When Hearts Collide

chapter 16

Pearce stared at the empty bedroom where Molly had stayed since the accident. The day she’d left, his heart had turned to a block of ice. Even now, weeks later, it ached like a bad case of frostbite. He’d been moping around the house as if he’d lost his best friend. And maybe he had.

But what about Gracie? She was the most important thing in his life, and he was determined nothing would change that. Since he’d found her in foster care, he’d stayed home and looked after her. He’d made a resolution to himself to protect Gracie from ever getting hurt. He’d tried to keep anyone from penetrating the world he’d built for the two of them. The only woman Gracie had in her life was Bridget Flynn, his housekeeper, and she was only at the house a few days a week. After his experience with Rachel, he’d had no desire to get involved with another woman. He and Gracie had been happy. Until Molly. But you were happy with Molly, weren’t you? Just too damn stubborn to admit it.

He shoved the annoying doubts away. Molly was the one at fault. She should have told him about the charges, trusted him enough to determine the truth. No, she was just like Rachel, with all her lies.

But, look how she’s helped you, helped your daughter. With the injuries he’d sustained in the car accident, he’d had no choice but to rely on her to look after Gracie. Bridget had been away caring for her sick mother, and Molly had been like an angel dropping out of the heavens to save him and take care of his child.

He thought he’d built a high enough wall that no one could breach it. He hadn’t dreamed anyone could arouse such stirrings of passion, passion that had lain dormant for so long. Just thinking about Molly made every cell in his body yearn for her. How could he have let her, no not let her, how could he have cast her out of his life?

And he wasn’t the only one missing her. Judging from Gracie’s reaction to Molly’s departure, his daughter was more attached to her than he’d realized. Gracie had never formed an bond with a woman like she had with Molly. Molly was more her mother than Rachel.

Gracie was more heartbroken now than when he’d gotten her out of the foster care system. Since Molly’s departure, Gracie had retreated back into that shell. Even Trooper had trouble getting a smile out of her. Everyone was following the dog’s lead and moping around like a lost puppy.

Yet he didn’t want to beg Molly to come back for Gracie. He owed it to Molly to make her understand that he loved her the way a man should love a woman. She deserved to be the love of some man’s life.

When Mrs. Flynn returned from caring for her mother and found the two of them sulking around the house pining for Molly, she’d told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn’t go and bring her back, he was a bigger fool than she thought. Pearce reeled at her words, telling her to mind her own business, that he had to worry about Gracie and he couldn’t let someone complicate their lives. But the housekeeper’s words had hit home.

Gracie was his whole world. He wanted nothing more than to make sure she stayed safe and happy. He’d gotten through raising Gracie and their loss of Rachel by dealing with life one day at a time. Mostly he got through by telling himself he would deal with it tomorrow. The time passed, and they coped. But now, he was being forced to think about a time in his life he thought he’d put behind him, a time he’d never wanted to revisit. Molly was making him dredge up all those buried feelings and emotions. He didn’t like it at all.

When was it that Molly had become so important to him, so much a part of his life? She’d snuck up on him like a ripple on a calm lake until his feelings for her had hit him like a tsunami. He hadn’t wanted to get involved with anyone and jeopardize his relationship with Gracie. He couldn’t let it happen. Yet it already had.

Life had been wonderful when Molly was there. He’d been happy, content, and life had been easy. He hadn’t had to worry about Gracie, or the house. She had them all organized. But was that what he wanted? He’d promised never to fall in love again, never to marry again, and never to have a woman come between him and Gracie. But that had already happened. Yet for Molly’s sake, he had to be sure. He had to know that when he went after her, he was going for the right reasons. He had to be sure for all of them.

Pearce thought about what Molly wanted. Love, a family, children of her own.

Did he want more children? He’d told himself years ago that Gracie would be the only child he would ever have. Could he take a chance on history repeating itself? Could he take a chance of losing another wife? He thought about having children with Molly. Suddenly the last bricks surrounding his heart tumbled away. He saw her holding a red-haired cherub, and his heart ached to have her here beside him.

The way he felt about Molly was so different from what he’d felt for Rachel. What he felt for Molly wasn’t just lust, it was something richer, deeper, stronger, something that could last, maybe even a lifetime. Something that made him crave to be with her, to care for her, to grow old with her.

It was time to admit he couldn’t live without her. He had to go to her, beg her to forgive him and come back. What would he do if she wouldn’t?

He tried to sleep, yet all he did was toss and turn until the covers were damp with sweat. Did he really want to lose himself to a woman who could have such an effect on him? Was it too late for any choice? Tomorrow, he would beg her to come back.

He woke with a start. He’d been dreaming of an angel, a red-haired angel. He’d felt her there beside him. His body ached to reach out and mold her to him like a second skin. He stretched his hand out to the empty side of the bed. Was his imagination playing a trick on him? He was sure he could smell the scent of her perfume, even though the sheets had been washed several times. He inhaled again. It was his imagination.

He crossed to the bedroom Molly had used and took the pillow off her bed. Mrs. Flynn had refused to touch her room or change the sheets until he went to get her. He pressed his nose close to the cotton fabric. The scent brought back memories of their night together. Hugging the pillow to his chest, and drawing in her scent, he was finally able to sleep.