Lies of the Heart by Laurie Leclair

Author:Laurie Leclair [Leclair, Laurie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Women, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Fiction
Amazon: B00G8OJENG
Goodreads: 19041333
Publisher: Laurie LeClair
Published: 2013-11-09T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Watching him pace their cramped apartment, Tessa hugged herself tight as shivers racked her body. He ran his hands through his short hair, muttering under his breath all the while.

“So much makes sense now. That winter she wore big coats and wouldn’t ever take them off, left school that year, and then shows up for graduation. So different, so sad. Her wanting a baby so bad. And granny wailing when I mentioned babies. Why didn’t I see it, why didn’t I know it?”

The weight on her chest grew heavier and an invisible rock sat in the pit of her stomach. “Would you please calm down?” She asked it more of herself than to him, but when he halted at the long window and pressed his hands against the frame she relaxed a little, too.

Chance blew out a loud sigh. “How come you never came to me?”

A frisson of fear chilled her heart. “I…we were in the middle of a feud. Still are, for that matter.”

“Oh yeah, the feud,” he said with a nasty edge to his voice.

She could only imagine what he was thinking right now. She sensed he was hurt by her silence years ago. Trying to explain without giving everything away, she said, “No one knew a thing. I, well, granny and me, kept it from everyone.”

“What about the father? Did he know?”

A trickle of perspiration gathered and fell from her brow. She swiped it away, and then choked out, “No.” How could he when he still knows nothing about the conception? He couldn’t remember a thing from that night.

He turned slightly, half-looking over his shoulder. The grim features spoke volumes. “Were you ever gonna tell him?”

“I don’t think so.” She hesitated, and then went on, saying softly, “It was just one night, Chance, nothing more on his part.”

Shoving away from the window, he faced her fully now, arms crossed over his chest. “Who was he, the bastard? Huh? Tell me, and I’ll—”

“What, punch him?” Her fear dropped away, anger soon sparked inside her. “Stop playing the avenging hubby. It doesn’t matter who he was or what he knew, not now anyway.” She pressed a hand on her chest. “The baby’s dead and I killed it, all right?”

Running a hand over his face, he heaved another sigh. “How? You said you went to an unwed mother’s home.”

So he’d been standing there for a while and had heard her conversation with Walter. “I went into labor early,” she choked. “It was if my body rejected the baby.” Tears welled in her eyes and spilled out, hot and wet, trailing down her face. Her chin trembled, so she bit her lip trying to stop it. “He died.”

Chance groaned as if in pain, and then he moved swiftly and silently across the space separating them. Gathering her in his arms, he soothed her. “Shh, now, it wasn’t your fault.”

Warmth surrounded her and she melted into him. So close to him now she reveled in his solid strength. His outdoorsy scent seeped into her weary senses and comforted her.

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