Chapter Nine
Nine
Mendocino, California
Elle stood on the bluff in the Mendocino Headlands watching the ocean, just as she had every night for the past eight days. The sea was angry tonight, tossing waves around on the rocks, water spraying high into the air.
She’d grown to love this view, no matter what time of day. She even liked watching the waves in the rain, which was good, as it had been raining for the past week. Normal for this time of year, she’d been told. She’d bought herself a rain hat and come out to the bluff anyway.
She was even becoming used to the cold. The alpaca socks Sara had bought her kept her feet warmer. The new thinner, more insulated coat she’d bought was warm as well, aided by the heated vest Eunice Greene had loaned her. It was like wearing a heating pad.
She would have come despite the weather because Ronan had joined her every night, but the warmer clothes allowed her to focus on Ronan and not the cold. Focusing on Ronan Clarke had become her new favorite thing, and their conversations on the bluff had become a crucial part of her routine.
“Hey,” he said from behind her.
She turned, a smile on her lips. She smiled a lot around Ronan. “Hey.”
He joined her where she stood, a safe twelve inches from the edge of the bluff. Below them, the waves churned and crashed. It was a seventy-foot drop to the beach, and there were rocks and all manner of nasty things that would hurt like hell on the way down.
It was rare for someone to survive a fall off the bluffs. Elle didn’t plan to test it.
“Where’s my sweet Puff?” she asked.
“Not bringing him out tonight. Took me an hour to get his coat dry after getting drenched in the rain last night, and he smelled awful.”
“Boo. I brought him a fancy dog biscuit.” She held out the bag.
“Again?” He chuckled. “He’s going to like you better than me if you keep giving him treats.” He slipped the bag into the pocket of his coat. “I missed seeing you today,” he said.
It was Sunday and the pharmacy was closed. She and Sara had taken the day off. Elle didn’t know what Sara had done to keep herself busy.
She and Sara hadn’t been talking much. The long days in the Tahoe watching the pharmacy had become awkward. Sara seemed to take issue with nearly everything Elle did, but she was especially critical of her burgeoning friendship with Eunice Greene.
Eunice had joined them for dinner several times and, while never overtly rude, Sara had been quiet and withdrawn. But Elle was growing to care for the older woman. Eunice did amazing work for the community, volunteering at the women’s shelter her sister Teresa managed.
There had been no word from Annie Purvis, the young woman who’d come into Eunice’s store for arnica.
Nor had there had been any sign of Wendy Miller. Elle didn’t know exactly how to feel about that. They didn’t know if Reece Miller and his wife and baby had moved on or if they were still camped somewhere around Fort Bragg. Sara was stubborn and determined to give it another week.
Felicia was annoyed. She wanted Sara to come home. She was due any day. Elle had heard them arguing over the phone multiple times and it felt shitty.
Because the reason Sara was staying was that she didn’t trust Elle anymore. That hurt.
However, if Wendy Miller did appear, they’d be able to follow her and apprehend Reece.
Then Elle’s time in this pretty little town would be over. Her time with Ronan would be over.
That hurt, too.
“I spent the day with Eunice,” she said. “We had tea and then we went to the women’s shelter. I met her sister and we discussed the legal needs of her residents.”
“I know. She called me.”
Elle was surprised. “Why?”
Did Eunice distrust her, too?
“She wants me to convince you to give up bounty hunting and move to Mendocino,” he said dryly.
“Oh.” Elle exhaled in relief. “That’s very flattering.”
“Also safer than bounty hunting,” Ronan said.
It was a topic they’d discussed several times out here on the bluff, surrounded by the sounds of wind and surf. It was like they were tucked into their own little private bubble, standing out here in the open.
“I’ll take it under advisement. What did you do today?”
“Worked on my motorcycle.”
Surprised, she stared at his profile, blinking the rain from her eyes. “You drive a motorcycle?”
“Hell no. But I have one. It belonged to my father. I’ve been trying to get it running for years. When I finally do get it running, I’m going to sell it and donate the money to the food bank. That was my father’s charity of choice. He spent a lot of time volunteering there.”
Belonged? Was? Elle was stuck on the past tense. “Your father has passed?”
He nodded. “Ten years ago. Heart attack. After that, Mom moved to Arizona. She plays golf and bridge. Enjoys her retirement. Comes back for the summers because it’s cooler here.”
“I’m sorry you lost your father.”
“Thanks. I miss him every day. He was a great dad.”
“I’m glad. Did you all live together, you and your parents and Penny?”
She glanced over her shoulder at Ronan’s A-frame house.
It was situated so that the double decks at the back had a view of the ocean.
Ronan had told her that in the winter and spring they would sit on the upper deck with binoculars and sometimes be rewarded with the sight of whales migrating off the coast.
Elle hoped she could see that, but so far the whales had failed to cooperate.
“We did. It’s a three-bedroom house, so it was tight, but we all had our own rooms. How about your family? I know your dad is a judge. What about your mom?”
“She’s a retired lawyer. Practiced family law.”
“Like you did.”
“Yes. My two younger sisters are both scientists. Clara is a chemist and Aurora is studying engineering at the University of South Florida. I was the one to follow in our parents’ footsteps. I miss them all, but not enough to stay in Florida.”
“Because of the accident,” he said, so quietly the words were nearly lost on the wind.
“Yes.”
He hesitated, then blurted out, “Can I ask you a question? It’s personal.”
“You can ask,” she said warily.
“What made you finally leave him?”
He meant Todd, of course. Elle sighed. “He was a mean drunk. I didn’t know that until we’d been married for a few years.
It was quite a shock, the first time he hit me.
I always said I’d leave if a man ever hit me, but he was so sorry.
Immediately went into rehab. But he’d get bored and leave early.
It happened again and again. I’d threaten to leave, then I’d fold when he cried.
” She swallowed hard. “I hated myself. I hated him. But I also loved him.”
“What was the final straw?”
“He hurt my dog Peanut, a little cocker spaniel. Todd came home one night, drunk. Raised his hand to slap me and Peanut got between us, growling. Todd picked him up and chucked him into the wall. I thought he’d killed him.”
“But he didn’t?”
“No. Peanut was stunned, but okay. I took him to my parents’ house. Told them that he’d been barking at one of the neighbors and the condo manager was threatening to make me get rid of him.”
“You lied?”
“I did. And that was the final straw. I hate lying. I hate it. And I’d lied to my own parents. I didn’t like the person I’d become. That’s when I started plotting to leave. Consulted with a divorce attorney, had the papers drawn up.”
“But then he died in the accident.”
“Yes.”
“What happened to Peanut?”
“I took him with me to San Francisco. He was already sixteen. He died of old age the first year I lived there. I loved that little dog.”
“Did you get another?”
“Not yet. I’m gone so much, it wouldn’t be fair to a dog.”
“You wouldn’t be gone so much if you’d obey Eunice and go back to family law,” he said lightly.
She smiled. “I’ll take that under advisement, too.”
“I am sorry for your loss. Your husband was a brute, but you loved him.”
“Not at the end. He killed anything I felt for him. But I didn’t want him dead. Unfortunately two other people died, too. They haunt me.”
“I understand that. But you were cleared of any fault.”
“I was. Doesn’t change the guilt, though.
It was eating me up, especially because their son had been in the car, too.
He was seriously injured and I worried about him.
But about two years ago he sent me a letter.
Told me that he knew it wasn’t my fault and that I should forgive myself.
That his father had been drinking, too, and misjudged his ability to drive safely.
He’d made a full recovery and was going to college.
He was getting on with his life. I was finally able to move forward, but it’s still hard not to feel guilty. ”
“You feel guilty because you’ve got a good heart.”
That warmed her more than the heated vest. “Thank you, Ronan.”
“Just telling it like it is.”
“What about Penny’s mom?” she asked carefully. Casually. “You said she left when Penny was little. Is she still in the picture?”
He gave her an amused look that said he hadn’t bought her casual attitude. They’d talked every night for more than a week. They’d flirted quite a bit, too.
Never anything more, though. They never touched.
Although Elle wanted to. A lot. She thought Ronan did, too.
“Evelyn and I dated in high school. Tale as old as time. We fooled around, she got pregnant, and I married her. We were way too young, but she wasn’t a bad mother per se.
She kept Penny fed and clean while I worked patrol in the San Francisco PD.
She went to the fashion academy there.” He’d mentioned that the first time he’d brought her and Sara donuts.
“She dropped out and then she left?”
“Yep. She traveled for a while but was killed crossing a street in New York City. Got hit by a car. She was high. The driver was devastated.”
“I’m sorry for your loss as well.” She sighed. “But I can also sympathize with the driver.”
“I know.” He was quiet for a long moment before clearing his throat. “So…Evelyn’s no longer in the picture. I’m free to date whoever I want.”
Elle’s cheeks heated despite the wind. “Yeah?”