Hearts in Motion (17 page)

Ryan huffed a laugh that didn’t have any humor in it. “You know me too well. Abby said she didn’t know, but I had the feeling she recognized the car.”

Holden’s hands clenched.

“I think it was—”

“Portia and Sam were sorority sisters.” Holden stared at the ripples on the lake and the sunlight sparkling on the blue waters, as if the sight saved his humanity. “She told me they were having dinner together.”

“I see.” Ryan pushed away from the rail. “I suppose it doesn’t mean anything.”

Holden nodded. But in that case, why were the house lights dark? And why hadn’t Portia told him she’d gone to Sam’s house? And if Ryan’s suspicions were right, it would explain Portia’s reluctance to have sex. It would explain a lot.

He’d already made his decision to break their engagement. This should make it easier.

“I’d better go,” Ryan said. “I have a date this afternoon. And there’s a cute blond in the family room whose artwork I need to admire. See you later.”

Listening to Ryan’s footsteps walk away and then the click of the door, Holden wondered who his date was.

The last woman he knew Ryan had dated was Abby.

A chill went through him, his stomach twisting.

***

Grace came home, and Abby screamed her news. “We’ve got an interested angel!”

Grace’s mouth opened in an O. She dropped her overnight bag, her eyes wide. “For the business?”

“I’m not talking about a trip to heaven.”

Grace squealed. Abby squealed. They grabbed each other and jumped like two young girls.

Abby pulled away, still holding Grace’s shoulders and Grace still holding hers. “It’s not set yet. He wants to see the workshop and talk to me and Sam.”

“Call him and set the date,” Grace said, her voice high.

“I’ve been trying to call Sam for two hours.” Her voice was high with excitement, too. “She’s not answering the phone or her email.”

“Go to her house.”
 

“I will.” She squealed again. Grace squealed, too, then they danced around the house. Minnie and Quigley leaped onto the cat tower to stay out of their way, Minnie scolding them loudly, voicing her disapproval of their wild laughter and noise.

After two more dance circles through the house, they flopped onto the couch, dizzy and grateful and breathless from the laughter and happy dancing. Abby felt boneless. She felt wonderful.

First the sex with Holden, and now this.

It had to work. It just had to.

Her heart still hammering, she jumped to her feet. “I’m going to try Sam again.”

“Maybe she’s working,” Grace said. “If she’s using one of her saws or has her music blasting, she wouldn’t hear you.”

Abby nodded, though this last week, she was pretty sure it wasn’t work that was keeping her business partner busy. But she wasn’t telling Grace what it was. Just as she wasn’t telling Grace what she’d done last night.

Some things weren’t any of her little sister’s business.

Of course, if Grace became sexually active, that would be different. Grace would need to tell her everything.

Abby just hoped that didn’t happen for a long time. Grace was much too young.

“If she doesn’t answer,” she said, “I’m going to drive to her place. She needs to be there when the angel comes. He said he’s done woodworking projects, and he’ll probably have questions for her.”

“I’m going to crash.” Grace pushed up from the couch and yawned. “We talked most of the night, and I can sleep for hours.”

“Dream that the angel loves our work and wants to fund everything,” Abby said and hurried to the office.

***

Twenty minutes later, she was pulling into the driveway of Sam’s farm. She recognized the silver BMW parked by the garage. Portia’s car.

Her shoulders tensed, though the car parked outside the garage was making it easier not to feel guilty about last night.

The front door was open when she reached it, just the screen door keeping her out. Before she could knock, Sam’s rottweiler/boxer mix rushed to the door, barking ferociously, teeth showing. Abby put her hand to the screen for the dog to smell.

“How’s Loki?” she asked. “How’s my sweetheart? I don’t get to see you enough.”
 

Behind him, she saw three cats. Loki was great with the cats, but he hadn’t been allowed in the workshop since the first week they started their business, when he’d chewed up a cat ladder and two cat perches.

“Hi, sweeties,” she said. “Is your mama home? Huh? Will one of you get your mom for me?”

They looked at her, nowhere near as talkative as her cats. She wasn’t surprised. She’d always known her cats were exceptional.
 

She rang the doorbell, getting more wince-worthy barks from Loki that scattered the cats. She finally shouted Sam’s name through the screen, adding, “It’s good news! Get your ass out here so you can hear it.”

“I’m coming!” Sam yelled, the shout coming from the back of the house.

It took two minutes before she could see Sam coming to the front. She wasn’t alone. Portia padded behind her. With her sleek body and dark brown hair, she reminded Abby of a beautiful feline.

The sound of tires crunching over gravel made her look behind her. She recognized the car coming up the driveway, and she groaned.

“What’s so important?” Sam asked, opening the screen door.

“I’ve got good news.” Stepping inside, Abby looked at Portia. “And I’ve got bad news.”

20

It looks like everything is going to work out,
Quigley said.

Minnie lifted her head from the pool of sunlight she and Lion shared on the sofa. Quigley was at the top of the ladder, even though his obsession to be on top was depriving him of the direct rays of light.

Why do you think that?
Minnie asked.

Mom is getting the money she needs, and she even has a mate.

We talked about this before. These are humans, and nothing is that easy for them.

But Mom isn’t like other humans. She’s better than them.

Exactly.
Minnie put her head down.

Quigley leaped down the ladder, perch by perch, until he reached the carpet. He sashayed up to the couch and jumped onto it.

Minnie let him know with her stare and the lifted fur on her back that he was not getting her patch of sunlight. It was enough that she was sharing it with Lion, but he’d been there first. Besides, he was too big to push off.

I get it.
Quigley stopped by her back paws.
You’re saying it’s the other humans who might mess things up.

You are so smart,
Minnie said.

I am.
Quigley bent to lick the fur on his upper chest.

Minnie lay her head down again, the back of her head against Lion’s side. He made a nice pillow.

What if it doesn’t work out for Mom?
Quigley asked.
What are we going to do then?

I told you before. We’ll have to fix it.

Lion raised his large head.
How?

She closed her eyes. The problem with Quigley was he didn’t believe her. Quigley had to see it to believe it. And Lion would tell her to leave it to Mom to fix.

Lion didn’t know humans like she did. He’d come to Mom as a rescue like her, but he’d been with a family before that. He’d never been on the streets, hiding from predators, dodging cars, looking for scraps to eat.

Quigley didn’t know what it was like, either. But if the time came to act, he would have to follow her, and together they would see what would happen.

And if he didn’t follow her, she would have to fix it herself.
 

***

Abby’s SUV was parked next to Portia’s BMW.

A dog was barking in Sam’s house.

Holden marched to the front door. He wasn’t letting anything stop him.

It took a moment before the barks stopped and the door opened. Abby invited him inside, her eyes sad, her lips twisted in a grimace.

Behind her, Sam scowled at him. She stood in front of Portia as if she was protecting her, though she was oddly leaning to the left. Then a low growl came from her thigh level, and Holden saw she was holding back a large, drooling, growling dog that seemed ready to pounce on him.

“Did you come to warn them?” he asked Abby.

“I had no idea you were coming here.” She frowned. “Where’s Cara? Is she in the car?”

His tension eased. Of course she hadn’t known he was on his way. If anyone should feel betrayed, it should be her. He’d made love to her when he was engaged, even though in his mind he’d been free.

And thank God, he would soon be free.

“Don’t worry.” He wanted to reach out and tell her everything was okay, but it wasn’t the time. Not yet. “Cara’s with Daisy.”

She smiled at him, and it felt like the sun coming out. He wanted to bask in it but couldn’t. Not until this was over.

He turned to Portia. He needed to get this done. “Do you have a few minutes?”

Sam bristled. “Anything you have to say to her—”
 

Portia’s hand on her shoulder stopped her, and she stepped around her protector. “I need to do this.”

“Do it where we can see you,” Sam said.

“Holden won’t hurt her.” Abby stepped to Sam’s right side and took her arm. “Let’s go into the kitchen.”

Sam narrowed her eyes at him then snapped around and stomped into the kitchen with Abby, dragging the dog with them.

With everyone gone but three curious cats, he could see that the room had about a half dozen pieces of cat furniture plus one wider and longer cushioned perch that must be for the dog. In this odd, rundown farmhouse, Portia looked as out of place as a gazelle in a lion zoo.

“Why did you accept my offer of marriage?” he asked.
 

“It’s complicated.”

“Life is complicated. Sex isn’t. Or it shouldn’t be.”

Her lips twisted. “That’s where we differ.”

“So you’re bisexual?”

Her lips tightened, then the stiffness oozed out of her. With a sigh, she shook her head. “I’m gay. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Very sorry. I knew how disappointed my parents would be with my choice, but that wasn’t the only reason. I wanted children.”

“You can be gay and have children.”

“You’re right. I’m still not being honest. The truth is, I wanted to be normal.” She shrugged, her eyes and mouth unhappy.
 

“The only normal people I know,” he said, “are ones who I don’t know very well.”

She frowned at him, and he realized she didn’t get the subtext, and he needed to explain.

“As soon as I get to know them, I see their quirks and oddities.” He looked straight into her eyes. “No one is normal.”

“You’re being kind.” She grimaced. “I suppose I should thank you, but to be honest, our engagement is partly your fault. When you asked me to marry you, I knew you didn’t love me. In fact, I could tell you didn’t have any strong feelings for me. You just thought I would be a good wife.” She raised her chin. “My parents were well-off. I looked like the woman you should marry. I wasn’t going to embarrass you like your first wife did. I would be a conscientious mother. And I would never cheat.”

“I was wrong in the last instance, wasn’t I?”

“But not the others.” Her mouth tightened, her only sign of discomfort. “And I’m sorry about the cheating.”

“Don’t be.” After all, he’d cheated, too, though he wasn’t going to tell her. He didn’t want anyone to think less of Abby. “You’re right about it being partially my fault. I’m glad we both found out now before we married. I think we can call off our engagement.”

“Yes.” She pulled off her engagement ring and held it out to him. “Here.”

He folded his fingers around it, the four-carat diamond digging into his palm. “Will you have trouble canceling the arrangements?”

“Since our wedding was scheduled for October, we should be all right.” She shook her head. “And please, don’t offer to pay for anything. I should never have agreed to your proposal. In the end, I don’t believe I’d have gone through with it. It’s an expensive lesson, but I can afford it.”

He nodded. “What we can’t afford is to ruin our lives.”

She held out her hand. “Thank you for being so...”

“Kind,” he finished for her.

She laughed and instead of shaking his hand, leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
 

He stepped back, glanced behind her. Of course, Abby didn’t appear. She was in the back with Sam and Sam’s attack dog. He couldn’t stick around here now. He’d have to go to her house later, tell her he was free, and they could have a relationship. She could be with Cara during the day. At night, they could be together and take it from there. Take it slowly.

He would see if she would still want him once she knew him better.