At Hidden Falls (Angel's Bay Novel)

by Barbara Freethy

  “You say that now, but—”

  “But nothing. I mean what I say,” he repeated. “I’m not your mother.” It was the first time he’d said something openly critical of Kendra, but there it was.

  Megan looked a little surprised, as if she couldn’t believe anyone else saw her mother the way she did. “How would I know that you’re not like her?”

  “You’ll have to give me some time to show you. I’m not lying. I would do anything for you.”

  She shrugged. “Whatever.”

  She put her earphones back in and went down the hall to her room. Two steps forward, one step back. But he was making progress.

  “Finally, I get my big brother for a meal,” Isabella said as the waitress at Dina’s Café set down two large breakfast orders. They’d gone all out, ordering pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns.

  “Sorry,” Joe said, giving her an apologetic smile. “I haven’t been around much since you got here.”

  “You’ve been busy. How did the search party go?” Joe had told her about the rock being thrown through Charlotte’s window the night before and the quick search party he’d organized to go up into the hills to look for Annie. He had a hunch that Annie’s father, a recluse, might be involved in her disappearance.

  “We didn’t find anything, but we only covered a small area. I’m hoping to get a bigger search group organized for tomorrow. Once we hit the work week, fewer people will be available.”

  “I’d be happy to come.”

  “Then you’re on.” He paused, discomfort flitting through his eyes. “I was wondering about something.”

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Your sixth sense—does it work for finding missing persons?”

  “You don’t believe in a sixth sense,” she said, hoping he’d refute it. “And I know that over the years you’ve worked with psychics you thought were scam artists.”

  “That’s true, but you’re my sister, and I know you’re sincere.”

  “What are you asking me, Joe?”

  “Do you have any idea where Annie is?”

  “No. But . . .” She hesitated, not sure she wanted to put herself out there.

  “But what?” he prodded.

  “If you gave me something that belonged to her, that she wore or touched, maybe I’d see something. I can’t say for sure. I usually only have insight into people I’m emotionally connected to.” She was touched that he would even consider asking for her help, but she had her doubts. “Most of what I see isn’t even decipherable.”

  “I know it’s a long shot, but I’ll ask Charlotte for something of Annie’s—just in case.”

  “How is Charlotte?”

  “I spoke to her briefly this morning. No more trouble at her house, so that’s good.”

  “I’m glad.” She sipped her coffee. “I know you’ve been busy, but have you thought any more about calling Rachel back?”

  His gaze was steady and cool. “Don’t push, Izzy. Some things are beyond repair.”

  “You like Charlotte, don’t you?”

  He signed. “How many ways do I have to say it’s not your business?”

  “Come on, Joe, I’m your sister. If you can’t talk to me, who can you talk to?”

  “I don’t need to talk to anyone. And if you don’t get your nose out of my business, I’m going to start poking into yours. Maybe I’ll have a little chat with Nick Hartley.”

  She held up a quick hand. “Okay, I’ll back off.”

  They ate quietly for a few moments, then she said, “I meant to tell you that I spoke to Fiona about the shipwreck and our ancestors. It turns out Beatriz, who co-created the original quilt, is related to us. She and her husband, Miguel, and their two boys survived the wreck—the only family that was intact getting to shore.”

  He scooped up a forkful of eggs. “You’ve got that look in your eye.”

  “What look?”

  “You’re getting hooked on this town. I’ve seen it happen more than once, especially when people find out they’re related to one of the founders.”

  “The town has a fascinating history,” she said. “I wonder if anyone will ever find the shipwreck.”

  “Who knows? But in the last couple of months, a few things have washed ashore, including the ship’s bell. It’s at the museum if you want to check it out.”

  “Why hasn’t anyone been able to locate the ship, with all the advances in electronics and technology?”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea, but I’m hoping Angel’s Bay doesn’t suddenly become the site of a salvage operation. There have been some queries since the bell came to light. And then there’s the damn angels,” he grumbled, taking another sip of his coffee.

  “What angels?” she asked, intrigued.

  “The ones people like to pretend they see flying around the north point of the cliff, allegedly carving out some map to the hidden treasure or some other cryptic message. To me, it looks like just cracks and crevices created by the wind and waves and saltwater spray.”

  “Now, there’s the pragmatic brother I know and love. I’d like to see an angel! How cool would that be?”

  He laughed. “Very cool and completely impossible.”

  “I don’t believe that anything is completely impossible. I’ll have to take a look at that cliff. Maybe I can figure it out.”

  “Maybe you can,” he said with a grin.

  “You love all this stuff, too, Joe—that’s why you don’t want to come home.”

  “Angel’s Bay is my home now,” he agreed.

  She slowly nodded. “Yes, I can see that. You’re connected. All those loose threads from the past are tying you here.”

  “Not everything is a metaphor for sewing. But I’m sure you’ll be working on the Angel’s Bay quilt in no time.”

  “I’d love to work on that quilt.” she said eagerly. “Do they remake it?”

  “Every chance they get,” he said dryly. “So what are your plans for the day?”

  “I hear there’s something happening at the beach. I thought I’d check it out. Do you want to come with me?”

  “I wish I could, but I want to get down to the station.”

  “You do have people who work for you,” she reminded him.

  “I know, but the longer Annie is gone, the less chance we have of finding her.”

  “Any more leads on the biological father?”

  “I’ve set up DNA tests for tomorrow, but we won’t have the results for a while.”

  “Nick’s sister, Tory, seems pretty concerned about her husband.”

  “She probably should be,” Joe said heavily. “He’s not acting like an innocent man.”

  Isabella sighed. “I really like her. She’s been so welcoming to me. I hope it doesn’t turn out to be her husband who cheated.”

  After leaving Dina’s Café, Isabella walked toward the beach. It was a gorgeous Sunday, and there was a festive air, as if everyone realized that the sunny days of fall would soon be giving way to winter, so it was time to enjoy the great weather while they had it.

  At the far end of downtown, she joined a throng of people walking down a hilly trail that led from the bluffs to a wide spread of sandy beach. A judging table stacked with trophies and ribbons was on a temporary riser. Speakers had been set up, and a young teenage band was warming up. Sand-castle-building stations were marked by thin sticks with colored flags.

  As the warm sun beat down on her shoulders, she took her sweater off and tied it around her waist.

  “Hey, Isabella,” Tory called.

  She turned, shading her eyes, to see Tory approaching. The other woman was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and carrying a bucket and a shovel. She looked more relaxed than the last time Isabella had seen her. “Hi. How are you?”

  “Great. Are you building or spectating?”

  “Definitely spectating. Looks like you’re going to be digging.”

  “No just bringing in some extra equipment,” she said with a smile.
“Nick and Megan have entered the contest.”

  “Really? Where are they?”

  “Over there.” Tory pointed toward a spot near the water. “Come with me?”

  Isabella didn’t even think of refusing. She wanted to see Nick again. She hadn’t dreamed about him last night, or if she had, she’d forgotten, because for the first time in a while, she’d woken up feeling refreshed, eager to face the day, excited to see him again.

  Not that she anticipated a warm welcome. Nick had no doubt put his walls back up. He’d started withdrawing the minute he’d put on his clothes the day before, and she couldn’t blame him. The intensity between them had blown both of them away, and she wasn’t any more certain of what to do about it than he was.

  So she would play things light and easy, the way she knew how . . .

  But as soon as Nick looked up and saw her, she realized it wasn’t going to be easy at all. She sucked in a quick breath as his dark gaze settled on her mouth, and memories of their afternoon together flashed through her mind, lighting up all of her senses. She cleared her throat, hoping she wasn’t giving anything away, but she hadn’t expected to feel so much with one simple look.

  Fortunately, Tory distracted Nick by handing him her bucket and shovel. “Here you go,” she said.

  “Thanks,” Nick replied, barely giving his sister a glance. “How are you, Isabella?”

  “Good. I’m good,” she added, feeling a little awkward despite her best intentions.

  A slow smile crossed his lips. “Me, too.”

  She quickly glanced away. She needed to look at someone who wouldn’t make her blood pressure shoot up. “Hey, Megan.”

  “Hey,” Megan replied with her usual sulky, bored expression. She sat cross-legged on the beach, her gaze toward the ocean, as if she couldn’t care less what was going on behind her.

  “You were lucky to get a spot so close to the water,” Tory put in. “It’s important to build the foundation with wet sand.”

  Nick gave his sister a disgusted look. “I know what to do. I’m an architect.”

  “Of sand?” she challenged, a grin on her face.

  “It’s not that different. And if you want to build a castle, pay your own entry fee and get a spot.”

  “I can’t help?” Tory asked. “It looks like fun.”

  “She can help,” Megan said, glancing over her shoulder.

  “Nope, not a chance. This is a father-daughter project,” he said firmly. “No sisters allowed.”

  “It’s a stupid project,” Megan threw in as she got up and ambled across the sand toward them.

  Despite her attitude, Isabella had a feeling that the teenager wasn’t completely unaffected by her father’s attempt to win her over. She just didn’t want to show that she cared. In Megan’s world, loving someone usually meant losing them.

  As Isabella’s gaze moved to Tory, she saw a flash of pain cross her face. Nick’s casual reference to his father-daughter project had obviously hurt her in some way.

  “I’ll be back,” Tory muttered, walking away.

  “Now you pissed her off,” Megan told him.

  Nick frowned, looking from his daughter to Isabella. “Why would she care that I want to do this with Megan?”

  “I think it reminded her of the baby she doesn’t have. I’m sure she’d like nothing more than a mother-daughter moment.”

  “Shit!” He cast a quick look at Megan. “I’d better go talk to her. Do you want to get started?”

  “I’ll wait,” Megan said unenthusiastically, flopping down onto the sand again.

  Isabella sat next to Megan as Nick went off to find Tory. For a minute, they just watched the waves gathering offshore.

  “This is so lame,” Megan said with a sigh. “I have better things to do today.”

  “You’re making your dad happy.”

  “I don’t know why,” she said with complete bemusement.

  Isabella smiled to herself. “Maybe because he’s your dad. He is trying, Megan.”

  Megan shrugged. “Did you do any father-daughter stuff with your dad?”

  “Not much,” she admitted. “At least, nothing that was just the two of us. Some other sibling of mine was always involved—usually Teresa. She had our dad wrapped around her little finger, knew just what to say or do to get her way. I was in awe of her manipulative power. Now she works it on her husband,” she added with a laugh. “And he seems to love it.”

  Megan scooped up a handful of sand and let it drift through her fingers.

  “Is everything okay?” Isabella asked, a little concerned by Megan’s quiet.

  Megan didn’t answer right away, then turned her head and said, “I don’t know what he wants from me.”

  “Are we talking about your father or the kid you were with yesterday?”

  “I know what Will wants from me—sex,” she said bluntly. “But him . . .” She tipped her head toward Nick, who was talking to Tory. “I don’t get him. He wants nothing to do with me for most of my life, and then he suddenly wants to be my best friend.”

  “And you can’t trust that he’s sincere. I understand.”

  Megan turned her gaze back toward the ocean. “He’ll disappear like he did before. It’s only a matter of time.”

  Despite Megan’s fatalistic statement, Isabella sensed that was the last thing she wanted to happen. “I don’t think Nick is going anywhere, no matter how much you test him. You’re his first priority. He might not deserve a second chance, but what do you have to lose? You might be surprised.”

  “I’d be shocked,” Megan said cynically. “You’re really an optimist, aren’t you?”

  “Not always, but in this case, I think there’s a good chance that you and your father are going to find a way to make things work. Because you both want that to happen.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Isabella looked up as Nick returned, kicking up sand with his bare feet. “Is Tory all right?” she asked.

  “She’s just stressed out with everything going on in her life.” He grabbed a shovel. “Megan, look alive.” When she glanced up, he tossed it to her.

  She reluctantly caught it with a roll of her eyes. “Couldn’t you at least get shovels that weren’t fucking pink?”

  He laughed. “Hey, you look better with it than I do. So what do you think—should we go for the classic castle with the moat? Turrets, drawbridges, that kind of thing?”

  Megan gave him an amazed look. “Yeah, right. Like you can do that.”

  “Oh, I can do it,” he said confidently. “We’re going to win that trophy. No one here will be able to touch us.”

  “I don’t care about a stupid trophy.”

  “How about if we win, I let you drive me down to Montgomery next weekend?”

  Megan’s eyes lit up. “Now you’re talking.”

  The mayor got on a bullhorn, announcing the start of the competition, which would last for sixty minutes. At the end of that time, a winner would be chosen by a panel of judges.

  Megan got to her feet. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Take the bucket and fill it with wet sand,” Nick instructed. “I’ll start digging,” he said, falling to his knees.

  “Looks like more mud in your future,” Isabella told him as Megan rolled up the legs of her jeans and ran down to the water’s edge.

  He grinned back at her. “I might need another shower later. You interested?”

  Her cheeks warmed. “Hush, your daughter is nearby.”

  “I doubt I could shock her. You wouldn’t believe the things that come out of her mouth. I don’t think her mother was giving her much supervision the last few years.”

  “I don’t think she was getting much of anything the last few years. This was a good idea. Maybe building a sand castle will be the first step in rebuilding your family,” she suggested.

  “I’d be happy if it just turned out to be a sand castle. I’m trying to make realistic goals so I can meet them. I can’t let myself get derailed.�
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  “That must be my cue to leave.”

  His eyes darkened. “The last thing I want, but—”

  “But this is your time with Megan. I get it.”

  Megan returned, but instead of dumping the bucket full of wet sand into the hole Nick had created, she let it fly on his head, a smile of pure wicked pleasure on her face.

  Nick sputtered as Isabella burst out laughing.

  “Oops,” Megan said. “Missed. I’d better get some more.” She dashed away as Nick wiped the mud from his eyes.

  “Have fun,” Isabella said with a grin, jumping back quickly as he tossed a handful of mud in her direction. “I’ll see you later.”

  As she walked down the beach, she caught up with Tory again, who had paused to talk to another friend. “You didn’t get far.”

  “Mr. Walker wants to try out for the play,” Tory said, tipping her head toward the fat, balding, middle-aged man walking away. “He tries out every single year, and he’s terrible, but he’s convinced he’s a star waiting to be born.”

  “It must be difficult, turning away your friends.”

  “We try to find small parts or backstage jobs whenever we can for the locals,” Tory said, falling into step with her. “It truly makes it a community production, and then everyone tells their friends to come, and we sell more tickets.” She paused. “I’m going to get some coffee. Do you want to join me?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Great.” Tory cast Isabella a sly look. “And on the way, you can tell me what’s going on between you and my brother.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Isabella said with as much innocence as she could muster.

  Tory laughed. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

  “Who’s the most special baby in the world?” Charlotte asked the little boy who was kicking his legs at her as she finished changing his diaper. “You are, in case you didn’t know. You are the cutest little boy ever.” The baby almost seemed to smile. “So not as much crying today, okay? We have to work as a team.” The baby’s eyes drifted closed. “Why do I get the feeling you aren’t paying any attention to me?”