Midnight in Brussels (22 page)

She loved mornings. Richard would already be up and ready to have his morning coffee with her. They slept in separate bedrooms. She still hadn’t given her body to him, but she knew it was going to happen very soon. Richard said he could wait until they were married. She felt guilty about making love to Antoine before Richard. She didn’t know why it was such an issue with her, why she couldn’t make love to Richard.

She glanced at the clock and moved gracefully through the spacious bedroom into the walk-in closet housing her meager wardrobe. Although Richard had offered to expand her wardrobe, she told him no, she had all she needed.

After donning a pair of jeans and a long sleeved navy blue pullover, Amanda went into the bathroom that was almost as big as her apartment in Bakersfield had been. She brushed her teeth and hair, washed her face and slipped her feet into sandals as she left the bedroom, eager to get to her husband-to-be.

Darys was coming down the hall toward her.

“Good morning, Darys.”

“If you say so.”

Amanda turned and watched Darys continue down the hallway. She hadn’t had any luck in getting through to her. It was plain and simple: Darys didn’t want Amanda in her father’s life. She was rude to Amanda, and was doing all she could to sabotage her stay at the adobe, hoping Amanda would just give up and go away. Amanda hadn’t told Richard the mean things Darys had said and done to her.

For instance, the day they went horseback riding together. Amanda invited Darys to go with her, hoping to bond with her somewhat. Darys had insisted they ride bareback, no saddles. Said she’d teach Amanda how to ride without a saddle. So Amanda went along with it.

They took off together across the pasture and up the small hills, heading up the mountain. At one point they stopped and Darys suggested they take a shortcut over the hill. It was a steep one with loose and damp dirt from a recent landslide after the rain. Darys took off up the hill with her horse lurching at every leap to grab hold with his front hooves and then following with his hind feet. It was a violent gallop uphill, in almost a bucking motion. She called down to Amanda to follow.

So Amanda, being a novice and not knowing how difficult it would be with a saddle much less without one, attempted to repeat the effort of Darys. Halfway up she’d started sliding back toward the hindquarters of the horse, holding on to his mane for dear life. She dropped the reins. With every lurch, the horse’s upper backbone slammed into Amanda’s chest. The pain was horrific and it was hard for her to breathe, but she held on to his neck and mane all the way to the top where she let go and immediately slid to the ground. She lay there in pain, unable to move.

Darys laughed.

“I think … you better … get some help. Pain … can’t breathe …”

“Oh, you’ll be all right. Just give it a minute. I’ll meet you back at the house.” She rode off, leaving Amanda on the ground.

After a few minutes, Amanda figured she couldn’t just lie there forever. It was getting dark.

She screamed as she sat up, the pain piercing her chest. She leaned forward and got to her knees and then to her feet. She felt nauseated and dizzy as the pain enveloped her body.
That damn girl! I’ll kill her!

She stepped to the horse who luckily was still standing by. He hadn’t followed Darys’s horse back to the ranch. Now she had to get on him. Without a stirrup. She led him to a fallen tree and managed to climb up on him after several tries, still writhing with pain. It felt like someone had smashed her chest and it was caving in with every breath she took.

The horse was easy to control heading home, which was to her advantage, for if he would have galloped she knew she wouldn’t have been able to hold on.

When she reached the stables, Jered and a few of the ranch hands were standing around waiting to have supper. Jered saw her pained expression and the mud on her clothing and ran to her.

“What happened, Miss?”

“… went riding with Darys … got hurt … she left me.”

“Bill, get the boss, right now! Al, you call Doc.” Jered helped her from the horse and was carrying her to the house, her head on his shoulder, when Richard appeared, running toward them with Bill behind.

“Oh, God! What happened, Jered? Darling, what is it?”

Jered kept walking to the house. “You might ask your daughter, Mr. Miller.”

Amanda was unconscious.

Darys’s version of the story was that she and Amanda had gone riding. When she wanted to go home, Amanda told her to go ahead, that she wanted to stay out longer. And that’s all she knew.

Amanda didn’t dispute the story, although Jered and the ranch hands knew she was protecting Darys, didn’t want to make waves. They all knew how merciless Darys could be when crossed. They’d experienced it themselves. Her father would never believe she was capable of doing anything wrong.

Two days before the wedding, Amanda was sitting in the den in front of the fireplace, reading. Darys came in and sat across from her.

“You’re after our money, aren’t you?”

Amanda looked up in disbelief at Darys. “What?”

“You’re after our money, but you won’t get it. When he dies, I get it. So why don’t you just move along?”

“Darys, I’m not after your money. I’m not after anything – the house, the money, it’s yours. That’s fine with me. I don’t want it. Surely you don’t feel that about me.”

“You don’t fool me. Everybody knows it. No one likes you. None of our friends want you here, and neither do I. He was going to marry Elaine before you came along. She should be his wife. She’s his kind. He bought that ring for her you’re wearing. She picked it out.”

Amanda sat silently for a few moments, glancing at her ring and hearing Darys’s words echoing in her mind
.
She closed her book, stood up, and said quietly, “I love your father and he loves me. I’m sorry about Elaine, and the ring.”

She sadly left the den and went to her bedroom to get ready for the pre-wedding party Richard was giving that night for all his friends.

Although she still had twinges of pain in her broken sternum from the horse hammering his back bone into her chest, the pain medication and carefulness in which she carried herself was helping her mend.

Her thoughts switched to what it would be like to make love with Richard on their wedding night, just two nights away. Would the sternum pain interfere? Would she be able to be what Richard wanted? She wanted everything to be perfect. And she wondered what he would say if he knew she and Antoine had been intimate. She pushed that thought out of her mind almost as fast as it entered.

That night before the party, Richard told her the story of Darys’s mother. She had never married Richard. They had had a torrid affair when they were young; she’d gotten pregnant, and after she had the baby had left it with him. She didn’t want anything to do with a child. She took off and he had never heard from her again. He tried to find her when Darys became a teenager and was asking questions he couldn’t answer.

He felt his daughter needed her mother, but she was not to be found. He felt guilty and protective of Darys, shielded her from real life, gave her all she wanted, spoiled her. When she was sixteen, she rebelled and ran off and married the wrong guy. Richard went after her and brought her back home. He paid off the groom, who gladly took the money and ran.

Since Darys was ten years old, Richard had dated Elaine Morris, who owned a gift shop in town. The only thing that bothered him about Elaine and had kept him from committing to her was that she had a terrific temper. And she was possessive. But he’d finally made the decision to ask her to marry him just before he met Amanda. He felt he was getting older and that it was time to settle down.

He had discussed it with Darys, who was one hundred percent in favor of it. Elaine and Darys were good friends, and Elaine had even told Darys which ring she’d like to have. She’d taken her to the local jewelry store and pointed it out to her. Darys told her dad and he bought it, planning to give it to Elaine.

But before that happened, he met Amanda on one of his trips to Bakersfield and everything changed.

Darys was unhappy.

Elaine was unhappy.

Richard knocked at Amanda’s bedroom door. “Darling, are you ready?”

She opened the door, looking like a puff of pink cotton candy.

He gasped. “You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen! Where did you get that dress?”

“I made it myself. Wait till you see my bridal gown,” she teased.

The dress she was wearing could have been the wedding dress, except that it was pale pink. It had a pink lace, strapless, fitted bodice with pink tulle flowing in layers from the waistline to mid-calf in a full, puffy skirt. Matching lace-covered dancing slippers enhanced the creation.

“Your shoes, did you make those, too?” He was flabbergasted.

Amanda laughed. “Actually, I did make the lace that covers them. This is what I learned while I was in Bruges. I make lace, design and make dresses, and cover shoes.”

“You are spectacular! And your hair, how did you do that? I’ve never seen it twisted up like that. It looks so elegant. Darling, I am proud to have you as my wife.”

“Not a wife yet.” She grinned up at him, sensually.

His mind flooded with thoughts of how much she had evolved, changed. It was just a little over a year ago when he’d first met the shy, young, timid girl from Arkansas who wouldn’t even look into his eyes. She’d stolen his heart then and now she had captured his mind, body, and soul. How he loved and adored her!

“Shall we?” He held out his arm and they headed down the corridor toward the ballroom he’d built for special occasions such as this.

As they rounded the corner and entered the hall leading past the den, Darys and Elaine stepped in front of them.

“Good evening, ladies. What do you think of our princess Amanda here? Isn’t she glorious?” Something warned him that all was not right. He drew Amanda to him, put his protective arm around her. “So why aren’t you two in the ballroom?”

“You can’t do this, Daddy. You can’t marry this woman. She’s after your money, can’t you see that?” Darys pulled at Amanda’s arm. “Get away from my daddy, you gold digger!”

“Darys! How dare you! What’s the matter with you?” He stepped in front of Amanda, guarding her.

“She’s right, Richie! You’ve been fooled!” Elaine warned. “That girl is too young for you and she’s no good. She treats Darys horribly, and you don’t know what’s been happening! What’s the matter with you? Your pecker taking control of your brain, as usual?”

Jered and Bill came running toward them after hearing the commotion. “What’s wrong, Boss?”

“I think these ladies need to be escorted from the premises, Jered. Put them in the Jeep and drive them to Elaine’s house. Right now.”

Darys screamed, “I’m not leaving my own house! I won’t go! She’s evil! She planned this! Please, Daddy! Don’t send me away; you’re all I’ve got! Please … please!”

Jered was practically dragging her out the side door as Bill escorted Elaine behind them.

Elaine stopped and glared back at Amanda. “You won’t last, you bitch. We’ll run you out of town, just you wait and see. Your life will be miserable.”

Bill jerked her arm and they disappeared into the night.

Amanda shivered. “I can’t go in there now.”

“Yes, you can,” Richard assured her. “You’re going to be my wife, darling. Don’t listen to those two. I’ll deal with Darys. she’ll get over it. She will.”

Later, while everyone was sleeping in the early morning hours before daybreak, Amanda knocked on Paula and Drake’s door at the motel in Cupertino where they were staying for the wedding and asked them to take her back home to Bakersfield. She told them what had happened and that she wanted to leave right then. They bundled up little A.G. and left for the San Joaquin Valley.

By noon, when Richard realized Amanda wasn’t asleep in her room, the phone at Paula and Drake’s started ringing off the hook. No one answered. The calls went to the answering machine.

“That’s him again. I have to go back to Belgium, Paula. I can’t stay here,” Amanda sobbed. “I’ve got to go. He’ll give up calling and will come down here after me. I can’t go back to the ranch. I’m afraid of Darys and Elaine.”

“Are you sure you want to do this, hon?”

“They’ll hurt me. They’ll find a way. You know they will. Darys has already tried.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s talk about this. Hold on.” Paula stuck her head out of the bedroom and yelled, “Drake, come in here, right now! Hurry!”

Drake came running, thinking something terrible had happened. “What is it? What’s the matter, babe?”

“Amanda wants to go back to Belgium, today.”

Amanda wiped her eyes and took Drake’s hand. “I have to go. I can stay with Antoine. He moved to Brussels from Bruges to be closer to school. I told you about him. I’m sure I can stay with him till I find my own place. I can do it, Drake. I can make a living with my lace and dresses. It’s a designer’s Mecca, especially new designers, beginners. I just need some financial help until I get on my feet. Can you help me out? I’ll pay you back, I promise.”