Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
A long moment passed before Emma nodded, and for the rest of their walk she grappled with apprehension and dread.
Ben’s going to Eternity. I can’t stop him. He’s going to find out about me. But if I tell him it could ruin him, Kayla, everything we have. She battled the overwhelming urge to trust in love and confess her past, to tell Ben everything, now.
No, my identity is sealed. He’ll never find out. He’ll never know.
Emma searched the forests, unable to push away her trepidation.
But someone has already found out. And I can’t be sure Ben won’t find out because he’s good at what he does.
With waves of desperation rolling over her, they came to the trail’s end at the parking lot. Tug barked and Emma was stopped in her tracks by what she saw in the distance.
A man in a red shirt and khaki shorts had exited the trail they had been on, taking a shortcut through the trees directly to the cars. It looked like he’d been following them and was trying to get ahead of them to leave, unseen.
He looked like the man Emma had seen a while ago at the beach.
She told herself she was being silly, then saw that Ben’s eyes had narrowed as he zeroed in on the man.
“I don’t know what’s up with that guy,” Ben said. “But I’m going to find out.”
The man could be a reporter who’d somehow found her; her fears flared and swirled.
What if he tells Ben everything here and now?
Emma grabbed Ben’s arm.
“Ben, no. Let’s just wait till he leaves, then go home.”
The leash tightened. Tug threw a bark in the man’s direction as Ben started toward him.
“I’m just going to talk to him, Emma.”
“I’m coming with you.”
The man was at his sedan. He’d opened the driver’s door when they approached him.
“Excuse me,” Ben said.
The man turned to Ben and Emma. He was wearing dark glasses, looked to be in his early fifties with a trim, medium build.
“Forgive me, but were you following us?”
The stranger looked at Ben, then glanced at Emma.
“No, gosh, no. Uhm, but you’re Benjamin Grant, the author?”
“Yes.”
“Del Brockway.” The man released a little laugh. “This is embarrassing, but I’m a huge fan and I missed you at the charity book sale. I’d read somewhere that you lived around here—that’s how I found you—and I wanted you to sign a couple of your books for me.”
“So you tracked me down and followed me here?”