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www.millsandboon.co.uk
To Justin for giving me the confidence to chase my
dreams. It’s a two-edged sword, I know!
To my mom and mother-in-law
for being my biggest fans.
To the FNGs—you guys are the best.
Where would I be without you!!
To my Bogalusa buddies—we may not win the
lottery but we’ll sure have fun trying.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER ONE
HER SNEAKERS WET WITH DEW, Jayden lengthened her stride to catch up with Kasey, as the German shepherd bounded into the underbrush, nose to the leaves. Combing the woods for a dead body had become their assignment by default. With the early-morning ringing of the phone while it was still pitch-black outside, Jayden had been inducted into Cypress Landing’s volunteer search-and-rescue team. “Volunteer” being the operative word. Coercion would have been more apt. She hadn’t bothered to ask how Sheriff Wright had heard about Kasey’s talents. Small town, no secrets—she had to keep reminding herself. She’d likely been the topic of conversation even before she’d finally returned home. Estranged hometown girl returns from life in city. She ground her teeth. No time to dwell on that now.
Kasey darted past the massive trunk of an old oak. Damn old Joe Gifford for giving her the cadaver dog and getting her involved in this kind of gruesome insanity. Now, two years later, Joe had passed away, she’d left California, and Kasey was the only thing she had left from her previous life. She thrust aside the damp huckleberry bush, still hanging on to its tiny green leaves. A second flashlight cut an arc beside hers.
“Got anything yet?”
She shook her head. Deputy Fontenot was worried. She couldn’t so much see it in the predawn darkness, as she could feel it leaking from his pores right into her own skin. Or maybe blaming her feelings on Pete was her own desperate attempt to remain calm. Just then Kasey pawed at something, then sat on the ground, whining between his low-key barks. When she reached him, she ruffled his red-and-black coat. “Looks like this might be it.”
Pete gripped her by the shoulder, and she shivered in her long-sleeve T-shirt.
“It’s not your fault.”
“If I’d reported him missing sooner we might not be standing here now.” She hadn’t seen Eric Walsh for a week. This wasn’t how she’d hoped to find him.
“I wouldn’t have thought it strange that a grown man wasn’t home for a few days. Plenty of folks wouldn’t have reported it yet.”
The yellow cone of his light flashed on the ground as Pete keyed his radio and spoke to some faraway dispatcher. Jayden took a few deep breaths and hoped it wasn’t her tenant buried at their feet.
“They’re coming,” Pete said, readjusting his radio. “But it may be nothing. These leaves are pretty tamped down, and I don’t see any fresh earth.”
“Kasey wouldn’t have made a hit if it was nothing.”
“Maybe it’s a dead animal.”
“He doesn’t identify dead animals, only people.”
“So maybe he’s wrong this time.”
She faced Pete, her flashlight still pointed to the spot marked by the dog.
“He’s not wrong.” She pushed aside some damp leaves with the toe of her boot until the disturbed earth was visible. Pete went to his knees and scraped away more debris.
“I’d never have seen this if I’d been walking by.”
“That’s the point of the dog.”
Voices echoed through the woods behind them and they moved to make room for the sheriff’s personnel, armed with shovels, forcing their way around the trees. The first strike of metal into damp earth made Jayden shudder and she leaned against a tree. Kasey whined and rubbed his head against her leg, as she knotted a fistful of his fur then closed her eyes and tried to shut out the thump of the shovel pushing deeper into the ground.
“I got something.”
Every person who had pressed into the area froze. No more low chatter speculating why the Saints lost this past Sunday and what Dallas would do with their new quarterback. No more discussion of where the fish might be biting this weekend. They held their collective breath, and Jayden tried not to watch, to not see between the bodies that crowded around the newly opened grave. But she was drawn to the macabre scene in front of her.
The officer digging with the shovel let go of the wooden handle and it bounced on the ground. He dropped to his knees, clawing at the fresh earth. Someone commented that the hole needed to be bigger, but was cut short when the man held aloft the object of their search. Jayden slid to the ground, covering her mouth against the wave of vomit that boiled into her throat. She couldn’t seem to block the smell of rotting flesh that immediately assaulted them.
“Jayden.” Her eyes closed, she recognized the sheriff’s voice. He touched her knee, but she couldn’t answer him.
“Jayden, did you ever notice if Eric Walsh wore a watch?”
She nodded, her eyes still jammed shut.
“Would you recognize it if you saw it?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
The stench had dispersed into the air, and when she squinted she noticed the first rays of dawn beginning to filter through the trees. The scratched silver watch, with its worn band, appeared in front of her.
“That’s Eric’s.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. He ate dinner with us a lot and he’d always take it off to wash his hands, then forget and leave it by the sink.” The last word caught in her throat and tears leaked onto her cheek. “He had a story for how it got each mark. The boys loved hearing his stories.” She swallowed hard. “I tried to tell him he was prying into things that would get him into trouble. He didn’t listen.” She studied a small hole at the hem of her jeans.
“He’d been in Cypress Landing for months before you came. He knew what he was doing. I warned him more than once myself. I’m calling in another team and we’ll keep searching on our own. I don’t want you to have to keep doing this.”
She forced her attention to his face. “What are you saying, Matt? You think there are more bodies?”
The sheriff, squatting beside her, wiped his forehead. “I’m saying that the only thing we’ve found is one arm.”
She tilted her head to rest on her knees and forced herself to breath deeply, but that only made her aware of the scent of decay.
Matt rested his palm on her head. “Why don’t you get out of here. My wife’s on the road with coffee and food.”
She took a gulp of air and shook her head. When she scrambled to her feet, Matt rose with her. “I need to touch base with my mom and let her know to get the kids to school for me. She came over and stayed with them when I left. Then I’ll let Jeffrey know I’ll be late getting to the office.”
“You sure you want to finish this?”
“I want every piece of Eric Walsh found, then I want somebody to pay for putting him here. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
SIX HOURS LATER, Jayden stuck a flag in the final section of the property she’d been assigned to search. She’d been joined by three other teams with cadaver dogs. After only a few hits, they figured Eric wasn’t the only person buried in these woods. The sun had climbed high and, with the heat and humidity, her clothes were wet with sweat. Shouting for Kasey, she checked her compass and made her way to the roadside where teams of law enforcement and state crime-lab officials scrambled back and forth in the wooded area.
Cecile Wright waved at her, and she hurried to the Wrights’ truck, where the sheriff’s wife was handing out provisions.
“Who’s running the shop for you?”
Cecile had a gift shop and art-supply store on Main Street.
“I closed for the day and came to help. I can’t believe what they’re finding. Everyone knew Duke Swayze wasn’t in his right mind, but this is beyond anything I’d have thought of him.”
“Now, Mrs. Wright,” a man said from behind Jayden, “I know you aren’t automatically assuming Mr. Swayze is responsible.”
Jayden sidled round to see who it was. Mid-swallow, she had to gulp to get her water past the tightening in her throat. She’d been away from Cypress Landing for ten years. While many of the faces remained the same, this was a new one. And what a face it was. She wasn’t typically impressed or excited about handsome men, but this one had what Hollywood labeled the “wow” factor. He wasn’t perfect, with cheekbones and a forehead that bordered on heavy. But he was total man right down to the pullover shirt stretched tight across his chest.
“Luke,” Cecile said, “I know representing people like Swayze is what you do, but this is going to be a difficult case.”
The man—Luke—shrugged and fished a soda from the ice chest. “Like you say, it’s my job.” He wiped his hand on his pant leg and held it out toward Jayden. “Luke Taylor, public defender for the parish.”
“Jayden Miller.”
He engulfed her hand in his warm grasp. His palm was rough, as though he did manual labor, not what she’d expect from a lawyer. He flashed a smile and she smiled back. Cecile apologized for not introducing them, explaining to Luke that Jayden had moved home and was a vet at the local animal clinic. He tilted his head to one side while he held on to her hand for several seconds longer than necessary. For an instant her heart skipped and she got a strange feeling from head to toe. The idea that this man was going to be important flashed through her mind. She’d never fallen for anyone at first sight. She’d always thought it an exaggeration that people invented. But here she was, very attracted to a man who was likely married or being pursued by every available local beauty. She didn’t consider herself a beauty or available.
When he let her go, she stuffed her tingling hand in the pocket of her jeans. She didn’t have time for this. In California, men had filtered through her life—a few more serious than others—but none she’d allowed herself to get too involved with. Involvement could lead to bad decisions and trouble she didn’t need. She mumbled “hello” between sips of water. Crunching on her chips—the thought of eating anything more nauseated her after what she’d seen today—Jayden ignored Cecile and Luke. It must have been his immense sex appeal that had made her foggy, but at last her brain kicked in. She should have realized immediately who this man was, but she’d let his shocking blue eyes and almost too-long brown hair cloud her thinking.
“Public defender? Don’t tell me you’re defending the guy who did this.”
Luke wanted to tell this woman it was all a big mistake. He’d grasped the hand of a woman who’d made his world pause and then she turned on him as if he’d done her a terrible wrong. Honesty was the best policy, right? Which was, of course, a complete joke.
“That’s right. He’s my client. You don’t know with any certainty that he did this, do you?”
“The fact that body parts were scattered across his property doesn’t mean anything to you?”
“This is a secluded area. Anyone could have disposed of remains here.”
“You must not know Swayze’s history or you wouldn’t waste your time hunting anyone else.”
He likely knew more of Cypress Landing’s underbelly than she’d ever imagine. It was an entire other community she likely didn’t even know existed.
Luke was much more interested in watching the sparkling gold flecks in her eyes than in discussing the guilt or innocence of his new client. She was a beauty in all the unfashionable ways. The kind who looked good first thing in the morning without makeup, or when she’d come from the deep woods, clothes soaked in sweat with twigs in her dark hair. He took another drink of his soda, still not answering her. When he looked at her he felt a rush of interest stronger than he’d ever known, but his job had to come first.
“I know as much about him as someone who’s been gone for…” He paused. “How long?”
“Ten years.”
He was surprised she’d responded. Ten years. What had brought her back to this little town in the middle of nowhere after ten years? It was a long time, enough time to build a life somewhere else. He rubbed the back of his neck with the cold soda can. The heat was unbearable for fall.
When he only nodded, she continued to stare at him, her full, sexy lips tense.
“You represent criminals and get them off on technicalities so they can do more damage. Is that a fun thing for you?”
Cecile touched the other woman’s arm but she shook it off. He couldn’t ignore the anger in her accusation. He also couldn’t understand where it came from.
“That’s not exactly how things work, but I do represent my clients to the best of my ability and it’s my job to protect their rights and see that they get a fair trial.”
“Even if it means letting a murderer go free.”
Luke’s muscles stiffened under his skin. He had to admit he’d done things he wasn’t proud of, and this woman must have felt the effects of it.
Before he could respond, she started walking away, saying to Cecile over her shoulder, “I guess I’ll go now. I have time to run by the clinic before I pick the kids up from school.”
She patted her leg and a German shepherd he hadn’t noticed before trotted after her. A vet with kids. She was probably married. Even if she wasn’t, kids meant home and stability and a legion of other things he’d avoided so far. He couldn’t risk a relationship that would complicate his situation. But his curiosity got the best of him. Luke had to know what had made her so hostile toward him.
“So, you want to tell me what’s given you such a negative opinion of public defenders?” he shouted after her. Cecile, he noticed, was shaking her head and staring at the ground.
The scrumptious vet, a title that suited her much better than Jayden, turned and he could see the tracks of tears on her face.
“My sister was Caitland Casio.” She turned sharply and hurried away.
“I tried to stop you,” Cecile said.
Luke stared at the grass on the side of the road, crushed by vehicles driving over it, then shrugged. “I guess I’d have found out sooner or later. Not exactly my most shining moment, was it?”
“You were doing your job.”
He sighed. “I better get back to the office.”
The soles of his shoes scuffed against the asphalt. He’d lost so much in his life, but he’d always kept moving, focusing on a goal. Cypress Landing was a good place and he liked it. If things had been different, not now, but in the beginning, when he was a kid, he could have been happy living here. Maybe with an attractive woman like the vet. Buried in this deception, he was beginning to lose track of himself. Occasionally, he wanted to ask for the real Luke to please step forward. Though, he couldn’t be certain he’d recognize the guy if he did.
THE WHITE CARD with the huge numbers printed on it reflected in the windshield. Jayden inched her car forward, watching the line of teachers and tiny people streaming from the building. It was how she’d decided to think of the two boys who’d fallen into her lap, waist-high humans. What else could she do? She was much better at dealing with Kasey than she was with two kids both under the age of twelve. For three seconds she contemplated spinning the car around and driving west until she ran into the ocean. But then she saw two curly mops of black hair bobbing as the kids raced toward her, their backpacks nearly toppling them. In the seat behind her, Kasey whined and wagged his tail. Even he was better at this parenting thing than she was. The door flew open and the two piled in, smothering Kasey with hugs. Her, they glanced at cautiously. She had to fight to keep from dropping her forehead to the steering wheel in utter defeat. Jayden had never intended to return to Cypress Landing. Beverly Hills might not have been the home she’d been dreaming of, might not have filled that empty spot she’d felt for ten years, but coming here surely wasn’t the answer. She was trapped raising two kids with no idea how to do it.
CHAPTER TWO
JAYDEN STARED at the breakfast she’d set out before calling the boys. Oatmeal, juice and apple slices—what kind of strange kids were these two? Her mother would have had to sit on her and funnel liquefied oatmeal down Jayden’s throat to get her to eat it when she was ten years old. Thankfully, Evette Miller had been more of a biscuits-and-tomato-gravy cook, likely accounting for Jayden’s elevated cholesterol count. Her sister had managed to train these boys to eat healthier.
Elbows on the counter, she battled the tightness in her chest. When Caitland and Robert had died in a car crash a few months ago, she’d dropped everything to come and raise their children. Her sister hadn’t told her they’d made her legal guardian. But then, who else was there? Their mother couldn’t be expected to be responsible for two young boys, not when she was getting ready to retire. Besides, Caitland had wanted Jayden in Cypress Landing for years. She’d always said she’d get her home if it was the last thing she did.
Jayden blinked rapidly, had to fight to get her breath. At times like this, when the birds sang in the morning air and the light north wind began to make the dimming green leaves wiggle…Her mother would be by soon. She straightened, and prepared to unleash chaos.
“Boys, breakfast!”
She heard squeals from the bedroom, then a thump, followed by the dog barking. The day had officially begun. She spread her feet apart and bent to hug eight-year-old Garrett as he ran into the kitchen. He smiled. It was a start.
“You’re dressed and I only came to get you one time. Wow.”
“I’m great, huh?”
“You and your brother are the best. I didn’t know little boys could be so smart.”
Garrett struggled loose, grinning, and scurried to the table. But there was still no sign of Elliot, who at ten deemed himself the man of the house, a title much too overwhelming for a boy. She strode to his room, and found him carefully tying his sneakers. She often wondered if the older brother had come from the womb sporting a pair of neatly double-knotted tennis shoes.
“Ready for breakfast?”
He bobbed his head in a gesture that meant less than nothing to her.
“Anything wrong?”
He shrugged.
“Hmm,” she said as he followed her to the kitchen. “Is that yes, no, maybe, I don’t know, the dog ate my homework?”
Elliot snorted. “Kasey wouldn’t eat my homework.”
“You’re probably right. So what’s on your mind?”
“We’ve got baseball practice tonight and tomorrow, then they’re going to pick teams.”
“I know. I’ve already made plans to take you.”
“But what if I don’t get picked to be on a good team?”
“Then you’ll be the best player on a not-so-good team.”
He slunk into a chair at the table. “You haven’t seen me play, Aunt J. How do you know I’ll be the best?”
“We’ve been throwing the ball in the yard every evening, and you’re excellent at that. Though I’m mostly going by how the people in the clinic the past few weeks have been asking if you were playing this year and telling me how much they wanted you on their team. I’m guessing you’re an outstanding player.”
He spooned his oatmeal obviously unimpressed. “I like baseball, a lot. My dad and I—” He paused and swallowed hard. Jayden held her breath. “We played all the time.”
“I’ll be glad to practice with you.”
He snorted then took a bite of his apple. “You’re not much help.”
She put her fists on her hips, mustering an offended scowl. This was the first time he’d been able to mention his dad without crying. “Maybe this Saturday we should get your friends together and go to one of the fields for a game. I’ll show you my skills.”
Even Garrett laughed at that.
A knock on the kitchen door preceded her mom by two seconds. Her short steel-gray hair stuck up in various appropriate directions as though she’d just stepped out of the stylist’s chair. Which she had. Evette had owned her own salon for as long as Jayden could remember. She hugged the boys and went to the cabinet to find a bowl.
“I’ll take the kids to school this morning and get them in the afternoon. I’ve got to run to town early then give Helen a perm.” At sixty-three, her mother seemed much younger.
“Thanks, I need to get to the clinic.”
The brothers brought their dishes to the sink, and Jayden rinsed them and stuck them in the dishwasher. Garrett went back to the table to eat his apple while Elliot dug in his backpack, asking, “When’s Mr. Eric coming home?”
Her mother paused with a spoonful of oatmeal inches from her lips, but the spoon Jayden held clattered to the floor, splattering bits of oatmeal on the tile. She peered through the window above the sink at the darkened windows of the guest house across the field.
“They’ll hear it at school,” her mother said in a low voice. “Do you want me to do it?”
Jayden shook her head. Eric had been renting for nearly a year before Caitland and Robert had been killed. The boys knew him well. Three deaths in less than two months was far too much for a kid to deal with.
She slid a chair next to Garrett at the table then hauled another closer for Elliot. The older boy recognized bad news was coming. She could tell by his slumped posture and his reluctance to sit.
“We think Eric’s been hurt and he may not be back.”
Elliot stood again and Garrett’s eyes instantly filled with water.
“Did he go to be an angel in the clouds, too?” A tear trickled down Garrett’s cheek, and Jayden wanted to throw up.
“We don’t know for certain yet, but it looks that way. I want you to know what happened in case you hear about it at school.” She swallowed the choking sob clogging her throat.
“Did he have a car wreck?”
She glanced at her mom who gave a slight nod. If Jayden didn’t tell them the truth now, they’d probably hear part of it or even an exaggerated version later today.
“It wasn’t a car wreck. We believe somebody hurt Eric and he might have died. We don’t know for sure who, but the sheriff will find out.”
“Why would somebody hurt Mr. Eric?” Garrett rubbed his face. She pulled her chair next to his so she could hold him close.
“We don’t know.”
“It was because of that stuff he was writing on the Loyalist people, wasn’t it?” Elliot’s eyes held a hint of anger.
“I said we don’t know who did it or why, Elliot.”
“I know. They’re mean. They’re the ones that call us half-breeds. Eric said they didn’t like him asking questions about their Militia group. He had a dog when he first came, but they killed it. Last year they painted mean stuff on the garage about me and Garrett. I’m going to get them one day, you wait and see.”
His fist was in a knot, nearly as tight as the one in her stomach. “Elliot, no one knows who’s responsible for hurting Eric. You’re angry, very angry, and so am I. But we can’t accuse people. It will only make more trouble.”
She could see him processing the information. “We’ll help the sheriff and the police if we can, won’t we?”
She caught his hand in hers. “Of course we will.”