Mirror, Mirror on Her Wall (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 2)

by Becki Willis

  “Hardin,” Makenna said suddenly, “our plane doesn’t arrive for a while yet. We have an extra forty-five minutes or so. Can’t we squeeze in one waterfall?”

  “I don’t know…” Hardin’s foot faltered on the gas pedal. He glanced into the rear view mirror, saw how Kenzie was hovered near the door, her face pale and her body rigid. “Franconia Notch State Park is right up here. There’s a couple of falls there that are easy to get to. What do you say, Travis? Just one?”

  He sneaked a peek into the mirror. He could not see Kenzie’s face because she had her long dark curls pulled forward, hiding her profile. “I guess we have time.”

  “I think The Flume Gorge is the really big one and would take more time to see. I hear The Basin is right off the road. We’ll go to it,” Hardin decided.

  Makenna started a busy chatter, trying to defuse the explosive silence in the car. Kenzie made a few appropriate murmurs of agreement, leaving the bulk of the conversation to her sister and her fiancé. Travis remained silent in the front seat.

  The moment the car stopped, Kenzie grabbed her camera and shot out of the backseat.

  “Kenzie.” Travis called her name, but she was already across the parking lot and heading up the walkway.

  “Let me go to her,” Makenna said, putting a restraining hand on his arm.

  Staring at Kenzie’s retreating back, Travis muttered under his breath. “I told her I didn’t want to start anything we couldn’t finish.”

  Makenna stared up at the tall Ranger in something akin to amusement. “Travis, something started between you two the day you showed up at our door. You’re both too stubborn to admit it, but even a blind man can see it.”

  He looked more irritated than embarrassed. “But if I take this promotion…” He broke off with a frown.

  “In this day and age, long-distance relationships have gotten a lot easier. Between cell phones and text messages, cars and airplanes, you could still keep in contact every day and see each other every weekend. You don’t have to live in the same town or the same county to make it work,” she said reproachfully. “Look at Hardin and me. He lives in Gruene, I live in Austin. It takes fifty-eight minutes to get from his doorstep to mine. What does it take to get from Austin to Nacogdoches? Five or six hours?”

  “About four.”

  Makenna’s tone was soft, her words thought provoking. “I know of a man who is willing to travel a lot farther than that to have a relationship with my sister.”

  Travis swallowed hard, following her gaze to the dark haired woman they spoke of. Kenzie was about to disappear from sight as she followed the paved walkway beneath the highway. The path accessed the streams and waterfalls on the other side of the road. He watched her retreat, knowing she could as easily walk out of his life forever.

  “Let me talk to her,” Makenna said softly. “You two come on, but give us a few minutes alone.” She offered Hardin a quick kiss before she loped away after her sister. “Hey, Ken, wait up!”

  Kenzie heard Makenna calling and her step faltered. She had reached the tree line and the dirt paths that broke off in spidery directions, winding their way through the forest. She stood there in the middle of the well-marked path, feeling utterly lost and confused. It had little to do with the surrounding forest.

  “Kenzie, are you alright?” Makenna asked, touching her sister’s arm.

  “He’s going to leave.” Kenzie’s voice was flat, her face averted.

  “Maybe,” Makenna agreed softly. “Maybe not. But it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with you, sweetheart.” Makenna took her arm and pulled her along the path to the right. They began to walk slowly into the trees.

  “You’re right. He’s planning his future without any thought to me, because I have nothing to do with it.” Her voice was full of misery.

  “He never said that. But you have to admit, this is a pretty impressive promotion. He has to consider it.”

  “But when was he going to tell me about it? After he had all his bags packed?”

  “I don’t know, honey. Maybe he needed time to sort it out in his own mind. Or maybe he just hasn’t had time to talk to you about it. There has been a lot going on, you know.”

  “We’ve been together since last Thursday night,” Kenzie grumbled. “He’s had time.”

  “It’s a big decision, Kenzie. This is his career we’re talking about. And even if he takes this job, it doesn’t mean you can’t still be together. Maybe you won’t see him as much as you’d like, but you wouldn’t see each other every day in Austin, either. You both have very busy careers.”

  “That’s what worries me. Oh, sure, we might start out talking every day, traveling to see one another every weekend. Then I’d have to leave on assignment and wouldn’t be able to go see him. And then he’d be busy with a case and couldn’t come down to see me. Before we know it, a month would go by and we wouldn’t even see each other. The next time it would be two. Within a year, we would decide it just wasn’t going to work out.”

  Makenna looked at her sister sharply. “Where did this Gloomy Gus come from? I’m the worrywart of this duo; you’re the upbeat, chipper one. What has gotten into you?”

  Kenzie moaned miserably. “Some idiot called it love, but it feels more like torture, if you ask me.”

  Makenna laughed, stopping to hug her sister. “It’s going to be okay, I promise you. Just take a few minutes to breathe and relax.” She forcibly turned her sister to see the pool of water they had reached. Water charged in and swirled in a fascinating pattern, pooling and churning, before gurgling its way downstream. “Just look at this gorgeous sight and tell me it doesn’t make you feel better.”

  “It is gorgeous,” Kenzie agreed.

  “And there’s so much more. Look, up there I see a flume, and I can hear the waterfall from here. Come on!”

  They followed the path as it climbed steeper among the stands of sugar maple, beech and red spruce. The trails were a maze that twisted around the meandering Pemigewasset River, splitting along the way to lead to spectaculars views, then intersecting once again on another pathway to delight. The main attraction was the famed Basin, once admired and regaled by Henry David Thoreau, himself. Over thousands of years, the waters had eroded the rock into a smooth granite bowl, a circular cave-like formation where the waters cascaded and swirled in a whirlpool of white. However, the unnamed cascades and multiple waterfalls and smooth-sided flumes branching out from the Basin were every bit as impressive.

  “Thank you for bringing me here,” Kenzie told her sister as they stood on a bridge overlooking an unnamed fall. The waters rushed across the rocky slabs of granite from different angles, swirled together in a small churning pool, then fell abruptly in a noisy riot of sound and motion before flowing peacefully downstream. “It’s amazing. The water is so pure and fresh.”

  “I know. There is something so absolutely peaceful about the sound of the waterfall. I don’t know how something so turbulent can be so calming, but it is. The sound is almost deafening, yet it fills me with a sense of solitude, of peace. I knew it would do the same for you.”

  “It does.” They stood staring at the waters, letting the natural powers wash over their souls as surely as if the water ran through their blood. The river, itself, was best described as a cobbled brook. After a while, Kenzie spoke. “I feel like the stones in the river bed,” she admitted in a whisper. “Life has washed over me with so much, wearing me down with its force. Sometimes, I’m not sure how many more beatings I can take.”

  “Look at the stones, Kenzie. They’re solid. They’ve worn smooth to become beautiful pieces of natural art. The waters have made them that way. The waters have washed over the rocks millions of times, they have been hard and fast and pounding, they’ve frozen and iced and thawed. But look, Kenzie. The stones are still there. And they’re smooth and beautiful, more so every year. You’re the same way, Kenzie. Life has not always been kind to you, but it’s made you into the incredible woman that you are to
day. Smooth and beautiful. And strong.”

  “Sometimes I don’t feel strong.”

  “But you are. The strongest woman I know.” Makenna put her arm around her twin’s shoulder and squeezed, and for another long moment they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, admiring nature’s masterpiece.

  When Makenna moved away, Kenzie continued to stand there, mesmerized by the peaceful tumble of the rushing waters. She felt serenity move into her soul, much like the feeling she had experienced at Esterbrook. There was something deeply spiritual about the simple waterfall.

  A long moment elapsed before she spoke again. Her voice was sad and low and filled with as much wonder as it was pain. “I don’t want to care this much, Makenna. I don’t want to be in love with him.”

  “He doesn’t want to be in love with you, either.”

  It wasn’t Makenna’s voice that answered. It was a deep masculine voice, velvet over corduroy, and it spoke soft and low near her ear. Kenzie let Travis turn her around toward him, but she refused to open her eyes. Tears slipped out beneath her spiky lashes and spilled down her cheeks, a perfect reflection of the spilling waters behind them.

  “Don’t cry, darlin’,” he whispered. “It’s going to be all right.”

  She shook her head, dark hair tumbling over her shoulders. “I’m not so sure.”

  “Please, darlin’. Don’t cry.”

  She finally opened her eyes, focusing on the scene opposite the waterfall. She stepped around Travis, to the other side of the log railing.

  The water flowed beneath the bridge with less turbulence, its pace a bit more languid and serene as it moved downstream. The waters split around a cobble bar within the river. To the right, the path was wider, the waters ambling over riverbed anchored with embedded rocks. The passage on the left was narrower, edged by a solid wall of granite and stone as the white capped waters squeezed past to their destination.

  Kenzie identified with the left side. Her life was destined to be difficult; her path restricted. “I’m glad we came here,” she said unexpectedly.

  “It’s very beautiful here,” Travis agreed. He came up close behind her, crowding her space with his tall, tempting body.

  “I can’t describe it, but I feel at peace here. The western mountains may be more majestic and more dramatic, but there’s something about these White Mountains… They’re… simpler. Gentler. I feel at peace here, more connected.” Melancholy colored her next words. “Maybe it was because I was born here and for the first few years of my life, I was happy here. I had a family here.”

  “You have a family in Texas, too, Kenzie. It may not be blood, but the Reagans care about you.”

  “I know. But still…” She picked at a blemish in the railing. The bark was long gone, the wood worn smooth with years of wear.

  His voice turned to corduroy again. “I care about you.”

  “But you’re leaving.” There was heartache in her words.

  “I haven’t decided that yet.”

  “You should, Travis.” She desperately tried not to cry as she forced her voice to sound philosophical. “You should go. This is a huge promotion for you, something you’ve worked for and deserve.”

  “I don’t have to decide immediately. And I can’t go, won’t go, until I know you’re safe.”

  “I’ll be fine, Travis. I’ll have a ton of people watching me, making sure I’m safe. And Hardin would never let anything happen to me.”

  A nerve worked in his jaw, tightening his voice. “And of course there will be Sweetie Pie.”

  “Would you stop it?” Kenzie whirled around in exasperation. “Why do you keep on about him? Why can’t you just forget about him?”

  “Because you care about him!” he accused in challenge, jealousy flaring in his dark eyes. He had been spoiling for this fight.

  “Yes, Travis, I do care about Craven.” She saw the pain her words caused him. “And if I had met him first…” Her words trailed off, dissolving into a sniff. “But I didn’t, Travis. I met you first.” Her words were barely a whisper as she put her hand on his chest and felt the strong thump of his heart. “And I told him that.” Her voice fell impossibly lower. “In Colorado.”

  “But that was- that was before I even got there.” He sounded slightly amazed.

  “But it was after you kissed me.” A tiny smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “Pretty pathetic, huh? I turn away a great guy, because another one kissed me first.”

  Travis lifted his hand, running his fingers into the tangle of curls at the base of her head as he gently tugged her forward. There was a smile in his voice as he edged in closer and murmured, “Sounds to me like you have your own code of honor.”

  “Or stupidity,” she mumbled, winding her arms up to twine around the steep column of his neck.

  “Kiss me, Kenzie.”

  “You are so bossy. You kiss me.”

  “I kissed you last time. Your turn.”

  “You make everything an argument, don’t you?”

  “Told you,” he said, nuzzling against her neck. “Making up is the best part.”

  “So shut up and kiss me.” She reached up to deliver a brief kiss, knowing he would be quick to claim her mouth for another.

  Long moments later, they realized they were no longer alone.

  “I think they like the waterfalls as much as we do,” Hardin said in an amused voice. “Maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t take them to a covered bridge. They might not make it out fully dressed.”

  When Travis would have raised his head, Kenzie put a firm hand on his neck to keep him close. Continuing the kiss, she motioned with her other hand for Hardin to go away.

  “Sorry, but it’s time we head back,” Hardin persisted.

  Travis groaned, slowly ending the kiss. Kenzie was reluctant to cooperate, but finally she brought her arms down from his neck and her head down from the clouds.

  “But this was the best waterfall yet,” she complained with an exaggerated whine. “You’re no fun, Hardin.”

  “Funny, that’s not what your sister says,” he quipped.

  Makenna dutifully blushed, then tugged on her sister’s arm. “Come on, Kenzie, I want to show you this one last fall, over on the other fork of the trail as we go out. It’s called the Baby Flume. Then we really do have to go.”

  The men stayed on the bridge talking, as the sisters promised to hurry and took off at a fast pace down the incline. They were laughing and giggling, the mood markedly different from the one coming in.

  They passed the main entrance to the trials and took the narrow path that led left, toward the part of the river where the Baby Flume was located. This trail was more primitive, crowded with conifers, hobblebush, wild berry vines and sugar maple saplings that hung over the narrow footpath. Exposed roots served as steps at staggered increments along the dirt track.

  The sisters reached the overlook for the flume in little time. “Next trip, we definitely go to The Flume,” Makenna vowed. Though not steep, its ‘baby’ counterpart was impressive enough with its deep channel cut through solid granite.

  From behind them, a man’s voice spoke. “I’m afraid there won’t be a next trip, ladies.” The voice was cold and flat. “This is the end of the line for the Mandarino sisters.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Kenzie froze, her back still toward their assailant. She knew that voice. What was he doing here?

  “This is nice,” the man said. “No, don’t turn around. Let me savor this moment. Two for the price of one, you might say. I thought we had seen the last of the little red head when we got rid of Maggie, but I guess my men weren’t as thorough as they led me to believe.”

  Makenna sent a confused look to her sister, who looked just as bewildered.

  “I wonder if Joseph even realizes you are still alive?” the man mused. “If nothing else brings him out of hiding, surely the chance to see his long-lost daughter will be incentive enough.”

  “What-What are you talking about?” Makenna aske
d. “Who are you and what do you want?”

  He continued as if she had not spoken. “You two ladies have caused me a lot of trouble, you know. Even I didn’t realize there were two of you. I thought Miss Reese was just a little kinky, changing hair colors like she changed men. A few weeks ago, it was really you we were following, a little detail our friend Raymond Foto failed to divulge.” The man gave a cold, hard laugh. “Oh well, he paid for his error with his life.”

  Kenzie finally spoke up. She tried to keep her voice strong and brave, in spite of the tremor running through her body. If they stalled long enough, Travis and Hardin would come looking for them. “Does Craven know?” she asked.

  “Craven? You mean that starry-eyed fool? He believes what I tell him to believe. He thinks he can make a difference in the world of politics and nature. He thinks he can save the world.” He laughed bitterly. “And he seems to be another of your conquests, Miss Reese. The poor fool is besotted with you. You have quite a following, it seems.”

  “Why does everyone insist on making me sound like a slut?” Kenzie muttered irately. Admittedly, she was a flirt, but flirting did not always equate to sex, at least not for her. No one would believe her if she admitted the true state of her sex life. Or lack thereof, she thought ruefully.

  “Who is this man?” Makenna hissed from beside her. “The Senator?”

  “You ladies may turn around now,” the man said. “But just to be on the safe side, I’d like to see your hands. In the air, ladies.”

  Kenzie turned around, her eyes searching the woods for Travis. Stall, her mind advised. Jutting her hands into the air, she answered her sister’s question as they faced their adversary.

  “This little man,” she used the barb deliberately, “is Bernard Franks, the Senator’s Press Secretary. He’s also his oldest and most trusted friend. I recall Craven saying he’s been with the Senator from the very beginning.”