Читать книгу On The Texas Border - Linda Warren, Linda Warren - Страница 9

ABBY GOT UP and made her way to the kitchen. As she made coffee, her thoughts ran helter-skelter. Her mother would be upset. How should Abby handle this? Before she could form a plan, her mother walked into the kitchen in her pink flowered robe.

“You’re up early,” Gail said, and poured a cup of coffee.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Abby replied.

Gail sat at the table. “You’re still not worried that Kyle might come here, are you?”

Abby shook her head and took a seat. Kyle was the furthest thing from her mind. When she first returned home, she’d been afraid that he might follow her, but so far, nothing. Maybe Kyle had gotten on with his life. She hoped so because she had no intention of seeing him again.

“I had this strange dream last night,” her mother was saying. “I thought I heard your car leaving and I tried to wake up, but I couldn’t. It seemed so real.”

Abby squirmed in her chair. God, did her mother have mental telepathy or what? When she was sixteen, she and a friend had skipped school and driven to Brownsville to stand in line for tickets to a rock concert. Somehow her mother had known. The principal hadn’t called and notified her of Abby’s absence. Her mother just knew by looking at her face. Surely Abby had matured and learned how to hide those guilty feelings. Maybe not, she conceded. Maturity was no match for her mother’s intuition.

She took a sip of coffee. “I did leave last night.”

Her mother’s hand stopped in mid-motion as she stirred sugar into her coffee. “You did?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you go?”

“To the hospital.”

A worried look entered Gail’s eyes, and Abby hastened to reassure her. “No, there’s nothing wrong with me. Mr. Brewster had a heart attack, and a nurse at the hospital called and said he asked to see me.”

“Oh.” Her mother leaned back. “I guess he wanted to give you some important details on his memoirs.”

“No, it wasn’t about the memoirs.”

“Then, why in the world would he want to see you in the middle of the night?”

Abby fingered her cup. “Mom, do you ever remember hearing about Mr. Brewster having an affair?”

“An affair?” Gail almost choked. “Good Lord, no. Who’d sleep with that old fool?”

“Mr. Brewster’s not the most handsome man in the world, but he does have money, and I’m told that’s a great aphrodisiac.”

Her mother rose and hurried to the sink. “Abigail, where do you get this nonsense? And what does it have to do with why you went to the hospital last night?”

Abby drew a deep breath. “Mr. Brewster says he has a daughter.”

Gail whirled around with a shocked look on her face. “A daughter?”

“Yes, he says he had an affair with a Mexican girl that worked in his house over thirty years ago. The girl took the baby and went back to Mexico. Mostly, because he forced her to.”

“What has this got to do with you?” her mother asked stiffly.

Abby swallowed hard. “He wants to see her before he dies, and he wants me to go to Mexico to find her.”

“You have to be joking.”

Abby could hear the anger building in her mother’s voice. “Now, Mom, don’t get upset until you hear everything I have to say.”

Gail folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not sure I want to hear it.”

“Mom,” Abby implored, hoping for some understanding.

“No, Abby.” Gail waved a hand through the air. “You’ve been on this crusade since your father died, and I know it has something to do with him. I just…just can’t take anymore.”

“Mom.” Abby jumped up and put an arm around her. “Come, sit down and I’ll explain.”

Gail sat, and Abby faced her. “Yes, it’s about Daddy.”

Gail threw up both her hands. “I knew it.”

“Listen to me,” Abby begged. “If I find his daughter, Mr. Brewster will tell me why he fired Dad.”

“Abby, Abby.” Gail groaned in frustration.

“Don’t you want to know?”

Gail looked directly at her. “What good will it do? It won’t bring him back.”

“We’ll know the truth, and no one can ever again say that Abe Duncan embezzled funds from Simon Brewster.”

“No one cares about that, but you.”

“Don’t you care?”

“I want Abe to rest in peace.”

“But he’s not. Can’t you see that? There’s a cloud over his grave, and I won’t stop until I clear his name.”

Gail heaved a big sigh. “I refuse to let you do this.”

“What?” Abby drew back in disbelief.

“I will not allow you to go into Mexico to find this…this girl. It’s crazy and dangerous.”

“I’m thirty years old and I don’t need your permission,” Abby told her, though it took all her strength to say those words. She didn’t want to hurt her mother, but this was Abby’s choice.

Gail rose in a jerky movement. “This is how Simon Brewster has you talking to your mother.”

“Mom, please try to understand.”

“That’s what I’m asking of you, Abigail.”

Abby took a long breath. “I know you’re worried and—”

“That’s an understatement. Going to Mexico alone to find…to find—

Abby broke in. “Mr. Brewster wants Jonas Parker to go with me.” Abby had no idea why she said that. It just seemed to slip out.

“Jonas Parker!” Gail screeched so high, Abby feared the windowpanes were in danger of cracking.

“What’s wrong with Jonas?”

“If you have to ask that question, then you haven’t learned anything by living away from home.”

“What’s wrong with Jonas?” she persisted, wanting to get everything out in the open.

“He lived on the streets when he was a kid. His parents were drunks and they didn’t care where he was. Jonas has been in trouble with the law since he was eight years old. He wouldn’t go to school. He wouldn’t do anything he was supposed to. He was wild and rebellious, and I won’t have my daughter associating with people like him.”

Abby bit her tongue to keep words from tumbling out. She recognized that her mother was concerned, so she let the last remark pass. “Jonas has a past. So what? He seems to have matured. He has a good job and he’s responsible and dedicated. All the workers at Brewster Farms are crazy about him.”

“Especially the women,” Gail said testily.

Abby inhaled deeply, knowing exactly what her mother was getting at. “Yes, I’ve noticed that Jonas has an animal magnetism that attracts women. But I’m not looking for a man or that kind of relationship. After what Kyle did to me, I’d just as soon coast for a while. The only thing I’m interested in is finding Mr. Brewster’s daughter so I can hear what he has to say about Daddy.”

“Brewster has agreed to tell you the truth?” Gail asked in a disbelieving tone.

“Yes.”

“And you trust him?”

“No, but I’ll make sure he keeps his end of the bargain.”

“Abby.” Gail sighed. “Nobody gets around Brewster. He’s in control at all times. If you think otherwise, you’re fooling yourself.”

Abby stood and kissed her mom’s cheek. “I know what I’m doing. Trust me. Now, I’ve got to get dressed.” She started to walk away.

“Abby,” Gail said.

Abby stopped.

“Please don’t get involved in this crazy scheme.”

Abby let out a long regretful groan. “Mom, don’t do this to me.”

“What? Try to make you see sense? I’m your mother. That’s what I do. But it’s never worked in the past, has it. You’ve always been so headstrong, making quick decisions without considering the consequences.”

Abby knew exactly what her mother was talking about—her quick decision to marry Kyle. Still, she couldn’t give in to her mother’s wishes. Something inside Abby wouldn’t let the past go. She couldn’t explain it to Gail. She couldn’t even explain it to herself. All she knew was that she had made a deal with Simon Brewster and she had to keep it.

When Abby didn’t speak, Gail entreated, “Let it go, Abby. Just let it go.”

Abby bit her lip, then said, “I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t.”

AN HOUR LATER Abby was on her way to her cousin’s office. Earl Turner was a lawyer, and she needed his help. Of course, she’d have to talk him into it, which she hoped wouldn’t take long.

Earl was the son of her mother’s sister and five years older than Abby. They weren’t close, but they were family. Earl was the proverbial mama’s boy. He had never married and still lived with his mother. People teased him that he got his law degree through correspondence school because his mother wouldn’t allow him to leave home. In actual fact, he’d commuted to college and now he was the only lawyer in this small town. She couldn’t imagine why he’d never broken free and gone to a bigger city, but then, understanding Earl wasn’t one of her top priorities.

Before Abby could enter Earl’s office, her friend Brenda came out of her beauty shop next door. They embraced.

“It was so good seeing everyone the other night, wasn’t it?” Brenda asked, referring to the school reunion. Abby had reluctantly attended. Brenda’s brown hair had blond highlights and hung in a soft style around her face, which enhanced her brown eyes.

“Yes, it was,” Abby admitted, glad she hadn’t lost touch with her friends from high school.

“I can’t believe we’re all still around here. You’re the only one who ventured to the big city chasing that dream of yours.”

Abby brushed her hair back. “Well, the dream blew up in my face.”

“You’re not the first one of us to get a divorce. Candy, Deb and Miles have one behind them, and Barry’s on wife number three. Luckily, Stuart and I are still together.” Brenda and Stuart had been sweethearts since eighth grade and they’d married right out of high school. Brenda had gone to beauty school, and Stuart had taken a job at Brewster Farms.

“Sometimes, just sometimes,” Brenda continued, “after a day in the shop and running kids here and there, then going home to cleaning and cooking, I wonder what it would be like to have a life like yours.”

Abby smiled. “Not nearly as fulfilling as yours. Being a wife and mother has to be very rewarding.”

“I tell myself that, but when Stuart’s out with the guys or working late for Jonas, I get a little put out.” Brenda glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go. My youngest has an earache, and I have to get her to the doctor. You have to come and have dinner with us one night. You won’t believe how the kids have grown.”

“I will—just call me.”

“Okay,” Brenda shouted as she hurried to her van.

Abby stood for a moment lost in thought. There was something about coming home and seeing old friends that made one look back. No matter what choices she’d made in life, those friends and times would always be a part of her. Like Brenda, she wondered what her life would have been like if she’d made different decisions. She, too, had wanted to be a wife and mother, but only after she had established her career and was able to enjoy a family. Now, she wondered if it was too late.

ABBY WALKED SLOWLY into Earl’s office, which was two rooms in an old building on the main strip in downtown Hope. Not that Hope had much of a downtown—a bank, grocery store, a couple of gas stations, a school, several churches and the clinic and hospital that Mr. Brewster had built with his own money so there would be some medical services in the area. Hope was just a stop in the road before the international bridge, but it was home.

There wasn’t a secretary, so Abby went through to Earl’s office. He was in his chair reading a newspaper, his feet propped on the edge of his desk. The paper covered his face, but his bald head glistened under the fluorescent lights.

“Good morning, Earl,” she said brightly, and pulled a chair forward.

Earl swung his feet to the floor and laid the paper aside. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he replied, “Abby, I was thinking of dropping by to see you.”

“You were?” She was thrown for a second. Earl wasn’t much of a conversationalist.

“Yeah, I need a woman’s opinion.”

“On what?”

He fidgeted with a pencil on his desk. “Well…I met this woman and I’m…I’m crazy about her.” All the while he talked he looked at the pencil, not at Abby.

“That’s great, Earl.”

Shyly, he raised his green eyes. “You think so?”

“Earl.” She sighed. “Have you looked at your driver’s license lately?”

He frowned. “What?”

“Look at the date of birth. It will tell you that you’re way overdue for a serious relationship.”

“Aw, shucks, Abby, it’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Because Mother doesn’t know I’ve been seeing Carol. She lives in McAllen and works for an attorney. I’ve been helping him with legal matters in the valley, and Carol and I…well, you know.” His face actually glowed a vivid pink.

“I don’t see a problem,” Abby said.

“Mother doesn’t know I’ve been seeing her,” he repeated.

“Still don’t see a problem.”

“Carol has a five-year-old daughter.”

Big problem. Aunt Sybil was going to have a fit.

“If you care for this woman and the child, tell Aunt Sybil and don’t give her a chance to talk you out of it. Just do it, like the saying goes.”

“You see things so realistically, but I’m all that Mother has and I—”

“Earl, you talk as if Aunt Sybil is in her eighties. She’s fifty-nine and teaches school. She drives and plays bridge on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It’s not like she’s housebound and depends on you for everything.”

“But—”

“And she’s not alone. She has a brother, a sister and other relatives that live in Hope.”

“Yes, yes, she does.” Earl was gaining confidence. “She might even like Carol and her daughter.”

“That’s it, Earl, go for the brass ring or the gold ring or whatever the hell it’s called. Go for it.”

He smiled weakly. “You’re good for my ego.”

She scooted forward. “Good, because I came in here for a favor.”

“Need a lawyer, huh?”

“Something like that,” she admitted, and told him what she wanted him to do. His eyes grew bigger and bigger, and any minute she thought they would pop out onto his desk. He finally pulled out a handkerchief and wiped sweat from his forehead.

“I don’t know, Abby, I don’t like going against Brewster.”

“You won’t be going against him,” she assured him. “You’ll just be helping me.”

“I don’t know.”

“I promise that Simon Brewster won’t annihilate you.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“Earl, just help me, okay?” She couldn’t keep the aggravation out of her voice.

Earl frowned, and she wanted to reach across the desk and smack him. “Tell you what.” She tried another tactic. “If you help me with Mr. Brewster, I’ll help you with Aunt Sybil.”

Earl smiled his partial smile. “That won’t work,” he told her. “Since your divorce, Mother thinks you’re a loose woman.”

She almost screeched “What!” in that high-pitched voice she’d heard her mother use earlier. But she immediately calmed herself. She didn’t care what Aunt Sybil thought. She was a narrow-minded, spiteful person. But you do care, that little voice inside her whispered. A woman who had never failed—who had achieved everything she’d ever wanted—was now a failure. It took a moment to recover, then her spirit came soaring back.

She wasn’t a loose woman. Where had that come from? She opened her mouth to give Earl her scathing opinion, when he spoke.

“Don’t get all worked up.”

“Okay, Earl, you help me, and I won’t rip out your mother’s tongue by the roots.”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re volatile?”

“Yes.”

“Heavens, I wish I had some of your grit.”

“If you did, you’d have a divorce behind you and an aunt who thinks you’re loose.”

He tried his smile again. “All right, I’ll help you, but if things get rough, I’m gone.”

“Coward.”

“Yeah, and I have a yellow stripe down my back to prove it.”

“Just keep your clothes on so no one will see it.” She fished in her purse for her cell phone and called the hospital.

“You make me smile, Abby.”

“Remember that and we’ll get through this.”

She talked to a nurse and told her to inform Mr. Brewster that she was on her way. She dropped the phone into her purse and glanced at Earl. “Follow me to the hospital. It’s show time.”

JONAS STOOD AT THE FOOT of Brewster’s bed, trying to figure out this man he’d known for years, but he knew he was wasting his time. There was no figuring out Brewster.

“What are you doing here?” Brewster barked when he noticed him. “Don’t you have trucks to load?”

“Stuart and Juan are supervising the loading, and Perry’s in the office until noon. He has that computer class this afternoon and tomorrow. They can handle things until I get back.”

Brewster pushed a button and raised his bed slightly. A nurse immediately adjusted his pillow. “I’m not sure about Perry. He doesn’t seem to be working out. Fire him and start looking for another accountant.”

Jonas took a patient breath. He had been expecting this. It had been the pattern since Abe left. Jonas had decided he wasn’t going through this again.

“I’m not firing Perry. He’s a good accountant, and he’s returned to Hope with his family to be near his aging parents. He needs the job, and I trust him. Besides, you just paid for these computer courses.”

Brewster’s eyes narrowed. “You take orders from me—or have you forgotten?”

“Not for a minute,” Jonas answered swiftly. “If you want to fire Perry, you’ll have to do it yourself and also find someone to replace him. I’m not doing it again.”

“You’re getting too big for your boots, boy.”

“You can always fire me.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you,” Brewster asked smugly. “But it’s not gonna happen.” He paused, then asked, “So you trust this Perry?”

“Yes,” Jonas replied.

“I’ll think about it” was the response. “Now, I want to talk about something else.”

“Unless it’s important, I want to get back to the loading docks.”

“Yes, dammit, it’s important. I want you to go with Abigail to Mexico.”

Jonas gritted his teeth. “I thought I made my position very clear on that subject.”

“Yes, you did,” Brewster acknowledged sardonically. “Now I’m going to make mine clear. Bottom line—you’re going. You can buck it, fight it all you want, but you’re going.”

Jonas gritted his teeth harder. But they both knew he’d give in. It was part of their agreement, and Jonas always tried to live up to his word. This time, though, it wasn’t easy.

Brewster broke into his thoughts. “I’ve seen the way you look at her, Jonas. She’s a very nice-looking woman, and I don’t want her crossing the border alone.”

Jonas met Brewster’s eyes. “Abigail Duncan can take care of herself,” he said in a hard tone.

“Yes, yes, she can,” Brewster acknowledged. “But you’re still going.”

Jonas’s eyes never wavered. “Then, why get her involved? I can find the girl on my own.”

“Dammit, Jonas, do you have to question everything I tell you?” Brewster snapped. “Abigail has to be there. It’s the ending to my book, and I want her to witness it firsthand.”

“I see.” Jonas sighed. “Well, I guess that makes sense. Still—”

“Go with Abigail and find Delores, and get back as fast as you can.”

If he had to do this, Jonas reasoned—and there didn’t seem to be a way out—then he would at least get something out of Brewster. “I’m still not sure there is a daughter,” Jonas said, “but since you insist, I’ll go on two conditions.”

“Don’t try to bargain with me, Jonas.”

Jonas continued. “I want a raise for Stuart and Juan. They haven’t had one in two years. And Perry stays.”

Brewster rubbed the metal bars on the bed. “Is that it?”

“That’s it.”

“Don’t you want a raise for yourself?”

“You pay me a good salary. I have no complaints.”

There was a long pause. Jonas waited.

Finally Brewster said, “Okay, consider it done, but I want you to stay until Frank, my lawyer, and Abigail get here.”

This was too easy, Jonas thought. Brewster never gave in without an argument. What was he up to? Jonas didn’t have a clue, so he concentrated on the positive side. If he could keep his accountant, it would be worth putting up with Ms. Duncan.

But he wasn’t looking forward to it.

AS ABBY AND EARL walked down the corridor to Mr. Brewster’s room, Abby could hear Earl breathing. She stopped to talk to him, then sighed. “Earl, there’s sweat on your brow.”

He whipped out a handkerchief and mopped his face. “I’m sorry. I’m nervous.”

“There’s no need to be,” she assured him. “All you have to do is read a piece of paper. I’ll do all the talking.”

“Suits me fine.”

“Ready?”

“I guess so.”

Abby tapped on the door, and a nurse let them in. Mr. Brewster was in a special unit with round-the-clock private nurses. Today, in addition to the nurse and the patient, there were two other people in the room. A man she didn’t recognize and Jonas.

As she stared into Jonas’s turbulent eyes, something kicked awake in her lower stomach. She knew exactly what it was—desire. She had told her mother that she could coast along without those feelings, but when she looked at Jonas she felt as if she were falling into a void of pure need. Hell, maybe she was a loose woman.

“Abigail, I’m glad you’re here.” Mr. Brewster’s voice brought her sanity back. “This is Frank Foster, my attorney. He’s from McAllen.”

“Mr. Foster.” Abby acknowledged the introduction at the same time that Mr. Brewster noticed Earl.

“Turner, what are you doing here?”

“Earl is my attorney,” Abby put in quickly, “I felt I needed one.”

“Fine,” Mr. Brewster said, to her surprise. “I dictated the letter to Frank earlier this morning and it’s now in his possession. When you return, he’ll hand it over to you.”

“How can I be sure the letter isn’t bogus?”

“You have to trust me.”

Abby shook her head. “No, I can’t do that. This is too important. I want Earl to read the letter to make sure that you have kept your word.”

Mr. Brewster grunted, and the nurse quickly checked the machines attached to him. Then he spoke, “Turner’s your cousin. How can I trust that he won’t tell you what’s in the letter?”

“Earl is my guarantee that the letter is real. That’s all.”

Brewster thought for a minute. “Okay, he can read part of it, but I don’t want him reading the crucial information.”

“Fine,” Abby agreed.

Brewster turned to Foster. “There’s a room down the hall. Take Turner and let him see a portion of the letter.”

“Yes, sir,” Frank said, picking up his briefcase and heading for the door.

“Turner,” Mr. Brewster called, before Earl left the room.

Earl stopped.

“If you tell Abigail anything, I’ll make sure you never work in this town or anywhere else again. Do you get my drift?”

“Y-yes, sir,” Earl stuttered, and mopped his forehead. Abby feared he was on the verge of melting into his shoes and she’d have to carry him out of here in a wad.

“You’d better,” Mr. Brewster warned, as Earl made his escape.

“If that’s all, I’ve got to get back to the office,” Jonas said tightly.

“No, dammit,” Mr. Brewster bellowed. “I want you to talk to Abigail.”

“About what?” Abby spoke up.

“Jonas is going with you,” Mr. Brewster informed her.

Abby glanced at Jonas, saw that stubborn light in his eyes and knew he hadn’t relented on his own. Mr. Brewster had forced him. “When did this happen?”

“Just now,” Mr. Brewster answered.

“Why? He doesn’t want to go, and I don’t need him to—”

“Doesn’t matter what either one of you wants,” Brewster broke in. “He’s going.”

“Then, he can go alone,” Abby shot back. “There’s no need for me to be there.”

“Goddammit, girl, you’re trying my patience,” Brewster shouted. “You have to be there. You’re writing my memoirs. It’s the ending—or haven’t you guessed that, yet?”

Was that what this was all about? An ending to his book? Or did he really want to see his daughter? Abby wasn’t sure anymore.

“And it’s the only way you’ll find out about your father—or have you forgotten that?” he asked grumpily.

For a moment Abby had lost sight of her main goal. She suddenly remembered Holly’s words about it being bull that she didn’t need a man. Maybe she was carrying it a little too far. So what if Jonas went with her. She’d get a chance to learn more about his situation with Mr. Brewster, and she was becoming more curious by the second. She would have sworn that Jonas would never change his mind. What kind of hold did Mr. Brewster have over him?

She suddenly realized they were waiting for her answer. She swallowed. “No, no, I haven’t forgotten.”

“Good, because I’m tired of all this bickering,” Mr. Brewster said in a frustrated tone. “You two can work out the details.”

Jonas put his hat on his head. “I’ve got work to do.” With that he walked out the door.

“Insufferable bastard,” Mr. Brewster muttered. “But his bark is worse than his bite.”

Abby stared at the door. “Really, I hadn’t noticed.”

“Jonas is a hard person to get to know, but he’s very loyal.”

Abby glanced back at the elderly man. “I see. So how did you get him to change his mind?”

“You’ll have to ask him.”

She intended to. Yes, she definitely intended to find out what kind of hold Mr. Brewster had on Jonas.

As she pondered that thought, Earl returned and said the letter was authentic. There was information concerning her father and his job at Brewster Farms. It was what Abby wanted to hear. Now she faced the biggest challenge of her life—finding Mr. Brewster’s daughter.

Mr. Brewster seemed pleased, and Abby left with Earl, feeling a sense of elation. She didn’t know why, unless insanity had completely taken over her mind.

Before Earl got into his car, Abby stopped him. “Could you give me a hint as to what’s in the letter?” She didn’t want to cause Earl any problems. She was hoping for a clue to justify what she was doing.

“I’m not gonna slit my throat” was his answer. “Not even for you. Just be careful. Very careful.”

“I will,” she said. “And thanks. I realize this was hard for you.”

“Abby, I—” He seemed to reconsider, and instead said, “Don’t do this alone. Hire an investigator or something.”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Men. You’re all alike. Mr. Brewster is insisting that Jonas go with me.”

“That’s good,” he said.

“No, it isn’t,” she retorted. “I’m not putting up with Jonas’s arrogant attitude, and I intend to tell him so.”

“Abby…”

But Abby wasn’t listening. She got into her car and headed straight for Jonas’s office. They had to get a few things straight.