Authors: Emily March
“Well, there’s the end of the mystery. Dev and I need to be more careful going forward. I wonder where I can buy a straitjacket for a dog? Lori wouldn’t have to know about that, would she?”
“I won’t tell.” Sarah followed him back upstairs, saying, “Now that the big mystery is solved, I should be getting home. My morning starts very early.”
“I’ll walk you back.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I want to. How else am I gonna get my good-night kiss?”
That gave her a little buzz, and as they walked the short distance to her home, she reflected on the evening and thought how nice, how normal, the evening had been.
She was a strong, independent woman. A businesswoman. The sole supporter of herself and her child. Caretaker of her mother. A good friend, an excellent neighbor. She didn’t need a man to make herself complete, but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy having one around. She had enjoyed cooking for Cam and his son. It had been a pleasure to share her supper table with those who showed such appreciation for her efforts. Sarah was a homebody at heart, a homemaker in her soul.
Had things been different, maybe she would have chosen to be a stay-at-home mom who sent her family off with a hot breakfast beneath their belts and who welcomed them home at night to something savory simmering on the stove. She’d have enjoyed that. At least for a little while. Maybe she would have tired of it in time and wanted something else, but without having had the opportunity to try it, she couldn’t know for sure.
As they approached her house, she dampened her lips in anticipation of the good-night kiss he’d promised, her nerves humming pleasantly with expectation. She liked that he’d walked her home. They’d never been able to share this particular rite of dating when they were teenagers, and she’d regretted it. If he made her feel like a teen tonight when she was too close to forty for comfort, then good for her.
Then, hidden by the shadows on her front porch, he drew her into his arms and took her mouth with his. Sarah forgot all about her teenage years. The hum of arousal burst into full song. In this moment, drowning in his kiss, she was all woman. A hot, hungry woman.
So when he finally released her, she asked, “Would you like to come in?”
“More than I want to breathe, but I thought … It’s your mother’s home. I don’t want to be disrespectful.”
Sarah smiled up at him. “You are really a very nice man, Cameron Murphy, but I am inviting you into
my
home. Come inside, Cam. Take me to bed.”
“I love it when you say that. Hell, Sarah, I love—”
“No,” she interrupted, placing a finger against his mouth. “No more talk.” She had a notion of what he’d been about to say, but she wasn’t ready for it. He wasn’t ready, either, whether he recognized it or not.
First, they had to deal with Lori.
By Thursday afternoon, as he paced the living room waiting for Devin to return from baseball practice, Cam’s nerves were just about shot. He’d done everything he could think of to prepare for meeting Lori. He’d bought flowers to give her to welcome her home. He’d planned the menu for the meal they’d share up at Eagle’s Way down to the tiniest detail. He had the earrings to give her, along with another small present and a more extravagant gift.
The little present he’d brought with him from Australia—a soft little stuffed koala bear he’d bought in the airport the day they’d departed. Sarah knew about the earrings and the koala bear. He hadn’t mentioned the car he’d bought for Lori.
He’d noted Sarah’s comment about saving wear and tear on Lori’s car during their online phone call. The next day, he’d flat out asked Gabe Callahan what Lori drove and decided he didn’t need the worry about her safety on the road. The car he purchased wasn’t extravagant but a mid-size foreign crossover that ranked high on safety, came equipped for mountain driving, and was stylish enough to appeal to women in their twenties. Sure, he’d bought it fully loaded, but he’d had to take what was on the lot at a dealership willing to deliver the car.
He’d halfway expected to catch some grief from Devin over the purchase, but his son was showing an amazing amount of maturity at the moment. Maturity, or inattention. Baseball consumed Devin these days, and Cam didn’t have a problem with that. The team apparently filled a hole in Devin’s life. Cam believed that hole was related to family, or, more precisely, Dev’s lack of family. In a relatively short period of time, the boys on the team had bonded like brothers with Dev. Today, with any luck, he’d form a bond with a sister, too. One that would last a lifetime.
Devin needed Lori. Cam understood it and recognized why. Losing a parent rocked a child’s world like nothing else. Losing both parents destroyed it. Cam had made sure from the beginning that Dev would be financially secure should something happen to him, but emotional security had proved to be more elusive.
Personal experience had taught Cam that the missing ingredient in Devin’s life had been family. Still, he’d drawn the line at marrying someone he didn’t love in order to provide more of it for Devin, and thank goodness for that. He didn’t know how this second chance with Sarah would end, but he was certain that he had needed to take it. Sarah had needed it, too. Now a future that he’d never dreamed possible dangled before them like a big old brass ring if they chose to reach for it.
And if they could get past the obstacle that was Lori.
“That’s not gonna happen if Dev doesn’t get his butt home,” Cam said to Mortimer, who was snoozing peacefully in his crate. The devil dog had been shockingly angelic since his pool-vacuum destructo derby. Cam credited the extra-heavy-duty latch he’d installed on the crate. Sarah claimed Celeste had orchestrated the change with the lecture she’d delivered to the dog during a visit.
Finally, he heard the sound of a truck pulling into the driveway. He grabbed his keys, snapped the leash onto Beelzebub’s collar, and headed out, locking the door behind him. He met Dev on the front lawn, saying, “Get in the car. We’re late.”
Devin glanced up at him, a distracted look on his face. “Huh?”
“I said get in the car.”
“But I need to change clothes.” He held up his duffel bag. “I need to put my stuff away.”
“I put clean clothes in the car already. You can shower up at Eagle’s Way. Just throw your duffel on the porch.”
“Dad, no,” he protested. “It’s got my, uh, ball glove inside. Someone might steal it.”
“No one’s going to steal it. This is Eternity Springs. Bring it with you if you want. I don’t care. But get in the car.”
Devin looked at his bag, then at Cam’s car. “But, Dad—”
“
Now
, son.”
Devin’s eyes rounded at Cam’s tone, then his lips thinned. While Cam muscled Mortimer into the carrier he used to cart the dog around, Devin tossed the duffel onto one corner of the porch, where it lay hidden from the street behind the boxwood hedge.
Cam had the car started and ready to roll by the time the boy got inside. “What kept you?” he asked. “When I left the ballpark, you said you were right behind me. That was half an hour ago.”
“Sorry,” Dev replied, his tone sullen.
“Sorry” wasn’t an explanation, but Cam decided not to rag on the kid anymore. Devin could go from sullen to surly fast, and that wasn’t the tone he wanted or needed today. “Look, sorry if I barked at you. I’m nervous, you know?”
“Sure. Okay. Not a problem.”
Cam spared a quick glance at Devin. He seemed distracted. Was he worried about meeting Lori, too? Had Cam’s preoccupation with Lori hurt Devin in some way? “Listen, buddy, if you’re upset about the car …”
“Huh?”
“Is something wrong, Dev?”
Devin opened his mouth, and Cam thought he was going to open up. Instead, he shrugged and said, “No. Everything’s cool. Sorry I was late. So have you talked to Sarah? Did Lori’s plane arrive on time?”
“Yes. They’re coming straight to Eagle’s Way. They’ll be about forty minutes behind us, I think. I think I’ve decided to wait for them out beside the pool. I’ve got chips and Cokes—snack sort of stuff to set out. If you want to swim, that’s okay by me. I threw your suit into the bag.”
“Nah, I’ll probably play videogames. Jack’s home theater is totally awesome. Besides, you’ll probably want some time alone with Lori and Sarah.”
Cam took his gaze off the road long enough to frown at Devin. “No, I won’t. We’re in this together, son. You are my family. Nothing is going to change that.”
“I know, Dad. Don’t worry about me. It’s all cool.”
No, it wasn’t all cool, but Cam figured he’d get to the bottom of it later.
When they arrived at Eagle’s Way, Devin grabbed his clean clothes and took a quick shower before disappearing into Jack’s home theater. Cam set up the soft tent crate he’d purchased from Nic and said a prayer that Mortimer had left his pterodactyl scream back in town as he secured the dog inside it with the biggest bone Cam had been able to buy. He carried inside the house the cooler filled with food he’d prepared for dinner, placing the steaks and salad into the kitchen refrigerator, and leaving the foil-wrapped potatoes on the counter. He wasn’t much in the kitchen, but he could grill a steak. He’d brought rib eyes, since Sarah had told him that was Lori’s favorite cut of meat.
Once that was done, he carried the snacks and soft drinks out to the pool. Next he unloaded the scuba gear he’d ordered for Sarah from his trunk and stowed it in the pool house’s supply closet for their next lesson.
The memory of sharing his regulator with her flashed through his mind and momentarily distracted him. He’d been so hot for her. It’s a wonder the water in the pool hadn’t begun to boil.
What if this goes badly with Lori? What will happen to me and Sarah then?
“It won’t go badly,” he murmured. “I won’t let it.”
With all his preparations made, he checked his watch, then sat down to wait. Two minutes later, he was up, pacing. After five minutes of that, he told himself to sit down again. That lasted three minutes this time around, then he was back up, pacing again. He even tried to coax the dog to play fetch. Mortimer didn’t cooperate.
He needed a distraction, so he called Devin’s cell. “I’m dying here, bud. Would you please pause your game and come out to the pool and wait with me?”
Dev said, “That’s just sad, Dad.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Thanks, son.”
Moments later, Devin exited the house and strolled casually toward the pool. When he drew near, he took one look at Cam and slowly shook his head. “You’re pitiful. I swear you weren’t this scared-looking the day that great white almost took a hunk out of your leg. Calm down, Dad. It’ll be okay.”
It’ll be okay
. Cam held on to Devin’s assurance a moment later when he first heard the sound of the car coming up the drive. He drew a deep breath, then exhaled in a rush. Darned if the voice in his head didn’t sound like Celeste Blessing’s when he heard one more time,
It’ll be okay
.
He turned to face the drive. As Sarah pulled her car to a stop, an unexpected and most welcome sense of peace descended on him. His hungry gaze locked on Lori. Emotion bombarded him like bullets. Pain. Sorrow. Regret. Mourning.
It’ll be okay
.
On the heels of the first emotions came the balm to the wounds. Yearning. Joy. Pride. Hope. Lori looked like her mother. Love swelled inside him, an ocean full of love. Pressure built behind his eyes, and he swallowed hard.
She wore sunglasses. He wished she’d take them off. The saying about eyes being a window to the soul was spot-on. Eyes revealed so much about what a person thought, what she felt. Cam wanted to see his daughter’s eyes. Choosing to greet them here beside the pool had been a mistake for that reason alone.
Well, it was too late to change it now. On the plus side, he hoped his own sunglasses hid the insecurity he was feeling—not to mention the wash of wetness in his own eyes.
Sarah climbed out of the car first, giving him an encouraging look. Devin wandered nearer, not so close to Cam to make it appear as if he were staking a claim but close enough to offer support. Finally, the passenger door opened, and Lori—his daughter—exited the car.
Cam drank in the sight of her. Something about her—the tilt of her chin, perhaps?—reminded him of his mother. He forced words past the sudden tightening in his throat. “Hello, Lori. Thank you for coming.”
Her shrug wordlessly conveyed that she’d been given no choice. Cam had known to expect resistance, so he cautioned himself to remain patient. “I thought we’d sit beside the pool for a little while, but if you’d rather go on inside …”
When Lori didn’t respond, Sarah rolled her eyes and said, “The pool is fine. It’s a beautiful afternoon.”
“Great.” Cam attempted a smile. He’d never felt so awkward in his life. “Can I get you something to drink? I have bottled water, soft drinks, or iced tea.”
“Tea would be nice,” Sarah replied. “We’re both iced tea fiends. Thanks.”
“Okay. Great. Dev?”
“No, thanks.”
Cam gestured for the women to take seats at the wooden umbrella table where he’d set out snacks, then turned toward the poolside bar. He’d just opened the ice maker to fill plastic glasses when he heard the crunch of tires on gravel. Looking up, he saw an SUV painted black and white, sporting lights on the top and a gold sheriff’s shield on the door, headed toward the house. “That’s Zach,” Sarah said. “Does he do regular patrols out this way?”
“I guess so,” Cam responded. “He must know the security code.” Inside, he cursed the sheriff’s timing.
“Maybe he came to see me,” Lori said.
Her voice. That was the first time he’d heard her voice. It was huskier than he’d expected, and was that the tiniest hint of a drawl—the influence of attending college in Texas, perhaps?
“Zach is a dear friend of Mom and me,” Lori added.
“Cam knows that,” Sarah said, her tone chiding.
Sheriff Zach Turner parked his truck next to Sarah’s car. As the driver’s-side door opened, something—a sound or a movement or maybe just instinct—made Cam glance at Devin.
His son had gone pale. His wide-eyed stare was locked on the sheriff. When Cam saw the boy’s reaction, his gut clenched.
No. Aw, Devin, no
.