Page 95 of Serenity Harbor

Eventually Bo would figure out he didn’t really love her. She wasn’t stupid enough to think they could have a happily-ever-after. What did she have to offer a man like him? He was a genius computer tech gazillionaire and she was a teacher who could barely manage to balance her checkbook each month.

She would only be prolonging the inevitable pain. That was fine for her, but she wouldn’t put Gabriela or Milo through a painful breakup.

Telling Bowie she didn’t love him had been her first award-worthy performance of the day. The other had been over the last few hours. Somehow she had made it through the evening, a family dinner with her mother and Uncle Mike, Wyn, Marsh and Andie, while holding on to the last vestiges of control.

She had told them all only that the adoption had hit a few snags and she didn’t know when she would return but it shouldn’t be long.

She was becoming pretty good at the whole lying-through-her-teeth thing.

She had no idea what she was going to do now, other than stick to her plan. Return to Colombia. Go in person to Angel Herrera and get her money back somehow, then take her petition to the Colombian Family Welfare Institute.

If she could, Katrina would have headed straight for the airport and camped out to get an earlier flight, but Samantha wanted to take her to breakfast and drive her to the Boise airport. Their relationship was still so fragile, she didn’t want to disappoint her best friend.

Why did that matter, though, when she had disappointed everyone else?

The fight with Bowie burned through her mind, the hard, untrue things she had said to him.

I kissed you because you’re great-looking and I’m attracted to you, but that’s all. I should never have let things go so far.

I could pretend I love you and let you help me adopt Gabi, but that wouldn’t be honorable.

Her heart ached at the memory, at the pain she had seen in his eyes, and she hated herself even more.

She was afraid.

That was the heart of it.

She was so afraid she didn’t deserve a man like Bowie, that he could never truly love the real her.

Lightning arced across the lake, followed by the low rumble of thunder a few beats later. The space between the flash and the sound seemed to be growing longer as the storm moved away.

She should probably try to get some rest, though she didn’t know how that would be possible when she was so wrung out and exhausted.

Maybe she would sleep here in the window seat. She only had to somehow summon the strength to grab a pillow and the colorful throw folded neatly at the foot of her bed. With a sigh, she managed to slide her feet to the floor, but before she could rise, her phone rang, the sound unnaturally loud in her bedroom, where the only other sounds were her breathing and the incessant rain against the window.

She pulled it out before it could wake her mother and Uncle Mike. One glance at the caller ID ramped her heartbeat into overdrive. Why would Bowie be calling her at ten thirty at night?

She didn’t have the strength to talk to him. Not tonight, when she felt as emotionally wrung out as if she were out there in the lake being hit on all sides by wind and waves and lightning.

At the last second, she wavered and finally connected the call.

“Hello,” she said softly.

“Katrina, this is Bowie. I know it’s late. I’m sorry to disturb you, but it’s urgent. Is Milo with you?”

She straightened at the undeniable thread of panic coiling through his voice. “No,” she said, her heartbeat kicking up another notch. “Why would you ask? He’s not in bed?”

It was a stupid question, and she knew it as soon as she asked. If Milo were in bed, why would Bowie call her?

He let out a long string of curses, made all the more startling because she had rarely heard him swear. “You were our last chance. I knew it was a long shot, but I’d hoped. I thought maybe he wandered over to find you somehow, though of course I’m sure you would have called as soon as he showed up. I’m sorry to bother you. I have to go. I need to call Chief Emmett and start a search.”

“Wait. What can I do?”

Chilling silence met her question, and she realized he had already disconnected the call.

As soon as she lowered her phone, the panic exploded. It was raining, with lightning and thunder. Was Milo out in it somewhere?

Even though her hands shook and fear paralyzed her thoughts, she threw on her clothes in less than a minute and raced down the stairs and out the door.

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