This time it was Annie’s turn to sit next to Caroline and grab her hand. “Jace is one of the finest men I know and you are his match in every way. I can’t imagine either of you with someone else.”
“And you are the best thing that’s ever happened to Heath, outside of Trey and Cassie. If he doesn’t see that yet, give him time, he will. He’s a bright guy and he’s not about to spend his life with any woman who isn’t totally devoted to him. It doesn’t take a genius to see how devoted you are to Heath. He just needs time to figure it out.”
Annie listened. Caroline had always provided good counsel and sound advice.
If she loved Heath, she should fight for him, as Caroline had done years ago when Jace had strayed. It had broken her heart, almost destroyed their marriage, yet she’d fought for him, and in the end, over the following years, they’d become stronger than ever. Pushing Heath away now would serve no purpose except to drive a wedge between two people who’d already forged a powerful friendship.
“You’re right. I do love him, but I won’t wait and watch his relationship with Diana grow. I will do my best to still be a friend, but it won’t be like before—it can’t be.”
“That’s all anyone can expect. I do think you’ll find that in the end, it will be worth it.”
“I hope you’re right, Caroline. I truly do.”
~~~~~
Chapter Nine
“Come in, Annie, and Merry Christmas,” Jace leaned over and kissed her cheek then extended his hand to Jake Davison, the man everyone had heard Annie was dating. He was a businessman from Denver who’d met Annie years before when Kit was alive.
“You must be Jake. I’m Jace MacLaren.”
Jace took their coats and ushered them into the great room that combined a living room with a family room. It looked into the kitchen and dining room, making for one big entertaining area. The room was filled with people, most that Annie knew. She introduced Jake, grabbed cocktails for each of them, then led him around the giant kitchen island to find Caroline.
They hugged then Annie turned to Jake. “Caroline this is Jake Davison. Jake, I’d like you to meet a close friend, Caroline MacLaren.”
“I’ve heard so much about you, Caroline, that I feel like I know you,” Jake commented.
“Same here, Jake. I’m glad you were in town during the party so that I could meet you. Annie told me you don’t get to Fire Mountain often.”
“No, only since I’ve become reacquainted with Annie. But I do go to Phoenix every few weeks on business.”
“Well, we’re only a couple of hours away, so we expect to see more of you.”
“Hello, Annie.” Everyone turned at the deep voice. Heath stood a few feet away, a beautiful woman holding his arm.
“Hello, Heath. Merry Christmas.” Annie turned on her brightest smile, hoping the pain she felt at seeing him for the first time in weeks wasn’t apparent. She turned to Jake. “This is Jake Davison.”
The men exchanged handshakes.
“Annie and Jake, this is Diana Clements.”
“Pleased to meet you, Diana,” Jake said.
“Hello, Diana. It’s good to meet you.” Annie extended her hand. Diana’s was cold, like ice even though the room was warm.
Caroline watched Annie struggle. She knew her friend had only spoken with Heath a few times on the phone, and seen him just once, at a board meeting, since he’d told her about Diana. What Caroline also knew was that her brother-in-law was struggling as much as Annie.
“May I get you a refill, Annie?” Jake asked and took the glass from her hand. “Diana, may I get one for you also?”
“I’d love another drink. In fact, I’ll come with you,” Diana let loose of Heath and linked her arm through Jake’s.
“I need to make sure the cook is still setting out fresh food,” Caroline said and left the two to themselves.
Heath stared at Annie. She looked incredible. Her blond hair was straight, the way she wore it when it wasn’t in a ponytail. She’d done something with her makeup that made her glow and her eyes look huge and round. Her red dress fell off her shoulders and she wore a striking ruby necklace set in gold that rested between her breasts. Heat rose to his face and he felt himself harden. Both feelings, connected with Annie, were a complete surprise.
“You look stunning tonight,” he choked out, his voice thick.
“Thank you. You look pretty magnificent yourself.” And he did in his black tuxedo with cobalt blue shirt and matching tie.
“I heard you’ve been dating.”
“Yes. Jake called a few weeks ago. He drove from Phoenix a couple of times to have dinner with me. I met him when I was married to Kit.”
Heath didn’t want details and didn’t want to hear anything about a man who was dating Annie. Is she sleeping with him?
“Does he stay in Fire Mountain when he comes?” Heath regretted the obvious meaning of his question immediately.
“No. It’s not like you and Diana. Not yet at least.”
The image of Annie in bed with Jake caused an immediate and sharp pain in the area of Heath’s heart. He knew in an instant that the only man who should make love to Annie was him, no one else. Why haven’t I realized this before now?
“I’d better find Jake, make sure he’s comfortable his first time around this crowd.”
“Wait, Annie,” Heath settled a hand on her arm, stopping her. She looked down then up at him.
“Have coffee with me,” he dropped his hand. “We haven’t talked in a long time other than the last board meeting and that was all foundation business. There’s so much I want to tell you.”
She wanted to but couldn’t get past the thought that what he wanted was to tell her he’d decided to marry Diana. She just didn’t want to hear it while at the same time knowing she had to try to bridge the gap between them. Heath would never be hers in the way she wanted but perhaps they could still have some form of friendship.
“All right but after the holidays. I leave for California in two days to visit the family in San Juan Capistrano and won’t be back here until after the first of the year. I’ll call you when I get back, I promise.”
“All right. Promise accepted.”
Annie did call Heath just after the New Year and left a message. He didn’t respond.
******
Mid-February
Annie grabbed the phone while sliding into her high heels. She knew it had to be Caroline, confirming once more that she would be attending the charity dance that evening.
“Hi Annie, it’s Caroline.”
“Hi, Caroline. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to know what time you’ll be arriving tonight. Are you coming with Jake?”
“No, Jake’s in Denver. I’m coming alone. I’ll be leaving here in about thirty minutes.”
“Good. I’ll meet you at the registration table.” Caroline sounded breathless, a little edgy, which was uncommon for her.
“No need. I can sign in then find the table.”
“I’d rather meet you. We need to talk.”
Something was definitely up. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”
“Call me as soon as you park the car.”
“Fine. See you in a bit.” Annie hung up and wondered what was going on to cause Caroline to push so hard to meet her in the lobby and not inside. She most likely needed Annie to run interference for someone or agree to be seated at another table. Whatever it was Annie was certain it wasn’t as big a deal as Caroline made it out to be.
Thirty-five minutes later Annie pulled into the lot, parked her car, and reached for the cell phone.
“Okay, I’m here.”
“Great. I’ll meet you in five minutes.”
Annie checked in, then waited. Five minutes passed without Caroline walking through the ballroom doors. She waited a few more minutes then decided to forge ahead. Whatever Caroline had to tell her couldn’t be that big of a deal. The door to the ballroom flew open and Caroline stepped through.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Annie asked.
“Heath’s inside. He’ll be sitting next to you at dinner.”
Annie stared at Caroline, not believing what she’d heard. She had done what she’d promised and called Heath as soon as she’d returned after January first. He hadn’t responded. She even tried a second time a couple of weeks later. Still nothing from Heath. It was obvious that he’d decided their friendship wasn’t worth continuing.
She’d heard from Caroline that he and Diana had planned to spend a week in the Caribbean in January, then a ski trip to Colorado in early February. It was now late February. It had become clear to Annie that although her friend’s advice had been well-intentioned, she’d been wrong. The reality that he truly was lost to her hurt, more so than she cared to accept, even after all these months.
The truth was, she’d never be the type of woman that caught his attention as anyone more than a friend, someone to spend time with when no one else was available. Plus, age was a factor. It was for many men. She’d always be older than him. Annie had accepted that those two qualities were more important than all the friendship, devotion, or love she could provide. He simply did not see her as his type of woman. She’d been relegated to some in-between land, not a woman but not a man. A buddy that fit neither gender.
“I’ll find another seat. I’m certain you can locate a single woman who’d be thrilled to sit next to him.”
“Annie, he asked to sit next to you.”
The request was a surprise but didn’t change her mind. “No.”
“Please, just listen to me.”
“No, Caroline, not this time. I’m not interested in spending a full evening with him. Absolutely not. I’ll drive home first.”
“He’s solo tonight. I think something happened with Diana, but he won’t talk to me. Maybe he’ll talk to you about it.”
“Look, I’m not interested in what happened with Diana, why he’s here alone, or why he asked to sit next to me. I just don’t care anymore. I’ll look for another seat and if none is available, I’ll go home. It’s that simple.” Annie stood her ground. Her words weren’t harsh, but this was something which was non-negotiable for her. Heath was out of her life and would stay out. Period.
Caroline stared at her friend. She’d been afraid this was the response she’d get, but hoped otherwise. She walked to the registration table, picked up the seating chart, and studied it, looking for single seats.
“There’s nothing. The seat at our table is the last one.”
“Don’t worry about it, Caroline.” She reached over and hugged her friend. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Have a wonderful time.” Annie slipped back into her coat and turned toward the exit.
“Annie, please, just wait,” Caroline called but Annie had already walked through the outside door.
All the way to the car Annie berated herself for being such a coward and felt bad about leaving Caroline to make excuses. Heath had made a decision months ago to pursue a real relationship and he’d chosen Diana. He hadn’t known how Annie felt but it wouldn’t have mattered if he did. The feelings were one sided, no matter how Annie wished it otherwise.
A foundation board meeting was held in January, but Heath had called in rather than come home from his vacation. The same had happened in February. He was scheduled to be in town for the March meeting. Annie felt certain there’d be no problem continuing her involvement with the foundation. Her feelings would be under control by then.
She drove home, threw her purse on the sofa, and hung up the heavy coat before walking to the sideboard and pulling down the bottle of Maccallan. She poured a small amount into a glass then settled onto the sofa.
Annie hadn’t been sure about attending the fundraiser again this year. She’d sent a donation plus the dinner fee, but the whole time juggled the expectation to attend against her desire to avoid the event. Caroline had told her Heath would be attending with Diana, so it wasn’t as if it was a surprise. But the tightness in her chest, her inability to take a breath when she heard Heath had come solo did surprise her. Her body’s strong reaction took precedence over common sense and she’d run.
When he hadn’t returned her calls, Annie had resolved to move on, make other friends, and be open to dating beyond the few dinners she’d shared with Jake. She felt good about where she was and had no intention of backsliding by forcing herself to sit next to Heath, listening to him rave about Diana, and make excuses as to why he’d never returned her calls.
She dated Jake when he was in town and had gone to lunch and dinner with a doctor who’d moved to Fire Mountain over the summer. Annie had met him through Caroline in November.
Barry Newcastle was a good-looking man, divorced, with older children, and a growing practice in orthopedic medicine. She’d had dinner with him a couple of times and was supposed to see him again the following week. Annie liked him, more than she’d anticipated. Barry made her laugh with stories about his training in orthopedics as well as how some people came to be injured. She was looking forward to getting to know him better. Her focus was on the present, not the past, and definitely not on the oldest MacLaren.
~~~~~
Chapter Ten
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Jace had come up beside him to stand near a bar at one end of the ballroom.
“One beer and a Jameson on the rocks,” Heath told the bartender. He handed the beer to Jace and kept the whiskey for himself. “This isn’t a short discussion.”
“Caroline’s off talking to donors, now is as good a time as any.”
The two men walked back to their deserted table. It was close to eleven. Jace, Caroline, and Heath were the only remaining members of their table. Heath looked around the room to see perhaps fifty guests still present, most had left.
“I broke things off with Diana several weeks ago.”
The announcement caught Jace by surprise. “You never said anything.”
Heath sat back in his chair, holding his glass but not drinking. He looked at his younger brother not knowing how much to say. “It wasn’t a hard decision and I felt nothing when I walked away. Not a damn thing.” This time he did take a long swallow.
Jace watched confusion then resignation play over Heath’s face. It wasn’t a secret that he’d never loved his wife, Pamela. He’d told Jace more than once that he’d come to believe that falling in love with a woman was something he had no idea how to do. Jace had found it humorous that a man who could accomplish anything he set his mind to had accepted so easily the concept that love was out of his reach. Even as it was apparent to all how much he loved his children and the other members of the family. The disconnect was obvious to everyone but Heath.
“Yet not being with Annie was a different loss altogether, right?”
Heath’s head swung toward Jace and he stared into his brother’s eyes. “Yeah, it was.”
The two sat in silence as they watched three couples on the dance floor. It was a slow song, the last of the evening. Jace noticed Caroline on the other side of the room speaking with Seth Garner, then moving to another couple. God he loved that woman.
“Does Annie know?”
“That I called it off with Diana?”
“No. That you love her.”
It had hit him like a firestorm the night Jace and Caroline had their Christmas party. Heath couldn’t take his eyes off Annie, wanted to tell Jake that she belonged to him, not some Denver businessman with no roots in Fire Mountain. He was glad when Diana took Jake’s arm and left for another drink. He’d hoped the time alone with Annie would help close the gap that had developed between them, but they’d spoken little, then she’d walked away. The instant feeling of emptiness was like a black hole without a bottom.
He’d forced himself to say nothing to Diana until after the New Year’s Eve party her company hosted in Phoenix. After the holidays he couldn’t delay the discussion any longer. She took the news well. He’d had the feeling Diana had come to the sam
e conclusion—there’d never be more than what they already had.
Heath had canceled their planned vacations, but instead of letting the family know, he decided to slip off to his cabin in the mountains a couple of hours northeast of Fire Mountain. He focused on work, spent his evenings alone, and plotted on how to get Annie back in his life, permanently.
“I’m not certain I do love her,” Heath finally replied.
Jace set his empty beer glass on the table and clasped a hand on Heath’s shoulder. “You’re so smitten with Annie that you can’t think straight. You’ve been running from it long enough. She’s a great woman, perfect for you, and if I’m not mistaken, she’s as in love with you as you are with her. Stop wasting time and figure out how you’re going to get past the last few months.” Jace stood and grabbed Caroline’s purse from the table. “I’m going to find my wife and take her home. Then I’m going to spend the next few hours showing her how much she means to me. Just call if you need any advice.”
Heath chuckled. “Get the hell out of here and take your gorgeous woman home.”
His eyes followed Jace as he made his way to where Caroline stood, saying goodbye to some of the last guests. Jace set his hands on her shoulders, whispered something in her ear then placed a kiss on her neck. Caroline shifted toward him and smiled, then turned to wave at Heath before sliding her arm through her husband’s and walking out.
“How could I have missed what everyone else seems to have figured out,” Heath muttered to himself.
******
It was late March, five weeks after the fund raiser, and Heath was buried in expansion of the retail property in Phoenix. He’d fielded calls all day from agents interested in representing MacLaren Properties to prospective tenants, investors interested in other projects, and calls from his management team at MacLaren Cattle. Taking a break, he tossed his pen on the desk, sat back, and linked his hands behind his head.
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