The Last Sister (Columbia River)(93)

“He did. I didn’t know until he came to me two days later. By then I’d convinced myself I hadn’t been there, and I had a hard time believing his accusation.”

“You’re lucky you’re alive. He has a habit of killing the people he believes can cause trouble for him.”

Her face reddened, and she dropped her gaze.

Oh shit.

“You were involved with him,” he said flatly, his stomach churning at the thought. “He’s got to be twenty years older than you—and you were a kid.”

“I was eighteen,” she snapped. “People looked at me as an adult—especially men. Do you know how many men had propositioned me by the time I was sixteen? Married men. Men old enough to be my grandfather.”

“I’m sorry—”

“Not your fault. But it made me view myself differently, you know? I believed they wanted me because I was special. The attention felt good. After a while I sought it out. At least Harlan wasn’t married.”

“Harlan told you he saw you in the woods the night of your father’s death. Then what?”

“He told me to leave town and never return, or he’d kill my sisters and mother.” Her gaze was steady, her voice monotone.

That sounds like the Harlan I know.

“You got a free pass because of your relationship.”

“My life has not been a free pass.” Fire shone in her eyes. “Do you know what it’s like to believe the man you slept with murdered your father? And I fully believed he killed my mother until Emily told me otherwise—it still hasn’t sunk in that she committed suicide. Back then her death was the proof that he was serious. My sisters would be his next targets. As I got older, I knew my husband and my daughter could be targets.”

“I find it hard to believe you simply packed up and left Bartonville.”

One eyebrow rose. “That’s exactly what I did. When I told people I was leaving, no one seemed too surprised.” She forced a laugh. “I had a reputation as a wild child. A slut. My parents were at their wits’ end with me. People were happy to see me go.”

“Your sisters weren’t happy. Neither were your aunts.”

“Doesn’t matter now.” Her voice cracked and pain flashed.

“Are you going to leave again?”

“No,” she said firmly. “For the first time in twenty years, I feel like I can breathe. I no longer have to look over my shoulder or fear that my daughter will be killed.” She tipped her head, wonder in her eyes. “You have no idea how different the world looks to me today. I don’t know what to do with myself because I’m not focused on hiding. Two decades of ingrained thought patterns suddenly have no purpose. On one hand I feel free . . . on the other I’ve lost the impetus that drove my every action for years.”

“You will find new things to strive for. Your sisters, your aunts, a new world for your daughter.”

“I will, but it will take some getting used to. Bella deserves to know her family and vice versa, so we’ll spend lots of time here on the coast in the future. I’ve missed it.” Her face softened. “There’s nothing like the smell of the ocean. I’ve avoided the entire coast since I left.”

“Your family will be glad to have you back.”

“Emily and I have talked, and we have a lot of catching up to do. I’ve missed so much. When I thought Harlan was about to kill me on that overlook, I was angry. Angry that he’d made me lose my mother and father and then twenty years with the family I had left.”

“Did Emily tell you she refused to search for you all that time?”

“No.” Surprise registered in her eyes.

“She was worried you were involved with your father’s death. She saw you outside that night, and then you left town. She was afraid to discover the truth of why you left.”

Tara was silent.

“Madison looked for you when she got older. She’d argue with Emily because she refused to help, but Emily never told Madison of her suspicions about your involvement.”

“That’s a heavy burden to carry for two decades,” Tara whispered.

“In a twisted bit of logic, she was trying to protect you.”

Tara sniffed and wiped her eyes.

“Both Madison and Emily are overjoyed to have you in their lives again. Bella too.”

“They’re good sisters,” Tara said. Her gaze turned curious. “And what about you? Will you be around too?”

He blinked. “I work in Portland.”

She shot him a withering glance. “I’m asking about Emily. The air crackles whenever you two are in the same room.”

He grinned. Apparently Tara spoke her mind like Emily did. “That’s up to her.”

“Maybe you should persuade her.”

“I’m working on it.”

“Are you staying for tea?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”





39

“I hired two waitresses. I think they’ll work out,” Madison told Emily as they waited at the table for the aunts to finish up whatever surprise they were making in the kitchen for tea. Emily looked almost back to normal. She had crutches to keep the weight off her injured calf, and the bandage in her hair was gone. They’d shaved part of her scalp when they stitched up the cut from her accident, but her hair covered almost all of it.