“Do we have time?”
“There’s always time.”
She led him into the nearest trees, slid down her shorts and panties, and leaned her chest against a big live oak.
“Jesus, Ellis. How do you still do this to me?”
“Do what?”
She heard him quickly unbuckling his belt behind her. “You know what, Witch.”
She smiled. Even after all these years, he still sometimes called her Witch.
Quercus paced around them barking, as if he thought their lovemaking was a game.
“Remind me to lock the dog in the house next time we do this,” Keith said afterward.
“That might ruin the spontaneity,” she said.
They walked hand in hand to the house. Inside, Keith gave her a few pieces of mail. There was a card from Dani. More pictures of her baby.
Keith picked up the photos. “Wow, she’s adorable, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Ellis said.
He put the photos on the refrigerator with the other babies and kids. There were a lot of them now, his nephew and two nieces at all ages, years of Christmas card photos of friends’ children, and ten months of Dani’s baby. Ellis would rather have a clean refrigerator, but she wouldn’t make a big deal out of it; he enjoyed the ritual.
While she showered, Keith changed into shorts and a T-shirt.
They put Quercus in the house and locked the door.
They sat in the old SUV they were trading for a new full-size pickup. She hoped the old car made it to the dealer. Keith had kept it running far beyond the usual mileage, but now it was definitely in its last throes.
“Excited?” he asked.
“You know I’m not one to get excited about cars.”
“It’s difficult to get rid of it, isn’t it?”
She ran her hands over the faded, sticky steering wheel. “Yeah, it’s been all over the mountains with me.”
“And your husband gave it to you. That must matter.”
“It was part of the divorce settlement. Not exactly sentimental circumstances.” She started the motor and drove down the lane to avoid the conversation.
Keith had left the gate open when he came in. They’d gotten lazy about that because Quercus III didn’t roam like his predecessors. As they arrived at the gate, a car was turning into the lane.
“Probably someone who doesn’t know the nursery hours,” Ellis said.
She rolled down her window. The woman in the driver’s seat opened hers.
“The nursery is only open to the public Wednesday through Saturday,” Ellis told the woman.
“We’re not here for the nursery,” the woman said. “Are you Ellis Abbey?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve come to talk to you.”
Ellis could see someone in the passenger seat. A young woman.
“We were just leaving,” Ellis said.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d see us. We’ve come a long way.”
Her license plate was from New Jersey. But that didn’t mean anything. It was probably a rental.
“Weird,” Keith said.
“Yeah. They better not be selling something.”
She turned around and parked next to the house. She and Keith stood in the gravel driveway and watched the woman park. Both doors opened. The older woman had fair skin and hair and was well dressed. Ellis didn’t recognize her. She now realized that the younger woman was a teenager. She was slim with long, wavy dark hair and tan skin. Her dark eyes were intent on her and Keith.
She looked familiar . . .
No, what she was thinking was impossible. It was a coincidence. Jonah would have told her if her daughter had been found. He knew where Ellis lived. He’d tried to contact her about a life insurance policy a few years ago, but she’d ignored him.
The woman and girl stood in front of Ellis. Why were they staring at her like that?
“I like your house,” the girl said. “And these woods. Is that moss on the trees?”
“It’s called Spanish moss, but it’s not a moss. It’s a bromeliad, if you know what that is.”
“We have lots of moss on the trees where I live.”
“Where is that?” Ellis asked.
“Washington.”
“The moss is beautiful out there. I’ve seen it.”
The older woman extended her hand to Ellis. “I’m Sondra Lind Young.”
Ellis shook her hand. She looked at the girl, waiting to be introduced.
“This is Raven Lind,” Sondra said. “She’s . . . perhaps we should go inside to talk.”
“Why would we need to do that?” Ellis asked.
“Because I used to be Viola,” the teen said.
Ellis felt like she’d stepped into a blaze. Her face was that hot.
Raven. They must have gotten that detail from Jonah. He was the only one who knew about the raven calling the day Viola was taken.
“This is disgusting,” Ellis said to Sondra.
She looked stunned.
“Why would you do this?” Ellis demanded.
“Do what?”
“Try to pass her off as my daughter. What are you after?”
“She is your daughter,” she said. “It’s been proven with genetic testing. We’ve come here from Jonah’s home in New York.”
Ellis had the same hollow feeling she’d had the day she stared at the empty ground where she’d last seen her baby. As if most of her body and soul had vanished with the child. Now the portal had opened again, thrusting her grown child back into her world. But there was so much Ellis had lost that could never come back.
Sondra took out her phone. “Would you like to talk to Jonah to verify? I’ll call him right now.”
The girl’s face was her own, just younger. Ellis even saw a similar ache in her gaze. What had she been through all these years?
“Don’t call him,” Ellis said. “I see it. She’s Viola.”
The girl defiantly lifted her chin. “I want to be called Raven. I’ve been called that since I was a baby.”
“Who named you that?”
“My sister did,” Sondra said. “I’m sorry to say she was the one who took your daughter.”
The raven. She had named the child after that damn raven. It had to be where she got the name. Ellis was afraid she would faint. “Where is she? Where is your sister? Do the police have her?”
“She’s dead,” Sondra said.
“Ellis . . .”
She turned around and saw Keith. How had she forgotten he was there? And talk about wounded gazes.
“What is this?
