His Heart's Desire Page 17

  “You can get the word out about the animals needing homes. Most of our adoptions are foreign, but many people don't even know about the work we're doing. We do the best we can, but there are still far too many dogs, cats, and other animals wandering the streets, sick and homeless. The faster we can get the ones in the shelter adopted, the more animals we can take in and help.”

  “That makes sense. Of course I'll let as many people as I can know about the work you're doing.”

  “You know, a lot of the animals are brought to us by U.S. and British military personnel. Some of the men and women have found a furry friend that they'd like to take home when their tour ends, but they can't afford the transportation fees or have trouble navigating the paperwork, so we're helping with that too.”

  “That's wonderful!” Becca exclaimed. “You're doing amazing work, Alex. I almost wish I could be there with you.”

  “Well, we sure could use the help.”

  For the next hour, Becca conversed enthusiastically with Alex about her work in Afghanistan and about Becca's own dreams to start a free animal clinic and no-kill shelter. It was incredibly fun to interact with someone who was as interested in animal welfare as she was.

  They probably could have talked all evening and into the wee hours of the morning, except that Alex stopped the conversation short and nodded in the direction of the pool where Ethan was finishing up a water volleyball game with three other guys. “Did you want to go swimming?” she asked.

  Becca shook her head. “I don't really like swimming with a crowd.”

  “Hey, a woman after my own heart.”

  “You don't like swimming with a crowd either?” Becca inquired.

  Alex sighed. “Let's just say I have some flaws that don't look good in a swimsuit, and I don't want to scare the guests away.”

  Alex was such a beautiful woman, Becca couldn't imagine what she might mean. Before she had a chance to ask, Alex pointed toward the pool. “I think Ethan is trying to get your attention.”

  Becca turned around to see Ethan gliding gracefully through the water to the edge of the pool. “Hey, Becca, why don't you come over here?” he called.

  Becca looked at Alex. “Go on and see what he wants. We can chat more another time.” She rose from her seat and scanned the assembled guests. “I should probably go find Nathan and make sure he's not getting into any trouble.” Alex headed off toward the other side of the pool, throwing back over her shoulder, “Have fun!”

  Becca was sure she detected a hint of a limp in the other woman's gait, but before she had time to give it much thought, her attention was diverted again by Ethan.

  She ambled over to where he was waiting.

  “Are you sure you don't want to get in?' he asked. “The water's great.”

  Becca shook her head ruefully. “It's really sweet of you to ask, but no thanks.”

  He patted the edge of the pool. “Why don't you sit here for a while, take your shoes off, and soak your feet? I'm pretty tired after that water volleyball match. We could hang out here and talk.”

  Becca couldn't deny that the clear water lapping at the side of the pool did look inviting. She gave him a small smile. “All right.”

  She removed her sandals and carefully hiked her dress up to her knees so it wouldn't get wet before seating herself on the pool deck. The water was exactly the right temperature and felt heavenly on her aching feet.

  Ethan floated next to her. “So I see you finally met Alex.”

  Becca grinned. “Yes, and she's great!”

  “I told you the two of you would hit it off.”

  “And you were right. Oh, Ethan, the work she's doing is amazing!”

  “Let me guess,” he began while grasping her ankles and pressing her feet into his chest, “you wish you were helping her.”

  “Are you reading my mind?”

  “No, I just know you.”

  Ethan pressed his thumbs into the soles of her feet, massaging exactly the right spots. Becca closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of his hands. She knew it was only a friendly gesture, but his touch sent an electrifying charge straight up her legs to settle at the juncture of her thighs. Her earlier daydream of skinny-dipping with him returned full force, but before she had a chance to relish it, something collided against her back, sending her toppling into the pool.

  Becca could barely swim, and the water where she'd been sitting was deep enough to top her petite height. Ethan's strong arms immediately lifted her above the surface, but the shock of being unexpectedly dunked into the pool left her coughing and gasping for air.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  After a couple of deep breaths to calm her nerves, Becca was finally able to speak. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

  Ethan drifted along beside her as she took a couple of strokes toward the shallow end of the pool. As soon as they could stand up, Ethan grasped her waist and lifted her back onto the deck.

  He looked up at the figure behind her. “Why the hell did you shove Becca into the pool, Lindsay?”

  Becca's teeth clenched and her heart pounded with anger and frustration. It figured that awful woman would be behind this, and Becca had no doubt it had been on purpose. Lindsay probably saw Ethan rubbing Becca's feet and decided she was too close to “her man.” Becca turned and stood, water streaming from her sodden dress.

  “Oops! Sorry, Becky,” Lindsay said, giggling. A wine glass dangled precariously from her elegant fingers as she turned her back toward Ethan. “I guess I had a little too much and got a bit tipsy.”

  Becca knew this last part had been said only so Ethan wouldn't know the truth. The glint in Lindsay's eyes and the hint of a smirk on her lips told Becca that she wasn't that drunk and was anything but sorry. It made Becca want to shove the evil woman into the water to show her how it felt, except she refused to stoop to that level.

  By then, Ethan had climbed out of the pool. He grabbed the wine glass from Lindsay and unceremoniously poured the contents into a nearby potted plant. “I'm going to tell the bartender you've had enough for tonight.”

  “What?” Lindsay exclaimed indignantly.

  “You can't go around drowning my guests, Lindsay. I'll arrange a ride home for you.”

  “But I'm not ready to go home yet, Ethan,” Lindsay whined, hanging onto Ethan's arm.

  “Fine. Go find some coffee and sober up then.”

  “I don't see you telling your brother that,” she muttered before finally slinking off.

  “Are you sure you're OK, Becca?”

  She nodded.

  “There are towels over by the cabana. I'm going to find Alex and see if you can borrow some clothes.”

  “Thanks.”

  Ethan headed toward the house while Becca grabbed a towel and plodded back to their table. She lifted the hem of her soaked skirt and tried to wring some of the water out of it.

  “I saw what that bitch did to you.”

  Becca started at the sound of a deep male voice and turned to find Nathan sitting in the shadows.

  “Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” he said with a slight slur.

  “It's OK. I just didn't see you there.” Her brows drew down in puzzlement. “Are you hiding?”

  Nathan released a snort of laughter. “Let's just say I'm not really fit company right now. But at least I know when to stay away from people. That woman,” he said, pointing vaguely toward Lindsay who was strutting back toward the pool, flirting with a couple of men along the way, “she never knows when to quit.”

  “So you don't like her either, huh?” Becca asked while pulling the pins out of her hair. The waterlogged mass dropped over her shoulder, and she began rubbing it dry with the towel.

  “She's a spoiled little rich girl who always wants what she can't have.” Nathan lifted a long-neck beer bottle to his lips and took a sip.

  “That's what Alex said too.”

  “A few years back, Lindsay got it into her head that she wanted me. I told her I was alrea
dy spoken for, but one night when I was out dancing at a club with my girlfriend, Jenna, we ran into Lindsay. When Jenna went to the restroom, Lindsay came over and started pressing up against me and trying to get me to dance with her. I politely told her no and tried to push her away. I could tell she was half drunk, and I didn't want to be rude. Jenna, she had no such reservations. When she came out and saw Lindsay hanging on me, she threw a drink in her face and told her to get away from her man before she tore her bleach-blonde hair out by the roots.” Nathan stopped for a moment to laugh at the memory, but sobered quickly. “God, my Jenna was a little spitfire,” he finished wistfully.

  The dim light filtering into the corner through the leaves of a nearby hedge cast a lattice pattern over his face, revealing droopy, red-rimmed eyes filled with sorrow.

  In that moment, Becca couldn't help feeling bad for Nathan. He'd obviously been drinking heavily, trying to mask all the grief and pain he must be feeling over Jenna's loss. Having lost her mom less than a year ago, Becca could relate. “I'm so sorry about what happened to Jenna.”

  “Thanks,” Nathan murmured. He blinked furiously, as though trying to hold back tears, before taking another swallow of his beer.

  Becca wasn't sure what else to say, so she was glad when Alex walked up. One look at Becca's disheveled state, and her expression filled with sympathy. “Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry about what Lindsay did. That bitch!”

  Becca felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips at Alex's insult, but it wasn't enough to stave off the depressed feeling that assailed her. She'd tried so hard to look nice for Ethan tonight. Now he'd probably only remember her looking like something the cat dragged in, while Lindsay looked hot and sexy in her bikini. “I must look like a drowned rat,” she said, pushing damp strands of hair out of her face.

  “Aw, it's not that bad.” Alex patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Here, I brought you some capri-length yoga pants and a t-shirt. Since I'm a good six inches taller than you, I figured they were the only things of mine that would fit.”

  “Thanks, Alex. I'll go change, and then I think I'll head home.”

  “You're welcome, sweetie. Hope to see you again soon.” Then turning to Nathan, she said, “Nate, honey, why don't you let me drive you home? I think you've had a little too much to drink.”

  Nathan tipped up his beer bottle and drained the contents before answering. “In my estimation, Lexie, I haven't had nearly enough.”

  Despite his words, he went with Alex.

  Becca changed in one of the cabanas and went in search of Ethan. She found him at the bar with Lindsay, who was sipping on a cup of coffee.

  “Hey, Becca. I see Alex found some clothes for you to wear.”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  “I was going to come back and check on you, but I wanted to make sure Lindsay wasn't getting into any more trouble first.”

  “Don't worry about it. I'm going to call a cab and head home.”

  “You don't have to do that. Give me a minute to get changed, and I'll take you.”

  “No, Ethan. It's fine. You still have guests.”

  “Well, technically, they're my parents' guests,” he protested weakly.

  “Yeah, but this is a company party, and you are the CEO. You should stay. I can get home by myself.”

  “I guess you're right,” he finally conceded. “But you're not taking a cab. The limo is still out front. The driver is waiting, and he knows your address.”

  “I don't–”

  “No arguments,” he said.

  Becca didn't really want to take the limo. It was going to be a long, lonely ride filled with memories of the trip over with Ethan. Knowing she wouldn't win the argument, she finally nodded in acquiescence. While bidding Ethan good night, she saw Lindsay's smug face behind his shoulder. She could hardly bear the thought of the woman possibly trying to seduce Ethan after she was gone, yet she was feeling too emotionally drained to stay and fight. If Ethan hadn't fallen in love with her yet, he probably wasn't going to, and maybe it was time she gave up on her girlish fantasies.

  Chapter 13

  Edna sat on the wooden park bench that adorned her front porch, knitting a blue afghan. The small globe light above provided enough illumination to see, but she knew the pattern by heart anyway. She cheerfully hummed a 50s tune, something she and Freddie had slow-danced to at their senior prom. Her happy memories were interrupted by the sight of a slumped, bedraggled figure plodding up the walkway. When recognition dawned, she uncharacteristically dropped a stitch.

  “Rebecca, dear, is that you?” she called into the dark night.

  “Oh! Hi, Edna. I didn't see you there.”

  As the young woman who was like a granddaughter to her edged closer to the porch, she could see that Rebecca was dressed differently than when she'd left, and was carrying the pretty sundress and shoes in one hand.

  “What on earth happened to you, dear?”

  Rebecca sighed heavily. “A witch named Lindsay is what happened.”

  “That horrible woman Ethan used to date?”

  “That's the one,” she replied with a defeated look.

  Edna patted the bench. “Come, sit.”

  Rebecca plopped down beside her and dropped her shoes and soggy dress onto the concrete.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “She shoved me into the pool,” she replied simply.

  “Why in the world would she do a thing like that?”

  “Because she hates me. Because she thinks I'm trying to steal Ethan away from her. Because she's a bi–” Rebecca stopped short. “Sorry.”

  Edna smiled. “That's all right,” she said as her fingers continued to weave the yarn into perfect stitches. “You were only saying what I was thinking.”

  Silence fell between them for long minutes before the calm of the night was punctuated by a single sob. Edna's head jerked up from her work to see Rebecca's face crumpled in sorrow.

  “What should I do, Edna?”

  Edna laid her knitting aside and drew the young woman into her arms. “About what?”

  “I love him so much,” she sniffled.

  “Ethan?”

  Rebecca nodded. “But why would any man want this—” She pulled back to sweep a hand over her own body. “—when he could have her? She looks like a supermodel and I'm...” Her voice trailed off.

  “There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way you look,” Edna stated emphatically. She reached across the space to smooth Rebecca's damp hair away from her face, and gently lifted her chin to look her in the eye. “You're a beautiful young woman, and any man should be proud to have you on his arm.”

  Rebecca said, “No man has wanted me so far.”

  “What are you talking about, dear?”

  “I've never even had a real relationship. The handful of guys I've gone out with only lasted for a few dates, and they were usually the one to break it off.”

  “They broke up with a pretty, kind, intelligent girl like you? If you ask me, they weren't using the sense God gave them.”

  Rebecca didn't look convinced. “I thought Jay might finally be the one, but he ended up being the most horrible man I've ever known in my life except for that snake, Trent.”

  “That jerk doesn't count. He was nothing but a sociopath, plain and simple.”

  Rebecca still looked skeptical. “Even my own dad didn't want me. Twenty-five years, Edna, and never once has he tried to contact me.” The tears silently rolled down her cheeks as she continued. “And he was only the first in a long line of losers that Mom dated. She was a great mom. Until Trent, she never brought the men home, especially when I was little, but I could see it in her eyes every time she broke up with one of them.”

  In that moment, what had Rebecca so upset finally became clear to Edna. “Ah, now I see what this is all about. You think that because your father didn't love you, no man can.”

  Rebecca seemed to ponder what she'd said for a while before answering. “I hadn't really thought a
bout it that way, but I guess maybe you're right.”

  “Well, let me tell you something,” Edna began while patting Rebecca's knee in a comforting gesture. “One time, your mother told me about your father. It sounded to me like he was too young and too afraid of responsibility to step up to the plate and do his duty.”

  “But if it was a matter of maturity, why didn't he come looking for me when he got older?” Rebecca asked sadly.

  “I don't know, dear. Maybe he started another family and didn't know how to tell them about you. Maybe he didn't know how to apologize to you for not being there. Maybe he simply never grew up. You know, some men are like that. But I'll tell you this, if he ever did meet you, he couldn't help but love you. There's nothing not to love.” She finished by giving Rebecca's knee a reassuring squeeze.

  “But what about Mom. She never found Mr. Right. What if I'm doomed to be like her?”

  Edna gave her a sympathetic smile. “You know what else I learned from those talks with your mother?”

  Rebecca shook her head. “What?”

  “You're father was the love of her life, and I don't think she ever got over the pain of losing him or the hurt he caused by abandoning her when she needed him the most. Even though she never said it in so many words, I think she was afraid to love again, so she subconsciously chose men who were emotionally unavailable to avoid the hurt of another broken relationship.”

  “Wow! That's so sad to think of Mom alone all those years with no one to love or to love her in return.”

  “Oh, I wouldn't say no one, dear. She had you, and she adored you more than any mother I've ever known.”

  Rebecca scrunched her face into a frown. “Still, I can't imagine living my entire life without a loving husband to share it with.”

  “And that, Rebecca, is why you are not your mother,” Edna stated emphatically. “The way I see it, you're a hopeless romantic who would never give up on love. You have an open, giving heart, and you have a pretty good head on your shoulders too. You may have made one mistake with that slimy weasel, but that doesn't mean you don't know a good man when you see one. You told me a few minutes ago that you love Ethan.”

  “I do. More than I could ever begin to tell you. He's amazing and wonderful and everything I've ever dreamed of.” Rebecca's gaze dropped to her hands, folded in her lap. “But I don't think he loves me.”