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Lisa buried her face in her mother’s shoulder for a long moment before looking up with teary eyes.
“I missed you so much,” she said. “I just want to go home.”
“We’re taking you home, sweetheart,” her father assured her in a gravelly voice as he kissed the top of her head with tears of joy and gratitude streaming down his face. He lifted his head to look at Carter. “Can we leave now, Sheriff Scott?”
“I wish I could say yes, but it’s imperative that she goes to the hospital first for the necessary check-up and tests.” Carter glanced at Tanya. “I’m sure Deputy Cooper explained why.”
The expression on the hulk of a man’s face turned stony. Daphne had no doubt he had murderous thoughts racing through his mind as he nodded. His arms tightened around his daughter.
“She did. I just wish it wasn’t necessary. That it’s all a misunderstanding.”
“I’m afraid not.” Carter squeezed his shoulder. “Let’s not discuss this now. Rather get her to the hospital so you can take her home. She’s exhausted, and the next hour or so is going to be trying. The sooner it’s over, the quicker she can get some sleep.” He gestured at Tanya. “The deputy will escort you to the hospital.”
Daphne’s sisters always called her a crybaby, but only because she had such a soft heart. Seeing the heartfelt reunion and witnessing Carter’s gentleness with the family triggered a swell of emotions within her. Though she was overjoyed about Lisa being found and reunited with her family, it also reminded her of her own longing for connection and unconditional love. Yes, she had a soft heart, but neither of her sisters was aware of the childhood misery she had suffered—being pushed aside in favor of her beloved twin sisters—that had left her feeling lonely and misunderstood.
The twins were the complete opposite of her—always happy, outgoing, and front leaders of everything they took on from when they were little. Although she was now outspoken and daring, growing up, Daphne had always been the quieter one. At six years older than her siblings, she was inadvertently excluded from all activities since her parents felt she wouldn’t have an interest in being part of whatever endeavor they tackled.
That her own parents were so dismissive of her sensitive nature had festered over time into feeling non-existent to them. Luckily, her sisters made up for their parental shortcomings. They loved their big sis, and the three of them had become inseparable over the years. Now, Daphne couldn’t envision a week going by without spending time with them. They were each other’s yin and yang. Maybe the thought of what she would do should one of them disappear was what caused the hot tears to spill uncontrollably down her cheeks as she observed the tender scene before her.
When Carter wrapped her into his strong arms and pulled her against his chest, he inadvertently triggered shudders to wreak through her body. The sobs that she could no longer contain escaped as she buried her face in his shirt. His big hand gently stroking her hair provided comfort and security—something she hadn’t experienced for longer than she cared to admit.
“Okay, that’s a little much love. Come, let’s go to the sheriff's office, then you can tell me what’s really causing all these tears,” Carter said softly once her sobs subsided somewhat.
Daphne clung to him. For the first time in her life, she was overwhelmed with emotion. Still, she was grateful for his steadying presence. As she walked beside him, she was shaken by the desire to finally unburden her heart of past hurts that had bubbled to the surface. She had always kept it to herself; her own sisters didn’t even know she secretly harbored such torment. Why she wanted to tell all to this man, who she hardly knew, discombobulated her.
Perhaps it was fate that Carter had been the one to catch her speeding on the way into town. The past two days she had spent with him had opened her heart in ways she had never experienced—it was so much more than pure physical pleasure. As an investigative journalist, Daphne didn’t believe in concepts such as love at first sight, but now, she questioned whether what she was confronted with wasn’t just that—instalove. The emotions within her were so strong, she stood vulnerable and raw against their magnitude.
Once Daphne was seated, Carter leaned back against the desk with his legs stretched out in front of him. The look on his face warned her that he wouldn’t stand for backpedaling. She had exposed an emotional frailness that he had homed in on. The watchful patience etched on his face didn’t waver as the silence stretched out between them.
Sighing, she lowered her eyes. “It’s really nothing. I just...” One hand fluttered in the air as the words choked her.
“It’s not nothing, love,” His voice turned gravelly. “After our time together, I hope you know you can trust me... with your life and your emotions. All I want to do is protect you.” He leaned forward but didn’t move closer. It was as though he instinctively realized she needed that personal space he offered. “Talk to me, VW Bug.”
“It’s actually silly, and maybe my feelings became... I don’t know... elevated because of what Lisa had to endure. Watching the reunion with her parents and the unchecked emotions that flowed between them just reminded me how much was withheld from me once my sisters were born.”
“Sisters?”
“Twins.” She smiled wryly. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them to death, and now we can’t go without seeing one another every week, but back then...” She shook her head as she choked up again.
“Deep breaths, love.”
“You keep calling me that,” Daphne said with awe in her voice as she realized just how many times he had called her ‘love’ since they left his mountain lodge.
“Would you prefer Honey or Lovebug?” The smile on his face was indulgent without being disparaging.
“No, it’s just that the word love implies... you know?” she said falteringly.
“So, it does.” His expression didn’t give away his thoughts. “You’re digressing. Why do you feel you were neglected?”
“Not neglected in a bad way, although I suppose in a sense it was just that.” She exhaled heavily. “My sisters were born on my birthday, the year I turned six years old. It was also the day my parents stopped paying attention to me. The twins were so beautiful, so dynamic as they grew up that all their time and effort went into them. I suppose they believed I was big enough to fend for myself.”
“As a six-year-old little girl?” Disbelief slashed across his face. “Bullshit, Daphne, and you know it. No parent should use the birth of twins or a second child as an excuse to withhold their firstborn from the most basic requirement of being a parent... love, affection, and care.”
Daphne looked down, tears welling up in her eyes. “You’re right,” she said softly. “I was just a little girl. I didn’t understand why they suddenly stopped tucking me in at night or reading me stories. Why they forgot about my dance recitals and didn’t help me with my homework anymore.” She took a shaky breath as the painful memories came flooding back.
“I had to learn to take care of myself. Make my own breakfast, pack my lunchbox, and get myself to school. God, I was too young to know what was going on, and I was so lonely, even living in a house filled with family. My parents were always too busy with the twins to spend any time with me. I never blamed them, though. I couldn’t because I loved them, too. They were my little sisters, and all I wanted was to be a part of their inner circle.”
Carter moved to sit beside her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. “That must have been hard for you,” he said gently. “No child should have to raise themselves like that.”
