“What do you mean? When you found the group picture of the kids?”
Julian shook his head, still having a hard time believing what he said next.
“Right after Miller showed up at the trail and the three of us went to the tree house, Nathan’s lackeys parked and went into the woods after us for the ambush. While we were in the woods Ray, aka Cooper, broke into my SUV and grabbed the photo album.”
“How did he know you had it? Was he following you two?”
“Bingo. After he ran into us at the stable he apparently decided to keep an eye on us and use the excuse that he was just on the ranch as a guest if caught. That’s what Tabitha said at least.”
“So when he saw you with the photo album he decided he needed to take it just in case?”
“Tabitha told him to. She remembered them all taking pictures during camp when they were kids,” Julian said. Then he shook his head a little, still in a weird kind of awe with how everything had panned out. “So, while Nathan’s hired helpers followed Miller to get to Madi and had us in the woods, Tabitha had her partner in crime follow the photo album. How Cooper didn’t see Nathan’s men and vice versa is still mind-blowing. It’s almost like some kind of slapstick comedy where the audience sees all the near misses but the characters never realize just how close everything came to intersecting.”
Chance shook his head. He let out a long whistle.
“This was all just one heck of a mess, if you ask me.”
“You got that right, brother.” Julian looked at his watch. They still had a little time. “All right, we need to get these inside and then get going. You still up for it?”
Chance laughed. It was from the belly.
“Am I up for it? The question is, are you?”
Julian gave his friend a big smile.
“I’ve never been ready for anything more than I am now.”
* * *
MADI RAN A hand over her stomach. It wouldn’t be long before Addison would make her appearance. Madi’s early worries of being a mother felt like a memory from long ago. Now all she wanted to do was hold her daughter and tell her how much she had been loved before she had ever even taken a breath.
A knock sounded on the door. Madi started to duck into the bathroom when a man’s voice floated through.
“It’s Miller,” he called. “I was wondering if I could have a quick moment.”
Madi’s already-fluttering nerves slowed again.
“Come in!”
Christian Miller was in his Sunday best. He’d even donned a weathered cowboy hat. He took it off when he saw her and placed it against his chest.
“You look nice,” he greeted, shutting the door behind them. Madi smiled.
“You don’t look so bad, either. Especially for a man who needed two surgeries and should really be following the doctor’s orders to stay off your feet.”
Miller shrugged.
“What can I say, I’m a stubborn old man.” He winced as he moved but Madi decided not to push it. Miller had tried and succeeded to protect her when it counted. He deserved to not be pestered. Plus, whatever had gotten him up the stairs must have been important. His demeanor shifted from pleasant to serious in a heartbeat.
“I know this probably isn’t the best time to tell you this, but, well, I think you deserve to know.”
“Know what?”
He took an uncertain step forward and dived in.
“Why your father thought I was involved with your abduction all those years ago.” Madi hadn’t expected that. “You see, when your dad started suspecting that the attacker had connections to the police force, he questioned everyone in the department at length. When he got to me, I lied about where I was and he knew it.” A look of clear shame came across his expression. “When I was young I wasn’t a good man. Not when it came to my wife. The day you were attacked and taken I’d been with a woman who wasn’t my wife. I didn’t want anyone to find out. Your dad saw that dishonesty and never let up. It turned everyone’s attention on me until, finally, I admitted the truth.” He let out a long breath and gave her a small smile filled with regret. “I never blamed your dad for questioning me. I blamed him for putting me in the spotlight. Even though it was my own fault.”
“I—I never knew that.”
“Because when your dad realized the truth he promised not to tell. But you know how secrets in this town work. Some found out, including my wife.” He sighed again. Then he was back to standing tall. “I just wanted to let you know that your dad was a good man. It was me who messed up and it’s been me I’ve been mad at all these years. I never really hated you or your family. Just my idiot younger self. I’m sorry for how I’ve acted. I really am.”
Madi closed the distance between them and hugged the man, careful to be gentle.
“Thank you, Detective,” she said at his shoulder. “That means a lot.”
Miller returned the hug and then stepped back. He put his cowboy hat back on and cleared his throat.
“Well, now that that’s out of the way, I think I’ll go find my seat. I’m sure Declan will be here any second now to get you.”
He gave her one more smile and left Madi alone again. She didn’t know if it was the pregnancy hormones or what, but her eyes started to mist over. When Declan arrived no more than a minute later, his eyes widened in worry.
“I’m okay,” she said hurriedly, swatting away his concern. “I’m just—well, I’m just so happy and it feels weird.”
Declan chuckled.
“That’s good, right?”
Madi nodded and took his outstretched arm.
“It’s great,” she said. “And I have a feeling it’s only going to get better.”
Declan smiled. While she had a special bond with her triplet brothers, she couldn’t deny that the sibling love she felt for her older brother was fierce. He squeezed her hand as if to say it was mutual.
They walked down to the back door that led to Hidden Hills’ patio. The blinds were all drawn but Madi could hear the music perfectly when her song started.
“In a different situation, I would point out that this is all happening so fast,” Declan said, hand resting on the doorknob. “But somehow it doesn’t feel right to say it here. Not with the two of you.” Those nerves started to dance across Madi’s chest and stomach. “He really loves you and you really love him, don’t you?”
Madi nodded.
“I do.”
Declan laughed.
“Then wait a few minutes and say that again.”
He opened the door and all Madi saw was the man she loved standing at the end of a path of petals, dressed in a suit and smiling at her. Their friends and family stood on either side of the path, but Madi saw only Julian.
The memory of his proposal would forever be branded on her heart.
“You told me that your dad used to say that there’s never enough time to do everything, so focus on the one thing you can do,” Julian had said from his hospital bed. He’d pulled a ring from beneath his pillow. Madi would later find out he’d asked his mother to bring his grandmother’s ring with her when she came to see them. Julian had held the ring up with a smile that she knew would never fade. “And I told you that I thought it was great advice. I still believe that. So I’m going to follow it and do the only thing in this world I think is worth doing.” He’d used his other hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“And that is?” she’d asked, nearly breathless.
Julian’s smile had only grown.
“Love you,” he’d said simply. “You and our family. Forever and always.”
Madi had smiled for all she was worth. Just as she was now beneath the wedding arch. That smile was reflected in Julian.
“You may kiss the bride,” the preacher exclaimed.
Julian did just that.
&nbs
p; “The only thing worth doing,” he whispered when the kiss ended.
Madi kept on smiling. She agreed.
“The only thing worth doing.”
* * *
Look for more books in Tyler Anne Snell’s
Winding Road Redemption miniseries,
coming soon.
And don’t miss the previous book in the series:
Reining in Trouble
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Keep reading for an excerpt from Steel Resolve by B.J. Daniels.
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Steel Resolve
by B.J. Daniels
Chapter One
The moment Fiona found the letter in the bottom of Chase’s sock drawer, she knew it was bad news. Fear squeezed the breath from her as her heart beat so hard against her rib cage that she thought she would pass out. Grabbing the bureau for support, she told herself it might not be what she thought it was.
But the envelope was a pale lavender, and the handwriting was distinctly female. Worse, Chase had kept the letter a secret. Why else would it be hidden under his socks? He hadn’t wanted her to see it because it was from that other woman.
Now she wished she hadn’t been snooping around. She’d let herself into his house with the extra key she’d had made. She’d felt him pulling away from her the past few weeks. Having been here so many times before, she was determined that this one wasn’t going to break her heart. Nor was she going to let another woman take him from her. That’s why she had to find out why he hadn’t called, why he wasn’t returning her messages, why he was avoiding her.
They’d had fun the night they were together. She’d felt as if they had something special, although she knew the next morning that he was feeling guilty. He’d said he didn’t want to lead her on. He’d told her that there was some woman back home he was still in love with. He’d said their night together was a mistake. But he was wrong, and she was determined to convince him of it.
What made it so hard was that Chase was a genuinely nice guy. You didn’t let a man like that get away. The other woman had. Fiona wasn’t going to make that mistake even though he’d been trying to push her away since that night. But he had no idea how determined she could be, determined enough for both of them that this wasn’t over by a long shot.
It wasn’t the first time she’d let herself into his apartment when he was at work. The other time, he’d caught her and she’d had to make up some story about the building manager letting her in so she could look for her lost earring.
She’d snooped around his house the first night they’d met—the same night she’d found his extra apartment key and had taken it to have her own key made in case she ever needed to come back when Chase wasn’t home.
The letter hadn’t been in his sock drawer that time.
That meant he’d received it since then. Hadn’t she known he was hiding something from her? Why else would he put this letter in a drawer instead of leaving it out along with the bills he’d casually dropped on the table by the front door?
Because the letter was important to him, which meant that she had no choice but to read it.
Her heart compressed into a hard knot as she carefully lifted out the envelope. The handwriting made her pulse begin to roar in her ears. The woman’s handwriting was very neat, very precise. She hated her immediately. The return address confirmed it. The letter was from the woman back in Montana that Chase had told her he was still in love with.
Mary Cardwell Savage, the woman who’d broken Chase’s heart and one of the reasons that the cowboy had ended up in Arizona. Her friend Patty told her all about him. Chase worked for her husband, Rick. That’s how she and Chase had met, at a party at their house.
What struck her now was the date on the postmark. Her vision blurred for a moment. Two weeks ago? Anger flared inside her again. That was right after their night together. About the same time that he’d gotten busy and didn’t have time, he said, to date or even talk. What had this woman said in her letter? Whatever it was, Fiona knew it was the cause of the problem with her and Chase.
Her fingers trembled as she carefully opened the envelope flap and slipped out the folded sheet of pale lavender paper. The color alone made her sick to her stomach. She sniffed it, half expecting to smell the woman’s perfume.
There was only a faint scent, just enough to be disturbing. She listened for a moment, afraid Chase might come home early and catch her again. He’d been angry the last time. He would be even more furious if he caught her reading the letter he’d obviously hidden from her.
Unfolding the sheet of paper she tried to brace herself. She felt as if her entire future hung on what was inside this envelope.
Her throat closed as she read the words, devouring them as quickly as her gaze could take them in. After only a few sentences, she let her gaze drop to the bottom line, her heart dropping with it: I’ll always love you, Mary.
This was the woman Chase said he was still in love with. She’d broken up with him and now she wanted him back? Who did this Mary Savage of Big Sky, Montana, think she was? Fury churned inside Fiona as she quickly read all the way through the letter, the words breaking her heart and filling her with an all-consuming rage.
Mary Savage had apparently pretended that she was only writing to Chase to let him know that some friend of his mother’s had dropped by with a package for him. If he confirmed his address, she’d be happy to send the package if he was interested.
But after that, the letter had gotten personal. Fiona stared at the words, fury warring with heartbreaking pain. The package was clearly only a ruse for the rest of the letter, which was a sickening attempt to lure him back. This woman was still in love with Chase. It made her sick to read the words that were such an obvious effort to remind him of their love, first love, and all that included. This woman had history with Chase. She missed him and regretted the way they’d left things. The woman had even included her phone number. In case he’d forgotten it?
Had Chase called her? The thought sent a wave of nausea through her, followed quickly by growing vehemence. She couldn’t believe this. This woman was not taking Chase away from her! She wouldn’t allow it. She and Chase had only gotten started, but Fiona knew that he was perfect for her and she for him. If anyone could help him get over this other woman, it was her. Chase was hers now. She would just have to make him see that.
Fiona tried to calm herself. The worst thing she could do was to confront Chase and
demand to know why he had kept this from her. She didn’t need him to remind her that they didn’t have “that kind” of relationship as he had the other times. Not to mention how strained things had been between them lately. She’d felt him pulling away and had called and stopped by at every opportunity, afraid she was losing him.
And now she knew why. If the woman had been in Arizona, she would have gone to her house and—Deep breaths, she told herself. She had to calm down. She had to remember what had happened the last time. She’d almost ended up in jail.
Taking deep breaths, she reminded herself that this woman was no threat. Mary Cardwell Savage wasn’t in Arizona. She lived in Montana, hundreds of miles away.
But that argument did nothing to relieve her wrath or her growing apprehension. Chase hadn’t just kept the letter. He’d hidden it. His little secret. And worse, he was avoiding her, trying to give her the brush-off. She felt herself hyperventilating.
She knew she had to stop this. She thought of how good things had been between her and Chase that first night. The cowboy was so incredibly sexy, and he’d remarked how lovely she looked in her tailored suit and heels. He’d complimented her long blond hair as he unpinned it and let it fall around her shoulders. When he’d looked into her green eyes, she hadn’t needed him to tell her that he loved her. She had seen it.
The memory made her smile. And he’d enjoyed what she had waiting for him underneath that suit—just as she knew he would. They’d both been a little drunk that night. She’d had to make all the moves, but she hadn’t minded.
Not that she would ever admit it to him, but she’d set her sights on him the moment she’d seen him at the party. There was something about him that had drawn her. A vulnerability she recognized. He’d been hurt before. So had she, too many times to count. She’d told herself that the handsome cowboy didn’t know just how perfect he was, perfect for her.
Credible Alibi Page 19
