You never take a risk. You always play it safe. Raymond's words echoed through her head. She was about to take the biggest risk of her life.
"Yes," she said. "I will marry you again, and I will give you another baby, because I want one, too. I want to have the family that we were meant to have. I want to try again, Nick. I'm ready. And I promise not to leave you again."
Nick blew out a long breath, and she realized that he was as scared as she was. She flung herself into his arms and kissed him over and over and over again, until they broke apart with a breathless, loving laugh.
Nick smiled at her. "It took you long enough. I'd almost given up. I've been sitting on my porch, playing that damn song every night, hoping you'd come back to me." He paused. "I love you, Lisa. I never stopped. There's never been anyone else for me, not for a second. You were the one. You were always the one," he said simply.
"You were the one, too," she said. "The real reason I couldn't send out my wedding invitations. Even before I came back here for Maggie, I had doubts. I knew I was living a life that wasn't really mine. I was too afraid to walk away from it. The pain of losing our child just ripped me apart, Nick."
"I know," he whispered, brushing the hair away from her face.
"That's why I couldn't talk about her. It hurt too much to say her name."
"You haven't said it yet," he reminded her.
She glanced toward the headstone, then back at Nick. "Robin. Her name was Robin." She smiled as she sniffed back another tear. "And she was a beautiful child, and I will never ever forget her."
"Neither will I," he said, pressing his lips to her forehead. "And I will talk about her, Lisa."
"I know. I want you, too. And you can put her picture on the dresser, and I won't turn it over. And I'll even help you think of some good advertising campaigns for your business using her name. But--" She licked her lips. "I can't live in that house again, Nick. I can't go all the way back. I will go forward with you, but somewhere else."
He nodded. "I understand. I can live anywhere, Lisa. I didn't stay in the house for Robin. I stayed there for you. I wanted you to be able to find me. I wanted you to be able to come home. But if you want me to move to L.A., I'll do it."
"You will?" she asked in amazement. "But your business..."
"I can do that anywhere, Lisa. I don't want to hold you back. You should be able to do what you want to do as well. I know we're different now." He grinned. "I think we finally grew up."
"It took us a hell of a long time," she murmured. She slipped her arms around his waist. "I don't want to live in L.A. I've missed the beach. I've missed our families. And there are advertising agencies in San Diego."
"Then we'll find a new place, and we'll start over together."
"Together sounds perfect." She turned her head at the sudden chirping, not at all surprised to see another robin. "Our friend is back."
"And lonely as hell. Too bad, buddy. I found my mate. You're on your own."
"Nick, look." Lisa pointed to another bird that seemed to have come out of nowhere. It was on the branch next to the male robin. "She heard his song, and she came. It feels a little magical."
He smiled. "Don't let your mother hear you say that."
"Believe me, I don't intend to. I love you, Nick. I just wanted to say it again."
"Don't ever stop saying it, because I intend to tell you every day how much I love you."
Their kiss was broken by the sound of cars pulling up. They turned to see kids hopping out of the first car, followed by Maggie and Jeremy.
"Well, look at that," she murmured.
"Someone else heard the mating call," Nick said dryly.
"Maggie deserves to be happy, too."
"Yeah, I just hope that guy knows what he's getting into."
Carmela and Silvia got out of the second car, and Bill and Kathy stepped out of the third. Lisa felt a rush of joy and pleasure as their families walked toward them.
"Lisa," her mother said with joy in her eyes. "I'm so happy you came."
"I had to. I love Nick. And..." she paused. "I love Robin. Today we're going to celebrate her life and our future together."
She heard a bunch of cheers and congratulations as Nick pulled her into his arms and they sealed her promise with one long kiss.
Epilogue
Two years later...
"How long are you going to watch him sleep?" Nick asked as he came up behind Lisa in the shadowy bedroom.
"Just a few more minutes." Lisa leaned her head against Nick's shoulder and smiled down at the child before her. Samuel Robert Maddux uttered a brief snore and turned over, his little thumb sneaking into his mouth as he once again fell back to sleep. "I can't believe he's a year old today."
"Maybe you better wake him up so he doesn't miss his party."
"Let him sleep for a few more minutes. He looks so peaceful." Lisa turned into Nick's arms and smiled up at him. "Thank you."
"For what -- last night or this morning?"
Lisa laughed. "For giving me another baby to love. And another," she added, patting her rounded stomach.
"You're not scared anymore, are you?"
"Oh, yes, I am. Every day and every night, but the joy Sam brings into our lives is worth every worry line on my face. I love being a mother, and I love being your wife."
"As much as you love advertising?"
"More, but it is nice that I can work at home three days a week. You fixed everything, Nick. I'm so glad we took another chance. Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened to us if I'd never come back. I'd be married to Raymond, and you'd be married to Suzanne."
"I don't think so. It probably just would have taken a little longer for us to find each other again."
Lisa walked to the doorway, then sent him a teasing smile. "Can I go change my clothes -- or do you still need to leave the room first?"
"You have a very smart mouth, Mrs. Maddux," Nick said, as he walked over and kissed her on the lips. "I've begun to enjoy watching you leave. You have a great--"
"Nick!"
"Well, you do. But it doesn't bother me to see you leave anymore, because I know you're coming back."
"Always. You're stuck with me forever."
"I'm not sure that will be long enough."
The doorbell rang, and Lisa groaned. "Ever since Maggie married Jeremy, she's become incredibly punctual. Although, how she does it with four kids, I can't imagine."
"Maggie has changed," Nick said as they walked toward the front door.
"For the better," Lisa agreed. "She's still funny and scattered and can never find her car keys, but she's so happy."
"Maggie said she had an announcement to make. I wonder if she's pregnant again."
"Kristin is only four months old."
"So?" Nick said with a grin. "In case you haven't noticed, my sister seems to have turned into a sex maniac."
"It must run in the family," Lisa replied, as she opened the door to greet Maggie and Jeremy. "Hello. Hello."
"Hello, yourself," Maggie said, as she gave Lisa a hug. "Where's the birthday boy?"
"Still asleep."
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "And you're not sitting in his room watching over him?"
Lisa gave her a sheepish smile. "I was. But I've gotten better. Come on in. How are you, Jeremy?"
"Just great," he replied, as Lisa kissed him on the cheek.
Then she kissed her niece, who was asleep in Jeremy's arms.
"Where are the other kids?" Lisa asked.
"They took Sally around the back," Maggie replied, as they walked into the house and put their things in the living room.
"So, what's the news?" Nick demanded.
"Goodness, Nick, give Maggie a chance to catch her breath," Lisa said.
"I don't think that will happen even if you give me the next year to catch my breath," Maggie replied.
"Why? What is it?" Lisa searched Maggie's face for some hint of trouble, but all she saw was glowing happiness.
&nb
sp; Maggie looked over at Jeremy. "Can I tell her?"
"Can I stop you?" Jeremy asked with a laugh.
"We sold our story to Paramount Pictures," Maggie said in a rush.
"What do you mean -- your story?"
"The story of how we met, my search for Keith, my brother's reunion with his first love -- everything," Maggie said with delight. "Jeremy and I wrote it together, and my name is going to be in the credits. Can you believe it? I'm a screenwriter."
"Wow. That's incredible. I had no idea you were writing something together," Lisa said, glancing over at Nick. He hadn't said a word, and she wondered how he felt about the idea of their personal love story making it to the big screen.
"Maggie wrote this on her own," Jeremy said. "I was just the backup."
"No, you were my partner, my equal partner," Maggie said. "So, what do you think? Nick?"
"Who's going to play me?" he asked.
Lisa laughed. "More importantly, who's going to play me?"
"I have no idea," Maggie said. "But the story is fictionalized, so it's not really you two, exactly."
"It sounds great," Nick said. "Your going crazy two years ago was the best thing that happened to all of us."
"Well, thanks, I think."
Before Maggie could say anything more, the back door opened and the kids ran into the room.
"Come see, come see," Dylan cried.
"See what?" Lisa asked.
"The robins," Mary Bea said. "The babies are starting to fly,"
Lisa rushed through the door, followed by Maggie and Jeremy and Nick. She stopped on the deck and looked at the nest the robins had built earlier that spring. Sure enough, the baby robins were flapping their wings, getting ready to fly. The first one moved to the edge of the nest. Lisa held her breath.
Nick took her hand and looked into her eyes. "She'll make it, Lisa. We all will. Happily ever after."
"I know. I just wish Robin were here to see all of this."
"She is -- right here." He placed his hand on her heart. Lisa put her hand over his, and together they watched as the baby robin took off on wobbly wings, only to soar high above their heads, into a world that held so many promises.
THE END
READER'S GUIDE
1. Maggie suffers a personal meltdown after discovering a woman's message for her belated husband, so she begs Lisa to watch her children as she puts her life together. While she feels guilty about leaving them, she still takes her trip and spends time and financial resources on a search for the mysterious woman.
Do you think Maggie made the right decision in leaving her children or do you think she was being selfish? Have you ever needed to get away from your life? What happened to bring you to that point? Were you able to step away entirely? If so, did it help? Have you put ever put your needs ahead of your loved ones? Has someone you loved ever put their needs ahead of yours? How did you feel about it then?
2. After the death of their baby, Lisa closes herself off emotionally from her friends, her family and her husband, and Nick turns to alcohol.
Do you think their responses to Robin's death are justifiable? How have you coped with the death of a loved one?
3. Lisa advises Maggie not to go after Serena, but Maggie cannot stop until she knows the truth. She says she needs to be free of the stress and the tension of not knowing if her husband was having an affair.
If you had evidence of a partner's affair even while believing in your heart it wasn't possible, would you need to uncover the truth? Do you relate to Maggie's search for the truth or do you think she should have trusted her feelings in Keith?
4. Lisa refuses to believe in the magic of the bracelet or the robins. When presented with evidence of the overwhelming coincidences and magic around her, she reasons that if the bracelet was really magic, then her daughter wouldn't have died.
Do you believe in magic? How do you reconcile magic or believing in the unknown when good and bad things happen? Has something happened in your life that was too coincidental to be just a coincidence?
5. At one point, Nick muses that he shouldn't love someone who walked out on him at the darkest moment of his life.
Do you agree with Nick's assessment? Is he equally culpable in abandoning Lisa at her time of need by turning to alcohol? Have you ever abandoned a loved one in need? What were your reasons? Have you ever been abandoned by someone at the time you needed them the most? Were you able to be forgiven or to forgive?
I hope you all enjoyed ONE TRUE LOVE. If you would like to print out this Reader's Guide, please visit my website.
SILENT RUN
Sanders Brothers - Book One
Excerpt @ Barbara Freethy Copyright 2011
All Rights Reserved
Prologue
Large raindrops streamed against her windshield as she sped along the dark, narrow highway north of Los Angeles. She’d been traveling for over an hour along the wild and beautiful Pacific coastline. She’d passed the busy beach cities of Venice and Santa Monica, the celebrity-studded hills of Malibu and Santa Barbara. Thank God it was a big state. She could start over again, find a safe place to stay, but she had to get there first.
The pair of headlights in her rearview mirror drew closer with each passing mile. Her nerves began to tighten, and goose bumps rose along her arms and the back of her neck. She’d been running too long not to recognize danger. But where had the car come from? She’d been so sure that no one had followed her out of LA. After sixty miles of constantly checking her rearview mirror she’d begun to relax, but now the fear came rushing back.
It was too dark to see the car behind her, but there was something about the speed with which it was approaching that made her nervous. She pressed her foot down harder on the gas, clinging to the wheel as gale-force winds blowing in off the ocean rocketed through the car, making the driving even more treacherous.
A few miles later the road veered inland. She looked for a place to exit. Finally she saw a sign for an upcoming turnoff heading into the Santa Ynez Mountains. Maybe with a few twists and turns she could lose the car on her tail, and if her imagination were simply playing tricks on her, the car behind her would just continue down the road.
The exit came up fast. She took the turn on two wheels. Five minutes later the pair of headlights was once again directly behind her. There was no mistake: He was coming after her.
She had to get away from him. Adrenaline raced through her bloodstream, giving her courage and strength. She was so tired of running for her life, but she couldn’t quit now. She’d probably made a huge mistake leaving the main highway. There was no traffic on this two-lane road. If he caught her now there would be no one to come to her rescue.
The gap between their cars lessened. He was so close she could see the silhouette of a man in her rearview mirror. He was bearing down on her.
She took the next turn too sharply, her tires sliding on the slick, wet pavement.
Sudden lights coming from the opposite direction blinded her. She hit the brakes hard. The car skidded out of control. She flew across the road, crashed through a wooden barrier, and hurtled down a steep embankment. Rocks splintered the windshield as she threw up her hands in protest and prayer.
When the impact finally came it was crushing, the pain intense. It was too much. All she wanted to do was to sink into oblivion. It was over. She was finished.
But some voice deep inside her screamed at her to stay awake, because if she wasn’t dead yet, she soon would be.
Chapter One
The blackness in her mind began to lessen. There was a light behind her eyelids that beckoned and called to her. She was afraid to answer that call, terrified to open her eyes. Maybe it was the white light people talked about, the one to follow when you were dead. But she wasn’t dead, was she?
It was just a nightmare, she told herself. She was dreaming; she’d wake up in a minute. But something was wrong. Her bed didn’t feel right. The mattress was hard beneath her back. There were odd bells
going off in her head. She smelled antiseptic and chlorine bleach. A siren wailed in the distance. Someone was talking to her, a man.
Her stomach clenched with inexplicable fear as she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Her eyes flew open, and she blinked rapidly, the scene before her confusing.
She wasn’t home in her bedroom, as she’d expected. A man in a long white coat stood next to the bed. He appeared to be in his fifties, with salt-and-pepper hair, dark eyes, and a serious expression. He held a clipboard in one hand. A stethoscope hung around his neck, and a pair of glasses rested on his long, narrow nose. Next to him stood a short, plump brunette dressed in blue scrubs, offering a compassionate, encouraging smile that seemed to match the name on her name tag, Rosie.
What was going on? Where was she?
“You’re awake,” the doctor said, a brisk note in his voice, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. “That’s good. We were getting concerned about you. You’ve been unconscious for hours."
Unconscious? She gazed down the length of her body, suddenly aware of the thin blue gown, the hospital identification band on her wrist, the IV strapped to her left arm. And pain -- there was pain... in her head, her right wrist, and her knees. Her right cheek throbbed. She raised a hand to her temple and was surprised to encounter a bandage. What on earth had happened to her?
“You were in an automobile accident last night,” the doctor told her. “You have some injuries, but you’re going to be all right. You’re at St. Mary’s Hospital just outside of Los Olivos in Santa Barbara County. I’m Dr. Carmichael. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
She shook her head, his brisk words jumbling up in her brain, making little to no sense. “Am I dreaming?” she whispered.
“You’re not dreaming, but you do have a head injury. It’s not unusual to be confused,” the doctor replied. He offered her a small, practiced smile that was edged with impatience. “Now, do you feel up to a few questions? Why don’t we start with your name?"
She opened her mouth to reply, thinking that was an easy question, until nothing came to mind. Her brain was blank. What was her name? She had to have one. Everyone did. What on earth was wrong with her? She gave a helpless shake of her head. “I’m... I’m not sure,” she murmured, shocked by the realization.
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