by Rita Herron
“A.J., there he is!” Matt shouted.
The sheriff darted across the property, and Matt halted. He wanted to kill the man with his bare hands, but what if Ivy was trapped somewhere in the kudzu and it burned in spite of the earlier rain?
“Ivy!” He yelled her name over and over as he plunged into the thick viny weeds, bypassing old broken-down car parts, tire rims and vehicles. Once, he’d saved Ivy’s life here.
Would he be able to do so this time?
The blood roared in his ears. What if he was wrong? What if she wasn’t here?
“Ivy!”
A gunshot pinged through the air, and Matt pivoted to see the man who’d been escaping drop to the ground. A.J. had shot him.
“Ivy!” Matt plowed on through the vines, flashing the light beam ahead of him. Heat singed him as a few of the leaves caught fire. Smoke filled his nostrils but he covered his mouth and forged on, looking for any sign of movement.
“Ivy! Please tell me where you are, baby!”
A low sob caught in the howling wind. Was it the spirits the locals said roamed the junkyard or Ivy?
“Ivy?”
Matt paused and listened. And when another cry erupted to his right, he removed his pocketknife and whacked away at the choking vines as he rushed forward. He kept calling her name, then listening, letting the sound of her terrified cries lead him to her.
A heartbeat later, he whacked away a thick layer of kudzu, then wrenched at the door of a ’67 Chevy, pulling it open. But Ivy wasn’t inside. “Ivy!”
Banging came from the trunk, and he raced to it, then yanked it up. Ivy, dressed in a long white gown, coughed and struggled toward him. Matt’s heart tripped in his chest as he untied her restraints, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He lifted her and ran, the fire nipping at his heels as he carried her to safety.
IVY CLUNG TO MATT as he lowered her to the gurney in the ambulance and wrapped a blanket around her. “Where is George?”
“A.J.’s taking care of him.”
Through the haze of smoke, she spotted the sheriff leaning over a body. A paramedic knelt beside them, blocking her view.
“He shot him?” Ivy asked. “Is George alive?”
Matt fingered her torn gown, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “I hope so. I want to kill him myself.”
Ivy shuddered and accepted another blanket the paramedic wrapped around her. While one of the EMTs took her vitals and checked her over, Matt walked toward A.J.
Ivy’s heart broke all over again. In spite of the fact that Matt had slept with her mother, she was still grateful he’d been freed from jail and that George had been caught.
But things could never work out between them. Even though her heart did an odd tap dance as Matt turned back to look at her, and she knew that she would always love him.
Forgetting about him and her mother was impossible, however. She would always wonder… No, she couldn’t allow her mind to travel to that disgusting place where she saw the two of them together.
But she had survived, and Matt was free now to pursue his own life. She could go back to hers.
Alone. The way she’d felt most of her life.
Back to the routines, the patterns, the rituals that had helped her overcome adversity.
Tears threatened, the horror of the past few hours and weeks too daunting to stifle, and she trembled all over.
The paramedic placed ice on the bruise on her forehead. “Are you all right now, ma’am?”
She nodded, although it was a lie. George, a man who’d pretended to be her friend, had killed her parents and almost raped her. He would have if he’d had time and hadn’t heard those sirens.
And Matt…
She was heartbroken and would miss Matt terribly. But it was time she said goodbye and left Kudzu Hollow forever. There was nothing here for her but sorrow and painful memories.
MATT FELT WALLS BEING erected between him and Ivy, separating them both physically and emotionally. Guilt and regret weighed down his shoulders, but hurt still dug at his throat at the fact that she hadn’t trusted him. Still, he had to talk to her in private and explain.
“Smith is dead,” A.J. stated.
Matt frowned. “He didn’t deserve to live, but the punishment wasn’t harsh enough.” In fact, he felt robbed that he hadn’t been the one to kill George.
“I know you’re bitter,” A.J. said. “But maybe it’s time to let it go, Matt.”
Matt glared at his former friend, the cold rage he’d felt since he’d returned fading slightly, replaced by pity. A.J. had been a coward years ago, but today he’d helped save Ivy, and catch the man who’d tried to kill her. Matt owed him for that.
But letting go of his bitterness would take time. Anger had been his friend, his constant companion, for so long that he didn’t know how to exist without it.
He stalked back to the ambulance, fury mounting at the sight of the bruises on Ivy’s face and cheeks. He gripped his hands into fists, aching to hold her and comfort her. But her wary gaze warned him not to bother, that his touch was as unwelcome as her attacker’s.
The realization sickened him, reminding him of his prison days and the ugliness that had blackened his soul. He wanted the Stantons’ real murderer to experience that pain, but suddenly his need for vengeance took second stage to his need for Ivy.
“She’s stable, but we’ll take her to the hospital for rest and observation,” the paramedic said.
Matt wiped sweat from his brow. “Can I talk to her for a minute?”
The EMT cut his eyes between them, then nodded, stood and walked to the end of the ambulance.
Ivy bit down on her bottom lip. “Matt—”
“Are you all right, Ivy?” He gently touched her bruised cheek. “Did he…”
She shook her head, but shuddered, and Matt swallowed hard. She had barely missed being sexually assaulted and murdered, and it was all his fault.
“I…thank you for finding me, Matt. You were just in time.”
“Don’t thank me,” he growled. She never would have run off alone if he hadn’t hurt her. “I almost went out of my mind when I realized he had you.”
“Matt, don’t—”
“Don’t tell you how I feel about you?” Emotions thickened his voice. “I have to, Ivy. I love you. I almost went crazy thinking that he might hurt you. That I might not see you again.”
“Matt, it doesn’t matter now. It’s over.”
His heart shattered. She was talking about more than the mystery surrounding her parents’ death. “Don’t say that, Ivy. I know I don’t deserve you, but I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I’m just sorry that you didn’t trust me, that you ever thought I killed your parents.”
She averted her eyes, glanced down at her knotted hands. “It won’t work, Matt—”
He pressed his fingers over her lips. “Shh, you have to listen for just a minute. About what A.J. told you—”
Ivy gave him a sharp look. “I don’t want to talk about my mother.”
“Well, that’s too bad because we’re going to.” Matt’s voice hardened, the need to hold her driving him insane. She’d almost died, and he ached to touch her.
“Matt, please, I don’t want to hear this.” She covered her ears with her hands. “I had to listen to George tell me about sleeping with my mother.” Her voice caught. “I understand that she was a hooker, I do, but still, I can’t bear to hear the details, especially not about her and you….”
Guilt slammed into him, but he pried her hands from her ears.
“I’m sorry for all the turmoil you’ve been through, Ivy. But you have to hear this. Then, if you still can’t forgive me or trust me, I’ll walk away and never bother you again.” He tipped her chin up and forced her to look at him. “I didn’t sleep with your mother.”
Confusion filled her beautiful green eyes. Disbelief followed, driving a knife into his already throbbing chest. “Then why did A.J. claim that you did?�
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Matt shoved a hand through his hair. “Because I let him believe that I did.” This was the tricky part, the part she’d have to forgive. “I did go to Red Row,” he admitted in a low voice. “A.J. and I went the same night, it was a boys’ thing. A stupid rite of passage into manhood, or so we thought back then.”
“And my mother was a part of that passage,” Ivy said in a tortured voice.
He hesitated, hated that he was hurting her, but she had to hear him out and know the truth.
“Anyway, we drove over,” he said again. “A.J. went into a trailer with one hooker. Then…then I went inside with your mother.”
Ivy’s chin quivered, tears sparkling on her eyelashes. “Why are you doing this? I told you I don’t want to hear about you and her—”
“You have to listen, Ivy.” Matt’s voice cracked. “When I saw your mother, all I could do was think about you and your family. I’d seen you out in the yard playing with her, in town with her buying ice cream, then outside your trailer, putting up Christmas decorations, and I…couldn’t go through with it. She was a mom and you didn’t deserve to have a hooker for a mother.” He reached for her hand, hesitated. “I’m not proud of going there, but nothing happened, Ivy. I…swear I never touched her.”
“But what about A.J.?”
Matt muttered a sound of disgust. “I didn’t want to lose face, have him think I chickened out, so I never told him the truth. I just let him believe I went through with it.” He cleared his throat, took her hands in his. “There’s something else you should know. Your mother…she told me she was getting out, that she was taking you away so you would have a better life.”
Ivy bit her lip, but tears streaked her face. “Oh, Matt, I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, I was just hurt—”
“Shh.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. “Don’t cry, Ivy. I don’t want to make you cry again. I never want you to hurt.” He cleared his throat, bracing himself for a rejection. “And I’ll understand if you don’t want me now, but if you’d give me a chance, I swear I’ll make something of myself. I studied law the last few years in prison, and I’m going to take the bar exam, become a lawyer, become a man you can be proud of—”
Ivy reached for his hand, gently kissed his fingers, hating that she had hurt him, too. “Oh, God, Matt, I am proud of you. I love you with all my heart. And you’ve been so wonderful to forgive me for not remembering—”
“I don’t want your thanks, Ivy, just your love—”
“But I do love you. I have for a long time. Maybe forever.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. He gazed into her eyes, expecting to see wariness there, or regrets, but she smiled and cupped his jaw in her hands, then leaned forward and kissed him.
The tenderness and love in her touch finally dissolved the bitterness from his heart. The anger faded, once and for all.
Instead of hatred, love filled his soul as he kissed her, a love he knew would last forever.
EPILOGUE
Christmas
OUTSIDE THE CHAPEL WINDOW, a rainbow glistened over the mountain ridges, painting the sky with a myriad of bright colors, vivid greens and yellows, rich purples and blues, vibrant reds and oranges, a perfect ending to the dismal rain and gray of fall.
The colors had returned slowly to Ivy, as had other memories. Over the past few weeks, she had healed, allowing them to drift back into her mind of their own accord, accepting the unpleasant ones along with the more pleasant. Some were as fuzzy as the sky had been in Kudzu Hollow, others were as sharp and vivid as the red of the Christmas decorations, the Santas her mother had loved so much.
Life, after all, was not all black and white, and neither had Lily been. She had loved Ivy and wanted to give her a better life. Granted, Ivy didn’t agree with her methods, but she had come to terms with what had happened, and had finally visited her parents’ graves. She remembered seeing George kill her mother. And Matt had discovered that the state had appointed an attorney to take care of her parents’ estate and the money they received from the land deal. George had taken a commission but Miss Nellie had made certain Ivy’s money was put in a savings bond.
Now she intended to concentrate on the future.
Her future with Matt.
She positioned her veil on her head, cradled the bouquet of red roses in her hands, smiling at the sound of the wedding march. She and Matt had decided to marry in the Chapel of Forever that Daisy had described, then return to Chattanooga. Matt had passed his bar exam and Abram Willis had been thrilled to hire him. A.J. had resigned as sheriff, and Arthur was looking at charges for spreading gasoline around Cliff’s Cabins, and negligence regarding keeping silent about the chemical dumping. Civil and criminal charges were also being filed against the owner of the defunct chemical company. And the two teenagers were facing murder charges, although the tainted drugs would play into their defense.
Music chimed and echoed around her, and she hurried to the chapel entrance. Matt’s mother met her with a smile and hugged her, and Ivy’s heart warmed. Mrs. Mahoney looked ten years younger since she’d reunited with her son.
“Thank you for bringing my oldest boy back to me,” Eileen whispered.
Ivy pressed a gentle hand to the woman’s arm, knowing she still missed her other two sons, as did Matt. He’d even talked about searching for them. “I love Matt, Mrs. Mahoney. I want him to be happy.”
“Thank you, hon. I feel like I’m gaining a daughter now, too.” Eileen dabbed at her eyes, and tears pricked at Ivy’s. “I…I’d like for us to be close, so if there’s anything you need, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Mahoney, but all I need is Matt.” Ivy glanced down the aisle, and her heart fluttered as he winked at her.
His mother rushed to the front pew to join Larry Lumbar. Daisy and Lady Bella Rue sat beside them. The church was full of Kudzu Hollow’s citizens, who considered Matt a hero now that he’d exposed the land deal and chemical problems. The residents in the new subdivision had filed lawsuits, and Matt and Abram Willis were overflowing with legal work. Abram was still working on his book Saving the Innocents. Environmental services had jumped in to clean up the chemicals, and a special team of medical experts were evaluating each of the residents and homes in the subdivision, especially the children, to see if they could treat the symptoms and disorders caused by the long-term chemical exposure. The bluish-green glow from the kudzu was actually an afterglow of the chemical, not the spirits of ghosts or Lady Bella Rue’s tears.
Although Ivy still thought Lady Bella Rue might be a seer.
But hopefully, the evil in the town had been extinguished, and the gray skies and stormy days had come to an end.
Seconds later, Ivy stood in front of Matt and accepted his hand in marriage, a union made more precious by the years that had separated them.
Ivy’s heart squeezed, the need to cry almost overwhelming her, but these were tears of joy. “Matt, you saved me when I was a little girl, then again a few weeks ago. Through all the years where darkness filled my mind, somehow you were there, hidden among the shadows. Protecting me. Leading me back here. Driving me home so I could make everything right.” She swallowed hard and kissed his hand, then slid a simple gold band on his finger. “You brought the colors back into my life. You are my rainbow of reds and greens and golds. I love you with all my heart, and am yours forever.”
Matt smiled, emotions shimmering in his eyes. “I first remember you as a little girl, Ivy. With bundles of long blond hair and big green eyes. As a kid, you haunted me with your goodness. As a woman, you stole my heart.” He kissed her hand, then slid a diamond-studded gold band on her finger. “I once thought that my life was over. That bitter vengeance and anger were all I had to live for. But you made me whole again and gave me a future.” His voice cracked. “You may think that I saved you, but, honey, you really saved me.” He paused, kissed her hand again. “I promise to love, honor and cherish you all the days of our lives.”
The
preacher pronounced them husband and wife, and Matt took her in his arms and kissed his bride.
LATER THAT NIGHT, AS they lay in their honeymoon bed, sated from loving each other all over again, Ivy closed her eyes, a fireworks show of colors exploding in her mind.
“Ivy,” Matt whispered against her neck. “I…have a gift for you.”
She gazed into his eyes and her throat swelled. “You’ve already given me my heart’s desire, Matt.”
He licked the sensitive skin of her neck, then reached under the bed and brought out a package. She smiled and tore into the paper, anxious to see the gift Matt had chosen.
Her heart soared at the sight of the glittering ceramic Santa. The details were so intricately carved the figure almost looked real.
“It’s beautiful, Matt.” She kissed him tenderly. “I love it.”
He grinned, then placed it on the nightstand by their bed. “I wanted you to have a new one for your collection.”
Emotions crowded her chest. She’d finally unpacked the box of her mother’s Santas and placed them on the mantel above the fireplace in her and Matt’s home. The Santas were symbolic both of a painful past and of the love and hope her mother had shared with Ivy.
Matt nuzzled her neck. “I want this one to remind you that miracles really happen.”
“I know they do,” she whispered as she cupped his face in her hands. “Because I’m holding you in my arms.”
He rolled her to her back and slid inside her, telling her with his body what they no longer needed words to say.
Turn the page for a short interview with award-winning author Rita Herron, as well as discussion questions you can use in your book club….
Last Kiss Goodbye
Reader and Book Club Guide
A short interview with Rita Herron
1) When did you first start writing and what inspired you to write?
I was an avid reader when I was a child, and loved the Trixie Belden mystery series. But I grew up in a rural area and didn’t think writing was a career option, so I earned an early childhood education degree and taught kindergarten. There, I rediscovered my love of storytelling, began to write stories for the children, encouraged them to write and first pursued publication in the children’s book market. I wrote nine books for Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley Kids series as well as articles for a children’s magazine.