“The state of Montana doesn’t give a rat’s behind about me. It’s all about rules to keep civilization civilized.” Marlon’s voice was laced with humor but underneath it had an edge.
Haley could feel his gaze and her skin grew warm as her heart beat too fast. “I’m glad you’re working things out with your family.”
“It was a girl,” Roy said.
“What?” She was confused at the sudden change of topic.
“The reason I ran away. She dumped me and wouldn’t say why. I didn’t want to face anyone. My parents blew me off. Said everyone goes through it and we all have to learn to live with disappointment. They didn’t understand.” Roy folded his arms over his chest. “But running away was immature. I’m going to talk to Whitney about it when I get home.”
“Very grown-up decision.”
“Marlon mentioned that it might be a good idea.”
It was. Darn him. She wanted him to be a jerk so she could elevate her anger to a certain level and keep out the pain. He was taking that away from her, too.
“When’s your mom coming?”
“Not long,” Roy answered. “I wanted to tell you first. Then I need to say good-bye to C.J. and the others before I go.”
Haley nodded her approval. “Good plan.”
He hesitated for a moment. “Would it be okay if I gave you a hug? I mean, Austin’s not going to break down the door and beat me up or anything, is he?”
“He’s at work. The coast is clear.” She opened her arms and he walked around the sofa into them.
“Thanks, Haley. For everything. Seriously.”
“You’re welcome.” Her throat was thick with emotion and her feelings were mixed. She was incredibly glad the program she’d started had helped him, but would miss him terribly. “You’re part of the family, kiddo. Don’t be a stranger.”
“No way.” He shook hands with Marlon, then walked out the door.
Through the big window she saw him look back and grin. He waved once and was gone. Now she was alone with Marlon and the question she’d asked just a few minutes before. Maybe he hadn’t heard or didn’t remember.
He looked at her. “I do care about you, Haley.”
Heard and remembered, she thought.
“That’s nice of you to say.”
“Nice has nothing to do with anything. It just is.”
He didn’t sound happy about that, but join the club. She wasn’t happy about her feelings either. “Anyway, thanks for all your help.”
There was an angry expression in his dark eyes when he rounded the sofa and stood in front of her. “What are you doing?”
“Saying good-bye.” It was a miracle that she kept her voice from cracking. She couldn’t show any weakness that would betray the raging emotions churning inside.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Your community service is complete.”
“Signing off on it early doesn’t mean you’re getting rid of me.”
“News flash, Marlon, you don’t live here any more.”
“About that—” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “I’m seriously considering taking the buyout offer for my company.”
And completely sever any ties he had to this town? Every part of her protested and she wondered if it was about losing even that small connection to him.
“But your business was born in Thunder Canyon,” she argued. “You’d be putting your dream in someone else’s hands. Like giving your baby away.”
“Some things are more important than business.”
“Like what?
“You.” Intensity burned in his eyes.
“I don’t understand.” Her heart was hammering and blood roared in her ears. She couldn’t possibly have heard him right.
“I’m thinking about going to work in the family construction business. Permanently settling in Thunder Canyon.”
For her? She wasn’t the sort of woman that a man gave everything up for. That just wasn’t possible. She wasn’t a woman who could be played with, either.
“Look, Marlon, I’m not sure where this is coming from. It’s out of character for you.”
“I think I know my own character pretty well, so I’m confused about your reaction.” His eyes narrowed on her.
“Then let me explain. When you checked out of the hotel in Billings the clerk called us Mr. and Mrs. Cates. Just the misunderstanding made you start to sweat. The words were barely out of his mouth and you were jumping down his throat, correcting him. That shows pretty clearly how much commitment is still not one of your strengths.” Her chin lifted. “So, I’m not sure what’s going on with you, but don’t expect me to fall into your arms. I don’t want to be someone you settle for.”
A multitude of emotions rolled through his eyes like thunderheads until anger locked into place. “I suppose I should have expected that from the status quo queen.”
She winced at the ice in his tone. “Excuse me?”
“You have an exciting opportunity, Haley. The chance to design a line of products for my company, a major national brand. It’s a chance to achieve your dream. But were you excited?” He shook his head. “I didn’t see it.”
“Because there’s a lot to consider. How can I leave my family? They count on me. And ROOTS? Who would keep it going? It’s an important program.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Thunder Canyon is my home.”
“You didn’t even discuss options. A move away might not be necessary and Thunder Canyon is just geography. Home is where you make it. And if you think staying here is about community loyalty, you’re not just lying to me this time. You’re lying to yourself.”
“Who do you think you are?” she said angrily.
“The guy who’s keeping it real. You’re a coward, Haley Anderson.” He pointed at her to underline his words. “You call it noble and everyone here thinks you have wings and a halo. But the truth is you’re afraid to leave.”
Marlon turned and his broad back was the last thing she saw before he slammed the door. His accusations ricocheted around the empty room, stirring up a host of painful memories.
She’d been brave once. She’d left Thunder Canyon and life as she’d known it came crashing down around her.
It was going to happen again even though she wasn’t the one leaving. This time Marlon was and he’d be taking her heart with him.
This time she would never be whole again.
Nell Anderson—Beloved Mother.
Haley’s eyes filled with tears and her throat was thick with emotion as she stared at the headstone in Thunder Canyon cemetery. Feelings welled up that were about losing Marlon and not the loss she’d suffered so many years ago.
Beloved Mother.
The words were deceptively simple.
“I do love you, Mom. And I miss you now more than ever,” she whispered. “I could sure use someone to talk to.”
The sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky. A perfect Montana day. She set the bright bouquet of yellow daisies, purple mums and baby’s breath on the grass. “I’m in love with Marlon Cates. Can you believe it? Sensible, practical me and Thunder Canyon’s legendary bad boy?”
A sudden gust of wind swirled around her as if Mother Nature was responding to a disclosure that turned the universe on its ear. It had definitely taken Haley by surprise. On the road behind her she heard a car door close. She felt more than heard footsteps on the grassy ground and the hair at her nape prickled with awareness. Somehow she knew it was the bad boy in question.
“Haley?”
Her heart was beating too fast when she met Marlon’s gaze. It had been a couple of days since she’d seen him. Worn jeans fit his muscular legs as if they were tailor-made for him. A black T-shirt hugged his wide chest and aviator sunglasses hid his eyes. He looked every inch worthy of his reputation, but now she knew it was nothing more than a façade. His heart was good.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I wanted to see you.”
&nb
sp; “How did you find me?”
“Ben.” He took off the glasses and hung them from the neck of his shirt and moved to stand beside her, their arms nearly brushing. “He told me you come here almost every Sunday to put flowers on your mother’s grave.”
“I do.” She looked down. “I guess the court reinstated your driver’s license.”
“I’m legal again. Got my wheels back,” he confirmed.
“And this joyride to the cemetery is to celebrate?”
“Not exactly. I needed to talk to you.”
He was leaving; she could hear it in his voice. The realization was like a physical blow. It knocked the wind out of her and hurt clear through to her soul. She desperately wanted to curl into fetal position and fold in on herself to keep the pain from spreading, but dignity trumped weakness.
“You didn’t have to come all this way outside of town to say good-bye.”
“I didn’t.” He looked sheepish. And too cute for words. “I mean, I did. I’m here. But not to say good-bye.”
Haley was confused. He had a license to leave. Why was he making this harder? “What did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to tell you that I love you, Haley. I’m in love with you.”
The direct statement knocked the wind out of her and felt like a punch to the gut, but there was no pain. Shock and awe, yes, just before disbelief crept in. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“Look, I know you’re ticked off about how I handled that situation at the hotel in Billings.” He looked down. “It was a knee-jerk reaction. Jerk being the operative word. I was still processing the fact that you’d never been with a man before and chose me to be the one. Mostly I was dealing with not deserving you.”
“So you’re here out of a sense of responsibility?” She folded her arms over her chest. “No, thanks. I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can. That’s not—” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m really messing this up. In my own defense, let me say that I’ve only recently acquired any experience talking about feelings.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Roy and I discussed his reaction to getting dumped by a girl. My comments were sensitive and reasonable.”
“You’re the expert on the male point of view,” she said wryly.
“And in the past I’d have just taken him out for a beer and called it a day.”
“He’s not old enough to drink.”
“You know what I mean. I didn’t blow off his feelings. Because now I know what love feels like. Thanks to you.”
Haley studied his expression. She’d gotten to know him really well and knew when he was teasing or when something bothered him. She could tell when he was angry, annoyed or getting his stubborn on. She was absolutely certain that he was telling her the truth.
“You really do love me.”
“Finally,” he said grinning. “I didn’t have to work that hard to convince a venture capitalist to invest in my company.” He curved his fingers around her upper arms, then pulled her close. “And you’re in love with me, too.”
Liquid heat poured through her and pooled in her belly when he touched his lips to hers. She sighed and sank into him, every nerve ending in her body doing the happy dance. Until reality set in.
Haley pulled away. “It doesn’t matter how I feel because you’re leaving.”
“Says who?” When she opened her mouth to answer, he touched a finger to her lips. “You’re wrong, Haley. Staying in Thunder Canyon wouldn’t be settling. Not if you were with me—” He hesitated, then intensity darkened his eyes. “If you were my wife, anywhere we were together would be home. It’s where the heart is and you have mine. I’ve traveled a lot but I’ve never met anyone who made me want to stay. Not until you. The most beautiful woman, inside and out, was right in my own backyard.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “You gave me back my roots.”
She glanced beside her, to her mother’s final resting place. As the word sank in she remembered the sampler. “There are but two lasting bequests we can give our children—roots and wings,” she whispered.
“Amen.”
She looked up. “You’re right about me, Marlon. I’m a lying coward and I don’t see how you could love me.”
“What?”
“I fibbed about not remembering that kiss at the football fundraiser. And I felt what was going on between us that very first day when you walked into ROOTS. It was easier to pretend not to care.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m afraid of change, afraid to go.” The breeze blew a strand of hair into her eyes and she pushed it away. “The last time I left—the only time—I lost the most important person in my life. Everything turned upside down.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He reached a hand out, but she backed away. “Okay, I’m going to say something that you already know because you told me that night at dinner in Billings. But it’s the truth and I’ll keep repeating the words until the message finally sinks in.”
“What?” she asked when he hesitated.
“Bad stuff happens. No one can control it. Not you, or me, or anyone. Losing your mom was the worst. But it had nothing to do with the fact that you weren’t here. You didn’t cause the accident just because you went away.”
His gaze was magnetic, willing what he said to sink in. And finally she allowed it through. All these years she’d been winging it, telling herself that’s what the wings part of roots and wings meant. Now she realized her mom’s lasting legacy was to not be afraid to take flight. To follow her dream wherever it took her.
Now she could let herself see that her dream was Marlon.
The weight Haley had been carrying lifted from her shoulders. Or maybe her burden felt lighter because there was another, stronger, pair of shoulders to share it.
“You’re right. So right.” Haley walked into his arms and rested her cheek on his chest. “I love you, Marlon. If what you said was an actual proposal, I would love to marry you.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said fervently. “I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you that commitment is one of my strengths.”
“I was wrong about that. You do commitment pretty darn well.” A warm feeling slid down her spine that felt a lot like the comforting touch of her mother’s hand. In her heart, Haley knew it was her mother’s approval of this man, their marriage. She looked up at him and smiled. “My mother gave me roots and you fixed my broken wings. I’ll follow you anywhere.”
Epilogue
Haley had been afraid no one would come to the grand opening of ROOTS and had never been happier to be wrong. A week after she’d accepted Marlon’s proposal, she’d managed to get everything here. Her mother’s sampler was hanging on the wall with a commemorative plaque dedicating the Nell Anderson ROOTS Teen Center to her memory.
She and Marlon looked around the crowded storefront-turned-teen center where a good portion of the Thunder Canyon community was helping themselves to cookies, brownies, coffee and punch. He hugged her, pride in his eyes. “It’s certainly an impressive turnout.”
A lot of faces she knew. One she’d just met. Dillon Traub. He was the good-looking doctor filling in for Marlon’s brother Marshall, who was taking a delayed honeymoon trip with his wife, Mia.
She leaned into Marlon and said, “I love you.”
“Of course you do.” The familiar twinkle gleamed in his eyes when he looked at her.
Marlon’s twin, Matt, moved beside them. “Rumor has it that you’re turning down the buyout offer on the company, bro.”
“Not a rumor. Fact.” He smiled proudly at her. “I’m recruiting some new designing talent to breathe life into it. We’re tightening the belt to ride out the tough economic times. Then we’ll be poised to kick some serious retail butt. Did I mention that I plan to marry the talent and make sure I’ve got her locked in for life?”
Matt nodded. “You two look happy.”
“T
here’s a good reason for that.” Haley felt all aglow, even if no one could tell and her feet hadn’t touched the ground for a week. “Marlon’s taking me to Hawaii. He wants my first time seeing the ocean to be in paradise.”
Marlon shot a warning look at his brother. “Don’t you dare say it.”
“You mean I told you so?” Matt grinned.
“What did you tell him?” Haley demanded.
“That you might be The One.”
“Well, he’s the one for me,” she said. “But not because of Hawaii. If he took me to a laundromat, I’d still be the happiest, luckiest girl on the planet.”
“Don’t you have a speech to give?” Marlon asked, before his twin could rib him unmercifully.
“Yes, I do. But it’s so loud in here, I’m not sure how to get everyone to listen.”
Marlon guided her to the far end of the room and then put his fingers to his lips. The next sound out of him was an earsplitting whistle. Conversation stopped and everyone looked at them.
“Attention, everyone,” he said. “Haley has something to say.”
She smiled her appreciation, then nervously cleared her throat. “Thanks for coming. This is an awesome turnout. A lot of you know this program has been a dream of mine ever since my mom died. Without the help of the people here in Thunder Canyon my brother, sister and I wouldn’t have made it through that awful time. This center is my way of saying thank you.”
She looked out at the smiling faces. Ben Walters was there with Linda Powell beside him. Marlon’s folks, Frank and Edie Cates, nodded approvingly. They’d given a big thumbs up to her engagement to their son. Austin and Angie were clapping. The two of them had been in touch with Roy, who, it turned out, didn’t live far away. He’d started his senior year and was doing great.
She looked up at Marlon, who smiled his encouragement. Turning back at the crowd, she said, “I have some good news and bad. Some of you already know, but for those who don’t, Marlon Cates and I are going to be married.”
The announcement was greeted by applause, whistles and cheers. She held up her left hand and wiggled the ring finger with the breathtaking diamond. Just the night before Marlon had gone down on one knee and formally popped the question, then sealed the deal with the impressive jewelry.
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