Best Kept Secrets(94)

years ago, that was still a definite sin."

"Alex, stop this."

"That explains why Grandma never really loved me. I

ruined Celina's life, and she never forgave me for it. Celina

couldn't have Reede, couldn't have you, couldn't have a

future. And all because of me. Oh God!"

The curse, or prayer, was cried in a wailing voice. Alex

turned away from him and yanked the door open. She ran

across the porch and down the steps toward her car.

"Alex!" He started after her.

"What the hell's going on?" Angus demanded as Alex

rushed past him toward her car.

"Leave her alone, you two." Sarah Jo was standing at the

top of the stairs, where she had watched and overheard everything.



Junior spun around. "Mother, how could you? How could

you hurt Alex that way?"

"I didn't tell her to hurt her."

'What'd you tell her?" Angus asked. He filled up the open

doorway, baffled and impatient because no one was answering

his questions.

"Of course it hurt her," Junior said. "You knew it would.

Why tell her at all?"

'Because she needed to know. The only one who can hurt

Alex is Alex herself. She's chasing an illusion. The mother

she's looking for didn't exist in Celina Gaither. Merle filled

her head with a lot of nonsense about how wonderful Celina

was. She forgot to tell the girl how devious her mother was.

It was time Alex found out."

"Shit!" Angus cursed. "Will somebody please tell me

what the hell is going on?"



Twenty-six



Angus quietly closed the bedroom door behind him as he

came in. Sarah Jo, propped against the pillows on their bed,

laid her book aside and peered at him over the rims of the

glasses that were perched on the tip of her nose. "Coming

to bed so early?"

She looked about as harmful as a butterfly, but Angus knew

that her frail appearance camouflaged an iron will. If she ever

gave ground it was out of indifference, not defeat. "I want

to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About what happened this afternoon.'



She pressed her fingers to her temples. "It gave me quite

a headache. That's why I didn't come down to dinner."

"Taken anything?"

"Yes. It's better now."

They had repeated this same exchange regarding her headaches

nearly every day of their marriage.

"Don't sit on the bedspread," she scolded as he lowered

himself to the edge of the bed. He waited until she had folded

back the quilted satin spread, then sat down close to her hip.

"My, you look so downcast tonight, Angus," she said with

concern.' 'What's the matter? Not more maniacs on our property,

I hope."

"No."

"Thank God the only horse that was injured belonged to

Reede."

Angus let that pass without comment. Sarah Jo resented

Reede, and Angus knew why. Her feelings toward him would

never change, so berating her for the uncharitable remark

would serve no purpose.

What he had come to discuss was a delicate subject. He

took a moment to choose his words carefully. "Sarah Jo,

about this afternoon--"

"I was quite upset by it," she said, drawing her lips into

a pretty frown.

"You were upset?" Angus forcibly tamped down his impatience.

He needed to hear her side of the story before

jumping to conclusions. "What about Alex's feelings?"

"She was upset, too, naturally. Wouldn't you be if you'd

found out you were a bastard?"

"No," he said with a gruff, humorless laugh. "Wouldn't

surprise me if I was. I never checked to see if my parents

had a marriage license, and it wouldn't have mattered to me

if they didn't.'' His brows drew together. "But I'm an ornery

old cuss, and Alex is a sensitive young woman."

"I felt that she was strong enough to take it."

"Obviously, she wasn't. She ran past me without even

seeing me. She was practically in hysterics when she left."



Sarah Jo's smile crumpled. "Are you blaming me for telling

her? Do you think it was wrong?"

When she looked up at him with that apprehensive, little-lost-girl

look, his heart melted. It always had. Angus took

her hand. He could have crushed it like a flower between his

rough palms, but he had learned over the years not to exert

too much pressure when he caressed her.

"I'm not blaming you for telling her, honey. I'm just

questioning the wisdom of it. I wish you had discussed it

with Junior and me before you did. It was something she

could have gone throughout her life not knowing."