Читать книгу Another Man's Wife - Rebecca Winters - Страница 9

LAUREL WAVED the family off. “See you at twelve.” She’d driven them over to the lift so they could ski as many runs as possible before noon. Brent wanted to get an early start back to Denver to avoid the worst of the traffic.

By tacit agreement, any reference to last night’s unfortunate incident was avoided. When the family returned to the suite from dinner, Laurel had put on fresh makeup, and she greeted them with a smile. She insisted the boys sleep in her room. Brent and Julie had no choice but to go along with her wishes.

Today was a new day, and she intended to enjoy it. First on the agenda, she’d have a leisurely breakfast in the coffee shop. Afterward she’d drive into town to do a little shopping. Maybe she’d see something cute for a baby girl in one of the stores at the Bell Tower mall.

If she was having a boy, Julie had saved enough baby and toddler clothes to fill every need. Brent had already set up their old crib in Laurel’s room. She was as prepared as she could possibly be.

She pulled into the lodge parking lot and got out of the car. During the night a storm front had moved in, bringing lower temperatures and the threat of more snow. Her breath curled in the air.

Glad of Brent’s old black-and-white parka, which covered most of her, she made her way toward the lodge, hoping no one noticed that she walked like a fat penguin these days.

A line of cars idled outside the entrance. Sunday mornings tended to be the busiest time, with the majority of guests departing. As she walked between two of the vehicles where people were loading their bags, she got the distinct impression she was being watched.

The feeling grew so strong she glanced to her right and caught a glint of blue. The wintry blue of eyes that had condemned her last night. It was Hawk at the controls of a four-wheel-drive Blazer.

There was a logo on the side. Eagles’ Nest Ski and Bike Shop, Copper Mountain. Was it a loan from a friend for the occasion?

Her timing couldn’t have been worse. He’d told her he was with a wedding party. Maybe it had been his own. If so, good luck to his little brunette bride. Any woman foolish enough to marry a man carrying around that much rage—that much cruelty—would need it.

Laurel picked up her pace and walked through the huge glass doors of the lodge. When she reached the coffee shop, it looked filled to capacity. Making a snap decision, she headed back to the suite. It would be easier to order breakfast from there, then visit the mall.

But once inside the room, she discovered she was too angry to eat, let alone shop. She removed her parka and sank down on the bed.

During the night she’d relived the hurtful experience on the dance floor over and over again. No matter how many times she’d tried to analyze it, she couldn’t understand why it had happened. There was no way to reconcile his behavior with what she knew about Hawk.

If he and Scott had suffered a falling-out, she had no idea when it would have occurred. Once her husband had been transferred from Nellis, their careers had taken them to different parts of the world, although they’d always stayed in touch.

Twice there’d been periods where they both served with NATO forces for many months at a time. The most recent had been right before Scott had returned to perform in the air show that had cost him his life. Her husband would have told her if there’d been trouble between them.

Now that she’d recovered from the initial shock of their meeting, she was more curious than devastated by his rudeness. From everything she knew about him, he’d acted out of character last night.

Scott might be gone, but for her own peace of mind she intended to solve the mystery. If some wrong had been done, if Scottie had somehow offended the man he used to idolize, Laurel wanted to know. Perhaps it was too late to make amends, but she could try.

If memory served her right, after seeing action, Hawk had been sent to Edwards Air Force base, then Holland. Duce had mentioned something about his testing jets with the Dutch Air Force. No telling if he was still stationed there.

The fact that he’d come to Colorado for a wedding meant he was only here on leave. If she didn’t act fast, she could miss him before he returned to active duty.

Grabbing the phone directory from the nightstand, she looked up the Eagles’ Nest Ski and Bike Shop. If she couldn’t obtain any information there, she’d try to locate his family.

The local operator could make a search of every Hawkins listed in Colorado, starting with this area of the state.

She picked up the phone, pressed nine for an outside line, then used her phone card to call the number she’d found. There were two rings before the message came on.

“You’ve reached Eagles’ Nest Ski and Bike Shop. We’re open Monday through Saturday, seven to seven. Sundays, seven to one. Come and check out our ski rentals for the whole family. If you wish further assistance, please stay on the line.”

Laurel waited.

“Rental shop. This is Nina.”

“Hello. Excuse me for bothering you, but I’m trying to locate someone I saw driving one of your vehicles this morning. His name is Major Nathan Hawkins.”

“You’ve reached his father’s place of business.”

“Oh, good! May I speak to his father please?”

“I’m sorry. Clint’s out of town.”

“I see. Do you know how I could reach his son?”

“He’ll probably be here on Monday. If you’d like to leave a phone number, I’ll make sure he gets it.”

It didn’t sound as if Hawk had been the bridegroom, after all. Not if he hadn’t gone away on a honeymoon.

“I’m afraid he won’t be able to contact me. At least I know where to call now. Thank you very much for your help.”

Laurel hung up before the other woman could ask for a name. If Hawk did show up and discovered that someone was looking for him, he might think it was Laurel, but he wouldn’t have proof.

She checked the telephone directory once more. Hawkins. Ah, there it was. Clint Hawkins in Copper Mountain.

Laurel wrote down the address and phone number. It was her insurance in case Hawk didn’t want to be found.

Now that she knew he wasn’t leaving Colorado for at least another day, she could relax. In a much better frame of mind, she rang for room service and stretched out on the bed to watch TV until it was time to pick up the family.

WITH SECURITY SO TIGHT at the Denver airport, there was no opportunity to do anything more than deposit the newlyweds at the curb. Nate reached over the seat to squeeze Pam’s arm and wish her a happy trip.

While Rick helped them with their bags, Nate lowered the car window to say goodbye to his father, who’d come around to the driver’s side. He’d always been a strong man. This morning his grip on Nate’s shoulder was almost bruising.

“Thank you, son. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered.

“When we get back, I want to sit down with you and Rick. We’ll talk about everything.”

He nodded. “Sounds good.”

A minute later Rick climbed into the front seat. Nate took advantage of a break in the traffic and headed away from the terminal.

“I don’t think Pam said more than a dozen words on the way down from Breckenridge.”

“She did while Dad was paying the bill.”

Nate turned his head toward his brother. “Problems already?”

“I don’t know what to think. She said she’d been waiting for the right moment to explain why she was at our house the morning I surprised them. Apparently Dad had just picked her up at the Copper Mountain Inn where she’d been staying all month.

“To quote her, ‘Your father and I did a lot of soul-searching on the previous night. The love he felt for your mother poured out of him. All I could do was listen. When he asked me to come to your house for breakfast, I told him I was terrified he was going to say our engagement was a mistake.’”

Rick took a deep breath. “She told me that after they’d eaten and she was helping him with the dishes, he admitted that getting married could be a mistake. But apparently he said it might be an even bigger one if they didn’t find out what there could be between them.”

“That’s interesting,” Nate murmured, “and we know Dad’s traditional enough to insist on marriage, but we still don’t know what she’s all about.”

“Nope, and Dad isn’t the type to tell us something personal about her until he’s ready.”

Nate was about to say their father might never be ready, but his cell phone rang. Curious, he pulled it from his pocket and checked the caller ID. “It’s the ski shop.”

“Already?”

“You heard Dad earlier. We’re in charge now.” He clicked on. “This is Nate. What’s up?”

“Hi, Nate.”

“Nina?”

“I wouldn’t be bothering you if I didn’t think this might be important.”

“Go ahead.”

“A woman phoned the shop a few minutes ago looking for a Major Hawkins. She said she’d seen you driving the Blazer and wanted to talk to you, but she didn’t leave a name or number.”

Laurel Pierce had her nerve, he’d say that much.

“For security reasons I didn’t give out any phone numbers. However, I did tell her you’d probably be in the shop sometime tomorrow. In case it was someone from the military, I thought you should know.”

“Thanks, Nina. You did exactly the right thing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He clicked off the phone, then gave his brother a speaking glance. “Spade’s wife is looking for me.”

“After the way you treated her, you’re not really surprised, are you?”

“I thought you were on my side.”

“Always.”

“She knows I know her secret. It appears the woman has no shame.”

“I agree it looks that way,” Rick murmured.

“It is that way.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing. If she has the temerity to show up at the ski shop, it’ll be a wasted trip for her. I didn’t tell you I saw her this morning while you were inside getting Dad.”

“Did she try to talk to you again?”

“No, but then I didn’t encourage it.”

Rick eyed him for a moment before turning his head away.

Nate saw his brother rummage in his pocket for something.

“Here. I picked these up in the lodge.” Rick handed him a candy bar. “What do you say we go home and take a couple of runs on Eagles’ Nest for old times’ sake?”

“You’re on.” An afternoon tearing the mountain apart wasn’t like taking to the sky, but it would do. Anything to put off thinking for a little while.

Within an hour they’d returned to Copper Mountain. After they’d donned their old ski outfits and Laplander hats, they went to the laundry room off the kitchen, where their mom had made a place for the family to store their skis and poles.

Her favorite pair of G-41 Vokyls were still there, as if waiting for her to grab them for a quick run. Nate noticed his brother staring at them for a moment before he reached for his own.

One of these days they would stop reacting to reminders of her and the avalanche that had come out of nowhere to sweep her and two friends to their deaths.

A series of storms had hit in early September. Carrying their skis, the three women had hiked up in the back country to get the first fresh tracks of the year. Normally fall wasn’t avalanche season. Colorado Search and Rescue speculated that they’d dropped down from a cornice, which had started a massive slide.

It shouldn’t have happened.

Spade’s crash shouldn’t have happened, either.

Nate’s mouth thinned. He collected his skis and poles. “Ready?” he called to his brother.

“As I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”

He followed Rick through the house to the front door. A wind had come up while they were inside, and it had started to snow. They’d be lucky to get in one run before it grew into a blizzard and the lift shut down.

As he stopped to lock the front door, he heard another car pull into the driveway. He turned in time to see a figure get out of the front passenger side. A pregnant figure in black.

Nate froze in his tracks.

She hurried toward Rick who was putting his skis on the rack of their Blazer. If they exchanged any conversation, it was brief. She darted back to the waiting car before Nate could make it down the front steps of the house.

By the time he caught up with his brother, the driver had backed up and headed off.

Rick’s speculative glance swiveled to Nate. “This is for you.” He extended a white envelope. “At first she must’ve thought I was you because she said, ‘for Scott’s sake please don’t tear this up before you read it.’”

“That woman doesn’t know when to quit!”

He’d had about all he could take for one weekend. It was a little late to be using her dead husband’s name to get to Nate. Not that he could figure out why she’d even want to.

“I’ll hold on to it for now.” Rick stashed it in a pocket of his parka while Nate put his skis on the rack. “If we don’t step on it, we won’t be able to ski at all.”

“LAUREL? Are you all right?” Julie called from the back of the car where she was sitting with the boys. Both she and Brent had insisted Laurel ride in front to give her a little extra leg room.

“I’m fine now that I’ve delivered my letter. Thanks for stopping.”

She’d realized too late that she’d approached Hawk’s brother instead of him. Scott had mentioned he had a sibling. They bore a strong resemblance to each other, except that he had gray eyes and they were questioning rather than damning.

It wasn’t until she’d gotten back in the car that she saw another tall figure on the pathway, carrying a pair of skis. That was when her heart jumped.

In truth she was glad it had turned out the way it did. Most likely Hawk would have flung the letter back in her face. This way, at least, there was a chance that his brother might pass it on.

After talking to the salesperson at the ski shop earlier, Laurel knew the woman would tell Hawk about the phone call and he’d disappear in order to avoid her.

The only thing Laurel could think to do was make a surprise visit to his parents’ house. She’d hoped no one would be there so she could stick her letter to the front door with some tape.

“Was that the man who made you cry?”

So much for the kids not knowing what was going on.

“No, Joey. It was his brother.”

“How do you know?”

“Because they look alike, the way you and Mike do.”

“I don’t look like Joey,” Mike muttered.

“Yes, you do,” their mother insisted. “And you both look like your dad.”

“If you have a boy, it’ll look like Uncle Scott, huh, Aunt Laurel?”

“Not necessarily, Joey.” This was from Brent, who hadn’t chosen to interfere until now.

“It might be a girl.”

“We want a boy cousin, Mom.”

Brent grinned. “You should’ve put in your order sooner, Mike. I’m afraid it was decided eight months ago.”

“Who decided it?”

“The father does, Joey.”

“Then Uncle Scott would’ve picked a boy!”

“Your dad didn’t mean the father really decides. Remember in that book we all read together? When the sperm and the egg unite to make a baby, there’s something in the man’s sperm that’ll make it a boy or a girl.”

“But what if we don’t want our sperm to make a girl?” Joey blurted.

Laurel bit her lip to keep from laughing. Like Julie, she felt it was important to teach children the truth using correct terms. However she could see that honesty didn’t necessarily answer all the questions.

“That’s why God’s in charge,” his mother explained.

“You always say that.”

“That’s because it’s true, Mike,” their father said.

“I guess He didn’t want our family to have girls, then.”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

Before Laurel had time to react to Julie’s mysterious comment, Brent had already pulled over to the side of the highway. He turned in the seat to stare at his wife.

“Did you just say what I think you said?” Laurel heard incredulity and excitement in his voice.

Julie’s low chuckle gave her away. “I was going to wait until tonight to tell you.”

“Tell Dad what, Mom?” Mike asked.

Laurel couldn’t resist interjecting. “It sounds like you’re going to be getting a new little brother or sister later on in the year.”

How wonderful, wonderful.

Her sister’s pregnancy had just settled something that had been a big question in Laurel’s mind. After her own baby was born, she’d love to buy a small house in Aurora, so they could all still be close and she could help her sister when the time came for her delivery. They could raise their children together.

But only if Brent felt right about it. He’d put up with her for months now. Maybe he was counting the days until she left their house and Denver for good. No one could have been as terrific to her as he’d been since Scott’s death. To expect more might be assuming too much.

During the rest of the drive home, Laurel remained silent. For the moment she was content to put her head back and listen to the happy flow of conversation from her favorite people.

Every once in a while, she’d sneak a glance at Brent. She wondered if Scott had beamed like that after he’d heard the news about his baby.

Their child was almost here. It moved constantly in the womb, preventing her from finding a comfortable position. Since her seventh month she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. Yet she reveled in every stage of her pregnancy because she no longer felt alone.

NATE HAD BEEN SKIING in the Alps many times with different friends, but none of them could keep up. Only Rick exceeded him in speed and technique. If his brother hadn’t learned to love car-racing at such an early age, he could have trained for the Olympics, too. He was that good. But then, he was good at everything, just like their parents.

This afternoon, his brother had given him a real workout on Eagles’ Nest.

“That’s our pizza,” Rick said when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.”

Following an afternoon of hard skiing, pizza normally sounded good to Nate, but not today. He pulled on his sweats and went to get a couple of Cokes from the fridge.

When he saw a rumpled envelope with the name Hawk written on it stuck to the door with a magnet, he forgot why he’d come into the kitchen.

Hell.

He yanked the refrigerator door open to get the drinks. When he slammed it shut, he did it so hard the magnet and letter fell to the floor.

Much as he wanted to leave it there, he realized he was behaving like an immature child. How could a thirty-year-old man—a man who’d experienced everything he had, including the deaths of family let one insignificant woman’s actions rule his emotions like this?

As if operating in slow motion, he put the cans on the counter, then reached for the letter and magnet. After attaching the souvenir magnet to the door again, he turned the envelope over and opened it. She’d confined her remarks to one page.

Dear Hawk,

I should probably address you as Major Hawkins, but Scott always called you Hawk. That’s the way I’ve thought of you over the years.

My husband admired you greatly. If he did something to ruin your relationship, he wasn’t aware of it or he would have told me.

Since last night I’ve been thinking hard about the way you treated me on the dance floor. No matter how many times I’ve gone over it in my mind, I can’t imagine why you were so cruel, unless you wanted me to know Scott had committed some unpardonable offense.

He’s gone now, so he can’t ask your forgiveness or make amends. I would do both if I knew what was wrong.

It hurts to think that someone Scott loved like a brother still harbors so much bitterness toward him. Whatever it was must have been very serious to wipe out nine years of friendship.

To be frank, I’m still asking myself how you could’ve written such a beautiful letter at Scott’s death, only to show me a completely different side of you last night.

I’m assuming that when your leave is over, you’ll be returning to Holland. The last I heard about you, Duce said you were stationed at Leeuwarden, where you were testing the MLU jet with some other pilots from Norway and Belgium.

If ever the day comes when your anger subsides enough to tell me what went wrong, you can reach me by phone in Denver where I live.

He saw the phone number she’d written.

I guess I’m human enough to want life to be perfect. But as I found out years ago, life takes you down roads you hadn’t planned on traveling.

Wherever your road takes you, Hawk, I wish you luck. I mean that sincerely. Scott’s career in the Air Force wouldn’t have provided the same thrill for him if you hadn’t been a big part of it from the very beginning.

Fly high and watch your tail.

Laurel.

Nate stood there in shock.

If he’d expected anything, it would’ve been defensiveness on her part or an attempt to hide her culpability. Instead, nothing he’d read, either in her words or between the lines, suggested she felt an ounce of guilt.

His eyes closed. Laurel Pierce was a beautiful woman. Even in the last stage of pregnancy she looked as stunning as ever.

Had she always been this amoral?

Scott had married her out of high school. Two years younger than he was, she’d been plucked from her home at an early age. Perhaps it was the long separations from Scott while they were stationed overseas that had made her vulnerable to other men’s attention. One of them had given her a child….

As Nate’s father had once told him, being a hotshot pilot came at a price. If he was determined to have a career in the Air Force, he needed to keep that in mind if he wanted a family too.

At the time Nate had half listened to the warning. Not until now did he grasp the full essence of what his father had been trying to tell him. Though Scott hadn’t let it show, there’d obviously been trouble in the Pierce marriage.

“The pizza’s getting cold.”

His gaze flicked to his brother who’d just entered the kitchen.

“You took so long getting the drinks, I figured you’d decided to read her letter. What did she have to say?”

Nate held it out. “Go ahead. Then you’ll know I was right the first time.”

Rick took it from him.

Not waiting for a reaction, Nate picked up the drinks and headed for the living room, where Rick had set up a game of chess. Their father had taught them well, and only Rick could beat him.

Without their dad around, maybe Nate could outmaneuver his brother for a change. He was in the mood for a challenge.

Halfway through a can of pop, Rick joined him. He was still holding the damn letter.

“Let’s get started,” Nate muttered.

His brother didn’t sit down at the card table. “If she’s as guilty as you think she is, it took guts for her to write that letter after you rebuffed her not once, but twice.”

Rick was beginning to sound like their mother. When there was a problem, she always resorted to logic to make her sons see reason.

“I’m not sure the woman knows the difference between right and wrong.”

“Wouldn’t you like to find out?” His brother was goading him like no one else could—and still get away with it.

“Don’t say anything else, Rick. We’re not little kids anymore.”

“That’s true,” he retorted. “Little kids make wild judgments without the necessary knowledge to back them up. Spade’s wife must really be hurting if she dared face you a third time. It isn’t like you to enjoy someone else’s pain.”

“She’s going to have another guy’s baby. That’s all the knowledge I need. Spade was my friend!” He could feel the veins standing out in his neck.

“But your friendship doesn’t include the woman he loved? Is that what you’re implying?”

“I didn’t know her.”

“You knew her through her husband’s eyes. She knew you the same way. In many respects that’s even more intimate,” he said as he placed the letter on the end table. “If she has anything to confess, it would make sense that you’re the one she’d turn to, given half a chance.”

Nate folded his arms. “Do you want to play chess or not?”

“Are you in the mood to be beaten?”

“Winning too many races has made you cocky.”

Rick straddled the chair and sat down. “Flying too many combat missions has made you ruthless.”

He hadn’t seen that coming. Not from his brother. Nate averted his eyes, wondering if any part of what Rick had just said was true.

The next week was going to be endless for both of them. Until their father returned from his honeymoon, they couldn’t make any definite plans for the future.

“It’s your move, big brother.”

They both knew Rick wasn’t talking about chess.

An hour later Nate still couldn’t concentrate on the game. The two of them looked at each other in resignation before agreeing to call it a night.

Rick pushed himself away from the card table. “See you in the morning.”

Nate nodded to his brother, who left the living room first. His gaze followed Rick before it shifted to the letter. Without disturbing the chess pieces, he got up and plucked it from the end table to read again. One particular paragraph leaped out at him.

My husband admired you greatly. If he did something to ruin your relationship, he wasn’t aware of it or he would have told me.

Her words had kindled his anger the first time around. On second reading, he’d reached flash point.

How dare she pretend Scott had anything to do with Nate’s reaction to her last evening!

His chest heaved as he turned out the lights and dashed up the stairs to his bedroom. When he started to get undressed, he realized he still held her letter. To his surprise, he’d crumpled it completely without being aware of it.

As he tossed it into the wastebasket, he knew exactly what Spade would have done if their positions had been reversed and he’d seen Nate’s supposedly barren widow pregnant with a child that couldn’t possibly be Nate’s.

Spade had been a man of action. You knew where you stood with him. That was where he’d gotten his nickname—the fact that he always called a spade a spade.

Grinding his teeth, Nate walked over to the wastebasket. Slowly he smoothed out the paper to find a certain phone number.