Chapter Seventeen
Goldie spun around, startled to see Donovan standing behind her in the alley.
“Are you trying to get the sheriff to arrest you for breaking and entering?” he asked with a grin as he took the brick from her hand and put it down, away from the door.
“Do you know what’s going on in there?” she asked, hating that she sounded accusing.
He seemed surprised by her tone. “I don’t, Goldie.”
The concerned way he was looking at her made her check her tone. “I just wanted to see what’s going on inside the café.”
“You and the rest of the county.” He seemed to relax. “Come on, I’ll buy you something to eat. You don’t want to go to jail on an empty stomach.”
She glanced at the back door again, then at Donovan, and relented. He was right. Arnie had made it clear that he didn’t want or need any input from her. But would he have had her arrested if she’d broken in? Quite possibly.
“How is it that you always know what I need?” she asked as she joined him and they walked down the alley and around the corner past the bank, before they crossed the main street to the hotel. How was it that he was always around, like just now? She hated that Max had her so suspicious of Donovan.
She felt his gaze on her and looked over at him. The warmth in his eyes, in his expression, sent heat rushing to her center, and she remembered why she’d gone to his room at the hotel earlier.
“Is it possible that I have your best interests at heart?” he asked. His words didn’t really match with the predatory look in his eyes. That he wanted her was evident.
“Your girlfriend leave town?”
He grinned. “Just a friend. Lolly drove up to see how Arnie was doing. Her father helped the man open his own café.”
“You don’t think it’s odd that he chose Dry Gulch?” she asked, suspicious again.
“Not really. Your café was for sale. Arnie wanted a café in a small town in the West.” He shrugged. “He’s not a bad cook from the meals I’ve had at the Mandeville ranch.”
“That’s all there is to it?” she asked, sounding like her ex.
“What else?” He chuckled, but it didn’t have his usual lightness to it.
“No matter what you’ve heard about Malcolm, he’s not all bad.
I suspect you’ve spent too much time around the sheriff.
By the way, Max and I had a nice heart-to-heart earlier.
” She was instantly alarmed. “Don’t worry, no blood was shed. ”
“What did he want?”
“From what I could gather, he was wondering about my intentions when it comes to you.”
She stopped walking to look at him. “What did you say?”
He moved to her, taking her shoulders in his hands and locking his gaze with hers. “I told him I like you, more than like you, and I’m thinking of staying longer than I’d planned.”
She cocked her head at him, wondering if what he was saying was true or if he’d only been trying to get a rise out of Max. “How did he react?”
“He doesn’t like me, it seems. He really wanted to punch out my lights, but he didn’t, so I think we’re fine.”
“Honestly,” Goldie said with irritation. “Why does he care who I see?”
He laughed. “You know the answer to that. It’s what you wanted. He can’t stand seeing you with anyone else. He still loves you.”
“Then why doesn’t he do something about it?” she demanded angrily.
He removed his hands from her shoulders as they began to walk again. “He doesn’t believe you’re moving on.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that he wasn’t looking at her, as if he was hiding his expression. “If you’re trying to get me to sleep with you…”
He grinned as he glanced over at her. “Is it working? Seriously, I’ve been kicking myself for what could have happened up on that hill overlooking the hotel if I hadn’t decided to be chivalrous. That won’t happen again.”
His hungry expression sent shivers racing over her skin, leaving goose bumps. He was daring her to take it to the next level. Didn’t he realize that was what she’d been trying to do when she showed up at his hotel room earlier?
“You’re right, I am hungry,” she said. “Apparently you do know me.” She heard him chuckle as he opened the door to the hotel, and she stepped into the cool dim darkness of the lobby.
His arm brushed hers as she passed. She felt her skin prickle and the heat of desire ripple through her.
Max hadn’t just been her first—he’d been her only.
But she told herself that was about to change.
THE WORK IN the basement seemed too loud, too noticeable.
Arnie was sure that was why the sheriff had come sniffing around.
But he wasn’t about to complain to Malcolm.
In fact, he hadn’t spoken to the man since he’d been notified that his former boss was sending him help.
Four men had arrived in a pickup and dump truck.
Without a word, they’d begun to carry their tools down into the basement.
“What do you want done upstairs?” one of the men had asked when he’d come back up alone.
Arnie told him how he wanted the upper floor remodeled. The man nodded and went to work tearing out the booths. He found himself holding his breath more than usual. All of this felt too risky, but he had to assume that Malcolm knew what he was doing.
On the bright side, he could end up owning this café free and clear. He could live out his dream in Dry Gulch. The town wouldn’t have been his first choice, but beggars can’t be choosers, as his mother used to say.
Now, as he stood in the middle of his café and saw the improvements begin to take shape, he felt a rush of pride.
He was going to make his deadline and open Tuesday.
He wished his mother could see that he’d finally made good.
Did it really matter the cost? He wondered for a moment what the townspeople would say about the changes and realized he didn’t care. This was his café. Or would be.
He checked his phone with the schedule Malcolm had given him right up to his grand opening.
“Follow it exactly, as if your life depends on it,” the crime boss had said.
“I get it.” Arnie hadn’t meant to snap but he couldn’t help it. All his life he’d been treated as if he wasn’t all that bright. There was nothing slow about his mind. “I’ll follow it exactly.”
Which meant it was time to announce the grand opening date.
MALCOLM OFTEN WONDERED how his children thought they could keep anything from him. He knew them too well. He hadn’t gotten where he was in life by not paying attention.
For some time, his daughter had been keeping what she thought were secrets. He suspected her younger brother, Bobby, knew exactly what was going on because he’d been avoiding him.
“Bobby,” he said as his son came down the stairs and made a beeline for the front door. “Have a minute?”
“No, I—”
“Take a minute anyway,” Malcolm said, calling him into his office.
He pointed to a chair across from his desk.
Bobby entered slowly, reluctantly before sitting down gingerly on the edge of the chair, one knee bouncing nervously.
“Tell me about Lolly.” He saw his son’s eyes widen in alarm.
Before Bobby could speak, he added, “Don’t bother to lie.
I know. I just want to ask how you found out and why you haven’t come to me with the information. ”
His son stammered for a moment before blurting it all out. Malcolm had learned a long time ago how to remain expressionless even when surprised, let alone shocked. His daughter was pregnant? “If it’s not Donovan Cole’s, then whose is it?”
Bobby wagged his head. “I don’t know. I swear.”
He thought of the boyfriends before Donovan, did the math and frowned before sending Bobby on his way.
This was the first time that Lolly had bothered to keep one of her boyfriends a secret.
That told him that, one, this relationship was serious, and he wasn’t going to like it—and possibly two, he knew the man and really wasn’t going to like it.
Malcolm hoped he was wrong, but he had a bad feeling he wasn’t as he called Luca Havers and told him he wanted to see him.
GOLDIE LAY HALF-NAKED, clutching the hotel sheet covering her as she stared up at the ceiling fighting tears.
“Are you all right?” Donovan asked as he leaned on one elbow next to her to look into her face. “Goldie?”
She blinked as she turned to meet his gaze. One tear escaped and ran down her cheek. He captured it with his thumb, the skin smooth, not rough like Max’s had always been. “I’m sorry.”
“There is nothing to be sorry for,” he said.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry for thinking I could do this. I honestly wanted to when I came up to your room.”
He nodded, smiling down at her. “I know. But Goldie, if you’re going to make love, it’s going to be with the man you’re still in love with.”
She swallowed as she gave a slight nod. “I’m a fool.”
“No, you’re not. You can’t help who you love. I get it even though I’ve never loved anyone like that. I’ve come close and that terrified me so much I left without a goodbye.”
“That woman who was here? Lolly? It’s not too late to tell her, is it?”
He let out a bark of a laugh. “It’s complicated. I’ll admit I was hoping to lose myself in you, literally.” His smile made her remember why she thought she could go through with this.
Donovan rolled over to his side of the bed, sat up and pulled on his jeans before standing to face her. “Why don’t I let you get dressed.”
“Thanks.” She was awkwardly shy now around him, wondering if she could feel more foolish.
She waited until he left the room before she got up and dressed.
She kept thinking of how close she’d come to having sex with him.
The fact that all she could think of was Max made her angry.
He certainly hadn’t been thinking of her for months.
As she dressed, she remembered what Donovan had said about his relationship with Lolly being complicated, no doubt because of her father.
How was it that they had both ended up here?
Her suspicions about what was going on over at her café reared again.
She cursed Max for putting doubts in her head and worse for making her incapable of really moving on with another man as badly as she wanted to. Needed to.
As she started to turn away from the bed, she saw a crumpled sheet of paper that had apparently been tossed in the corner.
The discarded paper caught her eye because other than that, Donovan’s room was surprisingly very neat.
Instinctively, she moved to pick it up to throw it away, but once in her hand she caught sight of a word that stopped her.
Sheriff? Carefully, she smoothed out the paper to read what was written on it.
Her heart pounded so hard it stole her breath.
At a sudden knock at the door, she quickly folded the paper and stuffed it into her jeans pocket before crossing the room.
She took a breath and let it out, afraid it might be Lolly at the door.
Or Donovan? Please don’t let it be Max. She was humiliated enough without him seeing her as upset as she was.
And yet she needed to tell him what she’d learned from the note, didn’t she?
As she flung open the door before the person could pound again, she saw with surprise that it was her cousin. “Clancy, what—”
“It’s Penny. She’s over in front of the café with some other women carrying signs, protesting what is happening inside.”
“We don’t know what is happening inside,” Goldie said.
“Arnie is threatening to have them all arrested and that if Max won’t do it, he’ll find someone who will.”
She groaned. “Fine, I’ll go talk to her.”
“Are you all right?” her cousin asked, as if finally focusing on her.
“Fine.”
Clancy looked past her into the hotel room to the unmade bed. “Did you—”
“Not now,” she snapped and reached for the door, drawing it closed behind her. “I need to see what I can do about Penny.”
Clancy said nothing more as they left the hotel and rushed over to the crowd gathered in front of the café.
Goldie made a beeline for Penny, who was chanting, “Go home, interloper!” and waving a “We Want Goldie’s Back” sign she’d clearly made herself in garish colors.
Grabbing the woman’s arm, she pulled Penny aside. “What are you hoping to accomplish by this?”
“We can’t let just anyone come into town and do whatever they want,” Penny said breathlessly.
“I sold the café. Arnie has every right—”
“We’ll put him out of business.”
With a sigh, Goldie said, “He’s going to have you arrested.”
“I have every right to protest,” Penny said defiantly.
“You can’t win.” She realized what she was saying resonated. Goldie couldn’t win. She’d tried everything and Max hadn’t come back to her. It was over. She was finally ready to accept defeat. “I sold the café. I’m leaving town soon.”
Penny lowered her sign, her eyes wide and alarmed. “You can’t leave. We’re going to get your café back for you.”
Goldie shook her head. “It’s too late. We have to accept that. Please help me by getting your friends to leave before Max gets here.”
“What happened to you, Goldie Shaw?” Penny demanded, sounding irritated. “You never were one to give up.”
“You have to know when you’re beat,” she said, surprised by how close she was to tears again.
She’d thrown herself at Donovan only to realize it wasn’t going to happen because there was no new throw-caution-to-the-wind Goldie.
She was the same old Goldie who loved running her café and being with Max Lander.
She wasn’t adventurous. Her only dream wasn’t a very big one in the scheme of things.
All she wanted was for Max to really see her, to appreciate her, to want her as a wife and the mother of his children. Her dream was of the family they would make. She would have been happy to just live in Dry Gulch with him and their children for the rest of her life.
As if sensing the protest was over, Penny’s little band of elderly women lowered their signs. The chanting dropped to a whisper before it died.
Goldie swallowed the lump in her throat as she watched them go, unaware that Max was now standing behind her until she heard Clancy say, “It’s all over. Goldie took care of it.” Her cousin gave her a worried smile and retreated after the women down the main street.
Max was the last person she wanted to see right now.
She felt beaten down, no longer that woman Penny thought she’d once been as she turned to face the sheriff.
That he’d been right about Donovan’s connection to the crime boss didn’t help.
Trouble had come to Dry Gulch, and she’d opened the door to let it in.