The Lost Daughter of Pigeon Hollow Read online

“Ah, sorry,” Judy said, looking as if she’d been hit with a stun gun. “All done?”

  The man placed the check on the counter. “Yes. It was very good.”

  Willa swung around and busied herself folding hand towels from the basket on the floor.

  “Sure we can’t get you anything else?” Judy asked.

  “No,” the man said. “Would you please tell the owner I enjoyed the meal?”

  “You can tell her yourself. Willa?”

  Willa turned then, a blush heating her face.

  “Willa Addison,” Judy said. “She owns the place.”

  “Thank you,” Willa said.

  He nodded, holding her gaze for what felt like a moment too long. “You’re welcome.”

  Judy handed him his change. “If you’re in town for a bit, come back again.”

  “I’ll do that,” he said. He picked up his newspaper and threaded his way back through the diner and out the door.

  Judy had the composure to wait until he was outside before dissolving into a puddle. “Oh, my. Oh, my, oh, my. What are you going to do if he comes back?”

  “Greet him at the door in a garter belt and fishnet stockings?”

  “There’s a thought,” Judy said with a big grin. “Although, he doesn’t seem the fishnet type.”

  “I wouldn’t know what to do with them anyway.”

  “Not like you’ve had a lot of practice.” Judy hesitated, as if considering what she was about to say. “It’s an honorable thing you’ve done, raising Katie. But does that mean you can’t have a life? A man. Your own career choice.”

  “I do have a life. But until Katie is where she needs to be, the last thing I want is another personality in the picture to muddy the waters.”

  Judy hitched a thumb at the front door. “Even if it comes in that package?”

  “Even if.”

  “And the career thing?”

  “I have the diner.”

  “Not a thing wrong with it if that’s what you want.”

  “I’m not complaining.”

  “Maybe you should be.”

  “Judy—”

  “Take it from me, honey, the longer you let a dream go, the less likely it is to find you again.”

  Willa opened the cash register, lifted the drawer and pulled out a stack of checks and receipts, before meeting Judy’s gaze head on. “And what about your dreams, Judy?”

  “It’s a little late for me on that score.”

  The phone on the counter rang. Willa picked it up. “Top Shelf. Sure, Jerry. She’s right here.”

  Judy took the phone, listened for a few moments. Her expression instantly deflated. “We’ll talk about it when I get home, okay?” She punched the off button to the cordless, then handed it back to Willa.

  “Everything all right?” she asked, concern threading the words.

  “Same ole. Gum stuck to my shoe. No matter how much I’d like to get rid of him, I can’t seem to scrape him off.”

  “You’ll scrape him off when you want to.” Willa put a hand on her friend’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “And by the way, if it’s not too late for my dreams, it’s not too late for yours.”

  “Yeah,” Judy said, her expression uncharacteristically somber.

  “I’ve got to run to the bank,” Willa said. “Back in a few minutes.”

  “Oh,” Judy said, her voice perking up, “if that delectable man comes in again while you’re gone, maybe I’ll hit on him. How’s that for dream fulfillment?”

  Willa smiled. “Have at it.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  OWEN MILLER SLID behind the wheel of his dark green Range Rover, shutting the door just as Willa Addison came out of the diner and crossed the street. She never looked his way, so he took advantage of the moment, sat back and watched her.

  Medium height. Fair skin. Slim. Straight blond hair, tucked behind her ears, hung to her shoulders.

  Very attractive. In those few moments at the register, he had seen Charles in her, mostly the eyes, the high cheekbones.

  She stopped to speak to an older woman a half block from the diner. Laughing at something the woman said, she tipped her head back, her hair catching the sunlight.

  They talked for a minute or two, and then Willa Addison disappeared through the doors of the bank at the corner.

  Owen pulled out of the parking lot and followed the street he’d driven down earlier, spotting the bed-and-breakfast where he’d reserved a room. He turned in, parked out front and grabbed his overnight bag from the back seat.

  The owner introduced herself as Mrs. Ross. A round woman, partial to flowers judging by the tulips on her shapeless dress and the magnolia wallpaper lining the foyer and stairwell, she checked him in and directed him upstairs. The room was small, but immaculately clean. The open curtains framed a view of tree-lined Bay Street.

  Owen set his laptop up on the desk by the window. He logged onto the Internet, checked his e-mail, took care of a few business-related matters, then opened an e-mail from his brother.

  Just thought you’d like to know, the debate continues. See attached.

  Cline

  Owen downloaded the file. A few seconds later, an article from the Lexington Daily Record popped up. His photo accompanied the headline Marriage Or The Farm?

  The article below began:

  The single days of well-known bachelor and thoroughbred commercial breeding heir Owen Miller may be numbered.

  Sources say the will left by his father, Harrison Miller, provides that if he is not engaged by his thirty-third birthday—some ten days from now—Winding Creek Farm and all its subsequent holdings will revert to his younger brother, Cline Miller.

  Owen clicked out of the file, disgust hitting him in the gut. He moved the cursor to Instant Messaging and typed in:

  You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?

  Cline answered a couple of seconds later:

  The entertainment value is huge, you have to admit.

  Owen pictured his brother, seated in front of the laptop, and a wave of affection flooded through him.

  For you, I suppose.

  So, have you found her?

  Who?

  Your new wife.

  I’m not looking for one.

  Just pick out one and get it over with.

  Like shopping for a new tie?

  The noose-around-your-neck association does not go unappreciated. You know in the end, Dad always won. And besides, if you hand the mantle over to me, I’m not making any promises about maintaining the family name.

  Hmm.

  BTW, Pamela called. Again. Have I heard from you? Asked with notable irritation, I might add, leading me to think she hasn’t heard from you.

  I’ll call her.

  Good. Unless you find another prospect first.

  Bye, Cline.

  See ya.

  Owen logged off, leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head. Cline’s question wasn’t exactly out of left field. Why hadn’t he asked Pamela? She expected it, and probably had a right to. They’d been going out for a year. Her expectations weren’t unreasonable, considering his position.

  When his father died three years ago, Owen had never thought the will provision would actually interfere with his life. It had seemed more of an annoyance, although totally in character, that his father would continue to pull strings, even from the grave.

  Maybe Owen had assumed he would be engaged or married by this point, anyway. At least that he would have met someone who made him want to be. But here he was. Time nearly up.

  Not married.

  He glanced at the phone. He really should call Pamela.

  But then there was the red flag. He should call her. Later. He’d call her later.

  * * *

  IT WAS THE PERFECT DAY to be at the lake.

  Katie considered pretty much any day perfect if it involved skipping school.

  Maybe the principal would eventually give up and just ki
ck her out, putting an end to her useless arguments with Willa. A girl could dream.

  A jam box sat at one corner of the dock, D-12 blasting. She could feel the throb of it through the backs of her calves. Beside her, Eddie lay staring at the sky, holding a joint between his thumb and index finger, his expression dreamy. He took another long pull. “God, that’s good stuff,” he said, his voice raspy with smoke. He passed it to her.

  She took a small puff, then handed it back to him.

  He laid it on the dock, turned on his side and propped up on his elbow. She looked at him through half-open eyes. He was hot, in a rebel-with-a-cause kind of way. Eddie’s cause was whatever pleased him at the moment. A few weeks ago, it had been the hammerhead shark tattoo now etched into his right bicep.

  For now, it was her.

  He touched her face. “Come here.”

  She complied, not so much because she wanted to, but because being with Eddie fueled her need to reach for whatever it was she thought would piss Willa off the most.

  For now, that was Eddie.

  He leaned over and kissed her, heavy duty from the get-go. She followed him for a few moments, and he pushed her back onto the dock, half lying across her. He picked up the pace of the kissing, the lower half of his body moving in suggestion.

  Her bikini top slipped. She turned her head, pulling the bathing suit back in place. “Easy, okay?”

  “What? You don’t want to?”

  Katie raised up on an elbow, dropped her head back and blew out a sigh.

  “You’ve been a real drag all day. Maybe I should have brought someone a little more fun out here.”

  “Maybe you should have.”

  Eddie put a hand on her thigh, massaged the muscle, his touch experienced. “Hey, I didn’t want to bring anybody else. So what’s the deal?”

  Katie sighed. “My sister. She’s such a pain in the ass.”

  “She riding you again?”

  “Only about everything.”

  “What’s her problem? She’s pretty hot-looking for an old girl.”

  She gave him a look. “Twenty-eight is hardly old.”

  “You two sure are different.”

  “That a compliment or insult?”

  “Neither. Just seeing her down at the Top Shelf, she acts a lot older than she looks.”

  “She’s been like that ever since Mom died.”

  Eddie shrugged. “Why don’t you just check out of there?”

  “And what? Live out of my backpack?”

  “Move in with me.”

  Katie frowned. “And your four other roommates?”

  Eddie brushed the back of his hand against the side of her breast. “Hey, I’ve got my own bed. That’s all we need.”

  “You are such a jerk.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not stupid. I start acting like Joe Nice Guy, you’ll ditch me for sure.”

  At least he knew her.

  Katie stood, shucked off her blue-jean shorts, and made a clean dive into the lake.

  Eddie followed. He came up gasping. “Man, it’s cold!”

  “Weenie.”

  He kissed her again. “I mean it,” he said. “Think about it. Move in with us. We’ll have a big time.”

  She looked at him for a moment, and then said, “I’ll think about it.”

  * * *

  IT FELT LIKE A REPEAT of the night before. And far too many others in recent weeks.

  Willa sat on the living room couch, hands wrapped around a mug of hot tea, a table lamp the only light. Sam was curled up beside her, his head on her leg. A novel lay open on her lap, but she had no idea what she’d read in the last five pages.

  She glanced at the grandfather clock on the other side of the room. Eleven.

  The front door opened. Katie walked through the foyer and headed up the stairs.

  “The principal called,” Willa said quietly.

  Katie stopped on the second step. “Save it, okay?”

  “So what should I do, Katie?” Willa asked in an even voice. “Just let you mess up your life for good?”

  “It’s not your life to mess up. You’re doing a pretty good job with your own.”

  Willa’s grip on the cup tightened. She pressed a finger to her forehead. “How did we get here, Katie?”

  “I’m not your responsibility, Willa,” Katie said, the words a few degrees softer. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Is that it, then? Do you think I should let you quit school? Hang out with guys who are going to lead you down the road to nowhere?”

  “I’m not as dumb as you think I am.”

  Willa stood and walked to the bottom of the stairs. “That’s not what I think at all. I think you’re smart, beautiful and at a very confusing time in your life. But, Katie, the choices you make now are going to affect your future in ways you can’t begin to see from here.”

  “Like the choices you’ve made, Willa?” She tore up the stairs then, throwing out behind her, “At least I’m out there playing the game.”

  * * *

  WILLA DROVE KATIE TO SCHOOL the next morning. Neither spoke the entire way. Katie kept her headset on, the beat of the music pounding like a muted jackhammer.

  Willa pulled up at the high school’s main entrance. Students loitered around the front steps. “You’ll go by the principal’s office, Katie?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Two more absences, and you’re going to fail your classes this semester.”

  “That would be a disaster,” Katie said, sounding mildly bored. She got out of the Wagoneer and strolled toward the front entrance, stopping to talk with a trio of defiant-looking teenagers wearing nose rings complemented by varying degrees of purple hair.

  Katie had never seemed farther away.

  * * *

  AT THE TOP SHELF, Willa pulled into an empty space beside Judy’s old Citation. If possible, it was more of a rattletrap than her own. She got out and waited for Judy who slid out of the car, then slammed the driver’s door. The door failed to catch, so she opened it and closed it again.

  The sleeve of her white sweater slid up with the movement. An ugly purple bruise encircled her wrist.

  Willa touched her arm. “Hey. What’s that?”

  Judy avoided Willa’s gaze. “Nothing.”

  “Nothing? Judy—”

  Judy held up a hand, smiling a little too broadly. “Uh-uh. This problem’s not going on your shoulders.”

  They walked across the parking lot to the diner entrance, both quiet.

  “Are you all right, Judy?” Willa finally asked softly.

  Judy smiled an of-course smile. “Yes.”

  “I really am worried about you.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “How can I not?”

  “You know, if they measured worry in a person’s blood the way they measure cholesterol and triglycerides, you’d be on the operating table.”

  “Judy. I’m serious.”

  “So am I. I’m fine. And we’re talking about you, anyway. Now let’s hear about those circles under your eyes.”

  Willa gave in for now. “I don’t know what to do with her anymore. It seems like the more I say, the worse things get.”

  “Maybe it’s time to let her fall,” Judy reasoned. “My mama always said she could tell me all day long what a bump on the head was going to feel like, but until my own noggin hit the pavement, there was no way I would ever believe her.”

  Willa smiled, pushing through the front door of the diner. Clara Hibber, one of the other waitresses, opened up every morning so Willa could take Katie to school.

  Clara waved from behind the counter. Willa waved back, then looked at Judy. “She’s just so angry. I wish I knew why.”

  “When you’re sixteen, it doesn’t matter,” Judy said. “Anger is just another hormone. You feel justified. But if anybody should be angry, it’s you. You got to be a mother at twenty-one without any of the fun that comes with arriving at that happy state.”

  �
��I don’t regret what I’ve done for Katie. She’s my sister.”

  “I know you don’t. But for seven years now, you’ve been living the life of your mother. Taking over this place after she died. You didn’t get the chance to be young. Take it from me, the years fly by, and you wake up one day looking at a big sign with Too Late written in big, bold letters.”

  Willa put a hand on Judy’s shoulder. “If that’s your subtle way of saying I need a man, I haven’t seen anything out there worth missing a night with a good book.”

  The diner door opened. The man from yesterday walked in, taking the same table as before. Both Willa and Judy stared for a moment. He looked up. They both got busy shuffling menus and stacking coffee cups.

  “That’s what I call amazing timing,” Judy said.

  “Just take his order.”

  Judy grabbed a pad, handed it to Willa, then bolted, whispering over her shoulder, “Ladies’ room.”

  “Judy—”

  But she was already out of sight. Willa stared after her, made a mental payback note, then walked over to the table.

  The man glanced up.

  “What would you like?” she asked, trying not to stare. He was unbelievably good-looking. Dark hair contrasted by light blue eyes. The kind of mouth a woman’s gaze could not help being drawn to.

  “What do you recommend?” he asked.

  “Eggs and bacon are always a sure thing. Pancakes, too, but you don’t look like a guy who eats a lot of starch.”

  “Eggs and bacon, then. But add a pancake, too. I’m feeling like a walk on the wild side.”

  Willa scribbled the order on her pad, a small smile touching her mouth. “And to drink?”

  “Coffee.”

  She nodded. “Your order will be out in a few minutes.”

  Judy was back from the ladies’ room when Willa got to the front counter. “What did he say?”

  “Eggs and bacon. Add a pancake.”

  Judy snorted. “I really am starting to worry about you. A man like that walks in here, and you don’t even flirt with him.”

  “I said he looked like he doesn’t eat a lot of starch. Does that qualify?”

  “Struck instant lust in his heart, I’m sure.”

  Willa smiled, poured coffee in a cup, then carried it to the man’s table. He looked up, and she noticed how blue his eyes were. Magnetic, really. She wanted to look longer, but she jerked her gaze away and set the coffee down. “Your food will be right out.”