“We’re at Julia's and Simon's house.”
“I’ll be right there, Mom.” He was out the door in seconds.
When Cole arrived at the March home, there was a police car parked in the driveway. That put him into a run and he entered the house to find Julia buried in Simon’s arms and sobbing quietly. He mother stood next to her rubbing her shoulder and murmuring soothing noises. His heart twisted and his gut knotted with dread. “Have you heard…?”
Jenna moved away from her sobbing friend and gave Cole a reassuring hug. “No, we haven’t heard anything yet. There is still hope.” She pulled back and looked at him as if she expected him to say something that would ease the worry stamped all over the faces of everyone present. But for the first time in his life, Cole felt completely helpless. He wasn’t even sure he was capable of speaking.
His mother went to stand with his father who was staring down into an empty fireplace, his hand fisted on the mantel. She rubbed his arm as she turned to look at Cole. “Trisha and Jack are on their way back from Boston. They should be here shortly.” Jenna rested her head on her husband’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “Trisha is fit to be tied. This can’t be good for her right now.”
“Tell me what happened.” It amazed him how controlled his voice sounded when he felt just as panicky as the rest of them looked.
Julia lifted her head from Simon’s chest and wiped at her tears. “Someone found her wrecked car and called the police on their cell phone. Her purse was in the car and her driver's license still had our address on it so they called us." Julia’s voice cracked and she had to stop to draw in a breath before she could continue. “We knew something was wrong when Alyssa didn't show up at six like she promised. I tried reaching her on the phone but it kept going straight to voice mail. Trisha wasn't answering her phone either and I kept praying, hoping she decided to stay in Boston and that they were too occupied to notice their phones were dead. But then the police called." Julia stopped, swallowed, wiped at her tears then continued. “They don't know where she is.” She broke down at that point and buried her face in her husband’s shoulder.
Simon looked at Cole over the top of his wife’s head, his own grief ravaging his usually jovial features. "The police are at a loss as to where she could be."
Cole’s hands tightened into fists as he fought to keep the panic he was feeling from spiraling out of control. He may not like Alyssa but he sure as hell didn't want anything to happen to her. Christ, Trisha would fall apart. She was Julia’s and Simon’s only child, they would be devastated. His own parents thought of her as a daughter. He wouldn’t even consider how he would feel himself. The thought of losing her gave his chest a strange heavy feeling and his heart felt as if it was in an ever tightening vise.
They waited for hours and it was nothing but anguished torture for all of them. He had to fight the urge that arose every few minutes to go looking for her himself. The little twit was probably fine. She always came out fine. Surely this time would not be any different?
Trisha’s and Jack’s arrival did nothing to ease the tension. Trisha’s face was deathly pale and Cole watched her uneasily. No stress she said. It couldn’t get any more stressful than this.
“It’s all my fault. I insisted she drive me to Boston and then sent her back alone.” Trisha went straight to Julia and the two embraced in a tight hug.
Julia pulled back and cupped Trisha’s face. “Alyssa does what she wants to do. You couldn’t have stopped her. It’s not your fault in the least.” They sat down together on the sofa and held each other's hands while Jack perched himself on the arm of the sofa and gently rubbed Trisha’s back.
The next few hours were the longest and worst that any of them had ever gone through.
Cole paced restlessly. Where was she? Was she still alive? He pushed the thought immediately away and stopped next to the window, staring out into the dark with a blank gaze. He couldn't keep the images away of the last time he saw her. She was so very beautiful at the party. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but stare at her every chance he could do it without being noticed. His mouth twisted as the thought passed through him that she held some sort of strange fascination over him. When she was around he found himself irritated and yet constantly alert to her every movement. To cover his interest, he needled her. Of course she always needled right back. She was an annoying little spitfire. A constant challenge. Though she infuriated him beyond belief, he could not resist the pull her presence had over him. Feeling powerless to resist it, he usually ended up taking his frustrations out on her by doing things he knew would piss her off. An easy task that since his presence alone annoyed her. Rubbing a tired hand over his face, he wondered why she hated him so much. He felt like a monster around her and he hated that feeling.
Difficult though it was to deal with her hostility, it was those damn kisses that plagued him more than anything else. His mind replayed those moments in the attic over and over and over again. The feel of her in his arms was so strongly imprinted he was stirred by it every time he allowed the memories to take hold. She had been so responsive that it drove him crazy. Her mouth stirred things in him he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. He told himself it was because the whole incident had taken him completely by surprise. He let his guard down and she moved in for the emotional kill, attacking his senses and sending them reeling. The moment she was in his arms, desire thrummed through him hot and heavy, driving him mad with it.
As for that interlude in the attic, well it made him realize he needed to stay away from her. As far away as possible. But then she showed up at the party and he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t stay away. His curiosity over her date had intensified his interest. Those moments in the garden that Paul had so conveniently interrupted were a huge mistake. A slip from sanity. But then, when he was around Alyssa he constantly suffered a brain malfunction. It was the only thing he could offer in the way of an explanation.
Her reaction to seeing him come out of the bedroom with Serena was typical. She always assumed the worst when it came to him and he decided then and there that he was through dealing with her. He'd not go near her again. At least not until the truce was over, and then he was going to figure out a way to make her pay for what happened on Friday at the restaurant.
His hands tightened as he remembered the Lawson Developing Firm leaving that message on his answering machine. “Your designs are excellent, but we regret to inform you that we cannot accept them.” He’d known when Alyssa tossed that water in his face that his meeting was going to come to naught. As he watched the men walk away from the table, all he could think was that the scheming little wench had interfered enough. It was going to stop once and for all. But Trisha had forced him to shelve any plans of putting Al in her place. Kissing her that first time had put a whole new spin on things. Suddenly he was thinking about her in ways he couldn't and shouldn't be thinking about her.
Unable to get it out of his head, he had gone to her house, curious to see how she would react to him. Those steamy kisses in the attic were as much a surprise to him as they'd been to her and when she left him to see to Trisha, he found himself impatient to rejoin her. Something he couldn't do until his heated body had cooled off. Struggling to get the chair down the damn ladder without making any noise had helped but when he set it in her bedroom and he saw her bed, it darn near set him off again. Luckily he managed to put a lid on his fantasies and made it to the kitchen in time to learn she had a date for Friday. It surprised him hearing that. After all, it hadn't been but a couple days since she'd gone out with that loser she was with at the restaurant.
Thinking she was playing another one of her games, he once again affirmed to stay the hell away from her. But then she showed up at his parents’ party looking so beautiful, so sexy, so damned alluring, he couldn’t hold to his resolution. That dance she performed did him in. The moment she started moving, his downfall was a done deal. She completely mesmerized him. How could such a vixen move like that? It wasn’
t right. She had to be a witch, casting some sort of spell he was helpless to resist. Where did his logic go when he held her in his arms?
Feeling restless, Cole started pacing yet again. With the night of his parents' party now filling his thoughts, he couldn't help but think about their last moments together. Although he regretted it now, it was probably for the best that she saw him come out of his bedroom with Serena. As was quite typical of her when it came to him, she'd jumped to the wrong conclusion. Then again, Serena had certainly done her best to exacerbate the situation. Something he'd rather counted on, actually, when he'd invited her. The daughter of a man whom he worked with on several construction projects, he had fallen into a casual fling with the clever siren before her self-centeredness and demanding expectations began to grate on his nerves. Much as she annoyed him, he had to maintain her acquaintance because she often handled some of her father's business affairs. It probably wasn't right that he'd called her and asked that she join him at the party but he could think of no one else who would have been as effective at keeping him and Alyssa apart. Since he expected that she understood their relationship was nothing more than professional, he figured Serena was a good fix for what was sure to be a difficult situation. He should have known better. When Alyssa walked in wearing that dress and accompanied by a guy whom, it turned out, she’d known for quite a while, he knew his plan was going to fail. Irritated with his attraction to Alyssa and annoyed that she had a pretty decent date to cling to, he’d given Serena more attention than he intended. Not that it had worked on calming his libido where his long-time nemesis was concerned. He was acutely aware of Alyssa’s every move. Unfortunately, using Serena as a buffer against Alyssa’s disturbing presence made her think he was perhaps reevaluating their relationship. The more territorial she became, the more he found himself trying to escape her stifling presence. Inevitably, he gravitated toward Alyssa.
That fiasco on the terrace still made his pulse leap just thinking about it. No matter how much either of them may want to deny it, they were about to kiss when Paul interrupted them. Even now he was overcome with disappointment for the interruption and he passed a hand over his eyes. One part of him was grateful for it but an even bigger part of him was beyond irritated.
Unable to believe what was happening between them, he’d gone looking for some place to regroup. He needed to clear his head, build up some resistance to his growing attraction and calm his heated body. His old bedroom seemed to be the best place to do it. But Serena had decided to follow him. He'd recognized that purposeful glint in her eyes the moment she entered his room, having done so without so much as a single knock. As if she had every right to be there.
Using as much tact and diplomacy as he could muster, it had taken quite some time to convince Serena that an affair between them wasn’t a good idea. It just seemed to follow the pattern of things going wrong that Alyssa saw him leave the bedroom with her. No doubt Serena saw Alyssa standing in the hallway and that’s why she’d turned to him and threw her arms around his neck. Despite the way it looked, it bothered him that Alyssa believed he was the kind of man that could go from her to Serena as if neither of them mattered. Why did she never listen to him? Where he was concerned, she always thought the worst and so when she made it clear she wasn’t going to hear him out, he let her go, determined once again to stay the hell away from her. The sentiment was further affirmed when he watched her hurry out the door with Paul.
Although he'd thought it best to just let her believe whatever the hell she wanted, it now didn’t sit well with him. Now he was wishing he had made her listen to him. Now he wished he could turn back the clock and fix where it had all begun to go wrong.
Damn it, Alyssa, why can’t you be reasonable when it comes to me? Why are you so damned hard-headed and stubborn?
Cole’s hand tightened into a fist and he found himself wanting to punch something. Anything to relieve the pent up pressure of worry and anxiety building inside him. Since he had to do something or go crazy, he increased his pacing, stopping by the window every now and then to look out toward the road. But his hope to see a police car pulling up with Alyssa in tow had yet to materialize.
Needing something else to think about, Paul popped into his mind. Just who was he anyway? A sixth sense told him the guy was a decent man. Nothing like the other jerks she’d gotten tangled up with. But if Paul was as important to her as she let on then what the hell was that date with Jerry all about? Whatever the relationship, it was obvious Al was deeply concerned with what Paul thought of her. He had never seen her so protective of anyone. Not another man anyway. His chest tightened and he put it down to nerves. Certainly not jealousy. No.
The phone rang and everyone tensed. Cole snatched it up. “Hello?”
“This is the Cove Falls police department. Is Mr. or Mrs. March there?” Cole handed the phone to Al’s father then held his breath as he waited for Simon’s response.
Relief flooded Simon's face and he let out a quick breath. “Oh thank you God. Yes, yes of course I’ll hold.” Simon turned to the expectant, hopeful faces surrounding him. “They found her. The operator is putting her through.”
Julia broke into relieved sobs. Trisha turned to Jack and held him tightly. Cole sank down on the arm of a chair as relief washed through him, leaving him momentarily weak.
Simon handed the phone to Julia, the emotion he’d been holding at bay now overwhelming him.
Julia spoke to her daughter with tears coursing down her cheeks. When she hung up, her expression was incredulous, exuberant. “She was in a barn waiting for help. She sounds a little shaken but okay.”
It was then that Trisha fainted.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I think your parents are here.” The woman who Alyssa now knew as Margaret, turned from the window and headed for the front door. "Looks like more police have showed up too."
Alyssa saw the flash of blue lights and started to rise but the police officer who arrived a short while earlier put out a hand to stay her. “It’s probably best that you don’t move.”
Since his arrival, he had been taking her statement about the accident and she was grateful for the distraction. Her headache was starting to worsen and so were various other areas of her body. She was tired and weary and she needed a bath. Margaret helped to wipe some of the blood off her face but she could feel it in her hair and it was splattered all over her clothes. The police officer offered to call an ambulance but Alyssa was adamant about not wanting one.
Margaret opened the door and seconds later her parents came rushing through it. "She's there in the living room."
Julia turned, saw her daughter on the sofa and pressed a hand to her mouth, her steps faltering for just a moment. It didn't take but a second or two to recover from the shock and then she was rushing across the room and pulling Alyssa into her arms. “Oh my darling, are you okay?” She gently brushed the matted hair from Alyssa's face. “You do look a sight.”
Alyssa gave her a wobbly smile. “I’m fine. Really. I’m so sorry you were worried.” Her father sat down on the other side of her and gently hugged her to him. He held her close for a long moment then eased away to look her over.
“Worried is not the half of it, my dear girl.”
Alyssa rested her head on his shoulder. “I feel bad about the car.”
Simon gently rubbed her back. “To hell with the car. We’re just thankful you are okay. That's all that really matters.”
Alyssa turned to her mother and squeezed her trembling hand. “Happy birthday, Mom. Sorry I ruined it.”
Julia gave her a wobbly smile, tears brimming in her green eyes. “On the contrary, you gave me the best gift possible. You’re alive.”
Alyssa brushed at her own shimmering tears then, remembering, grabbed at her mother’s arm. “Mom, is Trish all right?” When there wasn’t an immediate answer, Alyssa’s chest tightened painfully. “Mom?”
“They took her to the hospital. She collapsed a short while ago.”<
br />
Alyssa felt the blood drain from her face and fought to stay calm. The last thing she needed to do was pass out again. “Oh, no! We must go to the hospital at once.”
“It’s just what we intend to do. You need to see a doctor yourself.” Julia stroked her cheek tenderly. “Trisha will be fine, dear.”
“Your mother is right. You need to be seen by a doctor." The police officer who had been questioning her stepped forward and indicated that they should prepare to leave. "Can you walk okay to the car?”
Alyssa nodded. “Yes, I think so.”
But her father didn’t give her a chance to attempt it. He picked her up and headed for the door.
Grasping hold of his neck, Alyssa let out a gasp of protest. “Daddy, I can walk.”
“You don’t have any shoes on and you are not walking another step until you’ve been seen by a doctor.” He set her down in the back seat of his car then went around to the other side and opened the door for her mother. After seeing them settled, Simon shut the door and turned to the police officer. “Shall we follow you then?”
The officer nodded. “Yes, sir. That will probably be best.”
Once they pulled out onto the road, Simon glanced at his daughter through the rearview mirror. “What happened?”
Blushing a deep red, Alyssa told him, knowing he wasn't going to like it. “I swerved to miss a rabbit and lost control of the car.”
Her mother made a sound of distress and patted her leg. “Oh, Allie, you could have died.”
Alyssa covered her mother's hand, squeezing it gently. “But I didn’t. And I’m glad to say, neither did the rabbit.” She made a small grimace as she remembered the impact. “The trees didn’t fare too well and my car even less so.” Feeling utterly tired, she rested her head against the seat and her parents didn’t say another word until they arrived at the hospital.
They were met at the entrance by a couple of the emergency room staff. Despite her protests, they insisted she sit in a wheelchair.
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