Ever After Read online

  “What did you do when you realized it was the sight of Jamie that had made everyone stop?”

  They kept shopping as Hallie talked. She didn’t leave out how frightened she’d been or how it all could have backfired. And she told them what Raine said afterward.

  When they were on the street, Lainey and Paige walked in front, with Cale and Hallie behind. “You seem to like Raine a lot,” Cale said.

  “I do. He’s been kind to me and he’s a very perceptive man.” Hallie saw that Cale was frowning. “But he’s not Jamie,” she added.

  Immediately, Cale’s frown disappeared and she slipped her arm through Hallie’s. “Want to come to Kingsley House tonight for dinner?”

  “Thank you for the invitation, but I need to work on Jamie’s leg.” She wasn’t sure if she should say that she was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. While the day had been exciting, now she wanted to tell Jamie about everything that had happened and…well, to just be alone with him.

  “I understand,” Cale said. “I have just one more errand. I have to buy my eldest sons some clothes. They both packed too little. Too bad you don’t have time to help me choose some things. I could buy for Todd and maybe you could pick out some clothes for Jamie.”

  “Oh!” Hallie said, her eyes wide. “I think I could manage that. Jamie has practically nothing here, mostly just workout clothes. He needs some nice, casual shirts and a few buttoned cottons. Blue is his color. Not navy but a brighter blue. And he could stand a couple of cardigans to wear in the evenings. I saw some heavy white cotton ones he might like. Plain but good quality, that’s what he’d like. And he needs socks. Maybe we could get—”

  Cale turned away to hide her grin. Oh, yes, mothers loved people who loved their children.

  Jamie was stretched out on the couch in the tea room, his arm across his face, his head on the pillow that had been made from the bird embroidery. It had taken a while, but he’d finally rid the house of relatives and he was enjoying the quiet. Now if Hallie would just return from wherever she was, everything would be perfect. Raine said he’d sent her off to do some shopping and give her some time away from taking care of all of them.

  At that thought, Jamie smiled. Hallie did take care of people. Whether it was working on a Montgomery’s tennis elbow or digging into Raine’s lats, Hallie was always helping someone.

  This morning had been horrible for him. After Todd left Plymouth’s house, Jamie had been torn between wanting to put himself between Hallie and his male cousins, and staying where he was. Hallie had won out.

  When Jamie got to her house, things were worse than he’d expected. All of them were dancing. His slick Montgomery cousins were waltzing Hallie around like they were at some formal ball.

  If that weren’t bad enough, the noise nearly killed him. They’d installed the kind of speakers used in rock concerts, so bells were ringing, people shouting, music blaring. Jamie’s mind began to go round and round. Todd saw him from across the room and was about to run to his brother’s aid.

  But then Ian saw Jamie in the doorway and instantly muted the TV. Everyone knew what that meant: Fun-killer Jamie had arrived.

  He pivoted on his crutches to get the hell out of there, but first he wanted a look at Hallie. He wanted to tell her that he was there and if she needed him…But who was he kidding? She was dancing and having a great time. She didn’t need to be reminded of her burdensome wounded soldier.

  He was turning to leave when she told him he couldn’t go. But a glance at his cousins and he knew he had to leave. How could they have a good time if Jamie was there?

  Hallie persuaded him to stay, but everyone was so subdued that he couldn’t take it. He got up to leave.

  When he saw Hallie in the kitchen doorway with a big spaghetti pot and a spoon in her hand, he had no idea what she was doing. Cooking for everyone? But her face was more serious than he’d ever seen her. It was as though her eyes were trying to tell him something—but he had no idea what it was.

  At her first bang on the pot, he understood what she was doing. She and the sprouts made lots of noise but it hadn’t bothered him in the least. It was unexpected noise and cacophonies where he couldn’t tell where all the sounds were coming from that sent him spiraling.

  He kept his eyes on Hallie’s as she walked toward him, bashing away on the big pot, the kids trailing behind her like noisy little ducks.

  When she got to him, he wanted to kiss her. Wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her with all the thanks and appreciation and gratitude he was feeling. She had never treated him as though he were about to break. She’d never been frightened by his attacks. Never…

  He was standing there, eyes locked with hers, when his cousins took over. Ian nearly dragged Jamie to the couch, while his other cousins made their stupid whose-is-biggest comments.

  Jamie went with them because he wanted to show them that he could participate, like he used to, but he also wanted to find Hallie.

  But by the time he could excuse himself from being in front of the TV, Hallie was gone. He’d ended up sitting in the back beside his brother, eating popcorn and watching his princely cousin use a sword to cut a giant wedding cake.

  Every few minutes he’d looked around to see if Hallie had returned, but she hadn’t. After a while, he and Todd went to the gym to work out. Raine joined them and they stayed there for hours.

  When Jamie returned to the house, Hallie still wasn’t there. He showered, put on clean clothes, and went downstairs to get something to eat. No tea was set up and he missed it. No, actually, he missed sitting there with Hallie. What the hell was she doing?! Where was she?

  He began to feel so agitated that he knew he had to calm down, so he went into the tea room. It’s where he’d spent so much time with Hallie, where they had shared laughter and…and one intimate, too-quick time together.

  He stretched out on the couch, the same one the two of them had sat on together and talked of ghosts while a cozy fire burned in the fireplace. A knock on the door made his heart leap. Was she home?

  As he started to get up, the door opened and he saw his father.

  “Hi, Dad,” Jamie said and lay back down.

  “I know that look,” Kane said, smiling. “I’m not the girl.”

  “No, I’m glad to see you. Everything okay?”

  “Yes,” Kane said as he sat down in a chair near his son. As always, he scanned his son, glad all his limbs were there, glad he was alive. “Your mom went into town to search for Hallie.”

  “Does she know what she looks like?”

  “Sure. She saw your Hallie asleep, remember?”

  “She’s not mine,” Jamie said. “Not really.”

  “That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

  Jamie’s eyes were closed. “I know how babies are made and I will respect her in the morning.”

  When Kane said nothing, Jamie knew he’d stepped over the line. “Sorry. It’s been one hell of a day.”

  “So I heard. Your little sister told us every detail. She’s very happy that she no longer has to tiptoe around you.”

  “When did she ever?” Jamie sat up on the couch and was surprised at the seriousness on his father’s face. He’d seen this particular expression only a few times in his life. One time was the night before he left for war. “What is it?”

  Kane took a breath. “You know the story of how your mother and I met?”

  “Sure. I’ve heard it a thousand times. You took some women on a trail drive and she was one of them. Mom says she fell in love with Todd and me first. You came later.”

  Kane smiled in memory. “That’s true. She was so mad for you two that I was afraid she was going to kidnap you.” He paused. “Has she ever told you about the other women who were there?”

  “Oh, yeah. She used to make Todd and me laugh about them. A former cheerleader and an herbalist and another one. I can’t remember what she did.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I think that if I’d gone to counse