“I don’t know. I think we have to start back at the beginning again. And let’s examine the DNA company that matched up the two of you. Annabelle believes you’re still a target, so we have to look at any connection between the two of you. Something is there—we just can’t see it yet.”
“It feels like a wild-goose chase.”
“We don’t have any other places to try so it’s worth a shot. We’ll talk to Annabelle tomorrow.”
She looked so pretty standing there in the kitchen with her amazing turquoise eyes burrowing into his soul. It took all his willpower not to step close enough to take her in his arms. Now wasn’t the time though. They had to find who was targeting her before it was too late.
31
Oliver’s home was the first place she’d ever felt safe, so it seemed appropriate she’d come here for refuge. Harper sipped her decaf in his enormous armchair in his office and watched the flames flicker in the fireplace. The office always smelled of the clove gum Oliver was fond of, and she caught the scent of his cologne as well. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see him standing by the bookcase with a leather-bound edition of one of his precious Zane Grey novels in his hand.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she looked down at her dog. Bear’s head was on her lap, and she trailed her fingers through his fur. She had to tell Ridge tonight about the baby. It might ruin everything, but he wouldn’t throw her out when he feared for her life.
At least she didn’t think he would.
“What are you hoping to find in here?”
Ridge glanced up from behind the desk. “Anything that might tell us who killed Dad. You know he would have done anything for you. What if he was looking into your lineage again? I know he poked around early on, but there would be a lot more resources now. He might have decided to have another go at it.”
Her chest squeezed, and she remembered a conversation she’d had with him when she first told him she wanted to have her own baby.
Ridge’s gaze sharpened. “What? You just went white.”
How did she say it—just blurt out the truth? He would be apt to think she’d tricked him all this time.
And maybe she had. She’d allowed them to get closer when the truth was a barrier to a future together.
Should she stand or stay where she was? The thought of approaching him and having him turn away when he heard the truth would be more than she could bear.
Her grip tightened on Bear, and she pulled him to her chest for comfort. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
His gaze locked on her face and he leaned back in the desk chair. “Okay.” His tone went as wary as hers.
She tightened her fingers in Bear’s fur, and he lifted his head and whined. She loosened her grip and stared back at Ridge. “I won’t blame you if you hate me.”
His brows drew together. “It’s that bad?”
“I-I think it’s good, but you might share your dad’s opinion.” She drew in a deep breath. The only way to get through this was to just say it. “I’m pregnant.” She rushed on when his mouth slackened and his eyes narrowed. “It’s not what you think, Ridge. I-I had an adopted embryo implanted a couple of weeks ago. Your dad tried to talk me out of it, but I wanted a family of my own.”
When he said nothing, she swallowed hard. “You don’t know what it’s like to feel lost and alone. To have no one. You always had Oliver, but I bounced around from foster home to foster home. I’m nearly thirty, and I was afraid if I didn’t have a baby soon, I never would.”
“Wow, you really don’t have much trust, do you?” His words were strangled. “So you’re pregnant with some stranger’s baby.”
She tried a watery smile but didn’t manage it. “I’ve met both parents. The father has dark-brown hair and blue eyes. He’s six-one and a doctor. He doesn’t drink or do drugs. He passed a health screening with flying colors before he filed for divorce. The mom is lovely and passed all the tests too. She has blonde hair, gray eyes, and is a teacher. After her husband left her, she wanted the unborn baby to have a chance at life.”
“I see.” He rose and paced from bookcase to bookcase. “How long have you known?”
“I found out I was pregnant on Sunday. Just a few days.”
He still said nothing, but she could see the thoughts churning. “You’ve known since before I told you how I felt.”
“I-I was falling for you, Ridge, and I didn’t want to ruin everything.” Her words were a bare whisper, and she was finding it hard to hold his betrayed gaze.
“It would have been the best time to tell me the truth instead of me having to drag it out of you.”
His harsh tone made her flinch, but she deserved it. She’d ruined everything. Truth was important to him and always had been. She’d known that but she risked her heart—and his—by playing with the truth.
“I’d always intended to tell you, but I was waiting for the right time.”
“The right time for truth is every minute of every day.” He raked his hand through his thick dark hair making it stand on end. “I don’t know what to do with this, Harper. To say I’m disappointed and hurt is an understatement. I apologized to you, for Pete’s sake. And you let me act like I’d had it all wrong and hadn’t heard what I’d heard. Sap that I am, I wanted you to be as true and honest as you appeared to be. I was wrong.”
“I deserve every bit of your condemnation. I-I’ll go now.” Her vision blurred, and she got up with Bear in her arms.
“You’re not going anywhere. A killer’s still out there.”
“I can take care of myself.” She had to get out of here before she disgraced herself by crying.
He moved to block the door. “Your death will not be on my hands. You’re not leaving until we know what’s going on.” He scowled down at her. “And you realize Dad might have died because he found your father.”
She felt faint and swayed where she stood until he reached out and took her arm. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
* * *
There was no way she would be able to sleep. Harper slipped out the French doors in the bedroom to the balcony and texted Annabelle. You up?
The answer pinged back almost immediately. I wanted to call you but was afraid you were asleep.
The buzz of a call came on the heels of the text, and Annabelle’s name flashed on the screen. Harper answered the call with a laugh. “You’re fast. Are you really all right?” She settled on a chaise lounge and stared out at the moon glimmering on the bay’s dark water. The white beams of Oliver’s boat gleamed in the dim light.
“It was so strange, Harper. They fed me, let me shower, and gave me a hospital gown to wear. They seemed to care about my well-being.”
“Then let you go.”
“They didn’t seem to want me once they knew I had lymphoma. Have you seen anyone hanging around? And you’re not by yourself, are you?”
“I’m at Oliver’s with Ridge. It’s been quiet.” Tears tracked down her cheeks.
“Honey, what’s wrong? You can tell me.”
Harper choked back a sob. “I’m not sure anything can help. I really messed up. I knew honesty was important to Ridge, and I kept something from him. I was afraid.”
She launched into the story of her pregnancy. She could tell by the way Annabelle fell silent that the situation was every bit as bad as she had believed.
“I’m not even sure now I did the right thing. What if I’m a terrible mother? I never had a role model to know how a good mother acts.”
Annabelle’s wistful sigh came over the phone. “You’re about to embark on the greatest journey in the world, Harper. You’ll make a great mother.”
“I just wanted a family. Even with Oliver, he wasn’t always there for me, you know? He would promise to show up to school events or to take me out for coffee and often had to cancel for business. I always floated around the little bubble of his real family and knew I didn’t fit in—that I wasn’t part of that family. Oh, I’m grateful for all he did. He took a reb
ellious, smart-mouthed kid and found me a foster home where I was safe. They were good to me, but safe isn’t loved. Safe didn’t mean I belonged.”
“I’m so sorry you went through something that hard so young. One thing I want to warn you about though is not to put unrealistic expectations on yourself. You’re going to make mistakes—and often. We all do. But that doesn’t mean you don’t love your child. And he or she will love you.”
“I don’t want to make mistakes.”
“You’ll want to do everything possible for your baby—and you should—but within reason. Don’t make your child the sole reason for your existence. It’s too much pressure on you and your child. Just relax and let them be a kid. Let yourself be human. We all do the best we can, but we all fail too. And it’s okay.”
Harper didn’t like the sound of that. She’d thought Annabelle would tell her how perfect life would be as a parent. “You were a single mom when your boys were young. How did you manage to be both mom and dad?”
“I wasn’t. I was mom. I made friends at church and at work and found people who would pinch-hit for the spots I couldn’t fill.”
More facts Harper didn’t like. “I don’t really know people like that, especially now that Oliver is gone. Sara has always been a good friend, but most of the time we haven’t been in close proximity. She won’t be at this duty station long either. I don’t know if I’ll have much of a support system.”
“Then you’ll find them. Friends are the family we can choose. Reaching out and receiving both have a place in a rich life. Don’t get so fixated on doing that you forget to let others reach out and help too. I’ll do all I can—you know that. But the main thing to remember is you have to forgive yourself and try to do better next time with the Lord’s help. Give yourself grace.”
The pressure in Harper’s chest began to ease. Failure wasn’t permanent. There was always grace. “I’ll try. What should I do about Ridge?”
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s just lost his dad. Give him time to come to grips with this. I think he’ll realize you’re too important to him to just let go of what you’ve got.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I’ll be praying for you.”
“Thank you. What about your chemo?”
“I’m starting day after tomorrow.”
A boat with its lights on moved through the bay close to shore, and Harper rose and went to the railing where she could hear the faint sound of music coming from the craft. People out enjoying each other’s company. She needed to remember to take one day at a time and enjoy each moment for what it was.
“I can come and sit with you if you want the company.”
“My boys will be here. You’ve got enough going on. Find out who is behind all this. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you now that I’ve found you.”
“I love you, Annabelle.”
“I love you, Harper. And it has nothing to do with the blood running through our veins. I would have loved you if we weren’t sisters. When I’m through with chemo, I want to come see your boat and help you refit it. I have so many plans for our future.”
“I’d love that too. Sleep well, and I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
Harper ended the call and leaned on the railing. Annabelle would be a good teacher to show her how to live in the moment every day. Grace. It was a word she hadn’t thought about much except in how she’d been undeserving of God’s grace. She hadn’t thought about giving it to other people and to herself.
She intended to learn how to do that—starting with Ridge. She only hoped he could give her grace for keeping something so important from him.
32
Pregnant.
Ridge should have been in bed because it was nearly eleven, but he sat on his dad’s back deck under the stars. The sound of the ocean should have soothed his agitation, but his knee still jiggled. The salty sea air cleared his head, but nothing could calm his thoughts.
He’d persuaded Harper to go to bed, but he had no idea what to do with this new information. She could have told him the truth multiple times and hadn’t.
He stood and walked across the expansive cedar deck to stare out at the moon glimmering on the waves of the bay. His heart was already involved, and she’d deliberately waited until that had happened. It felt sneaky and manipulative, traits he’d suspected she possessed before he put down his guard.
What did he do with this?
Everything in him wanted to forgive her and move on, but though he’d pointed out her trust issues, he had his own. His mother would say it was because he felt abandoned by his father, but that felt too clichéd. Everyone wanted to blame someone else for their bad behavior, and he’d sworn never to do that. If he had trust issues, it was up to him to resolve them.
“Couldn’t sleep either?”
He looked over to see Scott striding across the grass toward the deck. “When did you get here? Did you ring the bell?”
The detective nodded his head. “Just got here. I rang the bell and when you didn’t answer, I decided to check the back deck. How’s Harper? Mom is still worried about her.”
“She’s inside in bed. How’s your mom?”
“Okay. Nothing much slows her down.” Scott moved over to sit on an upholstered chair. “I thought losing my dad was hard, but knowing what Mom’ll have to go through is agonizing. I’d take it from her if I could.”
Ridge joined him in another chair. “My mom moved out when I was a kid, so I know something about losing a parent. I didn’t see her much after she left, and my sister went with her.”
“Nearly losing Mom has made me treasure every moment with her. And I have to get to the bottom of this so I can sleep at night. It’s been days since I was actually in bed. I’ve been napping in the car when I can.”
The bags under Scott’s eyes underscored his words. Ridge liked the man’s dedication to his mother. He remembered how defensive Scott had been the first time they’d met. “You married?” He hadn’t seen a wedding ring, so he guessed the answer was no.
“Nah. Engaged once in college, but I found out she’d cheated on me with my best friend. I haven’t dated much since I became a detective. My schedule is unpredictable, which isn’t conducive to a relationship.” Scott’s face lit up in a mischievous grin. “You dating Harper yet?”
“I thought we were heading that direction, but now I’m not so sure. She told me tonight she’s pregnant.” He held up his hand. “I’m not the father, obviously. She wanted a baby so she went to a fertility specialist to get one.”
Scott’s eyes widened. “Wow, that’s a hard pill to swallow. Basically, you don’t get her without taking on a ready-made family. She might be worth it though, depending on what you think of kids.” He gave a wry grin. “I don’t know why I’m offering advice when I have no experience with something like this.”
“I like kids, but she had the opportunity to tell me before tonight and hid it from me. That’s the biggest problem I have with it.”
“Mom told me Harper grew up in foster homes. Fear usually drives dishonesty. She was probably afraid of your reaction. I would guess she’s painfully familiar with rejection.”
“Probably, but I’m not sure that gives her a pass for dishonesty with something so important. It feels manipulative.”
“Mom thinks the world of her. Just make sure you’re not throwing the baby out with the bathwater as my mom always says.” He stopped. “I guess that’s a bit of a pun in this situation.”
Was he willing to throw the dream of a future with Harper away over this? It was going to take time for him to figure this out. “Any word on the whereabouts of Joe Mitchell?”
“Actually yes. He was shot and killed when he broke into a woman’s house in 1975.”
“So he’s not the one after Harper and your mother.”
“Nope. He might have known something about what happened to Judy, but we’ll never know. And he’s clear
ly not the one who took my mom and tried to abduct Harper. I did some digging, and he seems to be implicated in a series of rapes that occurred from 1966 to 1975. They stopped when he was shot, so that’s a pretty good indication he was involved.”
“So we’re at a standstill.”
“That’s just a dead end. There’s still plenty of investigation into the earlier deaths. I’m not discouraged, at least not yet. You have to keep Harper safe until I figure it out though.”
“What about your mother?”
“I don’t think she’s in danger anymore. They wouldn’t have released her if they intended to harm her. I have those police notes into Judy’s death you were asking about. If I’d thought my insomnia would drive me this far from Orlando, I would have brought them. Come by tomorrow and I’ll have them for you.”
“Will do.”
Scott stood and yawned. “I might take a nap in my car.”
“Plenty of beds here in Dad’s house. You’re welcome to crash inside.”
Scott’s phone rang, and he glanced at the screen. “Duty calls, so sleep will have to wait.” He answered the phone and walked off toward the front of the house.
Ridge yawned, too, and headed for the back door. Maybe once he slept on this problem, he’d know what to do.
* * *
Sunlight streamed through the windows and danced on the marble counters in Oliver’s kitchen. Harper turned the bacon over in the skillet. “What would you like in your omelet?” She kept her voice light and neutral.
She resisted the urge to ask how he was feeling this morning. She felt as fatigued as he looked. It had been hard to sleep in the unfamiliar space with all her thoughts crowding her out of the bed. The thought of some unknown assailant lurking outside the window had startled her awake every time sleep tried to sweep her to dreamland, and Ridge’s stunned expression when she revealed her pregnancy had kept her tossing and turning.
He stepped around the big island and poured a mug of coffee from the fancy machine. “Everything you’ve got. The more jalapeños, the better.”
Strands of Truth Page 19
