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Chapter 1
As she opened her eyes, the first thing Sara saw were the soft green walls of the bedroom she had grown up in. She and Devon were finally getting married.
She rolled over to where he should have been sleeping and touched the empty spot in her double bed. The light of the morning sun filled her bedroom, and she listened to the sounds of the house, likely her mom, her dad, or maybe Zac. She rolled from bed and let her bare feet hit the cold wood floor.
Wearing one of Devon’s black T-shirts, she opened the top drawer of her dresser and grabbed a pair of fluffy blue socks, then sat on the bed and slipped them on along with her light blue housecoat.
When she opened the door, noting how light it was, she yawned and pulled at the sash at her waist, hearing voices from the kitchen and the cry of a baby. She flicked back her long blond hair, which was a tangled mess.
“Hey, was wondering what time you were getting up,” said her mom, holding her six-week-old nephew, wearing a flowered peach housecoat. Laura was so good with the baby. The digital clock over the old electric stove said it was only ten after eight, hardly late in the morning.
“Where is everyone?” Sara said. “Didn’t know CC was here.”
Her mom made a face at the baby, who was still fussing, and Sara spotted a bottle heating in a bowl of hot water. “Gabriel brought the baby and Shaunty with him. He’s out with your dad, checking on the herd, and Shaunty is learning how to be a cowgirl. Zac is with them, too. Gabriel said Elizabeth is exhausted. She’s been up with little CC almost every night. He’s colicky—a screamer, as he calls him—and is quiet only if she walks the floor with him. So I have the baby, and Elizabeth is hopefully getting some much-needed sleep so she’s not falling over at dinner tonight.”
Sara winced as she reached for the coffee pot and poured one for herself. She glanced to her mom, who gave the baby a bottle and let him greedily suck away as if he hadn’t eaten yet. The baby had Elizabeth’s bold eyes and shocking dark hair, a lot of hair, but Gabriel’s nose and mouth. He was so fussy that it seemed all he ever did was cry and scream.
“You want a coffee, Mom?” Sara held up the pot, taking in the way her mom was looking at her grandson, Gabriel’s son, the miracle baby that he hadn’t believed would be possible. She’d never seen her brother so happy, though she knew Elizabeth hadn’t had the easiest of pregnancies.
“You need to ask?” Laura said. “Of course. Pour me one and bring it in the living room, and then let’s talk about the wedding and what else there is to do. You have to be excited.”
She followed her mom into the living room, carrying the mugs of coffee, and set one on the side table beside the rocker her mom sat down in. Her mom smiled as she lifted her gaze to her, and Sara took in the view of the front of her parents’ property through the window, the round ring where she’d learned to ride. She was living at home in the days before the wedding because her dad had insisted.
“You sleep okay?” Laura said. “You seem pretty quiet.”
She only shrugged as she sat on the sofa, curling her bare legs beside her and pulling at her long house coat. “I just woke up, Mom, and haven’t had my coffee yet.” She lifted her mug, struck by the lack of noise out there, no traffic, no city life, the kind of noise she was used to, living with Devon at their new house in Columbia Falls, where he was now.
“I’d be better if I were at home, where I should be, with Devon,” Sara said. “But oh, wait, Dad suddenly wants me, a grown woman, under his roof for the last few nights before I get married in some ridiculous effort to protect my reputation, or is it my virtue? Hate to tell you that both are shot to hell. Devon and I have been living together for two years now, sleeping together, and…”
Her mom didn’t try to hide a soft laugh. “Don’t be too hard on your dad. It’s his way of trying to hold on to his little girl for a couple more nights. He wants you here before he officially walks you down that aisle and you say ‘I do’ to Devon, becoming mister and missus. Just give him that, okay? With Chelsea gone with Ric in Boston, it’s been hard on your dad.
“Anyway, we have too much to do today,” she continued. “The wedding, remember? The church is a go, and your dad forked out for the dining room at the resort. It’s the first time it’s been closed to the public. You still need to talk to the hostess today to confirm the plates and the final count. Pretty sure we’re at over two hundred guests now. Tiffy said she’d pick up your dress this morning in town, and the flowers are arranged, and tonight is the family dinner. With Chelsea and Ric flying in, it’s going to be chaotic. You should know that your dad wanted to bring in a caterer for tonight, too.” Her mom’s lips quirked. Evidently, she was having some amusement at her dad’s expense.
“Dinner tonight is being catered?” She lifted her coffee, took a swallow, and wondered what more craziness was going to happen.
“You’ll be happy to know I put my foot down,” Laura said. “A bunch of strangers won’t be taking over the kitchen. We’ll be doing dinner ourselves. Tiffy is making the salads, and I have a lasagna in the fridge to go in the oven later, along with chicken and ribs. Everyone will pitch in—except for Elizabeth. When she gets here later, I think she’ll get the night off. Jeremy and your dad are picking up Chelsea and Ric at the airport. It’ll be great, having her here…”
She heard a car door close and turned to see Anton, Devon’s brother, behind the wheel of his older Corolla. The engine was loud and idling. Devon’s mother stepped out from the passenger side.
“Who’s here?” Laura said from where she rocked CC, who was now fast asleep, the bottle still in his mouth, making loud sucking noises.
“It’s Tiera,” Sara said. “Didn’t know she was coming…”
All her mom did was nod. “Yeah, sorry, forgot to tell you your dad mentioned it this morning. Apparently, he spoke with Devon when you were still asleep, and Devon said something about his mom feeling left out. So your dad, being your dad, said…”
“Let me guess, that he should bring her out to the ranch. But to do what? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do or say. I don’t know her. See how uncomfortable she looks?”
There was just something about Devon’s mom. The first time Sara had met her, Tiera had been in prison, and she didn’t think that image would ever leave. But her dad never left anyone out. Sara was already standing, taking another look at Tiera. Her very short dark hair was curled tight, and she wore blue jeans and a cardigan, holding a plate.
Laura angled her head. “How about if she’s just here with us? We’ll go over everything about the wedding, the day, what it will look like, and figure out whether there are any last-minute hurdles to handle. She’s Devon’s mother, Sara. She wants to get to know you. She’s trying. We need to make her feel that she’s part of this family.”
Her mom stood up, and Sara took one last look outside, seeing Anton now driving away. Hadn’t he called her a spoiled princess not long ago, this time last year? Apparently, the coolness
would continue. It seemed her dad and her fiancé hadn’t bothered to fill her in about Tiera. She didn’t know why she felt so uncomfortable around Devon’s mom.
She heard Tiera on the stairs, and Laura followed her to the door.
“Hi,” Sara called out. “Just heard you were coming. I’m just on coffee and haven’t had time to get dressed.”
Tiera juggled the plate as she held the door open and stepped inside. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come so early,” she said. “Here, I made some of my brownies. I know Devon loves them.”
Sara took in the plate of brownies covered in plastic wrap, wondering when Devon had told her that. She knew he hated chocolate.
“It’s never too early for us,” Laura said. “We’re just not dressed yet. But I do love brownies! Do you want coffee?” She handed Sara the baby, who was sleeping, but by the expression on his face, she wondered whether he’d start howling again any minute. His face scrunched, so she moved.
“Sure, would love some,” Tiera said.
Sara took in her face. She could see how much Anton resembled her, her dark eyes, but she didn’t see anything of Devon. She forced a smile to her face and started moving back and forth, the only way to keep CC quiet.
“So who does this baby belong to?” Tiera said. Right, her only conversations with Devon had been when Sara wasn’t there.
“My big brother, Gabriel,” Sara said.
Tiera followed her mom into the kitchen, but Sara lingered behind, taking in the way Tiera looked around. She was both more slender and taller than she remembered. She didn’t have a clue what to say to fill the silence.
“So when is Devon coming?” Tiera asked.
Sara found herself looking over to her mom, who was handing Tiera a mug of coffee. “I haven’t talked to Devon this morning,” she said. “Mom, you said Dad talked to him?” She could feel Tiera watching her, and she couldn’t help wondering whether Anton had shared his dislike of her. Maybe that was why she was feeling so uneasy.
“He called at dawn, some time after six,” Laura said. “He’s at the office, wrapping up loose ends on a case, but he’ll be here for dinner. You can ask your dad for more details when he rides back. But in the meantime, I’m going to get dressed. Sara, you keep rocking that baby so he doesn’t burst our eardrums with his screaming, and maybe you can fill Tiera in on what still needs to be done.”
Then what did her mom do but walk out of the kitchen?
Sara was very aware of her bed hair, the robe that stopped just past her knees, and the fact that she was holding her brother’s very unpredictable, cranky, and colicky baby. Tiera seemed as tense as she was.
“So…” she started, wishing…what? That Devon were there. That she didn’t feel as if Tiera hated her like Anton did.
“Your mom is nice,” Tiera said.
Great, a safe subject.
She could feel CC tensing the moment he was about to let out a howl. “Oh no, no you don’t,” she said, but the baby started wailing. Sara patted his bottom and moved and swayed. Could anything have made the moment worse? “So sorry about this. He’s my brother’s baby, Conner. He’s colicky, so we call him CC, short for Cranky Conner. He screams and howls if you don’t keep moving. Hey, please, please stop.”
But the baby kept crying, his little fists flailing. Then dark hands appeared in front of her.
“Here, let me,” Tiera said. “It’s been a long time since I held a baby. Anton used to carry on something like that. I can do that much, and you can get dressed.”
She wasn’t sure what to say. Tiera’s dark eyes didn’t look away, and she didn’t smile, but Sara realized she could be reading way too much into that. “You know what? I think I will take you up on that. Thank you. He’s…” She slid the baby over to Tiera, who took him and held him up, patting his back over her shoulder. “Thank you, thank you…”
He was still crying, wailing, as Sara backed away, holding her hands together. She had taken one step before Tiera glanced up from murmuring at CC and looked over to her.
“Sara, I’m trying to find a place for myself in my son’s life,” she said.
There it was, the awkwardness. For a moment, she wondered if a hint of blame was being directed at her.
“I would never stand in your way,” she said.
Tiera nodded and swayed. CC’s howl was now a whimper. Sara wished her mother hadn’t taken off when she did. Laura Friessen just had a way about her, able to smooth over these awkward moments.
“Maybe so, Sara,” Tiera said. “But Devon loves you. He’s marrying you. He’s all about you.”
She only nodded, wondering whether Tiera even wanted to get to know her. Again, she couldn’t help feeling left out. Maybe this was Tiera’s way of saying she could never come between a mother and her son.
“He is, and I love him,” Sara said. “We’re getting married, and you’re his mother, so that makes us family.”
Tiera didn’t add anything else. Seconds ticked by, and the knot in Sara’s stomach twisted just a bit.
She lifted her hand over her shoulder. “I’m going to grab a quick shower and get dressed. You okay here with CC?”
“Yeah, we’re good,” Tiera said.
Sara only nodded, and before Devon’s mom could add anything else, she hurried away down the hall, knowing that the next conversation she needed to have was with Devon about where exactly his mom fit, where she fit, and what he needed to do so she wouldn’t feel like an outsider looking in.
Chapter 2
Andy stared at the flight numbers for the planes that had landed, waiting at the gate. The airport was busy all year round, and he searched out the faces of people stepping out, counting the seconds until he saw his daughter’s sweet face.
It had been two months since the last time she’d flown out to see them. The ache of missing her was likely why he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, feeling the beat of his heart pick up and the dampness down his back. He made himself pull in a breath as he waited for her to come through that door.
“Excited, Dad?” Jeremy said. “When was the last time we were all together in the same place? Now Sara’s wedding is finally happening. How many times did they postpone it? Like, your sure it’s on this time? No more…what did Sara call it, pushing back the date?”
Sometimes Jeremy talked way too much, but Andy knew it was just something he did when he was excited or anxious and needed to settle himself down. Jeremy was looking more and more like him every day, his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans, his dark hair short and freshly cut. Andy was just thankful his son hadn’t grown up the way he had, hadn’t done the kinds of things Andy wished he could go back in time and undo.
Jeremy shuffled from side to side. He really missed his twin sister.
“There were reasons Sara had to postpone,” Andy said. “You know that. First Devon’s mom got out of prison, and then they needed to find a break in his case load. Then there was that murder trial where he took lead chair, being an overworked public defender. Then CC was born early, and Elizabeth was put on bed rest for the last few months…”
Sara had pushed her wedding back every time there was a crisis in the family. But not this time. She had sacrificed so much for all of them.
“I know that, Dad, but I’m just saying, they could have found a weekend and stood before a judge…”
He knew Jeremy didn’t get it. For Sara, a big wedding was something she wanted, and it was what he wanted for her. He wondered for a moment whether this wedding was more for him than for her, considering his other kids’ ceremonies had been small and intimate, just family.
This was going to be a showstopper.
“Three days, Jeremy, and your sister and Devon will be married and off on their honeymoon. You know what? I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time because it means having my family here, everyone. You have no idea how excited I am, and your mom, too. This means everything,” he said. “Your sister is taking forever.”
Then no one else was coming through the door.
He looked over the passengers walking to the baggage claim and wondered whether he’d missed them. “You see Chelsea or Ric anywhere? Did they slip past?”
“Ah…” Jeremy said, looking at all the passengers crowding over by baggage claim. He flicked his hand through his hair. “I don’t see them. Maybe they’re last off the plane.”
Andy narrowed his gaze and couldn’t shake his building feeling of unease. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and thumbed through the texts but didn’t see anything.
“Did she send you a text?” Jeremy said, holding his own phone out now.
Andy stared at the door, willing it to open again, but no one came through. He dialed Chelsea’s cell phone and put it to his ear, but it went right to voicemail: “This is Chelsea. If you want to talk to me, leave me a message. I’ll call when I can.”
He shut his eyes, willing his daughter to answer but knowing she likely still had it on airplane mode. “Hey, Chels, it’s your dad. I’m waiting at the airport right outside the door by baggage claim. We watched everyone from your plane come through the door but don’t see you anywhere… Call me back. Let me know if I missed you somewhere.” He hung up and squeezed his phone, seeing Jeremy typing something into his.
“She’s not answering my texts,” Jeremy said without looking over to him.
Andy dragged his gaze around, taking in the metal, dark wood, and concrete of the airport, the ticket booths, the travelers walking both ways. His gaze landed on a kiosk an airline employee was standing behind.
“She probably forgot something on the plane and is last off,” Jeremy said.
“Your sister is never last off anything. I expected her to be first through the door, and not quiet about it. Maybe you’re right, though. You talk to Chelsea before she left this morning?” He started walking, and Jeremy fell in beside him.
“Not for a few days…” Then Jeremy stopped walking. “Actually, scratch that. It’s been more than a few days. A week? Last week. No, it was the day you paid the booking fee for the dining room at the resort. Remember? We stopped for lunch, and…”
“That was three weeks ago. You seriously haven’t talked to your sister in three weeks?” he said. When was it that their calls had become less frequent? “How could you not remember when that was?”
He took in his son, who had decided to take the last year off school, making the career move to take over managing the hardware store. Being a father and husband, he seemed over his head at times. Andy could have stepped in, but as Laura warned, Jeremy had to stand on his own two feet.
“Sorry. Time seems to blend for me as of late, one day into another. Can’t believe it was that long ago. My bad. Maybe she fell asleep on the plane…”
Andy could only wonder, wishing he had talked to Chelsea himself instead of listening to Laura remind him again and again that he had to ease up on his obsessive need to know where his kids were at all times. Maybe that was why he was feeling such a tightness in his chest. He glanced over to the door again as he walked. Still no one else. At which point should he worry? He hadn’t stopped since the moment his kids were born.
“Let’s have them page her,” he said. “She still not text you back?”
Jeremy only made a face, staring at his phone. “Nope, nothing. Sent another text. Her phone’s probably off.”
They strode up to the kiosk, behind which was a woman in a navy suit and white blouse, with a blue and white scarf. “Can I help you?” she said from behind the computer, typing something. She lifted her gaze, offering a smile.
“Yeah, my daughter and her husband were on the flight from Boston that just came in,” Andy said. “Can you tell me if everyone is off the plane?”
The lady only nodded, typing something in. “Sure, let me see. That’s flight number…” She let it hang.
“United 908.” He had it burned into his memory. “Arriving at twelve thirty-five.”
She only nodded. He could see her reading the screen and wished he could see what she was looking at. “Everyone should be off,” she said. “I see it’s getting ready for pre-boarding. What’s the passenger’s name?”
“Chelsea Friessen.”
“Taft,” Jeremy cut in. “It’s Chelsea Taft and Alaric Taft.” He turned to his dad and lowered his voice. “She dropped the Friessen name and took Ric’s. I thought you knew that.”
Why hadn’t he known? He allowed his gaze to linger on Jeremy for a second, suspecting there was a lot Chelsea shared only with him. He’d forgotten how close they could be.
“Okay, Chelsea and Alaric Taft,” the airline clerk said, already typing. “I can see the ticket here, but just hang on a second. By the looks of it, I don’t see either checking in.” She shook her head again. “Let me check something,” she said before picking up the phone and dialing.
Andy leaned against the counter and took in Jeremy, who had his phone to his ear and then was shaking his head.
“Ric’s not answering, either,” he said. “What about Ric’s brother, Morgan?”
The airline clerk hung up the phone, and Andy pushed away from the counter, his hand resting there.
“Sorry, the tickets were purchased, but they were no shows,” she said. “The seats were empty on the flight. They could have missed their flight, but I don’t see them on the next one, either.” She lifted her gaze, typing in the computer again.
“What about a different airline, maybe?”
She was shaking her head. “I’m looking for that, but I don’t see anything here. Nothing is rebooked with their name. You’ll have to get in touch with them. They could have had a change of plans.”
What was he supposed to say to this lady? She didn’t know his daughter. Chelsea wouldn’t just change her plans to attend her sister’s wedding and not call. It didn’t work that way in their family. He tapped the counter, preparing to demand that she…what? Understand exactly what he was thinking, feeling?
“Thank you for checking,” he found himself saying. Then he stepped back, gesturing to his son. “You have Morgan’s number?”
Jeremy thumbed through his phone, shoving his other hand in his jeans pocket. “Right here. Do you want me to call?” He was about to dial.
“No, give me the number. I’ll call.”
He copied the number into his phone and dialed, then listened to the ring, taking in the airport and the passengers who had stepped off that flight, feeling the loss of his daughter. Anger was beginning to smolder in his chest, and it had him wanting to yell and demand. He didn’t like feeling so damn helpless. He urged Morgan to answer.
The phone went to voicemail. “This is Morgan. Leave one.”
“Fuck!” He wasn’t sure how loud he’d said it. He fisted his hand and lifted it, running it over his head, trying to pull back that demon inside of him, the one that had shaped him in his younger years. He had been hotheaded, doing things without a thought for anyone else. He hoped he was a better man now.
“Yeah, Morgan. This is Andy Friessen, Chelsea’s dad, if you could call me back. Ric and Chelsea weren’t on the flight from Boston. I’m hoping it’s just a matter of them missing their flight, but I would’ve expected a call from them. I can’t get a hold of them, so, again, call me back. Maybe it’s just that our wires got crossed or they’re stuck at the Boston airport…”
The beep cut him off.
He had wanted to go on and on, unable to remember the last time he hadn’t been able to get answers. He hung up, taking in his son, who was looking around. Andy stared at his phone, seeing no message from Chelsea. When he did see her, he planned to have a word with her about
this distance, about picking up the phone, about telling him everything that was going on, her worries, her hopes, her dreams.
If she had missed the flight, her first call should have been to him. Maybe that was why that sinking feeling inside him was worsening. He’d been counting down the days till he would see his daughter again, but this was turning into something he wasn’t going to like.
Damn Ric Taft! For taking his daughter away, for marrying her, and for not picking up the damn phone to let him know there was a problem.
Maybe his first order of business after they finally arrived would be to sit Ric down so he understood not to ever pull this shit again.
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(The Friessens Book 9) In this Friessen Family novel, an unexpected proposition leaves a young woman tempting fate that will inevitably end in heartbreak. 
(The Friessens Book 10) Those we love always come home. 
(The Friessens Book 11) When a young woman searches her dark past for answers, she realizes that some secrets are best left unrevealed.
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