“Thank you for admitting you ruined it,” Ava sniffed.
“Yes, I did, and I’m sorry,” she said for the third time.
“I’ll forgive you if you’ll just promise me one thing,” Ava said.
“Anything.”
“Promise me you’ll stay away from my wedding.”
TWENTY – NINE
Placated by Ellie’s apology, Ava and John went home.
“You need to get some rest, Ellie,” her mother said.
“I will,” she promised. “But I want to go upstairs and say good night to Annie first.”
She was surprised she got dizzy when she stood, but she was certain no one noticed. She didn’t take the stairs two at a time as she usually did and even held on to the banister to keep her balance.
Annie was sitting in the middle of the bed with the unopened pregnancy kit.
“Shut the door,” she whispered.
Ellie quickly did as she asked, then sat down across from her sister. “You haven’t taken the test yet?”
Annie shook her head. “Once I do…”
“Yes?”
“I can’t undo it. I’ll know.”
“You need to know.”
She nodded. “But what if I am? I don’t have a job, and I have student loans to repay. It’s a little overwhelming.”
“If you are pregnant, do you want the baby?”
No hesitation at all. “Of course I want the baby.”
“You aren’t alone, Annie. You know I’ll help you. You can move in with me. And there’s the father,” she said. “You should tell him.”
“I’m such a screwup.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You don’t understand. I don’t know where he is. I went a little bonkers, I guess. If I tell you something, will you promise not to be shocked?”
“What?”
“I’d never… you know…”
“What?” she asked again.
“Patterson scared me, and I didn’t want to have anything to do with any man. I wouldn’t let myself…”
“I see. I’m not shocked,” she said. “So the baby’s father was the first man you’ve slept with?”
Annie nodded. “Four months. That’s how long we were together. It was… raw animal magnetism at first, I guess. I can’t explain it.”
“I know what you mean. Trust me, I do.”
“It wasn’t just the sex, though,” she explained. “He was perfect. He was kind and considerate. We had so much in common. He loved the same things I did, and we could sit for hours and hours talking.”
“So what happened?” Ellie asked.
Tears streamed down Annie’s cheeks. “I don’t know. We’d spent a terrific weekend together at the beach. He left my apartment Monday morning, and I never heard from him again. No call… nothing.”
“What do you know about him?”
“He’s a Navy Seal,” she said. “I thought maybe he got a call from his commander and had to leave on a mission or something, but if that was the case, why didn’t he call, or leave a note, or at least text me? He made me feel like a whore,” she whispered. Tears clouded her eyes as she added, “I really did screw up.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“We used protection,” she said. “But I guess it isn’t always dependable.”
“Have you tried to get hold of him?”
“Yes. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. I even left messages for him, but he hasn’t responded. Nobody will tell me anything.” She wiped a tear away. “If he cared about me at all, he would have left some word.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I talked to Max, and he’s going to try to find him for me.”
“And when he does?”
Annie straightened her shoulders. “If I’m pregnant, I’ll tell him because he’s the father, and he deserves to know, but I’ll make it clear I want nothing from him.”
“You’re emotional now,” Ellie said. “Take the test tomorrow morning and find out.”
“I could take it now.”
“Yes, but your hormone levels will be higher in the morning,” she said. “Or do one test now and another tomorrow morning. Either way.”
Ellie tried to get more information about the man, but Annie didn’t want to talk about him.
“You’ll take the test first thing in the morning, then?”
“Yes, I absolutely will,” she promised.
The sisters spent the next hour catching up. They talked about work, the people they knew, even Ava’s wedding.
Ellie stood. “I need a shower and a bed,” she said with a yawn. “I’m beat. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You’re leaving Winston Falls?”
“Yes.”
Annie nodded. She watched Ellie open the door and then said, “It’s funny really.”
“What is?” she said, turning back.
“I was always the good girl.”
“You still are.”
THIRTY
Max was waiting for Ellie downstairs. They said good night to her parents and her aunts and went up to the apartment. Max had left the window unit on low, and the bedrooms and hall were quite pleasant. The kitchen and the living room, however, were sweltering.
Ellie tripped out of her clothes, tossed the bloody and torn dress into the trash can, and got into the shower. She stood under the cool water with her eyes closed and tried to get her muscles to relax. She washed her hair, being careful to scrub around the cut, but she didn’t bother to blow it dry. She brushed it over her shoulders, put on her cotton nightgown, her moisturizer and body lotion, and was ready for bed.
The storm outside had picked up. Lightning lit up the bedroom, followed by loud claps of thunder. Rain pelted the windows.
Ellie didn’t ask Max if she could sleep with him. She pulled the sheet back and slid into bed beside him. He was on his stomach, one arm over the side of the bed, sound asleep. His gun, holster, and badge were on his bedside table. She rolled over to glance at the alarm clock and was shocked to see that it was after midnight. She closed her eyes. It had never taken her more than a minute or two to fall asleep, but tonight was different. Ten minutes passed, then ten more, and she was still wide-awake. This certainly was different for her.
Ellie replayed the day’s events, but when she got to Patterson, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. She took several deep, calming breaths. The threat was over; he was locked up and couldn’t bother anyone. This, too, was different. She could go anywhere and do anything now, couldn’t she?
Not quite. There were the Landrys and the possibility that a man named Cogburn might come after her.
And then there was Max. He was going back to Honolulu, and she would probably never see him again. It was for the best, she decided. He’d be safer there where people like Patterson weren’t shooting at him. Ellie knew she wasn’t being rational, but she was so rattled inside, she couldn’t think straight. Was she reacting to Patterson’s attack or was it the realization that Max was leaving?
No-brainer, she decided. It was Max. Ellie wanted to cry. She’d told him not to get attached to her, and look what she’d done. She’d fallen in love with him. So not acceptable.
She had to distance herself, or she’d become a blubbering idiot when he left. If she continued to lie there thinking about him, she’d start weeping now. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to get up. Max stopped her.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked as he pulled her down beside him.
“No, I can’t.”
“Come here.” His voice was warm and husky. He covered her with his body and began to nuzzle the side of her neck. He rubbed her arms, then moved to her sides. “Your skin’s cold.”
As he moved against her, his chest grazed her breasts, and the pleasure was so intense, she moaned. Ellie threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him toward her. His mouth took absolute possession, their tongues wild as they mated.
Max wanted to savor the feel of her, and when she wrapped her legs around his and moved seductively against his arousal, his mouth covered hers again, and he thrust inside her. Their lovemaking was wild, both of them losing control. Ellie screamed his name when the sensations began to spiral. Her orgasm lasted longer than his, and he held her tight in his arms until she recovered.
The scent of their passion clung to them, and they were both soaked with perspiration. Max could feel her heart pounding under his. He kissed her chin and lifted up to ask her if she was okay. Words weren’t necessary. Ellie was asleep.
THIRTY – ONE
Annie wouldn’t take the test until Ellie arrived.
“What took you so long?”
“It’s nine o’clock,” Ellie said. “And I had to pack and change the sheets and help get everything in the car.”
“Are you riding with Max?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“But didn’t you have a rental car? Isn’t that how you got here?”
“Agent Clark took it last night. He’ll return it to the rental company. Now stop stalling.”
Annie grabbed the pregnancy kits and went into the bathroom down the hall. Ellie waited in her bedroom. She could hear the aunts chatting downstairs. Even with all the commotion, they seemed to be having a good time.
Ellie kept checking the time. Five minutes passed, then five more. No pregnancy test took ten minutes. She knew Annie was getting up her nerve. Just when Ellie was about to go get her, the bedroom door opened, and Annie walked in. She quietly shut the door behind her.
As soon as Ellie saw the smile on her face, she said, “Okay, you’re not pregnant. I know it’s selfish of me, but a tiny part of me was hoping you were.”
“I am pregnant,” she said, and she was smiling about it.
“You’re going to be a great mother,” she whispered.
“And you’ll be a wonderful aunt. Ellie, did you mean it when you said I could live with you? For a little while, anyway?”
“Of course, I meant it, and not just for a little while. I’d love to help raise my niece or nephew.”
Ellie told her what prenatal pills to take and what she could do to help with morning sickness.
“Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”
“Of course,” Annie said. “But not until after the wedding.”
“What about Ava?”
“After her honeymoon. She’ll be there for me, too,” Annie said.
Ellie wasn’t so sure, but she kept her opinion to herself. The bond between twins was different from the bond between mere sisters. Ava used to boast that she and Annie were telepathic, which Ellie thought was ridiculous, but they did have a strange connection as children and could sometimes communicate with each other without speaking. But if they were so alike, how could Annie grow up to be so sweet and Ava such a viper?
“Max is waiting,” Ellie said.
“What about Max? I really like him,” Annie said.
Ellie understood what she wanted to know and decided not to mince words. “I do, too, but…”
“But what?”
“He’s not looking for anything long-term.”
Ellie was walking out the door when Annie said, “One last question and I won’t nag you about him again.”
“Yes?”
“Are you in love with him?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
Her parents walked Ellie and Max to their car. Ellie had lipstick on both cheeks from her aunts’ kisses. They thought they would be seeing her at the wedding, and she didn’t tell them she wouldn’t be back that soon.
Max backed out of the drive, and Ellie watched her parents’ faces as they waved good-bye.
“They look relieved,” she said.
Max had to agree. “They don’t have to worry about Patterson any longer.”
“That’s true, but they also don’t have to worry about me ruining Ava’s wedding.”
“Now that Patterson is out of the picture, how could you ruin it?” he asked. He turned the corner and headed for Highway 169.
“I don’t know. Something would happen, and she’d blame me,” she said. “Max, when we get to St. Louis, will you go back to Honolulu?”
“Yes. I have to get back right away. Are you going to miss me?”
“No, I’ll be too busy.”
Ellie thought she’d handled herself okay. Her voice hadn’t quivered when she’d asked him if he would be leaving, and she thought she’d been very calm and collected after he’d answered. She was getting a little too good at not telling the truth.
THIRTY – TWO
When Willis Cogburn had first arrived in Winston Falls he thought he’d found the perfect spot for the ambush. It took several days to convince him otherwise.
He’d come prepared with a high-powered rifle, a couple of his favorite guns, and his surveillance equipment in the trunk of his rental car. It hadn’t taken much finesse to find out that Dr. Sullivan was going to Winston Falls for a wedding. As soon as he’d gotten the information, he’d rented a car under a fake name and started driving.
Once he reached the small town, he checked into the Rosewood Inn under another false name and slept ten hours. Then he got down to business. He located where Dr. Sullivan’s parents lived and spent the better part of the day sitting in his car a block away watching the house. He didn’t see any sign of her until a car pulled into her driveway, and she came running out. She obviously knew the man who got out of the car. She threw her arms around him. At first, Cogburn thought he was her boyfriend, but then he saw the gun at his side. And when the man walked up the porch steps and turned slightly, Cogburn saw the badge clipped to his belt. He didn’t need his binoculars to know that badge. It belonged to an FBI agent.
A text gave Cogburn answers a few minutes later. It told him that an FBI agent was on his way to Winston Falls to guard Ellie Sullivan.
Cogburn knew he had to find a way to get her alone, and that wasn’t going to be easy with an FBI agent shadowing her. He needed time to think about it and to come up with a plan. He started his car and drove around the town for a little while, then stopped in a fast-food place for a hamburger.
He needed to get the lay of the land first, he realized. He started his car and drove back to her neighborhood, looking for possible places to hide, spots where he could get a good shot. Nothing satisfied him.