Cherished Secrets

by C. B. Clark

  Her breath caught in her throat, as she waited, half-hoping, half-fearing he’d kiss her.

  He caressed her cheek as he cupped her chin, the rough tips of his fingers sending chills rippling along her spine. His gaze settled on her mouth.

  Caught under the power of his torrid gaze, she couldn’t breathe.

  He lowered his head, and his warm breath fanned her face, igniting a fire within.

  She closed her eyes, reveling in the riot of sensations rippling through her. In the next breath, he released her. Her eyes flew open amid a flood of disappointment.

  “We didn’t do much talking last night.” His mouth quirked. “I guess we had other things on our minds. But we do need to have that talk, Carrie Ann.”

  Her skin tingled where he’d touched her. “Not now. I have to go.” She needed time to think, to consider the ramifications of what had happened.

  His steady gaze demanded answers to questions she was afraid to hear. “Okay,” he finally said, “but this isn’t over, not by a damn sight. I’m not letting you walk away. Not this time. Not without a fight.”

  Legs wobbling, she took his hand as they left the motel room and walked along the landing, down the stairs, and across the parking lot to his car.

  A door of one of the motel units slammed, the noise echoing loudly in the still morning air.

  She glanced back and groaned.

  The cleaning lady she’d met a few days earlier stood outside one of the rooms, her cart beside her. A cigarette dangled from her mouth, smoke curling from the tip. The woman grinned and gave her a thumbs-up sign.

  Carrie Ann flung open the car door, diving into the seat, trying to escape the housekeeper’s knowing smirk.

  “What’s wrong?” Declan folded his large body into the seat beside her.

  She pointed toward the motel. “Someone knows we spent the night together.”

  He looked in the direction she pointed and shrugged. “You didn’t think we’d be able to keep this a secret, did you? You know what this town’s like. Before we reach your aunt’s house, everyone will know we’re back together.”

  The air rushed out of her. Back together? Were they? She rubbed her forehead trying to ease the rising ache. She had to tell him. Now. Before it was too late. She couldn’t keep the fact he had a daughter from him any longer. He’d be furious when he found out, but would he forgive her? And what of Bonnie? She’d lied to her too. Would her daughter understand why? Would she forgive her?

  “I care for you, Carrie Ann. A lot.”

  His deep voice cut through her turmoil. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  She closed her eyes, unable to meet his gaze, certain he’d see her deceit.

  “Carrie Ann, look at me. Please.”

  Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.

  “I know this isn’t easy for you. A cloud of suspicion’s hanging over me. Once the sheriff sees the piece of Skye’s scarf we found, things are going to get even dicier.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t expect you to come running back to me, not the way things are, but I promise you, I will clear my name. I’ll find proof I didn’t murder Skye, and I’ll see her murderer pays for what he did.”

  “Declan—”

  He placed a gentle finger over her mouth. “Don’t say anything. Not yet.” He clasped her hand in his.

  The warmth of his touch took her breath away.

  “All I ask of you is a promise.”

  “A promise?”

  He nodded.

  She couldn’t think, not with his thumb drawing small, intimate circles on the center of her palm.

  “Promise you’ll wait for me until I clear my name. Once I find Skye’s killer, I’d like you to give me a chance to make up for my past mistakes, to give us a chance.” His gaze bore into hers. “Promise you’ll think about what I’ve said.”

  Her heart leaped. His words were the answer to so many prayers. In the next breath, her happiness vanished. What was she thinking? Once he found out he was a father, and she’d kept that a secret, any hope she had of renewing their relationship would end.

  He lifted her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles, his breath hot on her skin. “I know this is a lot to take in.” His mouth twisted in a ragged smile. “All I want is for you to tell me I have a chance, and once I clear my name, I can come to you. We’ll see what happens then.”

  Her hand burned where his lips touched. “I don’t know what to say.”

  He searched her eyes. “Tell me you’ll wait for me.”

  “Of course I will. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait.” The second the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them, but it was too late.

  He drew her to him, his arms enfolding her in his warmth. “Thank you,” he breathed, and touched his lips to hers.

  Her world spiraled out of control, and she returned his kiss, opening her mouth, inviting him in.

  When he drew away, his chest was heaving, his breath rasping. “Wow.” He grinned, flashing a row of even, white teeth.

  She smiled back. “Yeah, wow.” Again, her inner voice shrilled a warning. Again, she ignored the alarm. Being with him felt too good, and Bonnie wasn’t here. She was in Seattle. Seattle was a long ways from Cooper’s Ridge. Somehow she’d figure a way to tell him he had a daughter. But now…she pressed her mouth to his.

  When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard.

  She glanced through the windshield and cringed.

  The cleaning woman was still watching, a knowing smirk wreathing her pudgy face.

  Declan’s grin widened, and he honked the horn and waved as he started the car and sped out of the parking lot.

  She glanced back at the motel, and the housekeeper waggled her fingers at her. Carrie Ann waved back. What difference did it make if the whole town knew she and Declan had spent the night together? A kernel of happiness unfurled in her chest, and she grinned.

  “Why are you so happy?”

  “It’s a good day.”

  Their gazes met. He chuckled. “It is a good day, isn’t it?”

  They drove to Vivian’s house in comfortable silence. She refused to think what the future held. Right now, right this moment, life was good. A rush of warmth washed over her when she slid a glance at Declan. Her heart soared. He’d always been the one for her. The only one.

  Her cell phone buzzed from inside her purse. The muted ringing had stopped by the time she fished out the tiny phone. She studied the caller ID, and her blood chilled. Janine. The calls missed icon flashed like an alarm indicating she’d missed three calls, and three voicemails awaited her.

  With shaking fingers, she punched in her security code and listened to the voicemails. Each one was an urgent plea from Janine to call her as soon as possible. Carrie Ann bit hard on her bottom lip. She’d set the phone on mute the previous evening when she’d gone to Declan’s motel room and had forgotten to turn the ringer back on this morning. How could she have been so careless? Something must have happened to Bonnie.

  “Is everything all right?” Declan asked.

  “I don’t know. I have to make a call.” Her fingers were clumsy, and she misdialed twice before the call finally went through. She held her breath as the phone rang and rang. A thousand scenarios flashed through her mind, each one more frightening than the one before.

  “About time you called,” Janine said when she finally answered the phone.

  “Is everything all right? How’s—” She stopped and bit her lip, sliding a glance at Declan. He was watching the road as he drove, but he was listening. But she had to know how Bonnie was. “Is she okay?”

  “Can you talk?” Janine asked.

  “Not really. Did something bad happen?” Is Bonnie safe was what she wanted to ask, but couldn’t, not with Declan sitting mere inches from her.

  “Oh, God, is that what you thought? No, no, Bonnie’s fine.”

  Carrie Ann’s breath whooshed out of her. “Are you sure?”

&nb
sp; “She’s fine, Carrie Ann, but there’s something you need to know.”

  Bonnie was safe. Nothing else mattered.

  “Carrie Ann, are you still there?”

  She nodded, but then realized, Janine couldn’t see her. “Yes, I’m here. Is anything wrong?”

  Declan placed his hand on her thigh, the warmth of his touch spreading tingles along her leg.

  Their gazes met. “Everything okay?” he mouthed.

  She nodded. “Can it wait, Janine? Now’s not a good time.”

  “No, it can’t wait.” Her friend’s voice was strident. “You need to know—”

  “Janine?” Carrie Ann’s gut clenched. “Janine? What is it? What’s happened?”

  No response.

  Carrie Ann looked at her phone, and shards of ice sliced through her. No power. She jabbed her finger again and again on the power button. Damn. Why hadn’t she charged the darn thing?

  “Carrie Ann? What is it?” Declan asked.

  “My phone’s dead.” What had Janine been about to say? What was so urgent it couldn’t wait? She pressed her hand to her stomach, trying to ease the lump of dread that had settled there. “I need to use a phone.”

  “My cell’s in my pocket.” He lifted one hip and scrunched sideways as he fished in the pocket of his jeans. The car swerved, jerking one way and then the other, as he contorted his big body.

  At any other time his antics would have been comical, but all she could focus on was her desperate need to call Janine back. “Come on, Declan,” she urged.

  He gave up on his efforts to retrieve his phone and settled back in his seat. “We’re almost at Vivian’s. Hang on.” He pressed his foot on the gas, and the little car surged ahead.

  Five minutes later, he wheeled into Vivian’s driveway and turned off the motor. “Give me a second, and I’ll get my phone for you.”

  She shook her head. She couldn’t use his phone to call Janine. He was right here. He’d hear everything. “No, it’s okay. I’ll use Vivian’s phone.” She reached for the door handle.

  “I’ll call you later,” he said. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do next. We should have called the sheriff last night but…” He let the rest of what he was going to say hang in the air.

  Heat rose in her cheeks. They should have done a lot of things last night, instead of what they actually did. “I’ll phone him this morning.” She opened the door. She had to call Janine. Now.

  He placed a hand on her arm, halting her rush out of the car. “Look, I know you’re in a hurry, and I hope whatever has you so upset works out, but I’m worried about you, and I don’t want you going out by yourself. It’s not safe. Whoever crashed into your car last night meant it as another warning. The next time, and believe me, there will be a next time if you remain in Cooper’s Ridge, you might be seriously injured.”

  She met his gaze, and a rush of warmth flooded her at the concern in his eyes. “I’ll be careful.”

  “Pack your bags and go back to Seattle. Today.”

  “But—”

  “Listen to me, Carrie Ann. I’m going to clear my name. To do so, I have to find Skye’s killer. I can’t figure out this mess if I’m worried about you.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but he placed two fingers over her lips, silencing her.

  “Go home. You’ll be safe in Seattle.” His gaze bore into hers. “I promise, I’ll come to you when this is over.”

  Her first thought was to refuse. She wanted to stay and help him find Skye’s murderer, but the lines of worry marring his handsome features made her hold her tongue. She nodded.

  “Promise?”

  She nodded again.

  He traced her jaw, his fingers trailing a line of fire. “I’ll miss you.”

  Her heart thudded. “You’d better figure this out quick. I’m not waiting forever.”

  He laughed and drew her to him, pressing his mouth to hers.

  The kiss deepened, and her heart raced, her pulse beating a rapid tattoo.

  “Mom!”

  She jerked away from Declan and gaped through the windshield. Her heart stopped.

  Bonnie stood on the steps, a grin wreathing her freckled face, dimples dancing in her cheeks. Her brown eyes gleamed, her curls a wild tangle of gold. “Mom,” she called again and ran down the steps to the car.

  “Mom?” Declan frowned. “You have a daughter?”

  Chapter 22

  Declan stared, openmouthed, as the young girl ran toward Carrie Ann’s side of the car and flung the door open wider.

  “Mom, where have you been? I’ve been waiting all night to see you.” She threw herself at Carrie Ann, landing on her lap, wrapping her arms around her neck.

  “Bonnie? What are you doing here?”

  He released the breath he’d been holding ever since he’d heard the girl call Carrie Ann Mom. “Is this your daughter?” He already knew the answer, but had to ask. “You have a daughter,” he repeated, reeling as if he’d been sucker punched.

  Carrie Ann buried her face in the child’s blonde curls, refusing to meet his gaze.

  “Carrie Ann?” His voice cracked. “Is this your daughter?”

  The girl regarded him curiously. Her eyes were a surprising shade of dark brown for her fair hair and pale skin. “Hi,” she said. A shy smile curved her mouth, a matching set of dimples forming in her cheeks. She looked to be ten or eleven years old, all legs and arms, losing the chubbiness of childhood, teetering on the cusp of adolescence.

  “Hi.” He held out his hand. “I’m Declan.”

  She placed her small hand in his and shook. “Bonnie.”

  “Bonnie,” he repeated. “Carrie Ann? You never told me you had a daughter.”

  Carrie Ann bit her bottom lip; a gesture he knew meant she was nervous. “I…” Her voice was thin. “It never…er…it never came up.”

  He nodded, though he didn’t understand at all. “You have a daughter.” No matter how many times he said the words, they didn’t sink in. Okay, she had a daughter. Not a big deal. But why hadn’t she told him? Did she also have a husband she’d forgotten to mention? Was last night all a lie?

  “Mom, come on. Aunt Vivian and Uncle Leland are waiting for us.”

  “Aunt Vivian?” Carrie Ann sounded stunned. “You’ve met Vivian?”

  Bonnie nodded, her curls dancing. “She and Uncle Leland showed up at our apartment in Seattle and told me they were my aunt and uncle. They said you’d asked them to come and get me and bring me here. Janine didn’t want me to go, but they showed her some important papers and said she had to let me go with them. Janine was real upset, but after they talked awhile, she said it was okay.” She furrowed her brow. “It’s all right, isn’t it? I mean, they’re so nice, and Janine told me I could go with them.”

  Carrie Ann’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound emerged.

  “Mom?”

  She hugged Bonnie. “Of course it’s okay, kiddo. I missed you too.”

  “Aunt Vivian and Uncle Leland are so nice. They let me stay up late last night while we waited for you to come home.” She studied Carrie Ann. “Where were you? I waited a really long time, but they said I had to get some sleep, and I’d see you in the morning. I’ve been waiting for you on the porch ever since I woke up.”

  A flush of red suffused Carrie Ann’s pale face. She glanced at Declan and quickly looked away.

  “How come you never told me I have an aunt and uncle?” Bonnie’s brow wrinkled. “I thought you said all our relatives were dead.”

  Declan blinked at this surprising news. “Go ahead, Carrie Ann. Tell your daughter why you’ve never told her she has an aunt and uncle. I’d like to hear too.”

  If possible, Carrie Ann’s face paled even more. “Uh, I’ll explain everything to you later, honey. Right now, say goodbye to Declan. He has to leave.”

  Bonnie nodded and leaped off her mother’s lap. “Bye,” she chirped and grabbed Carrie Ann’s hand and tugged, trying to drag her from the car. “
Come on. Let’s go.”

  Carrie Ann cast a frantic look at him and climbed out of the car. She hurried after Bonnie along the walkway and up the steps to the house.

  Mother and daughter. His mind whirled. Carrie Ann had a daughter. The phrase reverberated through his mind. A daughter! He threw open the door and jumped out of the car. No way was he leaving without getting some answers. She had some explaining to do, for damn sure. He ran up the steps to the porch and blocked the door with his foot, stopping it from closing.

  Carrie Ann whirled to face him. “Declan!” Her eyes were filled with fear. “What are you doing? You need to go.”

  Her panic hit him with a jolt. She was afraid. Of him. After last night! Fury blazed through him. “I’m not going anywhere. At least, not until I hear all about your daughter.”

  Her amber eyes filled with shadows. “Don’t do this, please.” Her hand trembled as she brushed back a strand of auburn hair.

  “Why are you so frightened? What’s going on, Carrie Ann? Does your husband know you’re here having a fling with your high school boyfriend?”

  “Husband?” Her brows drew together. “What are you talking about? I’m not married.”

  A breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, expelled in a rush. She wasn’t married. “So what’s this about, then? Why are you so afraid? It doesn’t matter to me if you have a daughter. I like kids.”

  Tears shimmered in her eyes, and she shook her head. “Go, just go, please.”

  He stared at her, trying to make sense of her distress.

  “Mom,” wailed Bonnie, tugging on her mother’s hand. “Come on. Aunt Vivian’s waiting. She has cookies. Chocolate chip cookies.”

  Carrie Ann turned to her daughter. “You go on, honey. I’ll be right with you.” She released the girl’s hand.

  “Promise?”

  Carrie Ann’s lips curved in a stiff parody of a smile. “You bet. Give me a minute.”

  “Okay.” Bonnie turned and raced away.

  Silence surrounded them once the girl disappeared into the room at the end of the hall.

  Carrie Ann wouldn’t meet his eyes. She crossed her arms in front of her as if she needed protection from something. Him? Again he felt a punch in the gut. “So, you have a daughter.” His voice cut like a knife through the thick wall of tension between them.