Still, Carrie had a point. Though Conner doubted Edwina was faking her soon-to-be death, he wouldn’t put it past her to milk it for all it was worth, likely at the Montgomerys’ expense. He was certain he wasn’t the only one thinking that way, but still Connor decided to check things out, see if there was an ulterior motive behind what the woman was doing. Like Carrie, he didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her.
“Connor?”
He hadn’t realized she had stopped crying. “Yes, baby?”
“Thank you for lovingme.”
At that moment, his heart felt full. Especially when he thought about how their relationship had started. “Thank you for trusting me enough to love you, Carrie.”
He stood with her in his arms and kissed her. Without breaking the kiss, he headed toward their bed.
Connor came awake when he felt Carrie stir beside him. He glanced at the clock. It was two in the morning. Although he felt drained after making love to his wife numerous times over the past few hours, he knew he wouldn’t sleep through the night until he got his investigation started.
First, he would locate Silas Kingston for Carrie’s brothers, and then he would conduct some research into Edwina’s medical records. Like he’d told Carrie, chances were, her mother was truly dying. He couldn’t see any reason for Edwina to make up such an outlandish lie if that wasn’t the case. Especially going as far as to have a chaplain back it up. But then, he’d heard crazier things.
Gently untangling their legs, he slowly eased from the bed and slipped into his robe. He glanced back at his wife and smiled. In sleep, she was mumbling his name. He couldn’t resist leaning back over to place a kiss on her lips before leaving the room. Crossing the hall, he stepped into the nursery where his sons were sound asleep. They had begun sleeping through the night a few months ago, and both he and Carrie had been relieved. While he loved them dearly, those two o’clock feedings had been rough.
Already, they were talking about having another baby since he had convinced her to take three years’ leave from herjob. They were hoping for a girl next and would name her Serena, after Carrie’s friend, who had kept her safe when she’d been a young runaway on the streets of LA.
Going down the stairs, he entered his home office, grateful he had connected his outside office equipment to his home for those days he wanted to work here. Because now he had two cases to investigate. One, he wanted to find Silas Kingston. The other involved discovering just what Edwina was up to.
He would work on finding Silas Kingston first.
PART 2
“When someone special enters your life unexpectedly, don’t let them go, because they were probably brought into your life for a reason.”
– Author Unknown
CHAPTER 8
Haven
Sedona Valley, Arizona
“Thanks, Thea, and please let Jeremiah know I called,” Haven McGuire said as she stepped out of her hotel room and quickly headed for the elevator. Her alarm hadn’t gone off, and she was rushing to the welcome breakfast sponsored by one of the local hospitals.
“I’ll be sure to tell him you made it safely to Arizona. We’re going to miss having you over for Sunday dinners for a while.”
“And I’m going to miss being there. I’m about to step on the elevator and might lose you. Bye, Thea.”
“Bye and stay safe.”
“Will do,” she managed to say just as the elevator door shut. She pushed the button for the fifth floor. Last night before going to bed, she had taken the time to glance through this week’s program and had ticked off those workshops she was interested in attending. There were two sessions before lunch and another three afterwards. If she timed it right, she would be back in her room around four, take a quick thirty-minute power nap, and then get ready to attend tonight’s welcome banquet at six-thirty.
She stepped off the elevator, took a few steps, and was about to turn to her right when she collided with what felt like a solid wall. It didn’t take her long to realize it was a man’s chest. His arms grabbed hers to keep her from stumbling backward.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said when she got her bearings. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Neither was I, so I’m sorry as well. Are you okay?” a deep husky voice asked.
Haven blinked when she looked into the man’s face. His features were so striking, they almost took her breath away. And his eyes were so dark they appeared navy blue. He was of mixed heritage--that was quite obvious with his almond-colored skin tone and straight black hair, which flowed around his shoulders like a silk curtain. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” she said, finally finding her voice.
He released his hold on her. “No problem. Have a nice day.”
“You, too.”
He nodded and then headed in the opposite direction. She stood there and watched him leave, admiring his smooth movements. She was grateful he hadn’t had a coffee cup in his hand, or she likely would have spilled it all over what looked like a custom-made suit he was wearing…and wearing so well. Even from the back, it fit his body to perfection, showcasing wide shoulders and a physique that suggested he spent a lot of time at the gym.
