Surrender to Love (2 page)

J
ulia sneaked a peek at the handsome stranger while he concentrated on the road. He was as drenched as she after having hitched the car onto his tow truck. To her surprise, her fear had subsided, and she’d even allowed herself to feel safe in his presence.

He turned and smiled when he caught her stare. “It won’t be long now. It’s about another ten minutes up the road.”

Julia nodded.

“By the way, the name is Carson Webber.”

She hesitated, then replied, “Julia.”

His smile broadened as he repeated her name. “Julia. It’s a beautiful name. It suits you.”

She shifted uncomfortably at the unexpected compliment. “Thank you,” she managed to say.

“And what’s the little one’s name?”

Julia, who thought her daughter was asleep, looked down to discover Robin staring at the stranger.

She kissed the top of her daughter’s head, hoping to comfort her and reassure her that everything was fine.

“My name is Robin,” the child answered for herself.

“Ah, another beautiful name, and please don’t mind me when I say you’re the spitting image of your mom.”

Robin tightened her arms around her mother, and Julia hugged her back.

“So are you two just passing through?”

“I guess you can say that.” Julia made a point to be ambiguous, yet at the same time she didn’t want to come off as rude. He was, after all, doing them a favor.

An awkward moment of silence lapsed before Carson cleared his throat and tried again.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to pry. I’ve been accused plenty of times of asking too many questions. I’m not as bad as my sister, mind you, but it’s a flaw all the same.” He smiled again.

“It’s okay.” Julia relaxed. She couldn’t help it. The man’s friendly demeanor made it impossible not to like him. Maybe it had been a stroke of good luck that their paths had crossed.

Weariness crept over her. Since when had she believed in good fortune?

“Mommy, where are we going?” Robin asked almost in a whine.

Julia stiffened as a rush of heat clawed at her neck.

“Mommy?”

“Don’t worry, baby. It’s going to be a surprise.”

Julia kissed Robin’s head again and hoped that her short answer would stifle any further questions. To her relief it seemed to work, and Robin dropped back off to sleep.

Meanwhile, a flicker of disappointment hit Carson as he caught a glimpse of a wedding ring on her hand. Then again, he shouldn’t have been surprised. The woman was a real
knockout. A man would have to be blind not to see that even through the drenched hair and oversize clothes.

Her honey-colored, cat-shaped eyes held a tinge of apprehension, but were undoubtedly the most intriguing pair he’d ever seen.

“So I take it that you two are on your way to see your husband?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Julia clenched her jaw and kept her gaze focused on the road.

When she didn’t answer, Carson realized that he was asking too many questions. “Sorry. I’m doing it again.”

Julia forced an amicable smile. “Thank you for coming to our rescue back there. I don’t want you to think that I don’t appreciate it. I do.”

Carson smiled at the sexy huskiness of her voice, then glanced over and caught her gaze once again. “It’s my pleasure.” Those eyes stirred something within him. And he liked the feeling. Reluctantly, he returned his gaze to the road and exited off the main highway.

When they passed a sign that read Moreland City Limits, Carson tried again to keep the conversation light. “I sure hope you two enjoy your stay in our small town.”

Julia heard the pride in his voice and had to ask, “Were you raised in Moreland?”

“Yep. One couldn’t ask for a better place to call home. I’d like to think that everyone considers themselves as being a part of one big family.”

“Wow.” She snickered. “Are you running for mayor or something?”

“Lost the last election by three votes.”

Julia laughed while staring at him incredulously. “Are you for real? I was just joking.”

He laughed along with her. “It’s sad but true. What was
even worse—my own sister didn’t vote for me, but then again, she ended up marrying Rick Roberts.”

Her eyebrows creased in confusion.

“My opponent and our current mayor.”

Julia shook her head in a silent laugh. “Sounds interesting. I bet family dinners are something to see.”

Carson liked the sound of her laughter: light and melodious. He was also happy to see that she was beginning to loosen up. In his opinion, his sister’s bed-and-breakfast came into view all too soon.

Julia looked up at the beautiful two-story Victorian house and thought the vision deserved to be embedded in the pages of
Beautiful Homes
magazine. “Are you sure she won’t mind us staying here?”

“Positive.” He glanced at his watch. “And if we’re lucky, dinner should still be on the table. Wait here.” He parked, then rushed out into the rain and up toward the house.

“Baby, I need you to wake up.” Julia gently shook Robin in the hope of waking her daughter again.

“Are we there?” Robin asked groggily.

“No, we’re going to stay here for tonight. Okay? We’ll leave in the morning.”

Robin moaned, obviously unhappy with her mother’s news.

“I’m sorry, baby. But this is the best I can do. Okay?”

Despite a growing frown, Robin nodded.

Carson reappeared at the passenger door and opened it while holding an umbrella. “I was right. They are still having dinner.”

“I don’t know about disturbing their meal…” She hesitated.

“Have you both eaten already?” he asked with disappointment.

She thought about lying. She was already indebted to the
man, but she had her daughter to consider. “No, we haven’t,” she answered honestly.

“Then it’s settled,” he announced. “You’ll have dinner with my family.”

Paul Regis, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Atlanta field office, stared at the multitude of photographs of dead bodies with a wave of disgust. The food court at Perimeter Mall was an outright massacre, and it was his job to play public janitor and clean up the mess. The mayor, the media, and even local churches had his phone ringing off the hook to the point that he had now stopped answering it.

He grabbed his coffee mug, anticipating another jolt of caffeine, but was disappointed to find the cup empty. He lowered it in disgust as his gaze slid to the framed picture on his desk. His chest tightened at the angelic face of his deceased wife, Sarah.

In the year since her untimely death, there was never a moment when he could shake the feeling that he should have been lying next to her in Hillandale Memorial Cemetery.

He looked at another photograph: one with himself and his daughter, Michelle. She was the only family he had left, and next month he would lose her, too.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in only if you’ve got good news,” he warned, jerking his desk drawer open and removing a bottle of aspirin.

Special Agent Tony Iaanelli poked his head around the door. “You got a moment?”

“No.” Paul dispensed two pills and swallowed them dry.

“Good.” Tony ignored Paul’s flippant response and entered anyway. Tony was a handsome African-American man, and Paul could easily picture the agent as being a star quarterback in the National Football League. “We have what we’ve been
waiting for.” He held up a VHS tape and flashed him an even, white smile. “A copy from the mall’s surveillance cameras.”

“Ah, so you are bearing good news.” He reached for the tape. “Have you watched it yet?”

“I only see the blockbusters with you, sweetie.” Tony winked.

“Well, it’s good to know that one of us is in a good mood. I’ve always found that hard to manage when I’m dealing with psychopaths shooting up malls.”

Tony sobered. “In this line of work, you have to steal joy wherever you can find it. And after we take a look at that tape, I plan to steal a little more of it when I go home to my fiancée.”

“Do you mind?” Paul frowned. “That’s my little girl you’re talking about.”

Paul’s discomfort won a laugh from Tony. “Don’t tell me that you’re still having problems with our engagement. The wedding is next month.”

“Fine. I won’t tell you.”

“You’re something else.” Tony’s laughter deepened. “I’m looking forward to the day when you consider me family.”

“I just bet you are.” Paul stood. “What I don’t understand is how you ended up with a name like Iaanelli.”

“I have an Italian father. What’s so hard to understand?”

“Nothing. Nothing. Forget I said anything. Come on, let’s see what we got on this tape.”

The phone rang as Paul stepped from behind his desk, but he ignored it and kept heading for the door.

“You’re not going to answer it?” Tony asked.

Paul shook his head. “They can leave a message. I want to see what’s on this thing.”

“It could be related to the case.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Tony shook his head and turned back to the desk to
answer the phone. “Paul Regis’s office. How may I help you?” He frowned.

“Yes, Reverend Jackson. It’s a tragedy what happened at the mall today. I assure you that we have our best men working on the case.”

There was a pause, then, “No. We don’t have any solid leads at this time, but—”

Another pause.

“Yes, sir. No, sir.” Tony looked over at Paul, who wore a wide “I told you so” grin. It took another minute or two before Tony managed to end the call with the infuriated reverend and rejoined Paul at the door.

“Has it been like that all day?”

“Pretty much.”

Tony whistled. “I don’t envy you.”

“That’s the problem with the younger generation—no good role models.”

“Oh, is that what it is?” Tony laughed and slapped his future father-in-law on the back. “You’re funny. I’ve got to hand it to you.”

“Thanks. I do try.”

“Regis,” someone called from across the hall.

Paul and Tony turned.

Special Agent Walt Pittman dashed over to them, his face a deeper red than normal.

“I thought I told you to head over to the hospital and get that arm checked out?” Paul said.

“I’m fine, really. I just want to know if you heard anything else new?”

“Not yet. I know you lost one of your guys at the shooting. You have my condolences.”

“Thank you. I guess I’m just a little anxious to catch the guys behind all of this,” Pittman said.

“That’s understandable.”

“I guess this means that you’ll be assigning the team to head the investigation.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Pittman faltered, but gathered his courage to ask, “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to be part of that team.”

“You don’t think that you’re too emotionally involved?”

“I’m passionate to solve the case,” Walt answered without missing a beat.

Paul was impressed. After being in this business as long as he had, that was no easy feat. “I’ll make it a point to keep you in mind.”

“Thank you.” Walt ran his hand through his eternally greasy hair and walked off.

“I didn’t know we’d lost an agent,” Tony said, astounded. “On duty or an innocent bystander?”

“Both, from what I understand. The agent’s name was Rodney Newman. Another member from his team, Virginia Jacobson, doesn’t want to rule out foul play.”

“The plot thickens,” Tony mumbled with raised brows. “Have all the bodies been identified now?”

“All but one.” Paul slid his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “We’d better get a look at what’s on that tape.”

“Ready when you are.”

“Do you have Ms. Jacobson’s extension? I’d like to have another talk with her.”

Tony shook his head. “She’s listed in the directory. However, she may have gone home by now.” He looked at his watch. “It’s late.”

Paul looked at his watch. “My, my, how time flies when you’re having fun,” he said, turning toward the interrogation room, where a TV and VCR would be at his disposal.

Inside, Tony sat with a tense expression.

“It’s always hard when we lose an agent.” Paul guessed at what was troubling Tony.

“Don’t tell me. This is something else that I’ll get used to with time.”

The sarcasm in Tony’s voice silenced Paul’s prepared retort. Instead, his thoughts returned to the idea of his daughter marrying a fellow agent—let alone his subordinate. Throughout his career, he had worried obsessively about his family and their safety. The notion of his daughter opting to be the wife of an agent broke his heart.

Paul turned on the television, then popped in the tape, all the while hoping for what almost never happened: an open-and-shut case.

C
arson led Julia and Robin into the foyer of his sister’s quaint bed-and-breakfast establishment, anxious to finally see her in full light. Once inside, he wasn’t disappointed. Her delicate, golden-brown complexion appeared flawless, and when her ample lips curved into yet another beautiful smile, an invisible force pulled him toward her.

“This place is beautiful,” she whispered in awe as she took in her surroundings.

“Why, thank you,” a feminine voice said from the opposite end of the foyer.

Julia turned and held the gaze of a beautiful, heavyset woman who had features similar to Carson Webber.

“Hey, sis,” Carson greeted. “These are the ladies I told you about—Julia and Robin…?” He lifted an inquisitive brow.

“Just Julia and Robin will be fine,” Julia answered, avoiding supplying them with a last name. “Thank you for allowing us to stay in your lovely home.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s no trouble at all. A lot of folks break down on that highway out there. But that’s one heck of a storm we’re having tonight. Count yourself lucky that ol’ Carson here was in the neighborhood, running late as usual.” She winked at her brother, then returned her attention to Julia.

“The news just announced a tornado watch until 1:00 a.m. By the way, the name is Lillian—people call me Lilly.” She closed the gap and offered her hand.

Julia just nodded as the woman talked, unsure that Lilly even bothered to breathe between sentences.

“You folks hungry? There’s plenty of food on the dinner table. Course, I believe maybe you two should get out of those wet clothes first.”

“Oh.” Julia turned toward the door. “I’d better grab our bags out of the car.”

“That’s okay. If you give me the keys, I’ll go get them,” Carson offered.

Julia hesitated perhaps a fraction longer than she should have.

“I promise not to run off with them,” he added with a look of bewilderment.

She retrieved her keys from her purse and handed them to him. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Carson said, and slipped out the door.

“Come on, you two. Let me show you to your room.” Lilly made her way to the staircase. “As luck would have it, I have one available room. Otherwise we’re all booked up. And we have quite a variety of guests staying here tonight.” She started climbing the stairs.

Julia took her daughter’s hand and followed.

“Let’s see.” Lilly counted off: “We have Joe and Rosie Sinclair. They visit here every year about this time. I think it’s sweet. They actually met here in Moreland about twenty-five years ago. Joe was one of our deputies and had pulled Rosie
over for speeding…and, well, I guess you could say it was love at first sight.

“Then we have Albert and Dotty Cornell, a disastrous marriage, if you ask me, and I’m not saying that because I used to date Albert back in high school, but because that Dotty is nothing more than a gold digger. You mark my words. She’s never worked a day in her life. Here we are. This will be your room.” She opened the door and clicked on a nearby light switch.

Julia’s eyes widened at the opulent beauty that greeted them. Soft pastel colors and intricate embroidered lace gave the room an incredibly feminine feel, but it was the enormous mahogany poster bed with its masculine beauty that commanded attention.

“Oh, my,” she whispered.

“I take it you like it.” Lilly beamed with pride. “I have to admit it’s one of my favorite rooms.” She entered and signaled for them to follow.

“It’s very pretty, huh, Mom?” Robin asked, peering up at Julia.

“I think that’s an understatement.” She looked to Lilly and shook her head. “I have to figure out some way to repay you. You and your brother’s hospitality have been wonderful.”

“I got your bags,” Carson announced, suddenly appearing in the doorway. “You must have been in a rush when you packed—you didn’t bother to zip up most of your stuff.”

Julia held her tongue and could feel the weight of their expectant gazes. “Thanks for bringing them up,” was all she could think to say. “I think your sister is right. We probably need to get out of these wet clothes.”

“Of course,” the brother and sister said in unison, then quickly scurried out of the room.

Once they were gone, Julia looked down at her daughter,
who in turn shrugged her shoulders. To be fair, Julia sincerely thought the brother and sister were nice people, but were a bit nosy. She would have to be careful around them.

“Well,” Julia said with a wider smile than was probably necessary. “Let’s get these clothes off you.”

“We
are
just staying for one night, right?” Robin asked.

“Yes, sweetheart. It’s just for one night.”

Paul Regis pressed the rewind button on the VCR for the tenth time. The tape’s quality was poor and the film had recorded at an accelerated speed. That, coupled with the high volume of people shuffling through the mall, made it nearly impossible to tell who was doing what or who appeared out of place.

However, when the sporadic gunfire took place, everyone dived for cover. The worst part was that the gunmen were nowhere on the tape.

“This thing is completely useless,” Tony complained, squinting at the television screen and trying to make heads or tails of it. “If the mall’s cameras don’t cover every square inch, why bother with a system at all?”

Paul agreed and turned it off. “Calm down. We still have Pittman’s report as to what happened. Not to mention we should have our fair share of witnesses to interview.” His frustration settled on his shoulders, and a migraine nipped at his temples. “This is turning out to be one of the longest days of my life. I’m going to make you lead investigator on this thing.”

Tony nodded. “What about the rest of the team?” he asked.

“Let me sleep on it. Will you have a problem if I do decide to let Pittman in on this one?”

“Can’t say that I do.”

“Good. Let’s call it a night.”

“You got it.” Tony stood. “I’ve probably already missed dinner. Maybe I’ll stop and grab a bag of Krystals burgers.”

Paul remembered the numerous times he’d missed dinner with his wife. “Up north we call them White Castles. I don’t know how you manage to eat those things. They seem to go straight through me.”

“I’m beginning to think that we share entirely too much info about each other.”

Paul laughed. “Maybe you’ve got a point. Well…”

“Kiss my baby girl good night for me,” Tony recited in sync with Paul, then smiled. “I know the drill.”

“You laugh now, but wait until you have a little girl of your own. In your heart they never grown up.” Paul retrieved the tape from the VCR and shut off the TV.

“That’s what I’m afraid of. If it makes you feel better, I’m praying for a string of boys.”

They headed toward the door together.

Paul shrugged, uncomfortable with the discussion of grandchildren. “Boys are nice, but girls…girls can humble a man.”

Tony simply nodded, and for a few minutes they walked down the hall in silence. “So what are you going to do tonight?”

“Sleep.”

Tony didn’t respond.

Paul knew that his partner was trying to figure out a way to politely invite him over to his apartment. He also knew that the invitation was extended, in part, by his daughter, Michelle. She’d been worried about him since Sarah’s passing and feared that her father would become a lonely old man.

“You know—” Tony broke the silence “—Michelle and I would love for you to join us for dinner.”

Paul forced himself to appear thoughtful, as if mulling the invitation over, before saying, “I think I’m going to have to take another rain check.”

Tony drew in a sharp breath, but said nothing.

“You know, after a day like this, all I want to do is slam my head against the pillow and catch some
Z’s
.”

“I completely understand.” They reached Tony’s office, and in a matter of seconds he retrieved his jacket and briefcase. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

Paul saw anger flicker across Tony’s stony expression, then disappear. “Yeah. See you in the morning.”

Tony nodded and turned away.

Paul stared after him, unsure of what to make of Tony’s sudden mood swing. “What the heck was that all about?”

Julia thought she would surely burst if she shoved another bite into her mouth. She couldn’t remember ever tasting anything as wonderful as Lilly’s lasagna, and, judging by the way Robin devoured her food, she wasn’t alone in her assessment.

“Would you like some dessert?” Lilly asked in a singsong voice.

No doubt the uncontrollable moans of pleasure from her guests were responsible for the look of sheer delight plastered on Lilly’s face. And even though Julia’s stomach insisted that dessert was out of the question, she was tempted.

“Thank you, but I’m going to have to decline.”

“It’s my award-winning chocolate cheesecake,” she pressed.

“Well, I’m sold.” Carson wiped a linen napkin across his mouth.

“What’s new?” Lilly asked, playfully slapping her brother on the back, then turning to Julia. “My brother’s appetite is going to eat me out of house and home one of these days. Take my word on it.”

“Hey, I’m still a growing boy.”

“Yeah—outward.” She leaned over and patted his stomach.

The brother and sister erupted into laughter.

Robin and Julia smiled at each other, entertained by the siblings. It was obvious that they adored each other. Their infectious laughter helped to relax Julia. She could listen to them for hours. Despite the fact that she hardly knew them, or even this quaint town, she could clearly picture the childhood antics they boasted of pulling on one another. What would life have been like if she had had a brother or sister?

Lilly left the table, only to return with a tray of dessert. Whereas Carson’s eyes lit with delight, Julia moaned in dismay. Now that she had seen the tempting chocolate cheesecake, there was no way she was going to turn down the offer a second time.

“Forgive me, Julia, but I went ahead and sliced you and Robin a piece. Are you sure I can’t persuade you to try some?”

“Can we, Mommy?” Robin’s face was awash with anticipation.

“Lilly won the county fair’s blue ribbon award for this recipe,” Carson boasted, plunging his fork into his serving.

“In that case, we would love to have a piece.”

“Good,” Lilly said, then served Julia and her daughter.

“One thing I love about Lilly,” Carson said in between bites, “is that her cooking has come a long way since we were children.”

“Oh, shut up.” Lilly swatted at his shoulder. “You loved my mud pies and you know it.”

Robin laughed. “You used to eat mud pies?”

“Tricked, I tell ya. She tricked me one time.”

Robin giggled.

“Don’t blame me for that. If you weren’t so smitten with my best friend, Karen, and trying to impress her, you would have never tried one of our pies.”

Carson’s smile took on a glowing tenderness while he seemed locked in a pleasant memory.

Curiosity fluttered within Julia.

Lilly’s smile soon resembled her brother’s and she reached over and squeezed his hands. “I miss her, too.”

Julia lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling that she was imposing on a private moment between them.

“So where were you two headed in such a terrible storm?” Lilly asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Julia tensed and looked up into Carson’s and Lilly’s curious stares. “I had no idea that I was driving into tornado weather.”

“That goes for me, too,” Carson piped in. “My sister and her husband are the Weather Channel junkies around here. They may not watch much TV, but they keep their faces glued to the Weather Channel.” He received another swat from his sister. “What? It’s the truth.”

“Whatever.”

Julia took a bite of her dessert and emitted a moan of pleasure.

“Ah, I take it you like it?”

Julia nodded. “Like it? I love it. You are a wonderful cook. How do you do it?”

“Oh, please.” Lilly waved her off. “I’m nothing compared to my mother.”

“That’s the truth,” Carson agreed with a stuffed mouth. He was rewarded with another swat on the arm. “Ouch.”

“Anyway,” Lilly continued, “our mom is a master in the kitchen. And for as long as I can remember I’ve aspired to be just like her.”

“Mommy is a good cook, too,” Robin said, puffing her chest out with pride. “Aren’t you, Mommy?” She turned expectant eyes toward Julia.

Carson perked up. “Is that right?”

Julia shook her head and disappointed her champion. “I’m nowhere near your sister. I can tell you that much,” she said modestly. “I mean, my specialty is meat loaf, for Pete’s sake.”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot to be said for meat loaf.” Carson smiled broadly.

Lilly looked put off. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those fancy career women who have no time for domestic duties? I mean, I run a fairly successful business and I still manage to take care of my home.”

“Lillian,” Carson reprimanded. “Don’t insult our guest.”

Julia blinked at Lilly’s sarcasm.
Where did that come from?

“Mommy is a doctor,” Robin defended.

Julia stiffened.

Carson’s gaze returned to Julia. “Smart as well as beautiful, eh?”

“I think it’s time we called it a night,” she said.

Her daughter turned as she opened her mouth to protest, but at Julia’s hard glare, she closed her mouth.

Julia stood. “Thank you for dinner and dessert.”

Lilly stood as well. “Oh, I didn’t mean to offend—”

“No apologies are needed. Robin, say good night.”

Robin got up from the table. “Good night, Mrs. Roberts and Mr. Webber.”

“Good night,” the brother and sister said in unison.

Julia took her daughter’s hand and led her from the table.

Once they were out of earshot, Robin looked up at her. “Did I say something wrong, Mommy?”

“No, sweetie. It’s just late and I’m going to need my sleep so we can get back on the road tomorrow.”

“Should we call David and tell him that we’re going to be late?”

It took everything Julia had not to burst into tears. She needed to tell Robin what had happened to David. But she didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t quite sure of everything herself.