The Girl Who Came Back

Eliza’s fear for Maddie grew

What if her foster mother didn’t recover? What if the stroke put an end to the Maddie she knew? Eliza was filled with a sense of impending doom. She had to get to Mississippi. She’d let things go far too long without making a real attempt to reconnect with Maddie.

Eliza had spent so many years alone. It was one thing to remain aloof, to protect her heart from further bruising, but the reality had led to a solitary existence. She’d made a mistake as a teenager, and it had left her wary of getting close to anyone—afraid of hurting someone and being hurt herself.

Maddie had done her best for her girls. Eliza saw that now. Was this the end? Was Maddie alone in the hospital, living her last few days with no one to visit, to talk to her, to love her? Eliza couldn’t allow that. It was said that you could never go home again. But for her entire childhood, Maddie had given Eliza her best. She was the only mother Eliza remembered, and now she needed Eliza.

What was she waiting for?

She picked up the phone and punched in the number of an airline.

Dear Reader,

We all had best friends in childhood. Some of us are lucky enough to stay in the same town and continue those friendships all our lives. Others have moved away. What happened to those best friends? Do you sometimes wish with all your heart you could once again be close to someone who knew you back when you were five? Do you long to share confidences and learn what’s going on in her life?

The three girls from Poppin Hill were best friends. When a tragic incident separated them, they went their own ways. Now, ten years later, a family emergency is calling them back, one by one. Will they find that special friendship they remember so fondly? Or have the years and distance put too much in the way to reconnect with that unique bond?

Come and see how Eliza makes the first step by returning. And discovers that, as Dorothy said, there’s no place like home.

All the best,

Barbara McMahon

The Girl Who Came Back

Barbara McMahon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my great-aunt Eleanor Fuller.

Thank you for all the memories and family stories and for

giving me the Miller Family Bible! I love you.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PROLOGUE

Twelve years ago

“COME ON BACK TO MY PLACE,” Shell said, revving the car and careering recklessly down the narrow road. The trees crowding the edges of the country lane whipped by in a blur.

“I need to get home.” Today had been a mistake. Eliza had known that almost the moment she’d agreed to go with Shell, but she couldn’t back out. Getting even with Cade should have made her feel better, but she’d been annoyed with Shell all day. She should never have given in to him and played hooky from school to go to New Orleans. Dammit, she was tired and hungry and feeling more than a little guilty. Now she had to sneak back into the house so Maddie didn’t give her grief for skipping school.

April was supposed to tell Cade that Eliza had cut classes to go to New Orleans, and with whom. If Cade could fool around with Marlise, Eliza was justified in having some fun with Shell.

Only she hadn’t had fun. Shell had been all over her, and fighting him off had become a full-time job. Now they were almost back in Maraville, and Eliza was counting the minutes until she could shake off this loser.

“Come on, baby,” Shell said, putting a hand on her bare thigh.

The guy never gave up. She slapped his hand away. May in Mississippi was warm, but she’d also worn the shorts to make a statement. Pulling her leg away, she glared at him.

“I need to get home. Maddie will skin me alive if she finds out I skipped school.”

“If? You mean when,” Shell said, sneering. “Like old man Douglass isn’t going to tell at some point?”

For sure the principal would call and complain about one of Maddie’s foster children again. He called so often, he probably had her number programmed into his phone. Usually it was about Jo, but once in a while about April. This would be the first call about Eliza. Didn’t matter. Her foster mother would be infuriated.

Still, it’d be worth it if Cade got the message. If he could play around, so could Eliza.

“Damage has already been done,” Shell said, smirking at her. “Might as well go all the way.”

“Stop playing games and get me home,” she ordered. If he didn’t turn at the intersection that led to Poppin Hill, she’d jump out at the next stop sign and get there on her own.

Which was exactly what she ended up doing. Shell scoffed at her request and cruised past the turnoff. As he slowed for the next stop, never quite coming to a complete halt, she snatched her purse and flung herself from the car. He called after her, but she turned and began walking. The car roared away.

It took her more than forty minutes to walk home. The old house stood on a rise overlooking the sleepy Mississippi town of Maraville. Maddie Oglethorpe had opened her home to three foster girls many years ago. Eliza resented the fact she had to live in foster care, but with both parents dead and no known relatives, she had no choice.

She stormed into the back of the house. Amazingly, no one was around. She walked through the kitchen to the front, then up the stairs to her room. The silence was spooky.

Opening her door, she tossed her purse on the bed and went back down the hall, peeking into Jo’s room. When she heard soft sounds coming from April’s, she knocked on the door, opened it and stuck her head inside.

“You’re back,” April said, lying on her bed. She scooted up to lean against the headboard. “The shit hit the fan today.”

Satisfaction finally coursed through Eliza. “Cade wasn’t happy to hear I went out with Shell, I take it.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, he was majorly pissed. I’m talking about Jo. Someone beat the crap out of her and she blamed Maddie.”

“What?” Eliza couldn’t believe it. “Jo is two inches taller than Maddie and athletic as all get out. Maddie talks tough, but she’s never so much as slapped any of us. How could she beat up Jo?”

“Jo showed up here this morning black and blue with blood oozing from several cuts on her face. The cops came and took her to the hospital. She claimed it was Maddie.”

“She’s lying.” Eliza went to sit on the bed. “What really happened?”

“I don’t know the whole story. I was sent to school before I could find out more. When I got home, the place was empty. I don’t know where Maddie and Jo are right now. Your plan worked, by the way. Cade had a fit when I told him you took off with Shell.”

Eliza nodded, her own situation taking second place to the news about Jo. “I bet it was Heller. She should have dumped him weeks ago. He’s bad news.”

“Maybe, but she was mad as all get out and kept glaring at Maddie, saying it was all her fault.”

Who would have beaten a sixteen-year-old girl? It had to be Heller. He was a classmate from the wrong side of town. He’d been in and out of trouble as long as Eliza and the others had known him. He and Jo had a thing going—against Eliza’s advice and April’s. But Jo was headstrong. No one could budge her when she made up her mind.

“So spill, how was Shell?” April said.

“Not as hot as he thinks, though his car is cool,” Eliza told her. “The day was a drag.” She’d only gone to get back at Cade for his defection. Could she have found another way?

The phone rang.

April leapt up and ran down the stairs. The only phone in the house was located at the base of the stairs. Eliza followed right behind her.

“Hello…? Oh, yeah, she’s here.” April turned and held out the receiver. “It’s for you. Sounds like Chelsea.”

Eliza hesitated a moment. She didn’t want to talk to Cade’s sister. Chelsea had been the one to tell her about Cade seeing Marlise again. Eliza hadn’t wanted to believe her—Chelsea was known for being a class-A liar—but she had gone to Marlise’s house when Chelsea had told her. And sure enough, when Cade had rung the bell, Marlise had opened the door and flown into his arms and kissed him. Eliza had seen it with her own eyes. The boyfriend she’d dated exclusively for months had been kissing another girl.

“Hello.”

“So you dumped my brother,” Chelsea said. She sounded worked up, talking fast.

“If going out with Shell is dumping, then I sure did.”

“Ha, you’ll be sorry.”

“Yeah, how? Dumping a two-timer is the only way to go.” No matter how much it hurt. “You might consider that yourself.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Come off it, Chelsea, the whole school knows Eddie is cheating on you.” Cade would be furious that Eliza had told his sister her boyfriend was seeing someone else. They’d argued over whether to tell her or not. But Eliza no longer cared what Cade thought. Maybe telling Chelsea some home truths would show her she couldn’t have everything her own way.

“He is not. He’s my boyfriend!”

“Whatever. Why are you calling?” Eliza had no desire to prolong the conversation.

“Cade wants to talk to you.”

“About what?” Eliza asked. “There’s nothing to say. You were right, I saw him kissing Marlise.” So much for trust and loyalty. The pain struck again. How long would it be before she got over the betrayal?

“I expect he wants to talk to you about your behavior,” Chelsea said with a syrupy tone.

“Mine? What about his?”

“You going to make up with him?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“You going to make up with Eddie?” Eliza asked.

“You’re wrong about him. There’s nothing to make up.”

“Ask your brother if you don’t believe me. He knows it as well as I do. You two deserve each other.”

Chelsea hung up.

“She’s so weird.” Eliza placed the receiver on the hook and told April what Chelsea had said.

“She’s hung up on her brother,” April observed. “She doesn’t want him to see anyone, just to pay attention to her.”

“That’s creepy. Besides, she was going out with Eddie Palmer. Now he’s going out with Darcy.”

“Yeah, well I think Chelsea’s a nut,” April said. “No wonder Eddie found somebody else. Look at all the times she’s called to get Cade home on some pretext or other. You’d think the guy would get wise.”

Eliza felt she had to defend Cade. “He’s the man of the family. He feels responsible for her and his mother.”

“For a crazy sister and a drunk mother? He’d better get that scholarship to Tulane and get the hell out of town when he graduates.”

“We all want to get out when we graduate,” Eliza said. “This is a dumb town.” She sat a few steps above April on the staircase. “I want to know about Jo.”

“As far as I can tell, we just have to wait until they get home to find out the scoop,” April said. “I already called some of Jo’s friends to see if they knew anything. No one did.”

By six o’clock, neither Maddie nor Jo had returned to the house. April and Eliza fixed sandwiches for their dinner, eating in the kitchen, speculating about the different scenarios that would explain what had happened to their friend.

The phone rang again.

“Maybe that’s them now,” Eliza said, dashing out to the base of the stairs to answer.

“Eliza?” It was Chelsea again.

“What?” Eliza said in exasperation. “I need the phone. I’m expecting a call.”

“Cade hates you. He never wants to see you.” Chelsea was gloating, no doubt about it.

“Fine. I’ll stay out of his way. I’m not feeling too positive about him myself!”

“I lied. My brother would never cheat on you. You’re the fool. Now he won’t forgive you. You’re history. But he’ll always be here for me, no matter what. He’s my brother, and we don’t need you pushing your way in, trying to take him from me.”

“Chelsea, you’re crazy. I wasn’t trying to take him from anyone.” Eliza felt her heart drop. Had Chelsea really lied about Marlise? Or was she lying now? Eliza had seen Cade kissing Marlise with her own two eyes.

“Forget him, he’s not for you.” The words were full of venom. “I’ll make sure you never get your hands on him again.”

Eliza slammed down the receiver. She’d known Chelsea was a little wacko. She was also a drama queen. But she was Cade’s sister, and Eliza had always tried to be polite to her. If Chelsea had lied…

The implication struck Eliza with full force. Cade hadn’t cheated—but she had. He would never forgive her. She should have asked him for an explanation, not gone off for the day with Shell, the guy with the worst reputation in school. Well, not the worst. Heller had that honor. But Shell was trouble from way back. His hands all over her today had proved that.

April came into the hall.

“Was that Jo or Maddie?”

“Chelsea again. She said she lied about Cade and Marlise.”

April gave a whistle.

“But I saw them together.” Doubt niggled at Eliza. What if she’d made a mistake? She loved Cade. He was the best thing ever to happen to her. He was due to graduate in another few weeks, and she would follow the next year. They had been going together for months. He was kind, caring, sexy.

But she had seen him kiss Marlise.

“So talk to the guy,” April suggested.

They heard a car in the driveway and hurried to the back door. Maddie got out of the old sedan. She seemed surprised to see the two girls at the door. A deputy’s car turned in behind hers.

“Where’s Jo?” April asked from the doorway.

“She’s in the hospital.” The older woman walked to the back door, looking ten years older than when they’d seen her that morning. “She won’t be coming home.”

“What? She’s going to die?” Eliza couldn’t believe it. Jo had been healthy that morning. How badly was she hurt?

“No, not that.” Maddie walked past them and went to sit at the kitchen table. “She’s being taken to another home.” She looked at each of them. “You two are being reassigned, as well. No one believed me when I swore I hadn’t touched Jo.”

The deputy stepped inside the kitchen and stood near the door.

She stared at her hands. “How could they think I would strike a child?”

“What do you mean, we’re being reassigned?” Eliza asked.

Maddie raised her eyes. “You and April are to pack and be ready to leave by nine in the morning. Social Services will be taking you to another foster home after the sheriff asks you both some questions. The deputy is here to make sure you two stay safe until morning.” Maddie’s voice was strained.

Stunned, Eliza looked at the cop. What had Jo told the police?

April touched her arm. They left the kitchen together, not speaking until they were in April’s room.

“We have to find out what’s going on,” April said. “And just where they plan to send us. Maddie didn’t hit Jo. She couldn’t possibly have caused the damage I saw. Why would Jo say she had?”

“I don’t know. Why would Chelsea lie about Cade and Marlise?”

“It’s hardly the same thing,” April snapped.

“It is to me. Both lies are changing my whole life.” Eliza headed for the door.

“Where are you going?”

“To find out something.”

She sneaked down the stairs. There was only silence from the kitchen, so she picked up the phone and dialed Cade’s number. She would talk to him as April had suggested. And tell him she was being reassigned. Where would they go? She couldn’t think of an available foster facility in town. But Social Services wouldn’t assign them out of town, would they?

The phone rang and rang. Finally Chelsea picked up.

“Cade, please,” Eliza said.

“He’s gone to work. He’s so angry. I’ve never seen him so angry before. He hates you.” Chelsea was practically shouting. “I’ll make sure he always hates you. You can’t have my brother!”

“Shut up, Chelsea. He’s your brother, not your boyfriend.”

“He’s mine. He loves me. You tell him I never lied to him.”

“Tell him yourself.”

There was a pause. Then Chelsea said, softly, almost in a singsong voice, “I won’t be here to tell him. But he won’t ever forget me. Or what you did.”

“Where are you going?” Eliza asked despite herself.

“Nowhere. I’ll be dead.” The receiver slammed down.

Eliza couldn’t believe Chelsea would ever even think of such a thing. How like her to be so melodramatic. How Cade stood it was beyond her. Eliza listened for a moment. No sounds came from the kitchen. Slowly she walked to the front door and eased it opened. She had to talk to Cade. Had to hear his side of things and explain her own.

And what was she going to do about Social Services? He had to help her or she was going to lose her home. Chelsea couldn’t be right. He would forgive her. Nothing had happened between her and Shell. It was Cade she loved. She couldn’t lose him.

CHAPTER ONE

ELIZA SHAW SWORE AGAIN as she shifted to balance her dripping, overstuffed handbag, stack of damp mail, twisted skeleton of an umbrella and soggy bag of food, all the while trying to unlock her apartment door.

“Dammit!” she muttered through clenched teeth. The perfect ending to the day from hell. She hated days like this. She was wet from head to toe and had a raging headache to boot. Sometimes it didn’t pay to get out of bed.

“If anything else goes wrong, I’m wiping the date off the calendar for years to come,” she muttered, finally succeeding in opening the door. She burst into her apartment, dropping the handbag and remnant of her umbrella onto the hardwood floor.

She kicked off her sopping shoes and tossed the mail on the counter separating the kitchen from the living room. She was freezing. The month of April was supposed to be the beginning of spring, not the tail end of winter. The forecast had been for a little rain—ha! If the storm that now raged over Boston had arrived after midnight as predicted, instead of twelve hours earlier, she wouldn’t have been caught in it at all. She glanced at her watch. It was not quite eleven-thirty. Too bad the storm hadn’t listened to the weatherman.

Every cab in the city had been elsewhere, leaving her to trudge the twenty blocks between work and home in the pouring rain. The wind had laughed at her paltry umbrella, twisting it inside out within seconds of leaving the safety of the restaurant.

“If I ever win the lottery, I will hire my own chauffeur,” she vowed as she traipsed into the kitchen. She turned the faucet on high, blasting water into the teakettle, which she quickly set on the gas range. Hot chocolate or tea would help to warm her up along with a hot shower.

Impatiently waiting for the water to boil, Eliza went to the flashing answering machine and pushed the button. She needed to get out of her wet clothes. The rain had soaked through her jacket and even her sweater was damp.

“Hello, Eliza,” a familiar voice said. “I know you’re still at work, but call me when you get home no matter how late.”

Eliza frowned, checking her watch. It was late, but she’d still call. Stephen would wait up until she did. He didn’t like the fact she worked until after eleven most nights, and after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. But as a sought-after chef in one of the hottest restaurants in Boston, Eliza was used to the long hours. Stephen knew working late came with her job. There was no need to have her check in every night.

Guilt tugged at Eliza. She was tired and cranky. She should appreciate that Stephen cared enough for her to want to know she was safe. It was nice to feel cherished. She shouldn’t take out her bad mood on him.

She picked up the phone as the teakettle screamed. Carrying the portable receiver with her into the kitchen, Eliza quickly made a cup of tea, then punched the speed dial for Stephen’s number.

“What are you doing still up?” she said when he answered.

“Waiting to hear from you. You’re later than I expected.” He sounded worried. “Are you all right?”

“Sopping wet. There were no cabs so I had to walk.”

“In this downpour at this time of night? You should have called me.”

She smiled, feeling warmed with his concern. “I’m fine,” she assured him. “I wouldn’t have asked my worst enemy to come out on a night like tonight.”

“I wish you’d quit that job,” he said. “Find something that has daylight hours. Or open a business of your own. You know I’d back you in a New York minute.”

He’d suggested it before. Maybe it was time she gave the idea some serious thought. “After this walk home, I’m closer to starting that catering business we’ve talked about,” she murmured, taking a sip of the warm tea. More days like this and she’d take the plunge. She’d never thought of herself as an entrepreneur, but she had menu ideas for special events bubbling around in her mind.

“You’d still be working evenings, but with a better clientele,” Stephen said. “ And you could take off when you wanted. Let’s get married right away, sweetheart.”

He’d been patiently waiting for her to pick the right time to get married. She loved Stephen, but was not quite ready to make that final commitment. What was wrong with her? Or was she still adjusting to the fact they were engaged? It had only been a few weeks. She needed to get used to the idea.

“Maybe I could work from home and we could spend all our time together,” he said facetiously.

Eliza laughed. “Sweetie, I can’t see your clients coming to our flat. Besides, we’d be tempted to do a lot more fun things besides work.”

His chuckle warmed her even more. She did love him. She wished she had called him for a ride, just so she could have seen him this evening. Why was she dragging her feet about setting a wedding date?

“Okay, so open a bakery. At least you’d keep more normal hours.”

“Something to think about, but bakers have to start work about four in the morning. I’m not sure that’s for me.” Baking was fine, but she loved the challenge and range that creating main courses offered.

“You could do charity work,” he suggested. “You know Mother would love to have you on some of her committees.”

Eliza wrinkled her nose, not that he could see. “I don’t think that’s my thing.” They’d had this discussion once before. She thought she’d made her position clear. Sometimes Stephen heard what he wanted to hear, not what she said.

As for Stephen’s mother… Eliza adored Adele Cabot. She was all Eliza wished her own mother had been—loving, elegant, devoted to her only child. And she was more than welcoming to Eliza. At one point Eliza had wondered if her feelings for Stephen had grown out of her liking for Adele and her hopes to have her for a mother-in-law.

“It beats working nights and never having time for a normal social life,” he said easily. “Speaking of which, Mother is having some friends down at the Cape this weekend. I told her we’d join her.”

This wasn’t the first time he’d made plans for them without consulting her. She wasn’t up to dealing with it tonight.

“Stephen, you need to check with me before accepting invitations.”

“This is just a weekend at home. No big deal.”

“I’m working Friday and Saturday nights, but I could make it there Sunday in time for brunch,” Eliza said. She loved spending time at the old Cabot family home on Cape Cod. It was totally different from what Eliza was used to. She’d been a foster child in a small Mississippi town—no family, no background, no money. But her lack of background hadn’t stopped Stephen from proposing, or Adele from accepting her into the family with welcoming arms. Eliza’s childhood seemed distant—as if it had happened to someone else. Boston had been her home for the last ten years.