Page 63 of Always My Love

Hailey nodded. “If I can swing it. I’ll text you.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d better get back to work.”

The high of buying the pretty outfit for Friday night had been tempered by her conversation with her sister. There was something between them that had never been there before. Distance.

For all of her life, she and Hailey had been close. So close that it felt like their hearts beat in rhythm. Now, because of her relationship with Nick, she thought that Hailey was pulling away from her. And she didn’t think she could bear it.

Still, it hurt just as bad thinking about breaking things off with Nick as it did missing her sister.

By the time she got off work, she had worked herself into an intense headache, something she’d never had before.

Since Nick wasn’t home yet, she took both dogs and headed to the beach to clear her head.

While Lucy was used to being on a leash for their walks through the trees that surrounded the cabin, Blue yanked on the leash, trying to get to the beach faster so she could release him.

The narrow pathway that went from Nick’s back gate to the opening of the beach went past three other backyards. Tall fences lined the pebble-covered pathway.

Before the path emptied onto the beach, it passed a back road that normally had no cars on it. Today, however, a cargo van sat at the dead-end near the entrance to the park, half a block away.

Harper wondered briefly about the vehicle, but then Blue yanked her arm and pulled her onto the beach.

She removed the dogs’ leashes and laughed as they raced towards the water’s edge. She followed them and sat in the sand, where she removed her shoes and rolled up her pant legs.

She knew the water would be cold, but the second the waves rushed over her feet and lower legs, she sighed with relief. The sand felt so good between her toes and the water removed the aches from being on her feet all day.

Of course, she could only stand it for a few moments and, once she couldn’t feel her toes any longer, she found a nice spot from which to watch the dogs play tug-of-war with a huge stick.

When her phone rang, she answered Nick’s call.

“Hi,” she answered with a smile, already feeling her headache disappearing.

“Hey, it sounds like you’re at the beach?” Nick asked.

“We are. The dogs are fighting over a stick,” she said with a chuckle.

Nick was quiet and then said, “I was calling to tell you that I was going to be late. We’re heading out on a call halfway to Edgeview.”

“Okay.” She shifted to hear him better. “Don’t worry. When we get back home, I’ll have to bathe both dogs and then probably need a shower myself.”

“Is it too soon for me to tell you how much hearing you call it home warms me?” Nick said with a slight sigh.

She hadn’t noticed that she’d done it, but now she smiled when she realized that his place was just as much a home to her as the cabin was.

“I still think of the cabin as home too,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s good too,” he agreed. “You did only bring a bag of your things over.” He muffled the phone while he talked to someone else, presumably Tom. “Hey, I have to go. Call or text me when you get home safely.”

“Okay,” she said and then hung up.

“Well, well, look who I finally found alone,” someone said from directly behind her.

Harper jerked her head around just as a fist slammed into her left temple. Everything spun several times before going black.

She felt the soft sand under her body turn into wet and cold sand. When her body hit the icy water, her mind cleared as two strong hands held her head under the rolling surf.

She gasped, fought for air, only to take in mouthful after mouthful of salty water. Her nails scratched skin, clothing, anything to try and find release.

She tried to get a glimpse of who it was but could only see the darkness of the water whenever a wave hit her. The only sound was the pounding in her head mixed with the roaring waves pelting her.

Then, clear as day, she heard a man scream in pain, and she was released. She heard the dogs barking and growling, then she heard more screaming. One of dogs yelped in pain.