Copper Lake Confidential - By Marilyn Pappano Page 0,79
what she’d seen. The terror couldn’t have been any more real, the image couldn’t have been any more real.... Except it wasn’t real at all.
If she couldn’t believe what she’d seen, could she be sure of anything else? Could she be sure she didn’t have any enemies who would try to drive her mad? Could she truly trust her family? Could she know for a fact that Mark’s ghost wasn’t haunting her? Could she trust Stephen?
“Unless,” Brent went on, “you’ve changed your mind about leaving.” He nodded toward the house, and through the glass doors she saw Stephen swinging Clary in a circle in the empty dining space. They were both laughing and Scooter, chasing after her sneakered feet, barked in accompaniment.
Something like peace settled over her. She had questions about a lot of things, but she did trust Stephen. It was something innate, something rooted so deeply inside her that it hadn’t been a conscious choice. It just was.
“You know I wasn’t thrilled when you brought Mark home to meet us.”
“I remember.” He’d thought Mark was a rich kid with an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Mark had thought her family and their tidy little house were quaint and had wondered why someone with Brent’s potential didn’t do something besides lawn care. He’d made money at it, sure, but he could have made money doing something more, well, prestigious. Not performing a service that people didn’t want to do for themselves.
“I wouldn’t mind facing this one at family get-togethers. He’s a good guy.”
“I know.” All other uncertainties aside, that was one thing she did know. “I was thinking yesterday that as soon as I settle, I could start donating money to some charities, and the first ones that came to mind were here in Copper Lake. You know, like I should start close to home and Copper Lake is home. And other than Mark’s family, I like the town. It’s a good place.”
“And the cute little nerd vet makes it an even better place, huh?”
She elbowed him. “You’ve been talking to Anne.”
“Of course. We talk about everything.” Still embracing her with one arm, Brent led her away from the pool and across the lawn. “So you might stay here.”
Stephen hadn’t asked her to, but he’d hinted that he would like it. Besides, she couldn’t choose a place to live based on a short-term relationship that could, despite her hopes, remain short-term. But she’d liked Copper Lake before she’d met him. She had friends here, people who didn’t gossip about her, who knew what Mark had done had nothing to do with her.
“Apparently, I’m thinking about it.”
“It wouldn’t be a problem for you?”
“Not the town. Just the house. Fair Winds. A few people I can avoid.”
“You wouldn’t mind going from one of the wealthiest men in town to a vet who, I’m guessing, doesn’t make a lot of money and doesn’t care?”
She gave him a reproving look. “You know I don’t care about money.” It was easy to say when she had it, but she would give up every dollar to erase the past eighteen months of suffering and loss.
“I know.” He wrapped his arm around her neck, pulled her close for a hug, then led her toward the house. “But you do care about him, don’t you?”
* * *
Stephen was reluctant to go home that night. Brent and Anne had said good-night and retired to the guesthouse over an hour ago, and their lights had gone out soon after. After begging for her fifth one last story, Clary had fallen asleep in her mother’s arms and snored lightly, while Scooter was doing the same on one of the chairs. Stephen and Macy were sharing the teak love seat on the patio. It was the only place left on the property, she’d joked, that would seat anyone comfortably.
She tried to hide a yawn, not easy when her arms were full of daughter. He took it as his cue to reluctantly say, “I should go and let you get to bed.”
For just an instant in the dim light, panic crept across her face. “Sleep’s overrated, you know?”
“I could—” He stopped himself from offering to spend the night. The old beds in the guest rooms were shorter than him by a head, and there wasn’t even a decent couch left in the house to curl up on. He wasn’t wild about bunking down on the floor because while sleep might be overrated to her, he needed it to function. But he’d do it