Vendetta (28 page)

One week later

Nikki watched Sarah Ruth Boyd sleep in her arms another minute before handing her back to Jamie. “She's so beautiful.”

“The doctor told me she's perfect.” Jamie brushed the baby's dark bangs across her forehead, then looked at Nikki. “You should have one.”

“A baby?” Nikki sat back down on the round ottoman across from her sister-in-law and laughed.

“Don't you want one?”

“Of course, maybe even two, but—”

“But what? You've always known exactly what you wanted in life and gone after it. I've always admired you for that. Now you've got that hunky boyfriend in the wings who's definitely marriage material.
And
I understand looking to get married.”

Nikki squirmed at the comment. “I'm not sure I'd call him my boyfriend, and I'm certainly not ready to say I do.”

Jamie fingered the tassel on Sarah's pink bootie, then leaned
forward. “If you want my advice, you better start claiming him as your own. Or someone else will. I'm just sayin'.”

“Auntie Nikki!” Liam bounced across the living room floor of her parents' downtown condo, formally dissolving the awkward conversation with her sister-in-law on love and marriage.

“Liam . . .”

He threw himself into her arms. When he was born, Tyler and Katie had officially made Nikki his godmother. At the time she never considered the possibility of losing either of them.

“Daddy got me a new fish yesterday,” Liam said, his brown eyes wide with excitement.

She pulled him onto her lap before tousling his hair. Liam was all boy, preferring a pile of dirt to watching TV. Katie had struggled to keep him out of mischief, but it was that angelic face of his that got her every time.

Nikki moved his wiggly body away from the sleeping baby across from them. “What did you name it?”

“Jonah.”

Nikki laughed. “Well, that's . . . appropriate.”

“Feeling rested yet?” Tyler walked up to her with two plates of raspberry cheesecake.

“Hey . . . Yeah, I am, actually. I'm feeling much better. Partly thanks to you and your movie therapy last night.”

A week later, and she was still treading on thin ice with no idea how to sort out her feelings. Or how to move forward to the place her heart wanted to take her.

“I grabbed two slices of cake. One for me and one for you. Your mom says it's going fast.”

She laughed as she took one of the plates. “I haven't eaten lunch yet.”

“So start with dessert.”

She smiled at him, then took a bite. “How'd you know this was my absolute favorite?”

Tyler winked at her. “Ryan isn't the only one who knows your favorites.”

“Nikki.”

Nikki turned around, then cleared her throat as Ryan walked across the room toward her. With his refined plaid shirt, jacket, and hint of a five-o'clock shadow, Jamie was right about one thing. He was a hunk. But she also knew she had to find a way to tell him the truth.

“Ryan. Hi. I didn't know you were going to be able to come. You know Tyler Grant, don't you?”

“Actually I don't think we've met.” Tyler shook Ryan's hand, clearly sizing him up. “But I've heard a lot about you.”

“Really?” Ryan said.

“Tyler's a longtime friend of mine, and his son, Liam . . . well, Liam's probably back at the dessert table.”

“Then Liam must be a boy after my own heart.”

Nikki shot Tyler a you-better-behave look, then smiled back at Ryan. Somehow she hadn't imagined feeling quite so . . . awkward when the two of them finally met.

“Have you seen the view from my parents' balcony?” She needed to get the two of them apart before things got even more awkward. “I could show it to you, then you can grab some of my dad's barbeque. It's the best you'll find this side of the Mississippi.”

“If it tastes half as good as it smells, I won't be disappointed.”

She told Tyler they'd be back, then grabbed Ryan's arm and pulled him toward the balcony door. “Just tell my father that after you've tried it. The whole southern barbeque thing is my daddy's baby. He might end up talking with you the rest of the night, but you'll be his friend for life.”

“Not a bad idea.”

They stepped outside and she waited for the reaction that always came.

“Wow. The view is stunning.”

“It was what sold my mom on the property. Dad was looking for a place closer to the restaurant with all the kids gone. She finally decided not having a garden to worry about wasn't such a bad idea after all.”

He ran his hand down her arm, then pulled back. “Listen, I know these past few days must have been horrible for you. I saw the local news report covering the story. What a nightmare. You should have called me. Let me know what was going on. Let me know that you're okay.”

“I'm sorry I didn't communicate more.” She caught the disappointment in his eyes and fiddled with the drawstring of her red tie-dyed maxi dress. “But you're right, it was a tough week.”

She hadn't purposely avoided his calls. She'd just needed time to sort things out. Not just about Cooper and everything that had happened inside the park, but about her own feelings toward Ryan and Tyler that she was still trying to sort through.

“Everything happened so fast, and then when I got back, I took a few days off.”

“But you're okay. That man didn't hurt you?”

“Physically, no, though I can't say the experience didn't affect me. But I'm okay. Really.”

She'd had nightmares the past few nights but knew they'd eventually fade. Hopefully the memory of Randall Cooper would fade as well.

“And the girl you were looking for, she's okay?”

“She will be. It was extremely traumatic for her, but her friends and family are rallying around her.”

Ryan shook his head. “All I know is that I used to think it would be fun to trade in my desk job for some high-adrenaline career, but honestly, after hearing about some of the things you've had to face, I don't know how you do it. I think running
my slice of the world from behind a computer screen is more than enough adventure for me.”

“I'll admit I thought about switching careers a few times over the past few days.” She felt the awkwardness that passed between them and looked down. She was still holding the uneaten cake Tyler had brought her. “You ready for some barbeque?”

She tried to steady her emotions. It was the wrong thing to say. She needed to tell him the truth, but had no idea how.

“Yes, but first . . .” Ryan hesitated for a moment. “I have no idea what you're going to think about this, but my parents called last night. They plan to be in town for Memorial Day, and while I know it's a bit early in our relationship, they'd really like to meet you.”

Nikki felt her pulse quicken. She looked up at him, knowing she had to tell him the truth. Everyone was after her to get engaged. Get married. Have a couple babies and live happily ever after. That was how it worked in the fairy tales and the romance novels. Why was real life so messy and complicated?

“I'd like to meet your family, but . . .”

She turned and looked back inside the condo to where Tyler stood talking with her mother. Liam stood beside him eating what had to be at least seconds on desserts. There was no denying it anymore.

“Listen, if you're not ready, I understand. And I'm sure this past week must have been completely unsettling. Forget I asked, okay?” He started toward the door, then paused. “Though I do have one other question for you.”

She needed to tell him the truth.

“He's in love with you, isn't he?”

Nikki felt her heart tremor at the question. “I'm sorry . . . who's in love with me?”

He couldn't be talking about Tyler. Tyler was still in love
with Katie. And it was going to take time before he was ready to move on.

“Tyler. Your friend. The man I just met inside.”

“No . . . he's always been like a brother. Even a best friend, but he's not in love with me. His wife died a year ago. She was my best friend since college. We've been through a lot together, especially this past year.”

“Then you're in love with him.”

Nikki paused. She wasn't ready to confess her feelings toward anyone—especially not to Ryan—but neither could she deny it. “I think I am. I didn't even know until last week when we were up there in the mountains. I thought I was going to die and I realized . . . I realized I was in love with him. I'm so sorry, Ryan.”

Disappointment shone through his smile. “So I wasn't just imagining that look in your eyes when you were with him. It's the same look I always hoped you'd give me one day.”

She shook her head. “I never meant to hurt you, or—”

“Fall in love?” He dropped his hands to his sides. “Sometimes we don't have control over what our heart feels, do we?”

“I really am sorry.”

“Don't be. You're still quite a catch, Nikki Boyd.” His gaze shifted inside where Tyler was still talking to her mother. “Once he realizes—what I'm pretty certain he already feels—he's going to be one very lucky guy.”

“Ryan—”

He shook his head. “Don't worry about it. I had just hoped that you might be the one.”

Jamie had been right. He was ready to put a ring on her finger.

He kissed her cheek. “If you do happen to realize you picked the wrong guy, call me, okay?”

She laughed, blinking back the tears threatening to spill. “Okay.”

“I'll see you around, Special Agent Nikki Boyd.”

Nikki nodded, then watched Ryan go back into the house, say goodbye to her mother, then head toward the front door. She turned back to the railing and stared out over the city. Confessing her feelings toward Tyler had only managed to make them seem all that more real. She'd never meant to hurt Ryan. Never meant to fall in love with Tyler. But she had. And now she had no idea what to do about it.

“Hey.” Tyler walked up beside her.

“I didn't even hear you come out,” she said, shooting him a nervous smile.

“Everything okay?”

“It will be.”

“Why is Mr. Perfect leaving?”

“We're not going to be seeing each other anymore.”

“Was it something I said?”

“No. You were fine, for once.” She glanced down at the tiled flooring, wondering if she'd somehow gone completely crazy letting Ryan walk away. But knew it would be more of a mistake to lead him on.

“So everything isn't okay.”

Nikki looked up at him, then brushed an imaginary piece of lint off the collar of his striped shirt and hesitated. “I think he's nice, and we have a lot in common, but . . . I don't know . . . we're at different places in life. He thought . . .” She paused.

“Thought what, Nikki?”

He thought you were in
love with me.

But she knew he wasn't. Still, Tyler was everything she wanted in a man. More perfect even than Mr. Perfect. But he'd belonged to her best friend and was still nursing a broken heart.

“Nothing,” she said, turning away. “He's just . . . he's not the right one for me.”

“I'm sorry.” He reached down and brushed a kiss across her forehead, making her heart swoon. “I know I teased you
about him, but only because he seemed to make you happy. If you want to talk . . .”

“No, I'm fine.” She flashed him a smile and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, wondering if Ryan was right about Tyler. Wondering if he'd suddenly realize, like she had, that he was in love with her. And willing, in the meantime, to wait for him. “I'm okay, because I'm here with the people I love and care about the most. My friends and family . . . and you.”

I loved researching this book! Over the past few months, I've read a firsthand account of hiking the Appalachian Trail and another book written by a ranger who worked in the Smoky Mountains. I devoured information on the park and surrounding area and turned to a couple of experts in hiking and rappelling and police work for their input into my story. I also tackled the more difficult side of research about what happens when a child goes missing, and how families and friends often respond, along with local authorities.

While this book is a work of fiction, I have tried to realistically show the heartache that goes along with having someone you love disappear, both from the point of view of the family and from the response of the law.

I have also taken some liberties, including creating the newly instated Missing Persons Task Force team for the sake of the story. Those who are familiar with this part of Tennessee will be able to recognize many of the beautiful landmarks I've included, like the stunning Smoky Mountains Park, but will also notice that I have created certain settings as needed for the story as well as characters—rangers included—who don't exist in real life.

During the writing of this book, I came to greatly admire the rangers and law officers who work diligently to make our world a better place. They put their own lives at risk for the sake of saving others. To
them, I salute you for your hard, tireless work!