Chapter 9 Unlikely Allies
Monday
“ I don’t recall signing up for this,” Johnny Cuba grumbled. He was holding the leash of one of the two Golden Doodles Ella was walking at the lake’s edge.
“Shh!” She teasingly held a finger to her lips. “You’ll hurt Ollie’s and Daisy’s feelings if they hear you.” They were siblings from the same litter. Unfortunately, they’d been abandoned by a young couple who’d gotten divorced and left town without them.
Johnny curled his upper lip at her. “What about my feelings?”
She gave him an innocent look. “Bull riders have feelings?”
He pressed a scarred hand to his heart. “That cuts me deep, Ella. Real deep.”
Despite their verbal sparring, he didn’t stop his constant vigil over their surroundings. When a canoe drifted into view, he neatly stepped between her and its rower, careful to keep her out of easy viewing.
No motorized watercraft were allowed on the lake, so it remained relatively quiet. The highway running around the other side of the lake was far enough away for the traffic to be a distant hum.
“So, you have feelings.” Ella returned her attention to Johnny.
To avoid attracting unnecessary attention to the fact that she was accompanied everywhere she went by a bodyguard, Gage had insisted he start wearing jeans and boots. Since Johnny had grown up in jeans and boots, it was like asking a leopard to keep his spots on. The strands of his black hair waved out from beneath his Stetson, riffling in the wind.
“Yep. Big and tall Texas-sized feelings.” He gave her an assessing sideways glance. “So if you happen to have a single and lonely twin sister running around out there somewhere…” He left the suggestion hanging between them.
She turned his way, slack-jawed. “You mean you’re not actually married with six kids?”
“Six kids?” he scoffed. “Really, Ella?”
“You mean there’s more?” she returned quickly. “I should’ve known since we’re talking about Texas-sized feelings here.”
Before he could come up with a worthy comeback, the ground vibrated beneath their feet. Ella glanced up and saw Jordan hurtling their way on the back of Western Storm.
The two Golden Doodles started barking and pulling frantically on their leashes.
“What in the world?” Johnny wrapped Ollie’s leash around his wrist a few times to anchor it there .
Ella squatted down between the two dogs, crooning assurances in the hopes of calming them down.
Jordan slowed his break-neck speed as he reached them, riding in a circle around them. Western Storm’s hooves splashed through the shallow water flooding over the bank after last night’s rainstorm. The horse finally came to a halt beside them.
The dogs continued to bark, but the growls and whines coming out of their throats were less ferocious.
“Is the sanctuary on fire?” Johnny called to Jordan.
“Nope, but it was broken into a few minutes ago. The back door by the employee lounge was busted clean off its hinges.” Jordan pushed back his Stetson to peer worriedly at Ella. “As far as we can tell, the only thing stolen was your employee file.”
Ella exchanged a startled look with Johnny, who immediately leaped into motion.
“Let’s go!” He and Jordan traded a few hand signals.
The next thing Ella knew, she was being herded back to the animal sanctuary between Western Storm and Johnny’s hulking frame. The pair of dogs continued to bark and wag their tails in excitement. They had no more idea what was going on than she did. They were just enjoying the commotion.
They arrived back at the sanctuary right as one of Lonestar’s armored SUVs was braking in front of the entrance. The clouds of dust it kicked up from the gravel road were slowly drifting away on the breeze.
The driver’s door swung open, and Gage climbed out, leaving the motor idling. “Come on,” he hollered at them.
Ella’s heart raced at the sight of him, and it wasn’t just because of the danger hanging over them. There was just something about Gage Hefner that always got to her. It was probably part hero worship, since he was always coming to her rescue, but it was more than that.
Jordan and Johnny picked up the pace, keeping her snugly ensconced between them. At the last second, Jordan leaped from his horse to the ground. He reached for the Golden Doodles’ leashes. “I’ll take the dogs inside for you.”
“Thanks!” Ella gave him a grateful smile. She’d enjoyed every minute of her volunteer work at the sanctuary. She could only hope that the break-in wouldn’t put an end to her ability to continue working there.
He gravely nodded a goodbye. “Stay safe,” he called after her.
Gage’s steely arm snaked around her, drawing her against his side as he and Johnny bustled her into the back passenger seat. It happened so fast that she might’ve been mistaken, but she thought she felt one of his fingers slide across her cheek before he slammed the door behind her. Johnny climbed in front of her to ride shotgun.
“Thanks. Both of you. It’s a miracle I’ve lasted this long, huh?” Ella’s hands shook as she buckled her seatbelt and stared out the window. The lake still looked so peaceful, even though the world they lived in was not. It contained too many angry, scheming, vicious creatures like the one who’d murdered her father in cold blood. And now they were after her.
“On so many levels,” Gage growled, spinning around in the gravel and gunning it down the driveway.
The sense of urgency in the air brought a new flood of resurfaced memories crashing over her. “I was followed all the way here from Corpus Christi,” she announced feverishly. “I don’t know what alerted them to the fact that I was still alive. We’d been so careful.” The words couldn’t tumble out of her fast enough to keep up with the images flashing through her head.
“We?” Gage asked quickly. “Who’s we?”
“My mother and I.” It was as if the missing volume in her collection of memories had been returned to its rightful shelf at long last. “She was there for every one of my surgeries, from the kidney transplant, of course, to the stuff I had done on my face. It was her idea, but I agreed to it. All of it.” She wasn’t just repeating what her mother had told her. She was telling her own version of it.
“You’re remembering again, eh?” He hunkered behind the wheel, keeping his speed up.
“Yes. Everything.” Tears streamed down her face — tears of relief over getting the rest of her memories back, along with tears of terror over what was coming. “Someone must have figured out who my dad was.” She gulped. “Who he really was.”
“Creston Bolander’s son,” he supplied grimly.
“Whoa!” Johnny whipped his head around to stare at her in astonishment.
She angrily rubbed away the dampness on her cheeks. “As a kid growing up, I never connected the dots, and now I know why. I wasn’t supposed to. Everyone closest to me had colluded to weave an intricate web of lies around me. My dad, my mom, my grandmother…” She waved a hand helplessly. “My entire life has been one big lie.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Gage cut in sharply. “Your dad was a true American hero. They don’t hand out Medals of Honor to slackers. He risked his life to save an entire squad of comrades.”
“It was because he didn’t value his life.” Ella’s voice rose in agitation. “Not at the time. You can check the dates. It was right after my mom divorced him. He wanted to die. He volunteered for the next deployment and led a suicide mission straight into a mercenary-infested?—”
“And brought home ten hostages and lived to tell the tale,” Gage finished for her. “He was an incredible soldier and an incredible man. No way around it.” He briefly caught her gaze in the mirror. “And from what I understand, he was a pretty incredible dad.”
“He was the best,” she sobbed. “That’s why I’m so mad that his life was cut short! So mad,” she repeated between gritted teeth, “that I woke up one morning, determined to do something to avenge his death before I forgot what I ate for breakfast. I was staying in my mom’s vacation cottage on the beach, under the smothering eye of two muscle-bound bodyguards.” She rolled her eyes at the memory of their beach bods. “Since I rarely left the house, they had long since relaxed their guard, so it wasn’t too difficult to sneak off.”
“To empty your bank account, eh?” Gage nodded knowingly. “I suspect that’s what tipped off whoever your mom was protecting you from.” They reached the main road, and Gage hung a left.
“Wait a sec,” she spluttered. “Isn’t my personal financial information supposed to be private?”
“Yep.” He fisted his hands on the steering wheel. “But some folks have the connections and deep enough pockets to get around the rules. They might’ve had someone at the bank under orders to tip them off the moment your account was accessed.”
“Clearly you two have lived more exciting lives than me,” Johnny’s head swiveled between them, “I’m getting motion sick trying to keep up with y’all. Anyone want to give me the Cliff Notes version of what’s actually going on here? ”
“Later.” Gage drove them around the lake, pushing the boundaries of the speed limit. “Right now, I need you to keep an eye out for Billy Bob Bolander’s black pickup truck.”
“I thought it was impounded,” Ella protested.
“So did I,” Gage said grimly, “but someone thought it would be cute to put a few identical trucks out on the road, presumably to kick dust on the case against Billy Bob. The police pulled one of them over an hour ago for speeding. It was an exact replica, right down to the VIN number.”
“Okay, it’s official.” Johnny slapped his hands on his thighs. “You PIs have all the fun. I’m switching to your department immediately.”
“Just keep an eye out for any more Billy Bob lookalike trucks.” Gage sounded impatient. “They’re jacked about a foot off the ground, with oversized tires and studded silver rims.” He reached a straight stretch, turned on his blinker, and veered into the passing lane. They whizzed past a muddy Jeep without the top on it. Even its roll bars were muddy. A group of rowdy teenagers hollered and waved at them.
Ella could see their lips moving, but that was it from inside the soundproof armored vehicle.
“I recently found out that the mother I thought was dead…isn’t,” she explained breathlessly to Johnny. She could sense his growing frustration over being left out of the loop. “Through a weirdly complicated set of events that I don’t completely understand, she felt threatened enough to divorce my father and pretend she’d miscarried me. A year later, she snuck me to him and convinced him to raise me alone, but only after drawing up more paperwork to make it look like he’d remarried and become a widower so th e baby — that would be me — couldn’t be traced back to her.”
Johnny snarled something beneath his breath. “That’s messed up, Ella. You didn’t deserve that. No child deserves that.” The look he shot over his shoulder at her was full of anguish on her behalf.
Despite the gravity of the situation, she lightly swatted his shoulder. “Oh, look! You do have a heart.”
He swatted back, purposely missing her. “What I don’t have is a wife and six kids.”
“What’s that about a wife and kids?” Gage raised his eyebrows at him.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They don’t exist.” Johnny started to give him a dirty look, but froze as he caught sight of something else through the windshield. “Well, will you look at that?”
They were gaining on a dark pickup that was raised an extra foot or so off the pavement. As they drew nearer, Ella could see its blue-black paint gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.
Johnny rattled off the license plate number.
“That’s one of them.” Gage’s hand shot toward the cell phone he had mounted on the dashboard to dial 9-1-1.
“9-1-1. What’s your emergency?” the attendant intoned.
“This is Private Investigator Gage Hefner. I have eyes on a black Ford F-150 with an all-points bulletin out on it.” He rattled off the license number. “Owner is Billy Bob Bolander. He’s wanted for attempted murder.”
The woman asked him to hold. She returned in seconds to announce, “The police are on their way.”
As soon as the call ended, his phone started ringing. He mashed the button to accept it. “Hey, sheriff!”
Ella’s eyes widened at the realization that the sheriff of Heart Lake had called Gage’s personal cell phone. Were they friends or something?
“Can’t let you have all the fun, Ranger,” the man drawled.
“You do realize this could turn into a high-speed chase?” Gage warned.
“I know how to drive.” The sheriff gave a bark of laughter. “Watch and learn, new PI. Watch and learn.”
“As long as you don’t forget I located your target for you,” Gage retorted.
“I won’t forget. If you want to hear the fun, roll your window down.” In short order, the sheriff zipped around them in his white police cruiser and drew abreast of the black pickup. He turned on his flashing lights, then immediately gunned his motor to swerve in front of the truck.
The driver yanked his wheel into the passing lane, but the sheriff mirrored his movements and stayed in front of him. Their bobbing and swerving continued for another half mile or so.
At one point, the driver of the pickup tried to switch tactics and slow down. However, Gage was there to continue boxing him in from behind. They approached a turn on the right.
“This is where he’ll make his move,” Gage warned. “If Luke continues straight, the pickup will go right, and vice versa. Either way, the driver of the pickup will shave off one of us.”
If Luke continues straight… Ella felt like rolling her eyes. Yep, the guy she was crushing on was totally friends with the town sheriff. How convenient! And fortunate. A delicious shiver swept through her. Thank you, Dad. Begging her to go find Gage Hefner was the final gift he’d given her before leaving this world — right after he told her that he loved her. For the longest time, she’d only been able to remember Gage’s name, but now she could remember the rest of what her father had said that night.
I love you, baby girl. So much. Now go find Gage Hefner. He’ll protect you after I’m…
Then his words had faded, his eyes had closed, and he’d finished bleeding out on the floor of her hospital room.
Ella silently relived the agony of his tragic passing as she clung with both hands to the edge of her seat.
They reached the next intersection, and the sheriff continued driving straight. The driver barely slowed his speed before yanking his truck into a last-second right turn. His tires squealed in protest, and he swerved into the next lane. However, he managed to keep his truck on the road.
Gage followed at a more reasonable pace, but had to slam on his brakes when the black pickup skidded to a halt in front of him. They were facing a roadblock manned by no less than three more police cruisers with flashing lights.
The sheriff careened around the Lonestar armored vehicle from behind, giving them a friendly wave as he passed them.
“Show off,” Gage muttered.
Ella leaned forward in her seat, watching with bated breath as the police converged on the black truck with their weapons drawn. Within moments, they had the driver standing spread eagle against the hood.
She’d never seen him before. It wasn’t Billy Bob.
The police performed a search of the black pickup and came out of it waving a small plastic bag.
“Hoh boy,” Johnny muttered. “Looks like they found drugs.”
The prisoner was handcuffed and escorted to one of the waiting police cruisers. After they drove off with him, Luke Hawling swaggered to Gage’s side of the vehicle.
Gage rolled down his window. “You cheated.”
“Nah, you’re the only one who cut a corner.” Luke joked. “I saw you.”
“Very funny.” Gage shook his head at the sheriff.
He was one of those tall, dark, and heavily tanned outdoorsy types. When he bent his head a little to peek inside the vehicle, Ella caught sight of the scars covering the other half of his face — bad scars, like he’d been in a fire or something.
He met Ella’s gaze. “Hi. I’m Sheriff Luke Hawling.”
“I’m Ella Lawton.” She was pretty sure he already knew that.
Gage pushed a button to unlock the doors.
The sheriff opened her door and held out a hand to her. They shook hands.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said gently.
“The mystery gal from out of town who could barely remember how to tie her shoes until a few days ago, huh?”
His smile was understanding. “I was actually gonna say the daughter of one of our town’s biggest heroes. Not that we don’t have a few cool dudes locally.” He playfully flexed his muscles, making it clear he was talking about himself. Both Gage and Johnny groaned in derision.
The sheriff sobered. “Your dad really put our town on the map. What he did down in South America to rescue those hostages…” The look in his eyes was pure, adulterated admiration. “If they ever make his story into a movie, I’m buying front row seats.”
“Thank you, sir.” The kindness behind his words was comforting. So was the knowledge that the brave cowboys living in her father’s hometown truly had her back. For the first time in a long time, she was no longer afraid of what came next.
“Just call me Luke.” He tapped his fist against the side of her door. “This town is way too small for nauseating titles.”
“Like Show Off?” Gage inquired politely from the front seat.
Chuckling, Luke moved back to Gage’s window. “Did you roll your window down like I suggested?”
Gage smirked. “So I could hear you crow all the louder over today’s success?”
“Or overhear what that high-speed moron was bragging about when we first pulled him out of his truck.” Luke lowered his voice and stepped closer to the Lonestar SUV.
“Oh, sure,” Johnny bragged, leaning over the console, “we heard every word, but we’d rather hear you tell it your way.”
Ella watched their exchange in confusion, since she was very sure they’d been parked too far back to hear much of what had taken place in front of them. All they’d done was watch.
The sheriff dropped his voice. “He swore that Raleigh Bolander would have his bail posted in two snaps.”
Gage’s eyebrows came together. “That is not what I expected you to say.”
Luke stepped back, pretending to be offended. “I thought you boys said you heard every word of what was said out there.” He dusted his hands down his shirtsleeves. “Because you know I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation with y’all.” His twinkling gaze told Ella that he’d deliberately slipped that bit of information to them.
He gave them a two-fingered salute and got back inside his cruiser, keeping his door ajar and one boot on the ground. A tow truck rumbled up to the blockade to impound the second Billy Bob lookalike truck.
While they watched, an incoming text on Gage’s phone made his jaw tighten.
“Time to roll.” He waited until Ella shut her door. Then he slowly backed up and made a U-turn to retrace their path to the intersection with the stop sign. He hung a left and headed back toward town.
“What are you doing?” Johnny looked puzzled. “I thought the idea was to get Ella off the beaten track and out of harm’s way.”
“That’s still the plan, but we’re taking a detour.” The lake came into view. Instead of staying on the highway and skirting it like he normally did, Gage pulled into a shaded alcove at the far end of the lake. Whether manmade or a natural phenomenon, a line of trees had grown through a shallow bridge of land just beneath the surface of the lake. The result was a sectioned off half-acre or so mini-lake that was separated from the main body of water. A small dock led out to a gazebo. Its outer walls were lined with kayaks and paddleboards.
Ella glanced down at her sweatpants and tennis shoes. “What are we doing here?” They weren’t exactly in swimsuits.
“You’ll see.” Gage’s voice was infused with excitement. The gazebo looked empty, which meant they had the place all to themselves.
“Shoot! I’m game.” Johnny lifted a leg as high as the dashboard. “I can roll up my jeans.”
“Hold your horses. We have a couple of calls to make first.” Gage kept the motor idling while he pushed one of the numbers he had on speed dial. “By we, I mean me. I’ll do the talking.” He shot Johnny a warning look as it started to ring.
A musical alto voice filled the cab of the vehicle. “Gage Hefner! To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I have someone with me who’s been doing some more remembering,” he announced, gesturing grandly for Ella to start talking.
She was silent for a moment while his words sank in. “You mean Ella?” Avery Radcliffe gasped. Her joy was so palpable that Ella could feel it all the way in the backseat.
Gage smiled across the seat at Ella and angled his head toward the phone. Tell her, he mouthed.
“Oh, she’s allowed to speak, and I’m not?” Johnny stage whispered his complaint. “I see how it is!”
“Who’s that?” Avery Radcliffe sounded worried.
“Hi, Mom.” Ella undid her seatbelt so she could stretch her body through the opening between the two front seats. She leaned both elbows on the console and waited.
“Ella, honey.” Her mother paused to draw a shuddery breath. “Is everything okay?”
Ella’s life was far from okay, so she dodged the question. “I remember everything now.” Well, almost everything. There were still a few fuzzy parts, thanks to the surgeries and anesthesia.
“Where are you?” her mother asked quickly. “I want to see you.”
Gage jumped back into the conversation and gave her their location. “I’m assuming you’re traveling with security, ma’am? If not, we’ll come pick you up.”
Her mother sniffed. “I can’t remember the last time I traveled anywhere without a bodyguard. Not even when I was a kid.” She disconnected the line .
“One down. One to go.” Without explaining what he meant by that, Gage dialed another number.
This time, a man picked up.
“If you’re calling about the contract, my attorney promised to have it sent over to you today.” His voice was unfamiliar to Ella.
“That’s great, sir. I’m actually calling about something else, though.”
“Yeah, yeah. I heard there’s a fleet of Billy Bob Bolander trucks on the road,” the man groaned.
“But no sign of your son yet.” Some of the excitement ebbed from Gage’s voice. “I can only imagine how difficult this is for you.”
His son? Ella stared a hole in the back of Gage’s head, silently daring him to turn around again. Weren’t they supposed to be staying away from the Bolanders?
“It used to be difficult.” Mr. Bolander’s tone held little inflection. “Until it wasn’t. I’ve done everything I can to get him to straighten up his act. You have no idea the amount of counseling he’s been through, all the group therapy, all the stays at rehabilitation clinics, all the medication…”
Ella’s hand shot out and curled around the top of Gage’s shoulder. “What are you doing?” she hissed. Unless she was dreaming, he was talking to Creston Bolander. One of the prime suspects in her father’s murder.
Gage reached up to cover her hand with his. “This is the part where you turn it over to God, sir.” His answer surprised Ella. He was talking to the man like they knew each other.
“You’re right.” To her even greater surprise, Mr. Bolander’s voice grew soft with humility. “I reckon there are a lot of things I should’ve turned over to Him before now.” He was silent for a moment. “Like the whereabouts of my granddaughter. So help me, Gage, we have to find her! Even if it’s only to lay her to rest.” His voice cracked.
His granddaughter? Ella shuddered. Please, please, please don’t be talking about me!
“That’s what I’m calling about, sir.” Gage’s fingers tightened on hers. “I have a lead on her whereabouts.”
Her heart felt like it was sinking into the floorboard.
“You mean she’s alive?” Creston Bolander shouted the question.
“Yes, sir. I have every reason to believe that’s the case. If you’ll meet me at the lake, I’ll explain everything.” He rattled off the address.
“Why the lake?” Mr. Bolander’s voice was infused with suspicion.
“Because it’s private, sir. I’ll be waiting for you in the gazebo.”
“Gage,” Mr. Bolander protested, “you can’t just leave me hanging like this.”
“I promise to explain everything when you get here, sir.” Gage disconnected the line.
A profound silence fell over the three of them. Ella finally found the air to breathe again. “He’s my grandfather,” she announced in a dull voice. No wonder Billy Bob Bolander had looked so familiar. What a cruel, cruel twist of fate! She didn’t want it to be true.
While she reeled in shock, Johnny twisted around in his seat again, pointing at her and Gage’s joined hands with an aha look. “Are you two together or what?”
“That’s all you got out of this whole exchange?” A trill of hysterical laughter rolled out of her.
“It’s a simple question.” His voice grew testy. “Which you two are forever dodging. ”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “We haven’t known each other very long.”
“So?” He waggled his dark eyebrows at her. “Girls like you only come along once in a lifetime. He might not see it,” he stabbed his thumb in Gage’s direction, “but I do.” Giving her a lazy wink, he drawled, “How about you let me take you to dinner tonight?”
She stared at him, wondering if he’d lost his mind. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She was literally holding hands with the guy he’d just accused of not noticing her in a romantic sense.
“Why not?” he taunted.
She could feel the rage knotting the muscles in Gage’s shoulder. “Because I already have plans for dinner.” She squeezed his hand. “Gage is taking me out. Right, Gage?” She held her breath, silently begging him to say yes.
He slowly turned his head to meet her gaze. Something wonderful and breathtaking was burning there. “Where would you like me to take you, darling?”
Darling. He called me darling! She felt close to swooning. “Anywhere you’re gonna be.”
His gaze grew heavy lidded. “I think that can be arranged.”
“Excuse me while I go puke.” Johnny abruptly pushed his door open and hopped to the ground. “And while I’m at it, I’m gonna pray for a gorgeous woman to storm into my life and not date me the way Ella is not dating you.” He shot a withering look at Gage before leaning back against the side of the SUV. As far as Ella could tell, he went back to observing their surroundings with the same intensity he always did his job with.
She returned her gaze to Gage. “He has no idea what he’s asking for. My life is in complete shambles.” She knew Johnny could hear them, since he’d left his door open.
Gage briefly tipped his forehead against hers. “I like you just the way you are, shambles and all.”
She caught a flash of silver movement from the corner of her eye and abruptly pulled away from him.
A sleek silver car rolled into view, making Johnny whistle loudly in admiration. “A Rolls Royce Phantom. What I wouldn’t give to bum a ride in one of those.” He slapped the side of the armored vehicle to give them a heads up. “Looks like our first VIP has arrived.”
“I want to kiss you,” Gage informed Ella huskily as he assisted her from the vehicle.
“I want to kiss you, too,” she whispered back.
“It’ll have to wait until we’re alone, though.” He raised his voice so Johnny could hear the rest of what he said. “No way is Johnny playing third wheel to our first kiss.”
“At the pace you were going, there might not’ve been a first kiss if I hadn’t helped scoot things along,” Johnny retorted. “You’re welcome, bro.” He was clearly taking credit for their first dinner date.
Gage drew a finger down her cheek. This time, she was sure it was intentional. “I have no complaints about the pace we’re going.”
He hovered over her, half-shielding her with his broad shoulders, as her mother stepped out of the back passenger seat and hurried their way. She was flanked by two burly men in black suits and white dress shirts. They looked more like FBI than bodyguards. Then again, their suits didn’t look nearly as expensive as her asymmetrical red blazer with a drop hem — a Giorgia Armani pantsuit, if Ella wasn’t mistaken. She knew this because she’d been salivating over designer clothing most of her life .
I’m so my mother’s daughter. She might not have been born rich like Avery Radcliffe, but she possessed the same expensive tastes. Must be in our genes.
Her mother made an exultant sound and launched herself like a bullet in their direction. “My baby,” she crooned, sweeping Ella into her vanilla-scented embrace. “You’re back! All of you.”
“Yes, I am.” Along with Ella’s recovered memories was the solid reassurance that her mother had spared no resources to protect her only daughter for the past five years. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to have a parent in her life again. No, it wasn’t the same as having her dad back. Nothing could make that happen this side of Heaven. But she could get used to having a mom. One who was finally ready to acknowledge her in public, it seemed.
Ella could hear it in her mother’s voice and feel it in her cherishing embrace. She could even see it in her tear-drenched eyelashes as she pulled back a little to gaze in adoration at her. She had to be wearing waterproof mascara, because there wasn’t a single smudge of darkness against her cheeks.
“I’m never letting you go again, hon. Never!” Avery Radcliffe declared. “You’re my daughter, and I want the whole world to know it!”
Ella was too overwhelmed to respond.
“I’m sorry for keeping you at arms’ length for so long,” her mother continued brokenly. “I had myself convinced it was the only way I could protect you, and maybe it was while you were growing up, but no longer. Things are going to be different from now on.”
The hum of a motor sounded in the distance. It grew louder as it came their way .
Gage and Johnny exchanged a look that had Johnny leaping into action. “How about y’all head on out to the gazebo to finish your visit?” He made a sweeping gesture toward the dock. “You’ll have more privacy there. I’ll keep watch out here.”
“I’ll stay with him.” Gage held out a credit card-sized piece of white plastic to Ella. “This is Jillian’s lake pass. Scan it at the door to unlock the gazebo.”
“Thanks.” She accepted the card, flicking her gaze toward the sound of the approaching vehicle. Was it her grandfather?
He shooed them toward the gazebo with an urgency that told her he wanted to intercept Mr. Bolander first. “Go enjoy the view with your mom. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”
She thanked him with her eyes, then linked arms with her mother. They strolled together toward the dock.
“What was that all about?” Her mother eyed her curiously.
“There was a development on the case today,” she confided softly.
“Tell me everything,” her mother commanded, placing her other hand over the ones Ella had curled around her arm.
As they walked across the dock, she shared the news about Billy Bob’s lookalike pickups, the driver she’d watched get arrested, and his claim that Raleigh Bolander would be bailing him out in two snaps.
Her mother’s expression darkened. “Somehow, I doubt that. Though I’m no fan of the Bolanders, Creston disinherited his youngest son years ago. That means Raleigh will inherit everything. It makes no sense for him to rock that boat. ”
They reached the gazebo, and Ella swiped Jillian’s lake pass to let them in. The gate swung open, and they stepped inside. The end facing the lake had no sailing gear mounted to it, giving them a clear view of the secluded alcove.
“Heart Lake is so beautiful.” Avery Radcliffe gripped the railing and gazed out over the blue rippling water. “Every time I visit it, I want to stay and soak up all this peacefulness forever.”
Ella could hear the vehicle behind them finish its approach. A door slammed, and there was a hubbub of male voices. She ventured a glance over her shoulder and spotted a white-haired gentleman conferring with Gage. He had to be Creston Bolander. Her heart thudded with a mix of anticipation and dread. On the upside, her mother seemed oblivious to what was happening behind them.
Ella returned to soaking up the view in front of them. “Have you considered buying a piece of waterfront property for yourself?”
“Considered it? Yes.” Her mother’s voice was dismissive. “Will I ever do it? Probably not. My father would have a fit if I left home.”
“How come?” Ella blurted. Was that why her parents’ marriage had failed? She still knew so little about the Radcliffes.
Her mother took her time answering. “He’s old school. Since I never remarried, he considers it his responsibility to look after me. He clung to me all the more after my mother died. We lost her to cancer while I was in college. Between grieving for her and picking up the pieces after my divorce, I moved back home and stayed too long. I wouldn’t have the heart to leave him now.”
“I’m sorry you lost your mom at such an early age.” It saddened Ella to learn that she would’ve never met her maternal grandmother, not even if her parents had stayed married.
“Dad was never the same after she died,” her mother continued. “I’m not making excuses for him. He’s a tough nut who’s not very well liked by anyone besides me and his administrative assistant, Blain. Goodness, but that man puts up with a lot! All rough edges aside, though, I really do think that losing Mom is what made my dad so bitter.”
“That must be hard for you.” Ella couldn’t imagine living day in and day out with someone who chose to wallow in misery.
The hubbub of men’s voices grew closer, making her tense.
Her mother shrugged. “It’s a big house. Sometimes we go days without seeing each other, though we usually meet up for dinner on the weekends.” She gave Ella a tight smile. “Besides, it’ll all be mine someday. Staying there saves me the trouble of moving back.”
“You mean when you inherit Radcliffe Industries?” Ella’s brain snapped back into investigative mode. She hadn’t yet ruled out Walker Radcliffe as a suspect in her father’s murder.
“Exactly.” Her mother gave her a sharp look. “Why don’t you just ask me what you really want to ask me?”
Ella was embarrassed that she’d been that transparent. “It’s kind of hard to fool a psychiatrist, huh?”
“Or your mother.” Avery Radcliffe rolled her eyes.
“You said your father is a hard man.” Ella feared there wasn’t any way to phrase her suspicions that wouldn’t cause offense.
Her mother’s eyes widened. “I did, hon, but I wasn’t in any way suggesting that he was capable of killing your father. ”
Ella turned bright red, dragging a chuckle out of her mom.
“You should see your face,” she chortled, pointing one red nail polish-tipped finger at her.
Ella glanced away in embarrassment. “I’m kind of glad I can’t.”
Footsteps sounded on the dock leading to the gazebo.
Her mother reached over and patted her hand. “Relax. I don’t blame you for questioning everyone and everything around you.”
“Do you think he’d have any interest in meeting me?” Ella was half afraid to hear the answer to that.
“I do, but not for the reasons you’re hoping,” her mother sighed. When Ella frowned, she held up a hand. “I’ll explain. He was furious with me when I divorced your father, and not because he was overly concerned about my happiness. I’m not sure the man even believes in love anymore.” Her lips twisted. “But he would’ve taken unholy delight in a merger by marriage between Radcliffe Industries and Bolander & Sons.”
Ella’s lips parted in amazement. “So, even he knew who my father really was?”
“He had his suspicions.” Her mother’s voice was derisive. “And he went to a great deal of trouble to prove those suspicions during the early days of our marriage. He must have inadvertently kicked some sort of hornets’ nest, because that’s when all the trouble started for Mick and me.”
“What sort of trouble?” Ella’s dad had never breathed a word of this to her.
Her mother stared blindly across the water. “Mick had already joined the military by then, so we were apart for months at a time — first for boot camp, then for airborne training, and eventually for Ranger School. I remained at the university in Spain, studying for my degree. Every time we could squeeze in a visit, though, it was like we were cursed. The hotel we stayed at during our honeymoon in Paris caught fire. There was a gas leak in my dorm during Mick’s next visit. During his visit after that, someone shot the windows out of my car while we were still in it. I was pregnant by then.”
“It could’ve been a series of coincidences.” That sure was a lot of them.
“We thought so, too, until we started receiving written threats. They were made from words torn out of magazines and newspapers.” Her mother lapsed into silence.
“What did they say?” Ella was impatient to hear more before her grandfather showed up. She was surprised he hadn’t made his appearance yet.
Her mother’s eyes brimmed with regret. “That we needed to stay away from each other if we wanted the bad things to stop.”
“And?” Ella begged.
“We didn’t listen,” her mother rasped. “We didn’t listen until I took a bullet in the ribs while seated at an outdoor cafe in Madrid. It was a through and through. By some miracle, it missed every major organ. I almost lost our baby, though, due to the trauma. Both Mick and I were convinced that the bullet was intended for our unborn child, because the police discovered a nick in the table. They said it changed the trajectory of the bullet, deflecting it to a higher angle. I filed for a divorce a few days later. Shortly after that, Mick volunteered for a dangerous mission overseas. I don’t think he intended to come back from it.”
The door to the gazebo opened.
Gage’s voice wafted their way, “There she is, sir. ”
“Ella?” A tortured baritone met her ears. “Is it really you?”
Her mother paled and spun around. “Creston?”
Ella turned around to see the white-haired gentleman from the parking lot standing in the open doorway of the gazebo. Gage was right behind him.
“Avery?” the man sputtered, looking taken aback. There was no denying his resemblance to her father.
Dizziness shook Ella. It was like coming face to face with her own father. Or what he would’ve looked like if he’d lived another twenty years. Her voice shook as she greeted him. “You must be my?—”
“I’m your grandfather.” Creston Bolander closed the distance between them, glaring at her mother. When his gaze returned to her, his eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “I was afraid I would never see you again.”