Stranger in the Moonlight

  The death of her mother had changed everything. There’d been a job offer when Sophie graduated from college, but she’d had to turn it down. Taking it would have meant relocating from her little Texas hometown, and since her sister couldn’t leave, Sophie had to go to her. Oh how noble she’d felt on that day! She’d called the nice, older man who’d asked her to work for him. “It’s not much to begin with,” he’d told her, “but it’s a start. You’re talented, Sophie, and you have ambition. I think you’ll go far.” When she called him to turn the job down she’d felt like a saint. She was sacrificing herself for others, giving up what she wanted to help her sweet, innocent, vulnerable twelve-year-old sister.

  The man had made an attempt to change her mind. “Sophie, you’re too young to do this. Isn’t there someone else your little sister could live with? An aunt, a grandparent? Someone?”

  “There’s no one and besides, there are extenuating circumstances. Lisa needs—”

  “What do you need?” the man had half shouted.

  But nothing he said dissuaded Sophie from putting her life on hold so she could spend the next five years protecting her sister. Protecting, providing for her, trying to teach her about the world. But somewhere in there Sophie had begun to want things for herself, like love and family. At that she had failed.

  Sophie got out of the car and looked around. Through the trees she could see the highway. There wasn’t much traffic, just a few pickups, some of them towing boats.

  She leaned back against the car, closed her eyes, and held her face up to the light. It was warm out but she could feel autumn in the air. Other people were at home raking leaves and ordering cords of firewood. Maybe they were thinking about Thanksgiving and what candy to give out this weekend at Halloween. But Sophie was on the road.

  Would Carter spend the holidays with his fiancée? she wondered. What would he buy her for Christmas? A perfect little diamond tennis bracelet for her perfect little blue-blood wrist?

  Would they go sledding in the snow?

  Yet again, Sophie felt anger surge through her.

  Carter had a right to his own . . . Sophie put her hand over her mouth, as she had an almost uncontrollable urge to scream. He’d said, “You must know that you’re the kind of girl a man—”

  No! She was never again going to let herself remember the things he’d said to her on that last night. But then, it was the way he’d said it all that had hurt as much as the words. He’d acted surprised that she didn’t know what to him was a given. His face—that she’d thought she loved—looked at her in innocence, as though no blame could be attached to him. According to him, it was all Sophie’s fault because she hadn’t understood from the beginning. “But I thought you knew,” he said, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. “It was just for the summer. Aren’t there books written about summer romances? That’s what we had. And the good part is that someday we’ll both look back on this with fondness.”

  His words were so sincere sounding that Sophie began to doubt herself. Had she known but not let herself admit it? Whatever the truth was, she’d felt crushed, defeated. She’d truly believed that she loved Carter—and that he felt the same way about her. He’d made her feel good about herself. He’d listened to her complaints about her jobs, about how she often felt that she’d missed out on life, then he’d kissed her until she quit talking.

  It had taken Sophie nearly a year after graduation to figure out that putting her own life on hold to help someone else was easier said than done. She’d gone from being a laughing college student to having two jobs. She was always on her feet, always having to smile at customers, at bosses, at coworkers, then having errands to run after work. Waitressing, receptionist, temporary secretary, part-time sales work, she’d done it all. No one wanted to give her a permanent position because they knew that once Lisa was out of school Sophie would leave. It had all worn her out. When she got home, Lisa would help her with dinner, but she had schoolwork to do. And then there was their stepfather, Arnie, drink in hand, always nearby, always watching, always looking as though he couldn’t wait to get away from Sophie’s ever vigilant eyes. Sophie had wanted to take Lisa away from that town, but Arnie was the legal guardian so they’d had to stay there. As soon as Sophie returned to town Arnie said he’d injured his back and quit his job as a driver for Treeborne Foods, which meant the financial burden fell to Sophie. She’d contacted a lawyer about getting custody of her sister but was told it would be a legal battle that she couldn’t afford. Arnie didn’t have a record, and he always said that as soon as his back healed he would return to work. Besides, there was the fact that her mother’s will named him as guardian and their marriage was legal. All Sophie could do was wait until Lisa came of age.

  All in all, since college, Sophie’s life was endless stress—until Carter came into it. For years her life had been about her sister, but then Lisa got an afterschool job, and some of the pressure was taken off Sophie. For the first time in years she had some time of her own—and that’s when Carter stepped in. And he had made her realize that yes, she wanted a career in some creative field, but she also wanted a family. Family first, art second.

  She stepped away from the car and looked at the wooded area around her. She’d like to think all that was behind her now. Two days ago she’d driven Lisa to the state university, and she’d felt good that she’d put enough money in the bank to cover the first year. There were hugs at good-bye, lots of tears, and Lisa’s thanks. Sophie loved her sister and would miss her, but Sophie couldn’t help but feel that she was at last free to start her own life. And that life centered around Carter Treeborne, the man she’d come to love.

  As she drove the two hundred miles back to her stepfather’s house she’d been jubilant, feeling the best she ever had in her life. She would go back to her art, what she’d studied in school, and she and Carter would spend their lives together. That he was a Treeborne would cause some problems at first, but she could adjust. She’d met his father several times, and the man had listened attentively to all she’d had to say. He seemed to be a very nice man, not at all intimidating as people in town said he was. But then the enormous Treeborne plant was where everyone worked. Of course they’d be in awe of him.

  Sophie couldn’t help comparing him to her alcoholic, lazy stepfather. He was the man Sophie had had to protect Lisa from. That night after she’d dropped Lisa off, as soon as she entered the house—the one her mother had bought and that Sophie had paid the mortgage on since her mother’s death—his greeting was to ask her what was for dinner. With a smile, Sophie said he could eat whatever he cooked for himself.

  Ten minutes later, she was at Carter’s house. After they made love, he told her that next spring he was marrying someone else, that he and Sophie had just been a “summer romance.”

  There are times in a person’s life when emotion takes away your ability to think. Carter had taken full advantage of Sophie’s stunned state as he shoved clothes at her, then had half pushed her out the front door. He’d placed a chaste kiss on her forehead and closed the door.

  She’d stood there for what could have been ten minutes or an hour. She couldn’t seem to make her eyes focus or her mind work. Somewhere in there she decided that Carter was playing a prank on her, a sort of belated April Fool’s joke.

  She opened the door of the big house and stepped inside. The huge entrance hall with its curved, double staircase loomed before her, silent, even menacing. Quietly, slowly, she went up the carpeted stairs, her heart pounding in her throat. Surely she’d misheard what Carter said.

  She stopped outside his room and looked through his open door. He was on the phone, lounging on the bed, his back to her. The tone he was using, so soft and seductive, was one she’d heard many times. But this time his words were being cooed to someone named Traci.

  When Sophie heard a voice from downstairs, she came to her senses. She was sneaking around inside the home, the mansion, of the richest family in town, and coming up the stairs was Mr. T
reeborne himself.

  Sophie had only time to step behind the open door of Carter’s room. She pulled her toes back into her shoes, praying she wouldn’t be seen.

  Mr. Treeborne stopped in the doorway, and his big, powerful voice—the one his thousands of employees at Treeborne Foods knew well—rang out. “Did you get rid of that town girl?”

  “Yeah, Dad, I did,” Carter said, and Sophie didn’t hear a drop of regret in his voice.

  “Good!” Mr. Treeborne said. “She’s a pretty little thing, but that family of hers isn’t something we can associate with. We have a status to uphold. We—”

  “I know,” Carter said, sounding bored. “You’ve said it all from the day I was born. Do you mind? I’m talking to Traci.”

  “Tell her father hello for me,” Mr. Treeborne said, then went down the hall.

  Sophie nearly fainted when Carter closed his bedroom door, exposing her to the hallway. Her first thought was to get out of the house as quickly as possible. She was at the first step down when she halted. Suddenly, it became crystal clear to her what she should do. She turned back and confidently strode down the hall, past Carter’s room, and into his father’s office. The door was open, the room empty, and there on the big oak desk was it. The recipe book. Two hours before, Carter had taken it out of the safe in his father’s office.

  The Treeborne cookbook was legendary in their little town and was used in all the company’s advertising. It was said that the entire line of frozen foods was based on the secret family recipes passed down from Mr. Treeborne’s grandmother. A stylized drawing of her graced every package. Her face and the Treeborne logo were familiar to most Americans.

  When Sophie had arrived at the Treeborne house tonight, she’d been talking so much about her future plans, all of which included Carter, that she’d been unresponsive to his lovemaking. He’d become quite frustrated after just a few minutes. But then he knew that this was going to be their last night together.

  Finally, he gave up trying to get her attention and said he’d show her the book.

  She knew exactly what he was talking about and the thought that he’d show it to her made her stare at him in stunned silence. Everyone in town knew that only people named Treeborne—by birth or marriage—had ever seen the recipe book. But Carter was going to show it to Sophie!

  He’d been right and even the thought of such an honor took her mind off everything else. Carter held her hand as he led her into his father’s paneled office, moved aside a portrait, and opened the safe. Reverently, he pulled out a large, thick envelope.

  Sophie waited for him to open it and reveal the contents, but that didn’t seem to be part of the deal. He let her hold it in its envelope on her outstretched palms. When Sophie made a move as though she meant to look inside, Carter took it from her and started to put it back in the safe. He never made it because Sophie began kissing him. To her, being allowed so near something so precious was an aphrodisiac—and it seemed to be an indication that what was between them was permanent. In their urgency, Carter dropped the envelope on top of his father’s big desk, and they ran to his bedroom.

  It was afterward that Carter told her it was over between them and pushed her out the door. But after Sophie heard Carter’s and his father’s dismissal of her, as though she didn’t matter as a human being, she walked down the lushly carpeted hallway, her shoulders back, her stride firm. She picked up the envelope containing the precious recipe book and tucked it under her arm. As she turned, she saw that the door to the safe was still open. Inside was a lot of cash, stacks of hundred-dollar bills. It was tempting to reach inside and take a bundle, but she didn’t. With great insouciance, not caring who heard, she shut the heavy little door hard. The resounding bam! made her smile. Still with her shoulders back and the envelope clutched to her, she went down the stairs and back out the front door.

  By the time she got home, so much anger was surging through her that she felt strong and sure of herself. She fell onto her bed and slept heavily. She awoke early the next morning, and she knew exactly what she was going to do. It didn’t take her but minutes to throw her every possession into suitcases, plastic bags, and two cardboard boxes.

  Her stepfather followed her out the door, already with a drink in his hand. “You don’t think you’re leaving here, do you? Lisa will be back for the holidays so I’d advise you not to go anywhere,” he said with a smirk on his thin face. “So you’d better get back in here and—”

  She told him precisely what he could do with his threats. As she opened the car door, her cell rang. The ID said it was Carter. Had he discovered the missing book already? She wasn’t going to answer to find out.

  She tossed the phone to her stepfather. He didn’t catch it and it landed in the brown grass in the front of the house. As he fumbled for it, mumbling angrily, it kept ringing. Sophie got in her car and started driving. When she stopped for lunch, she bought a disposable phone and texted Kim. I NEED A PLACE TO HIDE AND A JOB she typed out. She knew her friend well enough to know that the message would intrigue her. And she knew that even though she’d had no contact with her for years, Kim would help.

  Instantly Kim wrote back that she was out of town at the moment, but she’d take care of everything. An hour later, Kim called to say that it was all arranged—and it was so good to hear her voice. With her usual efficiency, Kim said Sophie could stay at Mrs. Wingate’s house in Edilean, and she could have a temporary job of working as a personal assistant for her brother. “Reede needs someone to manage his life, but I don’t think he’ll stand for it,” Kim said. “I’ll find you another job soon because I should warn you that my brother’s temper isn’t pretty. Nobody deserves what he shells out. The three women who work in his office all want to quit, but Reede keeps giving them raises to get them to stay. I think they make more money than he does.”

  Kim was happy and chatty, and at no time did she pry into Sophie’s problems. In fact, when Sophie started making a weak, hesitant explanation about why she’d been out of contact for so long and why she needed to hide, Kim saved her by interrupting. “I’m just glad you’re back in my life. When I get home we can talk and you can tell me as much or as little as you want to. But for now, I think you just need to feel safe.”

  Her words had been so exactly on target that when she hung up, Sophie allowed herself her first quick tears. But she knew she couldn’t indulge herself that way.

  She spent the night in a motel, paid for with cash she’d taken from where she’d hidden it from her stepfather—she hadn’t even trusted a hometown bank to hold money for her—and was on the road just after the sun was up. By the time she neared Edilean, she’d calmed down some, but not much. She couldn’t help comparing herself to Kim and Jecca. They were the same age as Sophie, but both of them now had fabulous jobs and she’d learned via the Internet that both of them were married. Sometimes Sophie felt that her roommates had been given fairy godmothers while Sophie had been overlooked.

  She shook her head at the absurd thought. Years ago when her mother had said she was going to marry Arnie, Sophie had seen the future. By then she was in the third year of college and her mother was ill. “He’s only marrying you to get custody of Lisa when—” Sophie broke off. “When I die?” her mother asked. “Go on and say it. I know it’s happening. As for Lisa, she can take care of herself. It’s you who has the problems.” Sophie resented that statement. Hadn’t she fought like a demon to get herself into college? But when she pointed that out to her mother, she’d only scoffed. “You’re a dreamer, Sophie. I mean, look at the facts. You go to college but what do you study? Art! What use is that? Why didn’t you learn something that could get you a job? Be a doctor or a lawyer, or at least work for one.” Again, Sophie had no reply to give her.

  Her mother died two days before Sophie graduated from college, and she ran home for the funeral. When she got there, she saw her stepfather leering at her pretty little sister. Sophie decided to stay for the summer, but she never left. Until now
.

  She walked to the other side of the car and opened the door, but paused before even touching the big envelope. Did she really have it in her possession? The book? The one the whole Treeborne empire was based on? Were there police after her? She had her laptop with her, but she hadn’t checked the Internet. Her cheap phone had no Web connection, so she didn’t know what was going on. Would federal agents be brought in? If so, how far back would they look to find out where Sophie was? There’d been no contact between her and Kim since college graduation, so they wouldn’t find calls to Edilean.

  Sophie shut the car door and told herself that she had to return the book. She’d go to Edilean and send the package back to Carter. Maybe if they got the book back he’d drop the pursuit. If there was one.

  She got into the driver’s side and turned the key, but nothing happened. Dead. “Like my life,” Sophie muttered. Whereas before she’d thought the surrounding countryside was lovely, now it looked scary. She was down a gravel road that stopped just a few feet ahead, blocked from view of the main highway. It would soon be dark, and if she stayed in the car she’d never be found.

  She looked at her cell phone. No signal. She went outside, walked around, holding her phone aloft, but there wasn’t even a hint of a signal.

  There was only one thing to do: walk. She opened the trunk and rummaged through bags and boxes until she found her running shoes. Not that she ever ran. The last thing she was, was athletic. In the last few years, the most she did was walk from her desk to the watercooler.

  She removed her pretty gold sandals, put on some ankle socks, and tied on her big shoes. She pulled out a pink cardigan to wear over her summer dress. It was going to get cool before she reached Edilean. She went to the front, got her handbag, and at last picked up the big envelope. She’d left her tote bag hanging on a kitchen chair, so she didn’t have anything to carry it in.