Crouching in front of her, he narrowed his blustery gray eyes. Uh-oh, she knew that look. He meant business, whatever business that might be.
“I like the silvery streaks.” Batting her eyes, she hoped to derail him off whatever track he’d set himself on. “They’re hot.”
He chugged ahead, anyway. “I want to know what’s going on, Haley Isabelle. You’re not answering my calls. You left your kitchen a mess, which never happens. And Beks admitted to what she said.” He rummaged in the garden tool bag and found his work gloves. Putting them on, he sat beside her and helped pull weeds. “Just tell me what’s bothering you, beautiful. I’ll not let it go until you do.”
Wally stretched out beside Haley, but she ignored his nudging for more scratches.
She took the cultivator to loosen the dirt around the base of the bush. “Well, I was a little upset about something, but I’m okeydokey now. Had a little chat with the Lord. Worked it all out.”
Wally moved over to Ethan’s side and was awarded with a half-hearted pat on his head. A disgruntled snort indicated the dog’s disappointment.
“Care to tell me what the two of you worked out?” A thin smile pulled at Ethan’s mouth.
“Not particularly.”
His smile sagged like a flattened tire. “Tell me anyway. I have a suspicion. But I want you to trust me enough to be open with me. We’re a team, remember?”
Blast him. Why’d he have to be such a persuasive cutie-patootie? She dropped the tool and turned to face him, resting her arms on his knee as she leaned forward. “Fine. I heard you and Stephen talking the other night.”
“Knew it.” He shook his head, forehead wrinkling like it often did when he grew irritated. “Listen—”
“No, it’s fine. Can I ask you something that’s probably none of my business, but I just need to know if I’m right?”
He tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear. His touch was always so gentle and full of care. “Ask away.”
“Is Stephen’s family life anything like mine? I remember you said he has a sister. A younger one, right? Didn’t she do something that ended her up in the hospital? That’s why he left you in California, right?”
“Yes. Beth tried to kill herself. Again.”
Haley’s heart lurched against her chest. “Oh man, oh man. At least Lexie hasn’t done anything as drastic. Though the scamp has fetched up enough trouble of her own.” The last escapade being swiping goods from a mall store. “What about his parents?”
“Kind of the opposite of yours. His mother is alive, but Stephen doesn’t get along with her. She caused a lot of problems for his family. He blames her for the way Beth is, and for…” He hesitated for a moment.
Haley was about to tell him he didn’t have to explain if he didn’t think he should.
Then Ethan drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Beth had overdosed on aspirin. That was the first time she tried to hurt herself. It was too much for Michael, their father. He’d also been served the divorce papers earlier in the week.
“While Beth recuperated in the hospital, Michael sent Stephen over to my house for the night. We were finishing up our senior year and excited about starting college.” He opened his eyes, and she was sure his bottom lids glistened with dampness. “That same evening, his father committed suicide. None of them have been the same since.”
Hot tears filled Haley’s eyes. No wonder that word came to her, but would compassion be enough? Seemed to her Stephen Gaines needed something else even more. He needed God in a desperate way. “Is he a believer? Like you?”
Ethan shook his head. “I think he believes there’s a God, but doesn’t feel God cares about him. He thinks church and religion are a waste of his time. Nothing I’ve ever said has made any difference.”
“So, why do you remain his friend? I also heard him laughing at some of the awful pranks he’s pulled on you.”
“Yeah. We’re both guilty of the pranks, I suppose. Unfortunately, he sank to an all-time low during those months in Hollywood. But,” He shrugged his shoulders and dropped his arms to his sides. “It’s not like he has many friends. I can’t seem—”
“You can’t abandon him.” Haley threw her arms around Ethan’s neck and hugged him tight. “Papop always said it was easy to love people who were good. Not so much those who aren’t. Though they’re the ones needing it most.”
His hands circled her waist and he pulled her onto his lap. “Wish I’d met your grandpa before he passed away. I don’t think you’ve shared one bad story about him with me. Only good.”
“You have a wonderful family, babe.” She simply adored his parents who treated her like one of their own. They had begun to fill the void in her own life. No wonder Stephen clung to the Winters so desperately.
He nodded. “We’ve both been blessed with people who love us.”
“Maybe so we can love the ones God brings us. I’ll just be like an armadiller with a tough hide. I won’t let anything he says get down in my boots.”
* * * *
Ethan hugged Haley tighter to him, wondering if he could love someone more than he loved her. Armadiller. He chuckled, remembering the first time he’d heard that word and went to Google for help only to find out she was actually talking about the little armored animal called an armadillo that populated Texas and parts of the south.
He grasped her face in his hands. “I want you to know there is absolutely nothing ridiculous about you. If you’re anything, I would call you resplendent. Refreshing….”
“Stop.” She laughed, her cheeks blushing in that cute shade of pink.
“Resourceful and remarkable.”
“I mean it, Ethan Gene. Stop.”
“And really hot!” His eyes widened, and brows shot upward.
Haley gasped and shoved him backward. He hit the ground, cushioned in the soft grass that he needed to mow. “I mean it. Stop with your teasing.” She sat on top of him, pinning down his chest with her sharp elbows until he tried to squirm from beneath her.
“I’m serious.” Laughing, he attempted to roll her off, but she was freakishly strong for such a little thing. “Hey, that hurts—”
“Your silver tongue matches your silvery hair.” She kissed the tip of his nose, then found his mouth.
He quit struggling. His hands cupped her face and kissed her soft lips back. When she pulled away, he reluctantly let her go. “I love you. Nothing anyone says will ever change that, beautiful.”
Haley slid off and curled beside him, her head resting in the crook of his arm.
Ethan grabbed his jacket, rolled it up and tucked it under his neck. He hugged her tight against his side and pressed kisses into her silky waves that smelled of jasmine and wood smoke. He could stay like this all day if their crazy-busy lives would let him.
Wally lay on his other side, his white tinged snout on Ethan’s stomach. He gave the dog’s ear a scratch. “And I love you, too, Walls.”
The dog’s tail thumped.
“That means we love our handsome Yankee.” Haley giggled. “As much as I’m enjoying this spot, I’m not getting my work done.” She started to rise when he pulled her back down.
“Not yet. Let’s stay right here and enjoy the peaceful moment while we can. Look at that sky.” He pointed up to the patch of blue showing through the budding beech trees. “We don’t get many nice days like this. Can’t we enjoy it for a short while? The weeds aren’t going anywhere.”
“But—”
“I’ve missed you. It’s been crazy since Stephen and Bekka arrived. They’ve taken up too much of my time. And you’ve been busy with all your work. I’ll stay and help you weed this last bed if you’ll relax with me a moment.”
Haley propped herself up on one elbow. The look she gave him said more than her words ever could. Her fingers traced over the hairs growing on his chin, sending tantalizing waves of pleasure through him. He could get lost in those merry blues of hers. That button nose and soft, kissable mouth. He adored everything
about her and hated how flippant his friend had acted.
Yet, instead of being angry, this wonderful woman was determined to turn the other cheek and try harder to befriend Stephen. She’d come a long way since he first met her in November. She’d been alone and struggling, not just with life, but with her faith in God and others, too.
“Kiss me,” he whispered.
She complied.
The warmth of her mouth sent his senses reeling, and when his yearning grew almost unbearable, he pulled away. “Maybe we better get to work on those weeds.”
They were both breathless and laughed at each other. Haley settled back into the crook of his arm, her hand tracing circles on his chest. “Why don’t you just go ahead and tell them the truth?”
Ethan shook his head. “We made a deal. It was your deal if I remember correctly. Besides, what Bekka doesn’t know can’t be passed on to Mom. And we both agreed that Mom shouldn’t find out.”
Haley rolled over on her back and threaded her fingers through his. “Your Ma is having so much fun planning the wedding. I don’t want to do anything to rain on her party.”
Chuckling, Ethan leaned closer and kissed her forehead. “I’ll sneak away when I can. Promise.”
“I don’t know. Just have this gut check that we should come clean with those two. But you know them better than I do.” She sat up and turned to face him. “So long as you aren’t afraid your buddy will be calling you ridiculous if he finds out.”
Ethan sat up too. “Don’t even let that thought take root, Haley Belle. I mean it. I don’t care what Stephen has to say about me. However, I do care who he might say things to. We agreed to keep this quiet. You know the rumor mill in town will go into overdrive if this gets out.”
“Good Lord Almighty, won’t they? Especially after we made such a big deal about wanting to have our ceremony during the Holiday Hoopalooza.”
“And we are still doing that. We’re fine. I doubt Stephen will stay here more than a month. He’s still part of the New York orchestra. And Bekka hasn’t said what she’ll do once she finishes the video. But I don’t think she’ll stay either. Actually, I have the feeling she wants to leave as soon as we’re done. I kind of wished she wouldn’t, though.”
Haley said nothing, but her expression left him a little perplexed.
Slipping her gloves back on, she grabbed the cultivator and scooted closer to the rose bed. “Right. Think we better get back to this. Leon will be here soon to help me get tonight’s dinner ready. I ordered more outdoor tables for the patio. Think I’ll take advantage of the nice weather and offer deck seating. I’m even thinking of hanging some lights up in the trees. Won’t that be pretty?”
“Promise you’ll not take on more than you can handle. Okay?”
She smiled and threw him a wink. Oh man, he knew what that meant. Once she set her mind on one of her grand ideas, it meant he better buckle up because he was most likely in for a wild ride.
Chapter Six
Bekka’s eyes burned from staring at the computer screen too long. She’d spent the past three days organizing the clips to match the vision she’d meticulously sketched on her storyboard. The day had already been a long one with church, and then the trip to a lakeside restaurant in the next town that Ethan’s gang wanted to try.
Though she enjoyed spending the day with her brother’s friends, the exhaustion from several nights of troubled sleep was starting to wear on her.
“I really think you need more shots of Ethan.” Stephen sat over in the sitting area of the barn, his cello propped between his knees as he tuned the strings. “He’s the main point of the video. And you shouldn’t show all of the ice queen until the very last. Can you zero in on just her footsteps? Or there—” he pushed his instrument aside and jumped off the sofa. Moving to stand behind her, he pointed at the screen. “Right there. See how she pushes away the branches? Make her hand the center of that particular shot and cut out the rest. We can tie it in with the bridge melody.”
Okay, maybe Stephen Gaines did know his stuff, but did he really have to lean against her to make his point? She nudged his rib with her shoulder and motioned for him to take a chair. He did, but she really didn’t care for that smirk on his face.
What kind of cologne was he wearing these days? A citrus scent she found a little appealing. The cologne, not him. She hated how his arm, draped over the back of her chair, sent tingles down her spine every time they touched.
“So less of Haley and more of bonehead.” She glanced down at her sketches, wondering how to make the adjustments Stephen suggested. “Got it. I will need to film a few more clips of him. Think he burned the elf outfit yet?”
Stephen laughed as he leaned back into the rolling chair next to hers. “I told them both to keep their outfits just in case we needed more footage.”
We? As if they were a team.
After their altercation the other day, Bekka expected Stephen to act sullen and angry with her. Instead, he went on as if nothing whatsoever had happened. But he was good at that, wasn’t he?
Bekka squirmed in her seat. She shifted her leg out from underneath her. Pin-prickly tingles shot up her calf, and she had to jiggle her foot to get the blood flowing again.
She never should have blasted him with such cruel words. The more she thought about her harsh accusations of his not being a good friend to Ethan, the more she realized the anger came from her own unhealed hurts. What right did she have to say such things? For the past two days, she’d wanted to apologize.
But when she’d finally summoned the nerve, he acted like all was right with the world. Men. Ethan was the same way. Sweeping unpleasant subjects under the rug and cruising over them like walking on dust.
Whenever she’d tried to ignore such things it was like stomping on cut glass. “Where is Ethan, anyway? Have you seen him tonight?”
He spun toward the stairs and called out in a voice loud enough to blow the roof off the barn. “Ethan! Get down here!”
Nothing but silence answered him. Bekka hadn’t seen her brother since returning from their lunch trip. “Didn’t he and Haley have some bookwork to take care of? Maybe he’s still with her.”
Stephen’s brows twitched suggestively. “Bookwork my… never mind.”
She turned to face him. “What are you insinuating?”
He held up his hands as if to ward off a blow. “Nothing. None of my concern what he and his girlfriend do anyway. I’m not one to cast stones.”
Bekka’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t know Ethan at all; otherwise, he’d not be suggesting what he was suggesting.
“Don’t act like you’re shocked.”
“Sounds like something you would do. Ethan and I made a pact to wait way back during youth camp. If I remember correctly, you were in on that, too.”
“Please, we were fifteen at the time.” He flicked his hands as if that should explain everything. “A bunch of gullible kids.”
“What…ever! We took it seriously.” This was not a discussion she cared to have with Mr. Player Stephen Gaines. “You’re so full of it.”
“Am I? Well, I know for a fact that he never came here to sleep the other night. He had to be somewhere. Humm, wonder… where…?”
He was just trying to start something with Ethan. And get a rise out of her. She wasn’t going to take his bait. Not this time. “I’m not interested in your assumptions. I’m exhausted, and I’m going back to my room.”
“He’s a guy, for Pete’s sake. You’ve put your brother on a pedestal.”
“And you keep trying to knock him down.” She folded her arms and turned to face him.
“Not intentionally.” He stood and walked over to the bookshelf loaded with equipment and instruction manuals. “I’ve really thought about what you said the other day, Beks. I know you think I’m scum, but it didn’t use to be that way. I didn’t use to be… I,” he shook his head and focused on the stuffed pheasant her father had brought on his last trip down. “I’ve made a lot of mis
takes. But I’m human. You know?”
She leaned back against the desk but said nothing. Was he going to continue making excuses? If so, she wasn’t sure she cared to stick around and listen to anymore.
Not much had changed. He had a simple explanation for everything. Except for why he’d moved on from her so easily, to the cute blond, as if there had never been anything between them. Barely two months had passed before he found a new girl to hang out with.
“Thing is….” Fingers running over the bird’s striped tail feathers, his pause stretched on for nearly a minute. “Thing is, I hate what I’ve become. You’re right, I’m…” His head slightly shook, and Bekka wondered if he was really struggling with his words.
She hadn’t seen him this vulnerable in years. Sucking in a deep breath, she steeled her resolve to not get sucked in again. Eventually, he’d probably crack one of those charming smiles and go on about how he was kidding.
He cleared his throat, red splotches spreading over his cheeks to his temples. “I am just like my mother. And I’m not even sure how it happened.”
Stephen Gaines was not that great of an actor. A show-off? Yeah. But not a performer.
Bekka kept her tone steady, though every stronghold she liked to hide behind trembled like a ring of gelatin. “Realization is half the battle from what I’ve heard. If you don’t like the direction you’re going, then turn around. Go in another one.”
“I need hel—”
“Not me.” She pushed away from the desk, shaking her head. No, nope, no way. She’d not get sucked in again. “Not this time, Stephen. Talk to Ethan if you need accountability. I’ll pray for you, but that’s it.” She quickly resumed gathering her equipment. Time to go. She’d not risk her heart taking another beating from him.
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she glanced out the darkened window. She’d walked over earlier while it was still daylight and didn’t really care to walk back this late at night. They’d all heard the coyotes howling in the surrounding hills. Sometimes their howls came a little too near.
Raining Fools (Madison Creek Bed & Breakfast Book 2) Page 6