Her Forever Dreams (A Coverton Mills Romance Book 3)

by Agnes Alexander

  She nodded, but before she could say anything, Lance and Lilly came bouncing into the room. “I waked up,” Lilly said.

  “Me, too,” Lance said. “I beat her awake, Mommy.” Ashley held out her arms for her children. “Well, Mommy is glad you’re both up. Now, we can all have breakfast together.”

  “I want a Pop Tart,” Lilly announced.

  “I don’t think Grandpa has any Pop Tarts. How about some eggs. I know you both like eggs.”

  Lilly puckered her mouth. “I want a Pop Tart.”

  “I like eggs,” Lance said. “She’s a baby.”

  Norma came back to the table. “How about a nice thin pancake with a smiley face and a nose made from a strawberry?”

  “Yeah! Yeah!” Lance yelled.

  “Me, too.” Lilly clapped her hands.

  “I remember you making pancakes for us like that, Norma.” Ashley smiled at her. “We all loved them.”

  “Told you I could handle any kid. Why don’t you babies find a place at the table and I’ll give you a glass of milk and a surprise while I cook the pancakes?”

  •♥ •

  An hour later, Jessica had left for school, the children were following Norma as if she were the Pied Piper, and Ashley was at the barn with her father. He’d gone into his office and she was looking at her horse.

  She spent the first twenty minutes rubbing Powder’s nose and talking to him as she always did her old friend. “I’ve missed you, Powder.” She heard the click of boots and turned around. “Hello, Theo.”

  “Hello, Miss Ashley.” Theo grinned at her and his voice cracked a little when he said, “I see you’re visiting Powder. Maybe you’ll get to ride him while you’re here.”

  “I hope so, Theo. How has he been doing since the incident?”

  “He’s fine, Miss Ashley. I try to spend time with him every day.”

  “Theo, why don’t you call me Ashley and drop the miss? You’re not that much older than me and it makes me feel strange for someone your age to be so formal.”

  “I guess it’s just habit, Miss…I mean, Ashley.”

  “Thank you, Theo.” She turned back to Powder. “Boy, looks like Theo is going to feed you so I think I’ll head to the office and talk to Daddy. I’ll see you later.” She rubbed the horse’s nose again and smiled at Theo. “I’ll see you later, too.”

  •♥ •

  “Okay.” He nodded at her and looked away. Why the hell do I always get tongue tied when she comes in the barn? It’s not like she’d ever look at a low-life like me. Even if she would, I bet the boss would have a fit. Besides, she’s married.

  •♥ •

  Ashley headed to the office off the tack room where she found Seth sitting at his desk. When she closed the door behind her, he looked up. “Can I talk to you now, Daddy?”

  He laid his pen down. “Of course you can, honey.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she blurted, “Byron left me for someone else, and my heart is breaking.”

  Seth swiveled his chair around and held out his arms to his daughter. She came to him and sat on his lap. He folded his arms around her as he had many times in the past. He looked down at her and saw the loneliness and the sadness in her eyes. “I’m sorry, baby, but maybe it’s a passing thing. Maybe he’ll see she’s not the wonderful woman you are.”

  “Oh, Daddy!” Ashley began to sob and she clung to him. “He didn’t leave me for another woman. He left me for a man.”

  Seth was stunned. He didn’t know what to say. All he could come up with was, “It’ll be okay, Ashley. I’m here for you.”

  She didn’t answer. She only cried harder and held on to her father.

  After Ashley’s tears began to subside, she raised her head from his chest. “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “I wish I could do something to help your pain, sweetheart.”

  “You have. You let me cry and you held me without asking questions. I needed your quietness and your strength.”

  “As I said, I’m here for you, Ashley. I will be as long as I live. I want you to know that.”

  She reached up and kissed his cheek then stood. “I do know. That was always the difference between you and our mother. You cared. I don’t know what would’ve happened to any of us if you hadn’t been here.”

  Seth smiled at his eldest daughter. Of all his children, she looked the most like Eve. She had the same chestnut hair. The same blue-green eyes and the full soft lips. But, thank God she doesn’t have the selfish streak that her mother had. Ashley’s one of the kindest women I know.

  “You know I love all you kids,” he mumbled.

  “I feel better already. Just being back home has made all the difference in the world.” She headed toward the coffee pot on a corner table. “I think I’ll have a cup. Want one?”

  “Sure. You know I’m a coffee addict.”

  “I’ll tell you all that happened eventually, Daddy. I just don’t feel like talking about it today. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not. We all have things we can’t talk about.” He took the cup she held toward him. “I won’t say anything to the others until you want me to.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll tell Jessica tonight and Hunter whenever I see him. As for anyone else, I’m just going to tell them we’ve separated. They don’t have to know the reason.”

  “I think that’s a good idea.”

  “Can I stay with you until I get myself together, Daddy?”

  “Of course. Where else would you go? As I’ve said before, this is your home, Ashley. It always will be. You can stay here until the kids are grown, if you want to.”

  Ashley kissed his cheek then took a seat in the big chair in front of Seth’s desk. She pulled her knees up under her chin and watched him. “Go ahead and work, Daddy. You know I used to love to come down here and watch you work on the books. I’m going to sit here for a little while and watch you this morning. It makes me feel like a little girl again.”

  “You stay here as long as you want to, honey.” He smiled at her and picked up his pen.

  Ashley accepted her father’s invitation and for several days she came with him to the barn, spent time with Powder, talked a little with Theo, then went to the office so she could sit there and watch her father work. A week later, she realized she couldn’t continue to pretend she was a little girl forever. She got up, dressed and went into Asheville to fill out job applications. On a whim, she answered a blind ad advertising the position of executive jobs at an unnamed department store. She had a feeling it was for Singleton’s. She hoped her feeling was right, because like her sister, she liked the store.

  •♥ •

  Julia knew she’d boxed herself in a corner. For the first time she regretted letting Chet Roberts go. He might be a pompous womanizer, but he’d been good at placing people in management positions in the company. There was no one else she could call on to do this for the Asheville store. She had no choice. She had to come and do it herself.

  When this realization hit her last week, it scared her more than anything had in a long time. But she accepted the fact she had to do these interviews. She decided to combine it with Andrew’s singing engagement. Doing it like this was one way to prevent two trips to Asheville in a short span of time. She was going to have to get used to the town again gradually, and until she had the store to hide behind, she was going to make as few trips as possible to the mountains.

  Today, she sat in the suite at the Grove Park Inn and waited for her next interview. She’d gone through the stack of applications and weeded out the ones she knew would never do in management. The six she had before her looked promising, and she hoped they wouldn’t turn out like the first two she’d put on the other side of the table. Neither of those would do.

  There was a tap on the door. After she called for the person to enter, she stood to greet the pretty chestnut-haired woman who came through the door.

  “Hello, I’m Julia Singleton.” She held out her hand.

 
“Ashley Bradshaw.”

  “Please, sit down, Ms. Bradshaw.”

  They weren’t far into the interview when Julia made up her mind this woman was hired. She was bright, she was friendly, she was well-versed in the fashion industry, and she would be an asset to Singleton’s. She made several notes on the application as they talked. All of them were positive.

  •♥ •

  Ashley was as impressed with Julia Singleton. She admired the middle-aged woman’s looks. She wore her blond hair in a twist on the back of her head and her blue eyes danced with the right amount of shadow and mascara. Her figure was enhanced by the deep green fitted dress with a silk printed scarf across one shoulder and the expensive gold jewelry sparkled like her blue eyes. She also admired the openness, the friendliness and the poise Mrs. Singleton displayed. She couldn’t help wondering if this woman was the wife or the daughter of the store’s founder.

  When they parted, Julia promised to call her in a couple of days to let her know about the job.

  C HAPTER 17

  For Andrew’s concert, Julia was dressed almost completely in white. She wore white wool pants and matching white turtleneck sweater. Her suede boots were white, and a long white cashmere cape and white gloves completed the ensemble. She had left her blond hair down and it framed her face. The only splash of color was the squash blossom necklace and matching earrings made form hand tooled silver and natural turquoise stones. Andrew had picked it out when they visited Santa Fe several years ago. It was her birthday, and he insisted she have it. Woodrow had shelled out several hundred dollars to buy the set, and Andrew was delighted when they presented it to her. At eight, he had no idea the value of money, besides it was for his mother and he didn’t care how much it cost. Neither did Woodrow. The jewelry set was one of her most prized possessions and she wore it on occasions which were meaningful to her.

  •♥ •

  As Andrew watched his mother standing back stage talking with the backup singers, he realized that at a distance any guy from sixteen on would be drawn to her. As he got closer and could tell she was an older woman, he decided the attraction would probably come from those over thirty. Then, he saw Willy come up and wiggle his way close to talk with her. He reverted his estimate to guys over twenty.

  Walking up and putting his arm around her shoulder, he said, “Want to come in the dressing room with me, Mom? That reporter I talked with last time I was here is coming in a few minutes to interview me again. I want to introduce him to you so you can see how much we look like each other.”

  “I’d love to meet him, honey. I’ll tell him to write good things about my son and his wonderful band and singers.”

  They all laughed and seemed a little reluctant to say good-bye when she went toward the dressing room with Andrew.

  •♥ •

  “Your friends are nice, Andrew.” She took off her cape and put it across a chair when they reached the dressing room.

  “They seemed enchanted with you. Especially the guys.”

  She laughed. “I have to admit Willy was a little over the top.”

  “Told you he had the hots for you.” He grinned. “Want something to drink? There are sodas in the little fridge, there, and I think there’s a bottle of wine, too.”

  “Maybe later. I’m fine right now. Did you get Miss Callahan seated?”

  “I did. She’s a sweet girl, Mom. I’m glad I had her brought back stage. She’s overwhelmed with everything, but I think she’s really enjoying being the center of attention and the envy of all her peers. I won’t call them friends, because friends wouldn’t treat her the way she’s been treated.”

  “Did she tell you this?”

  “No. She hasn’t mentioned it. I remember from the phone conversation.” He grinned. “I think I’m going to have her brought on stage and sing a song to her. What do you think her tormenters would think then?”

  “I think they might think twice before they torment anyone else.”

  “That’s what I thought. I’m also going to ask the reporter to take a picture of me singing to her for the paper. That should really do them in.”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “That must be the reporter now. Relax, and I’ll let him in.” Andrew moved to the door as Julia changed her position on the small checked loveseat. There were two pull up chairs for Andrew and the reporter.

  “Hello, Andrew,” the man said as he entered. “Don’t know if you remember my name or not, but it’s Hunter Armstrong.”

  Julia’s heart almost stopped. How was she going to handle this? She knew instantly who this young man was. How was she going to react on meeting Seth’s son — his other son?

  “Come in, Hunter. I’d like you to meet my mother.” The smiling young man came toward her with an outstretched hand. “Mrs. Singleton, it’s a delight to meet you.”

  She took his hand and forced a smile. “Hello, Hunter. Andrew told me about the resemblance, but I must say I’m shocked. I never dreamed it would be such a close match.”

  “Isn’t it uncanny? We’ve been teasing Dad about having an affair when…” He stopped himself and looked a little uncomfortable. He covered with, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. Welcome to Asheville. Andrew told me you seldom make it to the mountains.”

  “That’s true.”

  “She’ll probably be coming a lot, now.” Andrew took sodas from the college-size refrigerator and handed them each one. “You might as well take one now, Mom, but you can sip on it.”

  She nodded.

  “Have a seat, Hunter. I’ve got about twenty minutes before I have to get ready to go on stage.”

  “So, what’s going to bring you to the mountains more often, Mrs. Singleton?”

  “I’m supervising the hiring of executives for a store here.” He frowned, and she added, “A Singleton’s Department Store is opening here this spring.”

  “I see.” He looked at Andrew. “You didn’t say you were part of the Singleton Department Store family.”

  “I didn’t know it was important.”

  “It’s not, and if you don’t want me to mention it, I won’t, but people like to know those things about a singer’s background.”

  “It’s fine to mention it. I’m not ashamed of it or the woman who runs the stores. She never embarrasses me too awfully bad when I take her out in public.” He grinned, and Julia shook her finger at him.

  Julia noticed that Hunter seemed to enjoy the good relationship she and Andrew had. She wondered what his relationship had been with his mother. She figured it was a good one, and she knew without wondering he had a good rapport with his father. Seth had never made any secret about loving his children dearly.

  Andrew asked the favor about the picture with his special guest and Hunter seemed glad for the suggestion. “The public will love it. It’s always fun when a celebrity interacts with a local. How about one with your mom?” He looked at Julia.

  Julia’s heart lurched, but her voice was calm. “No. I never allow pictures like that. I don’t want anyone to think the company is the one pushing Andrew’s career.”

  “Mom’s right. I’d rather make it on my own.”

  “I understand that. My dad has a farm well-known throughout the horse world for boarding and training horses and I don’t like to throw his name around, either.” He turned to Andrew and began asking the usual questions about his interest in country music and how he got his start.

  Julie tuned the words out as she watched this young man talk to her son. She saw they had an easy and relaxed conversation and she knew, given the right circumstances, they could have been friends. No, not friends. Brothers, because that was what they really were, though neither of them knew it.

  Several times, she had the urge to butt into the conversation and ask Hunter about his father. Did his marriage to Eve ever become a happy one? Were they still together only because of the children? Was he still the wonderful man she’d known and loved over twenty years ago?

&nb
sp; “Mom. Mom, snap out of it.” Andrew laughed. “Are we so boring you had to tune us out?”

  Julie looked at him. “I’m sorry. No, you’re not boring at all. I was thinking about something I need to do at the store and didn’t want to interrupt your interview.”

  “She keeps business on her mind too much.”

  “Sounds like my dad when he’s working with the horses. The world could collapse around him, but he’d still concentrate on what one horse is doing at one particular moment.”

  “Mom, when I told Hunter we were going to be here for a few days, he invited us to come out and visit his father’s farm. Do you think you could break away from work for one day, maybe tomorrow?”

  Panic enveloped her. “No,” she screamed silently. “I can’t do that.” She took a deep breath and said, “I don’t see how I can. I have appointments tomorrow.”

  “Couldn’t you postpone them, Mrs. Singleton? I’m sure the family would like to meet you.”

  “I don’t think I can, Hunter, but thanks for asking.”

  “If you reconsider, please let me know.”

  As the men stood, Andrew said. “I’ll work on her. I’d like to come, and I know it’d be good for her to get away for the day.”

  “Good. You’ve got my number. Give me a call.”

  Julia knew there was no way anyone would get her to go to Seth’s farm. She’d die a thousand times if she had to face Eve Armstrong again.

  •♥ •

  “Well, I got a good interview and some nice pictures.” Hunter moved to the seat between his Dad and Brooke on the eighth row of the theater. “I’ve got to go take a couple more when he invites a special friend on stage. I promised to do that.”

  Jessica leaned around her father. “Did you invite him to the farm?”

  “I did. Invited his mother, too, but she said she was busy tomorrow.”

  “Why in the world did you invite his mother?” Brooke asked.

  “Met her back stage and liked her. You all would like her, too. Especially you, Daddy. She’s a looker.” He chuckled. “If I was fifteen or twenty years older, I’d consider dumping Brooke and get to know her myself.”