Page 47 of Silent Deception
Obviously not his first choice, given the grim set of his mouth.
There was nothing between them now other than a tentative, growing friendship, but the thought of living in Homestead with him in Georgia—if not on the other side of the world—saddened her.
“The boys will miss you.”
“I hadn’t been back for a long time. Now, I’ll probably make the trip whenever I have to leave the country.” He glanced at Hayden in the rearview mirror. “I’ve been missing too much.”
When they pulled to a stop by the barns at the Four Aces, the boys piled out and raced for a football lying in the grass, tackling each other and squealing as they wrestled like puppies over the ball. Friends now, they’d had dinner at each other’s houses, and last Saturday she’d taken them to a matinee at the old movie theater in Homestead—the reclamation project of yet another newcomer to town.
The difference in Cody’s attitude was amazing.
Ryan jogged over to the boys and gestured for them to move out into a wide triangle from him, then they began passing the football. His own throws were so gentle that they were almost in slow motion.
An unfamiliar sense of completion settled over Kristin as she moved to a bench under a live oak and watched. Cody and Hayden missed as many catches as they made. Their throws fell short or went wide, but they were better than they’d been, and with every effort, Ryan’s deep voice called out encouragement and praise.
Cody needed this so much. Even from fifty yards away, she could see him beam in response to such unfamiliar praise from a man he respected.
Ted, she remembered bitterly, would have offered up caustic remarks after a few failed throws. Then he would have spiked the ball in frustration on his way back to the house.
Leaning against the back of the bench, she glanced toward the massive Gallagher home. An elegant woman stepped out the front door with a small suitcase on wheels and trundled it to the back of a pearl-gray Lincoln. She stowed it in the trunk, then climbed behind the wheel.
The car slowly made its way around the circular drive, lingered next to Ryan for a moment, then both Ryan and the driver looked at Kristin. Seconds later, the car purred over to Kristin, and the driver rolled down her window.
“I don’t believe we’ve met, dear. I’m Ryan’s mother.”
Kristin rose and walked over to greet her. Long ago, she’d heard stories about the callous woman who’d brazenly walked out of the house one day without a second thought for her young boys. The woman in the car bore no resemblance to the image Kristin had formed.
Thin, her silver hair twisted into a sophisticated chignon, she had the elegant bone structure and subtly perfect makeup of someone who’d come from wealth and knew the value of understatement.
With a beige sweater knotted over her shoulders and a cascade of gold geometric shapes dangling at her ears, she might have been ready for lunch at a private club. But the warmth of her smile was in surprising contrast to her appearance and bearing.
Kristin shook her hand briefly, noting her almost skeletal fragility.Too thin.And her skin...at a distance, she’d merely been pale. At close range, she had the cachectic look of someone very ill. “I’m happy to meet you. Are you...still Mrs. Gallagher?”
“Yes. To Clint’s everlasting discomfort, I’m sure. In a way, it was always a connection to my children. Though a minor one, to be sure.” She laughed as if dismissing her foolishness, but her eyes were sad. “Tell me about yourself, dear. I hear you’re a physician’s assistant?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Please, just Charlotte. I do love Texas manners, but I’d rather you used my first name.” She raised a delicately arched brow. “My son didn’t say a word, but a little bird told me that you were here once, a long time ago. Meeting the family, as it were.”
“There’s nothing between us now.” Uncomfortable, Kristin glanced at Ryan’s back as he threw the football to Cody. His polo shirt stretched against his shoulders, revealing the play of his powerful muscles. “We’re just neighbors. Unexpectedly so.”
Smiling faintly, Charlotte searched her face. “Then I shall hope that you become much better friends, dear. I think you might be exactly what he needs.”
Kristin choked back a laugh. “You haven’t been talking to Clint, then.”
“Actually, he’s been gone most of the time I’ve been here. On purpose, I’m sure.” She waved a hand toward the house, where just the tips of a helicopter’s rotor were visible through the trees. “I heard that thing take off this morning at six. Adelfa said Trevor took him to San Antonio and that he’ll be gone for several nights.”
“While you’re here? That’s too bad.”
“It’sintentional,my dear. But that’s fine. I came to see my boys, anyway.” The humor in her eyes faded. “I know about what happened between you and Ryan years ago. I’m sure Clint was completely at fault and that the old goat probably isn’t any happier about you now than he was back then. That man never forgets a grudge.”
“But—”
Charlotte interrupted her with a lift of her hand. “If—ifyou and Ryan form an attachment, I hope you’ll ignore his father and listen to your heart. Clint has already ruined far too many lives with his interference.” She shifted the car into Reverse. “Don’t give him that power again.”
She started backing up, and Kristin jogged to catch up. “Wait—are you coming back?”
“After a trip to New York. I know it will just brighten up Clint’s life all over again.” With a musical laugh, she waved, backed the car into a deft three-point turn, and disappeared down the lane, leaving Kristin to stare after her.
