Haley closed the door behind her and was halfway down the steps when she heard her mother scream. The skin crawled on the back of her neck, but she kept on walking. Even after she’d gotten in her car and was driving away, she couldn’t quit thinking of how crazy that scream had sounded. Suddenly she shivered, as if a ghost had popped up behind her. She couldn’t help but glance up in the rearview mirror, just to make sure she was still alone.

  “Lord. Just one day back and she’s already making me crazy,” she muttered, and took the turn onto Main Street.

  She hadn’t gone far when she saw Retta and her mother coming out of the pharmacy. When Retta saw her, she started waving madly, trying to get her to pull over.

  Haley pulled in to the curb and got out, smiling. Retta was already squealing and holding her arms open for a hug. Retta’s little belly was round with a baby and she was a good five inches shorter than Haley, but her welcome made Haley feel protected and loved in a way she rarely remembered.

  “Hey, you,” Haley said, as she patted Retta’s belly. “I see congratulations are in order.” Then she smiled at Retta’s mother. “Hi, Mrs. Woodley. You look great. Ready to be a grandmother?”

  Retta giggled. “This will be numbers two and three, thank you, so she’s already had the pleasure. However, Mother is in as much shock as Billy about this pregnancy.”

  Haley laughed out loud. “You’re having twins? Wow. How old is your first?”

  “Four. Thank goodness he’s in prekindergarten or I’d be losing my mind. He’s Billy all over.”

  “Billy who?” Haley asked.

  “Billy Tyler,” Retta said, and then giggled again. “I know, I know. Don’t say it. I know I couldn’t stand him. But he changed, okay?”

  Haley grinned. “I wasn’t going to say a word.”

  “We’re about to go have some tea. Come with us. We need to catch up,” Retta said.

  Suddenly it dawned on Haley that Retta’s mother just might be someone who could answer some questions about her own mother.

  “Yeah, sure…I’ve got a little time,” Haley said. “But only if it’s on me.”

  “Great,” they both said, and led the way down the street to a small tearoom—another new addition to Stars Crossing.

  “This is nice,” Haley said, as they walked inside.

  Mrs. Woodley nodded. “My cousin, Mollie, owns it. Let’s sit over here, where it’s quieter.”

  Retta giggled. “Mother, there’s no one else in here.”

  Her mother grinned. “I know. But if it does get busy, then it’s quieter over here.”

  Haley watched their byplay with regret, wishing she could have had such a warm relationship with her own mother, instead of the constant conflict with which she’d grown up.

  As soon as they gave their orders to the waitress, Haley turned to Retta’s mother.

  “Mrs. Woodley…”

  “Judy…call me Judy,” the older woman said.

  Haley smiled. “Okay…Judy. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?”

  Judy looked a little surprised, but quickly agreed. “Not at all, although I thought you two girls would want to play catch-up.”

  Haley gave Retta’s hand a squeeze. “She’ll forgive me, just like she always did…especially when she hears the subject.”

  “What’s the subject?” Retta asked.

  Haley’s smile disappeared. “My mother.”

  Retta rolled her eyes. “Oh. Lord. I am keeping my mouth shut now,” she said, and held up her hands and leaned back in her chair.

  “Judy, you grew up in Stars Crossing, didn’t you?” Haley asked.

  “Yes. Born and raised here. Never lived anywhere else, actually.”

  “So you’ve known the Shores and the Brolins all your life.”

  Judy nodded.

  “So what’s the deal between them?” Haley asked. “Mother just clams up and gets angry when I ask, and truthfully, after what their feud put me through, I would like to know what started it. Do you have any idea?”

  Judy frowned. “You know…I never understood it myself.”

  Haley groaned. “Darn. I was hoping—”

  “Well, what I mean was…when we were all in school, everyone was friends.”

  Haley’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

  “No. In fact, Lena had the biggest crush on Tommy Brolin forever. They were quite the item. Then Chloe’s family moved to Stars Crossing, and Tommy never looked at another girl after Chloe.”

  Haley was so stunned she couldn’t think what to say. Surely all that animosity didn’t boil down to plain old unrequited love? People grew up and got over high school crushes, didn’t they?

  “Wow. I never knew that,” Haley finally said.

  Judy shrugged. “Tom married Chloe about a month after high school graduation. Your mom and Judd got married before them, but not by much.”

  “Good Lord,” Haley muttered, and glanced at Retta. “Did you know this?”

  “Shoot, no. If I had, you know I would have told you. I never could keep a secret.” Then she giggled.

  Haley smiled. “I never knew until just now, but I’ve been missing that giggle.”

  Retta’s eyes teared. “Oh, honey…you’re going to make me cry.” She grabbed a paper napkin from the table dispenser, blew her nose, then giggled again. “Sorry. These days, everything makes me cry. So…changing the subject. Sorry about your dad.”

  “It might as well have been a stranger,” Haley said.

  Retta frowned. “You guys never made up? I mean…after the, uh, the thing at…”

  “You mean when he beat me?” Haley said.

  Retta sighed. “And you never minced words. Yes, I mean after that night in the E.R. You guys never spoke again?”

  “I wrote a letter home about a year after I left. No one answered. Figured that was that.”

  “But you came back for the funeral,” Retta said.

  Judy frowned. “Retta! For goodness’ sake, honey.”

  Retta waved her mother’s criticism away. “Oh, Mother. This is Haley. She knows what I mean.”

  Haley nodded. “I get it. Why come back now, after ten years of silence? It’s easy. I got a letter telling me about his death, and the time and date of the funeral. So I came.”

  “Oh. So your mother finally relented?” Judy asked.

  Haley smiled slowly. “At the time, I thought so. But as it turns out, Mack sent the letter.”

  Retta squealed. “I saw him at the funeral. I was hoping you guys could at least, uh, you know… He’s not attached or anything.” Then her eyes widened. “Are you?”

  “No,” Haley said.

  “Have you talked to him?” Retta asked.

  Haley smiled. “Let’s just say we got some issues settled between us and decided to see what happens next.”

  Retta leaned back and folded her hands across her round belly.

  “You’ll wind up together. I just know it. You two were meant to be together.”

  Haley shook her head. “Thank you, oh wise one, for the prediction.”

  They laughed again, and then their order arrived and the hour passed.

  By the time they were ready to part company, Haley realized it was nearly noon.

  “It’s been great seeing you two again. Judy, thank you for the information. Retta, behave. I’ve gotta go or Mack will be wondering what happened to me.”

  “Be happy!” Retta said.

  Haley nodded. “Doing my best.”

  By the time they exited the tearoom, the sky had turned overcast, making the day seem even colder than it had before.

  Haley jumped in her car and headed across town to the Brolin house to see what Mack wanted for lunch.

  CHAPTER 6

  Haley parked behind Mack’s car and made a dash toward the house. Mack met her at the door before she could knock, swept her up in his arms and then kicked the door shut.

  One moment she was laughing and breathless, and the next he had her up against the wall and was kissing her senseless.

  They were at the point of looking for a bedroom when Mack’s phone began to ring.

  “Darn it,” he muttered, as he glanced at the caller ID. “I’ve got to take this. It’s one of my foremen.”

  He pressed a finger against Haley’s lips to seal their last kiss, then winked and walked away.

  She couldn’t help but stare at the wide sweep of his shoulders and the taut shape of his backside as he sauntered out of the room.

  “Lord have mercy,” she muttered. What a big man he’d turned out to be—a big man who made her ache for his touch. Where was her resolve to take this slow?

  As she waited for Mack to finish the call, she began wandering through the rooms, trying to picture him growing up in this house and wondering how he felt about selling it. Unlike her, he’d had a wonderful childhood. There had to be lots of great memories in the place.

  She paused in front of a grouping of photos in what she guessed was the den, then laughed out loud. There was a school picture of Mack from about second or third grade. His hair was sticking out on one side, and he was missing a tooth. But it was the grin that stole her heart. Even then, the little devil in his personality had been apparent.

  As she started to move on, something crashed to the floor in another room. She heard a very loud thump, the sound of breaking glass and then curses. Her heart skipped a beat as she spun and started running.

  “Mack! Mack! Where are you?” she yelled.

  “In the kitchen!” he yelled back.

  She took a right in the hall and burst into the room just as Mack moved from cabinet to sink. Blood was dripping steadily down his arm and onto the floor.

  “Oh, no! What happened?” Haley cried, as she ran to his side.

  “I was on that ladder, which is now on the floor, screwing on that new light fixture, which is also now on the floor, when it just fell apart in my hands. It must have been cracked already and I didn’t see it.”

  As Haley unbuttoned his sleeve and shoved it up his arm for a better look, her stomach rolled.

  “Mack, this is bad. That cut is almost to the muscle.”

  “What do you mean, almost?” he asked. “I’m the man, therefore it’s all muscle.”

  “So you’re bleeding like crazy and you still have to be macho?”

  His grin was a little shaky, but it was definitely there.

  “You’re impossible,” she said.

  She yanked a dish towel from a nearby rack, tied it firmly above the cut, grabbed his coat from the back of a nearby chair and threw it over his shoulders.

  “Come on,” she said. “We’re going to the E.R.”

  The fact that he didn’t argue caused her even more concern.

  By the time she got him in the car and jumped behind the wheel, her mind was racing.

  “Is the hospital still in the same location?” she asked.

  He nodded, then leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

  She gunned the engine, backed out of the driveway and left rubber on the pavement as she drove away.

  “I would like to get there in one piece, thank you,” Mack grumbled.

  “Too late. You already took care of that yourself,” Haley fired back.

  He winced as she took a curve on what felt like two wheels. “I predict at least one of our kids will love NASCAR.”

  “Shut up,” Haley muttered, and then cursed beneath her breath as she glanced into the rearview mirror. “We’ve got company. Dang it!”

  She pulled over to the side of the street as a police car pulled up behind her with lights flashing. Before the cop could get out, Haley was out and running toward the cruiser.

  “Mack cut his arm badly. He’s bleeding….”

  Chief Jack Bullard hadn’t seen Haley Shore in ten years. It looked like her…and yet it didn’t.

  “Haley?”

  “Yes, it’s me, Chief. Mack’s hurt. Gotta get to the E.R.”

  “Good Lord, girl. You two are an accident just waiting to happen,” he muttered. “Get back in your car and fall in behind me. I’ll get you there.”

  Haley ran back and jumped in the car, and when the chief pulled out in front of her with lights and sirens running, she put the car in gear.

  “Hang on, honey,” she said shortly. “We’ll be there in no time.”

  Blood had already soaked through the dish towel and was running down his arm again. Haley groaned beneath her breath as she saw the blood, then accelerated, following the police cruiser all the way through Stars Crossing to the hospital. By the time they arrived, a doctor and two nurses were waiting outside with a gurney. Obviously the chief had radioed ahead.

  Haley wheeled up under the drive-through and slammed the shift into Park. She was out and circling the car just as a nurse opened the door for Mack to get out.

  Mack swung his legs out and was about to stand when Haley slid her arm around his waist and pulled him out. It was the first time he realized how strong she was, and how adept she must be at her job. As heavy as he was, she’d almost lifted him off the ground as she helped him onto the gurney.

  “Lie back, son,” the doctor said, and Mack stretched out as ordered.

  Seconds later, they were pushing him inside.

  “I’ve got to move the car, Mack, then I’ll be right there.”

  She turned around just as Chief Bullard walked up.

  “Thank you so much,” she said, and threw her arms around his neck.

  Bullard grinned. “You’re welcome, honey.” Then he saw the inside of her car and winced. “Damn, he must have cut a vein. What happened?”

  “He was hanging a light fixture at his mother’s house and said it just broke. I need to move the car and then get inside. Thanks again,” she said, and jumped into her car.

  “Slowly!” Bullard yelled.

  Haley nodded, pulled out of the drive and into a nearby parking place, then jumped out and dashed past him through the door.

  They’d cut the sleeve off Mack’s shirt and were cleaning out the wound when Haley flew into the cubicle.

  “Make sure it didn’t cut—”

  “Honey, I’m okay,” Mack said.

  Haley sank against the wall as her legs began to shake. Now that his care was out of her hands, the adrenaline racing through her system was beginning to ebb, sending her crashing.

  “Thank goodness,” she said. “I’ll just wait over there in that chair…out of the way.”

  She stumbled out of the cubicle and into the chair across the hall, and sat down with a thump. Someone came over and slid into the seat beside her.

  “Hi, Haley. It’s me, Myrna Fisher. I used to babysit you, do you remember?”

  Haley looked at the nurse, then nodded. “Of course I remember you. How have you been?”

  “About the same. Sorry about your father,” she said.

  Haley nodded.

  “Mack’s going to be okay,” Myrna said, then patted Haley’s arm. “I haven’t seen you since the night of your graduation. I was on duty that night when they brought all you kids in.”

  Haley shuddered. Sitting like this in the E.R. had brought back all the bad memories. And then having Mrs. Fisher refer to it again just emphasized the unhappiness.

  “I don’t remember,” Haley said.

  “And no wonder,” Myrna said. “That was a bad night. Both boys hurt so bad. You were the miracle of it all. We couldn’t get over the fact that you’d walked in on your own steam when they were in such bad shape. You were blessed, honey…and meant to survive. You saved them.”

  “Not Stewart,” Haley said. “Stewart died.”

  “But not from neglect. You did your part. The doctor who operated was a genius. Everyone was donating blood to help. I remember the panic when we typed Stewart’s blood and found out it was AB negative. That’s pretty rare. Even though Mr. Brolin was a match and donated, it still didn’t save him.”

  At first, it didn’t sink it. And then suddenly, Haley sat up. “Mr. Brolin donated blood for my brother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Not my dad. Not my mom. Mr. Brolin?”

  Suddenly Myrna realized what she’d inadvertently revealed. Her face flushed, and she averted her gaze. “Oh. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. Please…I shouldn’t have—”

  She jumped up and hurried away, but the damage had been done.

  Haley’s thoughts had gone into free fall. Her mother used to date Tom Brolin. Tom Brolin, not her dad, had the same blood type as Stewart.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  Someone tapped Haley on the arm. “Mack’s getting stitches now. He’s asking for you.”

  Haley hurried back into the cubicle as they were deadening the area to be stitched. Mack was white-lipped and pale, but he managed a crooked smile when he saw her walk in.

  “There’s my girl,” he said softly, and held out his hand.

  She clutched it gratefully, then stood by his side, watching intently as the doctor took fifteen stitches to close the cut.

  After a bandage, a prescription for pain relievers and a reminder to call for an appointment to have the stitches removed later, they were ready to go.

  “I need to move the car up to the drive-through,” Haley said, as an orderly went to get a wheelchair for Mack.

  “Wait,” he said, and then tugged at her hand.

  She leaned over the bed and kissed him square on the mouth, groaning beneath her breath as she pulled back.

  “You scared me,” she said.

  “Scared myself, too,” Mack said, and then frowned at her. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  Haley glanced at the bandage on his arm, then at his face. What had she missed while she was sitting outside? Her heartbeat skipped, then settled back into rhythm.

  “What?”

  “For a while, you’re going to have to be the one on top.”

  Her eyes widened, and then she smirked.

  “You’re impossible, and I’m going to get the car. Don’t do anything weird until I get back.”

  “Then we can be weird together?” he asked, with an overly innocent expression on his face.

 

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