Willow Spring by Toni Blake Read Free Book Online

and turned to look at them, Amy knew. She just knew. Without a doubt. It was her eyes. She had Romo eyes. She had Anna Romo’s eyes.
    “I . . . don’t mean to be forward,” Logan said, “but . . .”
    And Amy realized he hadn’t figured out what he was going to say to her—which was understandable given the bizarre circumstances—so when his voice trailed off, she automatically filled the gap. “You just . . . look like someone we know. Or . . . used to know.”
    The gorgeous brown-eyed girl blinked in such a way that Amy knew, too, that she knew who she was, and that was why she was here. But she just said, “Who?”
    And though they both hesitated a second more—because it was all too strange, all too utterly impossible—Logan then said her name, as soft and tentative as a delicate prayer. “Anna Romo.”
    Even when her lips parted to form an “O,” her eyes lighting with surprise, Anna Romo was beyond beautiful. “Yes,” she said then, “that’s . . . me. Even though . . .” She shook her head, her long, sleek hair falling around her face like a wild mane. “It’s hard to get used to. I . . . didn’t know that was my last name until recently.” And when she looked a little embarrassed, befuddled, Amy couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. My God, what had happened to Anna? What had she been through? She’d been missing for well over twenty years, after all, so it was almost too much to even contemplate.
    “I . . . I was told I might have family here,” she went on.
    And Amy and Logan simply looked at each other. Boy, did she have family. But Amy knew it wasn’t only the largest clan in Destiny that she and Logan were both thinking of. It was Mike. And Lucky. And their parents. It was a family who’d been torn apart by her disappearance. It was a man—Mike—who’d spent his whole life missing her, wallowing in guilt, and still hoping against hope that one day she would come home. Even though he and everyone else in Destiny knew that was impossible.
    And yet . . . suddenly it wasn’t impossible. Suddenly it was unfathomably real. A fact which kept Logan and Amy just standing there gawking at her like some figment of their imagination come to life.
    “Yeah,” Amy finally managed. “You have family here. Two brothers. Your parents live in Florida now, but . . .” At a loss for what else to say, how much to bombard her with, this time it was Amy who trailed off, looking to Logan for help.
    “Your brother is my best friend,” he supplied, peering back at Anna. “And he’s gonna be so damn happy to see you, Anna.” Then he dug his cell phone from his pocket, saying, “I have to call him.”
    M ike had just kissed Rachel goodbye, then started the cruiser, ready for the night shift. He generally preferred working days, since nights spent patrolling quiet Destiny streets could be long and uneventful, but he also appreciated the time it gave him to think.
    And as he pulled out onto Meadowview Highway in the direction of town, he thought about the fact that he was getting married soon. And that, though he’d never much thought of himself as the marrying kind, he’d never been happier. At least not in his adult life. Rachel was the glue that held him together—even if, before she’d come along—he’d never been particularly aware that he was coming apart. But he had been. And she’d helped him see that life could be good even when you had troubles, even when you were filled with hard questions that had no answers. She’d made him almost begin to move on.
    That part was the toughest, and that was why it was an “almost.” When she’d entered his world, he’d still been obsessed with his own guilt over Anna. He’d still been harboring the insane hope that she’d come back, any day now. And the truth was, living like that for so long had worn on him; it had turned him into a stern, snarly guy not too many people wanted to be around. And he supposed he was probably