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He stopped for a moment, probably taking stock of what I’d said.
“He’s protected,” he said finally. “But know this, lass. For no other woman would I leave him. Only for you.”
Though I still didn’t allow myself to believe him, I took the purse because he wasn’t going to let me go without it.
“I have to go check on my sister Mary,” I said.
“I’m coming.”
I shook my head. “I’ll go to Vi’s and have Steven walk with me. She’s not that far. You can watch me from the porch if you want.”
He said nothing but followed me outside. The moon was hidden, so it was true dark. Still, there was a vague shape of my sister’s house off in the distance.
“Goodnight,” I said and glanced over at Turner’s door.
I wondered how much he’d heard. Then again, it wasn’t like he had a TV or radio to drown out our conversation. So all of it, I assumed.
Before I could get off the porch, Kalen said, “You could always come back and we could finish what we started before.”
An invisible yes neon sign lit up in the vicinity of my crotch area, but I didn’t stop, knowing I would likely give in to his offer.
Twenty-Nine
Self-preservation was high on my “to-do” list. I found myself jogging most of the way to my sister’s house.
When I entered, she sat alone in the kitchen.
“Where’s Steven?” I asked.
She pointed toward their room. “He’s asleep. Fire or not, there is work to be done in the morning.”
I nodded.
A faint hint of a smile grew on one side of her face. “So he’s the guy?” She waited for me to answer. “The visitor?”
I sighed. “He’s the guy.”
“Well damn, Bailey.”
My eyes widened. I’d never heard my sister say one foul word.
She waved me off. “Don’t act like you’ve never said it. Besides, he’s handsome.”
That was an understatement.
“Two good-looking guys. What are you going to do?”
“Leave and you should come with me,” I said.
“You’re leaving with Kalen—Jeremy? Whatever his name is.”
I ignored that and got right to the point.
“I’m pretty sure the fire is my fault.”
It was her turn to look shocked. “The trouble in New York.”
“Yes. I don’t want anything worse to happen. And Father suggested you go with me.”
Her jaw stayed unhinged. “What, and leave Steven?”
“If Steven loves you and has nothing to hide, he’ll go with you. You don’t belong here any more than I do.”
Everything Father had said made sense.
“And what would we do there?” she asked dryly.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know about Steven, but you can bake.”
“Yeah, like that’s hard.”
She had no idea.
“I can’t bake,” I said.
“You can if you put some effort into it.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going to argue with you. You can make a life there. Father’s offered to pay for you to go to baking school or cooking school, whatever they call it.”
“No fooling?”
My head rocked side to side.
Hers did the opposite. “I’m not going anywhere.”
My vision narrowed. “What?”
“Not without talking to my husband.”
I couldn’t blame her for that.
“I get it, but I can’t stay,” I pleaded. “I’m leaving in the morning.”
“I’m not going without Steven,” she said firmly and stood. “Thank you for talking with Father. Though I may not love it, I do like my life here.”
I smiled at her, and she turned and went into her bedroom. I’d forgotten to ask about Mary. If she wasn’t staying here, she most likely was staying with one of her friends.
According to my father’s wishes, I was to make peace. With little time left, I wasn’t sure that was possible. It was too late to call on her.
I sat at the table and closed my eyes. Before Kalen had shown up at the dance, I had settled with my decision. Or was I settling?
Both men would be desirable to any woman. Handsome and sensual. Even though they were different, they possessed some of the same qualities.
My love for Turner had stood the test of time. He was solid. Someone I could trust who would never do anything to break my heart.
Everything with Kalen was new and exciting. It was akin to the budding of first love. It held mysteries still left to unravel.
Still, I grew certain of what I was going to do.
A thunderous boom and a flash of lightning pierced the night. A second later, the sound of an assaulting rain drowned out everything else. I sat there for a few minutes before deciding to head to bed.
Just as I got to my feet, the door opened, letting in a fierce wind and blowing rain. I was caught in the blast, my face dotted with raindrops.
A sloshing mass of a wet man stepped through the door, pitch blackness behind him. I looked toward my sister’s closed door and heard no movement in the short silence.
The figure glanced in that direction before turning intense eyes on me. My sister was fine. I was the one in danger.
