Chapter Thirteen
T he next evening, Lucas sat at the small breakfast nook in Sawyer and Leila’s house. Piper was in bed and Leila handed around mugs of tea and plates with apple pie she’d bought from the local bakery.
“At least I don’t have to worry about breaking this,” he said, lifting his mug. “Kendall’s teacups are as thin as eggshells.”
Leila laughed. “Lucas met Diana over tea at Kendall and Brade’s new place a couple of days ago.”
“Ah,” Sawyer said. “How’d that go?”
Whatever tension Lucas had sensed last night at the pub was gone. Sawyer, he guessed, wasn’t a man who held grudges.
Lucas nodded. “Good, I think. She was mad that she had to wait to meet me. I guess she feels like a second-rate sibling or something. We sorted it out.”
“Did she talk about her mother?” Leila asked.
Lucas shook his head. “We didn’t get that far.”
Leila sipped her tea. “She’s got a lot of anger there. We were abandoned at birth but she was a toddler when Heather Hudson left. That’s got to be more traumatic. Which brings me to what I want to talk to you about.”
Lucas looked at her warily. “Uh-oh. Not just tea and pie, then.”
“This is Leila you’re talking to,” Sawyer said. “She’s always got an agenda.”
“You make me sound so manipulative. I’m not. I’m just...” She pursed her lips. “I get stuff done.”
“Whatever you want to call it.” Sawyer got to his feet and gathered his dishes. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Once he’d left the room, Lucas turned to his sister. “What’s going on?”
“It’s about our birth mother.” Leila ran her thumb up and down the side of her mug. “Remember how I told you I’ve tracked her down?”
“Through a painting. You can’t get past the agency.”
It was an unlikely theory that was probably going to leave her disappointed, but then again, he’d never been interested in meeting the woman who’d abandoned them. He didn’t understand Leila’s need to find her.
Her expression grew stony. “I’m right about this. Heather Hudson is Mel Brezo. I just have to prove it.”
“Where is this person supposedly located?”
“Chinook,” she said with satisfaction.
“Chinook, Montana? She’s been within a few hours’ drive of you, all this time?”
It was weird thinking that the woman who’d given birth to them, and then disappeared from their lives, had been living in the same state their entire lives, without contacting them. He’d been to Chinook once. Maybe he’d passed her on the street, or in a grocery store or at a gas station. Would she have recognized him? Would he have recognized her? Surely there would be some resemblance. But they were strangers.
Diana’s anger seemed entirely reasonable, suddenly.
“Have you explained that you’re looking for your mother?”
Leila nodded. “Her agent, Malcolm Black, says I’ve got the wrong person.”
“How certain are you?”
She hesitated. “Ninety-nine percent.”
“Not completely, then.”
“It’s her, Lucas. We just have to get close enough to see her, talk to her, and then we’ll know.”
“What if there’s some reason she doesn’t want to talk to us? Have you thought about that?”
He could barely think about the ugliest possibility. He definitely couldn’t say it. What if they were the product of rape? Maybe they were tied into the worst thing that had ever happened to her. Did he want to know that?
Leila nodded. “Of course I have. But I have to follow this.”
“And what does that mean for me?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “How do you feel about a road trip?”
What did he have keeping him? He needed to check in with his parents and his lawyer. Spend some time with Patch. He needed to visit the stable where he kept his horses, check on Stella. Contrary to everyone’s advice, he wanted to talk to Tanya Schneider. He wanted to talk to Mia and Alana, to find out why they’d lied about him. If he could get them to retract their statements, maybe Landry Adventures could recover.
But after that?
“This agent is the only point of connection, and he says you’re barking up the wrong tree. What makes you think an in-person visit will be any more successful than a phone call? Who says he’ll even let you in the door?”
“Well, I’m not just an adoptee seeking a birth mother, am I?” Leila sipped her tea. “I’m also an artist in need of representation.”
“Ah. The bait and switch.” Lucas had to admire her tenacity. “That could work. And what’s my cover story?”
She shrugged. “You don’t need one. You’re my brother. You came along to support me. As any loving brother would.”
“I’ll have to think about it.”
“What’s to think about? You’re unemployed, unattached, and your life has no meaning. So, this is like, the best thing you’ve got going. How’s that?”
Sawyer passed by in the other room and gave Lucas a sympathetic shrug. No help there.
“For a little sister, you’re surprisingly mean.”
“I know. It’s my superpower.” She gave him a diabolical grin. “And we don’t know which of us is the oldest. Maybe I’m the big sister to you all.”
*
After leaving Leila and Sawyer’s house, Lucas stopped at a local market for a few things. He was eager to get back to Belle Vista, but as he drove, anticipation became tinged with dread. He was leaving Grand tomorrow. Leaving his new brother and sisters.
Leaving Bayleigh.
He would be back, there was no doubt of that now. So, what did that mean for him and Bayleigh? This was never meant to be more than a fling. Was that still how she felt? He ought to be relieved at the clean getaway but strangely enough, he was not.
He shook his head. They still had tonight. No need to ruin what would undoubtedly be another night of amazing sex. He ought to enjoy it because who knew how long it would be before the next time he got lucky? There were plenty of other women and maybe it was time he got over himself enough to look for them.
But the thought of other women left him cold.
No one else was Bayleigh.
“Uh-oh, Landry,” he muttered to himself. “This is bad.”
But no, he could enjoy his time with Bayleigh for what it was, with no regrets. Right now, he was eager to hear what she thought of Leila’s plan. Leila had a good chance of being disappointed. Just because Malcolm Black lived in Chinook didn’t mean this Mel Brezo character—he couldn’t call this person their mother—was there. Even if they found her, there was no reason to believe she would talk to them. Leila was counting on the element of surprise but Lucas was generally suspicious of surprises.
The Tanya Schneider mess, for instance.
But Bayleigh Sutherland had been a surprise, too.
So, what did he know?
He parked in his Belle Vista guest spot and walked into his cabin. All he knew right now was that Bayleigh was the best thing that had happened to him in a very long time.
So, the best he could do was try not to ruin it.
*
Bayleigh gave Lucas ten minutes after seeing his truck return, before heading out of the house to his cabin. Ted was home and, while she wasn’t about to tiptoe around him, she saw no need to rub her love life in his face.
“Hey,” he said, when she pushed open the door.
She sucked in a breath. “Hey.”
He stood beside the small table by the window. He’d lit candles, laid out crackers and cheese, and opened a bottle of wine. The table looked inviting but what took her breath away was him. His stillness as he watched her walk toward him. His eyes, which blazed with something she was afraid to name. His arms, reaching for her with taut, tan muscles. He was sleek as a lion.
“This looks nice,” she said softly, walking into his arms.
“You look nice.” He kissed her. “I’ve been waiting for this all day.”
“Me too.” She stroked his face. He’d shaved for her. “You bought snacks.”
He smiled. “You get hungry.”
“I do.” She laughed, breathlessly. The air that should be in her lungs seemed to have formed bubbles inside her belly that wanted to lift her into the air. “You take a lot out of me.”
Lucas’s gaze darkened. “I can’t wait, Bayleigh. But we should talk first.”
“Okay.” She took a step back, heartsick and hopeful at the same time.
His expression was unreadable. “I just want to check in with you, make sure you’re... okay. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
She couldn’t pressure him. Once he was gone, she’d probably regain her senses and be grateful that they’d kept things casual.
“No strings, Lucas.” She swallowed. “We owe each other nothing. We agreed.”
His gaze was even. “If I’m in town again, should I look you up?”
Was that pity on his face? Oh God, did he see her as a pathetic woman who had to be let down gently?
“Only if you want to,” she said gently. “We’ve both got full, busy lives. Neither of us has time for a relationship. We knew that going in. A memorable week, no obligations moving forward. All good, right?”
His smile was touched with sadness. “Bayleigh Sutherland,” he said softly, “you have been the surprise of my life.”
No one had made any promises. No one had asked for more. They were enjoying each other’s company exactly as they intended. It wasn’t his fault her heart got tangled up so fast. That’s what she got for stepping into unfamiliar territory. Maybe she was too old-fashioned for casual sex.
And that was the problem. It wasn’t casual for her, not anymore.
But Lucas couldn’t know that. If she changed the rules mid-game, then she paid the price, not him.
He drew her to the bed and set her down on the edge, dropping kisses onto her neck. Gently he undid the buttons of her shirt, hissing when he saw what she wore beneath.
“You like?” she whispered. She’d gone to Forsyth to purchase the lingerie, a matching bra and panty set that cost a ridiculous amount but was entirely worth it for the look on Lucas’s face.
“Oh, yes,” he whispered. He laid her back and tugged off her jeans, his smile widening when he saw the thong. “Even better than I hoped.”
She wanted to make a glib reply but something about the gentleness of his tone made her throat catch. She didn’t want to feel anything for him, but when he talked to her like this, she couldn’t stop it.
“You’re beautiful. Did you know that? Beautiful and kind and generous and strong.”
No , she wanted to tell him. I’m selfish and mean and weak. I want you to fall in love with me and stay with me forever and I know that’s not going to happen but that’s okay because nobody’s talking about love. Love wasn’t on the table.
There would be no love talk here.
Take joy where you find it , she reminded herself. She was choosing joy. She was choosing to be grateful.