A Daughter's Redemption. Georgiana Daniels

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СКАЧАТЬ shot a reassuring glance. “I’ll take it.” He picked up the phone. “Robyn, what can I do for you?” His forehead wrinkled. “Stuck? You haven’t been inside yet?”

      Caleb shook his head as a warning.

      “No problem. I’ll send Caleb out there right away.” The lawyer disconnected. “She needs help. The door’s stuck.”

      “I gathered that.” He narrowed his eyes. “Look, I’ll figure out a way to talk to her. In the meantime, whatever you do, don’t tell her who I am.”

      * * *

      The sight of Robyn on the porch swing sent a fresh rush of adrenaline through Caleb. Though he’d driven all the way out to the lake with his sunglasses off, he slid them on before approaching her.

      “Thank you for coming back.” The swing creaked as Robyn stood. Her wide and honest eyes, the color of robin eggs, perfectly mirrored her name. “I tried several times, but I couldn’t get the door open. So I hung out down at the dock for a while hoping you’d come back. Then when you didn’t, I called Phil. I hope you don’t mind.”

      “Phil gave me a key for the side door.” Caleb motioned for her to follow.

      The suitcase Robyn tugged clunked down the stairs. Without asking, Caleb grabbed the luggage handle from her and carried the suitcase over the stony ground to the side entrance.

      “You don’t have to do that.” Robyn quickstepped to keep up with him. Her unassuming manner was refreshing, and for an instant, his mood lightened.

      He caught himself before accidentally engaging in conversation. He yearned for the days when he could speak without measuring his words. When he could behave as though there wasn’t a millstone crushing his conscience. When he could wake without counting how many lives he’d destroyed.

      In the distance, sunlight glinted off the lake and the chatter of birds filled the pine-scented air. The property had potential, and Caleb was determined to help maximize its value before he revealed his identity and Robyn booted him out.

      He fished the key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock.

      “Wait.” Robyn grabbed his forearm. “If you don’t mind, I’d...” She left her comment hanging.

      Caleb stopped and dared to really look at her. Wavy, golden hair flowed freely down her back. Her shorts were faded and frayed. She wore sandals so flimsy they could hardly be considered footwear. Robyn Warner seemed to have just stepped off the beach, and the look suited her.

      “I’d like to go in alone.” Her vulnerable gaze peeled back Caleb’s layers, softening his heart toward the grieving woman. “I need a few minutes to take it all in, if that even makes sense.”

      “Of course. I should’ve thought of that.” He backed away from the door, allowing the key to dangle in the lock. “I won’t need those while you’re here.”

      Robyn’s eyes moistened. “I appreciate your understanding.”

      He nodded and started toward the front of the house.

      “Wait,” Robyn called. “How well did you know him?”

      The question sent a nervous tingle down his back. He refused to turn around. “Not very well.”

      “It’s just that I’d like to talk to someone.” Robyn paused as though silently asking him to face her. “It helps, you know?”

      The woman obviously had no clue who she was speaking to or she’d kick him off the grounds. Ignoring her was going to be a problem. How could he? She was Dan’s daughter. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

      “I didn’t realize how much I’d miss him.”

      Slowly, Caleb turned. “It hurts to lose someone you love.” He, more than anyone, knew how hard the unexpected loss of a parent was. And some days were decidedly harder than others.

      “Most people don’t think I did.”

      “Did what?”

      “Love him.” She cast her gaze to the rocky ground. “It doesn’t matter now.”

      “I’m sure it’ll take a while to adjust.” He closed the gap between them, rifling through his thoughts for something appropriate to say. “In the meantime, you’ll be hanging out here. It’s the perfect place to get away.”

      “That, it is.” Robyn’s eyes locked onto him, as though seeing through the mask he’d donned every day since the accident. “What about you? Do you sometimes need to get away from it all?”

      “I can’t,” he blurted before he could censor himself.

      “Why not?”

      Caleb shook his head and walked away. Answering the question was impossible. There was no way to explain to Robyn Warner that the one thing he wanted to get away from was the one thing he never could.

      Himself.

      Chapter Two

      It wasn’t the memories inside the house that assaulted Robyn; it was the lack of them.

      The night closed in, trapping her inside her father’s home. She moved from what had once been the check-in desk to the kitchen, from the living area to the bedroom, searching for evidence, no matter how minute, that her dad had loved her. She would have happily settled for a picture of them together, the clay handprint she’d made when she was nine or even the stash of clothes she’d left behind. But by the time she dropped to the couch to sleep, she’d come up with nothing.

      It didn’t help that Brad and Abby had already stripped the home of all the valuables, including everything electronic or sentimental. Even the edibles were gone, except for an old can of coffee. It left Robyn with entirely too much time to think.

      When the sun cracked the horizon, she was itching to head to town, but she knew it’d be a while before Pine Hollow woke up. Instead, she took time to pray and devour the half-eaten candy bar she’d found at the bottom of her purse. After that, she dressed and ran a brush through her hair.

      Her outlook for the day buoyed, and she shuffled into her sandals and meandered down the winding path that cut through the forest toward the lake. The water had always been her favorite place to clear her head when she was a kid, feeling left out after her father married and had two more children—a family that lived with him, when she only had a few weeks during the summer.

      Caleb sat at the water’s edge on a boulder, chucking pebbles. He didn’t turn, but from the hunch of his shoulders as she approached, he knew she was there.

      “You’re here early.” Robyn rubbed her arms, wishing she had a better line. If she wasn’t so starved for conversation, she would’ve hightailed it back to the house. She wasn’t used to spending time alone, nor was she used to having to prod someone to talk. If Caleb didn’t open up, working together would be unbearable.

      “It’s a good place to think and pray.” Caleb focused on the sparkling water, never sparing her a glance.

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