Butterfly Cove (29 page)

Rafe muttered under his breath and ignored her.

* * *

O
LIVIA LOOKED WORSE
by the time he parked in her driveway. Her face was pale and her eyes were closed. She had one hand open on her stomach as if she was sick.

Rafe opened the door and lifted her out carefully. Even though he knew it was dangerous to touch her, he swung her up into his arms and carried her up the front steps. “How do you feel?”

Her answer was unintelligible. Her eyes fluttered once, and she might have muttered his name. Then she was out cold.

If he hadn’t been so angry, Rafe might almost have laughed.

He still had her house key, and he juggled her against his arm while he unlocked the front door. He put her down on the couch while he went to turn off the alarm.

When he came back, Olivia was propped awkwardly on the sofa, peering at him. “Where am I?”

“You were at the police station. Now you’re at home.”

“Are you going to extract a confession of all the things I did?”

“I’ll skip the interrogation,” Rafe said dryly. “Your punishment will be the mother of all hangovers tomorrow morning. Hasn’t anybody ever told you not to mix hard liquor, beer and champagne?”

Olivia rubbed her forehead. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.” She tried to stand up and swayed dangerously. Rafe lunged and caught her waist.

“Hell. What am I going to do with you, Olivia?”

Her eyes closed. Her head fell against his chest and she wriggled closer. “Anything you want, Officer,” she whispered.

* * *

G
RIMLY
R
AFE CARRIED
her up to bed and slid her under the covers. There were a whole lot of things he wanted to do to her. He wanted to shake her and then talk some sense into her. He was trying to do the right thing, but she wasn’t helping.

He couldn’t take his eyes away from her red nails as she lay in the middle of the big white bed, deep asleep, one hand under her cheek. In the silence Rafe felt something shake free deep inside him, the ground shifting hard beneath him. There had always been a bond between them, even when he was nine and she was barely seven. How could he walk out on her now, when leaving felt all wrong?

He rubbed his neck and sat down in the big wing chair by the picture window. Through the tall trees outside he could see the moon caught on dark branches.

That morning everything had seemed so clear. He had known exactly the right thing to do.

Now nothing seemed clear.

On the bed Olivia moved suddenly. She twisted sharply, saying words that he couldn’t make out. Rafe sat down beside her and took her hand. “It’s okay. Just a bad dream.”

Her fingers tightened. She seemed to be pushing something away from her face, almost like spiderwebs. Then her eyes opened.

She stared at him for what felt like an eternity.

“You’re here. I’m not...dreaming? Or just drunk?”

“I’m here—even though I shouldn’t be. That was a crazy thing you did, Livie.” Crazy but wonderful, Rafe thought. And by breakfast, everyone in town would be talking about it.

Her eyes hardened. “It had to be done. One of us had to be sensible.”

He had to smile at her skewed logic. “If you can call it sensible. But I’ll be honest first. I think I might have made a mistake.”

She raised an eyebrow. “No kidding.”

“Whatever I did was to protect you, Livie.”

“I don’t see it that way.” She stopped and swallowed a sound of pain. “You were right. Those mixed drinks pack a punch.”

“Are you okay? Does your head hurt or your stomach?”

“Everything hurts. I’ll never drink again.”

Rafe eased her back onto the bed and pulled the covers up around her. “That’s a relief. We’d have a permanent traffic jam on Main Street if you did. I’d never get anything done.”

She looked interested at that. “I thought you were leaving.”

“So did I. I keep trying—but it always feels wrong.”

Rafe was done attempting to argue sense into her. If she was crazy enough to put up with his life and all its shadows, who was he to argue?

Olivia closed her eyes and slid her fingers through his. “About time,” she mumbled.

“But we need some ground rules, Livie. There are things you need to understand, things I have to face. It’s going to take me some time to deal with that,” Rafe said slowly. “And then we have to consider the future. As it happens, I put away a fair amount of money while I was in the service. There was nothing else to spend it on, so I saved it. Back then, a good portfolio actually made money.”

Olivia just stared at him. “You’re rich?”

“I wouldn’t call it rich. Comfortable maybe. But I can help you while you get your finances sorted out.” His voice fell, grew husky. “So I will help you. It’s not open to question.”

She started to argue, to tell him that she could manage quite nicely by herself. Rafe saw the stubbornness fill her eyes.

Then she sank back against the pillow, one hand to her forehead. “I’m sure there’s a reason to argue with you about that, but it can wait until tomorrow. It’s starting. That thing you told me about.”

“Remorse? Or did you change your mind about me?” Rafe had wanted her to be reasonable, but it would be unbearable if she cut him adrift now.

“No, you idiot. The mother of all hangovers. And I think...it’s getting worse.”

He leaned down, scooping her out of bed. “I’ll get you into the bathroom. Then I’ll go down and fix you a special tomato juice drink. It always did the trick for me in the service.”

“Did you get drunk a lot?”

“Honey, you
don’t
want to know.”

She took a deep breath. When he looked down, her eyes were bleary, but filled with certainty. “I love you, Rafe Russo. I’ve loved you for most of my life. Don’t you
ever
forget that. And if you ever walk out on me again, I’ll murder you. I’ll do it with my drafting pen. Understand?”

Rafe raised one eyebrow. “
Drafting
pen?”

“Damn right.”

“You have my promise, honey.” He felt absolutely clear about his future and hers. She belonged right here in his arms. “I may be reckless, but I’m not crazy. I’ve loved you for most of my life, too, Olivia Sullivan.”

“Good.” Olivia’s eyes closed. “Now how about that tomato juice thing you promised me...”

EPILOGUE

Summer Island
Late afternoon

T
HEY CAME FROM
six states, not just Portland. They came in limousines and taxicabs and on motorcycles. Somebody even drove a golf cart.

By the time the sun was heading down on the day of its grand opening, the Harbor House was filled with people and a traffic jam snarled the coast highway.

Some people said it was making the town into a noisy, chaotic mess. Most of the others said it was a jolt of life and a godsend to the local economy.

Rafe Russo, the new acting sheriff during Tom Wilkinson’s medical leave, said that the town council needed to widen the coast road fast because his deputies were already too busy to direct traffic all day when cars were stuck in line for the new café and the popular little yarn shop.

The town council, after some intense debate behind closed doors, agreed.

* * *

“
H
AS ANYONE SEEN
L
IVIE?”

“Over there. She’s talking with her real estate agent, I think.” Jilly pointed over her shoulder vaguely. “I think she’s finally got an offer on the house. Walker, honey, we’re almost out of iced coffee over here.”

“Coming right up.”

Jilly blew him a quick kiss as she reached around him. “By the way—did you get that cash register to work?”

“All fixed.” Walker caught her waist and turned her around. “Take a break for ten minutes. Grace is handling the cash sales now. Caro’s grandmother will take over in here.”

“But—”

“No arguing. We agreed.”

Jilly blew out a breath. “Right. This is totally...wild, isn’t it?”

Walker leaned down and calmly whispered, "I told you so.”

* * *

O
UTSIDE ON THE
back porch Olivia and the real estate agent weren’t talking about how to get the best price for her house. An offer had already been given and accepted. The house would be sold in a month.

Olivia felt nothing but relief to know it was done.

But the real estate agent, Andi Moore, had pulled Olivia around to a quiet part of the yard near the side fence. “I can’t take this any longer. I need to tell you the truth. My son was the one up in your attic. I sent him in there after I turned off your electricity. He—he was supposed to find something in your attic. It was a key.”

Olivia blinked at her. “You did that?”

“There’s no good way to say this, so I’ll just jump in. Your father and I—we were involved, Olivia. For the last nine years of his life. We met in Los Angeles or Chicago or New York. He was very private that way. He wanted to spare me any gossip. I loved him...deeply. But he was a difficult man. He had trouble showing emotions. And I think...there were many things he did not want to share with me. But that was fine. The time we had together meant so much.”

Olivia swallowed. “You were...lovers?”

“And we were very, very good friends.” Andi laughed. “We were old, but we weren’t ancient. You don’t have to look that surprised.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just...a shock. He never mentioned you to me.”

“He valued appearances. Maybe too much. But your father worked very hard to become a success, Olivia. He liked order. Control. Did you know that he was adopted? In and out of foster homes. He was sent back after he’d been adopted twice. He never said much, but I think those experiences made him very hard inside.”

Olivia sat down in the sunlight, her iced tea totally forgotten. “Adopted? He never told me that, but he didn’t tell me much anyway.”

“I don’t think anyone knew. He was proud of his image and his success. He wanted people to think of him
that
way, not as someone who’d been abandoned as a baby.”

“I can understand that. He would never want pity.”

“I know he was hard to understand. He could be very distant...even sometimes cruel. But I loved him and I believe he loved me. So at the end, when he was getting more and more confused, I told him he should go to you and ask you for help. He refused. We argued, but he always refused.” She looked away. “Then he asked me to do something for him and I agreed. He said there was a key in the attic. He said you should have it. There was something he had forgotten and that you should know about it.”

Olivia couldn’t seem to move. “In my attic?”

The agent pressed an envelope into Olivia’s hands. “He couldn’t write by that point. It was about a month before he died. So he told me what to write and I wrote it down for him. It’s all in here. I should’ve told you sooner, but...I wasn’t sure how. And coming from a complete stranger, I thought...well, I didn’t know what you would think.”

She stood up stiffly. “About the house, I got you the best possible price. I’m not accepting a fee either. I refuse. That’s for your father. And it’s an apology for the way I bungled this whole thing.”

Olivia saw that the woman was trying hard not to cry. She reached out and squeezed her hand. “I only wish I’d known. I’m sorry he never told me. He had so many secrets.”

“He was proud of you. He told me that when you wrote him from Italy. He kept some of the photos you sent him. I know he didn’t show it, but he was proud in his way. I hope you will believe that.”

Olivia took a slow breath. She began to believe. It didn’t change everything. But it helped her accept who he was.

“Thank you. It matters, believe me. Why don’t you come inside?” Olivia said on impulse. “Jilly has her barbecue almost done...”

“No, no, I’m going. You’re much too busy here and my son has a gymnastics competition down at the high school in an hour. But...stay in touch, will you?”

Olivia nodded. “I’ll be right here on the island. Rafe and I will be looking for a house soon. Nothing huge. Maybe up on the hill, next to Caro.”

“In that case I’ll keep an eye out for a property for you. I think...yes, I may have something in mind already.” Andi squeezed Olivia’s hand and stood up. “Thank you for not being angry—and for understanding a little.”

Feeling bewildered, Olivia looked up as Rafe walked down the steps.

“Livie, somebody wants to buy all that cashmere yarn. Jilly said you would know where it was.” He hesitated, looking at her closely. “Is everything okay?”

* * *

“
F
INE.
P
ERFECT, ACTUALLY
. I’ll go get the yarn right now. Somebody wants to buy
all
fifteen balls of it?”

“That’s what I hear.” Rafe watched the real estate agent walk away. “Was there a change in the offer for the house? Don’t tell me the deal fell through already.”

“Not at all. In fact, Andi thinks she may have a house for us up on the hill near Caro. There’s more, too.” Olivia slid the envelope into the pocket of her hand-knit sweater and smiled slowly. “It can wait a little. I’ll—I’ll tell you later.”

“It’s good news?”

“Yes. I think it will be.” Olivia stood up and slid an arm around his waist. “Let’s finish up inside. We should be closing in forty-five minutes. We’ll help with the cleanup, and then I’ll meet you down at the cove.” She kissed him with slow, teasing bites that made Rafe’s eyes darken.

“I’d rather go now,” he muttered. “This is a zoo.”

“The price of success, Sheriff Russo.”

“
Acting
sheriff,” Rafe corrected.

“Maybe.” Olivia smiled broadly and walked toward the house. “You bring the champagne and I’ll bring the blanket, Sheriff.”

* * *

I
T WAS OVER
an hour later before they could get away. Olivia was tired, but she was singing inside, pumped with the success of their grand opening. She knew there would be months of hard work and uncertainty before the business was secure, but the beginning was better than she could have dreamed.

Down at Butterfly Cove, Rafe was already waiting, one hand on the ladder to the tree house at the top of the high dunes. Olivia saw something shine in the branches, where a dozen Mason jars had been strung up as lanterns. Rafe climbed up the ladder to light the first one when he saw her.