Next of Kin (10 page)

Adam frowned. “I know some names, but I don’t know much else.”

“And neither do I. Know your friends and your enemies, I always say, because it is often the friend who will betray you first.”

Adam’s thoughts were racing as he fiddled with a spoon; then he blurted out an apology before he could rethink it. “I think it is time to say I’m sorry for accusing you of having anything to do with Mother’s death.”

Ike stifled the urge to grin. Now was not the time to gloat.

“Thank you, son. That means everything to me.” Then he saw the waitstaff approaching with their food and quickly changed the subject. “Ah…here comes our meal. It’s time we eat and forget about the harsh words. There should be no bad blood between father and son, right?”

“Right,” Adam said.

Ike smiled. Now he could gloat.

Eight

T
he packet of letters in Beth’s hands was a ticking time bomb. If she opened them, the contents were going to destroy the memories she had of her parents. The lies they’d told her to cover up her mother’s indiscretions were bad enough, but to accept that they’d purposefully destroyed the relationship she’d had with Ryal proved they’d been selfish and self-serving. They’d sacrificed her happiness to make sure she never learned what her mother had done.

Beth was appalled at their lack of concern for her. Part of her wanted to throw the letters out of the window and pretend they’d never existed, but she couldn’t. Even though it was too late for her and Ryal, she needed to know, for her own self-worth, that he hadn’t walked away from her after all.

Ryal’s silence was worse than when they’d been yelling at each other. The anger and abandonment they both thought they’d gotten over had been resurrected with a vengeance. Beth couldn’t imagine what the coming days would be like, isolated together, miles away from everyone and everything. They would be forced to face whatever feelings they had left, whether they liked it or not. She stifled a groan. Right now she didn’t know who she was more afraid of, the man who wanted to kill her, or Ryal. Still lost in thought, she was unprepared when Ryal suddenly slammed on the brakes.

From out of nowhere, a deer had suddenly bounded out of the trees onto the road in front of them. As Ryal braked, Beth flew forward toward the windshield. It was instinct that made her jam her hands against the dash to keep from ramming her head into the glass.

Within seconds, she realized what she’d done, but it was too late to take it back. The pain in her hands was so intense that all she could do was double over in the seat, moaning as she cradled her hands against her breasts. The wounds that had just begun to heal had broken open and were bleeding again.

Ryal panicked. When he heard the moan he thought she’d hit her head, but then he saw her protecting her hands, then saw the blood, and felt sick, realizing what had just happened.

“Oh, my God, Beth…sweetheart, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He jumped out of the truck, pulled a first-aid kit from behind the seat and then ran around to open her door.

Beth was white-lipped and shaking, and when their gazes met, he saw tears.

“Ah…honey…Beth…I—”

Her teeth chattered from the pain as she tried to reassure him.

“It wasn’t your fault. I didn’t fasten my seat belt.”

The fact that she wasn’t letting herself cry made him feel even worse. If it would have taken away her pain, he would have cried for her.

“You didn’t fasten it because your hands were too sore. And I didn’t help you because I was feeling sorry for myself. I would give anything for this not to have happened.”

“It’s all right,” she said.

Ryal slid a hand beneath the fall of her hair as he cupped the back of her neck.

“No, honey…it’s not, but like a lot of things that have been said and done today, it’s too late to take it back. However, let’s see what we can do about the end results, okay? I have some antibiotic spray. I think it will be less painful than cream, because I won’t have to touch anything that’s reopened. We’ll do one hand at a time. Are you ready?” he asked, as he removed the old bandages.

She nodded, then inhaled sharply as the spray hit the open wounds. He quickly sprayed the other hand, wincing with her as new pain shot up her arm, then put a gauze pad on each palm and taped them down.

“It’s pretty sorry first aid, but it’ll keep the blood off your clothes. When we get to Grandpa’s house, I’ll do a better job, okay?”

She nodded.

As soon as he finished, he tossed the first-aid kit on the floor near her feet, then grabbed her seat belt and leaned in to fasten it.

“There, better late than never.”

Beth shivered. He was so close she could smell the faint scent of his aftershave. If he turned his head just a little bit and lifted his chin, all she would have to do was lean forward and they would kiss, but the moment she thought it, she wished the urge away. Being this close to him and not touching him was enough to make her crazy.

“There now,” Ryal said, then picked up the letters and laid them back in her lap. “You okay?”

“I will be.”

A faint smile came and went as his gaze swept her face.

“When did you get so tough?”

She didn’t answer, but the question had apparently been rhetorical anyway, since Ryal was already on his way back around the truck. He gave her a quick glance as he got inside, then put it in gear and drove away. The deer that had caused the near-accident was long gone, but he drove with a closer eye on the road.

A few minutes later he glanced over at Beth.

“Doing okay?”

She nodded. She had never been this far up Rebel Ridge and thought what it must have been like for Ryal’s mother to have grown up here.

“This is a long way up.”

“Yes, and it’s why we chose it to hide you. In fact, the road ends at Grandpa’s house. Anyone wanting to go farther up Rebel Ridge goes it on foot. It’s nearly one o’clock, but we’ll be there soon. You’re probably getting hungry. James and Quinn stocked the house with some basics, but I brought some precooked stuff from my house, too.”

“There’s power and running water?”

Ryal nodded. “Different members of the family have stayed here a few times since Grandpa died, usually during hunting season. No one wants to live this far out of the way, but we’re sentimental enough about the old place that we didn’t want to see it go to ruin.”

Beth shivered. “I don’t care how far up it is. I’m ready to get lost.”

“I can only imagine,” Ryal said.

Minutes later he pointed. “The house is just beyond that dead pine. There’s a small clearing in front of it, but it’s surrounded in the back by trees, which should make it hard to see from the air.”

Beth’s eyes narrowed. She hadn’t thought about it from that angle but was glad they had.

“How are your hands?” he asked.

She peered beneath the gauze. “They quit bleeding, but they’ll be sore again.”

He frowned as he drove past the dead pine. What was done was done.

“There it is,” he said, wondering how she would view the unpainted wood, the tilting porch roof and the simple furnishings.

Beth leaned forward. “So this is the castle that’s going to protect me from the enemy. Nice, but where’s the moat?”

Ryal hadn’t expected humor. He laughed.

“Would you settle for a rusty knight and a rifle?”

His laugh wound around her heart and made it ache, as did the smile on his face. There had been a time when laughter had been often and easy between them.

She smiled back, then saw Ryal pointing at the house.

“Looks like James and Quinn are still here. When you get inside, make sure they brought everything you’re going to need for at least the next couple of weeks, okay? If not, they can bring it next time they come up.”

Beth was a little nervous about seeing Ryal’s brothers again. “Are they mad at me, too?” she asked.

Ryal flinched. “No, Bethie…no. God. I’m not mad at you, either. I’m not throwing out blame to hurt your feelings, but the truth is, you and I became collateral damage in your mother’s affair.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, okay?”

“Okay.”

Within moments Ryal pulled up and parked. Both his brothers came off the porch. James was smiling as he opened the passenger-side door.

“Hey, Beth. Welcome back.” Then he saw the gauze pads on her hands. “Ryal didn’t tell us you were hurt.”

“I’m healing,” she said. “Help me out, okay?”

“I’ll do better than that,” James said, and scooped her up in his arms and lifted her down from the cab of the pickup, then set her on her feet. “How’s that?”

Despite the fact that James was happily married and just being his usual self, a little jealousy hit Ryal and reared its ugly head. “Stop showing off,” he muttered. “You guys grab the bags and the box of food, okay?”

“Beth, good to see you,” Quinn said quietly, then grabbed an armload of bags and walked away without commenting on James’s gallantry.

Beth watched him walk away, then turned toward the old weather-beaten house.

“What do you think?” Ryal asked, as he walked up behind her.

Beth shrugged. “That I’m glad to be here and don’t care if it’s a month before I have to get back in a vehicle again.”

James walked past her, carrying the box of groceries from Ryal’s house.

“Hey, Ryal, do I smell ham?” he asked.

Beth remembered how James had always been hungry. “I see some things haven’t changed.”

Ryal slid a hand under her elbow. “That’s for sure. Let’s get you inside before he eats it all.”

The front step creaked as they walked up onto the porch. “That needs fixing,” Ryal said. “I know the place isn’t much, but—”

Beth paused on the threshold. “Stop saying that, okay? I’m still the same person I was before I left, only older and a whole lot wiser. I don’t need fancy. I need safe.”

Ryal cupped her elbow. “Then I guess all I need to say is, your castle awaits.”

“That’s better,” Beth said, and walked inside.

She was caught off guard by the faint scent of lemon oil, then touched by the gesture. They’d even dusted the place. It was, as Ryal had stated—not much, but it was enough. The front room was oblong, with an old rock fireplace at the far end. The furnishings were old, and the cushions in the sofa were sagging. The curtains at the windows were faded and a little tattered. There were stairs off to the right, leading up to a sleeping loft, and a short hallway to the left that branched in one direction toward bedrooms and the bath, and in another toward the kitchen. Despite its rather forlorn appearance, the place felt welcoming.

“Come this way,” Ryal said. “You’re getting the bedroom where the grandkids used to sleep. The mattress is the newest one, which isn’t saying much, but everything’s clean.”

“Stop apologizing for everything. You’re making me feel like a—”

Ryal tugged a lock of her hair. “Like a princess?”

She sighed. “Whatever.”

Ryal eyed the tension in her expression and guessed she was close to a meltdown.

“Follow me.” He dropped her bag off in her bedroom. “Bathroom is across the hall. I’m going to rescue our dinner from James before he eats it all. Come to the kitchen when you’re ready.”