Chapter 19
Luke stepped outside to call Caleb.
The rain had started, but it was light—more of a mist, really. He stood under the restaurant’s narrow awning and watched it drizzle while the phone rang.
Caleb picked up on the second ring. “How’d it go?”
“It’s a long story, to be honest.” He kept his voice low. “But I need to bring Jenna to Refuge Cove. Tonight. Hollow House isn’t safe.”
“We can get a room ready.” Caleb said the words without hesitation.
Luke paused, his thoughts still racing. “The kids . . . Mom said she was bringing them there for dinner.”
“She did say that. You could ask her to keep them at home. Or . . . you could let Jenna see her children.”
He clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw ached. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“The kids are eventually going to find out she’s back.”
“What if it’s too soon?” He stared into the distance as anxiety quelled in him. He couldn’t afford to make a bad decision—not when it affected his kids.
“Will it ever not be too soon?”
He considered his brother’s words before finally saying, “You’re right. I’m just delaying the inevitable. It’s not fair of me to keep Jenna from her children. I know she’s missed them terribly.”
“I’m sure she has. She was always a great mother . . . until she left, I suppose. Anyway, I’ll talk to Naomi. We’ll figure out the room situation.”
He paused. “Thank you, Caleb.”
Luke’s family had always been good to him. He often felt guilty because he wasn’t around as much as some of his siblings. But he had a business to run and three children to raise. His time never felt like his own.
He ended the call and looked through the restaurant window. Jenna sat at the table. She held herself like someone bracing for what came next. Wes told her something, and she listened with her eyes on the table.
Luke’s chest tightened.
He was still angry. He wanted to be clear with himself about that. He was still carrying the two years of silence, the children’s questions, the sleepless nights.
But he was also the man who’d stood at the front of a church and made promises he intended to keep.
He didn’t know yet what any of this meant for those promises. He didn’t know what was salvageable . . . or whether salvageable was even the right word for it.
What he knew was that an assassin was somewhere in Blue Ridge Hollow with his sights set on Jenna.
He couldn’t let her get hurt. Not when he was finally getting answers. Not when they still had so many conversations to have. Not when their children still needed a mom.
He squared his shoulders and went back inside, pausing beside the table. “It’s all settled. Are you ready?”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Ready for what?”
“To go to Refuge Cove.”
A frown tugged at her lips before she nodded. “Yes.”
“There’s one more thing you should know.”
She waited for him to continue.
“The kids will be there. Are you ready for that?”
Her breath caught. “You’re going to let me see them?”
His jaw tightened before he nodded. “If you want to.”
“I do.” Her voice cracked. “I really do.”
“Then let’s get out of here.”
Luke and Jenna stopped by Hollow House to retrieve her things. Then they went to the station and told Micah everything. He listened, took notes, and thanked them.
By the time they left town, it was past dinnertime. Jenna had insisted she wasn’t hungry.
Truth was, neither was Luke. He had too much on his mind. Part of him thought he should insist she eat, but he just didn’t have the energy. They could grab something later at Refuge Cove if they wanted.
He pulled away from town, Jenna beside him in the passenger seat. As he drove, he kept his eyes on the road and tried to work through all the details again.
He’d made the right call to bring Jenna with him. He knew he’d made the right call.
That wasn’t what made his chest tight.
This whole situation made his chest tight.
Beside him, Jenna was quiet. She’d been quiet since they left town, with her hands folded in her lap and her eyes on the road ahead.
He didn’t try to fill the silence. There wasn’t anything left to say that could be said in twenty minutes in his truck.
Finally, he turned off the main road and felt the familiar shift as the pavement gave way to the winding two-lane that climbed toward Refuge Cove. He’d already texted his mom to let her know what was going on.
She deserved to know—especially since she was with the kids right now.
His thoughts wandered to Liam. He’d been six when Jenna left—old enough to understand that something was wrong and to feel the full weight of her absence in ways that Cora and Jonah hadn’t. After a while, he’d stopped talking about her, but Luke had sensed his grief.
Liam would remember his mom. Luke had no doubt about that.
What he didn’t know was what Liam would do with that memory when he saw her walk through the door.
Cora and Jonah—he was pretty sure they’d be okay. But it was his oldest he was worried about.
Lord . . . Luke let out a slow breath. I don’t know if this is right.
I don’t know if tonight is too soon or if there’s ever a right time for something like this.
But I can’t keep Jenna away from the children, and I can’t keep them away from her.
I need You to be in this because I don’t have enough strength on my own.
He pulled up and stopped at the gate, and the modern farmhouse came into view.
Jenna’s breath changed beside him.
He glanced at her. She stared at the house with an expression he couldn’t name. But something in her gaze was stripped and unguarded, and her hands were no longer folded. Instead, they pressed together in her lap.
He punched in the security code, pulled through the gate, and stopped by the garage.
For a moment neither of them moved.
“Aren’t there women staying here now?” she finally asked. “Will I put them in danger?”
He shook his head. “No one is staying here during the construction—which is one reason we’re trying to get this done as quickly as possible.”
“You’re turning them away?”
“No. There’s a ranch out in Arizona that we’ve partnered with. We’ve sent any women who need our help there. Even though all my employees are vetted, we felt better having the women somewhere more secure during this building process.”
“Makes sense,” Jenna murmured.
His gaze lingered on her another moment. “Whatever happens in there, we’ll get through it.”
Jenna’s eyes were bright with questions.
Questions he couldn’t answer right now.
Instead, he climbed out of the truck, praying this reunion went well.