The House on Blackberry Hill (Jewell Cove 1)

“Asshole.”

Tom’s fingers tightened around hers for a moment. “Sorry,” he murmured, before turning back to face his cousin. Oh, God, was Tom seriously going to hit him back?

But Tom only lashed out with words. “She’s dead, Josh. It doesn’t matter anymore. None of it matters anymore.” Abby heard Tom’s voice break on the last words and dread trickled down her limbs. She? This was over a woman?

“I damn well know she’s dead!” Josh yelled, his voice echoing through the yard. Everything was still except for the music, which sounded incredibly out of place now. “She was my wife!”

Abby heard the anguish in the words and instantly felt sorry for Josh. How could she not sympathize with someone in such pain? But then she looked at Tom and a heavy feeling settled in her chest. His expression was no less tortured. Not just any woman—they were fighting over Josh’s wife.

“Yes,” Tom replied, his voice hoarse. “She was. She was your wife. She chose you. You can stop hating me for it now.”

This, then, was the woman who had broken Tom’s heart, the reason why he didn’t date, the reason why he didn’t get along with his cousin anymore. The woman who’d married someone else. She was still absorbing the information when Tom turned to her, his face utterly contrite despite the redness spreading along his jaw. “I’m sorry about this. We shouldn’t have come.”

“Oh, come on, Tom. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your pretty friend?”

Josh’s words were snarky, a deliberate taunt to set Tom off again. Something rebelled within Abby. Why had Tom brought her here? He had to know it wasn’t going to go well. He’d been on edge all day. Even in Portland he’d been distracted. And right now she was feeling like she was nothing more to Tom than a statement. Like her being with Tom was his way of rubbing it in Josh’s face. Josh was alone and Tom wasn’t. And Josh was falling for it. It was easy to tell he was spoiling for a drag-out fight.

Anger burned. She refused to be used—by either of them.

She stepped up and held out her hand even though her heart was pounding. “Hello, Josh, I’m Abby Foster.”

She kept her hand between them as she raised her eyebrows, challenging him. Someone had to hav

e some common sense and it wasn’t these two … boys.

He finally shook it. “Miss Foster.” His cheeks even colored a little. The schoolteacher in her made her want to give them both a good dressing-down, but instead she withdrew her fingers from his and turned back to Tom. “I think I’d like to go now,” she stated.

“I’ll drive you home.”

“No need. I can find my way back just fine. After all, I hear Jewell Cove has a fine taxi service.” Her accusing gaze slid from Tom’s face over to Jess. At least Jess had the grace to blush and look away.

“I’ll drive you home,” he repeated, stronger this time, and she knew better than to argue the point right now. One scene tonight was enough.

She turned her back on Josh and kept her eyes straight ahead, trying desperately to ignore the curious stares of Tom’s extended family. When Tom’s hand settled lightly at the small of her back, she had the urge to arch away from it. At the back gate Jess rushed up, her dark eyes wide with worry. “Tom, Abby, I’m so sorry. I guess we thought Josh would be on better behavior.”

The apology didn’t help. Abby felt angrier with each passing second. Angry and hurt. Jess had been so kind before. And Tom … she swallowed. In a short few weeks Tom had been her mainstay here in town. He was the only one she’d told about the house and her family and …

She blinked back the sting of tears. She’d trusted him. Both of them. She’d considered them friends. But friends didn’t set up friends like that.

She turned on Jess. “You ambushed me,” she whispered stridently so the rest of the family wouldn’t hear. “You used me. You knew from the moment you invited me that afternoon in your store that this would happen.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like that,” Jess insisted. “Honestly, Abby. We just thought that if Tom brought someone, if Josh could just see it wasn’t all about Erin anymore…” Jess looked genuinely distressed. “We thought it would make things easier. We never thought he’d punch Tom.”

Tom took a step forward. “We?”

Jess’s cheeks colored. “Well, um…”

“You and Aunt Meggie and Sarah, right? God, when will you three start minding your own business?”

Jess lifted her chin. “This feud between you two is ridiculous. It made sense that if he saw you moving on, maybe he’d stop being so angry about it.”

Once again they were talking like Abby wasn’t even there. She cleared her throat. “Know what? A heads-up would have been nice. Thanks a lot. Both of you.”

Before either of them could answer, she strode off in the direction of Tom’s truck.

He followed behind her, and she was already inside with her seat belt on when Tom climbed in behind the wheel. “Abby, I—”

“Just take me home,” she interrupted coldly.