Every Vow She Breaks (33 page)

“What did she say? Should I be worried?” The realtor walked over and stopped beside Dallas. “Did I push too hard?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The house. When she said she wanted to sell it, I was bummed at first. Having Claire here in Shady Bend has been fun for both of us. Then my realtor radar took over, and I got excited about the listing.”

He took the receipt from the clerk and pushed the loaded cart out of the line. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“You’d think, but the more I talked, the quieter she got. Does she really want to sell?”

Rubbing a hand across the sudden ache in his chest, he frowned. “She says she does. I’ve asked her a couple of times.”

Theresa’s brown eyes darkened, and her lips pressed tight. “When Ian wanted to get married on that stupid ski trip, she agreed because, at the time, she loved him. It was only after the fact she admitted it had been a huge mistake.”

Dallas took Theresa’s arm to guide her out of the way of a man carrying a bundle of doweling. “Sounds like Claire. I almost persuaded her to give up on Berkeley to join me at the community college. She wised up in time, but I think her parents and the school counselor helped convince her she had to go after her dreams.”

Theresa frowned. “So, why’d she change her mind about keeping the house?”

Jed’s gaze dropped beneath the woman’s unrelenting stare. “I didn’t suggest she sell, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything, and I’m happy to list the place for her. I just want to make sure she won’t regret it in the long run.”

“I’ll talk to her again.”

She smiled. “You’re a good guy, Jed. I know Claire cares a lot about you, and she’ll try like crazy to make you happy. Until she gives too much of herself and reaches the breaking point. I’d rather not see that happen.”

“Me either.” He nodded. “I’d better get the mortar back to Vern. He’ll be waiting.”

“Tell Claire I said hi.” Theresa tucked her hand through Dallas’s arm and headed toward his office beside him.

Jed pushed the cart outside. After opening the rear gate, he dumped the bags, one at a time, inside. The vehicle rocked under the weight. He slammed the door closed to lean against it. The minutes ticked by before he pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contacts. He pushed a button and waited.

“Travis? Hey, it’s Jed. I was wondering if you’d mind giving me a phone number.”

Jed walked out of the recreation center in Fort Bragg with a bounce to his step and a renewed sense of purpose. The rec supervisor, the third one he’d spoken with, had been just as enthusiastic about his proposal as the others he’d approached.
If
he could produce the proper permits and insurance, the centers would be happy to advertise his summer wilderness camping program for kids along with facilitating signups. Each director had assured him there would be plenty of interested participants. Now all he had to do was organize itineraries and make schedules, round up a couple of interns to help control the kids and… He stopped beside the SUV to rub his temples.

Paperwork was his nemesis. When he’d reached Alex Conner, the man Travis had mentioned who operated a similar program out of the Seattle area, he’d warned him about the administrative headaches involved. The man had been more than willing to share his expertise—as long as Jed agreed to stay in California. Not a problem. The whole point of the endeavor was to stick close to Shady Bend and recruit campers from the surrounding towns. With luck and hard work, he’d create a business for himself here on the coast that would give purpose to his summers
and
be fun to boot. More importantly, Claire would be able to keep her house.

A win-win situation—if he could pull it off.

He yanked open the car door then sat on the edge of the seat while he tried her cell. Again. When voice mailed picked up, he scowled.

Where the hell is she?

He hadn’t wanted to let her go alone to photograph the lighthouses, but after speaking with Alex, he’d understood the need to get organized fast. As he’d pointed out, parents wanted to nail down their kids’ summer camp schedules well in advance so they could plan family vacations around them. There was only so much he could do from the Sierras this winter, so moving on the project now was critical. He couldn’t afford to wait until spring to get started, and one of the rec supervisors he’d needed to talk to was heading out of town the next day.

So he’d made up an excuse, albeit a lame one, about Kane wanting his help to repair a fence after a drunk neighbor had run into it the night before. The story wasn’t a complete lie. The drunken idiot
had
taken out the fence, and Kane
had
called to vent about it. Jed fully intended to tell Claire the truth—just as soon as he had all his ducks in a row. There was no point in getting her hopes up if the idea didn’t pan out.

If only she’d answer her damned phone.

His cell rang. He smacked his elbow on the edge of the door then swore as he juggled it to glance at the display.

Thank God.

“Claire, are you okay?”

“Of course I…still…Point Bonita…going to…pictures…sunset…”

“I can barely hear you.” He gave the phone a shake.

“…service sucks…stay down here tonight…”

“Claire, call me back. I can’t understand you.”

“…hike out late…don’t want to drive…home tomorrow morning.”

He gritted his teeth. “Damn it. I should have gone with you. I don’t want you spending the night somewhere by yourself.”

“…perfectly fine. I’m not…danger. No one knows where…”

“Claire? Are you still there? Claire?”

“…here. Don’t worry…try call…later. Why don’t…stay…Kane’s…come home tomorrow, too?”

He sighed. Now was obviously not a good time to explain. “Are you sure you won’t drive home tonight? Damn, I should never have let you go alone.”

“No…fine…call...this evening. Love you.”

He clicked his phone off and smacked the steering wheel with his fist. “Shit!” Maybe he should just drive down to…where? She was at the lighthouse now, but by the time he got to Point Bonita, she might have already left to find a campground.

He let out a long breath. She was safe. He’d stayed behind her for a good ten miles this morning just to make sure no one else was following them. If someone from her past had somehow caught up to her, she would have seen him while she was taking photographs at the two lighthouses. Driving down to Marin for the night only to turn around to come home in the morning in separate vehicles didn’t make a whole lot of sense. He started the engine and glanced at the time on the dashboard clock. He had one more appointment at the rec center in Willits, and he’d barely make it on time as it was without breaking a few speed limits. Maybe Claire would have better service by the time he finished. He could talk to her again and make a decision then.

* * * *

Claire eased down on the shutter release just as the sun sank below the horizon on a blaze of orange and crimson, perfectly highlighting the Point Bonita lighthouse on its rocky perch along with the suspension bridge leading out to it. She’d taken the tour earlier in the afternoon during visiting hours then found a spot on the trail back with an absolutely perfect view—and waited, and waited, and waited. Her phone call to Jed had been a failure. All the rock outcroppings blocked the cell tower signals, and the reception was horrible.

Damp and stiff from hours of inaction perched on moss-covered rocks, she stored her camera then stretched to limber up before hiking back to the parking area. Thank God she’d left Scoop with Theresa. He would have gone crazy cooped up in the motor home for all those hours. Not that she’d planned to stay out at the lighthouse for quite so long, but the lure of a sunset shot had been irresistible.

Camping somewhere nearby for the night only made sense. Tiredness sapped her strength, and the daypack hung heavily from her shoulders. Trudging up the trail, she let out a huge sigh when she reached her motor home, all alone in the small lot. Tension tightened her muscles as she unlocked the door.

No one was around. Imagining stalkers in the shadows of a bush swaying in the breeze was pure foolishness. Still, she started the engine, switched on the headlights and pulled out onto the road without wasting any time. Her first priority was food since her stomach had been growling for the last couple of hours. Second was another phone call to Jed to ease his anxiety before he did something stupid like driving down to find her.
Impulsive and unnecessary, but thoughtful like the man himself.
Once that was settled, she’d find a place to camp.

Choosing a Mexican restaurant close to the highway, she parked and went inside. Heat and a blast of mariachi music hit her along with the appetizing scent of spicy food. Her stomach growled again. The pretty young hostess seated her then handed over a menu before filling her water glass and setting chips and salsa on the table. Claire thanked her, scanned the contents of the menu then ordered chicken enchiladas when the server stopped beside her booth.

“Something to drink?” The man’s teeth gleamed beneath a neatly trimmed moustache. “The bartender makes a killer margarita.”

“I’m fine with just water.” As tired as she was, if she drank a margarita, someone would have to haul her out from beneath the table.

He nodded and left. Claire retrieved her cell from her purse and pushed the redial button. The sound of Jed’s deep voice sent a shot of heat through her that rivaled the salsa.

“Where are you?”

“A Mexican restaurant outside Sausalito. The chips are so fresh they’re still warm.”

“I’m jealous. Should I drive down there to meet you?”

She crunched and chewed. “From Vine Haven? Uh, I don’t think it’ll take them that long to cook my dinner.”

Silence stretched across the airwaves.

“Jed?”

“I’m not actually in Vine Haven.”

“I thought you were going to stay with Kane tonight?”

His breath whooshed in her ear. “I never was in Vine Haven.”

Her hand stilled over the chip basket. “Oh?”

“I lied.”

“Why?” She leaned against the seatback. The loud music that had seemed so cheerful before grated on her nerves.

“I made a few appointments I had to keep. I think this is going to work.”

“What’s going to work?” Her fist clenched. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“A plan for summer employment. I didn’t say anything before you left because I didn’t want to disappoint you if the people at the rec centers laughed in my face. I’m trying to set up a summer camp program for kids. Everyone I talked to today liked the idea. They think it’ll be popular.”

She frowned. “You mean in the mountains? Did you drive back to your cabin?”

“No, on the coast. I’d center the program in Shady Bend and arrange wilderness camping trips in the redwoods and along the ocean. The focus would be on survival skills in addition to outdoor adventure and plain old having fun.”

“But—”

“You could keep your house. We’d stay there all summer and fall, at least when I’m not knee-deep in kids, and live at my cabin during the winter.” His voice dropped, sounding almost hesitant. “If you wanted to. I know how much having a home base means to you. I hope this would give you that sense of…I don’t know…belonging somewhere permanent. I want you to be happy.”

Tears smarted in her eyes. “You did this…for me?”

“For both of us. I would have told you in person, but I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer. What do you think?”

The server returned to slide a plate full of enchiladas and rice onto the table in front of her. She blinked back more tears and smiled.

“Uh, are you okay, miss?”

With a sniff, she nodded. “Yes. Everything is perfect.”

“Claire?”

“Sorry. The waiter just delivered my food.”

“Then I should hang up to let you eat.”

She picked up her fork then set it down again and rubbed a hand across damp cheeks. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“Almost as much as I love you.” He paused. “Are you crying?”

“Maybe a little. Thank you for knowing what was in my heart, even when I didn’t want to admit it to myself.”

His voice deepened. “I really, really want to kiss you right now. Maybe I will drive down.”

“Jed, no. It’s too far. I’ll get an early start and be home by mid-morning.”

“Are you sure? There aren’t any strangers lurking around? If you don’t feel one hundred percent safe…”

“I do. I haven’t seen anyone I recognize or who even looks a tiny bit familiar at any of my stops today. No one’s following me.”

“Thank God. In that case, I guess driving down there—”

“—would be a huge waste of time and gas.”

“Where are you going to camp?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll probably drive a few miles and stop in either Novato or Petaluma. Now I wish I hadn’t waited for the sunset shot, even though the picture I took was spectacular. If I wasn’t so tired…”

“Don’t even think about it. I don’t want a call from the highway patrol because you crashed the motor home.”

“Fine. Did you pick up Scoop from Theresa’s?”

“Yes. Maybe I’ll take him for a moonlight walk. Not exactly the evening I’d prefer, but we all have to make do.”

She grinned. “He’ll appreciate the gesture. Good night, Jed, and thank you. What you’ve done means more than I can say.”

“You can thank me properly. Tomorrow.”

She put away her phone but couldn’t stop smiling. Digging into the enchiladas, her energy levels rose with each bite. By the time her plate was clean, her fingers tapped along with the festive music.

Three and a half hours wasn’t such a long drive. She’d be home before midnight if she left right now. Dropping a handful of bills on the table for a tip, she headed over to the hostess station to pay her bill. With excitement buzzing stronger than a bee in a flower patch, sleep would be impossible anyway. Might as well drive.

Jed would be so surprised when she slipped into bed…crap. She’d intended to pick up the mattress from her storage locker. Screw it. She’d rather sleep on the hard floor with the man she loved than on a cloud of feathers all alone.