by Tara Sue Me
Kelly didn’t like how the neighboring rancher’s name kept getting brought up whenever they came upon some new detail about Kiara’s disappearance. Once was acceptable. Twice was odd, but believable. Now it had reached the stage where she was thinking he was a more appropriate suspect than Orson.
“Conner,” she said. “Can you go back to the ranch and wait by the foreman’s driveway? I’d like someone to be there in case Seth gets in contact with JD. Mitch is in the office building, but I need to keep him there.”
“Sure thing, Officer Bowman,” Conner said. “If he comes out, what should I do?”
“Try to stall him. If you can’t, follow him, but keep your distance like you did with Seth. I doubt he can get into much trouble, but I’d like eyes on him as much as possible.”
What she didn’t add was that it’d make more sense for Orson to be waiting outside of the foreman’s home but that she couldn’t send him because she still didn’t trust the man.
“You don’t think it’d be better for me to go back to the ranch and keep guard outside Mac’s house?” Orson asked, as if her brain had split wide open and he could see inside and read what she was thinking.
“You actually would be my first choice,” she told him, and it wasn’t a total lie. “But I’d rather you be here in case Jed were to come by. I think he’d be more likely to listen to you as opposed to me or Evan.”
He nodded, seeming to take her answer for the whole truth instead of the half truth it was. She would feel comfortable with either herself or Evan talking with Jed if she knew beyond a doubt she could trust Orson. Since she couldn’t, not completely, she’d rather the ranch owner stay where she could see him.
With that settled, Conner took off, and they remained where they were, trying to decide what to do or even if they should do anything. Perhaps the best course of action would be to wait until either Seth made a move or they could determine where Kiara might be.
“Do you think if Kiara’s still around this area that she can see us?” Evan asked.
“I don’t know,” Kelly answered. “I’d like to think so, but then again if she can see us, wouldn’t Seth be able to as well? I don’t know if I want him aware of our presence just yet.”
The three of them were silent for a few minutes. Evan moved a bit closer to where they could barely make out the shape of Seth pacing. God, she hated this. Kelly’s stomach was in knots. She couldn’t help but feel as if she’d missed some key detail or important bit of information, and she hated that she couldn’t decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing Kiara wasn’t where the men who took her left her.
They needed a plan. It was imperative they try to be as prepared for anything as possible.
“He’s reaching for his phone,” Evan warned, eyes still glued to Seth.
Kelly turned to Orson. “Get ready to call Conner. I don’t know who else Seth would contact other than JD.” How long ago had Conner left? She didn’t think he’d had enough time to make it back to the ranch and get into position. Damn it. She needed someone watching JD.
Her phone was in her back pocket. Should she call Mitch and have him wait by the foreman’s house? Better to have two men there as opposed to none.
She grabbed her phone, but hadn’t started to pull up Mitch’s contact information when she heard a gun click.
It took her a handful of seconds before she realized the sound came from the right of Seth and not anywhere near her or the two men with her. Kelly looked up ahead to where the stable hand now stood with his hands in the air. A taller figure rose in the shadows beside him, too far away from any source of light for her to make out who it was.
But as soon as the figure spoke, she recognized Jed Oakes. “I’ll give you three seconds to tell me who you are and what you’re doing on my property before I shoot out your kneecaps and let the vultures finish you.”
Ever so slowly, Kelly reached for her service weapon and made her way to the path. “You’re surrounded, Seth. I want you face down on the ground with your hands behind your back. Make any sudden moves and I’ll allow Mr. Oakes to make good on his vulture threat. Orson, call the sheriff and have him send out a few men to pick up Seth here and to collect JD from his house. Evan, can you call Conner and fill him in?”
As she expected, Seth didn’t put up a fight, and within minutes he was bound, with Evan keeping a close eye on him. Kelly spoke to Jed. He’d explained noticing unfamiliar vehicle lights as he returned to his house from the barn, and decided to investigate.
“Kelly?” a soft voice asked from the direction of the caves.
“Kiara?” Kelly replied, afraid to hope and yet not able to keep herself from walking toward the voice that sounded like her sister.
“Kelly!” The voice grew stronger as Kelly moved closer and she gasped as her sister stepped out of the shadows. “It is you! I thought I heard you and then I wasn’t sure because I saw him outside of the cave.”
Kelly threw her arms around her sister. “I was so scared. I thought I’d never see you again.” She pulled back and ran her hands over the sides of Kiara’s face. She looked fine. No bruises or anything. Holding on to her sister’s shoulders, Kelly looked over the rest of her. “Are you okay? Nothing broken?”
“No, nothing like that.” Kiara shook her head. “I never want to see another cave for as long as I live.”
“I can’t say I blame you. What happened?”
“I was stupid. I ran into Seth after lunch and he was talking about a horse he was watching and how she was ready to have a baby. Then he called when I got back to my room after the meetings were over and said she was in labor if I wanted to come. When I made it to the field, he was waiting and that other guy came from behind and grabbed me.” She sniffled. “I was so scared, but I knew you’d come for me.”
Kelly pulled her into a tight hug as flashing lights of the approaching first responders came into view. “Always.”
Chapter Eighteen
Six Weeks Later
“Are you sure you’re okay with me being in Wilmington this weekend?” Kelly asked her sister.
“I’m fine,” Kiara said. “You know mom and dad won’t let anyone get to me. Especially since it looks like a security store gave birth in their house. Don’t you think you went a wee bit overboard?”
“Just because they couldn’t find a link between Randy and those two bozos from the ranch doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”
It still turned Kelly’s stomach to think about that first weekend at the ranch. JD had confessed to masterminding the kidnapping after overhearing a conversation about Kiara’s past. He claimed he planned to call Randy the day after they took her and ‘bargain’ for her.
Since Randy claimed no knowledge and had that airtight alibi there was no reason to think otherwise. But that didn’t mean Kelly agreed. Hence the increase in security at her parents’s house. It was probably for the best her parents and Kiara didn’t know about the undercover guard she also had watching the place.
“Whatever,” Kiara said. “I know it’s because you love me. Speaking of that four-letter ‘L’ word, will you be seeing your man this weekend?”
“Yes,” she said on the ending of a blissful sigh.
Her man. It still blew her mind to think of Evan that way but there you had it. He was her man. Her long distance, sexy as hell, man.
After Kiara returned to the ranch, life became rather dull considering how their time had started out. Evan and Kiara both worked until the beginning of August when they had to return to their respective schools to prepare for the new school year. Kelly continued to stay over weekends until Kiara left.
She never thought she would miss Evan as bad as she did.
They had agreed to try the long distance thing but so far that consisted of endless texts messages and phone calls. This weekend would be the first time in over three weeks since they’d seen each other.
“Is everyone you know getting married or is that just an excuse to go back to Wilmington?” Kiar
a teased.
Kelly had to laugh. “No, this is the last one on my calendar.” Someone knocked on her hotel door. “Evan’s here. Bye.” She hung up not even waiting to hear Kiara’s goodbye.
She nearly tripped in her haste to make it to the door, but she got it open without breaking anything.
Damn, he’d grown even more handsome in three weeks. He looked entirely too delicious in his dark suit and tie.
“Wow,” he said. “You look amazing.”
She felt her cheeks heat. Only Evan could make her blush. “Thank you.”
Cole and Sasha were having an outdoor wedding, so she’d opted to wear a sundress. It was light blue and the gauzy material made her feel like royalty. Plus, Kiara started to cry when Kelly came out of the dressing room to ask her opinion on how it looked. She took the tears as a good sign.
“You do too, handsome.” She rose to her toes and gave him a quick kiss. Or at least, that was her intention. But Evan grabbed her low around the waist, letting out a sexy as fuck moan when his hand met nothing but skin, and her intentions flew straight out the window.
“I knew picking you up at your hotel was a bad idea,” he said, pulling back for air. “How much time until the wedding starts?”
“Not long enough.” Kelly stepped outside and closed the door.
“This is why you should have stayed with me at my house.”
“The two of us under the same roof? Yeah, we’d never be late then.” He’d asked her repeatedly to stay with him while she was in town and every time she’d turned him down. Though not for the reason he probably thought.
She didn’t want to get used to being around him so much again, knowing it would hurt like hell when she left. Now that he was in front of her, she realized her mistake.
It would hurt like hell, regardless.
Reluctantly, they made their way to his car.
Cole and Sasha had planned a small, intimate wedding. Only Julie and Dena stood at the alter as bridesmaids and beside Cole were two men: Daniel and Jeff. Their vows were traditional, but everyone choked up when Cole recited his. Odds were, he didn’t even realize the handful of tears running unashamed down his cheek.
Afterward, Kelly heard several people comment they never noticed how beautiful Sasha was before today. It was true; she had a glow about her that looked way beyond the normal one shared by brides. The thing was, Cole had the same glow, it was just harder to pick out because the woman at his side naturally drew your eyes.
“It’s love.” Dena held her youngest daughter while watching Jeff twirl around the dance floor with their oldest, both father and child laughing as they spun.
“She’s more than beautiful,” Kelly said, watching as the bride shared a kiss with her new husband. “She’s radiant.”
“She’s not the only one,” Evan whispered in her ear. Kelly lifted her head to smile at him and he dropped his head to steal a kiss.
“That’s a sight I never thought I’d see,” someone said from behind them and they turned to find a grinning Daniel and Julie. “I all but called Orson a liar when he told me about you two. ‘Are we talking about the same Kelly and Evan?’ I asked him. ‘Short spitfire with red hair?’ He almost had me convinced until he started talking about some demo you two supposedly did. Then I knew he was talking about a different couple. Ow,” he said to his wife. “Why did you pinch me?”
Julie smiled but remained silent.
“Anyway,” Daniel said. “It’s always good to see you, Kelly. Don’t be a stranger.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she replied and she swore Daniel winked at Evan.
It was probably her imagination, but even so she waited until Daniel and Julie were speaking to someone else before asking Evan, “Did Daniel wink at you?”
“Nah,” he said. “I’m sure he didn’t. Probably something in his eye.”
She glanced over to where Daniel stood talking with several people, his arm casually draped around Julie. Maybe, but his eye looked fine.
“Come here,” Evan said, pulling her close to him and whispering, “Would it be rude if we left right now?”
“We should probably stay for dinner.” Not that she didn’t want to leave with Evan, but it was a small wedding so they’d be missed, plus, she wasn’t sure when she’d be back in Wilmington and she wanted to spend a little more time with her friends.
There was a difference being back in Wilmington this time as opposed to when she was for Daniel and Julie’s wedding. Then she was still unsettled with her move. Whereas now she enjoyed her job and the people she worked with. She loved being so close to her parents and her sister. To be honest, she was still living with Kiara because there was no reason to run out and buy a new place and the two of them got along great.
The only thing wrong with Dallas was that Evan wasn’t there.
Dinner was a sit down meal, but there were no place cards. Kelly overheard Sasha telling someone, “I think everyone’s smart enough to find a place to sit without being told how to do it. As long as I’m next to Cole, I don’t care where anyone sits.”
Kelly and Evan found seats at a table with Nathaniel and Abby West and their two children, Elizabeth and Henry. The couple welcomed them warmly and Kelly was glad they had the opportunity to sit with them. Since leaving town, she hadn’t had the chance to catch up with Abby.
“I can’t believe how much Elizabeth and Henry have grown since I last saw them,” Kelly said. “Looking at them, you’d think I’ve been gone years instead of months.”
Abby laughed. “They’re like weeds. I don’t see it since I’m with them every day, but I can tell because they keep outgrowing their clothes so fast.”
Henry leaned over to Elizabeth and said in a loud whisper, “Mama called us weeds.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and said back, “She said we’re like weeds. It’s a figure of speech called a simile. You grow fast and weeds grow fast.”
Henry nodded and repeated, “simile,” several times.
“And too precocious for their own good,” Abby added and leaned over so they couldn’t hear. “It’s getting to be quite a feat to find quality time with Nathaniel.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Kelly said back in her own whisper.
“Mama, you said whispers weren’t nice,” Henry said.
“You’re right,” Abby said and then mumbled under her breath, “Next time we’ll just go to the ladies' room and chat there.”
They didn’t have to end up making a break for the ladies' room. Nathaniel got both Henry and Elizabeth talking by asking them where they wanted to go for a long weekend before school started.
“Disney World!” Henry shouted.
“Alaska,” Elizabeth said at the same time.
While Nathaniel and Evan discussed pros and cons of both places with the two children, Abby leaned close and asked Kelly, “Are things working out with you and Evan?”
Kelly sighed. “Too soon to tell. I really want it to, but this long distance stuff is hard.”
“How does he feel?”
“We haven’t really talked about it.” They needed to, she knew. Unfortunately, when she finally got Evan alone, she didn’t want to talk. “But we have to make time.”
Abby gave her hand a squeeze. “It’ll all work out like it’s supposed to. I’ve found life is sneaky like that.”
Kelly hoped that would be the case.
They left shortly after dinner ended. Kelly told everyone goodbye and gave hugs. She couldn’t help but think a few of her old friends looked as if they knew something but weren’t telling her.
“Is there something going on with the group?” she asked Evan once they were in his car and headed back to his place. They’d already agreed before the wedding to stop at his house for a bit before going back to her hotel.
“What do you mean?” Evan asked.
“I’m not sure, I just got the feeling there was an inside joke or something I wasn’t aware of.”
“I haven’t heard of any jokes
.”
Now that she’d brought it up and they were talking about it, Evan seemed a bit off, too. “Maybe not a joke,” she added. “But something’s going on.” She didn’t tell him she thought he was also in on whatever it was.
Though she had a feeling she should have told him before now how very much she detested surprises.
Evan lived in a townhouse. She’d been to it before as they had held several group meetings at his place in years past. He’d never hosted a party, however.
He parked in front of the well-kept brick building and Kelly searched her mind for something normal to say. Something that didn’t refer to the past when they were always bickering and didn’t highlight her growing suspicion that he was keeping something from her. And that most certainly didn't talk about an unknown and undiscussed future.
“Are you ready for the new school year?” She finally decided on as he unlocked his front door, thinking jobs were relatively safe. “Do you have a list of the students you’ll be teaching?”
He didn’t answer but pushed the door open. Kelly stepped inside and froze. His townhouse was almost empty and there were packed boxes everywhere.
“No,” he said. “I’m actually not teaching this year.”
It took her brain a second to catch up. “You’re moving.”
She made herself stare at the boxes because if she didn’t she’d look at him and he’d know. He’d know exactly how much it hurt that he was moving and hadn’t brought it up to her even once.
“I didn’t want to tell you before the wedding,” Evan said.
She nodded, still looking at the boxes. Yeah, sure. That made sense. What made little sense was something else he said. “You said you’re not teaching this year. You’re moving and you don’t have a job lined up?” Who did that?
“I said I wasn’t teaching this year. I never said I didn’t have a job.” He moved a half-filled box from the couch to the floor. “Come over here and sit down.”
What was his problem? Why did he sound so happy? She risked a peek at him. No, it was something beyond happy. He was excited. She plopped down on the couch, not understanding anything that had happened in the last few minutes.