White Lace and Promises (26 page)

“How did you know where she lived?”

Admitting everything she had done made it sound all the more sordid and deceitful. She hesitated.

“How did you know where she lived?” he repeated, his rising voice cold and deliberate. Maggie was pressed as far back against the chair cushion as possible as dread settled firmly over her.

“I found her letter to you … and read it.” She wouldn’t minimize her wrongdoing. The letter had been addressed to him and she had purposely taken it from the envelope and read each word. It was wrong. She knew it was wrong, but given the opportunity, she would do exactly the same thing again.

Shocked, all Glenn seemed capable of doing was to stare back at her. She yearned to explain that she hadn’t purposely searched through his drawers or snooped into his private matters. But she could see that expounding on what had happened wouldn’t do any good. Reasoning with Glenn just then would be impossible. She felt wretched and sick to her stomach. The ache in her throat was complicated by the tears stinging her eyes. With everything in her, she struggled not to cry.

“What else did you try to find?” he asked. “How many drawers did you have to search through before you found the letter? Did you take delight in reading another woman’s words to me? Is there anything you don’t know?”

“It wasn’t like that,” she whispered, her gaze frozen in misery.

“I’ll bet!” He moved to the other side of the living room. His anger died as quickly as it came, replaced by a resentment so keen he could barely stand to look at Maggie. She couldn’t seem to let up on the subject of Angie. For months he had loved Maggie so completely that he was amazed that she could believe that he could possibly care for another woman. Worse, she had hounded the subject of Angie to death. It was a matter of trust, and she’d violated that and wounded his pride again and again.

“Are you satisfied now? Did you learn everything you were so keen to find out?” His voice was heavy with defeat. “You don’t trust me or my love, do you, Maggie? You couldn’t, to
have done something this underhanded.”

“That’s not true,” she cried. Glenn wanted to wound her; she understood that. She had hurt him when all she’d ever wanted to do was give him her love, bear his children, and build a good life with him. But their marriage had been clouded with the presence of another woman who stood between them as prominently as the Cascade mountain range. Or so it appeared at the time.

With a clarity of thought Glenn didn’t realize he possessed, he knew he had to get out of the room … out of the house. He needed to sit down and do some serious thinking. Something was basically wrong in a relationship where one partner didn’t trust the other. He loved Maggie and had spent the past few months trying to prove how much. Obviously, he’d failed. He crossed the living room and jerked his raincoat off the hanger.

“Where are you going?” Maggie asked in a pathetically weak voice.

He didn’t even look at her. “Out.”

Trapped in a nightmare, her actions made in slow motion, Maggie came to her feet. The Christmas card and letter were clenched in her hand. Glenn turned to look back at her, and his gaze fell to the brightly colored card. His mouth twisted into a scowl as he opened the door and left Maggie standing alone and heartbroken.

Maggie didn’t allow the tears to escape until she was inside their bedroom with the door securely closed. Only then did she vent her misery. She wept bitter tears until she didn’t think she could stop. Her throat ached and her sobs were dry; her eyes burned, and there were no more tears left to shed. She had hoped to build a firm foundation for this marriage and had ruined any chance. Glenn had every reason to be angry. She had deceived him, hurt him, invaded his privacy.

The room was dark and the night half spent when Glenn came to bed. His movements sounded heavy and vaguely out of order. The dresser drawer was jerked open, then almost immediately slammed shut. He stumbled over something and cursed impatiently under his breath as he staggered to the far side of the bedroom.

Remaining motionless, Maggie listened to his movements and was shocked to realize that he was drunk. Glenn had always been so sensible about alcohol. He rarely had more than one drink. Maggie bit into her lower lip as he jerked back the covers and fell onto the mattress. She braced herself, wondering what she’d do if he tried to make love to her. But either he was too
drunk or he couldn’t tolerate the thought of touching her.

She woke in the morning to the sounds of Glenn moving around the room. Her first thought was that she should pretend to be asleep until he’d left, but she couldn’t bear to leave things unsettled any longer.

“Glenn,” she spoke softly, rolling onto her back. At the sight of his suitcase she bolted upright. “Glenn,” she said again, her voice shaking and urgent. “What are you doing?”

“Packing.” His face, devoid of expression, told her nothing.

He didn’t look at her. With an economy of movement, he emptied one drawer into a suitcase and returned to the dresser for another armload.

Maggie was shocked into speechlessness.

“You’re leaving me?” she finally choked out. He wouldn’t … couldn’t. Hadn’t they agreed about the sanctity of marriage? Hadn’t Glenn told her that he felt divorce was wrong and people should work things out no matter what their problems?

Glenn didn’t answer her; apparently, his actions were enough for her to realize exactly what he was doing.

“Glenn,” she said, her eyes pleading with him. “Please don’t do this.”

He paused midstride between the suitcase and the dresser. “Trust is vital in a relationship,” he said, and laid a fresh layer of clothes on top of the open suitcase.

Maggie threw back the covers and crawled to the end of the mattress. “Will you stop talking in riddles, for heaven’s sake? Of course trust is vital. This whole thing started because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about Angie.”

“You knew everything you needed to know.”

“I didn’t,” she cried. “I asked you to tell me about her and you refused.”

“She had nothing to do with you and me.”

“Oh, sure,” Maggie shouted, her voice gaining volume with every word. “I wake up the morning after our wedding and you call me by her name. It isn’t bad enough that you can’t keep the two of us straight. Even … even your friends confuse our names. Then … then you leave her pictures lying around for me to find. But that was nothing. The icing on the cake comes when I inadvertently find a letter tucked safely away in a drawer to cherish and keep forever. Never mind that you’ve got a wife. Oh no. She’s a simpleminded fool who’s willing to overlook a few improprieties in married life.”

Rising to her knees, Maggie waved her arms and continued. “And please note that word
inadvertently
, because I assure you I did not go searching through your things. I found her letter by accident.”

Glenn was confused. His head was pounding, his mouth felt like sandpaper, and Maggie was shouting at him, waving her arms like a madwoman.

“I need to think,” he murmured.

Maggie hopped off the bed and reached for her bathrobe. “Well, think, then, but don’t do something totally stupid like … like leave me. I love you, Glenn. For two days we’ve behaved like fools. I’m sick of it. I trusted you enough to marry you, and obviously you felt the same way about me. The real question here is if we trust our love enough to see things through. If you want to run at the first hint of trouble, then you’re not the Glenn Lambert I know.” She tied the sash to her robe and continued, keeping her voice level. “I’m going to make coffee. You have ten minutes alone to ‘think.’ ”

By the time she entered the kitchen, Maggie’s knees were shaking. If she told Glenn about the baby, he wouldn’t leave, but she refused to resort to that. If he wanted to stay, it would be because he loved her enough to work out their differences.

The kitchen phone rang, and Maggie stared at it accusingly. The only person who would call her this time of the morning was Denny. If he asked her for another penny, she’d scream. It used to be that he’d call once or twice a month. Now it was every other day.

On the second ring, Maggie nearly ripped the phone off the hook. “Yes,” she barked.

“Maggie, is that you?” Denny asked brightly. “Listen, I’m sorry to call so early, but I wanted to tell you something.”

“What?” Her indignation cooled somewhat.

“I’m going to work Monday morning. Now, don’t argue, I know that you’re against this. I’ll admit that I was, too, when I first heard it. But I got to thinking about what Glenn said. And, Maggie, he’s right. My attitude toward life, toward everything, has been rotten lately. The best thing in the world for me right now is to get back into the mainstream of life and do something worthwhile.”

“But I thought—” Maggie couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I know, I thought all the same things you did. But Linda and I had a long talk a few days ago and she helped me see that Glenn is right. I went to an interview, got the job, and I feel
terrific. Better than I have in years.”

Maggie was dumbfounded. She lowered her lashes and squeezed her eyes at her own stupidity. Glenn had been right all along about Denny. Her brother had been trapped in the same mire as she had been. Maggie should have recognized it before, but she’d been so defensive, wanting to shield her brother from any unpleasantness, that she had refused to acknowledge what was right in front of her eyes. Denny needed the same purpose that Glenn’s love had given her life.

The urge to go back to their bedroom and ask Glenn to forgive her was strong, but she resisted. Denny was only one problem they needed to make right.

Glenn arrived in the kitchen dressed for the office. Silently, he poured himself a cup of coffee. Maggie wondered if she should remind Glenn that it was Saturday and he didn’t need to go to work. No, she’d let him talk first, she decided.

He took a sip of the hot, black coffee and grimaced. His head was killing him. It felt as if someone was hammering at his temple every time his heart beat. Furthermore, he had to collect his car. He’d taken a taxi cab back to the house, far too drunk to get behind a wheel.

“Who was on the phone?” he asked. The question was not one of his most brilliant ones. Obviously, it had been Denny, but he hoped to get some conversation going. Anything.

“Denny.”

Glenn cocked a brow, swallowing back the argument that sprang readily to his lips. If she was going to write WELCOME across her back and lie down for Denny to walk all over her, there wasn’t anything he could do. Heaven knew he’d tried.

“He … he called because—”

“I know why he phoned,” Glenn tossed out sarcastically.

“You do?”

“Of course. Denny only phones for one reason.”

“Not this time.” Her pride was much easier to swallow after hearing the excitement and enthusiasm in her brother’s voice. “He’s got a job.”

Glenn choked on a swallow of coffee. “Denny? What happened?”

“Apparently, you and Linda got through that thick skull of his and he decided to give it a try. He feels wonderful.”

“It might not last.”

“I know,” Maggie agreed. “But it’s a start, and one he should have made a long time ago.”

Her announcement was met with silence. “Are you telling me I was right?”

“Yes.” It wasn’t so difficult to admit, after all. Her hands hugged the milk-laced herbal tea and lent her the courage to continue. “It was wrong to take matters into my own hands and visit Angie. I can even understand why you loved her. She’s a wonderful person.”

“But she isn’t you. She doesn’t have your beauty, your artistic talent, or your special smile. Angie never made up crazy rules or beat me in a game of tennis. You’re two entirely different people.”

“I’ll never be like her,” Maggie murmured, staring into the creamy liquid she was holding.

“That’s a good thing, because I’m in love with you. I married you, Maggie. I don’t want anyone else but you.”

Maggie’s head jerked upright. “Are you saying …? Do you mean that you’re willing to forgive me for taking matters into my own hands? I know what I did wasn’t right.”

“I’m not condoning it, but I understand why you felt you had to meet her.”

If he didn’t take her in his arms soon, Maggie thought, she’d start crying again and then Glenn would know her Christmas secret for sure.

He set the coffee cup aside, and Maggie glanced up hopefully. But instead of reaching for her, he walked out of the kitchen and picked up the two suitcases that rested on the other side of the arched doorway.

Panic enveloped her. “Glenn,” she whispered. “Are you leaving me?”

“No. I’m putting these back where they belong.” He didn’t know what he’d been thinking this morning. He could no more leave Maggie than he could stop breathing. After disappearing for a moment, he returned to the kitchen and stood not more than three feet from her.

Maggie’s heart returned to normal again. “Are we through fighting now? I want to get to the making-up part.”

“We’re just about there.” The familiar lopsided grin slanted his mouth.

“Maybe you need a little incentive.”

“You standing there in that see-through outfit of yours is giving me all the incentive I need.” He wrapped his arms around her then, and held her so close that Maggie could actually
feel the sigh that shuddered through him.

She met his warm lips eagerly, twining her arms around his neck and tangling her fingers in the thick softness of his hair. Maggie luxuriated in the secure feel of his arms holding her tight. She smiled up at him dreamily. “There’s an early Christmas gift I’d like to give you.”

Unable to resist, Glenn brushed his lips over the top of her nose. “Don’t you think I should wait?”

“Not for this gift. It’s special.”

“Are you going to expect to open one of yours in return?”

“No, but then, I already have a good idea of what you’re getting me.”

“You do?”

Maggie laughed outright at the way his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “It wasn’t really fair, because your mother let the cat out of the bag.”

“My mother!”

“Yes, she told me about your grandmother’s ring.”