Ropes and Revenge (21 page)

John had learned from his mistakes with Jenner and Wayne. He wasn’t going to rush in like a bull in a china shop, hurling accusations. He would take it slow, tease his way around to the subject, and treat every twitch of Clint’s facial muscles as clues in his search for the truth.

But first, he had to make sure Percy was okay staying with the kids and come up with a believable reason for him to be leaving the house that wouldn’t make her suspicious.

He slowed his pace up the stairs as he searched for an excuse to leave that wouldn’t hurt Percy’s feelings or end with her insisting on going with him. He’d broken her heart tonight, but she would still want to help him if she thought he needed it. That was the kind of person she was, a person who deserved better than a broken man with half of his heart already in the grave.

And just like that, he had his excuse.

He’d tell her he was going to visit Lily’s grave. That should make it pretty clear that he was too fucked up to be worth her time.

His heart heavy in his chest, he paused outside Percy’s door and knocked. He waited for a moment, expecting to hear the mattress squeak as she rose from the bed. He doubted she was finding it any easier to sleep than he had, but a long moment passed without a sound from the other side of the door.

He knocked again and called softly, “Percy, it’s me. I need to go out for a little while. I just wanted to make sure you were okay to stay here with the kids.”

He paused, but there still wasn’t any sound from inside. “Percy?” he called again. “Are you okay?” Finally, he reached for the handle and pushed the door slowly open. He expected to see Percy in bed, sleeping soundly, or maybe sitting in the chair by the window, determined to ignore him until he went away.

But the room was empty, the bed was made, and a sheet of paper sat folded in half on the bedside table. Even before he crossed the room to read the note, in his gut he knew that Percy was gone.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Percy

As soon as she’d heard John’s bedroom door shut behind him, Percy had crept down the stairs and out the front door.

If she’d trusted herself to stay awake, she would have headed north on the highway and not stopped until Lonesome Point was far behind her. But it had been a big day, and though she sensed sleep wouldn’t come easily, she was too exhausted to risk the long drive to Dallas.

Besides, she owed Peyton and Carter a proper goodbye. She would stop by the Lawson ranch on her way out of town tomorrow, promise to send them postcards from her next investigation, and be on the road before nine a.m. If the flight odds were in her favor, she could be sleeping in her own bed tomorrow night.

Never had the thought of her cozy, down comforter and overstuffed feather bed been so completely depressing.

Her heart lurched and her throat tightened, but she fought back the fresh tears rising in her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry again, at least not until she was alone in the privacy of her hotel room. Hopefully, the Blue Saloon would have a room available. The parking lot was so packed she had to park at the overflow lot down the street, but it was Friday night, and a good number of the vehicles probably belonged to saloon patrons who wouldn’t be spending the night.

But as she climbed the steps to the hotel, she was surprised to see a sliding metal panel pulled down behind the swinging wooden doors of the saloon and the windows dark. She’d never seen the bar closed so early, especially on a Friday night, and knew this didn’t bode well for her chances of finding a room.

She stepped into the lobby to see a sleepy family of four sitting on the couches near the base of the stairs and a harried-looking Yasmin talking animatedly with three large men in leather biker vests crowded around the reception desk.

She spied Percy and lifted a hand before turning back to the men. “I’m sorry, but I’ve only got the one room left. But it’s a king room so two of you could share the bed and I could have an extra cot brought in for the third.”

“I don’t sleep in the same bed with other men,” the shortest, but broadest, of the three bikers said in a gravelly voice.

“Then you can take the cot,” Yasmin said sweetly. “Or you can find somewhere else to stay because the king room is truly all I have to offer.”

“Let’s ride,” said the man with the bright red buzz cut. “We’ll look for something up the road. Looks like those folks need a room more than we do anyway.”

“Bless you.” The young mother with the two little boys half asleep on her lap on the lobby couch sighed, her narrow shoulders sagging. “I was going to cry if we had to wrestle these two back into the car.”

“I know how that is.” The biker with the crew cut smiled at her on his way out the door. “I’ve got three boys. They’re grown now, but I remember those days.”

“Thank you,” the father of the boys said, rising from the couch and tugging his wallet from his back pocket. “We appreciate it.”

“No problem. Have a good one.” The red-haired man followed his friends outside and Percy waited while Yasmin got the family checked in to the last available room.

If it had been the other night clerk—the old man with the double frown lines who obviously disapproved of everyone who stepped up to his desk—she would have slipped back out the door and headed for the motel near the highway without another word.

But Yasmin deserved a proper goodbye, too.

So many goodbyes. They had never been hard for Percy before, but now each one felt like severing a parachute tie, sending her plummeting back to the quiet, isolated world she’d known before she came to Lonesome Point.

“Hey, girl,” Yasmin said as the tired family headed up the stairs. “What’s up? I hope you weren’t supposed to meet someone for drinks because Clint called in sick and the backup guy has a broken wrist he didn’t bother telling us about until we needed him to come in.”

“No, I wasn’t supposed to meet anyone.” Percy folded her arms on top of the desk and forced a smile. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”

Yasmin’s brows shot up. “What? Why? What about John? I thought you two—”

“Yeah, I did too,” Percy said, cutting her off before she could speak the foolish dream aloud. “But it’s not going to work out and it’s past time for me to get back home.”

“Well, shit,” Yasmin said, lips drooping at the sides. “I’m sorry. Are you sure you won’t change your mind? I haven’t even had the chance to introduce you to Georgie yet. You could stay with me if you want. I’ve only got a one-bedroom, but—”

“That’s sweet of you, but I can’t. I just…” Percy shook her head and fought to swallow past the lump in her throat. “It’s too painful.”

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” Yasmin hurried around the desk to pull her in for a hard hug. “From where I was standing, it looked like you and John had found something special, but what the hell do I know? Love is so hard and stupid. And hard. I really am going to become a nun. You want to run away to the convent together and live happily ever after?”

Percy sniffed, but her lips curved as she pulled away from the shorter woman’s embrace. “I don’t think I’m ready for the convent, but I hope we can stay in touch.”

“Absolutely,” Yasmin said, smiling up at her. “You should come down and go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans with me in February. I always meet the hottest guys there. We’ll drink too many hurricanes, find you a rebound fling, and by the time you head home, you won’t remember you ever knew a guy named John.”

Percy nodded but couldn’t keep fresh tears from filling her eyes.

“Okay, wrong thing to say.” Yasmin’s brow furrowed as she rubbed Percy’s upper arms firmly up and down. “Just ignore me, honey. I’ve got foot in mouth disease. Clint called it off this afternoon—in a text, no less—so I’m a bitter pill with a creamy angry center where men are concerned.”

“I’m sorry,” Percy said.

Yasmin waved a hand through the air. “Don’t be. We were all chemistry. No real feelings hurt.” She sighed. “I just wish I’d had the sense not to poop where I eat. I’m sure work will be awkward for the next few weeks. I was actually glad he called in sick tonight, even though I hate how quiet it is without the bar music humming through the walls.”

“It is quiet,” Percy said, feeling the long day catching up with her and the silence tugging at the backs of her eyes. “So I know you’re out of rooms, but do you know if the motel by the highway is full, too? I should probably find a place to sleep before it gets much later.”

“Oh right, I should have thought. You were staying with John.” She circled back around the desk and plucked her purse off the floor. “The motel by the highway is full. There’s a charity motorcycle ride in Peyote this weekend and a giant wedding at the country club tomorrow so all the rooms around here are booked, but you can crash on my couch.” She held out her keys. “I’ll give you directions and you can let yourself in.”

Percy shook her head. “I couldn’t. I don’t want to impose.”

“You wouldn’t be,” Yasmin said, jingling the keys. “I’m not even going to be there tonight. I don’t get off until six tomorrow morning.”

“Are you sure?” Percy asked. “I would just head for Dallas, but I’m not sure I’m safe to drive that far.”

“I am absolutely sure. And no way am I letting you drive.” Yasmin took her hand and plunked the keys into her palm. “Go. Rest. And I’ll be there to make you a fancy coffee with my new espresso machine tomorrow morning.”

Percy smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“That’s what friends are for, girl.” Yasmin scribbled directions on a piece of hotel stationary, and ten minutes later, Percy was climbing the stairs to an apartment above the garage of a stately old home on the edge of downtown.

She let herself in, so tired she only took a few moments to appreciate Yasmin’s wide variety of artwork and collection of fake plastic animal heads mounted above the television before she went hunting for the extra sheets and blankets in the hall closet. She brushed her teeth, changed into pajamas, made up the couch, and was curled under the covers with the lights out by ten o’clock. It was a little early, even for her, but she felt like a rag with all the water wrung out.

She closed her eyes, refusing to focus on the images of John’s sad face floating in the darkness behind her lids or the memory of him telling her he loved her for the first, and last, time. There would be plenty of time to mourn the loss of what they’d almost found tomorrow and the next day and the next. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep, to escape to a place where there was no sadness or regret, just for a little while.

Her consciousness was already drifting away from her body and the waking world growing fuzzy around the edges when she heard the soft scrape of a key in the lock.

Her sleep sticky eyes creaked open and unease prickled at the back of her neck. It took her a moment to remember that Yasmin wouldn’t be back until morning. By the time she sat up, clutching the quilt in her hands, heavy footsteps were already crossing the kitchen floor.

“Hello?” Percy said in a strained voice. “Who’s there?”

The footsteps froze, and a moment later, the kitchen light flickered on, revealing Clint standing in the wide doorway between the kitchen and living room in a black tee shirt and a dark pair of jeans, looking as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

“Percy? What are you doing here?”

“The hotel was full so Yasmin offered to let me crash on her couch,” Percy said, sliding her sock feet to the floor. “I didn’t know anyone else had a key.”

And I thought you were supposed to be sick,
she thought but didn’t say aloud. For some reason, she didn’t feel completely comfortable being alone with Clint. He’d always been nice to her at the bar, but right now something felt…off.

Why was he here when he had to know that Yasmin was working all night and wouldn’t be at home?

“Well, I’m sorry to startle you,” Clint said, holding up the key in his hand. “I was coming to drop off my key and get a few of my things. Yasmin and I broke up earlier today and…” He sighed tiredly. “Well, I just figured it would be easier to get this business done while she was at work.”

“So you aren’t sick, then?” Percy asked, relaxing now that she understood the reason for his visit.

He shook his head sheepishly. “No, I’m not. I’m a coward. I couldn’t face her tonight. I didn’t want to see how much I’d let her down.”

“So why did you?” Percy crossed her legs and hugged her blanket closer. “Let her down?”

Clint leaned against the doorframe. “It just wasn’t going to work. She’s so young and she wants the whole package—love, babies, forever.” He shook his head, a sad smile curving his lips. “I’m spitting distance to fifty. I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with her for more than a few months, let alone make all her dreams come true. But I guess I wanted to pretend that I could. For a little while.”

Percy sighed. “I understand pretending.”

Clint glanced up, his brows lifting. “You and John having troubles? I assume you sleeping on Yasmin’s couch instead of at his place isn’t a good thing.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not. He isn’t ready. It’s too soon. But a part of me knew that from the beginning.” Her shoulders rose and fell, but she didn’t know what else to say except, “I’m heading back to New York tomorrow.”