Unshakeable Pursuit (Christian Romantic Suspense)

Chapter 6b

Geoffrey's hands tightened on the steering wheel when he saw the light winking in the darkness.

"Is that light from the cabin?" Maylin asked.

"I think so."

"I don't remember Olivia saying she'd come back to the cabin tonight. But who else could it be?"

He didn't know. He wanted to switch off the headlights, but it was too dangerous to drive this trail without them. Then he saw the sleek black SUV parked in front of the cabin, and he groaned. "It's Liv."

Maylin gave him a strange look. "Why is that bad?"

"I just ..." He sighed. "I didn't want to get my family any more involved in this than they already are. I worry that they want to help." He wanted them to stay safe. Even moreso now that he was back from Japan.

"I can understand that you don't want your family in danger," Maylin said, "but your siblings aren't walking into this blindly. They know what happened at the clinic yesterday. They want to help because they care about you."

"I'm responsible for them." His chest felt tight, like he was drowning. "I have to be there for them. I can't have anything happen to them like ..."

The guilt and shame closed over his head like ocean waters. Like tsunami waters. He felt panic that he couldn't do the right thing, that he couldn't do anything to protect them.

Coming back to Sonoma was supposed to help anchor him. Instead, he felt even more as if he was being tossed about in a stormy sea. He wasn't physically injured, but there was a gaping wound in his soul that had only festered after the Japan tsunami, rather than healing itself. He wasn't whole anymore. And yet he had a responsibility for his family, and now Maylin.

Then he felt her hand on his, soft and gentle. She didn't say anything, didn't ask him what he'd meant. She simply held his hand, let him know she was there, imparted comfort and encouragement, whatever he needed from her. Her thumb rubbed his knuckles in a rhythmic gesture that soothed him.

He forced himself to take a slow breath, and the panic eased. He was in control of himself again.

But he couldn't look at her. Didn't want to see what was in her eyes. He schooled his face into a mask of calm. "Let's get inside." He got out of the car.

The delicious smell of homemade stew greeted them as soon as they opened the cabin door. Liv looked up from where she was stirring the pot on the stove. "Hey, you two."

Geoffrey gave a mock groan. "Please tell me you didn't cook." He knew his voice was a little too cheerful, a little too loud.

"You're going to give Maylin a terrible impression of our family."

"Oh, don't worry," Maylin said gaily, her voice also too loud, "I knew I'd like you when you told me you'd filled up the gun cabinet." She headed to the stove to sniff the stew.

Liv's eyes brightened. "Do you have guns?"

"Just a revolver. I took a few classes at a shooting range in San Francisco. It was fun." Maylin's voice was light, but Geoffrey thought he heard a note of strain. What had made her want—or need—the revolver in the first place?

"Good job, bro. You've picked a winner for your partner in crime." Liv gave Maylin a high five.

Maylin looked embarrassed but also pleased by Liv's hearty approval. But Liv always had that effect on people, making them feel accepted. She obviously liked Maylin, and there was a warmth in Maylin's smile that Geoffrey hadn't seen often at the clinic.

Thinking about her at work made him realize that Maylin usually had an air of isolation about her, even among the other nurses. The women didn't really treat her like someone who entirely belonged, maybe because she was a little different. She was shy, and awkward, but she had a calmness and comforting air about her that made her connect with patients better than other nurses. Her coworkers were sometimes impatient with her because while they focused on their tasks, Maylin didn't mind spending a few extra minutes adjusting pillows, picking up toys that had fallen to the floor, playing a little make-believe with a sick child.