by Oram, Jean
Maggie already sat there, leaning against a tree and staring at the water. As usual, she took his breath away. She was actually there to see him. Again.
Canyon glanced around to make sure nobody was looking his way, then he casually strolled over, though he wanted to sprint.
She turned toward him and gave him her gorgeous smile. He threw his arms around her and spun her in a circle.
Maggie laughed then gave him a quick kiss. “Was it just me, or did today drag on and on?”
“It totally dragged.” He kissed her back and set her down. “But now everything is right in the world again.”
“Almost.” She glanced over at the full beach.
“Sure, it’d be better if we could actually date openly. At least we can be together. It beats not seeing you.”
Her eyes lit up. “That’s true. I—” Maggie’s smile faded and she stared at something behind him.
Canyon spun around but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “What’s wrong?”
“I… I can’t believe he’s here.”
“Who?”
She stumbled back a few steps but didn’t answer.
Canyon studied the crowd and noticed one guy heading their way. He was blond and unnaturally tan with extra-white teeth. Not only that, but he wore long khakis and a dress shirt—hardly beachwear. As the guy got closer, Canyon noticed he had beady little eyes and a smug expression.
Canyon turned back to Maggie, her face was pale. “Who’s that?”
She swallowed. “It’s Dan.”
“Dan?” Somehow that made sense. Maybe because everything about him shouted that he was a slimeball. “As in your ex-fiancé?”
Maggie nodded, still looking past Canyon.
“What on earth is he doing here?” Canyon’s stomach twisted in knots so tight he wasn’t sure they’d ever unravel.
She just shook her head.
“Did you know he was coming?” He realized that was a dumb question as soon as it escaped his lips. She looked like she was seeing a ghost.
“No.” Maggie stumbled back again.
“You don’t know why he’s here?”
“I have no idea.”
Dan sauntered over, glared at Canyon, then rested his gaze on Maggie. “I’ve been trying to call you.”
She swallowed. “I blocked your number.”
“Why would you do that?”
Canyon put his arm around Maggie. “Because she doesn’t want to talk to you. Time to leave.”
Dan glared at him. “Who are you?”
“Someone who will protect Maggie. That’s all you need to know.”
“She doesn’t need protection from me.”
“Then why did she block your number?” Canyon countered.
Dan’s brows came together. “Would you give us some privacy? I need to talk to her.”
Canyon tightened his hold around Maggie’s shoulders. “Doesn’t seem like she wants to talk to you.”
The other man shook his head and turned back to Maggie. “We need to talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about. How did you find me here, anyway?”
“I followed you from your aunt’s house.”
“How dare you!” Maggie stiffened against Canyon.
Canyon stood taller.
Dan glanced back and forth between Maggie and Canyon, then glowered. “Guess I’ll have to tell you with him here.” He said him like Canyon was toxic waste.
Maggie stepped forward, standing tall. “We have nothing to talk about.”
“You need to hear this, Maggie.”
She shook her head. “After the way you treated me, no. I don’t owe you anything.”
Dan’s expression softened. “No, but I do. You need to hear what I have to say.”
“What?”
He stepped closer to Maggie.
Canyon clenched his fists, ready to pummel him if need be.
Dan held Maggie’s gaze for a moment before speaking. “The doctor’s office called me. There was a mistake with the test. They are wrong.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“You can have kids, Magnolia. I don’t know all the details, but your results were switched with someone else’s. I didn’t find out more because I wanted to tell you the news as soon as I could. Since you wouldn’t talk to me over the phone, I had to come here personally.”
Canyon stepped forward. “Why wouldn’t the doctor’s office call her? Seems odd they’d give you the news. Privacy laws and all that legal stuff, you know.”
Dan flicked him an annoyed glance. “Small-town doctor. They’ll tell just about anything to her fiancé.”
“Ex,” Canyon corrected.
“Whatever.” Dan turned back to Maggie. “We can get married, after all. Isn’t this great news? That house you fell in love with is still for sale, but the housing market is improving in that area, so we’ll have to act quickly.”
Canyon stared at Dan. He couldn’t be serious? Did he really expect Maggie would run back to him?
Maggie stood, shaking.
“Are you okay?” Canyon whispered and pulled her closer.
Chapter 25
Maggie could barely remain standing as the news sunk in. She could actually have kids! The medical report had been a mistake. Someone else’s bad news.
The doctor had told her that there was irreparable damage to her fallopian tubes. But now it wasn’t true. Her tubes were normal!
She struggled to breathe normally, to take in deep breaths. The whole world seemed to have disappeared around her since Dan said she could have kids. She hadn’t heard another word he’d said after that.
Her dreams of having a family could really happen. If things kept going so well with Canyon and they got married—it could be a possibility now!—she could give him children of his own.
She wasn’t defective, like Dan had made her feel when the test results had originally come in.
Was he telling the truth, or was this some cruel game? He’d shown a whole new side of himself after they found out she couldn’t have kids. Or maybe it wasn’t new, but he’d been hiding it.
Both Dan and Canyon were speaking, but their words sounded far away. Muffled. Like they were speaking through water.
Maggie gasped for air, starting to feel lightheaded.
She needed to get away. By herself. Think and let the news settle. Then once she could string together a coherent sentence or two, she needed to speak with the doctor herself.
Without a word, Maggie burst into a run. She stumbled in the sand but didn’t let that slow her. She nearly crashed into a few people but barely noticed.
Once at the street, she kept going. Everything passed by in a blur. Tears stung her eyes. Her muscles burned and her heart felt like it would give out.
Everything seemed to press in toward her, wanting to crush her. Maggie just kept running until she made it past the main part of town and came to some abandoned buildings and a big open field. She wasn’t even sure she was still in Indigo Bay anymore.
Exhausted, she leaned against a dilapidated wall and gasped for air. It felt a lot better to focus on that than anything else.
Did she dare hope Dan’s news was true? It could just be another ploy. A way to control and manipulate her.
Maggie closed her eyes and waited for the world to stop spinning. She slid down the wall until she was sitting and rested her head against her knees.
What if Dan was telling the truth? If he was, that meant her fling—relationship?—with Canyon could potentially turn into something more. She wanted that like she’d wanted nothing else before, but she hadn’t let herself believe it could truly happen. Not a real future. An actual family.
What was she going to do?
Maggie reached into her pocket for the phone but shook too much to be able to grab it. She needed to talk to the doctor, but she couldn’t even calm down enough to grab her phone.
Tears blurred her vision, then they spilled to her face. She gasped for air be
fore giving into the sobs.
For some reason, she cried harder now than she had when she’d first received the bad news. The tears wouldn’t stop.
As she cried, the sky changed colors until it finally grew dark and glimmered with twinkling stars. Maggie stared at them, at last free of the tears.
She located the Big Dipper and studied it. Would she be able to teach her future children how to find it? Would she be able to teach them all the things she’d dreamed about for so long, until the day the nurse called with the news?
Her mind wandered, old dusty dreams coming back to life.
Did she dare hope?
It was too late to call the office now. She’d have to wait until the morning to find out if Dan was telling the truth. But why else would he come all the way to Indigo Bay from Georgia? He wouldn’t do that for a trick, would he?
Maybe, but that seemed too vicious, even for him.
He had to be telling the truth. But why? What else had he said?
She strained to remember, but everything after telling her that she could have kids was a blur. Like trying to remember a dream that was fading like sand from an hourglass.
What was so important about the news that he’d left his fiancée and come to tell her about this personally? He’d had to have driven for hours—when he could’ve called Aunt Lucille’s house and just told her.
Exhaustion swept over her, making her muscles feel like rubber. She drew in a deep breath and rested her head against the wall.
What she needed was to climb into bed and sleep. Let her mind process everything through dreams.
Then she could wake in the morning, call the office, and find out if what Dan said was really true.
If only she could get her legs to cooperate.
Chapter 26
Canyon turned to Dan, fuming. They’d searched all over Indigo Bay and hadn’t been able to find Maggie. “Great work!”
“Hey, I told you I didn’t expect her to run off.”
“Right, because her blocking your number didn’t clue you in on the fact that she wants nothing to do with you.”
Dan’s nostrils flared. “Now that she knows she can have kids, that changes everything. We can get married now.”
“You’re unbelievable!”
“What?” Dan actually sounded clueless.
“Aren’t you engaged to someone else?”
He shook his head. “Not anymore. Her family lost their fortune.”
“So you dumped her?”
“Of course.”
Maggie had sure dodged a bullet not marrying this piece of work.
Canyon squinted and looked up and down the beach for what had to be the hundredth time. “Is anyone good enough for you?”
“Maggie is, now that she can give me boys to carry on my legacy.”
“If the results were fake, she could’ve done that the whole time, couldn’t she?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know that. You honestly don’t have a clue where she would’ve went?”
It took all of Canyon’s effort not to break Dan’s nose. “If I knew, do you think we’d still be looking?”
“Maybe we should report her missing.”
“Missing?” Canyon exclaimed. “She’s avoiding you.”
Dan’s expression twisted. “I didn’t see her taking you with her. Seems she’s avoiding both of us.”
“You know what? We’d be better off searching separately. Cover more ground and all that.”
Dan’s scowl faded. “You might be onto something. Maybe you should call the police.”
“Or maybe you should, since this is all your fault. Better yet, tell Lucille. She could probably round up a search party faster than the cops with her connections.”
“You think so?”
Canyon threw his arms into the air. “Do you know Maggie’s family at all?”
“More than you.”
Canyon waved him off, then marched down the street toward his home. He’d already looked there, hoping Maggie had gone there. She hadn’t, but that had been over an hour earlier.
She still wasn’t there. His heart sank past his stomach and shattered on the ground.
Where was she?
She hadn’t posted any updates on her social media profiles. His calls kept going to voicemail.
Maybe the next attempt would be the exception.
Canyon pulled out his phone and called Maggie again.
It rang and rang…
Then voicemail.
He threw his head back in frustration, then left another message pleading with her to return the call. But if she was ignoring his other messages, this one wouldn’t make a difference.
After hanging up, he sent her a quick text: Can you just let me know you’re okay?
Canyon waited a minute, hoping against hope. Then he bolted down the street and stopped everyone he came across, asking if they’d seen her.
Nobody had.
Isabella was climbing into her car a block and a half away.
Canyon sprinted toward her, calling out her name.
She glanced up and stepped away from her car.
He reached her, out of breath.
“What’s going on?”
“H… have you… seen Maggie?”
“Don’t tell me you got her in trouble!” She held up a fist and shook it in his face.
“No! It was Dan!”
“Dan? Her ex-fiancé?”
“The one and only. He showed up, upset her, then she bolted. That was before the sun went down.”
Isabella’s mouth dropped. “What?”
“Do you know where she might’ve gone? I’ve looked everywhere I can think of at least twice.”
“Have you tried calling her?”
“What do you think?” Canyon snapped.
“Let me try. Maybe she needs a friend right now.”
“I’m going to keep looking. Call me if you hear from her.”
“I don’t have your number.”
“Right.” They exchanged numbers, then he ran down the road continuing to ask everyone in sight if they’d seen her.
He passed Sweet Caroline’s. Perhaps if someone had seen Maggie, they had told Caroline.
Canyon rushed in and pushed himself next to the person at the register. That earned him a dirty look.
“Everything okay, Canyon?” Caroline asked.
“No. Have you seen Maggie? Or heard anything about her?”
Caroline froze. “What happened?”
“It would take too long to explain. If you hear anything, please let me know!”
“Certainly. And the same goes for you. I want to hear the moment you learn anything.”
Canyon nodded, hoping he’d remember given his current state of mind. He raced outside and headed for Lucille’s neighborhood.
Blue and red lights bounced off the large houses, though they were set off from the road.
The police were already there. That could be good news or bad, depending on what Dan had told them. He’d have certainly painted Canyon in the worst possible way, and Lucille would’ve gladly gone along with it.
He spun around to go the other way.
“Canyon!”
His entire body tensed. Reluctantly, he turned around.
Officer Moore stood in front of Lucille’s house, a flashlight aimed at Canyon.
He was tempted to run, but that would only make him look guilty. And he’d done nothing wrong. He took a deep breath. “Officer Moore.”
“Where have you been, son?”
Canyon wanted to say he wasn’t Moore’s son. Instead, he made a point to relax his stance. “Out trying to find Maggie, sir.”
“You were the last one to see her?”
“Dan, her ex, and I were. After he showed up unannounced and gave her upsetting news.”
“Why don’t you come with me?” Officer Moore nodded toward Lucille’s house.
Great.
“Sure thing. Anything to help find Maggie.” Canyon was i
mpressed with himself for keeping his tone so light.
They walked down the walkway. The heavily-flowered air tickled his nose. He’d never before seen so many roses or bluestars in one place. Canyon wouldn’t know what bluestars were, but Lucille made a point to make sure everyone in town knew about her prize flowers.
Inside the enormous home, Lucille and Dan sat on a large sofa, speaking with another policeman.
“Canyon’s here,” Moore announced.
Lucille jumped up, her eyes wild and red. “What have you done to my Maggie?”
“Nothing.” He glared at Dan. “You should be asking him.”
“Why?” Lucille gave Canyon a sideways glance.
“Because if he hadn’t showed up, Maggie wouldn’t have run off.”
Lucille tilted her head. “And how would you know that?”
Canyon bit his tongue to give him a moment to think before saying what he wanted to—Lucille was bound to slap him if he did speak his thoughts. “We ran into each other at the beach when he showed up.”
Dan snorted. “Ran into each other. Right. You two looked pretty cozy when I saw you.”
“We did run into each other there—you’d know that since you admitted to following her there!”
His mouth dropped. “It’s your word against mine.”
“Until Maggie shows up to tell you otherwise.”
They stared each other down.
Officer Moore stepped in between them. “Perhaps we should question you two separately.”
“Question me?” Canyon exclaimed. “Maggie ran off! Nobody has seen her—we need to get out there and find her! She’s missing.”
Dan glowered at him. “You told me she wasn’t missing.”
“That was before I had a chance to ask half the town if they’d seen her.”
“You’re a real peach.”
Canyon held back an eye roll. “You’re one to talk.”
“Come on.” Officer Moore gestured toward another room. “Let’s talk in here.”
Canyon glared at Dan. If only looks could kill…
Chapter 27
Maggie opened her eyes. She was lying on the ground, staring at an open field with overgrown grass and empty bottles strewn across one side. Based on the sun being low in east, it was morning.