Deborah Camp (43 page)

“Sneak over here?” he taunted. “Like you wanting me to sneak out of here now? I don’t give a damn what other people think. All I care about is you.”

“Me?” She had to laugh, but she sobered quickly when she heard Annie downstairs calling for Lu. “Just leave—and take your
gift
with you.” Then she hurried out, slamming the bedroom door behind her. Racing downstairs, she gathered Annie into her arms and took her next door.

“Annie, I didn’t hear the wagon go by!” Lu said, spinning around from the dry sink where she was peeling potatoes. When she looked at Regina, she dropped the paring knife. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Regina said, her voice hoarse.

“Regina, you’re on the verge of tears. What’s wrong?” Lu dried her hands on her apron. “Annie, dash across the street to the cool cave and fetch Mama a jug of milk.”

“Can I have a glass of it?”

“Yes, honey. Go on now.”

Annie skipped through the house. When the screen door slammed, Regina let the tears spill as she crumpled into a kitchen chair. Lu wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders.

“I’m such a fool,” Regina said between sobs. “I
let myself fancy that he l-loved me. How could someone like him love me? I’m j-just like Emerald to him.”

“Go ahead and cry,” Lu whispered as Regina twisted around to hug Lu around the waist and bury her face in Lu’s damp apron. “Go ahead and cry it out, dear. Then we’ll thrash it all out together.”

Long afternoon shadows slanted across the littered desk of Theodore Dane. He poured another measure of whiskey into the glass at his elbow and watched the sunlight change it from dark brown to amber. He pitched the potent stuff to the back of his throat and swallowed. It blazed the same path as the others had before it. His gut clinched. His heart still ached.

What was wrong with the woman? he wondered angrily. Throwing his good intentions in his face and not even giving him the benefit of the doubt! Of course, she’d never even think that he might have offered that house for reasons other than his own sexual convenience. How could she turn his gift of goodwill into one of seedy selfishness? And he’d thought she would shower him with kisses and rain plaudits over him. All he’d gotten was a tongue-lashing and a grand exit.

He’d thought about pursuing her and giving her a piece of his mind, but he knew that wherever she was, she was crying. And he couldn’t take her tears. He wanted to be angry. If he’d seen her crying, his anger would have melted and he would have been falling all over himself to forgive and forget. No, damn it all! He wasn’t going to forgive her that easily. He wanted to hold on to his anger, embrace it, own it. She’d given it to him and he wasn’t going to throw it in her face as she’d done
his gift to her! He had better manners. His mother had raised him right.

“Ungrateful little witch,” he muttered darkly, vaguely acknowledging that he wasn’t making much sense.

Instead of running after Regina, he had gone to Irene Cooper’s to spend his anger on her. At first she’d tried to paint Regina as a scheming, overreacting liar, but Theo had nipped that in the bud. He’d given her a good talking to and made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate her catty behavior. She’d ordered him out of her house and he was glad to go. Having anything to do with her in the first place had been a bad decision on his part. Emerald had warned him once that Irene Cooper was a spoiled, selfish brat. He should have listened and saved himself a barrel of trouble.

A scraping noise sounded outside his door and he glanced up from the whiskey glass to see a woman silhouetted in the doorway.

His heart flew up into his throat. “Regina?”

“I’m afraid not.” Lu Beck stepped into the light. “I doubt very much that you’ll find any solace in that bottle, Mr. Dane.”

One side of his mouth climbed into a halfhearted grin. “Mrs. Beck, won’t you come in?” He half stood and motioned toward one of the leather chairs on the other side of the desk. “Please sit down. Would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea, perhaps?”

“That’s very kind, but no thank you.” She sat primly in one of the chairs and waited for him to settle back into his before she continued. “I saw Eric outside and he told me it would be all right to talk with you. He warned me, however, that you’re in a foul mood.”

“I am, and I have Miss Regina Rose to thank for it.”

“Yes, I’ve spoken to her.”

“And she, no doubt, has told you what a monster I am for doing exactly what she asked me to do. She said to me …” He paused to concentrate a second on sending his voice register up a notch for a bad imitation of Regina’s, “‘Theo, won’t you help me? They’re going to take my home from me! Can’t you do something?’” He cleared his throat of a tickle. “So I did! I paid the back taxes and handed the deed over to her. All she had to do was sign it! I wasn’t buying her! That was never my intention.”

Lu nodded. “Gracious, whatever would give her that idea? Surely, it would have nothing to do with a day not so long ago when a certain brash gentleman paid an exorbitant amount at a community picnic for her.”

He narrowed his eyes, feeling the cinching of a noose around his neck. “That was for her basket of food.”

“And for her time … and to let everyone know that she was all yours that afternoon. Hands off.” Lu smiled. “I thought it was a sweet gesture and rather romantic, but Regina felt a bit uncomfortable.”

“That was different, Mrs. Beck,” he complained, hunching his shoulders and resting his arms on the desk.

“Since I’m about to poke my nose in your very personal business, I think it’s best if we call each other by our first names, Theo. You’re a grown man and you certainly haven’t solicited my advice, but I feel I know Regina better than almost anyone else and that I can shed some light on this for you.” She placed her drawstring purse in her lap and folded her hands neatly on top of it. “Theo, you must try to understand that this is all so new to Regina—and so very unexpected.”

“But she asked me to help her!”

“I’m not talking about the house or the back taxes. I’m talking about her being in love with you.”

He stared at her, bleary-eyed at first, but his gaze began to sharpen as he began to comprehend. “She loves me?”

“Of course. You must know that deep in your heart. Just as you know that you are in love with her.”

He laced his fingers and stared at them, unable to look at Lu and admit what was in his heart. “If she loves me so much, why did she treat me like a dirt earlier today?”

Lu’s smile shone with wisdom and her soft voice soothed him. “Regina has wanted to be loved all her life. Jack was like that, too. I suppose that’s what made me fall in love with him. He wanted to be someone’s special someone. At first, my love was enough, but Jack had more demons to deal with. He had a mean streak that is totally lacking in Regina. Why, she’s so softhearted and generous! It’s hard to believe that she doesn’t see herself as a lovable person, but she doesn’t. A voice inside of her—the ghost of her mother, I think—keeps whispering to her that she’s not worthy of love.”

Theo shook his head at the tragedy.

“She’s told you some about her childhood?”

He nodded. “Her mother drank.”

“Yes, and Regina and Jack were left pretty much on their own. I understand that their mother didn’t beat on them, but she had a cruel mouth. She told them over and over again how she wished they hadn’t been born and that they made her turn to drinking because they were such bad children. I’m telling you this in hopes you’ll understand how new it is for Regina to be treasured
by someone. It’s so new, Theo, that she doesn’t trust it. I can see that she’s just waiting to be disappointed or told that she’s not good enough to be truly and deeply and devotedly loved by you.”

Theo shrugged. “I thought my gift today would prove to her how much she means to me. She acted as if I’d placed a pile of manure in her hand!” He poured himself another drink and swallowed it in two gulps. “Does she think I buy houses for every woman I meet?”

“No, she thinks you buy houses for mistresses. Just like Mr. Cooper did for his mistress.”

“Well, I don’t!”

“Why didn’t you tell her that?”

“Why did she jump on that notion?” he countered, then rested his head in one hand and groaned. “Forgive me for snapping at you.”

“None of this is my business, I know, but Regina means so much to me that I decided to be mediator in this dispute.”

“If you can fix this, by all means, tell me what I should do.” He corked the bottle and put it in the bottom drawer. “You’re right. That whiskey isn’t curing any of my ills. Give me your best advice.”

“Regina needs a simple thing from you, Theo. Can’t you put aside these petty word games and give this one thing to her?”

“What is it?” he asked, spreading out his hands in an appeal.

“Tell her you love her.”

“I did this morning when I handed over the deed to her house.”

“You said the words? You said, ’I love you, Regina’?”

He frowned. “Not exactly, but I gave her the deed and before that I … that is, we … well, I demonstrated my love for her.”

Lu nodded and faint color crept into her face.
“You
showed
her, but you didn’t
tell
her. She’s pining for those words, Theo. She wants to be loved by you and she wants everyone to know that you love her.” She laughed softly. “Actually, that’s what any woman wants from her true love. The day he makes his feelings public by asking for her hand in marriage, why that’s one of the most important days in any woman’s life.”

“Marriage.” Theo cleared his throat. His shirt collar felt too tight. Were the walls closing in? Was this it? Had love and marriage finally caught up with him? “Well, I can’t say that hasn’t crossed my mind.” He fell back in the chair. “Marriage. Me.”

“You love her,” Lu reminded him.

“That’s true. I’ve never been in love before. Not like this. I guess marriage is the direction I should be going. I was more concerned with keeping her here in Eureka Springs.” He smiled, realizing that she owned his heart and had for a while. Yes. Yes! He wanted to keep her in his life forever. Forever and a day. “I was scared spitless that she might decide to go off to Kansas with Mrs. Nation, and I sure didn’t want to have to chase after her.” He chuckled darkly. “Not that my mother wouldn’t love to see that.”

Lu laughed with him. “Don’t you see, Theo? Regina needs to hear what you just told me. It has taken her so long to trust you and believe that you actually might love her that it simply crushed her when she thought you cared only enough to keep her in town, but not as your wife. Only you can correct this, Theo. The right words from you can make Regina the happiest she’s ever been in her whole life.” She clasped her hands beneath her chin and her eyes shone with romance. “Oh, I want this for her—I want it for both of you! Do you forgive me for barging in here now? I had no right, but I—”

“You’re forgiven, Lu,” he cut in. “I needed a shot of good sense and you’re just the one to deliver it.”

She stood and extended her hand to him. “Thank you for your time.”

He lumbered to his feet, swaying a little as the room wavered before his eyes. Lord, he’d drunk more than he’d thought. Shaking his head to clear it, he took Lu’s hand and kissed the back of it. “You’ve saved me from a hangover. I thank you, kind lady.”

“Drinking never healed a broken heart.” She blushed. “I sound like Mrs. Nation.”

“Lu, may I be so bold as to ask you something personal?”

She hesitated, but nodded.

“Are you in love with my cousin?”

Bright spots bloomed in her cheeks. “That
is
personal.”

“I’m sorry.” He dropped his chin to his chest. “Forget it.”

“I can only answer that I care very much for Eric. I’m newly widowed and I have my child to think of.”

“I asked out of selfishness.”

“Selfishness?” she repeated.

“I’d like very much to have you in my family.”

She beamed. “Why, thank you. I hope you’re as forthright with Regina.”

“Don’t you worry, Lu. I see the light. I surely do! By tomorrow, Regina—hell, the whole town!—will know exactly how I feel about her!” He shared a wink of conspiracy with her. “You have my word on it. All I’ll need is a little help from you.”

“Me?”

He nodded.

Lu sat down in the chair again. “I’m at your service.”

“L
aws! Laws! It’s a misery, it is! Miz Rose? You in here, Miz Rose?”

Regina heard Jebidiah’s wailings and hurried to the front of the house. “I’m here, Jebidiah. What’s wrong?”

“It’s a misery, Miz Rose. Mis Lu done sent me for to fetch you. You got to get to town. I got the buggy outside, ready to go.”

“Go? Why? Where to? What’s this got to do with Lu?”

“I seen her in town and she done sent me for you. Said you had to get to town and straighten out the sheriff before he throws Mr. Dane in jail.”

“Throws him in jail?” Regina’s hands flew to cover her gaping mouth. “What’s he done now?”

“Something about defending your honor.”

Regina let her mouth hang open in shock. “My honor? What sort of gibberish is this, Jebidiah?”

“I don’t know nothing but what Miz Lu done told me. She was in a panic. Said for me to bring you to town lickity split or Mr. Dane would be throwed in jail and it would be all your fault. Buggy’s outside, Miz Rose. We better get.”

Regina untied the apron at her waist. Her head still throbbed from her recent crying jag and it felt as if she had cotton stuffed in her ears. After a
long talk with Lu, she had finally calmed down and thrown herself into preparing the evening meal while Lu ran into town to deliver laundry at Gurry’s Café. She’d taken Annie with her, giving Regina time to get herself together.

“What a day this has been,” Regina grumbled, tossing the apron onto the hall table. She motioned Jebidiah ahead of her. “None of this makes a lick of sense, but let’s go. If Lu thinks it’s important, then I’ll go on this wild-goose chase. My honor, indeed! What’s my honor got to do with anything? And Stu wouldn’t jail Theo. They’re best friends.”