Even though the family usually sat around chatting after meals, Hannah didn’t linger long. She helped clear away, then claimed weariness, having started that day much too early. Her sister walked her home.
“Thanks for the rescue during dinner, Maggie,” Hannah said when they reached her door.
Maggie chuckled ruefully. “You’re welcome. I saw the look Mom shot at Mimi. I’m sure she’ll ask her not to make future gatherings so awkward for you.”
“I hope so.”
Laughing a little, Maggie shook her head. “You have to give Mimi credit for nerve. She’s determined to find you a husband. Could she have been any more blatant about trying to fix you up with Andrew?”
“I thought I was going to slide right under the table.”
Maggie patted her arm. “I’m sure you did, but you have to admit Mimi has good taste. Andrew’s a catch.”
Hannah shot a frown at her sister. “You aren’t suggesting—”
Maggie held up both hands in a quick gesture of surrender. “No agenda at all here. Just saying. It seemed like there was a little chemistry between you last year.”
“Chemistry? You mean when he was helping us stop my jerk of an ex-husband from bankrupting the resort? When I had to tell him that my judgment was so bad that I’d married a man who cared only about what I or my family could do to make his life easier? That I was so stupid and naive I let my head be turned by flattery and empty promises?”
Maggie’s amusement had faded during Hannah’s bitter tirade. “Um, sis—”
“Or maybe I look better to him now,” Hannah continued on a roll, gesturing meaningfully toward her midsection. “Accidentally pregnant at my age. Still paying off the bills my jailbird ex left me responsible for. Still so freaking angry and mortified that I—”
Hearing her own words, she stopped and shook her head. “Would you listen to me? Sorry, Mags, I guess the pregnancy hormones just kicked into overdrive. Seriously, I’m not interested in getting romantically involved with Andrew or anyone else. I tried the happily-ever-after thing and I failed miserably at it. Now all I need, all I want, is to make a home for my child, to ensure that he or she is loved and safe and happy while I continue with my work here. I really just don’t have the time or the energy to take on anything else for the foreseeable future. So let’s just drop it, okay? I’m turning in now.”
Still looking concerned, her sister gave her a hug. “You’ll call if you need me?”
“Of course, but I’m fine, really. Just tired. See you in the morning, okay?”
“Sleep in. We’ve got everything covered in the office.”
“I’m ready to get back to work. Too much free time is obviously bad for my mood.”
Only partially mollified, Maggie turned toward her own place, leaving Hannah to lock herself in her trailer, where she promptly covered her face with her hands and burst into tears, overwhelmed by the events of the day.
* * *
Andrew waited until both sisters were closed in their homes before turning and walking silently down the road. He stayed in the shadows, not wanting to be seen. He’d had enough experience with undercover work to be assured he was successful. His brother was preoccupied with Shelby, having moved into her trailer only that very afternoon, and the rest of the Bells were getting ready to turn in before starting another busy day early in the morning. Hoping to have a chance to talk privately with Hannah without anyone being the wiser, Andrew had told everyone good-night and said he wanted to take a walk before returning to his room for the night. That was how he’d ended up an unintentional eavesdropper on Hannah’s conversation with her sister.
Making the half mile or so walk from the family compound to the motel, he took in the sights, sounds and smells of a summer evening in a camping-and-fishing resort. Only a few boats were still on the water at this hour. He heard the muffled roar of motors accompanied by glimpses of red, green and white running lights he spotted through the trees. Wisps of smoke from campfires drifted through the resort, and he fancied he could smell toasting marshmallows on the breeze. A few cars and pickups entered and exited the main gate, some towing boats after a day’s water play. Muffled sounds were just audible from the campgrounds—bursts of laughter, the occasional high-pitched squeal from a child, a couple of yaps from what sounded like a small dog. An idyllic, slow-paced haven, it seemed far away from the hustle and bustle of the real world, a long way from Andrew’s busy life in Dallas.
He paused at the intersection of the main road and the private drive, looking back over his shoulder at the dark stretch where Shelby had been taken. Proof, he thought grimly, of how easily the outside evils could invade even this diligently maintained paradise. While he was here, maybe he’d look over the resort’s security practices. He wanted to make sure she—um, the whole family—was safe here, he quickly corrected himself.
That was the least he could do for Hannah for now. She’d made it clear enough that she wasn’t interested in anything more from him.
* * *
It felt good to Hannah to be back at work after visiting her mother’s family in Louisiana for the past ten days. She’d gone there to break the news to her extended family about her impending motherhood and had been gratified that her relatives on that side were as supportive as the Bell family. Her widowed grandmother was already busily crocheting a delicate baby blanket that she’d promised to mail as soon as it was completed.
She spent Tuesday morning taking reservations by phone, updating the resort’s social media pages and website with new photos her sister had snapped around the place and checking in a few guests. Three thirtysomething men with a three-day reservation for Cabin 5 wandered in just before noon, dressed in board shorts, T-shirts and sandals, ready for a few days of fishing and beer drinking. Judging by their behavior, Hannah suspected two of the three had gotten an early start on the latter; she hoped the other man had been the designated driver.
A tall, lanky man with a thinning mop of brown hair and beer-glazed brown eyes did an exaggerated double-take when he saw Hannah sitting behind the reception desk. He made a point of checking out her bare left hand, then smiled at her with what she assumed was meant to be irresistible charm. “Wow, when the owners of this place advertised beautiful scenery, they weren’t kidding.”
His two companions groaned in response to the outrageous pickup line. Well-accustomed to fending off passes from overly optimistic guests, Hannah merely smiled, looked at the reservation on her computer screen and asked, “Which of you is Nathan Burns?”
“That would be me,” the supposedly sober man said. “Need my signature?”
She slid a form toward him. “Yes, please.”