Secrets Resurfaced

by Dana Mentink

  “We were just talking about you,” Josh stated. Cecile had been with the sheriff’s office for three years and had worked her way up to the position of his brother’s chief deputy.

  Lawson noticed she was holding the duffel bag from Ashlee’s car. “Is that Ashlee’s bag?”

  “It sure is. I thought you both should see it.” She knelt down, unzipped the bag and opened it. Inside was a boatload of cash—all in small bills.

  Lawson was stunned by the sight, his mind rushing through all the reasons Ashlee might be carrying that much cash around. None of them was good. He knelt, glanced at the bag and then back at Ashlee’s room.

  What had she gotten herself into?

  * * *

  Josh plopped the unzipped bag onto her hospital bed. Ashlee was surprised to find the bag full of cash.

  “Wh-what is this?” She had no idea why they were showing her this.

  “This bag was in your car,” Lawson told her. “Any idea why you were carrying all this money with you?”

  She reached out and touched it, but shook her head. It didn’t look familiar, either. “I don’t know.” She couldn’t even imagine why she would need so much cash—or where she would have gotten it. She glanced at their faces. This made them even more suspicious about what she was involved in. Why couldn’t she remember? Why didn’t she know what this was for?

  “I don’t know,” she said, pushing the bag away, an irritated edge in her voice at their pressing stares.

  Cecile zipped the bag. “We counted it. It’s twenty-five thousand dollars in small bills.”

  They were staring at her, waiting for her to explain, but she had no explanation. She didn’t know what the money was for or where it had come from. “I told you. I don’t know.”

  She pulled the blankets up near her neck, recalling the feeling of not being able to get air. She’d nearly died, and this money was probably connected to the reason why she was in danger—maybe someone was after her for the money, or maybe she’d gathered a lot of cash to run from whoever was chasing her—but she had no idea what the truth was. “I’m tired now. I’d like to rest.”

  Cecile glanced at Josh who was still staring Ashlee down. There was no understanding on his face—just suspicion. He had a grudge against her for sure. It had to be because of the broken engagement with his brother, not that she remembered anything about that, either. She had no explanations and it frustrated her as much as it did them.

  Finally, Josh nodded and Cecile lifted the bag off the bed. “I’ll keep looking.” She and Josh walked out of the room, but Lawson remained behind.

  Tears pushed at her eyes, threatening to let loose, but she held them back. Regardless of what he’d said, he was a stranger to her and she wasn’t comfortable enough to cry in front of him. “They don’t believe me.”

  “They’re used to pushing people to get answers. Sometimes it helps.”

  “Well, it doesn’t help me to be pushed.” A tear slipped through and down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away. She didn’t want to be in this position. “I don’t know anything. I can’t remember what happened to me. I don’t know who was shooting at me or why or what that money was for. I don’t remember.”

  He reached for her and pulled her to him as the tears began to break through. “It’s okay, Ashlee. I believe you.”

  She sucked in the musky scent of his aftershave and it sent familiar tingles through her. She knew this man. She was certain of it, even if she didn’t remember him. It was merely a fleeting feeling, like the one she’d gotten from the man who had attacked her. Only, instead of registering Lawson as dangerous as she had her attacker, her instincts told her Lawson was safe.

  She jerked away from him and gasped at her own realization. “I knew him. The man who attacked me. I knew him.”

  “You recognized him? Can you give me his name?”

  “No, I don’t know who he is. But I remember that when I saw him, I instinctively knew he was dangerous even before he grabbed the pillow and tried to smother me.”

  He sat on the bed and held her hand and Ashlee was thankful for his gentle touch—and his patience. She didn’t need to be pushed.

  “Do you think he did something to you, Ashlee? I mean before. Was he involved in whatever happened to you?”

  She had no memory of what had led her to this situation, but her gut was telling her he was definitely involved. “I knew he was dangerous, so I must know him.”

  “Okay. You get some rest. We’ll do everything we can to figure out who this guy is.”

  She wished she had more to give him—information that might actually help him solve this case tonight. She was being released tomorrow and while she’d be glad to be out of the hospital, the idea of a cold, empty hotel room frightened her. Surrounded by strangers with no idea who she could trust.

  Why couldn’t she remember?

  “Thank you, Lawson.”

  He squeezed her hand, then stood.

  “What happened between us?” she asked him before he could leave. He stopped, his shoulders slumped, then turned back to her.

  “We can talk about that another time.”

  “No, please. I want to know. I get the feeling your brother doesn’t care for me. Is it because of the engagement?” When he still hesitated, she barreled on. “Well, we obviously didn’t get married, did we, or else you would have said I was your wife or your ex-wife. Instead, you said we were engaged. I assume we never made it to the altar.”

  He shook his head and walked back to the bed, pulling up the same stool his brother had sat on earlier. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

  So that meant she didn’t turn out well in the story. Did she want to hear about what a horrible person she was? Not especially, no—but she still felt the need to learn everything she could about her past. Anything might be the puzzle piece that would help her understand who she was...and how she’d ended up here. “I do.” She braced herself for the worst.

  “We were engaged six years ago. We met in high school and dated exclusively after we graduated. I knew you had your doubts, not about me exactly, but about staying here in town, living on my family’s ranch. It wasn’t exactly your idea of a dream life.”

  That’s funny because she thought living on a ranch sounded nice.

  “Your grandparents had a ranch over on Cedar Ridge Road. That’s where you lived with your parents and your sister, Bree, until about a year after your grandparents died. Your folks couldn’t keep up with the ranch work and the bank foreclosed. When the rest of your family decided to move away from town, I thought for sure you would follow them. You always did have your sights set on the big city. But your parents settled in a retirement community, your sister moved to the city...and you stayed here with me. I thought it was a good sign. Truthfully, I realize now I ignored all the signs that you were unhappy.”

  She closed her eyes, knowing a painful thing was coming.

  “The night before our wedding, you sent me a text message telling me you couldn’t go through with it. By the time I reached your apartment, you were gone. I guess you probably sent that message once you were already miles away. You left me a letter taped to your door telling me all the reasons why we couldn’t be together.”

  She closed her eyes, hating the pain that was evident in his face even now; the tightness of his mouth and jaw and the crease in his forehead as he recounted the events.

  “I tried calling you and texting you, but you never replied. You were just gone. I even tried to find you. I was determined to be with you, Ashlee, no matter the cost. I wanted you and I resigned myself to living in the city if that was what it took.” He looked away and hesitated. “But you never even gave me a chance. You shut me out. That was it. You were just gone.”

  Tears streamed from her eyes. That sense of familiarity that she’d gotten around him felt wrong now. She had no rig
ht to feel so safe around him when he had to be hurting just from being near her. She’d broken his heart. “I’m so sorry, Lawson. I’m sorry I did that to you.”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  He tried to shrug it away, like it didn’t matter, but pain still flickered behind his eyes. It might have been a long time ago, but the hurt was still there and she was sure seeing her again had brought it all back up again.

  “Still, I’m sorry. I wish I could remember and explain.”

  “There’s no need. You made your choice. You didn’t want to be here, so you left.”

  She didn’t like the bitterness in his tone, but felt she deserved it. She’d treated him badly, broken his heart. Why was he even still here talking to her? He probably wanted answers from her, more answers that she didn’t have to give.

  He stood and took a deep breath. “So, you’re right. My brother—my whole family—isn’t too thrilled to hear you’re back in town. But don’t worry. It won’t affect my or my brother’s ability to do our jobs. We’ll get to the bottom of what’s happening to you.”

  She heard the underlying implication in his words. They wanted to find out what had happened to her and eliminate the danger so she could leave town again and they could resume their lives without her as a constant reminder of the pain she’d caused.

  “Thank you for helping me, Lawson, and I am sorry. You seem like a nice guy. I hate that I hurt you.”

  “You didn’t hurt me, Ashlee. You saved me from a life of misery.” He headed for the door, obviously intent on leaving. But he stopped with his hand on the handle. “I’ll be back in the morning when they discharge you. I’ll drive you to the hotel. I’ll also arrange to have security watch your room until I get here. Don’t worry. You will be safe tonight. I promise.”

  He walked out and she struggled to process everything she’d just learned—everything she’d done in the past to hurt this kind, decent man. Her only contact in a town full of strangers and she’d already burned bridges with him. She pulled the covers over her head and let the tears flow.

  She was truly all alone.

  * * *

  Lawson finished the chores for the evening, then saddled up his horse and took a ride. He needed time and space to think and process what had happened today. Ashlee was back in town. Seeing her again had done something to him—had opened up a deep hole in his soul.

  He pushed the horse faster and faster as all the pain and grief and bitterness he’d been burying roared to the surface. For years, he’d pretended to have it all together, telling himself that he was over her. That he was past all the heartbreak and grief over what his life, their life together, could have been. All his plans and hopes for the future had been shattered in one person’s selfish act.

  The clouds above him rumbled as if imitating his heart and he slowed his horse, allowing them both to cool down from the brutal gallop. He felt like someone was chasing him, yet no matter how fast and hard he rode, he couldn’t escape what was coming.

  Thunder roared and the horse grew nervous at the oncoming storm, but Lawson wasn’t ready to go back. He couldn’t sit in that house and have his family watch him for signs that he was going off the edge again the way he had after his canceled wedding six years ago.

  He knew he’d been a little crazy back then—pushing himself, taking too many risks to cover the pain he hadn’t wanted to deal with. This land had healed him, brought him back to himself. His connection to this property was deep and he’d taken solace in the open ranges and grassy hills.

  The rumbling sky opened up and rain poured down. Another round of thunder caused his mare to jerk again. He should have turned around and taken her back to the safety of the barn at the first hint of thunder, but he’d been selfish, needing to work out his own problems instead of thinking about her. Selfish. He’d been selfish with the horse just like he’d been selfish with Ashlee, putting his own wants and desires ahead of hers. He led the mare to a group of trees and slid off, tying her reins tightly around a limb so she couldn’t bolt. They would be safe and dry here until the storm passed.

  He stroked her nose to calm her and whispered to her that they were going to be all right. The horse, seemingly comforted by his tone and words, calmed down a bit.

  He wished he could believe the assurances as easily as she did. He stretched out against a tree trunk and pulled a crumpled letter from his back pocket. The letter Ashlee had written to him and taped to her door six years ago. He’d read it and reread it a hundred times since that night and it still broke him.

  Now she was back and all those old feelings were surfacing again. It wasn’t right that he had to endure this pain again. It wasn’t fair.

  Why, God? Why are You doing this to me?

  He stared up at the sky as the clouds began to clear and the storm passed.

  His faith had always sustained him, but he was struggling now to make sense of this new trial. How was he ever going to be around her without giving in to the emotional roller coaster just seeing her had thrown him into? But he couldn’t just leave her unprotected, could he? Why had he been the one to find her? And would it have made a difference if someone else had?

  He didn’t have all the answers, but he knew one thing. He couldn’t abandon her. No matter what she’d done, no matter how badly she’d hurt him, he couldn’t leave her alone and vulnerable, knowing someone was after her. He would have to figure out a way to be around her while still keeping his distance emotionally.

  His family would tell him he was crazy for feeling so personally driven to help her, but his mama hadn’t raised him to walk away from people in trouble. Ashlee needed his help and he would give it.

  But he was trusting in God to help him keep his heart in check.

  Copyright © 2020 by Virginia Vaughan

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  ISBN: 9781488061172

  Secrets Resurfaced

  Copyright © 2020 by Dana Mentink

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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