Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Volume 3 (112 page)

Gloria wasn't sure how to respond. “Chad and I met when I was at a low point in my life,” Gloria began, feeling she needed to explain. “I'd just lost my adoptive parents. I was an only child and they were both only children, so I had no one. No aunts, no uncles, no cousins. No family. We… Chad and I felt an immediate physical attraction and, well…”

Joni looked away and seemed to be studying the view outside the window. The Bremerton shipyard showed clearly in the distance, with the mothballed aircraft carriers and submarines against the backdrop of a metallic gray sky.

Gloria found her own attention wandering and forced herself to focus on her guest. “I'm not sure why you're here,” she said.

“I came because I need to know how you feel about Chad.”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, it matters a great deal.” Joni picked up the water glass and took one long swallow. “I know what I have to do now.” She set the tumbler down in a decisive movement.

“And that is?”

Joni wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I'm ending my relationship with Chad.”

“Ending it,” Gloria repeated. “But…you just finished telling me that you're in love with him.”

“I am…but I know the odds and they aren't in my favor. Chad loves you and pretty soon you'll give birth to his son. I care enough about him to bow out now.”

Gloria had trouble believing the other woman was
sincere, but the tears streaking Joni's cheeks told her she meant every word.

“The only thing I need from you,” Joni said, then paused to gather her composure. “All I ask is that you love Chad. He's a good man, and a caring physician. I just hope you appreciate what you've got. If you don't, trust me, some other woman's going to do her best to steal him away and that…that other woman might well be me.”

Gloria flattened her hand over her heart. “I don't know what to say.”

“Then don't say anything. Remember what I told you. If you hurt Chad again, you can't claim I didn't give you fair warning.” Reaching for her purse she walked to the door.

Gloria followed her. “You really love him, don't you.” It was a statement rather than a question.

“More than either of you will ever realize. It's only because I love him that I'm willing to give him up. Don't think I'm doing this for you or the baby. I'm doing this for Chad. Just make him happy.”

“I…will.”

The apartment seemed to vibrate with the shock of Joni's declaration. Gloria stood by the door, hardly able to absorb what had happened. Chad loved her. She'd sensed that he did, even though he'd kept his distance, emotional and otherwise, since their last breakup.

Chad showed up at the apartment three hours later. Thankfully that meant she'd had time to think about Joni's visit and analyze her own feelings.

“Hi,” he said as he came in. He appeared ill at ease, not quite himself.

“Hi,” she returned. They'd planned to go Christmas-tree shopping. Chad didn't want her hauling in a tree and
decorating it while she was pregnant. She guessed that his offer was really an excuse to see her again. Not that she was complaining; she welcomed any and every opportunity to be with him.

“Do you mind if we don't go shopping for a tree today?” he asked. “I'm not in the mood.”

“That's fine. We can do it another time.”

He walked over to the window and stood there, gazing into the night. Lights blinked out at sea.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, wondering if he'd lost a patient. He took any death personally, especially a child's.

“I had a visitor this afternoon,” he said.

Gloria walked toward him until they were only a foot or so apart, both staring into the darkness. “Interesting, because I did, too.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Joni.”

Chad nearly dislocated his neck as he jerked toward her. “
Joni
came to see you?”

Gloria clenched her hands and nodded. “She needed the answer to an important question.”

He waited for her to continue.

It took Gloria a moment to find the courage to explain. “She came to ask me if I was in love with you.”

“How did you answer her?”

“I told her what happened when I first moved to Cedar Cove—and why.”

“I take it you left out the part about falling into bed together a few hours after we met.”

“Yes.”

His expression grim, he started for the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I think I've heard everything I need.”

“Don't you want to hear my answer?”

“I already have. You gave her an excuse for your behavior and left it at that.”

“As a matter of fact, I didn't leave it at that. I answered her question.”

“And?” he asked, sounding bored with the entire conversation. He seemed almost eager to escape.

“I told her I'm in love with you.” She held herself straight, fearing his reaction. He might laugh in her face and say he didn't believe her. Certainly she hadn't done anything to reveal how she felt about him. On the contrary, she'd tried over and over to prove that she had no affection for him whatsoever.

He said nothing. But he turned around, obviously studying her to see if she was telling the truth.

Gloria met his gaze boldly.

“Joni came to see me, too,” he said after a moment.

“I figured she might.” The other woman had said she'd be seeing Chad, although Gloria hadn't expected it to be this soon.

“She broke off our relationship.”

Gloria felt almost sick to her stomach. “I'm sorry.”

“She knew it was over. It was from the minute I learned about the baby. The problem was, I didn't realize it myself, not until recently. I never stopped loving you, Gloria. I tried to get you out of my mind and my heart, but it didn't work. At night you haunted my dreams. During the day I imagined you around every corner. You've had a grip on me from the night we met.”

Gloria's experience had been the same, only she hadn't been willing to admit it. “I'm so sorry, Chad,” she whispered. She stepped closer and he did, too. “I can't seem to do anything right when it comes to you.”

He broke into a smile. “I disagree. You're giving me a son.”

“I'm giving you my heart, too.”

He opened his arms and she walked into them. He held her tight against him and whispered into her hair, “It took you long enough.”

“I don't understand why I fought you so hard.”

“I don't, either.” He kissed the top of her head and moved down the side of her face, finally reaching her lips.

When Chad pulled away minutes later, Gloria felt weak and breathless. She thought about taking him to her bedroom, which was how these sessions usually ended. But she wouldn't allow that to happen this time. They couldn't let sex confuse the issue or distract them from what they needed to work out.

“Why do you make me feel like this?” She'd never reacted physically to any man the way she did to Chad.

“I don't know. I don't care. Just don't change.”

She clung to him, kissing him with tears running down her cheeks.

“I want us to get married,” he said.

“Okay.” It wasn't the romantic proposal she'd always dreamed of, but it was good enough.

“Soon.”

“Okay.”

“Before Christmas.”

“Christmas?” That was three weeks away!

“You'll move in with me.”

All these commands were given between lengthy, heated kisses. “With you…”

“Yes, move in with me,” he said again.

“Can't you move here?”

“No.”

“My family's here. My job…”

“You have a new family now. You, me and the baby. And there are jobs in Tacoma, too.”

“Yes. Maybe, later on, I can join their police force.”

He nodded. “Besides, it's not like you'd be that far from Cedar Cove and the McAfees.”

“True.”

Another kiss, this one even more potent and powerful. “Chad,” she whispered, gasping for breath. “I do love you.”

“I know. I've always known.”

“You did?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“You talk too much.”

“Sorry.”

He laughed. “Don't apologize.”

“About Joni…”

He kissed her again. “She'll be fine. Another doctor is crazy about her.”

He said more things, but everything else was lost on Gloria. All she knew was how happy she felt.

Thirty-Four

S
unday afternoon, Grace and Cliff Harding were stringing Christmas lights around the roofline of the house. Cliff stood on the ladder while Grace held the lights and kept a careful eye on her husband. Beau was on his leash, which was tied to the porch railing.

A car appeared at the head of the long driveway between the two fenced pastures. Cliff's horses, lazily chewing grass, looked up at the vehicle.

“You expecting anyone?” Cliff called down to Grace.

“No.” It wasn't unusual for one of her daughters to stop by without phoning first, but neither of them drove an SUV. “It's Beth Morehouse's car,” she told him a moment later.

“Has she come for Beau?”

Grace had been adamant from day one that she wouldn't keep the puppy. He gnawed on her shoes and hid Cliff's socks and he was constantly underfoot. Besides, he insisted on following her everywhere she went.

“Grace?” Cliff called again.

“I don't know,” she said. They hadn't actually set a date for Beth to pick up the puppy. If she'd found a good home for Beau then…great.

Beth parked in front of the barn, got out and walked over to them.

Cliff climbed down the ladder and placed his arm around Grace's shoulders, as Beau whimpered and barked excitedly.

“Hi, Beth,” Grace said. She bent down and scooped up Beau, who'd been busily digging in her flower beds. His paws and face were smeared with dirt.

“How about a glass of eggnog?” Cliff suggested. “Grace and I are ready for a break.”

“Thank you. I'd enjoy that, but I can't stay long. I need to get back to the farm. I've got a full crew working. I had a couple of errands not far from here, so I thought I'd see if you were home.”

“We're here,” Grace said unnecessarily as she led the way into the house. She stopped in the mudroom off the kitchen, washing Beau's face and paws and then her own hands, while Cliff took Beth into the kitchen and pulled out a chair.

“I'll get the eggnog,” Cliff said, taking three glasses from the cupboard. “This is Grace's family recipe.”

“You make your own?” Beth asked, turning to look at Grace, who came into the room drying her hands.

“It's pretty simple. I'll be happy to pass along the recipe if you'd like.”

“Yes, I'd love to have it.”

As Cliff carried the filled glasses to the table, Grace brought a plate of sugar cookies she'd baked with her grandchildren the day before.

“I take it you've come for Beau?” Cliff asked.

On hearing his name the puppy raced over to Grace, stretched up on his hind legs and set his front paws on her knees. He stared at her with such love and warmth that she was forced to look away. Almost against her will
she petted his head, and when he whined she couldn't resist lifting him onto her lap. He licked her hand, then curled up tightly and went immediately to sleep.

“Well…actually—”

“Do you have a good home for him?” Cliff broke in.

“Not exactly.”

“Do you have a home for him, period?” Grace pressed. This was her big fear—that Beth had come to depend on her keeping the puppy. Well, that wasn't going to happen.

“The truth is, no. I don't have a home for Beau.”

“No?” Grace cried.

“No,” Beth repeated, “and now I have another problem.”

Grace and Cliff exchanged a glance. “Concerning Beau?”

“No… Well, yes. Indirectly. As you know, I've rescued a few dogs and done some training, which I enjoy and seem to have a knack for.”

That was a real understatement. Not only had Beth been her partner in the library reading program, she'd started training dogs to visit with the sick and elderly.

“Apparently word's gotten around that I take in strays. Several people have brought me animals they've found or can't keep and I do what I can to get them good homes but it's…it's become overwhelming.” Her voice cracked.

“What do you mean? Has something happened?” Grace asked, feeling anxious about Beth's obvious distress.

“Yes. Two totally unrelated and unexpected things. I'm trying to figure out how to handle them. I'm sorry to inflict this on you. It's just that…it's all too much.”

“Tell us what's going on,” Grace said gently. She'd never seen her friend so disconcerted.

“Well, first, it seems my ex-husband is coming here for
Christmas. The girls will be home from college and he asked
them
if it's okay to visit and they really want him to.” She sighed. “I could turn him down but not them. Anyway, I talked to the Beldons, and they told me Kent has a reservation at their bed-and-breakfast.”

Grace was aware that Beth was divorced but knew nothing of the circumstances.

Cliff sipped his eggnog, leaving the questions to her.

“Is that a problem?” Grace asked.

“Yes,” Beth said bluntly. “Kent and I haven't spoken in three years—well, except when it has to do with the girls. Bailey and Sophie are both away at school, so there hasn't been much need for us to communicate.”

This was the most personal Beth had ever been, the most she'd revealed about her divorce. Although Grace regarded her as a friend, Beth had never divulged many details about her life prior to Cedar Cove. Grace knew she spent her time with the dogs and running her farm. Her place was one of several in the area that sold live trees. In fact, the address—1225 Christmas Tree Lane—couldn't have been more appropriate.