“Turns out he was the one sending you the hate email, Spence,” Nate offered.
“You were paying attention when I wasn’t, Doc,” Roger said. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Speech, speech, speech!” the group chanted.
As Spence glanced at the guests, he spotted Maddie step out from behind a few SAR members. She offered her sparkling smile as if encouraging him to speak from his heart.
The guests quieted and Spence cleared his throat. “Thanks for coming to see me today. It’s been quite an interesting week.”
They chuckled.
“All of this, your well wishes and congratulations, means more to me than you can possibly imagine. I want you to know, whatever happens next, that I will hold this memory close to my heart, always.”
He noticed Maddie’s smile fade.
Spence held up his cup of coffee. “To the amazing people of Echo Mountain.”
They raised their cups and cheered. Ripping his gaze from Maddie’s, he placed his cup on the front table and headed for the stairs, needing to decompress for a few minutes. The heady emotions from the past hour were tearing him up inside.
“Spence?” Nate said from the bottom of the stairs. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”
And he would, after he finished packing.
Maddie could tell Spence was overwhelmed. She suspected he didn’t have much experience with such a supportive network of people. She wondered if he purposely isolated himself from others in order to protect them from his perceived failures. She’d put it together earlier today that he’d been running ever since his brother died. His fiancée’s betrayal confirmed his failure at love, and then his patient dying in the Portland ER probably chipped away at his confidence as a doctor. Although he acted as if he hadn’t been affected, Maddie could tell it cut him to the core.
She stood at the bottom of the stairs, wanting to go up and talk to him. But what would she say? How could she convince him to open his heart and trust love again? Trust himself, and God?
If there was one thing she’d learned from being abandoned by loved ones, it was that she couldn’t control anyone else’s decisions. All she could control was her own.
She’d never forgive herself if she walked away without fighting for something she cared about deeply. Maybe she could help Spence believe it was okay to forgive himself and take a chance, plant some roots in town and accept support from people who cared about him.
As she climbed the stairs, her pulse sped up. God, please help me find the right words.
Once she reached his room, she placed her open palm on the closed door. Took a deep breath, and knocked. “Spence?”
“Come in.”
Opening the door, she sucked in a quick breath. He was packing a suitcase. She knew a part of him didn’t want to go, didn’t want to run away again. Humor and faith had always helped her in the past, and that gave her an idea.
Quirking her mouth into a teasing smile she said, “Hoping to make a clean getaway, huh?”
“Just getting ready.”
“For the great escape?”
He shrugged. “I guess we should talk.”
“About what—world events, church news, or maybe the latest gossip in Cassie’s blog? Come on, I’ll help you pack.” She grabbed a pair of socks and rolled them up.
Handing him the socks she said, “Don’t forget your resentment.”
He narrowed his eyes at her and took the socks.
She handed him another pair. “Or your shame,” she said with a smile.
She tossed a pair of jeans at him. “Oh, and guilt, you wouldn’t want to leave guilt behind. You simply couldn’t survive without all that guilt.”
“Okay, I get it.”
A slight smile teased the corner of his lips.
“Look, I’ve learned I can’t change anyone’s mind, nor should I. I don’t know what your journey is or what God has in store for you, but what I do know is that you’ve been your own worst enemy for a very long time, always beating yourself up. I think people get used to beating themselves up and it becomes routine. That’s what happened to me when my parents left, and then the boyfriend left. So, Dr. Kyle Spencer, I will not try to force you to stay in Echo Mountain, but I will continue to pray that someday you’ll be able to let go of all that pain so you can experience true joy because that is my wish for the people I love.” With a ball of emotion rising in her throat, Maddie wrapped her arms around his waist. This hug would have to last her a lifetime.
She released him and went to the door.
“Wait,” he said.
Her breath caught as she fought back tears.
“Vince Brunson offered me my job back,” he said.
She slowly turned. “No kidding. Then why are you packing?”
“Habit?”
Hope flitted in her chest. “How about trying a new habit,” she said, closing the distance between them.
“Like what?”
She slid her arms around his waist again. “Like...love.”
“Sounds intriguing.”
“And surrender.”
“Uh...not sure—”
“Surrender all that guilt, shame and pain to God. Let Him carry your burden.”
“Maddie McBride, you are—”
“What? Bossy? My cousin Cassie always tells me that.”
“I was going to say amazing.”
“Oh, I definitely like that better than bossy.”
He tossed the jeans on the bed, missing the suitcase completely, and framed her face with his hands. “Maddie, I love you, but I may not stay in Echo Mountain forever. I will go where I’m most needed.”
She smiled, realizing the comfort of home could be found anywhere with the man she loved.
“Hmm, a life of service,” she said. “I like the sound of that.”
And she kissed him.
* * *
Mountain Hideaway
Christy Barritt
Christy Barritt’s books have won a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery and have been twice nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. She’s married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious—but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover and a road-trip aficionado. For more information, visit her website at christybarritt.com.
Books by Christy Barritt
Love Inspired Suspense
Keeping Guard
The Last Target
Race Against Time
Ricochet
Desperate Measures
Hidden Agenda
Mountain Hideaway
Dark Harbor
Shadow of Suspicion
The Baby Assignment
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.
Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
—Matthew 17:20
To all the children my husband and I work with every Sunday at Kempsville Christian—your faith inspires me. Thank you for being a part of my life.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
EPILOGUE
ONE
Tessa Jones flung herself across the couch toward the lamp and pulled the switch so hard the ceramic base nearly toppled onto the wooden floor below. With quick breaths, she darted toward the wall.
She pulled her sweater closer around her neck and forced air into her lungs. Anxiety pressed down on her and adrenaline surged, the mix making her head spin.
Slowly, she edged toward the window. She had to look. She had no choice.
With all the lights extinguished in her home, anyone lurking outside shouldn’t see her. Still, she had to be careful. She had no idea who or what was on the other side of that glass. Here in the middle of nowhere, there were no neighbors to hear her scream, to rush to her rescue. If something happened to her, she might not be found for days.
That had worked to her advantage...until today.
At this moment, she craved having someone nearby to help her, to be a second set of eyes. But she’d been mentally preparing for months to be self-reliant if a situation like this ever occurred. She’d only hoped it would never come to this.
As she turned toward the window, her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She stared hard yet cautiously into the abyss of thick woods surrounding the property.
Certainly, the speck of light bobbing on the horizon had just been her imagination. There was no one out there among the trees and the steep landscape of the mountain terrain. There couldn’t be. No one even knew this place was here.
Blackness stared back, and her heart slowed.
It had been her imagination. Just her imagination. Maybe her paranoia. It didn’t matter, as long as what she’d seen hadn’t been real.
Just then something flickered in the distance.
She blinked, her momentary relief instantly vanishing. She clutched her chest as her heart thumped out of control. Despite the cold, sweat spread across her forehead.
The light was small, like a flashlight, and it continued to bob through the woods.
Someone was walking. Toward the cabin. Toward her.
Leo’s men had found her, she realized.
Fear paralyzed her.
It didn’t matter that she’d run through this potential scenario a million times. That she’d rehearsed what she would do. That she’d planned the best course of escape.
Right now, all of those thoughts disappeared.
She’d been here eight months. She’d thought she was safe. She’d prayed she was.
But God had stopped answering her prayers a long time ago.
The beam grew larger as it neared the property. Whoever was holding the light had probably seen the lamp on. Knew that Tessa was here. Hiding, at this point, would be fruitless.
No, she had to run.
She shook her head, thoughts colliding inside.
If she ran, the mountains would kill her, even if whoever was after her didn’t. It was too dark. There were too many cliffs. Too many unknowns.
Either way, she had to move, and now!
She grabbed a backpack from her closet. She’d put it together just in case something like this ever happened. It had a flashlight, some cash, some water and a small blanket. After she slung the bag over her shoulders, she crept to the back door. She had to be decisive, to stop hesitating. If she wasn’t, the person out there would reach the cabin and might hear her leave. Might sneak around to the back and catch her.
It took every ounce of her determination to pull the door open. A brisk wind blew inside. Though it was late autumn, the air felt brutally cold here in the middle of the mountains, especially at night.
She was going to miss this cabin. Miss this life.
The thought of starting over again made Tessa’s head pound, made her feel as though a rock had been placed on her chest.
But she’d have time to worry about that later. Right now, she had to concentrate on surviving.
She quietly closed the door behind her. On her tiptoes, she started toward the woodshed in the distance. She’d hide out there and see what unfolded. She didn’t have much choice. If the intruder came too close, she could dart into the woods. She’d take her chances there before she’d take them at the hands of the ruthless men who Leo had probably sent after her.
Ducking behind the rough wood of the shed, she crouched, desperate to stay concealed. As the wind blew, the leaves swept across the ground. The sound, normally comforting, made her nerves tighten.
She held her breath, listening for any indications of the intruder.
She heard nothing.
That was when her mind began running through scenarios and she remembered—
Her car!
Of course, anyone after her would see her car. They’d know she was here. They’d tear everything apart until they found her. And once they found her... She shuddered to think of what would happen then.
If she somehow happened to escape, they could easily trace her license plate. They’d put one and one together. She felt hunted and as if there was no safe place for her to hide. Her cubbyhole away from the world had been compromised.
She’d have to start over again with a new identity, a new home, a new everything.
How could she go on like this for the rest of her life? Living with this kind of fear wasn’t living at all. It was surviving.
Just as she closed her eyes, on the verge of praying for mercy, she heard a bang. She clutched her chest. As she peered around the corner, the back door flung open.
The wind! Tessa realized.
The door had never latched easily. In her haste to get out of the house, she must not have pulled hard enough.
Now there was no hiding the fact that she was nearby. It was a matter of evading the intruder more than it was about hiding.
Despair bit deep. Maybe it would just be easier to give up.
No, Tessa reminded herself. No matter how tempting the thought might be at times, she knew she couldn’t surrender. Leo didn’t deserve to win, and she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Leo McAllister, her ex-fiancé, had already turned her life upside down when she’d caught him in the middle of smuggling blueprints for dangerous weapons to terrorists overseas. She’d tried to gather evidence to nail him, but she’d failed. That was when she’d known she had no choice but to run.
He’d sent men after her and they’d soon found her at the first place she’d sought refuge—an old house she’d rented with cash and a fake name. She’d discovered the cottage off a lonely country road in the rolling hills of Virginia and had thought she’d found the perfect hideaway. She’d been wrong. While coming home from buying groceries, she’d seen the men inside her temporary home and had fled.
Tessa had barely gotten away. She wouldn’t have escaped if it hadn’t been for a drawbridge that she’d crossed just in time.
Now Tessa waited, holding her breath, to see what would happen next. In theory, she’d been living like this ever since that life-changing day when she’d discovered Leo’s true colors.
The light appeared again.
The intruder was inside her cabin now, she was certain.
A voice drifted out, but she couldn’t make out the words.
As the wind brushed her again, her nose tingled. It wouldn’t be too long before her ears, her cheeks and her fingers all went numb. So many things could go wrong right now.
She squinted as someone stepped out the back door. The flashlight nearly caught her, but she tucked herself back behind the shed in time. As she saw the beam fade to the other side of the property, she stole another glance.
The man on her deck was tall and broad. He wore a black coat—leather, may
be—and low-slung jeans. He didn’t look familiar but, then again, it was dark. Besides, the McAllisters had enough money to hire people to do their dirty work. Leo would never do this kind of job himself.
The man stepped off the deck and walked around the side of the house. Her heart pounded in her ears as she waited for what seemed like hours. He circled the house twice. Shone his light into her car. Surveyed the area around the cabin.
Then he started toward the woods near the shed.
Tessa held her breath. No! Not back here.
His footsteps stopped.
Slowly, the sound faded, almost as if he was...retreating?
She counted to ten before peering around the corner again. In the distance, she saw the light disappear into the woods. He was leaving.
He was leaving!
But why? Maybe he wasn’t one of the men after her. Maybe he was just a passerby whose car had broken down or a hunter checking out the area. Maybe he’d gotten lost on the winding road and had come looking for directions.
None of those things sounded quite true, even in her own mind, but she couldn’t think too long.
Once the light disappeared well out of sight, she hurried to the house.
She’d forgotten her car keys. She had to grab them and get out of here. There was no time to waste.
She shuddered as she scrambled over the crispy leaves across her backyard. She sprinted up the steps, mentally reviewing where she’d left them. She couldn’t risk turning the lights on. Relying on her memory, she rushed toward the kitchen table. Her purse was there.
Had the man seen it? Had he looked inside and seen her license?
Her hands trembled now. She snatched the bag, her gaze frantically searching the countertop for the keys. Thankfully they were right beside the coffeepot where she’d left them.
She lunged toward them and felt the metal against her fingers.
Now she just had to get out of here.
Just as she turned, she sensed someone behind her. Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth.
And, for the first time in years, she prayed.
* * *
Deadly Mountain Refuge: Mountain Ambush ; Mountain Hideaway Page 21
