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“Yeah, we did. Maybe this time we can handle it better.”
He turned and walked away, knowing he was lying through his teeth. When it came to Paige Keenan, friendship wasn’t all he had in mind.
The next morning, Paige woke up about eight o’clock, and made it into the bathroom before she got sick to her stomach. Luckily the family had gone downstairs and she was alone. How would she explain puking her guts out?
Paige showered and dressed in a pair of worn jeans, but had to leave the top button undone. While she put on a pale pink blouse she was unable to stop thinking about Reed. It would be such a bad idea to get involved with him, especially in her condition.
She was vulnerable, and could so easily lean on Reed. And that wouldn’t be fair to either of them, even though he had suggested they could be friends again.
Paige smiled. In grammar school she could be friends with him, but now, the man was too good-looking and sexy not to stir her hormones. Any woman’s hormones. No, she needed to stay as clear of Sheriff Reed Larkin as possible. Of course until the wedding was over, that wouldn’t be easy.
She arrived in the kitchen to find her mother.
“Good morning,” Claire said and kissed her daughter on the cheek. “How about some breakfast?”
No way. “Maybe some toast and juice.”
Her mother put a cup of coffee in front of her. Of course Paige couldn’t have caffeine during her pregnancy. “I think I’ll pass on the coffee. I’m trying to cut back.”
“Good. Your job is so stressful that you don’t need it.”
Paige took her place at the table and her mother brought the toast over and sat across from her. “So what are your plans for today?” Claire asked.
“Nothing until this afternoon when we go shopping for our bridesmaids’ dresses. Until then I could help you here at the Inn.”
Her mother patted her hand. “You’re not here to work. You need this vacation.”
“I don’t mind,” Paige said, needing something to fill her time.
“I have an idea,” her mother said. “I’m going out to the nursing home to see Sally. You could come along.”
Visit Reed’s mother? That wasn’t a way to stay uninvolved. “Sure.” Paige finished with her toast and cleared away the dishes.
The Shady Haven Convalescent Home was about twenty minutes outside of Destiny. It was a fairly new facility with manicured grounds and the mountains as a backdrop. With its brick trim and red cedar singles the two-story building didn’t look like a nursing home, but more like a retreat.
Paige doubted that Sally Larkin could afford this place on her own. Reed had to be paying a lot of the bill.
Claire and Paige walked though the double doors and notice the inside was just as impressive as the outside. A reception area was arranged around a fireplace, and gleaming hardwood floors. In an adjoining room, Paige could see several patients in wheelchairs, sitting at tables, playing cards and other board games.
Her mother approached the front desk. “We’re here to see Sally Larkin.”
An older woman with short gray hair smiled. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Keenan. Sally looks forward to your visits.” She turned to Paige. “Is this one of your daughters?”
Claire nodded. “Yes, this is Paige. She’s visiting for a few weeks.”
“Hello, Paige. I’m Karen. I guess you could call me the social director around here.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Paige told her. “You have a lovely facility.”
“Thank you. Our first concern is our residents.” She stood and came around the desk, then motioned for them to follow her down a wide corridor. “Sally finished her physical therapy about an hour ago. She’s doing very well. And she doesn’t have anything scheduled until after lunch, so this is a perfect time for a visit.”
They passed several rooms on the main floor. Most doors were open, revealing accommodations that looked more like mini apartments than hospital rooms. There was nothing generic about this nursing home.
At the end of the hall, Karen knocked on a door, then opened it. “Sally, you have some visitors,” Karen said as she opened the door wider to reveal a small woman sitting in a wheelchair.
Sally Larkin wasn’t as old as Claire Keenan, but the hard years, and a debilitating stroke had taken a toll. When she saw Claire and Paige, Sally’s eyes lit up bringing back memories of the last time Paige seen Sally. Hers and Reed’s graduation day.
Paige touched her hand. “You remember me, Sally?”
“Y…yes…” Tears formed in Sally’s eyes.
“I hope you don’t mind me just showing up.”
The woman squeezed Paige’s hand. “Wel…come.” She struggled with the word. “P…Paige.”
“Thank you, Sally. It’s so good to see you.” She hugged the frail woman, then looked into those eyes that reminded her so much of her son’s. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Claire joined the conversation. “Sally has improved a lot in the past year. She’s talking again.” Her mother smiled. “I’m glad my friend is back and we can share things. We’re hoping she’ll be able to come to Leah’s wedding.”
Due to the stroke, Sally’s smile was crooked, but she was obviously pleased. “Doc…doctor said o…okay.”
“That’s great news,” Claire said and looked at her daughter. “The facility has special vans and attendants that can take her where she wants to go.”
“Who’s taking who where?”
All three women turned to the door and found Reed. He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a burgundy polo shirt.
“Hi, Reed,” Claire said and went to him. “The doctor said your mother can come to Leah’s wedding. Isn’t that great?”
He grinned. “Yes, it’s great.” He crossed the room and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Maybe we should get you a new dress.”
Sally frowned and shook her head.
“Oh, Sally, you shouldn’t turn him down,” Paige said.
Her eyes locked with Reed’s, and once again, she was transported back in time to when they were sixteen. He’d driven her to Durango to look for a dress for the prom. She was going with another boy. That had been when he confessed about his feelings for her. He wanted more than friendship.
“We should go,” Claire said, breaking through her reverie. “We need to meet Leah for wedding shopping.”
Paige patted Sally’s hand. “It was good to see you again, Sally.”
“C…come back.”
“I will.” Paige smiled, then looked at Reed to see he was pleased she’d come, too. She walked out of the room and he followed her.
“Paige, thank you for coming by today. Mom loved it. I appreciated it, too.”
“It was no trouble at all.”
His gaze refused to release its hold. “How are you feeling?”
Her mother had already reached the reception area and was out of earshot. “Better. This morning was a little rough. But I’m good now,” Paige said.
He stuffed his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “You look terrific.”
A shiver went through her. She didn’t want to analyze her reaction to the compliment. “I should go.”
“Oh, I got the name of the doctor.” He pulled a card out of his pocket. “KimberlyYork. Jodi said she’s the best.”
Paige glanced down the hall again to make sure her mother was out of earshot. The business card actually belonged to Reed with his private phone number. The doctor’s number was written on the back. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll call and make an appointment.”
“If you need someone to drive you let me know.”
His offer was so thoughtful she suddenly had the urge to cry. She had to leave. “Thank you, again. I better go.”
When she made her way to the reception area, she found her mother talking with a thin man seated in a wheelchair. He was bent over, with sparse white hair that stood out around his head. His face was weathered and lined with age. She blinked and studied the man closely. It had to be…old Billy Hutchinson.
Memories came flooding back to her. All the trouble he’d caused the Larkin family. And worse. Billy’s manipulation had change the course of her and Reed’s life. It was wrong, no matter if the cause had been a good one. But most of all, she’d always regret the lie…and losing Reed.
She approached them. “Mother…”
Claire turned and smiled. “There you are. Billy, you remember my middle daughter, Paige. She works in Denver now. She’s a lawyer.”
Paige swallowed her nervousness. It had been a long time since she’d seen or talked to this man. She wasn’t eager to now. “Hello, Mr. Hutchinson.”
“Bah, lawyers…they’re all crooks. Give ’em a chance, they steal ya blind.” He peered at her. “Why, you’re that gal who hung around with that Larkin boy.”
Paige’s heart pounded. “That was a long time ago.”
“Everything was a long time ago.” He waved a crippled finger at her. “You should stay away from those Larkins. They’re no good.”
After all this time Paige didn’t want to rehash this, especially not with Reed just down the hall.
“You shouldn’t upset yourself, Billy,” her mother said. “That’s all in the past.”
Abruptly the man’s agitation turned to sadness. “No, we can’t change the past.” His hazel eyes filled with tears. “Can’t change a dang thing…what’s done is done.” He slumped deeper into his chair. “I didn’t mean to…” He looked pleadingly at Paige. “It was an accident.”
“What accident?” Paige asked.
He choked on the next word. “Mick…”
The lawyer in her couldn’t stop asking more. “What about Mick?”
It was as if a curtain fell as she watched Billy’s expression go blank. He stared off into space, not hearing them any longer.
Her mother stroked the old man’s arm. “Billy has Alzheimer’s. He’s been here for the last year. There are days when he talks, then there are days when he just sits here.” Claire sighed. “Billy has talked more with you today than he has in a very long time.”
The attendant arrived and took charge of Billy, pushing his wheelchair down the hall. Paige stared after them recalling the old man’s words. “Mom, what did Billy mean about an accident?”
“I’m not sure,” her mother answered as they walked toward the door. “Billy rambles a lot. It could have been something that happened years ago, or recently.”
Paige knew that Billy Hutchinson had an interest in several silver mines in the area. And it was a fact that he hadn’t always been fair about his business dealings.
“Not only had the Hutchinson family founded Destiny, but they’ve been pretty forceful in their efforts to control it,” Claire said. “Maybe in Billy’s advanced years, he wants to atone for his sins.”
Paige wasn’t the optimist her mother was; she knew the man was a schemer, because she had gotten talked into one of them. For ten years no one had ever known Paige’s connection to Billy. And she wanted to keep it that way. She couldn’t see the man again.
But all the way home old Billy’s words bothered her. Was there more to his ramblings? The word “accident” kept nagging at her brain. Could Reed’s suspicions be truth? Could Billy Hutchinson know more about what really happened the night Mick Larkin disappeared than he previously admitted?
Five hours later, the four exhausted Keenan women, Claire, Morgan, Paige and Leah, collapsed into the chairs at Francisco’s Cantina in Durango. Numerous bags pushed under the table were the result of their shopping labors.
Leah smiled brightly. “Did I tell you this is where Holt brought me on our first date?”
“Yes,” the other three women said in unison.
Leah pouted and her mother patted her hand. “It’s okay, honey, we’re just teasing you. We love hearing about it all. You’ve found a wonderful man and you’re going to be married soon. You should be beaming with happiness.”
Tears filled Leah’s eyes. “Oh, Mom, it’s just that I’m so happy. I love Holt so much.”
Paige had to turn away. She was glad for her sister, but another side of her envied Leah’s happiness. It was something she would never have with her baby’s father.
Paige released a long breath as she picked up the menu and scanned it. That didn’t mean she couldn’t make a good life for her and her child. She didn’t need a man to make a living. She was determined to give her baby enough love to make up for his or her father’s absence. And it was time she started.
Paige closed the menu and placed it on the table. “I have an announcement, too,” she said, drawing the three women’s eager attention. “I’ve decided not to return to my job in Denver. I want to open a law office here…in Destiny.”
“Oh, Paige…that’s wonderful.” Leah jumped up, pulled Paige to her feet and hugged her. “We’ll all be living here.”
Paige caught Morgan’s smile, too. “We’re glad to have you back home. So you’re going to take the storefront in the town square?”
Morgan and Claire exchanged a look. “You knew about this?” she asked.
Paige held up a hand. “When I talked with Morgan yesterday I hadn’t decided yet.” She turned to Leah. “I kept quiet because I didn’t want anything to overshadow your wedding.”
“Oh, Paige. I don’t care. I’m just so happy you’re moving back.”
Paige felt relieved to have shared at least part of her news. “I know. I’ve missed the family so much.”And I’m going to need all of you when the baby comes, she cried silently.
“We’ve all missed you,” her mother said as she squeezed Paige’s hand. “Your father is going to be so happy.”
“What am I going to be happy about?”
They all turned to see Tim Keenan approaching the table. The big man was dressed in a dark blue sport shirt and taupe colored trousers.
Claire slipped her arm around her husband’s waist. “Tim, Paige has some wonderful news.”
Holt walked up behind Tim and went to his excited bride-to-be then hugged her. “What news?” he echoed.
Paige felt herself blush at the attention. She hated that she hadn’t told her family the entire story. Before she could say anything, another man approached the table. Reed Larkin. He was wearing a wine-colored shirt with dark trousers. She’d had no idea he was going to be here, but she was suddenly glad.
