She wished she could do that now—wake bathed in sweat, terrified but safe.
But this wasn’t a dream.
She wasn’t okay.
She was wide-awake, sprinting through Pilgrim Monument, Patrick right behind her, his nose bloody, his eyes blazing with fury.
“I. Will. Kill. You!” he roared, grabbing the back of her coat and throwing her against the railing.
She bucked against him, her back bowed, her feet slipping. He thrust her back, his hand over her face as he tried to force her head over the side of the railing. Force her over.
How high were they? Seventy feet? A hundred?
Would it matter once she fell?
Please, Lord, she prayed. Help me.
“I should have killed you nine years ago, you little witch!” he screamed, spittle spraying her neck and chin.
She gagged, a dozen memories filling her head.
A hundred million moments of feeling helpless, alone and terrified trying to steal her will to fight.
But she was older now. Wiser. She’d learned what she could do if she was brave enough.
And she wasn’t going to let him take that from her.
She smashed her foot into his instep, and he howled, his hand slipping from her face to her throat.
“Stupid little idiot,” he yelled, his hot breath fanning her cheek as he pressed his weight into her and tried to lift her over the side railing.
She had her hands free, and she slammed one into his throat, knocking him back just enough for her to slip out from beneath him.
She tried to dart past, but he gave her a two-handed shove that sent her sprawling, her shoulder crashing into the edge of a stair.
She jumped up, pivoting away, and raced back in the direction she’d come. Up. Passing one window and another. She could hear him behind her, moving slowly and steadily. No rush. No hurry now. Whistling a cheerful tune that echoed in the cavernous space and settled deep into her bones.
She knew the tune.
She knew what it meant.
Patrick was happy.
He was getting what he wanted.
And what he wanted was Tessa at the top of the tower.
She slowed her pace, conserving her energy for the fight she knew was coming. He’d been enraged when she’d knocked the knife from his hand. When she’d flat-palmed him in the nose, she’d known he would kill her.
She’d thought she could outrun him, but rage seemed to have given him superhuman speed.
Now she was right back where she’d started the fight, a window near her shoulder looking out toward Cape Cod Bay. Starlight twinkled in the blue-black sky, the moon a yellow crescent high above.
She wanted a thousand more nights to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.
And she wanted just one more opportunity to make things right with Henry.
She’d been a fool to let him walk away.
She’d been terrified of losing her heart, and even more scared of losing herself. Of giving up the freedom she’d fought so hard for and finding herself in shackles again.
She’d hurt Henry with her doubt. She’d hurt the girls.
She’d let her fear control her the way Patrick once had, and she refused to do it again. She could hear him approaching, his feet purposely heavy on the nearest ramp, his song graciously cheerful.
“You might as well quit,” he said as he finally reached her. “You can’t win.”
Maybe he was right.
Maybe she couldn’t win.
But she could fight.
She waited until he was nearly an arm length away, and then she rammed him, the force of the attack throwing him backward. He fell down the ramp and came up swinging, his fist catching her in the side of the face.
She crashed to the floor, and he was on her, hands around her throat, strangling her the way he had so many times before.
She clawed at his hands, trying to get breath into her desperate lungs, her vision going black, her arms going weak.
And then he was gone, and she could breathe again.
* * *
Henry cuffed Patrick and shoved him toward Wren.
“Good choice,” she said.
“Was there another one?” he asked, his breath heaving from the race up the stairs.
“You could have tossed him over,” Jessica responded, taking one of Patrick’s arms and yanking him toward the ramp that led down. “It might have cost you your job, but it might have been worth it to get this scum off the planet.”
“Shut up, you stupid little—” Patrick began.
“You have the right to remain silent, and you probably should,” Jessica said, unfazed by the guy’s bravado. “I’m taking him down. I’ll have the local PD book him, but I’m assuming we plan to transport him to the field office for questioning?”
“Yes,” Wren agreed, her gaze dropping to Tessa.
She was pale, bruises visible on her neck and her face.
“Are you okay?” Henry asked, kneeling beside her and lifting her wrist to take her pulse.
“I’m alive,” she responded with a tired smile. “That’s a lot better than the alternative. Aria—”
“Is fine. I left her with Kayla.”
“How did she find you? I was worried sick when I told her to run. I had no idea if she’d be able to find help, and I was terrified of what might happen to her if she couldn’t.”
“We were just a few yards away. This place has been under surveillance since your nine-one-one call was received. Chief Simpson made the decision to keep things quiet. He didn’t want to scare Patrick into doing something stupid.”
“I was worried about that, too. I was afraid he’d hear sirens and realize I’d called for help. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if something had happened to Aria.”
“She wasn’t the only one that you needed to be worried about.” He helped her to her feet, brushing hair from her cheeks. “I hope you know that Aria wasn’t the only one on my mind when I rushed here from Boston. Now, how about we get out of here?”
“That sounds like a perfect plan. I’ve never been afraid of heights, but right now, I’d like to have my feet firmly planted on the ground.”
“Do you think you can make it down on your own? Or do you want me to call an ambulance?”
“No ambulance. I don’t have time. I’ve got—”
“Let me guess,” he said. “A test you have to study for?”
“No.” She shook her head, looking into his eyes. “A life I need to live.”
“I don’t suppose there’s room in it for a few more people?” he asked, cupping her elbow as they walked down the ramp and onto a set of stairs.
“How many people are we talking about?” she asked, a smile at the corner of her lips.
“Five? Although, two of them are pint-size. Maybe we can count them as one.”
Her smile fell away, and she stopped walking. “Henry—”
“I know you need some time, and I’m not trying to rush you into something you’re not ready for, but—”
“I’m ready,” she said, so quietly he almost didn’t hear. “I was ready when you kissed me the other night—”
“I am not listening to this conversation,” Wren called, and Tessa smiled.
“What I’m trying to say,” she continued, “is that I don’t want to let fear control my life. Not any longer. And when I’m with you, I feel braver than I have in a long time.”
“That’s not because of me, Tessa.”
“It’s because of us. Of how we are together. I realized that when I was at the top of the tower with Patrick. When I was with him, I felt diminished. When I’m with you, I don’t. You make me want to be all the things I’ve dreamed of—strong and fearless and confident.”
“You are all those things
,” he said, cupping her face and looking into her eyes.
“Maybe. Maybe I’m just learning to be. One way or another, if I’m going to fill my life with people, I want them to be people who challenge me to be my best self. That’s what you do, Henry.”
“Does that mean you have room for us?” he asked, his lips grazing hers.
“More than enough,” she murmured against his lips.
He kissed her. Gently. Sweetly, because he wanted her to know how much he cherished her, and then he took her hand, and he led her out of the monument.
EPILOGUE
The girls had flower crowns in their hair and white baskets in their hands, their gauzy dresses brushing the top of sparkly blue shoes. No heels. Although, they’d begged to be allowed the privilege.
Tessa would have conceded, but Henry had told them they could wear heels when they were old enough to walk in them without tripping. He didn’t want any visits to the emergency room on their wedding day.
Their wedding day.
Even now, as she stood in a floor-length lace gown, facing the sanctuary doors and waiting for her cue to enter, she couldn’t believe it was happening. After so many years of being alone, Henry had filled her life with everything good and wonderful and right.
One of the girls giggled, twirling around so that her dress whirled in a circle.
Everly. Of course. She’d spent the day coming up with excuses to call Tessa and check in. Just to make certain everything was going okay, she’d said. Tessa suspected she’d wanted to be sure the plans weren’t changing, that they really were all going to walk down the aisle.
A sunset wedding had been a great idea. In theory.
The long day of waiting had been difficult on everyone.
Especially the twins.
“Everly Anne!” Rachelle chided. “You’re going to wreck your beautiful hair.”
“If she wrecks it, I can fix it,” Aria said, clutching her flower basket as if her life depended on it.
She’d been quieter since she’d been tricked by Patrick. She hadn’t been injured, but six months after the incident, she was more cautious than ever about strangers. She’d been worried about the wedding since the day Tessa and Henry had told the girls they planned to get married, often wondering aloud about the possibilities of bad guys being there.
Tessa and Henry had assured her that Patrick was in jail, and that he wouldn’t ever be getting out, but Aria still seemed worried.
Tessa touched her shoulder, smiling when Aria met her eyes. “It’s going to be okay, honey.”
“There’s going be a lot of people in there. If I see that guy, I’m going to yell, and you run, okay?”
“He won’t be there, pumpkin. He’s going to be in jail forever,” she said, knowing that the pet name would make Aria smile.
“Why do you always call me pumpkin?”
“Because, pumpkin is one of my favorite things.”
Aria grinned, but there was still fear in her eyes. They’d been taking her to a counselor, who’d been helping her work through her anxiety, but she was still often afraid.
Time.
Love.
That’s what she needed.
Those things were healing balms to the troubled soul.
Tessa knew that. She’d lived it.
And, now she was here. In this place she’d never imagined she’d be. With people she cared about and who cared about her, looking into a future filled with possibility.
Soon, she’d be a registered nurse.
A mother to the twins.
A wife.
Her heart fluttered at the thought.
“You know what, Tessa?” Aria whispered.
“What?”
“You are beautiful.”
“I guess most brides are,” she said, smiling.
“You’re not beautiful because you’re a bride. You’re beautiful because of the way you love us. And, the way you love Daddy. And, the way you fit into our lives. Just right.”
“Thank you, honey,” Tessa said, crouching so that they were face to face, her eyes burning with tears of joy and thankfulness. “You make it very easy for me to love you, and you give me a very comfortable place to fit.”
“Are you crying?” Everly asked, twirling toward Tessa and stopping so close to Aria, the skirts of their dresses touched.
“Of course, she’s not,” Rachelle said, brushing a few strands of Everly’s hair back into place. “This is a day for smiling and for laughing and for joy. Now, you two get yourselves ready. In just a minute, you’ll be walking your new momma down the aisle,” her voice broke.
Tessa straightened, taking Rachelle’s hands and squeezing them gently.
“I know this must be bittersweet,” she began, but Rachelle shook her head.
“There is nothing bitter about it. It’s all sweet. Any tears that fall from these eyes are going to be joyous ones. The day we lost Diane, I prayed that God would bring something good out of the heartache. Over the years, He’s shown me again and again that tragedy doesn’t have to define my life. Today? He’s showing me that lovely things can rise from the ashes of our brokenness. If we all allow them to.”
Tessa smiled, but she couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat.
This was what she’d always wanted—acceptance and family and home. What she’d hoped and longed and prayed for.
And, what she’d never really believed she would have. Until she’d met Henry.
The sanctuary doors opened, and Betty slipped into the vestibule, her eyes bright with excitement, her cheeks pink. She’d worn her best dress and low heels. Her hair was pulled away from her face with a tortoiseshell clip. If Hester had lived to see this day, the two of them would have been fast friends.
“Well, this it!” she proclaimed as she straightened Tessa’s veil. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Tessa responded, and Betty smiled.
“That’s what I like to hear. Confidence!”
“We’re confident, too, and we’re ready,” Everly said. “We’ve been ready for ages and ages and ages.”
“I think she’s right,” Aria agreed, some of her somberness replaced by excitement. “I think we have been waiting an awfully long time.”
“Well, girls, the wait is over. Hear that?” Betty asked as the organ music swelled into the first strains of the wedding march. “That’s our cue. Now, each of you grab one of Tessa’s hands, and let’s go. We don’t want to make your daddy wait. He might think you’ve all gone and eaten the cake without him.”
“We would never do that,” Aria proclaimed as she took Tessa’s left hand.
Everly grabbed her right. “Well, it is chocolate, so I might think about taking a nibble, but I’d leave him some for sure,” she murmured.
Tessa was laughing as the door swung wide, the joy of the moment filling her heart as she took her first step into the sanctuary.
Henry was waiting near the pulpit, the ends of his sandy hair just brushing the collar of his dark blue suit. He had a white rose on his lapel, and his eyes were a soft misty shade that she knew would always speak to her of home.
He stepped forward, smiling into her eyes as the twins placed her hands in his.
“You are stunning,” he said.
“So are we,” Everly added.
Tessa heard a rumble of laughter coming from the pews. If she looked, she knew that she’d see Wren and Jessica sitting beside Ernie in the front pew, several of Henry’s coworkers nearby. Behind them there’d be a sea of faces—Kayla, the chief, people from the congregation and from the diner, neighbors and friends of Henry’s who’d seemed happy to add Tessa into their circle.
Her focus was on Henry. A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead, and she brushed it away.
“You are everything I didn’t dare believe in when I c
ame to Provincetown,” she whispered. “I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you, too. You are everything I didn’t know I was looking for, and I am so thankful that I found you.”
Pastor Walker cleared his throat, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I hate to interrupt, but I believe we have a wedding to attend to.”
“Yeah. Let the man get on with things. I want this shindig over with,” Ernie called out.
“Ernie!” Betty whispered loudly. “Enough!”
“What? I haven’t been in a suit since 1967, and you chose me the itchiest one on this side of the Mississippi!”
“I’ll be choosing you an itchy casket lining if you don’t quiet down!” Betty hissed.
The guests laughed again, the warmth of their happiness washing over Tessa.
The windows glowed pink with fading sun, the old floors glistened with muted candlelight. And, Henry was beside her, strong and true and steady.
He smiled, and her heart soared, her soul seeming to reach for his. This was where she belonged. In this place with this man. She knew it the same way she knew that the sun would set and rise again, that one season would change into another. That time would continue on and that they would continue with it.
Side by side.
For as long as God allowed.
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, don’t miss the previous books in the FBI: Special Crimes Unit series from Shirlee McCoy:
Night Stalker
Gone
Dangerous Sanctuary
And be sure to pick up these other exciting books by Shirlee McCoy:
Protective Instincts
Her Christmas Guardian
Exit Strategy
Deadly Christmas Secrets
Mystery Child
The Christmas Target
Mistaken Identity
Christmas On the Run
Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Guarding the Amish Midwife by Dana R. Lynn.
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