by Jillian Hart
“Me, too. The entire ballpark. Why try when you know you’re going to strike out? My older sister Katherine is getting married next month—if she doesn’t postpone the wedding because of Jonas—and she said she was lucky enough to find the real thing, but it took her well over a decade of looking. That idea totally exhausts me. I lack the strength and the will. I’m happier sitting at home watching a storm move in, or reading a book, or watching a movie on the classic movie channel.”
Okay, he was going to ignore that she said that. He’d been watching the storm move in. He spent evenings between a classic work of literature or a classic movie. Best not to read anything into the fact that they liked the same things. “So, how did your twin find a fiancé and you didn’t?”
“We don’t do everything together. Well, we did when we were little and all the way through high school. But every year that we get older, we spend more time apart.”
He heard the warmth in her voice, and although her tone was light and cheerful, he knew what she didn’t say. “It’s hard to know she’s leaving you behind.”
“Not behind.”
There was love in her voice—the real thing, like a light that never dimmed, like the light he searched for with his camera’s lens. Well, before he’d put his work down for good. It was the light that drew him now. He felt himself leaning toward it, toward her, although she was nearly an hour’s drive away. Distance vanished as he listened to her words fill with honesty, another rare thing.
“A wonderful blessing has come into my twin’s life,” she was saying. “I’ve been praying for Ava’s happiness every day since I was old enough to pray. I’m the one who talked her into trusting this guy she’s going to marry, and he’s good to her. He really loves her, and he gets her. I know I can hand over the job of looking after Ava to him, and believe me, she needs looking after.”
“Relieved to hand over that job, are you?”
“No kidding.”
He wasn’t fooled. No, he’d heard a lot of untruths and falsehoods and full-out lies to know the real thing when he heard it. “You love your sister.”
“More than my own life. I have the greatest family. I am deeply blessed. I appreciate them and love them with all my heart. I know a good thing when I see it.”
William felt his frozen heart crack a little. The squeeze of pain that followed confused him. He’d kept his heart ice-cold for a reason. Despair had done that all on its own. But now, he felt as if something were struggling to the surface, trapped beneath the ice.
“Here I am, babbling on.”
He cleared his throat, but emotion seemed stuck there. “No problem.”
“I have another reason for calling. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
It had been a long time since he’d heard that in such a caring way. Her warmth and honesty captivated him and he squeezed his eyes shut, his mind spinning. He remembered how he’d left her in the chapel, how she’d looked like loveliness and hope.
It seemed impossible for him to feel anything again, but real emotion, alive and strong, flared in his chest. Emotions of a deeper nature, beyond the casual simple small talk they’d been sharing. He liked her, but Aubrey McKaslin was getting too close.
That meant only one thing: time to end the call. “I’m fine. Getting along. I’ll keep Jonas in my prayers.”
“Everyone’s prayers are sure helping, I—”
“I’ve got to go.” It wasn’t easy to interrupt her. To stop the gentleness of her voice and the bright way she made him feel. Lightning strobed through the roiling black sky in a blinding flash from sky to mountaintop. Thunder crashed as loud as an avalanche rolling downhill, and William didn’t know if it was divine help or simple coincidence, but he was grateful for the excuse.
“You shouldn’t be talking on the phone. I could hear the thunder from here. William, I’m keeping you in prayer—”
“You take care now.”
“You, too.” The line went dead the same instant the overhead light winked off. Hail slammed against the windows and the roof overhead. Aubrey set down the phone and went to the living-room window. The storm had drained the last of the light from the evening, and it looked as dark as night outside, except for the brilliant jagged bolts of lightning crackling across the sky. Everything went black, including the other apartments in the building and the entire residential block she could see from her perch.
Maybe she should go in search of a flashlight and some candles. Who knew what Ava may have done with the matches? The chances of finding them had to be next to none. Aubrey felt the edge of the coffee table press against the back of her calves. She’d try the kitchen drawers first, then decide what to eat if the electricity stayed out.
About the time she found a flashlight at the back of the sixth drawer she’d searched, the door flung open with a gust of wind and hammering hail. A faint, familiar shadow filled the entryway and wrestled the door shut.
“Whew!” Ava leaned against the door looking utterly exhausted. “Talk about a storm. I pulled into the parking lot as the lights went out, or I’d probably be snarled up in a long traffic jam somewhere. The streetlights are out, too. Guess what I brought?”
Aubrey squinted at the brown paper bag. Could it be? “Leftovers?”
“Yep! I didn’t forget ya, and good thing, too. And guess what? It’s still warm. What have you been up to, besides hunting for a flashlight?”
“It would have helped if you made it a habit to put things where they belong.”
“I had technical difficulties.”
“What a surprise.” Aubrey pulled a knife and fork from the silverware drawer and a length of paper towel from the roll. “I never thought I’d ever be lucky enough to marry you off. I can’t believe there was a taker for you.”
“I know. It just goes to show that true love doesn’t find you until you’ve given up your last shred of hope.” Cheerfully, Ava padded into the living room. “I heard from Dad, who’d talked to Katherine who heard from Danielle that Jonas is holding his own. He’s not better, but he’s not worse. That’s a miracle enough for now.”
“And something to be very thankful for.” Aubrey slid onto the middle cushion of the couch and stood the flashlight on end on the coffee table. She opened the brown bag Ava had brought her. “Ooh, chicken manicotti. Garlic bread. Onion rings.”
“And chocolate fudge brownies are on the bottom.” Ava dropped into the reading chair and tilted her head to one side as if she were focusing on something on the shadowed edge of the coffee table.
Right where she’d left the phone, Aubrey realized. And William’s card! She reached out to snatch it.
Not fast enough. Ava slapped her hand down on it. “Well, now, what have we here?”
“Nothing. And if it was, it’s not your business.”
“You have that wrong, Aub. Everything is my business.” If Ava grinned any wider, she was going to sprain a jaw muscle. She snatched up the card and kept it protected against her palm, so that it would be impossible for Aubrey to grab. She squinted in the bad light. “William Corey. Imagine that.”
“Danielle asked me to keep him informed of Jonas’s condition.”
“Sure she did.” Ava rolled her eyes, reading far too much into that simple, innocent request.
“Don’t even go there.” Oh, Aubrey knew exactly what her twin was thinking. Her twin with no common sense whatsoever had an imagination that always got her into trouble. “It was totally nothing.”
“If I remember right, didn’t I say the same thing when I met Brice?”
“Yes, but this really is just business.” Not that she’d remembered to tell him much about it. How could she have forgotten? “He wants to make a donation, too.”
“Okay sure, but I said it was just business, too, and look at me—engaged to be married to Brice and having had an almost successful dinner with his parents.”
“No, when you met Brice, you thought he was a yucky man with no morals, propositioning you. Nothing cou
ld have been further from the truth.”
“Oh, yeah, well, so I was wrong. It worked out.”
It was Aubrey’s turn to roll her eyes. Ava was wrong all the time, but she wasn’t about to argue with her. That would only keep the conversation focused on William, right where it didn’t belong. Ava so had the wrong idea about poor William. Time to redirect the conversation. “Why was the dinner with Brice’s parents almost successful? What did you do this time?”
“It’s always me, isn’t it? Okay, so it was.” In good humor, Ava laughed at herself. “Brice’s mom had just got this new vase kind of thing. I guess it was worth beaucoup bucks. Do I look like an art expert? No-oo. I decorate cakes and work part-time in a bookstore when there aren’t enough bakery orders. What do I know about porcelain or china or whatever antique vases are made out of? So, I said that it was nice, but our sister had one like it she found at a flea market and Brice’s mom about had an aneurysm. She choked right there in the dining room on a bite of manicotti. Brice’s dad had to give her the Heimlich.”
“Sounds like a typical dinner with you.”
“It was a disaster. The vase was some priceless collector thing. How did I know? Although it made Brice and his dad howl with laughter for a good ten minutes. It was even funnier than the time I mistook their conversation on Schubert for the guy who owns the candy store in town. Do I look like a classical music expert?”
“You look like a nut.” Aubrey couldn’t resist. She loved her sister.
“Don’t I know it. I’m waiting for Brice to tear the engagement ring off my finger and run for the hills as fast as he can go, but he says he loves me just the way I am.”
“Go figure.”
“There is definitely something wrong with that man.” Ava sparkled with happiness. “Okay, it didn’t work.”
“What didn’t?”
“Diverting me. I haven’t forgotten about this guy.” She waved the card in the air for emphasis. “Dorrie said he was so gorgeous, she gave him a nine point five on a scale of ten.”
“Why didn’t she give him a ten? I would have.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. How on earth could she have admitted something so personal? So ridiculous? So not true?
Okay, it was true. But was she prepared to admit that? No. She had to do some backpedaling and fast. “Not that I was really noticing or anything. But if I were a different sort of girl, one who was looking for a great-looking guy, I might rate him a ten.”
“But since you’re not the kind of girl who is looking for a great guy, you didn’t notice,” Ava said reasonably. “I understand perfectly.”
“You do?” That didn’t sound like her sister. Panic shot through her stomach. “Wait, you aren’t planning any matchmaking schemes are you? Remember what happened when you tried to set up Katherine with the copier guy?”
“It didn’t work out.”
“Didn’t work out? The copier at the bookstore was broken for three whole weeks because Katherine didn’t want to call the repairman to get it fixed. She was avoiding him. I was the one who had to run to the copy shop down the street and get stuff copied. You are a terrible matchmaker. Look at Rebecca.”
“That’s not a good example. I set them up accidentally.”
“You set our little stepsister up with a mean guy.”
“I didn’t know he was mean. The chef I was dating at the time knew him from a Bible study group. He seemed real nice. How was I to know to he’d be a disaster?”
“Maybe the clue would have been that on date number three you slammed the chef’s fingers in the car door when he tried to—you know. Here’s a hint. He wasn’t a nice guy.”
“For the record, I realized that after I set Rebecca and Chris up. And I never meant to break the chef’s fingers. It was an accident.” Ava rolled her eyes. “What happened to forgiveness? Besides, I wouldn’t dream of trying to fix you up. I know that you don’t mind having to live alone forever after I get married. I know you like being a single, happening kind of girl.”
“That’s me.” Not. Aubrey rolled her eyes. “I hope the lights come back on. I wanted to start reading my new copy of Phineas Finn tonight. And before you say it, I know I’m not going to get a husband sitting home reading an old, thick book, but I like old, thick books and I don’t want a husband.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute. That’s dishonest.”
It was, technically, because she intended to make it the truth. She would work at it until it was the whole truth, that she didn’t mind the feeling of an empty home or looking ahead to a future without a good man to share it with. What were the chances of finding a man who would fall devotedly in love with her? Nil. Men did not fall 100 percent in love with girls like her. It was just a fact of life. And one day, she’d be able to face that fact without it hurting so much.
Not that she wanted to admit that truth, either. Or that her thoughts went automatically to William. “I’m happy with my life. And I love being an auntie. You know I adore Danielle’s munchkins and one day, I’ll have yours to spoil.”
“Scary thought, huh? Can you imagine? That’s a disaster waiting to happen.” Ava rolled her eyes, but she was beaming joy again. “Well, in good time. I’m not in a hurry. We’ve got to get Katherine married off first—”
“If she doesn’t cancel the wedding because of Jonas’s condition. I think she’s pretty sure she’s going to.”
“—then we have to get Jonas well and back on his feet. Then there’s my wedding to plan. Then the actual wedding. I want to just enjoy my new life with Brice first before we start a family, so you’ll have a couple of years to prepare yourself for the challenge of babysitting my munchkins.”
“I can’t wait. I’ll need that long to gather my strength.”
“Oh, here’s your book. I’m going to call Brice.” Ava pulled the book off the cushion where she was sitting. “I wonder if William likes to read, too?”
“Don’t even go there,” Aubrey demanded, but she wasn’t sure if she was telling that to Ava or to herself.
Too bad, because William was definitely off-limits. And she liked him. Very much. Wasn’t that just her luck?
Chapter Six
She’d been tricked. Duped. Deceived. Days later, behind the wheel of her sensible beige Toyota, Aubrey tried to keep her frustrations at her sister down and at the same time keep her eyes peeled for the right driveway, but she’d probably missed it. Nothing surrounded her but wilderness and mountains. The town was nearly an hour away. The directions Ava had scribbled on the back of her bakery’s napkins were confusing at best. No surprise there.
What was a surprise? That she’d let her twin talk her into deliveries this afternoon. Now that Dad and Dorrie were in town to help out, she actually had a free afternoon. She’d planned on working in her studio or updating her Web site or any of the numerous errands that had been put off for too long.
Instead, she’d let Ava, who’d been suddenly overwhelmed with cake orders, talk her into making a few deliveries. She did this all the time for Ava, so why would she suspect that there would be anything out of the ordinary? And there wasn’t, until she got to the fifth invoice piled on her front passenger seat and realized that the next delivery was not only way out of town, but it was probably more than an innocent delivery. Ava and Danielle must have concocted this scheme together.
Was that nice, or what? It was a loving thing, that her sisters wanted her to be happy, but they were off the mark. In fact, Ava’s harebrained matchmaking schemes were always a sign of sure disaster, so this meant there wasn’t the remotest possibility for romance. It didn’t matter if she liked William or not, it wasn’t as if he were interested in her, right? Besides, she wouldn’t allow herself to like him like that. End of story.
According to her odometer, she’d already driven the two miles from the end of the maintained county road. Since there wasn’t a soul in sight, only trees and an empty gravel road, she pulled to a stop in the narrow lane and went ba
ck over the directions. Then she saw it, the unadorned driveway flanked by old-growth cedars, and nosed her sedan down the gravel lane.
But was her mind on her driving? No. It was on William. Would he be glad to see her? She’d tried calling to warn him of her arrival, but there had been no answer. Hopefully, he wouldn’t take her showing up with a chocolate cake the wrong way. She steered carefully around the bend in the road. The evergreens were so thick and stretched so high it blocked out all but the smallest dapples of sunlight and most of the sky above. The world and its troubles seemed so far away, and she knew exactly why William had chosen to live here.
The evergreens gave way to a large lush clearing of land. When had she driven off the edge of the earth and into paradise?
Acres of white board fencing, picture-perfect, framed green pasture. Under the shade of a copse of maples sat an upscale stable, made of log and stone. A stable? Did that mean William had horses? She felt her pulse still when she spotted a sleek gray gelding grazing in the green paddock.
William did have horses. That came as a total surprise, but an exciting one. Okay, so there were a lot of horse owners in the world, but it seemed cool that they had this in common, too. It was always great to meet a fellow horseman, right?
She pulled to a stop in a gravelly area beside the three-car garage. Right in front of her, neatly hung from the light pole was a very large No Trespassing sign.
Oops. Well, she might not be invited, but she had legitimate business. She pocketed her keys and grabbed the bag from the front passenger seat. The minute her foot hit the ground, she took a moment to breathe in the crisp, clean mountain air and feel as if she could brush her fingertips across the iridescent blue sky. In the background, mountain peaks speared up with such force and closeness, she felt as if she could reach out and touch those craggy, amethyst peaks. There was nothing but miles of green wilderness to explore.