[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

fancy apartment, that fox jacket. ..." Gussie took a deep breath. "She doesn't have a fox jacket," she
said. "She does. I saw her with it in town!" She stared at him. "It was mine. At least I bought it." She
lowered her eyes. "She took it back to the store. After she threw me out of the apartment," she added
tightly, her face coloring. "That's why I went to Jamaica, because it was the only place I could go. She
has a good job now, she could afford fox if she wanted it, but she said she wasn't supporting me. I
went to Jamaica and then/when the welcome ran out, I had no place to go. If it hadn't been for Elise . .
." She looked past him at the other woman, and a long, quiet look passed between them. "I'll never
forget what your mother did for me, Cade. Even though I know I don't deserve it." Cade gaped at her.
He knew his face had gone white. He'd accused Bess of something she hadn't done, he'd deliberately
hurt her, and needlessly. He'd sent her into the path of that oncoming car. She might die, and it would
be his fault. Out of jealousy and Gussie's interference, he'd attacked her. And all the while she'd been
freeing herself of her mother's domination, working to earn what she had. "You'd been to see her,
hadn't you?" Gussie asked Cade suddenly. "Thanks to you, yes," he returned, his heart ice-cold now
from the terror of what he'd done. "You lied about Ryker." Gussie's eyes filled with tears. "To protect
Bess. Maybe to protect myself too," she said miserably. "Bess thought she loved you, and I knew I'd
lose her forever if she was with you." Cade stared down at his dusty boots. It wasn't the time for all
that, for the past to start intruding again. Gussie was partly right too. The way he felt about Bess's
mother, he would have kept them apart if he could. But now he didn't have a chance in hell with Bess.
After what he'd said and done to her, he'd be lucky if she ever spoke to him again. He couldn't blame
Gussie without blaming himself. Bess had ac- cused him of always thinking the worst about her, of
being willing to listen to any damaging gossip about her. His own jealousy had been his biggest
enemy. He should have trusted her. He should have given her a chance to tell him about the fox jacket
and about her mother. But he hadn't. Now she was lying in the hospital, maybe dying, and he had to
live with the fact that he'd put her there. Gussie had dug the hole and he'd pushed Bess into it. He
groaned and put his head in his hands. "She'll be all right," Elise said gently, smoothing her hand over
Cade's shoulder. She looked across at Gussie, who was weeping. "We have to believe that she'll be
all right." "It's my fault," Gussie whimpered. "I pushed and pushed and demanded. I never realized
how over- bearing I was. I expected her to take Prank's place, and how could she?" Cade didn't
answer. He lifted his head and stared sightlessly ahead of him, memories flooding his mind, mental
pictures of Bess laughing, running toward him, begging for his kisses. He had to believe she'd be all
right, he thought, or he'd go mad. In his mind he could hear the angry words he'd spoken, the
accusations he'd made. He'd cut Bess to pieces with what he'd said to her, denying that he had any
feelings for her aside from desire, demanding that she take Gussie back. He'd even acted as if he
meant to attack her, so she had every reason in the world to run. And the irony of it was that she was
the last human being on earth he'd hurt deliberately. He'd been angry, but only at first. Just before
she'd pulled out of his arms, they'd been sharing the most exquisite tenderness with each other.
Reality, after years of empty dreams, and if she'd only known it, she'd made a mockery of his claim
not to care about her. A few more minutes of that tempestuous exchange and he'd have bared his soul
to her. But she hadn't thought he was going to stop, and she'd run from him. He'd made it worse by
chasing her, but he'd been so afraid that she was going to get hurt. And she had anyway. Elise, seeing
his tormented expression, took pity on him. "Isn't there a chapel?" Elise asked, rising. She took
Gussie's arm. "Come on, dear, let's go find it. Cade?" He shook his head. "I'll stay here, in case they
need to tell us something." He didn't add that he'd already done, was still doing, his own share of
praying. Life without Bess would lose its meaning completely. He wasn't sure if he could cope [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]