Where the Heart Leads (24 page)

Laurel froze.

“Mama and Daddy are dead.” She kept her voice steady as she placed the photo on the little table again. “I'm living here alone now, and I'm between jobs, so I spend most of my time at the house.”

Jase's mouth opened and closed. She'd caught him by surprise. Apparently he hadn't kept up with the goings-on in his old home town. Who could blame him? He'd been all but ridden out on a rail.

“I'm sorry about that. I'd meant to come back here sometime to visit with your dad. Reverend Ed's support meant a lot to me. He's the only one who believed in me through that whole mess, you know. I guess I thought he was eternal.”

Laurel shrugged. “Nothing lasts forever.” And Daddy, her wonderful Daddy, had died in spirit long before his body finally gave out. She studied the philodendron in the wicker stand beside her guest. How long had it been since she'd watered the local vegetation? And why on earth had she focused on the stupid plant? Because she didn't want to think about Daddy.

Jase exhaled softly. “I thought maybe you were here visiting your parents, but you and Dave are living in this house now? Aunt Maxie said you two—”

“Dave Carson and I were divorced three years ago,” she interrupted. “And we didn't have any children. I've been teaching music for the past six years at Lynnwood Elementary, a new school over on the east side of the river, but my contract wasn't renewed. I'm trying to sell the house so I can get a fresh start somewhere else.”

He leaned forward to lay his big hand gently on hers. His voice was soft and comforting.

“I'm sorry for that too. It's hard to start over in a new place.”

Her eyelids quivered. What was this man doing to her? She refused to let herself dissolve into tears just because Jase Redlander had gotten her libido going, then offered her sympathy when no one else had.

Withdrawing her hand, she directed the subject back to Jase's truant daughter. “What makes you think Lolly will come here?”

“Her history class did a unit on personal roots last semester, and she's been after me ever since, wanting to know about my family.” He paused as if trying to decide what to say. “And her mother's.”

His eyes avoided her questioning glance and wandered around the room.

Laurel held her breath. Had he noticed the Greek statues were gone? Daddy would have called it false pride, but she didn't want anyone to realize she was pawning jewelry and selling off family heirlooms to buy her bread and butter. Having the
FOR SALE
sign in front of the house was different—the more people who knew she was planning to leave Bosque Bend, the better. Maybe then they'd get off her back.

She glanced at the baby grand in the corner next to Daddy's office. There was no way to take anything that large with her when she moved. She'd tried to sell it—discreetly, of course—but it turned out that old pianos were a drag on the market. Her hands flexed. The Steinway was so out of tune that she could hardly bear to play it anymore, but how could anyone not love a piano?

Jase began again. “I cleaned up my father's memory as much as possible for Girl Child, but had to do some pretty fast talking when it came to her mother. I tried to keep things vague, but she added two and two and came up with five.”

“Five?”

“She left a note. She's come to Bosque Bend to find you. She—she thinks you're her mother.”

Laurel's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. What? Had she heard him right?

“Me? Why? Your wife—”

His gaze held steady. “I'm not married and never have been. Lolly's mother abandoned her at birth.”

Laurel felt like she was treading water. “You're a—a single father?”

He nodded.

She reached for a lifeline. “But…usually the mother takes the baby.”

“She wasn't the maternal type.”

The tide was rising. “But I still don't understand. Why me? Why does your daughter think
I'm
her mother?”

Jase dropped his gaze and moved his hand as if trying to back off from the question.

“I…well…it just happened. It wasn't deliberate. I think she misinterpreted some of the stories Maxie told her from when we used to live here.” He cleared his throat. “You remember Maxie, don't you? Maxine Hokinson, Swede Hokinson's daughter, my mother's oldest sister? She's the one who subbed at your friend Sarah Bridges's house that summer their regular housekeeper got swarmed by Africanized bees. Anyway, you don't need to get involved—just call me if Lolly shows up on your doorstep, and I'll come fetch her.”

“All right.” What else could she say? She was way out of her depth.

He glanced at his watch. “I've got to go now. It's getting late, and I don't want to be gone from the old house too long, in case Lolly shows up there.”

Laurel stood up to walk him out. “I'm sure you'll find her soon.”

She was sure of no such thing, but at least she hoped so. A fifteen-year-old could land herself in a lot of trouble in an unfamiliar town, no matter how small.
The Retriever
had reported that a group of rowdy teenagers had been gathering in the parking lot of old Bosque Bend High School every night this summer and disturbing residents nearby. Art Sawyer had accompanied the story with a blistering editorial about underage drinking and promised more to come as the investigation continued.

Lord only knows how Art always got the inside scoop. Probably because his wife was a Hruska and her cousin's nephew was the new chief of police. That's how things worked in Bosque Bend. The old families, the ones that had been anchored there for generations, all knew each other, and—good, bad, or indifferent—the news got around.

Laurel unlocked the big front door, then held the screen open with one hand while offering the other to Jase in farewell. He enveloped it in his own for a single warm second and smiled at her—that dazzling, absolutely devastating smile that people saw so rarely, the smile that had sealed her to him for all eternity when she was just fifteen.

“Thank you, Laurel. You're kinder to me than I deserve.”

Her heart thumped so loudly that he should have been able to hear it. She watched as he crossed the lawn to the long driveway on the south side of the house, waved once, and opened the door of his car—a big black Cadillac, just like Daddy used to drive.

Accustomed to Dallas's big-city traffic, Jase made his way through Bosque Bend's rush hour without even noticing it.

Where the hell was Lolly? Girl Child was quite a handful, but she'd never pulled a stunt like this before. A shiver shot through him as he glanced at the rapidly setting sun.

Relax, Jase.
Everything's going to be all right. Lolly's a smart kid. She can take care of herself. In fact, she's probably sitting on the front porch of the old house right now, waiting for you to come pick her up. Where else could she be? You needn't have bothered Laurel by barging in on her like that.

He changed lanes, moving to the left.

Laurel…instead of working himself into a panic about Lolly, he'd think about Reverend Ed's daughter, like he always did when his life started going down the crapper. She was the only girl he'd ever loved, and remembering her kindness—her goodness—gave him peace and strength.

But this time, picturing Laurel Harlow in his mind's eye made him feel even worse. His fingers tightened on the leather-covered steering wheel. Sixteen years to learn better, and he'd still made a complete ass out of himself when he tried to talk to her—but he'd never imagined she'd be orphaned and divorced, all alone in that big, cavernous house.

His mouth twisted. He should have figured out something was going on when Information told him the Harlow number was unlisted. That was quite a change from the old days, when half the boys in Bosque Bend were on the horn to Reverend Ed—or at least the “at-risk” half.

But how could anyone be stupid enough to let Laurel Harlow get away? Driving into town earlier this afternoon, he'd thought that ol' Dave was one man who went to bed happy each night. As a teenager, Laurel had been sexy as hell—tall, with a full-breasted woman's body, soft gray eyes fringed with long black lashes, her lips sweet and tender—the princess of Bosque Bend. Now, in full womanhood, she was in her glory.

He stomped on his brake as a traffic signal that hadn't been there sixteen years ago went from amber to red in front of him. Time to switch on his headlights. The last of the radiant sunset had finally sunk below the horizon.

He'd better get a move on. His old neighborhood had always held a particularly prominent position on the Bosque Bend police blotter, and he didn't want Lolly out there alone after dark.

The signal turned green. He hit the accelerator and shot forward.

Crap! He'd missed his turn.

No wonder. The old Alamo Drive-in on the corner of Crocket Avenue had finally been torn down, and in its place was a Walmart, complete with a large, white marquee advertising a post–July Fourth sale in patriotic red-and-blue letters.

Which meant that Overton's Department Store, which had reigned supreme on the city square since before he was born, finally had some competition. Jase smiled grimly. At least Overton's blatant racism ended when Reverend Ed threatened Dolph Overton, this generation's CEO, with a congregational boycott. You didn't fuck around with the pastor of the biggest church in town.

Exiting at the next street, he circled back, driving through the crowded parking lot. A constant stream of customers entered the store through the sliding door on the right, slowing him down to a crawl. Another wellspring exited from the slider on the left, the adults carrying bags of merchandise and pushing grocery baskets while the children bounced red, white, and blue balloons on strings. He maneuvered carefully around a little boy dashing about in the near dark with a blue balloon tied to his wrist, U-turned, and eased out onto Crocket again.

How much time had he lost? The streetlights were glimmering now. Night was falling fast.

Laurel Harlow was once the princess of Bosque Bend, Texas: Every door was open to the only daughter of the beloved minister and his well-bred wife. Then scandal rocked their family—and those same doors slammed shut. Now preparing the family mansion for sale, Laurel wants nothing more than to put the past behind her and move on. But when Jase Redlander appears on her doorstep, sixteen years after he left her heartbroken, she can't turn him away…especially when he needs her help.

Jase never intended to come back to this one-horse town. But then his teenage daughter runs away, headed straight for Bosque Bend and the woman he once loved. The moment Jase sees Laurel again, he knows he never should have left all those years ago. There's a secret she's keeping from him, though—he's certain of it. Over the course of sunny days and sultry nights, Jase aims to find out what it is. And this time he'll show Laurel that this bad boy can be the man of her dreams…if she'll let him.

    

Harper Laurence has been jilted on her way to the altar. Desperate for some time away from her friends and family, Harper takes off for Nashville—only to meet a hot, scruffy, tattooed stranger. A man she liked a little
too
much, and who left her the teeniest bit…well, pregnant.

Liam James is an up-and-coming country musician, who just found his muse. Ever since their weekend together, Liam hasn't been able to forget the curvy, vivacious woman who left him wanting more, even as she inspired some of the greatest songs he's ever written. He's determined to convince Harper that he's the guy for her…and that the best love songs can never be unsung.

    

Betty Lindholm doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. The banner advertising the new shipment of satin at her fabric store finally arrived and now the entire town of White Pine is up in arms. How was she supposed to know there'd be a typo? Now the entire town thinks she's proclaiming “Satan is here!” Even the gorgeous pastor with his steel-gray eyes and sexy smile…

Pastor Randall Sondheim is always on the lookout for excuses to drop by Betty's shop and gaze into her lovely blue eyes. The latest is her crazy sign—could that be a sign of something more? Sweet Betty brings out the best in him, but it's the worst in him, his dark secret tragedy, that worries Randall. Can this man of God conquer his own demons to win a match made in heaven?