Bridge of Scarlet Leaves. Kristina McMorris

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      16

      She couldn’t stand the wait anymore.

      Maddie threw her coat back on, not bothering to fasten the buttons. She had tried phoning Lane, to confirm he’d made it home. Then to warn him not to come over. But the calls wouldn’t go through. The only person she’d reached was Jo, who had more questions than Maddie felt up for. A third attempt to ring Lane’s house had failed. The chaos of the switchboard was likely the problem, the operator had said. Told her to try again after a spell.

      Maddie, though, didn’t have time to spare. TJ could return at any minute—having gone to a meeting, Jo claimed. Right or wrong, TJ needed a chance to cool off before connecting her wedding band to Lane. And that’s precisely what would happen if the three of them shared an exchange. After the intimacy of her wedding night, how could she possibly hide her feelings in Lane’s presence?

      In the morning, once TJ’s shock had settled, she could explain everything. Rarely did she deviate from tracks laid in reason. He knew this. He knew her.

      At least the brother she used to know did.

      Headed for Lane’s, she hurried from the house and down the front stairs. The tip of her shoe caught on the splintery bottom step, sending her tumbling. Exhaustion from the day wilted her body. No chance to rest. She heaved herself up and brushed off her gritty palms. A hole tore through her silk stockings, among the few she owned. Yet the misfortune had become a meaningless hiccup in the grand scheme.

      She continued toward the street with a hindered stride. At this pace, the walk would stretch to a good twenty minutes, widening the opportunity for the guys to cross paths.

      Should she go or stay? Which option would be worth the risk?

      Frustrated by her own indecision, she wagered her hopes on a car approaching from the end of the long suburban street. The vehicle rumbled in and out of moonlight slanting between houses. Its chrome grille had the opened fish-mouth shape of a Buick’s.

      “Lane, please be you.” She focused on the windshield, breath held.

      “Are you all right, dearie?” a woman called. It was her elderly neighbor, leaning out from behind her screen door. “I was just watering my pansies in the window when I saw you take a fall.”

      “Oh, yes, I’ll be fine.” Maddie flung the reply behind her.

      “I have some peroxide if you scraped yourself up. You remember what I told you about my nephew’s ankle, after he didn’t care for it properly. Ended up almost dying in the hospital.”

      No matter how dire the situation, Maddie knew better than to entrap herself in the house of a person who took pride in enumerating worst-case scenarios.

      “I appreciate the offer. But I’ll be okay.” Maddie stretched her neck toward the street.

      “What are you doing out here, exactly? If you pardon my asking.”

      “Just waiting for . . . a friend,” she said, at last determining that Lane—thank goodness—was the driver behind the wheel.

      “Well,” the woman replied, “if you change your mind.”

      A creak indicated the screen door had shut, but Maddie could sense the peering of curious eyes.

      Thoughts roaming in a fog, Lane pulled over slowly to the curb. He didn’t notice Maddie waiting outside until she bolted around the hood to reach him. As he stepped out of the car, she spoke in a quiet rush.

      “TJ’s on a rampage. If he finds out about us tonight, I don’t know what he’ll do. I tried to call your house, to warn you not to come over, but I couldn’t get through.”

      Lane fixed his attention on her lips. Their movements shaped syllables that had become hard for him to grasp.

      “Sweetheart,” she said. “Did you hear me?”

      “They cut our lines,” he heard himself say.

      “They what?”

      “Cut our phone lines. The FBI arrested my father. Took boxes full of our things.”

      She covered the base of her neck with her hand. “But—why?”

      The image of his dad being driven away, handcuffed like a criminal, came charging back. The insanity of it all beat like a fist behind his forehead. “They said they needed him for more questioning. They’re wasting time. I’m telling you, he had nothing to do with it.”

      “Of course he didn’t,” Maddie said in natural agreement.

      Lane raked his hand through his hair. Why did he feel the need to present her with his case?

      “Oh, honey, you’ll figure this out. You always do.” Her eyes shone with belief, a deepened trust that he could conquer any obstacle. But rather than it fortifying him, for the first time ever, he felt afraid of failing her.

      “How is Emma?” she asked. “And your mom?”

      “They’re all right. Or they will be, once my dad is back.” By morning. That’s what the agent had said. If not, Lane would find a way to bring him home. He had to. “I’ll come by as soon as I know more.”

      “Why don’t I stop over instead? At your house sometime tomorrow?”

      The house. Shredded to pieces.

      “We’ll see.”

      In the awkward silence, she glanced at the neighboring home. Was she nervous about their being seen together? Lane had grown accustomed to keeping their relationship under wraps, but he’d presumed that would change after their vows.

      “I’ve gotta go.” He started to duck into the car.

      “Just a minute.” She clutched his hand on the rim of the door. “I wanted to say that—no matter what—I hope you know that . . .” She trailed off, enwrapped him with her arms. Against his cheek, she finished in a heartfelt whisper, “I love you, Lane. I love you so much.”

      His eyelids lowered, blocking out all but the warmth of her breath, the softness of her hair and body. They were again in that hotel suite, curled up under the oblivion of the sheets. A complimentary bowl of nuts and fruit adorned the bureau. It could have sustained them for at least another day. Why, in God’s name, did he ever let them leave that room?

      Maddie СКАЧАТЬ