This Heart of Mine (Chicago Stars #5)(102)

"Kevin didn't have to bring me up here, but he did it anyway because he knew I needed help." She took a deep breath and reminded herself he'd forgiven her and that she owed him this. "He's been wonderful, extremely kind and sensitive, and I'd appreciate it if the two of you stopped being so suspicious of him."

"We aren't—"

"Yes you are. It's put him in a difficult position."

"Maybe he should have thought about that when he was dragging you into the woods on Sunday," Dan drawled. "Or was he too busy being kind and sensitive?"

Kevin got that tight look around his jaw again. "Exactly what are you trying to say, Dan?"

"I'm saying that if helping Molly was just a humanitarian gesture on your part, you shouldn't be sleeping with her."

"That's it!" Molly exclaimed. "You just crossed the line."

"It's not the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Phoebe and I watch out for our family."

"Maybe you should watch out for somebody else in your family," Kevin said quietly. "Molly's asking you to respect her privacy."

"Is it her privacy you're worried about or your own?"

Antlers were clashing again, but Molly didn't care. "You keep forgetting that I'm not accountable to you any longer. As for my relationship with Kevin… In case you haven't noticed, we're not even sleeping under the same roof."

"And I wasn't born yesterday," Dan said stubbornly.

Molly could no longer hold back. "How about some simple courtesy, then? I've spent the past twelve years pretending I don't see the two of you grope each other, pretending I don't hear the two of you at night when you make—believe me—way too much noise. The fact is, Kevin and I are married at the moment. We'll be getting a divorce soon, but we don't have one yet, so whatever is or isn't going on between us isn't a topic for discussion. Do you understand me?"

Phoebe was looking increasingly upset. "Molly, you're not the kind of person who can take sex lightly. It needs to mean something."

"You're damn right it does!" Dan whirled on Kevin. "Did you forget that she just had a miscarriage?"

"Back off." Kevin's lips barely moved.

Dan saw he wasn't getting anywhere there and zeroed in on Molly. "He's a football player, and it's part of the mentality. He may not intend to, but he's using you."

Dan's words stung. He understood what it was to love a woman, so he recognized how shallow Kevin's feelings for her were.

Kevin shot forward. "I told you to back off."

Molly couldn't let this go on any longer, so instead of crying as she wanted to, she went on the attack herself. "Wrong. I'm using him. I lost a baby, my career's in the toilet, and I'm broke. Kevin's my distraction. He's my reward for twenty-seven years of being a good girl. Now, do you have any more questions?"

"Oh, Molly…" Phoebe chewed her bottom lip, and Dan looked even more upset.

Molly lifted her chin and glared at both of them. "I'll give him back when I'm done with him. Until then leave me alone."



She'd almost reached Lilies of the Field before Kevin caught up with her. "Molly!"

"Go away," she snapped.

"I'm your reward?"

"Only when you're naked. When you have your clothes on, you're a cross to bear."

"Stop being a wise-ass."

Everything was falling apart. Eddie Dillard was showing up tomorrow, and Kevin had found someone else to run the campground. Even worse, there was nothing that could make him care about her in the same way she cared about him.

He touched her arm. "You know they mean well. Don't let them get to you."

He didn't understand that they weren't the ones who were tearing her apart.



Lilly refused to look at the clock as she moved away from the window. The Calebows had finally managed to corner Kevin and Molly, but she couldn't imagine that the confrontation had been productive. Her son and his wife didn't seem to know what they wanted from their relationship, so she doubted they could explain it to her family.

Lilly had liked the Calebows immediately, and their presence these last five days had helped lift her heavy heart. They obviously loved Molly and, just as obviously, saw Kevin as a threat, but Lilly was beginning to suspect that Kevin was as big a danger to himself as he was to Molly.

Nine-thirty… She headed for the armchair in the corner where she'd left her quilting but picked up a magazine instead. She hadn't been able to work on her quilt since Sunday, when Liam had issued his ultimatum. And now it was Thursday.

Come to my house on Thursday evening… If you don't show up, I won't come looking for you.

She tried to build up some resentment against him, but it didn't work. She understood exactly why he'd done it, and she couldn't blame him. They were both too old to play games.

9:34… She thought about Kevin taking over the bedroom downstairs. She liked falling asleep knowing they were under the same roof. When they passed each other in the hallways, they smiled and made small talk. At one time that would have been more than she could have hoped for. Now, it wasn't enough.