Suddenly One Summer

by Barbara Freethy

  “I hope so.” She paused. “This probably sounds strange since we were together most of the day, but I—I miss you, Reid. I know we’re not talking forever, but do you want to come over tonight? Lexie’s gone to bed. We could have coffee, whatever.”

  Her sweet invitation, filled with so much promise, made his heart turn over. “I can’t,” he said, making an abrupt decision. “I’m sorry.” His hand tightened around the phone. He knew he should offer an explanation, but he suspected she’d only see through it, and the last thing he wanted to do was lie to her.

  “I’m sorry, too,” she said.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow, or you call me back if there’s any problem. Okay? I’m here for you.”

  “If there’s a problem,” Jenna repeated, making it clear that she understood the boundaries. “Good night, Reid.”

  The phone clicked in his ear. He hung up, feeling like the biggest coward in the world. What the fuck was wrong with him?

  He needed a drink.

  But even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew that wasn’t what he needed. He needed Jenna. And he’d just told her to back the hell away. He might be the stupidest man on the planet.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Jenna tossed and turned in bed, feeling hot, unsettled, worried, and angry. She’d known all along Reid was just looking for a casual fling. She shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d backed off. She just hadn’t expected it quite so soon.

  The man was crazy. They were good together. They connected. Why couldn’t he see that?

  Maybe he did, but he just didn’t want to accept it. They came from different worlds, and after this was over they’d go back to those different worlds—maybe. She actually liked Angel’s Bay, and Lexie was happy here. They could stay. They could share their true ties to the town. They could make friends; bloom where they’d been planted.

  But this wasn’t Reid’s life. He didn’t want a wife, a child, a small cottage in a small town with a small newspaper. Did he?

  Maybe what he really wanted was just that—the family he’d missed his entire life. Not that he’d ever admit it. He wouldn’t take that risk. He’d probably stay closed off and guilt-ridden and eager to live a life on the road, where he never had to confront the idea of permanence.

  She sighed and turned over again, squeezing her lids shut, trying to drive Reid out of her head. She needed to sleep. She had to get up early to make breakfast for Lexie and take her to summer school.

  She brought up some of her favorite going-to-sleep images: the sun setting over the ocean, the moon rising in the twilight. A puffy cloud of white floated in front of her eyes. She saw a face—Kelly’s face. She wasn’t smiling; she was worried. Why was she worried? Because of Brad.

  Deep in the recesses of her brain, she could hear Brad’s voice…

  “Hey, baby, did you miss me?”

  “Daddy?” Lexie asked sleepily. “Is that you?”

  “That’s right, baby. It’s me. I finally found you. And now we’re going to be together forever.”

  “Are we going home? What about Mommy?”

  “Your mommy left you, baby. I’m all you’ve got, and I’m never going to let you go again. You still love me, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but—but you—you hurt Mommy,” she stuttered.

  “That was an accident. Now let’s go. Put on your shoes.”

  “No, I want Mommy.”

  “I’ll take you to see her.”

  “But…Mommy is in heaven.”

  “No, she’s not, baby. I’ll take you to her. You just have to come with me.”

  Jenna awoke with a start, her heart pounding. Had she just heard Brad’s voice? Or had she been dreaming? She turned toward the monitor. Everything was quiet, but his voice had seemed so real, so near.

  She got out of bed and walked down the hall. Lexie’s door was closed. Jenna put her hand on the frame, listening. Then she slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

  Her heart stopped. Brad had Lexie in his arms. She had on tennis shoes and a jacket over her pajamas. Her arms were around her father’s neck. She looked both guilty and scared.

  “Daddy is going to take me to see Mommy,” Lexie said, her voice uncertain.

  Jenna drew in a shaky breath, knowing she had to tread carefully. “Put her down, Brad.”

  “Did you really think you could keep my daughter away from me?” Brad asked.

  “I won’t let you take her.”

  “But I want to see Mommy,” Lexie said. “Daddy is taking me to see her. He said so. He promised.”

  The desperate agony on Lexie’s face showed how badly she wanted to believe that her mother was alive. Jenna knew she had to kill that impossible dream, but it tore her apart to say the words. “Your mommy is dead. You know that. You can’t see her. You have to stay here with me. That’s what your mommy wanted.”

  “She’s lying,” Brad said in a quiet voice. “Your mommy is waiting for you. She can’t wait to see you. We’re going to make hot fudge sundaes the way we used to, remember, baby?”

  Jenna could see the indecision on Lexie’s face. The lies Brad was willing to tell weren’t just wrong; they were cruel. “Don’t do this, Brad. Let her go. She’s safe with me, and no one ever has to know where we are. You can go on with your life. We won’t say anything.”

  “I can’t take that chance.”

  “You’re hurting her,” Jenna pleaded, seeing the tears streaming down Lexie’s face.

  “Daddy, I don’t want to go anymore,” Lexie said. “I want to stay here.”

  “I need you, baby. You’re my little girl. We have to be together, or I’ll be lonely—and you don’t want that, do you?”

  Jenna’s heart broke at the pain on Lexie’s face. She wanted to believe her father, but somewhere down in the recesses of her mind she knew that her father had done something horrible.

  Brad moved toward the open window. Jenna had nailed the window shut, but Brad had somehow gotten it open.

  She started forward, intent on stopping him, but he pulled out a gun and pointed it at her head. There was no mistaking the determination in his eyes.

  “Don’t move,” he said. “My daughter is going with me.”

  “I’m scared,” Lexie cried. “Daddy, I don’t want to go anymore!”

  “You’re going,” he repeated as Lexie began to squirm in his arms. “Goddammit, stop moving. If you try to get away, I’ll kill your aunt.”

  Lexie froze, her terrified eyes meeting Jenna’s.

  Jenna had never felt so scared or so helpless in her life.

  Reid had decided to take a walk to burn off his restless energy. He was only a few blocks from his hotel when he saw a female figure walking along the sidewalk in front of him. As she passed under a street-light, he caught a glimpse of her red hair. It was the woman he’d seen in the bar a few nights earlier. He was sure of it. It couldn’t possibly be Allison—but he needed proof, so he could leave town and never look back, never wonder if he’d seen a ghost or an angel.

  She turned the corner, walking down a narrow path between buildings, and Reid took off after her. He could see her shadow as she turned another corner; she seemed to be moving more quickly. He picked up the pace, his heart racing as he tried to keep up with the elusive figure. He told himself over and over again that he was chasing a real person, but his instincts told him that no woman could move so fast, so quietly, so quickly into the night.

  The salty ocean air blew wisps of fog against his face, turning the shadowy buildings into eerie shapes. He blinked the moisture out of his eyes, and it wasn’t until he turned the next corner that he realized he was on Jenna’s street. His steps slowed, faltered. His gaze swept the neighborhood. There was no sign of the woman he’d been following, but there was a police car parked at the end of the street, a few houses away from Jenna’s house. The front door on the driver’s side was open, and there was a figure lying on the ground.

  Reid moved into a dead run. When he reached the car, he
dropped to his knees next to the officer on the ground. The man was on his back, blood coming from a wound in his head. It was Colin Lynch. He was unconscious.

  Reid put a hand on his neck. There was a faint pulse, a whisper of breath coming from his parted lips. Reid leaned into the car and grabbed the radio, reporting an officer down at 910 Elmwood Lane. He could hear the dispatcher shouting questions at him, but he couldn’t take the time to answer. Every instinct he had told him that Jenna was in trouble.

  He took off his jacket and laid it over Colin. Hearing the sound of a siren in the distance, he knew that help was on its way. He ran down the street to Jenna’s house. The front door was locked. He jerked at the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. He vaulted over the porch railing, grabbed a heavy vase filled with flowers, and hurled it at the window. As the glass shattered, he heard a woman scream.

  And he knew that Jenna’s worst fear had come true. Brad Winters had found her.

  A window shattered somewhere in the house, then Reid shouted her name. Jenna was torn between wanting him to come to her rescue, and terror that Brad would hurt him. “It’s too late,” she said to Brad. “Just leave your daughter and go.”

  “She’s mine! I’m not going anywhere without her.” Brad forced Lexie through the open window. It was at least a four-foot drop to the ground below. Lexie struggled in his arms, but he was too big and too strong. She screamed as she tumbled to the ground.

  “Run, Lexie, run,” Jenna yelled.

  Brad raised his gun and fired at Jenna. She ducked, but a burning pain seared through her shoulder as she fell to her knees in shock.

  Reid burst through the bedroom door behind her, his wild gaze taking in the scene in one swift second. Brad fired again, forcing Reid to jump to one side as Brad climbed out the window, dropping to the ground below.

  Police sirens roared through the night. Would they be in time to save Lexie?

  Jenna stumbled to her feet, dizzy and terrified. Reid grabbed her hands. “You’re hurt. You’re bleeding.”

  “I’m okay. Find Lexie!” she said. “Save her, Reid! Please, you have to save her.”

  “I will. Don’t die on me, Jenna. Don’t you die on me.” He grabbed her face, kissed her hard on the lips, then ran to the window. He climbed out, and Jenna prayed he would find Lexie before Brad did.

  Reid ran through the side yard, cursing the fact that Jenna’s house was surrounded by woods. He heard dogs barking, and then he saw a flash of pink through the trees. It had to be Lexie’s sweater. She was headed toward the bluffs. He ran through the woods, seeing a dark figure in front of him also pursuing Lexie. He couldn’t let Lexie go with that monster. He had to get to her first.

  It was difficult to see in the thick crush of trees. He stumbled over rocks and branches, battling through them for almost a quarter mile, before he finally burst into an open area. Brad and Lexie were struggling on the edge of the cliff.

  He ran toward them, trying to stay out of Brad’s sightline. Lexie punched her small fists against Brad’s chest as he tried to get her into his arms. She was a small tornado of fury, and their struggle was taking them closer and closer to the edge. One wild jerk, one hard kick to Brad’s groin area, and suddenly Brad lost his grip on his daughter. Lexie waved her arms in wide windmill circles as her feet slipped out from under her on the loose dirt. She was going over the side!

  Reid sprinted toward them. He wasn’t going to get there in time.

  Brad grabbed Lexie by the foot, but her momentum took them both over the edge.

  Reid’s heart jumped into his throat. For one terrified moment he thought Lexie was gone forever, but when he got to the edge of the cliff he saw that Brad and Lexie had landed about ten yards down the hillside, right before it turned into a sheer wall of rock. Brad was hanging on to a boulder with one arm, his other hand gripping Lexie’s leg. Her hands were dug into the dirt, but there was only a foot of hillside left in front of her. Brad was struggling to pull her up next to him without losing his grip on the boulder, which was the only thing stopping them from tumbling into the dark sea.

  Lexie was sobbing hysterically, her terrified movements making it more difficult for Brad to hang on to her.

  Reid picked his way down the hill as fast as he could, his feet sliding on the loose dirt. Tiny pebbles scattered with each step. He stayed low, keeping his upper body against the hillside, slowing his descent by sliding his hands through the dirt and shrubs. Even if he got down to Lexie, he had no idea how he would make it back up. But somehow he would do it, because he wasn’t going to lose her. He wasn’t going to let her die.

  Brad watched him with an intense gaze that made Reid wonder if he’d let go of Lexie and shoot him before he took another step. But he had to take the risk.

  “Lexie? It’s me, Reid. I’m going to take you home now.” He was only a foot away from Lexie’s free leg. She turned her head to look at him, her face streaked with tears, terror in her eyes. Her movement sent another scatter of pebbles over the sheer rock wall. He took a small sliding step, grabbing her free ankle. He felt better knowing he had a hold of her, but now she was stretched like a wishbone between him and her father, and Brad wasn’t going to just give her up.

  “Let her go,” Reid yelled over the sound of the ocean. “The police will be here any second. They’re already at the house. You’re not getting away. It’s over.”

  “She’s my daughter. Mine.”

  “And you can save her life. You can let me take her to safety. I know you don’t want her to die.”

  Brad looked at his daughter, who now turned to him. “Daddy?” she asked in a voice that made Reid’s heart break. She was scared of her father, yet some part of her still wanted him to be her dad, to love her, to save her.

  “I know who you really are,” Reid continued as Brad hesitated. “I know about your past, your first wife, your real name. We went to the local police today and told the chief everything. No one will protect you this time. You’re going to jail.” Brad didn’t answer. “But you can do the right thing now. You can let your daughter live.”

  Brad’s gaze moved to Lexie. “Baby, I love you. Do you hear me? I love you,” he shouted.

  Lexie began to cry.

  “You were the only good thing that ever happened to me,” Brad continued. “I’m sorry about your mother. It was an accident. You have to believe me.”

  “I believe you, Daddy,” Lexie said with gulping sobs. “I love you. But I’m scared, and I want to go home.”

  “You will, baby. You’ll go home, and you’ll grow up, and you won’t be anything like me. I only wanted the best for you. You have to remember that. Promise me.”

  “I promise, Daddy.”

  Brad looked over at Reid. “Don’t let her fall.” Then he slowly released Lexie’s leg.

  Reid carefully pulled Lexie toward him, her stomach scraping on the ground as he inched back up the hill. He wanted to catch hold of her arm, turn her around so she wasn’t facing downward, but it was all he could do to keep his balance and continue moving upward. The fog had thickened around them, and the mist blew thick into his face. Or was it a mist?

  He blinked as the image of a woman took shape before him. Her hair was blond, her eyes sad.

  He suddenly felt a hand on his, adding strength to his grip. Lexie’s weight lightened, and with a final surge of energy, he pulled himself and Lexie over the top of the hill. Taking her in his arms, he gasped for breath as he tried to assimilate what had just happened.

  Lexie stared past him at the shape that had guided them to safety.

  “Mommy, you’re here,” she whispered.

  The words I’ll love you forever floated across the air. Be happy always. The angel smiled and blew them a kiss. Then she was gone.

  Reid wiped his wet eyes, sure he was hallucinating.

  Lexie was smiling at him now, her cheeks streaked with tears and dirt. “Mommy’s okay. She’s in heaven. She still loves me.”

  Lexie threw her arms around Reid�
�s neck and squeezed tight. He hugged her back, not sure he could ever let her go.

  He heard shouts from afar and saw two policemen emerging through the trees—the chief and another officer. He stood up with Lexie in his arms, her face now buried in his chest. The fog seemed to have lifted again. He looked over the side of the cliff. Brad still clung to the boulder. Reid was surprised he hadn’t tried to climb back up, but there was no escape for him now. Jenna and Lexie would have their justice.

  “You two all right?” Joe asked.

  Reid nodded. “He’s down there.”

  When Brad saw the officers, he turned his gaze on the sea below.

  Suddenly Reid knew why Brad hadn’t scrambled up the hill. He didn’t intend to be taken alive. “I’m getting Lexie out of here,” he said to Joe.

  He moved quickly, but they were still only a few feet away when he heard a loud cry that was quickly swallowed up by the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks below. Brad Winters was not going to hurt anyone ever again.

  As Reid approached Jenna’s house, an ambulance sped away. A fire engine and two other police cars were still parked in front. Jenna sat on the top step, a paramedic treating her shoulder. A bunch of neighbors had gathered nearby, and someone had laid a quilt over Jenna’s knees.

  Jenna let out a sob when she saw him and Lexie. He sat next to her on the step as the paramedic moved away, and Lexie took her head out of his chest long enough to see if her aunt was okay. Her mouth trembled when she saw the blood.

  “I’m all right,” Jenna told her with a tearful sniff. “I have to get some stitches, that’s all. I’m fine.”

  “Why are you crying?” Lexie asked.

  “Because I’m so happy you’re okay,” Jenna said. “I’m sorry, honey. I’m so sorry.”

  “I saw Mommy,” Lexie told her. “She saved me, didn’t she, Mr. Tanner?”

  Reid didn’t want to admit that he’d seen an angel, but he couldn’t deny what had happened. He slowly nodded. “She did. She helped pull us up.”

  “Pull you up from where?” Jenna asked, searching his face with worried eyes.