Debra Burroughs - Paradise Valley 02.5 - The Edge of Lies Read Free Page B

on the same train of thought—both impatient to get through the reception and head for the honeymoon.
    ~*~
    After the wedding, they’d jetted off to spend two glorious weeks on the beaches of Hawaii. Emily had decided not to push for Evan’s explanation of why he’d almost missed their wedding. She was young and in love, and wasn’t that all that really mattered? She didn’t need to know every single detail of his life. Sometimes knowing someone in your heart was better than knowing them in your head.
    During their time away, Evan had let it slip that he was considering giving up his security job. He’d admitted he hated the thought of being away from her for weeks at a time, and he was getting tired of the harsh, snowy winters on the east coast.
    Emily had wondered if that was what he’d been talking about when he was on the phone in the portico, but she didn’t want him to know she had been eavesdropping.
    However, once they were back in the Washington, DC area she decided, after a conversation with Susan, that it was time Evan came clean with her about where he was before the wedding and why the delay. After dinner their first night back, she pressed him to explain.
    “Darling, you know I can’t give you any details about my assignments.” He rose from the sofa and rested his arm on the fireplace mantle. “I simply overslept at the hotel and missed my flight. Let’s just leave it at that.”
    She stood and faced him, planting her hands on her hips. “Then why did you have that woman call me and tell me you weren’t going to make it to your own wedding? Why didn’t you call?”
    “You’ve got it all wrong, love. She phoned you on her own when I was out of pocket for a few hours. I hadn’t realized my phone was dead until I was rushing to the airport. I know it was silly of me.”
    “So how did you get back to DC?”
    “I was able to hop on a single-engine plane that was going to another airport where I could catch a proper flight. I was lucky enough to nab a seat. When we landed in DC, I got a friend to give me a lift from the airport in his heli. It was all so ridiculous, I didn’t want to mention it.”
    “You looked so messed up when you finally got there, I was afraid you’d been caught in something dangerous.”
    “Nothing dangerous, love, just all the dashing about, sleeping on the plane—you know.”
    She slid her arms around his waist, and he pulled her snugly against him. “The important thing is that you finally made it and we were able to get married after all.”
    “And don’t forget about the spectacular honeymoon,” he said with a nod and a seductive smile.
    Then he dropped a bombshell on her.
    “Remember I told you I was thinking we should get away from this place?”
    “Yes,” she replied cautiously, pulling back a bit.
    “I’ve researched a number of small towns out west, and I think I’ve found the perfect one for us.”
    “You want us to move to the west?” Emily dropped her hands and stepped back. “But Susan and her brood are my only family. I can’t move that far away from her.”
    “But, love, what about our family?”
    “Our family?” In her mind, she saw a few little towheads running around the yard laughing and playing with their dad. “That’s a long way off, Evan.”
    “I mean you and me.”
    “But I like it here in Virginia.”
    “Come on. Think of it as an adventure. A new life in a quaint little town. You can teach, and I can open my own private investigation office.”
    “What’s the name of this perfect place?” She eyed him suspiciously.
    “Paradise Valley. Doesn’t it sound perfect?” Evan ran a finger down her arm and took her hand. “Just a leap and a jump from Seattle. You love Seattle, don’t you?”
    She studied him for a few moments, mulling over the possibilities of it. She loved the thought of Seattle—she’d never actually been there.
    “All right,” she finally agreed. “I’ll go, but I’m warning you, if I don’t