, he’s a jerk!” She bunched her eyebrows together, the anger resurfacing. “He doesn’t understand that I might need a few days to shift gears before throwing my life away.”
Bennie cocked her head. “Is that what you think? That you’d be throwing your life away by staying here and choosing Dalton?”
Crap! Every time she turned around she was offending someone. She pulled at the collar of her t-shirt. “I’m not trying to come across as a sn
ot,” she mumbled. “Only trying to express how I feel.” If she couldn’t say these things to Bennie, then who could she tell?
A tiny smile curved Bennie’s lips. “Believe it or not, I totally get where you’re coming from.”
She jerked, her eyes going to Bennie’s. “You do?”
“Yeah.” She laughed dryly. “I know it’s hard to believe from looking at me now, but I was young once. I always dreamed of going to New York and performing on Broadway.”
“Why didn’t you?” The answer came the instant she voiced the question. “It was because of me, wasn’t it?” A pit settled in her stomach. Bennie got saddled with a twelve-year-old kid to raise. Of course she couldn’t go anywhere. She’d been stuck here her entire life. No wonder she was determined to put on those plays, build her outdoor theater. As she looked across the table at her aging aunt, it hit her that Bennie was still a beautiful woman with her silver hair, bright eyes, and porcelain skin. All in all, the two of them really weren’t that different.
Bennie reached across the table for Sierra’s hand, her eyes going moist. “Raising you has been the greatest blessing of my life.”
Tears brimmed in Sierra’s eyes. “Really?”
“Really. You’re my daughter, and I love you with my whole heart. I want you to be happy. You have a good man who loves you, and you love him.”
Could she and Dalton make it work? The notion sent hope rising in her breast. But could she give up her career? Then again, she wouldn’t have to. There were advertising agencies in Charleston. Eventually, she could start her own agency, if she wanted.
Bennie quirked a smile as she removed her hand from Sierra’s. “That little mind’s going a mile a minute. What’re you thinking about?”
A grin spilled over her lips. “I was thinking that you’re a wonderful aunt … mother.” The word landed softly on her lips, a proclamation of the heart. “Thank you.”
“No thanks necessary, love. That’s what mom’s do.” A tear rolled down her cheek as she laughed and swiped it away like it was a pesky insect. “Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. What’re you going to do about Dalton?”
Seeking Mr. Perfect (The Jane Austen Pact) Page 14