From the Heart: Romance, Mystery and Suspense a collection for everyone (11 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Trevor and Katy whined through dinner, they didn’t like the stew. They banged their spoons, Katy played with hers, Trevor screeched “no, no, no, stuff, ick,” flinging bits of celery and carrots onto the table.

Katy held out her arms to Emily. “Mama, up.” Emily scooped her onto her lap and attempted to feed her off her own plate, but she tightened her lips, nothing was getting in. She couldn’t blame her, Emily couldn’t swallow a single bite either. For some reason, tonight it tasted like sawdust, sticking in her throat and rumbling her queasy stomach.

Trevor started to make the “whop, whop” noise again, swaying in his chair. He held his gravy-filled spoon up and flung it back and forth, the splatters landing on Crystal’s perfectly tailored white blouse. Stress thickened the air. Awkward glances, angry glares. No wonder the kids were off, they were intuitive by nature. They may not know all the gritty details, but they knew their secure stable environment had been threatened.

Crystal dropped her fork with a clatter, “Get him out of here.” The abrupt dismissal was cruel. She had no compassion for her child. She wouldn’t even look at him; in fact, she leaned away, as if whatever he had, she might somehow catch.

The nasty woman pursed her full lips, which Emily was sure were botoxed, reached for a paper napkin and wiped at the splatter of gravy on her lacy shirtfront. How screwed-up were this woman’s priorities? Emily stared at Brad, positive he’d throw Crystal out now. Brad dropped his fork and wiped his gritty hands over his face. He pushed his plate away and leaned his forearms on the table. He ground his teeth. All feeling appeared to seep out of his hard brown eyes when he nodded toward Emily and flicked his hand for her to leave. Her heart sank down through her toes, burning as if the rug had been ripped from under her. And those dreaded tears burned out the corner of her eyes. Blinking ferociously, Emily picked up Katy and held Trevor’s hand. She took them both upstairs, into the bathroom and ran them a warm bath. After she cuddled with Katy and Trevor in his bed, she read to them, several stories to help them all unwind. She’d just started on Scaredy Squirrel, when she heard the quick light footsteps bounce up the stairs, and then the rustle of Brad’s door as it latched closed. Katy grabbed Emily’s shirt and popped her thumb in her mouth. Emily closed the book and let out a heavy sigh. “I think that’s enough for tonight.” She scooted Trevor under his covers took Katy to her room and tucked her in her bed.

Emily paused for a moment at the top of the stairs before swallowing her pride
, and slipped downstairs, tension building in the pit of her stomach with each step. What was she walking into? This unknown freaked her out and what she saw had her stumbling a few steps in the archway. The table had been cleared and Brad was putting the last remnants of dinner in the fridge.

He glanced over his shoulder, and gestured awkwardly to her full plate on the counter. “You didn’t get to eat. So I left your plate out.”

Emily gazed at the plate and wanted to scream at Brad. But nothing would come out of her mouth. So she dropped her eyes to the floor.

“Sorry, Em, today… I know this has to be hard for you.” He took a couple awkward steps toward her, before shoving both hands in his front pockets. Aww, here we go, the cowardly retreat. Her nose was running again and tears blurred her eyes, but she forced a smile to her shaky lips and used the back of her hand to wipe her nose.

Brad frowned.

“Thanks, I’m not really hungry.” Her voice caught
, and if she didn’t do something to busy her hands, her mind, she was going to lose it. So she pulled out the plastic wrap from the middle drawer and neatly covered her plate. She walked around Brad, keeping her eyes down and set the plate in the fridge. Then, in an afterthought, she reminded herself no matter what, she wasn’t rude or vindictive. She let out a soft sigh and forced herself to lookup. “Thanks for cleaning up; I know it’s my job.”

Brad ran his hand down her arm. “Goodnight, Em, I’ll be bunking in the spare room in the back of the barn. So you know where I am, if you need anything.”

She leaned against the counter and just stared. She wanted to say something intelligent. Just what the hell was going on? But he looked away, and the stone wall she’d seen the first day slammed down around him. She wasn’t going to get anything out of him. This wasn’t fair to her or the kids. He had to know this. And maybe he did; he looked away and left without another word.

The floor creaked. Emily jumped. Crystal was just outside the kitchen, her icy blue eyes filled with a meanness Emily couldn’t rightly remember experiencing before. The woman was quite beautiful, except coldness tarnished this beauty queen to something of a cold bitch. What did Brad ever see in her? Had she been lurking in the shadows, spying?

Crystal crossed her arms over her full perky breasts. “We need to establish some ground rules. You, your kid and Trevor can start taking your meals earlier. And make sure the kids stay out of my way. I don’t know why Brad would have hired someone with a kid. And just so we’re clear, Trevor’s my child. I’ll decide what’s best for him. You’ll clear everything you do with Trevor through me first. Are we clear?” She made no attempt to soften her voice, dictating with a heavy hand.

Emily had finally had enough.
“Now wait, I don’t work for you. I was hired by Brad. So until Brad tells me otherwise, I work for him, not you.”

Crystal took a cocky step forward, as she flicked her sleek blonde hair over her shoulder. She was taller than Emily by a few inches. She used her height to look down on her with a wicked smile that spiked a chill up Emily’s spine.

“Let me make myself clear. Brad’s my husband and you’ll stay away from him. As for this therapy you started; it stops right now. You can look after Trevor and keep him comfortable. But you’ll no longer expose him to that kind of cruelty. I’ve heard about people like you who’re so obsessive, you don’t see the long-term damage you’re doing emotionally. And you’re not doing that to my kid.”

Emily’s jaw dropped. Why hadn’t Brad talked to her? Instead he’d run out the door like a coward. “Crystal, I don’t know where you heard that. But that’s not true. Trevor has so much potential, how can you give up on him? I’ve researched this therapy, and he’s done so well since he started.” Crystal leaned in and bared her teeth. “I don’t give a shit what you’ve researched or brainwashed Brad with. Trevor’s my kid, not yours!”

The woman was a hyena and Emily wasn’t going to win. Crystal started to leave, but then swung back and stepped toward Emily. “Oh, and one more thing. Just so we’re clear. This is my home and I’m here to stay. So you are very wrong in your assumption that you answer only to Brad. You work for me and you
answer
to me. If I have any issues with you, I’ll make sure you’re bounced out of here so fast you won’t have time to pack your things.” The floor softened beneath her feet, and her heart squeezed so tight she thought it’d explode right out of her chest. The woman climbed the stairs and slammed Brad’s door. What followed was Katy’s pitiful wail, and Trevor’s shriek.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Over the next few days, the tension in the household became untenable. Brad became scarce. At first, Emily thought he was just busy. Then was sure it was to avoid Crystal. But not so; he avoided eye contact with Emily, and slipped out the door every time she entered the room.

Emily ate with the children an hour earlier. She stayed away from Crystal the best she could. But it was hard living in a tension-filled house that seemed like a powder keg about to erupt any moment. The kids became cranky and anxious. Trevor regressed, avoiding all eye contact, eating envelopes, paper and labels any chance he could. And when Crystal left her gold
-plated pen on the kitchen table, Trevor decorated the living room wall with blue lines, circles and squiggles. Emily was in the kitchen making dinner while Katy and Trevor were supposed to be watching Arthur on TV. Crystal’s high pitch shriek had Emily dropping the lid on the floor and darting into the living room.

She slid to a stop just as Crystal snatched the pen from Trevor’s tiny hands. Emily covered both hands over her mouth. An entire wall would need repainted.

“How could you let him do this? You’re supposed to be watching him!” Crystal screamed, which launched Katy off the sofa to hide behind Emily. Trevor let out a high-pitch wail, as he wacked his head with his hand over and over.

Emily picked up Katy when she began to cry. She was scared, of course. Crystal was
even scaring Emily, the way she carried on.

“I was making dinner, Trevor was watching TV and I’m sorry, but sometimes these things happen. That’s why it’s important to make sure you don’t leave things like a pen laying around.”

Crystal tossed her hands in the air. “Well, you’re going to have to pay for it. The cost to have this repainted by a professional is coming out of your pocket.”

“That’s not fair. It was your pen you left lying around. Of course, he’s going to pick it up and draw on something. He doesn’t understand
--”

“You were hired to look after him. You’re not doing a good enough job, so don’t you dare blame your carelessness on me.” Crystal marched over to the TV and flicked it off.

“This isn’t a play room. From now on the kids need to stay out of the living room.” And then the woman sauntered up the stairs.

“Watch Dora, Momma.” Katy gazed up at Emily.

“No, everyone in the kitchen with me, dinner’s almost ready anyway.”

* * * *

The days got worse. When Brad came in, he ate and left.

Katy started whining over little things. She didn’t like her dolly, the book, Trevor was bugging her.

Crystal treated Emily like a servant, always demanding. Do her laundry, make her tea, coffee, clean her bathroom, make her bed and iron her shirts. And always when Emily was busy with the children. After the second day, Cliff and Mac had stopped coming in for dinner, and last night, Brad didn’t show up at all, which had Crystal storming out of the kitchen after eating alone.

Brad never explained to her what happened in his fight with Crystal. He kept his distance from her and Trevor. How could she have been so fooled by this man, believing he had integrity?

The few times she’d seen Brad come in, Crystal was right there. She’d run her hand up his chest or arm and smile in such a seductive way; Emily wanted to knock the grin off her face. The last time, Brad gripped her wrist and pushed it away. And he stared at Crystal with such contempt. None of this made sense.

Emily couldn’t sleep. She resented Brad for abandoning her. For not standing up for her —for not being the knight in shining armor she’d believed him to be. Emily could no longer subject Katy to this type of cruelty.

Crystal had stopped Trevor’s therapy, and taken over the therapy room upstairs.

It was underhanded how it happened. Emily had gone into town with the kids. It wasn’t until Emily had slipped upstairs to work with Trevor she discovered everything gone, replaced with unfamiliar boxes and art supplies.

Crystal had appeared as if suddenly conjured up, in her designer jeans and silk blouse, looking as if she stepped off the page of a fashion magazine. “I told you there would be no more therapy.” She sauntered around Emily and Trevor into the room, raising her eyebrow as if to accentuate her point. “I’ve already discussed this matter with Brad.”

It had taken Emily over an hour before she was able to track Brad down. He had been out in the north field. She saw him as soon as he cleared the tree line, riding Smoky. He dismounted and passed Smoky to Mac. “Unsaddle him.”

She couldn’t hold it in, as she clutched Trevor and Katy’s hand. “How could you stop Trevor’s therapy, move his toys, his therapy programs—everything out. How could you go along with her?” She trembled with the anger, the strain. It was all too much.

Brad bunched his fists and turned away from Emily and allowed a flow of foul curses to break free. The force of the words and the venom in his voice made Emily jump. Then he caught sight of movement by the side of the barn. Cliff leaned against the barn watching. Brad pounded the dirt as he stormed toward Cliff. “What the fuck do you know about this fucking bullshit and what that bitch did?” He grabbed the man’s jacket and shoved him against the barn.

Emily took a step back. She had a pretty good idea, for Brad to use the “F” word, it was a good indication of how pissed off he was. We’re talking code level red. Cliff tried to get away. When Brad let go, Cliff stepped back on his narrow long legs, his face paled, holding his hat in hand. His rumpled blonde hair was in bad need of a haircut.

“Uh, your wife made me move the things out. I put them in the storage shed at the back of the barn.”

Emily hurried past Cliff and into the barn. She yanked on the wooden doors. Brad covered her hand with his on the door frame. When she looked up to him, she knew he saw the clear pools gathered in the corner of her eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. Then he opened the doors wider. There, just inside the doorway piled against the sidewall were the books, toys, teaching material, child’s table and chairs.

“I’m sorry, Em, I can’t believe she did that, we’ll get a room set up in the bunkhouse. There’s an empty room in there and it’s well away from the house.”

She just shook her head. “No, Brad. Trevor is your child. Do you have any idea of what it took to get you to see there was something wrong with Trevor, to get him help? And you let this happen. You can’t allow this to happen to Trevor, Brad.” To know when you’re beaten is not a great feeling. Emily couldn’t remember experiencing such a hollow loss. This wasn’t her fight, and she couldn’t take it on. Brad winced, knowing full well she was right. Emily held tight to both kids and strode away with her head high.

She didn’t turn around when the wooden doors slammed closed, the clink of the lock as Brad shut away all Trevor’s therapy tools. She kept going into the house, Brad on her heels. He brushed passed her and the kids as they shed their coats, taking the stairs two at a time, stomping down the hall to where Crystal was holed up in her newly reclaimed sanctuary, with her easel, paints and sketchbooks. The door slammed shut and an argument raged for twenty minutes, before Brad stormed out, without mention or glance to Emily.

* * * *

On her hand, Emily counted the clear facts. Crystal came home. She was Brad’s wife. He’d made his choice and Emily needed to accept it and move on, no matter how much it hurt.

Emily stepped onto the darkened front porch, slipping on her wool brown sweater. Upstairs the kids were asleep and Crystal retired to Brad’s room.

Emily leaned against the portico and closed her eyes, absorbing the music from a choir of frogs. Emily removed the barrette in her hair
, and ran her fingers through the long silky strands. She let out a weary sigh and wandered to the wicker chair, flopped down into it, leaning back and she allowed the tears to fall. Emily shut her eyes and prayed for help out of this hellish situation. She prayed for guidance, some answer to pop into her head and tell her what to do.

“I wanted to apologize to you. I know it hasn’t been easy.”

Emily leaped forward and ducked her head, swiping away the tears. She hadn’t heard him creep up. She rummaged her pocket for a Kleenex and blew her nose.

His face was hidden in the shadows, but his voice didn’t lie, a man of few words. What did she really know about him, his past? Not much
, if she were honest with herself. When she looked up, the moon flickered in and out of the scattered clouds.

She couldn’t talk—she didn’t want to make this easy for him. This was his mistake, not hers. So why was she being punished?

“You’ve handled this badly, Brad.” She took a deep breath, to steady her voice. “I can’t stay, I’m sorry, but this isn’t right. You’ve not been fair to me and Katy, to Trevor.”

Even though it was dark, she could almost feel the heat from his flushed face. He lowered his head and looked away. He blew out a hard breath and sank in the chair beside her. This time he leaned forward and honestly looked at her. He dangled his cowboy hat between his fingers. The sparks—the attraction, would it ever be gone? Even after what he’d done?

“Where will you go?”

This time she didn’t try to hide the tears. She was mad at herself for falling for the first man who’d told her everything she wanted to hear. She realized why it hurt so much, even after these hellish few days. She’d still held out hope Brad would see the error of his ways, take a stand and tell her he wouldn’t let her go. That he was a fool and she meant something to him
; he’d make Crystal leave. But he said none of that. A reality that crumbled the last of the pedestal she’d stuck him on. Idiot. The strong, confident, honorable hero she assumed he was dissolved before her eyes. It would be easier to hate him.

“I’ll call Gina to see if we can stay with her until I find another job, a place to live. I’m sorry for Trevor. I hope…” Emily’s voice shook. Her face was drenched by the tears pouring down her cheeks, a free-fall. Even after what Bob had done to her, abandoning her emotionally, not being there for her, not being the man she wanted, but a little boy. With Brad, this hurt worse. Maybe because of whom she thought he was. The first man she’d really looked up to, depended on, in a way she never thought possible. He had strong values and views on the role of a man and woman. The way he loved and cherished his son, a dependable man who could handle any problem, fix anything, or so she’d come to believe. But she was fooled. How could she have been so wrong? Not once had he brought up what almost happened between them, their intimacy, what they’d shared. Was it that easy for a man to erase
it from his mind?

The simple truth of the matter was he’d allowed a spiteful, mean, hurtful woman to walk back into his house and treat Emily, Katy and Trevor horribly. Could he not see how Crystal was hurting her own son—his son?

“You hope what, Em?” Brad reached out and clasped her hand, squeezing tight. Emily wiped her eyes and noticed the sheen of tears gloss his eyes before he looked away.

“I’ll call Gina in the morning. See if we can’t move tomorrow.”

Brad said nothing. He nodded and appeared very much a lost man struggling to stay afloat. Even with his scruffy hair and what appeared to be two days without shaving, it was just like him to be so unbelievably handsome. And he’d never be hers. Well, damn him to hell.

“I’ll make sure you’re paid up till the end of the month.”

It was that damn pride which almost had her refusing. She bit her tongue. No, he owes me. Brad squeezed her hand when she said nothing, and then pulled away. The chair creaked when he stood. She gazed up. He stared off into the darkness, fingering the brim of his hat. Then he placed it on his head and strode off, down the steps, swallowed into darkness. The sound of gravel crunching beneath his boots, each step, cut open the hole in her heart a little wider.

The painful lump in her throat swelled, breaking apart any hope Emily had of not falling apart. Her body, her chest shook as the noisy sob burst out. Tears flowed; she buried her face, covering her mouth, as she wept openly on the porch, no one to comfort her, just the sounds of a broken spirit, echoing in the night.