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“Of course,” Elizabeth murmured. Louise was certainly a little left of center, but Elizabeth found herself liking the other woman.
“And his uncles. Hell-raisers all of them. I don’t think they were ever faithful longer than a minute. Heaven help the women who tried to tame ’em. Of course the Haynes men did give this town something to talk about. Then when Earl went ahead and had four more boys of his own, there was even more talk. Do you know there hasn’t been a girl born to the Haynes family in four generations?”
“Travis mentioned that.”
Louise laughed. “Travis is the most easygoing of the four boys. Not like Jordan. That one’s always been a mystery. But Travis knows what he wants and gets it.” She winked. “Maybe he’ll decide he wants you.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m not interested in a relationship. Certainly not with a man like him. The last thing I need is some Don Juan upsetting my life.”
“Oh, you can’t believe everything you hear about him. He’s not exactly the heartbreaker everyone says. Despite what he thinks, he’s nothing like his daddy.” Louise grew serious. “You can trust me on that one, honey. I know for a fact.”
It didn’t matter how much of Travis’s reputation was real and how much hype. Enough of what Louise had said was true for Travis Haynes to be trouble.
Sam had been a charmer, too. His easy smile and quick wit had seduced her in a matter of hours. Of course she’d been a willing participant. And young. Far too young for a man like him. She’d never had a clue as to what was going on. She’d known the relationship was in trouble, but even that hadn’t prepared her for the police showing up at her doorstep in the predawn hours of morning. If she lived to be a hundred, she would never forget the feeling of horror when the Los Angeles Police Department officers had taken Sam away. Thank God Mandy had slept through it all.
Louise leaned forward and patted her leg. “You feeling better?”
“What?”
“I thought you might be a little down, what with missing Mandy’s first day at school. You feel better now?”
Elizabeth looked at Louise, with her bright makeup and dangling earrings. The left one was a teapot, the right, a cup and saucer. “You probably don’t want to hear this any more than Travis, but I think you’re nice, too.”
Louise gave her hand a squeeze and rose to her feet. “Just don’t let word get out. I have my own reputation to keep up. Now I’m going to get to work on lunch. I heard Travis’s truck in the driveway. He can tell you all about Mandy’s classroom. Don’t worry, honey. You’ll get to see it soon enough.”
She left the room and passed Travis in the doorway. Elizabeth half turned to face him. “How did it go?” she asked.
He studied her for several seconds. There was an odd look in his eyes, as if he’d never seen her before.
“Travis, is something wrong?”
“No. Everything went fine. Mandy loved her teacher and when I left, it looked like she’d already started making friends.”
Elizabeth sagged back in the sofa. Some of the tension left her body. Maybe, just maybe, she hadn’t destroyed her daughter’s life.
“These might help,” he said as he walked toward her. He held out several instant photos.
“You took pictures?”
“I thought they might make you feel like you’d been there.”
She smiled up at him. “That was so thoughtful.”
She took the photos and looked through them. The first showed Mandy smiling in front of the school. There were three shots of the classroom and one of Mandy with her teacher. The little girl was laughing at something the woman had said. Elizabeth felt tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them away.
“This is wonderful. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Travis shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “It’s nothing special. I didn’t even think of the idea. Craig does it for his kids. He says it’s fun to look back later. You’re not going to cry, are you?”
She sniffed. “No.” She touched one finger to the smooth flat surface, as if she could touch Mandy’s warm cheek. Her daughter’s smile made her own lips curve up in response. “She does look happy, doesn’t she? And the teacher looks nice. Did you talk to her?”
“I know her.”
There was something about the way he said the words. “Oh?”
“I sort of, you know.” He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “We dated for a while.”
“Ah. Is she—” Elizabeth paused, then found the correct word. “Is she nice?” She had to bite her lip to keep from smiling.
Travis was obviously uncomfortable with the conversation. “Yeah, she’s really great. With kids, I mean.”
“I’m sure Mandy will like her.”
“Most of the kids do.”
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and walked over to the window. The bright light outside lighted his tall, muscular body. He was very handsome, with his dark hair and eyes. Elizabeth could see why he’d acquired his reputation. If his brothers were half as good-looking, then it’s no wonder the town found the family a great source of gossip.
“Tell me about your ex-husband,” he said.
She felt as if he’d thrown a bucket of cold water in her face. Every muscle in her body tensed. She had to put the photos down when she realized she was mangling them. She folded her hands in her lap and forced herself to relax.
“I don’t have an ex-husband. I told you, I was never married.” She could feel the heat of her flush climbing from the scoop neck of her T-shirt, up to her face. It had been six months, yet she was still embarrassed to remember what had happened. Would this ever get easier?
“You’re sure?”
“I would hardly forget being married.”
He walked to the sofa and braced his hands against the tall back. “The reason I ask is because when I registered Mandy for school, she got confused about her last name. When I first asked, she said it was Proctor. I reminded her that your last name is Abbott. She said that was her last name, too. So which is it, Elizabeth?”
He was still handsome as sin, but the friendly, teasing man who had shared breakfast with her had disappeared. In his place was a probing stranger. For the first time she saw the dark side of him. No doubt he made an excellent sheriff.
But she couldn’t tell him the truth. It was too awful, too embarrassing, too unbelievable. She had trouble believing it had happened, and she’d lived through it. Besides, she didn’t want to see that pitying look in his eyes. She didn’t want to know he thought of her as less, or stupid. No, the truth was her own secret, one she would never share. She could, however, tell him part of the truth.
She raised her hand to flick her hair back over her shoulder. “Proctor is Mandy’s father’s last name. She used it for a while, but now she’s using my name.”
“I see.” He drew his eyebrows together. “You mentioned you had rented a house here in town.”
What did that have to do with anything? She nodded slowly. “I can take possession on October first.”
“Is your furniture in storage?”
“Why are you asking me this?”
He moved around the sofa until he was standing in front of her. She had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. She wished he was wearing his Stetson so she didn’t have to see the cold black swirling through his irises.
“Is it?”
“No. I don’t have any furniture. I left it all behind in L.A. I didn’t want to move it. Travis, why are you acting like this? Why are you asking all these questions?”
“So you have no furniture, Mandy has very few toys. In fact, all your possessions can fit in the trunk of your car.” He wasn’t asking a question.
Her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to stand up and stare him in the eye, but the tension was making her side ache too much. She could only sit on the edge of the sofa and fight the fear.
“Travis—”
He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “I want the truth, Elizabeth. Did you kidnap Mandy?”
Chapter Five
She couldn’t have looked more stunned if he’d slapped her. All the color left her face and her lips parted, but she couldn’t—or didn’t—speak.
Travis noted her reactions, the cynical lawman side of him wondering if she was the genuine article or a very good actress. The male part of him, that part of his being that had reacted to her presence in his life, wanted to believe. He wanted her to be just a single mom looking for something better for herself and her kid.
It shouldn’t matter, he told himself. He wasn’t going to get involved. It would be better for his hormonal state if she was some kind of criminal. After his marriage had collapsed he’d acknowledged the futility of ignoring the truth. As long as he had Haynes blood flowing through his veins he didn’t have a prayer of having a decent long-lasting relationship. So he shouldn’t mind if everything about Elizabeth Abbott-Proctor, or whatever her name was, turned out to be a lie.
Except he knew it was too late. He couldn’t get involved with her, but that didn’t stop him from liking her. And Mandy. The kid had him wrapped around her finger. This morning—
Can it, he ordered himself. He couldn’t afford to think about how great it had been to take Mandy to her first day of school. So what if her trusting smile had given him a lump in his throat? Marriage, a wife and kids weren’t for him. He didn’t have whatever mysterious something it took to be a decent husband and father. He had to focus on Elizabeth and the mystery in her life. He might not be good domestic material, but he was a damn fine sheriff.
Elizabeth glanced up at him, then turned away. “It’s a very effective technique,” she said, her voice low and strained. “Glaring at people like that. I’m sure most of your prisoners crack under the pressure.”
Only then did he realize how long he’d been staring at her. But he didn’t look away. “Just tell me the truth. I’d have to be blind not to see there’s some kind of mystery in your life.”
She stood up slowly. Her mouth twisted, but he sensed it was from the strain on her incision rather than fear. When she was standing, she squared her shoulders and looked up at him. Emotional and physical pain darkened her wide eyes. All the color had faded from her cheeks, leaving her pale and drawn. He could see the beginning of tiny lines around her eyes.
Her long hair fanned out over her shoulders. He wanted to touch that hair, touch her and pull her close. He wanted to ease her pain and promise it was going to be all right. But he couldn’t. He didn’t know how it was going to be.
“I don’t know whether to be furious or grateful,” she said, and stepped away from him.
He knew she was too weak from the surgery to run, but instinctively his body tensed as he prepared to grab her if she went too far. He needn’t have worried. She circled behind the sofa and leaned against the back.
“There’s no mystery, Travis,” she said softly. She studied the leather couch and traced a line of stitching back and forth with her finger. “I’m not and never have been married. Sam Proctor is Mandy’s father. Our relationship—” She hesitated, then drew in a deep breath and looked at him. “Our relationship doesn’t exist anymore. Sam is out of our lives. I came up here to make a fresh start. I left behind everything Sam had given me, including the clothes and toys and furniture. I only brought what is mine and Mandy’s. Sam signed custody of Mandy over to me. I didn’t have time to open a bank account and get a safety-deposit box, so I have the papers with me. I would be happy to show you her birth certificate and anything else you’d like to see.”
“I don’t need to see the papers.”
“But you don’t believe me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
He didn’t have to. They both knew she’d been lying. Oh, not about Mandy. He did believe that. It almost made sense, the leaving everything behind part. It seemed like an expensive, impulsive gesture, but nothing about women surprised him.
She’d only lied once. When she’d told him there was no mystery in her life. There was a damn big one and he was no closer to figuring it out. She’d said she’d never married. He almost believed that. So what did that mean? That she’d shacked up with some guy and had his baby?
He studied her. With her hair loose around her face, she looked younger than twenty-eight. Had she gotten involved with a married man? He didn’t want to believe that of her. It reminded him too much of his father and the older man’s string of young women. Earl Haynes had gotten a kick out of seducing the innocents, making them believe he was going to leave his wife and family. He’d never left them, at least not permanently. His way of justifying his life-style had been waking up in his own bed every morning. Every time Travis had heard his mother and father fighting about his father’s infidelities, Earl had glossed over his behavior by saying he always woke up in his bed. What more could a woman want?
Travis had been there once, when it had happened. A woman in her early twenties had been in town visiting family. They’d met in the hardware store. Within fifteen minutes, Earl’d had the woman eating out of his hand and leaving the hardware store to get a drink. Travis had run away as fast as he could. He’d only been fourteen at the time, but he’d known what was happening. He hadn’t made it home before he’d had to stop and throw up in the bushes. He’d cried then for all he’d never had, cried for the loss of a father who was like other dads. A father who cared more about his wife and his sons than other women. It had been the last time he’d shed tears.
“Stop staring at me,” Elizabeth said, and spun away. The quick movement caused her to gasp and clutch her side.
He moved toward her, but didn’t touch her.
“I’m not going to faint or anything,” she said, straightening. “I just wish you’d stop looking at me like I… Jeez, I don’t know. I haven’t committed a crime, okay? Isn’t that enough for you?”
Anger radiated out from her, and that more than anything caused him to trust the feeling in his gut that said she told him the truth.
“I guess it has to be.”
“I didn’t ask to come here with you and I’ll be happy to leave.” She started for the door. “If Louise can’t give me a lift back to the motel, then I’ll call a cab.”
He caught her in one stride and gently took her arm. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“I don’t believe you.” She pulled her arm free and glared up at him. “You keep staring at me as if I’ve just made off with the family silver. I haven’t done anything wrong. None of this is my fault.”
It was the fact that she didn’t cry that finally convinced him. He could see the strength it took to hold on to her control. Her mouth quivered from the effort and perspiration dotted her forehead.
Maybe the guy had beaten her, he thought suddenly. Maybe her ex-boyfriend had been one of those sick types who got off on hitting women and children. He glanced at her bare arms, but there were no telltale marks. Of course she could have been on her own for several weeks.
Dammit, what the hell was her story?
She took another step and seemed to stumble. He caught her up in his arms and carried her to the sofa. She clung to him for a moment. He ignored the way her curvy body felt against his chest, the long length of her legs and the soft pressure of her breasts against his shirt. When he set her on the sofa, she immediately tried to slide away. The movement caused her to clutch at her side and glare at him.
The anger in her gaze made him smile. Her temper he could handle.
“You’re overreacting,” he said mildly.
Her mouth dropped open. “I’m overreacting? Wait a minute. You’re the one accusing of me of who knows what. Maybe it would be better if I just—”
“No.” He settled next to her on the couch and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. She jerked her head away, but there was no fear in her eyes. Relief flooded him. If she’d been beaten on a regular basis, she would have been terrified. Instead she reacted with completely understandable indignation.
“Don’t touch me, or try to sweet-talk me,” she said. “You accused me of kidnapping my daughter.”
“Given the little that you’ve told me, would you have thought any differently?”
“I—” She drew in a deep breath and brushed her hair out of her face. “I suppose not. But you didn’t have to be such a cop about it.”
“Just doing my job.”
She nodded slowly. “I understand.”
“So you’re not going to make a run for it?”
“To the best of my knowledge I haven’t committed a felony.”
He winked. “Sometimes the misdemeanors can be even more interesting.”
She smiled. “Oh, please. Don’t get me started. I don’t even want to know what you’re talking about.” Her smile faded. “I really haven’t done anything wrong, Travis.”
He hesitated and then said, “I know.”
She held out her hand. “Friends?”
She wanted to shake on it. As Travis took her warm fingers in his, he glanced at her full mouth and wondered if it would taste even sweeter if he kissed her without a six-year-old audience to censor the moment. Better to shake hands, he told himself. Safer. For both of them.
“Friends,” he said and released her. Only then did he remember he still hadn’t solved the mystery.
* * *
Elizabeth hobbled over to the table and gratefully sank into the seat. She was breathing heavily and all she’d done was assemble the ingredients to make cupcakes.
“From a mix,” she said, disgusted with her weakened condition. She grabbed the package and ripped it open. The effort necessary to raise the box to dump it in the bowl made her incision ache.
She leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath. Thank God she wasn’t trying to make it on her own in that small motel room. She and Mandy would have starved.
The line of thinking was a mistake, she acknowledged, as thinking of not being in the motel made her remember how she’d been rescued by the very handsome, the very inquisitive Sheriff Travis Haynes. Which made her think of this morning and what had happened between them.
He was not a man she wanted to cross. Despite the wicked charm and sinful good looks, he was intimidating when he was angry. All his questions had made her nervous, but he’d never once stumbled close to the truth. Of course, why should he? It wasn’t the first thing anyone thought of. Things like that only happened in the tabloids. That’s where she belonged. Right between the cover story on the aliens abducting the residents of a local pig farm and the woman giving birth to the four-legged child.
She felt guilty, too, knowing that Travis had given her the benefit of the doubt, trusting her when she hadn’t told him the whole truth. She picked up an egg and held it. Was it so wrong not to want him to know? She hadn’t done anything wrong, had committed no crime, save the one of being too young and too trusting. Okay, she’d been a fool. But was that illegal?
“Just what is it you think you’re doing?”
Elizabeth jumped guiltily at the sound of the voice. Louise stood in the doorway to the kitchen. She planted her hands on her curvy hips and stared.
“I’m, ah, making cupcakes for Mandy.”
Louise shook her head. “And you look like such a bright girl, too.” She walked over and grabbed the egg from Elizabeth’s hand. “The doctor told you to stay in bed for a week.”
“I know, it’s just—”
“A week is seven days. This is day two. If I have to tie you up, I will, but won’t that be hard to explain to the neighbors?”
Elizabeth grinned and held up her hands in defeat. “I give. Just don’t make me laugh. It hurts too much. If I promise to be good, can I at least sit here for a little while?”
Louise looked stern. “For a few minutes. Then I want you to go lie down until Mandy gets home.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Louise took the seat next to her and finished pouring in the mix. “I remember when I was little my mama used to make cupcakes for me.”
“Mandy loves them.”
“So do I.” The older woman smiled. “I haven’t baked anything in ages. I wonder if Alfred would like some cake with his dinner.” She thought for a minute. “No, he’s still trying to lose weight.” She leaned forward. “Alfred is a beagle and they tend to get a little heavy when they age.”
Elizabeth hoped Louise was only kidding about making a cake for her dog, but she wasn’t completely sure and she didn’t want to ask.
Louise stirred in the other ingredients, then started pouring the batter into the cupcake pan. “So, I heard you and Travis fighting. You want to talk about it?”
“You aren’t one to beat around the bush, are you?”
Louise shrugged. “I’m pretty straightforward,” she admitted. “It would probably be easier if I’d just learn to keep my mouth shut. Maybe I’ll get it eventually. But you seem like a real nice lady. Mandy is the sweetest little girl and I’ve found you can usually judge a mother by her children. Travis Haynes is one of my favorite people on earth. Why, if I was five or six years younger, I might just risk my heart on him.” She paused, then shook her head. “On second thought, I’ll leave the Haynes boys to the rest of you. I’ve already had my heart broken once by that family.”
It was too much information to absorb, Elizabeth thought, not knowing whether to laugh, cry, be insulted or flattered.
“He’s a good man,” Louise said, carrying the full cupcake pans over to the oven and sliding them inside.
“Who?”
“Travis.”
“I know that.”
“He was just doing his job, asking all those questions, I mean.” Louise poured herself a cup of coffee. When she held up the pot, Elizabeth shook her head. “Of course any woman would know you’re that girl’s mother through and through. She’s got your smile. Her daddy must be some kind of looker.”
“He is,” Elizabeth said. Sam certainly was good-looking. Not nearly as handsome as Travis, but attractive enough to make any woman look twice. She’d been so caught up by his face and body, the charm and easy smile, she’d never thought to question anything except her good fortune. Imagine little Elizabeth Abbott catching someone like Sam. Only, she hadn’t exactly caught him.
“So, you still mad at Travis?”
“No. I understand that he had questions.” But she wasn’t willing to give him all his answers. Still she couldn’t blame him for asking. She’d expected him to wonder what her story was, but she hadn’t expected him to come up with kidnapping!
“I’m glad.” Louise sipped her coffee, then glanced at the clock over the stove. “Looks like it’s time for me to leave. Travis and Mandy should be back in an hour or so. You’re not going to get out of control and start vacuuming, are you?”
“I promise I’ll behave.”
Louise set down her cup. She picked up her purse from the counter, then crossed to the table, bent over and gave Elizabeth a hug. “I’m here if you want to talk,” she said. “I might not have any answers, but I’m a great listener.”
Elizabeth hugged her back. The other woman’s perfume was a clingy Oriental scent that somehow suited her perfectly. Louise stepped back and waved, then left the kitchen. The back door banged shut behind her and the kitchen was silent.
Elizabeth stared around the empty room, wishing the digital clock would tick so there would be some sound. She was completely and totally alone. She wasn’t afraid to be on her own. It was the questions that came to her, making her wonder if she’d made the right decisions for herself, and more importantly, for Mandy. Had she had other options and not realized it? Would she ever know how many clues she’d missed? She’d been worse than a fool.
The timer on the oven clicked down another minute. She thought about Louise who had offered to be a friend. Elizabeth knew that she needed to make some friends. She desperately needed someone to talk to and have fun with. Louise was a little offbeat, but that didn’t matter. The reason Elizabeth couldn’t reach out to her was because of herself, not because of the other woman. She couldn’t dare be friends with anyone. She would always have to hold some part of herself back, be it from Louise or Travis.