Sliding into the driver’s seat, she shoved the key in the ignition and revved the engine.
She shouldn’t be driving. She was way too upset—and no wonder. He’d practically accused her of sleeping with his brother.
He didn’t know why Eric was here, but he knew that wasn’t the reason. Sarah would never do that. He was a jerk to even consider it.
Running to the car, he rapped on her window, but she looked over her shoulder and backed away at top speed, running over a few scraps of clothing she’d missed. She tore out of the alley, back tires spitting gravel, and he watched her taillights disappear.
Chapter 20
Sarah stepped out of her car and trudged toward Kelsey’s dark house. After a half hour of listening to the highway hum beneath her wheels, the quiet country night was a little unnerving. A cricket scraped out three hesitant notes as she approached the house, then fell silent.
In a way, the silence was welcome. At Kelsey’s she could be herself, nothing more or less. She was needed and loved, and she didn’t have to worry about impressing anyone. Just walking up the driveway made her feel like a princess changing back into the carefree goose girl in a fairy tale.
Lately, she could feel her past barreling up behind her like Secretariat pounding into the homestretch. Her professional poise sometimes felt like a heavy crown that weighed her down, and lately it kept slipping to one side when she accidently dropped a G or sat down at the conference table with her legs astraddle like the cowgirl she used to be. One of these days she was bound to blurt out a cuss word at a meeting or bring up Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey again.
Not that it mattered anymore. Gloria had spilled most of her secrets last night at the dinner table, and no doubt she’d leaked more during the pillow talk portion of the night.
She eased Kelsey’s front door open, slipped inside the darkened house, and closed it carefully behind her so the latch wouldn’t click. She was sure she’d carried off her stealth mission until Katie’s little black terrier mix rocketed down the hallway and skidded to a stop at her feet. The dog whined and wriggled, all bright eyes and pink panting tongue.
“Shhhh, Corky. Shhhh.” She picked up the puppy and carried him over to the sofa. Cradling him in one arm, she settled into Kelsey’s needlepoint throw pillows.
A shadowy form appeared in the dark hallway. “Sarah?”
“Fortunately, yes. But I could be Ted Bundy. You really ought to lock your door.”
“We’re in Two Shot.”
“We’re in the twenty-first century.”
“Good point, I guess.” Kelsey sat down on the edge of a rocking recliner that used to be Mike’s TV chair. Actually, it had been more like his throne. He’d held court there every night, king of the remote, flicking from football to fights and back to football while Kelsey waited on him.
At least now that he was gone she wore comfortable pajamas. After their marriage, Kelsey’s entire nighttime wardrobe had consisted of sexy sheer nighties with scratchy lace inserts. Sarah had wondered how she ever managed to sleep in them.
Kelsey had always been the pretty sister, while Sarah was the smart one. Kelsey was taller and curvier, with a generous figure that inspired envy in their girl classmates and lust in the boys. She’d had her pick of dates, and Mike had been her choice. At the time, Sarah thought it was a good one. The handsome, easygoing football player seemed like a good match for bright, bubbly Kelsey.
Except that he couldn’t seem to hold a real job and was a self-centered bastard. But they didn’t know all that until six months ago, when he’d walked out and left her on her own with two-year-old Katie.
“So how’s it going?” Sarah asked, keeping her voice low so she wouldn’t wake Katie. “You feeling okay?”
“So far. But I’ve got the flickering.” Kelsey fluttered her fingers on either side of her face. “I’ll have a migraine tomorrow.”
“Can’t you take something for it? I think there’s something you can take when you get the warning signs. You need to go to a doctor, Kelse. It’s not fair to Katie.”
“What wouldn’t be fair to Katie is getting hooked on some drug.” Kelsey’s pretty face creased into a frown. “You know what it’s like to deal with a mother who’s impaired half the time. I won’t let that happen.”
“It’s not booze, it’s migraine medication. There’s no danger of addiction, and…”
“Sarah,