Choices of the Heart (9 page)

One of the farm mutts came running up to her as she neared the house. She patted his mottled brown head before he went running away. She could see Bobby waiting in the distance on the porch. She stopped and considered for a moment. What, truly, would be best for Bobby?

Dottie Lloyd would do better than Chloe, for sure. She’d raised two boys, knew what little boys need to grow into men. But she and her husband were getting up in years, and keeping up with the small boy would be a struggle.

Isabelle and Reese were the other option. Isabelle would be a fine mother, a good housekeeper, far more organized than Chloe would ever be. There was her blind mother to consider, plus the image of Isabelle in bed with Reese made Chloe physically ill.

When Bobby spotted her, he jumped from the porch and ran full speed toward her. It wasn’t about Chloe’s wants anymore. It was about Bobby’s future.

Dropping her fancy shoes, she grabbed the boy and swung him up into her arms. He giggled as she spun around in a circle. When she was thoroughly dizzy, she set him down with a laugh and fell to the ground. He lay on top of her, no doubt thinking they were playing a wrestling game.

“So, Bobby, do you want me for a mommy?”

Chapter Nine

“Reese, you must think of the boy,” Isabelle told him.

He was more tired than he’d been in some time. Chloe was making his head spin, and now the surprise visit from Isabelle caught him further off guard, making him irritable.

“I reckon my folks would be the best choice to raise him. They already raised two sons. They know what it takes.”

“You could learn,” she insisted.

He should be agreeing with her, should make the decision right here and now to offer Isabelle marriage. Hadn’t Chloe suggested that? Was that before or after she told him to come to Lincoln with her?

His body tensed as Isabelle walked closer to him. He’d welcomed her attentions for months, nearly a year. They’d known each other for a long time, but when her father passed away, Reese thought it was a good time to court her. There were not all that many available women in Broken Bow, and none had managed to attract his attention.

With Chloe back, things between he and Isabelle felt uncomfortable. Nothing had changed though, not really. He and Isabelle were still an item. Chloe had just altered things.
Again
.

Isabelle wrapped an arm around his waist and followed his gaze off the porch. He struggled to stay there, felt trapped, like a fish on a hook. He begged his body to relax, to accept her presence. But he couldn’t. He moved away to the rocker.

“What is it?” Isabelle followed him, sat in the matching rocker a few feet away.

“Nothing.” He shook his head and looked away.

“Aw, come on now.” She chuckled. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

How could he tell her without hurting her feelings? It was damn hard letting Chloe control his life again. He’d left it up to her to decide what direction the whole family would go. Being with Isabelle, he felt he was being unfaithful to Chloe. How crazy was that? Isabelle was his girl now, even if it didn’t feel quite right anymore.

“Reese, you’re a million miles away.”

He didn’t deserve her gentle voice and concern. Not when he was thinking about Chloe. He stood again and walked to the rail. It was as if his body couldn’t be still. As if his nerves were energized and couldn’t shut off.

“Reese, talk to me, please.”

He heard her get up and soon her arms were around his waist, her hands resting just above the fly of his Levis. Isabelle loved him. Although she never said the words, they were always there, hanging invisible in the air between them. Why couldn’t it be easy? Why couldn’t he feel the same for her?

He turned and pulled her into his arms. She was pretty, smelled so nice. If only she were the one for him. If only he hadn’t lost his heart years earlier. If only Chloe hadn’t come back and reminded him what it was like to be loved by her, touched by her.

He pulled Isabelle closer and kissed her. Softly at first, he gradually deepened the kiss. A soft moan escaped her lips, and he joined his tongue with hers. He’d never done that to her before, but he was trying as hard as he could to feel something for Isabelle. He needed some reaction, any kind of spark to know that it would be okay if he married her. That his heart
could
feel something for her.

She pulled away, breathless, cheeks flushed. “Are you kissing me, Reese, or putting on a free show?”

“What?”

He looked over his shoulder where Isabelle pointed out over the barnyard. Chloe was walking away, back toward his folks’ house.

“Damn.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know she was there, Isabelle.”

“I think
she
is your problem.”

He’d never heard her voice sound quite that harsh before. “You’re right.” He pulled away and yanked a cigarette from his shirt pocket. After a long drag, when he could no longer see Chloe’s back through the tree line, he turned back to Isabelle. “She is a problem.” In more ways than one.

“When is she leaving?” With dainty grace, she crossed her legs and set the chair in motion. “Surely all the paperwork has been taken care of.”

“Jed’s new partner is drawing up papers that she has to sign. Papers that I have to take to the bank when I go to Chicago.” He blew out a stream of smoke. Why had Chloe come here? What did she want?

“I’d like to go with you, Reese.”

“What?” He turned, lost in wonder about Chloe.

“To Chicago. I’d like to go along with you.”

Oh, yes. That was what he’d mentioned. “That wouldn’t be proper, Isabelle.” He shook his head for more emphasis. “An unmarried couple shouldn’t travel together. There would be talk.”

“Well, how about we change that?” She turned him to face her. “You need someone to help you with Bobby. You know Chloe wants nothing to do with Broken Bow. You can tell just by how she looks down her nose at everything here,” she sneered. “Your folks are too old to raise your nephew. We get along so well, Reese, enjoy our time together. Mother will be no bother. I’ll see to all her needs myself and still be able to care for both you and Bobby.”

He frowned. That image was not at all what he wanted in his head.

She shook his shoulder, a look of desperation in her eyes. “Surely this will be the answer.”

Well, I’ll be damned
, Reese thought,
she just asked me to marry her!

“There’s more to marriage than that, Isabelle.” Just as well say the word. They both knew what she was suggesting.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his eyes, a flirtatious angle to her face. “There
is
more to our courtship than that, isn’t there? Don’t you feel some fondness toward me? I certainly do toward you.”

He met her eyes. It wouldn’t be fair to lie to her. “I am very fond of you but…” He swallowed and looked away, back to the spot where he’d seen Chloe. “I don’t know if I will ever feel for you what you feel for me.”

“Yes, you will.” She was so confident that she patted him on the back. “Once we are married, living together, you’ll see. It will all be fine. I’ll make you happy. Really I will.”

“Isabelle…”

“Reese,
I love you
. I have for years, but your head has been so clouded with your memories of
her
that you haven’t let yourself fall in love with me. You look at me as a friend, and I think if you tried just a little harder to get her out of your mind, you’d succeed, and then we’ll be a happy family.”

Had he been that obvious?

“I don’t deserve you, Isabelle.” He swallowed. He knew his words were going to hurt, but…he was an honest man. “I just can’t give back to you what you’re offering me.” He stuck his hands deep into his pockets and leaned back on his heels, pulling from her arms. All this talk of feelings and emotions made him uncomfortable. Black and white issues were fine. Emotions couldn’t be as readily defined. Or forced.

“Nonsense.” She waved away his concern. “You’ll come to love me. I just know you will.” She kissed his cheek and grabbed her handbag off the table. “I have to get home and give Mother her pills. You think about what I said, will you?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “I will.” He hadn’t thought about much else the past few days and long, long sleepless nights.

“Fine then. I will be by tomorrow to get your laundry done.”

“Isabelle, you don’t need to—”

“I enjoy it. Truly, I like keeping house for you. Once we’re married, it will be even easier. No travel.” She laughed at her comment, kissed his cheek again and then caressed it with the back of her hand. She waved goodbye to him as she walked toward her automobile.

He and Chloe needed to make some tough decisions fast—decisions that would affect not only his life, but also that of another woman and a little boy. That was enough pressure to make him sit back down and have another smoke.

~*~

“I should have known.” Chloe cursed herself. She slammed another pair of shoes into her traveling satchel. “Why did I let myself open my heart to those feelings for him again?”

She threw the bag onto her bed, crossed her arms and stalked over to the window. She could see the roof of Reese’s red barn in the distance, just above the treetops. Was Isabelle still there, or had she left?

Still in shock, from finding them embracing on his porch, Chloe was beside herself. After leaving his house angry, she’d played with Bobby for hours, while weighing all the pros and cons in her head.

Before seeing Isabelle in his arms, Chloe had decided to stay in Broken Bow, make it her permanent home. She loved Reese as much as ever, knew better now that there wasn’t anyone else for her. Her heart and soul were his. He was the love of her life.

Daisy wanted Chloe to raise Bobby, and she would do as her older sister asked. How could she ignore her sister’s last request? She and Reese could make a go of it. Who knew if he would ever forgive her for leaving in the first place, but in her mind, for Bobby and her own heart, it was worth a try.

Chloe turned back into the room and glanced at her half-packed bag. Reese asked her to stay and then hours later he was kissing Isabelle. What was he doing? Playing it safe? If Chloe wouldn’t stay, then he’d have Isabelle to fall back on? Or was it the other way around? Maybe he was hoping Isabelle would say yes and if not, he’d have Chloe as a backup.

She plopped her bottom on the bed and fell onto her back, resting her head on her folded hands. Life wasn’t fair, and it shouldn’t be this stressful.

“Chloe?” Dottie knocked on the door.

“Come in.” She didn’t bother to sit up.

“Taking a nap?”

Dottie’s kind smile eased some of Chloe’s worry. Since the night she’d returned from Reese’s home, Dottie had been kinder to her. Perhaps it was just the shock at having her back in their life that had caused the older woman’s threats? Life always seemed safer when the older woman was near.

“No.” Chloe sighed. “Packing.”

“Packing?” Dottie’s face fell. “Oh, dear. Not ready to leave yet, are you?” She sat next to Chloe on the bed. “It has been a rough few days, hasn’t it?” She lay back next to her.

“Understatement of the decade, Mrs. Lloyd.”

“I always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter.” She gently touched Chloe’s shoulder. “Someone who would share their dreams with me just like this. We’d have giggles and private stories I wouldn’t tell Randy about. I figured I would find out about their crushes and the boys they admired. Reese and Ronnie never shared that stuff with me. Of course, it was always pretty obvious who was on Reese’s mind. Ronnie wasn’t as open about his feelings.”

“Is Reese still as obvious?” Chloe closed her eyes, worried about her answer.

“Yep, he sure is.” Dottie sat up straight again. “Isabelle Mathers is downstairs. She asked to speak with you.”

“Well, that’s just swell,” Chloe sat on the edge of the bed. “Just swell.”

Dottie shooed Bobby, who had been waiting at the doorway, ahead of her and left the door open, letting Chloe decide if she would follow or not. She really wasn’t in the mood for another confrontation, but Isabelle didn’t leave Chloe much choice.

Isabelle sat at the kitchen table, drinking a glass of lemonade.

“Hi, Isabelle.” Chloe joined her at the table.

Bobby took Chloe’s hand and squeezed her fingers.

Isabelle looked at her then at the boy and smiled. There was no animosity in her expression.

“Chloe.” Isabelle nodded a greeting and took a long sip of lemonade. “Can we talk for a bit? Perhaps out on the porch? There’s a nice breeze.”

“Certainly.” Chloe bent lower to look at Bobby. “You wanna go out and chase your kitties?”

“Uh-huh!”

She laughed at his enthusiasm, waited for Isabelle to stand up and then followed her out the screen door. Isabelle had a lovely dress on. It was short, barely covering her knees, and was made of a sheer, silky, light-green fabric. She was taller than Chloe, with curly blonde hair that was just below chin length.

Bobby squealed, drawing Chloe’s attention, and she watched as he ran laughing through the yard, the cats scurrying beyond his reach. Mr. Lloyd called him over to the barn, and he ran away, swinging his arms at his sides.

“He’s a happy child,” Isabelle commented before sitting.

“For a boy who grew up in a city, he seems to have adjusted well out here, yes,” Chloe agreed, watching the boy.

“When are you leaving, Chloe?”

Nothing like cutting to the chase. Chloe’s gaze snapped square on Isabelle. Isabelle’s eyebrows rose, waiting for her answer.

“I haven’t decided yet.” It was the truth, even if her bag was almost packed upstairs.

“Have you signed the paperwork?”

So she knew about that, did she? Apparently, Reese had involved Isabelle more than Chloe had thought.

“Mitch Schroeder, Jed’s new partner, is supposed to bring the papers over after supper.”

“And you will sign them,” Isabelle insisted. “All of them?”

“Isabelle, just be frank, would you? Have your say.”

“He’s mine.” Isabelle leaned forward and put her glass on the porch floor. “When you left, he turned to me. Now that you have come back, he’s turned away. I have always admired him. Even when you two were involved, I was attracted to him.”