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And then she realized the lights were still on.
The door opened again, and a single set of footsteps echoed on the pine floors. She peered down. Ted stood in the middle of the room, his thumbs tucked in the back pockets of his jeans. He gazed toward the place where the altar had been, but this time his shoulders sagged ever so slightly, offering her a rare glimpse of the unguarded man beneath the self-possessed exterior.
The moment passed quickly. He moved toward the door that led to the kitchen. Her stomach tightened with dread. A moment later, she heard a very loud, very angry curse.
She ducked her head and buried her face in her hands. The angry thud of feet echoed through the church. Maybe, if she stayed very quiet . . .
“Meg!”
Chapter Seven
Meg dashed toward the futon. “I’m trying to sleep up here,” she shouted, girding herself for battle. “Do you mind?”
Ted thundered up the steps to the loft, the floor trembling under his feet. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
She sat on the edge of the futon and tried to look as though she’d just awakened. “Obviously, not sleeping. What’s up with you, anyway? Barging in here in the middle of the night . . . And you shouldn’t curse in church.”
“How long have you been staying here?”
She stretched and yawned, trying to pull off her cool act. It would have been easier to do if she were wearing something more impressive than pirate-skull panties and the happy printing company T-shirt left behind by one of the guests. “Do you have to yell so loud?” she said. “You’re disturbing the neighbors. And they’re dead.”
“How long?”
“I’m not sure. Some of those headstones date all the way back to the 1840s.”
“I’m talking about you.”
“Oh. I’ve been here for a while. Where did you think I’d been staying?”
“I didn’t think about it at all. And you know why? Because I didn’t give a damn. I want you out of here.”
“I believe you, but this is Lucy’s church, and she told me I could stay as long as I want.” At least she would have if Meg had ever asked her.
“Wrong. This is my church, and you’re leaving here first thing tomorrow and not coming back.”
“Hold on. You gave this church to Lucy.”
“A wedding present. No wedding. No present.”
“I don’t think that will hold up in a court of law.”
“There wasn’t a legal contract!”
“You’re either a person who stands by his word or you’re not. Frankly, I’m beginning to think not.”
His eyebrows slammed together. “It’s my church, and you’re trespassing.”
“You see it your way. I see it mine. This is America. We’re entitled to our opinions.”
“Wrong. This is Texas. And my opinion is the only one that counts.”
A lot truer than she cared to acknowledge. “Lucy wants me to stay here, so I’m staying.” She absolutely would want Meg to stay here if she knew about it.
He planted a hand on the loft railing. “At first it was fun torturing you, but the game’s gotten old.” He dipped into his pocket and withdrew a money clip. “I want you out of town tomorrow. This is going to speed you on your way.”
He removed the bills, stuck the empty clip back in his pocket, and fanned the money in his fingers so she could count it. Five one-hundred-dollar bills. She swallowed hard. “You shouldn’t carry so much cash.”
“Normally I don’t, but a local property owner dropped by City Hall after the bank closed and paid the balance on an old tax bill. Aren’t you glad I couldn’t leave all that money lying around?” He dropped the bills on the futon. “Once you get back in Daddy’s good graces, have him write me a check.” He turned toward the stairs.
