Call Me Irresistible

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Skeet turned up the volume in response to Ted’s intrusion. Meg pulled herself together and poked her head out into the living room. “Surprise.”

Ted’s ball cap shaded his eyes, but his rigid jaw indicated stormy weather. “What are you doing here?”

She made a grand gesture toward the recliner. “I’ve taken a new lover. Sorry you had to find out like this.”

“Golf Central’s on,” Skeet grumbled, “and I can’t hear a damn thing.”

Dallie came out of the hallway behind her. “That’s because you’re going deaf. I been telling you for months to buy some damned hearing aids. Hey there, son. How did things go at the landfill?”

Ted’s hands stayed aggressively planted on his hips. “What’s she doing here? She’s supposed to be staying with me.”

Dallie turned his attention back to her, his blue eyes as clear as a Hill Country sky. “I told you he wouldn’t be happy about this, Meg. Next time you need to listen to me.” He shook his head sadly. “I tried my damnedest to talk her out of it, son, but Meg sure does have a mind of her own.”

She had a couple of choices. She picked the one that didn’t involve punching someone. “It’s better this way.”

“Better for whom?” Ted retorted. “It sure as hell isn’t better for me. And it’s not better for you, either.”

“As a matter of fact, it is. You have no idea—”

“Best you two have this discussion in private.” Dallie looked embarrassed, which he wasn’t. “Your mom and I are eating at the club tonight. Normally, I’d invite you both to join us, but there seems to be a lot of tension.”

“You’re damned right there’s tension,” Ted said. “She’s got some wacko out there gunning for her, and I want her where I can keep an eye on her.”

“Doubt she’ll come to much harm here.” Dallie headed for the front door. “Except for her eardrums.”

The door closed behind him. Ted’s censorious gaze, along with her damp clothes and clammy underwear, gave her goose bumps. She stomped down the hallway to her bedroom and knelt before her suitcase. “I’ve had a hard day,” she said as he stalked into the room behind her. “You can go away now, too.”

“I can’t believe you let them get to you!” he exclaimed. “I thought you had more backbone.”

She wasn’t surprised that he’d seen through his father’s charade. She pulled a bag, neatly packed with her toiletries, from the suitcase. “I’m hungry, and I need a shower.”

His pacing stopped. The mattress sighed as he sat on the edge. Seconds ticked by before he spoke so softly she could barely hear. “Sometimes I want to leave this town so bad I can taste it.”

A rush of tenderness filled her. She set aside the bag and went to him. As the sounds of a Viagra commercial echoed from the living room, she smiled and pulled off his ball cap. “You are this town,” she whispered. And then she kissed him.

Two days later, as she sat in the shade by the fifth tee reading about large-scale composting, one of the junior caddies buzzed toward her in a cart. “You’re wanted in the pro shop,” he said. “I’ll take over here.”

She drove his cart back to the clubhouse with a sense of foreboding that turned out to be justifiable. No sooner had she stepped into the pro shop than a pair of large, sweaty hands settled over her eyes. “Guess who?”

She suppressed a groan, then pulled herself together. “The manly drawl suggests Matt Damon, but something tells me . . . Leonardo DiCaprio, right?”

A hearty laugh, the hands dropped, and Spencer Skipjack turned her to face him. He wore his Panama hat, an aqua sports shirt, and dark pants. A big grin stretched his big mouth over his big square white veneers. “I have definitely missed you, Miz Meg. You’re one of a kind.”

Plus, she had ultrafamous parents, and she was more than twenty years his junior, an irresistible combination to an egomaniac. “Hey, Spence. Thanks for the presents.”

“That soap dish is from our new line. Retails for a hundred and eighty-five dollars. Did you get my message?”

She played dumb. “Message?”

“About tonight. What with all my traveling, I’ve been neglecting you, but that’s going to change starting right now.” He made a vague gesture toward the front offices. “I sprung you from work for the rest of the day. We’re flying to Dallas.” He grabbed her arm. “First, a little shopping trip for you at Neiman’s, then drinks at the Adolphus and dinner at the Mansion. My plane’s waiting for us.”

He’d dragged her halfway to the door, and this time he wasn’t going to let her put him off as she’d done before. The most appealing of her options involved telling him to go to hell, but the land surveyors were still in town, the resort deal was practically signed, and she wouldn’t be the ultimate spoiler. “You’re the most thoughtful man.”

“Neiman’s was Sunny’s idea.”

“She’s amazing.”

“She’s spending the day with Ted. The two of them have a lot of catching up to do.”

Sunny might not have heard about the luncheon kiss, but she would almost certainly have heard about Ted’s legendary lovemaking skills, and Meg suspected she’d be doing everything she could to find out for herself if the stories were true. Meg also knew Ted wouldn’t touch her. Having that much faith in a man unsettled her. Hadn’t she trusted men before? But none of those men were Ted.

Ted . . . who’d claimed her in front of the town and damned the consequences. A stupid, boneheaded thing to do that meant everything to her.

She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. “We know each other well enough that I can be honest, right?”

The sight of his narrowing eyes wasn’t encouraging, so she dumped her dignity and tried a pout. “What I’d really like is a golf lesson.”

“A golf lesson?”

“You have such a beautiful swing. It reminds me of Kenny’s, but I can’t exactly ask him for a lesson, and I want to learn from the best. Please, Spence. You’re such a great player. It’d mean a lot more to me than another trip to Dallas, where I’ve been at least a thousand times.” More like once, but he didn’t know that, and twenty minutes later, they were on the practice range.

Unlike Torie, Spence was a miserable teacher, more interested in having her admire his swing than helping her develop her own, but Meg acted as though he was the king of all golf instructors. As he droned on, she found herself wondering if he was as committed to building an environmentally conscious resort as Ted believed. When they finally sat on the bench to take a break, she decided to go on a fishing expedition. “You’re so good at this. I swear, Spence, your love for the game shows through in everything you do.”

“I’ve been playing since I was a kid.”

“That’s why you have so much respect for the sport. Look at you. Anybody with money can build a golf course, but how many men have the vision to build a course that’ll set the benchmark for future generations?”

“I believe in doing what’s right.”

That was encouraging. She amped it up a little. “I know you’ll say all the environmental awards you’re sure to win aren’t what’s most important, but you deserve every bit of the recognition that’s coming to you.”

She thought she’d gone too far, but she’d once again underestimated his bottomless ego. “Somebody has to set the new standard,” he said, echoing words she’d heard from Ted.

She pressed a little harder. “Don’t forget to hire a photographer to take photos of the landfill the way it is now. I’m not a journalist, but I’m guessing the various award committees are going to want really good before and after pictures.”

“Now don’t be putting the cart ahead of the horse, Miz Meg. I haven’t signed anything yet.”

She hadn’t really expected him to reveal his final decision to her, but she’d hoped. A hawk soared overhead, and Spence started making noises about a romantic dinner at one of the local vineyards. If she had to eat with him, she wanted to do it someplace where she’d have lots of company, so she insisted that only the Roustabout’s barbecue could satisfy her appetite.

Sure enough, they’d barely been seated before reinforcements began to arrive. Dallie sauntered in first, followed by Shelby Traveler, who hadn’t even taken time to put on her mascara. Kayla’s father, Bruce, still wearing his workout shorts, rushed in next, darting dirty looks at Meg while he ordered. They had no intention of leaving her alone with Spence, and by nine o’clock, their group occupied three tables, with Ted and Sunny noticeably missing.

Meg had taken a shower in the locker room before they’d left the club and changed into her spare outfit: an unimpressive funnel-neck gray top, swirly skirt, and sandals, but dressing down didn’t discourage Spence, who couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He took advantage of any excuse to press against her. He ran his finger over her wrist, readjusted the paper napkin in her lap, and brushed her breast with his arm as he reached for a bottle of Tabasco. Lady Emma did her best to distract him, but Spence had all the power, and he intended to use it to get what he wanted. Which was how she ended up standing in the parking lot under the red and blue neon roustabout sign with her phone pressed to her ear.

“Dad, I have one of your biggest fans here,” she said when her father picked up. “I know you’ve heard of Spencer Skipjack, the founder of Viceroy Industries. They make the most luxurious plumbing products. He’s basically a genius.”

Spence grinned, and his chest inflated in the neon flicker like one of Chef’s pre–car crash soufflés.

She’d pulled her father away from his ancient Smith Corona typewriter or from her mother. Either way, he wasn’t happy. “What’s this about, Meg?”

“Can you believe it?” she replied. “As busy as he is, he gave me a golf lesson today.”

His annoyance shifted to concern. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“Absolutely not. Golf is the most amazing game. But then, you know that.”

“You’d better have a good reason for this.”

“I do. Here he is.”

She shoved the phone at Spence and hoped for the best.

Spence immediately adopted an embarrassing intimacy with her father, peppering a movie critique with plumbing advice, offering the use of his private jet, and telling Jake Koranda where he should eat in L.A. Apparently her father didn’t say anything to offend him because Spence was beaming when he finally handed her phone back.

Her father, however, wasn’t nearly as happy. “That guy’s an idiot.”

“I knew you’d be impressed. Love you.” Meg flipped her phone shut and gave Spence a thumbs-up. “My father doesn’t usually take to people so quickly.”

One look at Spence’s beaming expression told her the conversation had only intensified his fixation on her. He curled his hands around her arms and began to pull her to him just as the Roustabout’s door flew open and Torie, who’d finally realized they were missing, came flying out to the rescue. “Hurry up, you two. Kenny just ordered three of every dessert on the menu.”

Spence didn’t take his predatory eyes off Meg. “Meg and I have other plans.”

“The molten lava cake?” Meg cried.

“And the spicy peach cobbler!” Torie exclaimed.

They managed to get Spence back inside, but Meg was sick of being held hostage. Fortunately, she’d insisted on driving herself, and after four bites of lava cake, she got up from the table. “It’s been a long day, and I have to work tomorrow.”

Dallie was immediately on his feet. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Kenny shoved a beer at Spence, stopping him before he could follow. “I sure could use some business advice, Spence, and I can’t think of a better man to turn to.”

She made her escape.

Yesterday when she’d come out of work, she’d discovered that the Rustmobile’s broken windshield had been replaced with a new one. Ted denied having done it, but she knew he was responsible. So far, nothing else of hers had been vandalized, but it wasn’t over. Whoever hated her wouldn’t give up, not as long as she stayed in Wynette.

When she got to the house, she found Skeet asleep in the recliner. She tiptoed past him into her bedroom. As she kicked off her sandals, the window slid open and Ted’s lanky body squeezed through. Little eddies of pleasure swirled inside her. She cocked her head. “I’m sure glad we’re not sneaking around anymore.”

“I didn’t want to talk to Skeet, and not even you can make me mad tonight.”

“Sunny finally put out?”

“Even better.” He grinned. “The announcement’s coming tomorrow. Spence picked Wynette.”

She smiled. “Congratulations, Mr. Mayor.” She started to hug him, then pulled back. “You do know you’re making a deal with the devil.”

“Spence’s ego is his weakness. As long as we control that, we control the man.”

“Ruthless, but true,” she said. “I still can’t believe all those women kept their mouths shut.”

“About what?”

“Your temporary lapse of sanity at your mother’s luncheon. Twenty women! Twenty-one if we count Mummy.”

But he had something more pressing on his mind. “I have a P.R. firm standing by. The minute the ink’s dry on the land contract, a press release is going out crowning Spence the leader of golf’s green movement. I’m going to make sure he’s in too deep right from the beginning to ever pull out.”

“I love it when you talk dirty.”

Even as she teased him, an uneasiness came over her, a feeling that she was missing something, but she forgot about it as she began pulling at his clothes. He cooperated beautifully, and they were soon naked on her bed, the breeze from the open window falling across their skin.

This time she wasn’t going to let him take over. “Close your eyes,” she whispered. “Tight.”

He did as she asked, and she nuzzled her way to a small, taut nipple. She dawdled there for a while, then slipped her hand between his thighs. She kissed him, cupped him, stroked.

His eyelids inched open, lids heavy. He reached for her, but she slid on top of him before he could take over. Slowly, she began guiding him into her body—a body not completely ready for such a formidable invasion. But the reluctant stretch and ache excited her.

Now his eyes were fully open. She began to pull herself down hard upon him only to feel his hands gripping her thighs, holding her back. His brow furrowed. She didn’t want to see concern there. She wanted ravishment.

But he was too much the gentleman.

He arched his back and settled his mouth over her breast. The movement raised his thighs and lifted her off him. “Not so fast,” he whispered against her moist nipple.

Yes, fast! she wanted to cry out. Fast and awkward and crazy and passionate.

But he’d felt her tightness, and he was having none of it. He wouldn’t let her endure even a moment’s discomfort in pursuit of his own satisfaction. As he teased her nipple, he reached between their bodies and began to perform his magic tricks, arousing her until she was mindless. Another A-plus performance.

She recovered first and rolled out from under him. His eyes were closed, and she tried to find reassurance in the rapid rise and fall of his chest, his sweat-slicked skin. But despite his rumpled hair and the slight puffiness she’d inflicted on his bottom lip, she couldn’t make herself believe she’d really touched him, not in any lasting way. Only the memory of that reckless public kiss told her she wasn’t being a fool.

The town erupted with the news that Spence had chosen Wynette. For the next three days, people hugged each other on the street, the Roustabout poured free beers, and the barbershop blasted out old Queen anthems from an ancient boom box. Ted couldn’t go anywhere without men pounding him on the back and women hurling themselves at him, not that they didn’t do that anyway. The good news even eclipsed Kayla’s announcement that the contest bidding had reached twelve thousand dollars.

Meg barely saw him. He was either on the phone with Spence’s lawyers, who were due to fly in any day to finalize the contracts, or he was involved in Operation Avoid Sunny. She missed him dreadfully, right along with their less-than-satisfactory sex life.

She was doing her own avoidance dance with Spence. Fortunately, the local citizens had joined the effort to keep him away from her. Still, the uneasiness she’d been carrying around for days wouldn’t go away.

On Sunday after work she made a detour to the swimming hole to cool off. She’d developed a deep affection for both the creek and the Pedernales River that fed it. Although she’d seen photos of the way a sudden rainstorm could transform the river into a raging corridor of destruction, the water had always been gentle with her.

Cypress and ash grew near the creek’s bank, and she sometimes caught sight of a whitetail deer or an armadillo. Once a coyote came out from behind some buttonbush and looked as startled to see her as she was to see it. But today the cool waters failed to work their magic. She couldn’t get past the disquieting notion that she was missing something important. It dangled in front of her, a piece of fruit she couldn’t quite reach.

A cloud rolled in, and a scrub jay scolded her from the branch of a nearby hackberry tree. She shook the water from her hair and dove under again. When she came up, she wasn’t alone.

Spence loomed above her on the riverbank, the clothes she’d abandoned hanging from his big hands. “You shouldn’t go swimming by yourself, Miz Meg. It’s not safe.”

Her toes dug into the mud, and water lapped at her shoulders. He must have followed her here, but she’d been too preoccupied to notice. A stupid mistake that someone with so many enemies should never have made. The sight of him holding her clothes made her stomach knot. “No offense, Spence, but I’m not in the mood for company.”

“Maybe I’m tired of waiting for you to be ready.” Still holding her clothes, he sat on a big rock by the river’s edge next to the towel she’d left there and studied her. He was dressed for business in navy pants and a long-sleeved blue oxford dress shirt he’d begun to sweat through. “It seems every time I start to have a serious conversation with you, you manage to slip away.”

She was naked except for a sodden pair of panties, and as much as she might like to think of Spence as a buffoon, he wasn’t. A cloud skittered over the sun. She clenched her fists under the water. “I’m a happy-go-lucky person. I don’t like serious conversations.”

“Comes a time when everybody has to get serious.”

The way he slid her bra through his fingers gave her chills, and she didn’t like being frightened. “Go away, Spence. You weren’t invited.”

“Either you come out or I’m coming in.”

“I’m staying where I am. I don’t like this, and I want you to leave.”

“That water looks damned inviting.” He set her clothes next to him on the rock. “Did I ever tell you I swam competitively in college?” He began taking off his shoes. “I even thought about training for the Olympics, but I had too much else going on.”

She sank deeper into the water. “If you’re seriously interested in me, Spence, you’re going about this the wrong way.”

He pulled off his socks. “I should have been up front with you earlier, but Sunny says I can be too blunt. My mind works faster than most people’s. She says I don’t always give people enough time to get to know me.”

“She’s right. You should listen to your daughter.”

“Cut the bull, Meg. You’ve had plenty of time.” His fingers worked at the buttons of his blue oxford dress shirt. “You think all I want is a roll in the hay. I want more than that, but you won’t stay still long enough to hear me out.”

“I apologize. I’ll meet you in town for dinner, and you can say whatever you want to.”

“We need privacy for this discussion, and we won’t have that in town.” He unfastened his cuffs. “The two of us have a future together. Maybe not marriage, but a future. Being together. I knew that the first time I met you.”

“We don’t have a future. Be real. You’re only attracted to me because of my father. You don’t even know me. You just think you do.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He took off his shirt revealing a gruesomely hairy chest. “I’ve been around longer than you have, and I understand human nature a lot better.” He stood. “Look at you. Driving a fucking drink cart at a third-rate public course that calls itself a country club. Some women do just fine on their own, but you’re not one of them. You need someone picking up the check.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Am I?” He came toward the riverbank. “Your parents brought you up soft. It was a mistake I didn’t make with Sunny. She worked at the plant from the time she was fourteen, so she learned early on where a dollar came from. But that’s not the way it was with you. You had all the advantages and none of the responsibility.”

There was enough truth in his words to sting.

He stopped at the riverbank. A raven called out. The water rushed around her. She shivered from the chill and from her vulnerability.

His hands dropped to his belt buckle. She sucked in her breath as he pulled it open. “Stop right there,” she said.

“I’m hot and that water looks real good.”

“I mean it, Spence. I don’t want you here.”

“You just think you don’t.” He pulled off his pants, tossed them aside, and stood in front of her. His hairy belly hung over white boxers, pasty legs protruding beneath.

“Spence, I don’t like this.”

“You brought it on yourself, Miz Meg. If you’d gone to Dallas with me like I wanted yesterday, we could have had this discussion on my plane.” He dove in. The splash hit her in the eyes. She blinked, and within seconds, he’d surfaced beside her, his hair plastered to his head, rivulets of water running through his blue-black beard. “What’s the real problem, Meg? You think I won’t take care of you?”

“I don’t want you to take care of me.” She didn’t know if he intended to rape her or if he merely wanted to make her submit to his authority. She only knew she had to get away, but as she backed toward the riverbank, his arm shot out and he grabbed her wrist. “Come here.”

“Let me go.”

His thumbs dug into her upper arms. He was strong, and he lifted her off the rocky bottom, exposing her breasts. She saw his lips coming toward her, those big square teeth aiming for her mouth.

“Meg!”

A figure shot out of the trees. Slim, dark-haired, dressed in hip-hugging shorts and a retro Haight-Ashbury T-shirt.

“Haley!” Meg cried.

Spence jumped back as if he’d been hit. Haley came closer, then stopped. She hugged herself, crossing her arms over her chest and clutching her elbows, unsure what to do next.

Meg didn’t know why she’d shown up, but she’d never been so glad to see anyone. Spence’s heavy, drawn eyebrows jutted ominously over his small eyes. Meg made herself look at him. “Spence was just leaving, weren’t you, Spence?”

The fury in his expression told her that their love affair was over. By puncturing his ego, she’d moved to the top of his enemies list.

He pulled himself out of the water. His white briefs clung to his buttocks, and she looked away. Haley stood frozen in the shade, and he didn’t spare her a glance as he jerked on his pants and shoved his feet into his shoes without his socks. “You think you got the best of me, but you haven’t.” His voice was almost a growl as he snatched up his shirt. “Nothing happened here, and don’t either of you try to say otherwise.”

He disappeared up the path.

Meg’s teeth were chattering, and her knees had locked so she couldn’t move.

Haley finally found her tongue. “I’ve—I’ve got to go.”

“Not yet. Help me out. I’m a little shaky.”

Haley came toward the bank. “You shouldn’t swim here by yourself.”

“Believe me, I won’t be doing it again. It was stupid.” A sharp stone bit into the ball of her foot, and she winced. “Here, give me your hand.”

With Haley’s help, she made it up onto the riverbank. She was dripping and naked except for her panties, and her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. She grabbed the towel she’d brought with her and sank down onto the sun-heated rock. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t shown up.”

Haley looked toward the path. “Are you going to call the police?”

“Do you really think anybody wants to take Spence on right now?”

Haley rubbed her elbow. “What about Ted? Are you going to tell him?”

Meg imagined the consequences of doing just that and didn’t like what she saw. But she also wasn’t keeping this to herself. She rubbed her hair with the towel, then balled it up. “I’ll call in sick at work for the next few days and make sure Spence can’t find me. But as soon as that bastard’s down payment is in the bank, I’m telling Ted exactly what happened. A few other people, too. They need to know how ruthless Spence can be.” She clutched the towel. “For now, keep it to yourself, okay?”

“I wonder what Spence would have done if I hadn’t shown up?”

“I don’t want to think about it.” Meg grabbed her T-shirt from the ground and pulled it on, but she couldn’t make herself touch the bra he’d held. “I don’t know what stroke of luck brought you here today, but I sure am glad. What did you want?”

Haley twitched, as if the question startled her. “I was— I don’t know.” Color flooded her face beneath her makeup. “I was driving, and I thought you might want to . . . go get burgers or something.”

Meg’s hands stalled on the hem of her T-shirt. “Everybody knows I’m staying at Skeet’s. How did you find me here?”

“What difference does it make?” She spun around and headed for the path.

“Wait!”

But Haley didn’t wait, and her reaction was so extreme, so out of proportion to their conversation, that Meg was taken aback. Then everything clicked into place.

Her chest constricted. She shoved her feet into her flip-flops and ran after her. She took the shortcut through the cemetery instead of following the path. Her flip-flops slapped her heels, and weeds grabbed her still-damp legs. She reached the front of the church just as Haley ran around from the back, and she blocked her path. “Stop right there! I want to talk to you.”

“Get out of my way!”

Haley tried to get past her, but Meg wouldn’t let her. “You knew I was here because you followed me. Just like Spence did.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Let me go!”

Meg tightened her grip. “It was you.”

“Stop it!”

Haley tried to free her arm, but Meg held fast as water dripped icy fingers down the back of her neck. “All this time. You’re the one who broke into the church. You’re the one who sent that letter and threw the rock at my car. All along. It was you.”

Haley’s chest heaved. “I don’t— I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Meg’s damp T-shirt clung to her skin, and goose bumps broke out on her arms. She felt sick. “I thought we were friends.”

Her words cut something loose inside Haley. She jerked her arm away, and her sneer distorted her mouth. “Friends! Yeah, you were a friend, all right.”

The wind picked up. An animal scuttled in the brush. Meg finally understood. “This is because of Ted . . .”

Haley’s face crumpled with fury. “You told me you weren’t in love with him. You told me you were just saying that to get rid of Spence. And I believed you. I was so stupid. I believed you until that night I saw you together.”

The night Meg and Ted had made love at the church and Meg had seen those headlights. Her stomach twisted. “You spied on us.”

“I didn’t spy!” Haley cried. “It wasn’t like that! I was driving around, and I saw Ted’s truck go by. He’d been out of town, and I wanted to talk to him.”

“So you followed him here.”

She shook her head, the movement jerky. “I didn’t know where he was going. I just wanted to talk to him.”

“And you accomplished that by spying on us through the window.”

Tears of rage spilled over her lids. “You lied to me! You told me it was all fake!”

“I didn’t lie. That’s the way it started out. But things changed, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to make a big announcement about it.” Meg regarded her with disgust. “I can’t believe you did those things to me. Do you have any idea how it felt?”

Haley swiped at her nose with the back of her hand. “I didn’t hurt you. I only wanted you to go away.”

“What about Kyle? That’s what I don’t understand. I thought you were crazy about him. I’ve seen you together.”

“I told him to leave me alone, but he kept showing up at work.” Dirty mascara tears smeared her cheeks. “Last year, when I liked him, he wouldn’t even talk to me. Then, when I stopped liking him, all of a sudden he wanted to go out.”

The pieces came together. “You didn’t change your mind about going to U.T. because of Kyle. All along, it was because of Ted. Because he and Lucy weren’t getting married.”

“So what?” Her nose was red, her skin blotchy.

“Did you do this kind of thing to her? Harass her like you’ve harassed me?”

“Lucy was different.”

“She was going to marry him! But you left her alone and went after me. Why? I don’t get that.”

“I didn’t love him then,” she said fiercely. “Not the way I do now. Everything changed after she ran out on him. Before then—I had a crush on him like everybody else, but it was a kid thing. After she left, it was like I could see all the pain in his heart, and I wanted to make it go away. Like I understood him when nobody else did.”

One more woman who thought she understood Ted Beaudine.

Haley’s eyes were fierce. “I knew then that I’d never love anybody like I love him. And if you love somebody that much, they have to feel it back, don’t they? I had to make him see me for who I am. It was working, too. I only needed more time. And then you went after him.”

Haley was long overdue for a reality check, and Meg was angry enough to deliver it. “It was only working in your fantasies. Ted was never going to fall in love with you. You’re too young, and he’s too difficult.”

“He’s not difficult! How can you say that about him?”

“Because it’s true.” Meg stepped away from her in disgust. “You’re a baby. Eighteen going on twelve. Real love makes you a better person. It doesn’t turn you into a sneak and a vandal. Do you really think Ted could love someone who’s been hurting another person the way you have?”

Her words hit home, and Haley’s face crumpled. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I just wanted you to leave.”

“Obviously. What were you planning to do to me today?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I don’t know!” she cried. “I— When I saw you swimming, I guess I was going to take your clothes. Maybe burn them.”

“Real mature.” Meg paused and rubbed her wrist where Spence had grabbed her. “Instead, you came out of hiding to protect me.”

“I wanted you to go away, not get raped!”

Meg didn’t think Spence would have raped her, but she tended to be an optimist.

The sound of tires on gravel interrupted their drama. They turned together and saw a powder blue pickup racing down the lane.