Angel Mine

by Sherryl Woods

“What?” he demanded, praying her upbeat mood had something to do with the major sponsorship he’d just negotiated for Peggy’s new cooking show, which all but guaranteed they would be going into production with it by fall.

  “A little birdie just told me some absolutely delicious gossip.”

  “Must be quite a birdie,” he muttered. “A vicious parrot, trained by a salty old sailor, no doubt.”

  “Nope. This little birdie is a blonde.”

  “Flo,” he guessed, growing more despondent by the minute. Flo’s spin on this was bound to be colorful.

  “Bingo. Seems she stopped by to grab a cup of coffee on her way to work this morning, and guess what she heard being discussed over breakfast at that hotbed of local news, the Starlight Diner?”

  “I can’t imagine. You shouldn’t listen to gossip, especially in a small town like this,” he said disdainfully. “You know how rumors get started.”

  “Are you saying a sweet little girl is capable of starting a rumor?”

  Thank heaven Heather had warned him of the possibility before earlier. “I’m saying a sweet little girl doesn’t understand the implication of the words that come out of her mouth,” he said grimly.

  “Is there another way to interpret—now, let me see if I have this exactly right—‘Todd slept with my mommy’?”

  “There are many ways if your mind’s not in the gutter,” he retorted. “All Angel actually knows is that I was there when she went to bed last night and I was there when she woke up this morning. She’s three, dammit. What else could she know?”

  “Out of the mouths of babes,” Megan taunted. She perched on the corner of his desk. “So, what’s the scoop?”

  “There is no scoop, as you so delicately put it.”

  “Todd, Todd, Todd,” she said with exaggerated disappointment. “If you can’t trust me with the truth, who can you trust?”

  “Nobody in this town, that’s for sure. It’s enough to make me long for life in the big, anonymous city, where nobody gives a damn about anybody else’s business.” He scowled at Megan. “I could be on a plane back there tomorrow, you know.”

  “No, you couldn’t,” she retorted, clearly unfazed by the threat. “We have a contract. A very long-term contract, I might add.”

  “Something I will no doubt regret till my dying day.”

  Megan laughed. “Oh, why don’t you just admit it?”

  “Admit what? That I slept with Heather?”

  “Actually, I was going for an admission that you’re starting to love it here, but I’ll take the truth about last night instead.” Her expression suddenly sobered and she regarded him worriedly. “What exactly does that mean, Todd? Are you still in love with her? Is the old romance starting to bloom again? You’re not the kind of guy to fool around with a woman unless it’s serious.”

  He was getting sick and tired of all these people claiming to know him. His life was not an open book, dammit. He had his share of secrets. Well, one, anyway.

  “You don’t know what kind of a guy I am,” he protested, most likely in vain.

  “I think I do,” she insisted. “Honorable is one word that comes immediately to mind. I recognize it—and admire it—because it’s so rare in this business.”

  Todd thought of Heather, wished desperately that she was the only one involved here, but she wasn’t. There was still Angel and all those years of quiet resolutions to never put another child at risk.

  “Don’t get too carried away with the heady praise,” he warned Megan. “Before all is said and done, it might turn out that I’m as much of a bastard as the next guy.”

  “I’ll never believe that,” Megan declared. “Not in a million years.”

  Her faith in him, her prompt and fierce defense should have reassured him. Instead, he simply reminded himself that he knew better and he was the one who had all the facts.

  Heather couldn’t figure out what was going on with Todd. He loved her. She knew it. She could feel it every time he looked at her, every time he touched her. A few nights ago when they’d made love, it had been about as perfect as any woman could dream of. It wasn’t what she’d envisioned when she’d impulsively come to Wyoming, but she wasn’t about to turn her back on it. She was beginning to think she owed it to herself as much as Angel to stick around Whispering Wind however long it took to see where that incredible night might lead. Summer might not be nearly long enough.

  Of course, Todd seemed equally determined to avoid a repeat. If he’d steered a wide course around the two of them before, he practically avoided all of downtown now. He hadn’t been around since that night. He’d also been avoiding her calls. His secretary had come up with at least a dozen inventive reasons why he wasn’t available, but the excuses were wearing thin. Heather had stopped believing any of them after the first three.

  Just in case she’d been misjudging him, she tried one more time, then hung up in disgust when the secretary told her that Todd was out of town indefinitely, then refused to say where he’d gone.

  “Problems?” Henrietta asked, studying her intently.

  “I’ve been trying to catch up with Todd.”

  “He’s out of town,” Henrietta said, then flushed guiltily.

  “He is?” she asked, surprised that his secretary hadn’t been lying. Then she regarded Henrietta with dismay. “You knew?”

  “He mentioned it,” Henrietta admitted. “He stopped by yesterday morning just after I opened. He told me he had to fly back East for some meetings.”

  “Todd is in New York,” Heather said, just to be sure she was getting an accurate picture.

  “That’s what he said.”

  “For how long?”

  “He didn’t say.” Henrietta gave her a knowing look. “I got the feeling the trip came up suddenly.”

  “Yeah, right after he and I…Never mind. I suppose he specifically told you not to tell me.”

  “Actually, he said to tell you if you asked. I think that’s why he wanted me to know. It’s not like he automatically checks in with me before he takes off.”

  “Isn’t that thoughtful of him,” Heather muttered. “Secondhand information is better than none, I suppose.”

  Henrietta motioned toward a booth. “Sit. I think we need to have a talk.”

  “I don’t need to talk. I need to find Todd and wring his neck,” she said, but she sat down opposite Henrietta, anyway.

  “Is that really what you want to do?” her boss asked, studying her knowingly.

  “Right this second, yes.”

  “That’s frustration talking,” Henrietta said dismissively. “Seems to me like you’re after something else entirely. It started with Angel, but I don’t think that’s how it’s turning out, is it?” This was more a statement than a question.

  Heather sighed. “Not exactly, no.”

  “You’re falling in love with him again, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t think I ever stopped loving him,” she finally confessed. “It makes me so blasted furious. That was not what this trip out here was all about.” She regarded Henrietta despondently. “And what good will it do me? He doesn’t want me or Angel. He’s living here and I want to work in New York. The whole thing is a mess.”

  “One thing at a time,” Henrietta said reasonably. “You love him. And if I’m any judge of these things, he loves you.”

  Heather was surprised by the assessment. “Then why did he go running off to New York?”

  Henrietta shrugged. “Why do men do anything? Usually it’s because they don’t want to deal with their feelings. You just have to be patient till he can sort things out.”

  “How patient?”

  “There’s no telling.”

  “Well, isn’t that just great,” she said sourly. “I’m supposed to put my life on hold until he sorts things out? Well, excuse me for saying this, but as much as I like you and enjoy working here, I want to act, not wait tables.”

  “Any reason you can’t do that right here in Whispering Wind?�
� Henrietta asked. “The truth is, I’ve been giving this some thought, just in case the subject ever came up. There’s a stage in that big old barn out at the fairgrounds. Hasn’t been used for much besides announcing the winners of the pie-baking contest and such, but I’d say for someone who really wants to act, it would do.”

  Heather’s gaze narrowed. “What are you suggesting?”

  “Start your own theater company.”

  Heather stared as if she’d suggested stripping as a hobby. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Why on earth not? Or is the audience around here too unsophisticated for a big New York City star?”

  The taunt in Henrietta’s voice was deliberate, no doubt about it. The gleam in her eyes proved it. Heather frowned. “I don’t think…”

  “What? You don’t think you can hack it? Is that what this is about? Fear? If it is, you’re no better than Todd.”

  Heather didn’t like being compared to Todd in that particular way and especially not in that derisive tone.

  “I am not afraid,” she retorted.

  Henrietta gave a nod of satisfaction. “Good. You’re the professional. You were good enough to be on the stage in New York and on daytime television. Putting together a show out here should be a snap. People will be so grateful for the entertainment, they won’t judge you as harshly as those snobby East Coast critics, anyway. You’ll be a smash hit. You’ll be doing something good for a community that’s welcomed you and your daughter. It’ll be the highlight of the summer.”

  “It takes a lot of time to stage a production,” Heather hedged. “It’s already mid-June.”

  Henrietta’s sharp-eyed gaze challenged her. “You got someplace else you have to be?”

  She thought wistfully of going back to New York, then weighed that against the stakes right here. “No, but…”

  “But what?”

  “How is Todd going to react? I’ll tell you. He’ll see it as one more sign that I’m sticking around. He’s not going to be happy.”

  “You think not? If you ask me, the man will be delirious with joy.” She grinned. “He just might not recognize it at first.”

  For the first time in days, Heather chuckled. “Maybe I’ll at least go out and take a look at the stage,” she conceded. “There wouldn’t be any harm in that, I suppose.”

  Henrietta bounced up. “No time like the present. I’ll get my car keys. Sissy’s upstairs with Angel. We’ll send them over to stay with Janie at the hair salon.”

  “We’re supposed to be open for dinner in an hour,” Heather protested. “This could wait till tomorrow.”

  “No point in putting it off,” Henrietta chided. “It won’t take that long, and if it does, the customers will just have to wait. Won’t kill them to put off their evening meal for a few minutes. A few of them could put it off for days and they wouldn’t starve. Who knows, maybe Mack will show some initiative, step out of that kitchen and let them in.”

  Since Heather didn’t believe for a second that the temperamental Mack was going to set foot out of his kitchen to deal with the customers, she suggested, “Maybe you should at least leave a note on the door. I don’t want you losing business on my account.”

  “Oh, for goodness’ sake, all right.” Henrietta snatched up an order pad and scribbled a note on the back of a page.

  “Back when I get here” it read curtly. Not exactly the apology for any inconvenience that Heather had envisioned, but Henrietta was obviously satisfied. She placed an equally abrupt call to Janie about dropping off Sissy and Angel.

  “Now, let’s get a move on,” she commanded when the two girls were settled.

  It turned out that Henrietta drove the way she did everything else, with grim determination and at full throttle. Heather’s heart was in her throat by the time they skidded to a stop in front of an old weathered barn that looked as if it might tumble down at any second. It was set beneath a stand of trees on about ten acres of land that were otherwise marked only by what appeared to be an unpaved parking area, a rodeo ring and some bleachers for spectators. It wasn’t exactly the sort of fairgrounds Heather had anticipated. Maybe when it was crowded with animals and people and a visiting carnival it would be downright festive; now it merely looked forlorn and deserted.

  “This is it?” she asked, not even trying to mask her disappointment over the state of the barn in particular.

  “It could use a coat of paint,” Henrietta admitted.

  Knocking it down and starting from scratch struck Heather as a better alternative, but she kept her opinion to herself. “Is it open? Can we look inside?”

  “Of course we can,” Henrietta said. “Wouldn’t have brought you out here otherwise.” She jiggled her massive key ring until she found the one she was looking for. “This ought to do it.”

  “You have a key for the barn at the fairgrounds?” Heather asked. “Why?”

  “Somebody’s got to,” she said matter-of-factly, already turning the key in the lock. She shoved aside the massive door, which squealed on its hinges. Then she waved Heather inside.

  With the sunlight streaming in through the open doorway, Heather supposed there was a certain rustic charm about the place. Rows of chairs had been lined up facing a stage that was certainly big enough for a theatrical production, but the lighting seemed to consist of a single spotlight aimed at center stage. There was no curtain. The stage floor was made of wide planks of wood that had been swept clean, but never polished.

  “I don’t know,” Heather said. “It’s…” Words failed her.

  “I never said it was the caliber of a fancy Broadway stage,” Henrietta said defensively. “But for someone with a little imagination, someone with a little grit, it has possibilities.” Her gaze seared Heather. “Don’t you think so?”

  Heather wished she shared Henrietta’s vision, but the truth was she was totally intimidated by the amount of work it would take to turn this barn into a home for a decent production. She might be able to direct in a pinch, but…

  “It would take an awful lot of work,” she pointed out honestly. “Would it be worth it for just one play?”

  “It would be an investment in the future,” Henrietta corrected her. “Not just the future of this old place, but yours and Todd’s. Or can’t you see that?”

  Her penetrating look had Heather squirming. “I suppose.”

  “You think about it. If you decide against it, nothing’s lost except a few hours of wrestling with your conscience.”

  Heather gaped. “What does my conscience have to do with this?”

  There was a mild rebuke in Henrietta’s gaze as she replied, “You think about that, too, child. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

  16

  At Jake’s request Todd sat down in New York with the company’s entertainment lawyer, along with Dean Whicker and Micah Richards, to see if a settlement could be reached that would preclude a suit. Jake didn’t want Megan to go through the stress of a long legal battle. He didn’t seem to care how Todd might feel being in the same room with the traitorous Micah.

  The woman was as beautiful as ever in a lean, avant-garde sort of way, but for the first time since she’d come on board as Megan’s producer, Todd looked at her without interest. In fact, about the only emotion he could muster up was disgust. He felt a similar surge of hostility when he met Dean Whicker’s gaze, but the man was still their program’s syndicator, so he was forced to hide his reaction.

  “I thought all this was settled when I decided not to drop Megan’s show,” Whicker said.

  “It wasn’t,” the attorney said mildly. “Megan still has grounds for suing both of you for misuse of her studio time. I won’t even get into the morality of what you did.”

  “I imagine not,” Micah retorted. “Lawyers are rarely concerned with the morality of an issue.”

  Whicker shot her a warning look that silenced her. “What exactly is Megan looking for?” he asked, turning to Todd. “Blood? Money?”

  “An extensio
n of the current contract at more favorable terms,” Todd said readily. His gaze slid to Micah. “And a written guarantee that you will not enter into any programming agreement with Micah during that time.”

  “You can’t—” Micah began.

  “Done,” Whicker said, then rose. “Anything else?”

  Todd barely hid a grin as Micah stared at him bitterly. “That should do it,” he said pleasantly. “I’ll leave the attorneys to hammer out the details. I have a plane to catch.”

  He left the room without further comment. In the hallway, he punched out Jake’s number and triumphantly reported that the deal was done.

  “Nice work,” Jake said. “You okay about Micah?”

  “The woman is slime,” Todd said. “I can’t imagine what I ever saw in her.”

  He had a feeling it was easier to say that now because he’d been spending time with Heather again. For that much, at least, he was grateful to her for coming into his life again and reminding him of how important kindness and decency were.

  But where Heather and Angel were concerned, he headed back to Wyoming with his thoughts still in chaos. And this for a man who prided himself on his ability to remain focused.

  Jake’s advice that he hire his own lawyer and put an end to the custody issue once and for all no longer seemed as distasteful as it once had. Quickly and decisively, the way he dealt with most problems, seemed like the way to go. Of course, it was awfully late in the game for anything he chose to do to be labeled quick or decisive.

  But when he picked up the phone book at the airport in Laramie on his return and checked the yellow pages for listings of attorneys, he couldn’t seem to make himself choose one and dial the number. Nor could he convince himself that the only reason for his hesitance was his distrust of lawyers in general. He tossed the phone book back with an edgy sense of frustration and the grim realization that he wasn’t over Heather Reed, not by a long shot. Like it or not, he was going to have to deal with that, because his gut told him that Heather wasn’t going to go away until he did.

  Maybe brutal honesty would do the trick, he thought desperately. Maybe telling her that he’d made a final decision, that they did not stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting back together, would finally convince her to turn tail and run.