by Connie Mann
“Where is Nick taking you?”
“He didn’t say.” She looked down at herself. “But I’m thinking I should look a little better than this.”
Blaze fisted her hands on her hips, tossed her hair. “Fine. Quit. See if I care.”
Without warning, Cat swept Blaze’s legs out from under her, and the teen landed on her butt in the sand. Blaze looked up at her, shocked, as Cat reached a hand down to help her up. “Don’t ever get too confident, grasshopper.”
“Sneaky,” Blaze accused.
“Smart,” Cat countered.
Grinning, they walked to the house, surprised to see Nick already there, talking with Mama Rosa on the porch. He was wearing jeans and a polo shirt, hair still wet from the shower. Her mouth went dry just looking at him.
“I’ll, ah, just go get ready,” she mumbled.
The look he sent her could have melted paint.
After one of the fastest showers ever, she hurried downstairs, wearing jeans, cowboy boots, and a cute little blouse she wasn’t sure about until Nick caught sight of her and his eyes widened and his grin spread over his face like a slow southern drawl.
They were all on the porch now, Sasha and Mama Rosa in the rocking chairs, Pop, Jesse, Blaze, and Nick in the wicker furniture scattered here and there. Eve and Cole stood in the corner, arms around each other. They had just returned from their honeymoon, and their happiness glowed like an aura.
Nick looked over at the two of them. “I got a call today you’ll both find interesting. A sheriff from a few counties north called to say they’d arrested a guy named Eddie Varga. Seems he was transporting a tractor trailer full of stolen cattle. Apparently, it wasn’t the first time he’s done it, either.”
Cole straightened. “You mean he’s the one who stole my cattle?”
“Not sure yet. But it’s a possibly. I’ll keep you posted.”
Then Nick stood and turned to Sasha, cleared his throat. “So, ah, Sasha. I thought you might like to have these. For the little one.” He reached behind his chair and placed a plastic sack in her lap. “I probably should have wrapped them, but . . .”
His voice trailed off and he looked so uncertain, Cat came up next to him and slipped her hand into his. He glanced her way, but all his focus was on Sasha and what she was pulling out of the bag.
Mama Rosa gasped, and her eyes flew to Nick’s. “How did you find it?”
Nick hesitated.
Blaze looked from one to the other, confused. “What’s the deal? It looks like an old blanket.”
Nick turned to her with a smile. “It is an old blanket. Mine. One Mama Rosa knitted for me when I was a baby. I thought Sasha and Jesse might want it for the new arrival.”
Cat met his eyes and smiled while Sasha swiped at her cheeks, then stood and hugged him. “Oh, Nick. Thank you. It’s perfect.”
“There’s something else in there,” he said.
Reaching into the bag, Sasha pulled out what looked like a hand-carved wooden boat.
Cat watched Nick, whose focus was on Pop. Nick smiled. “I remember the day you gave this to me. I thought we should keep it in the family.” All the color drained from Pop’s face, and he seemed to turn into himself. He didn’t say a word, just slipped off the porch and headed toward his workshop by the marina.
They all fell silent for a moment. Pop would have to deal with his guilt in his own time, his own way. Chief Monroe had died in the hospital before Nick could get any more information out of him about his kidnapping.
Cat whispered, “It was the right thing to do. Hard but right. There are good memories inside the bad ones.” She tugged on his hand, raised an eyebrow, and smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “Don’t we have somewhere to be?”
He nodded, sent her a grateful smile. “We do. If you all will excuse us.” Turning, he saw a box of stuff by the door leading from the porch, an empty tequila bottle on top. “What’s this?”
Cat held up two of her wigs, several pairs of glasses. “The theater department at the high school said they’d love to have all these costumes.”
They shared a look. He grinned as they walked out the door and to his truck.
After they’d gone a few miles and Nick still hadn’t said anything, Cat asked, “Are you OK, Nick?”
“It’s all a lot to process, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.”
His eyes were sad. “I talked to Teddy’s family. They’re glad to finally have some closure. It’s hard for them to come to terms with the fact that the police chief killed their son.”
Cat shivered. “I still can’t believe Monroe killed Teddy because he saw him shank Demetri. From what Blaze said, Teddy just stopped by the station that day to deliver some Little League forms for his dad.”
“I know. But the chief couldn’t let Demetri testify against him. Without Blaze remembering that conversation with Teddy and the security tape from the police station, we’d never have figured it out.”
“What about Captain Barry?” She shuddered. “Do you know yet why he was killed?”
“From what we pieced together, he saw Monroe blow up my house and then tried to blackmail the chief. Not sure if there was more to it than that, but we found some threatening texts to Monroe on his phone.”
“So Monroe killed him, too? That’s crazy. I can’t believe he got away with so much evil over the years.”
“People often see what they want to see, especially in small towns.” He paused, uncertain.
“What?”
“Your uncle . . . ,” he began.
Cat’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t really want to think about him. She’d gone by the hospital to see him, but when she’d gotten there, she hadn’t known what to say, so she left. He’d covered up Daniel’s death. But he was family. How was she supposed to reconcile that? She held her breath. “What about him?”
“He’s gone.”
She sucked in a breath. “What do you mean, gone? You mean he died?”
“No. He disappeared.”
“From the hospital. Where he was chained to the bed and under guard?”
Nick scrubbed the back of his neck. “Right.”
“You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Nick glanced at her, eyebrow raised. “I told him I planned to arrest him.”
Cat smiled. “Of course you did.” Then she sobered, swallowed hard. “He and Garcia got away with Daniel’s death. I should have found a way to make them pay. I’ll regret that until the day I die.”
Nick took her hand. “No regrets, Cat. You saved Blaze. And from what Walt said, you saved lots of other girls over the years. Daniel would be proud of you. He’d want you to stop doing penance and live. Do the things he never got to do.”
Cat absorbed his words, letting them sink in as tears slid down her face. Nick was right. It was time to let her friend go. Oh, Daniel. I wish you’d gotten to grow up. What a wonderful man you would have been.
She brushed the tears from her face and glanced around, realizing they were in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Safe Harbor. Nick pulled up to a small white 1940s cottage that fit right into the neighborhood. “Why are we here?”
“I’m considering buying this place, and I want to know what you think.”
Cat looked at him, but his expression was unreadable. He came around and opened her door, then led her up the brick walkway and into the house. The white walls were freshly painted, the polished wood floors gleamed. Multiple windows filled it with light. “It’s beautiful, Nick.”
He led her through the kitchen and dining room, then down the hallway, past two bedrooms and a bath. At the end of the hall, he opened another door.
She walked into another bedroom and stopped short. Like the rest of the house, this room was completely empty—except for the music stand in the middle of the floor.
She looked over her shoulder at him.
Shrugging, he seemed endearingly uncertain. “I thought maybe this would be a good p
lace for you to practice.”
Sasha had contacted everyone she knew and a few she didn’t, and now Cat had an audition with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in two weeks, an opportunity she was almost afraid to hope for. “I don’t know if I’ll get in.”
“I know you will. But even if you don’t, you’ll need a place to practice.”
They moved closer. “What are you asking, Nick?”
He took both her hands, tugged her closer, his eyes filled with emotion. “I love you, Cat. Marry me. Build a life here. With me.”
Temptation crooked its finger and beckoned. Could she stay here, in this little town? Where everyone knew everyone? She smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. How could she not, when she had this man’s love and the love of her family?
After all the years of running, Cat Martinelli was home.
She cupped his cheeks, blinked back a tear. “I love you, too. Yes, I’ll stay. And yes, I’ll marry you.”
He let out a whoop and pulled her into his arms, spun her around in circles before lowering her to her feet.
She sighed. “I guess I’ll have to go back to the DMV, get my license redone yet again.”
At his puzzled expression, she pulled out her new driver’s license and handed it to him. It listed her name as Catharine Wang.
He laughed, and their lips met in the most delightful of kisses.
As he pulled her close, and her love for him filled her senses, Cat could have sworn she heard Daniel laugh and her mother playing the violin in the background.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am ever grateful for the wonderful team of people who work so hard to bring my stories to life.
Amanda Leuck, encourager, savvy businesswoman, and agent extraordinaire—thank you for employing your mad skills on my behalf.
Sheryl Zajechowski, Erin Mooney, Gabby Trull, and the entire Waterfall team—you all are such a pleasure to work with, and I so appreciate everything you do.
Leslie Santamaria, critique partner and amazing friend—thanks, always, for riding this crazy roller coaster called life with me.
Thanks to writer friends Jan Jackson and Lena Diaz for all the encouragement, and to Debi Maerz, artist and dear friend, for pushing me to make Cat’s story the best it can be. My thanks to Scott Mitchell for the information about scopolamine and Doris Neumann for always being willing to listen.
I couldn’t do this without Harry, awesome husband and encourager, who gamely picks up my slack and eats way too much insta-food when I’m on deadline. Or without my children, who always cheer me on.
My heart is humbled that the Great Creator gives us the gift of stories.
And I am thankful for you, dear readers, who invite my stories into your life. Thank you all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2015 Michele Klopfenstein
Connie Mann is a licensed boat captain and author of the romantic suspense novels Hidden Threat and Tangled Lies in the Safe Harbor series, as well as Angel Falls, Trapped!, and various works of short fiction. She has lived in seven different states but has happily called warm, sunny Florida home for more than twenty years. When she’s not dreaming up plotlines, you’ll find “Captain Connie” on Central Florida’s waterways, introducing boats full of schoolchildren to their first alligator. She is also passionate about helping women and children in developing countries break the poverty cycle. She and her hubby love traveling and spending time on the water with their grown children and extended family. (Hubby says they are good at fishing but lousy at catching.) Visit Connie online at www.conniemann.com.