A Husband of Her Own (Dundee, Idaho #2)(60)
Author: Brenda Novak

Letting her breath go in a long sigh, Rebecca turned onto her side. “We realized we’re not compatible.”

“After what you two have been through, that came as a surprise?”

“There is one interesting thing,” she said, ignoring the sarcasm.

“What’s that?”

“Apparently he broke up with Mary last night.”

“He did? When?”

“According to a very reliable source, he must’ve done it before we went to his place.”

“Oh.” Delaney seemed to think this over. “Good. That was decent of him.”

“I don’t think Mary would agree with you.”

“I don’t care about Mary. I care about you.”

“Well, don’t get too excited. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“How do you know?”

“I was there,” she said, even though the way Josh had behaved seemed to signify that it might mean something. If you can’t care about me, I don’t want anything to do with you…

“Whatever you say, Beck. I just want you to be happy.”

“I am happy,” she said, but it was a lie. She’d never felt more unsettled and…slighted in her life.

“So it’s already over between you and Josh?”

“It was over before it ever started,” she said, but despite everything, she couldn’t help crossing her fingers that maybe, just maybe, the future would prove her wrong.

“You’ll find the right man someday.”

“I hope so. How’s the baby?”

“Good. I’m getting close. Maybe I’ll go into labor on your birthday.”

“Since I’m not going to be in Cancun, I hope something good happens that day. A party at the Honky Tonk doesn’t sound as exciting as it used to.”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting tired of playing darts with Billy Joe and Bobby.”

“I’m just ready for there to be more to life,” she said.

WHEN REBECCA ANSWERED the phone several days later, she expected to hear Katie on the other end of the line. She’d overslept after a restless night, couldn’t find her keys and was already fifteen minutes late for her first appointment. “I’m coming,” she said without waiting for a hello. “I’ll be there in five.”

But it wasn’t Katie’s voice that came back to her. It was her father’s. “Where?”

Rebecca stopped dashing through the house and set the shoes, lipstick and gum she’d gathered for her departure on the kitchen counter. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Is that any way to greet your father?”

“Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting to hear from you.” Turning toward the small bulletin board that hung on the fridge, she stared at a photograph of her entire family from last Christmas. She’d set it aside when she was cleaning out her purse, and Hatty had tacked it onto the fridge.

“Where’ve you been?” he asked. “Your mother wants to know why you haven’t been by.”

She hadn’t visited since the anniversary party because she hadn’t wanted to face their disappointment. Neither did she want to deal with any more criticism because of what she’d done to Josh’s truck. Even if her father was finished with the subject, her sisters and brothers-in-law would want to hear all about it. They’d laugh and send knowing glances at each other and shake their heads.

“I’ve been busy,” she said.

He grunted. “The least you could do is call once in a while.”

“You could call me once in a while, too, you know. The only time you stop by the salon is when you want me to cut your hair.”

“Yeah, well, we’re both busy. So what’s going on? Are you in some sort of trouble?”

“What makes you think that?”

“We haven’t had any crises in the last few weeks. We’re about due, aren’t we?”

Rebecca decided to hang up before the conversation deteriorated further. “I’m late for work. I’d better go.”

“Josh Hill called here yesterday,” he said.

Rebecca paused, feeling an odd sensation in her stomach. Word had spread all over town that Josh had broken up with Mary, but she hadn’t heard from him since last weekend. She knew she wouldn’t, either. He’d told her that certain conditions had to be met if she wanted to be with him again, and the desire to capitulate on every count—the whole, “I want you, I need you, I can’t live without you,” routine—was sometimes so strong she craved it more than she’d ever craved a cigarette. But she wouldn’t let herself need Josh Hill. She’d given up nicotine again. She’d beat her addiction to Josh, too, even if it took the rest of her life.

“What did he want?” she asked.

“When I heard who it was, I thought he was calling to ask me for the money to replace that Excursion you burned, but he said the insurance covered it. After that, his call was a bit strange.”

“Why?”

“He wanted to know how long it had been since we talked.”

“You and I?”

“Yeah.”

“What would make him ask that?”

“I don’t know. I told him it’d been a few weeks, that I couldn’t remember exactly, and he said he’d teach you to throw a football if that would help.” Her father cleared his throat. “You have any idea what he meant?”

“No,” Rebecca lied, gripping the phone more tightly as she realized Josh was on to her. He was starting to see through her, to see everything, and it wasn’t fair. This wasn’t a frontal attack. He was breaching her defenses where they were the weakest. She’d offered him her body, but that hadn’t been enough. He had to mess with her mind, instead. Or was it her heart?

Somehow it would’ve been far less frightening if he’d given her a quick tumble and moved on.

IT WAS DARN LONELY on the nights Booker went out with Katie. The following Friday, Hatty went to bed early, as usual, and Rebecca sat in the living room by herself, watching television. After an hour or so, she read a few chapters of a book and tried to sleep even though it was only eight o’clock. Then she gave up on sleeping, watched some more TV and considered calling Buddy simply for something interesting to do. She hadn’t talked to him since their big breakup three weeks ago and was curious to know if his dog had recovered from hip surgery. His sister had been studying for the bar. Rebecca wondered if she’d passed, and whether Buddy had ever finished the new hardwood floor he was putting in the small house he’d inherited from his grandfather.