Читать книгу Double Identity - Diane Burke - Страница 12

Two hours later, Cain tied up the last of the trash bags and hauled them out to the shed. He could see Sophie leaning in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest, waiting for him to return. When he approached he noted a purplish hue shadowing the tender skin beneath her eyes and a deep sadness radiating from within her. The tears she’d fought hard to hold at bay all day slowly flowed down her cheeks. She straightened and her arms fell to her sides.

“Why is this happening, Cain? I can’t make any sense of it. Dad and I lived a quiet life. Minded our own business. I don’t understand why anyone would want to harm us.” She clamped her teeth together and swiped the tears from her cheeks. “I need to know what happened to him. And I plan to find out.”

Cain gazed at the petite five-foot-two bundle of resolve standing in front of him and he didn’t know how to keep his heart encased in steel—only that he would, he had to, no matter what. He couldn’t afford to make a second mistake. He’d paid too high a price for the last one. A wave of pain squeezed his heart at the memories and, rather than try to push them back into the closed little closets he’d created in his mind, he embraced the pain. The pain was good. The pain would help him erect a wall—and keep it there.

His gaze traveled up and down the length of her. Way out of her element, looking bewildered, afraid, still Sophie stood there, shoulders back, head held high, and threw down the gauntlet for him to step up and help or get out of her way. He smiled and shook his head. Of course he was going to help. As soon as he figured out how to find a ghost.

“Relax, Sophie. I told you I’d help and I will.”

He rested his head back against the porch column and took a few minutes to enjoy the impending sunset. The sun hung low in the sky. Brilliant colors of pink, lavender, blue and purple swirled across the sky. He wasn’t sure which was God’s most artistic masterpiece, the breathtaking sunset or the silhouette of Sophie standing on the top step of the porch.

“I wish you’d come into town with me.” He tried to keep his apprehension out of his voice. The last thing she needed was more stress today. But it didn’t feel right leaving her out here surrounded by woods and all alone.

“Don’t be silly,” Sophie said. “This is my home.”

“I know but…”

“No buts. The people who tossed my house are probably as dog tired as I am. They’re not planning on coming back tonight.” She smiled up at him. “Now, go. Seriously. Before it gets much later.”

He straightened but didn’t move off the porch.

“Cain, really, I appreciate you worrying about me. I truly do. But I’ll be fine. I’ll go inside and lock the doors and the windows the second you leave. Besides, your hourly rate and my budget aren’t that compatible.” She grinned the second he started to protest and then he realized she was teasing him about owing him money. She knew he wouldn’t think of charging her for this and had gotten the rise out of him she’d expected.

He grinned in return. “A man knows when he’s been defeated.” He bowed his head and then lumbered down the steps. He opened the driver’s door and paused before slipping inside. “Lock up. Immediately.”

Sophie stood and saluted. “Yes, sir.”

Cain shook his head, slid behind the wheel and started the engine.

She watched the tail end of his compact car disappear down the dirt road. A grin twisted her lips. From the size of the dust cloud behind him, it was obvious his foot leaned heavily on the accelerator. For a man who hadn’t wanted to leave he sure was in a hurry now.

Sophie started to go inside but decided to steal a moment—just one, quiet, uneventful moment—and enjoy the twilight. She wrapped an arm around the porch post and stared into the distance. This was exactly the kind of night her father and she would have spent together. They’d have worked on their separate projects most of the day, come together for dinner, and then carried a final cup of coffee out on the porch to sit, talk, just be together.

Her throat closed up. Oh, Daddy, how could you do this? Instantly her mind jumped to thoughts she didn’t want to have and taunted her with them. Are you sure he’s your father? How do you know? You don’t even know his real name. How can you be sure of anything anymore? The emotional pain that swept from head to toe couldn’t have hurt more if she was being physically tortured.

She had lived her entire life believing she was Sophia Joy Clarkston. Sophie—the person who loved strawberries and thick cream. Who loved walking barefoot in sand. Who loved the change of colors in the fall, the smell of lilacs in spring and the scent of pine at Christmas. The same Sophie who loved to mold and create objects, animals and people out of a shapeless lump of clay. The Sophie who cherished the opportunities to sit on a porch swing or lie in the grass and count the stars.

If she wasn’t really Sophia Joy Clarkston, then who was she? And did everything she remembered, everything she’d done, everything she’d ever believed she was, now suddenly change because she wasn’t the person she’d thought she was?

A tear slipped down her cheek.

Oh, Dad! What were you thinking? Why didn’t you talk to me…trust me?

Over the years, she’d met many older people at the craft fairs that wished they could live their lives over. Start fresh with a clean slate. But Sophie wondered, if they were given that option, if everything they thought they were was gone and they had nothing—no family, no expectations, no memories—would they want their life erased as simply as chalk off a blackboard? She didn’t. At least she knew that much about herself—no matter who or what her real name would turn out to be.

A sudden chill skittered along her nerve endings. Sophie hugged herself and quietly scanned the trees. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. No lurking figures in the bushes. No threatening shadows. Her ears strained to listen for any unusual or stealth-like sounds. All she heard was the cacophony of crickets and frogs mingling with the normal rustling of nocturnal animals coming awake and moving around in the brush.

Still. She scanned her surroundings again—slowly, searching, lingering on every leaf, bush and stone. She found nothing threatening. Nothing scary. So why did her instincts tell her she was being watched? She didn’t have the answer but she trusted her instincts.

She hurried inside and threw the dead bolt behind her. She locked each window in the house for good measure.

She had just finished dressing after her shower and was towel drying her hair when she heard a knock at the door. Cain. A grin pulled at the corners of her mouth. Although he’d promised to bring her car out to her in the morning, from the way he sped out of here she’d had the feeling he would be back. She tossed the towel in the hamper, took one quick look at her reflection in the mirror, smoothed her hair and hurried toward the front door. She opened it just as Cain lifted his hand to knock again.

“You didn’t check.” He frowned.

“What?” Sophie blinked hard.

Cain slipped past her with Holly close behind and they both turned to face her. “You didn’t look out the window to see who was here. You just opened the door.”

“Oh, come on…” Sophie shut the door.

“I don’t side with my brother often.” Holly sat down on the nearest chair. “But this time he’s right, kiddo. You should have checked before you opened the door. You didn’t know for sure it was us.”

“Let me get this straight. You’re saying if the robber comes back, he’s going to knock on the door and announce himself first. Who is crazier, you or me?”

Both Garrisons crossed their arms and stared at her in silence.