December brought the first snow of the season to Foggy Ridge, and evening shoppers were out in droves, admiring the elaborate window displays and choosing gifts for the people on their Christmas lists. The traditional lighted silver bells had been strung across the main avenues, where the trees on both sides of the street glistened with millions of twinkling white lights. Salvation Army bell ringers could be heard on every corner. The huge manger scene that had survived a failed ploy to ban Christmas was prominently displayed on the front lawn of the courthouse. And First Methodist Church, First Baptist, and Praise Chapel had each turned on their sanctuary lights, so their gorgeous stained-glass windows would shine for the outside world.
Hawk brushed the snow off his black London Fog dress coat and red plaid scarf, then pushed open the glass door and went into Markle’s Specialty Gift Shoppe, where a wonderful spicy citrus fragrance permeated the air. He loved shopping here for all the women in his life. He wanted to get Abby a silver charm to represent her engagement. Jay had told everyone except Abby that he was going to officially propose on Christmas Eve and that he had saved and bought her the ring she had admired at Long’s Jewelers. Hawk hadn’t decided yet what to get the others, but he loved to browse through each of the rooms at Markle’s and was bound to find something just right.
As he perused the items on a shelf, he heard a familiar clip clop sound and glanced through the window in time to see a horse-drawn carriage go by. He hadn’t missed taking a carriage ride at Christmastime since he was old enough to remember. He returned to his hunt and studied the collectibles on the lighted shelves before working his way around to jewelry. He was intently eyeing a pair of amethyst earrings he knew his mother would love when someone bumped him from behind. He turned around—and stood facing Laura Lynn Parks, whose face was as red as the tassel trim on his plaid scarf.
“Hello, Laura Lynn,” Hawk said.
“Uh, sorry I backed into you. I–I wasn’t paying attention.” Laura Lynn’s thick blonde hair fell perfectly over her shoulders. She looked stunning in black velvet pants and an ivory cowl-neck sweater.
“It’s late in the season for you to be Christmas shopping,” Hawk said.
“Oh, I’m done,” she said. “I just wanted to get Abby a silver charm for her engagement.”
Of course you did. “What a great idea,” Hawk said. “Are you enjoying the snow?”
Laura Lynn smiled. “I am. In fact, I’m getting ready to go on a carriage ride.”
Hawk glanced over her shoulder at a decent-looking guy holding what appeared to be Laura Lynn’s red coat over his arm.
“I see you brought your warm Red Riding Hood coat.”
She stared blankly and then looked behind her, motioning for the guy to come.
“Hawk Cummings, this is Michael Cooper. Michael and I sing in the choir at Praise Chapel and we’ve been hanging out together for a while now. Hawk is Abby’s older brother.”
Hawk extended his hand and shook Michael’s. “Nice to meet you. I hope you two enjoy your carriage ride.” Hawk was surprised that he didn’t have to fake his sincerity. “Better bundle up or Jack Frost will be nipping at your nose.”
“Well, pretty lady, our carriage leaves in fifteen minutes,” Michael said, holding up her coat so she could slip her arms in. “We’d better head over to city hall. It was nice meeting you, Hawk.”
“Same here.” Hawk looked at Laura Lynn. “I guess I’ll be seeing you at all of Abby’s engagement festivities.”
“I’ll be there,” she said. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.”
Hawk went back to admiring the intriguing amethyst earrings, which were a definite maybe. He glanced over his shoulder and watched Laura Lynn and Michael get into a black Land Rover. They seemed suited.
Hawk was glad that he’d run into them and gotten the awkwardness out of the way, especially since Jay had already asked Hawk to be his best man, and he assumed Abby had chosen Laura Lynn to be her maid of honor.
Hawk, carrying two shopping bags full of gifts, walked up the hill toward Salisbury’s Market, the snow falling ever so softly. He wondered if he might be the last shopper in town to go home. The sidewalks were empty and there were few cars on the road. He turned around and said in loud voice, “Will the last one to leave please turn out the lights?” He laughed and continued up the hill, his heart filled with Christmas cheer.
When he shopped at Salisbury’s earlier, he had decided to back his Jeep into a space in the far back row and walk to downtown to avoid the holiday traffic.
He walked over to his Jeep, one of just two vehicles left in the lot, and opened the door and put his bags on the floor in back.
The other vehicle, a black Suburban, had pulled out and was coming toward the exit. Its brights were on and Hawk wondered how people could be so inconsiderate.
He stood on the driver’s side, waiting for the Suburban to slow before it exited so he could tell the driver to dim his lights. But instead of exiting the parking lot, the Suburban pulled in next to him. His heart pounded. Suddenly this didn’t feel right. There wasn’t another person in sight. He was on his own.
He quickly got inside his Jeep and locked the doors. He turned on the motor and started to put it in gear when he realized his windshield was iced over. He couldn’t see anything. And he knew his defroster wouldn’t clear the thick frost off the windshield for at least ten minutes. Lord, I need Your help!
Maybe they were thieves who wanted the gifts he had bought. Certainly his life was worth more the contents of two shopping bags. He would gladly surrender them.
The Suburban driver’s window rolled down. It was definitely a man. He had on a stocking cap and his lips were moving, but Hawk couldn’t understand him with both car motors going.
Hawk cracked his window and listened, but the man was already getting out of his vehicle.
Hawk looked down on the floor, even his ball bat wouldn’t help him right now. Lord, give me wisdom, quick. Protect me!
The guy knocked on the window. “Hawk! It’s me, Reza.”
Hawk looked up and recognized Reza’s face. He rolled down his window.
“Man, you scared the fire out of me,” Hawk said, trying to calm down. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry. I did not mean to scare you. I want you to meet someone. Please, come.”
I almost had a stroke, and he wants me to meet someone? Hawk left his Jeep running with the heater turned on high. He got out and moved next to the Suburban.
Reza opened the back door. “Please come in and get warm.”
Hawk slid into the back seat and didn’t see anyone. Reza opened the door to the driver’s side and got in.
Hawk tried not to sound as irritated as he felt. “Reza, what’s going on? There’s no one here.”
Reza smiled. “But there is.”
From out of the darkness behind Hawk, a woman spoke. “Hawk, it’s me. Don’t be scared.”
“Kennedy?” Hawk’s heart pounded. It couldn’t be. But it had to be. Her voice was unmistakable.
“I’m coming up there,” she said.
The smaller middle seat folded down, and the woman climbed through and sat on the other side of the back seat, opposite Hawk. She took out her cell phone and turned on the flashlight.
Hawk stared at her in disbelief. Was this some kind of cruel joke? Then again, why would Reza be a party to that? “I–I thought you were dead! Romo told me you were dead. That it was classified.”
“It is classified. But you found out from Reza that I had disappeared once before. I wanted to explain, and then I have to disappear again, but permanently this time. You can never, ever speak to anyone about this, Hawk. Promise me.”
“I promise,” Hawk said.
“Tell me what you know,” she said.
“I know your real name is Abrisham Kermani. I know your mother was American and your father, Dalir, was Iranian. I know you and Reza were engaged to be married when you disappeared the first time. He tried to find out from your aunt and uncle where you were and why you left, until finally they threatened to get a restraining order if he didn’t leave them alone.”
“All of that’s true. Tell me what you think you know.”
“I think you and Reza were cheated. I think you belong together. I think your father is or was involved in something big and had enemies. I thought those enemies had kidnapped you, but here you are. How about telling me why you had to disappear without telling me.”
“I’ll start at the beginning, but I have to talk fast because we can only stay a few minutes. I won’t be able to tell you everything, but it’s for your own safety. My father worked for some people who wanted him to get involved in things that violated his conscience. He refused. So these people killed my mother to force his hand. Of course, I knew nothing about this and believed her death was an accident. My father sent me away to school in Cambridge, where my aunt and uncle lived, and they agreed to be my guardians. Then after some time, these same people wanted my father to do even worse things—dangerous things—and threatened to kill me if he didn’t comply. Reza and I were engaged then, but I was forced to disappear by my father’s closest friend, who feared for my life. He moved me without telling anyone and supported me in secret.”
“She could not contact me,” Reza said, “because I was being watched by the people her father worked for. She knew they would have tortured me to find out where she was.”
“I’m sorry, Hawk,” she said, “but I can’t reveal how or why I came to Foggy Ridge. But there’s no record of Kennedy Taylor anywhere. The house was provided for me, and there could be no trail leading to me.”
“So that’s why you were so mysterious,” Hawk said. “You never told me anything about your background.”
“Oh, I wanted to. I wanted so much to tell you everything. I trusted you. I still do. But it would only have put you in danger. On the day we watched the sailboat races, some very good people used a drone and drugged us so they could kidnap me and erase any evidence that I was ever there. When I came to and they told me what had happened, it hurt so much because I knew I couldn’t contact you and explain. And God knows, I’d left Reza again without a good-bye or an explanation. I regretted so much that my reaction when I saw Reza after all those years sent him away in tears. But the fact that he found me had put his life and mine in danger. I knew then that I would be moving again. I didn’t know where or when, but that’s why I was overjoyed when you called and said you had Saturday off. I wanted to spend every moment I had left with you.”
“Where have you been all this time?” Hawk said. “I have grieved your death every day. I couldn’t tell Reza because it was classified.”
“And I can’t tell you, for the same reason. Believe me, it’s for your own safety. I shouldn’t even be here now.”
“Then why are you?”
Kennedy’s face suddenly looked radiant. She reached up and took Reza’s left hand and shined the light on two simple gold bands.
“You’re married?” Hawk said.
“Yes,” she said, exchanging a loving expression with Reza. “We’ve been married for some months now.”
“I’m thrilled for you,” Hawk said. “I really am. Wow. This is such great news.”
“Reza told me everything,” Kennedy said. “I’m so sorry about what happened. But thanks to you, Reza didn’t go to jail or I would never have known where to find him.”
“So you went back to Cambridge?”
“Hawk, this is another of those areas I can’t comment on,” she said. “But I want you to know how grateful I am for all you did for Reza because you understood his love for me and mine for him.”
“It was the right thing to do,” Hawk said. “But I’m not the great guy you think I am. I know you must have figured out that I wasn’t really looking for a long-term relationship. The truth is I was already in a relationship that we hoped would end in marriage. I betrayed her when I got involved with you. After you disappeared, I told her the truth, and we’ve since broken up, but I never thought I would have a chance to tell you the truth. I’m so sorry I deceived you. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Hawk, I knew,” Kennedy said. “I was in Bella’s Bakery one morning and overheard a pretty blonde talking on the phone to ‘Hawk.’ How many other men do you know with that name? I suspected she was your girlfriend or fiancée. I never asked. I guess I didn’t want to know. What we had together met a need for both of us. I knew it was wrong. It went against everything I believe, and it bothered me for a long time. I’ve asked God to forgive me. Reza said you have too.”
“I have. I know I have the Lord’s forgiveness. I guess I wanted yours too.”
She leaned across the seat and kissed his cheek. “You have it.”
“Abrisham and I have decided to pursue Christianity,” Reza said. “You may be a sinful man, as am I. But, Hawk Cummings, we also saw much light in you. We want this light.”
Hawk felt so unworthy that he didn’t know how to respond. He blinked the stinging from his eyes and wiped away the disobedient tear that trickled down his cheek. He blew out a breath, and said, “So this is the last time we’ll see each other?”
“It has to be,” Kennedy said. “I will always be grateful that you were in my life.”
“Let me say a prayer for us before you go.” Hawk reached out and took Kennedy’s hand and then Reza’s. “Lord God, we’re so grateful that You’re bigger than our sin. That Your plans for our lives can’t be thwarted. Only You could take our sin and brokenness and use it for Your glory. I pray blessings on Reza and Abrisham as they depart now and go live their lives in peace. I pray that You would protect them and keep them invisible to anyone who would seek to hurt them. That You would bless them with good health, new friends, and children to love. I ask that You make Yourself known to them with the same loving-kindness and faithfulness that you have shown me. Draw them to Your Son, Jesus, the Light of the World who lives in the heart of every Christian, and bring them into a personal saving relationship with Him. I ask these things in the holy name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Savior. Amen.”
“That was beautiful.” Reza put his arms around Hawk. “Thank you.”
Hawk smiled. “Merry Christmas.”
Kennedy reached over and embraced him with what felt like her whole heart and soul. “Merry Christmas, dear friend. We will never forget you.” She dabbed her eyes. “Hawk, we have to go. I need to ask you not to follow us. Not to try to find us. To do so could put all four of our lives in jeopardy.”
“Four?”
Reza put his hand on her middle and laughed. “See how fast the Lord answers you?”