Secretly Smitten

by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, Diann Hunt

  Anna gasped. Then she smiled and held out her hand. “Christopher, so very nice to meet you.” She glanced at Michael. “Was this what you wanted to tell me at the coffee shop?”

  He smiled and nodded. “Sure is.”

  The two men filled her in on Christopher’s story. Anna welcomed him to town, then got into her car. She suggested they not meet for coffee so Michael could spend time with his son. Besides, she needed time to think. Obviously Michael had some sort of connection with Heather and her son. Anna didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but with the facts staring her full in the face, she struggled to let go of her fears.

  She fought to keep thoughts of Joe’s hurtful words far from her mind, telling her how bad she looked, how he couldn’t be happy staying together, but lately, those words had bombarded her.

  Had she been a fool for giving her heart away . . . again?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  As much as Anna loved the holidays, she was thankful they were over and she was back into her usual routine. The middle of January had practically sneaked up on her. The Valentine’s Day dance was just around the corner. She rang up a customer’s order with a slight sigh. Her body went through the motions, packaging the yarn, smiling and thanking customers for their business, while her mind tried to sort out what was going on with Michael.

  They hadn’t seen each other much over the past couple of weeks. Michael was busy with his son, but also she made up excuses when he tried to meet her. She’d been taking care of the sheep on her own. She knew she was acting like a schoolgirl, but she had to protect herself. She refused to play second fiddle to another woman ever again. If a man didn’t love her and her alone, she wanted no part of it. She’d just give Michael some time and space to see what he wanted, and if it was Heather, she’d leave them alone.

  After work Anna stopped by to see her mother. She stepped inside the house and was about to call, “Anybody home?” when she heard voices speaking in serious tones.

  “I’m so sorry, Rose.” An unfamiliar softness, a sort of pleading, laced Aunt Vi’s tone.

  Anna didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she wasn’t sure how to interrupt.

  “I don’t understand,” Anna’s mother said, her voice quavering. “You had those dog tags all along? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You were married, so I wanted to protect you. Think what would have happened if you’d known he was alive. And you were pregnant with Anna.”

  “You weren’t looking out for me.” Rose raised her voice. “You wanted him for yourself. That’s why you didn’t tell me.”

  “It’s true I thought I loved David and told him so, but you were married, Rose. What could you do about David then? I didn’t tell you he came back because I thought it would cause you more pain.”

  “And this doesn’t? Knowing my sister lied and kept it a secret all these years? You could have told me after Martin died, but you didn’t. You knew how much I loved David, and yet you let me believe he was dead. I suppose you didn’t want another man in my life because you’ve never had one.”

  Anna wanted to leave, but her feet were rooted to the floor. Her heart pounded in her chest.

  “Do you hear yourself? You were married! Would you have allowed David back into your life to break up your marriage?”

  Anna didn’t dare breathe till she heard her mother’s response.

  Her mother sighed. “No, of course not.”

  “I love you, Rose. You’re my sister. And I’m so sorry I hurt you. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

  “You can never make it up to me. I can’t talk about this anymore, Violet. How can I ever trust you again?”

  Slowly, silently, Anna eased back out of the house with a heavy heart.

  The next morning as Anna sleepily poured herself a cup of coffee, the phone rang.

  “Good morning, beautiful.”

  Anna smiled at Michael’s greeting.

  “Did you hear the news?”

  “What news?” Surely her family’s disagreement wasn’t already on the gossip chain.

  “RailAmerica has decided not to come through Smitten.”

  “Oh no! The town has been counting on it.” Anna inwardly said good-bye to all the would-be tourists she’d thought would visit her shop.

  “I knew you’d be disappointed. But we knew bigger towns were bidding, so it was a long shot.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Say, would you like to go ice skating tonight in town? Might cheer you up.”

  She couldn’t face him, not with so much on her mind. Not when she didn’t know what his relationship was with Heather. “Oh, um, I don’t know . . .”

  “Anna, you haven’t seemed yourself lately. Is something wrong?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Great. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  Sighing, Anna hung up her phone as her head began to pound. It couldn’t go on this way. She had to know the truth.

  By six thirty her migraine had only intensified. Anna punched in Michael’s number. “Michael.” She adjusted the wet cloth over her eyes. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to go ice skating tonight. I’ve come down with a migraine.”

  He didn’t answer at first, then sighed. “Are you sure about this, Anna? I mean, I’m sorry you have a headache, but you seem to be finding excuses a lot lately. Do you still want to see me? Are we still on for the dance?”

  “Sure we are. I really do have a migraine.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Hope you feel better soon.”

  He didn’t sound convinced, but there was nothing Anna could do about it. Maybe it was just as well.

  Michael thought about checking on Anna the next morning, but decided to leave her alone for a while. She seemed to want some distance between them, so he’d give it to her. Maybe just check in a time or two before the dance. Maybe by then she’d have worked through whatever it was that was bothering her.

  Christopher walked in, hair askew, T-shirt sagging over his pajama pants. He let out an enormous yawn.

  “Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Michael said with a laugh. “How about some cereal?”

  “Sounds good.”

  They gathered some bowls and poured the snappy rice cereal into them. “So how are things going with you and Heather?” Michael grinned as he poured a little more milk in his bowl.

  “Going all right. She’s a nice girl.”

  “Yes, she is.” He looked at his son and wondered what all he’d missed in his life over the past five years. “Listen, Christopher, I know we’ve said our apologies, but I’m sorry I wasn’t around home more when you were growing up. I was just set on making a good life for us.”

  “And you loved your job.”

  “Yeah, that too.”

  “I always thought you loved it more than me.”

  Michael’s heart squeezed. “I never meant to make you feel that way. Forgive me.”

  “It’s over and done,” Christopher said. “I’m just thankful we’re back on track.”

  “Me too.” Michael whispered a prayer of thanks in his heart for the miracle of reconciliation with his son.

  “So glad you could come over for dinner, Mom,” Anna said as they settled in the family room with tea after dinner.

  “It was nice of you to have me.” Rose stirred some sugar into her tea.

  Anna watched her and noticed the dark circles that underlined her eyes. A true indication that something bothered her. Anna knew it was that whole fiasco with Aunt Violet. Should she bring it up? Now that Aunt Violet had revealed the secret after all these years, Anna thought maybe if she had told her mother it might not have been such a shock.

  “Are you all right, Mother? I mean, you seem like something’s bothering you.”

  “I don’t need to bring you into my problems.”

  “You’re my mother. I care about you and your problems.”

  Rose’s gaze lingered on Anna’s face. “You know what Violet did, don’t you? How long
have you known?”

  No sense pretending now.

  “A few weeks. The girls wanted to find out what happened to David for you.”

  “You should’ve told me.”

  “It was Aunt Vi’s secret to reveal. Not mine.”

  Her mother’s eyes filled with tears. “My own sister betrayed me and kept it secret for years. Oh, she’s apologized, but sometimes ‘I’m sorry’ just doesn’t fix it. Not when the hurt goes this deep. I just don’t know how I can work through it.” Rose’s mouth looked pinched and her eyes were full of pain.

  “Whatever she’s done, I’m sure you’ll work it out. You always do.”

  “I don’t think so,” Rose said. “Not this time.”

  By the look on her mother’s face, Anna believed her.

  “I told her I was sorry,” Aunt Violet said, her voice breaking. She sat on Anna’s sofa and dabbed her eyes. “I’ve tried everything to make amends, but she won’t hear of it.” She sniffled, then blew her nose loudly. “Well, I’m through.”

  An uncomfortable churning began in Anna’s stomach. “Give it time, Aunt Vi.”

  “What’s done is done. I can’t undo it. I messed up. I’m sorry. But now it’s time to move on—with or without my sister.” Her tone took on a steely quality.

  Anna gasped. “You don’t mean that, Aunt Vi.”

  “I most certainly do.” She stood up and gathered her purse. “I’ve done all that I can. If she won’t receive my apology, so be it. There’s nothing more I can say.”

  Anna saw her aunt to the door and shut it behind her. She’d known it was a mistake for Aunt Vi to tell her mom. They should’ve made a pact to let sleeping dogs lie. The churning in her stomach gathered momentum.

  Lord, I can’t fix this without you. Please find a way to save our family.

  Anna hadn’t seen Michael in days. She told herself it was the way she wanted it, but the hollow place in her stomach told her otherwise. She busied herself with inventory checks behind the counter at Sit ’n Knit.

  Zoe had dropped by and poured herself a cup of coffee. She glanced at the patrons and then spoke to Anna in a hushed voice. “Mom, are you and Michael all right?”

  “This is not the place, Zoe.” She made a note to buy more size thirteen wooden needles.

  Zoe pressed her lips together. “I knew it. You haven’t been going out like usual. Are you still going to the dance?”

  “Yes, we’re still going, but—”

  “No buts, Mom. You have to go. It’s the biggest dance of the year, and Sawyer and his wife will be there. Imagine,” she said with stars in her eyes, “they’ll celebrate their first anniversary in the town where they married. Isn’t that romantic?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Anyway, Sawyer will be singing at the dance. How could you miss it?”

  Anna sighed and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. The other ladies, fingers working skillfully through yarn, appeared engrossed in their own conversation.

  “I don’t know, Zoe. I’ll most likely be there because I told him I would go, but I’m not sure I want to.”

  Zoe leaned farther into her mother’s shoulder. “What is it, Mom? What did he do?”

  “Just not sure about things, that’s all.” She couldn’t admit her jealousy. She was the mom and Zoe was her daughter. Anna had to be strong. The very idea, at that precise moment, gave her the courage she needed. When she got to the dance, she would confront Michael about Heather and hear the truth. He might be all right with not dating exclusively, but she wasn’t comfortable with it and would prefer not to date at all. She never should’ve gotten mixed up with him in the first place.

  “Mom, did you hear me?”

  “What? No.”

  “I said, he’s a good man. Make sure you have a good reason to call it off.”

  Hearing the words call it off brought a p ain t o Anna’s midsection. No, the ball would be in his court. This time she would confront him, no matter how much she hated confrontation, and she would hear the hard truth one way or the other.

  Braving the cold winds, Anna got out of her car and headed for the barn. She could hear the sheep bleating, no doubt complaining about the cold. Inside the barn was warm in comparison to the elements outside.

  “Sorry I’m late, kids.” Anna was scooping food into their trough when she heard a car pull up. Though Smitten had very little crime, she didn’t like the idea of being out in a barn on an isolated property alone. She peeked through the window and relief washed over her. Michael.

  He stepped inside and stomped his boots free of snow. “Hi,” he said, the endearing grin in place. “They told me you were here, and I thought I’d pop in to help.”

  “Thanks.” She glanced at him, taking in the warmth of his gaze.

  “Looks like they’re getting along okay out here,” he said.

  “Yes, it does. Thanks for letting them stay in your barn, Michael.”

  “Forget it. I’m enjoying them too. In fact, I’ve been thinking about something.”

  “What?”

  “I was thinking that maybe come spring I’d look into starting a petting zoo out here.”

  “A petting zoo?”

  “Yeah, kids love that sort of thing. Don’t know if I’d need special permits and all that, so I’ll have to check it out.”

  “That’s nice.” He was always thinking of others. That was one of the things she loved about him.

  Loved. About. Him.

  So there it was. She knew she cared about Michael, but love? She hadn’t considered that until that very moment. There it was, tucked behind a corner of her heart that she hadn’t dared explore. His actions toward her said he cared about her too, but what about Heather?

  Would Michael’s heart ever totally belong to Anna?

  CHAPTER NINE

  Today was the big day. Once Anna got home from the shop, she took a long bath and tried to relax from all the hustle and bustle of the day. Tonight would be a great night or a horrible one, depending on Michael’s reaction to Anna’s question about Heather.

  After Anna slipped the black dress over her head, she put the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. She smiled at her reflection. It was good to feel at her best, regardless of Michael’s answer. She’d come so far since the divorce. That assurance alone was worth something.

  The doorbell rang, and she took a deep breath. As her dainty slippers hit the hardwood floor on her way to the door, she couldn’t help feeling a bit like a princess. She couldn’t remember the last time she had dressed up like this for a special occasion. But the real payoff came when she opened the front door.

  Michael’s eyes widened and sparkled at the sight of her. It made Anna’s stomach leap.

  “You look absolutely amazing,” he said, his voice a little hoarse.

  “Thank you. You look nice too,” she said, meaning it. The way he looked in the black tux made her heart skip.

  “So, shall we go?”

  She grabbed her handbag. “Yes, let’s.” Anna followed him out the door and to the car.

  Once they arrived at the Timber Lake Lodge parking lot, people in lovely evening wear were spilling out of their cars. Light perfume wafted along the night air like a scented ribbon dancing on a summer breeze.

  Michael took her hand and escorted her into the banquet room. Most of Smitten had turned out for the gala event. It seemed there were tourists there too, so the place was packed. Red and pink dresses colored the room. Sawyer had already started to croon a song while people mingled at round tables and the punch line.

  After the song, Michael and Anna picked up some appetizers, then sat down at a candlelit table.

  “This is really nice, Anna. You ladies did a fine job of decorating,” Michael said.

  “It was fun.” Anna looked across the room. Her friends were laughing and enjoying the enchanted evening as much as she was. But behind them rose a commotion. Anna was pretty sure she heard Aunt Violet’s voice.

  “I
’ve suffered enough with this through the years. I said I was sorry. What do you want from me, my dentures?”

  “Oh dear, I’d better check on them,” Anna said.

  “Betrayed by my own sister!” Rose’s voice jumped above the crowd.

  By the time Anna got there, she could see fire in her mother’s and aunt’s eyes.

  “Mother, Aunt Vi, could I talk to you for a minute?”

  “No, you cannot,” they said simultaneously.

  “Obviously family means nothing anymore,” Aunt Vi said, stomping across the floor in her flat shoes and long dress. She flew toward the door.

  “What’s a family without trust?” Rose called after her.

  As much as it pained her to see her mother and aunt argue, her mother’s words about trust cut her to the core. Zoe came over and steered her Grandma Rose off in another direction to talk, so Anna sat back down next to Michael and explained what was going on. His understanding soothed her nerves and gave her the resolve she needed.

  “Michael,” she began tentatively. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

  “Ask me anything.”

  “Well, we’ve never said that we were dating exclusively, but . . . this is awkward.”

  He took her hand. “What are you asking, Anna?”

  “Why do I, um, see you with Heather DeMeritt a lot?”

  Michael shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable, and Anna’s heart sank. So it was true. He was seeing Heather. She struggled to breathe.

  He held her gaze. “I do meet with Heather quite often, but not for what you think.”

  “Oh?” She held on to her flagging hope.

  He sat there a moment, saying nothing. Then he sighed. “I had hoped not to tell anyone this, but I don’t want to keep secrets from you.”

  She took encouragement from his words. “Yes?”

  “You remember the Parakaleo Pal? The person who helps children and single moms?”