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Taylor Lynne
The Women of Merryton – Book Two
Chapter One
With every heavy box I lifted and carried into the quaint two-story rental home, I asked myself, why in the world did I move back here? Twice I had sworn I never would, and twice, because of him, I found myself back in my hometown of Merryton, Colorado. It sounded like such a happy, wonderful, merry place. And I suppose for many it was just that. Sure, the scenery was second to none. Most people would be envious to live nestled among the beautiful Rocky Mountains, but for me the beautiful landscape just masked the pain of all that was lost there.
I set down the small, but heavy, box of books near the built-in bookcase in the living room. I stretched my back and lamented at the late arrival of the movers. I probably should have just waited for them to arrive, but if I didn’t move I would only think, and I didn’t want to think. If I thought too much I would run back to what I considered my real home in Birmingham, Alabama. I would run back to Harry and Grace, the most wonderful grandparents and people on the planet. But I knew I couldn’t, because the most important person came with me. And she? She wanted to stay.
I guess after all these years it was only right for Ashley to get to know her dad in ways other than phone calls and brief sporadic visits over the last fourteen years. Now, at sixteen, she was practically a woman and very close to leaving home herself. That thought pierced my heart and made my eyes well up with tears. I didn’t know what I was going to do in two years when she graduated from high school. I’ve teased that I’ll go with her and get that master’s degree I’ve always talked about, but for some reason she always rolled her eyes at the thought. I guess living in a dorm room with your mom would be very uncool. I compromised that I would just buy a house near the campus of her choosing, but it was still a no-go with her.
I guess this summer I would get a little taste of what I had in store for me as I agreed to let Ashley spend most of her time at her dad’s home watching her nine-year-old half-sister, Emmy, while he ran his family medicine practice. I still don’t know why I agreed to it. Easton, in my estimation, could have made a greater effort to get to know our daughter over the last several years, but he was too busy with his newest ex-wife, Kathryn, and their daughter. I would like to say I wasn’t still bitter about it, but that would be a lie. It’s not that I dwelt on it often, but when the man you love leaves you for another woman, it’s a hard pill to swallow. And once you do swallow it, it’s hard to keep down. Especially when the new woman makes it difficult for your daughter to be part of his life. That’s what killed me the most. Ashley deserved to be part of her dad’s life. I guess I just thought he would have fought harder to make sure that happened.
Even though I tried not to think of it, at least not his part in it, I still remember the day she was born and how undeniably happy he was. I still remember him, through his tears, kissing my forehead and thanking me for making him a daddy and telling me how much he loved me and how much he loved our Ashley Lauren. I had no idea it would all be over two years later, after being married for seven years.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and walked back out to the large semi-trailer parked in front of the house that held all of Ashley’s and my belongings. I reminded myself to keep moving and to quit thinking about the past. But then my past showed up, at least part of it. Easton wasn’t the only ghost this town held for me.
Easton rolled down the passenger window where his daughter Emmy (at least I assumed it was his daughter, she looked like her mother) sat in his large, black Ford truck. “Taylor, you made it.”
I looked past his young, wary daughter to see him smiling tentatively at me. I hadn’t seen him in a few years, but from what I could tell, time had been good to Dr. Easton Cole. He was still handsome at forty-four. He still had some golden blonde hair left, but his hair was darkening and graying slightly above his ears and on the sides. And maybe his hairline was a tad off from where it used to be, but he still looked like Easton.
“We drove in late last night,” I called back. We had stayed in a hotel.
“Oh, I thought you would have called.”
I don’t know why he would think that, so I shrugged my shoulders and turned my attention back to the myriad of boxes that waited for me. I grabbed the nearest one that I thought I could carry and turned to walk it back down the ramp to the house. It was there I found that my ex-husband had parked across the street and he and his daughter were walking my way. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I knew moving back here meant I would have to face him and deal with him again, but I wasn’t sure I was really ready for it. Honestly, I was great at not facing my problems. I was great at running away from him; but there he was, and with him came his little girl that he apparently loved more than my little girl. Or maybe he had just loved her mother more than he loved me. You know what? It didn’t matter. I needed to quit thinking about it.
“Here, let me carry that for you,” he said as he hurried over to me.
“I got it.” I kept on walking toward the house.
He followed alongside me, looking frustrated. I remembered that look. He often gave it to me during our last year of marriage. This was a bad idea. I didn’t want to remember all of these things, or deal with them.
I at least let him hold the door open for me. He smiled at me as I walked in. He and his daughter followed. I set the box marked “dining room” down accordingly in the dining room. I had no choice then but to look at the father and daughter. I had to admit she was darling. She was pretty like her mother, right down to the long, lanky legs. She had long brown hair that needed to be combed and she had brown eyes like Ashley and Easton that were looking at me with interest.
Easton looked between the two of us. “Emmy,” he said as he looked adoringly at his daughter. “This is Ms.—” He caught his faux pas.
We all shared the same last name. I kept Cole so Ashley and I would have the same last name, and for some other reasons. Yes, I had issues.
I held out my hand to her to cover up Easton’s mishap. “You can call me Taylor.”
She slowly reached out her hand to me. I took it and squeezed it gently and smiled at her. After all, it wasn’t her fault her daddy chose her mommy over me, and her over Ashley. She smiled briefly and then turned into her daddy. She seemed awfully shy. Easton put a reassuring arm around her and smiled at me.
“I suppose you’re here to see Ashley. She just ran to the grocery store for me.”
“I can’t believe she drives already,” he responded.
“Yep,” was all I could think of to say. I mean, it was weird for me that my baby girl was that old, but she’d had her permit and license for well over a year now, so I was used to it. And as he hadn’t seen her since she was thirteen … I was a little touchy about it.
“Well,” he said nervously, “we can help you bring in boxes.”
“No. I hired movers, they should be here soon.”
“Oh.” He looked around the old house that was newly renovated. “So, you still like older homes?” he asked.
“Yep.” I guess that was going to be my word for the day. Not the most intelligent of words, but definitely Southern and definitely ex-husband worthy.
I decided ignoring him was probably the best way to go at this juncture. “So Emmy, what grade are you going into after this summer?”
She looked up from her daddy’s side. “Fourth,” she said ever so quietly.
“That’s a fun grade. Do you like school?”
She looked uncomfortable. “It’s okay.”
Her answered surprised me. Ashley loved everything about school, from the academics to the sports to the social. She embraced it all. It was one of the reasons I was so surprised when she said she wanted to move here. I thought for sure she wouldn’t want to leave her friends and school behind. She was quite the popular girl.
“Well, tell me your favorite thing about school.”
“I love to read.”
I smiled kindly at her. “Me, too. What’s your favorite book?”
She thought for a moment. “Bridge to Terabithia.”
I was surprised by that answer. It was an awfully heavy book to be a favorite for such a young girl. I looked up at Easton to confirm her choice. I was expecting Harry Potter, or maybe even The Chronicles of Narnia.
Easton nodded his head yes, but he looked concerned. I wondered why, and then remembered it wasn’t my problem.
“Well, Ashley has lots of books and she likes to read, too. I’m sure she would be happy to bring some over with her when she watches you.”
She didn’t respond other than to turn back into her daddy. I got the feeling something wasn’t quite right, other than the fact that her parents were recently divorced and her mom ran off with her personal trainer. I felt great sympathy for her. At least Ashley never remembered us being married. It had just been her and me since she was two, and even before that it was a whole lot of me and her. That’s what you get when you marry a doctor and have a baby while he’s doing his residency and then starting up his own practice. You get a whole lot of lonely days and nights. Again, I’m not thinking about it.
Thankfully the connecting piece in our lives was back and, even better, she was back with food. I was starving. From the window I watched my beauty walking up the sidewalk burdened with grocery bags, looking as lovely as ever. She was naturally beautiful, with her olive skin and dark brown hair and big, innocent, brown eyes (that looked a lot like Emmy’s). To me she was perfection.
“Momma,” she called out, Southern accent and all, as she came through the front door.
Both her dad I and walked toward her.
Ashley looked surprised by our company. “Dad …”
He stood a few feet away from her still holding onto Emmy as he looked her over.
I went to her and took the bags from her hand.
“Ashley,” he muttered. “How are you?”
It was kind of a lame thing to say to your daughter that you hadn’t seen in forever, but who was I to judge?
I stayed to watch the interaction between the two.
She smiled. “Fabulous.”
Oh, how I loved that kid. She was always happy.
Easton looked relieved and smiled in return. I guess he didn’t know what to expect from her. She could have easily hated him, but that wasn’t her. Not that she considered him the best dad ever, far from it, in fact, but Ashley never hated anyone and this was her decision to be here. She wanted to know her father and her sister. And I wouldn’t deny her that opportunity even though it meant I was going to have to finally deal with my past and issues.
“So Ashley, this is Emmy—your sister.”
It was so weird for me that Ashley had a sibling that wasn’t mine. I knew it was weird for Ashley too, and it was sad they hadn’t met before now, but Kathryn, Easton’s ex-wife number two, didn’t want Ashley around.
Emmy cautiously looked up and Ashley grinned at her. Realizing her hesitation, Ashley approached her and knelt in front of her, hugging her. Emmy didn’t naturally or quickly reciprocate, but after a moment she briefly put her little arms around Ashley.
Easton’s brown eyes beamed at the sight. Then his eyes caught mine and he looked concerned again. I took that as my cue to turn and take the groceries back to the kitchen. It was the perfect cottage kitchen with antique white cabinets, wooden butcher-block countertops, and a farmhouse-style sink. I adored it—at least I would for the next two years. After that I was hightailing it back to the South to my own home that I was currently renting out. This was a temporary situation in which I probably would go temporarily insane.
As I began to put the groceries away I was joined by Easton, and he was alone.
“Do you need help?” he offered.
“No thanks, I’ve got it covered,” I said with my back turned to him as I loaded up the stainless steel refrigerator.
“I cleared my whole day so I could help you and Ashley settle in.”
I shut the refrigerator and turned back to him, surprised by his statement. “Well, like I said, I hired movers, and we’re pretty self-sufficient.” I didn’t want to be out-right rude and tell him to leave, but I didn’t want him there all day. We, unfortunately, weren’t the kind of exes that claim to be the best of friends and still love each other. Besides, I never believed anyone when they said that, anyway. I mean seriously, if you’re still the best of friends and love each other, you would still be married. I knew I would be. I used to be. But we were not friends, and there was a whole lot of love lost between us, and it was more love than I cared to remember because it ached me to my center. It left a hole in me that had never been filled. But again, I wasn’t thinking about it.
He stood there looking at me, unsure of how to proceed. He looked uncomfortable as he ran his fingers through his curtained hair that parted down the middle. He’d had the same hairstyle for over twenty years. It was so odd to think I had known him that long, although much of it was spent apart.
“I would really like to stay and help. And I wanted the girls to get to know each other,” he said firmly.
That was the Easton I knew—confident and self-assured.
I shook my head at him. “I don’t … I’m not sure …” Why couldn’t I just tell him to hit the road? I didn’t want or need his help. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I managed.
“We need to get used to being around each other and in each other’s lives again,” he countered.
“I suppose, but I think baby steps would be more appropriate to start with, don’t you?”
“Taylor, please. I need your help here.”
“What do you mean you need my help? When you called me, you said you wanted Ashley’s help for the summer.”
He walked toward me and stood across the island from me. “I need your help getting reacquainted with our daughter, and in the process I was kind of hoping you could help with Emmy, too. She needs a woman like you in her life,” he said lowly.
I leaned more toward him so I would not be overheard. It was hard because I wanted to raise my voice after his request, but I refrained. “You have a lot of nerve asking me to help you with your daughter that you fathered with the woman you left me for. The same woman, I might add, that kept you from my daughter.”
He leaned in now, too. “If my memory serves me correctly, I’m not the one who left.”
“Since your memory is so good, then you’ll remember why I did.”
His demeanor softened. “Taylor, please, I don’t want to argue with you.”
I didn’t want to either, but we seemed to gravitate toward it whenever we were around each other in private, or when we conversed on the phone. It was probably a good thing we rarely had contact over the last fourteen years. And of course he didn’t want to argue. How do you defend cheating on your wife? And the timing of it all? My mother had barely died and we had just gone through a major move. I needed him more than ever, but I always seemed to come in last, and then there was Kathryn. He denied the affair over and over again, but the signs were all there, so I left for the only support system I had remaining.
“You’ve been such a great mother to Ashley. And Emmy, well … let’s just say she wasn’t as lucky as her sister.”
I rubbed my temples, I couldn’t believe I had only lived here less than a day and I was already having awkward conversations with my ex-husband. I already felt like I had made the second biggest mistake in my life. The first biggest was agreeing the first time, when we were married, to move back here. It wasn’t the first time over the years he’s told me what a great mom he thought I was, but honestly I felt it was undeserved. Ashley was naturally a great kid. I don’t know that I did anything to contribute to that other than loving her to pieces. And I felt bad for Emmy, I did, but I wasn’t sure I should be the one to help him with her. I could only imagine what her mother’s thoughts were on the subject.
I was about to tell Easton that they should probably leave when Ashley and Emmy walked in. A rush of pride swept over me as I looked at my girl holding her sister’s hand. She was the most wonderful creature on this earth.
“Momma, I told Emmy they could stay for lunch.”
Of course she had. I looked at Easton and he looked pleased with both the invitation and at his daughters being together. Emmy still looked timid. It pulled a little at my heart, but I thought maybe she would warm up once she got to know both of us, or at least Ashley. I was going to try and stay completely uninvolved.
“Do you want me to order takeout?” Easton offered, but then he grinned at me. “Or do you still not do takeout?”
It’s not that I never ate out or ordered food, but I was very particular. It was kind of my job to be. People paid me to make their lives better and healthier through nutrition plans. I have a degree and a plaque and everything that says so. I’m what they called a clinical nutritionist. And soon enough that degree plaque would be hanging up in my new office at Merryton General.
“I’ll make something,” I grumbled.
It was a great time to have company over for lunch—I had no utensils, or plates, or any of the other things I needed to entertain unpacked—but what the heck? It was only my ex-husband. It was a good thing I’d had the foresight to add paper products and plastic utensils to the grocery list I had sent with Ashley.
I let the three of them get to know one another out back while I made lunch. Easton offered to help, but I declined again. I don’t know why he didn’t get the hint that I didn’t want or need his help. I hadn’t in fourteen years. I had learned not to depend on him. I had learned it kept me from a lot of disappointment. But again, I wasn’t thinking about it.
I prepared whole-wheat pitas stuffed with turkey, lettuce, and tomato, along with an assortment of berries and chopped vegetables on the side. I arranged a plate for everyone and got out some bottles of water and called it good. It wasn’t fancy, but it was nutritionally balanced. I walked over to the back door and called out that lunch was ready. They were all sitting and talking on a blanket in the backyard. That would be where we would have to eat lunch too, either there or the hardwood floor in the house. The movers still hadn’t shown up.
Easton was the only one to come in. He surveyed the plates before he picked one up.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
He looked over to me. “No, this looks great. I’m just worried Emmy won’t like it. She’s not really used to this kind of food.”
“What’s ‘this’ kind of food?”
“You know … the healthy kind,” he said sheepishly.
“Aren’t you a doctor and wasn’t your wife a nurse?”
“We didn’t do a lot of home-cooked meals, okay?”
I had apparently hit a nerve. I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, maybe she’ll surprise you. But if she doesn’t like it, I’ll come up with something she does,” I offered. I don’t know why I offered. It wasn’t my fault he fed his kid crap. But there was something about Emmy that pulled on my heartstrings.
“Thanks,” he said politely.
He reached for two plates and I grabbed the other two and followed him outside. I couldn’t believe I was having a picnic with my ex-husband and his daughter. I didn’t sign up for this when I read the brochure about what to expect when living near your ex.
Emmy looked warily at the food and at me.
I smiled warmly at her. “Try it and if you don’t like it, I’ll make you something else. Okay?” I said it as kindly as I could, so she would know I was sincere and it was okay if she didn’t like it.
She nodded her head yes, but she didn’t look hopeful at all.
“One thing you need to know about my momma, Emmy, is she’s a total health nut, but she can make anything taste good.”
“Thanks for that, Ash.”
Easton laughed.
Ashley laughed at me too, but she turned toward her sister and grabbed her pita and took out the tomato and handed it back to Emmy without the offending fruit. “Here, try this,” she said.
Emmy cautiously took a very small bite. I felt bad that we were all watching her and waiting for her reaction. She didn’t gag or spit it out, so I took it as a good sign. I dug into my own food because I was seriously hungry and I needed something to do other than stare at my ex, who was staring at me.
I pretty much stayed silent during the meal. I let Ashley and Easton dictate the conversation and catch up. I also observed Emmy. I came to the conclusion her issue with “healthy” food seemed to be partially due to texture. I supposed I could give Easton some suggestions on how to help with that and how to introduce new foods to her.
All I knew was I was thrilled when the movers showed up. I needed the distraction. My ex-husband, unfortunately, thought he needed to stay and help. I had to say I was surprised he took a whole Thursday off to help; when we were married he wouldn’t have considered it. But now it was really annoying. And it was annoying when the movers assumed he was my husband. I quickly set them straight. And it was annoying when he insisted on helping me set up our beds and move the furniture to where I wanted it to be placed. And it was really annoying when he decided to go and get dinner for everyone and then stayed and ate with us, again.
My saving grace was Emmy; she fell asleep on my couch around nine and Easton finally decided it was time to go home.
“Can I talk to you privately?” he asked before they left.
I only agreed because I wanted him to leave.
We walked out to the front porch. I had forgotten that it gets cool at night in June. Back home it would still be steamy. I wrapped my arms around myself.
“Do you want me to get you a jacket?” Easton asked kindly.
“No,” I responded, probably too shortly. In my defense, it had been a long day and I was ready for him to leave.
He responded by smiling. “I guess offering you my arm would probably be out of the question then.”
I sighed and tiredly smiled. I couldn’t help it. “So, what did you need to speak to me about?”
“Have you seen your father yet?” he asked quietly.
I shook my head no. I had been trying to forget about the other reason I agreed to come home, the other ghost that had haunted me my whole life. Frank Roberts was the saddest excuse for a father that there ever was, but he was dying. Easton told me the night he called and asked if Ashley could come and spend the summer with him. I refused at first. I only have two summers left with her before she leaves for college and I just couldn’t stand the thought of losing one of them. That’s when he suggested I come, too. He told me the hospital was in need of a good clinical nutritionist and I should consider applying and moving back. I practically laughed at the suggestion. I hated this place and I swore I would never come back. But then … but then he told me Frank had been to see him, and Easton broke about a hundred privacy laws by telling me Frank was in stage four cirrhosis and gave him less than a year to live. Easton told me if I was ever going to forgive Frank and move on, this would be my last chance. And, of course, Ashley thought we should.
Easton looked at me with concern in his brown eyes. He reached out and touched my cold arm. “I’ll go with you if you would like.”
I again shook my head no. I wasn’t going to depend on Easton for anything.
He dropped his hand and a look of disappointment washed over his face. “Okay, but I want to warn you. He looks terrible. And … I told him you were moving back.”
“Of course you did.”
“I’m sorry, Taylor, but I thought he deserved to know.”
“Frank doesn’t deserve to know anything about me.”
“People change, Taylor.”
I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. “Yeah, I know, and it’s not always for the better.”