by Alexa Verde
You’ll pay. Or Daisy will.
Gwendolyn suppressed a shudder as she did her best to keep her smile intact. She had no clue what the sender had hinted at. She needed to think.
“I... I have to go.” Even as she said the words, she missed Conner already. And she couldn’t work up cheerfulness to say goodbye to his daughter.
His eyes dimmed, but he nodded. “I understand. Please try to get some rest.”
His head dipped as if he wanted to kiss her, but she couldn’t let it happen, not with the idea that was forming.
So she shifted, and he kissed her cheek instead. She didn’t want to risk changing her mind, so she slipped inside her room and fell rather than sat on her bed.
You’ll pay. Or Daisy will.
This was an alarming threat, and she doubted it was coming from the sculptor this time.
The memory of the recent kidnapping where Jenna and Vera risked their lives to save the boy made Gwendolyn’s insides go cold. The boy had been kidnaped because of Jenna. What if...
What if whoever sent her mysterious messages tried to do the same, kidnap the one who was the most vulnerable?
Daisy.
Gwendolyn’s heart shattered, and this time she couldn’t stop tears from spilling. Conner and Daisy were going to leave soon anyway, so why prolong the inevitable?
The soft melody of her ringtone made her wince, and all the cells in her body went on high alert. Was this going to be another threat?
Later, she hung up after a brief conversation with the human resources director of the elite international bodyguard firm. He’d apologized for the late call in her time zone and offered her a job. She’d had her résumé on file with them for a long time, but vacancies rarely came up. She’d mentioned in her résumé she’d be fine with international travel, and they had assignments coming up in Europe.
In other times, she’d be jumping up and down like Danica or Daisy. But Gwendolyn only felt emptiness now. As soon as she resolved the mystery of her father’s murder, she’d leave Cowboy Crossing. She’d never put Daisy in danger.
Lord, please keep Conner and Daisy safe in Your care.
Her fingers gathered the smooth bedspread into a fist while more tears spilled. Gwendolyn knew what she had to do to keep Daisy safe. Gwendolyn would have to stay away from the little girl and her father.
Even if it broke her heart.
After all, their happiness and safety mattered much more.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“What?” His jaw slackening, Conner glanced toward the room where Daisy was still sleeping. Then he lowered his voice as he stared at Gwendolyn in the B&B hall early the next morning. “What did you say?”
What she said simply couldn’t be right.
Misery settled in her eyes as she slumped against the wall. “It’s best for us to stop seeing each other.”
“Why? I thought—”
She lifted her hand in a universal stop sign. “Why prolong the inevitable? You’re going to return to Texas soon.”
“I... I was going to come up with something. Anything. I can’t say goodbye to you.” He thumbed the ring in his pocket, the one Daisy had made, as a sense of overwhelming loss settled over him. He’d thought—hoped!—Gwendolyn felt the way he did.
No, he wasn’t going to give up this easily.
He took her hands in his, grateful when she didn’t remove them. Speaking with the turmoil in him was difficult, but he had to try. “Is this about the geographic distance? We can figure out something. If it’s about that ridiculous accusation, I’ll hire the best lawyers out there. We’re in this together. I’ll stay here as long as necessary.”
“I appreciate it all. I–I”—her voice broke—“I really do.”
Maybe if he told her he loved her, she wouldn’t walk away. Or if she told him the reason, he could make this right. “Then why? I know you’ve been hurt before. But I’m not like your ex-fiancé. I’ll never cheat on you. I won’t keep a secret from you again.”
So much longing gleamed in her eyes. “I know.”
How could he change her mind? He had to change her mind! “I care about you, very much, and I felt... I felt you cared about me, too.”
She closed her eyes and opened them. “I do, but—”
“I love you.”
Her eyes widened. She jerked her hands away—not the reaction he’d hoped for. “Please don’t make it more difficult. It’s better this way.”
Agony sliced his heart. “Better for who?”
“Everyone. I... I received a job offer. A great one. It’s an elite international bodyguard company. There will be a generous salary, great bonuses, and the opportunity to travel the world. They have an opening because one employee got shot.”
He winced as his gut tightened. “Sounds dangerous. What if next time they have a vacancy, it’s because...” He didn’t want to finish the sentence.
He didn’t need to.
“Yes. I know.” She hung her head.
He hugged her, hoping this wouldn’t be the last time he’d have the opportunity. “If that job is your dream, if that’s what you want, then I’m glad for you. But don’t walk away from what we have.”
He didn’t know how to work it out with the world between them, but he’d have to figure it out. Maybe his new family would help? Looking at their happiness, he was starting to learn that family came not only with obligations but also with blessings.
“I’ve got to go. Or I’ll be running late for the meeting with my sister. Please kiss Daisy for me.” Her lips twisted up as she eased out of his embrace.
“She’ll miss you. And I miss you already.” His heart shattered—his daughter would be devastated.
Tears shimmered in Gwendolyn’s eyes. “I’ll miss you both. More than you can imagine.” Then she stiffened as if she’d said too much. “I need to accept this for what it is. It was just two lonely souls attracted to each other. Besides, I was a source of information for you.”
He wiped her tears with his thumb and kissed her salty cheeks. “You’re part of my soul now. It’s not a simple attraction, at least not for me. You’re the woman I love with everything I’ve got.” He wanted to add, “And the one I want to marry and have be a mother for my daughter.” But it didn’t seem like a good time to say it.
But he did treat her like his source of information in the beginning, didn’t he?
Maybe he deserved what he got now.
His heart broken for a second time.
* * *
Gwendolyn could hardly believe she was sharing over-sweetened tea in a small rental house with the sister she hadn’t seen in two decades. The scene felt as surreal as her goodbye to Conner, as if she watched someone else out the window walk away from the best thing that ever happened to her.
And still, here she was.
She needed to concentrate on the present because, if she thought about Conner and Daisy, she’d fall apart.
Vanessa smiled as she placed a pastry plate on the dining table. “I am glad we can be a family again. It’s about time, right?”
“Right.” Gwendolyn studied her sister over the rim of her porcelain cup, looking for the person who’d once been her best friend.
Vanessa changed—a lot.
She’d colored her long straight hair strawberry blonde, a color that suited her well. She was no longer plump, and her muscles were well toned. Makeup hid her freckles, and her nose—now delicate, straight, and narrow—betrayed a nose job. Was it an impression from the blush makeup, or were Vanessa’s cheekbones higher now?
A hollowness carved out Gwendolyn’s heart, taking the place of any joy at their long-overdue reunion. If she’d met Vanessa on the street, Gwendolyn would’ve walked right by without recognizing her sister. She should’ve found her a long time ago.
Vanessa’s jewelry and clothes seemed expensive, but not flashy. Overall, she exuded enviable confidence. Her designer crimson-hued pantsuit matched her lipstick but contrasted the rustic interior of th
e house with its simple wooden furniture and black-and-white farm photos the color of drizzling mist.
It was raining inside Gwendolyn’s soul, too, but her sister wasn’t the one to blame.
Where was that cheerful girl with chubby cheeks and pigtails? The one with laughter in her hazel eyes as they’d chased each other around the large house? The one who’d shared the last cookie with Gwendolyn or taken her for a bicycle ride?
“I should’ve reached out to you sooner,” Gwendolyn whispered.
“Same here.” Vanessa stared at her hot tea as the mint aroma spread in the room. “How is your tea?”
“Great.” Gwendolyn glanced at her cup, where her fingers hugged the smooth, warm porcelain. Only half left. She didn’t reach out for the pastries, and Vanessa didn’t move them toward her. “So... how have you been?” Gwendolyn cringed at the stillness between them.
Small talk didn’t work great right now. And neither of them seemed to want to talk about their parents, as if the connection between them was as fragile as a thin thread and could tear apart if they hung such heavy stuff on it.
Vanessa ran manicured nails through her beautifully styled hair, her tea remaining untouched. “I got married twice. Both times to a doctor. The first died, the second, I divorced. Each marriage left me with some money. Before you say anything, I earned every penny of it, especially the first time. No children. No pets. But I’m famous for giving the best parties around. What about you?”
“Single. Never married. No children, either.” Argh. Did Gwendolyn sound as depressing to her sister as she did to herself?
But she’d been so close to happiness over the holidays—to having everything she’d ever wanted—and the wounded expression in Conner’s eyes still tore at her. No, it was too painful to think about.
She searched for the call of blood inside herself, so strong and demanding in her childhood, and found nothing except regret about missed opportunities. Maybe it was for the best. “Though I do have a pet now. Marshmallow. A large and fluffy cat.”
“I see. Would you like more tea?” Vanessa smiled softly.
“No thank you. It’s weird. My mind is getting... foggier, I guess. What... what do you do for a living?” Her words came out quiet, her speech slurred.
Vanessa lifted her tea, then replaced it with a slight rattle. “Looking for a new husband. Those settlements don’t last forever.”
“At least, you’re honest.” Gwendolyn swayed in her seat from left to right. “Ohhh. It’s like... it’s like the room moved in front of me. And my heart feels funny.” She pressed a hand to her chest.
Vanessa’s hazel eyes narrowed slightly. “Really? I guess it’s a lot to take in after not seeing each other for so long. Drink some more tea. It will help.”
Gwendolyn picked up her cup but dropped it back to the saucer. She stared at the person who pretty much represented the entire family she had left in the world. “Have you... have you ever thought about the way our father died?” There. She said it. She placed the heaviest of the heavy stuff on the fragile thread.
“Such a tragedy.” Vanessa sighed. “You said on the phone you started investigating his death. Why now? And... have you discovered much?”
When Gwendolyn didn’t reply, Vanessa added, “It concerns me, too. I have a right to know.”
Gwendolyn shared the condensed version of what she’d learned from the sculptor. Then she slumped against the back of the chair. “I... I don’t feel well.”
Something flashed in Vanessa’s eyes. Satisfaction or worry? “What happened? Are you weak?”
“Yes. And dizzy.” Gwendolyn got up, then sank right back on the chair. “That’s strange.”
Vanessa removed Gwendolyn’s cup with its dregs of tea from the table. Her own cup was still full.
“Why don’t you lie down for a while?” No mistaking the gleam in her sister’s eyes as she leaned forward.
“Yes. Probably a good idea.” Gwendolyn rubbed her temples. “I’ll need your help to get to bed, I think. I... I just miss Dad so much. Do you... do you miss him, too?”
Vanessa’s mouth twisted as she sat on a chair closer to Gwendolyn. “Why would I? He left us.”
“What? No! He made an agreement with our mother. He wanted to talk to you, but Mom didn’t allow any contact.”
“That’s a lie! Not what my mother said.”
Gwendolyn sucked in a shallow breath, then a gasp slid from her mouth. “Our father wasn’t perfect, but I can assure you—he was a good, honorable man.”
“Yeah, keep telling that to yourself,” Vanessa muttered. “Maybe he was a good father to you, but he didn’t care about me.”
“Our mother didn’t want him to see you. She probably told you things about him that weren’t true.”
“He didn’t even pay child support! He couldn’t be bothered!” Fury twisted Vanessa’s face.
“No. Not true. He sent funds every month. He sent you expensive gifts, too.” Gwendolyn’s voice became weaker and weaker, and her arms hung by the sides of the chair.
Vanessa leaped from her chair and paced. “That’s a lie. He didn’t! I never received any gifts from him. And he didn’t leave me anything! I deserved the inheritance as much as you did. I thought he felt guilty neglecting me. He promised to change the will and didn’t.”
Gwendolyn’s mouth went dry. “How... how did you know about the will? There was no contact between you two. Or... was there? No. Dad wouldn’t have kept it a secret from me.”
Vanessa paused in the middle of the room. “I asked him to.”
“I do need to lie down.” Gwendolyn rose, then sank onto the chair again, faster than the previous time. “I... I’m going to pass out. I’m getting worried. Maybe you should call an ambulance.”
“Maybe I should.” Vanessa shrugged as she left for the kitchen. She came back with a paper towel and a cleaning solution and started wiping down surfaces.
The table’s sharp edges cut into Gwendolyn’s grasping fingers. “There’s a reason I feel this way, isn’t there? Did you put... something in my cup?” Her speech became more slurred. Her hand groped for her purse.
“Looking for your gun?” A smile twitched Vanessa’s wine-hued lips. “Don’t bother. Besides, you’re not in good enough condition to shoot anyway.”
“Did you poison me? But why? We’re sisters.”
Vanessa wiped down the door handles. “You left me no choice. You should’ve let things be. No need to look into a twenty-five-year-old murder.”
Betrayal hurting her heart, Gwendolyn let her gaze follow her sister. “Was it... was it you who impersonated me when meeting with our father?”
Another careless shrug. “You figured it out. Thankfully for me, a bit too late.”
“You shot our father, and you poisoned me.” Gwendolyn shook her head as if she still couldn’t believe it. “The cute guy I met at the grocery store—the one who asked me out and never showed up—he’s connected to you somehow, right?”
“Oh, just a guy who was in love with me. I asked him for a favor. I needed you out of the way for the evening Dad had off. I didn’t think you’d stay in the restaurant waiting for the boy for hours, giving you an alibi. ” Vanessa shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I might as well tell you. I killed Dad because he deserved it. You don’t know what life with our darling mother looked like. She only cared about maintaining a lavish lifestyle. She passed me from one nanny to the next until she sent me off to boarding school. Neither the girls nor the teachers there were kind to a plump freckled kid with braces.”
“You could’ve come to live with us,” Gwendolyn whispered.
Vanessa glanced around the room as if satisfied she’d left no fingerprints, then scowled. “Mom said Dad didn’t want to raise another brat any more than my stepdads did. I needed the inheritance. It was my way to freedom and the life I deserved.”
“But you shot Dad before he had a chance to change the will.” A fact, not a question.
“Well, he sh
ould’ve changed it sooner! I had to marry an old rich guy I despised because Mother was divorced again and spent her settlement faster than I could sneeze.”
Gwendolyn blinked at Vanessa’s sense of entitlement and lack of remorse. “You thought you’d get away with Dad’s murder....”
“I already did, didn’t I? I’m going to get away with this one, too.” An eerie calmness whispered through Vanessa’s voice. “It’s a pity you had to put your unshapely Meyers nose where it didn’t belong. Maybe we could have had a sisterly relationship, after all.”
“What have you done? I trusted you with my life!” Gwendolyn’s heart shattered for the second time in a short time. “Our father trusted you with his!”
Vanessa sneered. “I imagine, if you live through this, you’ll never trust anyone again. But you won’t live, so it won’t be an issue.”
That was it.
Trust. That was the reason she’d walked away from her happiness, besides wanting to protect Daisy from danger. She could’ve explained to Conner what was happening. Instead, she’d chosen to run because she hadn’t learned to trust.
A tiny morsel of doubt for Conner lingered after he’d withheld information about being the Clarks’ half sibling.
She’d prayed to God regularly, but she hadn’t relied on Him believing He’d let bad things happen to her.
Since two of her friends had betrayed her, so she had difficulty trusting friends. And since her fiancé cheated on her, she wasn’t sure she could trust her heart and her judgment.
Before she could trust God and people, she needed to trust herself.
Her sister’s deceit should’ve crushed what little trust Gwendolyn had left. Instead, it multiplied it. She shouldn’t judge God by people’s actions but trust Him with her whole heart, not part of it.
She shouldn’t judge the rest of the world by a few individuals because there were way more good, kind people like the Clark family and Conner and his daughter.
And she needed to trust herself and the man God had chosen for her.
Conner’s image appeared in front of her eyes, and her heart longed for him. Then she saw herself walking down the aisle toward him, wearing an elegant white gown after Daisy and Danica spread rose petals. They would be such adorable flower girls, and Danica already had a lot of experience. Gwendolyn saw Conner dressed in a tuxedo, standing at the altar, smiling at her. Saw so much love in his mesmerizing eyes.
