A Good Yarn Page 0,36

his hand to her cheek, his touch soft. His blue eyes brightened with intensity. Elise's knees felt as if they were about to buckle and her mouth fell open.

"You've always been the most beautiful woman I've ever known."

Her heart hammering inside her chest, Elise stepped back, breaking the contact. Otherwise she didn't know what she might have done...

"Good night," she whispered and while she had the strength, she closed the door. Old feelings, it seemed, died hard. She reminded herself that she couldn't relax her vigilance with this gambler she'd once married. Not for a minute. Not for even a second.

CHAPTER 12

BETHANNE HAMLIN

Bethanne's meeting with Grant had been a week ago, and she was still so angry that she hadn't slept an entire night since. The selfish bastard wasn't willing to spend three hundred dollars on his son. Bethanne knew the reason. Grant didn't have the courage to say it, but she knew.

This was payback. When Grant moved out of the house and in with Tiffany, their then-sixteen-year-old son had confronted his father and told him exactly what he thought of Grant's behavior. Grant hadn't taken kindly to Andrew's honesty, and their relationship had been strained ever since.

"You okay, Mom?" Annie asked, entering the kitchen.

"Fine," she snapped, then smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I was lost in thought."

Annie flopped down at the kitchen table beside Bethanne, who sat there with a cup of tea. "Thinking about Dad?"

She didn't bother to deny it. "He's been on my mind lately."

"Mine too," Annie admitted. "I can't believe he's still with her."

Annie never mentioned Tiffany's name. She was always her or the bitch. Her daughter's own relationship with Grant was confused. Annie loved her father and had been close to him, and longed to be close once again, but she felt hurt and betrayed. She was also unsure where she stood with him. Grant gave her the minimum of attention and expected Annie to be the one to call him, which she did on occasion. But the brunt of her daughter's anger was directed toward Tiffany because Annie believed the other woman had stolen Grant from his family. Bethanne didn't take that anger lightly, especially after flipping through Annie's journal, but she didn't know what to do about it, either. She prayed that eventually her daughter's bitterness would fade.

It was times like this that she missed her mother most. Martha Gibson had died suddenly of an aneurysm the year Annie was born, and Bethanne's father had declined physically and emotionally after that. He lived in a retirement community in Arizona, but it was up to her to maintain contact.

"I think they might be getting married," Annie murmured, her voice barely audible.

"Is that so?" Bethanne tried not to reveal any interest, but her head was spinning. If anyone in the family was likely to learn of Grant's wedding plans, it would be her daughter. He might not talk to Annie much, but he talked to her more than to Andrew or Bethanne. Married. That explained why her ex had turned into such a miser. She'd bet every penny left in her bank account that he was buying Tiffany a huge diamond and planning the honeymoon. At least Tiffany was getting one; Bethanne never had. Grant and Bethanne got married while in college, and there'd been money for no more than a wedding night in a three-star hotel on the Oregon coast. Monday morning they were both back in school.

"I hate her, Mom. I know you said I shouldn't, but I can't help it. If it wasn't for her, Dad would be with us and everything would be like it used to be." Annie's voice cracked with the intensity of her emotions.

"I know," Bethanne whispered, fighting her own anger, "but if it wasn't her, it probably would've been someone else." This insight had been a small epiphany for Bethanne during the divorce proceedings. Her attorney had been going over the settlement, and it was all Bethanne could do to concentrate when the truth suddenly dawned on her. It wasn't her fault. She'd been a good wife and a good mother. She'd remained faithful and loving. Not once in the entire twenty years of her marriage had she even considered cheating on Grant. Her whole life had been about family. Without resentment or complaint, she'd cooked her husband's meals, cleaned his home and raised his children. She'd been a hostess for his parties, which were legendary.

Their huge Christmas, Super Bowl and Fourth of July parties, in particular, had