Guarding the Babies

by Sandra Robbins

  This conversation had taken a turn she hadn’t intended it to, and she bit down on her lip at the curt tone of his words. The last thing she wanted was to alienate Cole again. On the other hand, maybe he was right that she didn’t need to stay. She wanted to help with the investigation, but she had two children to think of, and it would be easier to keep them safe in Nashville. Her home there was less isolated and better secured. Maybe they needed to leave Jackson Springs.

  “I know you’re a good investigator, and in time, I have no doubt you’ll find the answers you’re looking for. As for me and the twins, it might be better if we went back to Nashville. My security team can keep us safe. Instead of worrying about our safety, you can concentrate on the case.”

  He was silent for a moment. “I haven’t minded helping keep you safe. Even with all the trouble you’ve had here, I’ve enjoyed being with you again. I guess I just forgot for a moment that it was temporary. I’m sure you have more pressing obligations than hanging around the town you couldn’t wait to leave.”

  The anger she’d felt a moment ago vanished at the hurt she heard in his voice. Why had she lashed out at him? All he’d done since she’d been home was try to help her, and she’d found herself coming to depend on him again.

  Her eyebrows arched, and she suddenly knew why she’d spoken the way she had. She was scared. Scared that her old feelings for Cole were beginning to return, and she didn’t know what to do about that. She had a life and a career, one that she’d worked hard to carve out for herself. Becoming close to Cole again threatened to destroy that. She couldn’t let that happen.

  She took a deep breath in an effort to calm her shaking body. “I’m sorry I spoke sharply to you, Cole. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us since we’ve been here, but I think it’s time the twins and I went home.”

  He was silent for a moment, and she tightened her grip on the phone. “When are you going to leave?”

  “I don’t know. Probably in a few days.”

  “What about the house? I thought you were going to try to sell it.”

  “I am, but my manager can take care of that for me.”

  “It sounds like you have it all figured out. But then, you always did. If I don’t see you before you leave, you take care of yourself. It was good seeing you again.”

  She knew he was getting ready to disconnect the call, and she couldn’t let him go yet. “Cole, wait!”

  “What is it, Holly?”

  “I wanted you to know I found out where Michael and Ruth got the money they paid for the twins.”

  For the next few minutes she told him about finding the letter. When she finished, he sighed. “So that’s where it came from.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I wanted you to know so that you wouldn’t think I’d given it to them.”

  When he spoke, his voice sounded sad. “I believed you when you told me you didn’t give it to them. I know you wouldn’t lie. Take care of yourself, Holly.”

  “Cole,” she said, but it was no use. He’d already disconnected the call.

  She sat there for a moment and stared at the phone, and her heart felt like it was about to break at the hurt she’d heard in Cole’s voice. No matter what had happened in the past, he would always be an important part of her life.

  Even with all the trouble she’d had since coming back to Jackson Springs, she’d been more content than she’d been in a long time. Being with Cole had brought joy into her life, and she knew she’d never fully fallen out of love with him. There would never be another man for her, and she was going to miss him when she was gone. But what could she do? Was there any way they could settle their differences and make a life together? And would Cole even want to?

  Her heart screamed at her to call him back, but her head told her it was no use. She’d burned that bridge when she left ten years ago, and it was better to let it remain the way it was—her in Nashville and him in Jackson Springs.

  She was about to slip the phone back in her pocket when it rang again. Hope flared that it might be Cole calling her back, but it wasn’t. The number for her manager, Aiden Hudson, showed up on the caller ID. She placed the phone to her ear.

  “Hi, Aiden. I’m surprised to hear from you today. I thought you were taking a few days off.”

  “As if I have time to take off,” he huffed.

  Holly couldn’t help but smile. She could imagine what he looked like—a scowl on his face and his hair standing on end from where he’d been running his hands through it. Although Aiden was an impeccable dresser, by this time of day his tie usually hung around his neck unknotted, his jacket thrown haphazardly across a chair while he talked on the phone, pacing back and forth across the room. It seemed like the man always moved like a whirlwind as he managed the needs of his clients. But it was no secret that she was his most lucrative one, and he had guided her career to where it was. She owed him a lot for taking a young starry-eyed musician and turning her into an award-winning artist.

  “I’m glad you called,” she said. “I wanted to update you on what’s been going on here.”

  For the next few minutes, he listened as she related the latest developments in the case. “I should be there,” he said when she was finished. “Or better yet, you should come back here. I didn’t want you to go back to that town, and I was right. Now it’s time for you to get back where you belong.”

  Even though she didn’t want to agree, she knew she had to. “You’re right. It’s time I came home.”

  “When do you think you’ll be ready to leave?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe a few days.”

  “Good,” he said. “That fits in with what I was going to talk to you about.”

  His voice had taken on the tone that it always did when he was about to try to convince her of something he thought she wouldn’t like. She sighed in exasperation. “Okay, Aiden. What is it this time?”

  “Something I think you’ll enjoy doing. I had a call from the producer of that morning show on TV called Live with the Davenports.”

  “The one with the twin sisters who do stories about celebrities?”

  “That’s the one. This producer thought it might be fun for the sisters to interview a celebrity who has twins. Since you just acquired a set after their parents were killed, they want to do an interview.”

  Holly closed her eyes and shook her head. She didn’t like doing TV appearances, but she realized they were important as someone who depended on fans’ opinions. A refusal to do interviews had sunk many careers in the past, and she’d always endeavored to ensure that it didn’t happen to her.

  “Okay,” she said. “Tell them I’ll be back in Nashville by the end of the week, and I’ll be glad to do the interview.”

  Aiden cleared his throat. “Well, that’s just it, Holly. They don’t really want to do a traditional interview. They want to play up ‘the twins’ angle, and how you’re making out with your new responsibilities. They want to see you interacting with the babies, and how they’re making out after losing their parents.”

  Holly sat up straighter and shook her head. “No way. You know how I feel about keeping them out of the spotlight. The Davenports can interview me, but they can’t use Emma and Ethan.”

  “Take a minute to think about this,” he wheedled. “We’re talking about the number one morning show on network TV. You’re getting ready to perform on a cross-country tour. I’ve signed contracts at the different venues, and we need those stadiums packed if we are going to keep from ending up in the red. I can’t do the publicity for you. I can only line it up. You’re the one who has to show up and do the work.”

  Holly gritted her teeth and shook her head, frowning. How many times had he said those same words to her, and they worked every time. She was the one who had wanted this life. She was the one who had given up the only man she would ever love. Now she was stuck with her choice.


  She exhaled a deep breath, and her body sagged in defeat. “Okay, Aiden. Do they want to do the interview at my house in Nashville?”

  “Actually,” he said, “they want to do it in Jackson Springs.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Jackson Springs? Why?”

  “They’re going to show your roots. You know, the town where you lived, your childhood home, the story about your sister’s death and you becoming the guardian of twins. They want to show how a celebrity manages a career while becoming a mother overnight to two children. They want to follow you around for a day and see you interacting with them. I’ve arranged for them to be there day after tomorrow.”

  “You scheduled this without asking me first?” Her surprised words echoed in the room.

  “Of course I did. As I said, it’s my job to set up the publicity and...”

  “Yeah, I know,” she said, “and mine to show up. So what time should I expect them?”

  “They’ll be there around eight o’clock. They want to see your morning routine with the twins. Then they want to go to that park downtown, the one where you used to do summer concerts when you were in school. They thought it would be a nice touch to show you having an outing with the babies in a place that holds such fond memories for you.”

  An uneasy feeling swept over her. “I don’t know about that, Aiden. With all that’s been going on, I don’t know if it’s safe to take Emma and Ethan out in public.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’ve arranged to close the park off to visitors for about an hour, and I’ve made sure your security team will be in place. You’ll have nothing to worry about.”

  She still didn’t like the idea of exposing the children to possible harm again—the supermarket incident was still fresh in her mind—but it should be okay if the security team did their job. Besides, who would take the risk of attacking when a full camera crew would catch their every move? After a moment, she exhaled a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll be expecting them day after tomorrow.”

  “Good,” he said before he disconnected the call.

  Holly stared at the phone a few minutes, replaying the conversation in her mind. Aiden had always been able to talk her into what he wanted, but she had to admit he’d never steered her wrong. If he thought this TV interview would promote her tour, she would have to go along with it. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that taking the twins to the park wasn’t a good idea.

  Maybe she should call Cole and ask him what he thought. Then she thought better of it. He didn’t want to be bothered; his hanging up on her had told her as much. He was out of her life, and there was no going back. Now all she had to do was find a way of living with that decision.

  * * *

  Cole had been unable to sit still all afternoon after talking with Holly. He’d stormed out of the office as soon as he’d hung up and headed to the cemetery. It didn’t take but a few minutes to find the crew who’d come to dig up the grave. The machinery was already humming as the shovel on the end of the crane dislodged large chunks of dirt and grass.

  He paced back and forth a few feet back from where the men were working as he watched the scene unfold. A loud thud sounded as the scoop collided with something.

  “We have it!” one of the men shouted, and the crew moved in to finish their task.

  Cole watched as they carefully removed the casket and checked the name for accuracy. Everyone was silent as the crew carried the remains of Teresa Wilson to the waiting hearse.

  They slid the casket into the back of the vehicle and slammed the door, but none of them moved. Cole wondered how many times these men had been called on to perform this task. He expected them to turn and walk away but was surprised when the man who had appeared to be in charge throughout the operation took off his hat and held it over his chest. The other men did the same, and they stood there staring at the closed door.

  Then the foreman began to speak. “Dear God, Your word says, ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ We ask Your blessing on all those who will now receive the body of Your child, that they will treat her with respect and return her safely to the place of her eternal rest. Amen.”

  The amens of all the workers drifted across the quiet cemetery, and Cole felt his throat close with emotion. He added his own prayer that the doctors who now had charge of Teresa Wilson would find any hidden secrets about her death.

  The health-department official, who’d been on-site to make sure the exhumation was carried out properly, stepped over to Cole as the hearse pulled away. “I’ll tell the medical examiner that we need a report on this as soon as possible. But even so, it should take a day or two to get the results.”

  Cole nodded. “That’s what I figured. Tell him to send a copy of the report to me when he has it completed.”

  “Will do,” the man said before he turned and headed toward his car.

  Cole didn’t move but stared at the vacant grave for a few minutes as he pondered the developments in the case that had started with Holly discovering an intruder in the twins’ nursery. He would never have suspected that what happened that night would lead to him standing at an empty grave and wondering what secrets it had held. Maybe he would have answers to that question in a few days.

  Without thinking, he pulled his phone from his pocket and was about to call Holly and give her an update when he remembered he didn’t need to do that. She’d made it clear to him that she was leaving and no longer intended to keep up with the investigation.

  By the time he received the autopsy report, Holly would be back in Nashville, and he would be alone in Jackson Springs the way he had been for the past ten years. Once again, he stared up at the sky as he had done so many times in the past and silently asked God why He’d allowed him to fall in love with a woman he never would be able to keep.

  But just as it had happened in the past, there was no answer to his question.

  ELEVEN

  Holly had gotten up early so she could be sure to have everything ready for the Davenport sisters when they arrived. If she was honest with herself, though, she’d admit that she really hadn’t slept much last night or the night before. It had been two days since her conversation with Cole, and she missed him more than she would ever have thought. Several times, she’d picked up her phone to call him but then had thought better of it. Things were settled between them, and she shouldn’t do anything to change that.

  She stopped scurrying around, placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the nursery. Everything was in place, and it was time to get this interview over with. This thought had just popped into her head when Mandy and Mrs. Green walked in, each holding a baby.

  Holly rushed over and gave each of them a kiss. “How’re my sweeties this morning?” she purred as she patted each of the curly heads.

  They both let out a garbled stream of gibberish that sent a thrill through her. It wouldn’t be long before they would be walking, then they’d be talking, and before she knew it, they would be going to their first prom. She promised herself that she wasn’t going to miss one moment of their growing up and ignored the voice that whispered the question in her head, How are you going to be there for every milestone if you continue touring ten months out of the year?

  Emma squirmed in Mandy’s arms and reached out toward Holly. “Come here, darling,” she said.

  She’d just taken the baby when Todd appeared at the door. “The TV crew is here to begin setting up, Miss Lee.”

  After that, it was a madhouse of activity for the rest of the morning. The twins handled the hustle and bustle well, but Holly was still very thankful when the director finally called for a lunch break.

  Sonya Davenport smiled as she rose from the chair where she’d been sitting. “I know this has been difficult, Holly, but it’s almost ove
r. All we have left is the visit to the park.”

  Holly nodded. “Emma and Ethan take a nap after lunch.”

  “That sounds good,” Sonya said. “After they wake up, give us a call with a time frame, and we’ll meet you at the park. We’ll get a few shots of the three of you playing together, maybe you pushing them on the baby swings, and then call it a wrap.”

  Mandy and Mrs. Green had already taken the twins to the kitchen, and Holly waited until the film crew gathered all their equipment to leave. Then she led the two young men who’d been filming all morning downstairs. At the front door, they stopped and turned to her.

  The one who seemed to be the main cameraman smiled at her before exiting. “I don’t think Miss Davenport introduced us when we got here. My name is Stephen Blakemore.” He nodded toward the other young man. “And this is my assistant, Mark Hatfield. I really enjoyed filming you. Some people have the features that make the camera love them, and you’re one of them. I look forward to seeing you this afternoon at the park.”

  Holly smiled. “Thank you, Stephen. I’m excited about filming our outing. See you then.”

  She closed the door behind him and stood in the entryway for a few minutes. Muffled voices came from the kitchen, and every once in a while, she could hear Ethan squeal in laughter at something Mandy had said.

  As she stood there, she realized that she had everything she once thought she wanted. She had an amazing career, a fabulous mansion in Nashville and two children whom she loved with all her heart. The problem was, however, that she didn’t have everything she needed. And that was someone to love her and share her life with. As she stood there, the thought of continuing to live on the road, going to one performance after another for the rest of her life, filled her with dread. She wanted a man she could love and one who would love her. A man that she could come home to at the end of the day.