"It was all a game," Laurel blurted out.
Several seconds ticked by.
"A game?" Ginny asked. "What do you mean?"
"Our dating. It never meant anything. It was a game. An act. Michael and I were only acting."
Ginny and Darlene exchanged looks of incredulity.
"But why?" Ginny looked totally confused.
"For you, Gin. For you. And because of that stupid bet we made." Laurel could see from her sister's face that this was going to take a lot of explaining. "You see, it was important to me that you had some other choice besides being forced into working at the shop like I was. I wanted you to go to college—"
"But I want to work in the shop," Ginny said. "I always have."
"I understand that now. I didn't then." Laurel slid to the edge of her chair. "Remember how you said you thought that being responsible would be tedious? Well, Michael agreed to help me show you that responsible people can have just as good a time as the next guy."
Ginny just sat there shaking her head, her eyes wide. "Laurel! What a dumb thing to do!"
Falling back against the cushion, Laurel confessed miserably, "It does sound completely stupid when you say it out loud, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. It sure does," Ginny said, her mouth quirking. She and Darlene fell into a fit of giggles.
Laurel sat up and glared at them. "Well, let me tell you, it sounded perfectly reasonable at the time. Even Michael thought so."
"Jeez, Laurel, how did you talk Michael into doing something so lame?" Ginny squeaked.
"You must have done some really good fast-talking to persuade him," Darlene added.
"I didn't have to persuade him to do anything." Laurel's statement was filled to the brim with indignity. "It was his idea."
"His idea?" The question echoed from both girls, and the laughing suddenly stopped.
"Yes. His idea."
"Wow!" Darlene said, astonished.
"Anyway," Laurel continued, wanting to get it over with, "we ended up really enjoying our time together. And even though I never meant to...I mean...even though I never wanted to...I...I've..."
"You fell in love with him," Ginny finished for her. "I knew it! Didn't I tell you that you were in love with him?"
At first, all Laurel could do was nod. Then she shook her head and admitted, "Yeah, well, you knew it before I did, smarty."
"So, what's the problem?" Darlene asked simply.
"The problem is that even though the whole thing turned into something meaningful to me, it didn't to Michael." Laurel tucked her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment before adding, "For him it started out as a game and it ended as a game." Then she shook her head and mumbled, "A game he really didn't want to stop playing."
"So, does he know?" Ginny asked.
"Does he know what?" Laurel threw her napkin into the empty pizza box.
"How you feel about him!"
"Of course not! How could I tell him? He would laugh in my face if he knew I'd fallen for him." Laurel's throat constricted and the tears that welled up again stung her eyes.
"Laurel, I know Michael," Darlene said softly. "I've known him all my life. He's not like that. He wouldn't laugh at you. And he wouldn't go on playing some kind of game, no matter how silly it was, if there wasn't something more to it."
"And the whole thing was his idea," Ginny added. "That says something right there."
"I saw the way he looked at you the night Jimmy was born." Darlene smiled wryly. "I may have been busy, but I still noticed."
"And those kisses I saw!" Ginny smiled and raised her brows. "Laurel, nobody's that good an actor."
Laurel looked down at her tightly clenched hands. Could they be right? Could Michael really care about her? Thinking back over their times together, Laurel remembered the caresses and the kisses and the loving endearments Michael had bestowed on her, even when Ginny was nowhere near them. She had thought at the time it was only because he was enjoying himself, having a good time. But Darlene was right about Michael, Laurel thought. He wasn't the kind of person who would take advantage of anyone.
"I think you should tell him," Ginny called out.
"Me, too," Darlene agreed. "What have you got to lose?"
Should she tell him? Laurel mulled it over. What did she have to lose?
Ginny stared at her intently. "I'd say you have more to lose if you don't tell him."
Her stomach began to churn with anxiety. No, it was excitement. They might be right! If there was a sliver of a chance that he might have feelings for her, she'd be foolish not to go for it.
"You're right," she exclaimed. "You're absolutely right. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I need to tell him." She stood and turned toward the door, then stopped short and turned back. "But I don't know where he is."
"Call him," Darlene offered.
"No." Laurel stood up. "I want to see him. Face to face."
"Let's see," Ginny said, looking at her watch. "It's half past one."
"He'll be working," Darlene said. "Try the ranger station."
Second thoughts seeped into Laurel's brain. "Maybe I should wait till he's finished work."
"Don't wait," Darlene said emphatically.
"Go now!" Ginny ordered.
Laurel grabbed her purse and keys and stormed out the door, leaving Darlene and Ginny grinning like two idiots.
~ ~ ~
Laurel pushed her thumbnail against the pin nestled inside the air intake stem of the tire until all the air hissed out.
I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought for the thousandth time. How can a sane, rational person do something so rash? He's going to think I'm nuts. A raving lunatic! As she'd driven by the ranger station and seen Michael's truck there, a crazy plan had taken shape in her mind. She might be uncertain as to how Michael felt about her, but she was sure he would never refuse a plea for help.
She'd parked the car on the side of the road a few hundred yards beyond the station and let all the air out of the new tire Michael had had put on her car. When the wheel's rim was sitting on the ground, the tire a flabby black blob on the gravel shoulder, she rubbed her index finger against the grimy hubcap and wiped a stripe of dirt down her right cheek, just for effect.
She glanced into the side mirror at her reflection and then back down at the flat tire. Pleased with her job, she stood up and wiped the dirt from her hands onto the rear of her cream-colored slacks.
Purposefully she strode toward the cedar-clad building, ignoring the concentric waves of tension radiating inside her. She breathed in deeply when she reached the station door, running a hand through her hair.
"Oh, what the hell," she muttered and fluffed her hair in all directions.
She opened the door and was met by a petite blond receptionist whose eyes widened at the sight of her.
"Can I help you?"
Laurel looked down the short hall and saw two offices. The doors of both were open, the lights on.
"I need help," she said loudly, hoping Michael would appear.
"Would you like to sit..."
Her eyes darting back to the receptionist, Laurel frantically shook her head. "No, no, thank you."
A green uniformed figure stepped out of one of the offices and Laurel's heart caught in her throat. But when she turned her eyes on him, her heart sank. The ranger had flaming red hair and a sprinkling of freckles across his nose.
Then the man was joined by another and Laurel's knees nearly buckled. It was Michael! And he'd never looked so good.
"I think this lady needs some help," the receptionist said.
Laurel gave a jerky nod of her head and swallowed, trying to relieve the sudden dryness that had her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth. She hadn't planned on having an audience. As a matter of fact, she hadn't planned at all! All she'd wanted to do was get Michael alone to talk to him, tell him how she felt, but now she had to go on with her helpless act.
Locking her gaze on Michael's face, she said, "I h
ave a flat tire."
Michael's eyebrows rose.
"On my car," she added, vaguely pointing her thumb over her shoulder.
The knots in her stomach tightened as she waited for his reaction. Oh, God, this was worse than she'd ever expected. What if he embarrassed her right here in front of these people? She held her breath as she watched him lean back against the doorjamb and tuck his hand into his pocket.
"I'm sure you're capable of changing that tire yourself," he said easily.
They both ignored the distressed sound that came from the other ranger.
"Oh, yes, I am," she assured him. "But..." Her mind went momentarily blank. She had never considered the possibility that he might refuse to help her. Indecision, mixed with confusion, built in her chest, rising up in her throat until she could almost taste the panic.
Then she saw it: an impish gleam twinkling in his eyes. He was teasing her! A rush of joyous relief filled her, washing away all her doubts and confusion.
"I need you, Michael."
The teasing glint in his eyes was suddenly gone.
"I don't like being an actress. I've discovered that I have no talent for it. Every time my real emotions start to show, I remember that I'm supposed to be acting, and I have to hide my true feelings." Her words came in such a rush, she hoped he understood what she was trying to say.
She saw that he did. The look they shared was so full of emotion that neither one of them seemed able to move.
"Look, lady," the red-haired ranger said, "I can't help you with your acting lessons, but if it's a tire change you need, I'd be more than happy to give you a hand."
Michael clapped his colleague on the shoulder. "That's all right, Joe. I'll help the lady out."
Laurel watched Michael move toward her, and she slipped into his outstretched arms like a weary traveler finding a safe haven. He held her to him, planting tiny kisses along her jaw before covering her mouth with his.
Joe looked over at the receptionist with raised eyebrows and shook his head in wry amusement. "I have a strong suspicion that this has nothing to do with a flat tire." He jerked his head toward his office. "Let's go have a cup of coffee and give these two a little privacy."
"I'm not much of an actor, either," Michael whispered against Laurel's lips. "I was never acting. It was awful trying to show you how I felt without scaring you away. I knew from the beginning that you were the only one for me, but I thought you couldn't feel the same."
Laurel sighed happily when he kissed her neck.
"I thought I'd lost you," he said. "I thought I'd pushed you too far too fast. I needed more time to let you know how I felt. When your mom told me she wanted you to stay, I thought I'd been given a gift." The air left him in a rush. "But when you were so bent on leaving, I knew you didn't care..."
"I wanted to leave," Laurel confessed, "because I wanted you so badly that I was sure I would make a fool of myself if I spent any more time with you."
He leaned away from her without releasing his hold. "We were both fools. Do you know that?"
"Yes," she said wearily, laying her head against his chest. "I know that now. I'm just glad the acting's over." She nestled against him.
Michael tipped her chin up and brushed the dirty streak from her cheek, his fingers lingering to caress her skin. "You didn't really ruin that new tire, did you?"
Laurel grinned sheepishly. "It's nothing that a little air won't fix."
He threw his head back and laughed, then looked down at her tenderly. "I should have known. I love you, Laurel." His whispered words tickled her neck, even as they sent fire through her veins. Then his mouth covered hers in a kiss filled with endless promise.
~ ~ ~
A note from the author
I hope you enjoyed this updated and expanded version of Mountain Laurel. I completed the original book in 1989 after spending several summers in Western Maryland with my husband and children. Those fun-filled vacations left me with wonderful memories of hikes along lush mountain paths, crisp autumn days filled with a kaleidoscope of color—and s'mores!
To my great surprise, Mountain Laurel won a finalist spot in an international contest called The Golden Heart that is sponsored by Romance Writers of America. The manuscript went on to be published by Silhouette Books.
I'd like readers to know that I have written and published women's fiction under my real name, Donna Fasano, and I hope you'll look for those books and other Donna Clayton titles at your favorite bookstore or on-line. For more information about me and the books I've written, please visit my website at:
www.DonnaFasano.com
~ ~ ~
Other Donna Clayton titles coming soon!
Taking Love in Stride
Return of the Runaway Bride
Wife for a While
Nanny and the Professor
Fortune's Bride
Daddy Down the Aisle
Mountain Laurel Page 15