Prologue
The end of RED SIN
Julia
Back in the kitchen, I reached for the oven mitts and opened the top wall oven, removing the turkey breast. The second oven contained the casseroles to complete our holiday meal.
“What did Butler whisper before he left?” Van asked.
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s celebrate. My parents are gone and this is our first Christmas.”
Van’s smile returned. “The first item on that list definitely deserves celebration.”
As I arranged the dishes, Van pulled a bottle of wine from the rack and brought down two glasses. My mind was on what Skylar had said.
I knew I shouldn’t give Skylar or his ideas the time of day, but what he’d mentioned wasn’t new. It was something I’d already wondered about. It was also the subject that Mrs. Mayhand had commented about, saying that some questions were better not asked.
Van handed me a glass of wine and lifted his own. “To our guests leaving.”
A smile curled my lips as I stared at him, deep into his emerald eyes, and brought my glass to his. “To us being alone.”
Our glasses clinked before we both took a sip.
A few minutes later before we were about to be seated, our food and wine already on the table, when Van reached for my hand. “I want to tell you every day that you amaze me because you do.”
“I didn’t make this meal.”
“No,” he said, the gold flecks in his orbs shimmering under the kitchen lights. “You did so much more. You stood up for yourself, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his solid strength and to the place I wanted to be. Van had become that to me. He’d become my place of restoration, whether here in this big house, in the cabin, or in the wilderness. Within his presence, I felt at peace.
And yet there was a lingering question.
I looked up. “Van, who is Madison?”
The muscles of his torso tightened as his head tilted to the side. “Why are you asking?”
“Skylar said something. I don’t want to believe him.” I shook my head, still keeping my arms wrapped around Van. “After all, I have all the reason in the world not to believe him. I believe you. Why is your company Sherman and Madison?”
He inhaled. “Once you go through all the information, you’ll learn that Madison was a friend, and I chose to honor that friendship.”
“Just a friend?”
Inhaling, he shook his head.
“I’m not asking as the writer,” I said. “I’m asking as your fiancée. Who is Madison?” I said a silent prayer that Skylar had lied. After all, it couldn’t be true. The pieces didn’t fit.
Van’s voice was deadpan as he answered, shattering our snow globe, “My wife.”