Page 4 of Conail (Members From Money Season 2, #150)

Eleanor was wearing denims and a plain cotton shirt, but even with her lack of fashion sense, Maeve knew that it was discreetly expensive.

Everything about the woman whispered money.

Her hair was immaculately groomed and the hand that reached for the teacup was delicate and elegant.

She had to fight the urge to bury her own work-roughened hands into the folds of her apron.

"Now." Briskly removing the apron, she sat across from her friend and pushed away any lingering signs of envy. "How's that son of yours?"

"It's peaceful here."

Maeve guffawed, her spirit lifting at the other woman's observation. "Really? Honey, you haven't been here long enough."

She laughed as she was supposed to and realized she was nervous. Taking a sip of the flavored tea, she closed her eyes. "This is perfect."

"Wait until you taste the crumble cake." Maeve realized that her friend was prevaricating and there was a reason for it.

"Don't mind if I do." She took a nibble and closed her eyes in delight. "You were always one to perform magic in the kitchen. Remember when we first met?"

"How could I forget?" Maeve was willing to go along with the flow of meaningless chatter, if that would make her friend comfortable.

"Twenty years ago, this summer. You rushed into the pastry shop where I was delivering the day's order.

I can still remember my first impression of the famous Eleanor McLaughlin.

Tidy as a nun with not a hair out of place, eyes wild and desperate.

You were hosting a luncheon, and the caterer had taken ill, leaving you with nothing to serve the ladies. "

Relaxing, Eleanor stretched her legs out and settled back, her hands around the cup. "There you were with those delicious pies in that cardboard box and stepping forward to offer your service."

"I had to rush home to gather what I had made for a church social, and you followed me. I made you sit down and offered you a cup of tea and some pie."

"I thought I had died and gone to pastry heaven. I was a hit at the luncheon."

Maeve sipped tea and had a look back at that time. It still amazed her that the woman seated across from her had become her best friend. She had been invited to her elegant home and had met her husband and son. And had been there for her friend when she lost the man she loved.

She had also refused her offer of financial assistance from her. Pride, she thought, was a cloak and a barrier, but she knew her husband and her son would never dream of accepting any handouts and neither could she. "Are you comfortable telling me what's on your mind?"

With a sigh, Eleanor put her cup down and gazed pensively across the yard to the fountain trickling water from the opened mouth of a swan.

Even though there was evidence that the farm was far from producing, the place was kept neat and tidy, with the weeds plucked from the grass that was now feeling the strength of the heat from the sun.

"It's Conail."

The way she said his name had alarm coming to Maeve's face. "Honey, is he ill?"

"No." She shook her head. "Not like that." She touched the napkins at the side of her plate, expression pensive. "You know what happened last year. With that woman."

"Of course."

"He saw her Friday night. It's my fault. I wanted him to accompany me to the gala, and they were there." Her fingers tightened on the napkins, crushing them.

"That must have been hard on him."

"He got drunk. Oh, he tried to tidy things up before he came over for dinner, but the evidence was there. He looked dreadful. It broke my heart."

"He should be moving on."

"It's the betrayal. She would have married him to get to his money, if that man who was supposed to be his best friend hadn't decided to do the right thing." She exhaled slowly, trying for calm. "Anyway, he has finally decided to go with surrogacy."

Maeve's eyes sharpened and she leaned forward. "Has he?"

Eleanor nodded. She had discussed the possibility with her friend and now the time had come for a decision. "What do you think Yasmine will say?"

"She's coming home for a bit and wants to do her part.

" A sigh escaped Maeve's lips. "That girl is buried in her work and after that disastrous relationship with that painter two years ago, she's been alone.

" Her eyes wandered over to the corral where their two horses wandered listlessly as if trying to get away from the afternoon heat.

She could remember when it was filled with horses.

Now they had only two left and very soon, they would be put to pasture.

"It's going to take some talking to for her to agree, but she wants to do what's right for the farm.

And she knows we're on the brink of losing parcels of land. "

"And we're agreed on how to go about it?"

She swung her gaze back to her friend and smiled. "To get those two together."

Eleanor nodded. "My son is bent on staying out of the entire thing, but that's not going to happen. He told me he does not want to know who the surrogate is, and I pretended to agree."

"I will do my part." She folded her hands on the table, expression wistful.

"You have children and hope that they will take the right path when they are grown.

My Colin is set in his ways. He had his heart crushed when Madeline went to Chicago to practice law.

I had high hopes those two would be married and raising a family by now.

And Yasmine--" She shook her head. "My daughter wanted the city, and I could not stop her. "

"When's she coming?"

"By the end of the week. Time enough for me to put plans into place. It will be good to have her back where she belongs."

The two women, separated by social status, sat across from each other -- bonded by years of friendship and mutual needs. Hope flared inside their hearts as they looked towards the future. A future they hoped would bring their two families together.

*****

He was crossing the road towards the post office. He had left his dad in the cooling shade of the outdoor café sipping on an iced tea. And thinking that he should have refused the offer to accompany him. He tired too easily and had started to drag his feet as soon as they left the farm store.

"Oh, excuse me." He murmured, automatically reaching his hands out to steady the person he had almost mowed down. "I..." The rest of the words petered off in stunned surprise as he recognized who it was.

Stepping back quickly, he felt the familiar ache inside his chest as he gazed at the beautiful face. One that had been in his dreams from the day she left and shattered his heart to pieces. "Madeline." Fighting for composure, he managed a cool smile as she stepped towards him.

"Hi Colin." Her smile was tentative and had his heart tripping.

"Here for a visit?"

They were attracting attention of course. Their romance had been the talk of the town and people had expected the banns to be read in church. After she left, people had avoided talking about her to his face.

"Aunt Shelly is ill." She folded her hands in front of her and stared at him longingly. She had left after a very nasty fight that left them both reeling. He had wanted her to stay, and she had accused him of not loving her enough to leave.

"I have some things to mail off. Good to see you." He started to step past her when she touched a hand to his arm. Even through the cotton shirt, he felt as if she had branded him.

Keeping her hand on his arm even when he gave her a pointed look, she pressed on. "I have been meaning to come to the farm."

"What for?"

Lifting her chin, she was determined not to be deterred by the icy disdain and the people giving them curious looks. She plunged on. "To see your parents. Your mother has kept in touch with me."

He shook off her hold and took a step back, not surprised to hear that his mother had been in contact. They all loved Maddy like a daughter. It had broken their hearts too when she left.

"Suit yourself." He turned to leave when her soft voice stopped him.

"How have you been?"

He wanted to laugh at that. No, he wanted to hit something. To shout at her to leave him the hell alone. But he was brought up right and proper. He could be polite to someone who had turned his life into a fireball of hell.

"Never better. How's Chicago?"

"Too cold." She managed a tentative smile. "I am back home."

He started, eyes sharp. "Why?"

"I am opening a practice here. My aunt and my dad need me."

"I see. What happened to the boyfriend? Wasn't it some fancy lawyer in your firm? What does he have to say about that?"

It still burned him to know that she had moved on so quickly, while he was still here moldering and pining for her.

"We broke up. Colin--"

"I really have to go. Have things to do.

Take care." He made a speedy departure, not bothering to go into the post office.

He felt as if he was suffocating. The sight of her, those sexy lips, the large dark eyes that seemed to dominate her small face.

That coffee and cream complexion, the tumble of dark brown natural curls that used to fascinate him -- all of it still reminded him that she was still lodged firmly inside his heart.

That for all that he told himself, he had never gotten over her.

Damn her to hell! he thought viciously as he crossed the road of Main Street to get back to the café.

And if she thought even for one second that he was going to go crawling back to her, she had another thing coming. Damn her to hell!