At Hidden Falls (Angel's Bay Novel)

by Barbara Freethy

  It also wasn’t right for her to want him when he belonged to another woman. Even if he’d been free, he was not for her. She was Hispanic and poor. He was white and rich. They lived in different worlds. He breathed life onto the stage; he was a star. She worked behind the scenes, in the small, stuffy room filled with costumes.

  But she loved him.

  And he loved her.

  He hadn’t said it, but she’d felt it when he’d held her by the falls, when he’d kissed her, when he’d forgotten for just a minute that they could never be together.

  The door slammed overhead, jolting Isabella back to reality. She dropped the dress back into the trunk, her heart racing, her palms sweaty. She didn’t know the woman she was connecting to, but she felt very close to her, as if she were in her head, in her soul. It was the same way she’d felt at the theater. This woman who had worked in the costume shop was trying to tell her something. Why? What did the past have to do with the present?

  As Joe appeared at the top of the stairs, she got to her feet, wiping the dust off the seat of her jeans.

  “There you are,” he said, giving her a curious look. “What are you doing?”

  “Just looking around,” she said, moving up the stairs. “I was curious about the pendant you sent me. Uncle Carlos wasn’t married, so I wonder who it belonged to.”

  “Maybe a girlfriend,” he suggested. “Or a relative. I’m sure that over the years, someone from his side of the family came to visit.”

  “Probably,” she agreed, deciding to leave it at that. While Joe was the least judgmental of her siblings when it came to her special gifts, he was still a pragmatic cop.

  “I picked up some Chinese food earlier,” she said. “Are you hungry?”

  “I could eat. So what did you do today?” he asked as they headed into the kitchen.

  “I did a little shopping.”

  “Of course,” he said with a smile.

  “Hey, my clothes are in the ocean.”

  “That’s the first time I’ve heard one of my sisters make that excuse,” he teased.

  She made a face at him, then pulled plates out of the cupboard and set them on the counter. “I ran into a very friendly woman named Kara. She said her husband is a cop, and she wants me to get you to come to dinner one night. Apparently, you’re a hard man to say thank you to.”

  Joe shrugged. “Kara has nothing to thank me for,” he said as he spooned rice and vegetables onto a plate.

  “That’s not what she says.”

  “Her husband got shot in the line of duty. We all did what we could for her and Colin.” He opened the refrigerator. “What do you want to drink?”

  “I’m just going to have water,” she replied as she fixed a plate for herself, then followed him out to the dining table. “Kara told me the local theater is looking for backstage volunteers. I thought it would be fun, so I went by the theater and offered to help with the costumes.”

  “And here I thought you might spend the day resting.”

  “I’m not one for sitting around.”

  “No, you’re not. You’ve always had an amazing amount of energy, and you make friends faster than anyone I know.” He gave her a smile. “While I’ve grown used to living alone, it’s kind of nice to have you in the house.”

  “Rufus isn’t much of a conversationalist, huh?” she asked with a grin as Joe slipped a piece of beef under the table to the dog, who had his head on Joe’s knee.

  Joe laughed. “He’s a good listener, though. He doesn’t talk back to me or tell me I’m wrong.”

  “Man’s best friend.”

  His smile broadened. “Exactly. So you’re going to work at the theater. The Hartleys are an interesting family, lots of colorful characters.”

  “It seems that way. I wonder if Uncle Carlos had anything to do with the theater,” she mused.

  “Why would you wonder that?”

  “Because there’s a trunk filled with fabric, dresses, and jewelry in the basement.”

  “Maybe he was a cross-dresser,” he joked.

  “Do you know how Uncle Carlos came to Angel’s Bay in the first place? Were there other family members here? Did he inherit the house from someone?”

  “I’ve been told that there was a Silveira on a ship that went down in the 1850s,” Joe said. “Fiona Murray keeps trying to tell me the story, but I’ve managed to avoid hearing it.”

  “Why? Don’t you want to know about our ancestors?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “Really? I love history and bloodlines and all that.” How could she not, when the visions in her head showed how connected the past and the present really were?

  “Then you should talk to Fiona. She runs the quilt shop. I think we might even have a square on the old quilt they keep remaking.”

  “I will definitely talk to her,” Isabella said, excited at the prospect. She touched her fingers to the pendant, which was warm against her skin. She felt sure the necklace was part of her family history, too. It had called her back to Angel’s Bay for a reason. She just had to figure out what it was.

  SIX

  The next morning, Isabella woke up after a surprisingly dreamless sleep, threw on running gear, put Rufus in the truck, and drove to a trail Joe had told her about. The path wound through the hills, which was perfect, since the nightmarish accident had made her want to avoid the sea. They’d found her car crushed and filled with seawater at the bottom of a cliff, with no sign of her suitcase or her purse—probably washed away by the tide. She’d had no interest in seeing her car and being reminded of how narrowly she’d escaped death.

  She started up the trail at a brisk walk to warm up her muscles. While her bruises and strains were fading, they weren’t completely gone. The morning air was cold, with a foggy mist trying to burn its way off, but the scenery was gorgeous, the trail winding under thick canopies of redwood trees, opening up now and then to a spectacular vista.

  She passed a few people along the way, each one offering her a friendly greeting. Angel’s Bay was nothing like L.A., where people either averted their eyes or were too busy texting or talking on their cell phones to say hello to a stranger.

  It took almost a half hour to reach the summit, offering a spectacular view of the ocean and the harbor, the downtown area, central square, and the bluffs that ran along the coastline. She took a sip from her water bottle as Rufus flopped on the ground, happy to take a break. It had been an uphill climb the last mile, but it had felt good to exercise, and she’d always been a big fan of mornings, when reality chased away the dreams.

  The sound of footsteps drew her head around as another runner came up the hill at a brisk pace. The man wore a navy-blue windbreaker over dark sweats, and she knew it was Nick Hartley even before he looked up. A little tingle ran down her spine.

  As he drew closer, she could hear his ragged breathing; he’d pushed the hill harder than she had. His hair was damp from the mist, his cheeks red, his eyes bright and a little wary as they met hers.

  “We meet again,” she said.

  “Yes, we do. You must be feeling back to normal, since you made it up the hill.”

  “I took it slower than I normally would.” She swept her hand toward the horizon. “The view was worth the effort.”

  “It’s not bad.” He bent down to give Rufus a scratch as the dog started to sniff him. “How you doing, buddy? Does this guy belong to you or your brother?”

  “To Joe. His name is Rufus. He actually belonged to my uncle Carlos, but Joe inherited him along with the house.” She gave Nick a thoughtful look. “Did you know my uncle?”

  Nick straightened, giving a nod. “I knew him, but not well. One of my buddies, Shane Murray, used to go fishing with him when we were in high school.”

  “Did he participate in any of the theater productions?”

  “I don’t know. Why?”

  “I’m trying to find out more about him. Joe said that our family tree might go back to the shipwreck, and I’m i
ntrigued,” she said with a smile.

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of people in town who will be happy to answer your questions. Shipwreck descendants usually find themselves to be popular, especially with the older generation intent on keeping the legends alive.”

  “Does your family go back that far?”

  “No. My great-grandparents came to Angel’s Bay and built the theater in the nineteen-twenties.”

  “If your great-grandparents built the theater, I can see why your family wants you to do the renovation. Tory told me about their plans,” she added.

  “Yes, they do want me involved but the theater is probably the last building in the world I’d want to save. It offers up a world of illusion, of make-believe, an homage to pretense. People get lost in that world. They forget it isn’t real.”

  She gave him a curious look. “Is that what happened to you, Nick? Did you get lost?”

  He started, as if he suddenly realized how much he’d revealed. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Yes. I got swept away by the magic of a summer production fling, and I married an actress who didn’t show me who she really was until it was too late. I should have known better: I’d spent my entire life surrounded by actors, and they were all damn good at playing parts.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged. “It was over a long time ago, but being around the theater reminds me of that time in my life.”

  “Will you turn down the job?”

  “I’d like to,” he said with a sigh. “But I can’t picture my family without the theater. They’re too old to be gypsies. My grandparents are in their eighties. My dad has had some health issues. They need to stay in one place and have that theater functioning for the next decade, at least. But whether or not I’m willing to handle the design issue, they’re going to need to raise a lot of money for the renovation. And dealing with reality has never been their strong suit.”

  “But it is yours.”

  “It is now. So you’ve signed on to work backstage?”

  “Yes, it sounds like fun.” She cleared her throat, his intense gaze sending a flutter through her stomach. “I’ve been working in film, and this will be a nice change of pace.”

  “My grandfather told me to watch out for you,” Nick said.

  “Why?” she asked in surprise.

  “I have no idea, but you certainly rattled him.” He tilted his head as he studied her face. “You have incredible eyes—not quite the blue of the sea or the sky. I can’t figure it out. It’s an unusual color.”

  “According to my grandmother, only a few women in our family have had this eye color.” She hesitated a moment. “Legend says that all of them are blessed with the gift of insight, passed down by a Mayan priestess.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Really? That’s quite a story.”

  “According to my sisters, that’s all it is—a lovely story created to make me feel special. And being the youngest of five kids who all excelled at whatever they were doing, it was nice to have some reason to stand out.”

  “I can’t imagine that you didn’t always stand out.” His gaze clung to hers, and she felt a tension building between them. “You’re beautiful, Isabella.”

  Her heart caught in her throat.

  “I should go,” he said, but he didn’t make any effort to move. “This is not . . .” His voice drifted away.

  “How you want to feel,” she finished, meeting his gaze head on. “You’re attracted to me, and you’re not happy about it.”

  He sucked in a quick breath. “You cut right to the chase, don’t you?”

  She had no choice. She needed to get close enough to Nick to find out why she was dreaming about him. “I feel the same pull to you.”

  He cleared his throat, his eyes darkening. “Look, Isabella, I’d have to be dead not to be attracted to you, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it.”

  “Then maybe I will,” she said impulsively.

  She stepped forward, put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him. The coolness of his lips turned to heat the second they touched. She lingered there for a moment, then pulled away, not wanting to push her luck.

  Nick’s gaze burned with an intensity that shocked her. Then his hands were on her hips, and his mouth was coming down on hers. The quick kiss she’d stolen turned into a full-blown, tongue-tangling, heart-stopping, breath-stealing inferno.

  Nick couldn’t seem to get enough of her, pulling her against his hard groin, her body pressed against his from head to toes. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe; she could only feel. It was too much, yet it wasn’t nearly enough. She slipped her hands under his shirt, feeling the sleek, sweaty heat of his abs. He was a strong, physical man, and her body wanted to get a whole lot closer.

  Nick groaned into her mouth, his hungry hands running through her hair, down her back, cupping her ass.

  Rufus’s barking finally broke the spell. The dog barreled past her, the leash whipping her legs as he took off into the woods.

  Isabella pulled away from Nick in shock. She had no idea what had set Rufus off. She couldn’t believe the old dog was even moving that fast.

  Dazed, she glanced up at Nick. “I—I have to get him.” She took off after Rufus, trying to catch up with him before he got too deep into the woods.

  Off the trail, the brush was thick, the tall trees throwing shadows in her path. When she came through a thicket, she stopped abruptly, shocked to see a beautiful waterfall that splashed into a large pool of clear, sparkling water.

  Rufus was on the other side of that pool, barking at something in a tree. She knew she should grab his leash before he took off again, but the waterfall was mesmerizing.

  She had the odd feeling that she’d been here before. As she stared at the falls, her body began to tingle the way it did when she touched something that triggered a vision. She wasn’t touching anything now, but she felt as if someone was touching her.

  He pulled her into his arms with rough, needy hands. “You’re late,” he said, a hint of desperation in his voice. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

  “Alice wanted more alterations. She suspects something.”

  “No, she doesn’t.”

  “Even so, I shouldn’t have come. This is wrong. In my dreams I see disaster coming. There is nothing but pain.”

  “You have such an imagination,” he said with a conciliatory smile.

  “Sometimes they come true.” She wanted to make him believe her, but it was beyond him. He was too logical, and she didn’t want to drive him away or waste the little time they had arguing. Still, the worry gnawed at her. “I’m concerned about your sister. Caitlyn is getting into trouble with that boy—”

  He put a finger over her mouth. “Shh. I don’t want to talk about my sister or anyone else.” He gazed into her eyes. “We might not have forever, but we have right now.”

  She wanted more than just now, but she loved him too much to ask for what he couldn’t give. “Yes. Right now,” she whispered as he pulled her into the dark alcove behind the falls.

  “Isabella?”

  Nick’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. He gave her a questioning look, then moved across the clearing to grab Rufus’s leash. The dog was pawing at the trunk of a large tree, barking at the cat just out of reach.

  She walked over to join them. Joe had warned her that Rufus loved to chase cats, but she hadn’t expected to come across any in the woods. The cat leaped onto another branch and then sped away. Rufus barked in dismay and sank to the ground as the cat disappeared.

  “Thanks,” she said, taking the leash from Nick’s hands. “I didn’t know Rufus could move that fast.”

  “Apparently, he can when he wants something. Kind of like you.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say, so she changed the subject. “I had no idea there was a beautiful waterfall just off the trail.”

  “That’s why they call it Hidden Falls. We used to come up here in high school. It was
a good place to drink, make out, and tell ghost stories.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Are you all right?” Nick asked, his eyes curious.

  “Of course.”

  His eyes narrowed. “About what happened before . . . it was a mistake.”

  “It didn’t feel like a mistake,” she said, meeting his gaze. “It felt amazing.”

  “Yeah,” he murmured, his voice husky. “But it’s over.”

  “Is it?”

  “Yes. I’m trying to figure out how to be a father to a daughter I barely know, I’ve got my crazy family to worry about, and it’s all I can handle.”

  He was trying very hard to convince himself, but she could feel the swirling heat of his mixed emotions. As he turned to leave, she put a hand on his arm.

  The flash almost blinded her.

  Nick looked at her with desperation, his fingers biting into her skin, his voice raging with fear as he said, “Help me.”

  She let go of his arm with a shaky breath, her heart thumping against her chest, her blood rushing through her veins.

  “What’s wrong?” Nick asked.

  A dozen memories ran through her mind, other people looking at her with the same concern, the same question—other moments when she’d made the wrong choice, when she’d put her heart and her soul on the line.

  “Nothing,” she said finally.

  She could see the relief in his eyes when he said, “All right. Well, I need to go to work. I’ll get you back to the trail.” He took off at a brisk pace, giving her no choice but to follow. When they reached the trail, he asked. “You’ll be okay from here?”

  “Yes.”

  Nick sprinted down the path, kicking up a cloud of dust in his wake.

  Rufus barked and gave her a questioning look, as if to ask her why she wasn’t following. “Don’t worry,” she told the dog. “He won’t get away. No matter how fast he runs.” Their story wasn’t finished yet, however much he wanted it to be.