The Cinderella Hour Read Free Page B

leave
her child. My ex-husband and I tried so hard to have a baby. I would become
pregnant, only to miscarry a few weeks later. First-trimester miscarriages are
common, of course. I know that from nursing school. And, in many instances,
they’re a consequence of developmental abnormalities. A miscarriage, I’ve heard
people say, is Mother Nature’s way of being kind, not cruel.”
    “But it felt cruel to you,” Leigh whispered.
    “Yes, it did. Even crueler was my eventual inability to
conceive at all. With that, any hope of a baby was gone. My husband wanted
children as much as I did. He has three of them now, with his new wife.” She
sighed. “Our marriage was falling apart around the time Suzanne left Jared and
Luke. I worry that if I had been a better neighbor, more available to Suzanne
and less preoccupied with my own problems, Luke might not have become a
motherless child.”
    “You can’t blame yourself for that.”
    “I suppose not.” Mrs. Evans sat up straight and reclaimed her
hands from Leigh. “Enough of this self-pity! I have nothing to complain about.
I’m fortunate to work where I do, with all my wonderful surrogate children to
enjoy. I only wish I could have been there more for Luke.”
    “What’s wrong with him?” Snow asked.
    “Nothing, dear. Nothing is wrong with him. He’s just a
loner, that’s all.”
    Leigh had another take on Luke, which she shared after Mrs.
Evans left—and after first sharing her take on Bea. She was such a Pollyanna,
Leigh said, a card-carrying member of the If you can’t say something nice
about someone don’t say anything society. Leigh would have appreciated a
little down-and-dirty gossip, which she felt certain Beatrice Evans knew.
    Still, the afternoon hadn’t been a total loss.
    “I’ll bet Jared Kilcannon’s keeping the ladies of the club very happy. I wonder how much he’s charging for his services.”
    Snow imagined Luke’s father made a good salary at Hilltop
Country Club. Why else would he spend the summer away from his son? And it was
his job to make club members happy, wasn’t it?
    But Leigh’s smile suggested there was more, a secret Snow was
too young to understand. What she said next made even less sense. “I’m glad the
Kilcannons live four long blocks away. Our paths will never need to cross.”
    Snow already wanted her path to cross with Luke’s.
    “Why?”
    “They’re trouble, Snow. Father and son. A woman doesn’t
leave her child without a compelling reason. My guess is Luke’s every bit his
father’s son, as arrogant as Jared—and as mean.”
    “Arrogant and mean? How do you know?”
    “About Jared? Because the charmers usually are. And his wife
left him, remember? Without a backward glance. Mark my words, Snow. Jared
Kilcannon is not a nice man. And you can bet his son isn’t, either. Pay
attention to me on this. When it comes to men, I’m an expert.”
    Snow hadn’t seen Luke since that
day, a week ago, when he walked by. She hadn’t even seen him emerge from the
woods later that afternoon. Had he stayed until nightfall? Had something
happened to him?
    No, she told herself. There would have been a search. Mrs.
Evans and Mr. Kilcannon would have sounded the alarm.
    Snow chose Christmas afternoon to explore the ravine. Luke
would be doing something Christmassy with his father, and Leigh was in her
bedroom talking on the phone with someone she met at a reception.
    Snow didn’t listen to Leigh’s words, but she heard her mother’s
tone. There had been nastiness, at times, toward the men who called for
Scarlett, Melanie, and Tara. But Leigh was never nasty to her male callers in
Quail Ridge.
    Snow grabbed a handful of Mrs. Evans’s cookies before
venturing out into the falling snow.
    Neighborhood children frolicked in the distance. Snow could
have joined the fun.
    But this was her chance to explore the ravine.
    She understood why Luke came here, she thought as she slid
down its snowy slope. And why he remained after