Lone Oak Feud (Harlequin Heartwarming) (18 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

L
INDSEY
WATCHED
HER
digital clock turn to 3:30 a.m. just as she’d watched it turn to three and two and so on. She sat up and whipped the covers aside. If she lay here another minute, she would go certifiably crazy.

She wandered into the spare bedroom Brooke used as an office. Turning on the desktop computer, she sat at the desk.

The address Mrs. Rundle had rattled off earlier was still fresh in Lindsey’s mind. She typed in the address of a mapping website and then entered the address. Voilà. Directions to Zach’s doorstep.

She stared at the screen for a good five minutes, considering her options. Sleep wasn’t going to come anytime soon. The longer she sat around in the dark, the more she would think about her mom, her dad. Zach. Thinking was getting her nowhere.

If she left now, she’d get there by about six-thirty, in time to catch him before he went to work. And then some.

She checked her planner for morning appointments. She had a meeting with her supervisor that she could postpone. Her in-home meetings weren’t until the evening. She could make it back to Lone Oak in time for them.

Snapping into action, she clicked Print, waited for the map to slide out of the printer and returned to her bedroom to get dressed. She threw on dry jeans, a tank and her favorite fuzzy hooded sweater. More comfort clothes.

Before she left, she threw a toothbrush in her purse and scribbled a note to Brooke, who’d probably be up in the next couple hours, anyway.

* * *

N
EARLY
THREE
HOURS
LATER
she was in Wichita and still alert, thanks to a forty-four-ounce vat of caffeine. That, and the anticipation of seeing Zach.

Lindsey drove into an all-night gas station that was lit brighter than a baseball stadium during a night game. She studied the map until she knew the rest of the route and got back on the road, which was mostly deserted.

The sky was just starting to lighten, and either the rain from last night had stopped or she’d driven out of it. The sidewalks and streets were dry, but the air was chilly, especially after the cocoon of warmth in the car.

Zach’s apartment was one of four units in a well-maintained brick building. Bland but functional. She found number three on the ground floor. Lindsey’s heart beat erratically as she walked toward the door.

She knocked at number three, her heart in her throat. She shivered and waited for ages, then knocked again. Finally, on the third knock, the door opened.

Zach scowled out at her through drowsy eyes, his hair a mess. He wore pajama bottoms and nothing else, and the room behind him was dark. Lindsey held back the urge to run into his arms.

“Wha—? Lindsey? What on earth?”

Her fingers itched to touch his face, to run her hands through his hair, then wind her arms around him. But she couldn’t tell anything about his thoughts. All she knew was she’d woken him up and he was surprised to see her.

“Can I come in?”

Without a word, he opened the door wider and stood back. “What time is it?”

“Six-thirtyish. Sorry I woke you.”

Zach walked past her to a couch he’d apparently used as a bed, judging by the blankets and pillow on it. He sat next to the pillow and reached over to turn on the lamp on the end table.

The couch was the only piece of furniture to sit on in the room. “Mind if I—?” It was awkward to be so formal with him.

Zach patted the cushion next to him. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“Your grandma said you brought Owen to Wichita.”

“He’s in my bedroom.”

“You gave him your bed? That’s so sweet.”

He leveled a sleepy look at her. “Why are you here, Linds?”

Where to start? She’d had three hours of solitude—and thrashing music—to figure out what to say, but she was far from prepared.

“I went to the cemetery last night.” She couldn’t afford to lose it right now. “Sat at my mom’s grave for a long time. Thought about a lot of things.”

“That must’ve been difficult.”

Lindsey nodded. “I don’t want to feel guilty anymore.” She could feel the heat of his leg through her jeans.

“I...told my dad I care about you.” Once the words were out she looked at him.

His expression suddenly became alert. “Bet that went over well,” he said carefully.

“Actually, a whole lot better than I’d expected. I knew telling him could mean being forced out of his life. I was prepared for that, and I’d still be here even if that had happened. But...he gave me his blessing. Said he would try to get to know you.” She pulled her sleeves down over her hands and pulled one leg up under her. “I owe you an apology.”

His eyes narrowed.

“I’ve put my dad’s feelings above yours forever. Didn’t even consider how I made you feel.” She wove her fingers with his and rested both of their hands on Zach’s thigh. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said quietly.

“It’s not. At all. I can’t change the past but I’d like...” She met his gaze. “I’d like to make up for it.”

His lips curved upward as he seemed to grasp why she was there. “How you going to do that?”

“However you’ll let me. I love you, Zach. That’s what I told my dad.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You could start by telling me you love me, too.”

“I do.” He smiled, then frowned just as quickly. “You’re sure things are okay with your dad? I don’t want to come between you.”

“I tried to play it his way, Zach. I was miserable. So...whether you want to see how things go with me or not, my dad knows how I feel.”

“I want to see how things go.” His voice was so low and soft she wasn’t sure she heard him right. “Forget that,” he said, with more animation. “I want you. The good and the bad. We’ll make it go.”

Emotions threatened to overwhelm her and she found it difficult to sit still. “I thought about it the whole way here, and I’m sure I can get a similar job in Wichita.”

Zach pulled her into a hug. Finally. Lindsey leaned in to kiss him.

He came up for air before she was ready. “There’s one problem with your plan,” he said huskily.

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Owen and I are moving to Lone Oak.”

She stared at him. “You are?”

“I need to be near Gram, and Lone Oak’s the closest thing Owen has to a home.”

Lindsey let that sink in for a few seconds. Maybe minutes.

“What about your job? The company you want to buy?”

“We had our meeting with the commission last night. We won. The development is on.”

“Congratulations. I know how much that means to you.”

“I told Chuck I’m leaving.”

She tilted her head in surprise.

“I’ve been saving my money for years to buy Moxley. Instead, I’m going to use it to start my own company in Lone Oak. I can do this. I’m good at what I do. Just changing where I do it.”

“You’ll have to start from scratch, though, Zach.”

“It’ll be
my
company.” He brushed her hair back behind her shoulder. “I’ll build it up. I helped Chuck build Moxley.” He was excited about the prospect. His body language said so.

“You’ll do it. I have no doubt,” she said. “So tell me. What will Gram say about all this. About me?”

“She gives you a thumbs-up. You’ll just have to get used to her kind of affection.”

Lindsey laughed. “Something along the lines of anti-affection?”

“She’s quite a woman. I hope you can get to know her better.”

“I’d like that.”

She frowned, not wanting to bring up her last doubt. But she had to. “What about Josh?”

“He’s gone, Linds. He called on his way to Wyoming. Found a job on a ranch out there and is going to start over.”

“Owen’s his son. What if he wants to see him?”

“He agreed to sign away his rights. I told him he can visit but he’s my son now. Our son...that is, if you’d like.... Don’t worry about that yet. We’ll work through it when we have to.”

She could do that. With Zach at her side, she felt like she could do just about anything. “I’d love to adopt Owen with you.”

Zach took her hand in his. “That’ll make Owen the happiest kid in the world. One other thing I’ve been thinking about...”

“More?”

“Billy. Find a family for him yet?”

“Zach.” Tears came to her eyes. “You think we should adopt him too?”

“It’s crossed my mind. I wasn’t sure I could handle two boys by myself, but with you.... Let’s talk about it soon.”

She hugged him tightly again, unable to speak for the emotion in her throat. Her tears dripped onto his bare shoulder. Twenty-four hours ago, she would’ve never believed she could be this happy.

“You’re crying again?” Zach chuckled. “What’s it going to take to make you stop?” He brushed his lips over her temple.

She laughed and sobbed at the same time. “You’ll get used to it, I promise.”

“Think long and hard before you go kissing me and chattering about the future, Linds. I come with some extras—a little boy and an old woman. You think you can handle all of us?”

“Let’s see.” She wiped her eyes, sat up and pretended to ponder. “The boy’s a piece of cake, the woman’s a teddy bear in disguise. And the man?” She stared intently into his eyes. “I’ll show you exactly how well I can handle the man.”

“As long as you keep on showing me for the rest of our lives.”

Instead of answering him, Lindsey leaned in and kissed him for all she was worth.

* * * * *

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ISBN: 9781460307380

Copyright © 2013 by Amy Knupp

Originally published as THE BOY NEXT DOOR
Copyright © 2007 by Amy Knupp

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