Page 75 of Porter's Angel

How did Lily raise these sons? And how many of them knew that she’d been made into a joke? She remembered Cole’s careful words from yesterday at the water fight, and the look that passed between him and Porter when he mentioned Nash.

So many people had mentioned Nash, and she’d just been so oblivious, so trusting… so gullible to believe in that prankster! She was about ready to join Mike and Walt and blast a water cannon straight into Porter’s face.

If only she had another pie!

If onlywhat they had could be fixed with such a cute little revenge, but it couldn’t—she was so angry, so appalled, that she felt bruised from the assault against her emotions. Her hopes had been raised that someone could see her as something more than… than a woman with excess baggage, and now those beliefs were cruelly dashed.

Her shoulders sagged as she reached the archway of the rose garden. This wasn’t about Porter, at all, was it? Sure, she had liked him a lot—he’d been so wonderful in her mind, and she’d felt secure in his arms—nothing she’d ever experienced before with anyone else; so much so that she’d almost decided that God had known how much she needed something physical to hold her up in her most desperate of times. She’d been so excited to find a good man who truly knew her for what she was and liked her anyway.

It was a mirage that she’d seen, and it had happened because she’d desperately wanted it to be true. She’d needed a lifeline to hold onto as thoughts of Lacy’s power and influence encircled her like sharks in a sea of trouble. She’d sure found that security in her mind.

Silly girl!

Whether Porter thought he liked her or not was irrelevant. He had no idea who she really was. Sure, she was the exciting new face who had appeared in town, but once he dug deeper into her glittery exterior, he’d know the truth.

Why should he go for some woman who was pregnant with another man’s child when he could have anyone he wanted? And there were so many pretty girls here—all of them sweethearts! And Porter? Well, he was a catch. Oh! His rejection would hurt her so much, more than this betrayal, even.

She couldn’t handle it emotionally. She just couldn’t.

Cadence spied him working near an expanse of green. Ah goodness! Was his shirt off? Of course, it was. The man was only in his jeans, as comfortable in his own skin as any wild animal in nature. Sweat poured off his tanned back as he shoveled away the gravel near the glistening pond. He was halfway done with the job of hauling it all away. He’d already tilled all the hard patches of dirt and weed that she’d noticed invading the garden before, leaving the land crumbly and moist like brownies, so that they could plant anything they wanted in here.

The muscles of his back were a masterpiece of anatomy as they rippled through his shoulders and down his arms. She gaped at the work that Porter had put into this garden. All for her—or what he thought that she was.

She was a mirage too.

Her heart lodged into her throat. She choked as her courage drained from her. She’d had every intention of facing him, and now? She only wanted to run away.

Too late. He scraped another shovelful of gravel into the wheelbarrow. He caught sight of her behind him. “Angel!”

She cringed at the name, but this was his fault, just as much as it was hers! A storm of renewed indignation filled her as she faced him. Balling her fingers into fists to gather her nerves, she rushed forward, realizing with some unease that more than anger dragged her to his side. She was drawn to him like air.

What was wrong with her? He’d hurt her! Pastor Brown’s words came back to haunt her. “I’ve never known so much joy—it’s why it hurts so much to lose what you love dearly. If you never felt that love, you wouldn’t care if you lost it.”

She should run from him, like she’d done with Lacy. She stayed right where she was and faced this tall hunk of muscle—one that was living and breathing with the soul that God had put into him. His stomach moved in and out as he tried to recover from his work.

The azure of his eyes brightened at the sight of her. They mirrored the beauty of the sky, didn’t they? It wasn’t fair! The dirt smudged across his face made them even more impossibly vivid than before. This was the energy of Porter that she knew, that was all at once horribly familiar and horribly more like a stranger than she’d ever thought he’d be. Even then, he wasn’t the cutout of a paper doll villain that she’d made of him, just because he’d hurt her.

He wiped at his sweaty forehead. The scruff on his face had gotten thicker since last night. He was all man, and she felt the same attraction from before as he directed the charm of his smile at her.

He was going to kiss her again.

She pushed her hand between them to stop that from happening. “Nash is your twin!” she accused.

He nodded, not looking at all concerned about that.

She growled out in frustration. He took the hand that she was using as a barrier between them, not getting what was happening at all. His fingers were warm—hot in more ways than one. Devil take the man!

She tried to rein in her chaotic feelings as they sizzled under his tender gaze. They bubbled over like a boiling pot. He played with her fingers. “We’ll name our firstborn after Nash for setting us up.”

That was more than enough reason for her to push him into the pond. She shoved him backwards into the sparkling water then gasped out in shock the instant she heard the splash against the calm surface.

What had she done? He shot out of the water, sputtering. Cadence went after him. The reeds grabbed at her ankles. “I didn’t mean to—” She stopped talking at the lie, even as his mane of hair whipped behind him like a playful lion cub, glistening under the sun. The adorable sight only made her want to cry.

Predictably, he came after her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Jump in, Angel, the water is perfect.”

Cadence whipped around. She wasn’t about to play with him in the pond like everything was just fine. She scrambled up the banks, even as she felt his arms go around her. She stilled. He was right—the water was perfect! It felt almost as refreshing as his loving arms finding her again.

She felt his breath at her neck. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry.” He turned her so that she was facing him again. “You want to talk about last night? Did something happen?”