She’d lied to Bruce, saying she had a place to stay—with an unidentified friend. Instead, she’d checked into a Bremerton hotel.
The problem was, she needed her job if she was going to support herself, which meant she’d need to find an apartment in Cedar Cove or at least nearby. Everything was complicated by the fact that this hadn’t been an easy pregnancy. She had severe morning sickness and her blood pressure was dangerously high. That was understandable, considering the tension in the house. If not for the baby, Rachel might have found the strength to deal with Jolene. She might’ve been willing to devote all her energy to sorting out the complicated tangle of the girl’s emotions, giving her the constant reassurance she seemed to require.
Since Jolene had learned about the baby, the whole situation had become that much more difficult. Not only did her stepdaughter see her as competition for Bruce’s affections, but now Rachel had committed an even worse crime by bringing another child into the family, robbing the girl of his undivided attention.
What shocked Rachel was how close she and Jolene had been before she married Bruce. As a motherless child herself, Rachel had taken a special interest in Jolene, part maternal, part friendly. They’d bonded when the girl was just six, a year after Jolene’s mother was killed in a car accident. Bruce had brought Jolene into the salon for a haircut and Jolene had sadly told her how much she missed her mommy. Rachel had been drawn to the child because she’d identified with Jolene. She still recalled in vivid detail how she’d felt when her own mother had died and she’d gone to live with her mother’s sister, a woman she barely knew.
Through the years, the closeness between Rachel and Jolene had grown—until she’d made the mistake of marrying Jolene’s father. To be fair to the teenager, Jolene had wanted Rachel and Bruce to wait until she’d had time to get used to the idea. Bruce, however, wouldn’t hear of it. He’d wanted them married. Well, so did Rachel, although she’d asked Bruce to delay the wedding because of Jolene’s qualms. But by then…the momentum of their plans had taken over.
In the beginning, after first meeting Bruce, she hadn’t considered him anything more than a friend. He was Jolene’s dad. He relied on her help with his daughter. For years there hadn’t been the slightest indication of romantic interest on either part. Rachel was seeing Nate Olsen, a navy warrant officer she’d met after bidding on him at a fundraiser for the local humane society—the Dog and Bachelor Auction. Shortly after the wedding, Nate was deployed out of state, but now he was back. They’d been in contact recently and, in fact, he was the friend she’d arranged to meet here.
For a while she and Nate had seriously thought about marriage. However, by the time he’d asked her to make a decision, Rachel had come to realize she was in love with Bruce. Surprisingly, miraculously, Bruce loved her, too. From there everything had moved quickly. Too quickly…
She had to acknowledge the truth of that old cliché about marrying in haste. Rachel had been all too willing to accept Bruce’s assurances that Jolene would adjust. After all, he’d pointed out, it wasn’t as though Rachel was a stranger.
But Jolene hadn’t adjusted. Whatever affection she’d had for Rachel had changed into passive-aggressive behavior and then escalated to open antagonism. Not wanting to distress her husband, Rachel had done her best to deflect Jolene’s hostility. The pregnancy was unplanned, and she’d hoped to keep it a secret for a few months, but Bruce insisted it was only right to tell Jolene. That, too, had backfired. And it had led to this.
The café door opened but Rachel didn’t look up until Nate Olsen slid into the booth across from her.
“Rachel?”
She glanced up and offered him a weak smile.
Nate’s blue eyes narrowed slightly. “You okay?” he asked, sounding concerned.
“You don’t have to say it. I look terrible.”
“Not terrible,” he said. “Just…very pale.”
Nate had emailed her when he returned to Bremerton. He felt she should know so that if they inadvertently ran into each other, she’d be prepared. With everything else that was happening, Rachel hadn’t paid much attention to his email and hadn’t responded. Nate was someone she’d loved in the past. She was a married woman now.
With time on her hands at the hotel, she’d gone to the business center and logged on to her email account. She’d impulsively answered his message, telling him that her marriage was falling apart. After they’d exchanged a few short emails, Nate suggested they meet. She’d accepted his invitation.
“At my last doctor’s visit I learned I have an iron deficiency.” It didn’t help that she hadn’t been able to keep down a meal. Her morning sickness lingered for most of the day, making her feel too queasy and uncomfortable to eat. She’d lost weight when she should be gaining.
“I’m glad you got in touch.”
“I probably shouldn’t have.” Only Rachel didn’t know who else to contact. She couldn’t reach out to her friends; they were the first people Bruce would approach. This separation was difficult enough without dragging her friends into the middle of it.
“I meant what I said,” Nate continued. “If you ever need anything, call me. You know I’ll do whatever I can.”
When the waitress came over to the table with a coffeepot, Nate turned over his ceramic mug and she filled it.
At his words, tears of appreciation sprang to Rachel’s eyes. “I know…”
“What can I do?”
She wasn’t sure. “Like I said in my email, I…I’ve left Bruce and Jolene.” It went without saying that this fit right into her stepdaughter’s plans. Undoubtedly Jolene was ecstatic about having her father to herself again.
“So it’s come to that?”
Rachel’s dark hair fell forward as she looked down. “I…talked to Teri and she wants me to move in with her.”
“Are you going to?”
“I can’t. That’ll be the first place Bruce goes. I told him I was moving in with a friend…. At the time I thought I might take Teri up on her offer, but I can’t do that to her. She and Bobby have their hands full with the three babies.”
“Three?”
“Teri had triplets.”
Nate laughed. That seemed to be a common reaction when people heard about the triplets. “She always does everything in a big way, doesn’t she?” he murmured.
He knew Teri, so he also knew that if anyone could handle this, it was her friend. But capable though she was, Teri didn’t need a miserable friend to deal with, in addition to caring for three babies.
“So, if you don’t move in with Teri, where will you go?”
“I…I don’t know.” All that mattered was getting out of the house as fast as possible. She got a hotel room, but that was far too expensive to be a permanent solution. At this rate she’d drain her bank account in a week. Besides, it wouldn’t take Bruce long to discover where she was, and once he did, he’d do whatever he could to convince her to return home. Rachel couldn’t allow that to happen, not while the situation with Jolene was still unsettled.
Nate sipped his coffee in thoughtful silence. Eventually he said, “You could always move in with me.”
Rachel’s head shot up. That wasn’t even a consideration. If Bruce learned she was living with Nate he’d feel blindsided. Besides, it would give Jolene more ammunition to use against her. “I’m grateful for the offer, I really am, but I couldn’t possibly do that.”
“Why not?”
“Nate, I couldn’t…. What would Bruce think?”
“Do you need to tell him?”
“I…” She opened her mouth to object, then merely said, “He’d want to know.”
“Of course he would, but you don’t have to tell him everything. The only important thing here is that you’re somewhere safe and that you’re taking care of yourself.”
Rachel stared at him. “Are you suggesting I lie to my husband?”
“Not lie, exactly. I’m saying don’t fill in all the blanks. As it happens, the hou
se I’m sharing belongs to a friend of mine. I have a room, but there’s a third bedroom available. Unfortunately, Bob’s deployed right now, so it would just be the two of us. If you’re uncomfortable with that, I understand.”
She exhaled, feeling torn. His idea did seem like a good solution, but she could only imagine how Bruce would react if he discovered the truth. For obvious reasons, the two men weren’t on the best of terms.
“It might help you decide if I tell you I’m seeing someone.”
Actually, that did help. “Is it serious?” Rachel asked.
Nate shrugged. “Serious enough. I’m out with Emily three or four nights a week. You’d have the house to yourself most of the time.”
“What kind of rent does Bob charge?”
Nate mentioned an amount that was more than reasonable, then added, “You wouldn’t be expected to cook or clean or anything else if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Oh.” She nibbled her lower lip as she considered his suggestion. He’d given her an option she hadn’t expected.
“Before you answer, why don’t you come over and check out the place.”
Still, she hesitated.
“You want to get away for a while, don’t you?”
She did, and Nate knew that.
“Someplace where Bruce and his daughter would never think of looking?”
She nodded slowly.
“Don’t worry about me,” Nate told her once again. “I loved you, Rachel, I really did, but I’ve moved on. However, I care about you, which is why I brought up this arrangement. If you’re concerned about what might result from the two of us being in the same house, then let me assure you right now, nothing’s going to happen.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll go see the place.”
“Good.” He left money to pay for their drinks, then slid out of the booth.
Rachel stood and immediately felt dizzy. She would have stumbled if Nate hadn’t grabbed her elbow.
“When’s the last time you ate?”
She closed her eyes and tried to remember. “A while ago. I’m fine.”
“No, you aren’t. Listen, no arguments. Once you’ve toured the house, I’m fixing you something to eat.”
“You cook?”
“I’m surprised you don’t remember that I’m a man of many talents.”
His smile was just the salve she needed, his friendship the mainstay that would see her through this upheaval in her life.
She followed Nate to the Bremerton address he gave her. The house was in a nearby neighborhood, convenient to the navy base. The two-story structure, built after the Second World War, had a large front porch and shuttered windows. It was meant for a family.
Unexpected emotion swelled up inside Rachel as she looked at the house. Her mother had been a single parent and her aunt had never married. All her life Rachel had yearned to be part of a family. When she married Bruce, she’d felt as if she finally belonged. She had a husband and a stepdaughter and they were bonded together by love. It didn’t take long for that dream to shatter and now, once more, she was on the outside…?. The baby stirred, and she pressed her palm against her stomach, hoping her child would one day know the love of a father, a mother and a big sister.
“Would you like to come in?” Nate asked, again clasping her elbow as though he feared she might crumple onto the pavement.
Without answering, she accompanied him up the walkway to the steps.
“I do my best to keep the place neat, but you have to remember I’m a guy and housekeeping is low on my priority list.”
“I’ll remember,” she said, managing a glimmer of a smile.
The house wasn’t in bad shape. A few newspapers and magazines were scattered about but the sink was empty of dirty dishes and the living room free of clutter. The furniture, large and dark, wasn’t anything she would’ve purchased, but it would suffice.
“Let me show you the extra bedroom,” Nate said, steering her down the long hallway. He chuckled.
“What?” she asked, curious about what he found so amusing.
“I promised there’d be nothing romantic between us, and the first thing I do is take you to the bedroom.” He shook his head. “Sorry, the irony was too much for me.”
Rachel laughed softly. “I guess it does sound rather…compromising.”
The room he showed her was pretty basic. It might have been a hotel room for all the personality it revealed. A bed, a dresser and a nightstand were the only furniture. There wasn’t a picture on the wall or any indication that someone else had once occupied the room. The bedspread looked worn and was probably one Bob had purchased years before.
“Like I said, it’s nothing fancy.”
“Where’s your bedroom?” she asked, noting the number of doors leading off the hallway.
“Upstairs. Both of the other bedrooms are.”
That meant it wasn’t likely they’d run into each other in the middle of the night, which made her feel a little less guilty about the prospect of deceiving her husband.
“So,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed, “what do you think?”
“I…” She paused. Again, she imagined what Bruce would say if he found out where she was living. That would definitely complicate an already complicated situation. But then, as Nate had said, she didn’t need to tell Bruce the whole truth—at least, not right away. He only had to be told one thing: that she was safe.
“You really are a good friend, aren’t you?” She meant that. She believed in his genuineness, even though he’d been hurt by her choice of Bruce over him.
He grinned. “Anything for you, Rachel, you know that.”
“All right, I’ll do it. You’ve got yourself a housemate—but on one condition.”
“Sure.”
She met his eyes. “You can’t tell anyone I’m living here. No one, okay?”
Frowning, Nate rubbed his chin. “Since it’s Bob’s house I can’t keep it a secret from him, and I feel I should say something to Emily, but I can ask them not to mention it to anyone else.”
“Fine, you can tell Bob and Emily, as long as they’re willing to be discreet.”
“I’ll make that clear. But who do you expect me—or them—to tell?” he asked.
“Your friends. Or their friends. You’d be amazed at how quickly word gets around in Cedar Cove. You might casually mention it to one of your navy buddies and that person might know Bruce and an hour later my husband will show up on the doorstep. Bruce isn’t an aggressive or violent man, but he wouldn’t take kindly to the two of us sharing a house.”
“Okay, deal.” Nate extended his hand.
“I’ll keep my end of the bargain, as well,” she promised, shaking his hand. “I’ll do my best to be a good housemate. I’ll pay my rent on time and—”
“I wasn’t worried about it, Rachel,” he broke in. “I guess you can’t tell Teri, can you?”
Now, that was going to be painful. Rachel told Teri everything. She was her closest friend and had been for years. But Nate was right; she couldn’t leak a word of this to anyone, not even Teri. Bruce would certainly ask her, and Rachel couldn’t risk the chance that Teri would accidentally divulge the information. What she didn’t know, she couldn’t share.
“No, I don’t think I will,” she said. Hard as that would be, it was necessary.
Two
When the alarm rang at the Cedar Cove firehouse, Mack and his fellow firefighters jumped into action. The address was relayed as he leaped onto the fire truck, and the familiarity of it struck him immediately, although he didn’t have time to think about it. Not until the truck, lights flashing and sirens blaring, turned onto Eagle Crest Avenue did he realize the house belonged to Ben and Charlotte Rhodes. Mack had visited there often, taking his daughter, Noelle, to see her grandparents. The smoke billowing out of the house came from the back, where the kitchen was located.
Mack and the two other firefighters pulled out the hose, all o
f them supporting it, and raced toward the house. The fire engine carried five hundred gallons of water, which enabled them to get water onto the fire without the delay of hooking up to a hydrant. A second truck would arrive within minutes and those firefighters would engage the closest hydrant.
Mack’s heart pounded as he ran toward the rear of the house carrying the bulky hose. Already he could hear the second siren in the distance.
Ben and Charlotte, plus several of their neighbors, stood out on the sidewalk staring at the scene. Charlotte wore the horrified look of a woman who couldn’t believe what was happening. Ben stood next to her, his arm protectively around her shoulders. He seemed equally shaken.
Because he was busy working on the fire, Mack didn’t get a chance to talk to the elderly couple until the blaze was extinguished, which took only minutes. Thankfully the damage seemed to be confined to the kitchen.
The fire squad commander spoke to Ben while Charlotte wrung her hands. She seemed so distraught and anxious that Mack approached, hoping to reassure them all was well.
“Oh, Mack, I’m so grateful you’re here,” Charlotte said, her eyes brimming with tears, which threatened to spill at any moment.
“Everything’s fine,” he told her in a soothing voice. “The fire’s out.”
“This is all my fault,” she cried. “I’m sure I must have done something. Oh, why wasn’t I more careful? I get so easily distracted these days….”
“The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined,” Mack said, trying to be diplomatic, although he suspected she was right. “Any number of things could be the cause.” With a house of this age, electrical problems weren’t uncommon.
“But I was the one in the kitchen,” Charlotte said in a small voice.
“It could’ve been an electrical short,” Mack said, hoping to calm her. He’d just finished speaking when a car pulled up on the other side of the street and Olivia Griffin got out. She wore a suit and heels and had obviously just left the courthouse, where she was a judge.