Running away from a fiancé who betrayed her, Peyton O’Malley
finds employment at a beautiful mountain inn called Rest Thy Head. She didn’t expect to live in the haunted room
or to fall for the inn’s owner, a fire-scarred, war veteran who uses the inn to
hide away from the world. She didn’t
expect her sister to show up at Rest Thy Head either, much less her formidable
mother.
Now, thanks to the aid of a friendly ghost, Peyton has a
shot at true love, and so does her sister Ashley, provided the guys cooperate
of course!
Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina where
she obtained a master’s degree in personnel services from Clemson
University. She is a member of Alpha
Delta Kappa, an international honorary society for women educators, Romance
Writers of America, and EPIC authors.
Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love
Contest. When she’s not writing or
teaching, she enjoys movies, quilting, reading, and collecting vintage
Christmas ornaments.
With an air of reverence, Eleanor
O’Malley passed her hand across the white damask tablecloth in the box. “This
is very nice, Peyton. Feel how heavy it is. It should last you a lifetime.”
Peyton opened and read the card
that accompanied the gift. “Best wishes for a long and happy marriage. Henry
and Anne Williams.”
Her mother flashed her best
high-wattage smile. “Can you believe it? The Williams family sent you a wedding
gift! They’re one of the nicest families in town.”
“Considering the fact they’re
best friends with Drew’s parents, I sort of expected a gift from them.” Peyton
tossed the card back into the box. “I’m not as happy with the tablecloth as you
are. I’d rather give a barbecue and eat outside.”
Peyton frowned when she noted
the patronizing smile on her mother’s face.
“Darling, that’s fine for right
now, but later on after Drew goes to work with his father, you’ll be expected
to entertain his clients and business associates. I imagine they’ll expect more
than a barbecue in the back yard.”
Peyton rolled her eyes at her
mother. “Yuck.”
Eleanor glanced at her watch. “It’s
three, and we have to meet Ashley at three thirty; we’d better get going.”
Peyton picked up her purse,
which sat beside an antique trunk her mother used as a coffee table. It had
belonged to some famous Civil War general, a fact her mother repeated over and
over to anyone who visited them. Eleanor hadn’t come right out and said so, but
she had given Drew’s parents the impression her family was related to the
famous general. Peyton sighed. “Mother, I really want Ashley to be in the
wedding. Be nice to her.”
“I admire your loyalty to your
sister, but frankly, I think it’s in poor taste to let her be a bridesmaid.”
“I wanted her to be the maid of
honor, but thanks to you she refused when I asked her,” Peyton complained with
a scowl.
A pained expression came to
rest on her mother’s face. “I’m so tired of having to explain things to a
daughter who should understand but refuses to do so. The Roberts would not
appreciate someone like Ashley serving as your maid of honor. Be grateful you
have Roberta to fall back on.”
“Roberta is Drew’s sister, not
mine,” Peyton cried. “I don’t even like her.”
“She’ll grow on you. Now, we’d
better hurry.”
Peyton ran to put the
tablecloth on the dining room table with her other wedding gifts. Pausing for a
moment, she stroked the table’s smooth, gleaming surface. Her mother had found
it in a second hand shop and spent a long time refinishing it. No shabby chic
for Eleanor! It now looked like a prized family piece, which was exactly what
her mother had wanted.
Everything in this house looked
old, elegant, and well-tended. She didn’t think anyone would guess most of the
furniture came from thrift stores and junk shops.
“Peyton? Where are you?”
“Coming, Mother.”
As they drove across town to
meet Ashley, who was having her bridesmaid dress altered, her mother chatted
non-stop about the wedding. Like that wasn’t all she’d talked about for months!
Peyton didn’t have to contribute to the conversation; all she had to do was nod
and say uh huh at the appropriate
time.
Bet if she’d gotten engaged to
Willie Lucas her mother would’ve killed her. Willie’s father worked at a local
convenience store and lived on the edge of a not-too-nice neighborhood, but
Willie had had quite a thing for her in high school.
She turned up the radio when her
mother started talking about Ashley. There wasn’t any use getting into a
quarrel with her mother now when they were on their way to a fitting. Of
course, there was no reason why she and her mother had to go at all. Ashley was
capable of getting herself to the shop and taking care of business.
Why did her mother treat Ashley
like a red-headed stepchild? Yeah, Ashley had made a few mistakes, but that
didn’t make her a bad person. Whether her mother liked it or not, Ashley was her
daughter, and families needed to stick together.
Peyton’s heart sank the moment
they entered the alterations shop. Ashley hadn’t been able to get a babysitter.
She’d had to bring her little boy Griffin with her, and Griffin was not a happy
camper. His wails and cries grated on Peyton’s ears and brought two round, red
spots to her mother’s cheeks. “Griffin,” Eleanor snapped. “Stop that horrible
noise at once!”
Ashley took a deep breath and pushed
her chestnut hair behind her ear as though she was trying to hold on to her
patience. “Mother, he’s little. He can’t help getting bored. If you’ll just
play with him while Mrs. White pins my dress, we can get out of here a lot
quicker.”
Eleanor’s lips thinned, but she
held out her hand to the small boy who tearfully clung to Ashley’s legs. “Let’s
go and find you an ice cream, Griffin.” The child smiled and took his
grandmother’s hand. “We’ll be across the street at The Ice Cream Parlor. I must
say this isn’t what I expected.”
The two of them crossed the
street to the restaurant, leaving Ashley and Peyton alone with Mrs. White, who
smiled at Ashley. “We’ll be done soon.”
A look of relief crossed
Ashley’s face. “I’m glad. Mother isn’t too good with children.”
Mrs. White removed a pin from
her mouth. “Yes, I noticed. Your mother and I went to school together way back
in the dark ages. She wasn’t good with people then either.”
Peyton cringed. She could only
imagine how her mother had probably treated Mrs. White.
When they finished pinning the
dress, Peyton and Ashley crossed the road to The Ice Cream Parlor. “Hey,
sugar,” Peyton cried when she saw her sweet nephew licking a chocolate covered
ice cream cone. “Do you feel better now?”
Griffin nodded and smiled at
Peyton, but he reached for Ashley and accidentally smeared Eleanor’s new silk
blouse with sticky ice cream. “Oh, Griffin!” Their mother’s piercing cry
reverberated around the room, causing several people to look their way. “Look
what you’ve done!”
Ashley grabbed a pile of
napkins and tried to wipe the spot off her mother’s arm, but the chocolate
wouldn’t budge. “I’m sorry, Mother. I hope the blouse is washable.”
“It isn’t, but never mind that.
I take it you got the dress pinned.”
“Yes, I did.” Ashley paused to
wipe Griffin’s sticky hands. “Mrs. White promised we’d have it by the end of
the week.”
Eleanor sniffed. “I hope so, but she never was too reliable. That’s why
I wanted to come today. I wanted her to understand how important it is for the
dress to be finished on time. The wedding’s in two weeks. If you’re going to be
in it, you need the dress.
Peyton rolled her eyes, and Ashley
bit her lip. “We’d better go, Mother. Griffin’ll be getting hungry soon.”
“Hey, how about a burger for dinner?”
Peyton exclaimed, remembering that Ashley had had to work today and was
probably tired.
Eleanor frowned. “You’re
supposed to have dinner with Drew’s grandparents.”
“Oh, I can…”
“You go home and get ready,
Peyton. You and Ashley can have a burger later.”
Eleanor picked Griffin up and
carried him to Ashley’s car, leaving Ashley and Peyton to trail along in her
wake. “Sometimes I’d love to choke her!” Peyton whispered to Ashley, whose eyes
sparkled wickedly at the very idea of it.
As her mother drove past a
local farmer’s market, Eleanor decided she needed something fresh for dinner. “I’ll
drop you off at home first, Peyton. I want you to have plenty of time to get
ready for your dinner engagement. It won’t take a minute for me to circle back.”
Peyton sat home alone for all
of fifteen minutes before she got bored and decided to go over to Drew’s apartment.
He’d said he would pick her up at six, but she wanted to see him now. It would
be fun to surprise him.
She skipped outside and got
into her car, a dark blue Mini Cooper that she bought for herself after she
graduated from Tri State Tech. Drew always said the car matched her eyes, and
it did. If she did say so, she had beautiful eyes. She laughed aloud. Drew
thought the rest of her looked okay too, especially her long, slim legs. In
fact, that’s what he said attracted him to her in the first place.
They had met at a fraternity
party two years ago. Peyton’s date, a creep by the name of Josh Pope, got drunk
and tried to put the moves on her. It had made her so mad when he wouldn’t take
no for an answer that she took off her shoe and beat him until he let her go
and ran for cover. She still smiled when she thought about it.
Drew had witnessed the whole
thing from the safety of the bar. “Boy, I’d sure hate to make you mad,” he exclaimed
when Peyton came to get something to drink.
“Yeah, well, that jerk deserved
what he got.”
“How about we leave the party
and find something to eat?”
Peyton hadn’t thought she
wanted to go off with a stranger, even one who looked like a Greek god come to
life, so she cornered her roommate, and the three of them went to an IHOP for
pancakes. Drew had called her the next day, and from that time on they had
spent virtually all of their free time together.
Her mother loved Drew. His
family had both money and social standing, while Eleanor had neither and wanted
both.
She did wish her mother had
been nicer to Ashley this afternoon, but that was probably expecting too much. Once
Ashley got pregnant without the benefit of a wealthy husband, their mother was
done with her. Why couldn’t she see a sweet grandson was worth more than social
position and money? Griffin was adorable, but it looked as if he’d never have a
grandmother who’d love and spoil him.
That dress had looked like a million
dollars on her sister. Ashley imbued grace to every movement she made, just
like Eleanor, but she was short like their father. Both of them had the same
dark chestnut hair, though. Ashley had blue eyes too, but hers were much
lighter in color than Peyton’s.
What a beautiful day to be
alive! Milford always looked its best in the spring as sunshine flooded the
little town with warmth and new life and chased away the chill of winter. Peyton
popped a CD into the player and sang along with Garth Brooks. Drew hated
country music so even though she loved it, she only played it when he wasn’t
around.
As she turned into Drew’s
apartment complex, she paused to comb her hair with her fingers before she went
in. She had let the windows down to take advantage of the balmy, spring breeze,
but it had almost blown her hair away. Oh, well; Drew liked the tousled, casual
look.
She got out of her car and
strolled down a winding, concrete walkway to Drew’s apartment. To her surprise
the door stood open a small crack. Peyton frowned. Did he think robbers would
pass by so tempting a target? True, this upscale complex had excellent
security, but really!
The living room was deserted,
but she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She tossed her purse onto the
sofa and went in search of her man. As she rounded the corner into the kitchen,
she froze. Megan Thomas, whom Drew used to date, was with him in the kitchen,
and the two of them were hugging each other so tightly it was a wonder either
of them could breathe.
Peyton gasped, and when Drew
saw her he shoved Megan away, causing her to fall against the stove. “Peyton, I
can explain!”
Peyton could hardly speak
around the rage that almost choked her. “What’s to explain, Drew? I’m not an
idiot. You don’t have to say a thing.”
She spun on her heel and ran
from the kitchen with Drew right behind her. “Peyton, wait.” He grabbed her arm
and brought her to a stop before she could escape.
“Peyton, don’t! Don’t do this.
We’ve been together too long for you to throw everything away.”
Pain penetrated her anger. Did
he really think a couple of sentences would fix this? What was she supposed to
do? Forget she caught him in Megan’s arms? Peyton bit her lip hard to hold back
tears as the reality of his betrayal started to sink in.
Drew was right about one thing.
They had been together for a long time. She’d promised her heart and her future
to him, and he had promised the same to her, but he had betrayed their love. He
had betrayed the shared life she’d expected to have.
She had seen Drew as the best
thing that ever happened to her. He was the one who had her back, the one who’d
stand between her and the world, but she had been wrong about him.
At that moment, Megan peeked
around the corner. The little smirk on her face sent Peyton’s temper soaring.
“I believed in you! I believed in you!” She jerked her arm
from Drew’s grip and ran for her car. He and that little heifer deserved each
other! Megan had a bad reputation in Milford, and the entire town talked about
her. If that’s what Drew wanted, let him have her.
***
Peyton sat up when she heard
the front door slam. Great. Her mother had returned. She considered jumping out
the window and escaping. Of course her room was on the second floor, but who
cared. Maybe if she got lucky she’d kill herself, and no one would ever know
Drew had dumped her for Megan Thomas.
She heard Eleanor coming up the
steps and braced herself. Knowing her mother, this wouldn’t be pretty.
“Why are you still here?”
Eleanor demanded as she burst into Peyton’s room without knocking. “You aren’t
even dressed yet. Don’t you know how important this evening is?”
Peyton stared at the wall just
below her mother’s left ear. “I’m not dressed because I’m not meeting Drew’s
grandparents.”
“Why not? Did they cancel?”
“Let’s just say that Drew
should take Megan Thomas to meet them, not me.”
Eleanor frowned. “You’d better
tell me what you mean. I don’t like riddles.”
When Peyton told her, Eleanor
sank down onto the side of the bed as if she couldn’t stand up any longer. “Sweet
goodness! Why now?” she exclaimed. Peyton watched as her mother tried to
control her emotions. She seemed to have a harder time of it than usual, but
she eventually got her ‘I am your mother, and I know best’ look firmly in place.
Eleanor reached for her hand. “Darling,
I know this hurts. I can imagine what you must be feeling right now, but
truthfully, this isn’t the end of the world. Megan Thomas gets her reputation
honestly. I’m sure the entire thing is her fault.”
“I saw her in his arms.”
Eleanor nodded. “I understand. She
undoubtedly offered, and Drew gave in to temptation this once, but he loves you, Peyton, not Megan. Go and call him,
and give him a chance to apologize. I’m sure he’ll never do a thing like this
again.”
Peyton’s bitter anger subsided
as she stared at Eleanor. Could her mother possibly be that naive? “You can
forget it. Drew and I are through.”
Eleanor smoothed the fat fringe
on one of the decorative pillows on Peyton’s bed. She sounded calm and
composed. “You’re not thinking with your head. A marriage to Drew is a dream
come true for a girl like you.”
Peyton bristled. “What’s that
supposed to mean, a girl like me?”
“A girl with no money, no
family, and no prospects.”
“Gee, thanks, Mother.”
“Be sarcastic all you want,”
Eleanor shot back, “but if you want an easier life than I’ve had, get off this
bed, and let Drew make it up to you.”
“Why would he want to make up
with me?” Peyton sniffed. “As you’ve pointed out, I’m not exactly the kind of
woman you’d expect Drew to be interested in. You remember; no money, no family,
and no prospects.”
Eleanor turned a cold eye on
Peyton. “I’ve done a lot for you. I scrimped and saved and did without so you
and Ashley could have opportunities I never had. You owe it to me to marry
Drew.”
Peyton’s mouth fell open. “I
refuse to discuss this anymore. This is my life we’re talking about. I’m not a
bargaining chip in a marriage market to ensure your future.”
Eleanor’s hands clenched. Her
face looked so angry that Peyton shrank back into the pillows. “Oh, you refuse,
do you? What’s wrong? Are you ashamed of your selfishness? I’d counted on you
and Drew to be there for me in my old age. Huh! Ashley sure can’t. She couldn’t
even manage to get herself a husband before she got her baby.”
“Let it go!” Peyton cried. “I’m
sick of hearing you talk trash about Ashley.”
With a suddenness that stunned
Peyton, her mother grabbed her and shook her until her hair tumbled around her
shoulders. “Don’t ever speak to me in that fashion again!”
The ringing of the doorbell
brought Eleanor to her feet. “You remember what I said. I’ve got a lot invested
in you, and I have no intention of losing Drew to a hussy like Megan Thomas.”
She strode from the room,
leaving Peyton too shocked to even cry. A moment later Eleanor called from
downstairs, “Peyton, Drew is here to see you.”
What now? What should she do? Peyton
pressed her hands against her burning face. She didn’t want to talk to Drew,
but stunned by her mother’s attack, she called, “I’ll be down in a minute.”
She ran into the bathroom and
splashed cool water on her hot face, careless of the makeup that she had so
carefully applied earlier in the day. Her mascara dribbled down her cheeks like
black tears. Staring at herself in the mirror, she swiped at the streaks with
the backs of her hands. Great. Now she looked like a raccoon. She’d die before
she let Drew know how badly he had hurt her, so with hands that trembled she
snatched a washcloth from the linen closet and scrubbed her face. She hated
Drew, she hated Megan Thomas, and she hated her mother most of all!
With her head held high, she
descended the stairs to find Drew and her mother waiting for her in the living
room. She paused for a moment to listen when she heard Drew’s contrite sounding
voice. “Mrs. O’Malley, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I don’t know how I
could do such a thing. She came over, and…I am so sorry.”
Peyton clenched her teeth as
Eleanor patted his shoulder. “I understand. You don’t have to say anything
else.”
“I feel…”
He broke off when he saw Peyton
standing in the doorway and rose to his feet. “Could I talk to you for a
minute?”
Eleanor smiled at him. “I’ll
leave you two alone to talk.” As graceful as any ballerina, she left the living
room and shut the door behind her.
Peyton retreated as Drew
reached for her hand. She’d throw up if he touched her now. “Why did you come
here, Drew?”
“To explain. Honey, you’ve got
to believe me. I…don’t…I don’t know why I did it. She just showed up at the
door, and…”
Peyton threw her hands over her
ears. “I don’t want to hear the dirty details.”
“I love you, honey. You’re the
woman of my dreams. I’d never do anything to hurt you. Please tell me I haven’t
wrecked everything. Don’t let my mistake ruin things for us.”
Peyton turned her back on him
and moved to the window to put a little more distance between them. A pretty
cardinal landed on the bird feeder. He flashed his wings at a female who moved
aside for him to eat. “We don’t have anything to say. Go home and leave me
alone.”
Drew didn’t go. He joined her
at the window and pulled her stiff body into his arms. “It doesn’t have to ruin
anything, baby. Don’t you know how much I love you?”
Ice dripped from Peyton’s voice.
“Actually, I don’t.”
“Well, I do, and you know it. Please,
sweetie, don’t do this. Everyone expects us to get married. Your mother likes
me, and my folks like you. Don’t let one mistake screw up our future.”
Yes, Eleanor certainly liked
Drew. Peyton remembered what her mother had said. Eleanor had raised two
children without a father to help her; Peyton knew how hard her mother had
worked for her and Ashley. She bit her lip. Maybe she did owe it to Eleanor to
marry Drew. He certainly seemed sincere when he said he was sorry. Maybe Megan
really was to blame. She’d give anything to think so.
Her chin went up. “I’ll think
about it, but I can’t promise anything.”
“Thank God! I love you, Peyton;
you won’t be sorry that you gave me another chance. Uh…you don’t still want to
have dinner with my grandparents do you?”
“No.” Ugh, she’d rather die
than sit through dinner with him.
“I’ll make your excuses and
reschedule dinner.”
“I didn’t say I’d still marry
you,” she snapped, resisting the urge to slap his handsome face.
“No, but, baby, I have to
believe you will.”
He attempted to kiss her, but
Peyton pushed him away. If he tried to kiss her she’d barf all over him. Thankfully,
Drew accepted her rebuff. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Don’t
bother.
The minute he let himself out
the door, Eleanor joined Peyton. “You did well. I knew you’d do the right thing.
You’ve always been my good girl.”
Peyton pressed the tips of her
fingers between her eyes where she’d developed a massive headache. “You
eavesdropped on us.”
“I’m sorry about that, but I
had to make sure you didn’t make a mistake you’d regret.”
What would her mother have done
if she had told Drew to get out and never speak to her again like he deserved? Probably
throw her out of the house like she did Ashley when she had Griffin. “I’m
exhausted. I’m going to my room.”
“Of course. Can I get you
anything?”
“No, nothing.”
Eleanor leaned over and kissed
Peyton’s forehead. “You did the right thing. You go and rest now. You’ll see;
you did the right thing.”
****
“You’re an idiot,” Ashley
bluntly informed Peyton as she took a bite of the chocolate chip cookie Griffin
had rejected. “You know he cheated on you with Megan Thomas, but you’re letting
Mother bully you into marrying him anyway.”
Peyton sighed as she shifted
Griffin in her arms and tried to find a more comfortable position in Ashley’s
old, broken down recliner. She loved that little boy almost as much as Ashley
did. He had come running down the sidewalk to meet her when he saw her car stop
in front of Ashley’s apartment, and they had played until he finally ran out of
energy and climbed into her lap for a little nap. “Drew’s sorry. He didn’t mean
to do it, but Megan…”
Ashley snorted. “Save it for
somebody who doesn’t know better. You’re doing this because of Mother. Did she
give you the old ‘I’m depending on you’ speech?’
Peyton squirmed in her chair. “Well,
she is, and no matter what you say, you know how hard she worked to give us a
good life.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “I
don’t think she deserves any special credit for that. Parents are supposed to
take care of their children.” She gave a bitter, little chuckle. “Anyway, look
how she’s treated me and Griffin. Oh, yeah. She has our best interests at
heart, doesn’t she?”
Peyton couldn’t deny it. Once
Ashley got pregnant Eleanor had washed her hands of her. Their mother could
have made Ashley’s life a whole lot easier if she had wanted to. Instead, she
left Ashley to fend for herself. With a small child and no education, Ashley
hadn’t had an easy time of it.
Peyton indicated the butter
yellow bridesmaid dress that hung in the doorway to Ashley’s bedroom. “Does
your dress fit okay?”
“All right, Peyton. I’ll drop
the subject, but I intend to bring it up tomorrow and every day after that
until you see reason. Yeah, my dress looks fine. Mrs. White told me she could
cut it off after the wedding and make a regular dress for me if I wanted.”
Peyton nodded. “That’s exactly
why I picked it. It isn’t fussy and doesn’t have sequins and junk on it.”
Ashley smiled, looking very
much like the little girl Peyton had loved from the moment her mother returned
from the hospital with a bundle wrapped in pink. “I appreciate it, too. I’ve been
dying for something new, but I haven’t had the money to waste.”
She knew Ashley hadn’t
exaggerated. When she and Drew got married, she intended to help Ashley as well
as her mother. Ashley had planned to study small business management until she
got pregnant because she had always dreamed of owning an inn. Not a motel, an
inn. Months ago she and Drew had agreed they’d help Ashley financially until
she finished school. Yeah, she had plenty of reasons to marry Drew.
Peyton stood up and passed
Griffin to his mother. “I’ve got to go. Drew and I are having dinner with his
grandparents tonight.”
“Won’t that be fun?” Ashley
scowled at Peyton. “Old Mr. Hamilton is nothing but a pervert.”
“Why would you say a thing like
that?” Peyton pulled on the pretty eyelet jacket she had bought to wear with
her jeans. “You know he isn’t a pervert.”
“I think he is. He brought his
car to the car wash, and while he was paying me, he asked me if I’d care to go
out with him.”
“Then I guess he thought you were
pretty,” Peyton retorted, but inwardly Ashley had shocked her. Mr. Hamilton had
always treated her like a lady. She wouldn’t have dreamed he’d go around making
dates with young women behind his wife’s back.
Actually, a lot of things had
shocked her lately. I guess it’s best not
to think about it. I’ll feel better if I don’t.
