In Shelter Cove (Angel's Bay)

by Barbara Freethy

  “You’re letting me off the hook,” he asked in amazement.

  “It’s past time I did. Maybe you didn’t have all the answers when it came to Derek, but neither did I. We were both duped—me most of all. But Derek’s death didn’t have anything to do with either of us. That was a tragic accident. The rest was of Derek’s own making. I’ve learned a lot about my husband in the past week. Like that damned Eve, Derek had more than one face. He had plenty of time to tell me the truth, to reveal himself to me, and he chose not to. Not even in his last letter did he come clean.”

  “Because he didn’t want to disappoint you,” Jason said, knowing that just this once he had to stick up for Derek. “You believed that he was better than he was, and he wanted to be that man for you. He loved you, Brianna. He told me so that day in my garage. He said he’d finally found the woman he’d been looking for. She’d been in the mirror all along.”

  “He saw something in the glass that wasn’t there, and I guess I did, too.” She drew in a breath and let it out. “Derek was as fake as his paintings; beautiful but not real.” Her fingers slid down the side of his face. “You’re the real thing, Jason.”

  His heart pounded at the look in her eyes. He’d wanted to see love there since the first moment he’d met her.

  “You’re honest,” she continued. “You stand up for what you believe in, no matter the cost. You have a strong moral compass, and I like it.” Her lips trembled, and her eyes glittered with emotion. “In case you didn’t know, I’m falling in love with you.”

  “I’m already there,” he confessed, “but you take all the time you need to be sure. I know the Kanes mean a lot to you, and I don’t want to hurt them either.”

  “They do mean the world to me. They’re the main reason I stuck it out with Derek. It actually would have been easier to divorce Derek than them. I hope eventually they’ll come around to the idea of you and me, because I love them, and Lucas needs his grandparents. But I can’t make my decisions based on them. I want you in my life. The rest we’ll figure out along the way.”

  “Sounds like a good plan,” he said with amazed relief.

  She smiled back and then flung her arms wide. “I feel free! Completely and totally free, for the first time in forever.”

  The shadows were gone from her eyes, and she was once again that girl in the bar with a lifetime of possibilities in front of her. Thank God she wanted him to be one of those possibilities.

  “So are you going to kiss me, or what?” she demanded.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  He pulled her head down, wanting to taste every sweet inch of her. He’d been waiting his entire life for her, the one woman who made him want to jump off a cliff—or at the very least, run into a flooding cave.

  As the wind picked up, he felt her shiver in his arms, reminding him that they were soaking wet and night was falling. “We need to get dry.”

  “And we need to find Katherine,” Brianna said, jumping to her feet. “She’s the one who took me into the caves.”

  “I saw her driving away. Why did you follow her in there?”

  “She told me she thought the paintings were there, based on the sketch Derek had drawn. She was acting so friendly, so helpful. In fact, she told me that Gloria and Derek had had an affair and that she was sure Gloria was the unseen partner. It made perfect sense. When we got here, she said she’d go in on her own. She didn’t force me to go with her, so I wasn’t at all suspicious.

  “Once we got deep into the caves, she admitted everything—that she was Derek’s partner, that she set him up to take the fall, because she was pissed off that he’d gotten engaged to me. She let him rot in prison to pay him back for not choosing her. Derek couldn’t rat Katherine out, because she knew about other things he’d done. We have to stop her before she gets the paintings and runs. I am not going to let her get away with this.”

  “Don’t worry. She’s not getting away.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I already found the paintings, Brianna.” He smiled. “A lot happened today. While you were with Katherine, I was with Wyatt and the Markhams. After they saw the forgeries, they realized that Katherine had to be responsible. Apparently, until this point, they all secretly blamed the other. Gloria thought Wyatt had double-crossed her because he was related to Victor, and Wyatt thought the Markhams had done it because of Gloria’s ties to Ramón. She was descended from him, by the way.”

  Brianna’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’ll tell you the rest on the way.”

  When they pulled up in front of the Markham Gallery, night had fallen, but the building was ablaze with lights. A police car was parked outside. Brianna walked ahead of Jason into the building. She saw Gloria, Steve, and Wyatt standing with Joe Silveira and another officer. The first thing she noticed was that the wall of mirrors had been ripped apart, with large pieces of glass lying on the floor.

  “What happened to you two?” Joe asked, taking in their sopping appearance.

  “Katherine lured Brianna into the caves and left her there,” Jason said shortly. “We barely made it out alive.”

  Brianna heard Gloria gasp and wasn’t sure she believed the sincerity of that reaction. She didn’t know if Gloria’s affair with Derek was one of Katherine’s lies, but she suspected it was not.

  “I’m glad you got out,” Joe said, concern in his eyes. “The Markhams shut down the gallery early according to plan. Katherine showed up as soon as everyone was gone. She turned off the security camera, or so she thought, took the mirrors off the wall, and pulled the paintings off the backs. We got it on our own cameras. She had quite a look of satisfaction on her face.”

  “You let Katherine steal the paintings?” Brianna asked in shock.

  “Not exactly,” Jason said, a pleased smile on his face. “We took the mirrors down, removed the originals, and replaced them with the copies. We needed to catch Katherine in the act, and we figured she’d try to snatch them as soon as she could, knowing the trail would lead to her.”

  “So Katherine has the fakes?”

  Jason nodded. He tipped his head to Steve Markham, who moved around the reception area and pulled out the paintings. One by one the Three Faces of Eve were placed on the counter as the group gathered around.

  For a while, there was nothing but reverent silence.

  Brianna stared at each of Eve’s faces and let out a sigh. “I really hate Eve, but I’m glad she’s back.”

  “I’m sorry, Brianna,” Wyatt said gruffly. “I knew Derek was guilty, but I should have realized he didn’t have the smarts to do it all on his own.”

  She didn’t know if that was a compliment or an insult, but it didn’t matter anymore. She glanced at Jason. “How did you know they were behind the mirrors?”

  “We were standing by the door, talking about where Katherine might have put the paintings,” Jason replied. “Since she lives with her mother, home wasn’t an option. It seemed likely that she’d want to keep the paintings close by, like here at the gallery. Wyatt mentioned how Katherine and Derek used to play with mirrors when they were painting, which reminded me of your sketches, and the first time you met Derek.”

  “When he saw me in the mirror,” Brianna said. “And the gallery entrance—the mirrors were in one of his sketches that he did in prison.”

  “Exactly,” Jason said, meeting her gaze. “I looked at the mirrors, saw my reflection, and thought maybe . . .”

  “Very intuitive,” she said.

  He tipped his head. “It was time for us to get a break.”

  “So what happens now?”

  “We pick up Katherine.”

  “Already done,” Joe interjected as he hung up the phone. “Laughton picked her up on the outskirts of town. She’s on her way to the station.”

  “It’s over, Brianna,” Jason said. “We’ve got her in possession of the stolen art. She’s going to go to prison.”

  Brianna fe
lt a wave of relief. “Thank God.”

  “Do you want to come to the station?” Jason asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I’m done with Katherine. I’m done with all of this,” she said waving her hand toward the paintings. “I’m going to tell the Kanes what happened, and then I’m taking my son home. We’re going to carve pumpkins and have dinner and make plans for the future.” Her eyes teared up as she realized she’d really come to the end. Her questions had been answered. Maybe not in the way she’d hoped, but at least she had the truth now. She could move on, and she was more than ready to do that.

  Jason put his hands on her shoulders as the others moved away. “I know you wanted to clear Derek’s name for Lucas, that you wanted him to have a father he could be proud of.”

  “I’ll make sure Lucas knows that Derek was more than just the crime he committed. Maybe you can help.”

  “Whatever I can do,” he said solemnly. “I’m not trying to take his place, you know. He was your husband. He was Lucas’s father. I respect that.”

  “I know you do. We’re going to make this work,” she said, feeling more sure of herself than she had in a long time.

  “I want that more than anything, Brianna.”

  “Me, too,” she said, stealing a quick kiss. “When you get done at the station, come over. I’ll be waiting.”

  “The sweetest words I’ve ever heard.”

  She smiled. “I’m just getting started.”

  He grinned back at her. “So am I.”

  Epilogue

  Ten days later

  The streets of Angel’s Bay were filled with ghosts and goblins, spooky cobwebs, and bright shining pumpkins.

  “Are we almost at the last house?” Lucas asked wearily. He’d finally run out of steam from trick-or-treating, and his plastic pumpkin was overflowing with candy.

  “This is it,” Brianna said with a smile.

  Lucas turned to Jason and raised his arms in a silent plea to be carried. Jason laughed and lifted him up. “You want a ride, buddy? That might cost you a Snickers bar. They’re my favorite.”

  “Okay,” Lucas said sleepily, resting his head on Jason’s broad shoulder.

  “Maybe we should go home,” Brianna suggested. “It is getting late.”

  “No, I’m awake,” Lucas said, perking up again. He hated to miss any action, and Jason had been telling him about the Lynches’ Halloween party for days.

  “We’ll just stay a little while,” Jason said, leading the way up to Kara’s front door.

  Kara and Colin had gone all out for Halloween. There were ghosts hanging from the trees, spiderwebs adorning the porch railings and a few gravestones erupting from the lawn. The house was filled to the brim with adults and children, most dressed in costume. Lucas saw one of his friends and immediately jumped out of Jason’s arms. He handed Brianna his pumpkin and took off to play.

  “That was fast,” Jason said with a laugh. He leaned over and kissed her. “Maybe we should take this opportunity to wander around some dark streets for a while. I doubt he’d notice we were gone.”

  “The streets don’t have to be dark. We’re not hiding anymore.” She slipped her hand into his.

  “The Kanes were a little less chilly tonight,” Jason said.

  “They’re making an effort, especially now that they know the truth about Derek. They have to try. I want all of you in my life.”

  “Hey, there you are,” Kara interrupted, giving them both a kiss and a hug. “We’re just about to go into the backyard and dunk for apples.”

  “I’ll pass,” Jason said, sliding his arms about Brianna’s shoulders. “I’m more than comfortable right here.”

  “I can see that,” Kara said, giving them a beaming smile. “You two look happy.”

  “We are,” Brianna said, smiling back. “More than I ever could have imagined.”

  “You both deserve it. I’ve been waiting for Jason to find someone for a long time.”

  “She was worth waiting for,” Jason said, love shining in his eyes. “And worth fighting for.”

  Brianna’s heart swelled with emotion. She wouldn’t regret loving Derek, because despite the secrets, they’d made a child together. But she and Derek had never really known each other. With Jason, it was different. The honesty between them took their love to a deeper level.

  “I guess it’s no more three musketeers,” Kara said to Jason. “Now there’s four.”

  “Yeah, I’m finally not outnumbered by you and Colin. By the way, I hear you’re trying out for the Winter Workshop.”

  “Victoria and the Hartleys talked me into auditioning, but I’m sure I won’t get it,” Kara said. “They’re just being nice, wanting to include some locals in with the L.A. company that’s going to be arriving shortly.”

  “You’re pretty good at drama,” Jason teased.

  “I’m going to take that as a compliment.” She grinned.

  “As you should.”

  A sudden crash of glass interrupted their conversation. Across the room a pregnant teenager was doubled over, grimacing in pain. Charlotte and Joe rushed to her side.

  “Oh, my God,” Kara said. “I think Annie is going into labor. Should I call nine-one-one?”

  “Joe has it covered,” Jason said, as the chief and Charlotte helped Annie toward the door.

  “I better clean up the glass.” Kara slipped away.

  “The excitement never ends,” Jason said.

  “No, it doesn’t. I wonder if the father of Annie’s baby will finally show his face.”

  “What do you know about that?”

  “Just what I hear at the quilt shop,” Brianna said with a laugh. “It’s quite the topic of conversation. There are a lot of suspects.”

  Lucas ran up to them. “Mommy, that lady is having a baby!”

  “I know. It’s wonderful.”

  “Are you going to have another baby?”

  Her jaw droped. “Uh . . .”

  Jason laughed at her expression. “Want to give us an answer, Brianna?”

  “Not tonight,” she said quickly. “Right now, I just want to celebrate being with my two favorite guys.”

  As Lucas ran off, Jason said, “I can live with that.”

  “I’m not ruling out more kids.” The idea of having Jason’s baby was rather appealing, but first things first.

  “There’s no rush,” Jason said. “We’ve got plenty of time for everything. I love you, Brianna.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He might not have been the first man in her life—but he would be the last.

  Can’t get enough of Angel’s Bay?

  Turn the page to find out

  what some of your favorite characters

  have been up to . . .

  From Suddenly One Summer’s Jenna Davies

  Dear Readers:

  When you first met me, I was on the run with my daughter Lexie. We thought we’d find peace and security in Angel’s Bay, but we found a lot more. I fell in love with Reid Tanner, a cynical, sarcastic, gorgeous hunk of a man who thankfully fell in love with me, too. Neither Reid nor I believed in angels until we came to this beautiful seaside town and witnessed our own special miracle.

  Finding Angel’s Bay and each other changed both of us. Reid’s stint as a tabloid reporter is over. He’s back to covering hard news and just returned from the Middle East. He’s taken a more permanent job in Los Angeles, so we’re going to say good-bye to the bay for a while, but we’ll be back. We purchased Rose Littleton’s house and we’ll keep it in the family as long as we can. Knowing that my roots extend to the original survivors of the shipwreck and the founders of this town makes this place home, no matter where we are.

  I’m still teaching piano, but when we move to L.A., I’ll play with an orchestra there. It’s about the music now and not about the business, which gives me great joy. Lexie is seeing a therapist to deal with all the tragedy she’s seen in her short life, but she’s thriving. She adores Reid and can’t wait
to be the flower girl at our wedding next summer. Hope to see you there!

  Jenna

  From On Shadow Beach ’s Lauren Jamison

  Dear Readers,

  I came back to Angel’s Bay to take care of my father. I thought I could get in and out of town without anyone noticing—without dragging up all the old history. I should have known better. I hadn’t been in town more than a few minutes when my father took off in his boat, and I had to get someone to help me chase him down. That someone was Shane Murray, my high school boyfriend, my first love, and the man who’d been accused of murdering my sister, Abby. Shane and I had a lot to work through, but somehow we found our way back to each other. I like to think that Abby had a hand in that.

  My father and I are building a new house, one without the painful memories. Dad and I are much closer now, and I cherish all the moments we have together. He doesn’t always remember who I am or even who he is, but I’m happy to share this part of his life with him.

  I finally fulfilled my dream of having my own bakery. I opened up Sugar and Spice this year and I’m up to my neck in flour and sugar. Shane says he gets high just smelling my hair. He’s been my biggest supporter. And while he still has his boat on the bay, he’s spending a lot more time on land. He still keeps his mother’s secret, as do I. Sometimes love is more important than truth.

  Speaking of love, Shane and I are planning a winter wedding. I know it’s soon, but I want my dad to walk me down the aisle. Kara and Charlotte will be bridesmaids, along with Shane’s sister, Dee. Shane’s brothers, Michael and Patrick, as well as Kara’s husband, Colin, will stand up for Shane. I’m hoping my mother and brother will be in the first row. I’d like to have my whole family together one more time.

  Oh, and did I tell you where Shane proposed? You probably guessed—the tree house. It was where we fell in love as kids and came back together as adults. I can’t wait to see our own kids playing there. Don’t tell Shane I said that. He’s just getting used to the idea of marriage. But I’m pretty sure I can talk him into the idea. Underneath that rough and tough exterior, he has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known.