Page 78 of Seaside Cowboy's Second Chance

“He never would’ve realized you’d seen it if not for that painting.” Earl scoffed.

She cringed. She’d thought her paintings were popular among tourists, but her father must’ve bought them all. Out of guilt? Remnants of affection? She’d never know. But he’d surely bought that painting with her mother not because he still loved her, but because he needed to erase the evidence.

Earl cleared his throat. “He said he found her down there later, her body mangled from smashing on the rocks below the shallow waters, but already floating out to sea. Something broke in him. But he didn’t think people would believe it was an accident. It’s why he got his boat out that night despite the storm—so he could retrieve her body and dispose of it. But he was seen going out on the boat. He thought he saw a shadow at the beach. That’s when he came up with the idea to fake his death. To have a fresh start somewhere far away where nothing would remind him of your mother.”

Skylar almost held her breath, digesting this bit she’d wondered about since the memories came back. She’d been to the spot. She’d seen the steep drop straight into the waters, nothing to stop her mother’s fall or catch blood or clothing on the way down. Nothing a search party would’ve noticed being disturbed when they looked for little Skylar the next day. Just churning waters over jagged boulders, the tides eager to wash away blood and evidence.

“He didn’t die that night.” She didn’t know why she repeated the obvious.

“The man he used to be did.” Earl’s eyes narrowed. His hand shook slightly, but he didn’t put the weapon down.

“True.” She nodded. The father she’d once loved so much had died that night. The man he’d become sent ripples of fear through her.

In the silence, Breeze jumped at the bedroom door again, but at Skylar’s command, she stopped. A low growl rumbled through the door.

Lord, please save my grandmother and Breeze. I’m sorry I’ve blamed You for what happened that stormy night, but please, please don’t let them die.

Could God hear her?

Could Dallas hear her? She couldn’t know that either. “Your turn.” Hands clasped in her lap, posture entreating and nonthreatening, she faced Earl. “What do you know about Wyatt Newman—the name my dad chose after disappearing? His new identity?”

Earl shook his head, but the gun in his hands remained steady. “Why don’t you give us your version?”

“My dad sent his boat into the sea to create the suspicion that he'd drowned, then started a new life under a stolen identity. His house was remortgaged twice, so that should’ve clued me in on something. And someone must’ve helped him in the beginning.”

“I don’t know anything about that.” Earl shrugged. “It was years later when I met him. I just know he got his accounting degree again in his new identity, this time online, but first, he worked on oil rigs.”

“You and my father worked together at a few companies, right? Was it you or him who made the threatening call after he bought that painting and realized I was at the cliff?” The mechanically distorted voice still sent a shudder through her.

Earl shook his head. “I don’t know anything about any threats, or any painting.”

Skylar doubted it. Or maybe she just didn’t want to believe her father would threaten to harm his mother or his daughter. Back then, however, she couldn’t take the risk. She’d stayed away from her hometown like the caller had said and had kept quiet about her resurfaced memories.

The biggest mistake of her life. An unforgettable one.

Aching to have brought Grandma through all this, Skylar made eye contact with Earl again. “I’m surprised my father told you about this.”

“We became good friends over the years. We made several businesses successful. And he was integral to my latest one. One day, we both got drunk. And he told me too much.”

“And you found a way to control him. But why kill him now?” She regretted her words when Grandma gasped again. But Skylar needed to keep this going. The moment she stopped engaging him in the conversation would be the moment he pulled the trigger. She moved to her grandmother and gently wiped her tears. “If he was so essential to you? Oh, wait. Had he started to have pangs of conscience, after all?”

Or was that her wishful thinking?

“He was thinking about going to the police, confessing everything, and then asking for your forgiveness.” Earl said slowly.

It still didn’t all make sense. She hugged her grandmother, wishing she could spare the kind woman all this. “Even if my father did that, it only meant you’d lose a valuable business partner. Big loss, but not worth drastic measures.” Unless... She nearly slapped herself on the forehead. “Unless you two had dishonest dealings, and he also wanted to confess those?”

“I couldn’t let that happen. But I didn’t want to kill him. I needed him. I just needed him to keep quiet, too.”

Skylar nodded thoughtfully. “Of course, you couldn’t let that happen. So that’s why you traveled here and courted my grandmother. Dad left Grandma, but he still loved her.” Skylar hoped. “You used that. Either he’d keep quiet, or you’d hurt Grandma.”

“So all this was a lie!” Grandma screamed and shoved free from Skylar’s embrace.

Earl sighed and faced his former fiancée. “It started that way, but I fell in love with you for real.”

Skylar frowned as more fragments fell into place. “You hid away from my father inthatcottage. When you suspected he figured that out, you wanted to leave. But he found you. What happened next?”

“I couldn’t make him see reason.” Earl’s shoulders slumped further forward. “He got it into his head that I was going to harm his mother for real. Anyway, he came at me, waving a gun. He didn’t care that he could have an affluent life somewhere far away. He regretted what he’d done and wanted to do what he could to set things right. I—you can see I had no choice!”

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