CHAPTER 3
"What do you have to say to me that you couldn't say in front of my daughter?" Mr. Harris began.
"I can say all of it in front of her, but I won't. She's been through more than you know in the past
year, not to mention giving birth recently and only an hour ago she learns her mother is dead. I
think that's enough for one night." Adam replied firmly and the older man immediately
understood.
Realizing they had at least met on one point, Adam softened his tone. "I am sorry for your loss.
Beth told me so much about her … about all of you, and I know losing your wife must be agony
for you."
The older man nodded and cleared his throat to control the emotion just talking about her death
brought up for him.
"Beth? That is the name they gave her?" he asked after a minute, leaning against the split rail
fence and looking out over the dark field. "You don't know how many nights I stood out here
wondering what was happening to her … wondering if I'd even realize I'd read her name in an
obituary … feeling helpless to protect her because she thought she had to protect us. You can't
know how hard that was."
"She went by the name Beth Parker." Adam replied, understanding more about this man as he
spoke. "She turned an old rooming house in Seacouver, Washington into a pie shop. She was
trying to build a life for herself there in case she couldn't return home, and as difficult as that was
for her … she was finding a way to make a success of it all. She made good friends … and that
is how I met her."
The older man shook his head. "Sounds like Lea. If she wasn't in the stable or riding like the
wind across the pasture, she was in the kitchen creating something or another. A real mix of a
girl she was, and everyone who knew her loved her." His voice trailed off.
"Why didn't she come home after Devan was killed in prison? Was she still in danger from his
friends or was it something else?" his eyes looked over at Adam, seeming to ask if he had been
the reason she'd stayed away.
"Devan didn't die in prison. He used an inside contact to fake his death and then came for her."
Adam repeated the limited portion of the story that he and Beth had agreed would give her family
an honest answer without risking his secret.
Her father clearly wasn't expecting to hear this. "He came for her? When? Is she safe here?""
"Devan is dead." Adam assured him. "He won't be threatening her again."
"We didn't hear any of this." Peter Harris replied skeptically. "I have friends in law enforcement
who would have told me if Devan had escaped … They all said he was dead."
"They were wrong, and even if they had known, they couldn't protect her. Devan knew how to
evade their system and they were powerless to stop him from coming after her." Adam said.
"But you could. Is that what you are saying?"
"He found her. I wish I could have spared her that." Adam admitted his regret, the vision of the
blade Devan had held to her throat still haunting him. "But that mistake was his last. And if you
want to read the police report, I am afraid you will be disappointed. There is none."
Peter Harris regarded Adam carefully. The man seemed sincere and he'd seen the warmth in his
eyes for his daughter and for her child. And something told him that this was a good man, but he
had a dangerous side. A side it appears that had been strong enough to protect his daughter
from the most evil creature he'd had the misfortune to encounter. A side he worried might bring
more heartache into his family's life. His mind tried to wrap around all of this, but he was having
trouble.
"It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude for keeping Leandra safe and giving her life back to her …
back to us." Mr. Harris said, turning to Adam. "But do I owe you my daughter's future? … my
granddaughters?"
Adam let out a long breath as he concentrated on how best to phrase his thoughts.
"Your daughter has already agreed to spend her future with me, and Cassie is as much my
daughter as my hand is an extension of my arm. Their happiness is all I care about, and I will
protect them with my life if it comes to that." Adam assured him. "And although I hope that you
will support her decision and be pleased that she is happy … I can assure you that your
permission is not what I am asking."
Peter Harris' eyes widened in surprise and then a hint of anger tinged his voice. He had been
willing to give this man the benefit of the doubt, but he wasn't going to be pushed.
"You might have been confident of your ability to manipulate my daughter's affection while she
was alone and needed a protector, but now that she is home and with her family … she will not
be so easily swayed. She respects my opinion. And until I know more about you, I am not sure."
Adam regretted this hadn't gone better, but he and Beth had been through too much to have
anyone interfere. "Leandra has agreed to become my wife on New Year's Eve. We came here
to celebrate that occasion with her family because it was important to her. If you can't accept
what we are to one another, it will hurt her deeply … but we will still be married."
"You sound very sure of that fact young man."
"I am sure of the love we share." He replied.
"And so am I." Beth's voice came from behind them.
Both men turned to find her standing a few feet away, her arms wrapped around herself, having
left her coat inside.
Adam shook his head and smirked at the site of her standing there in the cold wind. He crossed
the distance between them, shrugged off his own coat and wrapped her in it. "I think you forgot
something." He scolded lightly.
"Leandra what are you doing out here?" her father asked.
"I thought if my future was being discussed in such detail I should at least have a voice in it."
She replied, wrapping her arms around Adam's waist and pressing herself against him …
knowing that now he was the one freezing.
"We're finished talking for now. It's Christmas Eve and the children will be here for their story
before going up to bed. I'm not going to let anything interrupt tradition this year … and this
discussion can wait until after tomorrow is over." Peter Harris announced.
"Dad, I understand how important it is to hold on to tradition … especially with Mama gone." Beth
said with her forehead pressed against Adam's sweater before turning to look at her father. "And
we won't talk about it anymore tonight … But you need to know that in one week I am going to
marry Adam. That isn't going to change. You can ask us anything and we'll try to answer as
honestly as we can so you can better understand what we mean to one another … and get to
know why I love Adam so much. In my heart he is already my husband … and nothing anyone
can say will change that. So please … be happy for me … I need you in my life, and Cassie
needs her grandpa. But she needs her Daddy more … and I need him."
Her father looked at her and saw how determined she was to make him understand. They had
always been close, and she had confided so many things to him that most girls would have only
shared with their mothers. But that was the kind of relationship they had. He knew her and she
knew him. And he knew as he looked at her that she was telling the truth. God help him if she
was choosing unwisely because he could see this was going to happen. And all he could do was
make sure her family was there in case it all fell down around her.
Letting out a bittersweet sigh, he opened his arms to her and Beth stepped away from Adam to
be pulled into her father's deep hug. "I won't stand in your way." He said softly as he stroked her
hair and held her tight. But his eyes met Adam's over her head with a look that dared him to hurt
his baby girl. Adam could respect that, and nodded his understanding.
"What do you have to say to me that you couldn't say in front of my daughter?" Mr. Harris began.
"I can say all of it in front of her, but I won't. She's been through more than you know in the past
year, not to mention giving birth recently and only an hour ago she learns her mother is dead. I
think that's enough for one night." Adam replied firmly and the older man immediately
understood.
Realizing they had at least met on one point, Adam softened his tone. "I am sorry for your loss.
Beth told me so much about her … about all of you, and I know losing your wife must be agony
for you."
The older man nodded and cleared his throat to control the emotion just talking about her death
brought up for him.
"Beth? That is the name they gave her?" he asked after a minute, leaning against the split rail
fence and looking out over the dark field. "You don't know how many nights I stood out here
wondering what was happening to her … wondering if I'd even realize I'd read her name in an
obituary … feeling helpless to protect her because she thought she had to protect us. You can't
know how hard that was."
"She went by the name Beth Parker." Adam replied, understanding more about this man as he
spoke. "She turned an old rooming house in Seacouver, Washington into a pie shop. She was
trying to build a life for herself there in case she couldn't return home, and as difficult as that was
for her … she was finding a way to make a success of it all. She made good friends … and that
is how I met her."
The older man shook his head. "Sounds like Lea. If she wasn't in the stable or riding like the
wind across the pasture, she was in the kitchen creating something or another. A real mix of a
girl she was, and everyone who knew her loved her." His voice trailed off.
"Why didn't she come home after Devan was killed in prison? Was she still in danger from his
friends or was it something else?" his eyes looked over at Adam, seeming to ask if he had been
the reason she'd stayed away.
"Devan didn't die in prison. He used an inside contact to fake his death and then came for her."
Adam repeated the limited portion of the story that he and Beth had agreed would give her family
an honest answer without risking his secret.
Her father clearly wasn't expecting to hear this. "He came for her? When? Is she safe here?""
"Devan is dead." Adam assured him. "He won't be threatening her again."
"We didn't hear any of this." Peter Harris replied skeptically. "I have friends in law enforcement
who would have told me if Devan had escaped … They all said he was dead."
"They were wrong, and even if they had known, they couldn't protect her. Devan knew how to
evade their system and they were powerless to stop him from coming after her." Adam said.
"But you could. Is that what you are saying?"
"He found her. I wish I could have spared her that." Adam admitted his regret, the vision of the
blade Devan had held to her throat still haunting him. "But that mistake was his last. And if you
want to read the police report, I am afraid you will be disappointed. There is none."
Peter Harris regarded Adam carefully. The man seemed sincere and he'd seen the warmth in his
eyes for his daughter and for her child. And something told him that this was a good man, but he
had a dangerous side. A side it appears that had been strong enough to protect his daughter
from the most evil creature he'd had the misfortune to encounter. A side he worried might bring
more heartache into his family's life. His mind tried to wrap around all of this, but he was having
trouble.
"It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude for keeping Leandra safe and giving her life back to her …
back to us." Mr. Harris said, turning to Adam. "But do I owe you my daughter's future? … my
granddaughters?"
Adam let out a long breath as he concentrated on how best to phrase his thoughts.
"Your daughter has already agreed to spend her future with me, and Cassie is as much my
daughter as my hand is an extension of my arm. Their happiness is all I care about, and I will
protect them with my life if it comes to that." Adam assured him. "And although I hope that you
will support her decision and be pleased that she is happy … I can assure you that your
permission is not what I am asking."
Peter Harris' eyes widened in surprise and then a hint of anger tinged his voice. He had been
willing to give this man the benefit of the doubt, but he wasn't going to be pushed.
"You might have been confident of your ability to manipulate my daughter's affection while she
was alone and needed a protector, but now that she is home and with her family … she will not
be so easily swayed. She respects my opinion. And until I know more about you, I am not sure."
Adam regretted this hadn't gone better, but he and Beth had been through too much to have
anyone interfere. "Leandra has agreed to become my wife on New Year's Eve. We came here
to celebrate that occasion with her family because it was important to her. If you can't accept
what we are to one another, it will hurt her deeply … but we will still be married."
"You sound very sure of that fact young man."
"I am sure of the love we share." He replied.
"And so am I." Beth's voice came from behind them.
Both men turned to find her standing a few feet away, her arms wrapped around herself, having
left her coat inside.
Adam shook his head and smirked at the site of her standing there in the cold wind. He crossed
the distance between them, shrugged off his own coat and wrapped her in it. "I think you forgot
something." He scolded lightly.
"Leandra what are you doing out here?" her father asked.
"I thought if my future was being discussed in such detail I should at least have a voice in it."
She replied, wrapping her arms around Adam's waist and pressing herself against him …
knowing that now he was the one freezing.
"We're finished talking for now. It's Christmas Eve and the children will be here for their story
before going up to bed. I'm not going to let anything interrupt tradition this year … and this
discussion can wait until after tomorrow is over." Peter Harris announced.
"Dad, I understand how important it is to hold on to tradition … especially with Mama gone." Beth
said with her forehead pressed against Adam's sweater before turning to look at her father. "And
we won't talk about it anymore tonight … But you need to know that in one week I am going to
marry Adam. That isn't going to change. You can ask us anything and we'll try to answer as
honestly as we can so you can better understand what we mean to one another … and get to
know why I love Adam so much. In my heart he is already my husband … and nothing anyone
can say will change that. So please … be happy for me … I need you in my life, and Cassie
needs her grandpa. But she needs her Daddy more … and I need him."
Her father looked at her and saw how determined she was to make him understand. They had
always been close, and she had confided so many things to him that most girls would have only
shared with their mothers. But that was the kind of relationship they had. He knew her and she
knew him. And he knew as he looked at her that she was telling the truth. God help him if she
was choosing unwisely because he could see this was going to happen. And all he could do was
make sure her family was there in case it all fell down around her.
Letting out a bittersweet sigh, he opened his arms to her and Beth stepped away from Adam to
be pulled into her father's deep hug. "I won't stand in your way." He said softly as he stroked her
hair and held her tight. But his eyes met Adam's over her head with a look that dared him to hurt
his baby girl. Adam could respect that, and nodded his understanding.