He smiled and held out his arms. Even with her father and the sheriff watching, she didn’t hesitate. Allison rushed forward for the biggest, most precious hug of her life. Her throat was crowded with tears of joy. “You enlisted in the army? All this time you were in the army?”

Anson grinned. “There aren’t a whole lot of options for someone hoping to escape a few unpleasant complications.”

“When?” she asked, astounded at the changes in him. He looked better, healthier than at any other time she’d seen him.

“I’d made the decision before the fire that burned down The Lighthouse. I talked to a recruiter and saw there were more opportunities for me with the military than anyplace else. I enlisted in Silverdale. Even though I was a ‘person of interest’ with regard to the fire, I wasn’t charged with anything, so it didn’t stand in my way. I had all the credits I needed to graduate.”

Relieved though she was, Allison felt angry, too. He could have trusted her! “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to graduate from basic training first—prove I could do it. I needed to consider my choices.”

“Which are?”

“To return to Cedar Cove and answer a few questions, for one,” Sheriff Davis put in.

“I couldn’t drag you into this,” Anson said, turning to Allison.

“Anson wasn’t responsible for the fire,” she argued, ready to do battle even now.

“We already know that,” her father assured her.

“We have another person of interest we’re planning to question,” Sheriff Davis explained. He nodded at Anson. “We appreciate your help, son. You’re free to go.” They exchanged handshakes. “Thanks to you,” he added, “we’re pretty sure who set that fire.”

“Thank you, sir,” Anson said respectfully. He turned to Zach. “Do I have your permission to speak to Allison privately, Mr. Cox?” he asked.

Allison’s father smiled at his daughter. “If I said no, I fear I’d have a family mutiny on my hands.”

It was all Allison could do not to hug her father. Before anything could prevent their departure, she linked her hand with Anson’s, and they walked out together. As they were leaving, Sheriff Davis asked the Gundersons to step into his office.

Allison had so many questions, she wasn’t sure which one to ask first. “You know who set the fire?” she blurted out. “Was it because of the license plate?”

“Partly. I didn’t know his name, but I’d seen him around town. He saw me, and I knew it wasn’t safe for me to stick around, so I ran. The way I figured it, with my record, I’d get blamed for the fire anyway.” They left the building and before they could walk toward the parking lot, Anson stopped abruptly. He pulled her under an outside stairwell. “Listen, Allison, I know this is crazy, but I swear if I don’t kiss you right here and now, I’ll lose my mind.”

“Funny,” she whispered. “I was thinking that, too.”

Anson took her into his arms and brought his mouth to hers. She’d waited months and months for this kiss, and she wasn’t going to let the fact that anyone could see them detract from the joy she felt.

“I have missed you so much,” she murmured, her arms around his neck.

“Thinking about you was all that got me through basic training,” Anson murmured as he ran his hands down her back.

They clung to each other for the longest time. Finally Allison couldn’t stand not knowing, couldn’t stand it for another second. “Who did it?” she asked breathlessly. “Who started the fire?”

“Like I said, I didn’t know his name but I’d seen him in the restaurant and around town. He’s a builder, I guess. It wasn’t until very recently that I found out who he is. Warren Saget.”

“Warren Saget,” Allison repeated. “My dad does his taxes.”

“Yeah, I know. Your father mentioned that.”

“How did you identify him?”

“His picture was in the paper. Shaw’s been mailing me the Cedar Cove Chronicle, which is how I managed to keep up with what’s been happening around town. Saget was photographed in an ad for his construction company. Once I had a name to go with the face, I phoned the sheriff.” He smiled grimly. “The license plate—first three letters SUL—checked out.”

It was one thing to identify Warren Saget as the arsonist and another to prove it. All the information she’d seen and read—on TV shows and in mystery novels—indicated that there had to be more than circumstantial evidence or even eyewitness reports. The only physical evidence was the pewter cross discovered in the ashes—the cross that belonged to Anson.

“How will Sheriff Davis ever prove he’s the arsonist?” she asked.

“Well, I’m a witness and I’ve agreed to testify in court. The sheriff and Mr. McAfee had another idea, though. He didn’t tell me what it was, but it involves Mrs. Gunderson. That’s why she was there with her husband. My guess,” he said thoughtfully, “is that Sheriff Davis is going to arrange a showdown, a face to face with Saget.” Anson shook his head. “The sheriff didn’t confide in me. All I know is that if it’s necessary, I’ll testify against him in court.”

She had another question, an important one. “How did my dad get involved?”

Anson rested his forehead against hers. “I called him. It was on his advice that I spoke to the sheriff.”

“What?” He couldn’t have shocked her more had he confessed to setting the fire himself. “When?”

“Last Friday. Like I said, I saw Saget’s photograph and recognized him as the arsonist. I figured if I was ever going to step forward, the time was now. Otherwise I was afraid this would hang over me for the rest of my life. Your dad arranged today’s meeting.” He paused. “There are only a handful of people I trust in this world, and your father is one of them.”

“Not me?” She realized she sounded hurt; she couldn’t help it, even though she wanted to be more mature.

“I wouldn’t put you in that situation.” He kissed her again, letting his lips linger on hers. “I knew you wanted to believe in me. All I could do was pray that your father did, too.”

Her father hadn’t breathed a word of this.

“How long can you stay?” Allison already dreaded the day he’d have to leave her again.

“Just a week, and then I’m headed for specialized training. I’m going into Army Intelligence, working with computers. Whether I continue with the military or not, this is training I can always use.”

“You’re one of the smartest people I know.” She couldn’t keep the admiration from her voice.

He’d never been able to accept compliments well. He did now, though, because he believed it himself. “You’re the only person who ever said that to me, and the funny part is, the tests I took proved it’s true.”

“I know it is.”

“After I enlisted, the army put me through a lot of testing. I ranked high in languages and computer skills and a bunch of other stuff. Basically, I could have my pick, and I went with Army Intelligence.”

“I’m so proud of you, Anson, so proud.”

“You’re the one who gave me the power to believe in myself,” he said.

They left their haven under the stairwell and walked into the parking lot. Allison unlocked her mom’s car, and Anson slid into the passenger seat beside her. “Where would you like to go?” she asked him.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to see my mother first. I have her money. Then Shaw.” He grinned. “I don’t think either of them will recognize me.”

“I didn’t at first.”

“I know,” he said with a delighted laugh. “I wish you could’ve seen the look on your face when it dawned on you that this short-haired soldier was me. It was priceless.”

“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” she said, laughing, too.

“No, I think I’m the most fortunate man in Cedar Cove. I don’t need to run or hide. I have you back, and my life’s on course. For the first time ever, I can smile at the future.”

So could Allison.

Forty-Four

In Rachel’s opinion, dinner with Nate’s parents on Tuesday evening couldn’t have gone worse. She’d felt miserable and out of her element the entire evening. They were in an outrageously expensive Seattle restaurant, where each place setting featured more cutlery than Rachel owned. That was bad enough. Even worse was the fact that Nate didn’t even seem to notice how uncomfortable she was. Nate’s mother had used every opportunity to belittle Rachel, and she’d done it in the most subtle way. Again and again, she brought up subjects that excluded Rachel and made no effort to explain who or what she meant.

Once when Rachel had the temerity to ask a question about someone she’d mentioned, Patrice Olsen raised her eyebrows—as if it should be understood that she was referring to the English ambassador’s daughter. Following that, Rachel hadn’t dared ask a single thing. They’d all started off on the wrong foot the night Nate had showed up at her house, his parents in tow. The fact that Bruce and Jolene were there seemed to give his mother even more of a reason to dislike her. Patrice obviously assumed that Rachel was cheating on her son.

After dinner, which seemed to last forever, Nate wished his parents a safe trip home. He appeared to be pleased with what he considered a successful evening. Now as he drove Rachel home, she tried to figure out how Nate had missed his mother’s unmistakable attempts to thwart their relationship.

“I told you there was nothing to worry about,” Nate said, briefly glancing away from the road. His right hand reached for hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. He looked happy and content, while Rachel felt just the opposite. “I knew the minute Mom met you, she’d love you, too,” he continued, “and I was right. Mom thinks you’re fabulous.”

“How can you say that?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “I was a nervous wreck all night.” She didn’t mention their initial introduction, but surely he could guess that was part of the reason!

“You were?”

“Yes,” she said, close to tears. “Nate, I was so far out of my comfort zone I could hardly breathe.”

He glanced away from the road again. “It didn’t show. You’re a classy woman, Rach, and my parents thought you were great, but I knew they would.”

Apparently he hadn’t noticed that she hadn’t swallowed a single bite of that expensive dinner. “Your parents really care about you,” she said.

Nate shrugged. “Dad and I have had our differences over the years. As you already know, he didn’t approve when I enlisted in the navy. We had a big blowup about that, but underneath it all, I know he’s proud of me and my decision. He’s come to trust my judgment. Mom, too.” He cast a meaningful look in her direction as they drove across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on their way back into Cedar Cove.