Redemption Bay_Contemporary Romance

by RaeAnne Thayne

  He could have taken it out for a cruise around the lake but somehow she knew he hadn’t. Not this time.

  She went to the front door and looked out. No big, sleek SUV was parked in the driveway next door and the lights of the house were all out, the curtains drawn.

  Pain, huge and raw and terrible, reached out and grabbed her by the throat and she sagged onto the sofa, almost doubled over with it.

  Oh. How would she bear it? He was gone and she didn’t know what to do. The sunny, beautiful day suddenly seemed cruel, somehow, taunting her with its perfection, even as she wanted to huddle away here in her misery.

  In only a few weeks, he had completely invaded every corner of her life. All the places she usually turned for refuge were now filled with memories of Ben. Throwing a ball for the dogs in the backyard, helping her carry her kayak to the shed, swinging softly out there on the edge of the dock while the night air swirled around them.

  How was she going to make it through without him?

  Her throat was tight and she could feel the burn of tears behind her eyes. What was the point of holding them back? She sniffled and grabbed a tissue off the table in front of her.

  She would let herself indulge in a few moments of heartache and then she would brush herself off and try to figure out how to start the process of healing.

  She couldn’t seem to shake the image of Ben the day before, helping during the flood crisis. Everywhere she turned around, he had been there quietly lending his support—not just to her but to everyone.

  She had even heard a rumor from Anita that someone had mysteriously paid the hotel bill in Shelter Springs for any families who had been temporarily displaced because of the flooding.

  It might have been Aidan but somehow she knew otherwise. Of the two of them, Aidan was the dreamer, the genius behind the ideas.

  Ben was about action and results, logic and reason.

  She thought of his hands, suddenly, calloused and blistered from the shovel and the sandbags. Yet he had also held her hand with sweet, comforting tenderness as he drove her around town helping her look for her missing dog.

  He was a good man and she had done nothing but push him away, so afraid to risk her heart.

  She was such a hypocrite.

  She thought of what she had said to him, that he was cold, that he pushed down his emotions because of what his father had done to him, that he didn’t let people close to him.

  They were the same in that respect. She had many, many friends and she valued each one, but very few of them were close enough to see inside her heart, to the frightened little girl trying to carve out a place for herself in a foreign world.

  Most people in town knew and liked McKenzie. They had voted her mayor, after all. But very few of them—except maybe Devin—knew Xochitl’s heart.

  Ben had seen the real her—and he had cared about her anyway, despite her fears and insecurities.

  She should have told him how she felt.

  He had endured a terribly difficult childhood. It hadn’t beaten him down. Instead, he had become stronger for it, more determined to do something good and right in the world.

  He had become a strong, caring man, much more like his birth father despite Joe Kilpatrick’s cruelty.

  Oh, how she loved him.

  She drew in a shuddering breath as Rika scratched on the door to be let back inside. McKenzie rose and opened the door for her, then sank back onto the sofa again. The dog immediately padded over and licked at her tears, obviously concerned at her distress.

  She couldn’t do this all day. She had to go check on the flooding situation, the evacuees, the shop. Yes, her heart was breaking but she didn’t have time to indulge herself. She had a feeling that would be a good thing in the days ahead. Keeping busy was probably the only way she would get through this.

  She made herself shower and change. She had just finished fixing her hair when she heard the deep rumble of a big vehicle engine out front.

  Probably a delivery, she thought—though it was Saturday and she wasn’t really expecting anything.

  She hurried to the window and her breath caught at the sight of a big dark SUV hitched to a gleaming wooden Killy Delphine.

  Rika began to bark in excitement as Ben let Hondo out of the passenger side. The dog raced to the front door and McKenzie had no choice but to let her suddenly frantic dog out to join her friend.

  The two dogs brushed noses, delighted to see each other after their long six-hour absence. Ben waded through their gyrations to come to the door and McKenzie walked down to meet him on the sidewalk, her heart pounding. She hoped he couldn’t see her red-rimmed eyes, her splotchy face.

  She loved him so very much.

  She had to tell him.

  What had she said that night? That unnecessary regret is the saddest thing she could imagine. If she didn’t tell him how she felt, she would regret it the rest of her life.

  “When I didn’t see the Delphine this morning, I was certain you had left.”

  “I’m about to.” He stood, a little awkwardly. “After everything, I couldn’t take off without a proper goodbye.”

  How can I say goodbye, proper or otherwise, when I don’t want you to go? She thought the words but couldn’t quite bring herself to say them, despite all her brave convictions earlier.

  It was easier, far easier, to focus on details. “What have you decided about Hondo?”

  A shadow drifted across his blue eyes as he watched the two dogs cavorting. “I talked to Aidan about taking him. He says there’s plenty of room at Snow Angel Cove. It will be good for him to be around other dogs and Maddie would love one more creature for her imaginary friend to play with.”

  “Right. Bob the horse.”

  “Ah. You’ve met him.”

  She would have smiled, if her heart didn’t hurt so much.

  “He loves you, you know.”

  “Bob? What can I say? I’ve always been able to get along very well with imaginary horses.”

  “You know who I mean. Hondo. He’s bonded to you now. It’s going to be tough for him when you leave, losing two humans in a short time.”

  “He’ll adapt, I’m sure.” The dog came over, tail wagging, looking at Ben with hero worship in his eyes. He gave him an absent sort of scratch, those shadows darkening.

  “What else can I do?” he asked. “I don’t have a place in my life for a dog. I can’t give him what he needs. It wouldn’t be fair to him. This way is better.”

  “Don’t be so sure. Maybe all he really needs is your love.”

  To her dismay, her voice wobbled a little on the last two words. Ben flashed her a searching look. Did he know her words were layered with meaning far beyond Hondo?

  “McKenzie—” he started to say.

  “I owe you...an apology,” she said at the same time.

  He waited, a confused expression on his face. “Why?”

  “I owe you several, actually. I’m glad you stopped by so I could tell you in person. I...said things the other night that weren’t true. I called you cold, unfeeling. It was hurtful and not the way I feel, anyway. I’m sorry.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “You were right. I made everything between us about Haven Point, because I was scared. It was easier for me to focus on what I wanted for the town instead of...what I might have wanted personally.”

  “What was that?”

  She had to tell him. It was one of those very difficult but completely right things to do. “I’ve never been in love before,” she whispered. “It’s...not as easy as I might have expected.”

  He stared at her, eyes wide. His features had paled a shade and he looked as if she had just poured cold lake water over him. “In love?”

  Oh, she shouldn’t have said anything. Once
more, she had waded in and made a mess of everything.

  “You don’t have to say anything. In fact, it would be better if you didn’t. Just forget I said a word. Goodbye. Have a safe trip. The bridge should be good for you to get out of town. We were worried about it yesterday but Dale emailed me this morning and said everything is fine. Just be careful and maybe take a route away from the Hell’s Fury so you don’t run into problems upstream with residual flooding.”

  She was babbling, as she was prone to do when she was nervous.

  He took a step closer and she instinctively moved back, aware suddenly that her feet were freezing without slippers or flip-flops or anything.

  Oh, she was an idiot.

  “No way. You’re not going to distract me by telling me where and how to drive on my way out of town. You’re also not going to boss me around by telling me to forget something that suddenly seems like the only important thing in the world.”

  Her heart started to pound and she wanted to be anywhere on earth right now except here, on her front walkway with Ben moving inexorably toward her.

  “I’m also not going to let you order me about and instruct me on what I can and cannot say.”

  “You’re not?”

  “If I wanted to tell you, for instance, that I think you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known, a woman of strength and compassion and courage, you will just have to stand there and take it.”

  She opened her mouth to argue that she wasn’t, but he cut her off with an intense look that stole her remaining breath.

  “And if, for example, I wanted to tell you that you’ve captured me completely, that I am a different man than I was two weeks ago—a better man—because of you, you’ll have to listen to that, too.”

  She swallowed hard as joy and disbelief warred within her. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be anywhere but right here, being softly and quietly seduced by words and by the blazing expression in his eyes that promised so much more than she had ever dared hope.

  “Oh, and one more thing,” he murmured. “If I wanted to tell you I’m so deeply in love with you I know I’ll never be able to climb back out, I would insist you listen to that, too.”

  The joy took over, bursting through her like the sunlight and wildflowers and summertime on the lake, all the things she loved. She still had a hard time believing it, but how could she fight against the truth in his expression?

  “Okay,” she said meekly.

  He looked down at her with that half smile she loved so much. “That’s it? You’re not going to argue with me?”

  “What would be the point? That would just be stupid and would only waste time, when we could be kissing.”

  “Excellent point, Mayor Shaw. I like the way you think.”

  He took the final step forward and the tenderness in his gaze stole her breath, her reason, the very last of her defenses. When he kissed her, all the pain of the morning seemed to skim away, spiraling up into the vivid blue sky.

  She wrapped her arms around him, never wanting to let go, desperately grateful for this miracle she had been given.

  They kissed for a long time and when he finally eased back, both of them were breathing hard. “Have you spoken with Aidan this morning?” he asked.

  It seemed a very odd question, given the magic and wonder of the moment. She shook her head, nonplussed. “No. Why would I have spoken with Aidan?”

  He smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. “I thought as much. You are amazing. It’s no wonder I’m crazy in love with you.”

  The words still didn’t seem real but she was going to grab hold of them with both hands and never give them back.

  “Why are you bringing Aidan into this?”

  “Because I have spoken with him this morning.”

  “You said so. He was going to take Hondo for you.”

  He glanced down at the dog and she knew even before he lifted his gaze that everything had changed. He wasn’t getting rid of the dog. Just as he had made room in his heart for her, he would find a place for Hondo, too.

  “That’s not going to happen, is it?” he said with a resigned sigh.

  She smiled against his mouth. “You’ll figure out how to make it work. You’re very good at that.”

  “I suppose. I did talk to Aidan about Hondo but also about something else.”

  “Oh?”

  How was she supposed to concentrate on anything but how wonderful she felt here in his arms, how the world seemed such a bright and lovely place, with sailboats gleaming in the sunlight and the Redemptions rising up from the blue, blue water?

  “I told him I finally have a recommendation for the new Caine Tech facility.”

  McKenzie instinctively tensed, then pushed it away. No. She wouldn’t let that come between them. Not now. Whatever happened, Haven Point would survive and thrive. The flood threat the day before and the overwhelming response to it had proven that unequivocally.

  “I know. Portland. It’s okay, Ben. I completely understand. You said it yourself. Sometimes leaders have to make the tough decisions simply because they’re right.”

  “In this case, the logical decision is not the right one. I told Aidan we should build the new facility here. I suggested using the boatworks property, which he thought an excellent idea. We’re going to fast-track it with the board and should be able to break ground before the snow flies.”

  She stared at him, this man she loved with all her heart. She wouldn’t have believed she could be any happier than her state a few moments earlier but now the joy and shock was so huge, she started to laugh and cry at the same time.

  “Seriously? You’re not just saying that?”

  He shook his head. “I realized last night while we were driving around looking for Rika that Caine Tech needs Haven Point, maybe even more than the town needs us. It’s a good fit, Kenz.”

  “The perfect fit. You’ll see. Oh, Ben. I can’t wait to tell everyone!”

  “We’re still a long way from any official announcement,” he warned. “It’s going to take time and paperwork and red tape. You know how these things go.”

  “Yes. But you have one big advantage.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’ve got the mayor in your back pocket.” She smiled at him with all the love she had been storing up since she was a girl.

  “I don’t need her in my back pocket,” he murmured. “Just as long as she’s in my arms.”

  He leaned down and kissed her again while the lake gleamed in the sunlight and two dogs wrestled on the grass and the mountains watched over it all.

  EPILOGUE

  “BEN! HEY, BEN! Can Bob and me play with your dog?”

  Ben, his arms full, looked down at Maddie Hayward. She was perched on a padded wrought-iron love seat on the terrace of Snow Angel Cove, watching crowds of people bustling around the immaculate grounds.

  Her dark hair was in twisty rollers for the upcoming nuptials of her mother and Aidan Caine in a few hours and she had a doll on her lap whose hair was also in curlers.

  Ben decided he could use a breather himself. He set the box down on the table next to her and took a seat beside her on the love seat. “Hondo’s not here, honey. He’s over at McKenzie’s house, hanging out with her dog for the day.”

  “Rika’s not here, either?” she asked, disappointment clear in her big eyes.

  “With the big party in a few hours, things are bound to get a little crazy over here,” he explained. “Hondo and Rika probably will have more fun hanging out at home, where it’s a little quieter, don’t you think?”

  “I guess.”

  She sagged into the chair and flopped her doll on her lap a few times in a listless sort of way.

  He didn’t consider himself the most observant sort of guy when it came t
o females in general, particularly females of the under-three-foot-tall variety, but even he could see something was wrong.

  “You don’t look very happy right now, kiddo. This is supposed to be a great day. What’s up?”

  “Nobody can play with me. Sue and Jim are too busy, my mom’s getting her hair done and my new cousins Carter and Faith aren’t here yet. I am sooo bored.”

  He glanced across the grounds at all the preparations underway for the wedding—between the caterers, decorators, florists and lowly assistants like himself, the place was hopping. “That’s tough, kiddo. Everybody’s trying to make this a great day for your mom and Aidan. Maybe you can help.”

  She looked up. “Nobody wants my help. I told Jim I could help him feed Cinnamon and the other horses and he said I might get my hair messed up. I don’t care about my stupid hair.”

  He had to smile. Give her a few years and she would probably be singing a different tune.

  He glanced at the tray filled with flowers he was supposed to be delivering. “You can help me. I’m McKenzie’s assistant today and I believe this assistant needs an assistant.”

  “Why?”

  “Those are a lot of flowers for one person to carry,” he lied. “I definitely need a helper. You can carry these hydrangeas. Just be careful. They’re very fragile.”

  He held out a small bundle of flowers to her and Maddie immediately set her doll down on the love seat beside her and hopped to the ground with an expression of eager delight.

  “I won’t even drop them or crush them, I promise!”

  “Great. I trust you.”

  “Where are we going?”

  He pointed down the sloping lawn toward the lake. “See McKenzie over there by the arbor?”

  “What’s an arbor?”

  “That arch thingy. That’s where your mom and Aidan will stand when they get married. That’s where the flowers need to go.”

  “Got it.” With a determined look on her face, she marched down the sweeping green lawn toward the flower-bedecked trellis, holding the bouquet as if it were a newborn puppy.

  He followed the little girl, heady with the scent of flowers and fresh-cut grass and the pines and spruce that grew in abundance around the grounds of Snow Angel Cove.