What the Heart Wants (What the Heart Wants, #1)(4)

“I’m sorry for that too. It’s hard to start over in a new place.”

Her eyelids quivered. What was this man doing to her? She refused to let herself dissolve into tears just because Jase Redlander had gotten her libido going, then offered her sympathy when no one else had.

Withdrawing her hand, she directed the subject back to Jase’s truant daughter. “What makes you think Lolly will come here?”

“Her history class did a unit on personal roots last semester, and she’s been after me ever since, wanting to know about my family.” He paused as if trying to decide what to say. “And her mother’s.”

His eyes avoided her questioning glance and wandered around the room.

Laurel held her breath. Had he noticed the Greek statues were gone? Daddy would have called it false pride, but she didn’t want anyone to realize she was pawning jewelry and selling off family heirlooms to buy her bread and butter. Having the FOR SALE sign in front of the house was different—the more people who knew she was planning to leave Bosque Bend, the better. Maybe then they’d get off her back.

She glanced at the baby grand in the corner next to Daddy’s office. There was no way to take anything that large with her when she moved. She’d tried to sell it—discreetly, of course—but it turned out that old pianos were a drag on the market. Her hands flexed. The Steinway was so out of tune that she could hardly bear to play it anymore, but how could anyone not love a piano?

Jase began again. “I cleaned up my father’s memory as much as possible for Girl Child, but had to do some pretty fast talking when it came to her mother. I tried to keep things vague, but she added two and two and came up with five.”

“Five?”

“She left a note. She’s come to Bosque Bend to find you. She—she thinks you’re her mother.”

Laurel’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. What? Had she heard him right?

“Me? Why? Your wife—”

His gaze held steady. “I’m not married and never have been. Lolly’s mother abandoned her at birth.”

Laurel felt like she was treading water. “You’re a—a single father?”

He nodded.

She reached for a lifeline. “But…usually the mother takes the baby.”

“She wasn’t the maternal type.”

The tide was rising. “But I still don’t understand. Why me? Why does your daughter think I’m her mother?”

Jase dropped his gaze and moved his hand as if trying to back off from the question.

“I…well…it just happened. It wasn’t deliberate. I think she misinterpreted some of the stories Maxie told her from when we used to live here.” He cleared his throat. “You remember Maxie, don’t you? Maxine Hokinson, Swede Hokinson’s daughter, my mother’s oldest sister? She’s the one who subbed at your friend Sarah Bridges’s house that summer their regular housekeeper got swarmed by Africanized bees. Anyway, you don’t need to get involved—just call me if Lolly shows up on your doorstep, and I’ll come fetch her.”

“All right.” What else could she say? She was way out of her depth.

He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go now. It’s getting late, and I don’t want to be gone from the old house too long, in case Lolly shows up there.”

Laurel stood up to walk him out. “I’m sure you’ll find her soon.”

She was sure of no such thing, but at least she hoped so. A fifteen-year-old could land herself in a lot of trouble in an unfamiliar town, no matter how small. The Retriever had reported that a group of rowdy teenagers had been gathering in the parking lot of old Bosque Bend High School every night this summer and disturbing residents nearby. Art Sawyer had accompanied the story with a blistering editorial about underage drinking and promised more to come as the investigation continued.

Lord only knows how Art always got the inside scoop. Probably because his wife was a Hruska and her cousin’s nephew was the new chief of police. That’s how things worked in Bosque Bend. The old families, the ones that had been anchored there for generations, all knew each other, and—good, bad, or indifferent—the news got around.

Laurel unlocked the big front door, then held the screen open with one hand while offering the other to Jase in farewell. He enveloped it in his own for a single warm second and smiled at her—that dazzling, absolutely devastating smile that people saw so rarely, the smile that had sealed her to him for all eternity when she was just fifteen.

“Thank you, Laurel. You’re kinder to me than I deserve.”

Her heart thumped so loudly that he should have been able to hear it. She watched as he crossed the lawn to the long driveway on the south side of the house, waved once, and opened the door of his car—a big black Cadillac, just like Daddy used to drive.

*



Accustomed to Dallas’s big-city traffic, Jase made his way through Bosque Bend’s rush hour without even noticing it.

Where the hell was Lolly? Girl Child was quite a handful, but she’d never pulled a stunt like this before. A shiver shot through him as he glanced at the rapidly setting sun.

Relax, Jase. Everything’s going to be all right. Lolly’s a smart kid. She can take care of herself. In fact, she’s probably sitting on the front porch of the old house right now, waiting for you to come pick her up. Where else could she be? You needn’t have bothered Laurel by barging in on her like that.