Free Secret Vow by Susan R. Hughes Page A

hanging below.
    Leaping to his feet, he dashed down the porch steps, calling out to her. “Happy Canada Day, Faith.”
    She stopped walking and turned toward him. “Hi, Ian. Are you headed to the park?”
    “Don’t think so,” he said, jogging over to where she stood. “Just the two of you tonight?”
    “We’re meeting Ted at the river.” Glancing down at her son, asleep against her shoulder, she stroked his back tenderly. “Why aren’t you coming out?”
    “Not in the mood this year.” Ian paused; then, without thinking, he asked, “Have you seen Brooke?”
    “Yeah, just a few minutes ago. She was headed to the river by herself. I got the impression she wanted to be alone.”
    He nodded, taking her words as cautionary. “Thanks. Have fun.”
    As Faith continued on her way, Ian turned and headed back to his house, giving himself a swift internal kick for even bothering to ask about Brooke; her silence when he asked about her feelings for him had made her intentions clear, and if she didn’t want to get involved with him, he meant to respect her wishes.
    He stopped halfway back, turning on his heel to gaze back at the road—then admonished himself again for even considering taking a step forward. He should just stay at home, as he’d planned, and find a way to get his mind off Brooke Eldridge. If she wanted to see him, let her come to him; she knew where to find him. He’d been making a habit of running to her, and letting her rebuff him each time.
    As much as he tried to listen to common sense, in the end his compulsion carried him forward, spurring him to start walking. At the end of his street he turned onto the crossroad, joining the others headed past the marina on their way to the park.
    Bypassing the crowded park, Ian quickened his pace, heading further along the riverbank. He had an inkling that if Brooke wanted to be alone, she wouldn’t have gone to the park with everyone else.
    He remembered one warm evening, back in high school, when he’d left his house to wander along the river’s edge and came to an isolated knoll, just above a rocky ridge, that was shielded by a stand of trees. He’d found Brooke alone there, sitting on the grass with her knees drawn up, staring out at the rippling water. She told him she sometimes went there to be alone so she could think; he was fairly sure she’d be there now.
    Twilight deepened around him as he walked, passing scattered families gathered on the grass, but not finding Brooke among them. He headed further down the bank, taking careful steps to avoid stumbling on rocks and twigs, until he arrived at what he thought was the right area.
    With dusk settling over the river it was hard to make out shapes in the fading light, but a pale smudge in the distance caught his eye; making his way toward it, he recognized it as Brooke’s white blouse. A slow smile crept over his face; she was sitting on a tartan blanket, her legs drawn up with her arms wrapped around them, her cheek resting against her knees.
    When she saw Ian approaching she raised her head, a ghost of a smile gracing her features.
    “Need some company?” he asked, standing over her.
    “Sure,” she said mildly. “How’d you know where to find me?”
    Relieved that she hadn’t sent him away, Ian lowered himself onto the blanket next to her. “I ran into Faith, and she told me you were coming down to the river. You hide well, but I had a feeling you’d be around here someplace.”
    “I’m not hiding. But I hate crowds. I figured I’d still be able to see the fireworks over the trees.”
    “It’s a perfect spot,” Ian said. For a minute they didn’t speak as they waited, side by side, letting the rhythmic song of a multitude of crickets fill the silence—punctuated now and then by the shrieking laughter of children somewhere in the distance.
    “I love this part of the river,” Ian said at last. “My mother used to bring me here to fish. Since my father wasn’t around, she made a