“Don’t give up, Charlotte!” Andrew called to her. “It’s going to be all right. Have faith.”
She wanted to have faith, but the earth was falling all around her.
Joe moved to the very edge of the bluff and eyed the distance between them.
“I’m running out of time,” she said. “I don’t think this bit of ground I’m on is going to last.”
Joe met her gaze, his jaw rock hard. “Don’t give up, Charlotte.”
“There’s nothing we can do. If Andrew doesn’t get back in time . . .”
He climbed a couple of feet down the hillside.
“What the hell are you doing?” she screamed in fear and anger. “Go back!”
He was at eye level now. “You’re going to have to jump, Charlotte.”
Was he out of his mind? “No way. I can’t make it.”
“You can. It’s not that far.”
It looked impossibly far, and down below, the angry sea waited.
“You have to trust me, Charlotte. I’ll catch you.”
He was asking the impossible. He wanted her to put her life on the line for him.
Isn’t that what love is all about?
If she didn’t go for it, there was a good chance she wouldn’t make it, anyway. Her island was growing smaller with each slide of dirt and rocks, each waving hitting the bottom, the ocean taking back some of the earth. If she jumped, she had a chance—a small one.
“You can do it, Charlie. You just have to believe in him. Believe in love.” Mary Katherine stood on the bluff, encouraging her.
“Jump, Charlotte,” Joe urged.
She slowly stood up, hoping her shift of weight wouldn’t take her choice away. It was only a few feet, she told herself. She could do it. She closed her eyes and pictured herself landing in Joe’s arms. She could feel his strength, his purpose, his courage flooding through her.
Drawing on every last bit of strength she had, she jumped.
For a moment, she kicked at nothing but air, but Joe’s powerful grip pulled her in tight. She couldn’t breathe, afraid he’d lose his balance, lose her, but Joe wasn’t letting go.
He dragged her up to the top of the bluff, not stopping until they were a few yards away from the edge. She fell to her knees on the solid ground, her hands still locked in his.
Joe knelt in front of her, his gaze searching hers. “I told you I’d catch you.”
“I knew you would,” she said, rain and tears streaming down her face as the adrenaline rush hit her hard.
He gathered her up, holding her close, pressing his lips against her forehead. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”
She breathed in and out, letting the storm swirl around them. It seemed less intense now, or maybe it was just because she was no longer in danger of falling into the sea. She pulled away slightly so she could look into Joe’s eyes. “Thank you.”
“God, Charlotte, don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“Mitch was going to shoot me.”
“I saw,” he said grimly. “I was about to shoot him, then suddenly he wasn’t there anymore.”
“He went into the sea. His face was shocked, and he reached out to me. I almost thought he’d take me with him.” A flicker of white made her turn her head, and she saw Mary Katherine by what was left of their garden. The girl gave her a wave, then faded into the darkness. “She’s gone,” she murmured sadly. When she looked back at Joe, she saw an odd expression on his face. “Did you see her?”
He nodded slowly. “She came to me in the woods. She led me to you, Charlotte. And you’re safe now. It’s over.”
“It is over.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out the baggie with the jewelry. “Look what I have.”
His eyes widened in amazement. “Where did you get those?”
“Pamela.” She stopped. “I buried her underneath some tree branches! We have to go get her.”
“You killed Pamela?” he asked in disbelief.
“No, I hid her. She helped me escape from the cabin, but when we were running through the woods, a tree came down, and her foot got stuck. I couldn’t get her out, so I covered her up, hoping Mitch wouldn’t find her.”
“Clever.”
“It was her idea. She gave me the jewelry and told me to give it back to her sister in case she didn’t make it. If she hadn’t helped me, Mitch would have killed me, Joe.”
“How did you even get involved with them? I thought you were going home. I thought you were going to meet me. I went to the tower; I searched all over town for you.”
“It was a complete accident. I pulled over to talk to you, then I saw Mitch hit Pamela. They were right in front of the inn. I got out of my car to help her.”
“You jumped into the middle of their fight.”
“He was beating her up.”
“You don’t even like her,” he said in wonder.
“I wasn’t thinking. I just acted. But Pamela didn’t want my help. After I got her to her room, she told me to get out. I was about to drive away, but I thought I should at least give her a bandage; she was bleeding. When I went back to her room, Mitch was there with the jewelry. He hit me over the head, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up on the floor of the cabin.” She put a hand to the back of her head and winced. “It hurts.”
“You need to go to the hospital.”
“It’s not that bad—”
“Don’t even try to persuade me otherwise,” he said firmly, just as sirens split the air.
Charlotte slowly got to her feet. The rain had stopped, and the clouds were parting, allowing moonlight to shine down. Her gaze went to her garden.
It was almost completely destroyed, only a few flowers clinging to life. She carefully moved closer, Joe’s arm still around her shoulders as if he was afraid to let go of her. “The garden is disappearing. It’s sad.”
“Maybe it was only meant to be here as long as you needed it.” He leaned down to pick up a droopy rose. “For you.”
She held the flower for a few moments, then laid it back down with the others. “It belongs here.” She was about to stand up when her gaze caught a sparkle of gold. “What’s this?” She dug her hand into the soft, muddy earth, touching something hard and rectangular. She pulled it out with some effort; it was heavier than she expected. Rocking back on her heels, she stared at it in amazement. “Oh, my God.” She stood up, looking at Joe. The same shock was on his face, for in her hand was a solid bar of gold.
“It was here,” she said in wonder. “Worthington buried the missing gold in the garden he planted for his wife and Mary Katherine. It was here all along.”
Joe shook his head in disbelief. “It really exists. Who would have thought?”
She couldn’t speak, too caught up in amazement. Had Mary Katherine known the gold was here? And would she ever see her angel again?
A clatter of shouts and footsteps distracted her. Cops, firemen, and paramedics were coming from two directions; Joe had called out the troops for her.
Then Andrew was back with rope and what looked like a shower rod. He ran over to her. “Thank God,” he said, dropping his supplies so he could hug her. “I was so afraid that I’d never see you again.”
“I’m okay,” she reassured him.
He stepped back, looking at Joe. “How did you save her?”
“She saved herself. She jumped,” Joe said with a proud smile. “And she found the missing gold.”
Charlotte held up the gold bar in her hand. The crowd gasped, throwing out a dozen questions that would have to be answered, but not right that second.
Joe gave her a loving smile. “All in a day’s work, right, Charlotte?”
She hugged him around the waist. “And just think, you didn’t want me to get involved.”
“Next time, I’ll save my breath.” Joe looked over at Jason and Andrew. “We need to find Pamela. She’s trapped under a tree in the woods.”
“I can show them,” Charlotte offered.
“You’re going to t
he hospital. We’ll find her. And then we’ll take her to jail.” He kissed her hard on the lips.
“That should give the town something to talk about,” she said breathlessly, aware of a dozen pairs of eyes on them.
“I don’t care,” he said with a smile. “I’ll see you later.”
Charlotte spent the next hour in the ER. She was stripped of her clothes, wrapped in warm blankets, and examined by every doctor on duty, most of whom were her friends. They insisted on checking her into a room for the night, just in case her head injury was serious.
When they wheeled her up to her room, she found her mother ordering the nurses to bring her more pillows and blankets. As her mother shouted out commands, telling the nurses that they’d better get their act together, Charlotte’s eyes filled with tears.
And then her mother was helping her into her bed. She couldn’t remember the last time her mother’s hands were on her. They never hugged. They never even touched. But her mom was supporting her weight, then pulling up the blankets around her and tucking them in at her sides, the way she’d done so many years ago.
A tear slipped down the side of her cheek. As she wiped it away, her mother sat down on the bed next to her with a frown. “Are you in pain? Do you need more medication? I’ll get the nurse back in here.”
“No, it’s okay,” she said, putting her hand on her mother’s arm. “I’m all right.”
Her mother’s lips tightened, and there was fear behind the anger in her eyes. “What were you thinking, jumping into the middle of a domestic fight? You should have had more sense.”
Charlotte let go of her mother’s arm, wondering why she’d tried to stop her from leaving. She wasn’t really in any state to hear a lecture. “I just wanted to help,” she said wearily.
Her mother shook her head, biting down on her lip, and Charlotte was shocked to realize that her mother was about to cry. But she fought it back, and then she said, “Your father would have been so proud of you.”
Charlotte’s heart stopped. “Really?”
“You’re so like him. You just do what needs to be done, no matter what the consequences.”
Tears filled her eyes again.
Her mother drew in a big breath. “I’m proud of you, too, Charlotte.”
Now the tears streamed down her face. She’d always felt like such a disappointment to her parents. It shouldn’t matter anymore what they thought, but it did.
Her mother tucked her hair behind her ear in a loving gesture. “You need a haircut.”
Charlotte smiled through her tears. “I know. Mom, would you stay with me for a while—until I fall asleep?”
“Of course,” her mother said, blinking back a tear herself. “If I don’t stay, Lord knows what kind of care these idiots will give you.”
Charlotte closed her eyes, exhaustion finally overtaking her.
When she woke up, sunlight was streaming through the windows, and it wasn’t her mother holding her hand anymore, it was Joe. He gave her a tired smile. “You’re awake. My early riser. I knew you wouldn’t sleep past dawn.”
She smiled back at him as he raised her hand and kissed it. “I don’t think I’ll be running for a few days. I feel sore all over.”
“You should stay in bed,” he agreed. “Preferably mine.”
“It is pretty comfortable.” She drew in a breath. “So what’s been happening? Did you find Pamela?”
“Yes. She’s in a room down the hall with a broken ankle. She’ll be going to jail later today.”
“Theresa must be devastated.”
“She actually didn’t seem as shocked as I expected. Maybe down deep, she always suspected Pamela. Anyway, she has her jewelry back and is on the way to a full recovery.”
“What’s going to happen to Pamela?”
“That will be up to the DA and eventually a jury.”
“She did save my life. And I don’t know if it was Mitch or Pamela who masterminded the plan.”
“She’ll have a chance to tell her story. You don’t need to worry about her.”
“I guess Mrs. Garcia is off the hook now. We were on the wrong track there.”
“Not completely. After she realized that both she and Michaela were in the clear, she told me that she’d been afraid that Michaela had done it. That’s why she’d tried to protect her. She’d learned that Michaela didn’t have the great life she’d imagined when she gave her up for adoption. And when she told Michaela that Edward Worthington was her father, Michaela was bitter that she’d never gotten anything from such a rich man.”
“So maybe Pamela just beat Michaela to the goods.”
“Maybe,” he said with a nod.
“How did you figure out I was with Pamela?” she asked, curious about that piece of the puzzle.
“Andrew came to the station and told me what he knew about her and Mitch and that he suspected they’d had something to do with the robbery. He should have come forward right away. If he had, your life wouldn’t have been in danger.”
“I’m sure he never anticipated that it would be.”
“He was worried that the car that almost ran you down belonged to Mitch. He didn’t know if it was deliberate or just drunk driving, which Mitch has been known to do, but he finally stepped up. We went to the inn, saw your car, and the clerk told us she saw you with Pamela. It was Andrew who figured out that you might be at the summer cabins,” he added grudgingly.
“I can’t believe you worked together without killing each other,” she teased.
“We had a more important goal: saving you. He does care about you.”
“I know,” she said, meeting his gaze. “And I care about him. But I’m in love with you, Joe.”
His fingers tightened around her hand.
“I was hanging on to Andrew because he reminded me of the girl I used to be, before I lost the baby and locked away my heart. I thought maybe I could get myself back if I was with him again, but he’s different now, and so am I. Actually, we’re probably better versions of ourselves now. But Andrew doesn’t push me the way you do. He doesn’t make me ask more of myself. And I need that. I need you.” She drew in a deep breath. “I love you, Joe. You taught me how to take a risk, how to have faith in myself and in others.”
“I love you, too, Charlotte. You brought the light back into my life. You reminded me of who I used to be.”
“Fearless guy on the skateboard?”
“Yeah, that one,” he said tenderly. “I was afraid I’d lost you when Rachel called.”
“I didn’t want to be the reason you didn’t give her another chance.”
“I thought you left because she mentioned children,” he said somberly.
She nodded. “That did shake me a little. It made me question if I could give you what you really wanted.”
He gazed into her eyes. “Charlotte, I want you. If it’s just you and me, I’m happy with that. If you want children one day, then I’m happy with that, too.”
She smiled hesitantly. “I keep imagining having a little boy who looks like you.”
“Funny, I keep seeing a little girl with blond hair and a stubborn streak who looks just like you.”
“Who are you calling stubborn?” she demanded.
“You. And impulsive, beautiful, amazing, courageous—”
She put her hand over his mouth. “Just kiss me, already. And don’t stop for a long, long time.”
He smiled and pressed his lips against hers.
EPILOGUE
It was a beautiful day for a wedding, Charlotte thought as she hurried toward the church to make sure everything was in place for the ceremony. Gone was the horrific storm from a week ago. There were no clouds today, only sparkling sunshine. She was glad Lauren had chosen to have a morning wedding; everything was fresh and new and full of promise.
Andrew met her on the steps, wearing his officiating robe and a big smile. They’d had a heart-to-heart talk after she’d come home from the hospital. He had apologized over and over again
for not telling her about his past and not going to the cops right away. He’d also come clean with the church board and given a sermon about accepting responsibility for past mistakes.
Charlotte had never been more proud of him. And as for forgiveness, she assured him that it had happened a long time ago. They were both ready now for the rest of their lives, as friends. And judging by how much time Andrew had been spending with Tory lately, she suspected he was already moving on.
“How’s the bride?” Andrew asked.
“Nervous but ready. What about the groom?”
“I just told the guys to line up at the front. It’s a packed house. Want to see?”
He opened the back door a crack, and she peeked in. She saw her mother, Jamie, and Annie and the baby toward the back. Jason’s girlfriend, Brianna, was sitting with her in-laws and her son, Lucas. Isabella, Nick, and Megan were there, with the rest of the theatrical Hartleys. And her heart swelled as she saw Jenna and Riley and their daughter, Lexie. They’d come back to town just for the wedding, another couple who had found love in Angel’s Bay.
Andrew shut the door. “I have to admit, I’m a little nervous myself. I’ve never married two people I’ve known my entire life.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Break a leg.”
“Hey, are you kissing my girl again?” Joe demanded with a confident smile as he walked toward them.
“She kissed me,” Andrew retorted, but there was no anger or bitterness in his voice. “I’ll see you both inside.”
“You weren’t jealous, were you?” she asked Joe with a mischievous smile.
“No way. I know you love me.”
“I do,” she said, kissing him on the lips. “I have to go get the bride.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“You’d better,” she said with a laugh, then crossed the courtyard to the bridal dressing room.
The crowd had cleared out. Lauren’s mother was seated in the church, leaving only Kara, Lauren, and her dad. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, and his eyes looked alert for the first time in a long time. His Alzheimer’s had been stealing his mind away, but for today, he seemed to have won that battle.
“I know you girls want to have a toast,” he said. “But my turn first.”
Garden of Secrets Page 27
