Private Eye Protector
Page 20
Finally, only family remained, the setting sun washing over their familiar and well-loved faces, the photographer friend of Lila’s unobtrusive as she snapped photos.
Rayne’s throat tightened. She’d almost died in that little cellar in that lonely cabin, died before she’d ever known what it meant to really live. Now she knew, and it spilled out in every breath, every moment.
She walked across the yard, entered the orchards, the sound of voices fading as she made her way to the apple arbor and the small bench that sat beneath it. Lila had shown her the spot months ago, and Rayne went there often, the silence of the orchards providing the perfect place to pray and think.
She’d needed plenty of time for both those things in the days following Michael’s death. DNA tests had proven his paternity, and Mallory had confessed to his part in Chandra’s death. He’d claimed that Michael had convinced him to kill the woman who he’d said stood in the way of him gaining custody of his daughter.
Michael had never wanted custody of Emma, of course. He’d simply wanted freedom from Chandra’s demands. Blackmail to keep silent about their affair. That’s what the police believed, and Mallory’s claim that he’d broken into the unit where Rayne had stored Chandra’s things to retrieve $20,000 that Michael had paid Chandra had only confirmed their suspicion. Mallory said Michael had paid the money to avoid a lengthy custody battle, and that Chandra had reneged on her promise to give him the baby.
It was another of Michael’s manipulations. Nothing more. He wanted Chandra out of the way. He’d convinced Mallory to do the unthinkable.
And then, when Rayne discovered the truth about Emma’s paternity, he’d brought Leon and Mallory to Spokane to help him get rid of his problem. One phone call, and he’d had Rayne driving to the airport.
Bits and pieces of that night had come back as she’d sat on the bench under the apple arbor. Her anger. Michael’s. The sudden realization that he might hurt her, hurt Emma in order to keep his secret.
She’d told him to go back to Arizona, and she’d run.
Everything after that was blank.
Even now, five months later, she couldn’t remember how the accident had happened. She believed she’d been run off the road and left to die, but she didn’t know. She only knew what Mallory said—that Leon had been sent to the hospital to kill her. Then he’d backed out at the last minute, refusing to pump the potassium Michael had provided into her IV.
She’d been so close to death that night.
So close to death in the days that followed.
But God had seen her through.
Had given her so much more than what she’d ever believed she would have.
She closed her eyes, let the stillness of the orchards sweep through her as she silently thanked God for the day and for her family, for all the things she’d thought she’d wanted that He’d denied her, and for the one thing that she’d thought she shouldn’t want that He’d given her.
Leaves rustled as someone walked toward her, and she didn’t need to open her eyes to know who it was.
Chance.
She felt him as surely as she felt the cool evening breeze.
He sat, twining fingers with hers, his light eyes shimmering. “I’ve been looking for you. Our mothers are having a friendly argument over which one of them is going to give Emma her bath, and I need you.”
“I think you’re perfectly capable of handling the argument, but I’ll come anyway.” She laughed, starting to rise, but he pulled her back down.
“I didn’t say I needed you to handle the argument.”
“Then what do you need me for?”
“Hellos. Goodbyes. Everything in between.” He pulled a small box from his pocket, and her heart jumped, her pulse racing.
“Chance—”
“I love you, Rayne. I love Emma. There’s nothing I want more than to make your little family mine. Will you marry me?” He took a ring from the box, but she couldn’t see it through the tears streaming down her face.
“Yes.” She managed to choke out, and he slid the ring on her finger, tugged her into his arms, their lips touching, fire burning, lightning flashing.
Lightning?
Not lightning. A camera flash.
Michelle Sidles?
She broke away, looked into the faces of everyone she loved, all of them standing in the shadow of the arbor.
“You forgot to tell her it’s an antique, Chance. From your great-great-grandmother,” Lila said.
“He also forgot to tell her that if he ever hurts her, I’m going to—”
“Cool it, Jonas. You’re killing the romance.”
“You’re all killing the romance,” Chance muttered, pulling Rayne to her feet, leading her over to her family. Their family, dressed in their best clothes, their best smiles, their best hearts.
She took Emma from her mother, and the baby grabbed Emma’s hair with one hand, reached for Chance with the other. “Dadadadadad.”
“That’s exactly who I’m going to be.” He kissed her chubby knuckles, and Rayne was sure one of their mothers sniffed back tears. She didn’t point it out, because her tears were still falling, her heart overflowing as she stepped into warm congratulations, gentle hugs.
“As wonderful as this news is, as excited as we all are, I think we need to give Rayne and Chance some time alone to discuss their plans,” Rayne’s father, Richard, said over the murmur of voices, and Skylar nodded, taking the baby from Rayne’s arms.
“Good idea, Dad. Let’s go back to the house and let the moms fight over who’s going to give the baby a bath while we discuss ways to dispose of Chance if he doesn’t make Rayne happy.” Jonas slid his arm around Skylar’s shoulders, his fingers playing in her hair.
The family drifted away, and Chance pulled Rayne back into his arms. “So where were we?”
“I was saying yes.”
“Right, and I was kissing you. There’s only one thing we forgot.”
“What’s that?”
“We forgot to say hello.”
“Hello?”
“Rule number five, remember? When you love someone, never ever forget to say so when you say goodbye or hello.”
“Or anything in between?” she asked, her heart swelling with the truth of her love for him, his for her.
“Exactly.” He cupped her face, his fingers trailing fire down her jaw.
“In that case, I really, really, really love you, Chance.”
Their lips met, their hearts beating in one strong and perfect rhythm, everything Rayne had ever wanted, everything she’d thought she couldn’t have, right there in the warmth of Chance’s arms.
Dear Reader,
Rayne Sampson has three simple rules for heart-healthy living, and she has absolutely no intention of breaking them. A single mother, raising her best friend’s child, she knows how easy it is to fall in love with the wrong person, and she never intends to do it again. When a car accident steals her memories, and her life spins out of control, private detective Chance Richardson steps in to help. He’s strong, caring and dependable, his faith shining out and drawing Rayne in.
But she has her rules, and she can’t break them.
Or can she?
I hope you enjoy Rayne and Chance’s story. Like many of us, they are flawed and fickle, their hearts bruised from poor decisions and heartache. In the end, it is their faith in God and their love for each other that leads them through.
Questions for Discussion
Rayne spent three years dating a man who wasn’t what he seemed to be. What led her to stay with him?
What was it that finally helped her see that Michael wasn’t who he pretended to be?
Have you ever discovered that someone you love isn’t who he pretends to be? What was your response?
Love means accepting others for who they are, rather than trying to make them who we want them to be. In Rayne’s relationship with Michael, was he the only one guilty of trying to change the person he loved? Explain.
Why do you think Chance married Jessica?
How did that marriage and Jessica’s death change his perspective on love and relationships?
When they meet, neither Chance nor Rayne are ready for a relationship. What changes that?
In your opinion, were their past relationships mistakes or learning experiences? Explain.
God can take even our biggest mistakes and make something good out of them. Do you think Rayne believes that when she moves to Spokane?
How do their individual relationships with God shape Chance and Rayne’s relationship with each other?
Rayne makes a promise to Chandra before she thinks it through. As a result, she becomes a single mother. Have you ever made a promise that was difficult to keep? Explain.
Rayne made three rules for heart-healthy living after she broke up with Michael. What were they?
How did those rules and her perspective on them change as the story progressed?
Do you have life rules? If so, how have those rules changed as you’ve matured and grown?
Love doesn’t happen in a day or a week or a month. It happens over the course of a lifetime. How do you live your life to reflect the love you have for those around you?
ISBN: 978-1-4592-1626-6
PRIVATE EYE PROTECTOR
Copyright © 2011 by Shirlee McCoy
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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*The Sinclair Brothers
**Heroes for Hire