Lynnette Kent - Luke's Daughters

“Luke? Luke!” Sarah’s voice brought him back.

The brakes squealed as he automatically stomped the pedal, bringing the truck to a stop with about two inches to spare behind the Mercedes ahead.

Sarah was staring at him, her eyes wide. “She pulled right in front of you, but I didn’t think you’d seen.”

Luke wiped a hand over his face. “You were right. I was…my mind had—”

She nodded. “I can guess. Good thing you have quick reflexes.”

A honk from behind jerked their attention to the green traffic light. Luke gritted his teeth and accelerated carefully.

They arrived at Sawyer’s Photo Shop without any more stupidity on his part. Sarah directed him around the back of the painted concrete block building, where an olive-green Jeep and a full-size Cadillac shimmered in the morning sun. Luke cut the engine. “I’m betting yours is the Jeep.”

She accepted his help to climb down from the truck’s high seat. “Brilliant deduction, Officer Brennan.”

“Corporal First Class.” He grinned as she stuck out her tongue at him, then followed her to the Jeep. “I checked with Hank Jordan, the investigating officer. They dusted for prints—no results yet. But if the guy has your keys, why didn’t he take the car? Jeeps are a high-return item in the stolen-car market.”

“Maybe he didn’t like the way it drove?”

He gave her question the chuckle it deserved. “Even if he didn’t want it, I expect he knows someone who would. So…”

Using the tips of her fingers, Sarah opened the Jeep door. A wall of heat broke over them. “I’d say this car hasn’t been anywhere since I parked it yesterday about three o’clock.”

“And the question would be, why not?” Luke couldn’t come up with an answer that made sense.

“If we don’t know, I guess there’s nothing we can do.” Sarah stared into the interior of the Jeep for a few seconds, then seemed to shake herself free. “So life goes on. You can get some sleep and I can make some more prints. Good thing I left the negatives in the files.”

“What I have to get first is a haircut. I go on regular patrol duty starting Wednesday night.”

“No more surfing?”

He shook his head. “Back to real life.”

She nodded. “I’ll bring the pictures by your house sometime this week, okay?”

With her hat brim shading the bruises, bandages and scrapes, her face looked almost normal—sweet and calm and, as he remembered noticing on the beach, sad. Luke was suddenly reluctant to say goodbye.

But his life was too much of a mess to mix with anybody else’s. “I’m home most afternoons.” He stepped back, and sunlight fell on the ground between them. “Are you sure you feel like driving? Those hands have to hurt.”

“I’m fine—thanks to a little white pill. Plus an automatic transmission and power steering. No problem.” Her hesitation in getting up into the Jeep belied her confident statement.

Luke gave her a lift at the elbow. The bones in her arm were as light as a bird’s. “I’ll…be in touch if anything turns up on the case.”

“Thanks.” She put the key in the ignition and the Jeep puttered to life. Luke stepped back as the vehicle started to move. At the edge of the parking lot, Sarah lifted her hand and glanced at him in the rearview mirror before driving away. He waved, but wasn’t sure she saw him.

Alone again, he studied the ground around him, wondering if Jordan had missed anything when he’d checked out the site of the mugging.

Fifteen minutes later, he doubted it. If the gravel had ever held any clues, they’d been scuffed away.

That left him with no theory about who’d attacked Sarah Randolph. And with the rest of a long, hot Monday to fill.

Not to mention the rest of the summer…and the rest of his life.

THE FLORIDA SUN beat against exposed skin with an almost physical force. Kristin Brennan shifted a little on her chaise longue and prepared to sink deeper into pure indolence.

“Strawberry daiquiri for the lady?”

She peered sleepily over the top edge of her sunglasses, then woke up fast. “Just what I’ve been dying for! How did you know?”

Her husband sat down near her feet. “It’s hot, we’re in Florida, you love strawberries. Simple deduction.”

“Mmm.” She sipped the frozen drink gratefully. “I might just stay right here for the rest of my life, reading romances and soaking up sun and drinking daiquiris.”

Matt stroked his palm along her ankle. “The hotel would probably pay you to hang around. You really improve the scenery.”

His cool hand against her heated skin tightened every nerve in her body. If they weren’t in public…

She gathered her wandering thoughts. “Did you get the girls settled?”

“They’re safely installed in the Wee Willie Winky Center, busily finger-painting to music from every Disney movie ever made.”

“I hope Erin doesn’t get bored.”

Matt’s thumb traced a path up her calf, then circled the bend of her knee, with devastating effect. “They’ve got three aquariums and a library of science books. She’s all set.”

“So we’ve got…some free…time. What should we do?”

“I was thinking about a nap.” He looked up suddenly, and grinned. “Or something.” His hand slipped sideways to rest between her knees. “What do you think?”

“Ah…” Her thoughts puddled like an ice cube on the pool deck. “Sounds…lovely. Why don’t you go on up to the room—I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

His brows drew together. “Come with me.”

“I need to get a shower first. I’m all sticky with lotion.”

He moved his hand slightly and smiled at her ragged breath. “I don’t mind.”

“But I do. Let me clean up a bit and I’ll be right there.”

“Women.” Shaking his head, Matt drew his hand slowly away from her legs and stood up. “I’ll be waiting.”

Kristin winked at him. “Me, too.”

She watched him walk toward the hotel, straight-backed and square-shouldered, his dark hair cut in a short style that marked him right away as military. He held the door open for a woman and three children before going inside. That was just like Matt—manners were carved into his bones. Along with responsibility and a strong sense of honor.

Once he’d disappeared behind the tinted glass of the lobby windows, Kristin dropped back against her chair. She loved him so much…wanted him so desperately…her idea of paradise was a couple of hours spent in a quiet room with his arms around her. Yet she sat here, hesitating. Why?

The answer in one word—Luke.

No matter how much she loved Matt, Kristin couldn’t get free of the guilt her desertion of Luke had created. She didn’t know if she ever would.

Leaving the pool and the bright sunshine, she took a shower in the locker room, washed and dried her hair, and put on just enough makeup to hide the circles under her eyes. Sleep didn’t come easily anymore, even after a full day of walking through theme parks with the girls. Or after wonderful hours of loving with Matt, once her daughters were sound asleep in their adjoining room.

Luke’s face haunted her, waking and sleeping. To remember the sacrifice he’d made for this marriage, this family, all she had to do was close her eyes.

Eight years ago, she’d betrayed Matt by marrying his brother. Then she’d broken her vows to Luke—the “until death do us part” promise. Now…

Now, everything she’d ever wanted was within her reach—the man she’d loved since junior high, and two beautiful, precious daughters. Even the possibility of more children.

Yes, she had everything…but she’d left Luke with nothing. How could she enjoy her happiness at his expense? Yet how could she have denied Matt the dream of love and family that had kept him alive through five years of imprisonment and torture?