All That Matters (16 page)

The room suddenly shrank, and the image of Royce holding Faith captive flashed across Buddy Lee’s mind. Whatever the price of her safety might be, he vowed somehow to provide it.
 
Now, more than ever, she was his responsibility. The fact that he loved her totally and completely only made him more determined than ever to prove his worthiness. But it was beginning to look like
Boyd’s boy
was never going to rise above his daddy’s reputation.

“You really should take it easy, Faith. Remember what Doc Sutter said.” He placed a guiding hand on the small of her back and gently coaxed her into the bedroom.

“Think of the baby,” he quickly added, feeling guilty because he’d been more concerned about her than the child she carried.

“I think about it all the time,” she admitted with a sigh.

Her remark jogged his heartbeat up a notch, and he switched the conversation to a safer topic. “I’ll bring you something. Maybe the chicken I brought home earlier is still edible.”

One eyebrow quirked at him. “What about your sore ribs?
 
You should be the one to rest.” Hesitantly, she touched his side.

Her fingers were heated probes shooting electric currents through his body. Jeez
Looeeze
. He forgot he even
had
ribs for a moment as other parts of his anatomy claimed his attention.

“Aw, I’ve had worse,” he said, playing down his injuries and trying to keep his voice calm. If he laid down beside her now, there’d be no rest for either one of them. Knowing that, he stepped back to keep from putting his own needy hands where they didn’t belong. His promise to take care of Faith sure as hell didn’t include sex.

Even though he stood a good two feet away from the bed, he could still feel the sizzle of her touch. What was wrong with him? She’d been hurt, for
cryin
’ out loud. Abused and threatened by a sorry piece of humanity with no conscience and the morals of a tomcat.

And that reminded him of the question he wanted cleared up, as soon as he brought Faith something to eat.

“Be right back.” He retreated to the kitchen, leaving her lying in bed, a puzzled look on her drawn face.

He hurried to rustle up a handful of potato chips to add to the cold fried chicken he’d arranged on a paper plate. Not very appetizing, he thought, grabbing an apple from the fridge and adding it to the quickie meal. After pouring a glass of milk, he carried the meager offering into the bedroom.

Faith looked at the single plate, then at Buddy Lee. “Aren’t you going to eat, too?” She wasn’t certain if she could keep the food down. Her stomach felt like one of those wave-machines at the water park.

“I’ll grab a chicken leg before I go back to work.”

He looked at her in the unique way he had that always alerted her to an oncoming question or admonition. Big brother stuff he used to pull when she’d gotten herself into trouble and her daddy threatened to send her to boarding school. Sometimes she wished she’d gone. Things would be a lot different now if she had.

She picked up a potato chip. “Want one?”

He shook his head. “Nope. But I do want some answers to a couple of questions.”

Studying him intently, she watched his gaze darken and let a deep sigh slide out. “I guessed as much.”

Concern crossed his bruised face, but she found herself searching for a deeper meaning in his troubled look. Something to explain the high-powered emotions they’d shared in that one unforgettable night. The night when she realized she wanted Buddy Lee as more than a friend.

“What do you want to know?” Certain now that when he learned the truth that special moment would never be repeated, Faith turned her head to hide her humiliation...and remorse.

“I
heard what the doctor said, you know.” Buddy Lee shifted from one foot to the other. Crossed and uncrossed his arms, finally letting them dangle at his sides.

Faith’s eyes widened. “What did you hear?”

“Something about the fact that you’d had similar bruises before today. And that this wasn’t the first time Royce had slapped you around. Doc wasn’t exactly whispering, you know.”

He dragged his hand through his hair. His dark eyes filled with concern. “Truth is, while he was waiting for his nurse Doc told me about the last time this happened.”

The anxiety in his voice softened her heart. She wanted to embrace him, to thank him for caring, but she was ashamed of her inadequacy—the weakness that had prompted her to believe whatever Royce had wanted her to believe.

“For
cryin
’ out loud, Faith, how could you let him get away with stuff like that? You should’ve told me about him right from the start.”

His anxiety turned to accusation and she shrank back in the bed. “It wasn’t like you think. It only happened once before I came to you for help. And I left when he turned nasty.”

Buddy Lee’s throat worked and the muscles in his jaw tightened. His eyes grew cold and distant. “But, why wouldn’t you trust me with the whole truth? Were you afraid I’d refuse? Was that it? I thought you knew me better than that.”

His words were raw with emotion, ragged shards that sliced through her guilt with ruthless abandon. She had hurt him without realizing it. Without meaning to.

“It wasn’t like you think.” She wanted to explain, but his pained look of disappointment silenced her.

“I don’t get it, Faith. I just don’t get it.” With a shake of his head, he strode from the room.

The anguish in his departing words made her heart ache unbearably with the knowledge that he believed she’d betrayed him. Just like so many other times in her life, she kept disappointing the ones she cared about. Daddy, Mama, and now, Buddy Lee. She choked back a sob. Why couldn’t just one thing she did turn out right?

She carried her plate to the kitchen, put away the left-over chicken, and closed the bag of chips with a plastic clip.

Cold fingers of loneliness coiled around her heart. This feeling of desolation was something she’d never experienced before. Buddy Lee had always been there. Even after she’d admitted her mistake with Royce and stood up to her daddy about marrying Buddy Lee, she’d relied on his strength and support.
 
Or had she only imagined his willingness to stand by her? His anger was painful for her to deal with, but the disappointment in his eyes was devastating. She’d never expected that.

Too confused and unsettled by her inner turmoil to go back to bed, she prowled around the tiny living room. A stack of mail carelessly tossed on the end table caught her eye, and she stopped to straighten it.

A thick, cream-colored envelope lay open on the top of the pile. She recognized the local bank’s logo. When she picked it up, a single piece of paper fluttered to the floor.
 
She bent to retrieve it.

And gasped when she glanced through the missive. A quote for the purchase of the Mustang!
This can’t be right
. Buddy Lee would never sell his beloved car. She knew how much he prized the automobile.

Faith retreated to the sofa and spread the letter across her lap. Spotting another piece of paper in the envelope, she took it out and realized it was from the bank. Suddenly, everything was crystal clear. Daddy had found a way to call in the balance of Buddy Lee’s note, using some obscure legality buried in the original loan agreement. With the payment due by the end of the week, Buddy Lee must have decided to sell his car in order to keep from losing his shop.

Angry tears stung her eyes. Her stupid mistake had snowballed, and now her best friend was going to lose everything he’d worked for. No wonder he didn’t trust her. She’d ruined his life with her selfishness, insisting that he marry her. Help her out of a mess one more time. A mess of her own making that could’ve been prevented if she hadn’t been in such a hurry to get married and have a family of her own.

Well, she was going to have her family, all right, but at what price? She had no right to expect Buddy Lee to accept Royce’s baby as his own. No right at all.

Stuffing the letters back into the envelope, she left them on the end table and went to the bedroom closet to retrieve her suitcase. Somehow, she had to make things right.

T
he afternoon sun sifted through the dirt-smudged windows of his repair shop and bounced off the glossy surface of Buddy Lee’s own private treasure. He stared wistfully at the shiny red Mustang as he wiped an imaginary speck of dust from the hood.
 
Damn, he loved this car. The thought of having to sell it tore his guts right out, but there was no way in hell to come up with enough money to pay off his loan unless he did just that.

He knew when he sold the car there should be enough left over after paying the bank to take decent care of Faith and the baby. Classic cars like this one were worth a small fortune to the right car buff. Celebrities especially liked owning them.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t planned to sell it
some day
. He just wasn’t ready to sell the sweet thing yet. His dream of becoming well-known for his expertise in the field of restoring these automotive treasures was fading fast. He’d intended to use the Mustang to advertise his craft to major collectors around the country and eventually develop a well-paying career. Then he’d never have to answer to “Boyd’s boy” again.

The beginning of a headache throbbed behind his eyes. So much for pipe-dreams.
Deal with it, Walker. You’ve done it before and you can do it now.
Somehow, his inner pep talk didn’t make him feel any better.

He flipped through the current buyers catalog to a page he’d dog-eared earlier. The one offer he’d already received had been lower than he’d wanted, so he’d declined. He wasn’t giving the car away, for
cryin
’ out loud.

There were a couple of collectors in the Galveston area who might meet his asking price. He’d heard of them through a contact in Houston. Lots of good money down on the Gulf Coast.
 
He’d often thought of relocating to that area. Sun, sand, surf, and plenty of eager clients with money to burn.
Yessir
, that would be a perfect set-up for his dream business.

A derisive laugh slipped out. No more dreams for him.
 
Being responsible for Faith and her child was a reality check guaranteed to put the skids on any of those fantasies damn straight. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Knowing he couldn’t put it off any longer, he went into his office and picked up the phone, but before he had time to dial, a rough voice behind him cut through the dial tone in his ear.

“Nice car, Walker.”

Buddy Lee slammed the phone down and spun around, knocking over a half-empty cup of stale coffee in his haste. He tossed a shop rag over the mess and uttered a graphic word he didn’t use very often.

The last man he ever wanted to see again stood in the doorway with a nasty smirk distorting his swollen lip and bruised face. Living proof that slime could walk and talk.

He bolted out of his office to bar the way to the work area, primed and ready to go head-to-head if necessary. “What the hell are you doing here, Webb? If you aim to walk out of here upright, you’ve got five seconds to haul ass and that’s being generous.” He
itched
for an excuse to permanently rearrange Royce’s face.

Royce remained near the entry door. “Well now,” he said, his smirk turning into an ugly leer, “I’ve got some interesting information I think you’ll want to hear.”

“You’ve got nothing to say that’s worth my attention,” Buddy Lee snapped. His whole his body tightened. How could Faith have ever imagined she was in love with this worthless piece of garbage?

“Oh, no? Well, listen to this.” Royce moved ever so slightly inside the door and lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper. “I know the baby isn’t yours, Walker.” He snickered.
 
“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about your little scheme? You did well for yourself, marrying Faith and claiming my child. Especially with your small-time business about to go belly-up.”

“What do you mean?” Buddy Lee lunged, but Royce was too quick. He side-stepped just out of reach.

“Oh, I know all about your note and the sorry state of your bank account. Don’t forget, I work at the bank. All sorts of information crosses my desk. I’m sure you don’t want Faith’s daddy to find out who the baby’s
real
father is, now do you?
 
That would ruin your little scheme to get your hands on Faith’s money.” His eyes glittered like a predator closing in on a kill. “But, I’ll keep my mouth shut for a price.”

The nasty threat turned Buddy Lee’s blood to ice water.
 
Did Royce really know the truth or was he just bluffing? Doc Sutter was the only other person who knew that privileged information.

“You’re crazier than I thought, Webb, if you believe that,” he snarled. “You don’t have any proof.”

“Oh, I’ve got proof, all right. And don’t think I won’t use it. Ever heard of DNA? No court in Texas would deny me the right to my own child. Faith would have to agree to share custody.
 
And wouldn’t that just please old man Morgan? The kid wouldn’t have the disgrace of being a Walker, after all.” Royce edged toward the door with all the stealth of a coward.