Ellie put on a maroon shift dress, paired it with a jean jacket and tan boots, then looked in the mirror, surprised at how nervous she felt. It wasn’t as if this was a date with Ryan. He’d asked her to lunch. Lunch and nothing more. A chance for the two of them to spend a couple of hours together without anyone after them. Thinking it would turn into anything more than that was simply her imagination. But neither could she simply ignore her heart anymore. Her aunt might have been wrong about everything she’d done the past few months, but she’d been right about one thing. She’d fallen—and fallen hard—for Ryan.
Still, she’d also meant it when she’d told him things wouldn’t work. He lived on the edge, while she—on the other hand—had experienced enough adventure to last a lifetime.
She glanced into the mirror one last time, deciding to ignore the fact that her nose was red and peeling, and that there were bags under her eyes from exhaustion and a sprinkle of bug bites across her neck. She’d ended up going to bed as soon as they’d arrived back at the house last night. Watching the police take her aunt away in handcuffs, followed by another couple hours of questioning from the police, had completely exhausted her. She’d ended up sleeping last night for over twelve hours. After a long bath and an even longer time praying and reading her Bible this morning, she felt almost like a new person.
Almost.
She knew she wasn’t going to be able to just get over what she’d been through. Finding normal again—whatever that was—would take time.
She let out a sigh, her body still feeling the fatigue that had settled in. Especially when she realized how much she had to do. Ryan’s father had stored all the things from her apartment in a storage unit when she disappeared. Her best friend, Maddie, had kept Lucy, her golden retriever. She’d need to find a new apartment, but that shouldn’t take long. Neither should connecting with her old boss and securing her job back. What she wasn’t looking forward to was the buzz she was sure would follow her return, but she missed her friends and longed to be settled again.
And while she was doing all of that, Ryan would be somewhere dozens of feet under the ocean. She’d never make him change. Not for her.
She walked down the stairs of the four-thousand-square-foot house to the entranceway and found him waiting for her.
“Hey. Sorry I’m running a few minutes late.”
“No problem.” He stood in the entryway in his Levi’s, cowboy boots and a rust-and-tan plaid shirt. Her heart raced. “You look beautiful.”
“I thought the mosquito bites really added to the outfit.” She laughed. “And I have to say, I never saw you as the cowboy type, but you definitely fit the part.”
“I was the one who rescued you from Arias on a horse, in case you had forgotten.”
“Trust me, I hadn’t forgotten. I guess I just imagined you being more comfortable in scuba gear.”
His smile made her heart race. “I just might end up surprising you after all.”
Ryan laughed and she felt her heart skip. As much as she’d like to deny it, she was in trouble. “You ready?”
“Before we go eat, I was wondering if we could take a walk for a few minutes.”
He took her hand as they stepped outside together. Fall had come while she’d been in Brazil, dropping the temperature. She shifted her attention away from the man walking beside her to the stunning view of Pikes Peak in the distance, wishing she didn’t have the undeniable urge to stay.
“I know I’ve said this before,” she said, ignoring the clamor of her heart, “but I owe both you and your father my life. You didn’t have to come after me, and you certainly didn’t have to follow me to the Amazon.”
“Seriously, I’d do it all over again.” He stopped in front of the corral. “Especially if it meant reconnecting with you.”
She stared past him at the open pastureland, not knowing how to respond. Was he trying to tell her he had the same feelings she’d been trying to ignore?
“I’ve been thinking of quitting my job,” he said, then continued before she could say anything. “Actually, it’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for a long time. I’ve just been waiting for a reason to quit. A reason to stop running.”
She stared at his blue eyes and struggled to breathe. “And you think you’ve found the right reason?”
“I know I’ve found the right person.”
“You don’t think you’re going to change your mind? I’ve seen you, Ryan. You love the water, love your job. To give all that up for me?”
“There are other diving jobs I could do that wouldn’t require time away.” He pulled her toward him until he was just inches away. “There was a moment when I thought I’d lost you. When Arias took you. I knew at that moment, I didn’t want to live life without you. You know how to make me smile. Make me laugh. You’re strong and wise. And now that everything is over...I feel exactly the same. I don’t want to lose you. No matter what it takes to make things work. And I think—I hope—you feel the same way.”
She drew in a deep breath, wanting to believe what he was telling her. “Losing my father, losing the only life I knew...it’s changed me. And while the danger might be over now, I still haven’t figured out how to deal with what’s left behind. Or how to deal with the future for that matter.”
“Maybe you don’t have to. Or maybe we can do this together. You and me. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Because as crazy as it might seem, I think I’ve know this since I watched you jump off the roof that day, trying to prove to me how tough you were.”
“And I suppose I did it because I wanted you to notice me.”
“Trust me, I did.”
He pulled her into a breathless kiss, and all the hurt and fear and guilt she’d felt since her father’s death slowly began to melt away, replaced with an assurance that while life might be hard, there was also joy to be found. And she’d found hers in the man holding her in his arms.
Four months later
Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Ryan took off his snorkel and mask, then made his way back to the shoreline beside Ellie as ripples of sunlight pierced the clear water around them. He’d been surprised when she’d agreed on a diving trip for their honeymoon. But they’d both changed over the past few months. He’d decided to take it easy on their first couple of days out, which meant a few hours snorkeling in the morning, followed by another few hours soaking up some sun on the beach. After that, she’d jumped into diving school and yesterday had finished her sixth dive. With visibility clear up to sixty meters in some areas, they’d already seen spinner dolphins, as well as angelfish, sea turtles and manta rays—all within reach of mile after mile of deserted beaches.
And all time alone with his beautiful wife.
“What did you think about today?” he asked.
“I’ll confess,” she said, taking his hand as they walked across the sand toward their stuff, “so far this entire trip has been one of the most amazing experiences I’ve have ever had. Second only to marrying you, of course.”
He pulled her against him and kissed her firmly on the lips. “Now I know why you won me over. Saying things like that can get me to do anything for you.”
She laughed, then shook out the beach blanket that was big enough for two, before grabbing two bottles of water from the cooler.
“By the way, I have a present for you,” she said.
He propped himself up with his elbow beside her and caught her gaze. “If you ask me, the best present I’ve ever got is right in front of me.”
She smiled. “Thank you, but since you’ve been hanging out with your wife all week—and by the way, I like the sound of that—tomorrow you’re booked to do some advanced diving and spend the morning exploring the sunken Corveta Ipiranga V-17.”
His eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“What about you?”
“Well, since I already have you to myself this entire two-week trip, I decided I could let you have a morning to yourself.” She shot him a smile. “And I have an appointment at the spa, so I think I’ll be fine.”
“Now I understand your plan. Getting rid of me so you can be pampered.”
She laughed. “Exactly.”
He took her hand and laced their fingers together. “Do you know that this underwater warship is supposed to be one of the most impressive diving wrecks in the world? They say you can still see things like uniforms and equipment... I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said, snuggling up beside him. “You look happy.”
“I am.”
“So am I.”
He kissed her again, loving that the fear that had taken over their lives was finally gone. Living and no more running for both of them. And that was exactly what he planned to do for the rest of his life with the woman he loved.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story by Lisa Harris, pick up these previous titles:
Taken
Desperate Escape
Desert Secrets
Fatal Cover-Up
Deadly Exchange
Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!
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Keep reading for an excerpt from Standoff at Midnight Mountain by Mary Alford.
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