Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 Karen Whiddon (best fiction books to read TXT) 📖

“It’s so green,” she said. “I didn’t know what I expected, but it’s...”

“Boring, I know.” He gave her a rueful smile. “I couldn’t wait to get out of here when I was a teenager. Brian was the same way.”

She caught her breath. This was the third time he’d said his brother’s name, a major difference for a man who’d struggled to even utter Brian’s name. Once, when she’d asked, he’d said there were some things he just couldn’t talk about. So she didn’t press, even now. Especially now, though Micha appeared to be opening up. It was his story to tell, and she figured he’d do that when he was ready.

Simply nodding, she waited to see if Micha would continue.

“Brian was always the star,” he said. “The most popular guy in school, and outstanding athlete, and the girls loved him. His one major flaw was that he would say whatever he thought people wanted to hear, even if it wasn’t true. He told my parents he would come back and take over the ranch once he served his four years in the army. They believed him, of course, and it did take a lot of pressure off me.”

“How do you know he didn’t mean it?” she asked, unable to help herself.

Micha grimaced. “Because he told me and everyone else he knew that he considered the army his ticket out of here. He was right. That’s why I enlisted as soon as I graduated high school.”

Carly didn’t comment, figuring she didn’t need to point out that maybe Brian had simply told Micha what he’d wanted to hear also.

“None of it mattered in the end,” Micha continued. “Because Brian went and got himself killed. Damn, I was pissed at him.”

Even now, so many years later, she could hear the grief in his voice.

Micha must have noticed it, too. He shook his head and dragged his hand through his hair. “Sorry. Enough of talking about the past. Look around. What do you think? Have you ever been to Indiana or Ohio before?”

“It’s pretty,” she said. “Very green with lots of trees. And no, I haven’t.”

Now, she thought. Now would be the perfect time to ask him the question she’d been wanting to ask since they’d left Chicago. Heart pounding, palms sweating, she tried to think of exactly what she wanted to say.

“Let’s not talk about anything else that’s serious,” Micha told her, effectively canceling out her short but to-the-point speech. “Okay?”

What could she do but agree? Her question would have to wait until later, but since they weren’t too far from Micha’s parents’ place, Carly knew she didn’t want to wait much longer. She couldn’t. She needed to have things clear in her head. And she could only hope once everything was settled, the end results would match her heart.

CHAPTER 15

During his time as a captive and later while in the hospital recovering, Micha had often wondered if he’d ever see his childhood home again. It had felt odd to feel nostalgic for a place he’d only wanted to escape, but he figured that was part of human nature. Until he’d joined the army, the farm had been the only place he’d ever lived. He even pictured it, most often in the context of him simply driving down the gravel road in his vehicle, looking out over the familiar green fields that would be still unchanged from his childhood, and maybe even taking a picture of the front of the house he’d grown up in. This hadn’t ever included him seeing his parents in person.

Surprisingly, seeing his parents again made him feel both nervous and eager. Meanwhile, he took in the familiar scenery and allowed a place inside of him that he hadn’t even known was broken to slowly heal.

Then something new and unfamiliar made him sit up straight.

A sign advertising a new housing development sat at the corner of his parents’ private drive and the now-paved main road.

“What the...?” he wondered out loud, just as they crested the small hill and he caught sight of several large houses in the area where his family had once grazed cattle.

“Nice houses,” Carly said, fidgeting. She seemed antsy for some reason. He put it down to nerves at meeting his mom.

“They are nice,” he reluctantly admitted, admiring the clean lines of the houses. “Though they’re out of place here.”

“Maybe this will soon be an up-and-coming residential area.” Hands on the steering wheel, she practically bounced in her seat. “And look at the size of their yards.”

He shook his head. Carly always made small talk when she was nervous. It was part of her way of processing stress.

“If I was in the market for a new home in this part of Ohio, I’d definitely consider one of those,” she continued. “I bet they’re a lot less expensive here than in Chicago.”

Though Micha found their presence in what had been unspoiled farmland unsettling, he swallowed hard and agreed.

The road curved, and once they’d left the subdivision behind him, the rolling, treed hills he remembered took over.

Finally, his parents’ house came into view. Still painted a cheery yellow—his mother’s doing—the single-story ranch house looked a little more weathered than he remembered. Carly pulled the Jeep up in front of the two-car garage and parked. She killed the engine and turned to face him, wiping her palms off on the front of her jeans.

“Nervous?” he asked, wondering if she’d find it comforting that he was, too.

“A little.” Carly nodded, fidgeting in her seat. “Though not about what you think. At least not entirely.” She took a deep breath, the worry in her wide-eyed gaze making him want to comfort her. “Listen,” she continued. “Before we go in there, I need to ask you something important.”

“Anything,” he said, meaning it. “What is it?”

“Just a second.” To his surprise, her hand appeared to be shaking as she reached for a delicate silver chain she wore around her neck. Her gaze locked on his, she pulled it out of