"You gave Ben the photo to keep him safe," Elizabeth repeated.
"As crazy as it sounds? Yes."
She digested this in silence. Then: "Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"
"I should have," he said. "The only thing I can think is that I carried the photo with me for five years, and I didn't want to give it up until I understood its purpose."
"Do you think you understand it now?"
He leaned over to pet Zeus before answering. He looked directly at her. "I'm not sure. What I can say is that what happened between us, everything that happened, didn't start when I found the photo. It started when I walked into the kennel. That was when you first became real to me, and the more I got to know you, the more real I felt. Happier and alive in a way I hadn't felt in a long, long time. Like you and I were meant to be."
"Your destiny?" She lifted an eyebrow. "No… not like that. It has nothing to do with the photo, or the journey here, or anything Victor said. It's just that I've never met anyone like you before, and I'm certain I never will again. I love you, Elizabeth… and more than that, I like you. I enjoy spending time with you."
She scrutinized him, her expression unreadable. When she spoke, her voice was matter-of-fact. "You realize that it's still a crazy story that makes you sound like an obsessive nut job."
"I know," Thibault agreed. "Believe me, I feel like a freak even to myself."
"What if I told you to leave Hampton and never contact me again?" Elizabeth probed.
"Then I'd leave, and you'd never hear from me again."
The comment hung in the air, pregnant with meaning. She shifted on the couch, turning away in apparent disgust before swiveling her face back toward him.
"You wouldn't even call? After all we've been through?" she sniffed. "I can't believe that."
Relief swept through him when he realized she was teasing. He exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath, and grinned.
"If that's what it took for you to believe I'm not a psycho."
"I think that's pathetic. A guy should at least call." He scooted imperceptibly closer on the couch. "I'll keep that in mind."
"You do realize that you're not going to be able to tell this story if you intend to live around here."
He slid even closer, noticeably this time. "I can live with that."
"And if you expect a raise just because you're dating the boss's granddaughter, you can forget that, too."
"I'll make do."
"I don't know how. You don't even have a car."
By then he had sidled up next to her, and she'd turned back to h hair just brushing his shoulder. He leaned in and kissed him: herneck. "I'll figure something out," he whispered, before pressing his lips to hers.
They kissed on the couch for a long time. When he finally carried her to the bedroom, they made love, their bodies together as one. Their exchange was passionate and angry and forgiving, as raw and tender as their emotions. Afterward, Thibault lay on his side, gazing at Elizabeth. He brushed her cheek with his finger, and she kissed it.
"I guess you can stay," she whispered.
Chapter 34
Clayton
Clayton stared at the house in disbelief, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. He blinked repeatedly to clear his vision, but he still saw the same things: Beth's car in the driveway, the couple kissing on the couch, Thigh-bolt leading her to the bedroom.
Beth and Thigh-bolt together. With every passing minute, he felt stronger waves of anger cresting and crashing inside him. His perfect plans, all of them, up in smoke. And Thigh-bolt would forever have him over a barrel.
He pressed his lips together in a tight line. He was tempted to storm in on them, but then there was the damn dog. Again. It had been hard enough already, following them through his binoculars from his car without being noticed.
Thigh-bolt. The dog. Beth…
He banged the steering wheel. How could this have happened? Hadn't Beth heard what he'd said? Didn't she understand how much danger she was in? Didn't she care about Ben?
No way was that psycho going to be part of his son's life.
Not a chance.
Not on his life.
He should have expected this. He should have known how stupid Beth would be.She might be pushing thirty, but she had the intelligence of a child. He should have known that she'd see in Thigh-bolt whatever she wanted to see and ignore the obvious.
It would come to an end, though. Sooner rather than later He'd make her see the light, no matter what it took.
Chapter 35
Thibault
After kissing Elizabeth good-bye at the door, Thibault collapsed on the sofa, feeling both drained and relieved. He reveled in the knowledge that Elizabeth had forgiven him. That she'd tried to understand and make sense of the convoluted journey he'd taken ro get here seemed nothing short of miraculous. She accepted him, warts and all-something he'd never thought possible.
Before she left, she'd invited him for dinner, and though he'd readily agreed, he planned to rest up before he went. He somehow doubted that he'd have the energy for conversation otherwise.
Before his nap, he knew he needed to take Zeus out, at least for a little while. He went to the back porch and retrieved his rain suit. Zeus followed him outside, watching him with interest.
"Yeah, we're going out," he said. "Just let me get dressed first."
Zeus barked and leapt with excitement, like a prancing deer. He raced to the door and back to Thibault again.
"I'm going as fast as I can. Relax."
Zeus continued to circle and prance around him.
"Relax," he said again. Zeus fixed him with a beseeching gaze before reluctantly sitting.
Thibault donned the rain suit and a pair of boots, then pushed open the screen door. Zeus bounded out into the rain, immediately sinking into the muddy ground. Unlike Nana's place, his property occupied a slight rise; the water collected a quarter mile away. Up ahead, Zeus veered toward the forest, then back to the open area again, then circled around to the graveled driveway, running and bounding in sheer joy. Thibault smiled, thinking, I know exactly how you feel.
They spent a few minutes outside, wandering in the storm. The sky had turned charcoal, heavy with rain-burdened clouds. The wind had picked up again, and Thibault could feel the water stinging his face as it blew sideways. It didn't matter; for the first time in years, he felt truly free.
At the base of the driveway, he noted that Elizabeth's tire tracks had nearly washed away. In a few more minutes, the rain would smooth them away completely. Something snagged his attention, though, and he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. His first thought was that the tires that had left the tracks seemed too wide.
He walked over for a closer look, reasoning that the set of tracks she'd left going out had probably overlapped the set coming in. It was only when he stood at the edge of the drive that he realized he'd been mistaken. There were two sets of tracks, both leading in and out. Two vehicles. At first, it didn't make sense.
His mind began to click quickly as the puzzle pieces slid into place. Someone else had been here. That didn't make sense, unless…
He glanced toward the path that led through the forest to the kennel. At that moment, the wind and rain unleashed in full fury, and he squinted before his breath caught in his throat. All at once he took off at a nan, making sure to pace himself. His mind raced as he ran, calculating how long it would take to get there. He hoped he would make it in time.
Chapter 36
Beth
As fate would have it, Nana was in the kennel office when Keith stormed into the house and closed the door behind him, acting as if he owned the place. Even from the kitchen, Beth could see the veins on his neck protruding. His hands balled into fists when his eyes locked on hers.