"Do you remember the last time we spent the weekend in Atlanta?"
The moment she'd asked she'd wished she hadn't. Of course, he remembered.
"I promise not to propose this time," he said before finishing off his beer and carrying the bottle to the recycle bin.
She knew she shouldn't have said anything. In his head, he'd always remember that it was the weekend he'd proposed and was turned down, but she remembered the magic of it—the fancy hotel room, room service, and the white cotton robes. He'd wined her, dined her, and made it the most romantic weekend she'd ever had.
He'd planned out every detail, but to her, it had been spontaneous and beautiful. They'd made love in the king-sized bed, and taken leisurely soaks in the tub built for two. Walks through the city at night had been one of her favorite memories, and ones she went back to most often when things weren't working in her life.
But then, when he'd taken her to dinner, gotten down on one knee and held up the box with the ring in it, she'd panicked.
He'd looked up at her with those dark eyes and asked her to be his wife. He hadn't even gotten the ring out before she'd said no.
No. That word echoed in her head hard enough that it gave her a headache. She'd told the man she loved she wouldn't be his wife. After trying to explain herself, she finally ran out of the restaurant and took a cab back to Macon.
She'd been embarrassed and decided to get on a plane the next day and disappear. She hadn't made it too far when she'd run into Jacob Young, who was well versed in what had happened—of course he was. At the time he'd been Gerald's best friend.
But he got her to open up. The answer she'd given Gerald could have been smoothed over. She'd wanted to focus on her career and not on building a family at the time. It wasn't that she didn't love the man, and she'd never stopped loving him either. It was that the timing was off.
However, she looked like a complete ass when a few months later she ran off and married Jacob. That was a lust-filled marriage and nothing else. He took her mind off Gerald and what could have been. She worked hard, built her career just as she'd wanted to, and at night her mind was pulled away from the what-could-have-beens.
She knew it was never going to last with Jacob. How could it have? She knew his character, and she used him as much as he used her. After all this time, she could admit that now.
Gerald walked to the refrigerator and took out another beer. He opened it and discarded the top.
Ella gathered her containers, closed them, and carried them to the refrigerator. She'd ruined the evening by mentioning the weekend at all.
She set the containers on the shelf and closed the door a little harder than she'd meant to. As she spun back to the table, Gerald reached for her arm and pulled her to him.
"We're not going to do this. You're not going to mention that weekend and then fly through here on a mad rush. Get over it."
"I can't," she admitted, and she could feel the sting of the tears trying to surface.
"It's always going to be there between us. We can either let it ruin what we could have, or we can ignore it. I can ignore it. Can you?"
The tears no longer only threatened, now they fell. "I hurt you."
"Oh, yeah you did. Nearly turned me into an alcoholic."
"Gerald…"
"I'm not kidding. You hurt me more than anyone ever could have, but here I am. Ella, I love you. I'm not going to let you throw away what we should have had—not again."
The tears stalled as his words resonated. I love you. He'd said them. He hadn't even had to think about them. He'd just said them.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me. I'm not going to let you throw all of this away."
"No. The other thing."
Gerald's shoulders dropped. "I said I love you."
"You did, didn't you?" Her voice shook as she spoke.
"I've been thinking about saying it, but I didn't think it was right. I guess I decided it was time to tell you. Ella, I never stopped loving you. If I had, maybe even for the slightest moment, I wouldn't be here."
Swiftly she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, too. I do," she mumbled as she pressed her mouth to his. "I won't hurt you again. I promise."
"Don't promise. We're going to hurt each other again, it's inevitable."
"Not like before," she swore. "Never like before."
Gerald lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her down the hall to her bedroom. In her heart, she was sure that her promise was true. She never wanted to hurt him again. It was time to accept that future she'd shunned years ago.
Chapter 17
Gerald had stayed at her house, and the next night Ella at his. How quickly something had become a habit.
Ella had managed to take Friday off, with help from Abe reworking her schedule, and seated next to Gerald in his beat up, red pickup, they started for Atlanta with the livestock trailer behind.
She remembered making such trips with Gerald and his brothers years ago. It was part of their routine. Road trips were nothing for the Walkers. Hell, just to get out to their house was a road trip. But the more she made it, the shorter it became.
Ella rested her head on Gerald's shoulder as they cruised down the highway. There was no need for words on a sunny afternoon. Old Johnny Cash songs played on the radio, and the hot wind blew through the cab of the truck. It was as if no time had passed between them, and for that she was grateful.
Gerald Walker loved her, he'd said so. And she loved him, and always had.
Before she'd left that morning, she'd stopped in and had her hair done by his cousin Audrey. Lydia had dropped in and had a cup of coffee while her hair color processed. Gia, just back from their trip to Lucca, brought by a few chocolate samples of a new line she'd be carrying.
She admired the women of the Bridal Mecca and their forward-thinking ways.
They were all strong and powerful, and they empowered her, Ella Mills—lawyer, to be all that she could be. Wasn't it funny that she'd missed out on what they had all built together? If she had married Gerald back then, would she have been around them building their empire? Would her career have gone a different direction? Would she have a corner office in Lydia's prestigious strip mall? Maybe she would have helped Lydia with contracts on all of her businesses and properties. She could have written up partnership agreements. Maybe she could have done prenuptial work and fit that in with Pearl's bridal business. Heck, Audrey could probably send her lots of customers. Women in salons always talked about the dirt in their lives. Certainly one or two of them would need a lawyer. Wouldn't it be nice to be the kind of lawyer who chose what they did every day? Ella didn't mind standing up for someone in court, but only when she believed in what she was fighting for. Telling some man he needed to give his ex-wife more money because she needed to live a little more lavishly wasn't the kind of law she wanted to practice. But women like Lydia who were building things, she could do good work for them.
Gerald nudged her. "You're a million miles away," he said as he lifted his arm and draped it over her shoulders while keeping his other hand on the wheel.
"I was just thinking about Lydia, Audrey, Pearl, and Gia."
"Amazing women," he admitted. "By the way, Audrey did a great job on your hair." He ran his fingers through it. "It's beautiful."
"Thank you," she said and could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. "I admire what they've built. I even saw a few of Bethany's flower arrangements in each of their stores."
"All they need is Missy to park her race car in front of the building, and every woman who is part of the Walker family would be accounted for," he offered, including his cousin Jake's wife in the fold.
Yes, she thought, if they'd had gotten married years ago, she'd have been part of that. She wasn't going to share that with him now. No need. That was the bed she'd made and slept in. From here on out, she could do better.
"What in the hell?" Gerald pulled his arm back and placed his
other hand on the steering wheel about the time Ella heard the sirens behind them.
"What's going on?"
"I'm getting pulled over. We weren't speeding. The trailer lights are working, and the plate is current. I checked all of that before we left town. I swear to you if Phillip sent them after me, I'll kill him."
She saw the color change in his face, and she wasn't so sure he wasn't serious.
Gerald pulled the truck to the side of the road and put it in park, then killed the engine. And, as if he knew all the following requests, he pulled his license from his wallet and opened the glove compartment to pull out his registration. It was then she saw the gun that he kept there as he quickly closed the door to the compartment before the officers had walked around the truck.
"Afternoon," the first officer said who came to the door. Ella noted the other car that had pulled up and noticed the officer who stood at the passenger door looking in at her. "License and registration."
Gerald handed them over without argument. "What's the cause to pull me over? I wasn't speeding, and my trailer is licensed to my family ranch, the tags are current, and the lights were fine when we left."
"And where were you leaving from?"
"Macon."
"Where are you headed?"
"Just outside Atlanta to pick up two steers for our cattle ranch. I can give you the man's number if you'd like to call him. The meeting is for Sunday morning at eight."
The officer studied his license. "You have a concealed."
"I do, sir. I have a gun in the glove compartment."
"Why?"
"Safety on long drives. I also keep it in case I need to ward off a predator among our cattle. This is a work truck. We use it on the ranch."
"Ma'am," he directed the word to Ella. "Are you here willingly?"
"Yes, sir. I am Ella Mills, and I am dating Mr. Walker. We are going to spend a couple of nights in Atlanta before picking up the steer." She reached for her purse and pulled her wallet out, noticing that the officers were on heightened alert as she did so. She handed him her license. "I am a lawyer in Macon."
The officer nodded slowly. "Do you know why we've pulled him over?"
She was sure this had something to do with the missing women again. God, she wished he'd picked a different truck to use for the drive. But he was stubborn like that.
"No, sir," she lied. "I'd be interested in knowing."
The officer lifted his head and looked Gerald straight in the eye as another police cruiser pulled up in front of the truck blocking any possible exit. "Mr. Walker, we've pulled you over because you're under arrest for the kidnapping and murder of Celeste Cordova."
Fury sparked in Gerald's eyes, but respect for the law drew him back. "Sir, I don't know any Celeste Cordova, and I didn't kidnap or kill anyone. If this is still the same guy, his truck matches mine. That's it."
"Description."
"Yeah, well half of the men in Georgia look like me."
"Fair enough. Let's talk DNA."
Ella felt the blood drain from her head as she was sure she was going to faint right there on the bench seat of Gerald's truck.
The officer to her right opened the door. "Ma'am, please step out of the truck."
She exchanged one last glance with Gerald, and he nodded. "Do what they say. Call Phillip. This is wrong, Ella. You know this is wrong."
In her heart, she did know that. Deep down inside she knew Gerald Walker wasn't capable of hurting anyone. But for some reason the lightheadedness and the spinning in her stomach made her wonder if she was being foolish. Was the man she loved some serial killer?
Chapter 18
Ella paced the room they'd put her in. An armed guard stood at the door. The air was stagnant. The muted sounds from beyond the walls were deafening.
Phillip was on his way, and she hadn't seen Gerald since they'd put him in the back of a police car in handcuffs and driven away.
Standing at the dirty window overlooking the less attractive side of Atlanta, Ella heard the door behind her open. When she turned, she saw Phillip walking in and moving right to her.
He pulled her in and then stepped back to assess her. "You're not hurt are you? You're okay?"
"I'm fine. This is all some mistake. Gerald didn't do this. Gerald doesn't have it in him to do this."
Phillip shook his head. "I thought so too. They have DNA."
"What kind of DNA? This is ridiculous," she said as she broke from Phillips hold. "I'll defend him until the end, Phillip. He didn't do this."
"Another woman is missing."
She felt the vile rush of nerves move through her from her stomach to her throat, but she pushed it down. "He didn't do it."
"Five-foot-three, brunette, tattoo on her wrist."
Ella swallowed hard. "Age?"
"Twenty-eight."
"And Celeste Cordova?"
"Five-three, brunette, tattoo, age twenty-six."
"This guy has kind."
He scanned another look over her. "You're five-what?"
"Five-four. Naturally blonde."
"How old?"
"Thirty-one."
Phillip ran his hand over the back of his neck. "Gerald never dated anyone else after you," he said, but the words hit her hard.
"Ever?"
"Not that I can recall. Maybe a date here or there, but he never got into another relationship. C'mon, the man just left his parents' house."
"Yeah, and you had it searched without him there. We could fold this all back on your department you know." The words had come out forceful and mean. And when Phillip turned, she knew she'd gotten her point across.
"I didn't send anyone out there. I'll admit, when I got the call on Abby McCarrey, I walked through his trailer. Who was out there?"
"I figured you'd know. He said someone was out there after that when he'd was detained in town."
Phillip pulled out a chair from around the long table in the center of the room and sat down. "Gerald's DNA was found on the victim."
"He's been with me almost the entire time this week. And I'm sure his brothers will vouch that when he wasn't with me, he was on the ranch."
Phillip nodded. "I have statements from Eric and Russell already."
The door opened, and Phillip was called out of the room. For another hour, Ella sat alone, a can of Coke rested on the table next to a snack pack of crackers that one of the officers had brought in for her.
When Phillip returned his face was long, and his eyes darkened by worry.
He sat down next to Ella and took her hand. "They found the other missing woman. Jennifer Blane."
The name was familiar to her, and she knew it was for Phillip too. "She worked at the coffee shop down the street from the Bridal Mecca."
He nodded. "It's getting a little too close to home. Both she and Celeste were sexually assaulted."
"He's stepped up his game."
"Do you know Steven Cross or Kane—" he paused.
"Evans?" She completed his question.
"Yeah, him."
"I know Kane, not Steven. Kane is a ranch hand on the Maguire's ranch. Another ten miles out further than the Walker's."
"Steven owns a small ranch in the opposite direction of town."
"So what do they have to do with this?"
"They drive old beat up red pickups."
"Most of Georgia does."
"They're equal in description to Gerald."
"Again, most of Georgia is."
"Their DNA was found on Jennifer Blane's body."
Ella dropped her head into her hands. "Do you think whoever is doing this is planting DNA?"
"Yeah, that's what I think. Kane did have a date a few weeks back with Celeste Cordova. Coffee date and done, is what I'm told. I have my entire team working on this."
"Gerald is innocent."
Phillip rested his hand on Ella's. "I think he is too. Eric is en route to pay his bail. Russell is meeting up with the man to get the steer. Gerald is going to ne
ed you."
"I won't let him down."
* * *
It was nearly four hours before she saw Gerald again, and another three after that before they were piled into Eric's truck and headed back to Macon in silence.
Ella sat alone in the back seat, and never said a word for the duration of the drive. Eric had taken a few jabs at Gerald, perhaps to feel him out. There was no way anyone in the Walker family thought he'd done anything wrong, but they'd razz him and get him worked up over it as often as they could. That was how brothers worked.
When they returned to Macon, Eric drove straight to Ella's. He jumped out of the truck and pulled open her door, then walked her to her front door while Gerald stewed in the truck.
"Why don't you pack a bag and come back out with us. You don't have to stay with him. He won't be good company. You can stay with Susan and me," he offered.
"I'll be fine, Eric. Thank you for the invitation. Candi has already texted and said she's on her way. She won't let me be alone either."
"Good." He rested his hand on her arm in a sign of comfort. "He's going to be okay. He's pissed. He should be pissed. I know he didn't do this."
"I know it too," she said, looking back at the truck and the man whose shoulders hunched in the seat. "Take care of him. Don't let him go do something stupid."
"He won't. And I know Phillip has given him a hard time, but he won't let anything happen to him either. Phillip will fight for him."
"I can't believe someone did this. Someone set him up."
"People are sick. Anyone who kidnaps and kills—there's a special kind of hell for them."
"You're right. My office will defend him and make sure his name is cleared."
Eric pulled her in and hugged her tightly. "He loves you. He always has. Thanks for being here."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else if your family needed me." It seemed imperative that he understood that.
With a weary smile, Eric walked back to his truck as Ella opened the door.
She watched as Eric pulled away from the curb and Gerald lifted his eyes to meet hers.
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