I put down the thyme, and started out, “Over my—” but the words ‘dead body,’ died on my tongue.
“Ladies,” Clint put in carefully.
I hustled over to hug her. “I’m sorry, Mom. I really—”
“I know, my Rae-of-sunshine. I know.” She patted my arm and I pulled away. She glared at me. “Those potatoes won’t roast themselves. I’m hungry.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The pan of potatoes clattered in the oven when Mom surprised me. “You’re staying for dinner, Clint. No arguing.”
I turned to argue with her, but she speared me with her eyes. “That pork roast is five pounds, so there’s plenty.”
My eyes slid to Clint. He was shaking his head.
“I’M WALKING THIS MAN to the door, Raegan, and that’s final,” Mom declared.
“I wasn’t arguing with you, Mom.”
We were half-way down the hall when someone bounded up to the front door and rang the bell.
“Shit.” I heard Clint hiss.
He charged to the door and opened it like he lived here. “Laura, what the fuck are you doin’ here?”
“Oughta ask you the same thing, little brother, but I’m here to offer Mrs. Connelly my condolences.”
Mom and I had pulled even with Clint.
“Thank you, Laura. That’s very nice of you,” Mom said.
Laura’s eyes slid to me and she looked me up and down, pure venom coming at me. “I should keep this to myself, but the wrong daughter died.”
My jaw dropped open, but I heard someone else gasp followed by a resounding slap. To my complete surprise, Mom slapped Laura across the face –with her left hand, because the stroke had diminished her capabilities with her right.
“Mom!” I cried.
“That was uncalled for,” Mom snarled at Laura.
“Jesus,” Clint muttered. He grabbed Laura by the bicep. “Let me get her out of here, Penny.”
Laura wrenched her arm free. “That’s all right. I’ll just go. But, I really am sorry for your loss. Bronwyn and I were close once, and the world is a lesser place without her.”
I thought Clint would follow Laura out, but he closed the door behind her and turned back to Mom.
“I am ashamed of my sister and sorry she behaved that way, Penny. She knows better than that.”
Mom’s chin raised in a defiant way. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Clint Ramsey. After the letter your mother sent to Rae, I’m not sure she does know better.”
Clint’s head turned a fraction and I sighed. Then he stared at me.
“What letter?”
I pressed my lips together and thought fast. “It was a long time ago, Clint. And it was right after things—”
“What letter, Rae?” His tone was the firmest I’d ever heard from him, and far more impatient.
“She sent me a letter after you left New York. The last time.”
He circled his hand impatiently. “Got that. Give me something I don’t have.”
I hesitated. He tore his hand through his hair, and I wished I could touch it because he’d never worn it so long before.
“Rae—”
“Said I was dead to her.”
Mom shot me a withering look. “Said more than that, Rae. Had you sobbing, for crying out loud.”
Clint put a hand on his hip. “What’d it say?”
“It’s water under the—”
He reached to his back pocket. “Fine. I’ll call her. She’ll remember. The woman’s mind is a fuckin’ bear trap, and I have no doubt—”
“Accused me of leading you on and wasting some of the best years of your life. Said I was a waste.”
His brows furrowed. “That doesn’t sound like—”
My chin dipped. “How protective is your mother? She took our break-up pretty hard, Clint. My guess is she hid from you just how hard it hit her.”
He pointed a finger at me. “You shoulda told me about that.”
My head tilted. “’Cause you’d have taken my call a week or so after that weekend?”
He sighed.
“Yeah.”
Mom turned herself around. “Well. I need to get off my feet. I’ll let you walk Clint out, Raegan.”
I watched her shuffle down the hallway. When I looked to Clint, I saw him watching her too.
He looked at me. “When’d you leave your ex-husband? Actually separate from him?”
My eyes widened at such an abrupt change in topics. “Uh... I don’t know. Two years ago, in autumn.”
His lips quirked to the side. “Your mother’s devious.”
“Excuse me?”
He shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll be having words with Mamá. That shit was uncalled for and she owes you an apology.”
I grabbed his bicep, and he looked down at my hand on him which made me pull it back. “Clint. She doesn’t owe me squat. Okay? It was years ago, and she was hurt.”
He leaned toward me. “Don’t matter, mi reina. She taught all of us to control our tempers, she damn well should’ve done the same.”
I froze to the spot at him calling me an endearment I hadn’t heard since we split. It was a lash to my heart.
He stood in the open door and looked back at me. “Lock this.”
NINE YEARS AGO...
We walked into my tiny apartment, and Clint blew into his hands like we were still outside.
I unwrapped my scarf. “It’s not that bad, Clint. There isn’t even snow on the ground.”
He dropped his hands as a visible chill shook his whole body. “Thank God for small favors, Rae. You can’t tell me you’re used to this shit after only living here a year.”
A sheepish smile curled my lips. “I think I am, honey. If you visited for more than just a few days at a time, you’d love it here.”
He shrugged out of his peacoat, tossed it on the back of a ladderback chair, and invaded my space. “Warm me up, baby. Maybe then I won’t feel like my dick is trying to merge with my lower intestine to keep warm.”
I chuckled and wrapped my arms around his neck. “There’s a visual certain to turn a girl on, Clint.”
He shot his cockiest grin at me. “Everything about me turns you on, mi reina.”
I kissed him briefly. “I’m not your queen.”
His lips trailed down my neck where he murmured, “Oh, yeah, you are.”
My
