“And you're never to mention any of this to Taylor.”
Brenna stood and put her purse under her arm. “I can read, Mrs. Rothschild. Maybe I've never had the money the Rothschild’s have, but I assure you, I'm well educated. I've signed the papers, so you can get off my back!”
“You don't have to be uppity with me, miss.” Vivian stood, also. “Stop by the bank and pick up your check. I expect you out of town within the week!”
When Brenna heard the last remark, she stopped in the doorway and looked back at the malicious woman. She hated her more with every breath she took.
“What are you going to do, Mrs. Rothschild when you can't buy off Taylor's next fiancée?”
***
Brenna was older now--not as naive as she'd been then. She asked herself a thousand times if she'd done the right thing by getting out of Taylor's life. At the time, she had only seen herself as an albatross hanging around his neck, and she hadn't wanted that. Taylor deserved better.
“Hello! Hello! Is anyone there?”
“Who were you calling?” Brenna asked.
“My son, of course. This is his phone.
“If you'll wait a minute, I'll find him.”
“Is that you, Brenna Fox?” Vivian snapped out the question. But she didn't give Brenna long enough to answer before she started again. “So it's true. Perhaps you've forgotten our agreement, young lady?”
“I haven't forgotten anything, Mrs. Rothschild.”
“Then what in the hell do you think you're up to. I'll tell you one thing--”
“Wait just a minute!” Brenna's control snapped like a dry twig. “I didn't invite Taylor here. He just showed up on my doorsteps.” She attempted to explain, all the while clenching her fist by her side, thinking that she should have punched the old bag in the nose a long time ago. “What was I supposed to do? Say your mother said you can't be in the same town I'm in?”
“Well, let me spell this out for you so you don't forget.” Vivian's voice grew shrill. “If you have the slightest notion of getting Taylor back you can put that silly idea aside. How do you think he would feel when he finds that you sold him out for money? You took his love and threw it in his face,” Vivian said in a haughty tone. “When you saw those dollars your so-called love disappeared like a puff of smoke.”
“That's not true!” Brenna shouted loud enough to break the woman's eardrum. She hoped. “I did what was best for Taylor and my sister. Or so I thought.” Now she wasn't so sure. She struggled to get control of herself. “I did it for my sister and because I cared what happened to Taylor.”
Mrs. Rothschild started laughing--a cold, ugly laugh. “Taylor was making arrangements to care for your sister after you were married, but you saw that check I dangled in front of your nose and snapped it up.” Brenna heard Vivian Rothschild snap her fingers. “Like that.”
“You knew? And you never told me?” Brenna already knew the answer. The woman had put her through hell so she could have what she wanted. Had Vivian ever considered that she was hurting her only son with what she'd done? Would she stop at nothing? Brenna wouldn't be surprised if the woman took out a contract on her. “I hope you can sleep at night. But you don't have to worry about me. Taylor is engaged.”
“That's right, and we're already making the wedding plans,” Vivian quickly informed her. “You do know Carol is pregnant?”
“P--Pregnant?” Brenna's head started to spin as she clutched the desk. “B--But, Taylor never said anything.”
“He doesn't know,” Mrs. Rothschild told her. “Carol wants to wait until he comes home to surprise him.”
Taylor's mother had won again. The woman sounded so pleased that Brenna had to take some of the smugness away from her. “Carol has my sympathy for having the likes of you for a mother-in-law!”
“I don't have to listen to this. Tell my son to call me immediately.” A loud click sounded and the phone went dead.
Brenna's fingers trembled with unleashed fury as she placed the phone on the desk. A stab of pain encased her chest and her eyes burned with unshed tears at the injustice of it all.
Somebody needs to drive a stake into that woman's heart.
“Are you ready to go?” The door squeaked as Taylor entered the office. Brenna quickly slid the phone back into the briefcase, then turned, wearing an artificial smile.
“What's wrong?” He threw his coat over the chair. “My God, you're pale,” he said as he moved to Brenna's side and felt her forehead. “You're not running a fever,” he murmured, not trying to hide the concern in his voice.
Brenna attempted a half-smile then lied, “I--I bumped my foot on the desk, but it's okay now.” She wanted to cry out ... and my heart is breaking because I should be having your baby.
“See what happens when I leave you alone for a few seconds?” His tone was teasing, but his eyes were serious. “You need to be careful,” he cautioned before adding. “I believe you have a doctor's appointment in about an hour.”
“I haven't forgotten,” Brenna mumbled. She pretended to straighten some papers on her desk. “By the way, your mother called,” Brenna said in as mild-mannered a voice as she could muster. “She said for you to phone her.”
“So, she's back from her trip,” Taylor casually commented, then leaned close to Brenna as if he had a secret. “You want to know something?” Brenna nodded her head. “I've kind of enjoyed not having her under my feet. I don't know when she's going to learn that I can handle the business myself. I bet she hated the fact I'm not in the office,” he said more to himself than to Brenna as he picked up his phone and punched the number.
“Mummy dearest,” Taylor teased. “Did you have fun?” He tilted his head and listened.
Finally after several minutes without getting in a word, he said, “I'm not coming back for another week or so.” He held the phone away from his ear, and Brenna could hear his mother's shrill voice. Again he listened. “Things haven't fallen apart so far, and I'm sure they won't.”
Brenna saw Taylor's jaw tighten as he once more endured his mother's speech. “Yes, I spoke with Carol last night. You heard me, Mother. I'm the boss now and I call the shots,” Taylor said forcefully, then added in a calmer voice, “I'll talk to you next week.” He shook his head. “I will.” He put the phone up and looked at Brenna. “Mother said to give you her best.”
The bitch. Brenna seethed, but she smiled for Taylor's sake, then murmured, “That was nice of her,” she managed to say through clenched teeth.
Vivian Rothschild looked out her office window. The one thing she'd feared had happened. Taylor had found Brenna. Vivian cursed silently as she drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. She had stopped worrying after the second year when Taylor had finally gave up searching for Brenna. He had a bright future ahead of him, and Vivian had worked hard to secure his position at the bank. She'd not let him throw away his future over a woman who could never be an asset to him. Hadn't the scandal over the girl's parents been enough to prove to Taylor that she came from the wrong side of the tracks and would never fit into the social class that Taylor mingled with?
Vivian hated the girl with every breath she took. All girls turned out to be like their mothers. And Vivian would not allow Taylor to suffer any of the humiliation she knew would come in the years ahead.
Hadn’t Brenna’s mother ruined her life? Vivian had thought her marriage was perfect but it wasn’t until she found a letter in her husband’s briefcase that her perfect image tumbled to the ground. It had been six months after her husband’s death when Vivian decided to clean out her husband’s desk. She found a letter addressed to herself from him, and she couldn’t help wondering why he’d left her a letter.
Vivian remembered the blood draining from her face as she read the letter’s contents. Her husband had had a one night stand with Brenna’s mother. Vivian was furious.
She confronted Brenna’s mother a week later but the woman only confirmed the letter and said she was sorry. Sorry! That was little
conciliation, so Vivian found Brenna’s father and told him what had happened. Somebody should be punished for the indirection.
However, she never dreamed that the name would murder his family. And for that she did feel guilty, but it was something she’d learn to live with.
Vivian gasped as she felt a crushing tightness in her chest. She turned and pulled out the desk drawer and fumbled for her bottle of pills. Twisting the cap off, she popped two small pills under her tongue and waited for the relief she knew would come. Several moments passed before her discomfort eased and she could take an effortless breath.
Her heart was getting to be a damn nuisance. She hadn't told Taylor of her heart condition. There was no need to worry him because she intended to be around for a long time. She just had to see Taylor happy and married to a woman of her choosing with a family of his own, then she could retire peacefully.
She picked up the soft drink off her desk and sipped the cool liquid. There had been a sadness about Taylor that no matter how hard Vivian tried she couldn't seem to help him. Every once in awhile she wondered if she'd done the right thing. Taylor would hate her if he found out what she'd done, but she knew Brenna would never tell him because if she did, Vivian would pull out her ace card and that would send Brenna's little family down into the pits of hell.
Vivian frowned. Sometimes she wanted to feel sorry for Brenna, she was the innocent one in this whole mess. Then she shrugged. Brenna wasn't her concern.
Someone had to pay.
Brenna tried to put the phone call from her mind while they rode to the hospital. But the hateful woman's threats bubbled in her mind like stew in a cauldron sitting upon a roaring fire. Brenna wouldn't have had to leave River Run because Taylor had already planned to take care of her sister, but the scandal would have hurt him, she reminded herself. Or would it? She shook her head, knowing she lacked answers. Why think about things she couldn't change? And then there was Carol. What glimmer of hope Brenna thought she'd had just fizzled out.
She glanced at Taylor. He seemed unusually quiet, too. And she wondered what he thought. Was he thinking of his future wife? No matter. She only had a few more days with him. At least they could remain friends.
They had just entered the downtown section of Hollow Ridge when Brenna noticed a new building. “Look! What's that?” She pointed. What had been an empty lot now had a wood framed skeleton.
Taylor turned his head to the left. “Apparently your little town is growing. You know it's just a matter of time before new businesses start pouring into Hollow Ridge. Maybe it will be a famous ski resort one day.
“I hope not. I kind of like the town small and simple. Maybe it's another ski shop.”
“Unfortunately, I'm not on the gossip exchange here. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the sign says.” He reached over and patted her hand. “I'll tell you what. We'll stop on the way back,” he promised as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.
“I saw they brought your car back,” Brenna said.
‘Yep.” Taylor nodded. “But I’m getting use to his Jeep.” He turned his head and smiled at her.
He drove up to the hospital entrance and help her out then instructed Brenna to stay put while he parked the Jeep.
Taylor held the door as she hobbled through. She smiled when she passed a patient in a wheelchair with his leg in a cast up to his thigh.
“Looks like you've been skiing,” Brenna joked to the injured party.
“Actually, I was standing on the sidelines when a skier plowed into me,” he answered her before they wheeled him out the front door.
Brenna glanced at Taylor. “I guess you're not safe anywhere.”
“Now let's don't put skiing down. I bet you're out on the slopes again before the snow melts.”
“Would you like to wager some money on that?”
Taylor laughed as they were shown into the doctor's office.
“Good to see you.” Dr. Mac motioned for Brenna to sit down. “How does your foot feel?” he asked, taking her foot in his hand to examine it.
Much better than my heart, she wanted to say.
“Can you wiggle your toes?”
“Yes,” Brenna answered, then demonstrated. “But my foot itches like crazy.”
“I bet it does.” The doctor nodded, but offered no suggestions or sympathy.
“When can I get the cast off?”
Dr. Mac turned his head to the side, then looked up at her. “Oh, probably in about three weeks.”
“That long,”
“Afraid so. Your foot is healing nicely.” Dr. Mac finally said before he stood. He looked at Taylor. “I think you've been taking excellent care of our patient.”
“Thanks, doc,” Taylor answered with a grin. “It hasn't been easy.”
“I bet not.” Dr. Mac looked back at Brenna. “Now, Brenna, what I want you to do is to start putting a little weight on your foot so it will be stronger by the time we take off the plaster.”
After listening to a few other instructions, they thanked the doctor and left, then proceeded to the grocery store to buy goodies and a cake mix for Lisa's birthday and sleep over.
While Taylor filled up the grocery cart, he couldn't help thinking how much fun he was having with such simple things like grocery shopping and cooking. It was as if he'd found the meaning of life here in this little town. He felt younger than he had in years, but he had one major problem to solve his engagement to Carol. What was he going to do?
It was a question he was going to solve, but before he made that decision he needed to have a long talk with Brenna. Would she run out on him again with no explanation? Could he ever trust her? They had some old issues to work through before they could have any kind of a future. That is, if there was going to be a future.
“Are you going to stare at the cookies all day?” Brenna asked as she jabbed him in the side.
“Sorry.” Taylor blinked and stared at her. Do you love me, Brenna Fox? Why couldn't he just come out and ask her? What if they just cleared the air right here in the store?
He must have had a strange expression on his face, because Brenna asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No. I was thinking about asking you something.”
“Such as?”
He stared at her with a half-grin, deciding the grocery store wasn't the place. But the time was coming ... coming soon. “Want to get some marshmallows?” he asked.
Somehow Brenna didn't think that was what Taylor had on his mind. She knew he longed to question her. And of course she would refuse to answer, but she wanted to be able to do it so they could stay on friendly terms. She might have lost him to Carol, but Brenna still needed his friendship. She wasn't ready for any emotional scenes ... at least not yet. “That sounds good. Roasted marshmallows with fifteen young ladies.”
They went by the deli for cold cuts, and then picked up some soft drinks and they were on their way home through the frosty, snow-filled streets. What a record snowfall Sleepy Hollow had experienced this winter. Enormous snowflakes moved in slow-motion landing in big globs on the windshield until Taylor had to finally turn on the wipers.
As they drove down Main Street, Brenna remembered the building she'd wanted to see earlier. “Don't forget to stop at our new business.”
Taylor obeyed and slowed down. “I think it's a little too congested for you to get out. I'm sure they'll have a sign up before long. I'll stop right here, and you can view it from the car.”
A truck backed up in the lot next door was off-loading plywood. Brenna shivered and wondered how the workmen stood working out in the frigid air. They had built a fire in an oil drum and two men stood warming their hands.
“Look.” Brenna pointed. “What's that tall black thing?”
“Appears to be a vault. I think your little town is getting a bank,” Taylor said. “Too bad I didn't think of it myself.” A horn blew behind them and he started driving again.
“That's wonderful.” Brenna sighed. “Now I won't
have to drive forever to get my banking done.”
She stared out the window on the way home, thinking how nice it would be to have a local bank. The town had tried to get one two years ago, but it was considered a bad investment at that time because of the small population. Sleepy Hollow was growing and Brenna would love to kiss the person who decided to invest in their town. But who in the world could that be? It wasn't Taylor. He'd just said so.
Chapter Eleven
Looking out over a sea of colorful sleeping bags spread haphazardly across the floor, Brenna was glad Sleepy Hollow Inn didn't have any guests tonight for Lisa's birthday bash. Brenna had decided to close for the weekend so Lisa could enjoy her birthday family style.
And enjoy it she was, if the amount of giggling and food consumed were any indication. Brenna and Taylor had prepared a feast of junk food. Brenna stood in the kitchen doorway leaning against the door jamb as she watched the entertainment in front of her.
Taylor seemed to be having a good time. She could picture him playing with his own children. He'd have a boy with sandy blonde hair who would look just like him and of course a girl, too. Sadness and regret filled her with what she could have had. Since she wouldn't be the one having his children.
Enough day-dreaming of things that couldn't be. She only had him for a few more days and Brenna wanted these days to be happy memories.
The girls' giggling caught her attention. They played a game called Twister. Lisa stood on different colored dots and reached for whatever color the spinner called out next. And now they had Taylor playing the game with them. Brenna covered her mouth with her hand to smother a chuckle as Taylor tried to twist his body and reach for a blue spot. She hadn't realized what a big kid at heart he was until tonight when all the young ladies had voted him the life of the party.
He must have heard her laughter because he glanced up, smiled, then tumbled over and played dead with an exhausted sigh.
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