Past Due (21 page)

“But I never knew Craig. Why would Dad think I was dating Craig?”

“Your dad was certain and I didn’t doubt he was correct. I asked Craig and he denied knowing you, but well, I rarely believed anything Craig told me. Then you showed up at the house looking for Tres and it all made sense. Craig and Tres could pass for twins. In the looks department at least. Your dad must have mistaken Tres for Craig. I kept your letter for a week trying to decide what to do with it. Then my private investigator came back with your file and that, plus the fact that Tres was over eighteen and at an even higher risk than Craig with Pastor Privett’s threats, I decided the relationship had to end before one of my boys ended up behind bars.”

“How could I not know any of this?”

Barbara shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Tres knew nothing of it either. I don’t recall ever discussing the situation with him. He just thinks I’m wicked and arrogant and crushed his chance at true love because you didn’t have money. None of that’s true. Like I said, to the Coulter’s, Chuck Coulter tied himself to trailer trash. And I know they think I drove him to an early grave.” A tear trickled down Barbara’s face. “I understand love. If I had known how Tres felt, none of this would have happened. But I didn’t. I didn’t see how torn up he was until he saw your wedding announcement. And well then ... well, you were married and it was too late.” Barbara continued her face soft with concern. “I thought I needed to protect Tres. I feared you might be like your sister. And Tres is so loving, so trusting. Craig on the other hand,” Barbara sighed hard. “He is a bit more cynical, more wary, and your sister had him twisted in knots. Well, if your family could break Craig, what the hell would happen to Tres? Your father, in return for dropping the charges against Craig, asked me to meet a few simple demands, and I did so happily. It all seemed reasonable enough to keep my children safe.”

All the color drained from her face as she considered how she could be so ignorant of something which so seriously affected her family. She finally found her voice and asked, “Dropped charges? What did my father charge him with?”

Barbara fidgeted in her seat. She took a deep breath, and then answered, “Your sister accused Craig of battery and rape.”

Jenna gasped. She knew her sister was capable of lying, but to lie about that? And for her father to doubt her? Her father never even saw through Angel’s fibs…much less something as shattering as this?

“All her tales were completely unfounded, I assure you,” Barbara added quickly as Jenna sorted it all out in her mind.

“But why would my sister lie?”

Barbara shook her head, “I don’t know. I suppose revenge against him for breaking up with her.”

“Angel would never ... at least I would hope she wouldn’t...”

“I’ll admit Craig wasn’t kind. He was a miserable liar and I suppose took advantage of her in, well, in more subtle ways. But he never physically attacked her or forced himself on her. My son deserved a good thrashing, but he didn’t deserve to be prosecuted for rape.”

Jenna thought a moment, remembering her sister’s tales of her “true love” and her plans for the future. Chewing on her lower lip, Jenna summed her thoughts aloud, “So Craig was the one Angel thought she was madly in love with? She truly thought he was head over heels for her. And if he looked like Tres, maybe that’s why she thought I stole her boyfriend.”

“Well, Craig never thought of her as anything more than an amusement,” Barbara said and cleared her throat “Look, I’ll be the first to admit, I loathe men who act like my son, but he is my child. And he was young. Goodness, he was barely over sixteen. Though, unfortunately, he could easily have passed for twenty. And he was foolish. I suppose in his tiny little mind a few lies to get what he wanted wasn’t so bad. I’m not justifying the impact it had on your sister, but like I said, he is still my son and I love him.” Her hands were balled into fists. “That summer was a damned nightmare. I probably should have let your sister take him to court, should have let the system decide. But your father and I, we thought we were doing the right thing.”

“My father didn’t believe my sister?” Jenna felt her heart break for Angel. And she realized Jake would have known all of this. That explained his animosity for her father. And to the Coulter’s. Maybe Jake had lied to her to spite them all. He would never have questioned Angel’s honesty.

“No, he didn’t.” She shifted in her chair. “And he was wise in that. His choice to settle this discreetly was smart. I would have hired attorneys and investigators and they would have eaten your sister alive. She wouldn’t have had any semblance of respect left.”

Jenna’s brows drew together in confusion.

“Let me explain.” Barbara answered, “If things had happened as your sister claimed, there would have been plenty of physical evidence. Your father took her to the hospital—she had nothing. Not so much as a scratch on her. Now, mind you, she claimed Craig beat her, raped her, and then threw her from a moving vehicle. Yet the doctors couldn’t find as much as a bruise anywhere on her body.” Barbara shook her head, her voice cracked, “I simply wanted to protect my children. I didn’t want to destroy your family, but I wouldn’t have let any girl crucify my son for being a cur. But I never dreamed I’d be ruining Tres’s life in the process. And I certainly never thought I was robbing him of his son. Had I known—I would have done something. And if I could change...”

A sob tore loose from Barbara’s throat. She buried her face in her hankie and cried quietly, her shoulders shaking.

Jenna touched Barbara’s hand softly, “It’s okay, Mrs. Coulter. I don’t blame you.” Jenna sat a little straighter in her chair, “I have my own day of reckoning coming with my own son. What I did—lying to Tanner? It seemed like the right thing to do. I had but one thought—to take care of my child. I wanted Tanner to feel normal, to feel like he belonged. I knew if I pressed Tres he would financially care for him, but then I thought of him marrying some woman he really loved and them having the children he wanted. I thought of my baby with the sick, horrible feeling of being the other child who is there, but can never be a real part of the whole. There was no way I was letting my history be that of my son’s. So I married Jake and until yesterday afternoon, I never doubted my decision.”

“We would have taken care of Tanner.”

“With what? Money? Children don’t just need money. Sure, it could have been easier, but I had to be sure my baby was loved and wanted. That’s what Jake Austin offered. Oh, if I could have had Tres? If we could have been a family? That would have been perfect... .”

“But I interfered, I feel like I sold out one son to save the other.”

“I had a lot of baggage, Mrs. Coulter, you know that. If Tanner were in the same situation? I wouldn’t want him involved with a girl like me. Crazy mother, crazy sister, gun-toting pastor for a father. How much worse could I look?” She laughed weakly and Barbara joined her in a soft chuckle.

“Oh, goodness, Jenna, I’d already burned the letter when I learned about your dad shooting the Austin boy. I can’t use that as an excuse.”

“I’m sure it made you breathe a sigh of relief.” Jenna imagined how her family looked to the objective onlooker and she couldn’t stop her nervous laughter. “We probably looked like a bunch of psychos.”

“Well, I’m glad you can see the humor in it all. And oh, how I wish things had turned out differently.” She stopped. She dried her cheeks. “I wish an ‘I’m sorry’ could make everything right, but it can’t. I’m understanding far too well that good intentions sometimes come back to haunt you. It seems the more I took care of things, the worse I made it for my kids.”

Barbara put her hanky away and took a deep breath, “I’ve told you all I know. It’s a pitiful justification for my part in this mess. Now, please, let me help you. I doubt Tres will ever forgive me, but if I can get you back to him, it will be a little bridge.”  

Jenna gave her hand a squeeze, “Tres is wrong to blame you. You only meant to protect him. Things were evidently more heated than I ever imagined. Your son, Craig—you’re certain he was innocent?”

“Well, like I said, there would have been evidence. And I know in my soul, my son is no criminal. But I wouldn’t expect you to take my word for it. Surely, your father could better enlighten you?”

Jenna bit her lip. Thoughts of her dad made her eyes fill with tears. She knew her sister, even on her best day, was angry and spiteful. Maybe her father did see through her sweet façade. Maybe his warnings about Jake were well founded. She bit her lip. Had she banished her father for trying to tell her the truth? Had Jake befriended her just to punish her dad and the Coulters? Jenna felt her heart slide down to her toes. Jake’s friendship had always been the one certainty in her life, now this fiasco ruined even that.

Barbara saw the raw pain on Jenna’s face and asked gently, “He is still alive, isn’t he?”

“Yes…yes, he is, but we don’t talk much. Not since Jake, my, uh, husband, was diagnosed with liver cancer.”

Barbara patted her hand. Her eyes were soft, her voice sympathetic, “Maybe it’s time to work things out with him? I know from my talks with him that nothing matters to him more than his girls.”

Jenna nodded, a tear splashed on her hand. “I probably broke his heart. He needs to know the truth. I need to make things right with him too. You say you can get me out of here? Without having to put yourself to much trouble, or pay the bill?”

Barbara Coulter nodded and smiled, “I do have some authority in this state.”

Jenna smiled back. Barbara got up from her seat and smoothed the wrinkles from her pant suit. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Jenna. I wish ... well, I suppose wishes are like raindrops, collect enough of them you could simply drown.” Barbara sighed and headed to the door, “My son loves you.” Jenna bit her lip, but said nothing. “And for the record, I would gladly choose a woman like you for my son.”

Chapter
15

Tres gave Maureen and Tanner a ride home from the hospital. The clock neared midnight, and Tres didn’t want to compound the day’s tragedies with another wreck by a worn out Maureen. The ride home proved tense and awkward, but Tanner’s look of pure loathing wedged itself deepest into Tres’s heart like a cut carved from a jagged blade. Tres believed the metallic sting of his own blood from Tanner’s strikes didn’t taste nearly as foul as the defeat and hopelessness that grew in his heart as he looked into the furious face of his child. Not only had he missed the first fourteen years, he foresaw an alienation from the rest of his life.

He escorted Maureen to her house, keeping a steadying hand on her elbow as she ambled across the gravel drive. She handed him her purse as she pulled herself up the railing to her porch. He followed her into the house where he tried to hand her the purse and leave, but she ignored his outstretched hand. “Have a seat, darlin’, I’m gonna check on Tanner, and I’ll be right back.”

She left before Tres could utter any protest. Tres set the purse on the kitchen table and stood watching the door for Maureen to return. While he waited, his phone rang. He snapped it open. The way his life evolved and changed, he wasn’t certain what the call might bring. Barbara Coulter’s voice came across the wire. Tres’s heart soared, not that he was anxious to speak with his mother, but he was eager to know what happened with Jenna.

“Well?” Tres asked. “Any luck?”

“She’ll be able to go home first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you, Mother.” The words were difficult to spit out, but Tres managed.

“No need to thank me.” She took a deep breath and admitted with an exhausted sigh, “I caused this mess.” She didn’t wait for Tres to argue or agree before adding, “Besides, it didn’t take any miraculous works to accomplish the feat.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she was on a voluntary commitment. The administrator I spoke with couldn’t speak directly to Jenna’s case, of course, but he did tell me that sometimes people agree to commitment if they need to prove to their insurance company it wasn’t a self-inflicted injury. Insurance companies often deny coverage if there’s any doubt. I simply placed myself as her guarantor assuring the hospital of their payment. I was stunningly adorable and the kind little man was more than willing to shield Jenna from any knowledge of my charity. She thinks I got her sprung with my political clout. He agreed we must not make her feel uncomfortable. She will simply know she has a green light to go home.”

“That’s all Jenna needed to go home? Money?”

“And you say I’m out of touch. Darling, you’re talking thousands of dollars. I doubt the girl has stacks of Benjamins tucked into her mattress.”

Tres said nothing as his irritation built. “She could have gotten the money from me.”

“She doesn’t want your money. And I’m sure she doesn’t want mine, hence the need for discretion.”

“But why not? Why won’t she let me help her?”

“Tres, she’s a proud woman.”

“Not so proud to marry Jake to take care of her and my son. It’s just me she doesn’t want any help from.”

“Don’t make more out of this than necessary. She’s coming home. Just relax and let things evolve.”

“Relax? I’m supposed to relax? How the hell do I do that? I have been robbed of everything, and I’m supposed to just sit back and wait for it all to be made right. Well, that’s bullshit. It’s all bullshit and it’s time for Jenna to understand...”