Page 27 of Rescuing Carolyn

“Okay.” I felt as though someone had punched me in the gut. Setting up with a new tech company would take a ton of time and come with up-front costs. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get my budget to stretch that far. The blows kept coming, nearly enough to make me wallow in self-pity. Until I looked at Zach and Austin across the table from me, with their identical blue eyes and dark hair. Then I remembered I had a whole lot to be thankful for. Austin waved to me, his chubby toddler fingers splayed out, and I smiled at him.

“We’ll figure this out,” Zach said, squeezing my hand.

“We will.” Sometime in the past week we’d gone from singular to plural. It felt good to have Zach’s help. “I’m still thinking Mom’s former business partner might be behind all this.” After the conversation with my mother about the events of twenty years ago, I had confided in Zach.

“It was a long time ago,” he pointed out.

“I know, but I can’t think of anyone else who might have a grudge against my store or my family. We’ve never even fired an employee.” I had combed my memory for any incident, no matter how small, that might be coming back to bite us now. “I really think it could be her.”

“From what your mother said, Marta wasn’t the type to put together a complex revenge scheme. She didn’t appear to have enough drive for that. And what would be her motivation at this point? If she wanted revenge on your mom, why wait until Faith wasn’t even running the business anymore?”

“I don’t know,” I said, not letting the idea go. “I just can’t get it out of my head.” My gut was sending me a message. I’d learned long ago not to ignore those. “I’m going to do a little research.”

“No problem. I’ll keep this guy entertained.” Zach tickled Austin while he spoke. “We’re hiking later, though.”

“I haven’t forgotten. Give me an hour.” While Zach took Austin into the living room to play, I grabbed my laptop and started searching any information on a Marta Huntly in Springwell, Georgia. The name wasn’t too common, and our town was small enough that I hoped some records would be available.

After following several false leads, I came across an obituary from two years before. Fifty-eight-year-old Marta Huntly had died suddenly at home. It appeared she’d been unmarried at the time of her death, as no spouse was listed. She was survived by a son, Dale, and had been predeceased by a daughter, Gloria. My breath caught in my throat. Despite my feelings about what Marta had done twenty years ago, I wouldn’t wish that kind of grief on anyone. Shuddering, I closed the laptop, wanting nothing more than to hold Austin close.

“Find anything?” Zach asked, returning to the kitchen.

“Marta passed away two years ago, it seems,” I replied.

“That settles the question if she could be involved.” Zach put his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get out of the house and go for that hike.”

“Sounds great.” I pulled myself away from sad thoughts to focus on having fun with my guys. “I’ll get Austin changed.”

“Already done,” Zach said. I was constantly impressed by how easily he’d taken on the responsibility of being a father.

We drove ten miles outside of town to a state park. When we were first together, Zach and I had hiked all the different trails, and I loved being out there as much as he did.

“I thought we’d take the Lone Elm trail,” Zach said after we parked. “It’s not long, but somebody has short legs.” He pointed in the back seat.

“Perfect,” I said, since we’d probably end up carrying Austin most of the hike.

I slung the day pack over my shoulder and followed Zach and Austin onto the shaded trail. The first part wound uphill gradually until it reached the lone elm tree at the highest point. We sat at the bench under the tree and looked out at the small valley before us. Austin had walked some and was tired enough to sit quietly between us.

“I haven’t been here in a long time,” Zach commented.

“Me either.” We didn’t say what we were thinking: that we were last there together more than two years before.

“We should make it a goal to hike a different trail every weekend,” he suggested.

“Including the expert ones?” I pointed down at Austin’s head.

“We’ll get one of those kid backpacks. I’ve seen other families with those.”

Other families? Was his use of that phrase intentional or unconscious? Either way, I liked the idea of a family activity. Austin, who’d been sitting very still, reached out and touched the bracelet I wore, drawing Zach’s attention to it.

“One of your designs?” Zach asked. “It’s pretty.”

“I…thanks.” I stumbled over the words. How did he know I’d designed the bracelet of intertwined silver and gold braids? “How did you know?”

He grinned at me. “I saw a couple pieces on your dresser. That bracelet and a necklace.”

“But what makes you think I designed them?” I’d never mentioned it to anyone, unsure of my abilities.

“Back when we were together before, I occasionally saw sketches of jewelry—although I think you tried to hide them from me. I was hoping you’d tell me about them someday, but I see I needed to be the one to bring up your talent,” he said with a grin.

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