The Man She Should Have Married (2 page)

Stella shook her head. “I don't think so. We've been here since ten o'clock.”

Olivia mentally sighed. Her mother still didn't seem to realize the importance of eating at regular intervals and keeping her meals balanced, even though they'd already had several discussions about the potential consequences.

“She needs sugar, fast,” Dr. Groves said. “She's having a low blood sugar reaction. This happens when diabetics are on meds and don't eat the right things often enough.”

“She can have my funnel cake,” one of the onlookers said. The woman, someone Olivia didn't know, thrust forward her paper plate containing a sugared funnel cake. “I just got it.”

“That's good,” the doctor said, “but some orange juice would be faster acting. Once we get her blood sugar stabilized, she'll need something more substantial, with protein, like a hot dog or one of those chicken drumsticks they're selling.”

“I'll go get some orange juice,” Nathan piped up. “There's a juice stand right over there.” He pointed to one about a hundred feet away. “I have tickets!” He held up a strip of the tickets used in lieu of money at all the booths.

In all the confusion Olivia had lost track of Thea, and she looked around as Nathan ran off, and Dr. Groves continued to monitor her mother, but she didn't see Thea. She saw Natalie, though, and called to her. “Where's Thea, honey?”

Natalie frowned and looked around. “She...she was just here.”

Olivia's mother was now sitting on a nearby bench, with her sister, the doctor and Stella in attendance. They were feeding her some funnel cake. Olivia, who wasn't yet alarmed, figured Thea was simply hidden by one of the members of the group of people waiting on funnel cakes or lured by the earlier commotion of her mother's collapse. She headed toward Eve, who still stood near the booth with Natalie. At the moment, the young girl seemed a lot older than her almost-twelve years, with her worried face and frightened eyes. She took her responsibility of watching after Thea very seriously.

“Thea!” Olivia called as she walked through the clusters of people. “Thea, honey, where are you?”

Eve frowned and hurried toward Olivia. “What's wrong?”

“I don't see Thea anywhere.” Now Olivia's voice held an edge of fear.

“Natalie?” Eve said, eyeing her daughter.

Natalie looked stricken. “Mom, I—I don't know where she is.”

“But you were holding her hand, honey. You and Nathan said you were going to watch her today.”

“I know, Mom, but Auntie Norma fainted and...and I must have let go of her hand. I—I don't know where Thea went.” The last word was a wail, and Natalie's eyes filled with tears. “I'm sorry.”

“Oh, my God,” Olivia said. Her heart had begun to hammer, and full-blown panic had set in. Now she looked around frantically. “Thea! Thea! Where
are
you?”

By now, several people had stopped whatever they were doing and were staring at her. One of them said to Eve, “What's wrong?”

Eve quickly explained. “She's probably just wandered off, but–”

“But what if she hasn't?” Olivia cried. “What if...” She couldn't even finish the thought. Horrible images flashed through her mind in the space of seconds. Thea was so little. So sweet and innocent and trusting. And so very beautiful with her blond curly hair, the exact shade of her father's, and her shining brown eyes, just like Olivia's own. Olivia closed her eyes, also thinking how inquisitive her daughter was, how
interested
in things, the way she would talk to strangers. “Please, God,” she whispered. “Please, God, let her be okay.”

Her greatest fear was losing Thea. Losing Mark had been hard enough, but losing Thea was unthinkable.

“Liv, she's okay, I know she is,” Eve said. “Let's look methodically. Think, Natalie, did she say anything?”

Natalie's tear-stained face screwed up in thought. “I—I think she said something about a kitty right before Auntie Norma said she didn't feel good.”

“A kitten!” Olivia said. “Maybe...maybe she saw a kitten.” She looked at Eve. “You know how she loves cats. She...she's been begging for one for months.” Olivia had been waiting, thinking she'd surprise Thea at Christmas.

“Let's get some of these people looking. She can't have gone far,” Eve said. She turned to one of the nearby groups. “Her little girl's wandered off. We need help looking for her.”

“I'll notify security,” a man said, taking out his cell phone. “I know the man in charge. What's the little girl's name?”

Within moments, Eve had organized a search party armed with Thea's description and information, the head of security had arrived and been briefed, and 9-1-1 had also been called.

Olivia felt sick with fear. It was all she could do not to break down completely, but she knew if she did, she'd be useless. She forced herself to take deep breaths...and
think.
Thank God for Eve. And thank God, Olivia's mother didn't know what was happening, because Thea was
her
only grandchild, too, and totally adored.

But it wouldn't be long before Norma would find out about Thea, because Olivia could see two police officers coming toward them, and the head of security here at the festival had just told her they were going to get an announcement on the loudspeaker so that everyone attending the festival would be on the lookout for Thea.

“Olivia?” The oldest police officer, a man Olivia recognized as Tom Nicholls, looked at her. His wife, Betty, was a nurse at the Crandall Lake Hospital where Olivia worked in Admitting and Registration. “It's your daughter that's missing?”

“Yes.” Olivia stepped forward, with Eve and Natalie right behind.

For the next five minutes they gave Tom Nicholls all the information he asked for. Natalie was also questioned, and then Nicholls got on the phone and fired off orders. A dozen more search parties were organized, and throughout, Olivia fought against the panic threatening to paralyze her. She very nearly gave in to it when she wanted to join one of the search parties and Nicholls wouldn't let her.

“You need to be at the security tent,” he said. “That's going to be our command post and where Thea will be brought when she's found. And she'll need you then. You can't be off somewhere searching.” Without waiting for her to protest, he beckoned to another officer. “Officer Wilkins here will take you to the security tent.”

“I'll go and tell your mom and the others what's happening. Then I'll find you,” Eve said, giving her a quick hug. “It's going to be okay, sweetie. I love you.”

Olivia bit back her tears and allowed herself to be led off. She couldn't help remembering how, the night before, her last thought before going to bed had been about how much fun today was going to be.

What a fool she was.

She had tempted fate.

And now fate was showing her, once again, that she had no control over anything.

Chapter Two

M
atthew Lawrence Britton wondered for about the thousandth time if he really
did
want to run for the US House of Representatives. He'd been greeting possible supporters at the festival for less than two hours, and he was already sick of it. And the election he was aiming for was more than two years away! He hated having to ask people for money, but without money—big money—no one, no matter what your name was, had a chance of winning an important election anymore.

Even more to the point, and the main thing that had been bothering him, was the fact he enjoyed his job as an assistant criminal district attorney for Hays County. And he was good at it. He might even have a shot at district attorney when his boss retired—something that was rumored to happen fairly soon.

But everyone, friends and family alike, seemed to think a more national stage was the road he should take. They had been pressuring him for a while now, ever since the idea had been floated by an influential former law professor of his. Even his sister-in-law, Olivia, had weighed in, saying he'd make a wonderful representative for their district. He guessed he'd better make a final decision soon.

With all this on his mind, he was just about to approach Wylie Sheridan, an old family friend, when the loudspeakers dotted around the festival grounds crackled to life.

“This is an emergency message. May I have your attention, everyone?” boomed an authoritative male voice. “We have a missing child. Four-year-old Thea Britton has been separated from her family. Thea has curly blond hair and brown eyes. She's wearing blue denim pants, red sneakers, and a red-and-white-striped long-sleeved T-shirt and has a red bow in her hair. If anyone sees her now or remembers seeing her recently, please come to the security tent next to the main pavilion or call this number.” He went on to give the number, then say that Thea had last been seen by the funnel cake booth. “She may have been chasing after a cat or kitten.”

Matt had his phone out and had pressed Olivia's cell phone number before the announcement was finished. Thea was Matt's godchild, and even if she hadn't been the daughter of his late brother, Mark, Matt would have loved her. Thea was special—smart and sweet, loving and beautiful.

Just like her mother.

The thought, which had come more and more often lately, still had the power to make him feel guilty. He knew this emotion was ridiculous. Mark was gone. And he would have been the first to want Matt to take care of Olivia. Wouldn't he?

“Olivia?” Matt said when she answered. “I just heard the announcement about Thea. Where are you?”

“I'm at the security tent. The police want me to st-stay here.” Her voice broke in a sob. “Oh, Matt, I'm so scared. She was right
there
, then she just
disappeared
!”

“I'm coming. I'll be there in two minutes.” He was already running, his heart racing along with his feet. “It'll be okay. We'll find her.”

When he reached the security tent, Olivia was pacing outside the door. She looked so forlorn, and so beautiful. Without thinking whether he should or shouldn't, he pulled her into his arms. Her slight body trembled, and more than anything, he wished he could tell her how he felt about her, how much he wanted to take care of her.

But this wasn't the time...or the place. And even if it was, he had no idea how she would react to this kind of declaration. He refused to think what he'd do if he confessed his feelings and she shot him down. Once he'd put those feelings into words, he knew they could never go back to their present relationship of caring brother-in-law to his brother's widow.

“Matt, oh, Matt,” she sobbed. “I'm so afraid. The woods, the river, the lake. Who knows how far she's gone? You know how she is. How she always wants to investigate things. The questions she asks. What if...if someone...took her? But the police... I—I wanted to look for her, too, but they said I needed to stay here.” Her body shuddered.

Matt inhaled the subtle fragrance of her silky hair as he held her and said over and over, “They'll find her. You've got everybody looking. They'll find her.” But his mind was whirling as he imagined all the things that could have happened to Thea. He loved her as much as he had finally admitted—to himself if to no one else—he loved her mother.

Sometimes he wondered if he had always loved Olivia. Always wanted her. There was something about her that had touched him from the moment he was introduced to her when she and Mark were dating. Matt had always championed the underdog; it was simply part of his nature, and Olivia—in terms of how his parents viewed her, anyway—was definitely the underdog.

Matt's mother, in particular, disliked her daughter-in-law intensely and criticized her constantly: she wasn't raising their granddaughter to the standards of a Britton; she plopped the child in day care instead of allowing Vivienne to hire a nanny and have Thea raised in her grandparents' home under proper guidance and supervision; and worst of all, Vivienne considered Olivia to be one of the major reasons Mark was killed—because, in Vivienne's view—Olivia wasn't the wife he needed and kept him distracted and worried about his family instead of focusing on his job as a Black Hawk pilot. Unsaid was her bitter disappointment that the son she had imagined doing great things after fulfilling his service to his country, the son she'd envisioned going up the political ladder to high office, possibly the
highest
office, was gone forever. Olivia had been, and still was, a convenient scapegoat.

Matt's father was more tolerant than his wife and might have been okay with Olivia's entrance into the Britton family, but Vivienne ruled in the elder Brittons' home, and it was always easier for her husband to keep the peace and just go along. Actually, if Matt were being really honest with himself, he'd admit he'd long known his father was weak. That as long as he was able to live his privileged life, he didn't seem to care how that life was obtained or maintained.

Olivia finally withdrew from Matt's embrace and raised her tear-stained face to look at him. Her soft brown eyes met his. “I'm so glad you're here. I—I thought about calling you, but in all the confu—”

“It's okay. I know. C'mon, let's go sit down.” He gestured to a nearby bench. When she hesitated, glancing back at the security tent, he said, “Don't worry. I'll let them know you're right here. If they want you, they'll come out and get you.”

For the next hour, both Matt and her cousin Eve tried to keep Olivia calm as people came and went, as the security team and the police department officers combined their efforts and the search parties combed the nearby grounds and questioned dozens of people.

Olivia eventually just looked numb. Her eyes clouded with worry and fear, she kept biting her bottom lip and twisting her hands. She couldn't sit still, and every ten minutes or so she'd jump up and start pacing again. Or her phone would ring and she'd either talk or she'd say, “I can't talk! I have to keep the line clear in case...” Then her voice would trail off and she'd have to sit down again.

Matt and Eve, whom he'd met several times—and liked very much—exchanged a lot of concerned looks. He knew what Eve was thinking, because he was thinking it, too. The longer it took the searchers to find Thea, the more likely it was the outcome of the searching wouldn't be good. His own fear felt like a huge weight in his chest, and it was all he could do to keep that fear from showing.

Olivia needed him...and Eve...to be strong.

He thought about calling his parents, but he didn't. The last thing Olivia needed was for his mother to come charging over to the festival with her accusations and criticisms.

But after more than two hours had gone by, and one by one the search teams reported in with no success, Matt knew he could no longer delay notifying his parents. He waited until Olivia was busy with Officer Nicholls, and then he walked a few feet away and placed the call.

His mother answered. “Hello, Matthew,” she said. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Matt gritted his teeth at this subtle dig. She never missed a chance to let him know he wasn't living up to her expectations. “Listen, Mom. I need to tell you something. Now, don't get hysterical, but I'm at the festival, and... Thea is missing. The police are here, and—”

“I see,” his mother said, interrupting. “And just how did
that
happen? Just exactly how did my granddaughter go missing?”

Matt blinked. What was wrong with his mother? She didn't sound the least bit upset, just disdainful.

“What happened is,” he said in the most measured tone he could manage, “Olivia's family is here celebrating her mother's birthday, and her mother felt sick and fainted, and in all the commotion, Thea wandered off. The authorities organized search parties, but they haven't found—”

“Of course they haven't found her.”

“What the
hell
?” Matt said, losing his temper. “Aren't you even
upset
? Your only grandchild is missing and all you can do is imply the security people, the police, aren't doing their—”

“Do not swear at me, Matthew,” she said, interrupting him again. “I'm not upset because Thea is here.”

“She's
what
?”

“You heard me. She's here. Where she
should
be. Safe and sound. More than I can say for when she's in her so-called mother's so-called care.”

If his mother had been physically in his presence, Matt knew he might have choked her, he was that angry. “And just how did she happen to be there? Did someone find her and bring her to you?”

“I found her. I was at the festival myself, earlier, and I saw her wandering all alone, that
family
of her mother's nowhere to be seen, so I did what any grandmother would do. I scooped her up and I brought her home. She's even now upstairs playing happily in the nursery. In fact, I can hear her talking. I think she's on Buddy Boy.” Buddy Boy was the name of the rocking horse that had been in Vivienne's family since
she
was a child. “You know how she loves Buddy Boy and how she talks to him, just like her father did when he was a boy. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back—”

“I'll be there in fifteen minutes,” Matt said, doing his own interrupting now. His heart was once again hammering, but not in fear this time. He felt murderous rage, mixed with disbelief. How could his mother be so downright cruel? He was appalled by Vivienne's behavior and the way she had so callously disregarded the fear and worry Olivia and her family were feeling. Hell, that
he'd
been feeling! And all those people who had been searching for hours. The police, the security people...it all boggled his mind.

He disconnected the call and strode to where Olivia was still talking to Tom Nicholls. “Call off the search party,” he told Tom. “Thea's been found. She's at my mother's.”

Ignoring Nicholls's startled expression and the inevitable questions, Matt took Olivia's arm and said, “C'mon, let's go get her. I'll explain everything on the way.”

Eve, who had heard the exchange, met Matt's eyes. She looked stunned, but didn't say anything.

“She'll call you, or I will, after we get Thea,” he said. “Tell the others.”

Eve nodded and Matt knew she'd take care of things there.

“Where'd you park?” Olivia asked, her face beginning to portray her conflicting emotions. Matt still found it hard to believe his mother had done this unspeakable thing. To take Thea home and never call Olivia to tell her where Thea was defied every standard of decent behavior. He'd always known how manipulative and controlling his mother was—and how insensitive to the feelings of others when they interfered with what she wanted—but he'd never imagined she was actually heartless and devoid of compassion for a fellow human being.

“On Waterside,” he said. “This way.” Grabbing Olivia's hand, he led her through the crowd and together, they hurried to where his BMW was parked. He hit his remote, the doors unlocked, and Olivia was in the passenger seat before he could even think of helping her. In minutes, they were on their way.

As he drove, he quickly told her a sanitized version of his conversation with his mother. From the way Olivia's throat worked, he knew what she must be feeling, yet all she said was, “I don't really care why your mother did what she did...or what she said. I'm just thankful Thea is okay. And I just want to get her and take her home.”

“I know.” But he also knew when she'd had time to really think about this, Olivia would feel differently. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if she ended up forbidding his mother to see Thea again. Hell, if he was in Olivia's shoes, he might consider moving away from Crandall Lake to put as much distance between her and his mother as she could.

Even the thought that Olivia might move away made him want to do something terrible to his mother.

Barely twelve minutes had elapsed since his phone conversation with Vivienne before Matt and Olivia were pulling into the long drive leading to his parents' stately home. Matt parked in the front turnaround, and again Olivia was out of the car and dashing up the shallow front steps before he managed to get out himself.

Olivia jabbed at the doorbell, but Matt, who had a key to the house, shoved it into the lock and opened the door himself. The first thing he saw was his mother, looking coolly elegant in tailored black pants paired with a black-and-white geometric top, her expertly colored blond hair in a chin-length style she'd recently adopted. Vivienne was halfway down the curving staircase that led to the second floor. She stopped at their entrance and lifted her head defiantly. Her blue eyes met Matt's. She ignored Olivia.

“I've come for my daughter,” Olivia said, her voice only betraying a tiny tremor.