Ain't She Sweet (Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #2) - Whitney Dineen Page 0,80
he’s expecting company,” Ruby says.
An image of Cash Cartwright pops into my head and it’s all I can do not to spit fire. There’s no way I can endure her, Romaine, and the press—talk about Dante’s third ring of hell.
I announce that we’ll be back in a few minutes, then I grab James by the shirt and pull him out the door. The sooner I talk to my ex, the sooner I’ll know what kind of drama I’m going to have to deal with.
As soon as we drive past the edge of the forest, my phone starts to ping like it’s receiving Morse code. I look down and start to read incoming texts. There are ones from my mom and Ruby, but there are also four from Rachel Perry from the Tattler.
I’ve just been assigned to a new story. Please call me. R.
Tara, call me as soon as you get this. Rachel.
Tara, this is urgent. You have to call me now!
And finally…
Romaine Choate is here at the lodge. PLEASE call me!!!
Chapter Forty-Two
Ruby
“Billy, everything looks lovely in here,” Ruby tells her brother-in-law while looking around his cabin.
“It’s just the way Addie left it,” he tells her.
“Well, it suits you.”
“It really does,” Gwen adds. “It’s rugged and homey at the same time.”
Billy rewards them with a thousand-watt smile as he puts a plate of cookies onto the table in front of him. “I’m pleased you’re here. I thought I’d make a paella for supper tonight. I’d be honored if you would both join me.”
“That sounds nice, Billy,” Ruby says, “but I don’t know what’s going to happen up at the lodge tonight. I feel like I’d better be there just in case the poop really hits the fan. Plus, I left Penny in the office with Chris. I need to be back in time to feed her supper.”
“Well, I’d love to stay,” Gwen says. “Maybe the kids can join us.”
“They’re more than welcome to. In fact, I was thinking that I should stay with James and let Tara have my place. I’m guessing she’ll want to hide from all the reporters. That might be kind of hard to do up at the lodge.”
“That’s a lovely offer,” Gwen says. “I could stay with her to keep her company.”
With a wink, Ruby suggests, “We should have James stay with her. He knows the area and will know what to do if they’re found.”
“What happened to staying out of James’s and Tara’s love life?” Gwen laughingly demands.
Ruby unsuccessfully tries to school her expression into one of innocence. “I’m not suggesting anything of an intimate nature take place. I just thought James’s presence might be a comfort.”
Before Gwen can react, Billy looks at her and says, “Everyone could use a little comfort now and then.”
James
While I drive us to the lodge, Tara checks her text messages. “Rachel wants me to call her.”
“Are you going to?”
“I probably should.” But she makes no effort to do so.
Once I park the truck, I ask, “Are you going to go in to see Romaine?”
“No, I’m going to call him. There’s zero chance I could walk through the hotel without someone recognizing me now.” She hits a couple of buttons on her phone and says, “Romaine, what are you doing in Oregon? You need to call me as soon as you get this.”
Then she places another call. “Hi, Rachel, it’s Tara, returning your call. Call me back when you get a chance.” She hangs up and asks me, “Can we sit here for a while to see if either of them calls back? I’ll never know up at Billy’s.”
“Sure,” I tell her. The expression on her face is so sad and defeated, she looks like she’s all alone in the world. “Scoot over.” When she doesn’t move fast enough, I meet her halfway and open my arms to her. She snuggles into my embrace and puts her head on my shoulder. We sit quietly, neither of us saying a word.
We must be there for twenty minutes when I see Chris walking Penny. I disengage myself from Tara. “Wait here.” Then I get out of the truck to collect our dog. I can’t help it; I think of Penny as ours. “Hey, Chris, what’s going on inside?” I call out.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know how Tara could stand having all those people up in her business for all those years.”
“She couldn’t,” I say. “They’re the reason she left California.”
“They’re like a plague of locusts. They’re everywhere.”