The Lost Daughter Of Pigeon Hollow. Inglath Cooper
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Owen let that hang a moment, then said, “At least he spared me my skin.”
She glanced at her watch, gave him a questioning look. “It’s two in the morning.”
“Ah, yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Something’s come up. It’s Charles. He’s in the hospital again.”
Willa stared at him for a moment. “What happened?”
“The doctors are guessing another heart attack. I don’t know very much. But I’m heading back tonight to see him. I was hoping you would come with me.”
“Tonight?” She put a hand to her chest. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t possibly—”
“Look, Willa. I know this is all kind of crazy. I don’t want to sound like I’m pressuring you, but anything could happen. He’s a good man who’s looking to fix something he regrets. Can’t you just give him this chance?”
Her eyes softened. White teeth worried her bottom lip. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t go tonight.” She hooked a thumb at the house. “My sister. She’s having a tough time. I need to be here for her.”
“Sixteenish? Blond?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“She left a little while ago with a couple of suitcases.”
“What?” Willa whirled and ran to the house, taking the porch steps two at a time. The dog was right on her heels, barking like he’d just gotten a good rabbit scent.
Owen followed, opening the screen door and letting himself inside. He could hear her hurried footsteps upstairs, the beagle’s click-click-click behind her.
He waited in the foyer. A minute later, she came back down the stairs, her steps heavy, her expression defeated. He followed her back outside where she sat down on the bottom step of the porch and released a heavy sigh.
“Did you see who she left with?” she asked.
“A couple of guys in an old white Buick.”
“Eddie.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend.”
“I take it you didn’t know about this?”
“She was threatening to leave, but she said she wouldn’t go tonight.”
“Teenagers.”
“Look, Owen. I can’t go with you. Not now. I’m sorry about…your friend. But I have responsibilities here.”
Wondering if he were crazy to make the offer, Owen forged on before he had time to consider whether it made any sense. “Do you know where she is?”
“I’m pretty sure I do.”
“Okay. So here’s the deal. Go pack your stuff, and we’ll pick up your sister. She can go with us.”
Her eyes widened at the suggestion. “I don’t think she will.”
“This guy she left with. I take it you’d rather she hadn’t left with him?”
“She doesn’t really care what I think.”
“Then call it an intervention.”
“That is crazy.”
The cell phone in his pocket rang. He flipped it open to Cline’s somber voice. “Hey,” Owen said. “How is he?”
“I went to the hospital. Natalie is over the top.”
“I’m heading back, Cline. If she calls again, tell her I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay?”
“Okay,” he said.
Owen hung up and looked at Willa. “That was my brother. Charles’s wife, Natalie, she’s having a tough time. I really have to get back. Are you coming or not?”
Indecision wavered across her face. The soft drone of an airplane engine broke the silence. She glanced up at the sky, then stood suddenly. “Give me a couple minutes. I’ll be right down.”
CHAPTER FIVE
THIS WAS NUTS.
No other way to look at it.
Willa jammed clothes into the tired blue Samsonite suitcase she’d inherited from her mother, not giving herself time to think about what she was doing. To do so would be to call a halt to the whole thing.
Maybe it was crazy, but this man who claimed to be her father could die at any minute. And if he did, Judy might be right. Maybe she would spend the rest of her life wishing she’d had the chance to meet him. To look in his eyes and see if there was truth there.
She picked up the phone on her nightstand and dialed Judy’s number. This time she wasn’t so lucky. Jerry answered with a growl.
She started to apologize for calling in the middle of the night, decided she didn’t want to be that nice to him and said, “May I speak to Judy?”
There was a rustling sound and then a clunk, as if the phone had been dropped.
“Hello?”
“You were asleep,” Willa said.
“Um, yeah. It would seem you’re not into that tonight.”
“Sorry. It’s just that I’ve decided to go.”
“To Lexington?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, glory be.” More awake now.
“It’s probably going to be a mistake. But Owen got a call that Charles—this man who says he’s my father—he’s in the hospital. It may be serious. And Katie’s run off with Eddie. I don’t know, it just seems like maybe there’s some kind of timing in all this.”
“If you’re calling to see whether I’ll take care of the diner, don’t bother asking. Of course, I will.”
Willa sighed in relief. “Judy, you’re the best.”
“I’d like regular updates, of course.”
“Absolutely. Okay. I’ll talk to you soon.” Willa hung up. She had to find some way to pay Judy back.
She latched the suitcase and lugged it down the stairs. Owen met her at the bottom.
“I could have gotten that for you,” he said.
“It’s not that heavy. I’ll be right back.”
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