Victor studied her expression, then nodded. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m very sure.”
“Call me tomorrow and let me know how you are?”
“I will.”
They both watched him leave, then Cole sat on the side of the bed next to her. “Thank you.”
Charley looked surprised. “For what?”
“For letting me take you home with me.”
“Where else would I go?” She pulled him down for another kiss.
* * * * *
Cole pulled the white Ford Taurus as close to the front door as he could get it. Thank God Frannie had thought to rent an automatic. His left arm was throbbing now, and he knew the time for another painkiller had come and gone, but he wanted to get Charley settled before he took one.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m tired,” she smiled at him. “But thrilled to be out of the hospital.”
“Still dizzy?”
“Just a little.”
He got out of the car and went around to her side. “Put your arms around my neck and hang on.” He lifted her, being careful of his arm.
“I can walk, Cole. You don’t have to carry me.”
“Up three flights of stairs, and you dizzy? Not a chance. Besides, it gives me an excuse to hold you.” He paused long enough to kiss her.
The front lights came on and the door opened, outlining Kristy’s form. She was already dressed for bed, a flannel robe covering her from neck to feet.
“I thought I heard a car.” She stood back and held the door for them. “We were beginning to wonder if they were going to release you tonight. Mrs. Paulson has already gone to bed, but she left you some food.” She followed them up the stairs.
Cole nodded. “Did you get Charley’s things?”
“Yes. Her night clothes are on your bed, and the rest are in your closet.”
The idea of Charley’s clothes hanging next to his sent a funny feeling through his middle and he glanced down. Charley was studying his face intently, and he knew she was feeling the same thing. He smiled at her, and she returned it tentatively before glancing over his shoulder at Kristy.
“Whiskey?”
“He’s curled up on my bed, asleep. Don’t worry about him. You both need to rest. I’ll take care of him tonight.”
“Thanks Kristy. For everything.”
“It was my pleasure. Frannie helped quite a bit, too.”
The bed was already turned back and the pillows fluffed, Cole noted as he carried Charley into the room. A tray filled with food sat on a table near the window.
Kristy stopped in the doorway as Cole deposited Charley on the bed.
“Do you need some help getting changed?”
Charley shook her head, then winced. “No, I can manage it.”
“And if she can’t, I can help her,” Cole added, noting with interest the blush that climbed into Charley’s cheeks at his words.
Kristy laughed. “In that case, I’ll head off to bed. But if you need me, just give a yell. Goodnight.”
Cole closed the bedroom door behind her, then turned back to Charley. “Does being here embarrass you?”
She was looking around the room as though it were the first time she’d seen it. “No, it doesn’t embarrass me. It just feels strange.” She glanced back at him. “But it feels right, too.”
“It feels better than right. You belong here, with me.” He took a deep breath. “Why don’t you get changed, and crawl into bed? I’ll bring the food over here.”
Charley kicked off her shoes and reached for the nightgown Kristy had left out. “I think I’m too tired to eat.”
He waited until she was dressed then carried the tray over. “At least try the soup. You haven’t had anything all day.”
“Neither have you.” She smiled at him and picked up the cup. “Don’t worry, I’ll eat.”
Before she was half done, her eyes were drifting shut. Cole took the cup from her hand and put it, and the tray, back on the table. By the time he’d tucked her in, she was out like a light.
For a moment, he stood looking down at her. She’d been in no shape tonight for the talk they needed to have, but tomorrow they would have to get through it. He could only hope she’d believe him.
Quietly, he left the room and went into his office, picking up the phone and dialing. “Mom? I hear you had a visitor yesterday.”
Chapter Fifteen
The low murmur of voices and the rattle of dishes that drifted in from the patio woke Cole. He didn’t even have to turn his head to find Charley. She was snuggled in the circle of his arms, her head resting near his right shoulder. His left arm, the one in the cast, was around her waist. The rest of her was curled tightly against his body. It felt so right to have her here, in his bed, in his arms, in this house. He wanted to smile, but a faint tinge of uneasiness stopped him. It was just too good to be true.
His mind wandered back to the conversation with his mother last night. She hadn’t told him much, but he’d gotten enough information out of her to know that Charley had been asking questions about Maggie and her Uncle Victor. What lies did he tell you this time, sweetheart? he wondered. Whatever they had been, Victor must have planted some doubt in her mind to send her rushing to California like she had. Maybe she was ready to believe the truth now.
The arm she was lying on had gone numb and he wiggled his fingers slightly to restore circulation. Trying not to wake Charley, he slid out from under her and eased to the side of the bed just as a gentle knock sounded on the bedroom door. Donning the pants he’d left out the night before, Cole padded across the room and opened the door a crack. Kristy smiled at him.
“Sorry to wake you, but Mrs. Paulson almost has breakfast ready out on the patio.”
Cole ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. “What time is it?”
“Close to eleven. We didn’t want to bother you earlier. You both needed the rest.”
Cole nodded. “Okay. I want to shower first, if I can figure out how to keep this out of the water.” He indicated the cast.
“Take your time. It’ll be a few minutes yet.” She headed back out to the patio and Cole closed the door. When he turned back to the bed Charley’s eyes were open, and she smiled at him. The bruise on her forehead was a dark, angry blue.
“Good morning.” He returned her smile. “How do you feel today?”
Charley sat up and stretched. “Wonderful. No headache, no dizziness, no double vision.” She paused. “I am a little stiff though. Did I hear something about a shower?”
Cole sat down on the bed next to her. “You did. I was wondering how to take one with this.” He held his arm up.
She threw the blankets aside. “Maybe with a little help from a friend?”
“That sounds interesting.”
“Yes, it does, doesn’t it? So what are we waiting on?”
* * * * *
“Let me do that. At the rate you’re going, we’ll never get to eat.”
Cole looked down as Charley swatted his hands away and deftly finished buttoning his shirt. Happiness flooded him. He still couldn’t believe this wasn’t a dream, that Charley was here with him, and acting very wifely. A silly grin adorned his face at the thought.
She glanced up at him and frowned. “What’s that look for?”
“Look?”
“Yeah. Look. Kind of like you just figured out how to rig the lottery.”
Laughter erupted from deep inside him. “Have I told you this morning that I love you?”
Charley tilted her head and gazed up at him. “I do seem to remember something like that in the shower when you—”
“Charley!”
She smiled innocently. “Well, you did.”
Cole wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him. “I know, but I wasn’t quiet sane then. Now I am, and I still love you.”
“Probably just the afterglow.” She gave him an impish grin.
“Not a chance.” He k
issed her tenderly. “I’ll love you when we’re too old to have afterglows.”
“And how old will we be when that happens?”
Cole smiled at her. “I figure about a hundred and fifty.”
Her smile trembled a little. “That’s a long time, Jordan. Think you’ll still be around?”
“I can guarantee it,” he whispered into her hair. “Nothing or no one is going to make me leave you again, Charley. I’ve waited too long to hold you, love you.”
She leaned back a little to see his face. “Isn’t it time you told me the truth about what happened ten years ago?”
Cole studied her expression. “Yes. I think it is.” He released her and took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go have breakfast. We can talk while we eat.”
Mrs. Paulson had really outdone herself, Cole thought with amusement as he surveyed the long buffet table set up to one side of the patio. He and Charley loaded their plates with melon balls, crepes with blueberry-filled centers, bacon, eggs Benedict and steaming coffee, then carried them to an umbrella-covered table near the pool.
Charley was digging in with a vengeance. “Does she always fix breakfast like this?” she mumbled around a mouthful.
“No,” he laughed. “She’s showing off because you’re here. We usually have to fend for ourselves in the morning.”
“Cole?” Kristy’s disembodied voice came from an intercom set in the wall to his right.
He put his fork down and tilted his chair backwards, pushing a button as he spoke. “Yes?”
“Ben Zimmerman is here. He says he has to talk to you.”
“Send him up, Kristy.” He let his chair back down with a thunk and looked at Charley. “Sorry. Maybe he won’t stay long.”
She met his gaze with a direct one of her own and a shrug. “I’ve waited ten years. I guess a few more minutes won’t hurt.”
“I know.” He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. “But while you’re waiting, there’s something I want you to understand. I never stopped loving you, Charley. Not for one single minute during that whole time, and I will never, ever stop loving you. If you don’t believe anything else, believe that.”
Her green-gold eyes misted and the fingers twined with his tightened, but before she could say anything, the glass doors slid open and Ben stepped out. Keeping Charley’s hand in his, Cole nodded at the sheriff. “Ben. Help yourself to some breakfast.”
“Thanks, but I’ve already eaten. I will take some coffee though.” He picked up a cup, filled it, then joined them at the table. “How are you both doing today?”
Cole glanced at Charley. “We’re fine. What brings you out here today?”
Ben took a sip of coffee, then set the cup on the table. “I got a call from Robert Stanton about thirty minutes ago. He’s been looking over your car.”
“And? Was it the wiring?”
“Not exactly.” The sheriff played with the handle on the cup for a second, his gaze going from Charley to Cole. “Robert says the drive train and the brakes had both been tampered with.”
Cole went still, only peripherally aware of the blood draining from Charley’s face.
“Are you saying someone deliberately tried to kill Cole?” She was staring at Ben in shock.
“It sure looks that way, Charley. Robert is a good mechanic. He doesn’t get much chance to work on a car like that, so he was taking his time. He said there’s no way it could have been an accident, although if he hadn’t been so thorough he might have missed it.”
“But who would want to kill Cole? And why? This is a lot different than rigging a set of stairs to collapse, Ben.”
Ben took his hat off and tossed it into the chair next to him. “The who is why I’m here.” He gave Cole a long look. “Any idea who might hate you enough to want you dead, Jordan?”
Cole took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to say could drive Charley away from him forever. “I only know of one man who hates me that much.” He couldn’t look at her, couldn’t stand to see the expression on her face.
Ben pulled a notebook out of his pocket and flipped it open. “Who?”
“Victor Channing.”
“No.” The word was a mere breath of air but he heard it, felt her stricken eyes on his face. He still couldn’t look at her, but he held onto her hand when she would have pulled away, pleading silently for her to give him a chance to explain.
Ben had paused with his pen against the paper. “Victor Channing is one of our leading citizens. He’s always been active in charitable causes and he’s helped hundreds of families in the area that couldn’t have made it on their own. So tell me, why should I believe that a man like Victor Channing tried to kill you?”
Cole’s cast temporarily blocked his view of Ben as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. Even though he’d been about to tell Charley the whole story, he hadn’t wanted it to be under these circumstances. He lowered his arm and looked at Ben. “Because he hates me. He’s always hated me. Not only am I Jack Jordan’s son, I actually had the audacity to fall in love with his niece. And she loved me.”
He couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to look at Charley. Her eyes were huge dark pits in the whiteness of her face, and the bruise stood out in stark relief. He wanted to put his arms around her, hold her until the rest of the world went away. “She loved me,” he repeated, his eyes holding hers. “Poor Cole Jordan. The boy from across the tracks with no future. The son of the man who married the only woman that Victor has ever loved.”
Ben held up a hand. “Hold on. You lost me. Can we start at the beginning?”
Cole reluctantly looked away from Charley. “It’s really pretty simple, Ben. Victor was in love with my mother, but she married Jack Jordan. And when Dad died, he transferred that hate to me. You see, he thought Mom would turn to him. He even gave her a place to live, free of charge. But Mom didn’t want to be dependent on him, so she paid him what she could afford.”
Cole glanced at Charley then continued. “About a year after Dad died, Victor asked my mother to marry him again. She refused. She didn’t love Victor, never had. But he couldn’t believe it. He blamed her refusal on me. He thought I knew about their supposed relationship and was fighting it.”
He shrugged. “Victor was wrong. I didn’t know any of this until the night I left town. But it didn’t really matter. If it hadn’t been that, it would have been something else. I look too much like my father. And when Charley and I started dating, it was like rubbing salt into a wound to Victor. He stood it for two years, hoping Charley would get over her ‘infatuation,’ but she didn’t.”
He gave Ben a sardonic smile. “He wanted her to marry you.”
“Me?” Ben looked surprised. “Charley and I were never more than good friends.”
“Apparently Victor hoped that with me out of the way, that would change. So he decided to make it possible for me to leave. The night of Charley’s twentieth birthday, he was waiting for me when I got home. Him and Douglas. He gave me no option. If I wasn’t gone by morning, my mother would find herself on the street by noon.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Tears were running down Charley’s face. “I would have gone with you.”
Cole released her hand and tenderly brushed the moisture from her cheeks. “I wanted to, Charley. I knew how much it was going to hurt you. But he left Douglas there to make sure I didn’t. I would have given my life to take you with me, but I couldn’t take the chance he’d throw Mom out. She had no money, nowhere else to go.”
For a moment, he forgot Ben was there. “As soon as I could I tried to reach you. Every time I called, someone else would answer the phone. I wrote, two or three times a week for an entire year, but you never answered.”
“I never knew,” she whispered. “I didn’t get a single letter. I would have answered. Oh, God. You must have hated me.”
“No,” he murmured. “I couldn’t hate you. Not even if I thought you just didn’t want anything to do with me. But I never thought that, Charley. I kn
ew Victor had to be keeping the letters from you. So I stopped trying, although I never gave up hope. I knew someday I’d come back, and this time I’d have enough money, be old enough, that Victor couldn’t stop me. And while I waited, I kept track of you. I knew when you bought your house, and when you bought the Red Dog.” His hand moved to caress her nape. “I was so proud of you, Charley. And I missed you so much.”
Ben cleared his throat and they both looked at him. “Well, it does sort of cast Victor in a new light, but it’s not exactly what I’d consider grounds for murder. You must have another reason for thinking it’s him.”
Cole took possession of Charley’s hand again and leaned back in his chair. “Victor has threatened me three different times since I’ve been back. The first two were more on the order of warnings. The last one was a direct threat. He knew that sooner or later I’d tell Charley the truth, and it terrified him to think she might believe me.”
Ben had his pen out again. “What exactly did he say?”
“He said, ‘I’m warning you for the last time, Jordan. Stay away from my niece or you’ll be sorry.’ I thought he was just bluffing, but it was only a few days later that the stairs collapsed at Duncan Mills. And Victor knew we were going out there. Charley told him on the phone earlier that morning.”
He glanced at her again. “Did you tell him we were going on a picnic yesterday?”
If possible, her face got even whiter. “Yes. But he didn’t do this, Cole. I know he didn’t. Uncle Victor may have lied and manipulated us, but he would never intentionally hurt anyone. And he knew I’d be with you.”
“Maybe he thought it would happen before I picked you up.”
Charley pulled her hand from his. “But Uncle Vic knows nothing about cars! When something needs fixing on his, Douglas does it!”
Ben and Cole glanced at each other, and Ben nodded slightly.
“What was that for?” Charley stood and faced Ben. “You believe him, don’t you? You think Uncle Victor is behind this?”
“Settle down, Charley. I didn’t say I believed it. But as you just pointed out, Douglas knows how to work on cars, and he doesn’t do anything unless Victor tells him to. The fact is, someone sabotaged Cole’s car, and right now your uncle is our only suspect. Suspecting he might be involved and proving it are two different things. I’m not going to rush right out and arrest him. But I am going to talk to him, and Douglas, too.”