Driftwood Bay (Hope Harbor #5) - Irene Hannon Page 0,108

ahead of them.

They looked like a happy family.

And the icing on the cake?

The sky was bright blue.

“What is it, Logan?” Jeannette touched his arm.

He angled the cell toward her, not trusting himself to speak.

Her features softened as she examined it. “I love that she sees us like that.” She lifted her chin and studied him. “But there’s more to it, isn’t there?”

“Yes.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat and told her about the picture Molly had drawn months ago with the dark sky. “I prayed for it to turn blue.”

Her own eyes began to shimmer. “That’s what love can do. It chases away the dark clouds and turns gray skies to blue. Your love did that for me too.”

Blinking to clear his vision, he tapped in a quick response to Molly, pocketed his phone, and drew Jeannette toward him again, this woman who’d vowed to keep love at bay but who’d trusted him with her heart.

And he would never, ever betray that trust.

“Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

“No more than I love you.” She twined her arms around his neck. “I was hoping there’d be a flight delay so I could demonstrate.”

“Hold that thought for a few hours. In the meantime . . . let me give you a preview of what I have in store for you for the next, say, fifty or sixty years.”

He touched his mouth to hers, in a gentle kiss that he quickly deepened at her ardent response.

And as the world faded away . . . as he lost himself in her sweet embrace . . . one final, rational thought registered.

All those months ago, when he’d upended his world to accommodate a child, he’d known his life would never be the same again—and he’d assumed most of those changes wouldn’t be for the better.

But God did indeed work in mysterious ways.

For who would have predicted that all the upheaval of those early months with Molly would lead him to a woman who touched his heart as no one ever had? Who filled his world with unimagined joy and endless possibilities? Who had been exactly what he needed to find his own happy place?

And every day, for as long as he lived, he would thank the Almighty for guiding him to a little town on the Oregon coast with a name that had more than lived up to its promise.

“He got away.”

As the bad news echoed across the miles, I stared at the skeleton of the leaf-stripped tree beside me and tightened my grip on the burner phone.

“What do you mean, he got away? You told me this would be a piece of cake.” A cloud of breath formed in front of my face, the frigid December air pricking my cheeks.

Silence on the other end of the line.

My hired gun must be miffed by my accusatory tone.

Tough.

I’d paid a premium price for his specialized skills, and I expected results—not screwups.

“He fought back.” The man’s voice was measured, but an undercurrent of annoyance tightened his words.

The irritation went both ways.

“Of course he fought back.” I took a final drag on my cigarette, dug out one of the pieces of aluminum foil I always carried, and crushed the butt on the edge of the empty planter beside me. “He was in the army. I told you that.”

“You said he was a medic—and that he’s been out for several years.”

“He was . . . and he has been.”

“Then he does some serious workouts. I was fortunate to walk away with nothing worse than a bruised jaw.”

“You should have done more homework.”

“You didn’t give me the time.”

That was true.

And the fast turnaround had cost me extra.

“You’ll heal.” I began to pace. If the man was hoping for sympathy, he was out of luck. “I want this finished before he goes to the police.”

“If he was going to involve law enforcement, he’d have done so already . . . and I’d know about it.”

That was probably also true—assuming the guy had all the connections he’d claimed.

Another reason I’d paid top dollar for the job.

“Where is he now?”

“Unknown. He’s fallen off the radar. But I’ll find him.”

My stomach twisted into a hard knot, and I halted. “You think he realized he was set up?”

“His disappearing act would suggest that.”

“How fast can you track him down?”

“Depends on whether his evasive abilities are as well-honed as his fighting skills.”

I didn’t like the sound of that.

“Our agreement called for this to be finished by the end of the