Authors: Suzette Vaughn
“Are you gonna come tell us what that was about?”
Self-involved as she was, she hadn’t noticed him sit down. How was she supposed to tell them she was fine? Her heart hadn’t stopped pounding since she saw Galen and it wouldn’t until he was gone. It might even take a full ocean between them
, again,
to stop the ache she was feeling. How was she supposed to stay here and not end up with Galen as a bobbing ice cube in the Atlantic?
The kitchen door felt like it was full of sand as she pushed through it.
“Morning, Frank.” She leaned on the counter to kiss his cheek.
He pulled away. “None of that now.”
He was set on that, the clear line on his forehead showing he wanted answers. It’d taken a year for her to agree to go out on a date, but they’d learned about each other quick. Not too much, but she understood his facial expressions loud and clear.
She picked up the coffee pot. “That was an old
…
friend from back
home, which
I didn’t expect to see.”
“An old beau?” His brows rose.
She shook her head filling his cup. “Not exactly.”
“Then what is
i
t
,
exactly
? You kill a man and not tell us?” He joked.
She laughed. “Murder is not one of my crimes.” She took a deep breath putting the coffee pot back. “His daddy says I sto
le twenty-five thousand dollars…
or so.”
Two
Galen walked into the inn only two doors down from the diner. He hadn’t needed to ask where it was, he’d passed it on his way to the diner. The question was to see if anyone would possibly answer him. She had them all under her spell. Not
t
hat he could blame a single soul for that. He’d been there once
or
twice himself.
The inn’s lobby was a small room just b
i
g enough for a few chairs and the person standing at the desk. Another far cry from what he was used to.
“How can I help you?” Whistled from between a few missing teeth of the old man behind the desk.
“Well, I guess I need a room and maybe someth
ing from room service.” Galen se
t his suitcase on the floor and his hat on the counter.
“Rooms are plenty, haven’t got a guest in . . . about a month. Room service we don’t have, but the diner on the corner is mighty good.” He ran his tongue across his remaining teeth trying to lick his lips.
“No room service.” Galen nodded his head. Figures that the only place he could eat wouldn’t serve him. “The rooms don’t have a kitchen either?”
“I got a hot plate I can rent ya.”
Galen sucked in his lips trying not to cuss. “I’ll take the room, please.”
“Three dollars, son.”
He started to object, but was smarter than that as he tossed down the money and took the key. If he objected to the price of the only inn in town, either the price would go up or he would be shut
out.
..she’ll wish she were dead
,
echoed through.
The room wasn’t much and definitely wasn’t worth the three bucks he paid for it. The view however, was worth more than money as
nothing blocked his sight of the diner entrance.
“Twen
-
ty-five . . .” Hollis whistled.
Frank’s brow furrowed further,
“Why in the world would anyone think you
stole that kind of money?”
“It’s just an excuse to get me back there.” She bru
shed off the q
uestion, shaking her head and trying to find something to wipe down.
“Then why do they want you back there? ‘Cause I’ve never seen you skirt a question like this.”
“‘
Caus
e…
I don’t want to talk about it.” But she sure was thinking about it as she grabbed the phone
.
After two rings, she heard, “ ’ello?”
“Stan, did a guy just check in?”
“Why, yes he did.” Stan was proud to have a guest.
“No calls in or out and lunch is on me.”
“Sounds good. What’s the special?”
“Meatloaf
with a side of me if he gets a call out.”
“I’ll take the meatloaf, you can keep the side.”
“Thanks, Stan.” She hung up, still twisting the phone cord in knots.
“Maddy?” Frank was becoming irritated.
“
Shush
. I have to think.”
She couldn’t have Galen r
u
n out of town, Fredric would send someone else after her.
William,
her heart jumped to her throat with the thought. Fredric could easily send his brother, Will, after her. There might already be someone on a plane with Galen being the first round of an entire army.
“You’re gonna wear a hole in the floor if you keep going back and forth like that.”
“Frank! If I explain will you all go away?”
she
barked
.
Slowly he and his brother, Hollis, nodded.
“I walked out of an engagement.”
Frank laughed. “Is that all?”
“That was enough.” She
whined and
ran her fingers over her head where the ache was starting. “You don’t understand these people. I made them look bad because I didn’t want to marry him.”
“You were engaged to the twerp?”
“No, Galen was in . . . Britain I think at the time.” She rested her elbows on the counter
, keeping her head in one
.
“He was in the war? Can’t be much older than you.”
“Left the week after his birthday because his daddy told him it was best for his future.”
“Now I’m going to feel bad when I beat him.”
“You won’t have to Frank.
” She bordered on shout
ing.
“
I’m not going anywhere and I don’t need you making this harder
,
either.”
“What do you expect me to do?”
he
bellowed
back.
“Nothing Frank.
” She lowered her voice, staring straight at him,
“
That is what I expect and that is what I wil
l have.” She turned to Paula, the only waitress other than Darla. “I need to give my order to Roy before it’s too late. Will you watch the place?”
“Of course.” Darla tried to pretend she hadn’t been listening in.
Galen picked up the phone in his room,
watching the street as people began to mill about. The grocery was across the way, he would see what they had when he got off the phone. He glanced at his watch knowing it was far too early to call Washington State but they were expecting the call.
“Switchboard.” He recognized the voice from the front desk with piercing whistling s’s.
“Yes sir, I’d like to place a call.”
“Where to?”
“Washington . . .”
“Only local calls, son.”
“Collect is fine.”
“Only local calls . . .”
“
All right
, can you tell me where I can place a call from?”
“The sheriff has a phone and so does the diner.”
“The diner.” He nodded. She was going to make this a
s difficult as possible. “Thank you, sir
.”
He hung up in time to see her cross the street. Grabbing his coat and hat, he rushed out of the room. The desk clerk waved as he sidestepped the front door, back out into the cold of the day. He looked both ways before the red kerchief caught his eye in the grocers.
Making sure no one would run him over before he could talk to her, he slowed his pace to cross the street. He still couldn’t take as long as he wanted. Heckle and Jeckle from the diner would probably be along shortly.
“No, Roy,” s
he was raising her voice to the man behind the counter, pushing a package of meat back at him. “I won’t take that junk. Would your wife be happy with me if I served you that mess? It’s mostly fat and you are round enough.”
“It’s all I got
,
Maddy.”
“Then get me better. You should be doing better for everyone. How are the boys on boats supposed to even function on this stuff?”
“I get another shipment Thursday.”
“I expect it to be good.”
She poked him in the stomach that hung over the counter to make her point. When she turned, she wasn’t shocked to see him.
“Go home, Galen.” She tried to breeze past him.
He grabbed her arm, whispering, “Can’t do that unless you are with me.”
“Then you might as well find someplace to live around here
then
because I’m not going. Now take your hand off me.”
She was even stronger than the last time he’d seen her. The warmth in his stomach rose, he released her and she immediately headed for the door.
“Not going to ask about Harland?”
“No
t today
.
N
ot tomorrow
.” She pushed the door.
He followed, “He
was
married three months ago.”
“Good, I’m sure the newest Mrs. Langley will be very happy.” She stopped only long enough for a car to pass as she crossed the street.
“Rita snagged him up as soon as he was
done
looking for you.”
“And that took what, two minutes?” She waved to a passing mother with a buggy.
“Three months from what I understand.”
“Sad for him.” She waved at the man in the hotel.
“Everyone here knows you?”
“That’s what happens when you are part of a community, instead of above it or below it.” She removed her coat as she went into the diner.
“What do you mean by that?”
She turned, finally looking at him for the second time, her eyes sad. He much preferred the carefree side that she was good at giving out to everyone else. This was the side of her few saw and the reason he had wanted to be the person that came out to
take her back home
.
“You have to come back.”
he continued.
The look was gone and she was heading down the aisle back toward the kitchen. “Why?”
“You know why.”
“Do you?” She dropped the counter down between them, planting her hands firm on the divider.
“They told me what happened.”
“I’m sure.” She turned
,
grabbing a coffee cup.
“When I got home.” He
started
spinning his hat in his fingers.
She stopped pouring, standing perfectly still for a moment. “When did you get back?”
He heard it. A twinge of Madelyn behind that closed off
demure
.
“About four months ago.”
Her hand shook as she picked up the coffee cup and sat it down on the counter in front of the seat he was standing by. Without looking at him, she went to the kitchen.
He sank into the chair, wondering what the cup of coffee meant. At this point, he would take any kind of truce she might offer. The bell over the door jingled and he knew the truce would stop with the sound of boots on the linoleum floor walking his way.
This is exactly why she left. She didn’t need those people’s issues, she had enough of her own. It wasn’t her place to fix their problems. There had been no way for her to write to him, not after she left. And before that. . . before . . . what would
she have said?
Now it was far too late to think about what she should have, or could have done. She tossed two eggs on the grill, then a third, and a good portion of bacon. There had to be some way she could set everything right without going anywhere near Washington. Fredric had to understand. . .
Frank sitting down next to Galen stopped all thought. Those two men in one spot was a bad thing. At least one of them had a brain.
Maybe
. Galen sent a silent warning her way, his eyes spoke to her in ways that Frank couldn’t understand.
Frank smiled across. “Heard it went bad with Roy.”
“Could be worse in here in a minute.” She failed to control the edge in her voice.
His smile faded, she’d made her point, pro
bably a little harsher than she meant
, before flipping
the
eggs.
Galen kept his eyes on his cup. “She’s pretty good with coffee, how’s the food?”
“She’s good at everything she does.” Frank
eyeing
Galen.