Georgiana Daniels - A Daughter's Redemption

Questions she’d likely never have answers to, no matter how hard she searched and prayed.

* * *

The drive to town was pure torture.

Rather than ride in silence, Robyn asked Caleb about himself. He tried to be vague, but she was impossible to ignore, especially with a scent that reminded him of an ocean breeze wafting off her. Even worse, her eyes sparkled with a quiet hope whenever she mentioned Dan. Caleb imagined Robyn was highly likable when she wasn’t walking through a tragedy, which reminded him that being her friend was one hundred percent out of the question.

“I hear Ginger’s the best Realtor in town.” He parked his truck curbside and let it idle.

Robyn peered out the window at the sign on the door. “Ginger Hanson?”

“You know her?” He shifted in his seat, wondering who else Robyn knew. Who else had the potential to rip the cover right off him? Not that he enjoyed withholding the entire truth from Robyn but he had his own issues to deal with before purposely heaping more sorrow on a woman he’d just met.

“I spent a few weeks every summer with my dad when I was a kid.” Robyn turned to him, a full smile illuminating her features. “Ginger and I were together every day at Lakeside Cabins, checking in guests and cleaning rooms. We lost touch after I stopped coming.” Her gaze shifted to her sandaled feet. “I didn’t see her at Dad’s services.”

Caleb tightened his grip on the steering wheel at the mention of Dan’s funeral. In order not to upset half the town, he’d opted not to go. “I can pick you up when I’m finished at the hardware store.”

“It looks like Ginger’s office hasn’t opened yet. We can come back later.”

There she went with we again. The word sent prickles down his back. He had to figure out a way to tell her who he was. He’d prefer waiting until after the cabins were in salable condition so she wouldn’t force him to leave before the job was done, but Robyn’s insistence on working with him would make that next to impossible.

Against his better judgment, he let her tag along.

Joe’s Home and Hardware was already alive with activity. For decades, it’d been a meeting spot for contractors, do-it-yourselfers and retirees. Despite Caleb’s work hours on the police force, he made it a point to stop by on occasion, if for no other reason than to get a beat on the town.

Caleb whipped a cap out of the glove compartment and pulled it low over his eyes before entering the store. If he made it out with paint and his lumber order without someone giving him away, he’d consider it mission accomplished.

Cold stares and whispers greeted him inside, and people turned their backs when he walked by. Dan Dawson had been part of the daily gathering at the hardware store, and no doubt his buddies missed him.

“Why don’t you pick out the paint, and I’ll head back to get the lumber.” Caleb broke away from Robyn before she had a chance to protest.

He inhaled the comforting smell of sawdust. He’d spent his college summers on various job sites back when he thought he wanted to be a contractor instead of a cop. Though he’d eventually chosen a different path, he was thankful to have the skills he needed now to do repair work at Lakeside.

“’Morning, Caleb.” Old Joe, the store’s owner, eyed him.

“I came to pick up my order.” Caleb pulled the receipt from his pocket and handed it over the counter. His eyes darted around the store, searching for Robyn. He didn’t want to imagine the scene if she wandered back and one of the regulars asked why she was there with Caleb Sloane.

Joe’s arthritic fingers riffled through papers in a file bin. The small store hadn’t quite caught up to the computer age. “Here it is. I’ll have one of the guys load it for you.”

“I’m parked out front.” Caleb tucked the receipt inside his wallet, his eyes making another sweep of the store. No sign of Robyn. The tension in his gut ratcheted up another notch. A few more minutes and they’d be out of there.

Joe’s stare closed in on Caleb, years of history passing between them in seconds. “Still working out at Dan’s?”

“Doing my best.”

“Just not the same around here without Dan. He always had time for a cup of coffee and a story or two. He was a good ol’ boy.” Joe leaned away from the counter, his comment stabbing Caleb in the gut. “I don’t suppose your best really makes up for it.”

With nothing left to say, Caleb headed for the paint department.

Robyn shuffled through paint chips like a hand of cards. “I like lighter colors, but it might stand out too much in the forest.” She locked into his gaze, causing his heart to react in ways it had no right to. “Maybe we should stick with brown. What do you think?”

“I was going to keep it the same color Dan chose, but it’s up to you.” He snuck a glance around the area for workers or customers who might know who Robyn was. So far, everyone but Old Joe seemed content to ignore him. “Why don’t you choose, and I’ll finish up in here.”

“We’ll stick with dark brown then.” She stashed the fan of paint chips on the display. “I probably shouldn’t worry over the details so much. It’s just that I really want to get this right. It’s not all about selling and the money. As much as I hate to admit it, this is my last chance to do something for him.”

Mine, too. Caleb steeled his emotions, blocking out every runaway memory that threatened to surface. He held out his keys. “Go ahead and wait in the truck. I’ll pay.”

“I thought that was my responsibility.” She narrowed her eyes, as though not quite believing his motives were pure.

“I told you that it’s all been handled.” He jingled the keys in front of her, briefly wondering if he was doing the wise thing by using his own savings. He wanted to do right by Dan, who’d obviously fallen on hard times before his death, but it wasn’t like his bank account was anything to brag on. “I’ll be right out.”

Robyn stuffed her hands into her pockets, the corners of her mouth tilting in what would be a teasing gesture under any other circumstances. “Are you giving me the brush-off? I have to warn you—” she leaned in close “—I’m not that easy to get rid of.”

His heart skidded. The fact that she wasn’t going to be easy to get rid of—and that her shimmering eyes and easygoing confidence were already wearing down his protective wall—was precisely the problem.

Chapter Three

Robyn spent the better part of the next morning trying not to notice Caleb, who was clad in a fitted white T-shirt and baggy jeans. As he fixed the leak under the kitchen sink, he finally appeared to relax and carry his end of the conversation, though he still seemed reluctant to venture beyond talk about plumbing and floorboards. She wondered if Brad and Abby had gotten to him with negative comments about her before she arrived.

Since she hadn’t found Ginger Hanson the day before, she headed into town while Caleb sawed wood for the porch. She made a mental note to swing by the grocery store since she’d had to skimp by on stale crackers and tuna she’d found in a cupboard. At least Brad and Abby had left something.

Seeing Ginger for the first time brought back a rush of memories, as did the windy stroll through the town square where the women stopped at a coffee cart.

Iced mochas in hand, Ginger launched into the conversation as though not even a year had passed, much less a decade. “The news about your dad was a shock. I didn’t find out until I got back from vacation. I was hoping to see you, but I figured you’d be gone by the time I got back.” She gently laid her hand on Robyn’s arm.

“It looks like I’ll be stuck here for a while.” As they walked, Robyn sipped her mocha and soaked in the sights of the lazy, secluded town. The Tasty Pastry, the ice cream parlor and the pizza joint hadn’t changed a bit. Across the road sat a new bookstore and a youth center to complete the town square. Several people milled about the courthouse lawn, despite the storm looming overhead. She’d forgotten how quickly the weather changed during monsoon season.