Willow Springs: A Destiny Novel

by Toni Blake

  “Okay,” was all she could manage, wondering if her fear showed on her face.

  That was when the nice girl with the guy said, “Don’t worry. I’m sure this isn’t how you envisioned this, but Mike loves you more than anything.”

  Okay, so it showed. And Mike loved her more than anything. And that should be reassuring—yet it also felt pretty weird, considering that she didn’t even know him.

  And then, there he was, this large, dark-haired man in a beige police uniform rushing toward her, stopping in front of her, looking her over the same way the other two had—but after a few seconds, that began to matter much less than the fact that she could see, clear as day, that this was her brother. He looked like her. Uncannily. And then their eyes met—his eerily familiar, like staring in a mirror—and he said “Anna?”

  All she could do was nod.

  He appeared utterly in awe for a minute, like she was amazing, and then he said, “My God. Can I hug you?”

  And somehow, the look in his eyes made that feel okay. So she gave another short nod.

  And then his arms were around her in an embrace that was at first shockingly gentle—more gentle than she might have suspected this particular man could hug—but then it grew more fierce. Though she didn’t mind that either, because as strange as it all was, she was beginning to feel, deep down inside, down in her very core, exactly what she’d hoped to by coming here: that she’d really, truly come home.

  After that, there were obvious questions. “Where have you been all this time?” “How did you find us?” And she began the story as best she could, even when a small crowd slowly began to gather, at first probably in response to the siren, but she soon realized that apparently everyone in this town remembered her early life here, clearly far better than she did.

  “I was raised in Indianapolis,” she told them all, but really only Mike, keeping her eyes on him the whole time, “as Anna Karras. That was my mother’s name. My mother, the woman who raised me,” she said, shaking her head at the total strangeness of it, something that still hadn’t worn off. And that strangeness then made her say, more softly, “Is there somewhere we could go . . . more private?”

  That was when her newfound brother looked around and seemed to notice for the first time that they weren’t alone. “Of course. Come with me.” Then he took her hand and began to lead her away.

  A few seconds later, she found herself following him into the police station, situated conveniently next door to town hall, more people staring, and she felt a little like a criminal until they reached an open office door, and Mike said very pointedly to the older, mustached man at the desk inside, “Chief, this is my sister—Anna. Could we possibly borrow your office?”

  The chief clearly knew the magnitude of this meeting, too, as shown by the stunned look on his face as he pushed to his feet. “Good Lord. Of course. Take as long as you need.”

  He shut the door on the way out and they took seats in the two chairs sitting across from the desk. And their eyes met again. And rather than let herself fall prey to the odd emotions that threatened to overtake her, she told him what she knew he was waiting to hear—the horrifying truth.

  “My mother, Claudia Karras, died three weeks ago, from cervical cancer. And on her deathbed, she told me that . . . that she wasn’t really my mom. And that she’d . . . taken me, when I was little, from a state park, because she couldn’t have children, and the waiting list was so long she’d thought she’d never be able to adopt.” She stopped, swallowed, because these were such horrific things to say. But then she pushed on. “I had a relatively normal childhood except for the fact that . . . well, my mom had some problems. There were a couple of times when I was a teenager that she was briefly admitted to a psych ward. And that was tough.”

  “No father? She wasn’t married?” her brand new brother asked.

  She shook her head. “No, it was just the two of us. No relatives, either—she was alone in the world before me, and I guess that made it easier to suddenly have a daughter. She worked in the records department of a hospital in Cincinnati at the time, and she forged a birth certificate. And then she quit her job and we moved to Indy where no one would know I was a new addition. She was . . . a little crazy, but smart, too—at least about how to pull something like this off. She explained it all to me on the night before she died.”

  Across from her, Mike looked like he was having trouble catching his breath but trying to hide it as he said, “How did you know about us, your real family? How did you find us?”

  “She told me that part, too. Apparently she followed the story in the news after she abducted me. She found out who she’d taken me from and where you lived. She said she’d been eaten alive by guilt all these years, but that she couldn’t face all the ramifications of telling the truth until she had nothing left to lose. And so . . . here I am. Feeling pretty damn weird. And just, I guess, trying to figure out who I really am.”

  “You’re my little sister,” he said simply then. “You’re my little sister and you’re finally home. That’s all that matters.”

  Amy and Logan sat in a booth at Dolly’s Main Street Café—he was buying her that piece of pie he owed her. But like everything else today, it wasn’t going exactly the way she’d envisioned. For one thing, Logan seemed . . . totally back to his old self. Which was great, but weird—as in sudden. “You seem . . . in much better spirits,” she pointed out as she forked a bite of cherry pie into her mouth.

  “Well, not completely, but . . . I guess a miracle like this is enough to snap me out of it. I mean, that’s what it is, you know? A miracle!”

  Amy couldn’t deny that. Her mind still whirled from what had to have been the most shocking—and fantastic—turn of events to take place in Destiny in . . . maybe forever. “I know. I still can’t believe it.”

  Logan shook his head at the wonder of it all as he cut into his slice of pie. “It’s incredible! And the fact that you and I were sitting there when she pulled up, and that we actually recognized her . . .” Another incredulous head shake. “I guess maybe it . . . restores my faith or something. That there’s something bigger than us orchestrating things, you know. I mean, I realize she’d have found Mike anyway, without us, but since I went through all that with him when we were kids, and for our whole lives really—well, it just means something to me to be the one who called him and let him know.”

  Amy nodded—it was an unbelievably special thing. And if it brought Logan back to the land of the living—well, the rest of the way back—all the better.

  And the truth was, she was still trying to come down from the shock of it herself. As soon as Mike and Anna had departed, both she and Logan had called all their friends—including Tessa, so that she could tell Anna’s other brother, Lucky—and it still felt . . . unreal.

  “And damn, did you see how beautiful she is?” Logan asked then. “How amazing she looked?”

  Hmm. Amy was beyond happy for Anna to be home, to rediscover her family after being gone for most of her life, but she could have lived without this part. Which was awful of her, she knew. It wasn’t Anna’s fault she was breathtakingly gorgeous. And it wasn’t Logan’s fault for noticing. But at the moment, it made her stomach sink, even as she felt obligated to say, “Yes, she’s very pretty.”

  “Why’d you stop eating?” Logan asked her a minute later.

  I just lost my appetite. She gave her head a short shake and tried to look unaffected. “Just taking a break, that’s all.”

  Across from her, Logan appeared uncharacteristically introspective. “You know, maybe this happened for a reason, freckles. Not just for Mike and the rest of the family, but . . . for me, too.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked—even as she was struck with the nagging feeling that maybe she didn’t really want to know.

  “Did you know that when Anna was little, she followed me around all the time? And everyone said she had a crush on me?”

  Amy sucked in her breath. “No, I didn
’t realize that.” And she understood they were talking about something cute that had taken place a gazillion years ago and had no bearing on today, but still . . . ugh.

  “And even though I was older than her, our families always joked that we’d end up getting married someday.”

  Amy began to feel a little sick as she forced herself to lift her gaze from Logan’s T-shirt to his face. “You don’t say.”

  “And . . .” He stopped, laughed, cheerful as ever, cheerful as if the last month hadn’t even happened. “It’s not like I want to get married anytime soon or anything, but the thing is, just a few hours ago I was sort of thinking . . .”

  Oh Lord. Could this get any worse? “Thinking what?”

  “That maybe I needed a new woman in my life. Some romance, you know? And how nice it would be if God just dropped the right woman into my lap. So . . .” He ate another bite of pie. “Just kind of interesting timing. For Anna Romo to suddenly reappear. And to be incredible looking. And she seemed sweet, too, don’t you think? I mean, I can only imagine how strange this is for her, everything she’s going through, but she still seemed sweet as hell.”

  Okay, if Amy had felt a little sick a minute ago, now she pretty much wanted to throw up. Though in an odd, twisted way, it all made perfect sense.

  Well, just thank God she hadn’t been dumb enough to tell him how she felt about him. Because at almost the precise moment in time that she’d fallen in love with Logan, Logan had clearly fallen for Anna Romo.

  Four

  Never had she felt so agitated, so mortified, grieved, at any circumstance in her life.

  Jane Austen, from Emma

  Okay, maybe it wasn’t love. Yet. But he was very clearly smitten. And not with her as Amy had so foolishly begun to let herself hope earlier.

  And he was right—the timing was downright uncanny, in so many ways. And Anna was flawlessly gorgeous. Heck, Amy couldn’t blame him for thinking fate had brought her to him even as it brought her to Mike and the rest of the Romos. If she were Logan, she’d draw the exact same conclusion.

  Maybe it was meant to be, Logan and Anna. They’d make a lovely couple, in fact. And everyone in Destiny would think it was a perfect fairytale ending to Anna’s long absence. And Amy would end up exactly where she’d always feared: alone forever. Only now, now that she’d realized how she felt about Logan, she’d be alone and brokenhearted. Wow.

  “Aren’t you gonna eat the rest of your pie?” Logan asked as he finished his.

  “Um, I don’t think so. Suddenly I’m not feeling well.”

  It didn’t surprise her when he looked troubled on her behalf. He cared about her, after all. Just not in the way she wanted him to now. “Well, that sucks, freckles. This is too good a day for you to feel bad. Hopefully you’ll feel better soon.”

  “We’ll see,” she said. But it didn’t seem likely.

  The final bridesmaid gown fitting for Rachel and Mike’s wedding took place the next day at the Daisy Dress Shop, just around the corner from Under the Covers. It was another beautiful May day in Destiny—the sun was shining and flowers were blooming—and the fact that Anna Romo had miraculously returned home only made the gathering of girlfriends that much more festive.

  “Oh, that’s perfect for you,” Rachel was saying to another of their old friends, Jenny Brody. “I’m so glad we put you in the lilac.” Rachel, who was definitely the boldest of their group of girlfriends, had chosen to go with rich hues of blues and lavenders for her wedding, which would take place at the Destiny Church of Christ in just a few weeks. “And Sue Ann, the aqua is so working for you.”

  Sue Ann Simpkins swished her hips playfully back and forth in the princess style gown, her expression the sexy pout of a runway model, and Amy couldn’t help joining in soft laughter with the other girls. Sue Ann had gone through a terrible divorce just last year, but after she’d started seeing Adam Becker at Christmastime, she’d bounced back to her usual, fun-loving self. And it was good to see that someone could endure heartbreak and go on to be happy. That someone could lose the relationship they valued the most but still smile.

  Of course, Amy didn’t have an Adam Becker, a backup Prince Charming. Heck, she’d only figured out who her first Prince Charming was the other day, and the notion was still more than a little jarring.

  What if he’s the only one for me? What if Logan is the only man I can ever love?

  “Cheer up, girlfriend,” Sue Ann said to her then, and Amy realized her smile had somehow transformed into a frown. “The sun is shining, it’s wedding season in Destiny, and Anna Romo is home!”

  Standing on the round pedestal in front of the large three-way mirror a few feet away, Tessa turned to face them, the skirt of her periwinkle dress rustling. She looked positively awestruck as she said, “It gives me chills every time I think about it. I mean, how amazing is this? And just in time for both Mike’s and Lucky’s weddings!” Since Tessa was marrying Lucky, Anna’s other brother, she definitely had a vested interest in Anna’s return. And really, they all did. The disappearance of Anna Romo was part of the fabric of the community, of their lives, and in a place like Destiny, you cared about your neighbor, so getting Anna back was like . . . bringing home a family member for everyone.

  “I can’t even envision Mike’s reaction,” Jenny said to Rachel then, who broke out into a huge smile.

  “Oh, he’s just beside himself. He barely slept last night, too keyed up, too happy. I’ve never seen him like this.”

  “Have you met her yet?” Sue Ann asked, bright-eyed.

  Rachel, the only one of them in regular clothes since her bridal gown was coming from Cincinnati, nodded. “Mike brought her home for dinner last night, and she’s staying with us for now. His parents are flying up from Florida today, and tonight we’ll have a bigger family dinner so she can see them and Lucky.”

  “Can you imagine?” Jenny said. “Being Mr. and Mrs. Romo? Getting that phone call yesterday?”

  Rachel continued beaming. “At first they had trouble believing it, of course, but then it was . . . total joy. It was just like when Lucky came home—except maybe even better because this means they have all their children back. It’s just mind-blowing! And wonderful!”

  That was when Tessa apparently noticed that Amy’s smile still wasn’t quite making it to her eyes. Which made her feel like a horrible, hideous person even as Tessa stepped quietly down from the platform and made her way over to Amy while the rest of the group continued chatting about Anna’s homecoming.

  “What’s wrong?” her friend asked quietly. “You look a little less than thrilled about this.”

  Amy could only sigh. She’d never felt anything that seemed so . . . uncharitable. Downright shameful, in fact. She tried to explain by saying under her breath, “I am thrilled. For her. And them.” Then she blinked and told Tessa the rest. “Just . . . not so much for me. Because when Logan saw her . . . it was like his dream girl had just walked into Destiny. He even pretty much told me that—that he’d been thinking maybe he needed someone new in his life and that she was obviously it. He seemed to think it was divine intervention or something. And so . . . I’m an awful person. Because I’m actually jealous of her. Which seems insane. Not to mention insensitive and monstrous.”

  In response, Tessa’s face twisted into a troubled grimace. “Damn, she’s that gorgeous?” And Amy was relieved to understand, without Tessa having to say it, that she saw the dilemma and didn’t think Amy was the scum of the earth.

  Amy simply nodded. “And I just can’t compete with that. I mean, I’m really so glad for everyone involved that she’s home, but does she have to look like a movie star?” Of course, maybe it only stood to reason. After all, the two Romo brothers were unaccountably hot, so it made sense that the third Romo child would be amazingly attractive, too.

  However, rather than answer, Tessa instead stood back and gave Amy a long once-over.

  And she still had no idea why when Rachel stepped up and said, “The cobalt b
lue so works on you, Ames. Really highlights your pretty hair color. It brings out both the auburn and the gold, don’t you guys think?”

  All eyes turned her way, and everyone agreed—as Amy blushed. She’d always thought of her strawberry blond curls as generally untamable and the color a little left of center. She’d envied Rachel being a straight blond. And sure, her mom had always complimented her hair color, but that was her mom.

  “What do you keep staring at?” she finally asked Tessa.

  And in response, Tessa moved behind her and pulled the fabric around her waist snugger. “This,” Tessa said, peeking around to where they could both see her in one side of the three-way mirror. “Your dress could definitely be taken in more and look a lot better.”

  “Wow, check you out,” Rachel said, her eyes widening as she studied the results of Tessa’s handiwork. “Who knew you had such a cute shape? Where on earth have you been hiding that?”

  Amy just blinked. She thought they were exaggerating and that the dress was too tight the way Tessa held it—certainly far tighter than the formfitting top Rachel had picked out for her. “I . . . don’t know. But—”

  “You hide it under a lot of loose clothes, that’s where,” Tessa said.

  “They’re not that loose,” Amy argued.

  And then Tessa leaned up and whispered in Amy’s ear, “They’re too loose if you want to catch a hot man.”

  Amy just blinked at herself in the mirror, mildly alarmed by Tessa’s words. Because she just didn’t think like that. About catching a man. Let alone a hot one. Or about showing off her body to do it.

  Since the rest of the girls were already busy talking amongst themselves again, she turned to Tessa and said with quiet doubt, through lightly clenched teeth, “You think tight clothes and cleavage are going to make Logan fall in love with me?”