Butterfly Lane (25 page)

Chapter Fourty-Five

I
t was almost two in the morning by the time John got ready to leave. Zanny didn’t know if she was happy or sad about that. She did know that her legs were so weak, she could barely walk him to the door.

“Thanks for letting me use the shower.” He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I don’t think Emma would have let me in the door in the shape I was in.”

Zanny flushed. “My pleasure.” They’d shared the shower since she’d been in the same rough shape that he had. It had turned into a soapy, erotic adventure, though by that time, most of the angst and fire from earlier had been tempered. “I’ll wash your T-shirt. You can pick it up Sunday when you bring the boys back.”

“I’ll probably just get them at Mom and Dad’s tomorrow, if that’s okay.” John leaned against the door, toying with the lock while they talked.

“I figured you might. I packed enough clothes for them for the weekend.”

As much as he had warned her earlier that the night was only about sex, that she wasn’t being courted, Zanny definitely felt as if he were flirting with her. The warmth in John’s gaze was much more evident than the half-angry look he’d come in with. Standing at the door with him, not wanting to send him home, she felt nineteen again.

“The sink in the bathroom needs to be fixed. I can take a look at that on Sunday if you want.”

“I’d appreciate that. If you don’t have plans, I could, um…” She straightened the collar on his dress shirt, gathering her courage. “I’ll have dinner ready for the boys around six. You could join us.”

John ducked his head, one finger tapping the metal lock thoughtfully. He’d shuttered his eyes so that Zanny couldn’t see them, and she couldn’t read his reaction to her offer. “I’ll think about it,” he finally said. “I should go. We both have to be up early.”

Instead of opening the door, though, he put a hand on her waist and backed her against the door. He kissed her slowly, not pulling back until Zanny was clinging to him limply.

If she hadn’t thought it would do more harm than good, she would have asked him to stay.

After a final nip on her lower lip, he stood back and moved her aside. “Lock up after me.”

“I will. John?”

He stopped on the porch and turned. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for tonight. I enjoyed it.”

The grin he answered her with was more boyish than anything she’d seen from him in a long, long time. “Me, too. Night.”

She closed the door after he pulled out of the driveway, then locked it as she’d promised. Making her way through the house, she turned off the lights and let the quiet of the empty house settle around her. John had given her a lot to think about. She kept coming back to the fact that he was wearing her wedding ring on a chain around his neck and to how protective he’d been when she’d tried to touch it.

She’d wept for days when that ring disappeared, and he’d known it. Emma had mentioned it to him, she knew, and it had disappeared when she was at Owen and Sarah’s. He must have found it somewhere and had kept it all this time.

Surely a man who was unhappy in his marriage wouldn’t be so sentimental over such a trivial thing. That had to mean something.

Chapter Fourty-Six

T
he next morning, John was so cheerful that he was the recipient of a harsh, annoyed stare from Emma as he moved around the kitchen, getting his lunch together. That he was whistling didn’t help.

“I made a pot of decaf for you,” he said as he cleaned up the mess he’d made. “Do you need anything else before I go?”

Emma grunted. “You’re awfully damned cheerful this morning for someone who didn’t get in until after two.”

“I told you to not wait up.”

“I didn’t.” She flipped her heavy hair back off her face and rubbed her belly. “I couldn’t sleep. This one didn’t want to let me rest.”

John bent down and placed a kiss on her head. “I’m sorry, sis. Zanny was always more uncomfortable going into the homestretch, too. Just a few more weeks.”

She sniffled wetly. “At least tell me I don’t have to go into work today and face my best friend, knowing that you spent the night somewhere else, and have to pretend nothing is wrong. I know why you’re so happy, Johnny. Only one thing takes a man from where you were last night to where you are this morning.”

John’s face flushed with heat. “She, um, she’s aware of my whereabouts last night. And that’s all I’m saying. Have a good day.”

She grabbed his hand before he could escape. “What does that do for things? For the two of you, I mean?”

“I don’t know. We’ll see. I really do have to go. Hershel has a woman coming in that he’s hoping to do some big-time business with, and I have to get debriefed first.”

“Okay. Have a good day.”

“You, too.”

At the office, he gathered pen and paper, then headed to his boss’s office. He knocked on the door, and Hershel motioned him inside.

“This is a pretty big deal we’ve got in the works here. It’s going to take a little time, even though Ainsley is in a hurry to close.”

“I’m familiar with the family name.”

“Most people around here are. Her father, Sol Brewer, was pretty big potatoes. Had his fingers in a lot of pies. And then when the old man died ten, fifteen years back, his wife took over. She wasn’t a pleasant woman, but she knew her way around the businesses. Ran ’em with an iron fist.”

“And the daughter?”

Hershel sat back and made a steeple of his fingers. “Sweet girl. Got married and moved to Lexington four, five years back. I guess she was widowed about a year ago.”

John whistled. “And then she lost her mother this past fall? That’s rough.”

“Very. Ainsley’s quiet, but she’s just as sharp as her mama. Thing is, she has no interest in running the Brewer ‘empire,’ you see. I don’t think she much cared for the old woman, and they hadn’t seen each other or spoken in years. I can’t say as I blame her, given what I know about Geneva. The few times I had interactions with her, I damned near had to thaw myself out afterward.”

They went over the list of holdings Hershel was looking at buying, with John making notes and asking questions. They’d just finished when the phone buzzed, and Hershel’s assistant let them know Ainsley and her attorney had arrived.

“We’ll be right out.” He and John went to greet them, and when Hershel introduced John, Ainsley had a physical reaction. Her hand was still clasped loosely in his, and he felt the little shock that went through her.

“John Campbell.” She studied him closely, with her eyes narrowed a bit, then let his hand go. “Do you have a brother named Ben?”

“I do. He’s a couple of years younger than me.” John returned the perusal. Tall and slender, Ainsley Brewer Scott was so coolly composed that John wondered if anyone ever knew what she was thinking or feeling if she didn’t tell them. “Do you know Ben?”

A slight, telling hesitation preempted her answer. “I did, a lifetime ago.”

“I’ll have to mention you to him,” John said as they followed Hershel into the conference room.

That got a visible reaction that was so subtle, John would have missed it if he hadn’t been watching. “He’s here? In town?”

“Came back last fall.”

“Oh.”

That was all. The conversation was strictly business for the next hour and a half, and John put her curious reaction to the back of his mind. He would certainly be asking his brother about Ainsley, though, as soon as he could.

Zanny had to dress carefully for work, digging through her clothes to find a high-necked sleeveless top to cover the love bite John had left on her neck. The top she found was wrinkled, and she cursed. In her robe, she sprinted to the basement to dampen it and throw it in the dryer to tumble while she finished getting ready for work.

By the time she got to the studio, she was a little frazzled. Traffic had been much heavier than usual, and even in a small town the size of Hazard, that could mean a slow drive. She usually beat Emma by at least ten or fifteen minutes, but Em was there first that day.

“Sorry I’m late,” she called out as she rushed in.

Emma popped her head out of the darkroom, her eyes sharp as she took in Zanny’s outfit. “No problem. We’ve still got twenty minutes until we open.”

Emma stood in the doorway, watching as Zanny bustled around, putting up her lunch and getting things ready for the day. Zanny figured she knew about John’s visit.

Straightening, she turned to Emma. “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know. Are you okay?”

“I am.”

“Then no, nothing’s wrong.”

Emma watched her closely, though, throughout the rest of the morning. After she caught Zanny staring off into space for the third with a silly grin on her face, Emma spoke up.

“John was awfully cheerful this morning, too.”

Zanny’s grin widened. “Was he, now? That’s interesting.”

“Uh-huh. Do I dare to assume that his more passionate nature made an appearance at long last?”

Debating how much to divulge, Zanny lifted her hands to cover her hot cheeks. “Let’s just say that it’s a good thing the boys weren’t home and that I’m stiff and sore this morning. In a good way. And leave it at that.”

“As long as you’re okay.”

“I am.”

Later that afternoon, Zanny looked up when the bell over the door chimed softly. A tall, burly man stood there, glancing around, looking completely out of place. Though he was wearing civilian clothes, Zanny immediately pegged him for law enforcement.

“Hi. Can I help you?”

He stepped inside, a faint smile on his face. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”

Zanny smiled back. “I’m afraid I don’t. Am I supposed to?”

A gasp came from the opening in the tall screens that separated the reception area from the back. “I’ll be damned. Burke Lockhart.” Emma stood there, her hands on her hips, her eyes lit with an unholy glee.

“Emma Campbell. Look at you.” He grinned back at her. “I guess it isn’t Campbell now, though.”

Emma laid a hand on her baby bump. “No, it’s still Campbell. How are you, Burke? It’s been what, since eighth grade?” She stepped into the room and held out her hand.

Zanny raised an eyebrow, wondering if Burke would shake or not, given that he and Emma had loathed each other all through grade school. She let out a silent, relieved breath when he did.

“Eighth grade it was. You didn’t turn out too bad, all things considered. Neither of you did, as a matter of fact.” He winked at Zanny.

“Flattery will get you a cup of coffee and maybe a muffin, if there are any left,” Emma told him. “What are you into these days? When did you get back to town?”

“Protecting and serving. And I’ve been here since I was twenty.”

As best as Zanny could recall, Burke’s parents had divorced, and his mother had moved him away to Ohio. Divorce had still been unusual enough back then that all the kids had felt sorry for him.

“So you’re in law enforcement?” she asked, standing to go check on the coffeepot. It was empty, but she’d stashed some iced tea in the fridge, and she offered him some.

“That’d be nice, thanks. Yeah, I’m with the state police. I kept seeing the signs for this place after work, and thought I’d stop by. I have a little girl who needs a nice portrait done. Looks like you know what you’re about.” He walked around the room, looking at the photographs on the wall.

“How old is your daughter?” Zanny asked as she handed him the tea.

“Three. She’s shy, doesn’t much like having her picture taken, but they grow up so fast…Anyhow, so what about you? I never did know what happened to you. I owe you an apology, by the way.”

Zanny laughed, a little uncomfortable with the warm way he was eyeing her. “Whatever for?”

“I wasn’t very nice to you when you moved to town.”

Emma snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“Emma, hush,” Zanny scolded, though her lips were twitching. “And I’ve not thought about that in years. There’s no need for an apology, but thank you.”

“You should let me buy you dinner, make up for it,” he offered.

Zanny froze, and to her everlasting relief, Emma didn’t laugh. “Um, I appreciate that, but it’s not necessary.”

“Then go out with me because it isn’t necessary.” His grin was charming, and if Zanny had been single, she would have considered it. As it was, she was flattered. “But as flattered as I am, I don’t think my husband would be so happy.”

“Damn. I should have known someone would have snatched you up.” Burke’s words were teasing, but there was a little disappointment in his eyes. “Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Do you remember my brother John?” Emma asked.

Burke laughed. “That figures. Though I’d have picked Ben first. Always did think he had a crush on you. Oh, well. Maybe next life.” When he eyed Emma with speculation, she laughed and went over to him, sliding her arm around his.

“Come on, Casanova. Let’s see when the next appointment is. Unless that was just a ruse?”

“No, I really do have a daughter who is growing up much too quickly.”

“What about her mother?” Emma asked boldly.

“We’re divorced.”

Zanny winced. “I’m sorry, Burke.”

He was philosophical about it. “It happens.”

They made the appointment and chatted a little longer, until the next client arrived. Zanny could tell Emma was dying to tease her about the visit, but she was tied up for the next two hours with back-to-back appointments.

After they closed up shop, though, Emma was breathless with giggles. “I wish I could have gotten a shot of your face. Oh, Zanny.” She had to sit down in Zanny’s chair because she was giggling so hard.

“Stop laughing. He seemed nice enough. Not at all like he was when we were kids.”

That made Emma laugh harder. “Well, wait until John finds out about this. Burke Lockhart, of all people.”

“Don’t you dare tell your brother about this. I don’t think he’ll see the humor.” Zanny had no faith that Emma would be able to keep it to herself. The news was too delicious, and it
was
Burke Lockhart. “Besides, it’s his fault. Do you know that he has my ring?”

Emma wiped her face with a tissue. “Your wedding ring? How’d he get that?”

“I don’t know. But he has it. Wears it on a chain around his neck. And he wouldn’t let me touch it last night, either.”

When Emma’s eyes widened, she realized what she’d let slip. But Emma surprised her again. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve heard in a while.”

“Maybe. Depends on why he’s keeping it.”

“You’ll have to ask him. So, on to business before I let you go. We’re still planning a run tomorrow, right?” Emma wanted a special lens, and the closest retailer was in Lexington. They’d decided to take a day for themselves, since they had to make the trip, anyhow.

“Yes. I’ll pick you up around nine.”

“Sounds good.”

“I think I’ll offer to let John stay at the house Saturday with the boys, since we’re going to be spending the night and all. They’d be more comfortable there.”

“Probably.”

Since John had the boys, Zanny decided to pick supper up on her way home. The house was unnaturally quiet, but it gave her time to think. A lot had happened in the last twenty-four hours. She wasn’t sure if anything had changed, really, but she had plenty to think about.