CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

I felt the blood drain from my face. 'Anna's…father?' I said weakly. I wished I had something more intelligent to say, but my brain felt as if it was working in slow motion. I had been uncomfortably crammed into a tiny airplane seat and a rental car that resembled a roller skate- neither of which were built for a man of my height or size-for nearly twelve hours. Andy Harper must have thought I was a complete prat, staring at him with my mouth agape, but I had assumed I would have a few more minutes to prepare myself before I met the father of the woman I loved.

'Hell, it's a relief you showed up when you did; Anna's been talking about you non-stop, driving us all crazy. Maybe now she'll give it a rest,' he chuckled, a mirthful look in his eye. Anna had given me that same look countless times…now I knew she had inherited it from her dad. When I didn't respond, he added, 'That was a joke, Doctor.'

I gave my head a little shake, snapping myself out of my stunned silence. 'Yes…'

'Maybe I should have waited to introduce myself-looks like I scared the livers out of you. You're not gonna pass out on me, are you?'

'Um, no…no, just wasn't expecting…' I stammered. 'Sorry, this is all a bit, er…'

He chuckled. 'It's all right, you can relax. Just sit back and take a load off, son; we'll be there in two shakes.'

'Mmm.' I exhaled a breath I seemed to have been holding since I got into the truck, and ventured a glance out the window. The wooded areas filled with tall pines and the occasional houses I had driven past earlier had given way to flat patches of brown fields, and just beyond them to the right, a wide expanse of water. Some of the gray clouds had dissipated to reveal patches of blue sky, and rays of sunlight illuminated random parts of the water to become bright sparkles of gold. We rode in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. It seemed Andy Harper wasn't much of a talker; he didn't feel it necessary to fill any empty gaps in the conversation with unnecessary words, and I appreciated that.

Andy flipped on his turning signal and made a right onto a sandy lane. The lane was wooded on both sides, and then opened up to a sharp left bend to run parallel to the main road. Facing the water were several houses; the first was a very large contemporary two story whose short driveway connected to the bend in the lane. Andy Harper turned the truck into the driveway and parked in front of the garage, turning off the ignition. He turned to me.

'Nervous?' he commented.

I swallowed. 'A bit.' I glanced at him.

'Don't be. Come on in, make yourself at home.' He got out and retrieved a cooler from the bed of the truck. I took a deep breath and opened the door, following him as he carried the cooler down a short walk to a door at the side of the house.

A mixture of excitement and apprehension caused my heart to pound almost painfully in my chest as we entered the house, walking through a small laundry alcove and into a large, homey kitchen. I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. Someone had been baking, and it smelled heavenly; my growling stomach reminded me how little I had eaten that day.

'Well, did you catch anything? Or should I pull something out of the freezer?' A woman was standing with her back to us, stirring something on the stove. She half turned and glanced in our direction, and I knew immediately she must be Anna's mother. The resemblance was uncanny; from the unruly curls to the shape and color of her eyes…she even had the same sprinkling of freckles on her nose. When she saw me there, she did a double take. 'Oh…hello,' she added in surprise. I gave her an uncomfortable nod.

Andy crossed the kitchen and kissed her on the cheek. 'We have a visitor. Where's Anna?' he asked, and handed her the cooler. She looked at him quizzically.

'She went next door to walk Granny over for dinner,' she replied. 'Why, what…' She stopped in mid-sentence and studied me, realization dawning. Her eyes grew wide as a huge smile spread across her face. To my surprise, she began to giggle.

'Are you who I think you are?' she asked with excitement. 'Are you Anna's Martin?'

I could feel my cheeks warming. I nodded, clearing my throat. 'Yes…Martin Ellingham.'

She laughed out loud. 'This is wonderful! I'm Cecelia…it's so great to finally meet you!' she exclaimed, and before I knew it, she had embraced me in a ferocious hug. I stood awkwardly, not quite sure what else to do. 'Sorry, I'm a hugger. Hope you don't mind,' she added.

'Er, no…it's…fine,' I managed to answer, even though I was extremely uncomfortable. I still didn't particularly care for spontaneous displays of affection—that aversion was something that must have been ingrained in my DNA, no matter how much Anna had attempted to make me comfortable with it.

'I passed him on the road a few miles down…his car went in the ditch,' Andy explained. 'As soon as I heard that accent, I knew who he was. Figured I'd bring him on home and send Joe down to pull the car out.'

Cecelia looked at me with concern. 'Oh, dear…you aren't hurt, are you?' she asked. I shook my head. 'I know you are exhausted, you poor thing. Come on with me, I'll take you up to Anna's room and you can start to settle. Are your bags in the truck? Andy, can you bring them in?'

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. Bugger…I had completely forgotten about my bags. 'I've left them in the car,' I sighed. 'I didn't even think…' My level of fatigue was rising exponentially; I was having a hard time finishing a thought. All I wanted at that very moment was Anna—why couldn't she have been there when I arrived? This would have all been so much easier…she would know how to navigate the situation. Andy pulled out his mobile phone and dialed, and his wife patted my arm sympathetically.

'Don't you even worry about it; let Andy take care of it, he's calling about the car now. You just come with me.' I followed her up the staircase and into a large bedroom with an enormous window that faced the water. I recognized some of Anna's belongings here and there: a bottle of the lotion she rubbed on her hands every night before she got into bed; her ipod on the dresser, earbuds dangling toward the floor; those silly pajamas with the cartoon dog that I had become fond of, in spite of myself. Just knowing she was near helped to melt away some of the stress I was feeling.

'All right…the bathroom is through that door, and there are towels in the closet. Dinner will be in about an hour, but if you don't feel up to it and would rather rest, there will be plenty left to eat when you're ready.' Cecelia smiled up at me warmly. 'You just make yourself at home. Let me know if there is anything you need that would make you feel more comfortable. Anna should be back any minute; I'll send her upstairs when she gets here.'

'Thank you,' I told her gratefully. When she had gone, I removed my coat and tie, rolled up my shirt sleeves, and went into the lavatory to wash up. The reflection I saw staring back at me in the mirror showed deep shadows under my eyes, stubble on my chin and cheeks, and the glazed expression of someone who desperately needed a full night's sleep. What I really wished for was a long, hot shower, but that would have to wait until I had fresh clothes to change into. A quick splash of water on my face and a bit of Anna's mouthwash I pilfered from the cabinet would just have to do for the time being.

As I walked back into the bedroom I heard a door slam somewhere downstairs. Could that be Anna? God, I hoped so. I tiptoed to the door and listened to the muffled voices that drifted from below.

'Anna, a present came for you…I put it upstairs in your room,' I heard Cecelia say.

'Really? Who is it from?' Anna answered.

'Uh, it didn't say. You'll have to see when you get up there.'

I heard Anna approaching up the staircase, and I backed away from the door to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room. I was new to this whole concept of surprising someone. I vaguely understood it may be seen to some as a romantic gesture, but in my experience, my just showing up somewhere unannounced usually did more harm than good. I took a deep breath and waited, and a few seconds later, Anna walked into the bedroom. Her mouth dropped open when she saw me.

My heart quickened in my chest, pounding. She looked so beautiful, her cheeks pink from the cold, making her eyes sparkle. Her hair was piled into a messy bun that couldn't quite contain the curls that fell on her neck. It was almost ridiculous how much I had missed her in such a short amount of time. She was frozen to the spot, save the hand that flew up to cover her gaping mouth. 'Hello,' I said softly.

Scarcely before the word was out of my mouth, she had crossed the space between us and leapt into my arms, her feet no longer touching the floor. 'What are you doing here?' she gasped, hugging me so tightly I could barely breathe. Relief flooded through me—relief that I had done something right in surprising her, relief that after such a long trip, I was finally getting to see my reward. I sighed deeply, smiling. She put her hands on both my cheeks and kissed me fervently. 'Hello,' she murmured, a look of pure joy on her face.

'Hello,' I said again. Anna touched her forehead to mine. 'I…um…used some of your mouthwash. I hope you don't mind,' I added, and then wondered why I had felt the need to say such a stupid thing at that moment. Anna only laughed.

'Of course I don't mind, you silly man.' I smiled a bit sheepishly and kissed her again, finally lowering her until her feet were touching the floor. She continued to gaze up at me in wonder. 'I still can't believe you're actually here. My poor baby…you look rough. How do you feel? Exhausted?' She raised her hand to my cheek again, running her thumb across the stubble. I leaned in to her touch and closed my eyes.

'Tired. Better, now that I've seen you. I missed you,' I said sincerely.

Anna pulled me down for another kiss, and her lips lingering on mine made the entire journey worth taking. She pulled back and looked into my eyes. 'And I have never loved you more than I do right at this moment, Martin Ellingham.'