The House on Blackberry Hill: Jewell Cove #1 (Jewel Cove) (31 page)

Josh released Tom’s hand before he embarrassed himself by pulling him into a man-hug. He looked down at Abby. “I owe you an apology,” he said. “For the way I acted at Sarah’s. I was a jerk. No excuses.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine. I understand, Josh. And I’m so sorry for your loss.”

She could have made it difficult and instead she was being generous. He looked back at Tom. “You’d better hang on to her.”

Tom’s brown eyes glinted with the touch of humor Josh remembered. “She’s too good for me,” Tom answered plainly.

“Shit, we all know that,” Josh replied, and Tom’s answering low chuckle took the tension away.

“Jess?” Meggie’s voice came from a few feet away. “Sarah wants to see you.”

Jess slid away and Abby excused herself to see if she could get anyone coffee, leaving Tom and Josh standing in the middle of the hallway.

“I suppose we should talk,” Tom said. “Seeing as how I don’t think you’re going to punch me again. At least not today.”

“I think the time for that’s past.” Josh looked over his shoulder, watched as Jess went in the hospital room. “I feel so damned sorry for Sarah. She wanted this baby so much.”

“Sarah’s the softest heart in the bunch of us,” Tom admitted. “It doesn’t seem fair.”

A few moments of silence hung in the air until Josh decided he might as well get rid of the elephant in the room. “I know now’s not the time, but I know why Erin did that last tour, Tom. I only had to see her face when someone mentioned your name to know.”

Tom swallowed. “I swear to you, Josh, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“I know that. I did what I could to love her enough, but it was always you. I hated you for it.”

Tom came forward and laid a hand on Josh’s arm. “We never, ever had an affair. Please believe that.”

“Not even when she went to you before her last deployment?”

Josh expected to see guilt on Tom’s face. He wasn’t prepared for the pain.

“You knew.”

“I knew,” Josh confirmed. “She told me she was going to Boston to see some girlfriends. I knew it was a lie. When she got back I checked the history in her GPS.”

Awkward silence fell. Tom cleared his throat. “She came to see me. She wanted us to be together, permanently, said she’d stay Stateside and—”

“And divorce me.” The words were harder to say out loud than he could have imagined.

“What was I supposed to do?” With a sharp exhale, Tom turned away. He ran his hand through his hair. “If I … if we…” He glanced up at Josh. “If we’d slept together, it would have been betraying you and the promise I made myself to not put myself in the middle of your marriage. I couldn’t do it. I’m not proud of how all this shook down but I do have a little bit of self-respect that I try to hold on to. So I said no. And by turning her away…” He stared off into space. “I practically sent her on that last deployment. And she never came back.”

Tom blamed himself? Josh felt like sitting down. He hadn’t seen that one coming.

“I wasn’t enough,” Josh admitted. “I thought if we started a family, a life in Hartford, that she’d forget about you. But she didn’t want that. She made sure there were no babies to tie her to me.” Josh sighed heavily. “I found her birth control pills. She didn’t want me. I wasn’t you, you see.”

More silence as they both absorbed the truth.

Loving Erin had cost them both so much. Perhaps too much.

“Things won’t be the same,” Tom finally said quietly. “I know that. But not beating on each other every time we’re in the same room would be a good start.”

Josh couldn’t help the smile that flickered on his lips. “That’s just because I always win.”

“You wish,” Tom replied, and a bit of the old comfort between them came back.

“So you and Abby,” Josh said, warmer this time. “She’s plucky.”

Tom snorted. “Plucky?”

Josh shrugged. “Well, it’s the first time anyone’s seen you with a woman in … well, never mind. We’ve covered that. But show up in public wearing your sweats? That kind of says it all, don’t you think?”

Tom ran a hand over his face. “Actually, it wasn’t like that. It’s a long story, too long for today. Anyway, don’t get your hopes up. It’s complicated, and she’s put the house up for sale. I don’t think she’s hanging around for much longer.”

There was the sound of a door opening and closing and the men turned to the double doors that marked the entrance to the ward. Bryce came through and halted as he saw the two of them standing together. A smile spread across his face. “Boys,” he said, coming forward. “Looking for a referee?”

*   *   *

Abby handed cups of coffee to Meggie, Tom, and Josh. Another of tea waited for Jess in the cardboard cup holder and she sipped at her own beverage, suddenly exhausted. Her legs were starting to pain as the meds wore off, so she sat down in one of the waiting room chairs to give them some relief. Tom was standing with Josh and Bryce and the three of them were talking. Their faces were somber, but not angry. The three of them made quite a picture—Bryce’s and Tom’s muscled, dark features against Josh’s leaner, lighter coloring.

“That’s not a sight I thought I’d see anytime soon,” Meggie said, taking a seat beside Abby.

“They put their differences aside for Sarah.” Abby looked at Tom’s aunt. “How is she?”

Worry clouded Meggie’s eyes. “No mother should ever have to bury her babies.”

“Or see their children suffer,” Abby said quietly.

“Or that. Mine have had their share.”

“Erin’s death and now Sarah.”

Meggie sipped her coffee. “Jess, too. You have them and want to protect them but at some point they have to go out on their own. It’s hard to watch the failures. But wonderful to see the victories.” She nodded at Josh. “That feels like a victory today. And I get the feeling you had a hand in it. Thank you for that.”

Abby shifted in the chair and the armrest knocked against her thigh. She gasped and clenched her teeth but not before Meggie noticed. “Are you okay? Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re looking a bit rough. We all sort of assumed that you and Tom had … I mean, with the borrowed clothes and everything…” Meggie blushed a little, and so did Abby.

“Oh,” she replied. She hadn’t quite thought about appearances when they’d hopped in the truck. “Um, not like that. I got caught in the storm earlier. My clothes are in Tom’s dryer.”

“And the leg?” Meggie’s gaze penetrated. “Someone doesn’t react like that from a little scratch.”

“The short version is that the barn at the top of Blackberry Hill is toast. I didn’t quite make it out unscathed.”

“What?” Meggie leaned forward. “Are you saying that old monstrosity finally came down?”

“With me inside it, I’m afraid.”

Meggie’s face paled. “My God, girl, what are you doing here?”

Abby smiled, touched by the concern. “It’s okay. I was pretty lucky. Tom bandaged me up. There’s a cut on my leg, and my knees got chewed up a bit.”

“Let’s see.”

Abby felt ridiculous. “I’m fine, really.”

Meggie frowned, her face taking on that motherly “just do as I say” look. Abby rolled up the cuff of Tom’s pants and carefully peeled back the gauze over her knee.

“You weren’t kidding.” Meggie examined the wound.

“There were a lot of splinters,” Abby explained. “I’m afraid it’s quite tender.”

“Of course it is.” She sat up. “Josh?”

“Meggie, please…”

“Josh is a doctor. He should have a look.” She frowned. “Tom should have taken you to him in the first place. Oh, well. At least fences seem mended now.”

Josh approached, followed by Tom and Bryce.

“Take a look at Abby, will you, Josh?”

Josh knelt down and examined her knees. “Good Lord. How did you do this?”

She met his alarmed gaze. “Trying to crawl out of a falling building. I didn’t quite make it.”

He peeled off the remaining gauze and tape. Tom put his hand on her shoulder as she winced at the gentle touch. “She had splinters, but I think I got them all out.”

“A falling building, huh?”

“Lightning hit the old Prescott barn,” Tom explained.

“And Tom pulled me out,” Abby replied, reaching up and squeezing his hand. “Did I actually say thank you yet?”

He squeezed back in return.

Josh frowned. “You’re okay otherwise?”

“I think so. There’s a small cut on my leg.”

“You should have your tetanus updated if you haven’t in a while. I’ll see to it, okay?”

“Josh, really, I—”

He put his hand on her ankle. “It’s the least I can do. Besides, it’ll keep me busy. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Meggie gently replaced the bandage, anchoring the tape and rolling down the cuffs of the pants. Abby’s eyes stung. Twice today people had tended to her with care. Right now Abby was feeling rather mothered, and it was something she’d missed more than she realized.

Tom went to put his cup in the garbage. “You’re really selling the house?” Meggie asked, sounding disappointed.

The question made Abby uncomfortable. She really didn’t know anymore. Why did it seem to matter to everyone? “It’s awfully big for one person. I didn’t know much about my family when I got here, but I’ve filled in the blanks, which is what I set out to do. There’s no reason for me to stay.”

Meggie looked at Tom. “Isn’t there?”

Josh returned with fresh materials and in no time he had her knees rebandaged and she’d endured a tetanus shot. She felt silly, knowing she was fine while Sarah was the one in the hospital room going through hell. But she let Tom’s family baby her just this once. Once she was squared away, Tom offered to go out and pick up some food for everyone. Bryce went with him and Josh went to speak to the doctor.

Jess came out of Sarah’s room. “I’m going to take Mark to pick up the kids,” Jess said. Her eyes looked tired and slightly red. “Mom, she wondered if you’d go with me and pick up some of her things for the night.”

“I’ll sit with her for a while,” Abby said, rising. “I can’t do much, but I can get her something if she needs it.”

“Thank you, Abby,” Jess said. “I don’t want her to be alone.”

Abby went into the room, her steps tentative. Sarah was in the bed, covered to her armpits in a white sheet and wearing a hospital johnny shirt. Abby sat on the edge of the bed, struggling not to cry herself. Maybe she’d never lost a baby, but she was no stranger to grief. She took Sarah’s hand in hers.

“I am so, so sorry,” she said quietly.

Sarah looked up at Abby and tears filled her eyes.

“You don’t need to say anything,” Abby whispered, knowing that there were times that words just didn’t seem to help when a heart was in despair. Sarah put her head back against the pillow and Abby watched, helpless, as a tear squeezed out of Sarah’s eye and rolled along her cheek to the pillow.

And then Abby sat there, just holding Sarah’s hand as she cried it out, until Sarah’s eyelids finally closed and she slid into an emotionally exhausted sleep.

C
HAPTER
21

“Tom, can I ask your opinion about something?”

Abby stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Tom had come by to replace the door on one of the kitchen cupboards that had come from the manufacturer with a flaw. He was kneeling on the floor holding a screwdriver in his hand, his jeans curved beautifully over his bottom. His T-shirt rode up just a bit, stretched across the muscles of his back.

He was easily the most gorgeous man she’d ever known.

Unfortunately, he was also the most difficult to figure out. Everything had changed since the day of the storm. So many things had been resolved. She’d shared the deepest parts of herself with Tom, and she’d thought they’d grown closer because of it. It was true that Sarah and Mark’s tragedy had cast a pall of sadness over the family, but it was tempered by Tom and Josh’s tentative reconciliation. Wounds were being healed.

So why did she feel farther removed from Tom instead of closer? Ever since they’d been interrupted on their way to kissing—and that was definitely where they’d been headed—he’d been distant. He’d brought her home from the hospital that night and left her at the door. She’d offered to go to his place to pick up her clothing but he dropped it off one day when she was in town meeting with the lawyer.

That night had given Abby a clarity about herself, her past, and what she wanted from her future … or in this case their future. She’d been running away her whole life, afraid of getting hurt, and she was tired of it. Abby wanted a place to call home, a family, friends, Tom. But so far, instead of getting closer, Tom had backed off.

“Fire away,” he answered, not looking up from his work.

She stepped inside. “Jewell Cove has a historical society, right?”

The ratcheting screwdriver made grinding noises in the otherwise silent kitchen. He chuckled. “Sure, but you could start up your
own
historical society with what’s up in that attic.”

“I’ve already sorted out a lot of things that might be of interest to collectors.”

He picked up another screw and set it in place. “Getting their hands on some of the old Foster relics would be a major coup,” he confirmed. “I’m surprised the town hasn’t asked you about buying the house for a museum.”

She ran her hand over the cool granite countertop. He’d done a fabulous job in the kitchen, making it modern and sleek while still maintaining the stately grandeur of the rest of the house. “Oh, I did run into the mayor at Breezes one morning when I first arrived and he might have mentioned it.”

The screwdriver stopped turning. Tom finally looked up at her, but she found it impossible to read his expression.

“Has the town put in an offer?”

“Not that I’m aware of. The price tag might be a little hefty.”

He looked back down at the cabinet door and opened and shut it a few times, and then fiddled more with the screws.

“Anyway, what I wondered was … what do you think of me hosting one last Foster garden party?”

“A garden party? Here?” Tom paused in the middle of his task to look at Abby in surprise.

“I know the yard still needs some work. I thought about asking Art Ellis to come up to show me how the garden used to be. The roses are blooming, but it needs more flowers. Do you know where I should go to buy some annuals to fill in the gaps?”