wasn’t it? He certainly made things difficult for my mother when he cut her out of his life.”
He’d witnessed her tears, the brokenness caused by Charles’s need to control those around him. Even now, he was attempting to control Lucian from beyond the grave. Unbelievable.
“Is that why you never came?” she demanded, eyes brimming with accusation. “Because you couldn’t forgive him for what he did to your mother?”
“How could I forgive someone who wasn’t sorry?” He didn’t tell her Charles hadn’t wanted him here. It was too painful to put into words.
“But he was sorry.” She took a step forward, intent on convincing him. “He regretted pushing her away, I know it.”
For a second, Lucian got lost in her impossibly blue eyes. She seemed to sincerely believe what she was saying. He, on the other hand, wasn’t that naive.
“It hardly matters now,” he pushed out. “They’re both gone. And I’m left here to deal with the whims of a manipulative old man.”
She bristled. “Since you’re obviously so eager to leave, why don’t you?”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Me out of the way so you can be free to come and go as you like? That was probably your goal all along. Why else would a young lady like yourself willingly spend time with a man three times her age?”
The color waned and surged in her cheeks, and when she spoke, he had to strain to hear her. “Your accusations are not those of a gentleman, sir. Charles was a fine man. Good and wise and generous. He was like a grandfather to me, something you couldn’t come close to understanding.”
Whirling away, she strode from the room with her head held high. Lucian sagged against the wall. What was supposed to have been a relatively short and simple visit to East Tennessee was proving to be anything but.
* * *
At the conclusion of the church service, Megan and her sisters, Nicole and Jane, joined their good friends, Cole and Rachel Prescott, in the shade of a sugar maple’s sprawling branches. The Prescotts’ one-year-old daughter, Abby, grinned at Megan and extended her arms, wanting to be held. The sweet little girl had captured her heart the moment she was born. Megan supervised her from time to time, and she liked to think of herself as a favorite auntie. Taking her from Cole, she hugged her close. It wasn’t Abby’s fault that her dark hair and eyes reminded her of a certain haughty gentleman.
Her heart squeezed, remembering Lucian’s hurtful words and the blazing suspicion in his eyes. She’d spent a restless night, reliving their conversation again and again. He was a hard man. Arrogant and close-minded.
“So what do you think Mr. Beaumont will do?” Concern marked Rachel’s expression.
Megan shrugged. “I don’t know. He doesn’t want to stay, yet he won’t agree to leave me in charge.” She gave a dry laugh. “And the last thing he’d want is for the house to go to me. He doesn’t trust my motives.”
Cole’s hazel eyes turned quizzical. “What motives would those be?”
“He thinks the only reason I spent time with Charles was to ultimately gain control of the house, like I’m some kind of opportunist.”
Fifteen-year-old Jane placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We all know that’s not true. Despite his advanced years, I found Charles a delight to be around. He always had interesting things to say.” Sometimes Jane and Kate, their cousin Josh’s wife, had accompanied Megan on her visits.
Rachel nodded, pushing her heavy sable waves behind her shoulders. “The man is obviously hurting, and he’s lashing out at you.”
“But he doesn’t even know me,” Megan exclaimed, inexplicably bothered by this stranger’s poor opinion of her. “He just assumes the worst.”
Cole placed an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “His attitude has nothing to do with you, Megan. Something in his life has skewed his thinking. If he spent a little time with you, he’d quickly come to see his error.”
Megan wasn’t so sure. Lucian seemed to want to believe her capable of such underhanded behavior. And anyway, it wasn’t as if he was going to stick around long enough for it to matter. The only time the two of them would be spending together would be to figure out this mess.
Seventeen-year-old Nicole, who’d been leaning against the tree trunk with a bored expression, straightened and brushed off her bottle-green dress. “I’m starving. Can we leave now?”
Megan was used to her younger sister’s sour attitude, but it had gotten steadily worse since their mother, Alice, and Jane’s twin, Jessica, had departed last week for Cades Cove. Their oldest sister, Juliana, was due to deliver her first baby any day now. Of course, they’d all wanted to go, but there simply wasn’t enough room in her sister’s cabin. Too many people milling about would overwhelm the new parents, anyway.
She aimed a reproving frown her way. “If you’d rather not wait for us, you’re welcome to go on ahead.”
Jane, ever the diplomat, offered to go with her.
Megan watched the two girls, so different in both appearance and temperament, head arm in arm down Main Street. Then her gaze encountered her friend, Tom Leighton, striding in her direction wearing a determined look.
With a smile at Rachel and Cole, she returned Abby to their arms. “I guess I should go, as well. I’m keeping you from your lunch.”
“No, you’re not—” Rachel smiled as she spoke “—but I can see a certain gentleman is intent on snagging your attention. Whenever you need to talk, our door is always open. Come over anytime.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.”
Megan watched the couple stroll to their wagon, Cole holding Rachel close to his side, his smile bright enough to rival the sun. She was thrilled to see her friends happy at long last. Cole and Rachel had very nearly lost each other, but God had brought them back together in their darkest hour.
“Megan, I’m glad I caught you.”
“Hello, Tom.” She smiled at the tall and lean barbershop owner, genuinely happy to see him. His easygoing personality made it easy to relax in his presence. “How are you, today?”
“Better now that I’m talking to you.” He grinned, dimples flashing. “Josh invited me to join you for lunch at his parents’ house. Care to walk with me?” He held out his arm.
She felt a flash of momentary irritation. Her cousin Josh insisted on pushing his best friend and her together, and she didn’t like it one bit. While Tom was an extremely nice man, she wasn’t interested in more than friendship. There was no spark, only casual affection.
Growing up, she’d envisioned a dashing hero, her own personal knight in shining armor sweeping into her life and fulfilling all her childhood dreams. Older and, she hoped, wiser at twenty years of age, she realized the impossibility of those expectations. No man could be everything she needed and desired. God alone could be her all in all. Still, the romantic, idealistic side of her hoped for a man who would challenge her, thrill her, cherish her.
So
