The Michaela Bancroft Mysteries 1-3 (85 page)

"Oh my God, Ethan. No. Look, you have to find her. Maybe she's going through some type of postpartum depression like we talked about, and she needs help. Women don't just leave their children. They don't do it, and I know she loves Josh. I've seen her with him."

"Find her? No way. She left her son and me. You read the letter. And you don't know the half of it. I didn't want to say anything. You've had so much going on," Ethan said.

"I don't understand."

He took her hands. "Summer. She has not been a mother to our son. I'm so exhausted. I come home from work and he's either hungry or needs to be changed. I don't know what to think. I'm the one who found the day care because I was so worried about him. I tried talking to her and she would scream at me and tell me that she was fine."

Michaela shook her head. "I had no idea. This is all wrong. She'll be back. This is crazy."

"No
she's
crazy. I don't want her to come back. She's found another man, and you know what, the whole way over here, Michaela, I kept running it through my mind. The day she left me at the altar and then wormed her way back into my life, and the way she has tried to keep us from being friends, and I know why. It's because she's seen all along what the two of us haven't, and as far as I'm concerned this is a blessing."

"What?"

He leaned in and kissed her hard, wrapping his arms around her. The world, her life, all of it swirled into a blur, as if she was in a dream. But it was real. And it was more than nice and more than special. It was a connection so profound that it brought tears to her eyes, and although she was confused by all of it, at the same time, she felt more clarity in those seconds than she'd ever known. He pulled away from her and said, "It's been you, Mick. Always has. It's that simple. It has always been you and I'm tired of pretending or denying it. I won't do it anymore. Will you? I mean, we want to be in your life and I think there's a future here for us." He looked at Josh and then back at her. "The three of us. Don't you?"

Emotion caught in the back of her throat and she couldn't respond for a second. Ethan didn't take his eyes off of her. When she was finally able to express herself, she replied, "You don't even have to ask that. I think you already know the answer." She wiped her tears and kissed him back.

I hope you've enjoyed "Tacked to Death," as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have a passion for horses and since I was five-years-old they've been a huge part of my life. My other passion in life (besides my wonderful family) is my writing. As an author of fiction works, I am fortunate to be able to take fictional liberties. For instance, it's not everyday that someone stumbles onto a dead body (at least, I hope not), and for poor Michaela this is now becoming a frequent situation. I am also aware that veterinarians, polo players, and horse trainers are professionals and passionate about the animals. Therefore, it is my desire that no one in the equine trade was offended by the fictional liberties that I took with this book. It is my hope that all who read the book had a good time with it and were entertained, and will come back for more. Any and all mistakes, I take full responsibility for.

Thank You and Happy Trails!

A.K. Alexander

http://www.michelescott.com