Hearths of Fire (7 page)

“Why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow night? Char’s making her famous lasagna.
It’ll give all of us a chance to know one another better.”

“You’re staying with us?” Mandy’s shock didn’t come close to the disbelief that was
coursing through Charlotte’s veins. What the hell was Neal doing? “Wait. Have you
and Charlotte…”

“We’re friends, Mandy. I told you a few months ago that we hold no hard feelings about
what happened when we were teenagers. Charlotte and I have both moved on, but you
two will always be family to me.” Neal waved a hand toward the entrance as if he hadn’t
just torn the rug out from underneath Charlotte. His words kept echoing through her
mind…
what happened when we were teenagers
. Really? He made it sound like a date went awry when they were nineteen and not a
life-altering moment that had affected both of their lives. Did her leaving him at
the altar truly not affect him in any way? Doubts about the love she’d thought they’d
shared wove an ugly web around her memories. “Go and have fun. I’ll see you at home
after the game. Garreth, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Neal placed a hand on the small of Charlotte’s back and all but pushed her past the
young couple. The next five minutes turned into a blur as Neal greeted old friends
and neighbors. They had to be thinking the same thing Mandy had as his hand didn’t
move from her body. Charlotte was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the scrutiny,
but it didn’t seem to bother Neal in the least. The game had started, resulting in
cheering and yelling from the stands.

“Phil, it’s good to see you again,” Neal commented with a nod. “Char and I are going
to find some seats and enjoy the game.”

By the time they’d found a couple open spot at the thirty-yard line, Charlotte’s annoyance
was on the border of anger. How dare Neal think it was okay to let others believe
that something had changed between them? There was no way in hell he was staying at
her house either. Gossip around these parts was as rampant as tics in the summer.

“You want to tell me what that was about?” Charlotte asked in a harsh whisper. Thelma
Till was sitting three benches behind them and holding up a sign with her grandson’s
jersey number planted on it. The old bitty had bat ears. “One, you’re not staying
with us. Two, what’s with the hand on my back? You’re making it seem as if we are
something we’re not.”

“I
am
staying with you. We’ll swing by the bed and breakfast before heading home. I’ll
take the spare bedroom. The person who was standing on the corner watching us solidified
that change and if we don’t show Mandy an expression of solidarity, then all of this
doesn’t mean shit.” Neal had leaned in close when they had taken their seats. She
could have sworn his warm lips touched her ear. The deep vibrations traveled across
her skin and made her shiver at the sensual nature of the act. She clenched her fingers
into fists and reminded herself of why he was here. “Now tell me what you were going
to say when they showed up.”

Charlotte wasn’t done talking about the fact that he couldn’t stay with them and she
felt her frustration mount at a situation that was growing beyond her control. That
wasn’t even taking into account the public display of affection. She could just imagine
what the two of them looked like with Neal leaning down and whispering into her ear.

“You’re leaving on Sunday,” Charlotte snapped back in a low voice. “I have to stay
here and deal with the fallout of what Thelma’s already spinning in her mind. What
you said earlier at the diner was fine and you should have left well enough alone.
Everyone in Hearth knows you think of Mandy like a sister and they are also aware
of how worried I am over the fact that she’s dating Garreth. But to stay with us and
then touch me as if we were—”

“Were what, Char?” Neal asked, pulling away far enough that his green eyes practically
glowed with intensity. “Let’s get something straight. If I actually touched you like
we were
back then, you’d damn well feel my hand on your skin. The fact that I’m even here
is going to spark the chinwag wagon no matter where I stay. We do this my way. Now
what were you going to say when I came back from the truck?”

Charlotte pressed her lips together at the knowledge that Neal wasn’t going to budge
on his decisions. Her stomach felt as if a thousand butterflies had been let loose
inside of her at the images that his words had provoked. They’d been together all
through high school and had made love in the back of his Chevy when they’d been sixteen
years old. By the time they were nineteen and engaged, the two of them had become
inseparable—at least until her fated decision.

“A friend of Mandy’s told me that she’d overheard Garreth on the phone.”

Before Charlotte could finish the crowd erupted in cheers as Hearth High School had
scored the first touchdown of the game. The noise didn’t lessen as the kicker came
onto the field for the extra point. By the time they were leading seven to zero, a
few old friends of theirs had stopped by to catch up with Neal and his new position
in San Diego. The moments when they were by themselves had been few and far between,
but it was enough time to let her know that Neal wasn’t happy that Sheriff Plinkton
wasn’t at the game. A couple of deputies had shown their faces, but he hadn’t wanted
to speak with them. Unfortunately that also meant that Becky hadn’t spoken to the
sheriff either.

“The game’s about to end,” Neal said while he continued to scan the crowd. She’d expected
him to say a lot of things, but not the words that made her catch her breath. “Let’s
go home.”

‡

N
eal tossed his
bag on the floor as he sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward in frustration,
placing his elbows on his knees as he continued to crack his knuckles. What the hell
had he been thinking? The more he was around Charlotte the more he wanted her despite
the residual anger that still resided in him. He would have thought his resentment
would have kept the sexual tension from returning, but fuck if it only made him want
her more.

“Son, I’ll tell the guests. Why don’t you go and try to find Charlotte?”

Neal looked over his father’s shoulder and saw the pity in everyone’s eyes. His mother’s
hand was over her lips as if she wasn’t quite sure what to say. Red-hot anger that
had replaced his initial worry burned in his gut and he wanted to ram his fists into
the nearest wall to relieve some of the rage. He looked back and saw his best man,
Jimmy Hubber, whispering with Charlotte’s maid of honor. She’d come to tell Neal that
Charlotte couldn’t go through with the wedding. His world was crumbling around him
and he just needed a minute to pick up what was left.

“Thanks, Dad,” Neal muttered before turning and ignoring everyone who called out his
name. Jimmy tried to stop Neal as he walked past but he shoved open the door to the
room off of the chapel, grateful to have some time to himself. He really should have
brought Mandy with him, but his mother would make sure she was okay. He had just shut
himself inside when the sight before him caused the dagger in his heart to slide a
little deeper. Charlotte stood there wearing her wedding dress with an hourglass figure,
blonde ringlets around her face, and mascara running down her cheeks. Fury engulfed
him that she felt she had the right to cry when it was her doing they were dealing
with this fallout to begin with. He could only get one word past the lump in his throat.
“Why?”

“Neal, we can’t get married,” Charlotte whispered a little desperately, wiping away
more tears. She took a step toward Neal but she stopped when he shook his head. “Don’t
you see that this isn’t going to work? Mandy is my responsibility now. You said yourself
I shouldn’t give up the bookstore. How am I going to go to college, raise Mandy, and
keep the store open while you’re gone? It’s not like I can go with you.”

“Yes, you can,” Neal argued for what felt like the millionth time. All they ever did
lately was argue over the future. He didn’t know what more he could say to get her
to see things the way he did. “Mom said she would oversee the store. Once we figure
out where I’ll be stationed you and Mandy will come live with me on base. You can
finish up your business degree, and then once my time is up we’ll return home. Fuck,
Char…how many times do we have to go over this?”

“And what about when you go on deployment? What then?” Charlotte lifted a hand and
gestured to where everyone was now being escorted out of the church. “At least I have
help here, Neal.”

“Which is why you’ll stay here until I’m done with boot camp.” Neal stayed where he
was by the door, afraid that if he got any closer he would drag her in front of the
pastor. “If I go on deployment I’m sure the other wives will help you out while you’re
taking classes. Mandy will be in school during the days and—”

“There are too many things that could go wrong, Neal.” Charlotte looked down at her
left hand and Neal felt a fear like he’d never known. He’d worked and saved every
penny for her engagement ring and she was going to take it off as if it was a cheap
Crackerjack toy. “I can’t marry you.”

“Then we’ll postpone it,” Neal suggested, his mind spinning with the various ways
this could go. He loved her. They could still make this work. “I’ll go to boot camp
and then once I graduate we’ll see where they station me. I’ll come back home during
my leave and then once you’re done with college, we’ll get married then.”

“You aren’t coming back to Hearth, Neal,” Charlotte’s voice caught as she slid the
ring off of her finger. Neal hadn’t known a heart could physically hurt over words.
“You’ll travel the world and see exciting things. You’ll meet new people, make new
friends, and meet new women. And I’ll be here. I’m so sorry, Neal…but this is the
way it has to be.”

Neal opened his eyes, not even realizing that he’d closed them as the brutal memory
of that day had washed over him. He’d never asked Char in that moment if she still
loved him. Would it have made a difference? He’d been too immature back then to understand
that some of what she’d said had made sense. Charlotte had been better off staying
in Hearth with the town offering whatever help her friends and neighbors could give.
Where she’d been wrong was giving up on them entirely.

Rubbing his hands over his face, Neal then stood and repositioned his side holster
so that it didn’t catch on his sweater. He’d resigned himself a long time ago to the
fact that Charlotte
had
moved on. Family and friends had kept him up on her and Mandy in those years that
he’d been deployed. The first time he’d heard that she’d gone out to dinner with someone
else he’d gone on a weekend bender. After that he’d stopped asking about her altogether.

Neal needed to focus on why he was here instead of the past. He’d changed his mind
in regards to the cult after he’d caught sight of the person standing on the corner
watching them as they’d made their way to the truck. That wasn’t an innocent action
by any means, which was why Neal had decided it would be safer for Charlotte and Mandy
if he were to stay with them. Why would his presence in town cause ATD to feel threatened?
He had a hard time believing that Mandy was that important to them. What was the consequence
if Neal and Charlotte talked Mandy out of dating Garreth?

“I made coffee.” Charlotte’s soft voice came from the doorway and when Neal turned
his head, her beauty struck him. She’d removed the sweater, and the long sleeved red
shirt she was wearing molded to her breasts. Her hair had been let down and the natural
waves fell around her face. He remembered how soft the strands had been and his fingers
itched to feel the silky texture once more. Staying here for the next two nights was
going to be a hell of a lot harder than he’d originally thought. Her eyes dropped
to his weapon. “You didn’t even wait for us to leave the stadium.”

“One can never be too cautious. Char, it’s better to have it and not need it than
need it and not have it. Coffee sounds good, by the way.” Neal had a feeling that
Charlotte stayed up for Mandy on the weekends and seeing as it was only twenty-two
hundred, they still had two more hours before curfew. Considering that she’d yet to
tell him what Mandy’s friend had said, that should take up at least fifteen minutes.
After that he’d have to make some shit up to pass the time. “You wanted to tell me
something back at the game.”

As they made their way down the hall and into the kitchen, Charlotte caught him up
to date on what had transpired earlier that day. By the time she was done and asking
for his opinion, they’d taken their mugs into the living room. He didn’t take offense
when she chose the chair instead of the couch where he was now sitting. It was better
for both of them.