And he was simply following in the family footsteps.
In his day, they’d called his grandfather a ladies’ man. In his father’s time, the term was gigolo. Andrew had no qualms about his status and didn’t care if people thought of him as cougar prey for middle-aged women. He happily accommodated the people who could afford him.
He walked barefoot through the house with a plate of fruit and cheese as he headed to the liquor cabinet. After a quick decision, he poured himself a glass of wine from one of the better reds, plugged his iPod into his docking system and smiled when his favorite music began to play. He popped a piece of cheese into his mouth, dimmed the lights throughout the house and then strode to a window to watch the lightning flashes from the storm.
He liked storms, and the wilder the better. Thunder rumbled. It was so loud it felt like it was on top of him. Lightning cracked and flashed as it struck the dark surface of the lake before him.
Just as the flash faded, he saw car lights. His pulse kicked. It was about time. He turned to face the front door and waited for it to open. When it did, his guest blew in with the wind and rain.
“It’s about time you got here,” Andrew said. “I’ve started without you.” He held up his wineglass.
Charles Wayne began shedding his clothes. By the time he reached Andrew, he was naked. He took the wine out of Andrew’s hand and downed it, then set it aside and challenged him with an in-your-face smile.
Andrew threw his head back and laughed.
*
Leigh sat on the side of her bed, looking around the shadowed bedroom she’d shared with Stanton for more than thirty years. It still smelled like his aftershave. His clothes were still in the closet, and a pair of his shoes was beside the chair where he’d left them when he had changed into his walking boots.
Wind blew rain against the windows and hammered on the roof above her head. She kept thinking of it as a cleansing. There wouldn’t be a trace of Stanton’s blood left after this, but there was no way to hide his presence here. She kept expecting him to walk in at any moment. Twice today she’d thought she’d seen him from the corner of her eye, only to realize it was Bowie. It broke her heart to be so conflicted about her son’s presence. She needed him here. He was the last link to complete their family circle, and yet, because his resemblance to his father was so strong, he was also a painful and tangible reminder of what she’d lost.
Her eyes were burning from lack of sleep, but it wasn’t going to happen in here, so she gathered up her pillow and a blanket and went into the living room to bed down on the sofa. The storm was still raging, and she was so sleep-deprived she felt faint, but there was no way in hell she could lie down in their bed without Stanton. Not yet. Maybe never.
She stretched out on the sofa, then rolled over on to her side and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. Even with the curtains pulled over the windows and her eyes closed, she still saw the lightning flashes. She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, and as she did, tears pooled and fell.
“Oh, Stanton, I never saw this coming. I thought we would grow old together. I don’t know how to do this yet, but I will.”
Thunder rumbled again. She tensed, hoping it wouldn’t wake Jesse. Then she heard footsteps in the hall and heard Bowie’s voice.
“I’m here, Jesse. It’s just a thunderstorm. You’re okay.”
She rose up on one elbow to look down the hall. Jesse must have called out. Thank God for Bowie. He wouldn’t be here forever, but this respite from Jesse’s every need was a blessing. She lay back down, settled into her pillow and cried herself to sleep.
*
It took Bowie a few minutes to get Jesse settled, and then he went back into his bedroom, but he left the door ajar in case Jesse called out again.
He knew his mother was in the living room on the sofa. He’d heard her leave her room, and when she didn’t come back he’d checked on her and had seen her stretched out on the sofa, then quietly returned to his bed.
He hadn’t gotten much of a chance to talk to Samuel before he’d left to take Aunt Polly home, but he and his brothers were meeting in Eden tomorrow morning around nine. There would be plenty of time to talk then while they were waiting to see if the law ever showed.
He glanced at the time. It was almost midnight—too late to text Talia. She didn’t look like she’d had enough sleep in years, so no way was he taking a chance on waking her up, but he couldn’t sleep. He moved to the window and pushed aside the curtain to stare out into the night.