Chapter 24
Paradise didn’t know how to settle Blake down as they waited for Jenna to come home. His knee jiggered up and down as he sat
beside her on the sofa, and he looked pale and drawn. The weight of everything rested on his shoulders. His commitment to
those he loved was one of the many reasons she adored him. He wouldn’t be Blake Lawson without that huge heart.
She took his hand and brought it to her lips. “We’ll get through this, babe.” His nod was jerky, but at least it was there.
She touched his cheek to turn his face her way. “Look at me.”
His gaze focused on her and she nearly flinched at the misery in his blue eyes. He was hurting so much, and she was helpless
to help him. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him with all the love in her heart. He clung to her and pulled her
close against his chest. The tension eased out of his shoulders as he kissed her like a drowning man looking for air. She
held him until he finally pulled back.
“What would I do without you?”
“Thankfully you’ll never know.”
Lights from a car outside flooded the living room with light.
“There they are,” he said in a tight voice, the stress instantly back on his face.
He rose to face the door as his mother walked in with Frank.
They were smiling and holding hands. Frank had a contented grin that made Paradise smile, too, even though she still feared for their future.
Frank was good for Jenna, and Paradise loved him for the way he wanted to care for her.
Jenna did a fist pump when she saw them. She looked beautiful in her black cocktail dress and heels. Her dark hair was in
an updo, and she was radiant when she glanced at Frank. “We raised over three thousand dollars tonight, kids! I can’t believe
it. Frank is a genius.” Her jubilant smile faded when her gaze landed on Blake, and her hand went to her throat. “Are the
boys okay?”
“They’re fine, Mom. They’re asleep. Sit down. This will take a little time to explain.”
Frowning, Frank led Jenna to the sofa and nudged her down, then perched on the sofa cushion beside her. He turned to stare
at Blake and Paradise. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No,” Paradise said quickly. “Jenna needs your support right now.” She gulped and swallowed the lump in her throat. Should
she tell her or let Blake do it?
Blake plunged in before she could decide what to do. “Mom, it appears Allen Steerforth may have a will floating out there
that would negate the sale of The Sanctuary to us. If it’s found, we won’t own the park any longer.”
“W-what? Mary assured me there was no will.” Her blue eyes grew wide as Blake laid out what they knew about the situation.
“But it hasn’t been found yet, so we’re fine, right?” She turned toward Frank with a bewildered plea on her face.
He took her hand and held it in both of his. “I’m sure there’s more to the story. Stay calm, honey.”
“If a month passes without it turning up, we’re clear,” Blake said. “But I don’t think we can assume it won’t be found. We need to be proactive. Hez says we should try to find out if Dean killed Allen.”
“Mary has always believed it was murder.”
Frank glanced around the living room. “It seems one avenue is to find the will yourself. You could make sure he doesn’t find
it that way.”
“But wouldn’t we be obligated to turn it over?” Blake asked.
“I don’t know what the law says about that. I doubt it requires a found will to be turned in to anyone.”
It might not be required, but what was the right thing to do? What a dilemma. Did they find a will and turn it over to a murderer?
That didn’t seem right either. This Christian walk wasn’t as black-and-white as Paradise had thought. What was the right thing to do? Didn’t justice matter? Maybe they needed to pray it was never found.
Blake let out a harsh breath. “I’m not sure I want to face what God might require if we find the will.”
“I get it,” Frank said. “It doesn’t feel like justice to reward a murderer for his crime.”
“If he really is a murderer. We don’t know if that’s true.”
“Mary seemed certain,” Paradise whispered. She was too new at this faith thing to know what was right. And it wasn’t her fight—they
could figure it out and do what they thought best. But she still planned to pray nothing would happen, that the park would
go on saving the wildlife with this new influx of cash.
If they lost the park, it might be years before Blake felt stable enough to start a new life with her.
That shouldn’t matter to her, but it did, and she had begun to feel like in the list of things important to Blake, she was third or fourth place.
But hadn’t she encouraged him to take things slow, to get the park on firm footing?
It had been a joint decision, but it was one she was beginning to regret.
The day-to-day life of running back and forth from town and getting only snippets of time with Blake was wearing her down.
She gave a slight shake of her head. It was her fatigue talking from the brutal day and the stress of learning about the dire
situation. She would never want to come between Blake and his family—they were all important to her too. It wasn’t a choice
between her or them; it was all of them together. Her chronic feeling of being displaced and unloved was attacking now. And
she wasn’t about to let those feelings win.
Blake rubbed gritty eyes, then made a mug of coffee in his Keurig and carried it down the stairs from his apartment. Dew dampened
his feet as he crossed to the back deck of the house. He’d tossed and turned—and prayed—trying to figure out the best course
of action. Sunrise over the park touched everything with a glow that smoothed out the rough edges. The view and the scent
of pine combined with his mom’s narcissi growing along the side of the yard soothed his agitation. A bald eagle perched in
the tall branches of an oak tree and watched for mice or other small rodents.
“I thought I’d find you out here.”
He turned at Paradise’s voice. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and shadows bloomed under her eyes. She hadn’t left until after
midnight, and he doubted she’d slept much either. “Want some coffee? I can make you a mug.”
“Not yet. It doesn’t look like your mom and the boys are up, and I don’t want to wake them.” She crossed the cedar planks to his side and palmed his cheek as she kissed him.
Her soft touch and sweet breath were the balm he needed. He pulled her into his arms for a real kiss before he drew back,
resting his forehead on hers. “Not sure what to do, babe.” The feel of her in his arms and her unmistakable scent were what
he needed in this moment.
“I think we first need to see if there’s any truth to Mary’s belief that Dean killed Allen. Hez was going to try to get the
accident report. Maybe he’ll get that today. In the meantime we can go see Mary and ask more about Dean and the situation.
She might be able to give us the names of some of his friends. And if there’s an old girlfriend, she might be bitter enough
to give us some information.”
“You’re incredible. Those are great ideas.” He reached for his phone. “I’ll text Hez. He’s an early riser.”
An answer to his reminder to Hez about the file came back almost immediately. Sent out request last night. I hope to hear later this morning. I’ll be in touch.
Blake thanked him and set his phone back on the arm of the deck chair. “I think we have a busy day today. Saturdays are always
crazy. What’s on your plate?”
“Pawsome Pets is closed. I’ll check in with Warren and see if our animals are all healthy today. If there’s nothing that needs
my attention, I could go collect any information Mary might have. Once you’re free, we can make the rounds to any friends
or girlfriends she might suggest.”
“I’m not crazy about you doing it by yourself. What if Dean figures out we’re snooping around? You could be in danger.”
She stiffened and sighed before sliding off his lap. “I’m a grown woman, not a child. I don’t need to be coddled and protected from all possibility of harm. You’re a natural-born protector, but you have to quit acting like the sky is falling if I’m out of your sight for five minutes.”
He stuffed down his anger before he could say something he regretted. “I know you are, babe. I think I react that way because
the losses started early in life for me. They’ve trained me to always be expecting the next one. Losing you would be more
than I could take.”
Her frown smoothed and a smile curved her lips. “I tend to overreact to things like that.”
How did other men do it? He wasn’t the only male who wanted to protect those he loved. Women could be hard to figure out sometimes.
“I’ll work on it.”
Her gaze softened even more. “I love that you’re protective, Blake, but you have to learn the line between protection and
smothering. I can make a perfectly normal visit with a friend to ask questions without alarm bells going off for you.”
She tapped his chest. “If we have kids, will you put a leash on them and make sure they’re safe every moment? Life isn’t safe.
Things happen, bad things. We can’t control them, but we can temper how we react to them. Our kids will have to learn to deal
with issues and discover for themselves that they’re strong enough to handle life. Don’t steal that strength from them or
from me.”
He searched her gaze and nodded. “I see your point.”
The back door opened, and his mom joined them. “Good morning. You’re both up bright and early.” She looked as tired as the
two of them. “I’m making coffee and breakfast.”
“I can help.” Paradise went toward the door. “I feel like biscuits and gravy. I’ll make the biscuits if you do the gravy.
Mine usually turns out like wallpaper paste.”
Blake rose to follow them. “I doubt that. You’re a great cook, Paradise.”
She drilled him with an amused glance. “I can bake if it’s easy. Tricky recipes are still a trial, but I’m trying.”
“I’ll show you how I do it,” Mom said.
“I can make the coffee,” Blake said.
It might take a while for Paradise to thaw today. He wasn’t sure how to keep the protective side of his nature in check. His
mom and brothers were used to the way he stepped out to help keep them safe, but the woman he loved valued her independence
in ways he couldn’t quite come to grips with yet. But if they were going to build a life together, they had to figure out
a happy compromise.