smiled. “Every now and again, but I never tire of hearing it. That’s what keeps me hanging in here.”
“I wish things weren’t so complicated.”
“Hey, darlin’, what would be the challenge in that? Life’s full of complications. Surviving them is what makes a person stronger.”
“Then I guess I’ve done my bit to see that you’re as tough as Hercules.”
He winked at her. “Want to feel my muscles?”
“You wish. Don’t start something you’re not prepared to finish, cowboy.”
“Oh, I am always prepared when I’m around you.” He brushed a kiss across her lips, then lingered.
Laurie felt the slow rise of heat in her blood, the tug of desire building low in her belly. It took so little for her to want him, so little to set her heart to racing. She backed away and drew in a deep breath.
“Hold that thought,” she pleaded.
“Forever, if I have to.”
“Not that long,” she promised, then slid out of the car. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Bright and early,” he agreed. “Sleep tight, darlin’, and dream of me.”
He was already pulling away when she whispered, “I always do.”
* * *
Dreaming of Harlan Patrick was what would give her the courage to confront her mother in the morning. Imagining that confrontation was what kept her awake most of the night. She was already in the kitchen with the coffee going when Val wandered down at the crack of dawn.
“Coffee?” she murmured, yawning.
Laurie poured her a mug. “Would you do me a favor this morning?”
“Sure, anything.”
“When Harlan Patrick comes by in a little while, will you take the baby and go out to breakfast with him? I need to have a talk with my mom.”
“Of course,” Val said, then studied her worriedly. “Is everything okay?”
“It will be,” Laurie said grimly. “It has to be.”
Val reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ll go get ready now. The baby should be awake, too. We’ll be all set when Harlan Patrick gets here.”
“Thanks. And thanks for not asking a lot of questions.”
“You’ll tell me what you can, when you can. Until then, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
Alone again, Laurie sipped her second cup of coffee and tried to find the words she would need to ask her mother about what had happened all those years ago. She couldn’t just blurt it out, not after all these years of polite silence. She had no idea what her mother’s reaction would be. She’d been devastated back then, unable to hide the sorrow that had left deep shadows under her eyes and wiped the color from her cheeks.
Fortunately Harlan Patrick arrived and spirited Val and Amy Lynn away before her mother came downstairs.
“You here all alone?” she asked Laurie with evident surprise when she wandered into the kitchen just after eight. “I thought I heard Val and the baby stirring.”
“Harlan Patrick took them to Dolan’s to breakfast.”
Her mother regarded her worriedly. “And you didn’t want to go along? You and Harlan Patrick haven’t fought again, have you?”
“No. I just wanted some time alone with you. Can I fix you something to eat?”
“Absolutely not. You stay where you are. I’ll just have some cereal.”
She poured cornflakes into a bowl as she had practically every day of her life that Laurie could remember. She added milk and sat down opposite Laurie. She stirred the cereal in the bowl, but didn’t take a bite. Finally she lifted her gaze to clash with Laurie’s.
“Okay, girl, what’s on your mind? You didn’t chase everybody out of here just so you and I could catch up, did you?”
“Not exactly.”
“What then?”
Laurie drew in a deep breath. Feeling as if she were on the edge of a precipice, she finally forced herself to dive off. “I want to know about Dad.”
The spoon slipped from her mother’s grasp and clattered against the bowl. “Your father? Why on earth would you bring him up after all these years?”
“Because Harlan Patrick thinks he’s the reason I won’t make a commitment, and I’ve finally concluded he could be right.”
“That’s ridiculous. You barely even knew your father. He’s been gone for more than twenty years now, and you’ve never asked about him once.”
“That’s why I’m asking now. I need to know everything, Mom. I need to know why he left. Was it something I did? Something you did? Have you ever heard from him again? Do you know where he is?”
“Well, I never...” Clearly agitated, her mother refused to meet her gaze.
Laurie reached across the table and clasped her mother’s icy hand. “Please, Mom, it’s