“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, it’s not your fault.” Joanna lifted her head and looked toward the campsite. “For me it’s been the opposite, adopting Reece and Winnie has brought me such happiness.”
“Even though your husband left?” Marcus ventured.
Joanna turned to him with a wistful smile. “It seems that trying for a child gave us something to work toward. It gave our relationship focus. Once we adopted Reece and Winnie, Julian felt…less important. I don’t know. He always said raising someone else’s children would be great. The reality was different.”
“Not all men would react the same way,” Marcus assured her.
“I know.” Their eyes locked and they shared a moment where the distance between them evaporated like water on a hot summer day. “But it’s hard to trust again. It’s not just my heart at risk now.”
“You have to think of the children, too. I get that.” He really did, and he wanted her to know he would never do anything to jeopardize her relationship with them. But how could he without sounding like an overbearing idiot?
“You like children.” Her comment caught his attention. Was she attempting to lead him where he already wanted to go?
“I do. Growing up with Nana as our mom and trying to cope with all that, while also watching Luke and Sage cope, too, left me with a deep understanding of the problems kids face and a need to help them.” He grinned. “I know how that sounds.”
“Like you’re a good guy,” Joanna offered.
“At least you didn’t call me nice.”
“There is nothing wrong with being a nice guy,” Joanna assured him. “I like nice. I like dependable.”
“I can be that and more.” He swallowed down his panic. Had he said too much? Would she run from him?
No. Instead, Joanna stood up and padded over to him on her bare feet. “Is there something between us?”
He reached out for her and closed his hand around hers. “Yes. More, perhaps, than you know.”
There is no perhaps about it, his bear said dryly.
She let him pull her down to sit beside him. “After Julian left, I made a promise to them, and to myself, that I would not go rebounding my way through men, trying to fill the hole in my heart.”
He nodded. “I understand. And I’m not offering you rebound sex. I’m offering you a lifelong relationship.”
“We’ve only just met,” she reminded him.
“Would it sound crazy if I told you I’ve loved you since the moment we first met?” His heart hammered in his chest as he watched Joanna’s beautiful face in the darkness. No more than a faint silhouette, he saw her surprise and knew he’d blown it.
The one thing in his life he needed to be right. The one thing in his life he needed more than the air in his lungs or the blood hammering in his veins.
“It would sound crazy. Yeah.”
His breath left his body in a huff as he sagged forward, his head a jumble of words that he needed to put into some kind of order and convince her to believe him.
“But I felt it, too.” Her soft voice penetrated the fog in his brain and he jerked his head up.
“You did?”
“I don’t know if I’d call it love at first sight…but there was an attraction. A deep attraction.” Joanna squeezed his hand. “So I guess we’re two crazy people.”
“I guess we are.” Marcus leaned forward and cupped her face with his hand, his lips searching for hers. They met, finding each other in the darkness and he sighed with relief that their first kiss wasn’t a clash of teeth, it was perfect, just as his love for her was perfect.
She tasted of Nana’s stew, flavored with a blend of herbs and spice and a hint of garlic. Her lips were soft, but firm, kissing him back in return. Joanna wasn’t a passive participant in their first kiss, she was sure of herself, wanting this as much as he did.
Marcus moved his hand to her waist and pulled her closer, their bodies so close he could feel the heat of her body and hear the beat of her heart which hammered loudly in her chest. A thrill of desire passed through him and he longed to lay her down by the side of the stream and make love to her. Right here. Right now, with only the swaying trees and the bubbling stream to see.
Too soon, his bear told him.
Marcus had already figured that out on his own. But he appreciated his bear’s input. After all, she was their mate. Man and bear who were separate and yet one.
Chapter Eleven – Joanna
He’d kissed her. Marcus Chance had kissed her by the side of the stream with the breeze rustling the trees above their heads.
When Joanna woke the next morning this was her first thought. Her second was that she should pinch herself to check that she hadn’t dreamed the whole thing.
But her lips still remembered the way his lips had moved against hers. And her body still recalled the excitement and desire that had bubbled up inside her just as the stream bubbled over the rocks and stones that lined its bed.
Bed. If he’d asked her last night, she’d have willingly gone to his bed. But he didn’t. Marcus said he didn’t want to rush her, that he knew her life was complicated and the last thing he wanted to do was add to those complications. She believed him.
He was a good man.
The thought that she didn’t deserve such a good man attempted to penetrate her good mood. She pushed it back down. Way back down. Where love was concerned it had nothing to do with who deserved it, or who had earned it. Love was natural, it could never be bought, it could never be forced.
“Is it time for breakfast?” Winnie’s sweet voice asked.
“I hope so, I’m starving,” Joanna admitted as she rolled over and reached out for her clothes.
The early morning air was chilly. It would be another hour or more before the sun rose high enough to warm the mountain. It was one thing she would have to get used to.
If she moved here to be with Marcus.
Was she being premature in planning her future? Yet when he spoke to her about love, he left her in no doubt this was a forever kind of love. As he covered her face and neck with butterfly kisses, he’d talked of fate and an unseen force…
Joanna’s eyes widened. What if this was how Marcus got laid?
Voices outside the tent shook her out of her momentary crisis of mistrust. Not all men were Julians.
“What’s going on out there?” Reece yawned widely as he crawled to the entrance of the tent and looked out.
“I can hear Kylie’s voice.” Joanna could also hear the panic in Kylie’s voice and the soothing tone of Chuck’s deep voice as he tried to reassure his wife.
“Should we go out?” Winnie asked as she dragged on her clothes.
“I’ll go see what’s wrong.” Joanna pulled a thick sweater on and squeezed out of the tent opening.
Kylie looked tearful, while Chuck hugged her close. “It’s okay, I’m sure she’s close by.”
“I walked down to the stream, and the boys have checked to see if she went for breakfast without us.” Kylie sniffed loudly.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Joanna asked, her concern growing. They must be talking about Tabitha, who was the only member of the family not here.
“When I woke up, Tabitha was gone.” Stu’s bottom lip trembled as he spoke. “I didn’t do anything, I swear.”
“No one said you did, honey,” Kylie told Stu. “But maybe she said something to you. Something you might not think is important.”
Stu shook his head. “I didn’t speak to her after dinner last night.” He looked thoughtful. “She was looking for something when she got into bed, though.”
“Looking for what?” Chuck asked gently, crouching down so his head was at the same height as his son’s.
Stu shook his head. “I don’t know, I couldn’t see.”
“It was her locket,” Jude blurted out.
“Her locket? The locket we gave her when she came to live with us?” Kylie placed her hand on Jude’s shoulders and hugged hi
m. “I thought that was back home in the bottom of a drawer.”
“No, she keeps it under her pillow,” Jude explained.
“She does?” Chuck sounded surprised and looked at Kylie as if she might be able to offer up some kind of explanation.
“We thought she didn’t like it.” Kylie frowned as she turned away and looked into the distance.
“She just tells you that. Tabitha doesn’t want you to know how much she likes living with us.” Stu threaded his hand into his mom’s hand. “She’s scared you’ll send her away one day.”
“We won’t do that, she’s part of the family.” Chuck stood up and covered his mouth with his hand. “I thought we were getting somewhere with Tabitha. I really thought we made progress yesterday.”
“You did,” Joanna said, placing a comforting hand on Chuck’s broad shoulders. Tabitha’s dad looked as if a part of him was broken.
“We did,” Kylie confirmed with certainty. “What I don’t understand is how she lost the locket if it was under her pillow.”
“What did the locket look like?” Reece asked as he and Winnie left the tent and came to join everyone else.
Kylie swallowed hard and then replied, “It’s a heart locket. Inside it has a picture of the five of us and on the back, it has the date we adopted her.”
“Have you seen it, Reece?” Joanna asked gently.
“Yes, Tabitha showed it to me.” Reece took a step back as everyone looked at him. “I didn’t take it.”
“No one thinks you did,” Joanna assured him. “Can you tell us where she showed it to you?”
“Yesterday. On the mountain. We stopped for a drink on the trail and we were looking out at the view and she showed it to me.” Reece pressed his lips together, looking small surrounded by so many people.
Joanna moved to his side and hunkered down next to him. “She was wearing the locket while we were on the mountain yesterday?”
“She never wore it before,” Kylie whispered. “We figured she might one day when she felt like part of the family.”
“Perhaps that’s what happened yesterday.” Chuck hugged Kylie tighter and then released her as he scooped Stu and Jude into his strong arms. “We worked together. She didn’t hold back.”
“And she wore the locket as a symbol of being one of us at last,” Kylie said sadly as her gaze swept over the camping field in an endless search for her missing daughter. “I can’t believe the thing that symbolized her new life with us is the thing that’s driven us apart.”
“I heard Tabitha was missing.” Marcus’s concerned voice made them all turn to watch as he approached, including Joanna. All thoughts of last night and the kiss they shared were gone, swept away by worry for Tabitha.
“She is. At least we think she is.” Chuck went to meet Marcus, leaving Kylie to wrap her arms around the boys.
“Are you sure she isn’t here somewhere?” Marcus asked. “There are a lot of places a child could hide.”
“We think she lost her locket on the mountain yesterday and has gone to find it.” Joanna went to join Chuck and Marcus.
Marcus looked up at the mountain looming above them. “Do you know where she lost it?”
“Reece does,” Joanna answered, and Reece appeared at her side. “Can you show us, Reece?”
“Sure.” Reece sounded confident and Joanna trusted her son to lead them to the spot.
“I’ll get a map,” Marcus turned on his heel but before he walked away, Chuck grabbed him by the arm.
“Wouldn’t it be better if Reece actually showed you? We can retrace our steps from yesterday.” Chuck let Marcus go and dropped his hand to his side. “I believe it would be better if we all go and find her.”
“We would be quicker on our own,” Marcus told him gently. “I know you want to help, but my family knows the mountain better than anyone. If Reece gives us a location, we can be there in half the time than if we all went.”
“I appreciate that,” Chuck said. “But we need to do this. As a family, we need to bring Tabitha home.”
Marcus stood face to face with Chuck for a moment, the two men assessing each other. Eventually, Marcus gave a curt nod. “Get yourselves ready and meet me by the house. I’ll get Sage, Luke, and Patrick.”
Joanna watched him walk away, then she turned to Chuck. “Let’s get everyone ready and bring Tabitha home.”
Within five minutes the two families were following after Marcus as they walked toward the house. When they reached the Chance family home they were met by Sage, who handed out warm breakfast rolls. “Here, you need to eat before we go. Nana and George will look after everyone else.”
“I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.” Kylie stifled a sob as she bit into her warm roll filled with bacon and egg.
“Don’t be. We’ve dealt with plenty of stuff like this before. We all understand. We were kids once.” Sage smiled softly. “Pulling these kinds of stunts has nothing to do with whether Tabitha was adopted or not.”
Kylie nodded. “I know, it’s only…”
“It’s a great responsibility being entrusted with the welfare of a child that is not your own,” Sage finished. “We feel that way every time a child comes to stay here.”
“I guess you do,” Chuck said gratefully.
Marcus and Luke joined them just as the families were finishing their food. “We’ve got maps and compasses for you all.” Marcus handed them out quickly and then continued. “We’re assuming Tabitha followed the same trail as we did yesterday. But just in case, Luke and Sage are going to go on ahead and see if they can pick up her trail.”
Sage and Luke exchanged a glance and then nodded. “We should get going.”
“I thought Patrick was coming, too?” Chuck asked as Sage and Luke turned to walk away from the rest of the group.
“He’s gone on ahead to see if he can pick up the trail. We’ll meet him on the way and radio to Marcus if we believe Tabitha has gone in a different direction.” Sage rubbed her hand over her baby bump. “I can only imagine what you are going through. But we will find Tabitha.”
Marcus raised his hand. “See you both later. We’ll continue toward the place Tabitha showed Reece her locket unless we hear from you.”
“See you later,” Luke called back as they set off at a fast walk toward the mountain.
“Okay, the rest of us should get going,” Marcus announced. “Stay close, use your maps so you know where we are in case we have to split up.”
A sense of dread spread through Joanna’s body, but she kept her fears to herself. As they walked, she sent out her thoughts toward Tabitha. They were filled with hope. Hope that the young girl would be found safe and hope that the Caulfield family would find a way to move past this. Yesterday they had been on the brink of coming together as a family. Today they were torn apart, their faces miserable and full of doubts.
The mood of the group zapped the energy out of them. Each step they took into the mountains was harder than the last, but they kept going. Joanna’s muscles still ached from yesterday, but she pushed herself to keep going. Slowly, they wound their way higher into the mountains, following the trail until the point they had to leave it to follow the bear trail.
Even the bear and wolf paw prints in the dirt could not raise their spirits.
“Have you heard from the others?” Joanna asked Marcus as he slowed and waited for the others to catch up. Stu and Jude particularly were struggling, but the determination on their faces made it clear it would be pointless to ask them if they wanted to stop.
“Not yet.” He looked up ahead, his brow furrowed with concern.
“They should have reached the place where we stopped by now, shouldn’t they?” Joanna asked quietly.
Marcus nodded. However, before he could answer the radio in his backpack crackled into life. He yanked it out and held it to his mouth. “Luke.”
“Hi there, Marcus. We have a visual.” Luke’s voice crackled over the radio, with the best news the group could receive.
“Absolutely. We took a while because she zigzagged back down the trail. We must have gone straight past her.” Luke paused, and Sage’s voice could be heard in the background.
“Are you okay?” Marcus asked.
“Yes. Tabitha is coming back toward you. We’re going to move out of sight, so I’ll let you all decide how to play this.” Luke spoke quietly once more. “Gotta go. She’ll be with you in about ten minutes. We’ll follow behind unseen.”
“Thanks, Luke.” Marcus switched off the radio and turned to the others. “They’ve found Tabitha, she’s walking back down the mountain, so they’ve chosen not to approach her. We all thought it would be best if you and Chuck talk to her first, so she knows she’s not in trouble.”
Kylie’s knees sagged with relief and only Chuck’s strong arms kept her from falling to the ground. “Thank you,” Kylie gasped.
“Our pleasure.” Marcus smiled reassuringly at Joanna. “We should go a little off the trail and keep out of sight.”
Joanna nodded. “Come on, guys, let’s leave Kylie and Chuck here.”
“What about us?” Stu asked. “Shall we go or stay?”
“You should stay. We are a family. Us and Tabitha, and she needs to know we are all here for her.” Kylie held out her hands and Stu and Jude went to her.
“Okay, let’s go,” Marcus said, looking into the distance and then ushering Joanna and her children away.
“Can you hear Tabitha?” Joanna asked as the ducked under a scrubby bush that led to another game trail.
Marcus looked over his shoulder but didn’t immediately answer. When he did, his reply surprised Joanna. “I have really good hearing.”
Joanna narrowed her eyes at him. “How good? Because all I hear is the wind.”
“Very good.” He looked a little shifty, as if he was about to tell her he was a cyborg or something with an enhanced body…which would explain the well-toned body and strong arms.
“Is that a bear?” Winnie’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“Where?” Joanna asked with concern.
Second Chance Bear Page 9
