little while before that, Linnette had moved practically next door to her own sister and they’d struck up a friendship. Gloria had been a tremendous comfort to Linnette since her breakup with Cal.
“I love you both equally,” her mother said in low tones. “I always have.”
“Of course you do, Mom, but you don’t really know Gloria. Like I said, this is your chance to bond without me being there.” So far, it’d always been the three of them. Now, both Gloria and their mother could benefit from some private time together. Without Linnette who, as she readily acknowledged, tended to be the center of attention.
She finished her tea and, feeling a little stronger—perhaps the tea had helped—she brought her cup to the sink. Her mother stood, too. “I should go. Your father expected me back at the office half an hour ago.”
“I’m surprised that he didn’t call your cell.”
Corrie smiled. “I suspect he knew where I was.”
She was probably right. Linnette admired her parents’ marriage and the way they understood each other, the way they worked together. It was what she wanted for her own marriage and was determined to have one day.
Her mother left soon afterward. Linnette hugged her, and they both managed to smile, despite Corrie’s disappointment. Everything she’d said was true, and yet nothing was going to change. Linnette instinctively knew she’d made the right decision. She needed to leave Cedar Cove.
She rinsed out the cups and set them in the dishwasher. She’d just returned to her packing when the doorbell rang again. It would be either her brother, Mack, or Gloria, she figured. Most likely Gloria.
But Linnette was in for a shock. Vicki Newman, the woman Cal loved, stood on the other side of the screen door. For a long moment the two women did nothing but stare at each other.
“I hope you don’t mind that I’ve come,” Vicki said shyly, her brown eyes imploring Linnette.
“Does Cal know you’re here?” Linnette couldn’t help glancing over the woman’s shoulder. Then she looked back at Vicki, with her plain face—there was no other word for it—and her carelessly braided hair. And yet Linnette had begun to realize why Cal loved her so much. For one thing they shared a view of the world, including their passion for animals; Vicki was a veterinarian and Cal a horse-trainer who worked for Grace Harding’s husband. The way it had all happened, though—Linnette still found that hard to believe. But she respected him for caring so deeply that he was willing to stand up to the barrage of criticism directed at him because of the pain he’d caused Linnette.
In response to Linnette’s question, Vicki shook her head. “Cal wouldn’t like it if he found out I’d stopped by.”
Knowing him as well as she did, Linnette agreed. Unlatching the screen door, she pushed it open to allow the other woman inside.
As Vicki walked into the apartment, her gaze darted about the room, taking in the boxes that littered the floor. “So it’s true. You are moving.”
Linnette ignored her comment and gestured toward the sofa. “Would you like to sit down?”
Vicki declined with a shake of her head. She gazed down at the carpet. “I heard you were leaving, and I just wanted to tell you how … how sorry I am.”
“Sorry that I’m leaving?”
“No … sorry that I hurt you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I.” Vicki looked up then and seemed to reach some decision. “I’ve been in love with Cal for a long time,” she said. “Long before he met you. He didn’t know it and I … I didn’t know how to tell him, so I said nothing. I never thought he could possibly love me.”
“It’s because of Cal that you volunteered to help with the mustang rescue, isn’t it?”
Vicki nodded. “Well … partly. The cause is important to me too, of course. Anything to do with horses.”
“I understand.” After a brief silence, she asked, “You knew about me?”
Vicki nodded again. “I tried not to love him.”
Linnette wasn’t sure of the other woman’s purpose in confronting her. Perhaps she felt guilty. Perhaps because of that she was hoping Linnette would yell at her, curse her, condemn her for taking the man Linnette loved. A week earlier, that was exactly what might have happened. Not now. “I’m the one who’s trying not to love him,” Linnette whispered.
“I’m sure there’ll be lots of other opportunities for you. You’ll find someone else to love—someone who’ll love you,” Vicki said urgently. “But for me.” She cleared her throat. “I communicate better with animals than I do with people. I always have. As soon as I met Cal, I felt we should be together. He has the same feeling about animals.”
Linnette suddenly had a sharp clear memory of the time she’d come to visit Cal and overheard him crooning to an injured horse. He hadn’t known she was there. Linnette had felt as if she was intruding on a private moment, a private world.
“Cal’s asked me to marry him,” Vicki said in a low voice. “I want to.”
“Then you should,” Linnette said.
“We both feel so guilty.”
“Don’t, please.” She reached out to touch Vicki’s arm. In the beginning she’d hated this woman, but she no longer felt that way. “I want you both to be happy.”
“You mean that?” Vicki asked, frowning.
“With all my heart.” Linnette took a deep breath. “If you’ve come looking for my absolution, then you have it.”
“Can I tell Cal we’ve talked?”
Linnette nodded. “You’re right, you know. I will find someone else.” For the first time she actually believed it.
Six
It was the Saturday evening of the dreaded family dinner.
Teri couldn’t stop fidgeting. She checked the ham roasting in the oven, along with a huge casserole of scalloped potatoes. She’d chosen fresh green beans for the vegetable; they were simmering on the stove. Although it was summer, ham had always been served on special occasions, and Teri wasn’t about to break with tradition. The table was set with her formal dishes—even the concept of “formal” and “everyday” dishes was a new one for her—and sparkling crystal glasses. Nothing but the best for Mom, Christie and the gang, she thought with no small degree of irony. Against her better judgment, Teri was introducing her family, such as it was, to her husband.
“Bobby,” she called, leaving the kitchen and pulling off the apron she’d donned to protect her pale-green shirt. She’d worn it for confidence, since Bobby loved that color on her. When he came toward her, she drew in a calming breath. “Remember what I told you?”
Her husband regarded her blankly.
“About
