The Baxters Read online

  After a bit of small talk, Stan left, and when Ryan finished his shower he did something he hadn’t done in years. He grabbed his senior yearbook from his bedroom shelf and took it to the oversize chair. “Where did things go wrong, Kari girl?” Ryan muttered the words to himself.

  His mom was going to the wedding later today. Over the years she had told Ryan a number of times what he should do. “Go see her, Son. Talk to her. It’s not too late.”

  If his mother knew what he was thinking, even now she would encourage him to go.

  “She must be confused,” his mother had told him at least twenty times since his injury. “I know Kari Baxter. I watched her grow up.” His mom would shake her head. “Kari never would’ve walked out of that hospital without a reason.” When Ryan would barely nod or not respond at all, his mother would try again. “Call her, Ryan. Work it out.”

  He had tried. Ryan opened the yearbook. If only it had been that easy.

  His fingers found their way across the familiar glossy pages until he reached the football section. On one of the adjacent layouts was a spread for the cheerleaders. He didn’t have to squint to find Kari in the mix of girls. She was the only one he could see. Then and now.

  Long dark hair, bright blue eyes. The two of them met the summer just before Kari started seventh grade and Ryan, ninth. Their dads had worked together at the hospital. One Saturday in July his parents hosted a cookout and invited the Baxter family. Ryan had been outside playing football with a friend, shirt off, tan and sweaty, when his dad called him in to eat.

  He was fourteen and she was twelve. It was the first moment he had ever seen Kari, and he hadn’t been the same since. He remembered how it felt that day when their eyes met, how he was suddenly self-conscious. He slipped his shirt on. Kari was beautiful but she was young.

  Too young to flirt with or tease or act interested in.

  Even still they hit it off that night and hung out a number of times as July and August played out. That beautiful endless summer.

  Ryan breathed deep and let his mind drift back to that first meeting. Their parents had been playing board games inside, and Ryan and Kari had taken a spot on the front porch to watch the stars. “I’m going to play football in the pros one day,” he had told her.

  “You’ll be the best.” Her eyes shone in the moonlight. “I’m going to be a cheerleader. And then a dancer. And maybe a writer.” Her smile had set fire to his heart. “Wherever my dreams take me.”

  Ryan had loved that about her even then. Kari was a dreamer, a girl who saw the deeper side of life.

  Their first rough patch happened that fall. She was in seventh grade, and taller than her friends. Prettier. Their middle school included ninth grade, and anyone could’ve mistaken her for a freshman. And that’s what happened when Kari came up to Ryan at his lunch table the first week of school.

  His friends were instantly crazy about her.

  Not sure what to do, Ryan played it cool. He told the guys to back off. She was a kid, just a seventh grader. Meanwhile, Kari took a spot with some girls a few tables away. Her expression told him she was hurt.

  The guys did as Ryan asked. No one in ninth grade wanted to be caught flirting with a seventh-grade girl. But one of them, Buck Colter, pushed him, giving him a hard time. “What about you, Taylor?” His voice was too loud. “You got a thing for that seventh grader?” He pointed at Kari. “Go on, you can tell us.”

  “No!” Ryan had no choice but to respond. “She’s a family friend, okay? That’s it.”

  Ryan had only been trying to defend her. His buddies on the football team would never understand the truth, that his heart already belonged to Kari. Even if she was just a kid.

  Kari didn’t talk to him much the rest of the school year. But when June rolled around and their families took a camping trip, the two found their way back together. What they shared was nothing more than a friendship, really. No hand-holding, no talk of dating. They were both too young.

  And when school started he was at Bloomington High. They would wait two more years before she finally joined him, so summers were all they had. When she finally graced the halls of his high school, again Ryan kept his distance. Seniors didn’t date sophomores. Kari was still too young.

  Ryan looked at the yearbook page again.

  Fall of his senior year had been the best, because she made the varsity cheerleading squad. Which meant she was there on the sidelines every Friday night. So that mid-game, a glimpse of Kari Baxter was as simple as shifting his gaze.

  He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

  Their first date didn’t come until her sixteenth birthday and that hadn’t gone very well. Ryan had gotten permission from Dr. Baxter. Still, the awkwardness of that night had washed over him and filled his baffled heart. He could see her now, holding the roses he’d given her as he picked her up at her house.

  At the end of the date, though, he told her the truth. He couldn’t kiss her. Couldn’t be her boyfriend no matter what he wanted. He was leaving for college. They needed to go their separate ways. At least for now.

  Kari took the news hard, so as soon as Ryan got settled in his dorm he called her. He was sorry, he told her. He hadn’t meant to end things. And so the friendship between them remained.

  They didn’t start truly dating until his father died just before Christmas break his sophomore year in college. Ryan survived the tragedy of that time only because of Kari Baxter. She had been there for him every minute of that sad season. Listening, leaning on his shoulder. Holding his hand.

  Before he went back to school, he kissed her for the first time. After that there was no turning back. Ryan knew that he would love her till the day he died. He still felt that way.

  Once more he looked at the yearbook. Whenever he tried to understand what had happened, how come she had walked away, he always landed on the same thing. She must not have wanted to date an NFL player. Which was weird, because she’d known that was his dream since they were kids.

  But what else could explain it? She had come to the hospital to see him, come to make sure he was okay. And when she had her information, she and her dad had turned around and headed back to Bloomington.

  Even now that story didn’t add up. The Kari Baxter he had known would’ve at least talked to him, tried to explain herself. If she’d been afraid of his sport, or if she didn’t want him going to player parties, she could’ve said so.

  He closed the yearbook and slipped it back on his shelf. Then he walked to the window and focused on the house in the distance. The one he’d been to a thousand times. The Baxter house.

  Surely Tim Jacobs wasn’t in the picture back then? That was the only other scenario that made even the slightest sense. Maybe Kari had come to the hospital to make sure he pulled through… with the intention of telling him she’d fallen for Tim. Only once she got there she couldn’t face him, couldn’t tell him the news, because he was too badly injured, his situation too serious.

  So she’d turned around and gone home.

  Ryan considered the idea again and felt his frustration rising. That wasn’t possible, either. If—while he and Kari were dating—she had fallen in love with Tim, then she would’ve been apologetic. Embarrassed or ashamed. And honest, that most of all.

  Not angry.

  And Kari was definitely angry. Hurt and upset and betrayed. That’s how she’d looked each of the few times he had seen her. He stared at Kari’s house. She hadn’t even given him the courtesy of telling him she was getting married.

  So why would he consider going to see her now?

  “Not this time, Kari.” He uttered the words and turned away. “Not on your wedding day.”

  At the sound of his own voice, a competitive spirit rushed through Ryan. Since when had he given up so easily? Wasn’t he the one always ready for a challenge? He gritted his teeth. So what if it was her wedding day. He could go see her, try one more time.

  People call off weddings all the time. Even the day of the ceremony.

  He tried to picture how that would work, how it would feel to Kari and her family. No, he couldn’t do that to her. Couldn’t try to talk her out of it today. He was too late. She’d made up her mind. His chances were gone.

  A panicked kind of anger took punches at him as he turned and pressed his hand against the window. As if by seeing her house he could reach out and touch her again. A deep breath and he turned his back to the view.

  Maybe he would get in his truck and drive to Lake Monroe. As far away from the Baxter house as he could get. Whatever he did today, time was wasting. Because he had work to do. Sure, Ryan drew a paycheck coaching football in the NFL. But his most important job these days was something altogether different.

  Putting Kari Baxter out of his mind for good.

  4

  The bridal room was set up in the downstairs den, and yesterday Elizabeth had helped John fit the space with two long folding tables, four chairs and four floor-length mirrors. They had talked about using the chapel, but Kari wanted to get ready at home.

  In the house she grew up in.

  Elizabeth tried to focus on that happy thought and not the feeling of dread still plaguing her. A soft rain fell against the window and a glance outside told her that the worst of the morning storm had passed. But a bigger one was building. Earlier, she had flipped on the radio news station to get an update. Apparently conditions were right for severe thunderstorms and a tornado outbreak.

  Like something Indiana had never seen before.

  Today. On Kari’s wedding day.

  Don’t think about it, Elizabeth told herself. She carried a basket of makeup and hair tools into the den. Stay positive. This is Kari’s happy day. The girls had planned to meet here at nine o’clock, but already Ash
ley had called to say she’d be late. Her little Cole hadn’t slept much last night. The others would be here soon.

  Better to give her attention to the matter at hand.

  Elizabeth set her things down on the first long table. The mirrors were positioned horizontally on the tables, so each girl would have a spot. She plugged in the curling iron and blow-dryer.

  After a lifetime of doing her girls’ hair, Elizabeth was more than prepared for today. When Brooke and Peter married, they’d hired a few stylists from a downtown salon. Which was fine. But when Kari had asked her to be in charge of hair and makeup for her big day, Elizabeth was thrilled.

  Now if she could only find it in herself to be thrilled about Kari’s groom.

  Elizabeth moved to the next chair and opened a new pallette of eye shadow along with new blushes and mascara. Kari had asked her sisters and a few close friends to be bridesmaids, but those girls were getting ready in their own homes. Elizabeth was glad. Maybe today would give her daughters a chance to feel close again. The way they used to be.

  Footsteps sounded in the hallway outside the den and Brooke stepped in. She stopped and looked around. “Naturally.” She rolled her eyes, set her bag down on the first table and hugged Elizabeth. “My sisters are late.”

  Here we go. Elizabeth smiled at her oldest daughter. “They’ll be here soon. I told Kari to come down around nine-thirty.”

  “Mmm.” Brooke checked her look in the mirror. “It’s awful outside. Not sure a style will do it.” She grinned. “More of a makeover.”

  Elizabeth felt herself relax. At least Brooke was smiling. “You look beautiful, dear.”

  “And the dresses are here?” Brooke glanced over her shoulder and back at Elizabeth. “In the closet?”

  “All three of them.” Elizabeth walked over and opened the closet door. “They’re so pretty. Pale pink. The perfect summer color.”

  “Not today.” Brooke peered out the window. “Black might be better.”

  “Brooke!” Elizabeth’s tone was sharper than she intended. So much for peace. “Watch your attitude. Please.” She lowered her voice. “Kari might hear you.”

  “I’m okay with that.” Sadness softened Brooke’s eyes. “Mom… look at the weather. It’s a sign, don’t you think?”

  “No.” Her response was too quick. She searched her mind for a way to spin this. “Storms are beautiful.”

  “Yeah.” Brooke took a seat in front of one of the mirrors. She muttered the next words under her breath. “Unless they kill you.”

  Elizabeth stared at her oldest daughter. “Try to be kind, would you? Kari deserves better.”

  Brooke reached into her bag and pulled out a hairbrush. She ran it through her hair and cast a quick glance at Elizabeth. “She deserves a better groom.”

  This was going nowhere. Elizabeth crossed her arms and kept her voice low. “What exactly do you have against Tim?”

  “Mother.” Brooke shifted in her chair and looked straight at Elizabeth. “Don’t kid yourself just because it’s Kari’s wedding day.” She sighed and turned to the mirror again. “He’s smug and… and overly intellectual.” Brooke stroked the brush through her hair once more. “So he has his PhD, big deal. I’m a doctor and you don’t see me acting better than everyone.”

  Panic breathed against Elizabeth’s neck and made her heart skip a beat. “He’s young. He’ll outgrow that.”

  “What about the way he treats Kari?” Brooke set her brush down. “Like she’s an imbecile.” She waved her hand around. “An airhead. Just because she models for a living.” Brooke paused. “You of all people should get it, Mom.”

  There was a sound at the door and they both turned. Erin was there, holding her makeup bag. She looked from Brooke to Elizabeth. “Am I interrupting?”

  “No.” Elizabeth reminded herself to smile. No doubt Erin had heard Brooke’s last words about Tim. Either way Elizabeth wasn’t going to touch the topic. She motioned to Erin. “Here. Come have a seat, honey. We were just getting started.”

  Erin was the youngest, and her shoulder-length blond hair, straight and clean, framed her pretty face. She took the chair next to Brooke and gave her a side hug. “Is Maddie ready?”

  Maddie was Brooke and Peter’s little girl. Elizabeth’s precious granddaughter.

  “She is.” Brooke shot a quick look at Elizabeth, as if to say their earlier conversation could wait, but it was no less valid. She returned her attention to Erin again. “Peter’s bringing her over in a few hours. She’s had the flower-girl dress on since after breakfast.”

  Another reason to feel happy about the day. Maddie, not quite three years old, was Kari’s flower girl. Peter would walk the child up the aisle while Maddie dropped fresh rose petals from Elizabeth’s garden.

  Another request from Kari. That her bouquet and Maddie’s flower petals be from their own backyard.

  Erin began brushing her hair, looking at herself in the mirror. “Kari said she’s coming down in a little while.” She glanced over at Brooke. “Where’s Ashley?”

  “Running late.” Brooke’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Love her, but… you know.”

  Why was she doing this? Elizabeth shot her oldest a pleading look, and after that Brooke seemed to get the hint. Her haughty expression eased and she sorted through the makeup in her bag. “Thank you, Mother. For your help.” She managed a partial smile. “No one curls my hair better than you. Even still.”

  “True.” Erin seemed to sense that the tension in the room was letting up. She sounded more at ease. “I love when you do my hair, Mom.”

  And so Elizabeth took the curling iron and started with her youngest daughter. Erin had offered to help watch Cole when Ashley got here, so she needed to be finished first.

  When her hair was a cascade of gorgeous blond curls, and when her makeup was just right to accent her light blue eyes, Erin excused herself. “I heard a car in the driveway. Probably Ashley.” She stood and kissed Elizabeth’s cheek. Then she studied herself in the mirror. “Wow. I should have you do this every day. Maybe the guy in my comp class would finally notice me.” She raised one shoulder and let it fall again. “Or maybe not.”

  Elizabeth watched her go. “Erin.”

  Her youngest daughter stopped and turned around. “Yes?”

  “You’re absolutely beautiful.” Elizabeth hid her frustration. She hated that Erin was lonely much of the time, that she longed for a boyfriend. “The guy in your comp class just isn’t—”

  “The right one!” Erin and Brooke finished her sentence at the same time.

  “Exactly.” Elizabeth uttered a soft laugh. She moved to Brooke and checked the curling iron. “You ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Brooke waved at Erin as she left the room, and then looked at Elizabeth in the mirror. “I’m right about Tim.” She kept her words quieter this time.

  “Please, Brooke. Let it go.” Elizabeth couldn’t bear to think of the truth. That she herself had doubts about Kari’s choice of husband. “She’s in love with Tim. And Tim is… He’s a very nice man.”

  There wasn’t time for more conversation. Ashley walked in then and stopped short a few feet from the setup. “Why do I feel like I interrupted something important?”

  “No, not at all.” Elizabeth pointed to the chair next to Brooke. “We were just waiting for you.”

  “Sorry.” Ashley set her things down on the table and hugged Elizabeth. “This looks great, Mom. Thanks for helping us.”

  Of all the kids, Elizabeth worried most about Ashley. But maybe today would be different. Ashley looked happy and relaxed, her usual defensiveness at bay. Elizabeth put her hand on Ashley’s shoulder. “I’m happy to do it. Glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too.” Ashley leaned over and hugged Brooke. “You go next. Erin said she’s good to watch Cole for as long as we need.”

  “Thanks.” Brooke smiled at her sister. The two of them had a closer bond since Ashley’s return from Paris. Which wasn’t exactly a good thing.

  Elizabeth set to work curling Brooke’s hair. “Did Kari tell you girls when the limo will be here? To take us all to the chapel?”

  “Yes.” Brooke turned her head as Elizabeth finished a curl. “Three o’clock pickup. So the girls can get photos done before the wedding.”