Love's Deception (12 page)

“Are you sure? What about Ty?”

Cat let out a sigh. “You were right all along. It’s over.”

Her mom sat up straighter. “What happened?”

“I can’t talk about it right now. I’ll tell you the whole story later. I’m too tired and I have a headache.”
A headache from crying so much.

Her mother’s forehead furrowed. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No. Can we pack and leave first thing in the morning?”

“We’ll leave whenever you’re ready. I’m so sorry it didn’t work out, Cat. You know I had reservations, but I had begun to hope I was wrong. All I want is for you to be happy.” Sally’s voice held the tenderness and empathy only a mother could convey.

Cat’s eyes filled with tears, so she retreated a step. “Me too.” She walked into the bathroom and flipped on the shower, needing to wash off this awful day. Five greasy fingerprints on her lower arm caught her eye when she pulled her shirt over her head. Ty’s fingerprints. She undressed and stepped into the spray of hot water. First thing, she furiously scrubbed her arm, trying to erase the memory of him.

Fifteen

The familiar tune sounded from Ty’s phone. He stood up, banging his head on the hood of his truck. “Ouch!” He wiped his hands down the front of his T-shirt.
Please be Catherine.
Picking up the phone from where she had tossed it, he flipped it over to see the display—“Larry calling.” Ty’s heart sank. It had been more than optimistic to hope she’d call so soon. He slid his finger across the display. “Hey, Larry.”

“I’ve got a starter. And an alternator, in case you need that too. Both should work for your truck. You want me to bring ’em by when I’m done here?”

“That’s okay, man. I’ll drive my bike over there and get it.”

“Okay, see you in a bit.”

“Thanks, Larry.”

“Yup.”

It was dark before Ty had the starter installed and his truck finally sputtered to life. The temptation to shift the vehicle into drive and go to Cat’s house nearly overpowered him, but one glance down convinced him to wait. He was a mess. Black grease and grime covered his hands, arms, shirt, and pants. He ran his fingers over his chin. He hadn’t shaved since Sunday. He couldn’t go begging forgiveness like this.

Resting his head on the steering wheel, he gently pumped the gas pedal to keep the engine idling. Cat was angry, and he couldn’t blame her. He’d be mad if she deceived him. As hard as it was, he would wait until tomorrow—give her a chance to cool down. Then he’d try to explain again. He turned off the engine and leaned back, closing his eyes in the silence.
What was I thinking?

Sometime later, the truck door opened. “What’re you still doin’ here, Son?” his father asked.

Ty jerked his head up and rubbed his eyes. “I fell asleep.”

His dad chuckled. “I can see that.” He slapped his hand on the dashboard. “She still not working?”

Ty shook his head and pulled the keys out of the ignition. “I got it going. Needed a new starter.”

“That’s good. Why don’t you come in to bed now?”

Silently, he followed his dad inside the house.

His mom stood at the kitchen sink, washing dishes. “Ty, why didn’t you go to Cat’s house tonight? And why did she leave so soon this afternoon? Is it because of the truck, or is there a problem?”

Ty poured a bowl of cold cereal. “Some of both.”

“What happened?”

“A misunderstanding. But I’ll straighten it out tomorrow.”

His mother narrowed her eyes at him. “I hope so. I sure do like her. I know you’re tired of hearing me say this, but I think it’s time you settled down and got married. You’re in your thirties, Ty. You need to be dating the kind of girls you want to marry.”

He half listened as he chewed his Raisin Bran. He’d heard the same lecture at least a dozen times. “I have been, Mom.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Then ask one of them to marry you. I don’t see why it’s taking you so long.”

“Mother, don’t be so hard on the boy,” Ty’s father chided. “It’ll happen when the time is right.”

Ty finished his cereal in silence. He rinsed his bowl and set it in the dishwasher, hoping to avoid another lecture from his mother. “Good night,” he called behind him as he left the kitchen.

It was Ty’s last full day in Oregon, at least for a while. He’d accomplished what he set out to do. The fields were harvested, and what was left was a manageable workload for his father to assume. His dad had the doctor’s permission to ease back into work. As long as he didn’t overdo it, he should be fine. In addition, Ty had secured a promise from Ricardo to watch out for his dad.

Ty stowed his helmet and the keys to his motorcycle in the closet. Tomorrow afternoon, he’d fly back to California. Strangely, it didn’t feel like going home anymore. This time he felt like he was
leaving
home. As he had when he was young, Ty loved the wide-open spaces. The room to roam. Being with family. But he’d be a fool not to recognize the real reason for his change of heart—Catherine Lewis and her son, Danny.

After cleaning his room to appease his mother, Ty took a shower. It was a little earlier than the time he usually went to Cat’s house, but it was his last night. If she actually let him in the door, he wanted to spend every minute with her and Danny.

Ty pulled into Cat’s driveway. Her truck was gone. He knocked on every door, hoping her mother would answer. But the house was locked up tight. He walked through the barns, looking for someone—anyone who might know where she was. But other than the horses munching their hay, the place was vacant.

A week had passed since Ty had mowed her lawn, since she’d told him she loved him. He’d wait for her to get back, but the boredom of doing nothing would kill him. He pulled the mower from the shed and got to work. While he mowed the lawn, he cursed his bad luck. Of all the times for Ashley to call. Cat surely thought he was trying to explain everything because she’d caught him. He must have looked like a complete idiot. The fact he’d asked her to a quiet dinner for the express purpose of explaining his past and talking about their future had been overshadowed by his dishonesty. His reasons for waiting to discuss something so huge now seemed inadequate. What started as a simple omission of fact had snowballed into what for Cat might be an unforgivable deception.

Like the Enron executives who misled their board of directors and shareholders, Ty had let Cat believe something other than the truth. And as with the scandal that rocked the professional accounting world and ultimately led to the dissolution of one of the largest accounting firms in the country, Ty’s deceit had led to personal disaster. The relationship he’d had such high hopes for now faced the possibility of bankruptcy.

In the beginning, he hadn’t expected anything to come of meeting her. She was beautiful and intriguing, but he had no intention of falling in love with her. It was only one dinner, he’d told himself. But time changed everything. He’d allowed thoughts of her to run rampant through his mind. Before he knew it, she and Danny had become the most important people in his life. And maybe it was the fear of losing them that had kept his mouth shut. The fear that if Cat knew he really lived in California and spent his days wrapped up in corporate finances, she wouldn’t be attracted to him after all. Being with her and pretending to be part of her family had been magic, and he had feared breaking the spell. So he’d procrastinated. What had he read in her Book of Mormon about not procrastinating the day of repentance? Well, Ty had procrastinated, and now he was paying for it. On the night he should have been holding her in his arms, he was alone.

Once he finished mowing, he took out the hoe and weeded in the yard until it was too dark to see and his back ached from bending over. Then he stood and looked around. He’d made good progress. He tossed the weeds in the compost pile and stowed the hoe in the shed.

Worry weighed on him as he checked the time on his phone. Danny should be in bed by now. Where could they be? Had something gone terribly wrong with Sally? Ty found Cat’s number and dialed it. It rang several times before going to her voicemail. A dejected smile crossed his face at the sound of her voice. “Cat, where are you? This is Ty. Please call me. I need to talk to you. Bye.”

When she didn’t call back, he moved his truck in front of the barn. She wouldn’t let her horses starve. He’d keep waiting. She was bound to show up sooner or later.

Ty stretched out on the bench seat, sticking his legs out the window. He eventually dozed off with his iPhone on his chest. He slept fitfully at first, waking to every sound. A dog barked. A horse rattled the gate, scratching its chest. A pack of coyotes yipped in the distance. But sleep finally laid claim to Ty.

The sound of a diesel engine pulled him awake. Bright sunlight and chirping birds surrounded him. Through the fog of sleep, he struggled to remember where he was, why he was sleeping in his truck. But it all came back to him, like a bad debt he hadn’t paid. Cat had gone missing and had failed to return his call.

He bolted upright, his phone skidding onto the floor mat. He scanned the pastures. The horses stood near piles of hay—eating. Whoever fed them was about to leave.
How did I miss that truck pulling in?
Ty shoved his door open and hobbled to the other vehicle, one foot half asleep. “Hey,” he yelled, tapping on the window.

As the startled woman looked up from her cell phone, he realized she was one of Cat’s boarders. Evidently she recognized him too, because she rolled down her window. “Can I help you?”

He rested his hands on her door. “I hope so. Where’s Cat?”

The woman raised her eyebrows. “Didn’t she tell you? She left for Idaho with her mom and Danny yesterday.”

Ty groaned inwardly. “Did she say why?”

“Her mom’s cancer has spread to her lungs. Sally wants to visit her mother, who lives in a rest home in Boise. And Cat wants Danny to spend time with his other grandparents and all his cousins.”

“When is she coming back?”

“She didn’t say. Just asked me to feed. She said she’d call me in a few days when she figured it out.”

Ty stepped back, letting out a discouraged sigh. He’d be going back to California without a chance to talk with her. Without even seeing her again. “Thanks,” he muttered, turning to leave.

“Do you want me to give her a message?” the woman asked.

“Just tell her I love her,” Ty said, then retreated to his truck and left. He had a plane to catch—and a weekend at the beach to tackle.

When he walked in the door, he knew his mother was dying to ask the question, but his clipped greeting and grumpy scowl held her at bay. He had no desire to talk about the mess he’d put himself in. He showered and packed his bag, relieved in a way to be going back to California. Maybe he should put this whole thing behind him—go on with life as usual and pretend it never happened.

He walked into the kitchen and dropped his bag next to the door, then rummaged through the fridge, pulling out ham, cheese, lettuce, and mayonnaise. “Mom, after I eat, I’ll be ready to go to the airport.”

“I thought we weren’t leaving until noon.”

Ty pulled out four slices of bread and began layering them with sandwich fixings. “No, I’ve got to leave now. I’m catching an earlier flight. I’ve got work to do.”

“All right. Let me tell your father we’re going and get my purse.”

Ty’s mom eventually worked up the nerve to ask him about Cat, but he couldn’t offer her the answer she wanted. “It’s over, Mom. It was nice while it lasted, but it’s over—end of story.”

As he hugged his mother goodbye at the airport, her eyes looked extra bright. “You take care of yourself, Son. Your father and I really appreciate all you’ve done, and you should know we’re so proud of your accomplishments and the life you’ve made for yourself. You know I wish it included a wife and kids, but regardless, I want you to know how much we love you. And I only want you to be happy. We never would have made it through the summer without you. You’re such a good boy. Thank you, honey.”

“I love you too, Mom. Take care of Dad. Don’t let him work too hard. Ricardo will help whenever you need him. I already talked with him about it. All you have to do is ask.”

Ty’s mom patted his cheek. “Okay, have a good flight. Call me when you land.”

“I will.”

As a regular business traveler, Ty negotiated the terminal at the John Wayne airport while returning phone calls and text messages. The Hopewell Frozen Foods audit would start on Monday. As manager of a new client’s account, he would have countless loose ends to tie up before the staff could begin. Two critical voicemails waited when he landed. It was fortunate he had caught an earlier flight.

He hailed a taxi and went straight to the office. He ducked as he walked past the receptionist’s desk, feeling underdressed in his T-shirt and jeans. “Ty Bradford, is that really you?” she teased. “What memo did you read? I didn’t get the one saying it was super-casual Friday.”

He chuckled. “Hi, Gloria. I just came from the airport. I’ve got Hopewell next week. There’s bound to be a million things to do between now and then, and I want to get a head start on it.”

“Welcome back. We missed you.”

“Thanks,” Ty said, already walking down the hall toward his office.