“I needed you to make the decision to come home on your own, Maddie,” Olivia replied. “You needed to be ready for this life when you finally got your courage together. I couldn’t force you to do what I wanted. You had to decide what life you wanted to live and then go after it on your own.”
“I know,” Maddie muttered. “It’s just … I can’t help feeling that Nick and I missed out on time together.”
“You have a lifetime ahead of you,” Olivia countered. “Stop worrying about the past and focus on the future instead. You can’t change the past. You can mold your future.”
“You always had a way with words, Mom. That was beautiful.”
“I have a lot of time on my hands to think of wonderful things to say these days,” Olivia replied, her eyes twinkling.
“I don’t suppose you’ve checked in on Granny over the past few days, have you?” Maddie asked, holding a branch back so her mother’s ghostly form could move forward.
Olivia giggled. “I can walk through that branch, Sunshine.”
“Oh, right,” Maddie said, making a face and moving back to her mother’s side. “Have you checked in on Granny?”
“Your grandmother is perfectly fine,” Olivia replied. “She’s been taking care of herself for a very long time. A week apart is not going to kill her.”
“I’m worried about the house,” Maddie admitted. “She’s threatening to throw huge parties in her new apartment.”
“Yes, well, I wouldn’t worry about that.”
“Has she thrown a party?”
“She has,” Olivia confirmed. “She had twenty people over.”
“Ugh. Is the house a mess?”
“They all went home before eight,” Olivia replied. “Mom’s friends are her age. Once the sun sets they have to be in bed. They can’t help themselves.”
Maddie pursed her lips. “Was Granny disappointed?”
“She was asleep on the couch before they left.”
“Oh, no. Poor, Granny.”
“She’s fine,” Olivia said. “I … do you hear that?”
Maddie tilted her head to the side, her mother’s conversational shift serving as a stark reminder that she was on a mission. “I … think so.”
“It sounds like crying to me,” Olivia said, pushing forward. “Come on.”
KELLY was angry.
It felt like an understatement when she admitted it to herself, but there it was. She didn’t realize until she heard her father and brother talking, but she deserved their ire.
For years she’d been making excuses for her behavior. She felt the world owed her something. No, that wasn’t right. It was more that she felt the world betrayed her so it owed her payback. Listening to Nick and her father made her understand that she’d made things ten times worse than they needed to be.
David was a loser. She should’ve realized it from the start. She was so caught up in dreams that were never going to happen that she refused to see the truth, though. Once those dreams were yanked away from her, she found she had nothing left to cling to. She let herself wallow after that. Then she turned herself into a martyr in her own mind.
She was Kelly Winters, after all. She was a single mother and no one could possibly understand her plight. She felt like an idiot. She’d wasted years pining away for a man who could never be hers. When she saw Nick pining for Maddie, she thought he was a kindred spirit. She’d been wrong. Nick found his dream. She was jealous of that, and the realization hurt.
Kelly needed time away from her family to think so she ducked into the woods for a walk. She needed to clear her head. Not only that, she also had to gather her courage. She owed Maddie Graves a big apology. Despite her epiphany, Kelly didn’t know if she would ever be able to get behind Maddie and Nick’s relationship because she was terrified Maddie would crush her brother’s heart. What she said about Maude, though, was unforgivable.
Kelly had just about convinced herself to turn around when she caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye. She recognized Maddie’s blond hair straightaway, but what puzzled her was the fact that the woman appeared to be talking to herself. Kelly didn’t blame her. She was probably blowing off steam. Kelly often talked to herself when no one was looking.
Kelly made up her mind quickly and followed Maddie. Now was the best time for an apology – especially because she could do it without an audience. If she was going to eat crow, it would be better if it was just the two of them.
“I THINK we’re close,” Maddie said, pressing her eyes shut again. “I … close. I just can’t … .”
“Maddie?”
Maddie froze. She recognized Kelly’s voice. Her shoulders stiffened as she turned, her mind busy as she tried to think of a plausible explanation for being this deep in the woods. Kelly didn’t give her a chance to volunteer one.
“I owe you an apology,” Kelly said. “I’m so sorry for what I said about Maude. It wasn’t fair or right.”
“What did she say about Mom?” Olivia asked curiously.
Maddie couldn’t answer her mother without making Kelly suspicious, so she opted to ignore her. She hoped Olivia wouldn’t take it personally. “I know you’re sorry, Kelly,” Maddie replied, the sound of a clock ticking furiously in the back of her mind. She needed this to be quick if she was going to find what she was looking for. “Your brother doesn’t see the hurt when he looks at you. I do. I knew you regretted what you said about Granny when you said it.”
“That’s it?” Kelly looked surprised. “Aren’t you going to yell at me? Aren’t you going to tell me I’m a terrible person?”
“I don’t think you’re a terrible person,” Maddie countered. “I think you’re sad and you don’t know what to do with yourself. I … .” Crap. The crying in her head was getting louder and yet she couldn’t hear the voice in the woods any longer. “You know what? This is a really bad time. Can we talk about this later?”
“Why can’t we talk about it now?”
“I … .” If Kelly was anything like Nick, she wasn’t going to let this go. The Winters were notoriously stubborn. Maddie didn’t have time to argue, and she wasn’t capable of making up a lie that Kelly would conveniently accept. “Fine. Walk with me. You can’t talk for a few minutes, though. I need to be able to hear in case something is out here.”
“What are you expecting to be out here?” Kelly asked, curiously moving to Maddie’s side. “What are you looking for?”
“I think I heard someone crying,” Maddie replied. “I … it sounded like a child. I’m trying to see if someone is lost out here.”
“Oh,” Kelly said, straightening. “I … okay. I’ll help.”
“Great. I think it was this way.”
Kelly wordlessly followed Maddie as the persistent blonde followed the growing sobs in her head. Finally, the two women happened upon a clearing. It was there that Maddie found what she was looking for.
The girl was small, maybe eight if Maddie had to guess. Her face was streaked with tears and dirt, and her pigtails were askew. She was sitting in the middle of the field, lost for all intents and purposes.
“Holy crap,” Kelly mumbled. “You really did hear a child crying.”
“You’re going to have to start believing me when I talk at some point,” Maddie said, lifting her hands in a placating manner as she approached the child. “I’m not lying and I’m not going anywhere.”
Maddie turned her attention to the girl. “Hello, sweetheart. Are you lost?”
The girl looked terrified, but nodded.
“Do you want me to help find your family?”
The girl nodded again.
“Okay,” Maddie said, moving closer. “Can you take my hand and come with me? We can get you something to eat and drink, and then maybe you can tell us how to find your parents. How does that sound?”
The girl looked conflicted. Maddie had a feeling she knew why.
“Your parents probably told you not to talk to strangers, huh?” Another nod. “M
y name is Maddie Graves. Now I’m not a stranger. If you come with me, I promise I’ll help you find your parents.”
That was the last push the girl needed. She hopped to her feet and threw herself at Maddie, wrapping her arms around Maddie’s waist as she burst into a fresh round of tears. “I want to go home.”
“We’re going to take you home,” Kelly said, her eyes glued to Maddie. “We’re going to make sure you’re safe.”
Maddie smiled at Kelly as she petted the child’s head. “We’re definitely going to make sure you’re safe.”
“You need to make sure everyone is safe,” Olivia said, her gaze trained on the tree line on the far side of the clearing. “Someone is in those trees, Maddie. Whoever it is wants to hide. I don’t think you’re safe here. I … start heading back to the campground right now. Don’t dawdle. Move now.”
Seventeen
“What’s wrong?” Kelly didn’t like the grim tilt of Maddie’s chin. She looked worried. After finding a child, Kelly would’ve thought she’d be relieved. Maddie’s stance reflected nothing of the sort.
“We need to take her back to the campground,” Maddie said, squinting as she studied the tree line.
“I don’t understand,” Kelly said. “If you want to wait here with her, I can go back and get Nick. He’ll know what to do.”
“We can’t separate,” Maddie said, forcing a smile as she glanced down at the terrified child. “Are you hungry? Let’s go back and get some food, shall we? I’ll bet someone is looking for you.”
The girl finally opened her mouth … and wailed. “I want my Mom!”
“We’re going to get you to your mother,” Kelly said, her heart going out to the scared child. “I promise.” Kelly turned back to Maddie. “I’ll stay here with her if you want to go back.”
“No one is staying here,” Maddie said, furtively studying the trees again. If Kelly didn’t know better, she would swear the woman was tracking someone with her eyes. There was no one there to watch, though.
“You’re kind of freaking me out,” Kelly admitted. “I … do you see something over there?”
Maddie lowered her voice. “I think someone is over there, Kelly, and I don’t think it’s someone we want to talk to. I can’t explain it right now. We need to stay together, and we need to get back to the campground. Do you understand?”
Kelly wanted to argue. Heck, it was in her nature to argue. Nick and her father’s words came floating back, though, and Kelly resolutely nodded instead. After all, Maddie found a lost child in the woods. She’d earned respect. “Let’s go.”
Maddie grabbed the girl’s hand on one side and Kelly followed suit on the other, both women buffering the child as they moved in the opposite direction of the trees Maddie was so bothered by. Kelly didn’t miss the fact that Maddie kept glancing over her shoulder. She was watching the space behind them in case someone tried to move in on them. Kelly had no idea what was going on, but Maddie’s hyper-vigilance was enough to keep her on task.
“It shouldn’t take us more than twenty minutes to get back to camp,” Kelly said, her voice bright as she bolstered the girl. “Then there will be tons of people who want to feed and take care of you. We also have two police officers there, and they can find your mom.”
The girl didn’t reply, although she appeared happy with the news.
“What’s your name?” Maddie asked, tearing her eyes away from the trees.
“Jessica.”
“Jessica what?”
“Jessica Blake.”
“Well, Jessica Blake, I think things are going to work out for you today,” Maddie said. “You’ll be out of these trees in no time.”
“Good,” Jessica said, relaxing a bit as her trust grew. “I don’t ever want to see another tree again. They’re horrible. They look like monsters in the dark.”
Kelly jolted. “Were you out here all night alone?”
Jessica bit her lip and nodded. “I … .”
“It’s okay,” Kelly prodded. “You’re not in trouble. Tell us what happened.”
“I wasn’t supposed to walk around by myself,” Jessica said. “I did anyway because my brothers were being buttheads and said I was a baby. I wanted to prove I wasn’t a baby.”
“All brothers can be buttheads,” Kelly soothed. “They never outgrow that.”
Maddie snorted, but otherwise remained quiet. She was alert, letting Kelly keep up the conversation while she kept track of their surroundings. Kelly found something comforting about the blonde’s diligent nature.
“I got lost,” Jessica said. “It was sunny out when I went into the woods, but then it got dark. Do you think my mom and dad are going to yell at me?”
“I think your mom and dad are going to be so happy that you’re okay they won’t be able to yell,” Kelly said. “They’ve probably been looking for you all night.”
Maddie furrowed her brow. “Shouldn’t we have heard if someone was looking for a missing child? I would think they would come to all of the campgrounds and notify everyone.”
“Maybe she didn’t go missing from our campground,” Kelly suggested. “Plus … well … none of us was hanging out where people would approach us last night. Maybe they did make the rounds and we didn’t notice.”
“Maybe.”
“Speaking of that … .”
Maddie glanced at Kelly, her blue eyes sympathetic. “It’s fine, Kelly. I know you’re sorry. You don’t have to apologize again.”
“I feel like I should.”
“It’s really not necessary,” Maddie said. “I’m fine. You’re fine. Jessica here is definitely going to be fine. I think we should just put it behind us.”
Kelly was both relieved and reluctant. “I would feel better if you yelled at me.”
“I think Nick has yelled at you enough for the both of us,” Maddie said, her expression rueful. “Let’s just agree that it’s in the past. Hopefully we can move forward from here.”
“I … I’m still worried that you’re going to leave again and crush Nick,” Kelly admitted. “He won’t survive losing you a second time.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Maddie said. “I’m not leaving again. Nick is my home. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Kelly wanted to believe her, but something inside refused surrender the notion that Maddie would hurt Nick. “I hope so.”
“I know so.”
“OKAY, Jessica, your parents are on the way,” John said an hour later, kneeling in front of the girl as Sharon plied her with fresh pancakes and juice. “The state police found them and they’re very excited to see you.”
Jessica didn’t look convince. “Are they going to yell at me?”
“I think they’re probably going to hug you.”
“Then are they going to yell at me?” Jessica was more worried about getting in trouble than her ordeal.
“I think you’re probably going to get a lecture about taking off on your own,” Nick offered, moving in front of Jessica. “After that, though, your parents are probably going to be so relieved to find you that you’re going to get whatever you want out of them.”
“Milk it,” John suggested. “Ask for ice cream.”
Jessica giggled. Even though Maddie was the one who saved her, she took an immediate shine to John and practically clung to him once they got her to the campground. Maddie wasn’t offended. She was merely glad the little girl would be safely reunited with her parents.
“What campground were they at?” Maddie asked.
“Jellystone.”
Maddie rubbed the back of her neck. “That’s quite a hike for a kid,” she said, running the geography through her mind. “She must’ve walked miles in the dark.”
“She also crossed a slow-moving creek,” Nick supplied. “They had search dogs out and that’s where they lost her. They didn’t think it was possible for her to make it this far so no one alerted anyone over here about what was going on.”
“Well, at least
she’s safe.”
Nick’s studied Maddie’s face for a moment, ultimately grabbing her by the elbow and leading her far enough away that prying ears couldn’t hear. “Was she the one you heard crying in your head, love?”
Maddie nodded. “I had a dream about her last night. Well, I didn’t know it was about her. I knew someone was crying in the trees. That’s why I went for a hike this morning. I was convinced something would lead me to her.”
Nick frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve gone with you.”
“You had other things on your mind,” Maddie reminded him. “I thought it was more important for you to … settle things with Kelly.”
“How did you two run into each other out there?”
“I … well … I was talking to my mother,” Maddie admitted, keeping her voice low. “I didn’t even see Kelly until she came up behind me.”
“Did she hear you talking to Olivia? What was your mother even doing here?”
“She just popped in for a visit,” Maddie replied. “I don’t think Kelly knew I was talking to anyone. I think she thought I was talking to myself. It’s probably preferable for us that she thinks I’m crazy instead of psychic.”
“I’m kind of upset that you didn’t tell me what was going on, Mad,” Nick said. “It had a good ending, though, so I’m going to let it go. Did Kelly say anything to you before you found Jessica?”
“She apologized for what she said last night about Granny,” Maddie answered. “Oh, and Mom has been watching Granny. Apparently her party let out early because Granny had to be in bed by eight.”
Nick snorted. “I saw that coming. Still … you should’ve told me what you were going to do. I don’t like the idea of you wandering around in the woods by yourself. Something could’ve happened.”
“Well, in the interest of telling the truth, I have something else you’re not going to like,” Maddie said. “Mom said someone was watching Jessica from the other side of the clearing where we found her. She didn’t think it was a good person. I obviously couldn’t question Mom further because Kelly was there and she would’ve definitely thought I was crazy if I started talking to a ghost in front of her.”
Grave Concerns Page 12
