My Deadly Valentine - By Valerie Hansen & Lynette Eason Page 0,51
have seemed to him. “I remember.”
She wanted to roll down the window of the truck and let the cold mountain air blow in. But then she’d have to explain why she was so warm.
“I’ve thought a lot about those days with you, Holly.”
“Hmm.” Then why did you leave me? she wanted to shout at him. Instead, she bit her tongue and refused to let the words cross her lips.
Picking up on her signals, he didn’t say another word until they’d reached the small clearing beside the waterfall where she parked.
Climbing out of the truck, she let the sound of the falls rush over her. So peaceful up here.
And cold. She shivered. A faint sound reached her ears. “Do you hear that?”
Cocking his head, he listened. “No, just the sound of the waterfall. Why?”
“I thought I heard a motor or something.”
Another minute passed as he listened. “No, I don’t hear anything.”
“All that shooting up in the big city damaged your hearing, huh?” She couldn’t help the dig even as uneasiness quivered through her. She wondered why.
Looking around, she couldn’t have asked for a more peaceful scene.
Eli slanted her a look. “Cute.” He looked at his phone. “I was going to check on Dad, but I’ve got no signal up here. Battery’s getting low, too.”
She grunted. “No, no cell towers out here. It’s funny because my house isn’t too far from here. About a mile and a half that way and I get cell service. Up here, we’re back in the dark ages.” She squinted through the bare trees. “See that little dot through there?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s a small log cabin. It belongs to Alex. This time of year, you can stand in his yard and look down on mine. He said he wanted to build the cabin up and add on to it for the big family he plans to have.” She shook her head in disgust. “If he ever moves up here, I’m going to have to sell my land just to get away from him.”
“We’ll figure something out before it comes to that, I promise.” He took her hand and her first instinct was to pull away. Don’t get too close, her head warned her. But the feel of his fingers wrapped around hers broke down a barrier and she let him pull her along. “Come on, let’s go down.”
She followed, trying not to tremble at the feel of her hand in his. “Thank you for helping me today.”
“You’re welcome.”
She shot him a tender look. “How is your dad doing?”
“A little sore after his appointment this morning, but Buckeye gave him a pain pill so he should be relatively comfortable in a little while.”
“It’s good of you to come home and take care of him. How long are you staying?”
They climbed down in silence for a few minutes. Then he said over the roar of the falls, “I’m home for good, Holly.”
He looked like he was serious. But he’d been serious the last time he’d said that, too. He’d come home from the academy, accepted a position with the local sheriff’s department, then six months later resigned and moved to New York.
She kept her mouth shut.
He jumped to the bottom next to the water. Spray misted them and she decided they were crazy for doing this in the middle of February. He shouted over the rushing water. “I don’t blame you for your skepticism, but I’m serious. I’ve missed this place no matter how hard I’ve tried to deny it. And Dad needs me on the farm right now.”
“What are you going to do when he doesn’t need you anymore?” she shouted back.
He flinched. “That’s the question that keeps me awake at night. I guess God’s going to have to let me know what He wants me to do in that regard.”
God. She blinked at his easy reference—and the reverence in his tone. Six years and already his faith was strong, maturing at a speed she never would have believed if she hadn’t seen it for herself.
“And if He wants you to return to New York?”
He just looked at her. “Then I’d have to go.”
“You really have changed, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
Could it be that easy? She so wanted to believe he’d changed, but wasn’t ready to put her heart on the line only to find out different.
“Hmm.”
Pebbles and dirt rained down on them, rolling from the top from where they’d climbed down. Shrieking, Holly jumped to the side to get out of the way.