Return to Me

by Jill Sanders

  “Over here!” he screamed when he heard the engine cut out.

  It seemed to take hours, but finally, Ron’s body was lifted from the water, then his own. He was too weak to help and collapsed on the deck next to Ron.

  They were assaulted by a round of voices speaking in a language he didn’t understand.

  “English,” he said weakly.

  “Water,” an older man said, handing him a container. He knew better than to down it quickly, and sipped it instead, then scooted over to help the kid do the same.

  “He’s dehydrated. He’ll need a hospital.” He looked around. “Can you call for help?”

  The men looked at each other and then back down at him and shook their heads no. At first, Sean thought that they hadn’t understood him, but then the men knelt down and picked up Ron and started to carry him below deck.

  When they picked Sean up, he glanced around the boat for the first time and knew why no one was going to call for help. They’d been pulled out of the fire and straight into a furnace.

  As they carried Sean downstairs and laid him next to Ron, he demanded more water and some food. The men nodded and within two minutes, water bottles and plates of broiled fish were delivered.

  Sean took care of Ron, helping him sip his water and eat something first. Then he did the same for himself as the kid slept. He covered him up with blankets the men had delivered to them. Then he crawled in the bunk next to Ron and kept his eyes peeled on the kid as he slept.

  One thought ran through his mind. He would make it back to Becca, even if he had to kill every man on board.

  *******

  Becca felt her head spin as smelling salts were shoved in her face.

  “Sean!” She sat up and screamed, then looked towards the television sets. But instead of Sean’s face on them, a commercial was playing. She pushed on the man who had shoved the salts in her face. “My phone.” She searched around for her bag. When she found it, she gripped for the phone and saw she’d missed five calls and too many text messages to count.

  Sitting on the floor of the airport, she dialed the number and when Sean answered, she cried.

  “I’m okay. We’re okay,” he told her over and over. Just hearing his voice made tears of joy run down her face. “We’re at the hospital. Can you make it here?”

  “Yes,” she said and started to stand, only to be held down again by the worried man. “I’m okay,” she told him. “I need to get to the hospital.”

  The man nodded. “An ambulance is on the way.”

  She shook her head and laughed. “No, I’m okay. Sean is at the hospital.” She sighed and waved the man away and then rushed over and grabbed her bags.

  “Sean?” she said into the phone.

  He laughed. “Still here.”

  “What happened?” She pushed past the security gate quickly.

  “I’ll explain when you get here.”

  “Are you okay?” she said when she finally got outside and hailed a cab.

  “I’m fine. The kid’s a little dehydrated still.”

  “Ronny? Ronny’s okay?” she asked between giving the driver directions and telling him it was an emergency.

  “Yup, doing fine. His folks should be here any minute.”

  “How?” She shook her head as the cab sped towards the hospital. “I saw you on the TV.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, the news crew was here to do a piece on opening the new hospital wing. When someone spotted us walking up, I guess they recognized us from the piece they had done the day we disappeared.”

  “Walking up?” She shook her head not understanding. He chuckled.

  “Well, me walking as I carried Ron. The guys that picked us up two days ago weren’t in the mood to answer any questions from authorities. So, they dropped us off at the dock an hour ago, and we hiked from there.”

  “I don’t understand.” She closed her eyes and felt her heart race, knowing she was minutes from seeing him, holding him again.

  “I’ll explain later. How close are you?”

  She asked the cab driver, who pointed to a large white building in front of them.

  “Just pulling up outside now,” she said.

  “Good.” She heard the phone click off and then looked up to see Sean standing in front of the glass doors with a huge smile on his lips.

  He was thinner than before and looked a whole lot tanner. But he was alive.

  She jumped from the car before it came to a complete stop. Then she was in his arms as he spun her around. He rained kisses over her face as she cried his name over and over.

  When his mouth came down over hers, she held on to him with all the strength she had.

  “I love you,” they both said the second they could breathe again. Then they laughed and hugged again.

  “I thought…” She shook her head.

  “Here, let’s go somewhere.” He looked around and started pulling her inside, only to come up short when he heard someone cry his name.

  He turned around and saw his parents rush towards him from a cab. Allen and Ronny’s parents were close behind.

  “Later,” he said in her ear before he was pulled into his parents’ arms.

  *******

  Sean was beat. He felt like he could sleep for three days straight. That was if everyone would get out of his hotel room and leave him alone with Becca.

  He looked over towards her and smiled when he noticed her eyes were on him. Her eyes turned soft and her lips curved up in a smile. She looked thinner, and he’d noticed the dark circles under her eyes at the hospital. Now he could see that she was probably as tired as he was and needed as much rest as he did.

  His parents had been on the phone to everyone he knew since they’d arrived back at the room. It was a different room than Becca and he had stayed in before, but all of his stuff was there. When they had arrived, Becca had been carrying her small bag. Her larger one wasn’t there and when he asked about it, she just looked over at his parents and frowned a little.

  He’d talked to his sister, Dawn, his aunt, and even his cousins, assuring them all that he was well and alive.

  He’d told the story of the boat of illegal fishermen who had picked Ronny and him up about eighteen hours after he’d gone back in for the kid. And of how the fishing men hadn’t known what to do with the two of them, so they’d been locked in the hull of the ship for two days. When Sean had promised them that he wouldn’t give the police any information about their operation, they had finally agreed to drop the two of them off at a Nassau dock.

  He’d told the story so many times now, his throat was actually starting to get sore. Everyone wanted to know how he’d survived being in the water that long. Each time he was asked, he’d looked over towards Becca and smiled.

  It seemed like he’d spoken to half the town of Pride, since his mother had been busy calling everyone to give them the good news. She’d relayed a shorter version of the story to almost everyone he knew.

  He’d even had an interesting conversation with Luke Crawford. He was shocked to hear from him that the money he’d invested in his Luke’s business in high school had paid off. Big time. That was the news Luke had wanted to talk to him about before they’d left on the trip.

  The surprise party that he and Amber had been planning was to celebrate that their gaming business, Modark, was holding an IPO and opening stock offerings to the public.

  Which meant that his five percent share, which Luke had talked him into investing in shortly before leaving town, was now worth a chunk more. A big chunk more, if what Luke was telling him was correct. Of course, he had missed the big celebration, being lost at sea and all, but Luke assured him that he would make it up to him if he would just get his butt home.

  He still couldn’t wrap his mind around all of that, and when he told Becca, she just smiled and hugged him.

  Later, food had been ordered and he’d eaten a whole steak and baked potato and had topped it off with a huge chunk of chocolate cake, which he’d
shared with Becca.

  She hadn’t left his side since he’d caught hold of her at the hospital. Even when they’d talked on their phones with different people, they had held hands.

  She’d said that she’d loved him, and he’d said that he’d loved her, but he desperately wished to tell her more. As soon as they were alone, he had every intention of doing just that.

  “That was Barbara,” his mother said, setting down the phone. “She says Ronny is up and walking about the room now, asking for food and his cell phone.”

  Everyone smiled. “Well, now that everyone in the world knows I’m alive…I’d like to drop off for a while.” He squeezed Becca’s hand and smiled over at her.

  “Oh, you must be exhausted,” his mother piped in. “Here we’ve been taking up all your time.” She walked over and hugged him and gave him another kiss on his cheek. A tear slid down her face so he gently wiped it with the back of his hand.

  “I’m okay. Go, get some rest yourself.” He smiled at her.

  She nodded. “Dinner, tonight. Downstairs around six.”

  He looked over at Becca, who nodded.

  “Make it seven.” He smiled when his mother nodded and brushed his hair away from his eyes.

  “It’s time for a trim.” She tugged his hair lightly.

  He ran his hands through his hair and smiled. “I kind of like it longer.”

  “So do I,” Becca said beside him.

  His father gave him a bear hug and patted his back. “You sure did scare the heck out of us, son.” He pulled back quickly and glared at him. “Don’t do it again.”

  He laughed and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  He shook Allen’s hand at the door and when he shut it, made sure to flip the privacy lock.

  “So…” He turned back to the room and smiled when he saw Becca standing a few feet away, smiling at him. “Where were we?”

  “I love you,” she said softly. “And you love me.” Her smile grew.

  “Yes, I do.” He took a step towards her and watched her eyes moisten. “But there’s more. While I was floating in the water, completely out of control of my own destiny, I promised myself one thing.”

  Her eyebrows shot up in question. She was gripping her hands in front of her tightly. He took another step towards her.

  “I promised myself that if I got out of it alive, that I would take what I wanted without question. I would do all the things I’ve always wanted and never look back.”

  She smiled a little more and nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.”

  He stopped a foot away from her and then slowly knelt before her as he took her hands in his.

  “Becca Beatrice Lander”—she cringed at her middle name—“help me fulfill my deepest desires. Become my wife so we can buy a house in Pride, and I can help you through school to get your degree and become a history teacher. I can teach diving school and we can raise our three kids, two dogs, chickens, and whatever else. So we can live happily ever after.”

  Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She used her free hand to wipe them away as she nodded her head.

  “Yes, of course I’ll marry you Sean Thomas Farrow.” She smiled at him. “On one condition.” His heart dropped a little.

  “Anything.” He felt his mouth go dry, waiting.

  “We get married before we leave here.” She took his face in her hands and leaned down to kiss him. “I’ve waited a lifetime for you to return to me. I don’t want to wait another moment.”

  He smiled and slowly stood up, pulling her into his arms. “Anything,” he whispered before he took her lips with his.

  Epilogue

  Just before the sun set two nights later, Becca walked out of the hotel lobby. The simple cream dress she wore flowed around her legs as she walked.

  She smiled at her brother-in-law as he held his arm out for her to hold onto. As they walked past friends and family, her eyes focused on Sean, who stood by a large archway that was covered in flowers. He was very tan and had recently gotten a haircut. He looked so dashing in his cream cotton suit as he waited for her.

  Ronny stood beside him with a huge smile on his face and looked very handsome in his matching cream-colored jacket and pants.

  When they stopped in front of the preacher, Sean took her hand in his and tugged until she almost fell into his arms. Then he placed a kiss solidly on her lips. Everyone laughed and cheered. She pulled back from him with a huge smile on her lips.

  “Sorry, I just had to get that out of the way.” Sean smiled and then nodded to the preacher to begin.

  As they stood there with the sun sinking lower over the clear waters, tourists stopped to watch the small wedding party. Many people continued to splash in the waters nearby and kids played in the warm sand.

  When the vows were finished and the rings exchanged, Sean leaned in and kissed Becca once more. This time she held onto him just a little longer, knowing it would last forever.

  If you’ve enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review where you purchased it. Thanks! --Jill

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  Preview – Loving Lauren (Book one in the West Series)

  Prologue

  Hot wind whirled around Lauren’s skirt, causing it to fly up. She laughed as she twirled around. Stopping for a second to catch her breath, she looked over at her sisters, Alex and Haley. Alex’s bright blonde head was pointed downward as she sat in the dirt, happily making a mud pile. Haley’s dark curly hair lay in the grass as she watched the clouds rush by.

  Lauren looked up at the sky and noticed that the clouds were going by very fast. Frowning a little, she decided that dancing some more while keeping her eyes glued to the sky might be fun. She twirled while watching everything rush by her, almost causing her to tumble over and fall.

  Dancing in the fields was one of her greatest joys. Even though she had to babysit her younger sisters today, she didn’t mind. For the most part, her sisters could entertain themselves. Lauren still had to carry Haley sometimes when her short legs got tired. She supposed that being four was tiring, though she couldn’t remember ever being four. She thought she must have slept through her life until she turned five, when her first memories happened. Haley was always asleep, or lying down, like now. But Lauren was eight and she had enough energy to shake the roof off the barn, or so her Daddy always said.

  The breeze moved the tall grass around them, making the field look as if it were dancing with her. She stopped to bow to her make-believe dance partner, a move she’d seen late one night when she had sneaked to the edge of the stairs. Her parents had been watching an old black-and-white movie and she could make out the screen if she tilted her head just right. The woman in the long white dress had bowed slowly while smiling at a tall gentlemen in a black suit and tie. They’d looked so wonderful. From that moment on, Lauren had wanted to dance. Every chance she had, she’d moved around like she’d watched the couple do, wishing her dress was longer so it would flow like the lady’s had.

  Taking a break, she looked off towards the house. The large three-story stone place sat like a beacon in the yellow fields. Its bright white pillars gleamed in the sunlight, at least when the clouds weren’t shadowing the land. It was the only place she’d ever known as home. Her dad’s dad had built the place a long, long time ago. Probably a zillion years ago. The outside looked new, and her dad did everything he could to keep the inside looking new, too. But Lauren knew some of the floorboards creaked when you walked on them. And the water only stayed hot long enough for her and her sisters to share a bath at night. But worst of all, she had blue carpet in her bedroom. Lauren hated blue. She’d begge
d her dad for new carpet, yellow preferably. Her dad told her it was blue because it used to be his room, and that it would have to stay blue until they could afford new carpet. Her room was perfect, except for the blue carpet. It was like a big wart on her room. Not that she’d ever gotten warts. Jenny Steven’s had a wart once on her finger and she had to wear a My Little Pony Band-Aid over it. But during recess, Jenny had pulled the Band-Aid off and shown Lauren her wart. It was gross, all wet and puffy. So Lauren thought of her blue carpet as a wart on the face of her bedroom.

  Looking at the house, she knew her mama was back in the kitchen making a feast for the church potluck tomorrow. Everyone was going to be there, even Dale Bennett. She didn’t like Dale; he always pulled her hair and pushed her into the dirt, even when she was wearing her new church dress.

  She knew that her mama was the best cook in the county. Or so her daddy always said.

  Hearing a loud noise, she looked off towards the dark clouds that were forming over the hills. Her daddy was somewhere up in the hills, gathering the cows. She didn’t know why they had to move the cows around all the time. It was still a mystery to her why they couldn’t just stay here in the fields. There was plenty of tall grass to eat right here, close to the house. Another loud sound came from the hills. At first, Lauren thought it was a gunshot. She’d heard a lot of those growing up on the huge ranch, but then she turned her head a little and heard her mother screaming for them.

  “Girls! Run, come quick!” Her mother stood in the front door, her apron flowing in the wind as her hands motioned for them to come to her.

  “Come on. Mama wants us to run,” Lauren told her sisters.

  Alex stood and dusted off her hands and started skipping towards the house. Haley on the other hand didn’t move.

  “Come on, Haley, Mama wants us to run home.” Another loud noise came from behind her and when she looked, the sky had turned black. Fear shot through her like a bolt of lightning. Without saying a word, Lauren grabbed up her baby sister and started running. Since her legs were longer than Alexis,’ she made it to her skipping sister and screamed for her to run faster. Halfway to the house, Lauren had to set Haley down. Her little sister had gained a few pounds and was too heavy for her to carry the entire way. Their mother wasn’t in the doorway when they got there; instead, she was standing in the hallway.