“Can’t say. And I can’t talk long. But I’m going to need your help.”
“My help? For what?”
“I need to find Crystal.”
Bailey frowned thoughtfully. “Bane, you know what Dillon asked you to do.”
“Yes, Bay. Dil asked that I grow up and accept responsibility for my actions, to make something of myself before thinking about reclaiming Crystal. I promised him that I would and I have. Enough time has passed and I don’t intend to wait any longer. In a couple of weeks I’ll be on an extended military leave.”
“An extended leave? Bane, are you okay?”
“I’ll be better after I find Crystal, and I need your help, Bay.”
Everyone had left the family room to return to the dining room for dessert except for Garth and Walker. Garth refilled Walker’s glass with Scotch before proceeding to fill his own.
“So,” Garth said, after taking a sip. “Do you think there’s something Dad’s not telling us?”
Walker, with his legs stretched out in front of him, sat back on the sofa and looked at Garth before taking a sip of his own drink. “Don’t you?”
“Yes, and I’m going to hire a private detective. I don’t want Hugh involved. He and Dad go way back, and there might be some loyalty there that I don’t want to deal with.”
“I agree. What about Regan? Isn’t some member of her family a PI?”
Garth nodded, studying the drink in his glass. “Yes, her sister’s husband. I met him once. He’s an okay guy. I understand he’s good at what he does. I might call him tomorrow.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
They were silent for a spell and then Garth asked, “So what’s going on with you and Bailey?”
Walker took another sip of his drink. “What makes you think something is going on?”
Garth rolled his eyes. “I can see, Walker.”
Walker met his best friend’s stare. “All you see is me interested in a woman who’s hot. That’s nice to have on those cold nights, especially for a man who’s been without a female in his bed for a while. You heard her. She’s leaving on Monday. Good riddance.”
Bailey paused outside the closed door, not wanting to believe what Walker had just said. She’d been making her way back downstairs when she’d heard voices from one of the rooms. The voices belonged to Garth and Walker and when she’d heard her name she’d stopped.
Backing away from the door now, tears filled her eyes. She quickly turned and bumped right into Charm.
“Bailey, I was downstairs wondering if you’d gotten lost or something and—”
Charm stopped talking when she saw the tears in Bailey’s eyes. “Bailey? What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
Bailey swiped at her tears. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Charm frowned. “No, you’re not.” She then glanced beyond Bailey to the closed door and the voices she heard. “What’s going on? What did you hear? Did someone say something to upset you? Is Dad in that room with Garth and Walker? Did you overhear something Dad said?”
When Bailey didn’t say anything, an angry Charm moved past her toward the door, ready to confront whoever was in the room about upsetting Bailey.
Bailey grabbed her hand. “No, please. Don’t. It’s okay.” She swiped again at her eyes. “Thanks for your family’s hospitality, Charm, but I need to leave.” Bailey wanted to put as much distance between her and Walker as she could. “Will you call me a cab? I need a ride to the airport.”
Charm frowned. “The airport? What about Walker? What am I supposed to tell him?”
To go to hell, Bailey thought. But instead she said, “You can tell him I got a call...from a family member...and I need to get back to Denver immediately.”
Charm’s frown deepened. “Do you really want me to tell him that?”
“Yes.”
Charm didn’t say anything for a minute, then nodded. “Okay, but I won’t call you a cab. I’ll take you to the airport myself.”
Garth stared hard at Walker. “What you just said is nothing more than bull and you know it.”
Walker took another sip of his drink before quirking a brow. “Is it?”
“Yes. You’ve fallen in love with Bailey, Walker. Admit it.”
Walker didn’t say anything for a long minute. Garth knew him well. “Doesn’t matter if you think it’s bull or not.”
“It does matter. When are you going to let go of the past, Walker? When are you going to consider that perhaps Bailey is your future?”
Walker shook his head. “No, she’s not my future. She has these rules, you see. And one of them is that she will never leave Westmoreland Country. And I, on the other hand, made a deathbed promise to my father never to leave Hemlock Row again.”
“But you will admit that you love her?” Garth asked.
Walker closed his eyes as if in pain. “Yes, I love her. I love her so damn much. God knows I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t. These past three weeks have been the best I’ve ever had. I thought I could live my life as a bitter and lonely man, but she’s made me want more, Garth. She’s made my house a real home. And she likes Hemlock Row.”
“Then, what’s the problem?”
He met Garth’s inquisitive stare. “The problem is that I can’t compete with her family. She needs them more than she could ever need me.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“Yes. She’s been homesick. I honestly didn’t expect her to stay in Alaska this long. Already she’s broken one of her rules.”
“Maybe she had a reason to do so, Walker. Maybe you’re that reason.”
“I doubt it.”
Garth was about to say something else when there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Sloan entered. “Charm just left with Bailey.”
Walker raised a brow. “Left? Where did they go? Don’t tell me Charm talked Bailey into hitting some shopping mall tonight.”
Sloan shook his head. “No. It seems Bailey got a call from some family member and had to leave. I don’t know all the details but Charm is taking her to the airport. Bailey is booking a flight back to Denver. Tonight.”
Sixteen
“Ma’am, please buckle your seat belt. The plane will be taking off in a minute.”
Bailey nodded and did what the flight attendant instructed. She’d arrived at the Fairbanks airport with no luggage, just the clothes on her back. Charm had promised to go to the hotel and pack up her things and ship them to her. She would do the same for the clothes Bailey had left behind at Hemlock Row.
Luckily Bailey could change her ticket for a fee. And she didn’t care that she had two connecting flights before she reached Denver, one in Seattle and the other in Salt Lake City. All she cared about was that in twelve hours she would be back in Westmoreland Country. She hadn’t even called her family to let them know her change in plans. She would get a rental car at the airport and go straight to Gemma’s house. She needed to be alone for a while before dealing with her family and their questions.
She drew in a deep breath, not wanting to think about Walker. But all she could remember were the words he’d told Garth. So he would be glad when she was gone, would he? Well, he was getting his wish. She had been a fool to think he was worthy of her love. All he’d thought was that she was a hot body to sleep with.
But then, hadn’t he told her up front all he wanted from her was a meaningless affair? Well, tonight he’d proved that what they’d shared had been as meaningless as it could get. Knowing it would take at least two hours before the plane landed in Seattle, she closed her eyes to soothe her tattered mind. At that moment she hoped she never saw Walker again.
“Damn her,” Walker growled, taking his clothes out of the drawers and slinging them into the luggage that was opened on his bed. He intended to fly back to Kodiak Island tonight. There was no need to hang around. Bailey was why he’d left Hemlock Row to come here in the first place. And then what did she do? She hauled ass the first time she got a call from home.
However, now he knew that even that was a lie. Thinking she’d had a real family emergency, he’d placed a call to Dillon, who didn’t know what he was talking about. As far as Dillon knew, nobody had called Bailey.
So now, on top of everything else, she had lied to him. She couldn’t wait until Monday to leave? She had to leave tonight? Hell, she hadn’t even taken the time to pack her clothes. What the hell was he supposed to do with them?
But what hurt more than anything was that she hadn’t even had the decency to tell him goodbye. He felt like throwing something. Why did falling in love always end in heartache for him?
He continued to throw everything in his luggage when he heard a knock on the door. He hoped it wasn’t Garth, trying to talk him out of leaving. There was no way he could stay. He wanted to go home to Hemlock Row, where loneliness was expected. Where he could drown his sorrows in a good stiff drink.
When the knocking continued, he moved to the door and snatched it open. Both Garth and Charm stood there. “I’m leaving tonight, Garth, and there’s nothing you can say to stop me.”