Page 89 of Summer Weddings
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
Karen.
He worked fifteen-hour days for one reason, and that reason was Karen. Just saying her name produced an aching sensation in his heart, an ache that had started the day she’d filed for divorce.
What kind of wife filed for divorce without discussing the subject with her husband first? Okay, so maybe she’d mentioned once or twice that she was unhappy.
Well, dammit, he was unhappy, too!
He’d be the first to admit she had a valid complaint—but only to a point. True, he’d changed careers four times in about that many years. He was a man with an eye to the future, and opportunities abounded. But Karen had accused him of being self-indulgent and irresponsible, unable to settle down. That wasn’t true. He’d always moved on to something new when the challenge was gone, when a job no longer held his interest.
He supposed he could understand her discontent, but he’d never thought she’d actuallyleavehim. To be fair, she’d threatened it, but he hadn’t believed her.
If she truly loved him, she would’ve stuck it out.
Matt shook his head. There was no point in reviewing the same issues again. He’d gone over what had led to the divorce a thousand times without solving anything.
The final blow had been when she left Alaska. Oh, he’d fully expected her to do well in her career. She was an executive secretary for some highfalutin engineering company. Great job.Great pay. When they’d offered her a raise and a promotion, she’d leapt at the chance. Without a word, she’d packed her bags and headed for California.
California? Even now he had trouble believing it.
He reached for a magazine and idly flipped through the pages, then slapped it shut. Thinking about Karen was unproductive.
California! He hoped she was happy.
No, he didn’t. He wanted her to be miserable, as miserable as he was. The simple truth was…he loved her. And he missed her.
A year. You’d think he’d be over her by now. He should be seeing new women, going out, making friends. He might have, too, if he wasn’t so busy working on the lodge. But if he had any free time and if there were single women available—like that new teacher, maybe—he’d start dating again.
No, he wouldn’t.
Matt wasn’t going to lie to himself. Not after today when he’d stood with his family and mourned the loss of his grandmother. His parents had been married for nearly thirty years now. Lanni and Charles had stood on his other side. Together.
Losing Grammy had been difficult for Lanni. Having spent part of the summer in Hard Luck cleaning out their grandmother’s home, Lanni felt much closer to Catherine than he did. She grieved, and Charles was there to lend comfort.
The way his father comforted his mother.
But Matt stood alone.
It hurt to admit how much he’d yearned to have Karen beside him. His agony intensified when he was forced to recognize how deeply he still loved her.
He wondered if it would always be like this. Would he ever learn to let her go? Not that he had any real choice. The truth was, any day now he expected to hear she’d remarried.
There wasn’t a damn thing to stop her. The men in California would have to be blind not to notice her. It wouldn’t take long for her to meet some executive who’d give her the stability she craved. There wasn’t a man alive who could resist her, he thought morosely. He should know.
His ex-wife was beautiful, talented, generous and spirited. Was she spirited!
A smile cracked his lips. Not many people knew that the cool, calm Karen Caldwell loved to throw things—mainly at Matt. She’d hurled the most ridiculous objects, too.
His shirt. A newspaper. Potato chips. Decorator pillows.
When her anger reached this point, there was only one sure method to cool her ire. One method that had never failed him.
He’d make love to her. The lovemaking was wild and wicked, and soon they’d both be so caught up in the sheer magic of it she’d forget whatever it was that had angered her.
Matt remembered the last time Karen had expressed her fury like a major-league pitcher. His smile widened as he leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.
He’d quit his job. All right, he should’ve discussed it with her first. But he hadn’tplannedto go in and resign that day. It had just…happened.
