Where One Road Leads

by Cerian Hebert

  “I’m just thinking out loud here, but if you decide to rebuild at the mill, the top floor has been used as an apartment in the past. You could always move there. At least until you can find something else, another house or apartment.”

  Krista seemed to ponder his suggestion. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Until then you’re welcome to stay here.” Matt turned away from the eggs and faced her. He couldn’t read the expression on her face, but he saw longing mixed with a wide-eyed ‘deer in the headlights’ stare.

  “I don’t want to impose on you, Matt. I’m not even sure what’s going on between us. I realize we’ve probably already put the cart before the horse, but I don’t want you to feel any obligation toward me.”

  Matt nodded, a little disappointed. Still, she had a point. Maybe they needed to figure things out some more.

  “You do what you need to do, Krista. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He served her breakfast and they ate in silence. He thought of letting her know about his father’s phone call, but that would upset her more, knowing Liz’s brother helped destroy her home and vandalize the center.

  He wished they had more information, such as who else was involved the previous night. There had to be at least one more person in on this whole mess. If only they could place Ricky at either location. Unfortunately Ricky always played it safe, never slipped up.

  Matt itched to get in on the mix at the station, but knew he wouldn’t make it past the front door. His father would keep him updated. Going over to Krista’s house would at least keep his mind off what was going on downtown.

  Their silence continued during the drive to her house. When they arrived he heard her sigh, a broken sound that cut through the car.

  “I just can’t believe it’s gone,” she murmured as she climbed out.

  Not much remained of the old farmhouse except the walls, chimney, and the stairs leading up to a bit of the second story. The rest was black, charred rubble. The garage and a small barn had survived. Her Jeep, however, sat on four flat tires. Matt wondered why Adam hadn’t torched the car. Maybe he’d hoped the fire wouldn’t seem suspicious. That wouldn’t explain why he’d slash the Jeep’s tires. No way were the two occurrences exclusive.

  How in the world did Ricky ever convince Adam to do this?

  Chapter 11

  Krista walked to the edge of the ruins and squatted, then stared at the blackened mess that was once the living room wall. Where was she going to start? Digging through would be a horrible chore. And if she found Gus’s remains, she didn’t think she could bear it. She’d been crazy to come back here and face this again so soon.

  She stood and turned from the house. Pulling her cell phone out from her jacket pocket, she located the card that had the number of the local garage written on it and called to arrange a wrecker to take the Jeep away. She walked back to Matt, who’d been waiting patiently by his car.

  “I don’t see what I can do here. I don’t think it’s safe to just wade through that mess. If there are things in there that survived, I guess it doesn’t matter.” She’d never felt so defeated as she did right now; never felt a stronger need to run.

  “What now?” Desperation tightened in her belly. “I can’t sit here and not do anything, Matt. What the hell can I do?”

  Matt pulled her to him and held her in his arms. She pressed her cheek against his leather jacket. The material was cool and tinged with the scent of his cologne. His hands rubbed up and down her back. Her helplessness brought her to another time in her life when she felt completely lost. At least then, standing in the circle of her mother’s arms in the courtroom after she’d been sentenced to two years in the Women’s State Prison, she knew exactly where she was going, what she’d have to face.

  Even after her release, she knew what she wanted to do with her life, how to rebuild it and make it matter.

  Now she had no clue. Pieces of her life had been ripped away from her yet again and she wasn’t sure how she could ever get them back.

  “You don’t have to do anything right now. Let things work out. Just step back from it and don’t worry about it for now.”

  Krista nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck and managed a chuckle. “You don’t know me very well yet. I have a problem sitting there twiddling my thumbs. I’ve always been able to leave when I needed to, when the daily grind got too tough. I don’t like to feel like my hands are tied.”

  She pulled away from him reluctantly. “When the Jeep is removed, can you take me to the inn? I need to touch base with Cameron, see where things stand, if they stand at all.”

  “I’m at your beck and call right now, honey. Point me in the direction you need to go and I’ll drive you.”

  “Just until the Jeep is fixed.” Krista glanced up and sighed. “Really, Matt, I can’t expect you to drive me everywhere. I appreciate it, everything you’ve done since the night of the party. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there for me.”

  Considering how things between them had turned out, where in the world was this affair heading? Where could it go? She’d never been able to picture herself settled into a solid relationship. Even the idea of a relationship made her skittish. Made her want to run.

  Not just the physical aspects. After all, the lovemaking had been more than she’d ever expected it to be. Absolutely nothing like the physical relationship she and Jay had shared long ago, or the one she and Cameron had stumbled through before giving it up prematurely. No, if everything else could be as heady and overwhelming as that night at Matt’s cabin, she wouldn’t be too eager to get out of town.

  Getting out of town. Wow, that’s bad. It wouldn’t be permanent. She left Matt’s side and walked toward her disabled Jeep. Just so she could plan a bit. She thought better when she was away from a troubling situation.

  There were a few priorities that had to be taken care of first, like the future of the center, the mill, and whatever business had to be done with the house.

  She rubbed her forehead to stave off the ache, and leaned against her vehicle. The rumble of the wrecker approaching the house caught her attention and she shrugged away her discomfort to deal with the matter at hand.

  After the Jeep headed off to the garage on the back of the wrecker, Matt drove Krista to the inn where Cameron and Gretchen had a room. He paused in the open door after Krista walked into the suite.

  She turned to him, brows raised. “You staying?”

  “No, I’m going to head back home. Maybe I’ll hear something.”

  Krista nodded and stepped toward him, taking his hand in hers. “Okay.”

  “Call me when you need a ride. I’ll come get you.”

  “Sounds good.” She squeezed his hand and leaned into him, pressing a light kiss on his mouth.

  Gretchen leapt to her feet as soon as Matt left, and put her arm around Krista’s waist. She pointed at Cameron. “Not one word is going to be said about the future until I take Krista shopping. She needs a new wardrobe and that is a priority.”

  Krista began to protest. Things needed to be discussed, plans needed to be made, but Gretchen was a force of nature. While Cameron snickered at his wife’s high-handed takeover of the situation, Gretchen grabbed her purse and jacket. She herded Krista out the door before she could say anything.

  In the end, Krista just sighed and rolled her eyes. So be it. At least shopping wouldn’t take long. More jeans and jerseys, a couple sweatshirts maybe, and undies. And a few more pairs of those pajamas.

  Krista directed Gretchen toward the local Wal-Mart. For the first several minutes of the drive, Gretchen remained silent. Krista glanced at her. Usually her friend had something to say about anything and everything, but at the moment, she kept all her thoughts to herself, a frown forming as she nibbled at her bottom lip.


  “What?” Krista pressed, certain whatever thoughts circled Gretchen’s mind would come out sooner or later.

  “So, what is going on between you and Matt?” Her tone wasn’t exactly disapproving, more like an undercurrent of concern.

  Should’ve seen that coming. She and Gretchen were close and Krista knew her friend wouldn’t want to be left out of anything new in her life.

  “I don’t know,” she replied honestly, then slumped in the soft leather seat. Just remembering the way Matt’s hands touched her body sent her mind spinning. Her cheeks warmed with the memory. No doubt she was glowing as well. Gretchen would pick up on it in an instant.

  She glanced sideways with a sigh. “Okay, fine. Since you’re going to ask, yes, we’ve slept together. It was nice. No, more than nice. It was incredible. But settling down, even if this does go that direction, well, it’s just not me.”

  “Why not? I mean, come on, Krista. If it’s right with him, why the hell shouldn’t you stay with him? He’s so handsome and sensible and handsome, and even though he’s a bit of a Dudley Do-Right, there’s no sin in that. And did I mention he’s really handsome?”

  Krista chuckled. “Why don’t you make a grab for him?”

  “Because I’m married to the perfect man for me. Besides, I don’t think Matt has eyes for anyone but you. Haven’t you noticed the googly-eyes he makes at you?”

  “You’re high,” Krista replied blandly. Still, the thought gave her a little thrill.

  “Not at all. Just in tune to love, my dear. I can see it a mile away, before anyone else can. I should be a matchmaker. I’d be a natural.”

  “Matt and I don’t need a matchmaker, Gretchen. In case you haven’t noticed, the center is in ruins, I have no home, and not much of a future here in Quail Ridge. If I didn’t have the center, there wouldn’t be anything to keep me here.”

  “Except a really hot cop with bedroom eyes any woman could drown in. Don’t you dare tell Cameron I said this, but Matt has better eyes.” Gretchen reached out and gave Krista’s hand a quick squeeze. “Oh come on, Krista, the center isn’t in ruins. Cameron and I were discussing it and there’s no reason why things can’t be rebuilt. And if you relocate your offices to another part of the building, you should be able to get things back on track in no time. You’ve got to at least give it a chance.”

  “Yeah, everyone is going to be wild about the idea of letting their kids attend a center that’s been the target of two attacks,” Krista muttered through a tense jaw. Then she shook the tension away. “I’m not giving up on it so easily, but I have this strong urge to get away and work this out of my system. Maybe an assignment. I could head overseas, see what’s what. Clear my head.”

  “No, that would be escaping. Running away from this whole thing. I may not know him, but I get the idea Matt wouldn’t be the kind of guy who’d sit and wait while you were trying to get things figured out. He’d want to be there to help you.”

  Krista sighed heavily and leaned against the doorframe, watching the gray, barren November landscape go by.

  “I’ve always done better on my own,” she mused, struggling against this newfound desire for a binding relationship.

  “That’s because you don’t know any other way. I really hope you don’t leave, Krista. Give him a chance.”

  Gretchen dropped the conversation when they arrived at their destination. Krista took note of her expression as they entered the store.

  Gretchen glanced over and grinned. “Don’t look at me like I’ve never set foot in a Wal-Mart before,” she said with a laugh, then grabbed a cart and headed off toward the women’s clothing department. Shopping was shopping and she basked in it.

  Krista protested at the amount of clothes Gretchen piled into the cart. “I don’t need all these, really.”

  “Hush.” Gretchen waved her coral-tipped fingers in dismissal. “I’m on a roll here. We need to head to the toiletry department. This is fun. Maybe I should become a personal shopper.”

  “Great, a matchmaking personal shopper,” Krista muttered, following her friend to the other end of the store. “Just what the world needs.”

  “Oh, stop being so grumpy. A woman who doesn’t like clothes shopping? Krista, you’re definitely in a class of your own.”

  Gretchen had filled the cart to overflowing. The cashier’s eyes bugged out when she saw them coming. Checkout took ages and Krista swallowed hard when the total rang up, but Gretchen whipped out her credit card before Krista could fish hers from her wallet.

  “No, this is on me. It was so much fun. Think of it as an early birthday present.”

  On the trip back to Quail Ridge, they stayed away from the topic of Matt and Krista’s future with him. Instead they discussed the happenings down in D.C. and thoughts for going ahead with the center. By the time they arrived back at the inn, Gretchen had been able to talk her into sticking around.

  Cameron paced the room, his phone glued to his ear when they arrived. He waved at them and stepped into the other room. Five minutes later, he came back in.

  “Gretchen, you’re positively glowing,” he beamed.

  “You know shopping has that effect on me,” she replied. “We have enough stuff to open our own store. Krista definitely needed this day. She’s glowing too.”

  Cameron laughed. “You do look radiant, Krista. But I’m wondering if it was the shopping or . . . well, enough of that. The garage will have your Jeep back in about an hour.”

  Krista preferred to ignore Cameron’s sly comment. “Thank goodness. I hate being dependent on anyone, even for a day. I’ve got to find a place to stay. Oh man, there’s too much that needs to be done.”

  “Go back to Matt’s place,” Gretchen ordered.

  “Or get a room here,” Cameron added.

  “I should probably do the latter,” Krista agreed, avoiding Gretchen’s look of disapproval.

  She shoved her elbow into her husband’s side. “You’ve got a big mouth. I’m trying to get a romance going. You keep your lips zipped, okay?”

  Cameron grimaced but nodded. He threw a wink at Krista.

  “Enough of that,” she scolded. “What’s our next move, Cam?”

  “Rebuild, of course. You know I don’t give up on things so easily. The center will open. If the Burgesses need persuading, I’ll do it. Ed Burgess is already talking our way. If he balks, we’ll have to wine and dine him into submission.”

  Krista chuckled. “The Burgesses won’t need convincing. I don’t know how quickly things can be rebuilt.”

  “The damage isn’t as extensive as we first thought. Lots of smoke and water damage. Your office is completely gone, but really, it’s not that bad. Don’t lose hope.”

  “I haven’t. I’m just tired of it all. Tired of waiting for the next mishap. I’m not a quitter. Still, sometimes I feel maybe we’d have better luck setting up in a different place.”

  “That would defeat the purpose, now wouldn’t it?”

  Krista shrugged, but had to agree.

  As soon as the Jeep was back in her possession, she transferred all her bags from Gretchen’s car and drove back to Matt’s. She’d give her head another night to think things through before making any decisions.

  Matt had wondered if Krista would ever return, or decide to stay at the inn with her friends. Not that it would’ve come as a big surprise. He could see she wasn’t entirely comfortable at his house. While he could understand why, he hoped the more time she spent there, the less she’d want to leave.

  Besides, he had to tell her about Adam. Whether or not that would make her feel any better, he wasn’t sure. Knowing the perpetrators were in custody would no doubt give her some peace of mind.

  He breathed a sigh of relief when her Jeep pulled into his drive. He watched her out his kitchen window, studying the worr
y still etched on her features. She pulled a few bags out of the passenger seat and looked at the house. He waved to her and she smiled weakly.

  Matt greeted her at the door.

  “I’m glad you came back.” He took the bags from her hands so she could remove her jacket.

  “Well, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet. I didn’t want to disappear on you.” Her brow furrowed in a brief frown, yet a definite light sparked in her eyes when she looked around the living room. Her jaw wasn’t quite so tense.

  “Regardless, I’m glad you came back. I have news for you. I need you to sit.”

  Krista turned to him, her frown deepening. He felt like he’d just kicked her when she was down.

  She took a seat at the table anyway and folded her arms. Matt sat across from her.

  “The police have two people in custody. Actually, they had one early this morning, and now another. They’re searching for a third.”

  Krista released a breath and closed her eyes. “Anyone I know?”

  He wondered if she really wanted to know. He could hear her reluctance.

  “Yeah. Adam Frechette turned himself in about four this morning. He was pretty forthcoming about his part in the whole thing.”

  Krista dropped her head onto her arms. “I can’t believe it,” she murmured.

  “There’s more, Krista.” Matt reached out and stroked her hair.

  Slowly she lifted her head and met his eyes.