Rains of Remorse

by Christy Barritt

  “Are you sure about that? Because it almost looks like you’re stalking her.” She twisted her head just enough to let him know she wasn’t the gullible type.

  Levi didn’t need convincing.

  “Stalking her?” Levi let out a gargled laugh. “I’m not stalking Rebecca. I can see where it might seem like that, but really, I’m just concerned.”

  “You know that none of this trouble started until you came to town.”

  He swallowed hard, realizing that the chief had a point. “That might be true, but that doesn’t mean I’m guilty.”

  “We like to look out for each other here in Lantern Beach. I’m sure I’ve mentioned that to you before.” She crossed her arms as she waited for his response.

  Levi made sure to soften his voice before saying, “Just because I’m a stranger doesn’t mean I’m up to no good.”

  The chief crossed her arms and looked him up and down. “Why are you here in town, Levi?”

  As a pause came in their conversation, the sound of waves crashing just beyond the dune filled the air. A slight drizzle had started, spattering across their skin.

  Levi cleared his throat. “I told you, I was looking for a little getaway. Since I work remotely, I can go wherever I want.”

  “Yet you didn’t go somewhere warm during the winter months?”

  “Is that a crime?”

  “No, it’s not a crime. But I looked into your background.”

  Alarm raced through him. So she was investigating him. Unease grew in him.

  “And what did you find out when you looked into my background?”

  “That’s the thing. I didn’t find out anything. Your background is squeaky clean. You didn’t even have a parking ticket.”

  “You say it like that’s a bad thing.”

  “I’m just saying that there’s something about you that doesn’t ring true.”

  “I assure you that I have Rebecca’s best interest at heart. I’m just trying to be a good neighbor.”

  Before the chief could say anything else, a scream ruptured the air. Levi and Chief Chambers look at each other before rushing toward the house.

  Rebecca was in trouble.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rebecca screamed as Jenkins pulled a gun from beneath his jacket. She raised her hands in the air before quickly pulling them down over her belly. She had to protect Emma. Yet she felt so exposed, so helpless.

  “Shut!” he demanded.

  “What do you want?” Rebecca’s voice quivered as the words left her lips.

  “I think you know,” Jenkins sneered, transforming from classy to malicious in the blink of an eye.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Rebecca took a step back, desperate to put distance between herself and this man.

  “You have something that belongs to me.”

  This was the man who’d sent her that text, wasn’t it? He’d resorted to drastic measures. Yet he’d set this up last week, long before she’d received the text message.

  Unless this wasn’t the real Mr. Jenkins.

  Despair deepened in her chest until an ache pounded inside her. “I have no idea what my late husband got mixed up in, but I assure you that I’m not involved.”

  His eyes narrowed as the smile on his vile lips grew wider. “But you are.”

  “What does that even mean?” Rebecca took another step back.

  He leered before reaching for her. “You are coming with me.”

  Rebecca didn’t know a lot about crime, but she knew enough to know that you never went with the bad guy. She would not come back alive if she did. Fear swept through her.

  She jerked, pulling out of his grasp. But she knew this wasn’t over.

  “Can’t we just talk this out?” Her voice cracked.

  Emma. Emma was all she could think about.

  “Time for talking is past,” he growled. “Come with me.”

  Rebecca scooted back, wanting to get as far away from the man as she could. But as she did, he raised his gun higher. “Don’t make this difficult, Rebecca.”

  She glanced around looking for something to protect herself. But there was nothing. How was she going to get out of this situation? She should have let Levi come with her instead of being so stubborn.

  Emma. All she could think about was Emma. She had to protect her baby no matter the cost. But how?

  Jenkins reached for her again. This was it, she realized. The point of no return.

  As despair pummeled her, the door behind her burst open. Rebecca gasped and turned. Cassidy and Levi charged inside.

  Jenkins took off in a run toward the back of the house, and Cassidy took off after him.

  He was gone, she realized. The man was gone, and Emma was okay.

  Her knees buckled at the thought.

  Levi caught her before she hit the ground and led her to the couch. She collapsed there, a trembling mess.

  “Did he hurt you?” Levi asked, lowering himself beside her and reaching his arms out.

  She fell into his embrace, feeling like she could no longer hold herself up. His strong arms pulled her closer, made her feel like no one could hurt her—for now, at least.

  “I’m okay,” she murmured. “You got here right on time. How did you know?”

  “You’ll have to forgive me, but I followed you here this morning. I was worried that something like this might happen.”

  She wanted to be mad, but how could she be? It was an invasion of her privacy, but it had saved her life. “And Cassidy?”

  “She and I were on the same wavelength.”

  Levi pulled her closer, and Rebecca didn’t argue. She had to focus on keeping herself calm instead. For Emma’s sake.

  Her gaze drifted to the back door where Cassidy had disappeared. She prayed that her friend was okay. Where was she? Had something happened?

  “Maybe you should go check on her,” Rebecca suggested.

  “I don’t want to leave you,” Levi said. “Not until we know what’s going on.”

  His words brought a rush of relief. Because Rebecca didn’t want to be left alone either. Too much had happened. There was too much she was trying to comprehend right now.

  A moment later, Cassidy strode back inside, dragging Mr. Jenkins behind her. The man wore a scowl and his hands were cuffed behind him.

  “Backup is on the way,” Cassidy said. “I’m going to need to get a statement from you. I’d rather do it at the station. Does that work?”

  “I can drive her,” Levi said then turned to Rebecca. “I don’t want to overstep, but I don’t think you’re in any condition to drive right now.”

  Rebecca knew better than to argue. He was telling the truth. She could barely walk in a straight line.

  “Yes, I can go down there to give my statement.”

  As Cassidy led Jenkins away, he looked over his shoulder and gave Rebecca a look that chilled her to the bone. What was going on here? And how was she going to get out of it?

  Levi took Rebecca to the station, where she gave her statement. She told Chief Chambers about how the man had pulled a gun on her and had demanded that she go with him. Thank goodness, he and the chief had arrived when they had. If Rebecca had gone with the man, Levi was certain they would never see her again.

  He was hopeful that the police would get information from this man, the supposed Mr. Jenkins. Levi had no illusions that was the man’s real name. Last he’d heard, the man had decided to shut up and wasn’t saying a word. Not his real name, his age, nothing. The chief was going to have a long night ahead of her.

  Rebecca had just been released to go home. So far, she seemed to be holding up okay physically. She hadn’t had any more pains or any indications that there might be something wrong with her pregnancy. Levi knew Rebecca needed to get off her feet and rest. Now the challenge would be convincing her to let him help.

  “Let’s get you back home,” he said.

  She was obviously in a state of shock because she didn’t even
argue. Rebecca let him lead her out to his car. Hers was still at the other house. Later, they would figure out how to pick it up.

  Rebecca said very little on the drive back. She stared out the window and rubbed her belly. The sight caused Levi’s heart to twist again. He couldn’t even imagine all she had been through.

  At her house, Levi walked her to the door. Rebecca unlocked it and turned toward him. “Would you like to come inside for a minute?”

  “I was hoping you would ask.” He shrugged, trying not to look too eager.

  A slight grin teased at her lips. He helped her inside. But when she went into the kitchen to try to act as hostess, he quickly shuttled her into the living room. “You need to sit down. Let me fix you something to eat and drink.”

  “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

  “You didn’t ask me. I’m telling you that’s what I’m going to do. You have had one tough day. One tough week, for that matter. And, honestly, I don’t even want to take my eyes off you. Not until we know what’s going on.”

  “We?” She stared at him.

  Levi tried to lighten his own stance as he shrugged. “I know that’s awfully pushy of me, and I’m sorry. I don’t want to be that way, but with everything that’s happened, I can’t seem to help it.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I feel like I’ve known you for much longer than I actually have.”

  “I feel the same way.”

  The two of them shared a smile.

  “Okay.” Levi broke from his mood. “You sit down. I’m going to fix you something to eat. How does soup sound on this rainy day?”

  “Soup sounds great. But I don’t have anything canned.”

  “That’s okay. I can whip up something from scratch.” He had a few recipes up his sleeve.

  “A man of many talents, I see.”

  He shrugged, not wanting to get her hopes up. “I don’t know about that. I didn’t say it would taste good.”

  She let out a laugh. Hearing that sound was music to his ears. It made his heart do a flip-flop. In fact, it might be the first real laugh he’d heard from her since they’d met. Levi would do anything to hear that sound again, to be in a different situation than the one that they were in now.

  Had he lost his mind? How had his feelings for this woman developed so quickly? But he knew the truth. Circumstances like this could heighten emotions, could accelerate these kinds of things. He wasn’t naïve enough to think otherwise.

  But still, there was so much on the line. He had to figure out how to proceed. And he had to figure out if he was going to tell Rebecca the truth.

  Rebecca had opened up to him. His job had been to get her to do so. But so much between them felt sincere, felt real.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Whatever Levi was cooking, it smelled wonderful. A savory aroma drifted from the kitchen, and Rebecca’s stomach rumbled. A few minutes later, he appeared with a cup of warm water and placed it on the table near her.

  “Here’s something to hold you over until the soup is done. I want to give it another ten minutes or so to make sure the flavors blend. My mom always says you have to let the ingredients meld together.”

  Rebecca smiled as she took the warm water. “Your mom sounds like she was a pretty wise woman.”

  “There was no one quite like her.”

  Rebecca heard the grief in his voice. She recognized it from her own life. “Is your mom still alive?”

  He rubbed his throat as the strands of “Blue Christmas” played in the background. “She is, but she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. She lives in a home up in Pennsylvania now. I try to stop in to visit her as often as I can.”

  “I can only imagine how difficult that is.”

  He shifted, throwing the dish towel over his shoulder and shrugging as he leaned against the doorway. “It is. Sometimes you feel like you’re all alone in the world, you know?”

  “Yeah, I totally understand that.” The two exchanged a glance. “I lost my mom too. It doesn’t feel right that I’m having a baby and she won’t be here to give her advice.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Rebecca took another drink of water. The warmth washed down into her system and instantly chased away her chills.

  The man intrigued her, and she wanted to know more. “Tell me more about yourself. What do you do when you’re not traveling for work?”

  He let out a long breath and shrugged, as if the question required more thought than it should. “I like to mountain bike. At least, I used to.”

  “Why don’t you anymore?”

  He shrugged again. “No time, I guess. My dream was always to go to Sedona and bike there. But life keeps getting in the way. Mainly, my job.”

  “Being an engineer must be demanding.”

  “You could say that.”

  She shifted on the couch and pulled a leg beneath her. “Then why don’t you go to Sedona now? What’s holding you back?”

  “That’s a great question.”

  As Rebecca set her drink down, she felt a thump in her stomach. Her hand went to her belly.

  Levi sat beside her. His eyes were orbs of concern and kindness, and they made her heart melt just a little. How was it that she felt as if she’d known him weeks when it had only been days?

  “Do I need to get the doctor?” Levi asked.

  She waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Oh no. I’m fine. Sorry, it’s just that Emma decided to kick me.”

  A smile spread across his face, and curiosity glimmered in his eyes. “Emma’s moving around?”

  Her hand moved over the spot, and she smiled. Feeling Emma move was one of the greatest joys in her life. “Yes, she’s doing some kind of gymnastics right now.”

  “That’s great.”

  She looked at Levi, a sudden and possibly crazy idea entering her head. Before she could second-guess herself, she asked, “Would you like to feel?”

  Levi’s eyes lit, and he tilted his head. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Rebecca took his hand and placed it over the spot where Emma kicked. As soon as her belly moved again, a smile spread across Levi’s face.

  “That’s the baby?” he asked, looking nearly spellbound with his wide eyes and lilted voice.

  “Yes. Isn’t that the coolest feeling? It still amazes me that I have a real human growing inside my body.”

  “That is absolutely amazing.” He left his hand there another moment, and, when he removed it, Rebecca missed his touch. The thought was ridiculous. Why would she miss his touch? She hardly knew the man.

  Rebecca knew she’d asked herself this a million times, but it still made no sense to her. Then again, the ways of the heart had never made much sense, did they?

  As she and Levi looked at each other, their gazes locked. She felt herself being drawn to him, like an invisible thread pulled them closer. Did he feel it also? Could she even trust these feelings, or should she blame them on her pregnancy hormones?

  Before either of them could say anything, do anything, the sound of the pot lid rattling in the distance drew their attention.

  Levi stood, looking as frazzled as Rebecca felt as he ran a hand through his hair and let out a shaky breath. “I should go check that.”

  Rebecca nodded, probably too quickly. Maybe it was a good thing he had to leave to go into the kitchen. Because her heart was doing all kinds of flip-flops like she hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Her husband had left her seven months ago. Was that too soon to fall for somebody else? Certainly, it was too soon to fall for someone she just met a couple days ago. Rebecca wasn’t calling this love. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But she definitely felt something was there.

  If Rebecca was smart, she’d take a step back. She wouldn’t let this go any further than a little infatuation.

  Levi would be leaving soon. He wasn’t here in Lantern Beach to stay, and it would be silly to think that they could somehow make things work long distance.


  She was going to have a baby soon. Her plate would be full. There would be no traveling out of town for a weekend visit up in Pennsylvania. Not with a newborn.

  Rebecca should just put this all out of her mind.

  She had a feeling that would be easier said than done.

  Rebecca woke up the next morning with a start. She quickly pulled herself upright, confused for a moment as to where she was and what had happened.

  Slowly, her living room came back into view. She had fallen asleep on the couch, she realized.

  With Levi.

  Her cheeks warmed. Somehow, she’d drifted to sleep with her head on his shoulder. The last thing Rebecca remembered was talking and laughing together. Levi had started a fire in the living room, she’d pulled a blanket over herself, and something about the coziness must have lulled her into slumber.

  Her sudden movement must have awakened Levi. He blinked several times before raising his head from the back of the couch. His eyes still hazy, Levi ran a hand over his face and turned to look at her. A lazy smile crept over his face.

  “Good morning.” His voice sounded deep and throaty with sleep.

  “Good morning.” Rebecca pushed her hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “I . . . we must have . . .”

  “I guess we were both exhausted from all the excitement yesterday. We must have both fallen asleep.” He stood. “But I can go now. I never meant to impose—”

  “You don’t have to go yet.” Her words surprised even her. “I mean, since you’re here, why don’t you stay for breakfast?”

  He stared at her a moment, as if still uncertain. “Are you sure? I don’t want to get your neighbors talking.”

  “You’re my only neighbor still here at this time of year, so I think it will be okay. Besides, both you and I know the truth.” As Rebecca said the words, her stomach tightened.

  Braxton Hicks, she told herself. It wasn’t a real contraction. She had been having these false alarms for the past few weeks. Since this was her first pregnancy, sometimes it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn’t. She was starting to learn the difference.