A Love to Treasure (Sunriver Dreams Book 1)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  “This is going to hurt isn’t it?” Nicole squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t watch.”

  He chuckled. You’d think he was sticking her with a needle or something. He ripped off a couple inches of tape, then split it down the center. “Okay. I’m going to tape your toe to the one next to it.”

  She nodded. “Please hurry.”

  The tension in her voice made his brow furrow. Hopefully she wouldn’t kick him. He quickly taped her toes. “All done.”

  She slowly opened her eyes and looked at her foot. “Really?”

  “Yes. Wasn’t so bad was it?” He gently removed her foot from his knee and stood.

  “Thanks. Sorry for being such a baby. I’ve never been a good patient.”

  “Remind me to call 911 and let the EMT’s deal with you the next time you hurt yourself.” He shot her a teasing grin.

  “There won’t be a next time. I don’t make a habit of injuring myself.” She shielded her eyes against the morning sun. “Is that Spencer?” She nodded toward a pickup that pulled up behind them.

  “Yes. You ready?”

  She slipped on her flip-flops then stepped out gingerly. “It doesn’t hurt as much now.” She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder.

  “I’m glad.” He snagged her hand and gently squeezed it.

  Sadie hopped out and loped over to Spencer.

  They walked hand in hand to Spencer’s rig where he leaned against the front grille. “Morning!” He dropped Nicole’s hand and shook Spencer’s. “Thanks for this.”

  “No problem. But now we’re even for the other night.”

  “Ha. Not yet. I was up for thirty-six hours because of that stakeout.”

  Spencer shook his head. “Give me a hand.” He walked to the back and together they removed the canoe from the bed and carried it to the entry point.

  Nicole followed silently.

  “Okay. I’ll see you both in a few hours. Call me if you need a ride sooner.” Spencer looked to Nicole. “Any more problems out your way?”

  “Thankfully no.” She bit her lower lip. “At least not that I noticed. I’ve been away from the house much of the time. Do you think the burglars robbed any of the other houses on my street?”

  “Nothing’s been reported by the owners or any property management companies.” He glanced toward Mark. “Relax and have a good time today. Sorry I brought it up.” Spencer handed them each a life vest, which they slipped on.

  “Hop in, Sadie,” Mark said from the riverbank.

  His dog leaped into the canoe causing it to teeter from side to side, but Mark quickly steadied it. “Easy, girl.”

  Sadie settled onto the bottom of the metal canoe looking at Nicole eagerly.

  Nicole chuckled. “I’m coming.” She carefully stepped in then slipped past Sadie and sat on the front bench seat as Mark held the vessel steady.

  Satisfied she was secure, he grabbed the cooler he’d packed then stepped in. “Thanks, Spencer. We’ll meet you at the other end.”

  “Have fun.” Spencer pushed them off with one final wave and walked away.

  Wide-eyed, Nicole looked over her shoulder at Mark. “Umm. What am I supposed to do?”

  The canoe wobbled from side to side. After Mark gave her a mini lesson, on bows, sterns, paddling and back paddling, they set a course for the middle of the slow moving river. “We could float along and enjoy the scenery for a while if you’d like. We have plenty of time.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She took her phone from her bag and pulled up the camera app. “I want to remember this summer forever.” Reeds along the bank swayed in the breeze as she focused in and clicked off several shots. A speedboat flew by. Nicole gripped the sides of the canoe and yelped. “Are we going to tip?”

  “Not if I can help it.” Mark maneuvered the canoe to a better angle and glared after the boat. Some people were beyond rude. The wake from the boat continued to rock the canoe, but not as severely as before.

  Nicole dropped her phone to her lap and gripped the side of the canoe, her eyes large with fear. “You sure we aren’t going to tip? I suppose this is why you said to wear my swimsuit.”

  The canoe finally stopped rocking. “Not exactly. I’d planned to go white water rafting, but it didn’t work out, so Spencer came to the rescue early this morning. I didn’t think to call and tell you not to wear a swimsuit. But if you’d like to take a swim . . .” The water would probably be cold, but he doubted that would stop her if she really wanted to take a dip.

  “No. That’s okay.” Nicole released her grip on the canoe. “That was nice of him. He always seems so serious. I’m surprised he owns a canoe.”

  Mark chuckled. “You don’t know Spencer. After a full night doing surveillance you get to know a person. He’s a good guy.”

  Spencer’s frustration over this case would probably come to a head soon. They must’ve spooked the perpetrators because there hadn’t been any more burglaries reported. Maybe they wised up and decided to leave before they were caught. “Is your asthma okay today?”

  “Yes. I’m so embarrassed about yesterday. I’ve been practically symptom free since I was a teen. I guess the combination of allergies and exercise set it off.” She sneezed as if their conversation had ordered the reaction.

  “We’ll take it easy. I’d hate to have a repeat out here on the water.” He directed them toward an inlet.

  “I agree, but I brought my inhaler, so don’t worry.” She looked over her shoulder. “Any chance I could turn around and face you? This is awkward.”

  “Sure, I thought we’d stop for breakfast as soon as I see a good spot. When you get back in you can go ahead and face me.” He searched the grassy bank and steered toward the shoreline.

  With a strong thrust, Mark propelled them to the edge of the soft bank. He craned his neck and spotted a log on a flat spot. “This looks like a great place to picnic.”

  “I agree.” She stood and stepped out. “I’m glad we’re eating. I didn’t have time for breakfast, and I’m a breakfast kind of girl.”

  Mark retrieved the cooler and followed her to the log. “I aim to please.” He sat and slid the lid off, revealing fresh fruit, blueberry muffins, milk, and bottles of water.

  “Yum. You thought of everything.” Nicole pulled out an apple. The crisp crunch of the fruit was loud in the morning stillness.

  The gentle flow of the river made rippling sounds along the bank. An osprey soared overhead and landed on the top of a pine tree. The wildlife alone made for the perfect morning, but the company couldn’t be beat either. Nicole was so different than he’d first imagined when they’d met on that traffic circle.

  The screech of an eagle drew his gaze. He glanced at Nicole, her chin tipped up and her lips parted slightly. He suppressed a smile. “Pretty amazing huh?”

  She closed her mouth and nodded. “I’ve never been out here. When I was a kid, we mostly stayed on the trails around the lodge and village.”

  “You and your grandmother?”

  “No, my parents and brother and I would come here every summer.” A shadow crossed her face. “Grams didn’t bring me here.”

  “You never talk about your family.”

  “This summer has made me think about what happened more than ever. I’ve avoided it since I was a kid, but meeting you has brought it all to the surface.”

  He jerked his head back slightly. “Me? Why?”

  Nicole sighed and bit her bottom lip. “I’m going to tell you something I never talk about. But I don’t want to discuss it, or answer any questions. Okay?”

  He nodded, sensing that even the sound of his voice might silence her.

  “When I was ten my brother was killed as the result of a high speed police chase. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The man who hit him robbed a bank, then carjacked a woman’s car.” Her voice caught, and her gaze slammed into his. “That man survived, but Robbie was killed instantly when the car he was riding in was T-boned on the passenger’s side. The police came to o
ur house. I was standing behind my dad when they told him what had happened. My dad had a massive heart-attack right there. They gave him CPR until an ambulance came, but it was too late, and they couldn’t get his heart to start.”

  She took a drink from a water bottle and stared off toward the river. Her voice lowered. “I watched my dad die. Then a week later I came home from school and found my mom dead in the bathroom—suicide.” She dried her eyes on a napkin. “In a matter of a week I lost my entire family. All except Grams.” She angled her head down.

  He swallowed hard. Hurt for the child she was, and pain for the woman she’d become, strangled him. He gulped down a half-bottle of water then took her hand and cradled it between his. There were no words.

  She squared her shoulders and slipped her hand from his. “You ready to go?”

  “Sure.” He stood and offered her a hand up. They stood so close he could feel her warm breath on his neck. He folded his arms around her and pulled her close. “Thank you for trusting me.” Mark now understood the look of sadness he’d seen shadowing her eyes from time to time.

  A whisper of doubt warned Nicole. She’d better tread carefully. Her heart was quickly becoming entangled with Mark’s. Another heartbreak would be tough to handle, but it felt so good to be in his arms—safe, at least for now. But he’d return to his big city job at the end of the summer, get caught up in some case and forget all about her. She watched television. Detectives were married to their jobs. Her ex-boyfriend accused her of the same thing—ironic, but if she had a man like Mark in her life that would change.

  What was she thinking? She stepped out of his embrace. It could never work between them. “We should go before Spencer calls out a search party.” Sadie leaned against her leg and nuzzled her nose against Nicole’s hand. She squatted and hugged the sweet animal. Tension melted from her.

  Mark gathered their trash and she grabbed the cooler before stepping carefully back into the canoe. Sadie followed and then he pushed off and set their course. “You’re quiet.”

  “I’m thinking about the future.”

  “That’s kind of vague?”

  “Exactly! It’s a mystery, and I don’t like that.”

  Mark chuckled. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

  “I’ve heard that before. What is it?”

  “Jeremiah 29:11.”

  She pursed her lips. “I wish He’d tell me what those plans are because I feel lost.”

  “If you ask Him to, He will. It might not be today or even soon, but He will guide you.”

  “That sure would be nice. I hate not knowing my future.”

  “Don’t we all. But for me it’s enough that He knows. I try to pay attention, so I don’t miss out on His plan for me.”

  “Too bad He doesn’t send us emails with instructions.” She shook her head and did a double take toward the bank. “Look. There’s a deer.” She held up her phone and rose up on her knees. The canoe rocked from side to side. “Okay, that was a bad idea. Sorry.” She carefully scooted back to her perch and pressed her lips tightly together.

  Mark chortled. “Another stunt like that, and we’ll both be swimming.”

  “At least we’re dressed for it.” She shot him a cheeky grin then suddenly frowned as a worried look filled her eyes.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing, but—there are fish in the water right?”

  “Of course.”

  “I only like fish on my plate, not around my toes.”

  Mark tossed his head back and belly laughed.

  Nicole smacked a paddle through the water, drenching his torso.

  “Lady, this means war.” He slapped the paddle in the river and sent water flying, drenching her head to foot.

  Sadie barked at them.

  “That’s cold!” She pulled a towel from her bag and wiped her face. “Not nice, Mister.”

  “You started it.”

  “You’re right. Sorry.”

  “I’m not. The look on your face when I retaliated was priceless.” A cluster of people were shouting at them from the riverbank and waving their arms. In the midst of their water fight, they’d drifted to the other side of the river. He looked forward and gasped. “Nicole, don’t panic, but we need to turn the canoe around and head across the river before things get a little choppy. I need you to face forward carefully and help me get this to shore.”

  Nicole slid around on the canoe’s bench seat as gracefully as possible without tipping them over. The calm river came to an abrupt change ahead. Her heart raced. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, because I don’t have a clue.”

  Mark shouted orders, and she followed. Within seconds they had the canoe heading in the correct direction. She dug in deep and paddled against the current. Spencer stood on the bank at their pullout spot. He stepped onto a rock and reached toward them.

  Nicole paddled with all her strength until Spencer had grabbed the canoe and pulled it onto the bank. She took his hand and jumped from the canoe, wincing when she landed on the foot with the injured toe. She perched on a large boulder and watched the men remove the canoe from the river and carry it to Spencer’s long-bed pickup.

  Mark and Spencer razzed each other all the way. Nicole grinned and leaned on her elbows. She closed her eyes, listening to the children’s playful screams, reminding her of the water fight a short time ago.

  “You ready?”

  Nicole jumped. “Mark, you startled me.”

  He chuckled and scooted beside her. “Spencer needs to get going. He’ll drop us at my car.”

  “Okay.”

  He reached his arms toward her. “Come on. I’ll help you so you don’t aggravate your toe.”

  She leaned toward him and allowed his strength to guide her safely off the boulder. Mark wrapped his warm hand around hers. Her fingers tingled for the second time that day. She caught her breath, and her gaze darted to his face.

  He raised a brow. “Everything okay?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Good. You think we could get together again sometime? Seems to me I still owe you a night on the town.”

  She nodded. “Sure, any time. My schedule is open.” Now why had she said that? It was only prolonging the inevitable since they had no future together, but one look at the grin on his face warmed her from the inside out. What was one more date?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mark stood beside Spencer’s desk at the PD. He disconnected the call from Sarah and stuffed his cell phone into his pocket. His mind told him not to panic, but his gut said he needed to check on Connor.

  “Everything okay?” Spencer glanced his way and popped a chip into his mouth. “What’s the problem now?”

  “Connor didn’t check in with Sarah like he was supposed to, and he’s not answering the house phone, or his cell phone. She’s tried texting him, but got no response.”

  Concern etched Spencer’s eyes. “You think he’s in trouble?”

  “I don’t know, but I should head over to his place to be safe. He has a gift for finding mischief.”

  Spencer shook his head. “Any chance you could ask Nicole to check in on him? I could use you here. This case is driving me nuts. I feel like we’re missing something.”

  “I’d rather deal with Connor myself. I’ll be back in less than twenty minutes.”

  “What if he’s not there?”

  “One problem at a time, Spencer.” He grabbed his keys and headed to his car. Five minutes later he pulled up to Sarah’s house, killed the engine and approached the house. Everything from the outside looked okay. He knocked then listened for noise inside and heard nothing.

  His unease grew. Sarah said Connor was supposed to be hanging out at home today. Where was he? He walked toward the back of the house and peered in through the slider—no one to be seen. Now what?

  He turned and slowly scanned the area. The tree limbs
were up too high for him to reach, so Connor wouldn’t be up a tree, and there wasn’t any brush nearby to hide in since Sarah and her neighbors kept the landscape clear.

  He rubbed his chin. If I were a twelve-year-old boy, where would I go?

  His cell buzzed. “Hey, Spencer.”

  “He there?”

  “If he is, he’s not answering.”

  “Did you try opening the door?”

  “Uh, no.” He pulled on the slider and sure enough, it opened. “Thanks. I’m going inside.”

  “I’ll stay on the line.”

  He pulled the phone away from his face. “Connor!” He moved from the kitchen into the hall that led to the bedrooms—still no one. “I’m heading upstairs to the loft,” he said into the phone. He climbed the steep spiral stairs. At the top he stopped. Connor laid sprawled on the floor. His head rested against a beanbag and a book lay across his chest. “Found him. I’m going to hang up.”

  “Glad he’s okay. Hurry back.”

  “Yep.” He sent Sarah a text assuring her all was well with Connor, then nudged the toe of his shoe against the boy’s leg.

  Connor jerked, and his eyes flew open. “Mark? What are you doing here?”

  “You weren’t answering your phone so Sarah asked me to check on you.”

  “She’s such a worrywart—even worse than my mom.” He pushed up then plopped onto the beanbag with a yawn. “What time is it?”

  “A little past one o’clock.”

  “Oh wow, I slept a long time. I didn’t even eat lunch.” He smacked his arm across his midsection.

  Mark chuckled. Clearly the kid was fine if he was concerned about his stomach. “Okay then, I’m out of here. Keep your cell nearby next time you’re up here.”

  “It’s in my pocket.” He pulled it out and looked at the screen. “Dead. I guess I forgot to charge it.”

  Mark ruffled his hair. “I’ll see you.” He strode from the house and paused at the slider. “Hey, Connor!”