“You didn’t know.”
“No. I was a kid and consumed with my own life. I wish I could go back and change things.”
She rubbed his back. “Regrets can wreck us if we let them. That’s what I was thinking about as I walked along the water’s edge. I knew you were feeling regret too, and something I read in The Screwtape Letters hit me. C. S. Lewis said, ‘For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity.’ Today is all we have, Reid. I realized I have to forgive my mom. I have to let go of the pain I feel from the past.”
“Sounds like you had a reckoning with God.”
She nodded against his chest. “It’s been a long time coming, and I finally realized he has forgiven all my mistakes and sins. I can only take today and do all I can with it to walk as a Christian. That has to be enough. When you see me not acting right, help me remember what I just said.”
He hugged her tightly and rested his chin on top of her head. “You do the same for me. Following God is a journey, not a destination.”
She drew back and looked up at him. “What do you think about going to Kentucky from here instead of back home? I checked in with Augusta, and she doesn’t need me. It would add a day to our journey.”
“I’m game, but what do you hope to find?”
“My uncle Edward. Maybe we can get him to tell us what Gabriel is really doing in Pelican Harbor.”
“Let me change our flight.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead and pulled out his phone.
One more day with Jane all to himself might help him find his feet again. Right now Reid needed to be alone and come to grips with his mother’s final moments. “I need some air.”
She nodded. “I’ll give you some space. I need it too.”
Thirteen
The Divine Rights compound was just off Rock Ranch Road. The same opening they’d taken last time between two large oak trees was still there, and Jane held on as Reid maneuvered the four-wheeler.
They meandered through groves and thick brush heady with the scent of wildflowers, through heavy forest, and across small streams until they broke into the large clearing occupied by cabins, barns, and the meeting house. It appeared very much unchanged from what they’d seen several weeks earlier.
Several women peered at them as they approached, and Jane saw a young woman who could have been her twin, right down to the short stature. The fatigue and defeat in the woman’s hazel eyes broke her heart.
If not for her dad’s intervention, that could have been Jane.
From the shadows a man emerged who looked enough like her dad to be his twin, right down to his bushy white brows and muscular build. The four-wheeler rolled to a stop, but Jane couldn’t make her muscles move to dismount. She was too gobsmacked by her uncle’s appearance.
Edward Hardy might have been an inch or two shorter than her dad, but even the shape of his ears was the same. He wore a red plaid shirt under overalls that tucked into muddy boots. Gazing into his hazel eyes made her shiver. The hostility glaring back at her was terrifying.
She forced her limbs to move and stepped off the four-wheeler. “You must be Edward Hardy. I’m your niece, Jane.” She smiled toward the young woman who had to be her cousin, Edward’s daughter.
“Josie, get inside,” Edward barked, and the young woman scurried away. “Where’s your daddy?”
Even his voice sounded like her father’s. Jane moved closer to Reid. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”
Watching his stony expression was like staring at a granite statue. No emotion, no life, and certainly no fondness for her. Maybe they shouldn’t have come here. The last thing she wanted was to put Reid’s life in danger.
“What do you want?” Edward slid his gaze over her. “Do you remember me?”
“No.” She couldn’t reveal what her mother had told her. This man might be searching for Kim as well as Gabriel. “Did you know Gabriel is in Pelican Harbor?”
The pipe in his pocket nearly fell out, and Edward shoved it back into place. “Who do you think let him go there? I run this place, not Gabriel.”
Dislike for his arrogance was hard to hide. “What do you want from me, from my mom?”
“Nothing. That’s Gabriel’s bailiwick. I’ll let him deal with you and your mother. You never answered my question. What are you doing here?”
“I’d heard you might be here, and I was curious to meet family I didn’t know about.”
“If your father didn’t tell you about me, who did?” Edward challenged.
She should have thought about what to say before she spoke. “Is my grandfather still alive?”
“No. Your dad betraying us took a toll on him, and he had a stroke a few months later. You’re lucky he’s dead. He would have taken a horse whip to you for poking your nose into our business. And don’t even mention your father and his desertion.”
“Dad was in his twenties. He had a right to lead the life he wanted.”
“Doesn’t matter. Family is family, and your dad betrayed us. Someday he’ll answer for it.” Her uncle pointed a finger at her. “Get off my property and go back to Fairhope. You never should have come. You and your dad are dead to me and mine.”
She wanted to argue, to ask more questions, but she saw the way several armed men drew closer. Without a word she swung around and walked back to the four-wheeler with Reid close behind. He started the vehicle and drove back the way they’d come. She didn’t breathe easily until they were back on the road and a mile from the compound.
Reid pulled over and braked at a stop sign, then killed the engine. “You okay? A lot of hostility aimed at you back there.”
“At least we know Edward’s still alive. He’s a wily one though and didn’t reveal any reasons why he’d sent Gabriel to Pelican Harbor. He sure hates Dad.”
“Maybe when you tell Charles you were here, he’ll talk about it.”
“And maybe pigs will fly.”
“Good point.” Reid nodded. “We can try.”
She checked her phone. “Have you heard from Will? All this has made me worry. I kept thinking about what would happen to him if my uncle shot us both.”
“A sunny thought.” Reid smiled and pulled out his phone. “No texts. I’ll give him a call and put it on speakerphone.”
“Dad.”
Reid’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong?”
Jane edged closer to hear.
Will drew in a shaky breath. “It’s Lauren. She showed up here. I was fishing off the pier in our yard, and she grabbed the pole out of my hand. She was mad, madder than I’d ever seen her. She was yelling about how you owed her money and that she never wanted your illegitimate brat. She was scary.”
“I’m sorry, Will. She might have gotten the divorce papers, and it sent her over the edge. I should have warned you not to be at the house at all.”
“S-She slapped me. And she was waving some papers, so yeah, that was probably it. She tried to slap me a second time, and I caught her by the wrist. She fell backward into the water when she jerked away. I tried to help her out of the water, but she cursed at me and told me to leave her alone. I was so upset that I ran off so I didn’t have to listen to her anymore. But maybe I should go out and make sure she’s okay. Her car is still in the driveway.”