Sealing the Deal (28 page)

No wonder Beth didn’t need him. She was a wonderful woman who deserved a man of equal strength and character. Instead, she’d married
him
.

After putting his shoes in the coat closet, Robert headed upstairs. The lights were out except for the night-lights Beth had put in the hallway that lit the entire length like an airport runway. He stopped himself from going in Emma’s room. He could barely keep from weeping now. Seeing his daughter’s crib and toys would shatter what slim control he now kept over his emotions.

All he could see of his wife was the shape of her body under the blanket. His melancholy eased when he saw that she’d turned the ceiling fan on. Even if it might seem odd that she needed both the fan and the thick blanket, he found it quirky and more than a little endearing.

She’d brought so much warmth and happiness into his life. And how did he repay her? He’d let her down when she needed him, just like he’d let his daughter down. No wonder Beth had wanted to be alone tonight.

After stripping out of his dirty clothes, which he put in the hamper for once, he eased under the covers on his side of the bed. Beth was sleeping, judging by her slow and even breaths. Robert carefully pressed himself against her back, draping an arm over her waist and letting her sweet scent soothe him.

He wanted to make love to her, to promise her that he’d move heaven and earth to get their daughter back where she belonged. But Beth was sleeping so peacefully after such a draining day, he didn’t want to be selfish and wake her up so they could talk. At least now he was holding her.

There was one idea he wanted to share with her, something that he’d only recently decided would be something good for their family. Now wasn’t the time. When things settled down and Emma’s visit with her father was over, then he would tell Beth his brilliant idea.

Robert wanted to have a baby with her. Only then could he be sure that she’d never leave him.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Robert blinked against the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. He mentally scolded himself for forgetting to shut the blinds before he crawled into bed.

They’d survived the first night without Emma and the world hadn’t ended. Whatever he and Beth faced, they could survive—if they helped each other through.

He rolled over to wake his wife, hoping he could convince her to make love. He needed the connection. With a little luck, she would finally let her walls down and would let him back in. She’d been so emotionally closed off yesterday, so he’d given her space. Now he wanted to bridge that gap, to make their marriage stronger and to show her how much he truly loved her. Her doubts about him were far too easy to see, and the time had come to bury those doubts.

She was gone. “B?” No sounds came from the bathroom. He tried again, loud enough to be heard downstairs. “Bethany?”

There was no response.

Robert threw the covers aside and padded down to the kitchen. There weren’t any dirty dishes in the sink, which meant she’d probably skipped breakfast again. He opened the doors to the deck and stuck his head out. “B? Where are you?”

Grumbling to himself, he slammed the door and headed to the garage. Her Beetle was gone.

Rubbing his hand over his face, he cursed himself for not waking up when she did. When they were first married, her mere movement in bed would jar him awake. After weeks of sleeping by her side, he’d grown accustomed to her, which was bad news for him now.

Before going back upstairs to get ready to face the day, he searched around for a note. Nothing. Not a single clue as to where she’d gone. Just a missing phone and purse that screamed she’d flown.

He texted her three times while he shaved and dressed and received no reply. Shifting from irritated to worried, he texted Dani.

B with you?

On a normal day, her replied sarcasm would’ve made him smile.

Did you lose your wife?

Tired of texting, he called her. After four rings, he was ready to hang up since it would be humiliating to tell her he had no idea why his wife had left. Dani answered before he could disconnect.

“What’s up, Robert?”

Too worried to search for the proper words, he blurted out, “Bethany’s g-gone.”

“What do you mean ‘gone’?”

“When I w-woke up, she wasn’t here. Did she call you?”

“It’s eight in the morning on a summer break day. She knows better than to call that early. So should you.”

“Sorry.” Every instinct inside him was screaming that Beth needed him, but he wasn’t sure where to even start searching for her.

“You really don’t know where she is?” Dani asked.

“Not a clue.”

“Hold tight. I’m throwing on some clothes and coming over there.”

Since he knew “right over” meant at least thirty minutes in Danitalk, Robert wolfed down some cereal and resorted to nervous pacing until she pulled into the driveway. She honked the annoyingly cute horn on her Prius, so he snatched up his phone and sunglasses and went outside.

“Is she back yet?” she called through the open window.

“Nope.”

“No call or text?”

He shook his head.

“Then get in,” Dani ordered. “I know some places we can check.”

* * *

Robert was heartsick. Three hours of searching what seemed like every square inch of Cloverleaf yielded not a single clue as to where Beth had gone. Frustrated enough he wanted to pull his hair out, he weighed the idea of calling the police to get their help. Problem was that he’d heard cops wouldn’t get involved in missing person cases until at least twenty-four hours had passed. If he waited that long, he’d go insane.

Where was she? He’d used up most of the juice in his battery texting and calling her. If she had her cell phone with her, the insistent playing of the song “Anyway” had to be driving her nuts.

God, she loved that song. Beth always talked about how it said so much of what she felt in her heart, that even if the chances of success weren’t good, a person should always try anyway. It was a song of hope and optimism. Pure Bethany.

Why couldn’t she see that the battle for Emma wasn’t lost, not yet at least? Why couldn’t she reach deep down for that optimism, that hope, she needed? He was here for her, ready to fight right alongside her.

So why the disappearing act? There was no answer to be found, not in his own mind or from the Ladies Who Lunch. They’d joined the search about an hour in because Dani insisted the two of them needed help.

His heart leapt when his phone rang, and he fumbled to unclip it from his belt. “Damn it,” he muttered when he saw the caller ID. With a weary sigh, he answered the call. “Hey, Alexis. Now’s not a good time.”

“I’d say not,” she said, a note of anger in her tone. “Do you want to explain why Beth asked me to start annulment proceedings?”

“What?”

Everyone in the supermarket parking lot where he and the other searchers had met turned to stare at him. No wonder, considering he’d shouted loud enough to wake the dead.

“You didn’t know?” Alexis sounded as confused as Robert felt.

“N-no.” He swatted at Dani, who was gripping his elbow and trying to get him to let her hear the conversation. “Is she there w-with you?”

“No. She left a message about an hour ago with my receptionist. I just now got back to the office and immediately called you to see what in the hell had happened.”

“Did she say where she is?” Robert asked.

“She’s not with you?”

“No.” Now he had to brush all three of the Ladies away. “Stop it,” he scolded. “Give me some room.”

“Pardon?” Alexis said.

“Nothing. Look, I haven’t seen Beth all day. Her friends and I have looked absolutely everywhere. Did she say where she was?”

“No, I’m sorry but she didn’t. My assistant said Beth sounded a little… odd. She said Beth also mentioned dropping the adoption petition. I’m really worried about her, Robert.”

“So am I. If you hear anything, p-please call me.”

“I will,” Alexis promised. “And please let me know when you find her. You know, I’ve been thinking hard about Judge Ramsey insisting on this visitation, and if I’m correct, it weighs in our favor.”

“What’s that mean?”

“What if she’s giving Darren a huge dose of reality by having him take care of Emma so he can see how hard it is? She might especially want him to know how much harder it’ll be when they bring the newborn home, too.”

“You think the judge would d-do something like that?”

“Judge Ramsey? Absolutely. Look, go on. Go find Beth.”

“Thanks. I’ll be in t-touch.”

Ben pulled up in his truck only a few moments after Robert ended his call with the lawyer. He jumped out and hurried to the group. “Anything yet?”

“N-no,” Robert snapped. He was so upset he couldn’t get the stutter under control. Never in his life had he feared for someone so deeply. In the back of his mind, he worried that Beth had sunk into a deep depression and might even be suicidal.

No. Not Beth
. No way she would consider taking her own life. She might be feeling a bit beat down by the world right now, but her heart was too full of joy, of life, to ever think about suicide. That was his panic talking.

“What do we do now?” Mallory asked, throwing up her hands.

Everyone else started talking at once. Except Dani. She stood there, lost in thought.

Robert tried to listen to his friends’ suggestions, but all he heard was noise much like the adults in the Charlie Brown cartoons. He kept staring at Dani, and he saw the moment she had what looked like an epiphany. Her eyes widened and she let out a soft gasp.

“W-what?” he asked, barely able to keep from grabbing her arms and giving her a shake to get her to spill. “What did you figure out?”

“I think I know where Beth is.”

He flipped his hand, trying to hurry her up. If she knew where Beth was, he wanted to be there. Now.

“Have any of you noticed that Beth hasn’t cried lately?” Dani asked, her gaze shifting from person to person.

“Of course she’s cried,” Robert insisted.

Dani’s eyes settled on him. “Has she? Really? ’Cause I haven’t seen it. Not at her sister’s funeral. Not over this adoption battle. Not at all!”

“You’re right,” Mallory said with a nod; then she knit her brows. “But Beth cries over everything.”

“Movies. Songs. Even cute puppies,” Jules added. “I’m with Mal. I didn’t see her do more than wipe away a few tears at the funeral, not even at the graveside service. Her only sister died, and she hasn’t cried?” She gave her head a shake. “That’s not the Beth we know.”

“Exactly,” Dani said. “She hasn’t mourned Tiffany. Not really. One minute she’s at the grave; the next, she’s taking care of Emma. She never had a chance to decompress and let go of the grief.”

Robert found some of his patience and actually listened to what had just been said. The more he thought about it, the more he realized they were all right. Beth hadn’t grieved for her sister. There might have been a tear or two, but that was it. They were also correct in saying that was unusual for his wife.

Beth had an enormous heart, and she wore it on her sleeve. At graduation, the Douglas students could pick their most influential teacher to hand them their diplomas. Beth always had the most kids, and there were always tears streaming down her cheeks as she said good-bye to her seniors.

Yet she hadn’t wept over her sister. Add to that the endless stress caused when Darren Brown had been named Emma’s father and then stolen her away. Beth had to feel like a ticking time bomb that was ready to explode.

“You’re right, Dani.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But what does that have to do with where she is now?”

“She’s with the only person who can help her through this,” Dani announced.

Since he figured that person was him, he shook his head. “She’s not here.”

“You’re her husband,” Dani said, “but you’re not who she needs right now.”

“Well, then you’re her best friend,” he tossed back.

“She doesn’t need me, either.”

“Then who?”

“Tiffany. I’ll bet my last tube of lipstick she’s with Tiffany.”

* * *

The grave finally looked acceptable, but it had taken a lot longer than Beth had expected.

She smoothed her hands down her jeans, then winced. She was a mess, covered in mud and grass stains. She easily dismissed her sorry condition. It was worth it to look disheveled since she’d gotten that way fixing Tiffany’s grave.

Weeds. The darn thing had been covered with weeds. The headstone was in place, but with nothing but a slab of gray granite with her sister’s name to mark where she lay, there was no way Tiffany would rest in peace in a place so grim.

Beth had jumped right back into her Beetle and hightailed it to Walmart, where she’d bought a ton of supplies. Once back with her sister, Beth had worked on the grave like a madwoman. Clearing the weeds. Planting the flowers. Putting up a shepherd’s hook.

Then she’d tackled the area adjacent, a small piece of land covered in white rocks with a stone bench and a statue of an angel. Weeds were overgrowing the rocks, and the statue had a light covering of moss. She’d had to weed and scrub the bench and statue. The whole time, she’d complained to herself about the poor care the cemetery took of the grounds and vowed to find the caretaker and give him a piece of her mind.

Now she stood with her mud-caked hands on her hips and was pleased with what she’d done. The grave was now marked by a border of purple and yellow pansies, Tiffany’s favorite flowers. The weeds were stuffed in the empty gray sacks for Beth to toss in the trash can when she left. The bench and statue gleamed, and the rocks were cleared of the annoying weeds.

Then her smile slowly fell. All the hard work was done, which meant she had to start thinking again. Although the thoughts were painful, she could no longer block them.

When she’d awakened that morning, she’d lain there, staring at Robert as he slept. Even with bed-ruffled hair, the man was so handsome. So masculine. Part of her wanted to reach out to him, to let him comfort her through the heartache that seemed too much to bear.