Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
He might not realize what a special man he was, but Erin did. They’d bonded, and that would help them do what was best for their child’s future. But now, Erin had to rebuild her walls and prepare for the time when Cole walked away.
A couple of hours later, Erin sat in the hospital waiting room, staring at the clock on the wall, unable to believe the time could pass so slowly. Even knowing ahead of time how long the wait would be, the seconds, minutes, and hours crawled by. An optimist by nature, Erin believed in her heart that Jed would be fine, and she’d keep believing unless and until the alternative broadsided her. In the meantime, she needed to keep Cole’s mind occupied and off what was going on in that operating room.
Just when he appeared ready to climb the walls, her brother Sam strode into the room with a Victoria look-alike by his side. Having seen her stalker up close, Erin could definitely see the difference in the twins. Something was off in Victoria’s eyes, while Nicole’s were here and present.
“Thank you so much for coming,” Erin said, rising from her chair.
“Any word?” Sam asked.
Cole’s jaw was set tight.
“Not yet,” Erin said. “But it’s way too early to expect news. The doctor said it’s a long surgery.”
Sam nodded in understanding. “Erin, this is Nicole Farnsworth.”
Erin approached warily. Cole stopped her by snagging her waist. Okay, so he wasn’t any more sure of this woman either. “Nice to meet you,” Erin said.
Nicole’s smile was awkward, and Erin realized the other woman wasn’t any more comfortable than she was. “I wish I could say the same, but if my sister weren’t making your life miserable, neither of us would be here.”
Erin admired her candor, and her smile for the other woman grew wider.
“I’m sorry about your father,” Nicole said to Cole. “Officer Marsden told me why we have to meet here.”
“Sam. You can call me Sam,” Erin’s brother said, sounding as if he was repeating a refrain.
“Thanks,” Cole said to Nicole. “Any word? From your sister?”
She shook her head. “I’m sure the fact that I led you to Victoria’s hideaway didn’t sit well with her.”
“She can’t know you were the one who told us. It’s not like she told you the location in the first place,” Sam reassured her.
“I know.” Nicole glanced away. “Look, I wanted to tell you all I’m sorry. I feel awful about everything my sister’s done to you.” She raised her hands toward them, then lowered them again.
“You aren’t responsible for someone else’s actions, Nicole.” Erin echoed a sentiment she’d said to Cole many times before, and in case he’d forgotten, she stepped closer and slid her hand into his, squeezing him tight as a reminder.
She glanced up at his handsome face, but his expression remained neutral. His mind, she was sure, was in the OR upstairs. And she didn’t blame him.
“Thank you for that,” Nicole said to Erin. She hesitated, rubbing her hands against her khaki pants. “The other thing I wanted to tell you is that I have to get back home soon. I took time off from my job to look for my sister. But I’m not getting anywhere, and I haven’t heard from her, and . . .” She trailed off.
“Erin has a job, responsibilities . . . and she hasn’t been able to do any of them because your sister could jump out of a corner with a knife at any minute,” Cole said, making Erin realize that his silence hadn’t meant he wasn’t focused on what was going on here. She should have known better.
Nicole winced, and Sam stepped up beside her.
“Erin’s right. None of that is Nicole’s fault,” he said, scowling at Cole.
Erin decided it was time to empty the room. Cole needed time to focus on his father and himself. “Nicole, thank you for coming. I guess I’d hoped you would have some fresh ideas for us on how to lure out your sister, but . . .”
“I don’t. I really wish I did. Helping you find her hideaway was about the best I could do.” Regret shone in her eyes.
Erin touched the other woman’s shoulder. “I believe you.” She’d dealt with enough people through the years, questioned the guilty and the innocent, and her gut told her Nicole Farnsworth was nothing more—or less—than she seemed: a woman worried about her mentally ill sister.
Sam nodded to Cole and met Erin’s gaze. “Let me know as soon as you have news about Jed.”
She smiled, knowing her brother truly cared about Jed. And in her heart, she wanted to believe her brother had come to like Cole as a person, despite the fact that he wasn’t thrilled about the one night that had changed the course of Erin’s life.
Even if she was.