"It wasn't like that. I'm sorry you felt ambushed, but..." Her voice was quiet, her face down-turned, but there was no mistaking the steel behind her tone.
Had that steel always been hiding there, even when they'd dated before? Beneath her nice-girl image and gentle spirit, had this iron backbone existed? Or had it been forged from the difficulties she'd faced since he'd gone?
"She loves them, Callum. She was lonely for her grandsons. She stayed here in Redbud Trails on the off chance that the boys would need help—and that you would let her help."
He laughed a hard, bitter sound that came from the darkness inside of him. Maude had her claws in Iris, that was for sure. "She'll do anything, say anything, to manipulate you."
He'd seen it when he'd gone to court, after she and her husband had stolen his boys. Her tears and remorse had been perfectly timed to ensure the judge looked on her sympathetically and they'd gotten out of jail time on a technicality.
Thank God he'd still been allowed to file the restraining order.
Iris shook her head. "She made a mistake. A bad choice, one that she's repented for."
A half-hysterical laugh escaped him. "A mistake. That's what you think. It was just a little thing that I should forgive."
Her eyes were huge, swimming with tears and emotion.
The evidence that he was hurting her now, with this conversation, just made him madder.
This time, he couldn't keep his voice from rising to the roof in a shout.
"Maude and Jackson tried to steal everything from me. How am I supposed to forgive that?"
Something flickered in her eyes, and he saw the emotion drain from her face, her shoulders stiffen.
And his words came back to hit him square in the gut.
She turned to watch the boys chasing the black and white dog around the yard. "You think I haven't lived through that?" she asked quietly. "I had plans—we had plans—and in one night they vanished. You vanished."
Maude and Jackson had done something unforgivable.
And so had he.
He couldn't imagine forgiving the two people who'd shattered his heart. How could he ever think she would be able to forgive him?
13
Two days later, Iris and the boys approached the boutique dress shop in downtown Redbud Trails. Mid-morning sunlight warmed the top of her head.
Was she doing the right thing?
She'd been questioning herself since Callum's blowup over the video call with Maude, though she'd behaved with as much normalcy as she could muster, for the boys' sake.
She still thought he was wrong about Maude. He hadn't seen the other woman's pallor that day on the sidewalk, or her desperate hope. Maude wasn't a criminal. She'd just made a very bad mistake when the boys had been small. Didn't everyone deserve forgiveness?
A tinkling bell chimed overhead, announcing their arrival. A pleasant, feminine scent enveloped her with a sense of calm. This building stood on the opposite corner of the intersection from where Callum had crashed into the Town Hall building. It was her last chance. Large front windows highlighted several displays with mannequins wearing the latest styles.
She had Tyler and Brandt's hands clasped in hers, and Levi trailed a step behind. She looked over her shoulder to make sure he'd followed her inside and not dawdled on the sidewalk.
He had. Relief.
But she was a little concerned about his curious glances around the place filled with clothing racks and freestanding jewelry displays.
"Hi, Iris."
The shop's owner, Melody Carter, had been a friend since she'd arrived in town at the same time Iris had moved back from New York. They'd become friends and had spent time together, at least until Callum had crashed back into her life.
"Hi." When Melody approached from behind the counter, Iris let go of the boys long enough to hug her friend.
Iris had never thought the dress shop would survive in such a small town, but Melody had a thriving Internet business and was a savvy marketer. She had customers come in from all over the county.
"How are you—?"
Melody didn't get the whole question out before Brandt was tugging on the hem of her cute—and probably expensive—dress. Iris hoped the sticky residue from the lollipops he and his brothers had demolished earlier had washed off with the baby wipes.
"Do you got any candy?" Brandt asked.
"Yeah!" Levi pumped his fist into the air, knocking into a rack of summery dresses and making it wobble.
Summoning the patience she'd been developing over these past couple weeks, Iris reached out to steady the rack. "I don't think Melody has candy like the bank does," she told the boys.
"Aww!" the boisterous pair chorused.
Tyler hung back, half-hiding behind her leg.
"Sorry," Melody said. "What can I do for you?" This question she directed to Iris. "I'm guessing you aren't shopping today."
"I wish." Actually, she didn't. She loved almost every minute with the boys, even if it meant she deviated from her normal schedule. They were so innocent in their joy, brimming with life and trust.
And she was very aware that as soon as the doctor gave Callum his walking cast, he was going to walk right back out of her life—and take the boys with him. Maybe the distance between them these last couple days was only a prelude for what was coming.
"I actually came in to ask about your security camera." She glanced behind her at the camera that was aimed for the front door. It would tape anyone who came in and out of Melody's store, but with the wide glass storefront and the way the camera was aimed...there was a minuscule chance it could show the accident.
Melody's eyebrows went up. "What for?"
"I'm trying to track down any video from the day of Callum's accident. It was two weeks ago, so I know it's a long shot."
She'd been disappointed at the bank, speaking to the manager who'd been a friend of her uncle's for years. They only kept their tapes for a week at a time, and the footage from the day of the accident had already been erased and taped over.
"Hmm." Melody got a pensive look on her face. "I'm a little surprised you're asking for it instead of the police."
"The police don't seem to be taking the investigation seriously." Or maybe they were stalling. She knew her father was involved, but not how. And she didn't want to make waves with that relationship, which was already difficult. Iris gulped back emotion that threatened to swamp her. "It's okay if it's already been erased or taped over..."
Melody shrugged. "My footage is all digital. It goes to a hosting website, and I can log in and look at it whenever I want. I'm really bad about deleting the old files. I probably have about a year of footage on there that I don't need." She laughed, a self-deprecating sound.
And hope streaked through Iris.
"Let me write down my password. I trust you, girlfriend. You can log on from home and look through whatever days you want to."
Melody went behind the counter and grabbed a scratch pad and pen from a shelf beneath. She started scribbling on the paper with her head down, but her words were almost too casual when she said, "When the cowboy came back to town, you said you were staying uninvolved. But if you're investigating for him..."
She'd confided in Melody about Callum.
"He doesn't know." And now she was swallowing back tears for another reason. All of the hope she'd felt the morning after their kiss had been destroyed when he'd blown up at her.
She'd seen how he'd let the bitterness and unforgiveness fester in him. And she'd seen his acknowledgement that there was still too much between them to overcome.
He'd drawn away from her. And put his walls back up, higher than they'd been when he'd first come into her uncle's home, injured and testy.
But before that, she'd seen his vulnerability. And he still meant a lot to her, even with everything between them.
She wanted this resolved, for him. Whether he'd asked for her help or not.
She thanked Melody and accepted the instru
ctions on how to access the video clips online, then gathered up the boys from the far corners of the store.
She would walk them up Main Street one more time, looking for any other stores that had video cameras at the front of their buildings. Of course, this was Redbud Trails. Lots of neighborly folks, and there was little cause for suspicion. Melody had moved here from the big city and brought some of her city ways with her—hence the video cameras.
But maybe Iris would get lucky and find one more chance for Callum.
Even if they would never have a chance for a relationship.
* * *
Days later, Callum stood at the back of the crowd, his hat pulled low over his eyes and both crutches propped beneath his armpits. The evening breeze brought a little relief from the day's warmth.
Redbud Trails's little community park wasn't much. A dilapidated, outdated playground and some sprawling fields of grass and wildflowers. Beyond that stood the pavilion, a medium-sized outdoor stage, where today a good-sized crowd of folks—mostly parents and grandparents—had gathered.
Iris and her dance students were putting on a mid-summer show. And somehow his boys had been wrangled into it, even though they'd only been in one of Iris's dance classes.
The uneven grass made it difficult to maneuver his crutches, and he'd adamantly refused the wheelchair Iris suggested, so he hung back here, at the fringe of the crowd that had spread out on blankets and folding camp chairs.
Iris instructed a group of kids who were currently sitting cross-legged just in front of the stage. It was a bigger crowd than he'd imagined. She weaved her way through the children, touching one here, laughing aloud at another's attempt to catch her attention.
She was good at wrangling them, that much was evident.
"It's good to see you again," a voice came at his elbow. He looked down on Chrissy, the same mom who'd been kind to him outside the boys' first dance class.
"Likewise."
"This is my husband, Mike."
He recognized the man from their school days. And saw that Mike wore a police uniform.
Callum's hackles went up instantly, but he forced himself to shake hands with the man, balancing on one crutch to do so.
Mike's eyes scanned the gathering, his mouth turned down in a frown. He didn't look happy to be here. Then his glittering eyes slid back to Callum, looking him up and down.
"Don't mind him," Chrissy said, waving off her husband's behavior. "He wanted Bobby to play soccer."
Callum met Mike's eyes steadily, his chin coming up slightly. Telling the other man wordlessly that he wasn't intimidated. But he offered an olive branch. "I was outvoted, too."
Chrissy waved to someone in the crowd, her face lighting up. "Oh, excuse me, will you?" She left Callum standing next to the policeman. Was this the same one who'd taken Iris's statement the other day?
Callum turned his eyes on the woman so often in his thoughts, keeping his gaze locked on her, watching as she guided several kids to line up at the side of the stage. The triplets still sat in front. Must not be their turn yet.
"You might want to tell your girlfriend to back off trying to do my job for me."
Callum ground his molars even as he forced his breathing to remain even. "No idea what you're talking about." He flicked a dismissive gaze to the man next to him, then turned his eyes forward again. "Iris isn't my girlfriend." Saying the words sent a pang straight to his gut. "And I've told her to stay out of my business." More than once, not that she'd listened.
Was this just about the statement she'd given at the station, or something else? He wasn't going to ask, not when this cop could see it as him interfering. And that could look bad if the lawsuit ended up in front of a judge. If Wade had the police force in his pocket, he could have a judge in there, too.
Mike gave him one more unreadable glance and then walked off to join his wife.
Callum felt like he couldn't breathe. He hated the implied threats against him, and even more that they spilled onto Iris. She didn't deserve a bad reputation just for standing beside him. This was exactly what he'd wanted to spare her all those years ago.
"What did he want?"
This voice spoke from his opposite side, and Callum whipped his head around to see Jilly approaching.
"Aren't you supposed to be up front with Iris?" He didn't mean the words to sound combative, but there'd been no love lost between him and Jilly since Iris had brought him home. It was difficult, another hurt, because he'd considered her a friend before.
Jilly shrugged. "This is her deal."
She waved to someone, and Callum let his eyes follow her gesture. He recognized a face from high school, but the name escaped him. The man nodded to him politely before walking on.
Callum schooled his shock. Someone in Redbud Trails offering him kindness?
"Was Mike threatening you?" Jilly asked, refusing to drop it.
Callum let his eyes scan the crowd and got several more nods and even a wave. Was he wrong about folks here? Was it possible they didn't hold his past against him?
He never would have guessed it, not without coming out here at Iris's insistence.
He'd almost forgotten about Jilly's question until she cleared her throat. Annoying older sister. "What're you going to do about it?" he asked. "Tattle to Iris?"
She sighed heavily. He didn't look at her, but from the corner of his eye, he saw her shift impatiently. "If Iris ends up taking a case to the district attorney, any police harassment needs to be recorded."
Now his head whipped toward her, his mouth forming a snarl that he barely kept under wraps. "If Iris does what?"
And something passed through Jilly's expression. "She doesn't think the PD is giving you a fair shake in their investigation. She might go to the DA and file a complaint."
He shook his head, his gaze darting back toward the front of the crowd and the woman he wanted to strangle. "She can't do that. Your dad—"
"Would be livid. I don't think she cares."
As he watched, Iris waved to someone off to the side of the stage. The music started. Instead of hopping off the stage, she stayed on the front corner, posing just like the kids were.
Seemed they were going to follow her in the dance, but she was out of the way enough that parents could video. Cute.
She was slender and tall in a black leotard and tights, pink shoes on her feet. Her hair had been pulled up in a bun behind her head, but the breeze blew wisps against her cheeks.
And he couldn't help but remember another time, watching her dance. Even through his fury that she would go behind his back with something like this—something that would devastate her relationship with her father—he couldn't ignore that innate grace.
The kids' costumes weren't much—sweatpants for boys and tights for girls—with colorful T-shirts on top. Music blared from speakers near the stage, and Iris danced and the children followed her.
He couldn't take his eyes off her. This simple dance was nothing compared to the one he'd watched years ago. But even in its simplicity, the evidence of her talent was visible.
"She should be in New York. Or Oklahoma City." He hadn't meant to speak the words out loud, but Jilly was nodding along with him.
"I tried to get her to go back after my diagnosis. The church ladies would have tended me just as diligently."
But Callum knew how deep Iris's loyalty ran. Wasn't her current strategy to involve the DA evidence of that?
It was a stark reminder of why he'd left and why he needed to distance himself now. She wanted him to be more than he was, more than he could ever be. She wanted him to forgive Maude and Jackson.
She wanted too much.
As if thoughts of his ex-mother-in-law had made her materialize, he caught sight of a familiar figure over Jilly's head. Maude stood at the edge of the parking lot.
Rage flushed through him in a tidal wave. How dare she come here?
His eyes flickered over the crowd. Was her husband here somewhere? Had she hired so
meone else to grab the boys?
And then he was looking for Mike. The policeman might not want to help Callum, but if there were a kidnapping attempt, wouldn't he be honor-bound to do something?
Heart beating so loudly that he couldn't hear the music, Callum was almost out of his head when Jilly nudged his side with her elbow. Not gently.
"What's the matter? The boys are going on stage now. Pay attention."
She hadn't seen the threat that was his mother-in-law. He shot another glance at the woman, ready to chase her away, but she hadn't moved.
She didn't even seem to see him, her focus entirely on the stage where the boys now traipsed up the steps and lined up beside five little girls and one other boy.
Through his fury and fear, he tried to take a mental step back and assess the situation. He judged the distance between where Maude stood and the stage to be about the distance required by the restraining order. If she stayed where she was, she wouldn't violate it.
Had Iris set this up? Or had his mother-in-law simply heard about the dance show? It was entirely possible, knowing how folks liked to talk around here.
If he made a fool of himself trying to chase her away, could the policeman use it again him in the lawsuit? Callum didn't know and found himself frozen in indecision, not knowing what was best.
The music started again, and he lost his concentration for moments as the boys danced with Iris and the little girls. Levi got distracted from watching Iris and waved enthusiastically at the crowd. A chuckle ran through the gathered group. Callum found his own lips turning up at his son's antics.
He looked back to Maude and saw that she wasn't smiling. Her lips trembled, and she wiped beneath her eyes with one hand. Was she crying?
He forced his eyes back to the front to watch the rest of the short dance.
When the boys were taking enthusiastic bows, he looked back to find Maude had disappeared. He glanced around, but this time his heart wasn't in it. Iris had the boys well in hand, and there were a ton of witnesses around. Even if she tried something, Maude wasn't getting away with his sons today.
But his gut remained tense until they'd all loaded up in the minivan and turned toward home.
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