Tory was still in the back seat of Mary’s truck when her phone buzzed. She hesitated to answer it when she saw who was calling, given the company she was in, but she was afraid if she didn’t pick up, she wouldn’t hear from Liam again. Things had gotten complicated between them. She wished she could go back to their night under the stars when it had all seemed so easy, but he was a Turner and she was a Cooper.
Nothing was ever going to stay easy between them.
She hunched in the corner of the seat, ducking down a little as if that would shield her from the other women in the car. Her mother, Mary and Leslie were still trading memories about high school, though, and paid her no mind.
“Hello?”
“Tory? Good to hear your voice,” Liam said.
A rush of relief swept through her. He didn’t hate her, anyway. Not that he had any reason to hate her, but she’d found her thoughts didn’t make much sense when it came to Liam.
“Good to hear yours, too.”
“Is this a good time to talk?”
“Um…” What should she say? “I’m in your mom’s truck, actually.”
Liam swore softly, then chuckled. “I actually knew that. She sent me a photo. Guess I wasn’t thinking clearly when I phoned. Just couldn’t wait any longer to talk to you.”
“Thought maybe you’d had enough of me,” she said, keeping her voice low.
This time his low chuckle rumbled right through her body, bringing to life all kinds of interesting feelings. “I haven’t had nearly enough of you, Tory Cooper.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Who are you talking to?” Enid said. “You’re red as a beet!”
Tory looked up to find all eyes on her. “No one,” she said defensively, pulling the phone away from her ear. “Just a friend.”
“Ooh, sounds like a boy,” Leslie trilled from the front seat.
Mary glanced her way. “Put him on speaker phone. We can all talk to him.”
Tory put the phone back to her ear. “I’d better go.”
“Put me on speaker phone,” Liam said. “I’ll talk to them.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Do it.”
Tory hesitated, but in the end she gave in. Everyone would find out sooner or later that she and Liam were…
What were they?
Leslie’s hand snaked around from the front seat, and she took the phone. “Hello? This is Leslie Falk. To whom am I speaking?” She waited a beat. “Liam? Liam Turner, is that you?” She bent closer to Mary. “It’s your son!”
But Mary was looking in the rearview mirror, pegging Tory with a look so sharp Tory figured it could cut her into shreds. “You’re talking to Liam? My Liam?”
“He called me,” Tory said weakly.
Leslie fiddled with the phone, and suddenly Liam’s voice cut through their conversation.
“Mom! How’s it going?”
“What are you doing calling Tory Cooper?” Mary demanded.
“She’s helping me save the dialysis unit,” Liam said.
Mary’s shoulders relaxed a fraction, just in time for Liam to add, “And I hope she’ll marry me one of these days, but don’t tell her that. I don’t want to scare her off.”
The truck swerved. Tory braced a hand against the back of Leslie’s seat. Marry her?
“Watch the road!” Leslie cried as Mary struggled to get the truck on track again. She slowed down, pulled off the road altogether and parked.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Mary demanded of Enid.
“I don’t think it’s my place to say anything. It’s up to the kids to decide what to do.”
“Remember how you wanted your ten kids to wed Enid’s, Mary,” Leslie pointed out. “In a way, all of this might be your fault—”
“It’s not my fault!”
“If you got to know Tory, you’d know why I love her,” Liam said over the phone.
Tory was still fighting to get her breathing under control. Liam loved her? Wanted to marry her? But—
What about her career? What about her plan to leave?
Mary shook her head. “That’s a horrible idea,” she said to Liam.
“You’re just being stubborn,” Enid told her.
“I’m not being stubborn. I’ve already got two Coopers in my family—I don’t need another! Besides, your daughter isn’t interested in my son. She wants the Ridley property. You all do. You’re all determined to steal my future!”
“Your future! What about my future?” Enid demanded. “What about my family? You think it’s bad getting stuck with Coopers? I’ve got two Turners to deal with. It’s enough to make anyone sick!”
“I’m not staying,” Tory blurted out in order to stop them. “When I finish my law degree, I’m leaving Chance Creek.” She turned to Mary. “I can’t marry Liam, so you don’t even have to worry about it. You can just go on being selfish and spoiled and ruin your son’s happiness at every turn. I won’t be there to stop you.”
She opened the door and hopped out, striding off down the road, not knowing where she was headed.
How could Liam do this to her—open her up to that kind of attack from his mother? How could he ignore everything she’d told him about her plans? Had he listened to a word she’d said?
Or was all of this a game to him? Maybe he meant to lead her on—toy with her emotions and trip her up in order to secure the Ridley property for his family. If he really wanted to… marry her, he’d have talked to her in private first.
The Turners thought they were above her family. Maybe she was just a plaything to him. A pawn in his strategy to win it all.
“Tory,” Leslie called after her. “What about your phone?”
“Keep it!” Tory yelled back. She was done with everyone in Chance Creek.
“How are the ticket sales?” Maya asked Liam three weeks later when she caught up with him at the admission stand on the town green. It was a warm morning destined to be another hot day, and he was already sweating. He couldn’t wait until the cookout was over.
“Don’t have a final count,” he said listlessly. “Hope
