Read Online Heartbreaker by Diana Palmer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Diana Palmer
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Man-Woman Relationships, Love Stories, Texas, Ranchers, Women college students, Amnesia, Bachelors
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Let J.B. stew.”
“Maybe the man does bring back some terrible memories,” she murmured. “J.B. looked upset when he talked about it. He must…he must have loved her very much.”
“He was twenty-one,” Marge recalled. “Love is more intense at that age, I think. Certainly it was for me.
She was J.B.’s first real affair. He wasn’t himself the whole time he knew her. I thought she was too old for him, too, but he wouldn’t hear a word we said about her. He turned against me, against Dad, against the whole world. He ran off to get married and said he’d never come back. But she argued with him. We never knew exactly why, but when she took her own life, he blamed himself. And then when he learned the truth…well, he was never the same.”
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“I’m sorry it was like that for him,” she said, understanding how he would have felt. She felt like that about J.B. At least, she thought, she wasn’t losing him to death—just to legions of other women.
Marge put down the spoon she was using to stir beef stew and turned to Tellie. “I would have told you about her, eventually, even if Grange hadn’t shown up,” she said quietly. “I knew it would hurt, to know he felt like that about another woman. But at least you’d understand why you couldn’t get close to him.
You can’t fight a ghost, Tellie. She’s perfect in his mind, like a living, breathing photograph that never ages, never has faults, never creates problems. No living woman will ever top her in J.B.’s mind. Loving him, while he feels like that about a ghost, would kill your very soul.”
“Yes, I understand that now,” Tellie said heavily. She stared out the window, seeing nothing. “How little we really know people.”
“You can live with someone for years and not know them,” Marge agreed. “I just don’t want you to waste your life on my brother. You deserve better.”
Tellie winced, but she didn’t let Marge see. “I’ll get married one of these days and have six kids.”
“You will,” Marge agreed, smiling gently. “And I’ll spoil your kids the way you’ve spoiled mine.”
“The girls didn’t look too happy this morning,” Tellie remarked.
Marge grimaced. “J.B. had them in the kitchen helping prepare canapés,” she said. “They didn’t even get to dance.”
“But, why?”
“They’re just kids,” Marge said ruefully. “They aren’t old enough to notice eligible bachelors. To hear J.B. tell it, at least.”
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“But that’s outrageous! They’re sixteen and seventeen years old. They’re not kids!”
“To J.B., you all are, Tellie.”
She glowered. “Maybe Brandi and Dawn would like to go halves with me on a really mean singing telegram.”
“J.B. would slug the singer, and we’d get sued,” Marge said blithely. “Let it go, honey. I know things look dark at the moment, but they’ll get better. We have to look to the future.”
“I guess.”
“The girls should be home any minute. I’ll start dishing up while you set the table.”
Tellie went to do it, her heart around her ankles.
If she’d wondered what J.B. meant with his cryptic remark, it became crystal clear in the days that followed. He came to the house to see Marge and pretended that Tellie wasn’t there. If he passed her on the street at lunchtime, he didn’t see her. For all intents and purposes, she had become the invisible woman. He was paying her back for dating Grange.
Which made her more determined, of course, to go out with the man. She didn’t care if J.B. snubbed her forever; he wasn’t dictating her life!
Grange discovered J.B.’s new attitude the following Saturday, when he took Tellie to a local community theater presentation of Arsenic and Old Lace. J.B. came in with his gorgeous blonde and sat down in the row across from Tellie and
“Maybe the man does bring back some terrible memories,” she murmured. “J.B. looked upset when he talked about it. He must…he must have loved her very much.”
“He was twenty-one,” Marge recalled. “Love is more intense at that age, I think. Certainly it was for me.
She was J.B.’s first real affair. He wasn’t himself the whole time he knew her. I thought she was too old for him, too, but he wouldn’t hear a word we said about her. He turned against me, against Dad, against the whole world. He ran off to get married and said he’d never come back. But she argued with him. We never knew exactly why, but when she took her own life, he blamed himself. And then when he learned the truth…well, he was never the same.”
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
“I’m sorry it was like that for him,” she said, understanding how he would have felt. She felt like that about J.B. At least, she thought, she wasn’t losing him to death—just to legions of other women.
Marge put down the spoon she was using to stir beef stew and turned to Tellie. “I would have told you about her, eventually, even if Grange hadn’t shown up,” she said quietly. “I knew it would hurt, to know he felt like that about another woman. But at least you’d understand why you couldn’t get close to him.
You can’t fight a ghost, Tellie. She’s perfect in his mind, like a living, breathing photograph that never ages, never has faults, never creates problems. No living woman will ever top her in J.B.’s mind. Loving him, while he feels like that about a ghost, would kill your very soul.”
“Yes, I understand that now,” Tellie said heavily. She stared out the window, seeing nothing. “How little we really know people.”
“You can live with someone for years and not know them,” Marge agreed. “I just don’t want you to waste your life on my brother. You deserve better.”
Tellie winced, but she didn’t let Marge see. “I’ll get married one of these days and have six kids.”
“You will,” Marge agreed, smiling gently. “And I’ll spoil your kids the way you’ve spoiled mine.”
“The girls didn’t look too happy this morning,” Tellie remarked.
Marge grimaced. “J.B. had them in the kitchen helping prepare canapés,” she said. “They didn’t even get to dance.”
“But, why?”
“They’re just kids,” Marge said ruefully. “They aren’t old enough to notice eligible bachelors. To hear J.B. tell it, at least.”
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
“But that’s outrageous! They’re sixteen and seventeen years old. They’re not kids!”
“To J.B., you all are, Tellie.”
She glowered. “Maybe Brandi and Dawn would like to go halves with me on a really mean singing telegram.”
“J.B. would slug the singer, and we’d get sued,” Marge said blithely. “Let it go, honey. I know things look dark at the moment, but they’ll get better. We have to look to the future.”
“I guess.”
“The girls should be home any minute. I’ll start dishing up while you set the table.”
Tellie went to do it, her heart around her ankles.
If she’d wondered what J.B. meant with his cryptic remark, it became crystal clear in the days that followed. He came to the house to see Marge and pretended that Tellie wasn’t there. If he passed her on the street at lunchtime, he didn’t see her. For all intents and purposes, she had become the invisible woman. He was paying her back for dating Grange.
Which made her more determined, of course, to go out with the man. She didn’t care if J.B. snubbed her forever; he wasn’t dictating her life!
Grange discovered J.B.’s new attitude the following Saturday, when he took Tellie to a local community theater presentation of Arsenic and Old Lace. J.B. came in with his gorgeous blonde and sat down in the row across from Tellie and
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