She left him to finish his shower, grabbed a cup of coffee and started packing her things. She needed to head back to Sanibel. While she’d brought a portion of her current project with her, she required more shells to finish the mask. The vendors had promised to locate what she needed. There was also the task of getting the condo ready for rental.
The bathroom door opened, a puff of steam escaping as it did. The rooms were so close, it was hard to miss it.
“You’re coming back with us?” Kevin asked from the doorway. He leaned against the jamb, a towel wrapped around his waist.
“I assumed it would be okay if I hitched a ride with y’all,” she said. “I’ve got to finish this mask. By the time I get it done, I’ll be free to set the condo up with the management company to rent.”
There was a slight tilt of his head and a narrowing of his eyes.
“What? Did you think I was staying on the island?” She ignored the gnawing feeling and continued to pack up the box. “Besides, I’ll be needed here for the investigation and trial.”
“Why don’t you spend some time on Sanibel? You won’t be needed back here for a while and they conduct telephone interviews all the time. You have friends there, you know?” Kevin pulled up to his full height.
“They’re your friends, Kevin. Not mine. They’re special people to whom I owe a great deal.” She’d lost so much—too many people in her life. Getting close to others would just mean more loss. He’d never understand.
“You don’t owe them a damn thing,” he said. Turning his back on her, he snapped the towel from his waist.
“What’s your problem?” she asked, quickly turning her attention away from his backside. Why was he angry?
“I’m not the one with the problem.” He threw his duffel on the bed, pulled out some clothes and began to dress.
“Excuse me?” Now she was getting angry.
“This place means more to you than anything, doesn’t it?” He stopped buttoning his shirt to stare at her.
“You know it does.”
“More than that?” He pointed to the bed.
River stared at the rumpled sheets and bunched up blanket. She given herself entirely to him last night. She’d known it would be their last night together. Apparently, he’d just put the pieces together himself.
“Why?” he asked. “Why are you coming back here to live your life alone?”
“This is my home.” She bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. Her home was a major part of it. What he didn’t understand was that being alone was preferable to losing anyone else. She’d believed she’d lost all she had to lose when her family was murdered. Then she lost Dan. Her aunt might as well be dead. Kevin would be deploying. He’d be gone for months, assuming he came back at all.
Then there was the issue of his friends. If she stayed on Sanibel, Cat, Josie, and Shayne would never leave her alone. They’d work on her until she was part of something else, something else she could lose—friendships.
“You don’t have to give this place up, but you don’t have to be tied to it, either.”
“I belong here,” she said, lowering her head until only his large feet were visible. She wouldn’t look him in the eye. She couldn’t bear to see the hurt.
“I thought you and I had something together. Didn’t these last few weeks mean anything to you?”
Everything. It had meant everything and if parting hurt this much, she wasn’t strong enough to survive his deployments. She might never see him again. It was better to make the break now than when he was halfway across the world. That would be cruel. There was no hope for them. She’d always be afraid of losing him, one way or another.
At first it had simply been sex. Damn good sex, but she fell for him. She hadn’t known what it was like to be in love until she’d met Kevin. A voice in the back of her head had been warning her against it. She hadn’t been listening. But now she listened as it lectured her. If you love someone, you will lose them. If she told him the truth, he’d try to convince her otherwise.
“I’m sorry, Kevin. I can’t be what you want me to be.” It was time to cut the cord. “I’ll find my own way back to Sanibel. Give your friends my thanks.”
“You give it to them yourself. I’m not your errand boy.” He zipped his duffel bag shut and slung it over his shoulder. “You deserve an Oscar. You had me fooled. I thought you were strong, but you’re still a frightened little girl. You hang on to this place and your past. If that’s all you want out of life, fine. I want more.”
The door slammed followed by the sound of the car pulling away. It would only hurt for a while, she promised herself as she dropped to the floor. Curled up on the area rug, she cried. It was the right decision. Kevin was right. He deserved better. He deserved someone stronger—someone who wasn’t afraid to take a chance.
43
River had been right on one point; the ladies of Sanibel did not give up. When she hadn’t been on the plane when it landed in Fort Myers, the calls started. She’d let each one go to voice mail. Surprisingly, none of the messages berated her for what she’d done to Kevin. Instead, Cat, Shayne, and Josie all called to check on her.
To avoid any accidental meetings, she’d snuck back onto the island in the middle of the night a few days after Kevin had stormed from her cabin. Her visit to Sanibel was brief. She packed her clothes and tools and dumped the food from the condo. On her way out of town, she stopped by the postal store to pick up the shells she’d had shipped to her by the vendors on the island.
Her plan to make the unit available for seasonal rentals, never materialized. She’d had every intention of contacting the management company, but she continually pushed the task aside. Why?
Instead of dealing with the question, she’d work to exhaustion each day hoping to fall into bed, too tired to think. No matter how many times she’d washed the sheets, she imagined Kevin’s scent as she wrestled with the covers each night. The idea of getting rid of both the sheets and the bed came to her as she lay awake one night, but she’d earned the torment. Punishment for breaking a kind, loving heart. Sleepless nights were a small penance to pay.
After a month of avoiding calls and various threats to show up unannounced, River texted Shayne to assure her she was okay, and they had no reason to worry—even though it wasn’t near the truth. She was miserable. Her single text to Shayne didn’t end the ongoing, but friendly, assaults by the three women. River had miscalculated again. Cracking that door open with a response had been interpreted as an invitation to walk through it. Eventually, she broke down and began to answer the texts from Cat and Josie, too. The texts morphed into phone calls. River shouldn’t have answered but they’d been subtly dropping bits and pieces about Kevin. Those little bits of information lifted her from her consistent melancholy existence.
She succeeded in making a point to never ask about him. There would have been a full court press if she showed interest in him. There was nothing wrong being concerned about his well-being. Right? His team was in South America. The group on Sanibel communicated with him regularly via email and an occasional phone call. There was no mention of him missing her—which pinched at her heart a bit. He shouldn’t care for her or how she was doing. She’d wanted him out of her life. The question was why she tortured herself hoping for bits and pieces of information on how he was doing and when he would be home safe.
As the weather began to cool, the women added a bigger weapon to their arsenal—Gib. The charmer contacted her regularly, trying to coax her down to the warmer weather. Admittedly, North Carolina winters were dreary which added to her mood, but she couldn’t go back to Sanibel. Kevin should be stateside soon, if he wasn’t already. What were the chances she’d run into him when he visited his friends? She wouldn’t be able to hide her emotions. She’d set him free. He deserved better—someone who would make him happy.
A week before Christmas, she received a text from Gib which simply said “SURPRISE!” What surprise? She groaned at the knock on the door. A sigh esc
aped as she peeked through the window curtain. Gib was standing on her front porch, cupping his hands and blowing a warm breath into them. She’d forgotten his stunning looks. His thick, blond hair was secured at the base of his neck and hung over the collar of his windbreaker. The ruby stud in his ear, didn’t sparkle in the overcast light as it did in the warm sunshine. What the hell was he doing here?
“C’mon on, River,” he shouted. “Open up. Have pity on this Florida boy. I’m freezing out here.”
Opening the door, she ushered him in. “Serves you right for showing up, especially without notice.”
He walked past her and straight to the fireplace, rubbing his hands over the hearth.
“I come all this way to wish you a Merry Christmas and all you do is lecture me?” His glance went past her, then circled the room. “Where are your holiday decorations?”
“I don’t do Christmas,” she said. “I’m alone here. What’s the point?”
“Because it brings you joy.” Those wolf gray eyes narrowed at her.
Joy. It was a fleeting emotion.
Gib moved away from the fireplace and stood in front of her. “Why can’t you be happy?” he asked, as he pulled her into a warm embrace. “You deserve to be, you know?”
Her shoulders dropped. She’d chosen her path. It was too late to change it.
“Is that why you’re here? To lecture me. I’ve done enough self-lecturing to last a lifetime.” Moving over to the fireplace where Gib had stood, she cocked her head in his direction. “I don’t understand why you all care.” It was the first time she’d voiced the question out loud. It sounded selfish.
“Because you’re part of our family. You became a member when you and Kevin fell for each other.”
“I kinda screwed that up, didn’t I? I think I’ve nullified my honorary family membership.” She wanted to kick him out. The subject hurt.
“You’re still in love with him. You can’t hide it—not from any of us,” he said, joining her.
“I never told anyone that.”
“You didn’t have to. You can’t get anything by us. The women are pretty damn astute, and I can tell by the look in your eyes where your heart is. Why don’t you come back with me?”
She closed her eyes and asked the obvious. “Is Kevin there?”
“No. I guarantee you he is not.”
“Will he be?”
“Stop running from things you can’t see,” Gib said. “We want you with us for the holidays.”
She knew he was right. Running wasn’t making her happy. Isolation no longer gave her comfort. She was simply existing. Nothing more.
“I assume you have access to your friend’s sleek private jet?”
“Waiting at the airport.”
“God, you’re persuasive. I imagine there aren’t many women that say no to you.”
He just grinned.
“Let me change clothes and throw a few things together. Do you know how to kill a fire?” she asked, pointing to the fireplace.
“I think I can figure it out. If not, I’ll Google it.”
River rolled her eyes as she headed to the bedroom. She’d make sure the fire was out before they left. Grabbing some of her lighter clothing, and other things she would need for a couple of days, she stuffed them in an overnight case. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Was she hoping to see Kevin or afraid that she would? What would she say if he showed up?
There was no time to think of an answer. Gib’s spot in front of the fireplace had been taken over by the man who visited her dreams when she was able to sleep. Her eyes fixed, her thoughts spinning, she couldn’t speak. Damn Gib.
“Hey.” Wasn’t that profound?
“Hey,” he answered…and then smiled.
He reached out and gathered her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest and inhaled the scent she hadn’t been able to forget.
“You should hate me,” she mumbled against his shirt.
“I could never hate you. I was angry. I left without trying to make things right between us. That’s no way to leave someone you love.”
“I hurt you. You had a right to be angry—and I don’t think I was in any state of mind to get on the same page with you. I was messed up pretty bad back then.”
“It took me a while to open my eyes and figure that out.” He continued to stroke her hair.
She pushed back from him. “You love me? You said you love me.”
“I did—and I do.”
“I didn’t want to love you,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to lose anyone else, but the minute you walked out that door, I’d lost you. Pushing you away didn’t stop the hurt.” She lowered her lashes, once again determined not to cry.
“River. Don’t.”
His palms cradled her cheeks as he tilted her head up. The kiss was warm and comforting. Oh, God. He tasted like home. As he began to deepen the kiss, she stepped back.
“How’d you know I didn’t hook up with anyone else while you were deployed?”
He smiled. “The same way you knew I was safe.”
“Cat, Josie and Shayne,” she said with certainty.
His smiled widened.
“What if I had found someone else?” She returned the grin.
“Seriously?” he laughed. “I’d have been notified. Taken leave and dealt with the interloper. Now, where were we?”
A horn blared out front.
“Oh, shit. I forgot Gib was outside.” He reached for her bag. “We’ll finish this tonight.”
She was grinning as she stepped out into the cold.
Epilogue
Summer, North Carolina Mountains
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They exchanged vows next to the birdbath in the butterfly garden. Kevin had known when he proposed that the wedding would take place where River was closest to her family. The dress was casual. The ceremony informal. The cabin had initially been intended as a place to relax and enjoy the natural setting. A place to love and to laugh. River wanted it to return to those happy times. She would continue to honor and remember her family—and one day, hopefully, bring children back here to play as she and her brother had.
The entire gang came up from Sanibel. River had also invited Dan’s son, Jacob, and Sheriff Chamblee. Both men had kept tabs on her after she’d returned to the cabin last year. They’d become part of River’s growing circle of friends.
After a two-week honeymoon in the cabin, they’d be returning to Florida. The condo would be home base. Kevin would be starting work at a nearby hospital as an ER nurse. He’d also be volunteering at the island’s free clinic where many of the workers on the island, who barely made a living wage, sought medical treatment.
Orders for River’s unique masks were pouring in after her jeweled creation made its debut in a music video. She had an extensive wait list. She hadn’t brought any work with her this trip, though. His plans were to keep her busy in other ways while enjoying the solitude of the mountains. These mountains had saved her life. Perhaps the two of them would create a new one together.
As River recited the vows she’d written, those ice blue eyes gazed into his. There were tears again, but he didn’t fret over them this time. Her smile telegraphed her joy. He planned to spend the rest of his life making her happy.
Acknowledgments
I never had an English or Literary teacher who wasn’t a nun. The Sisters of The Little Flower and St. Thomas Aquinas HS taught me to love reading and encouraged creativity. I’m not sure how they’d feel about romantic suspense, but they planted a seed. It took a long time but that seed finally blossomed. So, a shout out to all the teachers who plant the seeds and grow gardens of writers.
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A huge thank you to Sue-Ellen Welfonder , a USA Today Bestselling author. I am lucky to know her. She is one of my biggest cheerleaders and has given freely of her time and expertise. I’m still at the keyboard because of her.
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The absolutely amazing cover is the artwork of Eliza
beth Turner Stokes of estokescreative.com. I am so honored this skilled illustrator took the time for a wet-behind-the-ears Indie author. She has the uncanny ability to see what the author has envisioned. I have no doubt I drive her to drink—and that I owe her more than a few of them.
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There are, as usual, too many others to thank. Books are not the sole result of a writer searching for the right words and a plot that will hold your interest. It’s the result of family, friends and others who step in and give the author support, ideas, critiques and answer research questions. You know who you are, and I thank you for all your help. A special shout to Dr. Grace who took time out of her busy schedule to answer questions.
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And, finally, to all of you who read my stories and leave reviews. They are, quite frankly, the biggest boost you can give any writer. Please take the time to review this and other writers’ efforts so that we may continue to entertain you.
About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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C. F. Francis is a native Floridian who loves mystery, suspense and romance. Her favorite pastimes are reading (of course) and traveling. Her diverse background includes working in law, insurance, tourism and a stint with the Florida Legislature's Organized Crime Committee. She is honored to have friends who have served in the Special Forces and Military Intelligence, who have generously shared their expertise when asked. Ms. Francis lives in Southwest Florida near the areas where her novels take place.
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If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review on BookBub, Goodreads or your retailer’s site.
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You can follow C. F. Francis at:
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