Whatever mistakes she might have made, coming home to Highpoint wasnt one of them. The big city hadnt been right. Not for her.
It was late afternoon. Thunderheads building to the north had darkened the sky, making the air dreamy with dusk. Annie took note of the storm that was headed their way and smiled. She had a fondness for storms.
As she turned onto Main, her cell phone rang. She crossed her fingers as she thumbed the connect button, hoping it was someone calling about work.
It wasnt.
What the hell is Jack Merriman doing back in town? her oldest brothers voice growled in her ear. And why didnt you tell me about it?
Gosh, Ben, I wish youd quit beating around the bush, she said dryly. Just come out and say whats on your mind.
That low, rumbling noise was his chuckle. So, how was your day, Annie? Nice weather were having. What do you think of those Bulls? And why didnt you tell me Jack was coming home?
Because I didnt know. I just heard about it from Mrs. Perez.
There was a moment of silence. I guess you think Im overreacting. But after all the trouble Jack dragged you and Charlie into, can you blame me for being edgy?
That depends on whether you called Charlie to lay down the law, too.
I dont lay down the law. A little advice from your big brother
Which tends to sound a whole lot like orders. I think Ive mentioned this habit you have of thinking Im still fifteen and in need of a curfew. Annie had been ten when their parents were killed. Ben had been twenty-two. Hed quietly put his own life on hold in order to keep the family together, a sacrifice she was only beginning to understand. But he drove her crazy sometimes.
Which was why she hadnt told him about Jack. Her conscience twinged. She changed the subject. Im going to swing by
the grocery store on my way home. Is there anything you need? You do remember that its your turn to cook tonight, dont you?
Ben made his usual grumbling protest, and the familiar debate over who was cooking, who was cleaning up and who had the night off soothed her. It was almost like old times. Her second-oldest brother, Duncan, was in the Special Forces, so she rarely saw him. But her next-oldest brother, Charlie, was a long-haul truck driver, and when he was in town he lived with her and Ben in the old house where theyd all grown up.
All right, Ben conceded finally. Ill fix chili if youll pick up some jalapeño peppers. Get a half dozen.
Two. Even without the fresh peppers, Bens chili could dissolve a spoon if you didnt eat fast.
All right, all right. Look, Im sorry I jumped all over you earlier, half pint. I guess I did act as though you were still in school and trying to hide whatever you and Jack were up to.
A sick lump formed in the pit of her stomach. Im used to it, she said lightly. Listen, Id better go before this call eats up my entire earnings for the day.
As soon as her brother said goodbye she disconnected, swallowing hard, but the sour taste of guilt didnt go away. Shed lied to her brother. Of course, that was nothing newshed been lying to him, by omission if not out loud, for months now. But shed also lied to Mrs. Perez. Shoot, shed been trying to lie to herself.
Annie had a pretty good idea why Jack was in town. Much as she might try to deny it, she thought she knew what he wanted.
A divorce.
Day was sliding into dusk as the bruised-looking storm-clouds rolled in. On the McClains front porch, a man paced. He had an easy way of moving in spite of a slight limp, and the kind of smooth, rangy body that draws womens eyes. His hair was short and mink brown, as dark as the clouds overhead.
As dark as the scowl on his face.
Pacing made Jacks knee ache. Hed been on one plane or another for fourteen hours yesterday, followed by the drive here from Denver, and his stupid knee had stiffened up. He didnt consider sitting down to wait for Annie to get home, though. After only one day in this blasted town, his feet were already itching to leave.
Highpoint wasnt the only reason for his restlessness. Hed left a lot unresolved back in Borneo, and the need to find out who was responsible for that mess burned in him. Hed have to make a trip to Denver soon to see what he could do to track down the thief.
But he didnt intend to leave without Annie. Not this time.
Fortunately he had plenty of room for pacing. The McClains front porch ran the entire length of the house. It was the sort of porch people used to sit on during long summer evenings, a place where a young boy might steal a kiss from his first girlfriend. Not that Jack had stolen any kisses here. Annie McClain had been the little sister hed never had, a freckle-faced tagalong who had turned into a good friend.
Somewhere along the line, she had changed. Or he had.
There was a wooden porch swing at one end of the porch. It was painted a bright, incongruous turquoise. Annies doing, Jack thought, pausing. The hard line of his mouth softened. Annie loved bright colors. Not in any big, splashy way, of course. Annie didnt do anything in a big, splashy way. Her love for vivid color had to sneak in under those cautious fences shed built around her life, popping up as a turquoise porch swing or a pair of screaming red sneakers.