Maggie masked her pain with bright smiles and a sunny disposition, hoping to win her father over. In truth, getting pregnant with Tristan had been her escape, a blessing in disguise. She showered her sweet little boy with love and he gave it back freely.
The need to talk to Tristan now was so keen that Maggie shuffled over to her purse and dug out her cell phone. She returned to the sofa and stared at the phone. She refrained. Tristan was so happy, so content, that Maggie didn’t want to do anything to bring him down. Still, she considered calling her son simply to hear the reassuring sound of his voice and to remind herself of the blessings in her life.
And then the phone rang, buzzing in her hand, nearly scaring her out of her skin. Maggie looked down. It’s Richard. Her heart thudded. It wasn’t Richard but Rick Ruleman. “No way,” Maggie grumbled, and tossed the phone onto the cushion, but then glanced at it when it beeped, indicating a new voice mail. She thought about listening but didn’t want to subject herself to hearing his voice or his lies.
With sheer determination, Maggie refused to shed a tear. She should be on her way to his cabin soon and she wondered what he would think when she failed to show up. Would he end up on her doorstep? Did he really have an affair with his son’s fiancée? The fact that he’d moved to Cricket Creek pointed to a big, fat yes. Maggie laughed without humor. Wow . . . what must Richard think of Maggie’s middle-aged body compared to someone young and lovely like Addison?
Covering her face with her hands, Maggie shook her head. She thought about getting her laptop out and Googling Rick Ruleman in an effort to learn more about his past but then squashed the urge. Maggie knew from experience that curiosity could eat you alive. For a long time mysteries had plagued her. She wondered what had happened to her mother. She’d wanted to know who Tristan’s father was. It wasn’t until the breast-cancer scare that she pushed those negative thoughts from her mind and chased them from her life.
“Just forget about him and go on with your life,” Maggie said, so she could hear the words out loud. The pain, however, felt jagged and raw and she knew why. She’d let down her guard and for a few achingly sweet weeks she had believed that she had finally found love. For the first time in her life instead of running against the wind she’d been walking on air! All along she’d thought Richard was the real deal when in truth everything about him was a complete lie.
Maggie vowed to forget about him and throw herself into her work. She’d refuse his calls and pray that he didn’t have the nerve to show up on her doorstep.
26
Long Time Coming
RICK BANGED ON MAGGIE’S DOOR, NEARLY CRAZY WITH fear. When she didn’t show up for dinner and failed to answer his calls, worry got the best of him and he headed over here. He saw her SUV parked out back, so she must be home, and yet she wouldn’t answer the door. What if she’d fallen or hurt herself? He banged again. “Maggie? Are you in there? Baby, I’m worried. If you don’t open up I’m going to call the police or something.” He shoved his fingers through his hair and waited. He called her cell but it went to voice mail. He was about to call 911 when his phone indicated a text message from Maggie. He opened it.
Please leave.
Why? What did I do? Whatever it is I’m sorry, he typed back.
I know who you are. You lied to me. Please leave.
Rick sank down onto the top step of the deck and stared at the phone.
I’m sorry, he typed again. Please open the door. Let me explain.
I never want to see you again.
Rick read her reply with growing despair. I will sit here until you open the door. Do you think I’d be here if I didn’t care?
Rick stared at the screen, waiting for what seemed like an eternity for her to reply. When he heard the creak of the back door opening, his heart started pounding. He stood up so fast that he nearly lost his balance and had to grab the railing for support. “May I come in?”
Maggie gave him a curt nod. “Against my better judgment.”
Rick followed Maggie into the apartment. She sat down in a chair and waved her hand toward the sofa. It hurt that she made the effort to stay as far away from him as she could. He wanted to drag her into his arms so badly that he had to clench his fists in order not to do so. He sat down, wondering where to begin. She looked so beautiful and so forlorn that it tore at his heart.
“Are you having an affair with Addison Monroe?” Maggie asked bluntly.
“No! God . . . no.” He thought that damned rumor had died down. “How . . . Why would you think that?”
She shifted in her seat. “I was getting my hair done and saw a picture of Rick Ruleman, you, kissing her,” she said with a flicker of embarrassment. “The caption read that you were the reason for the breakup of Addison and your son.” Maggie shrugged. “I’m not one to read or believe that stuff, but, Richard”—she shook her head—“I mean, Rick, the fact that you moved to Cricket Creek soon after Addison arrived, well, made me wonder if the rumor was true.”
Rick scooted to the edge of the sofa, wanting to reach over and grab her hands. “It’s not,” he said firmly. “It was some stupid idea my publicist came up with to keep my badass image intact. I fired him.”
“Why didn’t you come out and refute the rumor?”
Rick closed his eyes and swallowed. “I tried, Maggie.” He sighed. “But then Garret made matters worse when he led the public to believe the worst.”
“Your son would do that to you?” She appeared appalled.
“I’m sure it was in an effort to fuel ratings for his reality show.”
“That’s horrible.”
Rick felt compelled to defend Garret. “I haven’t been the best of dads,” he admitted quietly. “I’m hoping to change that.”
“So, I’m confused. Why are you in Cricket Creek if it has nothing to do with Addison?”
“It did. See, it was my intention to personally apologize to her and lie low at the same time. But she was faring so well that I didn’t want to do anything to upset her.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “And maybe I was too ashamed to show my face. Maggie, after this all went down I took a hard look at my sorry-ass life and knew it was time to make some serious changes.”
“Altering your appearance doesn’t change you on the inside.”
“I know.” Unable to witness the hurt, the disappointment, in her eyes Rick looked down at the floor for an agonizing moment. Finding the courage, he raised his gaze to meet hers. “I admit that I haven’t been a good father . . . good person for a long time. But, Maggie, I want to live differently. I want to reach out to Garret. I have plans that I’ve been working on for a while. I was going to tell you about all of it tonight.” He waited for a heartbeat and then said, “Will you come back to the cabin with me?”
“No, Richard.” She shook her head slowly.
“Why not?”
“Because you’ve been lying to me the entire time.” She raised her hands upward. “I don’t even know who you are. I’m sorry, but we’re through,” she said quietly but firmly. “You should . . . you should go.”
“I’m so sorry.” Rick nodded. “I understand how you must feel.” He stood up. He wanted so badly to tell her how much he loved her and about the plans he had for the future. Big plans that he’d been so excited to reveal. “I’ll leave, Maggie, but I want to thank you for at least letting me in so that I could attempt to explain things and to make sure that you were okay.” He angled his head. “But I will tell you one thing that you’re wrong about.”