Chapter Nineteen
Rental Home
Pine Island Circle
Rory walked out onto the deck with her coffee. Thank goodness there was a morning breeze. That Southern summer weather had kicked in full throttle with a healthy surge into the upper nineties.
She sat down, cradled her mug and savored the hot liquid caffeine.
It had been just over three weeks since the investigation had burst wide open.
Since then, the headlines in every newspaper across the state had heralded her a hero for fighting for the truth.
But the truth was, Chance was the hero. The Colby Agency was the hero.
She had said as much in the one interview she had granted.
It still stunned her each morning when she woke up and remembered all that had happened since her release from prison.
Between Rick Hill and Anthony Harris, they had gotten the full story.
All Anthony had wanted was for his wife to be happy.
In the final weeks before the wedding, he’d grown more and more desperate.
Having had too many drinks at Pete’s bachelor party, he’d said as much to Shane.
Blabbed on about how he wished Rory would just go away for good.
Shane had decided he would take care of the problem and then blackmail the Harris family.
After all, Anthony and Eudora had never treated Shane’s mother right. It was time to even that score.
Shane and his partner had been playing their sick games for several years.
Pick an isolated house without a security system, take what they wanted, have a little fun and get out.
They were good at it—rarely made mistakes.
The way they treated the victims, particularly the two women at Henagar just showed the sheer depth of their evil.
The hit on Rory and Pete’s wedding night was different—it was personal and escalated to a whole new level of depravity.
Shane wanted Rory—just once. He’d been lusting after her for months—maybe just to have what belonged to his cousin.
Desperate to help his wife, Pete had fought his captor.
The struggle left him bleeding out on the floor.
Shane and Rick had freaked out and taken off without finishing the job—killing Rory.
A month later, desire for the money overriding any guilt, Shane told Pete’s father what he’d done and why he’d done it.
Anthony had been devastated. When he’d threatened to go to the police, Shane had warned that he’d only done what Anthony wanted him to do.
Unable to bear Eudora learning the truth, Anthony had kept the awful secret.
Two years later, when Rory was granted the opportunity for a new trial, the fear and guilt that had been eating away at both men got the better of them.
It was during the sorting of all those awful details that Rory learned Pete was the one to rent all the cottages in that little cove. He’d wanted everything to be perfect for their short honeymoon. She would miss him always, and he would forever own a piece of her heart.
Now, thankfully, the truth had been revealed, and she could go on with her life.
Austin was beside himself with happiness.
The two of them had waded through what was left of Lulu’s cottage in search of salvageable family treasures.
She smiled at the idea that Lulu’s little yellow bug was out in the driveway.
Rory had decided to use it until she figured out where she was going and what she was doing next.
The best news of all was Chance. They had spent the past few weekends together, getting to know each other better. But they were taking things slowly. No rushing into whatever came next.
As if on cue, the sliding doors opened, and he stepped out onto the deck. “Good morning.”
She set her coffee aside and rushed to greet him. They shared a kiss. “Your flight okay?”
“It was.”
He’d flown from Chicago to Nashville early that morning and driven down. He would be staying the weekend again. Rory couldn’t wait to tell him her news.
“I was thinking,” she offered as they stood together, arms around each other and staring out over the water, “that we might have a late breakfast out somewhere.” They’d spent most of their time right here hidden away to avoid the reporters.
But things had calmed down now. Plus there was a new restaurant in nearby Guntersville that served breakfast all day.
“Sounds good to me.” He kissed her forehead. “Things okay here?”
She nodded and turned to face him. “Things are great.”
He smiled, his dark eyes crinkling. “Does that mean you’ve decided what’s next?”
“I’ve thought about that a lot.” She sighed, a happy, contented sound. “I think I’ll wait a year before going back to teaching only because I need to work out a few other things first.”
“You deserve a break,” Chance agreed. “No need to rush into anything.”
“I don’t want to stay here, though.” She frowned. “Too many painful memories. Austin plans to stay in Nashville, so there’s nothing holding me here.”
His smile widened. “You are a free woman, Ms. Aurora Harris.”
“Well—” she hesitated “—there is this one thing that has a hold on me.”
He dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. “What’s that?”
“It’s you.” She tilted her head back, stared into his eyes. “I think we need to take that next step. I may not know exactly where I want to live or work, but I know exactly who I want in my life. I’m not waiting another minute on that part.”
He nodded. “If you’re certain.”
“I am certain.” She reached down and started to unbutton his shirt. “Maybe we should start right now. Do a little testing to make sure we’re a good fit.”
He laughed, the deep sound rumbling in his chest, making her tingle with anticipation. “Oh, I’m absolutely certain the fit will be perfect.”
“Only one way to find out.” She went on tiptoe and kissed him long and deep. He lifted her and carried her inside.
They undressed each other on the way to the bedroom. Breakfast could wait. The whole world could wait.
But this…this could not wait another second.