shuddered, grabbing her duffel and satchel from the trunk. The wind gusted, shaking needles and branches, the sound shivering along Maggie’s nerves as she picked her way along the dark road. She’d never been afraid of the dark, never much worried about things that went bump in the night, but the storm gave life to the darkness, whipping shadows, bending pine boughs, whispering and whistling through the trees.
And no matter how much she told herself otherwise, no matter how much she reminded herself that she wasn’t alone on the dark country road, that God was with her, guiding her, protecting her, Maggie was afraid.
Bright light speared through the darkness as the sound of a car engine mixed with the howl of wind and pinging ice. Maggie jumped to the side of the road, her feet slipping out from under her as she scrambled to move out of the way of the approaching vehicle. She went down hard, her breath leaving on a painful whoosh.
A car door slammed, footsteps crunched on ice, and Maggie twisted and managed to push to her feet, to face the person backlit by headlights.
Tall. Large muscular build. A man. She was sure of that. A hat covered hair that might have been any color, but Maggie imagined it was midnight black. Black hair.
Black eyes.
Sinfully full lips that could smile or snarl depending on his mood.
Derrick?
For a moment, Maggie let panic take her, let it spear through her stomach and her mind until the only thought she had was escape. She took a step back, her feet slipping in ice and mud.
“Careful. You don’t want to end up on the ground again.” The deep voice didn’t belong to Derrick, and the hand that wrapped around her wrist, holding her steady as she regained her balance, was firm without being tight, controlled rather than cruel.
“You’re right. Thanks.” Her voice shook, and she cleared her throat, trying to quiet her frantic, panicked breathing.
“You’re Maggie Tennyson, right?”
A journalist. He had to be. Somehow he’d found out about Maggie’s part in reuniting Eli with his father, and he’d tracked her down. It wasn’t good, but it was better than the alternative—Derrick standing in front of her, ready to mete out the vengeance he’d promised more than three years ago. “That’s right.”
“I thought so. Your landlady said you were heading to your country home. She seemed really concerned that you wouldn’t make it. Something about threadbare tires and a lightweight car.”
“I guess she was right to be worried, because the car ended up in a ditch,” Maggie said, surprised that Edith would give out information to a stranger. But then, Edith did like being in the loop, and she’d love being part of one of Deer Park’s biggest-ever news stories.
“Fortunately, mine is made for this kind of weather. How about I give you a ride to your place?”
“My mother always told me not to accept rides from strangers, and since I’m not far from home, I think I’ll listen to her advice. Thanks, though. I appreciate the offer.” She kept her voice light as she started to turn away.
“Maybe it’ll help if I introduce myself. I’m Kane Dougherty. Eli’s father.”
Eli’s father—the man who’d been searching for his missing child for five years and whose impassioned plea for his son’s return had been replaying in the news since word of the father and son’s reunion had broken that morning—was standing on the country road that led to Maggie’s house.
And Maggie wished desperately that he wasn’t.
“I asked the sheriff not to tell you who I was.”
“And I told him that I needed to know. You brought me the miracle I’ve been praying for, and I wanted to thank you in person.”
“I’ve never needed thanks for doing the right thing, Mr. Dougherty.”
“Kane. And you may not need thanks, but I need to give it. How about I start by making sure you get to your place in one piece?”
There was no sense in refusing the ride, no way to undo the fact that Kane Dougherty was standing in front of her, so she nodded, trying to smile past the nerves that knotted her stomach. “Thanks. It’s not far.”
“It wouldn’t matter if it was a thousand miles. I’d still be happy to do it.” The words were suave and easy, the kind of thing a player might say to impress a lady, but there was sincerity in Kane’s tone that Maggie couldn’t deny.
He opened the car door, and the interior light went on, highlighting the black leather seats and the young boy who sat in the back. As always, Eli was still and watchful, his pale freckled face anxious and wary.
“Hello, Nicolas. Or do you want me to call you Eli now?”
“Eli, I guess.” But he didn’t look happy about it, and Maggie wondered how the transition was going for father and son.
“I missed you in school today,” she said, sliding into the car and turning to face the nine-year-old boy.
“They said I couldn’t go.”
“Who said that?”
“My…” Eli shot a look in Kane’s direction. “Father and aunt and the police. They said there were too many people who wanted to talk to me and take my picture.”
“They were right. You wouldn’t want a bunch of strangers following you all over the school.”
“I guess not, but now I’m going to have a lot of make-up work to do.”
“Not so much. It is the day before Thanksgiving, after all. Mrs. Trenton didn’t even assign homework.”
“She didn’t?”
“No. So you can stop worrying and enjoy your vacation.” Maggie leaned over the seat and ruffled Eli’s hair, then settled back into place as Kane rounded the car and got behind the steering wheel. She caught a flash of a strong jaw and high cheekbones, tan skin and deep-set eyes before the door closed and the interior light went off.
“I don’t think Eli considers this a vacation. It’s more a slow torture.” Kane’s voice was light, but Maggie heard the tension in it.
“Is it that bad, Eli?” She glanced over her shoulder, but Eli was staring out the window and didn’t respond.
“He’s had a rough couple of days. Haven’t you, sport?” Kane started the engine and drove down the road, the silence that followed his comment thick and telling.
“It will get better,” Maggie said, praying she was right. Eli had been taken from his home the previous morning and reunited with Kane less than twenty-four hours later. It was going to take time for him to adjust to his new circumstances. Time for him to realize that he really was where he belonged.
“You’re right. And in the meantime, we thought it would be nice to come for a visit with one of his favorite teachers. Right, Eli?”
“She’s my only favorite
