He said the words easily, but the muscle ticking in his jaw told her he was lying.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“What about the children?”
“I’ll find another nanny.”
She inhaled sharply at his words. Was it really so easy for him to replace her, to act like she’d never been there at all? “You’re going to regret this,” she said softly. “And then it’ll be too late.”
“The only thing I’d regret is remarrying, and that will never, ever, happen again.”
She nodded sadly. “So you said.” She felt like her world had been turned upside down. “I need a few days off.”
“Of course,” he said easily, and she wanted to lash out at him. “I’m sure Mrs. Farnsworth would be willing to fill in until you return… or another replacement can be found.”
Her head whipped up. “Is that what you want? You want me gone?” The thought of never holding or playing with Phoebe or Thomas again gutted her.
“It’s only a matter of time until you leave.” His gaze caressed her hair, then moved down her body, before returning to meet her eyes.
It warmed her, and she relished the feel even through her pain.
“You’re too pretty to last long.”
She choked on a sob before running from the house, and Cam slowly sunk to a chair.
Neither saw Thomas silently crying at the top of the stairs.
Chapter 13
Cam stumbled down the hall the next morning, his eyes gritty from the lack of sleep. He’d tossed and turned, replaying his conversation with Aria over and over, wondering what would’ve happened had he’d told her the truth instead of lying, if he’d told her that he loved her too. Could it have turned out any differently in the end?
What would’ve happened had he thrown out the past and took a chance? He hadn’t loved his last wife, and she hadn’t loved him. It had been a business arrangement between two families. Could love really make such a difference?
After so many hours staring at the ceiling, he was afraid of the answer.
Yes. Love made a difference.
He’d screwed up, big time, and he’d be lucky if Aria would even speak to him. But first, he needed to check on his kids. They’d slept in later than normal, and they needed to wake and start their day. He opened their door quietly, not wanting to startle them.
“Thomas? Phoebe?” he asked softly, wondering if he married Aria, what differences there would be in their family. Surely his children would be happy.
When neither stirred, he moved to the curtains and let in light. “Thomas?” he called again, glancing over his shoulder.
The beds were empty.
“Thomas! Phoebe!” He raced to their beds and threw back the blankets, knowing they weren’t there, but praying he was wrong.
“Thomas, answer me right now!” He spun in a circle, his eyes darting around the room, searching for any sign of them.
That’s when he saw a folded piece of paper on the table. He lunged for it, opening it when he saw ‘Father’ written on the top.
Dear Father,
We love Miss McKinnon. You should’ve told her you loved her too so she could be our mother. Now she’s not coming back and it’s all your fault. We’re not coming back either.
He flipped the paper over looking for anything else they’d written, anything that would tell him where they’d gone, as sheer terror filled his heart.
His kids were missing. They’d run away, and it was all his fault.
He’d already driven away Aria, he couldn’t lose his children too.
Refusing to wallow in her broken heart, Aria had rode to town early that day, hoping to make herself useful and pick up some supplies they needed at the house. At least she was doing something. She hoped it would be enough to distract her from the jagged hole in her heart.
She flipped through the material in the mercantile, neither caring or even thinking about which would be best for the dresses Juliette intended to create and donate to the church. Maybe Aria should volunteer to make something too. At least it would take up some of her time. Even if she would think of Cam the entire project.
Late last night, she’d decided to tell Jimmy that she couldn’t marry him. It wouldn’t be right when she felt like a walking corpse. Her heart may heal in time, but it wouldn’t be soon.
She selected one of the fabrics at random and stowed it in her basket just as the town bell rang. Her gaze darted to the town square outside the window as people ran toward the high-pitched call. The bell was only rung in an emergency.
She dropped her basket on the floor and ran out into the crowd. “What is it? What’s going on?” she asked, hoping someone around her would answer.
“Two children have gone missing.”
Fear clenched her stomach. “When? Who?”
An older man shook his head. “Sometime last night or early this morning. Don’t know why. It’s the two Grant children.”
“Grant children…” Her gaze flew to the man ringing the bell.
Cam!
She was going to be sick.
She pushed her way through the crowd until she reached him. “Cam!”
Seeing her, he jumped off the deck and wrapped her in his arms. Shock filled her that he was holding her, squeezing her so hard, and she pushed against him to ease his hold so she could breathe.
“They’re gone.” His own breathing was harsh as he put his forehead against hers. “They’ve run away.”
“Why? Why would they do that?” Thomas and Phoebe were good kids. They were treated well and loved. They had no reason to.
Regret filled his eyes. “They must have heard our conversation last night. The note they left said that they loved you, and that I drove you away, so they were leaving too.”
“Oh, Cam.” Her heart ached for him. No matter what had happened between them, she would never want him to lose his children. “We’ll find them. They couldn’t have gone far.”
He shook his head, obviously still blaming himself. She tried to think of what she could say or do to ease his suffering, but nothing would until they were found.
“We’re going to find them.”
His jaw clenched, and he nodded once before pulling her close and kissing her hard. It lasted only a second before he released her and climbed up the platform to speak to the crowd.
Reeling at his kiss, she placed her fingertips over her lips, looking over the crowd in a daze. Her gaze darted to Jimmy, and his face was grim. He probably thought she was with Cam after her talk with him last night, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
She would set him straight later. All she cared about right now was finding the kids.
When the groups were assembled, and instructions given on who should search where, she approached Cam. “I’m coming with you.” Her voice left no room for argument. She didn’t care if she had to follow him.
Fortunately, he didn’t argue. He nodded before yelling out to the group. “Mount up!”
Everyone moved quickly, not knowing exactly how long the kids had been gone. Anything could’ve happened to them during the night. Imagining them hurt, lost, scared and hungry sent Aria in a panic.
As they rode down the trail, she yelled, “Thomas! Phoebe!” Her head whipped around to take in as much scenery as possible. Would they have traveled off the trail?
There was so much space out there, there was no way the search parties could cover it all.
As the minutes and hours passed, their group continued on. Her voice was hoarse from yelling, but she wouldn’t stop calling out for them until it was completely gone.
They finally stopped when the horses needed a break, and several of the volunteers slumped from exhaustion.
Aria yelled out for the kids one more time as Cam approached.
“You need to eat something or you’ll be no use later.”
She nodded and mindlessly tore off a chunk of the jerky he offered. “We have t
o find them,” she said softly, staring off in a daze into the trees. “We have to.”
“We will. It’s going to be okay.”
She realized he offered the same words to her, as she’d said to him earlier. But after so much time had gone by with no word, she was getting worried. What if night fell and they still hadn’t found them?
“Where could they have gone? They’re so little.”
He handed her his canteen. “I don’t know. Someone checked with the few friends they might’ve gone to, but no one has seen or heard from them since last night.
Aria didn’t need the reminder right then of what had happened. She felt responsible for their disappearance. If she hadn’t decided to confront Cam, Thomas and Phoebe would still be at home.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she finally focused on Cam. “This is all my fault.”
“No.”
“It is. If I hadn’t stayed last night, none of this—”
He pulled her toward him and wrapped his arms around her. She knew it didn’t mean anything more than him offering her comfort, but she didn’t care, she clung to him.
“I should’ve left things how they were.”
“This isn’t your fault,” he insisted.
She shook her head against his shirt, and he pulled her away from him so he could see her.
He waited for her eyes to meet his, then said, “I mean that. You aren’t to blame. I’ve been an idiot. And I’m their father, I should have some idea of where they’d go.”
“What did the note say?”
He pulled it out of his back pocket and handed it to her. “Not much. Just that they love you and they were leaving me.”
She read over the short note several times. Finally, she gasped. “‘We’re not coming back either.’” She held the note out to Cam. “They said I wasn’t coming back, so they weren’t either… Could they… could they have gone to my house?” She wanted to think it could be so easy and that they were safe and sound on Ivan’s property.
“It’s the best idea we’ve had yet.” He instructed the others to continue without him and Aria, while they checked out another place.
Not wasting any more time, they climbed their horses and took off to Ivan’s old house. They remained silent on their ride, but she was grateful for that. She took every extra second to pray that they would find the kids safe.
Please let them be all right.
They stopped in front of the house and started yelling the kid’s names. They had to be here. They had to. She couldn’t think of anywhere else they would’ve gone that they hadn’t already checked.
Juliette hurried through the doorway. “I was just about to send word. They’re here.”
Aria almost fell off her horse in relief when Thomas and Phoebe inched their way out of the house.
Cam didn’t speak. The moment his kids came into view, he jumped down and scooped them into his arms, tears trailing from his eyes as he held them close.
Phoebe wiggled and Cam loosened his hold. She placed her hands on Cam’s cheeks to look at him and her eyes widened.
“Father, are you crying?”
He shook his head as he gave a laugh filled with relief. “Yes, love, I am. I’m so glad we found you. Aria and I have been so worried about you.”
Thomas’ sad eyes looked past his shoulder to Aria. “You were?” he asked her.
She dismounted and walked toward him. Cam released him, and the boy ran into her arms. She held him tight, grateful he was safe, but wishing she could be a part of his life forever, wishing he could be her son. “I was very worried. Never run off like that again. I don’t think my heart could take it.”
His chin wobbled. “You won’t know if I do. You won’t be around.”
She shook her head and squeezed him tighter. “It doesn’t matter if your father and I aren’t together. I’ll always be here for you. Do you understand me? I love you.” She looked to Phoebe and the girl ran toward her and wrapped her arms around Aria just like Thomas. “And I love you, Phoebe. You can always count on me no matter what.”
“We love you, Miss McKinnon!” Phoebe kissed Aria’s cheek and Thomas clung to her even tighter.
Her heart broke right then, wishing these were her children, that she could have everything her heart desired, everything she’d dreamed. But she now knew that life wasn’t a fairy-tale. You couldn’t always have what you wanted.
Thomas wiggled from her, hope brightening his eyes. “I know! You can marry me! Then we won’t ever have to be apart.”
“Oh.” Aria chuckled and pulled him in close. “What an offer.”
Cam stepped toward them, before kneeling down beside the hugging trio. He looked at his son, his eyes serious. “She can’t marry you, Thomas.”
“Why not! I love her.”
Cam nodded thoughtfully. “I know you do. But instead of marrying her, what do you think about her becoming your new mother?”
Phoebe’s eyes lit up. “Our mother!”
Pain and hope tangled in Aria’s heart. She wanted to be their mother more than anything, but she couldn’t believe his words. “What are you saying?”
He stood and took her hand, pulling her up against him. “I’m saying I love you, Aria. I’m sorry about last night. I was a coward and only thinking about the past. You know the circumstances of my last marriage, and I don’t want a repeat.”
Could he really mean—
“But I realized that you and I could never have that type of relationship. I love you. And I hope that, even though I was a total idiot last night, you still love me. Forgive me. Please. It’s selfish, but I don’t think I could live with myself if you didn’t.”
His eyes pleaded with hers, and the broken pieces of her heart mended instantly.
He pulled her close, her lips just a breath away from his. “Forgive me and marry me.”
A shocked cry wrenched from her lips, and she closed the gap, sealing her lips with his. Tears tracked down her cheeks as her soul filled with more happiness than she ever thought possible.
Phoebe and Thomas cheered and grabbed both her and Cam’s legs, hugging as if they’d never let go.
Cam broke off with a laugh and leaned his forehead on hers. “I really hope that was a yes.”
She laughed through the tears. “It’s definitely a yes.”
Relief soothed his features, and he kissed her again—softly, gently, lovingly. Telling her without words how much he loved her, how much he needed her. This is what she’d hoped for when coming to Promise Creek.
She and Cam each wrapped one of their arms around the children, bringing them all together. They were a family now, and it was better than any dream.
Epilogue
Aria smiled when she heard Cam’s horse ride into the yard. She’d left a lantern burning outside so he could make his way around easily. Now that their house in the gorgeous meadow was built, it was so much darker than when they’d been in town.
She was drying a dish when he came through the door. “I was wondering if you were ever coming home,” she teased over her shoulder and squeaked when he came up behind her and scooped her up in his arms.
His kissed the side of her neck and nuzzled. “And miss seeing my gorgeous, wife? Never gonna happen.”
She snorted at his words, then gasped when he spun her around and kissed her hotly. She melted, loving the feel of being in his arms. Her love for him only seemed to grow each day.
He broke from her lips. “Can the rest of these wait?” He nodded to the soapy sink filled with dinner dishes.
She batted her lashes playfully. “What did you have in mind?” As if she even needed to ask.
He backed her to the counter and caged her in while he kissed her neck. “Better go upstairs quick, unless you want to find out right here. I’ll even give you to the count of three.”
Shocked, she laughed and moved away from him. “Cam!”
“One.”
Her mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious.”
/> “Two.” His eyes gleamed as he moved toward her.
She shrieked and ran for the stairs, only getting halfway up before he said three and lifted her in his arms.
Laughing, he kissed her, and she shushed him once he took a breath. “If you really want to spend some time alone, you’ll want to quiet down, or else your son and daughters will want you to tuck them in again.”
He pressed his lips together, trying to stifle his laugh. He knew she was right. Thomas and Phoebe hated going to sleep without a kiss from him, and Lizzy, their one year old daughter, was just as bad.
He carried her the rest of the way to their room in silence and quietly closed the door behind them, before they burst into laughter, and undressed as quickly as possible between kisses.
Real life was so much better than any dream.
Titles by Janelle Daniels
Scandals & Secrets
Scandal of Love (Scandals & Secrets - Book 1)
Masquerade Secrets (Scandals & Secrets - Book 2)
Secrets in Mourning (Scandals & Secrets - Book 3)
A Kiss with Scandal (Scandals & Secrets - Book 4)
A Christmas Secret (Scandals & Secrets – Book 4.5)
Miners to Millionaires
A Mail-Order Heart (Miners to Millionaires - Book 1)
A Mail-Order Wish (Miners to Millionaires – Book 2)
A Mail-Order Hope (Miners to Millionaires – Book 3)
Collaborations
Kitty: Bride of Hawaii (American Mail-Order Brides)
Single Title Romance
Sunkissed
My Only Wish
The Witches of Redwood Falls
The Witching Moon (The Witches of Redwood Falls - Book 1)
The Witches Craft (The Witches of Redwood Falls - Book 2)
Discover other titles by Janelle Daniels
www.JanelleDaniels.com
Connect with me online.
I love to hear from readers!
A Mail-Order Dream (Miners to Millionaires Book 4) Page 9
