Darby's Decision Read online

  Darby’s Decision

  Laura Scott

  Readscape Publishing, LLC

  Copyright © 2021 by Laura Iding

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Cooper’s Choice

  Chapter One

  Six years sober.

  Darby Walsh took a moment to let that sink in, before kissing her five-year-old son, Leo, on the top of his head. “See you later, kiddo. Be good for Oma.”

  “I will.” Leo slid a sideways glance at Edith Schroeder, the woman who had not only supported Darby during her stay at the halfway house after she’d finished rehab but who had continued to provide a loving home for both Darby and Leo.

  Darby wouldn’t be alive and living with Leo in Knoxville today if not for Edith’s support. She looked at the woman she loved like a mother. “I’m working the zip line today, so if you call and I can’t answer right away, you’ll know why.”

  “Not a problem. Leo and I are going to the park after breakfast.” Edith smiled down at the rambunctious towhead. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Great. See you both later.” Darby left the side-by-side townhouse and headed to the Great Outdoor Adventure Park where she worked as a guide. She was proud of her sobriety and normally didn’t dwell on the multitude of mistakes she’d made in the past.

  But lately she’d been thinking about her foster siblings, especially Hailey. For so long her focus was centered on providing a stable life for herself and Leo. Now she was becoming distracted by thoughts of reconnecting with Hailey and the other foster kids. Sawyer, Trent, Jayme, Caitlyn, and Cooper.

  Oh, how she’d crushed on Cooper.

  Darby arrived at the park and quickly headed inside the main building. The weather was warm and humid for mid-June, but their schedules were jam-packed thanks to the summer tourists.

  “Hey, Darby,” Teddy greeted her. Teddy was young, barely twenty-one, and followed her around like a puppy. She’d tried to let him down gently, she had no time for or interest in a relationship, especially not with Teddy, but he’d continued to work his schedule to be paired up with her. “I’m working the zip lines with you today.”

  She suppressed a sigh. Of course he was. “Great. Let’s check the gear and set up.”

  The park had seven different zip lines set at various heights and lengths. Darby loved zip-lining, the freedom of flying. Yet she took safety measures seriously, especially since she had Leo to consider. After methodically checking the cables, straps, and vests, she was satisfied they were good to go.

  The first tour came up fifteen minutes later. A family of five, two adults and three teenagers.

  Darby gave her usual lecture reiterating the rules and stressing safety. As always, she would go across the zip line first to show the group how things worked, and so she could stay on the other platform to help bring them in. Teddy would remain here to assist in getting their guests suited up and to secure their straps with the buckle clasps before sending them across to her.

  “The key is to pull this strap here to slow down when you reach the other side,” Darby explained. “But don’t worry, I’ll be there to grab you.”

  She tightened the strap on her helmet and clipped her vest and straps to the cable. “See you on the other side!” She pushed off.

  Halfway across the cable, she heard a popping sound. Then the cable fell away, and she was free-falling.

  Fingers of panic locked around her throat. At some level she heard the screams from the guests behind her, but there wasn’t a moment to waste on them. Seeing the canopy of a large tree beneath her, she hoped for the best as she landed on the leafy branches. Her momentum threatened to push her off the other side, dropping into the valley below, but she somehow managed to grab onto a tree branch with both hands, hanging on with every ounce of strength she possessed. She was lying on her stomach, hoping the tree branches beneath her would hold up under the pressure.

  “DARBY!” Teddy screamed her name from the platform behind her. But her position was such that she didn’t want to move. She could barely breathe for fear of falling the rest of the way to the ground.

  “We’re getting out of here,” a woman shrieked. “This isn’t safe!”

  Darby couldn’t reassure them even if she wanted to. Never in her life had she experienced something like this. These cables were strong enough to hold up to 250 pounds, and she weighed in at 125. She’d worked this park for the past several years without an issue.

  What on earth had happened?

  Moving very carefully, she turned her head to look behind her. She was too far away to see what had happened to the cable anchored into the pole holding up the platform. Teddy had gotten the family of five down to the ground and was hopefully getting their manager to call the fire department to rescue her. Thankfully, the first zip line is the shortest and the lowest of them, or she knew she would have suffered severe injuries.

  Still could if the tree branches beneath her gave way before she was rescued.

  A flash of movement below caught her eye. A man moving through the trees. She frowned, a chill washing over her. Had the cable been tampered with on purpose?

  No, she was letting her imagination run away with her.

  Wasn’t she?

  The park was full of tourists. Get a grip, Darby, she silently admonished. There was no reason for anyone to hurt her. Maybe in the past, in the days when she was associated with drugs, but not anymore.

  The sound of a cracking tree branch made her freeze. How long would it take the fire department to get here? She tried to peer through the dense leaves to get an estimate of where the larger branches were. She’d hiked the wooden trails more times than she could count, but she hadn’t spent much time climbing trees.

  Not even as a kid. Living with the Preacher, a horrible evil man who’d physically and verbally abused her and her foster siblings, had not included fun activities like tree climbing. Quite the opposite. They’d knelt for hours on end listening to the Preacher yell and scream at them for being sinners, warning of God’s fury. They’d slept in the cellar and were only allowed to do household chores and homework from Ruth, the Preacher’s wife, who’d homeschooled them.

  Another branch gave way beneath her, and she tightened her grip on the branch that had broken her fall. No point in thinking about the past now. She needed to be rescued and quickly. Leo needed her.

  And she needed him.

  “Hang in there, Darby,” Teddy called. “They’re coming soon.”

  “I’m doing my best. What happened?”

  “It looks like there is damage in the pole around the spot where the cable was bolted in,” Teddy said.

  Damage? Like someone tampered with it on purpose? “How did we miss that?”

  “I think the damage was camouflaged in some way.” Teddy’s voice sounded muffled now as if he was facing the opposite way. “Kent is pretty upset.”

  Kent Jacobs was their boss and the manager of the Great Outdoor Adventure Park. He was a decent guy, although he gener
ally focused on making a profit. She knew he was likely more upset about losing the revenue from the zip line than her fall.

  The next hour seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. The firetruck arrived, and a fireman emerged in her line of vision. He stood in a large bucket that was within arm’s reach.

  “Ma’am? I need you to take my hand.”

  “I’m not sure I can do that,” she confessed. Normally, she wasn’t afraid of heights, but the thought of crashing to the valley below made her feel sick to her stomach. She was cold and sweating at the same time.

  “I’m right here.” The fireman’s eyes were kind as he leaned toward her. “I don’t want to put any pressure on the tree branches holding you up, so I need you to take my hand.”

  She didn’t want him to put any pressure on the tree branches holding her up either. The fireman’s outstretched hand was well within reach. Darby forced her fingers to let go of the branch to grab him.

  When his fingers locked strongly around hers, she nearly wept with relief. From there, she was able to let go and take his other hand, allowing him to pull her toward him. Some of the branches gave way, but suddenly she was up and inside the bucket with the firefighter.

  Safe.

  Darby managed to thank him as they were lowered to the ground. The kind fireman helped her out of the bucket, and for a moment, her knees threatened to buckle.

  “The ambulance is this way.” The fireman put a hand beneath her elbow, intending to escort her to where the EMTs waited.

  She instinctively dug in her heels. “I’m fine, just bruised and sore.” Her entire body ached, but she ignored it. Frankly, going through withdrawal six years ago had been far worse than this. “No broken bones, see?” She held out her arms and waved them up and down.

  “They’ll need to check you over anyway,” the fireman insisted. “You can refuse to go to the hospital by signing a waiver.”

  A waiver, much like the one their guests signed to participate in zip lining. The irony was not lost on her. Darby removed her helmet and headed over to the EMTs. She endured their exam, then signed the waiver indicating she chose not to be transported to the hospital.

  “Darby, what happened up there?” Kent demanded.

  She handed him the helmet and the rest of her gear. “I was going to ask you the same thing. Teddy thinks the zip line cable was tampered with.”

  Kent flushed with anger. “Who would do something crazy like that?”

  “I don’t know, Kent. Certainly not me. Maybe you should have the experts come and examine it to find out what happened?”

  Kent paled. “You think I need to call the police?”

  “I think this needs to be investigated, yes. By the police and the experts.” She glanced down at her scratched and bleeding arms and legs. Thankfully, her injuries weren’t severe. “If you don’t mind, I need to clean up.” She moved to brush past him, but he lifted a hand to stop her.

  “I’m glad you’re okay. Take the day off, Darby.” His voice was softer now. “We’ll get to the bottom of what happened here.”

  She nodded and walked past him. The zip lines would be closed for the rest of the day, and maybe even the rest of the week. Today was Monday, how long would it take to repair the cable? Or would they simply close that particular zip line down?

  Darby hated to admit it, but she wasn’t keen on the thought of going back up.

  As she walked back to her car, she saw a tall muscular man with dark hair standing there. Her steps slowed as she recognized him.

  Gage Killion.

  No, it couldn’t be. Not after all this time.

  A shiver of apprehension snaked down her spine. What was Gage doing here? She hadn’t seen him since she’d betrayed him, giving his name to the police in exchange for a stint in rehab rather than being sent to jail.

  A decision that still haunted her all these years later.

  “Darby.” Gage didn’t smile, his green eyes serious. “I saw what happened. Are you all right?”

  “You saw?” She remembered the figure she’d glimpsed walking down below and felt a rush of anger. “Did you tamper with the cable as a way to get back at me?”

  “No.”

  She folded her arms over her chest, lifting her chin and meeting his gaze head-on. “I don’t believe you. It can’t be a coincidence that you show up here to find me at the same time a cable breaks away, sending me crashing into a tree. I can hardly believe I’m walking away from that with just scratches and bruises to show for it.”

  “I did not tamper with the cable,” he said firmly. “But I would like to talk to you. If you have time.”

  Time? She choked and swallowed a hysterical laugh. No way was she making time for Gage Killion.

  The last thing she wanted was for Gage to discover he had a son.

  Watching Darby swinging through the air as the cable gave way had shaved ten years off Gage’s life. His palms were still damp with sweat from fear. It was easy to understand her suspicion, his timing couldn’t have been worse.

  Or maybe it was perfect timing. While she was being rescued, he’d hovered near the firetruck, melting in with the other adventure park visitors, and had heard a young kid mention the cable must have been tampered with.

  He’d gone hot and cold in a nanosecond.

  Had Tyrone Reyes beat him here?

  “Please move away from my car.” Darby stared at him as if he had a third eye. “I have to go.”

  “Thirty minutes.” These days, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist. Being locked up in jail for four years, he’d kept to himself as much as possible. Attending Bible study sessions had become his salvation, but even then he hadn’t done much talking, spending most of his time listening and soaking up the knowledge.

  It had been strange how much talking he’d been forced to do since being released. He took a half step toward her. “Please.”

  Darby looked away, and he could tell she wasn’t the least bit interested in talking to him.

  “It’s important,” he urged. “I think I know who tampered with that cable.”

  She spun back to face him, her gray eyes wide. She wore her straight blonde hair shorter now, chin length rather than down to the middle of her back. The shorter length suited her. She looked beautiful and healthy. He was extremely relieved there was no sign of her being a drug user.

  “Thirty minutes,” she reluctantly agreed. “There’s a coffee shop down the road. We’ll walk.”

  “Okay.” He was hardly in a position to argue. Darby gave him a wide berth, as if the idea of touching him, even in passing, was abhorrent. She headed down the blacktop driveway to the Keystone Coffee Café.

  “How and why did you find me?”

  Darby’s abrupt question caught him off guard. He didn’t want to come across as some sort of stalker, but then again, he’d called in a few favors to find her. “It’s a long story.”

  She let out a snort, calling him on his lie. Well, not a lie exactly, but a half truth. This wasn’t the time to get into all of that now, though. She’d only agreed to thirty minutes, and walking to the coffee shop had taken up a few of them.

  They entered the coffee shop and found a table near the window.

  “Do you still take cream and sugar?” He gestured to the cashier. “I’m buying.”

  “Yes.” She didn’t thank him and still looked as if she might jump up and run the moment his back was turned.

  He hoped and prayed she wouldn’t.

  After buying two coffees, he returned to the table. Darby took hers hesitantly as if he might have poisoned it. The way she’d accused him of breaking her cable stung. She clearly didn’t trust him in any way, shape, or form.

  “Why are you here?” Darby didn’t beat around the bush. She took a sip of her doctored coffee, eyeing him over the rim.

  He decided to get straight to the point. “Tyrone Reyes is out of jail.”

  Her hand jerked, spilling some of her coffee. “Recently?”

  “Within
the past thirty days. You know as well as I do he’s the type to seek revenge.”

  She stared down at her cup for a long moment before looking up at him. “He knows—everything?”

  Gage knew what she was really asking. “He knows you gave me up to the police, and through me, got to him. So yeah, he knows everything.”

  Darby drew in a deep breath, then said very quietly, “I did what I had to do.”

  “I know.” He couldn’t lie and say it hadn’t hurt. Yet at the same time, he’d understood she’d been forced to look out for herself. Honestly, wasn’t that the reason he’d rolled on Reyes? It was the way the legal system worked. Small-time drug dealers like him were only snagged to get to the bigger fish. There was no such thing as honor among thieves.

  Gage wasn’t proud of what he’d done. He’d escaped one abusive situation only to find himself in a worse position. He’d admit he made poor choices and lived to regret them. He still thought of those months as the dark years, and he was determined to never, ever go back. But the months he’d spent with Darby weren’t all bad. In fact, she was the one and only bright spot in his mind.

  Too bad she didn’t feel the same way about him.

  “You really think Reyes damaged the zip line cable in an attempt to hurt me?”

  Darby’s question pulled him from his thoughts. “I don’t know. I didn’t see him anywhere nearby, but he might have hired someone to do the dirty work for him. You’re the one who mentioned the strange coincidence.”

  She lifted her gray eyes to his, and he saw a hint of defiance intermixed with fear. “Give me one good reason why I should believe you? You could have damaged the cable yourself, only to pin the deed on Tyrone Reyes.” She hesitated, then added, “And you have a reason to get back at me, more than he does.”