Cassie had meant it, too. The beatings had gotten much worse after she’d made that stand. People asked why she’d stayed in the marriage, why she’d put up with the abuse. Those who wanted to know weren’t familiar with the human psyche. One reason was that Cassie felt she didn’t have any choice—Duke had convinced her that she’d never make it on her own. The crazy part was she’d believed him. She might have failed if not for the support and encouragement of the women at the shelter. Because of them she felt an obligation to give back in kind for all the help given to her.
“Feel better?” Steve asked.
Cassie nodded.
“You ready to get back on the road?”
“In a minute.” She drew in several deep breaths and tried to quell her pounding heart.
“Let’s walk for a bit,” Steve suggested.
“Okay.” They followed a dirt road for several feet, walking side by side in silence. “I … I don’t know what I’ll say to Karen.”
Steve leaned down and grabbed hold of a long stem of grass, which he placed in the corner of his mouth. “My guess,” he said, “is that your sister is wondering the same thing. She’s probably just as nervous.”
Not Karen—her sister was always so put together. What Cassie had in brains and talent, her two sisters made up for in beauty. Karen had been nominated for the homecoming court her senior year of high school. And while Nichole was barely in her teens when Cassie left, it was apparent she would grow out of that awkward stage and be just as lovely as Karen.
“I can’t see Karen as nervous.”
“I’ll bet she is,” Steve continued, chewing on the long stem of grass.
Cassie remembered how awkward the first conversations with Karen had been shortly after their father died. Her older sister had sounded as uncertain as Cassie felt. Just recently, since they’d started communicating again, it’d gotten a little better; they’d both lowered their guard bit by bit, and yet it continued to be firmly held in place.
After several minutes, Cassie slowly turned around and started back toward the truck. Steve followed. He didn’t ask her any further questions, didn’t coax or cajole her.
“Ready?” he asked, when they reached the truck.
Cassie inhaled a deep breath and nodded.
He opened the passenger door and Cassie climbed in. Steve was right. She could do this. She would do this.
Chapter 17
Nichole Patterson set out her husband’s favorite lunch on a floral place mat. She poured him a tall glass of iced tea and then waited for Jake to return from his golf match with his buddy Dave. He’d been spending a lot of time with Dave lately—not that Nichole minded. Ever since the birth of their son, Jake had been especially loving. She simply adored her Michael Kors purse, although she felt a twinge of guilt now and again when she saw it. If Jake hadn’t insisted, she would never have purchased anything so extravagant for herself. Jake enjoyed spoiling her.
The door off the garage opened and Jake walked in. “Hi, honey,” he said and brushed his lips across her cheek. Owen sat on the floor, playing with his toys, which he had spread out across the hardwood. Jake reached for his son and lifted him high in the air and kissed his chubby cheek.
Owen squealed, dropped his toy, and flung out his arms before Jake handed him to Nichole.
“You made me lunch,” he said.
“Yes, a sandwich, and I’ve got the soup on the stove. How was your golf game?”
Jake pulled out the chair and sat down. “Great. I ended the round only two over par.”
Nichole hoped that their son inherited his father’s athletic abilities. Owen showed a lot of promise—he’d started walking at nine months and was into everything. She had to be on constant guard when it came to their son, which meant she had little free time—not that she minded. This was what it meant to be a mother and she enjoyed her role.
“Is tomato soup okay?” she asked, setting Owen in his high chair. She handed him a handful of Cheerios, his favorite cereal, to keep him occupied while she went to the stove to dish up Jake’s lunch.
“Perfect.” Jake reached for the floral napkin that matched the place mat and spread it on his lap.
“Karen called this morning to tell me she’d heard from Cassie.” She delivered his soup to the table. Pulling out a chair, she sat across the table from her husband.
Jake pushed his sandwich aside in order to make room for his soup. “The prodigal sister you hardly remember?”
“Oh, I remember Cassie, all right. It’s sort of crazy, you know. It was like she died after she ran off with Duke. She put my parents through hell: Mom worried herself sick and Dad was never the same. He used to sit and stare at the piano. Once I saw him in his chair, looking at the piano with tears glistening in his eyes. She made some bad decisions and then looked to us for help. Remember when she called, needing money?”
Jake took a big bite of his sandwich before he nodded. “It looks like she’s mended fences with Karen, though.”
“Not really.” Nichole was following Karen’s lead when it came to Cassie. “But I think this is a move in the right direction.”
Jake frowned and reached for his spoon. “Was Cassie looking for money again?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Cassie reached out to come and collect the leftover things from my parents’ house.”
“What did I tell you?” Jake said, wagging his index finger at her.
Nichole frowned, not remembering. “What did you tell me?” Jake looked so sexy when he thought he was right about something. Those three little lines at the bridge of his nose would crinkle up with that “you know I’m right” look she adored. His eyes were the most incredible blue-gray, and thankfully, their son had inherited them.
“I told you,” Jake reminded her, “that if you put a time limit on how long the family would hold all that stuff, then your sister would magically find a way to collect it.”
Actually, Nichole didn’t remember her husband saying that. She was the one who’d mentioned it to Karen over the phone, suggesting she give their sister two months and no more. It sounded a bit dictatorial now, and she regretted being so harsh.
“Cassie’s driving over to Spokane today with a friend. It’ll be the first time Karen and Cassie have seen each other since their big fight right before Cassie married Duke.” Nichole had been in the room at the time and put a pillow around her head so she couldn’t hear.
Jake grew thoughtful. “Karen must be nervous?”
“Really nervous. She hardly sounded like herself.” After talking to her oldest sister, Nichole almost wished she could be in Spokane with her. She’d enjoy seeing Cassie again, too, she thought, then took a breath, realizing the desire had caught her unaware. Cassie had been out of her life for so long Nichole hadn’t thought there was any emotional attachment left. Well, other than the guilt she felt for the role she’d played in Cassie’s disappearance.
“We used to fight all the time.”
“You and Cassie?”
“All three of us. When Karen was a senior she felt like she should have her own bedroom. Karen and Cassie were constantly fighting over clothes and boys and everything in between. Dad took Cassie’s side. She was his favorite and we could tell. Mom championed Karen. After one big shouting match, Dad decided Cassie would share my bedroom.”
“You had your own room?” Jake arched his eyebrows playfully.
Nichole rushed to explain. “I was so much younger than Karen and Cassie. It only made sense for me to have my own room and have them share, since they were close in age. But I wasn’t happy about this new arrangement. To make matters even worse, Cassie was bossy and she kept the light on all night reading. She told our mother it was homework but it wasn’t. She was reading romance novels. I took one of her ‘textbooks’ to Mom and then it was all-out war between me and Cassie.” She smiled at the memory of some of the antics they’d pulled on each other. Nichole had switched out Cassie’s expensive shampoo for salad dressing, and in retaliation Cassie had destroyed Nichole’s homework.