Orchard Valley Brides (9 page)

For a moment he said nothing. “It's been one week,” he told her, his eyes steadily holding hers. “Seven days.”

“It seems longer, doesn't it?” she asked softly, looking away, not wanting him to see how miserable and lonely she'd been and how hard she'd worked at pretending otherwise.

“Much longer,” he admitted grudgingly. “I didn't expect to miss you this much.” He frowned at her, and it took Norah a second to realize he was waiting for her to change her mind, to accept the position.

“I've missed you, too,” Norah told him, weakening.
He'd played on her sympathies and that hadn't worked. But her heart was vulnerable, and he knew it.

“Ever been to Texas this time of year?” he asked, clambering to his feet. Using the crutches with surprising deftness, he worked his way closer to her until mere inches separated them. Until there was only a single step between them. One small step, and she could walk straight into his arms.

Norah didn't know where she found the strength to stand still, to resist him.

“Have you?” he asked again.

Norah shook her head.

“It's the most beautiful place on earth.”

“As beautiful as Orchard Valley?”

Rowdy chuckled. “You'll have to make that judgment for yourself.” He was waiting. Waiting for her to come to him, to swallow her pride and sacrifice her own needs to his.

Norah knew exactly what would happen if she took that step, if she agreed to leave with Rowdy. She'd fall so deeply in love with him that she'd give up her own hopes and plans, her own pleasures—all the things that made her Norah. She'd be unable to refuse him anything. Already she was halfway there.

He'd made it perfectly clear that he had no intention of marrying. Nor was he interested in raising a family. Rowdy had admitted that even if Valerie had broken her engagement to Colby, he wouldn't have married her.

And if he hadn't been willing to marry her sister, he wouldn't want her, either. For that matter, Norah wasn't sure she'd agree if he
did
propose. When she got married, she wanted a
husband,
a man who'd be a constant part
of her life, a man who shared her need for a settled existence, with a home and family. Not a man like Rowdy…

Norah was too sensible and pragmatic not to recognize they'd face these issues sooner or later, even if he hadn't raised them now. And when it did happen, she wanted to be sure he knew where she stood. Because she'd be so head over heels in love with him that she wouldn't be able to think.

“If the agency here isn't able to find you a nurse…”

“Yes?” he asked eagerly.

“There are bound to be a number in Texas with excellent reputations. I could ask around for you.”

His face tightened. “You're so stubborn.”

“It runs in the family. As you've already pointed out. I'm surprised you didn't butt heads with Valerie more often.”

“I'm not,” he said, moving awkwardly away from her. “We were both working toward the same goals. You and I are working at cross-purposes.” He limped toward the phone and called for his car. “You want something I'm not willing to give you.”

“What's that?” she asked.

His eyes darkened. “You want my pride.”

He was wrong, but no amount of arguing was going to convince him and Norah didn't have the strength to try.

“Good seeing you again, Norah,” he said unemotionally.

“You, too, Rowdy.”

“If you go out with Ralph again—”

“Ray,” she corrected.

“Of course, Ray. I must have forgotten.”

“There's no need to be sarcastic.”

“You're right,” he said in a tone so cool that it seemed to frost the air between them. “In any event, I wish you
the very best. I'm sure the two of you have a lot in common.”

Norah said nothing.

 

“I came the minute I heard.” Valerie's concerned voice drifted into the kitchen from the front entry the next morning. “What did he say to her?”

“I'm not sure,” Steffie said. “It seems he wanted her to reconsider and go to Texas with him as his nurse.”

“Norah told him no, didn't she?”

“She must have.”

Her sisters appeared in the kitchen, both wearing compassionate expressions.

“I understand Rowdy stopped by last night,” Valerie said gently, as though she considered Norah emotionally fragile.

“He was here, all right.” She continued to stir the batter for oatmeal-and-raisin muffins. Baking had always been a means of escape for her. Some women shopped when they felt depressed; some read or slept or went to exercise classes. Norah baked.

“And?”

“And he left.”

“Do you think he'll come here again?”

Clutching the bowl against her stomach, Norah whipped the batter vigorously. “Who knows?” But she hadn't expected to hear from him at all after his discharge; his visit had come as a complete surprise. However, Norah wasn't foolish enough to believe it would happen again. Rejection was difficult for any man and harder for Rowdy than most, since he'd become so accustomed to getting his own way.

He'd come to her twice, and she'd turned him down both times. He wasn't likely to try for rejection number three.

“Rowdy's been spoiled rotten,” Valerie warned her.

“Isn't every man?” Norah returned calmly.

Valerie and Steffie exchanged a glance. “She'll be fine,” Steffie murmured and, smiling, Valerie agreed.

Norah wished she felt as confident.

Rowdy's name wasn't mentioned again until the following evening. Norah's father was watching the news when he called for her. “Come quick!” he shouted excitedly.

Norah raced in from the kitchen to discover her father pointing at the television. “Rowdy's on the local news.”

She sank into a chair and braced herself for the sight of him. The Portland news anchor reported the expansion of the Texas-based software company CHIPS, which would soon be building in the area. He went on to comment that the final papers had been signed and that the owner of CHIPS, Rowdy Cassidy, was currently in town. The ground-breaking ceremony was due to take place in two weeks.

The camera switched from the anchor to a clip of Rowdy. Norah didn't focus on him, but on the statuesque blonde woman in a nurse's uniform who stood behind him.

Her stomach felt as if someone had kicked her.

Young and blonde, just the way he'd said. And pretty…

“Norah?” Her father's voice broke into her thoughts. “Are you all right?”

“Fine, Dad,” she answered cheerfully. “Why shouldn't I be?”

The phone rang shortly afterward. Her father answered; apparently it was Valerie. Norah wandered back to the kitchen to finish preparing the evening meal. She went determinedly about her task, refusing to allow emotion to take control.

She'd made her decision.

Rowdy had made his.

 

“Oh, Steffie,” Norah said breathlessly, gazing at her sister. “You're so beautiful.”

Steffie had chosen not to wear a traditional wedding gown, but a knee-length cream-colored dress with a dropped waist. A garland of fresh baby's breath and rosebuds was woven into her glossy dark hair.

Norah couldn't stop staring at the transformation she saw in her sister. Steffie looked not only beautiful but supremely happy; she glowed with serenity and a calm, sure joy.

“Everyone's outside and waiting,” Valerie announced when she walked into the bedroom. She stopped abruptly when she saw Steffie.

“Oh, Steffie,” she breathed, as the tears welled in her eyes. “Mom would be so proud.”

“I feel just as if she were here,” Steffie whispered, reaching for her wedding bouquet. “I thought I was going to miss her so much today and the most amazing thing has happened. It's as if she's been standing right beside me. I don't think I've ever felt her presence more.”

“I felt the same way the day Colby and I were married,” Valerie confessed. “Her love is here,” she added simply.

Norah had felt it, too, although she hadn't been able to put it into words.

“Dad's waiting,” Valerie told them.

Myriad emotions swirled through Norah. She was truly happy for her sister and Charles, but her heart ached. Never had she felt more alone, set apart from those she
loved. Valerie had Colby and Steffie had Charles, but there was no one for her.

She walked down the stairs with her two older sisters and paused at the top of the porch steps.

White linen-covered tables dotted the sweeping expanse of the front lawn, its grass a cool, luscious green. White wrought-iron chairs were scattered about. A number of long tables groaned with an opulent display of food. The three-tiered wedding cake sat on a table of its own, protected by a small, flower-draped canopy.

The actual ceremony would take place next to the apple orchard. The trees were heavy with fruit, and a warm summer breeze drifted through the rows, rustling the leaves. Soft music floated toward Norah and she realized the time had come for her to lead the small procession.

The side yard was filled with friends and family. Norah led the others down the center aisle to the flower-decked archway; Valerie followed and took her place beside her sister.

Steffie came next, escorted by their father. Every eye was on the bride, and Norah gazed proudly at her beautiful sister.

The loneliness she'd felt earlier unexpectedly left her. She sensed her mother's presence again, a sensation so strong that Norah was tempted to turn around, to see if Grace was actually there, somewhere behind her. The pain she'd experienced was replaced by a certainty that one day she, too, would discover the love her sisters had found that summer.

Steffie paused before Pastor Wallen, who'd married Valerie and Colby a short five weeks earlier. She kissed her father's cheek and turned, smiling, to Charles.

Norah had never seen Charles look more dashing. She noticed the private smile he exchanged with his bride, the tenderness of his expression. Their love for each other was almost tangible.

Norah stood beside Valerie. Her own dress was the pink one she'd worn to Valerie's wedding. Val's was pale lavender. A sprig of baby's breath and silk apple blossoms was tucked behind Norah's ear, and Valerie wore a pearl comb that had been their mother's. Steffie handed her bridal bouquet, of white rosebuds and pale silk apple blossoms, to Norah to hold during the ceremony.

Minutes later, Stephanie Bloomfield had pledged her love to Charles Tomaselli, and Pastor Wallen had pronounced them husband and wife.

A happy cheer rose from their guests, and Steffie and Charles fled laughing from a hail of birdseed.

Norah smiled after the happy couple, then frowned. An irregular, beating sound could be heard in the distance. She glanced about, wondering at its source.

A moment later, she realized a helicopter was approaching.

Everyone gaped as the aircraft slowly descended from the sky, landing on the driveway. Norah looked at her father, who moved forward.

Norah did, too, her heart pounding as hard and as loud as the whirling blades.

The door opened and two crutches appeared before Rowdy Cassidy levered himself out. He scanned the crowd until he found Norah. Then he grinned.

“I'm not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked.

“A
re you
interrupting
anything?” Norah repeated, laughing incredulously. “This is Steffie and Charles's wedding!”

Using the crutches, Rowdy swung his legs forward, then came to a sudden halt. “
Another
wedding?”

Norah laughed again, so happy to see him it didn't matter that they'd parted on such bad terms a week earlier. She hurried to his side, threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

She felt his sigh and knew he was no less delighted to be with her. The crowd started to disperse as the newlywed couple reappeared to lead everyone across the lawn to the reception area.

“If I'd known there was a wedding going on I would've avoided this place like the plague,” Rowdy whispered.

“Why are you so set against marriage?” Norah asked, glancing up at him.

“Look what happened to me the last time I showed up
for one of your family weddings.” He moved his right leg forward for her to examine the cast, which reached halfway up his thigh.

“Good to see you again, Rowdy,” Colby said, his arm securely around Valerie's waist. The two men exchanged handshakes. David stepped forward to welcome him, too, chuckling at Rowdy's tendency to make grand entrances.

“When it comes to your daughters, I certainly seem to have a bad sense of timing,” Rowdy told her father.

“Not in the least,” David Bloomfield told him, his gaze lighting on Norah. “In fact, it couldn't be better. Isn't that right, Norah?”

Laughing, she nodded. Earlier she'd been feeling lonely and despairing; now Rowdy's dramatic arrival was like an unexpected gift.

The others drifted back to the wedding party, leaving Norah and Rowdy alone for the first time.

“How long can you stay?” Norah asked. It went without saying that their time together would be limited.

“A few hours. The ground-breaking ceremony for CHIPS Northwest is taking place later this afternoon.”

Norah brought him to a chair and helped him sit down. As he laid the crutches on the grass beside him, she glanced around. “Where is she?” she asked, referring to his blonde nurse.

Rowdy didn't pretend not to know what she was talking about. He frowned and muttered a few words under his breath.

“Pardon? I didn't quite hear that,” she said sweetly.

“That's because it wasn't meant for you to hear. If I tell you, you'll gloat.”

“No, I won't,” she promised, doing her best to swallow a laugh.

“All right,” Rowdy said with a sigh, “since you insist on knowing. She didn't work out.”

“And why's that? You were so sure you needed a nurse.”

“I do…that is, I did need one. Unfortunately the nurse I hired was a daughter of Attila the Hun. The problem with you blondes is that your appearance is deceptive. You
look
like you'd be all sweetness and light.”

“Oh, we are.”

Rowdy said nothing, but the grimace he sent her made her laugh outright.

“I still need a nurse,” Rowdy argued, “but I only want you. Since you're being so blasted stubborn, I'm forced to cope on my own.”

In a silent-film gesture, Norah pressed the back of her hand against her forehead and expelled a beleaguered sigh. “Life is tough, Rowdy.”

He waved his index finger under her nose. “I knew you'd gloat.”

“I'm sorry,” she told him between giggles. “I really am, but I couldn't resist.”

Rowdy took her hands in his. “I've missed you, Norah, more than—”

“What you miss is getting your own way,” she interrupted tartly.

Rowdy grinned. “Tell me, have you gone out with Ralph lately?”

“It's Ray, and no, I haven't.”

Rowdy hesitated. “I don't have the right to ask you not to date anyone else.”

“No, you don't,” Norah agreed.

“Nevertheless…” Rowdy's scowl deepened. “I don't mind admitting I was worried about that guy.”

“Why?” Anyone looking at her would know in an instant how deeply she cared for Rowdy. Ray was a friend, nothing more. She hadn't intended to make Rowdy jealous.

“I guess I'm more selfish than I realized,” he said grudgingly. “I want you for myself.”

Norah made a conscious effort to change the subject. There was no point in pursuing this; it was too painful and she knew nothing was going to change.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, noting that the guests were helping themselves to the large array of hors d'oeuvres and other dishes prepared by the caterers.

“Starved,” Rowdy answered, but when she stood to get him a plate, he caught her hand. “It isn't food I need.” His dark eyes held hers and Norah could feel herself moving toward him.

“Not here,” she murmured, stopping herself.

“Where, then? Norah, I need to hold you. It's been driving me crazy from the moment I left the hospital.”

“Rowdy, this is my sister's wedding!”

“Aren't you allowed a few minutes alone?”

“Yes, but…”

“Norah,” he said decisively, “we need to talk.”

“It isn't talking that interests you, Rowdy, and we both know it.”

“Ah, but what interests
you?
”

Norah sighed. “You already know,” she said in a low voice.

Rowdy looked around them, picked up the crutches and got to his feet. “Lead the way.”

“Rowdy…I'm not sure about this.”

“We'll pretend we're getting something to eat and before anyone notices we'll casually slip away. A few minutes, Norah, that's all I'm asking.”

She didn't have the heart to refuse him—or herself. Their time together was so brief, and she needed him. She needed him more than she'd ever needed anyone, she thought.

If there
were
people who saw Norah and Rowdy ease themselves away from the festive crowd assembled on the front lawn, they didn't say. She steered Rowdy toward the side yard, near the orchard, where the ceremony had taken place. It was quiet and peaceful there. A light breeze wafted through the fruit trees.

Knowing it was more comfortable for Rowdy to sit rather than stand, she guided him to the first row of chairs in front of the archway.

“I certainly hope you're not hinting at something here.” He nodded toward the tall flower-filled baskets. He carefully lowered himself into the chair, and Norah sat next to him. Rowdy's arm settled over her shoulders. She rested her head on his chest and sighed, closing her eyes.

She'd dreamed of moments like this. Moments of peace, without all the tension between them.

He stroked her hair and sighed, too. “I've never known a woman quite like you.” His lips grazed her temple. “I've never known a woman who played checkers quite so poorly, either.”

They both laughed, and Norah leaned her head back to look into his face. The laughter fled from his eyes. Instinctively, Norah moistened her lips, expecting his kiss.

Rowdy didn't disappoint her. He lowered his mouth to hers in a way that was both gentle and undemanding.

Norah had never experienced anything more delightful. “Oh, Rowdy,” she whispered with a soft moan of pleasure. “I've missed you.”

His mouth returned to hers, and this time, the kiss was long and hard. Norah was flooded with a need so powerful that she entwined her arms around his neck. When they broke apart they were breathless.

“Come with me this afternoon,” he pleaded.

The offer was so tempting it was all Norah could do to refuse. “I want to, but I can't leave my family. Not on Steffie's wedding day.”

Rowdy tensed and she realized he was dealing with his own disappointment. “I understand. I don't like it, but I understand.”

“Tell me again,” she whispered, glancing up at him, “how dreadful the blonde nurse was.”

“Were you jealous?”

“Insanely.”

“Enough to change your mind?” he asked hopefully.

She shook her head. “I'm impressed by how well you've adapted to the crutches, though. You're doing splendidly without me.”

His eyes grew serious. “That's where you're wrong, Norah.” He kissed her again with an intensity that left her clinging and dizzy.

They wandered back to the wedding party a little later. Norah brought them both plates piled high with fresh fruit and a variety of hors d'oeuvres—bacon-wrapped scallops, tiny quiches, skewered shrimp. They fed each other tidbits, shared a glass of champagne and talked and laughed for what seemed like minutes but was in reality hours.

The helicopter arrived just after Steffie and Charles
had cut the wedding cake. Norah watched the aircraft approach, feeling a sense of dread, knowing it would take Rowdy away from her.

She forced herself to smile. He'd been with her for several wonderful hours, the most uninterrupted time they'd had together in weeks.

Deep in her heart, she knew it would always be like this with Rowdy. A few minutes here, an hour there, squeezed in between appointments, stolen from schedules.

She stood alone on the lawn, the guests for the reception behind her, as the helicopter lifted toward the sky. She waved, her hand high above her head, until she was certain Rowdy couldn't see her anymore.

Valerie hurried to her side. “Are you all right?”

Norah offered her sister a brave smile. “I'll be fine.”

“You're sure?”

Eyes blurry with tears, she nodded.

 

Rowdy phoned her the next three nights, and they talked for nearly an hour each time. They spoke of nonsensical trifles, of daily details and of important things, too. She told him about Steffie and Charles's romance and why the newlyweds were honeymooning in Italy. Rowdy told her about his family or, rather, lack of one—how his parents were killed when he was young and he'd been raised in a series of foster homes.

He always called late in the evening, and with the time difference it was well past midnight in Texas when they ended their conversations. He didn't need to tell Norah that he was missing an hour's sleep in order to talk to her. She knew it.

“I'm leaving for San Francisco first thing in the morning to meet with a group of important stockholders,” he told her on Tuesday night. “The meetings will probably run late. I doubt I'll get a chance to call you.”

“I understand.” And she truly did. CHIPS would always come first for Rowdy, because it was the family he'd never had, the security he'd grown up without. She understood his obsession with the business now, and the needs that drove him.

“It isn't what I want, Norah.”

“I know.” She wasn't angry, not in the least. “It's fine, Rowdy.” She was still trying to resign herself to the fact that it would always come to this. His company would remain the emotional center of his life. “When will you get home?”

“Saturday afternoon at the earliest.”

“I'm working this weekend,” she said, more because she needed to keep talking than because she felt he'd be interested in the information. “I had to trade with a friend in order to get the weekend off for Steffie's wedding. We work on a rotating schedule at the hospital. It changes every four weeks so we can spend as much time with our families as possible.”

“Why do you work?” He wasn't being facetious or sarcastic; his curiosity was genuine. It wasn't financially necessary for her to hold down a job, but she loved nursing and she
needed
to work, to occupy her time in a productive, responsible and fulfilling way. She expected Rowdy to empathize with those feelings.

“My mother was a nurse. Did you know that?”

“I must have, because it doesn't come as any surprise.”

Norah smiled into the receiver. “From the time I was a little girl, I knew I'd go into the medical profession.”

“Did your mother work outside the home?”

“No, she quit soon after she and Dad got married, when she was pregnant with Valerie.”

“Did she miss the hospital?”

“I'm sure she did, but once we were a bit older she used her medical skills in other ways. When the migrant workers came to pick apples at our orchard and a couple of neighboring ones, Mom organized a health clinic for them. She did this for years—until she became too ill to do it any longer. Then she and Dad set up a fund so the workers and their families could afford to go to the clinic in Orchard Valley.” Norah swallowed hard. “She was a very special woman, Rowdy. I wish you'd known her.”

“I wish I had, too, but I already guessed she was special. She raised you, didn't she?”

That was about as romantic as Rowdy ever got with her. Norah didn't expect flowery words from him, certainly nothing more than a careless term of affection. Like “angel face”…

“It'd be a whole lot more convenient for us if you worked regular hours like everyone else,” Rowdy said after a moment. “Some days you're on duty, some days you're not. Half the time you end up staying later than you're scheduled to. I'm surprised you don't burn out with those long hours.”

“
Me
work long hours?” she challenged with a short laugh. “Ha! You do the same thing. Even more so. I'm surprised
you
didn't burn out years ago.”

“That's different.”

“It is not,” she insisted, “and we both know that. Only
you're too proud to admit it.” She paused thoughtfully. “Rowdy,” she said, “I do agree that there's a difference. My life isn't dictated by my job the way yours is.”

“What's so unusual about my dedication to CHIPS?” Rowdy countered sharply. “Don't forget I started the company. CHIPS is more than a job. No one's hiring me to work eighteen hours a day—I do it by choice.”

Norah was well aware of the truth of his words. With a small inward sigh, she changed the topic, asking questions instead about the San Francisco meetings.