Five years later

Jupiter Point was almost exactly how Mia had pictured it for the past five years. True, she’d cheated a few times and googled it, so her image of the town wasn’t entirely based on her imagination. She’d seen photos of the observatory perched on a hill overlooking the Pacific. She’d scrutinized the historic downtown, with its brickwork sidewalks and ironwork lampposts, its cheerful storefronts in various pastel shades of rose and sky-blue and apricot blush. Jupiter Point had quaint charm around every corner, and romantic couples everywhere you turned.

She’d spent last night at the Goodnight Moon B&B. The scent of night-blooming jasmine had lulled her to sleep, along with the unexpected darkness.

“We have restrictions on the lumen levels,” the young receptionist had explained when she’d checked in. “It’s for the observatory, to keep down the light pollution. Here’s a map that shows you all the landmarks and businesses. Notice how everything’s named after planets and stuff? That’s kind of our thing.”

“Yeah, I see that.” She brought the map with her to the Venus and Mars Café and pored over it as she sipped on a latte and gorged on an outrageous caramel-coated sticky bun. The town slogan was right at the top, in fancy script—“Remember to Look Up at the Stars.” She chuckled at all the fun names—the Milky Way Ice Cream Parlor, the Sky View Gallery and Espresso, Outer Crust Pizza, Fifth Book from the Sun, Heavenly Hardbodies Gym, Pie in the Sky Bakery.

Stargazer Beach.

Stars in Your Eyes Events and Tours.

Constellation Way.

On and on. But no sign of Knight and Day Flight Tours. Had they gone out of business?

For the first time, she wondered if her strict policy of no contact was smart. She’d never called Will Knight’s number, not once. After a year, when Darren had married someone else, she’d actually deleted Will’s number from her phone. It was too tempting. She couldn’t call Aiden. It wasn’t an option. And that meant she couldn’t break down and call Will, either.

Or google the Knight family or Knight and Day Flight Tours or anything related to them.

Someone had left a folded copy of the local newspaper on the next table over. She snagged it and studied the headlines of the Mercury News-Gazette.

Tourism Forecast: Brace Yourself read one title. Observatory to Hire First Female Director, said the next.

And there, below the fold, the name “Dearborn” caught her eye.

She remembered that name just as clearly as everything else that had happened that night. She’d thought of it so many times during her mom’s last chemo treatments, her days in the hospice, her last moments of drifting in and out of consciousness. The memory of that wild day and night in the Sierras shimmered like the sun on the horizon. It gave her…hope, she supposed. Hope for something normal and joyful.

Dearborn’s First Prison Interview, read the headline. She scanned the article, eagerly searching for references to the Knight Family.

Matthew Reginald Dearborn, who was convicted of the murder of Robert Knight five years ago, finally broke his silence in an interview with documentary filmmaker Sally Morgan. He describes a childhood of abuse and neglect, and an obsession with Janine Knight that began in high school, when she helped him with a school project. Prosecutors note that their case became easy after Mrs. Knight met with Dearborn after he’d been arrested for assault and kidnapping. He gave a full confession immediately afterward, and was later sentenced to life in prison.

“I didn’t let him say anything when I met with him,” Janine Knight said when it was her turn to be interviewed by Morgan. “I told him he’d been ruining my life for too long, and it was my turn to talk. Then I laid out all the harm he’d done to our family. But I also told him that we’d come through it and were stronger than ever. I told him his only chance at redemption would be to tell everything to the DA. It was very empowering because I’d been afraid of him for so long.”

It was the first time a member of the Knight family has spoken publicly about Dearborn’s conviction. For twelve years, the Robert Knight case was Jupiter Point’s only unsolved murder. Mayor Brady Becker, who was the police chief at the time of his arrest, spoke on behalf of the police department. “Knowing that Dearborn was a volunteer with our department is truly sickening. We’ve completely overhauled our reporting systems since then. In essence, Dearborn was an abuser. He stalked Mrs. Knight, murdered her husband, then committed other crimes to cover up the first ones. But it all started with crossing a line with a woman he was obsessed with. So I think we all have to raise our awareness of this issue, and the Jupiter Point Police Department is committed to doing exactly that. Our goal is for the women of Jupiter Point, and the women visiting Jupiter Point, to feel safe and respected on every level.”

Mia glanced out the window at the charming little downtown street, currently bathed in morning sunshine. A kid skateboarded past, backpack slung over his shoulders. Late for school? A young couple strolled hand in hand down the street, to-go coffee cups in hand. A town where women were safe and respected on every level? Sounded good to her, especially given her experience with Darren.

A pretty young woman in pigtails came into view, pushing a stroller down the sidewalk. She waved at someone sitting on the terrace of the Venus and Mars and stopped to chat for a second. Mia watched her wistfully, wondering what it would be like to be raising a baby here in this adorable little town where everyone seemed friendly and women were supposedly “safe and respected.”

Then she turned back to the Mercury News-Gazette. The weather page talked about unseasonably high temperatures and fire danger. The local wildfire “hotshot” crew had already been called to a fire up the coast.

And then, finally, something about the Knight brothers!

An ad for Knight and Day Flight Tours took up nearly a quarter of a page. “The Adventure of a Lifetime,” it said, over a picture of a prop plane flying over an island. An inset in the ad said “Knights and Ladies Auto Repair. 20% off your first brake job.”

Nerves rattled her stomach, now that she was so close to finding at least some members of the Knight family. And really, she could probably use a brake job. She tore off the coupon and was about to get up from her table when someone sat down across from her.

Looking up in surprise, she saw an unfamiliar man. A very, very good-looking one, maybe early thirties. His dark hair and stubbled jaw contrasted with the vibrant blue-green of his eyes. He wore an open-collar short-sleeved shirt in a kind of vintage cream fabric. He wore a smile meant to disarm—but that meant nothing to Mia, who still remembered how Darren had fooled her at first.

“I’m just leaving, you can have this table,” she said, gathering her things.

“Please don’t. I’m here to see you, Mia Grant.”

“Excuse me?” She glanced around the café in search of someone who would help if she screamed. The dreadlocked barista was chatting with the stroller woman. The other customers were wrapped up in their laptops or sticky buns.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said quickly. “My name is Kai Rockwell. I’m a wilderness guide and rescue paramedic, among other things.”

She stared at him in complete confusion. “Wilderness guide?”

“And rescue paramedic.” He laughed a little. “That might sound irrelevant, but I mention it so you won’t be afraid. Also, it explains why I’m here.”

“Um, not to me, it doesn’t.”

“Right. I’m getting to that. Do you have a minute? Please?”

She studied him, still trying to make sense of this. He had a compelling face, with a nose that had probably been broken and an air of wry intelligence. And he was phenomenally fit. She could imagine him scaling mountains and climbing cliffs with his bare hands. Why would a man like this be looking for her? “Are you sure you’ve got the right person? I don’t even live in Jupiter Point.”

“I know. You live in Fresno. The person who sent me gave me your address. But your landlady said you were coming here.”

Her jaw dropped open. Could you fire your own landlady?

“Don’t be mad at her,” he said quickly. “She made me jump through ten thousand hoops before she gave the go-ahead. She agrees my mission is worthy.”

“Your mission? Who are you? And don’t just repeat your name, I got it. Kai Rockwell. What do you want from me?”

He took an envelope from an inside pocket of his shirt. “A couple months ago I took a man on a trip into the Colorado Rockies. It was kind of a spiritual mid-life reckoning for him. We spent a lot of time talking. He shared a lot of secrets during that trip. About his relationships. His family. He was married and had two grown sons. And another child, a girl who he’d never met. A young woman, by now. Twenty-five years old.”

A swarm of bees seemed to have appeared in the café, because all she could hear was a high-pitched buzzing in her ears.

“Yes. You, Mia Grant. He said he was your father. He’d promised your mother that he’d stay out of your life unless you needed him. But he knew all about you. He’d obviously paid attention as you grew up. Anyway, at the end of the trip he asked me for a huge favor He gave me this letter and asked if I would deliver it to you. But only if he called on me. Only if he felt it was necessary. I’ve been hanging onto it since then. A few days ago he called me because he’d learned that your mother had died.”

Something in his look—sympathetic but not intrusive—told her that he knew what it felt like to lose someone.

“So here I am. And here’s the letter.” He slid it across the table to her. “I know this sounds wild. I’m a complete stranger dropping a bombshell on you. Probably not very tactfully either.” He smiled ruefully. “I rehearsed it a few times in my head, but I ended up just blurting it out. Sorry about that.”

She blinked at this very attractive stranger who was saying such impossible things—with a straight face.

A concerned face, at the moment. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I…” She couldn’t come up with a real answer, so she shrugged helplessly.

“Do you need some time? Want to talk later?”

When she shook her head, he continued. “Did your mother ever tell you anything about your father?”

She swallowed and finally managed a response. “Just that it wasn’t really a relationship. More of a fling. She made it sound like he didn’t even know I existed. She said he wasn’t a suitable parent. I got the impression he was kind of shady, though she didn’t say that.”

Kai cocked his head. “The shady part was probably that he was married. But he’s not shady at all. He’s a pretty famous and respected movie director. Have you seen the Ferocious 5 movies? Those are his.”

It rang a vague bell in the back of her mind, but she’d been so occupied with her mother’s passing that she hadn’t seen a movie in ages. “Are those the comic book movies?”

“Yup. It seems you have something in common with him. He told me about your art work.”

She drew in a shocked breath. Had her artistic talent come from this mysterious absent father she’d never met? She didn’t like that thought one bit!

Kai smiled wryly and pressed a glass of water into her hand. “Take a sip. You’re looking a little faint.”

She pushed it away, along with the letter. “Look. I’ve existed for twenty-five years without a father and I don’t need one now.”

“Hey, I get it. I haven’t seen my father in fifteen years.” His steady gaze held hers. “But what about a couple of half-brothers? There’s a whole family you might want to get to know. From what Van Ness told me, they want to meet you.”

“Van Ness. That’s his name?”

“That’s his name. Timothy Van Ness. Look him up, I’m sure you’ll be impressed. I was. I spent nearly a week with him on the trail. He’s a solid guy.”

Kai pushed the letter back toward her, then rose to his feet and slid on his sunglasses. His sheer magnetism drew glances from the other women in the café, including the girl with the stroller. “I put my number on the envelope. Call me,” he said softly. “I don’t want to overwhelm you all at once. I’m going to stick around for a few days in case you have any questions.”

“I do have a question,” she blurted, before he could disappear. “Why haven’t you seen your father in fifteen years?”

He smiled slightly. “You go right for the jugular, don’t you? Let’s just say he’s a handful, and so am I. But I have two brothers and two sisters, and I see them plenty. So take it from me--I recommend the brothers.”

With a little salute, he turned and headed toward the exit, nearly colliding with the stroller girl. “Sorry about that,” he told her, stepping back to let her pass.

“No problem at all.” She gave him a friendly smile edged with curiosity. “These strollers are about as hard to steer as a bucking bronco sometimes.”

The barista waved a to-go cup in the air and called after her. “Hey, Daisy, forgot your decaf.”

The rest of the interaction passed in a blur—Daisy rolling her eyes and going back for her cup, the barista grinning at her, Kai exiting the café.

Daisy. Aiden’s on-and-off girlfriend. With a new baby.

So much information all at once—it was too much to handle. She had to get out of here.

When Kai was safely out of sight, Mia left the café and walked blindly down Constellation Way. She nearly bumped into a sandwich board sign advertising fruit smoothies at the Aquarius Juicery. She put the envelope from her “father” in her bag and tried not to think about it yet. Instead, she thought about Daisy at the café, with her new baby.

Was that Aiden’s baby? Had they gotten back together in the intervening five years? Why wouldn’t they? Any girl would be crazy to walk away from someone like Aiden.

She should know. She’d walked away from him. He’d wanted to make a plan to meet in five years and she’d turned it down. As far as he knew, they’d made a final break there on the trail, with his brother hovering overhead in a helicopter. How was he to know that she’d thought about him so much over the past five years? How was he to know that she’d decided to unilaterally keep to the agreement they’d never officially made?

Aiden had obviously gotten back together with Daisy and had a baby with her. What was she even doing here?

Time to get in her car and drive back to Fresno, her tail between her legs. It was ridiculous to think that Aiden would even remember her. She’d taken a huge chance coming here to Jupiter Point to chase a memory. Now she felt like a total fool.

Not even the spill of a jasmine vine over a wrought iron fence or the espresso fragrance wafting from the Sky View Gallery lifted her spirits. Sure, this little town would probably be great for honeymooners. For a single woman who’d just learned that she’d spent five years holding on to a fantasy—not so much.

“Miss!” She realized that someone was calling after her.

She turned to see Daisy hurrying after her, pushing the stroller at a half-jog over the brickwork of the sidewalks.

“You dropped something!” As Daisy came close, Mia saw that she was holding out the envelope Kai had left for her. “It fell out of your bag just now.”

Mia accepted it from her, somehow managing to smile. Actually, it wasn’t hard, with a bright-eyed Daisy beaming at her. “Thank you. I didn’t even notice it was missing.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing this baby of mine only sleeps when I’m pushing him in the stroller. And believe me, that’s the only time I’m ever going to say that.”

Mia smiled at her exasperated tone. “At least you have a pretty neighborhood to walk in.”

“Do I? I really only notice the places that serve coffee. And I can only drink decaf, so go figure. There’s all this small print with having a baby, I had no idea.” With her little denim jumpsuit and the rhinestone-studded sunglasses perched on her head, she was the most adorable new mother Mia had ever seen. “And this is going to sound weird, but…are you Mia Grant?”

Mia gaped at her. “How did you know that?”

“It says Mia on the envelope, and you match the description, so I took a chance.”

“Description?” Was she on a “Wanted” poster around here?

“Yes. Aiden’s description. Aiden Knight. You know, the one you saved from that terrible kidnapper.”

Aaaaand things just kept getting worse. Aiden had told his wife—hopefully they were married—all about her. Not in the romantic way that Mia thought of him, obviously. It was probably more of a “this crazy thing happened with this girl” kind of thing.

“Of course I remember Aiden. How…how is he?” Discussing Aiden with his wife—oh joy.

“I hardly see him, but he’s good.”

Mia blinked at her.

“It’s been a busy season so far.” When Mia still looked confused, she added, “Oh sorry, I guess you probably don’t know. He joined the Jupiter Point Hotshots. He’s a wildfire fighter.”

“Wow.” That actually made Mia smile. It seemed like the perfect career path for Aiden. Working outdoors, helping people, it fit all his criteria. “That’s great, but you must worry about him when he’s gone.”

Daisy shrugged blithely. “Good old Aiden. He always comes out okay. I used to tell him he was born under a lucky star.”

Good old Aiden? That seemed like a strange way to refer to the father of your child. But then again, he and Daisy had known each other forever.

“Does Aiden know you’re in town?” Daisy asked her curiously, rocking the stroller back and forth with a steady hand.

Oh God. If Daisy thought she was here to steal her man, she’d be mortified. “No, I…uh, didn’t have his contact information. I would have just sent an email, but—”

“Oh no, email is so impersonal. This is much better.” Daisy gave a little hop. “If only I could see his face when he sees you!” The beginning of a wail rose from the stroller. “Ooops, I’ve been stalled for too long. Better kick it up a gear. Please, this may sound inappropriate, but I hope you arrange your reunion somewhere where I can see it. That would just be the best!”

When Mia just stared at her in confusion, Daisy pulled an apologetic face. “I’m a busybody, I know. My husband yells at me about that. Well, tally-ho, I’m off. Nice to meet you, Mia. Oh, I’m Daisy, by the way. And this—”

She lifted the canvas canopy of the stroller to reveal her baby. “Is Victor.”

Mia stared at the baby in shock. Victor was a squirming little bundle of gorgeous, mahogany-skinned, black-curled adorableness.

He was black. Daisy was a freckle-faced blond. Which meant that chances were pretty much a hundred percent that Aiden wasn’t Victor’s father.

Before Mia could collect herself and confirm this revelation, Daisy was already gone, pushing the stroller at a manic pace, as if the sidewalk was a racetrack.

Hope rushed back into Mia’s heart.

Aiden hadn’t married Daisy and made a baby with her. Everything that Daisy had said now made sense. Good old Aiden… If only I could see his face when he sees you.

Was Daisy implying that Aiden still thought about her? Talked about her? Wanted to see her?

That maybe there was still a chance for them?

Then again, just because Aiden wasn’t with Daisy didn’t mean he was single. He was a firefighter now, and everyone knew that was like catnip for women. And besides, he was out of town now. Fighting fires. Being sexy and heroic.

What now? She’d only booked her room for one night. She could go home, and with all this new information, she’d be able to find Aiden online and contact him that way. Coming here was such a long shot anyway. Why not go back to Fresno and conduct the search in her pajamas? With a buffer zone to defend against more surprises?

But first… She looked up at the rolling pine-covered hills surrounding Jupiter Point. She didn’t want this entire trip to be a waste of time.

Why not take a quick trip to the cabin where her path had collided with Aiden’s? The cabin where she’d discovered a different side of herself? When she’d stumbled across that cabin, her life had taken a huge turn for the better. That rescue had changed the way she saw herself. For the first time, thanks to Aiden, she’d seen herself as someone with courage. Someone who didn’t run from challenges. If she hadn’t freed Aiden from captivity, would she have had the guts to stand her ground against Darren when he showed up full of apologies?

Probably not. That little wilderness cabin held a lot of meaning for her.

If she hiked out there, maybe she could even find the cave where they’d spent that one unforgettable night.

If nothing else, it would give her a chance to say goodbye to a silly fantasy.