Page 62 of A Brambleberry Summer

Was that what Daniel and Lauren had rescued her from?

He couldn’t seem to find the words to ask. Or to ask her how she had escaped. He was quite sure he would not like the answer.

How was it possible? She was the most loving and giving person he knew, kind to everyone. How could she have emerged from something so ugly to become the person he was falling for?

Maybe he was wrong. He truly hoped he was wrong.

“You could have found yourself in all kinds of danger at that young age.”

“Yes.”

She said nothing more, only looked ahead at her dog and at the house, now only a hundred feet away.

He thought again of his suspicions earlier that evening at dinner. He was beginning to think they might not be far-fetched, after all.

“I think my sister is right,” he said quietly when they reached the beach gate to the house. “You are a remarkable person, Rosa Galvez.”

Her face was a blur in the moonlight as she gazed at him, her eyes dark shadows. She shook her head. “I am not. Lauren and Daniel, who reached out to me when I was afraid and vulnerable, they are the remarkable ones.”

Tenderness swirled through him. She was amazing and he was falling hard for her. Learning more details about what she had endured and overcome, including the things she hadn’t yet shared with him, only intensified his growing feelings.

“We will have to agree to disagree on that one,” he finally said. “Every time I’m with you, I find something else to admire.”

“Don’t,” she said sharply. “You don’t know.”

“I know I think about you all the time. I can’t seem to stop.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“I know that. Believe me, I know. But you’re in my head now.”

And in my heart, he thought, but wasn’t quite ready to share that with her yet.

“May I kiss you again?”

Because of what he suspected had happened to her, it became more important than ever to ask permission first and not just take what he wanted.

He thought she would refuse at first, that she would turn into the house. After a long moment, she lifted her face to his.

“Yes,” she murmured, almost as if she couldn’t help herself.

This kiss was tender, gentle, a mere brush of his mouth against hers.

All the feelings he had been fighting seemed to shimmer to the surface. He could tell himself all he wanted that he was not ready to care for someone again. He could tell everyone else the same story. That did not make it true.

He had already fallen. Somehow Rosa Galvez, with her kindness and her empathy and her determination to do the right thing, had reached into the bleak darkness where he had been existing and ripped away the heavy curtains to let sunshine flood in again.

He was not sure yet how he felt about that. Some part of him wanted to stay frozen in his sadness. He had loved Tori with all his heart. Their marriage had not been perfect—he wasn’t sure any healthy marriage could be completely without differences—but she had been a great mother and a wonderful wife.

Wyatt wasn’t sure he was ready to risk his heart again.

But maybe he didn’t have a choice. Maybe he had already fallen.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, wanting to protect her from all the darkness in the world. She made a small sound and nestled against him, as if searching for warmth and safety.

“I lied to my sister,” he said, long moments later.

He felt her smile against his mouth. “For shame, Detective Townsend. How did you lie to Carrie?”

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