another potential land mine. Land mine or not, the money debacle was hotel business and had to be addressed.
"Yes," Wilma said simply and with little emotion.
"Then you know?" Cassie asked, her gaze locked on a bluebird, thinking
it was the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen with its deep blue wings and orange breast.
"Austin told me almost immediately."
Cassie swung her eyes around and pinned Wilma's.
"I keep forgetting you've been working together for a long time and seem to have an understanding."
"One that the two of you don't have. Is that what you're getting at?"
There was a humorous twist to Wilma's lips.
"Is it that obvious?"
Wilma chuckled.
"It's more than that. In fact, he said you gave him tit for tat."
"He's exaggerating. What could I say, after the fact?"
"He's determined to pay it back."
"How?" She made a face.
"Rob a bank?"
"That remark was uncalled for," Wilma said, her mouth pinched.
Cassie flushed.
"You're right, it was."
"As you know, he had my permission to buy the land before you came
back."
"I can't understand that. Mother. You knew what kind of shape the
Jasmine was in. Why on earth did you agree to buy land before repairs were done?"
"I thought we would be able to do both."
"Now we can't do either," Cassie pointed out flatly.
"I disagree. If Austin says he'll make good, then I believe he will.
He has some valuable horses, arid if he sells them for the right price,
then we'll be in fine shape."
"// That's a mighty big word."
"It was an honest mistake, my dear. Why are you coming down so hard on
him?"
Because I love him and can't have him, she wanted to shout. Instead, she
said, "Look, we'll work it out, I promise. You don't worry about it.
That's why you have me."
Wilma smiled.
"You have no idea how comforting that is. But I don't want you to worry
about the hotel, either. If you have to worry about something, worry about Tyler."
Cassie put down the fan and stood.
"That's why I'm heading to the office early."
After kissing her mother on the cheek, she drove to the hotel, thinking that her life seemed to have settled into something of a pattern. She worked mornings and spent her afternoons with Tyler.
Lester seemed to have disappeared from the scene, which was both arelief and a concern. She wanted to think that he didn't care about them anymore, especially Tyler . Maybe his threats early on had been emptyones, and that once she hadn't shown her fear, he had backed down.
She hoped that was the case.
As for Austin, she hadn't seen him, either, which upset her more than
she cared to admit. Tyler missed him. She missed him. That was the bottom line.
Her son kept asking where he was. Admittedly, her daddy hadn't seen him,
either. Cassie's best guess was that Austin was busy trying to come up
with the means to repay the company.
If she stayed in Jasmine, she was going to have to end her relationship
with Austin, this time for good. Or maybe she already had, she reminded herself.
After that last discussion, she might finally have convinced him they
had no future.
A few minutes later she was behind her desk when her phone beeped.
"Yes, April," she said.
"It's Mr. McGuire on line one."
Her mouth turned dry as cotton and her heart raced.
But when she spoke, she made it a point to sound polite but aloof.
"Hello, Austin."
He didn't mince words.
"Do you mind if Tyler goes to the farm with me this afternoon?"
His request caught her off guard, and Cassie didn't know what to say.
"I'm training a new horse, and I thought he might like to watch." "I'm
sure he would," she said in an almost breathless tone.
"Is that a yes?"
"Yes."
"Good. Is he at the house?"
"Yes, with Daddy."
"I'll be there within the hour."
"Austin?" she said quickly, refusing to think of the consequences.
"What?"
"Do you mind if I come, too?"
His sharp intake of breath rivalled her own. She clutched at her chest
with her free hand. Dear Lord, what had she done?
"It's over between us, isn't it?"
Austin stared into Sherry Young's pale face and felt like someone who
had just kicked an innocent dog. But Sherry wasn't a dog, nor was she
innocent.
Still, he didn't like what he was doing. But theae had been cast long ago.
"Yes, though I want us to be friends."