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“Is it so hard to believe I missed you?”
“It’s hard to believe you haven’t been to see me in two years,” Ruth answered, her gaze shrewd.
She could believe her husband who’d been dead for over fifteen years was coming home yet still intuit that Liam was hiding something from her. Liam had to respect the way her mind still worked. He also had to come up with another reason to stay in town so he could get to the bottom of what was happening with her money. “I’m working on my own software company—it’s a new type of GPS technology for outdoor activities. It’s called LifeMap. Besides wanting to see you, I’m looking at basing the company in Crimson. I know how much you love this town and I thought it would make you happy if I could give a boost to the local economy.”
She studied him for a moment, then reached out and wrapped her veined hand around his. “I like the sound of that. You’re a good boy, Liam. Much better than either of your parents. I raised your father, just like I raised you. And I certainly raised him to do better than that gold-digging mother of yours. She always resented me because I knew how to take care of you better than she did. No offense, sweetie.”
“None taken,” Liam said with a smile. “When was the last time you talked to Mom?”
“She sends flowers on my birthday,” Ruth said without hesitation. “Pink roses.”
“You hate roses.” He looked up as Natalie clapped a hand over her mouth.
“I know,” Ruth answered. “Liam’s mother does, too. She sends them anyway.”
Liam closed his eyes for a moment, anger building at his parents for all the things they didn’t care about because they were too busy with their own lives. When he opened them again, Natalie was watching him with a look in her eyes that he didn’t want to believe was pity.
“What do you think?” he asked her, his voice tight. He could take her anger and irritation, but pity he had to shut down immediately. “Should she stay in this house alone when I’m paying for a room at Evergreen?”
“She’s not alone,” Austin offered around a mouthful of food. “She’s got us.”
Liam raised an eyebrow at Natalie. “Not the point.”
“It’s up to Ruth to decide where she wants to live, but I think you’ve been generous.”
“You won’t mind if she sells this place and moves to Evergreen full-time?”
“I’m not selling.” Ruth pushed back from the table. “I bruised my hip in a fall, Liam. I’m not one foot in the grave quite yet.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“It’s what you’ve implied.” She lifted herself to her feet. “Austin, will you walk me back to my bedroom?”
The boy glanced at Natalie, who nodded. “I’ll clean up the kitchen, Ruth, then come back to help you dress.”
“Ruth, listen—”
“No, Liam, you listen. I know you’re trying to help, but pushing me into changing my whole life isn’t going to happen. I’ve lived on my own since Stan died. I don’t see any reason to change now. You keep your big mansions and private jets. I’m happy with the simple life I have here in Crimson.” She leveled a look at him. “As I remember it, you were pretty happy here once upon a time. Maybe you should focus on that instead of all your high-handed plans for me.”
“I didn’t—”
“Come back here at six and you can take me to Saturday night bingo at Evergreen. I’ve got a hot streak going and I missed last weekend.” She leaned on her cane. “You can join me for church tomorrow morning, as well. A little time in the pew will do your soul good.”
Liam shot a look at Natalie who only shrugged. “Okay, Ruth, whatever you say.”
She left the room, muttering to herself. Austin made a face at Natalie over his shoulder but she gave him a bright smile and a thumbs-up and began clearing the dishes from the table.
“I pushed her too hard.”
“Ya think?” Natalie stacked plates on the counter.
“I forgot how stubborn she can be when she gets riled up.”
“The fall has been hard on her. She’s healing, but Ruth isn’t used to depending on other people. She’s a proud woman, Liam.”
“I know, Nat. That’s one of the things I love about her.” He moved to the sink and rinsed the plates, then put them in the dishwasher. “You’re a lot like her, you know.” And you both frustrate the hell out of me, he added to himself.
After a moment, he looked up to find Natalie’s eyes on him. “What are you doing?”
“Um...the dishes?”
“I didn’t think big, important CEO types did their own dishes.”
“Apparently the CEO card doesn’t get me far in my nanny’s house.”
“Are you really thinking of headquartering a company in Crimson?”
Leave it to Natalie to see right through him. “Sure. If I can work out something with the town, that is. It’s a good place to live and the GPS technology we’re developing will appeal to people who like the outdoors. It’s a natural fit.”
She nodded but still looked doubtful.
They finished cleaning the kitchen in silence. There had been a lot of nights Natalie had eaten dinner over here when they were in high school. Her mom waitressed in town back then and wasn’t around very often. Ruth would cook while Liam and Natalie took cleanup duty. Being here with her now brought him back to a time long past. A time his heart didn’t want to forget but his brain wouldn’t let him revisit.
His cell phone beeped in his pocket. “I’ve got some stuff to do to get settled in today.”
“Before bingo?” Natalie asked, flashing him the first smile he’d seen from her.
He’d missed that smile but forced himself not to show it. “Before bingo,” he agreed. “Are you okay if I head out?”
“This is my job, Liam. One of them, anyway. We’re fine.”
She didn’t need to add “without you.” He knew she’d never needed him in the same way he did her.
He nodded and turned, but stopped at the sliding door that led from the kitchen to the back of the house. “In case you were wondering, I haven’t dated gobs of supermodels.”
Her gaze crashed into his and he hoped it was relief he read in their dark depths. “It’s none of my business who you date.” Her words were sharp but her voice breathless.
He could see her chest rise and fall as she busied herself wiping invisible spots from the counter. It gave him the confidence to say exactly what was on his mind.
“And, Natalie?”
She looked at him again.
“No one ever compared to you. Not even close.”
He watched her jaw drop as he let himself out the back door and walked away.
Chapter Two
“That’s how he left it?”
“He’s just cruel.”
“But so dang hot.”
“Why didn’t you tell us your old boyfriend was hot?”
“And rich.”
Natalie looked at her group of friends and licked a bit of salt from the rim of her margarita. Austin was sleeping over at a friend’s house so she’d called Olivia Travers after Liam and Ruth had left for bingo and asked her friend to meet her for a drink at her favorite Mexican restaurant. She’d explained a little about the situation without giving too many details or revealing her conflicted emotions about Liam.
When she’d arrived, it was to find not only Olivia waiting, but also Olivia’s sister, Millie, and their friend Katie Garrity, who owned the local bakery.
Heat crept into her cheeks. “I didn’t realize this was going to be an inquisition.”
Olivia looked a little guilty. “You sounded bad on the phone.”
Millie held out her cell for the table to see. “I’m sure Liam Donovan could make you feel much better.”
Katie took the phone and let out a low whistle. “He was cute in high school, but time has definitely been Liam’s friend.”
Like Natalie, Katie had been born and raised in Crimson. Olivia’s husband, Logan—also a Crimson native—had come back to town, and Millie was married to Logan’s oldest brother, Jake. The middle brother, Josh, also lived in Crimson, and his wife, Sara, who was currently away shooting a movie, rounded out Natalie’s group of girlfriends. She’d never had close friends when she was younger and as much as she enjoyed it now, opening up to people about her private life was still difficult.
“I don’t need any help from Liam.” She took a drink of the sweet margarita. “He accused me of stealing from his Ruth.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Katie said. “You work harder than anyone in town. How many jobs are you balancing right now?”
“Four if you count the jewelry business.”
“It counts,” Olivia answered. “Your earrings and bracelets sell better than any others in the community center gift shop.”
“When are you going to branch out into other stores?” Millie asked.
“When I figure out how to function on two hours of sleep each night,” Natalie answered. She loved making the jewelry she fashioned out of beads, metal and precious stones. The work both relaxed and invigorated her. The plan had always been to save enough from her nursing jobs to invest in her business so that she could expand. One more thing in her life her ex-husband had ruined.
“The point is,” Katie continued, “you live simply, you work hard. I’m assuming it’s to save money for Austin’s college fund.”
“Because it isn’t your addiction to fashion,” Millie interjected.
Olivia nudged her sister.
“Sorry,” Millie mumbled. “Was that rude?”
“It’s fine,” Natalie said with a wry smile.
“Katie’s right.” Olivia dipped a chip into the salsa. “You’re just not a big spender. Anyone who knows you would never think you’d take advantage of someone in your care.”
Natalie folded and refolded her napkin. The truth was she hadn’t taken Ruth’s money, but she had a pretty good idea what had happened to it. She knew she needed to ask Ruth outright but was afraid of knowing the truth.
She took a deep breath and blurted, “I think Ruth might have used the money to pay off my ex-husband.”
All three women stared at her. Their waitress approached the table, but Olivia shooed her away again.
“Why would Ruth need to pay off Brad Holt?” Katie asked after a moment.
“She doesn’t.” Natalie sighed. “She shouldn’t. But I told her that he was kind of...sort of...blackmailing me, and I’m afraid she took matters into her own hands.”
“Blackmailing you?” Olivia asked.
“Kind of, sort of?” Millie added.
“It’s a long story.”
Millie waved to the waitress. “Another round for all of us,” she called. “A big plate of nachos and an order of chicken quesadillas.” Luckily, the place was crowded and loud so Millie didn’t draw much attention. Not that she cared. When the waitress nodded from across the restaurant, Millie gestured to Natalie. “We’ve got time. Go on.”
“This is difficult to talk about.”
Millie tapped on her own drink. “Try another sip of liquid courage.”
Katie shook her head. “I don’t understand why you would share something like that with one of your patients and not your friends.”
Guilt flared in Natalie as she saw the hurt in her friend’s gaze. “I’m sorry. I spent a lot of time with Ruth over the past several months. She needed help with some of the most basic functions. It was embarrassing for her and seemed to help when I shared details about myself. I’m normally pretty private, so it became somewhat cathartic for me. I didn’t think she’d act on what I told her.”
Olivia reached out a hand to pat Natalie’s arm. “Tell us how it started.”
“Brad and I were only married a year when he got a job doing regional sales for a company based out of Grand Junction. We’d scrimped and saved to buy a house, and I’d stopped working when Austin was born.” She traced her finger along the cool condensation gathered on the side of her glass. “I was worried about money, and Brad assured me things were good. Honestly, I should have paid closer attention, but Austin was colicky. I was on my own so much. I just wanted to believe him.”
Olivia nodded. “I know how that goes.” Natalie remembered that Olivia’s ex-husband had cheated on her before leaving her for his mistress.
“We’ve all made bad choices in men,” Millie echoed.
Natalie glanced at Katie, who gave a slight smile. “Or no choices in men because we’re too scared of making a mistake. It’s no better, Nat. Trust me.”
“I’m not sure you’ll think that once you’ve heard the whole story.” She sipped her margarita, surprised to find there was nothing but ice left in the glass. The waitress slipped another one in front of her. “You’re driving me home, right?” she asked Katie.
“Always,” her friend answered.
Suddenly, Natalie wanted to share her embarrassing past with her friends, hoping it would help her feel not so alone. “Things were okay with us for almost a year, or so I thought. Brad traveled a lot, which made it tough for us to reconnect when he was back. I figured things would even out once Austin was a little older. I was picking up a package at the post office one day and Myrna, the old postmistress, asked me if I wanted the mail from Brad’s PO box, as well. She said he hadn’t collected it in months and it was taking up too much space.”
She stirred the straw around in her drink. “She gave me a whole box of stuff, mainly delinquent notices and demands for payment. I can still see the pity in her eyes as she registered my shock. She must have thought I was the most gullible fool on the planet.”
“I doubt that,” Olivia said, her tone reassuring.
“I was pretty darn close. I took the box home, put Austin down for a nap and opened every envelope. We were months behind on the house and car payments, utilities, credit card bills, the works. At first I thought it must have been a mistake.” She thumped the palm of her hand against her forehead. “Still such an idiot. We’d gotten a late notice call here or there, but Brad always explained it away. That box opened the floodgates. He’d been using his cell phone as a contact number, but I discovered things were worse than I could have imagined.”
“And was he able to explain it away?” Millie asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Actually, I think he was relieved to finally be caught,” Natalie admitted. “As soon as I knew, all the debts became my responsibility. He was off the hook once more.”
“Was it drugs?” Katie asked.
“Not really.” Natalie shook her head. “Maybe some dabbling but nothing hard-core. I lost count of his vices. Gambling was his main addiction. Most of the work he did was in Arizona and Nevada. He got sucked into the Vegas culture and couldn’t find a way out.”
Millie narrowed her eyes. “Tell me you aren’t making excuses for him.”
“Not at all. He cost us everything. My car was repossessed, the house was almost foreclosed on and our credit destroyed. It’s only in the past couple of years that I’ve felt comfortable answering the phone to an unknown number. I had creditors hounding me for so long.”
“Why you? It was Brad’s gambling.”
“Everything was in both our names. I could either pay off the debts or file for bankruptcy.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Katie got up and came around the table to wrap her arms around Natalie’s shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? We could have helped.”
“I was too embarrassed. It feels silly to say that now, but it’s the truth.”
“So that’s when you left him?” Olivia asked.
Natalie nodded. “I gave him an ultimatum. Go to rehab for his addiction or I was leaving. He told me he’d change but was unwilling to get professional help. I filed for divorce within a month of discovering what he’d done.”
Katie sat down again. “I don’t understand why you think Ruth would pay him off now. You’ve been divorced for almost eight years.”
“At the time, I wanted him out of our lives until he could get control of things again. I was angry, hurt and scared. Jason Crenshaw was my attorney for the divorce. He begged me to go after Brad for full custody, to reveal everything Brad had done to wreck our finances, but I didn’t want to air my dirty laundry in front of the whole town. Being a single mother seemed to hold enough stigma.”
“Because of how your mom was treated when she returned to Crimson?”
“I guess,” Natalie said with a shrug. “She’s definitely had a chip on her shoulders for a lot of years. You know she still has a tendency to go off the rails. I couldn’t handle everyone thinking I was like her in any way. The bottom line was I didn’t listen to Jase. I told him to make the conditions of the divorce fair to both of us, to give Brad the option of visitation when and if he straightened out his life.”
She leaned forward and took a long drink from her straw. “As a result, whenever Brad runs out of money, he comes to me making veiled threats about getting back into Austin’s life. If I thought he really meant it, I’d welcome him. No boy should have to grow up without a dad around. But it’s all about the money every single time. As soon as I offer it to him, he takes off again.”
“Scumbag,” Katie mumbled. Olivia and Millie nodded in agreement.
“Things have gotten worse in the past year. He’s racked up a lot of debt again. He’s telling the guys holding most of his loans that he helps me out financially, letting them think that’s why he can’t pay. I’ve given him as much as I can spare, but it isn’t enough.”
Olivia’s mouth dropped. “Natalie, this is serious.”
“I know it’s serious.”
“You have to go to the police.”
“And Jase,” Katie added. “Take legal action against Brad. File a restraining order. Whatever you need to do.”
“What happens when he wants to see Austin again? I can’t legally keep him from that.”
Katie shook her head. “Have you talked to Jase? He’s a good attorney and now that he’s on town council, he has a lot of pull around here. He could help you.”
“I’d planned to, but I didn’t think it would get this far. I gave Brad everything I’d saved almost seven months ago and told him that was the end. Then he started calling again. That’s when I told Ruth what was going on. I’m afraid she’s taken matters into her own hands. She’s got strangely good connections for someone her age.”
“Did you ask her?”
As her stomach pitched, Natalie gripped the stem of her margarita glass. “I only realized it when Liam accused me of taking the money. She kept Austin at her side most of the day yesterday. She’s definitely avoiding me. Once I know for sure I’m going to have to tell Liam. How humiliating is it to admit to the guy who left me behind that I’ve royally messed up my life?”
“You didn’t mess it up. The scumbag ex-husband messed it up,” Millie offered sympathetically.
“I married him.”
Millie lifted her glass in a mock toast. “Good point.”
“I have money from the inheritance I got when my grandma died,” Katie offered. “I can help you pay back Ruth if she did indeed give money to Brad.”
Natalie shook her head. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I need to take care of this mess myself. I know I have to stand up to Brad so this stops. It’s no way to live.” She took a bite of the chicken quesadilla wedge Olivia put on her plate. “It’s not fair to Austin. I’m always struggling to get ahead and I should be putting money away for his college. He deserves so much more than I’m giving him right now.”
“You deserve more, too,” Olivia reminded her.
Fear and guilt warred inside her. Her ex-husband was a problem that had been growing for years, like a festering wound she continued to try to hide with a Band-Aid. As worried as it made her, she had to deal with him, no matter the fallout. “I’m going to talk to Ruth and if she did give money to Brad, I’ll figure out how to pay her back.”
“And?” Katie prompted.
“And ask Jason Crenshaw about getting the terms of the divorce redone. It will mean going back to court, but if Brad tries to fight me I’ll go public with everything. I’ll press charges if I have to.”
“Attagirl,” Millie told her.
“Whatever happens,” Katie added, “you’re not alone. You have friends and we’re here for you, Natalie.”
“Thank you.” Natalie blinked several times. She was a lot of things, but a crier wasn’t one of them.
“Your mother?” Katie asked. “How much does she know?”
“Very little. Mom was always very pro-Brad. She thought if I’d managed to catch a husband, that my main job was to keep him happy. She was furious when Brad and I divorced. I tried to explain the situation to her then, but she didn’t want to hear it.” She took a deep breath. “I guess it’s time to try again.”
“What about Liam?”
Natalie thought about Liam’s stormy eyes and the way her whole body tingled when he towered over her. “I’m hoping to have everything sorted out with Ruth before Liam has to know any details.”
“You two were close once,” Katie said gently. “He’s rich and powerful. He could make a good ally.”
“No way. Liam made it clear what he thought of me when he left Crimson for college. He walked away and never looked back. As far as he will ever know, staying in town only brought me happiness.”
Her friends looked skeptical but didn’t argue with her.
“Whatever you need, we’re here,” Katie said. “Promise you won’t go forward alone.”
Natalie gave a jerky nod and wiped her fingers across her cheeks. “I’m going to make this right.” She just hoped she could do it before her life blew up any more than it already had.
* * *
Liam walked out the front door of Ruth’s house later that night, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. He’d brought her home after she won several rounds of bingo. He’d promptly fallen asleep in her bedroom’s big recliner as they watched reruns of I Love Lucy. She was fast asleep when he’d woken up a few minutes ago.
It was almost midnight as he pulled his phone out of his coat pocket. Several texts had come through from his latest ex-girlfriend, asking to see him again. Gretchen had called herself his girlfriend, although they’d only dated a couple of weeks before he’d ended things. Liam hadn’t allowed himself to have a serious girlfriend since—well, since Natalie had chosen Crimson over him.
Seeing her boy had been like a swift kick to the gut for Liam. Long ago, he’d imagined himself as the father of Natalie’s children. Those days seemed like a lifetime ago. He looked over his shoulder at the dark house. Liam’s chest tightened at the thought of Natalie curled up asleep inside. He tipped back his head, marveling at the amount of stars in the sky above him even as his lungs burned from the frosty air. He’d forgotten that about Crimson, both the hollow cold of night and how clear the sky could be without the city lights in the distance.
As he turned for his SUV, he noticed a light on in the workshop that sat at the barn across the driveway. He started toward it, then noticed a woman’s frame silhouetted in the window. Natalie.
He watched her for several minutes, her hair pulled back in a messy bun and wearing a faded chambray shirt rolled up to her elbows. Memory sparked in his mind, and he smiled as he headed for the door to the barn’s workshop.
Natalie didn’t notice him come in and he realized she had earbuds in her ears as she hummed softly along with music he couldn’t hear. She held a pair of needle-nose pliers in one hand as she twisted a thin wire held under a bright light. After a moment, she reached for a bead from a case in front of her. She glanced up, and her gaze crashed into his.
She screamed, slapping one hand to her chest as the earbuds ripped out of her ears. Her fingers upended the jar of beads, which went flying in all directions.
“Sorry,” Liam said, although he wasn’t sorry to not be the only one in the room with a racing heart, even if it was for an entirely different reason. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” That much was true.
“What are you still doing here?”
“I fell asleep watching TV with Ruth. Someone put a blanket over me.”
She took several deep breaths, her chest rising and falling in a way that made his mouth go dry. “I check on her before I go to bed each night.”
“You’re not in bed.”
“So observant, Liam.”
“And you’re wearing my shirt.”