The Truth, And Nothing But The Truth - Part 5

Chapter 28

To hear Julian Crane tell the story later it was like a swarm of locusts descending upon them. First, there was the call from Ethan at Crane Industries, saying that there were FBI agents there with search warrants to seize all of the books. When Julian screamed at him to stop them, Ethan had told his father that there was no recourse because the warrants were perfectly legal. The agents were now in the process of carrying the records out in boxes like workers in an assembly line. Julian immediately called the governor’s office and was told that his old friend was unavailable to take his call, and that was only the start of his problems. One of the maids came running into his office apologizing profusely, with a pack of agents on her heels.

“I demand to know the meaning of this!” Julian insisted arrogantly.

“What is going on here?“ Ivy inquired, walking into the room like a tempest.

“I am Agent Burton from the FBI,” he said, presenting his identification.

“Just who do you people think you are? First you storm into my company demanding my records, and then you show up here. I hope you realize that you will all lose your jobs over this debacle,” Julian promised, with a sardonic tone to his voice.

“I can assure you Mr. Crane that I have a legal reason to be here, as well as the full backing of the federal government,” he informed Julian, pulling some papers out of his pocket. “I have here a warrant to excavate your property for the body of Benjamin Bennett, as well as another warrant for your arrest for the kidnapping of Martin Fitzgerald.”

“This is insanity,” Julian shouted. “You have no proof of these ridiculous allegations, and I want you off of my property instantly.”

“Let me see these,” Ivy said, pulling the warrants out of the agent’s hand. “Julian’s right, you have no proof of my husband committing any crimes............”

“Oh believe me Ivy, we have plenty of proof,” Sam’s voice sounded from the doorway.

“Sam, please do something................ Oh my God,” Ivy cried when she saw Martin Fitzgerald standing beside her old lover.

“Why are you so shocked Ivy?” Sam asked. “I find it hard to believe that you didn’t know that Martin was back.”

“Yes, I knew,” Ivy admitted. “It’s just that seeing him in the flesh is a bit of a shock.”

Julian’s blood ran cold when he saw Martin Fitzgerald standing there looking at him with such contempt. He was definitely rattled, but quickly gained control and went on the defensive. “I can’t believe you came back here after all of these years after deserting your family and try to blame it on me. It’s obvious that you are not man enough to admit that you were a coward for walking out, so you invent this conspiracy to save face with your family.............”

“Why you son of a bitch,” Martin said, lunging toward Julian, but Sam held him back.

“He’s not worth it Martin,” Sam told him, giving Julian a look of disgust.

“How can you threaten me with arrest when you only have his word against mine? This whole kidnapping thing is nothing but a farce, I tell you,” Julian said, beating his fist on his desk.”

“Mr. Crane, we do have another witness that will testify to the events of that night,” Agent Burton informed him.

“Who?” Julian asked, skeptically.

Right then, Ivy happened to glance out of the window and saw some men moving heavy digging equipment across the lawn. “Oh my God, they are ruining the garden. You have no right just come in here and destroy property.”

“This warrant says we have every right,” Agent Burton told her, waving the paper in front of her. “Now, Mr. Crane, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to read you your rights.............”

“Agent Burton, can’t you see that my husband is ill and in a wheelchair? You can’t just haul him off in some police car like a common criminal...........”

“We are very aware of your husband’s condition Mrs. Crane, and there is a van on the way here now to accommodate his special needs.”

“Ivy, I want you to call my attorney right now, and if you have to, get the damn president on the phone too,” Julian ordered.

While Ivy made the call, Agent Burton read Julian his Miranda rights, as Sam and Martin looked on with satisfaction. Once Julian was officially arrested, the agent told him that there would be two other agents left there to guard him until the van arrived. In the mean time, Burton, along with Martin and Sam went outside to where a worker was using the backhoe to dig up the ground around the gazebo. As Ivy and Julian watched the men move toward the excavation site, Luis joined the group.

“I was wondering when he was going to show his face,” Julian snarled. “I’m surprised that my sister didn’t come along with him to gloat. Sheridan thinks she really pulled a fast one over on me, but she is going to regret the day she crossed me this way.”

“Keep your voice down Julian,” Ivy whispered. “That is all you need is for those agents to hear you threaten your sister. In case you didn’t notice, you are in big trouble here.”

“I’m well aware of the trouble I’m in Ivy, but there is no way I’m going to prison, because I am a Crane, and there are too many people in high places that owe me.”

“Even if you do get out of this Julian, we will never live down this scandal,” Ivy hissed. “If you have ruined my son’s future, I will kill you myself. I’m just glad that you moved that body off of this property.”

Luis pointed out the area where he had found Ben’s wallet, and the crew began digging, but there was no sign of the former chief’s remains. Martin had confirmed that was indeed the spot where he had stumbled upon his friend’s body, and came to the conclusion that the Crane’s had moved the corpse after they kidnapped him. The FBI had also brought cadaver dogs and one of them was growing quite agitated about an area around the cement walkway.

“I can’t believe this,” Sam said, frustrated. “They could have moved my father’s body anywhere and we may never find it.”

Luis looked over right then and noticed the dog sniffing and digging around the sidewalk. “Maybe not Sam,” he said, pointing toward the dog.

Martin looked over to where Luis was pointing and suddenly a memory flashed through his mind. “I just remembered something. That sidewalk was not there when I found Ben’s body. It was staked out because the cement truck was scheduled to come the next day to pour the walkway.”

“Bring the jackhammer,” Agent Burton shouted to his men. “We’re going to dig up this sidewalk.”

Julian, still watching from the window turned white as a sheet and broke out into a cold sweat when he saw what the men were doing. “Oh............ my............God,” Julian choked out.

Ivy looked at the scene in the garden and then back to Julian and she knew. “You stupid moronic bastard................”

“Mr. Crane, the van is here to take you to the station,” an agent called from the doorway of Julian’s library. “We have to leave now.”

“Yes, take me,” Julian whimpered, wheeling over to the men. Being in jail was the last place he wanted to be right now, but it was certainly better than the alternative, because Sam Bennett was going to kill him when they discovered what was under that sidewalk.

********************

Sheridan had decided for her own mental well being that she would avoid that whole scene taking place at the mansion right now. Turning on her family was proving more difficult than she thought it was going to be, but then she would remind herself that they had turned on her a long time ago. It was not that she felt guilty about Julian’s fate, because he deserved everything that was coming his way, but what would become of Ethan? She was worried that if the IRS found discrepancies in the books at Crane Industries, that they would try and implicate her nephew, and she felt sure that he was unaware of any illegal activities. She made a promise to herself that she would make sure that didn’t happen, and felt a sense of relief after coming to that conclusion.

Barbara had advised her to stop worrying about things that she had no control over and she decided to do that very thing and enjoy her children right now. They were having the time of their life splashing around in their little pool, and she stretched out beside them on a blanket laughing at their antics. They both loved the water, and Sheridan decided that it was never too early to enroll them in swimming classes and made a mental note to call about that tomorrow. Everything else might be blowing up around them, but she was going to make sure that her children had a stable secure life. It was becoming apparent that her babies had inherited their father’s coloring because even though she had smothered them with sunscreen earlier they were both turning a light golden brown from playing in the sun. Sheridan still couldn’t get over how adorable the twins looked in their swimming suits. Lily’s was a pink and white checked one piece with ruffles on the seat, and Luke had on a pair of red trunks that were a tiny replica of a pair like Luis wore.

Suddenly, she heard a car drive up in the front of the house and hoped it was Luis, because she didn’t want to leave the children to greet a visitor. She turned to look just as Luis came walking around the side of the house. “Luke and Lily, daddy’s home.”

The twins looked up and waved to him as he approached the pool. “Hi dada,” they said in unison.

“Well, look at my little munchkins,” Luis said, bending down to give them each a kiss on the head. “Are you having fun in your swimming pool?”

Luke got up and took Luis’ hand trying to pull him into the pool. “Play dada.”

“I don’t know sport. Daddy might be too big to fit in the pool with you.”

“Come dada,” Luke urged Luis.

“Okay, but daddy needs to put his swimsuit on,” Luis said, unable to turn his son down.

“Luis, make sure you wear your red trunks,” Sheridan told him. “Luke was so proud that he had trunks just like yours, and I’m sure that he would think it was special.”

“Anything for my big guy,” Luis said, tweaking Luke’s nose. “I’ll be right back, but first I need to give mommy a kiss.”

“How did it go?” she asked in a low voice, as soon as Luis broke away.

“Julian is in custody, and we did find Sam’s father. They’ll have to compare dental records, but I’m confident that it is Ben.” Luis whispered, so that the children couldn’t hear his next words. “The body was wrapped in plastic, and we found Ben’s badge in there with him.”

“That must have been so terrible for Sam,” Sheridan said, sadly. “My heart goes out to him.”

“He’s pretty upset,” Luis acknowledged.

“Dadee, come.”

“You better go,” Sheridan said, smiling. “We can talk about this later.”

Luis was back in ten minutes wearing his red suit and flip-flops. Sheridan had to laugh as he tried to fit himself into the small pool, and there was just enough room for him and the twins. Luke and Lily were having a grand time pouring water on their daddy’s chest, and Sheridan was having an even grander time watching the droplets run down his muscular torso. It was times like these when her husband was playing with their children that he was the sexiest to her. This place had become such a refuge for her, because it represented the love and security that she always felt when she was with her family, and she would be perfectly content to stay here the rest of her life. She was so lost in her gentle musings, that it startled her when Luis flicked water on her face, and she began to laugh at his playfulness. “I hope you know that I will have to get you back for that,” she said, trying to sound serious.

“You’ll never be able to do it, because you’ve already given yourself away. I’ll be ready for you,” Luis said with confidence.

“You’re probably right,” she said, pretending defeat. “I guess I’ll just have to learn to keep my mouth shut the next time.”

“I don’t know honey.............. Do you really think that’s possible for you?”

“You really should quit while you’re ahead,” Sheridan chuckled. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I would love to have a lemon icy right now.”

That certainly got the twins attention, and they completely forgot about cooling off their father and jumped out of the pool and started dancing around her. “Me icy, me icy,” they both chanted.

“Okay you little cutie pies. You stay here and play with daddy while mommy gets you an icy.”

“Can I have one too?” Luis asked, looking like a little boy.

“I guess so, but you have to promise to be a good boy.”

“Oh, I promise to be very good,” he replied, flashing her a sexy smile that caused a heat inside of her that had nothing to do with the sun.

Luis watched her walk toward the house with a profound appreciation of her womanly charms. At first glance her one-piece bathing suit was perfectly modest, but the way it hugged her lush curves and displayed her long brown legs made his heart beat faster. The gentle sway of her hips as she walked was only adding fuel to a fire that was already threatening to consume him. “I think you need to pour some more water on daddy,” he told the twins. His request was in vain because as soon as the words left his mouth, Sheridan appeared again, and this time he was exposed to the front view of her which was even better in his opinion. There was nothing like her beautiful face to complete the perfect package.

“Who wants an icy?” Sheridan called out to them.

“Me, me,” the twins shouted, jumping out of the pool again. Luis followed them and they all sat down on the blanket to enjoy their treat. Sheridan had cut the top of the plastic wrapper off and pushed the frozen substance to the top and handed one to each of the twins. “Just let mommy know when you need for me to squeeze some more for you.”

“So, where is mine?” Luis asked, stretching out beside her.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, flashing him a charming smile, and before he knew what she was about, she pulled the top of his swim trunks out and shoved the icy down inside his pants.

“Oh my God, that’s cold,” Luis said, hopping up from the blanket. He started dancing around forcing the frozen cylinder to drop out of the bottom of his shorts. Ace came running up to claim the treat and took off running to enjoy his prize. The twins were totally oblivious to what Sheridan had done, but giggled right along with their mother when they saw their daddy jumping around like a chicken with his head cut off. “Well, I’m glad you all thought that was so funny,” Luis grumbled, as he plopped back down on the blanket.

“Sorry Luis, but you did deserve it for saying I couldn’t keep my mouth shut earlier. Here,” she said, handing him another icy. “I brought an extra one for you, but I am a little concerned that Ace is going to be eating that other one after where it’s been.”

“Don’t forget, you’ve been there too sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear. It was his turn to laugh when he saw the embarrassed look on her face.

“Dada, see,” Lily said proudly, showing Luis her little pink toenails.

“Oh my goodness Peanut, you look like such a big girl,” Luis said, pulling on her little toes, making her giggle. “Who painted your toenails for you?”

“Mama,” she said, pointing to Sheridan.

“Well they certainly are pretty,” Luis told her, and then turned to Sheridan. “How did you ever manage to find a brush small enough to paint that baby toe? It’s nothing but a tiny slit,” he laughed.

“It wasn’t easy, but Lily was a very good girl, and sat very still while mommy did it, didn’t you sweetie?”

“Mama’s toes,” she said, pointing to the red polish on Sheridan’s toes.

“When she saw mine, she could hardly contain herself until I agreed to paint hers too,” Sheridan said, smiling. “How could I resist?”

“Me too,” Luke said, holding his foot out to Sheridan.

Luis almost choked when he heard his son‘s request. “Okay sport, come here,” Luis said, pulling Luke onto his lap. “We need to have a serious talk here. Daddy and Luke are boys and we don’t paint our toenails. See, daddies aren’t like that.” Thankfully Luke seemed satisfied by his explanation, because he dropped the subject.

Suddenly they heard Ace start to bark, and a woman scream, when Ivy came flying around the side of the house with their watchdog close behind her. Ace would have never hurt her, but her sister-in-law was making it worse by running from him. Luis called him to heel, and the dog immediately sat down. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you keep that beast around here with the children,” Ivy cried while straightening her clothes, as she struggled to walk across the lawn in her designer high heels.

“Ivy, are you all right?” Sheridan asked, surprised to see her here.

“No Sheridan, I am not all right, and here you are lounging in the sun after you just destroyed our lives.”

“Listen here Ivy,” Luis said angrily. “I will not let you talk to Sheridan that way..............”

“It’s okay Luis, I can speak for myself. Now, Ivy come with me,” she demanded, leading her sister-in-law out of hearing range of her children. “I realize how upset you must be right now, but don’t you ever come to my home and speak to me like that in front of my children again.”

“All right, I’m sorry, but you have no idea how humiliating that terrible experience was for me today. Julian’s in jail, and my son’s future is in jeopardy of being destroyed. I’ll probably be a social pariah when news of this gets out and I’m just sure I’ll lose my membership to the country club............”

“My God, listen to yourself Ivy. A man is dead, and buried on your property in the most degrading manner, and another man has lost years of his life with his family all because the almighty Cranes couldn’t be satisfied with being billionaires. No, they had to have more, and in the process destroyed so many lives. How can you be so damn selfish?”

“Selfish,” Ivy gasped. “You have no idea just how unselfish I’ve been all these years. I have lived with that pig of a brother of yours and put up with all of his women just so that my son would have everything that he deserves. If you think that I’m going to stand back and watch Ethan lose everything then you are sadly mistaken.”

“I love Ethan too Ivy, but I feel sure that he will rise above this and make Crane Industries a respectable company again.”

“You don’t know that for sure. I want you to talk to Luis and see if he can convince his father to drop these charges against Julian. We’ll pay him enough money to make it worth his while. Come on Sheridan, you owe this to Ethan. You made Julian believe that this would all be handled behind closed doors, when the whole time you were planning to bring the FBI down on us.”

“I did that to protect my family against Julian. You know very well that he would have done everything in his power to stop us, and I had to fight back the best way I could. Julian had his men hold us prisoner when we were in Paris, and I’ll be damned if I will lift one finger to get him out of this mess. Besides, Sam Bennett and Martin Fitzgerald deserve justice, so don’t ask me to stand in the way of that, because I won’t do it!”

“I see, so you’re going to just stand by and watch Ethan, a nephew you claim to love lose everything?”

“I hope that doesn’t happen Ivy, but I have a feeling that Ethan would approve of what I’m doing.”

“Well, I can see that I was crazy to come here, but know this Sheridan. We will fight you with everything we have and you might not like the results if you persist in testifying against Julian.”

“I guess that’s just a chance I’ll have to take. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go spend some time with my family,” Sheridan said, turning her back on Ivy and walking away.

“Are you okay?” Luis asked, when she reached the blanket and sat down.

“I’m more than okay,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile. “You know Luis, earlier before you got here I was feeling a little guilty about turning against my family. Not about Julian of course, but I was concerned about Ethan, but I’m not any longer.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I think that Ivy just convinced me that maybe the best thing for Ethan would be to get out from under the plague of the Crane dynasty.”

“You’ve come a long way baby,” Luis said, bending over to give her a kiss, unfortunately it ended quickly because the twins thought it would be funny to splash their parents.

“I think that mommy and daddy better get you for that,” Sheridan told them, as her and Luis scooped up their children and tickled their tummies sending them into peals of laughter.

********************

Sam just sat on the sofa staring at his father’s badge feeling the pain of his death all over again. Ever since Luis had given him the news of the possibility that his father could have been murdered by Alistair, there was still a part of him that wanted to believe that it wasn’t so, but today after finding his body today the reality was hard to take. Those bastards were going to pay for what they did to his father, and to Martin Fitzgerald. He was going to make sure of that if it killed him in the process.

“How are you doing?” Grace asked, sitting down beside him and handing him a cup of coffee.

“Sad, and angry as hell,” Sam said, gripping the coffee cup in his hand. “He was a good man Grace, and he didn’t deserve what the Crane’s did to him.”

“I’m so sorry Sam, but I think that it might give you some comfort if we had another service for him. The last time it was hard to really say goodbye because you didn’t have a body, but now we can bury Ben in the church cemetery and let him rest in peace with the dignity that he deserves.”

“That would be nice Grace. I was thinking that I should probably go to the prison to let Hank know about our father. I know he screwed his life up, but he at least deserves to know the truth about how he died.”

“I think that would be a good idea,” Grace agreed. “Maybe you can begin to make peace with your brother.”

“I don’t know if that is possible Grace, but I do know that I’ll feel better after I tell him.”

“Hey, why is everyone looking like they lost their best friend?” Kay asked, walking into the room with Evan.

“Sit down Kay, there is something we have to tell you. Jessica and Noah already know, but you weren’t here earlier...........”

“That’s okay dad, just tell me what is going on.”

“The FBI got a warrant to search the Crane estate for your grandfather’s body, and we did find him. It looks like the Cranes murdered him.”

“Oh dad, I’m so sorry,” Kay said, getting up to give her father a hug.

“Thank you honey,” Sam told her, looking over her shoulder and straight at Evan.

Evan felt terrible about the news, and made the decision that he was probably the last person that Sam Bennett wanted in his house right now. In fact, he doubted that he would ever be welcomed again after what his father had done. “I am so sorry about what Alistair Crane did to your father. I wish that there were something I could do to change things, but we all know that I can’t. You don’t have to ask me to leave Chief Bennett,” Evan said, standing. “Just know that I would give anything right now if Alistair Crane were not my father.”

“No Evan, please don’t leave,” Kay begged him.

“Wait Evan,” Sam said, stopping him. “I don’t want you to leave. You have proven to me that you are nothing like your father and I know that you are a good man, and I’m glad that Kay has you in her life.”

“Do you really mean that Chief Bennett, because if you do I want you to know that I would do anything in the world for Kay, and your approval means a lot to me.”

“I do mean it Evan, “ Sam said, extending his hand. “Now, I think that we should call Father Lonnigan to see about another funeral service. As soon as they confirm my father’s identity through dental records we can put him to rest once and for all.”

********************

“I cannot believe that the children took so long to fall asleep tonight,” Sheridan said, as she walked into their bedroom. “You would think that after such an active day they would have been dead to the world hours ago.”

“I’m really surprised too, because when I read them a story an hour ago they looked like they were ready to nod off then.”

“Personally, I think that they were too exhausted to sleep,” Sheridan said, slipping off her robe before crawling in bed beside Luis. “They really were so cute today in their swimming pool. Tonight they kept saying swim mama, so I have a feeling that they are going to want to do it again tomorrow.”

“They said the same thing to me tonight when I was giving them their bath. I had to laugh at Luke when he got out of the tub because from behind he looked like that little Coppertone baby with the white butt,” Luis said, laughing.

“You know something,” she said, rubbing his chest. “You looked pretty sexy today sitting in the pool playing with Luke and Lily.”

“That’s nice to know, because I felt ridiculous, but it was worth it if it made the kids happy.”

“You are such a good father and it really turns me on,” Sheridan told him as she snuggled up beside him.

“So, are you turned on right now?” he asked, loving the way her soft skin felt against his.

“I think that I might be, but why don’t you give me a kiss and I’ll let you know for sure.”

“Oh, I think that I can do that, and a lot more,” he said, pulling her head closer to give her a searching, hungry kiss.

“Oh my, I am definitely turned on right now,” she mumbled against his lips.

“Are you turned on enough to scream out my name as I’m making love to you?”

“That is a very strong possibility,” she said, breathlessly as she moved her body against his.

“Why don’t you lie on your back so that I can kiss every inch of your body?” he requested in a husky voice.

“Only if I can watch, because I love the way your mouth looks when you are caressing my flesh with those hot kisses you do so well.”

“Then I can’t talk anymore because my words would just get lost against your flesh,” he told her right before he lowered his head to capture the tip of her breast in his mouth. He showed no quarter as he feasted on the sensitive peak, and then moved to her other breast to give it his full attention.

“Oh Luis, you have no idea how good that feels,” she moaned, while watching the brush of his tongue glide over her swollen nipples as his long fingers stroked her liquid heat.

“You’re already so hot, and I haven’t even begun to worship your body.”

“I think I can manage to hold on a little while longer while you continue,” she said with a sigh of contentment.

“Good, because I’m not going to stop until you are begging for me to be inside of you.” He didn’t wait for her to answer, and proceeded to run his magic lips over all of her secret places. The feel of his smooth hot flesh, the pull of his kisses, and the sensation of his erection brushing against her heated skin was threatening to send her over the edge, and Luis did get his wish. Suddenly she was begging him, wanting to be connected to him in the most intimate way when she reached the pinnacle of desire.

“Please Luis.............. I need you............. I need you right now.”

“Thank God you finally gave in because I don’t know how much longer I could have lasted,” he mumbled, and then kissed her hotly, while joining them together in a dance that was as old as the beginning of time.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Sheridan’s life was just about perfect right now but there was one thing missing that would make it complete, and that was to unearth her buried memories. She had mixed emotions about her upcoming session with Barbara, and she had yet to determine which one was the most prevalent. There was a sense of anticipation that came with the discovery of the hidden pieces of her life, but there was also the pain that would accompany those revelations. Also, if she were really honest with herself, she was hesitant to undergo hypnosis again, because she still had a bad taste in her mouth from the time that Eve had put her under. She knew that Eve had good intentions when she deceived them about the true nature of her session, but a certain trust was broken, and she didn’t know if she wanted to be that vulnerable again. It was not that she didn’t trust Barbara, but she wanted to remember things on her own. When she arrived at the medical building where Barbara kept her offices, she parked the car and tried to collect herself before going in for her appointment. Once she felt more relaxed, she proceeded into the building.

Since she was on time, Barbara’s secretary told her to go right in. The therapist was on the phone, and motioned for Sheridan to have a seat. “I am so sorry about that Sheridan,” she said after hanging up the phone. “My son had a scratchy throat this morning and I was checking with the nanny to see how he was doing.”

“I hope he’s okay..........”

“Yes, he’s fine. In fact, he was running around the house chasing the poor dog,” Barbara laughed

Sheridan laughed too, thinking about her precocious children. “That sounds familiar, only imagine having two of them.............. Wait a minute............., you are very good at this.”

“What do you mean Sheridan?”

“What I mean is that you are very good at relaxing me. I was pretty nervous when I walked in here and for some reason thinking about my children always puts me in a good place.”

“Well, I’m glad that it worked. Now, there’s been a lot going on in your life recently, so how are things going for you?”

“It’s been a little rough, but when is there not something going on in my life?” Sheridan said, trying to add a touch of humor. “Seriously though, I’ve had some misgivings about what this whole situation is doing to my nephew, Ethan, but I have to do the right thing. I just keep reminding myself that a man died, and another man lost years of his life with his family, but I take solace with my husband and my children.”

“And your brother? How do you feel about that?”

“My brother was a lost cause a long time ago. I won’t deny that it makes me sad that things had to come to this, but Julian has caused my family and me so much pain, and I’ve learned to distance myself from people like that.”

“Good, I really like your attitude Sheridan, but why don’t we move on to the subject we were going to concentrate on today................”

“You mean my childhood memories?” Sheridan said, feeling her stomach knotting up in a ball again.

“Yes,” Barbara smiled. “Why don’t we go over and sit in the chairs by the window? I find it so relaxing to be able to see the view of the lake. It’s also amusing to watch the antics of the Canadian Geese that love to frequent the place.”

“Okay,” Sheridan said, getting up to follow her, and that’s when she caught a whiff of Barbara’s perfume. The familiar fragrance assaulted her senses, bringing on emotions that she hadn’t felt in a long time. It hit her finally, that it was the perfume that her mother always wore. A memory of Katherine dressed in formal wear flashed through her mind. She was sitting on the edge of her bed to kiss her goodnight before she left for the evening and Sheridan remembered that the scent of her perfume stayed in the room long after her mother had gone. It had been easy to fall asleep after that because she had felt as if her mother was still there beside her. There was a feeling of comfort and love that she associated with the smell, but at the same time there was also something there that terrified her as well,

“Sheridan, is everything okay?” Barbara asked, as they sat down across from each other.

“No, I mean yes,” she said, shaking her head. “Your perfume smells just like the fragrance my mother used to wear. I haven’t smelled anything like it since my mother died. It’s really strange, but suddenly I remember that she told me once that she had purchased it on a trip to Paris.”

“Well, that would make sense then, because my husband was there and a business trip and brought this home for me as a surprise. You seem a little rattled by the scent............”

“I don’t know if I would call it rattled,” Sheridan said, shaking it off. “It just seemed strange to smell that after all of these years. Listen Barbara, I know that we were planning for me to go under hypnosis during today’s session, but I’m not sure I feel comfortable with it.”

“Well, if that is the case then I won’t put you under. I don’t ever want to do anything to make you feel uncomfortable Sheridan, but would you mind telling me why it bothers you?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you Barbara, because I really do, but I think I just feel a little uneasy after the last time I was hypnotized. Besides, I want to remember on my own. Sure, you could put me under and I could reveal all of my deep dark secrets, but once I wake up I still won’t remember and I will need you to tell me what I said. I just don’t think that I can truly heal until I remember these things on my own.”

“I do understand where you are going with this Sheridan, and I would prefer that you remember on your own too, but sometimes that’s not possible. I’ll admit that hypnosis is not my preferred tool for treatment, but it can help me to get into a patient’s psyche. I’ll tell you what though, why don’t we just leave it out there as an option and today we’ll just talk about what you remember about your parents?”

“Okay,” Sheridan said with a small smile. “I think that I can live with that.”

“Good, now why don’t you describe for me your relationship with your father?”

“Disconnected...........”

“Can you elaborate..............?

“I just remember that there was never any kind of a bond between us. At first he seemed to just tolerate me, but later on as I grew older he seemed to become more and more angry with me.”

“Why do you think he became angry with you?”

“I think that there was always a certain amount of anger for me because my mother was advised by her doctors not to have me because it would be too hard on her. Her declining health was a result of my birth, but I also think there was something else besides that. It was almost as if he resented my close relationship with my mother because he knew that he would never share that kind of love. My father was incapable of feeling any great passion about another human being. His business and the almighty Crane name were the only things that mattered to him.”

“Earlier, you seemed to be really shaken when you smelled my perfume. Can you tell me what you were feeling right then?”

“I really don’t know,” Sheridan said, weakly.

“Smell my wrist and tell me what you feel,” Barbara told her, holding her arm out for Sheridan.

Sheridan leaned over and did as Barbara instructed, inhaling the sweet aroma, and sat back with a start. Once again she could see her mother’s smiling face, but there was something else that was out of her reach. “I don’t know about this...........”

“Just tell me how you feel right now............”

“I feel happy because it reminds me of my mother, but something about it also frightens me. This doesn’t make sense............... How can the smell of perfume frighten me?”

“Actually Sheridan, it makes perfect sense. There is some memory locked in your subconscious that is being triggered by the smell of your mother’s perfume. Smell and touch are the first senses you develop as a human, and they are things that you can relate to certain situations in your life. Try to concentrate and think about what it is that frightens you.”

Sheridan closed her eyes and relaxed, and her father’s angry face flashed through her mind. “My father is so angry with me, but I don’t know why,” Sheridan cried. “I can smell the perfume and it’s very strong. I’m sorry but I just can’t remember any more.”

“It’s okay Sheridan,” Barbara said, calming her. “Sometimes it takes a while for the subconscious to release the memories.”

“So, we’re not any further ahead than when I came in here,” Sheridan said, disappointed. “Maybe I should have just let you hypnotize me.”

“On the contrary Sheridan, I believe we’ve made a lot of progress. You’ve opened a door that was closed before, and that’s a major accomplishment.”

“Really?” she asked, growing more hopeful. “Do you think that the memories will come back to me now?”

“Well Sheridan, the mind is a complex thing and there are never any certainties, but it could very well happen. Just try and remember that you have survived a plane crash, and being kidnapped, so you can survive this too. You’re very lucky that you have a loving supportive husband that will help you face whatever it is that you fear. Now, you know what my advice is whenever you leave here..............”

“Yes, go home and enjoy my family,” Sheridan said, breaking into a smile. “I intend to do just that Barbara,” she said, getting up to leave.

After Sheridan left, Barbara watched her patient walk towards her car with a feeling of accomplishment and dread. Alistair Crane must have been a monster, because she highly suspected that he abused his daughter both mentally and physically. It was surprising to her that Sheridan was as well adjusted as she was, but it was not going to be easy for her when she finally remembered.

********************

Luis was giving his father the grand tour of their home and couldn’t help but feel proud when he saw how impressed Martin was. He had just finished showing him the unfinished bonus room upstairs and his father told Luis that he would love to help him with the renovations when the time came. “I can’t believe how big the space is,” Martin told him. “What do you plan on doing with it?”

“Sheridan and I decided when we first moved in that eventually we would make it the master bedroom. Of course we would have to put in a bathroom, but I think it’s big enough to accommodate that.”

“It’s plenty big,” Martin agreed. “I’m curious though. You seem to have plenty of bedrooms, so why another one?”

“Well, actually there are only three right now, and once Luke and Lily get a little older they will have to have separate rooms. Plus, we would like to have another baby and keep the guestroom.”

“Another baby?” Martin said, smiling. “When are you planning on having this little bundle of joy?”

“Let’s just say we’re working on it and leave it at that,” Luis said, slightly embarrassed. “You wouldn’t mind keeping that little piece of information to yourself would you?”

“No problem son,” Martin said, patting Luis on the back. “This is certainly a grand old house Luis. It’s well built and there are a lot of architectural elements that really add to the appeal of the place. I’m proud of you son. You did well for yourself and still managed to take care of your family. Your mother told me that even after you moved out that you still helped her out with the finances. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you.”

“You don’t owe me any thanks papa,” Luis said, brushing off his gratitude. “Family should take care of their own, and speaking of family, we should get downstairs and save Miguel from the munchkins. He’s probably going to be too tired to go fishing after they get through with him.”

When they arrived downstairs, Miguel was on all fours and the twins were taking turns jumping on top of him. Luis took pity on his brother and bribed Luke and Lily with promises of juice boxes and Teddy Grahams. However, he wouldn’t allow them to have their treats until they sat at their little wooded table in the sunroom. “You can relax now Miguel. That should hold them off for a little while,” Luis laughed.

“I love playing with your kids Luis, but those two never want to stop. Thanks for the save.”

“No problem, but I think that you learned an important lesson today bro. Don’t ever offer to play with them unless you have some bribes in mind. Otherwise, they’ll keep you going all day if you let them.”

“Wow, if only we could bottle up all the energy and sell it,” Martin laughed. “We’d all be rich. It reminds me so much of when all of you were little.”

“God papa,” Miguel said. “There were five of us. You must have gone crazy.”

“Well, I will admit that things got a little hectic when we were all living at the cottage, but I wouldn’t trade those memories for all the money in the world. Speaking of old times, I forgot I have something for you in the car Luis.” Martin went outside and was back within a few minutes. “Do you remember this Luis?”

“My little fishing hat,” Luis said, looking at it like it was some ancient treasure. “I can’t believe you found this. I always thought that it got lost or left behind when we had to move out of the cottage. This was always so special to me because it looked just like the fishing hat that you wore. You bought one for Antonio too, but where did you ever find it?”

“I was upstairs in the attic going though some old boxes when I ran across it. Your mother washed it up and took a seam in the back so that if would be small enough for Luke. Since we were taking him on his first fishing trip today, I thought you might want to give it to him.”

“Thanks papa,” Luis said, pulling his father into a bear hug. “You have no idea how much this means to me and I’m sure that Luke will love it.”

“I’m sorry that I don’t have one for you too Miguel, but you were just a baby back then,” Martin said, feeling bad that he didn’t have something for His other son.

“That’s okay papa,” Miguel said, not feeling the least bit slighted. “I’m just glad that you found it so that Luis could give it to Luke.”

Right then they heard a car pull up outside, and Luis looked out the window and was happy to see that Sheridan was home. He had been concerned about her since Barbara was putting her under hypnosis today. “Looks like mommy is home,” he called to the twins.

That was enough to make them desert their treats, and the twins came flying into the living room running for the front door. “Mama, mama,” they shouted, excitedly.

“Wow, they certainly love their mother,” Martin said, smiling, as he watched them fly out the door.

“Okay you two settle down and let daddy help you down the porch steps so you don’t fall and crack your heads open,” Luis said, trying to contain them.

“He’s become me,” Martin snickered, and Miguel laughed too, finding his father’s comparison amusing.

Sheridan started to cry happy tears when she saw Luis come out of the house with the twins. How could she not, when she noticed how happy they all were to see her? She quickly wiped the moisture away, and got out of the car just in time to greet them all as they approached the car. “My goodness, you are too cute for words,” she said, hugging and kissing her children. She then proceeded to do the same thing to their father.

“I take it from your mood that things went well today,” Luis said, hopefully.

“Let’s just say it was very interesting, but I’ll tell you all about it later. Will you help me take the groceries in?”

“Why did you get groceries?” Luis asked, confused.

“Because we are having your family over tonight for a cookout. Don’t you remember that I told you I was going to pick up the steaks?” Sheridan said, shaking her head at her absent-minded husband.

“Oh yeah, I guess I forgot that we didn’t have the food yet,” Luis said, sheepishly.

When they went into the house, Sheridan was surprised to see Martin and Miguel there. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” she told them smiling. “I didn’t expect to see you until later this afternoon. How did you get here anyway? I didn’t see any cars out front.”

“I picked them up after I went to the office to meet with that client. I thought it would be fun to do some fishing in the lake this afternoon. Mama and Theresa are coming out later.”

“That sounds like fun, but I better not stand here chatting too long or my groceries are going to go bad,” she said, moving toward the kitchen with Luis loaded down with bags behind her.

“So, tell me about your session,” Luis said as soon as they were alone.

“Well, as it turned out I didn’t get hypnotized after all, which was fine with me after that whole fiasco with Eve. It was really strange, because Barbara had on the same perfume that my mother used to wear and it made me remember some things.”

“That’s great Sheridan. What did you remember?”

“Not much, I’m afraid, but Barbara seems to think that it was some kind of breakthrough and that now that I’ve opened a door, the rest may come back to me. It was a little frightening, because for some reason the smell made me remember my father being really angry with me.”

“That really doesn’t surprise me honey. Your father was a bastard that treated all the people around him like second class-citizens. Just remember that we all love you and he can’t hurt you any longer.”

“I know that Luis, and I thank God every day for you and the children,” she said, hugging him close. “I love you all so much.”

“So, do you think you’ll be okay here alone with Lily, while the guys go fishing?”

“I’ll be fine................ Wait a minute................ What do you mean by me being here alone with Lily? What about my little boy?”

“I was going to take him fishing with us...............”

“Luis, I don’t know if that is such a good idea. He’s so little and it scares me just thinking about him falling into that lake.”

“Sheridan, I would never let anything happen to Luke,” he said, trying to reassure her.

“I know that you wouldn’t, but accidents do happen,” she said, with a worried look.

“Sheridan, I promise that between papa, Miguel, and me Luke couldn’t be in better hands. Besides, papa brought the fishing hat I had as a little boy so that I could give it to Luke.”

“Oh, that is so sweet,” she said, smiling. “I can’t wait to see him in it.”

“Does that mean you’ll let him come fishing with us?” Luis asked, pleadingly.

“Okay, but you have to promise to keep your eye on him every minute. No leaving him alone, so that you can catch the big one..............”

“Sheridan, I would give my life for him............”

“I know you would,” she said, kissing him. “I hope you know that your daughter is not going to like it that she has to stay home while her brother goes on an adventure.”

“Well, I would take her, but you know this is kind of a Lopez-Fitzgerald man bonding kind of thing..............”

“Say no more, Lily and I will just have to think of a girl bonding kind of thing to do,” Sheridan laughed.

“Thanks honey,” Luis said, kissing her. “You are the best.”

As the men were getting their gear together to go fishing, Luis gave Luke his fishing hat. The little boy looked adorable and he was so excited that he had fishing hat just like his daddy, and ran over to show Sheridan. “Hat, mama.”

“I see that sweetie. You look very handsome,” she said, squatting down in front of him. “Will you promise mommy that you will be good and stay with daddy?”

“Dada fiss,” Luke told her excitedly.

“Yes, you are going fishing. Will you give mommy a kiss so she won’t miss you so much?”

Luke put his arms around her and planted a wet kiss on her cheek. “Bye bye mama.”

She scooped Lily up in her arms, but she squiggled to get down. “Me fiss,” Lily said, pointing to her daddy.

“I’m sorry Lily, daddy and Luke are going to go do boy things, but mommy promises that we will have fun to.”

“Okay, we’re taking off,” Luis told her, giving his wife and daughter a kiss.

Sheridan watched the guys walk toward the path in the woods. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw Luis with Luke on his shoulders, holding his tackle box in his hand. Both of her guys had their fishing hats on, and it was an endearing sight to her eyes. “Wave bye Lily,” she told her daughter. Once they were out of view, she turned to Lily. “Now, little girl, let’s go find something girly to do.” For some reason, her mother’s trunk came to mind, and she decided that it would be fun to show Lily all the stuff that Katherine had saved for her. If she was honest, she also hoped that there would be something in there that would jar her memory. When they went upstairs and opened the trunk, Lily forgot all about being left out of the fishing trip. Sheridan found one of her old dolls that was still in pristine condition, and handed it to Lily. “This is Annabelle. She used to be mommy’s favorite doll when she was little, and I think that Grandma Katherine kept her so that one day I could give her to you.”

Lily’s face lit up when her mother handed her the doll, and she hugged it close and kissed it. “Babee,” she cooed in her little voice.

“Mommy is so happy that you like Annabelle. Look at this pretty dress. I think that it should fit you by now. Would you like to try it on?”

“Yes, yes,” Lily said, clapping her hands.

Sheridan helped Lily take her sun suit off and slipped the lacy white dress over her daughter’s head. She buttoned the blue satin sash around her and sat back and admired how adorable her little girl looked. “Oh Lily, you look so pretty.”

Lily ran to the full-length mirror and admired herself in her new dress. As usual, she had to spin around, making the skirt float out around her. “See me mama.”

“I do see you baby, and mommy thinks you look just about perfect.”

Lily felt like she had died and gone to heaven, and she ran over to the trunk to see what other treasures she could find. As she was leafing through the contents, Sheridan spotted her mother’s silver brush and comb set, and lifted it out to admire the intricate carvings on the back. Her mother’s initials were scrolled in the middle and she traced them with her finger. Suddenly, a flash of memory hit her that was so clear that it was like she was there in person. She was sitting at her mother’s dressing table pretending that she was all grown up and getting ready to go out to some grand event. She brushed her hair with this very brush until it crackled with electricity. Her hand reached for her mother’s perfume and when she picked it up, the bottle slipped out of her grip and shattered when it hit the floor. As the sweet fumes surrounded her, she remembered looking in the mirror to see her father’s angry face standing behind her. He grabbed her arm tightly..............

“Mama see,” Lily said excitedly, bringing Sheridan back to the present.

As shaken as she was, she got herself under control for her daughter’s sake. “Yes Lily; show mommy what you found.”

********************

“It’s about time you got me out of that hellhole,” Julian complained, as his lawyer with Ethan’s help struggled to get Julian into the car.

“You should be happy he managed to get you out at all,” Ethan told him. “You are considered a flight risk father, and I’m still a little shocked that the judge granted you bail.”

“Don’t forget that he did so, with the stipulation that your father wear the ankle band with the tracking device inside,” his lawyer reminded him. “If you even try to leave the area of Harmony the feds will be on you so fast your head will spin.”

“Why don’t you quit with the lectures and work on getting me out of this mess,” Julian demanded. “Drive fast Ethan. You have no idea how badly I need a drink. Of course, I’m going to have to be fumigated after being locked up in that disgusting cell.”

“You know something father,” Ethan said with exasperation. “You should be damn lucky that Howard convinced the FBI not to add murder to your list of charges. Fortunately they have no proof that you had any knowledge that Sam Bennett’s father was buried on your property. Please tell me again that it was all grandfather’s doing.”

“I swear to you son that I knew nothing about any murder or body being buried. If father killed Ben Bennett, I’m sure that it was probably in self-defense.”

“You seem pretty sure about that considering that you know nothing of it,” Ethan said, skeptically. “Of course, we still have to worry about the IRS finding something in the books.............. I would feel a lot better if you would assure me again that they won’t find anything.”

“Don’t worry Ethan, the IRS will find nothing,” Julian promised.

“That’s good,” Ethan said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I’m not so sure that you’re going to get out of the kidnapping charge so easily. Martin Fitzgerald isn’t going to rest until you pay, and to be honest with you father, I can’t say I blame him.”

“Martin Fitzgerald is making all of that kidnapping business up so he can save face with his family. It will be his word against mine,” Julian said, confidently.

“And if Aunt Sheridan testifies about that night...............?”

“You’re aunt’s word means nothing, and if she persists with this hatchet job she will regret the day she ever crossed me.”

“I will do whatever I can to help you father, but I will not stand by and let you hurt Sheridan,” Ethan promised.

“Relax Ethan. The feds are not going to send a man in a wheelchair to prison. They’re just trying to throw their weight around.”

“Don’t be so sure about that Julian,” his lawyer advised, sending a chill through his body.

********************

By the time the boys had gotten home from fishing, Pilar and Theresa had already arrived and were in the kitchen helping Sheridan prepare the food. Luke came running into the house holding a tiny fish on the line, proudly displaying it for his mother to see. Luis had assured her that he had actually caught the fish, but since Luke helped hold the fishing pole, he thought the accomplishment was all his. Lily couldn’t wait to show her daddy her pretty new doll, and he told her that Annabelle was just about as pretty as she was. Sheridan tried her best to enjoy the wonderful family evening, but she couldn’t shake the memory she had experienced earlier when she had picked up her mother’s hairbrush. Her father’s face had been so filled with anger, almost evil, and she knew that it was only going to get worse when she remembered everything. Martin announced that they had called Maria the night before and she was going to be bringing Paloma home the following week, and they all raised their glasses to toast the happy family reunion. When Sheridan looked over to Luis, he gave her a knowing look that told her he had guessed that something was going on with her. As much as she loved Luis’ family, she was happy when they left because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up with the front.

Luis held off saying anything to her until after the twins were tucked in for the night and they were lying in bed beside each other. He was so tender and sweet the way he pulled her into his arms to comfort her. “Are you going to tell me what is bothering you?” he asked, kissing her forehead.

“When Lily and I were going through my mother’s trunk today, I remembered something that really shook me up.”

“Tell me about it,” he said softly as he rubbed her back.

“I picked up my mother’s silver brush and I remembered sitting at my mother’s dressing table. I was very young, but I thought it would be fun to pretend that I was all grown up. I didn’t mean to drop the perfume. It was just an accident, but my father was there and he pulled me up by my arm.............. Oh God,” she said, sitting up in bed with a horrified look. He told me that I was a bad girl and that I had no business playing with expensive things. I tried to tell him that I was sorry, but he said that I had to be punished...................”

“It’s okay Sheridan. You don’t have to remember any more,” he told her, feeling her heartbreak at what the bastard had done to her.

“No Luis,” she cried. “I have to tell you............ He made me hang on to the bedpost, and then............... he took his belt off and snapped it across my back and my legs over and over again. I tried not to cry, but it hurt so badly............” She started to sob, feeling the pain as if it were yesterday.

Luis pulled her back down in his arms protectively. “It’s okay sweetie. Get it out of your system. I promise you that I will never let anyone hurt you again,” he told her gently, feeling his own eyes welling up with tears for her suffering. She did let it out then, spilling all of her grief until finally she fell into an exhausted sleep. Luis, however lay there long into the night feeling the anger take hold of his body, because he knew that what she had just revealed to him was only a piece of the big disgusting nightmare, and he cursed Alistair Crane a thousand times over.

Chapter 30

Luis awakened the next morning to find Sheridan walking out of the bathroom wearing the saddest look on her face. She looked so dejected and he wanted so desperately to do something to make her pain go away. Her big blue eyes were red and swollen from the night before, but it did nothing to deter from her beauty. When she looked up and noticed that he was awake, he held out his arms for her, and she ran to the bed and crawled into his comforting embrace. “Did you have another memory about your father?”

“No Luis, it’s not that. I let you down.............”

“What are you talking about? You could never let me down,” he told her adamantly.

“You don’t know Luis......... I just found out that we’re not going to have a baby,” she cried.

“Sheridan, please look at me?” he said, lifting her chin. “We just started trying to have a baby again and I don’t want you to stress out about this. The chances of you getting pregnant the first time out are one in a million. Honey, you have no more control over the situation than I do, so how can you possibly think that you let me down?”

“It’s just that I know how much you want another child and I want to be able to give that to you............”

“I do want another baby, but we don’t have to have one today. Besides, we have two pretty special little kids right now,” Luis said, trying to cheer her up.

“Yes,” she said, finally smiling. “They are an amazing gift, but still............”

“Look, I’m no therapist, but I think that you might be over sensitive about this right now because of everything that is happening with you. Sweetheart, things are difficult enough, so will you promise me that you will try not to focus on this?”

“Oh Luis, I’m so sorry. You deserve a medal for putting up with all of my issues, and you never complain,” she said, stroking his face with her hand.

“Don’t even say that or I might have to get mad. There have been plenty of times when I was the one with issues, and you were there fighting my battles like an avenging angel. Don’t you see Sheridan............. That’s what love is all about, and I would put up with anything just to see your beautiful face light up when you look at our children or grace me with your smile.............”

“You need to stop before I start to cry again,” she said, hugging him tightly. “I love you so much and I am going to stop stressing over having another baby, because you just reminded me about just how lucky I am.”

“Now that is what I like to hear, but I do have a question...........”

“What Luis?”

“Just because we’re not going to stress about having a baby can we still work on it as frequently as possible?” he asked, sheepishly.

Sheridan just stared at him for a moment and then she broke out in laughter. “I’m pretty sure that I can accommodate you with that request.”

“See, I got you to laugh and it certainly is a precious sight to see...................” Luis didn’t finish his sentence, because suddenly the sound of Ace’s barking pierced the early morning silence.

Since it was a habit of the big protective dog to sleep in the children’s room they jumped out of bed with a start. “Oh God, the babies................,” Sheridan called out fearfully running out of the room with Luis close behind her. They arrived at the nursery to find Luke with his little arm stretched to the limit from between the bars on his bed. His fist was wrapped around the cord of the lamp on the bedside table, and he had managed to pull it precariously close to the edge.

“No no, Luke,” Luis said, trying to keep his voice calm so that he didn’t frighten the little boy.

Luke looking at his father with big eyes, let go of the cord and pointed to the lamp. “Fiss dada.”

“Daddy doesn’t understand Sport............”

“He’s talking about the hand painted fish on the lamp,” Sheridan explained, her heart still beating rapidly from the near disaster.

“Okay son, we need to have a little talk,” Luis said, scooping Luke out of bed. “That was a very dangerous thing to do, because if the lamp would have fallen the glass could have shattered everywhere and it could have hit you in the face.”

“Fiss,” Luke said, again pointing to the lamp.

“Luis, I really don’t think he understands you. You’re going to have to do something about that cord so that he can’t reach it. Your fishing trip yesterday must have made a huge impression on him, and you,” Sheridan said, squatting down to hug Ace’s neck. “What a good boy you are. I think I’m going to have to give you a special treat today.”

“Mama, me down,” Lily called to her, hopping up and down, curls bouncing.

“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to ignore you,” Sheridan said, picking up her daughter to hug her close.

“Banabelle,” Lily insisted, squirming around.

“Okay, but I have a feeling that your kitty is going to be really sad because you never play with her anymore,” Sheridan told her as she put her down on the floor.

Lily ran over to pick up her doll, and then back to her mother. “Kiki too.”

“I don’t know Peanut,” Luis teased. “That’s a pretty big load for such a little squirt like you.”

“I’ll tell you what. Mommy will get your kitty, but first we have to change your diaper. Soon, we’re going to buy you and Luke a little potty of your own so you can stop wearing a diaper and then mommy will buy you some pretty panties.”

“Don’t make them too pretty, or she’ll want to show them to everyone,” Luis warned.

“Oh, that daddy,” Sheridan said, lifting Lily onto the changing table. “I promise that mommy is going to make sure that you can date before you’re twenty-one.”

“Banabelle,” Lily said, lifting the dress of her doll to reveal the lacy bloomers.

Sheridan and Luis couldn’t help but laugh at her actions. “I think you’re a lot smarter than we thought,” Sheridan told her daughter, tickling her tummy. “Okay, can we put Annabelle over here for a second, so mommy get take your pajama top off?” Lily reluctantly did as her mother requested, and Sheridan finished putting on her diaper and lifted Lily down from the table. “Luis will you dress Lily in her blue shorts outfit while I change Luke?”

“Sure,” he said, handing over Luke to her. “Okay Peanut, time to get dressed.” The little girl giggled at her father and took off running, with her doll and her kitty in her arms, wearing nothing but her diaper. Luis took off after her, swearing the whole time that he could feel the hairs on his head getting gray.

Sheridan smiled as she watched them run out of the room, and then looked down to her son. “You know little boy, you really scared mommy and daddy earlier,” she said, leaning down to kiss him. “How about if mommy buys you a real fish that you can keep as a pet? We can put him in a glass bowl with colorful rocks on the bottom, but you won’t be able to play with him because he has to live in the water.”

Luke’s eyes grew big, and he began to chatter excitedly. “Fiss hat dada pawpaw Gell..............”

“My goodness, you sure had fun with daddy yesterday,” she said, flashing him a sweet smile. “We’re all going to go to the office today, but mommy will take some time out to take you and Lily to the park for a while. There is a fishpond there and mommy will let you wear your special hat.”

“I finally caught Peanut all hunched down hiding beside our bed,” Luis announced, walking in the room with Lily in his arms. “She thought it was funny to hide from her daddy.”

“Relax honey, you know it’s only going to get worse,” Sheridan chuckled.

“Don’t remind me, I can already feel the acid in my stomach eating away the lining as we speak.”

********************

Several weeks had passed and with it Sheridan remembered more and more of her childhood memories. She had just finished telling Barbara about what happened after her father had caught her spilling her mother‘s perfume. It was difficult to relive, but at the same time felt like a weight had been lifted from her. She wanted to let it all out so that she could finally purge the pain and move on with her life with no more shadows. She took some deep breaths to relax herself and proceeded to tell Barbara the rest of the story. “My mother was out of town the night my father hit me with the belt, and I was glad that she was because I didn’t want her to be angry at me for what I did.”

“You mean that you didn’t tell your mother about what your father did to you?” Barbara asked, trying not to show her surprise.

“No,” Sheridan said, staring off into space, but then she looked back to Barbara. “I know now that I should have, but my father convinced me that I was a very bad girl and I didn’t want to disappoint my mother. I thought that I deserved the beating my father gave me, so I kept it a secret, but my mother found out anyway.”

“How did she find out Sheridan?”

“I was taking a bath, and I remember my mother came in with a fluffy white towel. I didn’t even realize that I had welts all over the back of me but my mother saw them and she was horrified. She asked me what happened and I told her that I was bad, so I had to be punished. She put some cream on the sore spots and put me to bed, but I knew that she was very upset. I told her that I was sorry, but she said that it was not my fault.”

“And, how did your mother respond to that?”

“She said that it was not my fault, and that she loved me very much. Then she tucked me into bed, and listened to my prayers, and then she left. I fell asleep, but then something woke me up................,” Sheridan stumbled a bit trying to gain control. “This is harder than I thought.”

“It’s okay Sheridan. Just take your time,” Barbara said, pouring her patient a glass of water.

Sheridan took a drink, and felt a little more relaxed. “I heard my parents arguing, and I just knew it was because of me. I still don’t know what compelled me to do it, but I got out of bed and went to investigate. I found them in my father’s bedroom, and the door was ajar so I peeked inside. I heard my mother tell my father that she could put up with his other women, and his evil business practices, but she refused to stand by and let him abuse her child. Father told her that she was too soft, and that she should mind her own business and go to bed. He turned his back on her and she grabbed his arm, and.........................” She stopped, because she was shaking so badly that it was hard to get any words out.

“Take some deep breaths and another drink of the water,” Barbara advised.

“I’m okay now,” Sheridan assured her. “I’d like to continue.”

“Okay, but if you feel the need to stop don’t try to force yourself.”

“When my mother grabbed my father’s arm, he went crazy, and.............., he slapped her across the face and she fell against the bedpost. I wanted to help her, but I was just frozen............... I tried to call out for my father to stop, but my voice wouldn’t work. I didn’t do anything, and it was all my fault that she was in that situation.”

“No Sheridan, it was not your fault. You were just like any other little girl that wanted to play dress up. It was an accident that you spilled your mother’s perfume, and it didn’t warrant a beating like your father gave to you. Your mother was a very brave woman, and she loved you very much. That’s what you have to focus on.”

“I know that. I was lucky to have her as long as I did, but I just wish that she could have had a better life, and I still feel guilty that my birth eventually killed her.”

“You know that the more I hear, the more I come to realize that your abuse is not the only reason that you blocked out these memories. You are so filled with guilt, and because of that you subconsciously felt like you didn’t deserve to have happiness. You told me that before you met Luis, that all the men in your life were users. You always thought it was because you didn’t have good judgment, but I suspect that you chose those types of men because you didn’t think you were worthy of someone that was good and decent.”

“My God, am I that pathetic?” Sheridan asked dejectedly.

“No Sheridan, you aren’t pathetic. You were just trying to deal with your pain the best way you could. The good news is that you actually began to heal a long time ago.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because, you finally allowed yourself to fall in love with a man that loved you back. You also took charge of your life and stopped being the victim, and you found happiness in spite of everything.”

“I’ll be honest with you Barbara, there are still times when I think that I don’t deserve the wonderful life I have, but the support and love I receive from my family gets me though it.”

“Everyone feels that way from time to time; because it’s only human nature to have insecurities, but it’s how you deal with them that makes all the difference. The good news is that you are facing your demons and as painful as it’s been for you, you’re a survivor.”

“You know Barbara, in all the time I’ve been coming here, I’ve never heard you talk so much,” Sheridan said, smiling.

Barbara laughed. “Well, I make it a practice to listen to my patients and let them tell me what’s wrong, before I offer any opinions.”

“I just don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to thank you..........”

“Hey, you thank me every time you pay your bill,” Barbara teased. “Seriously though, I think that we can cut out the weekly visits, but I want you to call me whenever you feel the need to talk.”

“Thank you Barbara, I’ll do that,” Sheridan said, getting up to leave.

Barbara walked her to the door, and offered her some advice. “Just remember if you should have another painful memory that it’s always important to talk about it. If not with me, then share it with your husband. He sounds like a pretty amazing guy.”

“He is Barbara............ He really is.”

********************

Martin had been fortunate enough to find a job doing the financials for one of the major construction companies in the area, and the added bonus was that he was able to work from home. The firm was headquartered in the United Kingdom, so most of the administrative work was done from trailers at the construction site. It was his job to visit the sites and collect the necessary paperwork so that he could do the accounting and email it to corporate office. The one major drawback was learning how to use a computer. Things had really changed in the time he had been locked up in the institution, because in his day all that an accountant needed was some number two pencils and a good calculator. It was rare for anybody back then to have a home computer. Theresa had shown him most of the basics, and now he was trying to acclimate himself to the software the company used to do their financials. The salary had seemed exorbitant to him at first, until Pilar reminded him that the cost of living had grown quite a bit since he was working in the past. It was still a decent income and had allowed Pilar to quit her job at the Crane Mansion. Ivy had insisted that Pilar stay on, but under the present circumstances there was no way that Martin was going to let her be in the same house as Julian Crane. He wasn’t planning on doing this forever, and one day they would have enough money to have the business that Pilar and him had always dreamed about.

Just then, he happened to gaze out of the window and saw his wife playing in the yard with their grandchildren. Luis was out working for a client, and Sheridan had dropped Luke and Lily off while she went to her session with the therapist. He was glad that he had splurged the other day and purchased the sandbox for the twins because they appeared to be having a grand time digging around in the white
granules. He had to smile when he saw their little socks and tennis shoes sitting beside the sandbox. He was so intent on watching them that he didn’t even hear the car drive up, so it surprised him a little when he heard Sheridan call out.

“Hello, is anybody home?”

“I’ll be right out Sheridan,” he answered.

“I’m sorry Martin, I hope that I didn’t disturb your work,” she said when he walked in the room.

“Not at all. In fact, I was just ready to take a lunch break.”

“So, where are those two little rascals of mine? I hope they weren’t so bad that you had to restrain them somewhere,” she teased.

“Never, they are always a joy,” Martin assured her. “They’re in the back yard with Pilar playing in their new sandbox and having a ball.”

“New sandbox? Martin, you shouldn’t have............”

“Don’t worry Sheridan, it has a cover to put on the top when they’re not using it to keep the cats out of it.”

“I didn’t mean that,” she laughed. “It’s just that I don’t want you spending a lot of money on them. Besides, I hope you realize that they are going to want to be here all the time now.”

“And that would be a bad thing?”

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she chuckled, and then sobered. “You know Martin; I’m glad that I have a chance to talk to you alone for a few minutes. I have most of my memories back about the night you disappeared.”

“That’s great Sheridan. Is there anything more that you remember than what we’ve already been able to piece together?”

“To be honest, the actual stabbing is still a blur, but I do remember witnessing my father hitting my mother, and it was a very traumatic moment for me, so it would make sense that I would equate what was happening to you with that experience. I felt really guilty that I wasn’t able to help my mother, and I wasn’t going to let my father hurt anybody else. I remember seeing your body on the floor, and then my father threw a sheet over you. The blood on the white sheet that I always saw in my dream must have come from him. Julian was there because I remember my father yelling at him to take care of things. It was confusing to me at first, and my father took advantage of that because he started to blame me for everything.”

“My God, even that soon he was using you as a scapegoat,” Martin swore. “You were a brave little girl, and I want you to know how much I appreciate it,” he said, taking Sheridan’s hands.

“I just wish that I could have stopped them............”

“It wasn’t in your power,” Martin assured her.

A knock on the door cut their conversation short, and Martin answered it to find Agent Burton standing on the other side. “I’m afraid I have some bad news,” he announced when he walked into the living room. “Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald, I’m glad that you’re here.”

“What is it Agent Burton?” Martin asked, concerned.

“Dr. Heintzman has passed away from injuries he sustained from a car accident, so we’ve lost an important witness.”

“That’s terrible,” Sheridan said. “I didn’t really care for the man, but I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

“When did this accident happen Agent Burton?” Martin asked, suspiciously.

“I believe it was about six weeks ago. Apparently, he was intoxicated at the time,” the agent explained.

“I find that very odd that he would have this accident just around the time we left Paris,” Martin said, skeptically. “Also, I would have never figured Heintzman to be a drinking man.”

“Do you suspect foul play?” Burton asked.

“It could have very well been an accident, but I find it all very convenient,” Martin told him.

“One of our agents is over there now interviewing Georges Chevez, and he is willing to testify that you were indeed in that clinic, but we wanted Dr. Heintzman to confirm that Julian was the one paying for Martin’s upkeep. The Federal Prosecutor is adamant that we need to connect the money trail to Julian Crane to make the case stronger.”

“Wait a minute, what about Gertrude, Dr. Heintzman’s secretary?” Sheridan asked, directing the question to Martin.

“Oh my God Sheridan, I forgot all about Gertrude. She was devoted to Dr. Heintzman, and if anyone would know all of his business it would be her.”

“What is this Gertrude’s last name,” the agent asked.

“To tell you the truth, I never heard her last name,” Martin said, and Sheridan stated that she didn’t know either.

“Well, it shouldn’t be too difficult to track her down. I’ll call my man over there and have him get right on it. Now, Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald...............”

“Please, call me Sheridan,” she offered.

“Okay, Sheridan,” he smiled. “I really wanted to avoid this, but I’m afraid that the Federal Prosecutor is going to need for you to testify about what you saw that night. Did you remember anything else since we talked last?”

Sheridan felt an instant bolt of fear rush through her, but quickly calmed herself refusing to give into the anxiety. “Yes, I remember almost everything,” she said, and proceeded to fill him in on the facts that she remembered.

“This is good,” the agent said, making some notes in his black book. “You should both be called in soon to give depositions to the prosecutor.”

“We’ll be there,” Martin assured him, giving Sheridan a look of sympathy. After Agent Burton left, Martin did his best to try and comfort her. “I’m sorry Sheridan. I hate like hell that you have to go through this.”

“I hate it too, but I am not going to dwell on it. I have wasted too much time already on being an emotional wreck, and frankly I’m tired of feeling that way. I’m going to start putting my focus on the good things in my life, and speaking of the good things, I’m going to go collect my children,” she said, turning to head outside, but she suddenly swung around and kissed Martin on the cheek. “Thank you for your concern though.”

When she got outside and saw her children, she smiled with the joy of just gazing upon them. They spotted her, and jumped out of the sandbox all excited to show her their new toy. “Mama come. San boat,” Luke told here with big eyes, tugging on her hand.

“Okay,” she said, hugging them both. “By the way Luke, it’s called a sandbox. A boat floats on the water.”

Lily pulled away from her and started running for the back door. “Pawpaw get,” she called back to her mother.

Sheridan took off after her and stopped her little girl before she reached the door. “Hold on there Lily. Where are you going?”

Lily tried to pull away again, and looked at her mother with the most frustrated expression. “Banabelle san mama.”

“No Lily. Mommy doesn’t think that is a very good idea. You need to wait until you get into the house to play with Annabelle.”

Lily stuck her lip out, and tears started streaming down her cheeks. “Banabelle,” she wailed.

“Lily, mommy is not trying to upset you, but if you take Annabelle in the sand you will ruin her. Her pretty dress would get all dirty and you don’t want that to happen, do you?”

Martin saved the day, when he came out the backdoor and announced that lunch was ready. “Who wants macaroni and cheese?”

Upon hearing that, Lily immediately forgot her plight over her doll, and ran to her grandfather, with Luke close at her heels. “Roni pawpaw,” they chanted. Martin scooped both of them up in his arms and carried them into the house.

“Martin certainly loves his grandchildren,” Pilar said, smiling as she walked toward Sheridan carrying the twins’ socks and shoes.

“They feel the same way about him, and he pretty much clinched it by buying them the sandbox. They are all so sweet together,” she said fondly, staring at the back door, long after they had gone inside.

“Yes, they certainly are,” Pilar said, getting all misty eyed. “Would you like some macaroni and cheese Sheridan?”

“Sure, why not? Sheridan smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to have some iced tea to go along with that would you?”

“I think that could be arranged,” Pilar told her, as they walked into the house.

Sheridan took a sip of her tea and watched in amusement as her children ate their macaroni one noodle at a time. Their little cheeks were caked up with cheese where they had touched their faces with their grubby hands. “I hope that the children were good for you today,” she said, putting her glass down on the table.

“They were very good,” Pilar assured her. “We did have one little incident, when Luke tried to climb that little apple tree that Luis planted in the backyard a few years ago.”

“He did what?” Sheridan asked, aghast.

“Don’t worry, he didn’t get very far before I caught him,” Pilar assured her. “He is just like his papa. Do you remember Martin how you used to swear that Luis was part monkey?” she laughed.

“Yes I do Pilar,” Martin said, laughing. “Nobody could climb a tree like Luis.”

“He was a good climber. He certainly saved me,” Sheridan said, not sure what made her say that.

“Oh, when did Luis climb a tree to save you?” Pilar asked.

“I really don’t know,” Sheridan said, shaking her head in confusion. “I don’t know what even made me say that.”

The conversation was forgotten when Luke spilled his milk on the floor, and Sheridan hustled to clean up the mess. Later, as she was driving home, thoughts of her coming testimony entered her mind. She started to arrange the facts in her head, hoping that she would not make a fool of herself. As the night started out, she remembered kneeling down to say her prayers feeling really happy about something. Her earlier conversation with Luis’ parents about his proficiency with tree climbing popped into her head, and with it a revelation that both shocked and delighted her. Finally, there was something about that fateful night that was good and decent. She could hardly wait to share her latest memory with Luis, and prayed that he would confirm that it wasn’t just a wonderful dream.

********************

It was already turning dark when Luis was finally able to make his way home. He had been busy all day working for a client, and then when he stopped by the office before going home, Agent Burton from the FBI was waiting for him. He informed Luis about Dr. Heintzman’s death and that he would be asked to testify for the prosecution over the kidnapping incident in Paris. He had also informed him that he had spoken with papa and Sheridan that day, and that the prosecutor decided to use her testimony. That was a piece of news that he had dreaded hearing. Sheridan had been so emotional the last several weeks now that she was getting her buried memories back, and he did not want her to go through that. Julian’s attorney would tear her apart on the cross-examination, and he worried that she wouldn’t be able to take that in her present state of mind. She was probably a wreck right now just thinking about the upcoming trial, and he wanted to get home to her to offer comfort. When he called her right before he left the office, she wasn’t able to say more than a few words because she was trying to give the twins a bath. Damn, he wished that his business today hadn’t taken so long. It was bad enough that he was not there for Sheridan, but he hated like hell to miss Luke and Lily’s bedtime story. He was relieved when the lane leading back to their house came into view. When he walked through the front door, he was surprised to see that the lights were turned down low, and candles were lit to set off a soft romantic glow in the room. “Sheridan, I’m home,” he called out, looking around confused.

“Well, it’s about time,” she said, entering the room carrying a bottle of wine and wearing the sexiest little nightgown that Luis had ever seen. “Is there something wrong?” she asked, smiling when she saw his reaction.

“Shh...........Sheridan, what is going on here,” he asked, unable to take his eyes off of her.

“I knew you had a long day at work, and I though that maybe you would like to relax with a good bottle of wine,” she said, pouring them both a glass, and then walked toward him offering him one of the crystal goblets.

Luis couldn’t believe how incredible her breasts looked falling out of the paper-thin silk gown she wore. He was finding it hard to breathe, let alone talk, but then he finally found his voice. “My heart is pounding really fast,” was all that he could manage.

“Will you kiss me any way?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Luis was having a hard time believing that she was in this kind of a mood. Ever since he had spoken with Agent Burton, he had expected to see his wife in a fragile, emotional state when he arrived home, but instead here she was standing in front of him like a seductress, moving her body against him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m more then okay;” she answered him in a throaty voice.

“Okay, then I guess I better kiss you,” he said right before he lowered his head to plant a sultry assault on her lips.

She kissed him back just long enough to heat his blood, but then broke away. “Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Are you hungry? Can I get you anything to eat?”

“I didn’t want to put you to any trouble, so I grabbed a sandwich on the way home, but honey can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Now that we’ve established that you’re okay and I’m okay can we please get on with this because I am dying for you?”

“But we haven’t had our wine..............”

“I don’t need any wine, because I’m already intoxicated,” he said, picking her up in his arms to carry her over to the sofa. “You went to all of this trouble to create a romantic setting, it seems a shame to waste it.” He lowered her to the cushions, kissing her the whole time and in the process her strap fell down exposing her lush curves to him. His hot gaze raked her body, and he couldn’t resist running his hand up her thigh to move her gown to the curve of her waist. Wanting to feel his skin against hers, he hopped up from the sofa and stripped his clothes away never taking his eyes off of her. She looked so sexy lying there with the strip of silk wrapped around her like a bow on a present.

“Hurry Luis,” she whispered, huskily stretching her body into a seductive pose. He was just standing there naked and so aroused, burning up her flesh with his fiery gaze, until she couldn’t take much more.

He fell to his knees, touching and kissing her everywhere, making her groan with pleasure. “You feel so ready for me Sheridan...............”

“Then why are you still there on your knees and not inside of me where you were meant to be?”

“Oh God,” he said, falling on top of her to slip inside of her soft recess. They made love like they were starving for each other, possessed by the feel of their intimate embrace. The intensity of their coming together soon sent them both into complete and utterly exhausting gratification when they finally went over the edge.

Later, as they cuddled together in the aftermath, Luis kissed her forehead tenderly. “You know Sheridan I was really worried about you when Agent Burton said you were going to have to testify. I couldn’t believe it when I came home and found you playing the temptress.”

“I’ve come to a realization today Luis. I am not going to allow the memories of my past to get in the way of my present or my future. You and our children are what really matters to me, and I’m going to embrace every second we have together.”

“Wow, you must have had a very good session today with Barbara.”

“I did, but I’ll tell you all about it later. Instead I want to tell you about a wonderful memory that came to the surface today.”

“What was this wonderful memory?” Luis asked, dying of curiosity.

“Do you remember when I told you about the night your father disappeared that when I was saying my prayers I was really happy about something?” When Luis nodded yes, she continued. “Well, it finally came to me today what had made me so happy, and I can’t believe that you don’t remember it too.”

“Okay honey, you’re starting to lose me here...............”

“Earlier that day, I had snuck away from my nanny and for some reason I wanted to rebel against my father. I was determined to do something that I knew he would never approve of so I climbed up into that big Oak tree that sits in the back of my cottage. It wasn’t scary at all while I was climbing it, but once I got up there I panicked and was too frozen with fear to climb back down. Suddenly a dark haired boy came along and spotted me up there, and he must have sensed my fright because he..............”

“Oh my God,” Luis said, sitting up. “I told you not to be afraid because I was going to come up and help you down.”

“Yes, and do you remember telling me to hang on tight and you promised that you would never let anything happen to me?”

“I do remember, but after a while I started to believe it was a dream. You were like this beautiful angel to me, and I didn’t know if you were for real.”

“Well, you did keep your promise and you didn’t let go of me until we were safely on the ground. I decided right then and there that you were a prince sent to rescue me from all my loneliness. You told me your name was Luis, and that night when I said my prayers, I told God that I was going to marry Prince Luis some day.”

“I can’t believe this Sheridan. This whole time I thought that my memory was just some childhood fantasy, because there was no way my little blond angel could be for real.”

“I was for real, and even back then you were my Knight in Shining Armor...........”

Chapter 31

Christopher Burke hadn’t earned his stellar reputation in the Federal Prosecutors office by playing it safe. Sometimes one had to take chances and hope that everything worked out in the end, so why was he even considering Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald’s request? “Luis, does Sheridan know that you’re here?”

“No, and I’m sure that she wouldn’t be happy that I’m asking this of you, but I would do anything to protect her. Please, just pull her out of your witness lineup,” Luis pleaded.

“Luis, I can understand your concern, but the trial has already started, and Sheridan is scheduled to testify tomorrow.............”

“Come on, you and I both know that it happens all the time. You have Gertrude Mueller to testify that she‘s seen Julian at the clinic with Dr. Heintzman. She even has documents where payments were made for my father’s treatment. I would think that would be enough to put Julian away for a long time.”

“Is there something that you’re not telling me Luis?”

“No, Sheridan told you everything in her deposition. It’s just that my wife has been going through so much lately and I’m afraid that Julian’s attorney is going to tear her to shreds during his cross-examination. I just don’t want to see her go through that.”

“Luis, you were an officer of the law and you know how these things work. I need Sheridan to reinforce your father’s testimony. Don’t you want to see your father get justice?”

“Of course I do. More then you know, but I don’t want it to be at Sheridan’s expense.”

“I admit that I don’t know your wife very well, but the few times I’ve met with her, she’s struck me as the type of person that has a lot of inner strength. She would have to growing up in that Crane mansion.”

“She does, but it didn’t come easy for her, and as despicable as her brother is, I also know that it’s not going to be easy for her to be a part of putting her brother in jail............. Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”

“Luis, please try not to worry too much. My line of questioning will be simple and to the point so that I don’t allow the defense a lot of room. I promise that I’m going to do everything I can to protect Sheridan while she’s on the witness stand.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Luis said, getting up to leave.

When he arrived home later, the twins ran to greet him at the door dressed in their pajamas. “What are you two doing all dressed for bed already?” he said, taking turns swinging them around in the air.

“They were supposed to be playing with their toys in the sunroom and they decided that the dirt in that big plant would be almost like playing in the sandbox. They had the soil all over the floor and themselves. You should have seen the guilty looks on their faces when I caught them.”

Luis squatted down so that he was on the twins’ level. “You know that mommy has a lot to do around the house and you only make it harder when you make messes, don’t you?”

“Dada, Leelee play dirt,” Luke told him, defensively.

“Don’t blame it all on your sister. Mommy said that you were playing in the dirt too.”

“Hi dada,” Lily said, batting her eyes at him.

“Oh Peanut, you scare daddy sometimes,” he said, flashing Sheridan a look of helplessness. “When you misbehave, you can’t just charm daddy and think that everything is okay then. I think that you should go give mommy a big hug and kiss to show her that you’re sorry.”

Luke and Lily ran to Sheridan, and she bent down to accept their sweet kiss of apology. “That is so nice,” she said, pulling them into a hug. “Mommy loves you so much. Now, why don’t you go over and sit in front of the television, because mommy turned on Blues Clues for you.”

“Blues Clues?” Luis said, confused. “What happened to Teletubbies?”

“They’re expanding their horizons,” Sheridan laughed.

“You know, I think it’s my turn to give you a kiss of apology,” Luis told her, giving her a sheepish look.

“What for?” Sheridan asked with a raised brow. “I wasn’t aware that you did anything to be sorry about.”

“Well, I did, and I feel kind of bad about it.”

“Okay Luis, spill it, because now I’m dying of curiosity.”

“I stopped by the federal prosecutor’s office on the way home, and asked him to take you off of the witness list.”

“Oh Luis, I wish you wouldn’t have done that,” she said with a spark of annoyance in her voice.

“I know, and I’m sorry, but I’m worried about you. If it’s any consolation it didn’t work, because he still wants you to testify tomorrow,” Luis said, contritely.

“Luis, I appreciate that you’re worried about me, but it’s embarrassing. Christopher Burke probably thinks I’m a basket case that will go to pieces at the drop of a pin. I’m surprised that he still wants me to testify.”

“He doesn’t think that at all. In fact he’s pretty confident that you’ll do fine tomorrow,” Luis assured her.

“Well, if he has so much faith in me then why don’t you?” she demanded.

“Wow, that stung,” Luis said, with a hurtful look in his eyes.

Suddenly Sheridan felt terrible for losing her temper with him. “Now, it’s my turn to apologize,” she said, wrapping her arms around him.

“No you don’t,” he said, lifting her chin. “I shouldn’t have stuck my nose into your business. It’s just that you’ve been through so much lately, and I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting you. I guess I’m just going to have to get used to the fact that you don’t need me to protect you.”

“That’s not true at all. I love the fact that you feel so protective of me, because I feel the same way about you and the children, but...............”

“I had a feeling there was a but in there,” he said, smiling.

“There are times when I need to fight my own battles so that I can stop being an emotional cripple. I’m not going to lie to you Luis. I’m really nervous about testifying tomorrow, but I also know that it’s really important to see this through to the end.”

“You are amazing, and I am so proud of you. I don’t know that I could have survived what your father did to you.”

“I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll always have scars, but I also know that I’m okay in spite of it. I couldn’t have done it without all of the love and support that you’ve given me. I love you so much Luis.”

“I love you too Sheridan, and if tomorrow when you’re up on that stand and things start to get rough, all you have to do is look in my eyes and remember that I believe in you,” he told her right before he lowered his head to give her the sweetest, most soul-searching kiss.

Sheridan could have stayed lost in his kiss forever if it hadn’t been for her two little children wrapping their arms around her legs telling her that they were hungry. “Oh sweet peas, I’m so sorry. Mommy forgot that it’s time for dinner. Why don’t we go to the kitchen and fill up those little tummies?” she said, picking Lily up in her arms.

Luis did the same with Luke and turned him upside down, making the little boy squeal with laughter. “So, what’s for dinner?” he asked.

“I actually made a roast with potatoes and vegetables,” she said, proudly.

“This should be very interesting,” Luis teased.

Sheridan’s only response was to stick her tongue out at him, never realizing that Lily saw her do it and was already practicing the gesture. She came to the conclusion in her innocent mind that it must be okay because mommy was doing it and daddy just laughed.

********************

Julian would never admit it out loud, but he was really starting to worry about the outcome of the trail. Martin’s testimony had been very convincing, and he could still see the look of sympathy on the jurors’ faces. He did feel pretty confident that he could beat the accessory to murder charge because they didn’t have one shred of evidence that he had any knowledge of that, but he wasn’t so sure about the kidnapping charge. “Damn it father, I don’t know how I ever let you get me into these messes,” he called out loud.

“It’s too late to blame your father now Julian,” Ivy said, walking into the room to pour herself a drink. “Things are not looking very good for you.”

“You’re awfully smug Ivy, knowing that this could affect your future too,” Julian reminded her snidely.

“Well actually Julian I feel a lot better about that. The drop in Crane stock has been miniscule, and the IRS has yet to find anything wrong with the books, so I think that Ethan is going to be just fine.”

“The only reason that the IRS hasn’t found anything is because of my careful planning. After that whole fiasco with Luis and the drug smuggling charges last year, I made sure that there was nothing in our books to indicate any bad business dealings.”

“Well, bully for you Julian,” Ivy said, raising her glass with a cheeky smile. “I’m afraid you’re not going to fair as well with all these other charges against you.”

“They cannot pin any murder on me, because father was the one that shot Ben Bennett, and that was in self-defense. I wasn’t even there when it happened.”

“It’s debatable whether or not it was self-defense, but you did bury the body Julian, and that makes you an accessory.”

“Yes, but the only two people that know that are you and Ben Bennett. You can’t testify against your husband, and Ben is dead.”

“True, dead men tell no tales, but Martin Fitzgerald is very much alive and he was doing a lot of talking today Julian. I’m afraid that your goose is cooked on that one,” Ivy laughed.

“Maybe not Ivy. When my attorney gets done with Sheridan tomorrow, the whole world is going to believe that she was the one that hurt Martin Fitzgerald, and I, her loving brother was just trying to protect his little sister.”

“Please tell me I heard you wrong daddy, and you’re not going to pick on Aunt Sheridan again?” a voice sounded from the library door. “Haven’t you and grandfather put her through enough already?”

“Jordan?” Ivy and Julian said in unison, shocked to see their daughter standing there.

“Yes, your prodigal daughter has arrived home,” she said, sweeping in to give them both a kiss on the cheek.

“Jordan, what are you doing here?” Ivy asked, still rattled by her daughter’s appearance.

“Why mother, there’s a family crisis going on, and I decided that contrary to all of your protests that it was better for me to stay in Europe, I thought it was time for me to come home. I almost convinced Kristin and Nicholas to come too, but they’re still intimidated by you mother. By the way, they send their love to both of you.”

Unlike Ivy, Julian was thrilled to see his first-born daughter, even if it was like looking at an exact replica of her mother, only minus about twenty years of wear and tear. “Well, I’m delighted that you’re home Jordan. I just wish it could have been under different circumstances.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t come home when you were shot, but mother insisted that I should stay in Europe,” she said, shooting Ivy an accusing look. “Now daddy, what’s this I hear about all of this trouble you’re in?”

“It’s all fabrication instituted by my enemies to bring me down,” Julian said in his defense.

“Come on daddy, I love you dearly, but I’m not stupid. You can’t be all innocent, especially if grandfather was involved,” Jordan told him, knowingly.

“Why Jordan, I’m hurt that you would say that about me,” Julian said, clutching his chest dramatically.

“Stop with the theatrics daddy. You know that you’ve always had a problem standing up to that old twisted coot. He only pulled you into his crooked schemes because he knew that he could intimate you.”

“Jordan, you should show some respect for your grandfather,” Ivy chastised.

“Oh please mother. Why should I show him an ounce of respect when he never showed any to me. My God, to be born a Crane female put you into instant pariah status. I’m surprised that we weren’t all sold into slavery to rid the clan of undesirables. Face it mother............ The only reason he kept you around is so that you could breed the Crane heir,” she said, looking around. “Speaking of heirs, where is my big brother, the golden child?”

“Jordan, that’s a terrible thing to say about your brother. Ethan loves you very much and he would be crushed to hear you say that about him.”

“I love him too mother, but you can’t deny that he holds a special place in your heart,” Jordan said, with a gleam of challenge in her eye. Her tone of voice was not at all resentful, but more like stating the facts.

“That’s just not true,” Ivy said, defensively. “I love all of my children.”

Father and daughter’s eyes connected, and they both burst into laughter. “My God, you are like a breath of fresh air. Why don’t you come over here and sit down and tell me what you’ve been up to,” Julian suggested. “I’ll pour us both a drink...........”

“You most certainly will not Julian. Jordan is too young to be drinking,” Ivy protested.

“Maybe if you would take more of an interest in my life mother, you would remember that I turned twenty-one this year, so it’s all perfectly legal,” she said, turning on her heel to go sit by her father.

Ivy watched them in brooding silence. She really did love her daughter, but it was just too painful to look at her. Seeing Jordan was like looking at herself in the mirror all those years ago, when she was so in love with Sam, thinking that they would have years of happiness in front of them. She didn’t want to feel that way, but she couldn’t help herself. It all seemed pretty ridiculous, because Ethan didn’t stir those feelings inside of her, and he was the product of the love that she shared with Sam. For some bizarre reason her daughter was just a hurtful reminder of everything that she had lost, and she had to do something to make sure that Jordan went back to Europe as soon as possible.

“So daddy, tell me about all of these new relatives we’ve acquired,” Jordan said, taking a sip of her drink.

“Oh come on Jordan, must we talk about the dreaded family secrets?”

“If we didn’t talk about the dreaded family secrets, we wouldn’t have anything to discuss, and personally I can’t wait to meet this Evan and Chad.”

“Oh my God, it that really you Jordan?” Ethan called out from the door of the library.

“In the flesh,” she said, flashing her brother a brilliant smile. “Come here golden child and give your sister a big hug.”

*********************

It was a mass of confusion outside the federal courthouse, making if difficult for anyone attending the trial to make their way through the crowd. The grounds were filled with media trucks from all of the major networks, and reporters from newspapers around the world, as well as curious onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of the world famous Cranes. It had been necessary to bring in some of the local police to keep away the media as they converged on the witnesses and family members of the victims. Sheridan, dressed in a tailored black suit with her protective husband by her side depicted an air of confidence as she pushed her way through the masses of people. Little did anyone know that hidden behind the dark sunglasses was a look of fear written in her blue eyes. When she was told that she would be sequestered in a small room until it was time for her to testify, she almost turned around and ran, but it actually turned out to be a good thing. She had been so angry at first when Christopher Burke had told her that Luis was not allowed to stay with her, but she knew that if he left it would be better for her emotional independence. Luis had hugged her close and told her that she would do great, so now all she had to do was work on convincing herself of that.

Sheridan used some deep breathing exercises that Barbara had shown her, and she was pleasantly surprised that she felt a lot more relaxed now. When she really gave it some thought, there was nothing in that courtroom that could hurt her. Her painful memories were a thing of the past, and even though it would be difficult to relive them, she now had a different approach to dealing with the anxiety. In the past she had gotten into the habit of using Luis as a crutch for her emotional stability, and she was determined to shake that pattern. Being a damsel in distress was a wonderful notion for the romance novels, but in real life it translated to a co-dependence that was not healthy for a person’s mental well-being. She loved her husband, she loved her children, and now if was time to start loving herself. Thoughts of her children filled her with an inner peace and she couldn’t resist getting their picture out of her purse to gaze at their sweet faces. As she traced their precious faces with her finger, she thought about how much joy they brought to her life, and all the nasty business in the courtroom took a back seat. By the time she was called to the stand and sworn in by the bailiff, she was ready to conquer the world.

Christopher Burke did the first series of questioning and she answered his questions with concise and confident answers. But, she was no fool, and she knew that it would not be so easy once Julian’s attorney got a hold of her. The high priced trial lawyer was indeed a shark, and he did everything possible to unnerve her with his leading questions. At times she would start to shake, but she was able to draw from her new found inner strength and stare him straight in the eyes piercing him with her blue gaze. At one point the man actually twisted the events to make it look like she was some mentally disturbed child that had gone on a murderous rampage, stabbing her father and injuring Martin Fitzgerald with a paperweight. It was clear that he was trying to paint Julian as the concerned brother that did what he did to protect his sister. The prosecutor fervently objected. Luis came out of his seat calling the man a liar, and the judge threatened to have her husband removed from the courtroom if he pulled a stunt like that again. When order was finally restored to the court, the judge instructed the jury to ignore what they had heard, and ordered the defense attorney to cease with the speculation and grand standing, or he would cite him for contempt. A few months ago Sheridan would have become unglued from this man’s tactics, but now she was just plain angry. How dare this pompous ass stand here and try to put the blame for her family’s sins onto her. She was tired of being their victim, and she sure as hell was not going to be Julian’s scapegoat. Once she figured out the man’s strategy, she gave as good as she got, and almost smiled outwardly when she saw the frazzled look on his face. When the judge told her she could step down from the witness stand, she just wanted to dance around the courtroom, but instead she walked with her usual regal bearing and sat down beside Luis. He grabbed her hand, and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “My God you are the most amazing woman on earth.”

“You know, I am pretty amazing,” she whispered back. “I feel invincible. After this is over let’s pick up our children. We’ll go home and put them down for a nap, and then you and I can crack open that bottle of champagne and celebrate in bed.”

“Good God woman, are you trying to kill me here?” Luis muttered, louder than he intended. The man in front of them turned around and flashed them a dirty look, making Luis’ face turn red with embarrassment.

Sheridan hid a smile behind her hand, and sat back to relax now that her testimony was over. Georges was on the stand right now, and she took the opportunity to look around the courtroom. She hadn’t even noticed any faces earlier because she was so focused on what she was doing. She spotted the Bennett’s sitting across from them, and Evan was there with Kay. He happened to look up right then and caught her eye and flashed her a thumbs up sign. Noah must have been working at the hospital, because she couldn’t think of any other reason that he would not be there to support his family. She didn’t want to, but her eyes moved to her brother Julian. His arrogance was still evident in that way he sat in his wheelchair, and as much as she loathed his actions, she felt sad about how badly he had messed up his life. Sitting in the seats behind Julian were Ivy, with Ethan, and Jordan. Jordan! She couldn’t believe that her niece was actually here, and she hoped that the circumstances wouldn’t prevent her from catching up with her. The opportunity just might present itself sooner than she thought because the judge had just called a recess. “Luis, I’m going to call Whitney to see how the children are doing.”

“Let me go with you,” Luis offered.

“Sheridan, you did a fantastic job up there today. Not many people could stand up to the grueling questioning that guy was putting you through,” Martin told her, as they were walking out of the courtroom.

“Believe me Martin, there were times that I almost caved to him, but then he made a fatal error.”

“Oh, what was that?” Pilar asked.

“He made me mad, and that is something you really don’t want to do,” she laughed. “Just ask Luis if you don’t believe me.”

“I promise you that everything she says is the honest truth,” Luis said, backing up her claim. “I’ve been at the other end of her temper plenty of times.”

“Sheridan, did you see that Jordan is home?” Pilar asked.

“Yes, I did see her, and I can hardly believe that Ivy let her come home. I don’t what it is about those two, but they’re like oil and water.”

“I think that Ivy sees too much of herself in Jordan, and she is reminded of what she has lost,” Pilar said without thinking.

“What do you mean Pilar?” Sheridan asked, confused by her mother-in-law’s statement.

Pilar was saved from answering, when the Bennett’s walked up to join them. They all praised Sheridan for the poise she used to carry off her testimony. “I guess it doesn’t look like Julian will be convicted in my father’s murder, but hopefully they’ll hang him for your kidnapping Martin,” Sam said, patting his friend on the back.

“I’m sorry about that Sam. Ben should have justice, but if it’s any consolation, I don’t think that Julian had anything to do with the actual murder. That bastard Alistair pulled the trigger, but I’m sure that Julian was aware of it, because Alistair always used Julian to clean up his messes.”

Ivy passed right then with Ethan and her daughter, and Luis noticed the way Sam stiffened when he looked at Jordan Crane. “Is there something the matter Sam?”

“No,” Sam said, shaking his head. “It’s just that Ivy’s daughter is the spitting image of her.” What Sam failed to say out loud was that Jordan Crane took him back to a time that he would just as soon forget.

“You know Luis, we still need to call Whitney to check on Luke and Lily,” Sheridan reminded him. She would have loved to approach Jordan, but she didn’t want to make her uncomfortable because of the situation. As it turned out Jordan followed her and surprised Sheridan in one of the rooms off of the main courtroom where she had gone to get some privacy for her call. “Oh my God, Jordan,” Sheridan said, pulling her niece into a hug. “When did you get home?”

“Last night, and you should have seen the look on mother’s face. I thought her mouth was going to stay in that permanent O shape,” Jordan laughed.

“Listen Jordan, I’m really sorry about having to testify for the prosecution, but I didn’t have any other choice,” Sheridan told her sadly.

“Look Sheridan, I love my father, but I’m not under any illusions about his methods. You certainly don’t owe me any apologies, because God knows him and grandfather put you through hell.”

“So, how long are you staying?” Sheridan asked. “I would love to get together with you. Remember all those great shopping trips we used to have take when you would come to visit me in Paris?”

“Well actually Sheridan, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought and I think that I’m going to be here on a permanent basis.”

“Oh Jordan, that’s great, but what do you think your mother is going to say about that?”

“I’m twenty-one now, so there is not much that she can say. Mommy dearest is just going to have to get used to seeing me around. Now, when are you going to introduce me to that yummy husband of yours?” Jordan said, nodding to Luis, who was on the phone with Whitney.

“Just let me talk to my children, and I’ll introduce you.” She walked over and Luis handed her the phone. Her babies were so excited to hear her voice and they were chatting away a million miles a minute. After she hung up, she introduced Luis to Jordan and he was quite charming.

“Hello Jordan,” he said, taking her hand. “Sheridan has told me all about you.”

“Well hello to you too Luis,” Jordan said, flashing him a smile. “Please tell me you have a brother?”

“Actually, I have two brothers, but don’t get too excited. One of them in missing in action and the other one is only seventeen, and has a girlfriend.”

“Just my luck. Listen Sheridan, I think that our break is almost over and I need to go to the little girls’ room, but I’ll call you about getting together. I’m dying to meet those little twins of yours.”

“I like her,” Luis said, after she left. “She’s so unCrane like.”

“Yeah, Jordan is great. We used to have the best time when she would come to visit me in Paris.”

“Well, we better get back into the courtroom. Christopher is going to call Dr. Heintzman’s secretary next.”

“Okay, but I am so ready for this to be over today so I can take my yummy husband home and celebrate,” she told him, wrapping her arms around him.

“Yummy husband? Where did you come up with that one?”

“That’s what Jordan called you, and I must say that I have to agree with her,” she said, kissing him on the lips.

“You’re going to be the death of me yet,” Luis grumbled, as he pulled her out of the room.

*******************

Noah felt terrible about being late getting to the courthouse but it was unavoidable because of an emergency at the hospital. As a medical student, his main function was to observe the other doctors, but there were times when they allowed him to perform minor procedures. He just hoped that he wasn’t too late to be there to support his family. When he entered the front door of the courthouse, the halls were empty except for a guard standing in the doorway. Noah asked him what courtroom the Crane trial was taking place in, and the man pointed him in the right direction. As he made his way toward the door, a person came flying around the corner and crashed right into him. They both tumbled to the floor with him landing on the bottom, and when he finally got his bearings, he was staring into the most gorgeous blue eyes that he had ever seen. Her silvery blonde hair framed her face like a halo, and he had the strongest urge to run his fingers through the silky strands. “You know, you really didn’t need to go through all of this trouble just to be close to me,” Noah said, flashing her a smile.

“Why of all the.............. Would you please take your hands off of me so that I can get up,” she demanded, wiggling around on top of him.

“Okay, but you better stop that squirming around or I’m going to embarrass myself,” he said, unwrapping his arms from around her waist.

She made quite a production of getting to her feet, and he was enjoying the view of her shapely legs as she adjusted her shirt. “Well, I hope you got a good look because you’re never going to see it again,” she said, shooting him a dirty look.

“You really need to learn to relax a little bit,” Noah said, standing up. “All that anxiety will make you old before your time.” Now that she was standing in front of him, he realized just how petite she was, and her head just about reached to his shoulder.

“What are you, a doctor or something?” she said sarcastically, pulling her compact out of her purse to check out her appearance.

“Not yet, but I’m studying to become one,” he told her in a serious voice.

“Are you serious?” she asked, raking her eyes over his tall muscular frame. “You don’t look like the type.”

“I didn’t know that you had to be a certain type to study medicine.”

“Oh well, what do I know?” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess I better get in there.”

“Wait,” he said, putting his hand on her arm. “Are you going to tell me your name?”

“Give me some time to think about it,“ she said, finally gracing him with a smile that caused a little jolt of heat to run through him. With that said, she was through the door, leaving only the scent of her perfume to remember her by.

********************

“Shall I pour you another glass of bubbly?” Sheridan purred, as she rolled away from Luis’ naked body.

“I don’t think so. I’ve had quite enough,” he said, pulling her back on top of him. “If you get me drunk, I might not be able to perform again.”

“Oh no, that would not be a good thing,” she chuckled. “You feel like you’re ready right now.”

“I can’t help it. I keep thinking about how sexy you were today asserting your independence over Julian’s attorney,” he told her as he shifted her body to slip inside of her.

She loved the way he filled her so completely. “I kind of enjoyed it myself,” she said, in a husky whisper. “But, right now, I feel like playing the role of the helpless woman while my man makes passionate love to me.”

“You can play any role you want to sweetheart. As long you never stop loving me,” he mumbled right before he lowered his mouth to kiss her senseless.

Chapter 32

Luis and Sheridan lay with their bodies pressed together still reeling from their passionate encounter. Though sated, neither one wanted to break the intimate connection they shared. Sheridan knew that with one small movement she could make Luis want her again, but there was something about these times right after they made love that were so special to her. The physical aspect of their relationship had always been amazing, but it was all the more special because of the solid foundation of love and respect they felt for one another. Just seeing the way he was looking at her was all the gratification she needed right now. “You know Luis we should really wake the children or they will never go to sleep tonight.”

“I was just thinking the same thing, but it just feels so good being close to you this way.”

“It is special,” she agreed. “I know that people throw the term soul mates around a lot, but that is truly how I feel about you.

“We are soul mates,” he said, brushing his fingers down her cheek. He started to pull her head toward him for a kiss, but she stopped him.

“If you kiss me we will never get out of this bed. In fact, this whole situation is starting to get dangerous,” she laughed, as she pulled away from him and slipped out of bed.

His hot gaze followed her around the room as she collected the clothing he had torn from her body earlier. “You’re not going to put that suit back on are you?”

“Right,” she chuckled. “It’s been lying in a ball on the floor, and my blouse has no buttons left after you ripped it off of me. I need to find all of those buttons so the children don’t get a hold of them. They could choke if they swallow them.”

“You go ahead,” he said in a husky voice. “I like watching you bend over.”

“You are terrible,” she laughed. “Get your cute little behind out of that bed and help me look for them.”

Luis jumped up in all of his glory and walked toward her wearing nothing but a sexy grin. “I’ll help you look for your buttons if you give me a kiss.”

“Now Luis, you look like you have more than kissing on your mind,” she said, backing up, trying to hide her smile.

“Now, why would you say that?” he asked, pushing her up against the wall and pinning her there with his body.

“Because you’re so naked, and your very aroused right no..............” She didn’t finish because Luis’ mouth was on hers in the most intimate fashion. He picked her up and carried her to the bed and they both crashed to the mattress as he slid into her lush flesh. “Just so you know Luis,” she said in a ragged voice. “You’re staying up with the twins tonight when they can’t go to sleep.”

“I don’t care, as long as you me take you to heaven............”

“Only if you promise that you’ll go alone with me............”

********************

Noah couldn’t believe that he let his sister talk him into coming out tonight with her and Evan. It was bad enough when he thought it was just going to be the three of them, but when Chad and Whitney joined them, he felt like the redheaded stepchild. They had just caught a movie and Chad had suggested that they stop by the jazz club and listen to some music. He had tried to escape right after the film giving the excuse that he needed to study, but Kay had given him so much grief he had decided to grin and bare it. After the waitress brought their drinks, the subject of the trial came up and once again for about the hundredth time that day thoughts of his encounter at the courthouse popped into his mind. He was still trying to recover from the fact that the first woman he had been attracted to ages was a Crane. When he had finally walked into the courtroom and sat down with his family, he sought her out. Then, he found her sitting with Ivy and Ethan Crane, and it hit him who she really was. Now that he saw them together, he realized how much she looked like her mother, but she was younger, and softer............

“Earth to Noah,” Kay called out to him.

“Oh, were you talking to me Kay?” Noah said, coming back to the present.

“Yes Noah. I was trying to tell you that there are two hot looking women over there scooping you out,” Kay laughed.

Noah glanced over to the direction she was pointing and checked them out. They were both very attractive, but thoughts of a blue-eyed blond flashed through his mind, and he shook his head hoping to forget her. “Kay, you know that I don’t have time for a relationship right now. I’m just too busy with school and the hospital,” he reminded her.

“Hey buddy, nobody said you had to marry them,” Chad teased.

“Really Noah, there are times when a man needs some female companionship. You know what they say about all work and no play. Take it from me I was the same way until I met my sweetie here,” Evan said, kissing Kay on the cheek.

“Excuse me while I gag,” Noah said, making the gesture with his finger.

“Stop it,” Kay said, hitting her brother on the arm.

“You look exhausted Whit,” Chad commented when he saw her try to stifle a yawn.

“I am kind of tired. I took Luke and Lily to the park today while you were all at the trial and those two little rascals had me running all over the place. Luke kept pulling me to the fishpond telling me he wanted to see the fiss,” she laughed.

“I can’t believe how smart they are,” Evan said, proudly.

“Well they are around adults all the time and they also have each other to feed off of. It makes sense that they would be advanced for their age,” Noah told them.

“Is that your medical opinion?” Chad laughed.

“Actually it is. I’ve been thinking that I would specialize in pediatric medicine. I really like children.”

“Whoa, I do not believe what I’m seeing here,” Chad said, looking toward the bar. “It’s my little sister, Jordan.”

“So that’s Jordan Crane?” Whitney asked. “Have you met her yet Chad?”

“No, she just got into town last night and the circumstances haven’t really been right.”

“I can’t believe she’s my niece,” Evan said, turning his head to look at her. “I think we’re probably the same age.”

“Well, I think you should go and invite her to join us,” Kay suggested. “She looks like she’s upset about something, and she is all by herself.”

So, her name was Jordan, Noah thought to himself. He didn’t know if he was ready to see her right now, when he was trying so hard to forget about her. Kay was right about one thing, she did look upset, and he felt a little tug at his heart. Hell, he was probably the last person she wanted to see right now. She hadn’t been too pleased with him earlier, and he decided that it was time to talk his sister out of pushing this invitation to join them. “Did you ever consider Kay that she just might want to be alone?”

“Don’t be ridiculous Noah,” Kay said, brushing him off. “Nobody wants to be alone. So, who is going to volunteer to go and get her?”

“I guess since I’m her half-brother I can go do the honors. I just hope she’s ready for me,” Chad chuckled.

Oh great, Noah thought. How was he going to explain himself when she came over here and recognized him? The others were going to wonder why he hadn’t said anything about knowing her. If you wanted to be technical about it, they hadn’t officially met, but she had certainly left an impression on him. The only thing he could do now was to play it by ear and let her take the lead.

Jordan was still rattled from her earlier argument with her mother. The woman was just so judgmental and always treated her like she didn’t have a brain in her head. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to tell her mother that she planned on staying in Harmony so soon, but she had always been up front about getting things out in the open. She had tried to tell her mother that she could complete her education at Castleton, because she had already done the research and they had a wonderful art department, but the woman wouldn’t listen. Just because the rest of the Cranes had gone to the most prestigious schools, didn’t mean she couldn’t start a new trend. Things were still unsettled when she had stormed out of the house, looking for any escape from her mother’s constant disapproval. She had spotted this place while driving around and decided that maybe if she had a glass of wine and listened to some music it would help her to unwind. She had been so focused on her issues with her mother that it startled her when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She certainly wasn’t in the mood for some loser trying to hit on her, so when she turned her reception was cool to say the least. “Look, if you don’t mind.............,” she started to say, but stopped when she saw who was standing there.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump,” Chad said, giving her a warm grin. “You probably don’t know who I am..............”

“Oh, I know who you are,” she said, flashing him a charming smile. “It’s strange but you don’t look anything like a skeleton in the closet.”

Chad cracked up laughing at her comment, and she joined him. “I think you and me are going to get along really good.”

“I’m a very demonstrative person so you better get over here and give me a hug,” she said, holding her arms out.

Chad hugged her back, feeling like he had known her for a long time. “Why don’t you come over and sit with us. There are some people I’d like to introduce you to. In fact, you can meet the other skeleton in the closet, your uncle, Evan.”

“Great, let’s go,” she said, taking his arm. Chad led her in the direction of the table, and that’s when she saw him. Oh God, he was the last person she wanted to see. He had this way of making her feel off-balance, and she had already given him too much thought as it was. She could feel her face go flush just thinking about how good it felt to feel his body against hers. Their eyes met and there was something in his gaze that thrilled and frightened her. When they reached the semi-circular booth Evan and Noah stood as Chad introduced her to everyone. Noah was sitting on the end, and she didn’t have any other choice but to sit beside him when everyone moved down to make room for her. The tight space allowed her very little room and to her dismay she was forced to sit with his body brushing against hers, or fall off the end of the booth. To try and curtail her unwanted reaction, she focused her attention on Evan. “I can’t believe how much you look like Aunt Sheridan,” she said with a nervous giggle. “I mean in a manly sort of way.” Oh God, why did she should like a silly twit all of a sudden?

“Yeah, a lot of people have told me that before. I still haven’t figured out whom we take after since neither one of us looks like Alistair.”

“Well, Sheridan does have some of Grandmother Katherine’s features, but she looks the most like Alistair’s mother. I never met her because she was dead by the time that I was born, but I’ve heard she was a lovely person. It’s just too bad that she failed miserably when it came to raising her son. Sorry Evan, I know he was your father............”

“Don’t apologize, I’m well aware of my father’s reputation. I think that everybody here is,” Evan told her.

“Oh God, now I’m really sorry,” she said, looking at Kay and Noah. “I feel terrible about everything that’s happened.”

“Please don’t worry about it,” Kay told her smiling. “We certainly don’t hold you responsible for what your grandfather did. Right Noah?”

“Yeah, right,” Noah responded, wishing that she didn’t smell so good.

After they got that uncomfortable subject out of the way they all chatted amicably about the latest music and sports, and when Jordan found out that Whitney was a promising tennis star, they made a date to play at the club the following weekend. Everyone seemed to be getting along famously until the two couples decided to leave them alone to go dance. They sat there silently for a few moments, while Noah watched Jordan play nervously with her cocktail napkin, until he couldn’t take it anymore and said the first thing that came to mind.

“So, why were you so upset when you came in here earlier?”

“You’re being kind of noisy aren’t you?”

“I didn’t mean to be it’s just that I felt kind of bad for you. You just looked so alone and upset...........”

“Oh, so now you’re implying that just because I came here by myself that I’m some kind of pathetic loser. Just so you know, I don’t have a problem with going out by myself. Unlike some women I don’t need a man to feel validated or to have a good time.”

“Slow down will you? I wasn’t implying that you were a loser, and for your information I happen to like an independent woman. Excuse me for trying to be considerate, but you’re right, I should have just minded my own business.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go off on you that way. It’s just that I had a terrible fight with my mother earlier and I’m still a little sensitive about it. I really don’t know why I’m so upset though. My mother and I never got alone very well.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he said, sincerely. “It must be rough. You know, when I first saw you two sitting together in the courtroom I thought that you looked just like her, but now I see there are differences.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, really curious, because she had been told her whole life that she was the spit and image of her mother.

“Your features are more defined like your Aunt Sheridan’s.”

“Well, thank you since I happen to think my aunt is beautiful. You certainly are observant, but I find it strange that you would notice a thing that subtle. Most men wouldn’t.”

“Hey, I’m studying to be a doctor. I always notice things about the anatomy,” he told her, his eyes dancing with amusement.

“That must give you the perfect excuse for some great pickup lines,” she said, laughing.

“I never thought about that way, but I really didn’t say that as an excuse to try and pick you up.”

“No, I wouldn’t guess that you would be,” she said, looking away embarrassed. “Considering our situation..............”

“Okay, there you go again jumping to conclusions. As a matter of fact, I was just getting ready to say I’m a poor medical student and I’m at the hospital for long hours a lot of the time, but I wanted to know if you would like to go out sometime?”

She didn’t get the chance to answer him because the others had come back from dancing, and everyone starting asking her questions. After a while, she excused herself, saying that she needed to go, but had a big hug for her newly acquired relatives, and promised the girls that she would call soon. Just as she turned to leave, she looked directly at Noah. “Yes,” was all she said before she walked away.

********************

Luis and Sheridan were sitting down to breakfast the next morning, when Sheridan came up with an idea for a family day. “You know, I was think that since it’s Saturday, and we don’t have court today that we should pack up a picnic lunch and take the children to the beach. What do you think?”

“That’s a great idea Sheridan. Can you imagine how excited they will be when they see all that sand?” Luis laughed.

“I know their two favorite things. Water and sand. Of course, we’ll have to keep our eye on them at all times so that they don’t run into the ocean.”

The twins had finished their breakfast and were standing by the baker’s rack staring at their new pets, two goldfish named Fred and Ginger. Luis had found the perfect spot for them on the second shelve where they would be too high for the twins to reach and low enough where they could observe them. He had given them this long speech about how it was important that the fish stay inside the water, because if they came out of the water they would get very sick and go to sleep and never wake up. So far Luke and Lily hadn’t made any attempt to get to the fish and had been satisfied to watch them from afar. Luke tore himself away and ran over to Luis, grapping his hand. “Dada, see fuss,” he said, excitedly.

“Okay son,” Luis said, giving his little boy a big smile. “Let’s go look at the fish, but only for a little while because daddy and mommy are going to take you and your sister to the beach for a picnic.”

Later that morning, loaded down with picnic basket, cooler, and beach toys for the children, they arrived at a secluded stretch of beach, away from all of the tourist spots. This time of year most of the beaches were crowded with people and Luis had suggested that they come here so that they could keep a better eye on the children. This was a place that only the locals knew about, but most of the young crowd still went to the public beaches where all the action was. When Luke and Lily saw all the sand and water, they were so excited that it was impossible to contain them. While Luis put the blanket down and got everything situated, Sheridan put sunscreen on the children. Lily had gotten a new blue and white poke-a-dot bathing suit and proudly modeled it for her daddy.

“Well peanut, you look very pretty in your new suit,” he said, picking her up to give her a kiss.

“Luke got a new suit too, but he refused to wear it because it wasn’t like his daddy’s,” Sheridan told him.

“Hey sport that makes daddy feel really good that you want to be just like him. Why don’t you come over here and give daddy five,” Luis said, holding his hand out with the palm facing up.

Luke ran over and smacked his little hand down on Luis‘. “Five dada,” he shouted in his deepest voice, making Sheridan and Luis laugh out loud at his antics.

Finally Luis rounded them both up to let them know the rules. “Okay, there will be no running into the water unless mommy or daddy is with you. There will also be no throwing sand at other people, and if I catch either one of you doing any of those things we will pack everything up and go straight home. Now, why don’t you let daddy show you how to scoop sand into your bucket with the shovel?”

Sheridan had to laugh at Luis’ attempt to be the disciplinarian. She also had to wonder if the twins understood a single thing he had said. “You know Luis, I realize that our children are above average, but do you really think they absorbed all of that?”

“Oh, I think that you would be surprised. “Okay peanut, what did daddy just tell you about?”

She scrunched her little face up and thought about it for a minute, and then she smiled. “Wawa, san.”

“Luke, what happens if you throw sand or run into the water?”

“Go home see fiss,” Luke answered, after giving it careful deliberation.

“See, what did I tell you. Our kids are geniuses. They take after me you know.”

“Oh please, I noticed how you turned your head away from me so that I couldn’t see you coaching them,” Sheridan said, laughing.

“Dada come,” Lily demanded.

“You better go,” Sheridan chuckled. “The princess has commanded you.”

Luis showed the twins how to use their shovels to scoop the sand and put it inside the bucket, and they spent the good part of an hour filling their buckets, dumping them out and repeating the process all over again. While the twins played, Sheridan sketched them playing in the sand with the ocean as a backdrop. She finally suggested that they take the children out into the water, and they waded out just far enough to where Luke and Lily were waist deep. Every time a wave would come in Luis and Sheridan would lift them up making them giggle. When they came in from the water it was time for lunch. “You two have been very busy today. I bet you very thirsty. Mommy has your sippy cups here with some cool apple juice in them.”

“Juice, juice mama,” they chanted jumping up and down in front of her.

When she handed it to them they drank it down like they were dying of thrust. “Slow down so you don’t choke,” she told them.

“What did you bring for me,” Luis asked. “I worked hard today too.”

“Okay, little Luis. Mommy has a choice for you. Either bottled water or a soda,” she said, holding one of each in her hands.

“I’ll take the bottled water,” he said, laughing. “While you’re at it is there any food in there?”

“Yes, for you sir I have ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit and fresh vegetables.”

“Don’t you have some chips to go with that sandwich? That other stuff sounds way too healthy for me.”

“Nope, you have to set a good example for your children. I don’t want them getting into the habit of eating junk food. Come here Luke and Lily so mommy can give you something to eat. Look at what I made for you.” She got out some little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crust cut off in the shape of a star.

“You’re amazing, you know that,” Luis said, smiling.

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, you always thought that you wouldn’t be a good mother, yet I catch you doing all these little motherly things all of the time. That’s so sweet that you cut the kids sandwiches into little stars.”

“It wasn’t a big deal Luis. I used a cookie cutter, and besides, if you make their food more interesting they’ll eat better,” she said, brushing her gesture off as no big deal.

“Well, I still think it’s sweet,” she said, leaning over to give her a kiss. “By the way did I tell you how sexy you are in the bathing suit? That turquoise makes your eyes look so blue.”

“Well, you look pretty sexy yourself. Especially when you’re playing with your children.”

“Look at them, sitting there being so good eating their little star sandwiches,” Luis said, fondly.

“They are adorable aren’t they? I got some great sketches of them while you were all playing in the sand earlier.”

“Speaking of playing in the sand, how would you two little munchkins like it if daddy built you a sandcastle? I sure could use your help filling up the buckets.”

“Can mommy help too,” Sheridan asked.

Lily came over and hugged Sheridan. “Mama play.”

“Oh sweetie, mommy would love to play with you,” she said, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

Sheridan and Luis actually did most of the work on the sandcastle while the twins dug in the sand. They made a discovery and ran over to their mother to show her what they had found. “Oh my goodness. Look at the pretty seashells.”

“Take,” Luke told her, handing the shell to her.

“Me too,” Lily said, giving Sheridan her treasure.

“Are these for mommy?” When they shook their heads yes, tears formed in her eyes. “I think that these are the most special presents that mommy ever received. Come here and let me give you a kiss.”

After they received their thank you kisses from Sheridan, they ran back to the little pile of shells they had discovered and got some more to offer to Luis as well. “Oh, thank you,” he said, giving both of them a hug. “Daddy just thought of a perfect place to put these. Why don’t we put them in Fred and Ginger’s fish bowl?”

“Fed’s bow,” Luke said, getting all excited.

“Mo,” Lily said, taking her brother’s hand to lead him back to the shells.

“You look very intense right now,” Luis told her. “What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, just that I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am right this minute. I just don’t see how my life could get much better.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” he said, pulling her close. “This had been a special day. I was thinking earlier that when Julian’s trial is over and things settle down a little bit that we could finally take that trip to Spain that you gave me for Christmas.”

“Are you serious Luis?” she asked, happily.

“Yeah, I’m serious. I can’t wait for you to show me Spain. Will you promise me that we’ll find that secluded beach so that we can act out that sexy dream you had in Paris?”

“Oh believe me,” she said in a husky voice. “That will be the first thing on my agenda.”

********************

A week later everyone sat in the courtroom and waited in anticipation as the jury filed into the room. Both attorneys had given their closing statements late yesterday, and the jury was back with a verdict in less than twenty-four hours. Julian had maintained his arrogant attitude throughout the trial, but today he looked extremely nervous. When the foreman read the verdict of not guilty of the accessory to murder charge, but guilty to the second count of conspiracy to aid a kidnapping, the courtroom erupted in pandemonium. The judge pounded his gavel and shouted for order in the court. Once everyone had calmed down the judge announced that he was ready to issue Julian’s sentence. Sheridan glanced at Julian and almost felt sorry for him sitting there white-faced in his wheelchair.

“Mr. Crane,” the judge said, looking sternly at Julian. “I find what you have done to Martin Fitzgerald for all of these years despicable. You robbed him of years of his life, and put his family in dire straights because of it. I can only imagine all of the terrible things you have done to other people just to cover this horrendous act. I believe that your father masterminded this kidnapping, but you went along with it without a care to the suffering of the victim and his family. I am sentencing you to ten years in the Waverly Correctional Facility. However, I am willing to suspend five of those years if you make monetary restitution to Martin Fitzgerald. You are to pay him back pay from the day he was first kidnapped to the present, taking into account the cost of living over the years. On top of that amount, you will also pay him a hundred thousand dollars for all the pain and suffering you have caused.”

“Your honor, my client is willing to pay the monetary settlement, but as you know he is disabled and needing surgery to remove a bullet from his back. I must ask you to reconsider the prison sentence.”

“You’re client will still be able to get the surgery he requires, but he will spend his time recovering in Waverly Correctional Facility.”

“But your honor, he will need special equipment for his rehabilitation that would not be available to him in a facility like that.”

“Since your client is so used to throwing his billions around, I don’t see why he can’t have the necessary equipment brought into the prison.”

“Your honor, we are going to appeal this verdict,” Julian’s attorney sputtered.

“That is your client’s right Mr. Parker. This court is convened. Please place Mr. Crane in custody.”

“Wait your honor,” Martin said, standing. “I would like to address the court if I may.”

“Yes, Mr. Fitzgerald, you can speak,” the judge told him.

“While I appreciate it your honor, I really don’t think that the monetary award is necessary. To tell you the truth, I’m don’t want any of the Crane’s money.”

“Mr. Fitzgerald,” the judge said, leaning over the bench. “Just take the money. God knows that you deserve it. Now, does anyone else have something to say?” Good, then this court is convened,” he said rising from his chair and exiting the courtroom.

********************

Later that evening the Lopez-Fitzgerald’s and their friends were celebrating their victory when Luis proposed a toast. “To papa,” he said simply.

“So Martin, what are you going to do with all of that money?” T.C. asked.

“Should I tell them Pilar?” Martin said, putting his arm around his wife.

“I think that now would be a good time,” she agreed.

“Well, Pilar and I have always had this dream of opening up our own restaurant. It will be some place nice, but warm and inviting. As you know, Pilar is a wonderful cook, and I’m pretty good with the business end of things.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Sheridan said, hugging both of her in-laws.

“Papa, I never heard you mention this before,” Luis said.

“We used to talk about it all the time when you children were little, but we never realized that it would take this long for it to happen.”

“What will the cuisine be?” Grace asked.

“Spanish of course,” Martin responded. “It’s going to have that Old World charm, and we’re going to name it simply Pilar’s.”

“Well, that was all of Martin’s idea. I am a little embarrassed to have it named after me.”

“I happen to think it’s the perfect name for your restaurant,” Eve said, and everyone agreed.

When the phone rang, Martin excused himself to answer it. When the happy look on his face turned to one of worry, the room grew silent. “What is it Martin?” Pilar asked, her voice laced with fear when he hung up the phone.

“That was Maria,” he replied shakily. “She said that she went into Paloma’s room a few minutes ago and found a note saying that she had left and to not worry about her.

“Dear God,” Pilar said, swaying against her husband.

“Did Aunt Maria say how long she’s been missing?” Luis asked with a worried frown.

“She said that she had gone into the city early this morning to do some shopping and when she arrived home this evening she found the note. There is no way to tell how long she’s been gone.”

“I can’t believe my baby is out there all by herself,” Pilar cried. “Martin we have to do something.”

“Don’t worry Pilar, I promise we’ll find her,” Martin said, trying to comfort his wife.

“I’ll get on the phone with some of the law enforcement agencies in the area,” Sam offered. “They really can’t do anything officially yet, because she hasn’t been missing for twenty-four hours, but I’m sure that they will keep their eye out for her.”

“Thank you Sam,” Martin said, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“There has to be more that we can do,” Theresa cried. “I couldn’t stand it if something happened to my little sister.”

“Papa, I think that we should fly out there,” Luis suggested. “We can rent a car and see if we can pick up her trail.”

“I want to go with you,” Miguel demanded.

“Listen to me son,” Martin told him in a low voice. “I know that you want to help your sister, but I need you here to stay with your mother. Theresa is a little high strung and I think your calming presence will help.”

“Okay papa, I’ll stay if you want me to,” Miguel assured him.

“Thank you Miguel. I’ll feel so much better knowing that you are here.”

“I’m going to go call the airport to see if I can get you on the earliest flight out of here,” Sheridan offered. “I would fly you out there myself in the Crane jet, but I happen to know that’s it’s grounded for maintenance right now.”

“Thank you honey,” Luis said, giving her a hug.

“I just don’t understand this,” Pilar said, wiping away her tears. “Maria was going to bring her home soon. Why would she run away like that? Oh God, unless she didn’t want to come home to us.”

“I’m sure that is not the reason Pilar. Please try not to think the worse. I promise you that Luis and I are going to find her and bring him home.”

“I’m sorry, but the earliest flight I could get for you isn’t until tomorrow morning,” Sheridan said, coming back into the room.

“I’m going to go down to the station to make those calls,” Sam told them, leaving.

“Pilar, why don’t you let me give you a mild sedative?” Eve suggested. “It will help you to calm down.”

“No Eve, I don’t want to take any drugs,” Pilar refused.

“Listen Luis,” Sheridan said, coming up beside him. “I think it’s going to be a long night, so I’m going to put the children to bed. I’m glad that I keep a pair of pajamas and extra diapers here.”

“Why don’t I go with you? I feel this need to be with the little munchkins right now.”

********************

The following morning Martin and Luis were just heading out the door to go to the airport when they heard a loud engine noise outside. “Who could that be?” Luis said, looking out of the window. “Did you lend your bike to somebody Miguel?”

“No, who is it Luis?” he said, walking up beside his brother.

“What the hell,” Luis swore. “Mama, papa come here.”

“What is it Luis?” they asked running toward him.

“I think that we just found Paloma, or should I say she found us,” Luis said, heading for the front door.

Everyone followed, and stood in the yard speechless when they saw the youngest Lopez-Fitzgerald slip off the back of a motorcycle. When she removed her helmet, a long cloud of dark hair fell down her back. The driver looked at the crowd of people standing in the front yard, said a few words to Paloma and took off, burning rubber in his wake. The wayward daughter approached her family like she didn’t have a care in the world. “Why are you all standing there acting like you just saw a ghost?” she said, dropping her backpack to the ground.

“You have a lot of explaining to do young lady,” Martin told her when he finally found his voice.

Chapter 33

Paloma looked at the shocked faces of her family and felt a certain satisfaction that she had finally succeeded in getting their attention. Her father, the man she never knew, but recognized from pictures, was waiting impatiently for her to answer. She still didn’t respond to his demand, but stepped forward and threw herself into his arms. “Oh papa, I finally get to meet you after all of these years.”

Martin hugged her back, so happy to finally have his youngest daughter with him, but he was still furious that she had scared them half to death. “I’m so happy to see you too Button, but I still want some answers. Why did you leave your Aunt Maria’s without telling anyone where you were going?”

“You called me Button. Mama told me that when I was a baby you used to say I was as cute as a button. I remember now,” she said, flashing him a radiant smile.

“Yes, that’s true, you were the sweetest little baby, but you are evading my question. Do you have any idea how much you scared all of us by the stunt you pulled? We had the police looking for you and Luis and I were just going to the airport to fly out there to search for you. Your poor mother has been in tears all night...........”

“Not now Martin,” Pilar said, walking up to pull her daughter into a hug. “Oh mija I am so happy to see you. I just thank God that you are here safe and sound with your family again. Come, your brothers and sister are anxious to greet you.”

Luis stepped up first and gave Paloma a hug. “I’m glad to see you little sis, but I’m with papa here. Where in the hell have you been? Who was that jerk on the motorcycle?”

“You know Luis, now that papa is back you can retire as honorary father,” she teased. “You always were my most favorite brother,” she whispered, trying to disarm him.

“Well, that’s sweet of you to say, but I still want to know who that guy is and where you’ve been.”

“I’ll explain everything, but now I need to greet Miguel,” she said, hugging her other brother.

“God Paloma, it sure is good to have you home finally. I can’t wait to introduce you to my girlfriend Charity,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

“Charity,” she mused. “Is she the one that has all of those psychotic experiences?”

“Psychic experiences Paloma,” he corrected her. “There’s a big difference you know.”

“Oh well, I guess I’ll take your word for it,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Last but not least, my big sister Theresa. Of course I guess technically, I’m taller than you are.” Paloma gazed at her sister with disdain as she looked her up and down, and then planted a big fake smile on her face. “Well, come her and give me a hug Terasita.”

“Paloma, I’m just so excited that my sister is home again. Just think about all of the things we can do together. I can’t wait to take you to the mall. I know all of the best stores..........”

“Yeah, I can tell by your outfit that you do. It looks pretty expensive to me. How ever do you afford it?”

“Well, I was working for Ivy Crane, and sometimes she would give me hand-me-downs from her daughters.”

“How nice for you.............”

Sheridan observed her sister-in-law and thought that something was not quite right about her. She certainly was beautiful with her long dark hair and olive skin. She resembled the rest of her siblings, with the exception of her green eyes, which she must have inherited from Martin. For some reason she sensed a lot of resentment from her, but perhaps she was reading too much into it. Personally, Sheridan thought the girl deserved a good tongue lashing for what she had put her family through, but at the same time she felt sorry for her. Paloma finally noticed her standing there with a curious Luke and Lily by her side, and flashed her a big smile as she walked toward them. “Hello Paloma,” Sheridan greeted her warmly.

“Sheridan, I’d know you anywhere. I do think that you are even prettier in person. You and Luis make a beautiful couple,” she said, taking Sheridan’s hands into hers. “Oh my goodness, what do we have here?” Paloma squatted down to the twins’ level. “I can’t believe how adorable you two are. I had a baby picture of you, but you both have grown so much. I like your doll and your kitty cat,” she told Lily. “What are their names?”

“Banabell, kiki,” Lily told her, holding her doll out to Paloma.

“Oh, you just made a friend for life,” Sheridan told her laughing. “Anyone that shows interest in her favorite toys is okay in her book.”

“Oh you’re so sweet,” she told Lily. “Will you give Aunt Paloma a big kiss?” After Lily planted a big one on her cheek, she turned to Luke. “You are such a little cutie. I can’t believe how much you look like your daddy. I think maybe you should give me a kiss on this other cheek.”

Luke did kiss her and then grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the back yard. “Play san,” he told her.

“No Sport,” Luis said, scooping him up in his arms. “Aunt Paloma just got home and I bet she is very tired, so you’ll have to play in the sand another time.”

“Dada,” Luke cried, big tears rolling down his cheeks.

“What was he trying to say?” Paloma asked.

“He wanted you to go play in the sandbox with him,” Sheridan explained. “Your father got them one a few weeks ago, and he just loves it.”

“Aww, poor little guy,” Paloma said. “Come on Luis, I’ll play in the sandbox with him.”

“That’s sweet of you sis, but you look like you haven’t slept for days. You’ll probably pass out right in the sandbox,” Luis predicted.

“Look, why don’t I play in the sandbox with him for a while,” Miguel volunteered.

“Thanks bro, I appreciate it,” Luis said, gratefully, handing Luke over to his brother. “Uncle Miguel is going to play with you, but only for a little while.”

“Me go,” Lily said, handing her doll and kitty over to her mother.

“Come on sweetie,” Miguel said, taking her hand.

They started to move toward the back yard, and Lily turned around and waved to Paloma. “Bye bye Poma.”

“Oh my God, she already called me by my name,” Paloma said, shocked. “They are just so precious.”

“They certainly are,” Martin agreed. “I think we should all quit standing around in the front yard, and go inside. The neighbors are going to think we’re crazy.”

“Yes, please come inside,” Pilar ordered. “I’m going to make breakfast for everyone, and then we can all catch up.”

Later, while they were all sitting around the table filling their stomachs with Pilar’s fine cooking, Martin revisited the subject of Paloma’s whereabouts. “Okay, young lady, it’s time to come clean. I want to know why you took off from your Aunt Maria’s without a word, and who is that boy on the motorcycle?”

“But papa, I left a note telling her not to worry. I just don’t understand why everybody is freaking out about this.”

“If you can’t see why we are so upset, then we have a bigger problem than I thought. Paloma, you don’t live in a vacuum and you can’t just go around doing what ever you feel like. You just took off with some strange guy and didn’t tell anyone where you were going. Did you ever consider that we would worry about you?”

“He wasn’t some strange guy papa. His name is Max and when he told me he was heading to the East Coast, I decided since I was coming home anyway, that it would be fun to ride with him. I saved Aunt Maria the trouble of bringing me.”

“Oh, and you didn’t think it might be considerate to tell your aunt or us for that matter about your plans? The police were getting ready to consider you a run-away.”

“I’m sorry papa, but I just thought it would be fun to surprise everyone. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” she said, looking on the verge of tears.

“Well, we can’t change the past, but if anything like this happens again you are not going to like the consequences, Do you understand me?”

“Yes papa,” she responded sheepishly, thinking to herself that they would probably just send her away again.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, but we were all so worried about you and I thought that the whole family deserved an explanation from you. Now, with that said, we all love you very much and we’re all going to do what we can to make up for lost time.”

“Here Poma,” Luke said, handing her a soggy cheerio.

Only then did Paloma’s face light up again. “That is so sweet of you Luke, but I already have some breakfast............” When she saw the disappointment on his face she relented, so she wouldn’t hurt the little boy’s feelings. “On second thought, I would love to have that cheerio,” she said, popping it into her mouth.

When he tried to hand her another one, Sheridan stopped him. “Sweetie, you need to eat your own breakfast. Aunt Paloma will get too full if she eats yours too.”

Pilar started to cry right then, causing everyone to look at her with concern. “Pilar, what‘s wrong?” Martin asked, taking her hand.

“There is nothing wrong,” she said, wiping her tears away. “These are happy tears because it feels so good to have my family all together again. The only thing that would make it complete is if Antonio would come home.”

“You never know Pilar, with the way our luck has turned lately maybe God will grant us another miracle and bring our oldest son home to us.”

********************

At that very moment, Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald was reading the account of Julian Crane’s trial in the paper, trying to absorb the shock of everything. After all these years, his father was finally home, and Julian Crane was going to prison for his kidnapping. He should have known that bastard was behind papa’s disappearance, and the thought of Julian rotting behind bars was very sweet indeed. If it wasn’t for Julian, he would be at home right now enjoying the happy reunion with his family. Dare he think about going home now that Julian was in prison? Of course, there was still Ivy to contend with, but he seriously doubted that she would want the truth to be made public when she was already suffering from this latest scandal. Just thinking about her, made him want to wrap his hands around her neck until she begged for mercy. He had been a young foolish kid, and she had taken full advantage of the situation. He smiled at the thought of her facing all of her rich friends if the truth came out about her, and it would be almost worth it if he knew that it wouldn’t devastate his family. God, his poor sainted mother would probably die of a heart attack if she knew the truth, and he didn’t know if he could risk that. There was always a chance that his family wouldn’t want him to come home. After all, he had pretty much ignored them for all of these years, but only because it was easier to pretend that they didn’t exist so he could deal with the pain of having to live without them in his life. He was going to have to think long and hard about whether or not he would go home again, because even if Ivy kept her mouth shut, he was still going to have to come up with an explanation as to why he took off so suddenly.

“Tony,” a sultry voice called from the bedroom door. “Why don’t you come back to bed? I promise you won’t regret it,” she said, letting the sheet drop to the floor to display her ample charms.

“You know Pagan, your mother certainly knew what she was doing when she named you,” he chuckled.

“Why of course she did darling,” she said, running her hands over her naked body. “Now, will you please come back to bed before I simply die of frustration?”

“I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that happening,” he said huskily as he moved toward her with sure even strides. He kicked the sheet aside and picked her up in his arms kissing her the whole way to the bed.

********************

As they drove home later that morning, Sheridan watched Luis out of the corner of her eye. He seemed too intent, like his mind was occupied with something distressing. The silence was driving her crazy, and if he was upset about something she wanted him to talk to her about it. “Luis, you’re awfully quiet over there. What are you thinking about?”

“I was just thinking about Paloma,” he said, shaking his head. “I still can’t believe she put us through all of that. It was like she was so totally unaware that she caused any trouble. What was she thinking Sheridan?”

“I’m not sure that you want to hear my opinion,” she said, quietly.

“I always want to hear your opinion. I may not like it, but I respect what you have to say.”

“Okay, but don’t say that I didn’t warn you. I think that Paloma knew exactly what she was doing, and I think that she planned it that way for the maximum effect. She was acting out so that she could get attention.”

“My God Sheridan, you make her sound so calculating.”

“I’m sorry Luis, but I don’t think that she is an evil person. In fact, I think that she is starved for attention, and this is the only way that she can think of to get it. I can actually relate to how she feels. I was forced to leave home at an early age too, but the difference is that Paloma was always loved, and of course you know that wasn’t the case for me.”

“She hates us for sending her away doesn’t she?” Luis said, looking so forlorn.

“I don’t think that she hates any of you, but I do think that there is a lot of resentment there, especially for Theresa.”

“Theresa? Why would she resent Theresa more than anyone else?” Luis asked, confused.

“Because she is the sister that got to stay with the family, and be spoiled by her brothers.”

“But, Paloma had a better life than any us did. Aunt Maria’s husband is quite well off, and she certainly never had to make any sacrifices the way we did.”

“I know that honey, but sometimes all of the material things don’t matter when you just want to be with your family.”

“My God Sheridan, this is all my fault. We were so strapped after papa disappeared, and we could barely pay the bills. Antonio worked cleaning the Cranes’ pool and doing some other yard work, and I had a job working after school at the market stacking groceries. When Antonio took off, we didn’t have that money to count on any longer, and things got really bad. It was all my idea to send Paloma to Aunt Maria’s, and now look what I’ve done to her.............”

“Luis, none of this is your fault. You were just a kid with the weight of the world on your shoulders. You did the right thing, but it’s just hard for Paloma to see that right now. Maybe I should have never brought this up, and who knows, I could be totally wrong about the situation. I think that with time, when Paloma feels all the love that you all have for her she’ll come around.”

“What if the damage is already done? What if she’ll never forgive us?” Luis said, sadly.

“I don’t think that Paloma is forever damaged Luis. Even though I sensed resentment in her, I could still tell that she loves her family, and look at the way she was with Luke and Lily. That was genuine affection she showed them, and they liked her instantly. Most children are pretty perceptive when it comes to knowing if someone is a bad person.”

“Do you really think so?” he asked, hopefully.

“Yes I do. Now, please don’t worry about this Luis. You need to stop shouldering the problems of the world and enjoy your life. Take if from me, you have to concentrate on the positive things or you’ll drive yourself crazy.”

“How did you get so wise?” he said, grabbing her hand.

“I don’t know if I’m all that wise, but it was a long hard journey to get where I am today, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”

Luis looked in the rear view mirror, and noted that Luke and Lily were fast asleep in their car seats. “It looks like the munchkins are down for the count. Since they’re going to be napping for a while, why don’t we take a nap too,” he said with a hopeful gleam.

“There is one thing I can say about you honey, you sure bounce back quickly,” Sheridan said, laughing.

********************

Jordan checked her reflection in the mirror, and decided after several clothing changes that this dress would do nicely. She had never been to the Lobster Shack before, but she assumed that her simple little black dress would fit in anywhere. Now, she just had to decide on her footwear. She checked her closet and found a pair of black high-heeled Prada sandals, and decided they would be perfect to complete her ensemble. She had to admit to herself that she was really nervous about her date with Noah tonight, and that was a very foreign feeling to her where guys were concerned. She had dated some very rich and eligible guys before, and had even had a mild flirtation with Prince William once, but she had always been very confident about herself. So, why was it that Noah Bennett made her feel like a bumbling school girl? His incredible tall muscular body, and rugged good looks probably played a part in making her knees weak, and there was also something about his soulful green eyes that reeked havoc on her senses, but there was something more. He had determination and dedication, and those were very attractive traits to her when she compared him to the men she had known in the past that were born into money, and never worked a day in their life. Oh well, she needed to quit thinking and get downstairs because Noah would be here at any minute. She dabbed some of her favorite perfume on and grabbed her purse.

When she arrived downstairs, she swore to herself when she saw her mother walk out of the living room. “Mother, I thought that you had a hospital board meeting tonight?”

“They cancelled it,” Ivy said, looking at her curiously. “Where are you going Jordan?”

“Well, for your information mother, I have a date, and he should be arriving any minute now.”

“Oh really,” Ivy said, actually cracking a smile. “Are you going out with one of the young men from the country club?”

“No mother, he is not from the country club, but I can assure you that he is from a good family.”

“You’re being very mysterious Jordan,” Ivy said, taking a sip of her brandy. “I think I have a right to know who you are keeping time with.”

“Okay mother, if you must know, I am going out with Noah Bennett.........”

“What.............?” Ivy gasped, dropping her glass, making it shatter into pieces on the floor.

“Mother, your hand is bleeding,” Jordan shouted to her stupefied mother. She got a clean handkerchief from her purse and pressed it against the cut on her mother’s hand.

Stop it!” Ivy cried, shaking her hand away. “Just stop it!”

“My God mother,” Jordan said, looking at Ivy like she had grown two heads. “You are acting like a crazy person.”

One of the maids had arrived and started to clean up the broken glass. Jordan told the woman to go get the medicine kit so that they could clean Ivy’s hand. After the maid left, Ivy had managed to compose herself a little. “I will not allow you to go out with that boy Jordan.”

“You’re being a snob mother. Noah Bennett is a very nice person, and I think I’m past the age where you can dictate whom I see,” Jordan said, stubbornly.

“Don’t you fight me on this Jordan, because if you do I will send you back to Europe so fast your head will spin...........”

“I don’t believe you,” Jordan said, shaking her head. “Like it or not mother, I am here to stay so you better get used to it, and I will see whomever I please. Now, I’m tired of this conversation so I think I’ll wait outside.”

“Just a minute young lady. You get back here this instant,” Ivy said, grabbing her daughter’s arm.

“Let go of my arm mother,” Jordan said, trying to pull out of Ivy’s grasp, but as she struggled to get free, she lost her balance and slipped and fell, hitting her head on the corner of the table.

Ivy looked down at her lifeless daughter lying on the floor, and noticed the trickle of blood running from the gash on her forehead. “Oh my God, what have I done to my baby?”

********************

Noah rushed down the steps and grabbed his keys. He was running late again because of an emergency at the hospital, and he decided that he better call Jordan to let her know that he was running behind. He picked up the phone and was just about ready to dial the number, when Grace stopped him. “You look very handsome tonight. I can’t believe how much you look like your father. Where are you off to?” Grace asked.

“I have a date mom, and I’m really running late............”

“You haven’t had a date since you moved back to Harmony,” Grace said, giving her son a curious look. “This girl must be very special to tear you away from your studies.”

“Where are you off to Noah?” Sam said, walking into the room munching on an apple. “Since when do you get all dressed up to go to the hospital?”

“He’s not going to the hospital,” Grace told him. “Our son has a date tonight. Isn’t it exciting?”

“So Noah, who’s this hot babe you’re going out with?” Sam asked, teasingly.

“I’m not going to be going out with anyone, if you don’t let me call her to tell her I’m running late,” Noah said, impatiently. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to jump on you like that, but I don’t want to make a bad impression on my first time out with her.” Noah dialed her cell phone number, but there was no answer. “I guess I’ll just have to keep trying her while I drive over there.”

“But, you never told us who you were going out with,” Grace called after him as he headed to the door.

“Her name is Jordan, mom,” he said, opening the front door. “Jordan Crane.”

“Did he say Jordan Crane?” Sam asked his wife, shock written all over his face.

********************

Luis stepped out of the bathroom clad only in a towel, with beads of water dotting his chest from his recent shower. Sheridan was sitting up in bed surrounded by travel brochures, and books on Spain scribbling some notes on a pad of paper. “So beautiful, do you have our itinerary all planned out,” he said, dropping the towel to the floor.

“Luis, please don’t throw that wet towel on the floor,” she told him, without even looking up from her task.

“Damn, I swear you have two sets of eyes sometimes,” he said, laughing as he grabbed the towel off of the floor.

“Something I’ve acquired since giving birth to Luke and Lily. Now, will you please go throw that in the laundry hamper in the bathroom?”

“Okay, I’m going,” he said, walking back toward the bathroom.

Sheridan looked up finally to watch him walk enjoying the view of his naked backside. “Hurry back here so you can help me make some of these decisions,” she called out to him.

“What decisions?” he asked, walking back into the room. “You’re the one that knows the score. I trust you to make the plans.” Luis pushed the books aside and crawled into bed beside her.

“Well, it’s your trip too, and I want you to have some input,” she protested.

“Okay, show me what you have so far.”

She spread out a map so she could show him the areas she wanted him to see. “I thought that we would start out in Madrid and stay there for a few days. There is a beautiful old hotel that has a wonderful view of the city. Then, we’ll rent a car and drive to Valencia on the coast of the Mediterranean. I know a small quaint villa that we can rent right on the sea.”

“A small villa? Isn’t that going to be really expensive?”

“Actually, we got a really good deal on it. The travel agent said that the villa was owned by a very rich man, and he agreed to rent it out at a very reasonable fee.”

“That’s kind of strange. Why would somebody that doesn’t even know us rent out his villa to us?” Luis said, suspiciously.

“Luis, I think that you’re making way too much out of this. The travel agent said that he doesn’t want the place to sit empty, and he also doesn’t need the money, so we are doing him a favor.”

“You’re right,” he said, finally smiling. “I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“Did I happen to mention that this villa has a very private beach?”

“Oh, now that sounds like the best part of the trip. Do you think we might be able to act out your dream while we’re there?”

“That’s what I had in mind,” she said, flashing him a mischievous look. “We are going to have the trip that we’ve always dreamed of, but I am going to miss the children. As much as I’m looking forward to spending two weeks alone with you a part of me is dreading being away from my little sweethearts.”

“I know what you mean. I’m going to miss them like crazy too, but you know they’ll be in good hands with mama and papa, and we’ll call them every day.”

“Yeah, knowing them, they will having so much fun that they won’t even know that we’re gone,” she said, feeling depressed at the thought.

“Sweetie, you know how much Luke and Lily love us, and just think about how great the reunion will be when we see them again. Now, there is no sense in getting all upset about this now, when we haven’t even left yet.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she said, finally smiling.

“Now, I think we need to move all of this stuff out of the way so we can practice making that sexy dream of yours become a reality,” he said, pushing everything onto the floor.

“You know Luis, we’re not going to see much of Spain if we’re always lying in a horizontal position,” she laughed.

“That’s not necessarily true, because I’m very good at making love while sitting up, or standing, or...............”

“Will you please shut up and get over here and kiss me,” she said, pulling him toward her.

The End.....

Part 6

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