Operation: Married by Christmas. Debra Clopton

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СКАЧАТЬ was opening his truck door when she buzzed down the steps toward him. The loud shuffle of feet could be heard as the diners filed out onto the sidewalk behind her.

      “Will Sutton,” she snapped. “You can judge me and be angry at me if you want to because I left you standing at that altar ten years ago. But hey, guess what? I didn’t see you coming to get me.”

      She’d almost gotten married three times, and the truth was that the only man of the three she’d expected or wanted to come after her had been Will. And he hadn’t.

      Why was that? He’d said he loved her. If you loved someone, didn’t you try to hang on to them? Didn’t you fight for them? Despite their argument and her bruised heart, she’d expected him to care enough to come after her. To try and make things right.

      His cold stare raked over her. “It wouldn’t have mattered if I came after you. You’d made your choice.”

      Speechless at his coldness, Haley watched him climb into his truck, back out onto Main Street then drive away. “It might have,” she whispered into the chilling wind, knowing it was true. She’d been a young woman struggling with self-esteem and identity issues everyone around her seemed oblivious to. Especially the man who professed to love her. Despite what he thought, his coming after her would have mattered. That he didn’t think so still stung. And, amazingly, proved he continued to have the ability to hurt her. Even after all these years.

      Chapter Four

      Haley bit her lip as she realized she’d just made a scene in front of everyone standing behind her. How could wounds so old feel so raw and fresh? She closed her eyes and struggled for calm. She and Will had planned to marry a week before Christmas ten years ago. Their almost wedding anniversary was coming up and, truth be told, there hadn’t been a Christmas season that didn’t pass without her thinking about what might have been…if only he’d cared enough.

      Reeling in her emotions, Haley clasped her palms together and plastered on a smile as she watched him disappear down the street. She was determined that no one would know just how much she’d been shaken by Will Sutton’s condemnation.

      Condemnation.

      Just who did the man think he was? She frowned, and her temper started escalating again. Sucking in a cleansing breath of cool air, she had to really concentrate to put on her saleswoman’s face—the everything’s-going-my-way face.

      It was hard to do sometimes, but she wasn’t making her way up the ladder of success by accident. Nope, she’d faced harder people than Will over the last few years, kept her wits about her and come out on top. She learned early on that many of her fellow real-estate agents would weasel and lie and connive to take her sales at every opportunity. Five-and six-figure commissions tended to bring out the worst in people. It had taken being tricked out of a few commissions and having to eat peanut butter for a month, but she’d finally smartened up and shucked the small-town gullibility…on the inside. On the outside she learned that her open and friendly face was her number-one moneymaker. Once she’d learned to watch her back and not trust anyone but herself, things had started to happen. Haley could smile with the best of them and charm her way right to the bank. The saying Don’t Get Mad, Get Even went a long way toward the truth.

      Haley spun around, smile in place. “I don’t know about all of you, but a good fight in the morning makes me so hungry I could eat a bear. How about it, Sam? It’s been far too many years since I had your bacon and eggs.”

      To her surprise, everyone was smiling at her even before she’d turned around. It was a bit disconcerting, but instantly her fake smile turned genuine. She had forgotten just how sweet Mule Hollow residents could be.

      “One plate of eggs and bacon coming up, Haley Bell,” Sam said, holding the door for her as everyone parted and let her enter the diner first.

      “See, what’d I tell y’ all,” she heard Applegate say to Norma Sue and Esther Mae as she passed by him. He was grinning, and Haley’s heart felt good in that moment. Since her grandma Birdie had died, he just hadn’t been the same. And though he didn’t say much about it when they talked, Haley knew he missed her something fierce. Again, guilt settled on Haley’s shoulders.

      Before she could sink with the weight of it, the majority of people started telling her goodbye, streaming back out of the diner on their way to work. The exuberant salon owner, Lacy, whom Haley would easily have recognized from Molly Popp’s description in the newspaper columns, threw her arms around her and hugged her. Then she dashed off. It was as if she were standing there one minute and—poof—she was gone with only the swinging door to prove that she had indeed been there. Haley was completely taken by surprise, and she couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her. So that was the woman who’d helped bring about this amazing change in Mule Hollow and its Main Street.

      Haley decided then and there that she would make it a point to meet Lacy again.

      “She’s always like that,” Esther Mae said. “We get a real kick out of that one.”

      “She seems really fun,” Haley said and started to follow her grandpa back to his table.

      “Oh, no you don’t,” Norma Sue said, grasping her by both shoulders and aiming her toward a booth. “Haley Bell, you come sit with us.”

      Haley glanced at Applegate and he started to protest, but Norma Sue cut him off. “Now remember, Applegate, you and Stanley have a checker game calling your names. Besides, you and Haley Bell can visit after y’ all go home.”

      “That’s right,” Esther Mae said, pushing Haley into the booth then scooting in beside her so that Haley had to slide in fast or get sat on.

      Immediately, Adela and Norma Sue sat down across the table and looked expectantly at her. Haley was surrounded, plain and simple. She couldn’t have gotten away from their inquiring eyes if she wanted to.

      “I just have to ask,” Esther Mae cooed, leaning in and batting her lashes. “Who’s your favorite movie star that you’ve met out there?”

      “Well, I—” Haley started to answer but Esther Mae was so excited she kept right on going.

      “I just love that Paul Newman. Cool Hand Luke. You know, that movie he was in, Cool Hand Luke. Oh, he just makes my heart pitter-patter thinking about it. Did you get to meet him yet?”

      “Esther Mae,” Norma Sue snapped. “Calm down, and let the girl talk. So did you? Did you meet Paul Newman? My favorite movie of his is Hud. You know, he was such a good bad boy. Just made you want to reform him yourself.”

      Esther Mae harrumphed. “Talk about hogging the conversation. How’s she supposed to answer with you going on like that? So did ya?”

      Haley met Adela’s laughing blue eyes and smiled. “Yes. His main home is in Connecticut, but actually I did meet Mr. Newman and his lovely wife at a charity that I was attending just last month.”

      “No you didn’t!” exclaimed Esther Mae. “You really did?”

      Haley laughed and nodded. “I really did.”

      Norma Sue sighed and her eyes got all dreamy for a minute. “Was he as cute up close as he is in the movies?”

      Haley assured them that he was.

      “How СКАЧАТЬ