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Tate hated the despair he saw in Holly’s eyes. Although he knew Cassidy had every right to come back and care for her mother, another part of him wanted to run her out of town. His sister was the type of person who’d worn her heart on her sleeve ever since she was a little girl. At the moment there was such a look of longing in her eyes. It was almost too much for him to bear.
“Tell me! Is it true?” she asked, her upper body tense as she tilted forward in her wheelchair.
“Yeah, it’s true,” he admitted. “She’s back in town.”
Her eyes grew wider at his terse acknowledgement. “How do you know?”
He let out a sigh. “I saw her with my own eyes.”
She sat back and let out a few deep breaths. Cullen moved closer to her, his eyes full of concern, his arm draped around her shoulder as he asked, “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”
“I’m fine. I just didn’t expect...after all this time, I wasn’t sure she would ever come back.” Her gaze shifted again to Tate. “What was it like, seeing her again? Did you talk to her?”
“Yes, we talked. She told me she’s back for a while to visit with her family.” He made no mention of Maylene Blake’s health crisis or the car ride they’d shared over to her folks’ house. Cassidy had asked him not to discuss her mother’s medical condition, and he had no intention of breaking his promise.
“Did she... Did she mention me?” Holly looked down at her hands and began twirling her fingers round and round. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for his response.
Tate looked at Holly, noting her flushed cheeks and her tight features. His concern was growing by the second over her state of mind. She’d dealt with so much over the past few years, both mentally and physically. Her spine hadn’t been the only thing shattered. Her spirit had been broken, as well. Now news of Cassidy’s return had struck her out of the blue, giving her the shock of her life. Yet, despite everything, she was still hoping Cassidy cared about her, still praying that she was in her thoughts and prayers.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Holly was about to get emotionally crushed by the same woman who’d turned her world upside down years ago.
“No, she didn’t mention you,” he lied, hating himself for his deception as soon as the words rolled off his tongue. Lord, please forgive me my trespasses.
He watched Holly’
s face crumple, saw the tears gather in her cornflower-blue eyes and the way her slight shoulders slumped over. She muttered a few unintelligible words, then straightened herself up. She wheeled her chair around and fiddled with the door until it opened up, then sailed through it and down the hall until she was no longer visible.
Cullen raced out after her, his voice full of concern as he called out to her. “Holly! Wait. Please, don’t go.”
Although a part of him wanted to follow behind Cullen and tell Holly the truth, another part of him felt rooted to the spot. For the life of him, he couldn’t move.
Lord, what is wrong with me? Why did I lie to Holly? Why couldn’t I just tell her the truth?
Why? The answer was simple—because he couldn’t bear the thought of his sister being hurt by Cassidy all over again. More than anyone he knew the heartache and pain Cassidy Blake could dole out. He’d been a victim of it, just as Holly had. Last time the betrayal had taken him by surprise, and the shock of it had brought him to his knees. This time, he vowed, he wasn’t about to give Cassidy the chance to hurt him or Holly ever again.
* * *
“I still can’t believe my baby girl is a famous artist. At least five of my friends have already called wanting you to autograph their paintings.” Maylene added two sugars to her green tea and swirled the contents around in her cup. “I’m awfully proud of you, Cass.”
Cassidy laughed at her mother’s praise as she wrapped her fingers around her own steaming cup of tea. “Mom, I have a large, dedicated following in Phoenix, but I’m not famous.”
Her mother reached out and tweaked her nose. “But you will be. With your talent, it’s only a matter of time.”
Cassidy grinned at her mother’s crowing about her talent. Maylene had always been her biggest supporter, and even in the worst of times her devotion had never wavered. Being around her mother served as a shot of confidence that she sorely needed at the moment.
“The church bazaar is today,” her mother said, her voice oozing excitement. “I was hoping you would come with us. It’ll be one of my last outings before the surgery.”
The Main Street Church bazaar was an annual fund-raising event held out at the town fairgrounds. It had always been Cassidy’s favorite church function. It was popular and drew the entire community. Cassidy felt panic rise up in her at the thought of being on public display. Although she wanted to face her past head-on, she had only been in town for two days. As far as she was concerned, it was too soon to attend the town’s biggest social event. Facing Tate had nearly done her in. She couldn’t imagine facing the entire town of West Falls all at once.
“Me? No, I can’t go. I couldn’t,” she blurted out. Just the thought of running into her former classmates, schoolteachers and family friends made her skin itch.
Her mother’s smile faded a bit and the twinkle in her eyes seemed to dim before Cassidy’s eyes.
“I understand, honey,” her mother said as she reached across the table and clasped her hand. “You’re not ready to face everyone. Truthfully, I’m just so grateful you’ve come back home.”
“Well, I don’t understand, Maylene.” Her father walked into the kitchen, clearly having heard the tail end of their conversation. “Cassidy has come back to help you, hasn’t she? Won’t it help you to have her attend the bazaar?”
“Harlan, it’s fine,” Maylene scolded, casting her husband a reproachful look that Cassidy had seen a hundred times or more throughout her childhood.
