Where One Road Leads

by Cerian Hebert

  “All night,” she murmured. What did he have in mind?

  “Where’s your sense of adventure? My parents have a cabin on Lake Sunapee. Don’t worry, it’s a two bedroom place.”

  “I should call Cameron.”

  “No phone calls. For one night, no phone. We’ll be back tomorrow morning in time for the open house. No one will even realize we’re gone.”

  “This is still nuts.”

  They stopped at the Wal-Mart along the way and, in their formal attire, each picked out an outfit for the next day, plus toiletries and pajamas. She was a little embarrassed by the intimacy of the whole thing, but in the end, as they stood there at the register, the clerk eyeing them suspiciously, Krista started laughing. She couldn’t help it. It bubbled up inside and rose up until she couldn’t stop it.

  The unexpected humor didn’t mean she’d put the whole ugly night behind her, but the pressure that had built inside her needed a way to burst free, and she chose laughter.

  “I don’t know what I’m laughing about.” She clutched her bag as they walked out into the dark parking lot. “There’s absolutely nothing funny about what’s going on.”

  “It’s okay. We handle these things in different ways. I prefer your laughter.”

  Krista nodded.

  Matt unlocked the door for her and she slid into her seat, grateful to be out of the chilly night air.

  “How much further?” she asked, fastening her seatbelt with a click.

  “About an hour. Why don’t you close your eyes and sleep?”

  She tried following his suggestion, but he turned on the radio and she was content staring out into the darkness and listening to the music.

  What happened this evening? It began so promising, so exciting. The turnout for the gala had been better than she expected. Everyone loved the place, everyone had a good time. In nearly every way the evening had been a success. Until the end.

  Yet now she and the man who used to hate, but now had some sort of feelings for her, were fleeing town. And her biggest secret had been uncovered. She felt rent open and naked, exposed.

  There’d be questions, she knew. Matt would want to talk about it at some point and right now she didn’t want to. She wanted to hide her secret away again until everyone forgot it. Rehashing it wouldn’t do any good to her; how she felt when she woke in the hospital, torn and in pain.

  They hadn’t told her right away about the baby or about Jay and Liz. In fact, they didn’t tell her much about anything. She had her suspicions, but she didn’t ask, not while her mother sat by her side, holding her hand.

  Even her mother hadn’t known she’d been pregnant.

  They told her about her friends first. It was a horrible blow and she cried for a whole day.

  Her doctor had waited until her mom left the room before he told her about the baby. He must have suspected her mom hadn’t known. He figured right, and in her grief she appreciated his understanding.

  And he’d been the last to know about the life that had lived so briefly inside her. Or so she thought. She never imagined anyone else knew.

  Of course it made perfect sense for Jay to tell his best friend.

  “I didn’t mean to ruin his life,” she whispered against the window, more to herself than to Matt.

  “You didn’t ruin it, Krista. When are you going to understand that? He did it to himself.” Matt’s quiet voice calmed her frayed nerves.

  “He wouldn’t have if I hadn’t gotten pregnant.”

  Matt sighed. “It takes two to tango. If you’d known in advance how he would’ve reacted, what would you have done?”

  Krista thought about it. “I don’t know,” she finally replied. “I don’t know. I was never much good at ‘what if’ games. What about you? What do you think you’d be doing now if that night never happened?”

  “I don’t think I’d be too much different. I might be married now. Who knows?”

  “Rachel. You were seeing her back then, weren’t you?”

  “Yes, I was.”

  Krista heard the tightness in his voice and wondered if it hurt to see his ex-girlfriend with Ricky now. She wasn’t going to ask him about that, not now when there were so many other complications.

  “Are we almost there?” she asked, steering the conversation away from its potentially disastrous path.

  “A few more miles to our exit. This drive used to take forever when I was a kid. Once we got there it was worth the trip. I still go a few times a year, kind of share it with my folks.”

  “It must be nice to have a getaway.”

  Her escape had always been on the road, sometimes overseas to war torn countries or places where disaster had struck. A place where she could bask in peace and quiet actually sounded like what she needed. She might find it for one night, but tomorrow she’d have to face Quail Ridge and God only knew what.

  She’d been waiting for the day of the opening for so long. Maybe after it was over, she’d find her own little hideaway and just disappear for a while and rethink her life. Rethink whether she’d remain in Quail Ridge and run the center or entrust it to someone else’s hands and go back to her old life as a photojournalist.

  It would probably be simpler to worry about the troubles of the world and shove her own back into the same dark closet she’d kept them in for years. Easier to go back to that life where the only people she let in were Cameron and Gretchen. Staying in Quail Ridge would mean opening herself up to others. She’d have no choice.

  She didn’t know if she was ready for that.

  By the time he pulled into the long, narrow drive that wound through the woods toward the lake, Krista had already fallen asleep. Though Matt hated to wake her, his alternative was to carry her inside. He figured she’d prefer to walk.

  “Krista, we’re here.” He shook her gently.

  Her eyes opened a crack and she nodded, straightening in the seat.

  “It might be chilly inside, but there are lots of blankets, and I’ll get the fireplace started right away.”

  Krista made a noise of understanding as she stumbled from the car. Matt gathered their Wal-Mart bags from the backseat and led her through the blackness toward the house on a path he knew well.

  “Careful, it’s a little winding,” he warned and took her elbow. She leaned against his side so he slipped his arm around her shoulders, offering more support.

  The place had an unoccupied smell to it, a hint of mildew and dust. He flipped on the switch by the door, and the room flooded in warm light.

  It was a comfortable room, one he could’ve been just as content living in permanently if he had to. The old furniture had been around forever, but had been well taken care of. He knew each piece by heart. The overstuffed sofa had to be nearly as old as he was. In fact the newest piece of furniture was the television set and DVD player his dad had brought up two summers ago.

  “I’m going to make some coffee and go change. I’ll show you your room and you can either go to bed or have some coffee with me.”

  He hoped she’d stay up with him. Weariness etched her face, the line of her mouth tight.

  She managed a smile. “Coffee sounds really good.”

  He led her to the second floor to his parents’ room. “You can stay in here. There’s a bathroom attached to it and it’s well stocked. Come on down when you’re ready.”

  “Thanks, Matt,” Krista said. “For everything.”

  He nodded, a half smile forming on his lips. “It’s okay.”

  Matt pulled the door closed behind him and left her to change out of the beautiful green gown.

  He went to his own room, which he’d occupied since his parents first bought the cabin years and years ago, and stripped out of the tux, leaving it in a pile on the chair. No doubt he’d have to pay
big time for his lack of care when he returned it to the place where he rented it, but he didn’t care. He wanted to be comfortable and the black sweat pants and blue T-shirt would work fine. He had a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt for the next day. He never wanted to wear the tux again.

  Back downstairs, he got the coffee going and checked the fireplace. His dad was very good about keeping everything in working order, so Matt knew lighting a fire would be safe. It would warm the room faster than waiting for the furnace to kick in. Besides, there was something about a fire that he absolutely loved. Staring at the dancing flames and hearing the crackle of the heat in the wood could calm his nerves quickly. It was hypnotizing.

  As soon as the coffee finished brewing, Krista put in an appearance, looking more at home in a pair of deep green flannel pajama pants and a matching button up top. Her hair hung loose, flowing in a mess of curls over her shoulders.

  She dropped her gaze and bit the corner of her lip as she smoothed a hand down her sleeve. “I think I need to buy fifteen more of these outfits and just live in them, they’re so comfortable.”

  “You must like green,” Matt noted with a smile. “It looks good on you. What do you take in your coffee? I only have powdered creamer.”

  “Black coffee is fine.” She peered into the living room. An enormous fieldstone fireplace dominated one wall. “Oh, I love fires. It’s been a long time since I sat in front of a fireplace. If I had a place like this, I don’t think I’d ever want to leave it.”

  Her comments made him feel good, like they were on the same page. “Make yourself at home. I didn’t really get a chance to eat. We have some crackers but not a heck of a lot more. We’ll have to go out for breakfast tomorrow.”

  “Crackers are fine.”

  She took a seat in the corner of the sofa and curled her legs beneath her. He gazed at the back of her head. The firelight created a glow like a golden halo around her head. He’d never invited a woman here, not even Rachel, in all the years they were together. This was a place for family, his getaway from things in Quail Ridge, and even the thought of Rachel being there was like an intrusion.

  For some reason, it didn’t feel that way with Krista. Of course, she could’ve been family by now, had things been different. Jay might have brought her here had he lived. But that had been a lifetime ago, and Krista was her own woman now.

  Matt stared at her as she wandered around the room. She belonged here more now than she would have with Jay. He recognized her need for a place like this because it was so close to his own overwhelming desire for peace and quiet. A need to get away from whatever storm brewed back at home.

  “The television works, if you want to watch it.” He set two coffee mugs on the wooden table in front of the sofa, then went back for the crackers.

  “No, this is an escape. I could watch TV at home. I’d rather watch the fire. And can you hear the wind? It’s kicking up out there.”

  He nodded, listening to the gentle rattle of the windows that faced the lake.

  “Do you ever come here alone?” Krista reached for her coffee. “I don’t think I could. Feels spooky. I bet you get used to it, though. And in summer I’m sure there’s plenty of other people around here.”

  “We have lots of neighbors. None that are breathing down our necks, but in the summer you can usually hear a party from somewhere nearby. Other times I’m alone. I guess I’m used to it.”

  Matt studied her as she held the mug to her lips and smiled.

  She murmured, “My spooks came in different forms. I dealt with them using a camera. You’d think a little lonesome wind wouldn’t bother me after the things I’ve seen and done.”

  “Where have you been?” he asked. She intrigued him. Often she seemed so brave, a tough woman whose heart was steeled against everything around her. On the defensive at every turn.

  “Iraq, Thailand, Rwanda. And a little closer to home, in New Orleans. Wherever I wanted to go. I was a bit of a vagabond after I got out of college. I had my camera and good hiking boots, and I hoofed it.”

  “You’re putting me on, right?”

  Krista turned her gaze to him. Light from the fire reflected on her face but he spotted the dimple in her cheek. “About the hiking or college?”

  “Hiking, of course. I’m not surprised about college.”

  She looked back to the flames in the hearth. “No, I’m not kidding. I was a freelance photographer. That kind of life suited me for a long time until Cameron ‘discovered’ me, for want of a better word. Hurricane Floyd actually introduced me to Cameron. I got some great shots of the aftermath that ended up in a national newspaper. He liked my work, tracked me down and hired me.”

  “The right place at the right time kind of thing?”

  A sad-looking smile curved her lips. “I always seemed to be in the right place. Guess I had a knack. Or I attracted bad luck. The former, I’d like to think.”

  “And when you started working for Cameron, he started sending you to all the hot spots overseas?”

  Her grin widened. “No, I insisted on going. I guess I had him wrapped around my little finger.”

  That creeping feeling of jealousy moved back into his mind.

  “Anyone tell you that you’re crazy?”

  She raised a brow. “On a daily basis. Which is one reason why I’m here right now. I started believing them. Don’t know if this is any crazier than what I’ve been doing with my life.”

  For a long moment, they stared at each other. He tried to figure her out, and decided that was unlikely to happen, no more likely than understanding why his heartbeat picked up pace as her gaze clung to his. His hands tightened on his coffee mug in order to keep from reaching out to her.

  “Why did you kiss me out there on the road?” she suddenly asked.

  Was he that transparent? Did she really know which way his thoughts were flowing?

  “Wow, talk about a change of topic,” he said with a small laugh. Best to sound surprised by the question.

  “Not really.” Krista set the mug back on the table. Her hair fell in a curtain, blocking out her profile.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  “I mean, we were talking about crazy behavior.”

  Matt laughed again. “It was crazy? I didn’t think so.”

  Krista kept a level gaze on him even as she smiled. “It was, Matt. Location and timing. What were you thinking?”

  He had to ponder his actions that day, not for the first time. It had seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. He couldn’t easily explain it.

  For so many years he’d had this view of her, a cross between a vicious killer and an empty-headed teenager with a total disregard for others. But standing on the side of the road that day, as mad as he was for her going after Ricky, he saw her as something else. He realized he’d been dead wrong about her. Realized her grief and loss matched his. That all those years she’d had to live with it, and with the knowledge so many people blamed her for those deaths.

  It had been such an unexpected relief, a physical sensation. He’d let go of her as his little brother’s girlfriend and began to see her as a woman he wanted to know.

  Though it didn’t explain why he had kissed her.

  “Well, I can say why I took you in my arms. It was either that or write you a ticket. You were beside yourself.”

  “So you hugged me to calm me down?”

  God, he hoped he wasn’t digging himself deep with her, but he saw a spark in her eyes. She wasn’t mad. “It worked, didn’t it?”

  “And the kiss?”

  The smile on his face faded as he regarded her steadily. Another long pause simmered between them. He could just about feel the heat radiating.

  Matt took a deep breath and let it go slowly. “It just came naturally. Okay, fine,
I wanted to kiss you, damn it. Why does there have to be some profound meaning?”

  In a sudden movement, Krista leaned forward and caught his lips with hers. It left him stunned. Maybe this was how she’d felt when he had kissed her. Off guard, surprised. Pleasantly surprised.

  Now they were in a safer place, Matt intended to explore this new development with care. He wanted to stop thinking and just sink into the way her mouth provocatively moved over his.

  She was bold, the feel of her lips delicious and sensual. He pulled her closer, his hands riding over the soft flannel material of her pajamas. Her supple body molded against his touch. There was no question about the insanity of this moment. He wanted to drown in it.

  Matt tangled his fingers in her hair, relishing its silky-soft, thick weight. Tendrils tickled against his cheek and he brushed them aside.

  Krista pulled away from him and rested her cheek on the back of the sofa.

  “This isn’t what I intended when I brought you here,” he stated quietly, fingering a lock of her hair.

  “I know that. If nothing else, you’re an honorable man. Besides, I kissed you, not the other way around.”

  “Now it’s my turn to ask why.”

  “Curiosity,” she replied with a shrug. “I wanted to see if it was as crazy and wonderful as I remembered.”

  “And?”

  “And I don’t think it’s so crazy. It was definitely wonderful.” Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper that competed with the crackle of the fire. “Which leaves me in a predicament.”