Low Country Hero Read online

  “They talk just fine!” She hated when people assumed that just because they didn’t talk, they couldn’t. Her girls were perfectly bright.

  “I know—I heard them,” Sean said equably, “but it seems like they won’t talk in front of strangers. Are they just shy?”

  All her anger whooshed out of her, replaced by her constant, nagging concern for her girls. “It’s a condition called selective mutism.” She sighed. “And, yes, I’m worried about it, especially since they’re getting old enough for school.”

  “They haven’t been to preschool?”

  “No.” Beau wouldn’t let me enroll them.

  “Hmmm,” he said, and she read the judgment in his eyes. No school, no beach—what a limited life they’d had. And it was true. She’d done her best to keep their world open, taking them to museums and parks when Beau was at work, but it hadn’t been enough. The worst of it was that there hadn’t been much room for friends.

  For Anna, either. She was out of practice with people.

  As they’d talked, she and Sean had started strolling slowly, reaching a spot where the dunes dipped down toward the beach. Sea oats blew and rustled, and among them, she spotted small white flowers and knelt to smell them. “White freesia. So beautiful.”

  “You know the plants here?”

  “I read a lot about plants.” She’d been perusing South Carolina guidebooks at the public library for months, and she was naturally drawn toward the nature parts.

  “Think you could figure out some sturdy ones to plant around the cabins?”

  She looked back toward the cabins. Landscaping around them would be a blast.

  And the girls... Their faces were relaxed and peaceful, soothed by the fresh air and sound of the waves. Her heart warmed and opened as she watched them dig in the sand.

  She made a quick decision. “I’ll stay the week and help you with landscaping as much as I can. After that, we’ll see.”

  “What about your girls?”

  “I’d have them with me. Would that be a problem?”

  He shook his head. “Not a problem for me if it’s not for you. But there are day cares and sitters in the area if you’d like to give them that.”

  Day cares she couldn’t afford, and besides, with their speaking problems and anxiety issues, spending days with strangers wouldn’t be right for them now. “No, I’ll keep them here. Maybe take them to that after-school library thing the woman was telling us about this morning.”

  “That’s great.” Sean seemed to mean it. “We’ll figure out the details Monday morning, but meanwhile, let me know if you have any questions about the job.”

  She looked up at him, feeling uneasy. Speak up. You have to learn to speak up to protect yourself and your girls. She swallowed and put a hand over her twisting stomach. “I’m just... Look. Is that guy, Tony, going to be around? Yasmin said he was your brother. But she also told me about the trouble with his ex.”

  Sean hesitated. “Actually...”

  At the sound of a shout, they both turned. There was a man coming over the dunes toward them, too far away to see clearly, and Anna instinctively stepped toward her children. “Who’s that?”

  “It’s Tony. He’s going to be working with me.”

  Alarm bells went off in Anna’s head. “I changed my mind. I can’t stay here. We can’t stay here.” She crossed her arms and squared her shoulders.

  He tilted his head to one side. “So you heard one person mention a connection to abuse and you’re assuming the worst about him?”

  “I heard his ex pressed charges,” she corrected. “It sure didn’t sound like empty gossip. Was it?”

  Sean blew out a sigh. “No. No, but the charges were dropped.”

  The man in question reached them. “Hey,” he said, smiling at Anna, letting his gaze sweep over to the twins. “Thought you were alone out here, buddy.”

  “This is Anna George. She may be doing some work for us.” Sean’s voice was completely emotionless.

  “Sounds good. Place could use a woman’s touch.” Tony held out a hand to shake.

  Anna stared down at the sand, pretended she didn’t see it.

  There was a beat of silence. Anna looked up and saw both men looking at her.

  He’s an abuser. You don’t have to be nice to him. She clamped her mouth shut and let the images she usually tried to avoid crash into her mind.

  Beau throwing a steak against the wall because it wasn’t cooked to his liking. Beau putting a hand to her throat and squeezing, just enough so she could feel how strong he was, so she’d know what he could do if he wanted to.

  Beau yelling at her in front of the girls, terrifying them. And that last time, Beau knocking her to the floor, kicking her with his big pointed cowboy boots while she tried to crawl away, to get to her sobbing girls hiding in the front closet.

  All the shame and anger and fear washed over her, loud and overwhelming as waves in a storm. Nausea churned her stomach, and she clenched her jaw and raised her eyes to look from Sean to the man who’d apparently done something similar to his wife.

  After a couple of beats of silence, Tony spoke. “There’s some damage up at Cabin Three.”

  Her cabin. Immediately, her mind switched from past troubles to present dangers.

  “What damage?” Sean asked. “It was fine last night.”

  Anna’s heart thudded a heavy, anxious rhythm. “It was fine just an hour ago.”

  “Paint on the outside of the cabin. Didn’t look like anyone had broken in. I checked the locks.”

  The thought of this Tony guy creeping around her cabin made her skin crawl. As did the thought of someone defacing the place she and the girls were calling home, however temporarily. Could Beau have found them?

  Tony’s phone buzzed, but he ignored it.

  If Beau had somehow gotten here and found them, she needed to collect the girls and leave ASAP.

  “That’s your cabin.” Sean frowned at her. “Do you have a history in the area you didn’t tell me about? Enemies, old boyfriends?”

  “No! I don’t know anyone here!”

  Tony’s phone buzzed again, and he looked at it, groaned and stepped away from them to answer.

  Anna looked up at Sean to find him scrutinizing her. “Are you telling the truth?”

  The nerve! Hands on hips, she faced him. “Of course I am! I don’t know anyone here, let alone anyone who’d do something to try to upset me.” She pushed down her uneasiness. She was worried about Beau finding them, but she was almost certain Beau was still back in Montana.

  Sean continued studying her for a full thirty seconds, and she met him, glare for glare.

  “Okay,” he said finally. Then he gave a sideways nod toward Tony, now engaged in a conversation that looked heated. “So you’re entitled to the benefit of the doubt, but he isn’t?”

  “I didn’t... Oh.” She guessed she was condemning Tony without knowing the whole situation. “You really think he’s a safe person for my girls to be around?” she asked skeptically.

  “I know it. I’ve known him for twenty years. He’s not perfect, but he would never hurt anyone.”

  Well. Sean seemed sincere, which counted for something. Not everything, but something. Anna brushed back strands of hair that were blowing in her eyes. She looked at her happy girls and thought about the difficulties of moving again, versus staying here and earning some money, outdoors, with her twins beside her. “He’s not staying out here?”

  “No. He has a place in town.”

  She could keep her girls away from Tony. And Sean seemed convinced that his foster brother posed no risk.

  Tony clicked off the phone and came back, looking frazzled. “She won’t leave me alone. Anyway, if you want, I can get rid of that paint tomorrow. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you want to see on a place you’re stayin
g. Or that you want those girls to see.”

  “Why? What does it say?” Anna asked, forgetting to be hostile toward him.

  “A couple of swear words—insults—in big red letters,” he said.

  Anna’s heart gave a great thud and then raced, making it hard to breathe. It had to be Beau. Who else could it be?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THE NEXT MORNING, Sean slid into the familiar aqua-blue booth of the Southern Comfort Café, greeting his brother Liam, who was already there in full uniform.

  Before Sean could lift a hand to beg for coffee, the bells on the door jingled and Tony walked in.

  Sean let out a breath and felt his shoulders relax. It was good to be around family again.

  The waitress, with her long red hair tied back and a few wrinkles, held up the coffeepot with a friendly smile. When they all nodded, she poured three coffees and spun onto the next table.

  “You should do AA—you look like crap,” Sean said to Tony, softening the remark with a smile to hide his concern. He’d thought Tony had cut down on drinking. That phone conversation with his ex must have gotten to him.

  And since Tony would be working in the vicinity of Anna and her kids, he needed to make sure he was sober, at least out at the cottages.

  Tony blew on his coffee, gulped and then spoke. “You’re no day at the beach.”

  Sean inhaled the smell of frying onions and potatoes, sipped his own strong coffee. Coming back to Safe Haven had seemed like the best step to take—a job offer, the chance to get away from Gabby and her new boyfriend, time with his brothers and Ma Dixie.

  But this place also held memories of the worst days of his life. He looked out the window toward the street where his mother had disappeared, and his stomach churned. He closed that door and focused on now.

  Same as always, the diner gave off a mixed vibe of tourist-tacky and down-home Southern charm. The background music caught his attention: blues, not fifties pop. So that was different. The place must’ve changed hands.

  “Sorry, boys. It’s my first day. Take your order?”

  Something about the husky voice beside and behind him sent Sean even further into the past, but when he looked up, it was just the redheaded waitress, now poised with her order pad and a friendly, professional smile.

  “You may as well learn my usual,” Liam said. “Two eggs over easy, grits, bacon extra crispy.”

  She scribbled. “You got it.”

  “Tomato juice and wheat toast. Thanks, hon.” Tony leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

  The waitress lifted an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Health nut or hangover?”

  “Hangover,” Sean and Liam said in unison.

  Sean ordered the special with extra sausage. He planned to work hard today and needed the energy. It would save him fixing himself a big lunch.

  In the corner, the same booth full of senior gentlemen that had always gathered waved coffee cups. They looked older but acted the same, like they owned the place. Sean scanned the group. “Where’s Mr. Jefferson?” he asked Liam. The old man had been a favorite, letting Sean and his brothers ride along in his fishing boat when they’d needed to escape their problems for a little while.

  “He passed. Bugs Bohnefeld, too.” Liam raised an eyebrow at him. “You’ve been away too long. You planning on staying awhile this time?”

  The question was casual, but Sean knew his little brother well enough to hear the seriousness of it. Their brother Cash lived in Atlanta, and up until now, Sean had been away, too.

  Liam, though, had never wanted to leave Safe Haven. He was dedicated to protecting it, making it a better place.

  But it was a family town. Everyone had aunts and uncles and great-grandparents right down the street. For the first time, it struck Sean that being here alone must have been hard for Liam. There’d been women, including Yasmin, who ran the shelter; in fact, that relationship had seemed pretty serious for a while, but nothing had come of it.

  Another reason for Sean to stick around awhile. Keep his little brother company.

  Tony came back to life as a tall glass of tomato juice appeared in front of him. He took a long pull on it. “You tell him what happened out at the cottages?”

  “Yeah,” Liam said before Sean could answer. “Not that there’s anything to investigate, seeing as how you scrubbed away the paint before I could take a look.”

  Tony lifted a shoulder. “Didn’t want the little kids to see it.”

  Liam turned to Sean. “Yeah, and how about those little kids? What’s the story with the lady staying out there? I thought the place was closed.”

  “I shouldn’t have hired her,” Sean admitted. “It’s just...those little girls. And she’s bruised up.”

  Liam met his eyes. “Bad?”

  “She’s moving okay.” Even though Liam was five years younger, Sean knew he could remember their mom limping or wearing an arm sling. Couldn’t be much of a memory, though.

  And why was Sean thinking about the past so much? That was what he hated about coming home. It made him crazy.

  “Pretty lady,” Tony contributed. “Cute kids.”

  “Stay away from her.” Sean wasn’t sure, exactly, why he felt so strongly about that. But it was enough that Anna didn’t feel comfortable with Tony. “She’s skittish from something that happened to her and her girls. You’re both working for me, but there’s no reason you need to work together.”

  Tony snorted. “I’m staying away from anything female. Believe me, I learned my lesson.”

  Their breakfasts arrived and they spent a few minutes digging in. The food was solid, a little extra spice in the eggs like Sean remembered, pancakes light as clouds. Which meant old Abel must still be running the kitchen.

  When the waitress returned to check on them, Sean asked her.

  “Tall black guy? He’s there,” she said.

  “Tell him Sean O’Dwyer’s back in town,” Liam said. “He better start ordering more food.”

  “You boys grow up here?” She leaned a hip against the side of their booth.

  Tony gestured toward the wall of newspaper clippings, framed and yellowed. “We’re somewhere over there. Him and me—” he pointed at Sean “—we were on a state championship team.”

  “Before you got kicked off,” Liam reminded them.

  “I’ll take a look when things slow down. Enjoy your food, gentlemen.” She refilled their coffee cups and headed for the kitchen.

  Sean watched her go. “She looks kinda familiar,” he said.

  Liam shrugged, and Tony didn’t respond. He must be mistaken.

  Once they’d finished, Liam waved for his check. “I’ve got a clock to punch, unlike you guys.”

  “Hold on.” Sean didn’t know exactly how to put what he had to say. “Listen, about Anna and her twins, out at the cabins...”

  Tony lifted an eyebrow and Liam stopped digging for cash.

  “I got a feeling she’s hiding from somebody. Look into it?” That was directed to Liam.

  His little brother frowned. “Chief’s a good man, but he’s by the book. Doesn’t want us misusing the system.”

  “Yeah, and he’s looking at a promotion, which would open up a spot for you.” Tony hooked a thumb toward Liam. “Don’t get yourself in trouble. It’d be nice to have a police chief in the family.”

  “Sure would.” Sean socked Liam in the arm, lightly. Thought about telling Liam how proud he was, decided not to be a sentimental idiot. “Don’t take a risk.”

  Liam stood. “Don’t need you fools to tell me that. But if I get a chance...what’s her last name?”

  “George. Anna George. From Montana.”

  “And if I do manage to check her out, you can pay me back by doing some work at the women’s center. Place is falling down around Yasmin.”

  B
eing anywhere near the women’s center always depressed Sean, but he respected the work they did. “See what I can do.”

  After Liam left, Sean and Tony finished up. As they stood, Sean bumped Tony’s shoulder. “Keep an eye out yourself,” he said. “I got a bad feeling about whoever’s chasing Anna.”

  Tony nodded.

  “And no drinking on the job.”

  “I know that.” Tony tossed a ten on the table and walked out.

  Sean blew out a breath. It was one thing being crew boss for a bunch of strangers up in Knoxville. Different to be hiring on his foster brother. He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake with Tony.

  “That his, or did he leave you to pick up the check?” the waitress asked, nodding at the bill on the table.

  “It’s his. I hurt his feelings.”

  A smile tweaked the corner of her mouth. “Poor baby.”

  Sean decided he liked her. “See you again soon,” he said, and left a bigger-than-normal tip.

  * * *

  THAT AFTERNOON, ANNA drove her newly repaired car toward the library in Safe Haven, her stomach jumping and churning. She took deep breaths. Anxiety was her constant companion these days, but she’d like to lose it.

  The graffiti on the cabin last night had spooked her. Even though it didn’t seem possible for Beau to have found them so quickly, who else could have done it? In light of that, was she making a mistake in staying?

  The girls chattered sleepily in the back seat. They seemed relaxed, at least. They’d probably doze off just as they reached the library.

  The library. It seemed to symbolize getting into a routine and building a life and settling down. Something she wanted, and the girls needed; but something that could make them sitting ducks for Beau.

  Walking around the Sea Pine Cottages with Sean today, thinking about what the job there would entail, had made her realize that she needed something special for her girls to do, to make up for the fact that they’d have to behave and entertain themselves while she was working. And the only thing that came to mind was the after-school library program she’d heard about at the grocery that first morning in town. So she’d decided to sign them up, even if they were here for only a short time. Libraries were good places and she wanted her girls to grow up smart, to be readers.