The Patriot Girl

by Toni Lynn Cloutier

  His touch was more than she could handle. The burning behind her eyes was getting harder to fight. The last thing she wanted at this moment was his sympathy. She shook him off. “Don’t ask me to do that right now, Dustin.” She touched her lips with her fingertips. Had he known about this when he kissed her? “When did you find out?”

  “About what?”

  “About me. About who I am?”

  “When I read your business card in the restaurant parking lot.”

  Something had been amiss that evening, but she would never have guessed his concern had been their shared past. At least he hadn’t known before he kissed her. She wouldn’t have been able to forgive him if he had.

  She sat. Her leg bounced with nerves and her hands shook. Her heart was about to explode.

  Distance was the best thing for them right now. She didn’t want to say anything more that she might regret.

  Her head filled with smog. Of all the people in the world she could have been tossed into the arms of during a bank robbery why did it have to be the one man she despised?

  Daddy always said things happened for a reason. Right now she couldn’t begin to try analyzing this nightmare. She had to get out of here. Collecting her belongings from the bar, she headed for the door. Fresh air and some time alone would help her to sort this out.

  Dustin captured her arm before she stepped outside. “Please don’t rip up the contract until you give this some time.”

  Looking at him right now might not be a good idea. The sadness on his face would contribute to her impending breakdown. She stared at the brass doorstop against the wall. “Goodbye, Mr. James. I’ll be in touch either way.” The door closed behind her and that was the last time she ever wanted to be near Harold Dustin James again.

  Chapter Seven

  With the endorsed contract in her bag on the passenger seat, MaKayla headed home. She’d signed on and lost her first client all in the same night. What a great way to start a business.

  She pounded the steering wheel as she pulled over to the side of the road. Her foot was shaking so much she couldn’t keep pressure on the gas pedal.

  How could Dustin know who she was, still want to do business, and assume nothing between them would change? What did he expect time would do, make what happened three years ago all go away?

  She took a deep breath then eased her car back onto the road. Dustin obviously hadn’t considered the consequences of them working together. Did he really think she could look him in the eyes and not focus on the man who took away her son’s father—the only man she had ever loved?

  Turning into her driveway, she nearly collided with the unexpected vehicle parked in her spot. What was Alex doing home? He must have caught an early movie, or had decided not to go. He was the last person she wanted to face right now.

  She dabbed the stray tears as she made her way across the concrete patio. Inhaling one last breath of cool fresh air, she went inside. He would know she was upset and right now was not the time to discuss the situation.

  She opened the front door and froze. Her blood drained to her toes.

  Tammy held onto Alex’s arm, with her head resting on his shoulder, as they walked down the stairs. The scene reminded MaKayla of the first time she and Paul had made love at the cabin. They had been inseparable for days.

  This day was inevitable. But did she have to personally witness the aftermath?

  One surprise this evening had been enough. She couldn’t handle another. Alex was growing up and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She broke eye contact with Alex’s guilt-ridden look then tossed her keys on top of the stack of mail. The last thing she wanted was a scene before he left for school. Emotionally, she was drained. She had no fight in her.

  Convincing herself she was wrong was out of the question. This incident would be discussed, but not tonight. The moment was awkward enough without pushing the issue. “Hey, you two. How was the movie?”

  The kids continued to walk down the stairs as if she had no idea of what they’d been up to. “Fine, Mom. How’d you do at the club?”

  She turned around so they couldn’t watch her swallow the painful truth lodged in her throat. Her awareness of their newfound love made her forget about Dustin for a few seconds. There was no need to tell Alex what happened. “Fine.”

  “Did he sign the contract?”

  “Yes.”

  Between Dustin’s confession and Alex’s growing up, MaKayla was really ready for a pity-party. And with Jodi and Duke out of the country, she didn’t even have Jodi’s shoulder to cry on.

  Maybe Jodi was right. Maybe she should have had ‘the talk’ with Alex sooner. All she could hope for was that neither teen would look back on this day with regret.

  God, she never missed Paul more than she did right now.

  She cleared her throat and headed upstairs. “Lock up after you leave to take Tammy home. I’m going to bed.” She’d better get to bed before this day got any worse. “Good night.”

  ****

  Alex shrugged. “Well, this is it.”

  MaKayla had promised herself she wouldn’t cry. But this was it. Once her son walked out the front door, she’d be alone. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Call me when you get there.”

  He squeezed her tightly. “I will.”

  She wasn’t ready, but she had to let him go. Holding him close to her side, she walked him to his car. “Do you have enough money?”

  “Yeah. Grandpa gave me a couple hundred the other night.” He kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry about me, Mom. I’ll be fine. I’ll be home at Christmas.”

  MaKayla fought the tears. That was still four months away. “I know. I love you.”

  Alex sat behind the wheel. “I love you.”

  When Alex’s car disappeared around the corner and out of sight, she sat on the front porch and allowed her tears to fall. Alone. Her week at the Kentucky cabin had proved to her that being alone was more of an enemy than a friend.

  How had her life gotten so complicated? She should have been packing, and she and Paul should be getting ready for their trip to Hawaii to celebrate sending their son off to college. Instead, she was sitting on her step crying like a baby because her whole world had tipped upside down.

  She walked back into the house and composed herself. This was her time to shine and prove to herself she could survive change.

  M&M Public Relations would be her new baby to nurture. Dustin might be off her client list, so now she would have to find a new place for Buck Wilson to promote his new album.

  She pulled out the yellow pages and found Charlie Peterson’s number. He had established Dalton’s only radio station several years ago and become its hottest DJ. His five o’clock segment on WCMJ had listeners from here to clear across the state.

  The station only played country music. She was sure he’d be interested in hearing about Buck’s new album. Maybe he could suggest a place to hold the autograph signing.

  With the phone nested between her ear and shoulder, MaKayla bent over to tie her sneaker. Footsteps sounded on her driveway. Walking quickly toward the window, she caught only a glimpse of the culprit now rounding the wooden fence.

  Without Alex around, her nerves were already on edge. If the third robbery gunman had been caught, she’d be fine with hearing kids cutting through her yard.

  Duke had put her on high alert, warning her to be careful. If the criminal believed she could identify him, and if he knew she lived alone, he might want to make sure she didn’t talk.

  “WCMJ radio, may I help you?”

  She jumped at the sound on the other end of the phone. “Hello. Mr. Peterson, please.”

  “He’s not in. May I take a message?”

  “Yes, my name is MaKayla Adams with M & M Public Relations. Is there a better time I could reach him?”

  “It’s hard to say. He’s a very busy man. Let me take your number and I’ll give him a message.” The woman hung up after taking the
information.

  Maybe the steak house Dustin took her to would be willing to hold a signing for Buck. Charlie Peterson could do a live location broadcast and help with promoting Steak-On Restaurant as well. If the restaurant owner were willing to sign a contract, she’d still have her two-for-one deal.

  She sat at the table brainstorming Buck’s promotion—Peterson’s show, flyers, give-a-ways.

  The mail slipping through the front door slot distracted her. She glanced up at the eleven o’clock hour on the wall clock. An occupied mind had helped to pass the time.

  She picked up the mail and flipped through each envelope. “Junk, junk, phone bill, lawyer.” She ripped open the envelope from her insurance company’s lawyer’s office.

  “Dear Mrs. Adams…medical payments…insurance.” Her heart thumped. “It’s over.” Tears welled up in her eyes and her body shook. She put her hand over her mouth to stop her lips from quivering and sat on the floor. “It’s finally over.”

  Chapter Eight

  Dustin had dropped off Melissa at Liz’s parents’ house for the morning. She wanted to spend the day with Memaw and Papaw before she left tonight on her weeklong trip to Florida with Nana and Poppy. His parents had promised to take his daughter to visit her favorite animated characters last year. Where had the days gone?

  Before his parents left, he needed to make sure he had the keys and complete instructions on taking care of the place while they were gone. He parked his car in their driveway and then climbed the five brick steps.

  “Hey, Mom.” He sat on the sofa, drummed his fingers on the cushion, and watched his mother reading a book and sipping her tea.

  She’d taught him to never let anything come between family members and he hadn’t. His work had never come between him and Liz’s relationship. A woman had never come between him and his twin sister. But would the situation he was in now come between him and his mother?

  Would she accept MaKayla if he decided to go after what he felt in his heart was the right thing? Dana had expressed many times how much of a toll his accident had taken on Vicky while he was lying in the coma.

  Now was a good time to talk to his mom about MaKayla. He needed to know how she felt about the driver who had put him through all that and if she had any negative feelings about the man’s family. Also, he could use her womanly instincts and good advice to help him figure out what MaKayla might be thinking.

  Even if he couldn’t caress MaKayla’s soft velvety skin, or kiss her sexy lips, he wanted to keep his contract and help out with her business.

  Vicky looked up and smiled. “What’s on your mind, dear?”

  He removed his Stetson and ran his fingers through his hair. “Mom, remember the woman from the club last weekend?”

  She closed her book. “The Patriot Girl?”

  He tossed his cowboy hat on the cushion as he stood, hoping that pacing the floor would make the words come out a little easier. “Yeah.” He chuckled at the nickname his family had tagged MaKayla with. “Well, I found something out about her.”

  “Oh?” Vicky scooted to the edge of her seat and placed her teacup on the table in front of her. “Honey, what is it?”

  He looked down at her. “She’s Paul Adams’ widow, Mom.” He grunted a laugh at her wide eyes and gaped mouth.

  “Oh, Dustin, honey. Does she know who you are?”

  He popped a purple lollipop from the candy dish into his mouth then sat down. He nodded as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, she does now.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “Well, she does PR work. I met with her to discuss generating some business for the club before I realized who she was. I signed a contract with her Friday, but now I’m not sure she wants to keep the agreement. It’s not that I blame her, but I don’t understand why we can’t work together on this business proposition.”

  “Does she blame you? For Paul’s death?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, she does.”

  Vicky sat beside him. “Honey, the accident wasn’t anybody’s fault.”

  “I know that, but I don’t think she does.” Not after the beating his chest had taken.

  Somehow she held him responsible for not watching out for other drivers running through red lights. Of course if he hadn’t been behind the wheel, Paul wouldn’t have hit him. But until his memory came back, he wouldn’t know why he was in that section of town or where he’d been headed.

  “It’s not easy for me either, Mom, but you and Dana are right. I can’t live in the past anymore. I settled with the insurance company after I met MaKayla, but before I knew who she was. I realized it was time to move on…and now this.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair again. Never before had a woman given him feelings beyond words. It was kind of how he thought he would feel if he’d hit the lottery, and then lost his ticket.

  “So you like this Patriot Girl?”

  “MaKayla. Yes, she’d be great for the club.”

  “I’m not talking about her business skills. You said after you met her you closed the case. You’re attracted to her, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.” Attracted was an understatement. He’d never been so excited to be in the company of a woman before. Not many people had the ability to brighten a room with their smile the way MaKayla could. “I know she’ll never go for dating the man she blames for her husband’s death. She’s too loyal. If I’m right about her, she’ll feel too guilty.”

  “Under the circumstances, she needs to feel as though she can have both of you without having to choose. She lost her husband in a car accident you were involved in. She feels she has to blame someone. Losing Liz was an act of God. You have no one to blame, you know that. And I know you’ll never forget her.”

  “No. She gave me Melissa.”

  Vicky patted his hand. “As long as you can accept Paul being part of who MaKayla is, dear, you two can get past this. Be patient. Don’t give up. Good things are always worth waiting for.”

  “So you’d be okay with me having her around?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

  Dustin shrugged. “I know how hard it was for you when I was in the hospital. I wasn’t sure how you felt about Paul and his family.”

  Vicky waved her hand. “My worries had nothing to do with who was involved—I worried about you kids when you got a splinter. You go talk to her and straighten things out.”

  “I don’t know what to say. ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t cut it.”

  “Give her time. Has she backed out of the contract yet?”

  He crossed his fingers. “Not yet. It’s been two days, and she still hasn’t contacted me. No news is good news, right?”

  ****

  MaKayla needed to get out of the house this morning. Alex had been gone twenty-four hours and already she couldn’t handle the silence.

  She wiped her feet on the rubber mat outside her parents’ home. The screen door slammed shut behind her as she stepped into the kitchen. Sobbing was coming from the sink area.

  “Mother?” Something clattered onto the floor. She dashed around the counter and helped Peggy pick up the dropped knife. Her mother’s red swollen eyes took her aback. She’d never seen her mother cry, never even knew the woman was capable of doing so. “What’s wrong? Is Daddy okay?”

  Peggy stood and lifted the corner of her flowered apron to wipe her eyes. “Daddy’s in the living room. I’m okay. No need to make a fuss.”

  Her mother was chopping walnuts on the counter, not onions, so her tears couldn’t be blamed on cooking.

  She turned to ignore the problem in the manner her mother always had. MaKayla had always resented her mother’s emotional unavailability. That was one reason why she and Paul had always made sure Alex shared what was on his mind with them.

  If her mother wanted to be stubborn and not talk, fine, but she at least had to try to find out what was wrong. She turned back around. “Mother, tell me. Why are you so upset?”

 
Peggy tossed the dirty knife into the sink. “It’s nothing.”

  MaKayla flashed back to the ugly feeling of being alone when, as a teenager, Kevin had dumped her for another girl. Her father had been away on a business trip and her mother’s insensitivity had been more crushing than the breakup. Jodi had been the one to hold her and convince her she didn’t need some stupid football player. One day she would find a real man who would love her.

  Sixteen or sixty, everyone needed comfort at a time of grief. She couldn’t leave her mother alone in her time of need.

  She turned her mother around to face her. “Why are you crying, Mother?”

  “Oh, honey, it’s silly.” Peggy wrapped her arms around MaKayla’s neck and sobbed. “I did love him you know.”

  Love whom? MaKayla didn’t know what to do with her arms. She’d never held her mother before. She placed one hand on her mother’s back and the other on the counter beside her. “Who did you love?”

  Peggy stepped back and wiped her eyes. “Rainbow. He passed away this morning.”

  Had she heard her mother correctly? She was crying over the death of a bird? The woman had never cried when a human passed away. She would never figure out her mother, so why start now?

  “I’m sorry.” She rested her mother’s head on her shoulder. It was about time the woman showed her family she was human after all. “I thought you hated that bird.”

  Peggy stepped back. “I never hated him. He kept me company when Daddy went golfing. I might have yelled at him a few times, but that’s how we communicated.”

  MaKayla enjoyed seeing that her mother had a heart after all. Where had it been when she was growing up? She handed her mother a tissue from the box beside her. “I didn’t know you’d become attached to him. You were always throwing a towel over his cage.”

  “That was our little game.” Peggy dabbed her eyes then tucked the tissue inside her apron pocket. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, young lady.”

  “That’s because you never let me get close to you.” MaKayla stole an unchopped walnut off the counter and took a bite.