picture?”
Lily pulled the fugitive’s photo from her pocket. Once he took it, Zack unfolded it and placed it on the counter.
“We were searching for this woman, Jamie Carter. She’s not a dangerous criminal so you don’t have to worry. She probably won’t come back, but if she does, can you call the number on the bottom of the page?”
Randy held the paper like it was gold and nodded. “Of course, sir, miss.” His gaze shifted to Lil. And stayed there.
Zack glanced at her, smiling away, batting her eyelashes at the guy. “Thanks.” He pinched his sister’s sleeve and tugged her toward the door. “Let’s go, miss.”
Once they stepped outside, Zack grinned. “He’s too young for you.” He didn’t look at her, but from the corner of his eye he could see Lily glaring at him. They walked in silence back to the truck. The wind shook the tree leaves, which created strange sunshine patterns.
Carter had been prettier than her mug shot, even with the worry creasing her brow. In her picture, her wavy hair dipped past her shoulders. Today, she’d pulled it away from her face, which made her look younger than her twenty-four years and much more vulnerable. His heart almost went out to her.
But it didn’t. He was a professional and she was his criminal.
Inside the vehicle, Lily met his gaze. “You know the others are going to have a word or two for us, right?”
“Yup.” But it would be Zack they’d be angry with, not Lil. A hundred justifications for taking her along on his hunt for Ms. Carter roamed through his head, but none of them would be good enough for his brothers. He shouldn’t have gone, they’d say, should’ve left Lily at work, he’d acted totally irresponsible, blah, blah, blah.
“You can handle it, though. You know you’re one of the best and they’re only jealous.” She clicked her seat belt into place. “Besides, I’m a big girl. I make my own decisions.”
Yeah, he’d push that justification. It hadn’t been his decision after all.
For some reason, he took one more glance across the parking lot toward the wall of trees. Of course, Carter was long gone. He had to admit, the woman’s story intrigued him. So did the worry plastered across her face. Yes, as bounty hunters, he and his brothers heard sob stories all the time, criminals forming paper-thin explanations in hopes of gaining an ally, but Jamie Carter’s impassioned plea had caught him off guard. What if the woman spoke the truth? What if she did everything she could for an innocent kid?
Nah. Just because he hadn’t been out on the hunt in almost four weeks, he couldn’t let his brain freeze. Besides, the courts called Jamie Carter a criminal who needed to be brought to justice. He had to follow the law.
* * *
Two days later, Jamie sat on the blanket she’d set beside her tent and leaned her head against the tree. Excited voices of adult campers and children around her helped to calm her heart. Yes, she could’ve hidden farther into the woods, where no one would find her, but the complete human stillness would leave her with too much time to think. Guilt had a way of creeping through silence.
What was she doing? By walking away from her sister and having fun on a vacation, she’d managed to let one of the most important people in her life get hurt. No, both people if she thought about it. Her sister was dead and her niece had no parents. Well, technically Charlotte still had a father, but if Jamie had her way, the man would never see his little girl again. Drew wasn’t fit to be a father.
Giving up her comfort in her apartment once she’d gone on the run had been a no-brainer. But she hadn’t been prepared for life as a fugitive. She constantly looked over her shoulder, and in another night or two, she’d have to move again to another campground. Too much time in one place made her an easier target to find.
When she and Erin were little, they used to put up tents in the backyard and treat their evening like a grand adventure. These days she was also on a journey but one of a whole different kind.
When she took Charlotte and jumped bail, she knew she had to let go of anything normal—no cell phone, no personal computer, no familiar places. She had grabbed the basics for survival, dropped her niece off with a friend willing to help and pitched her tent in the city park. With a beach on one side and summer campers on the other, she hid out, hoping for the guilt inside her to tamp down in her brain long enough for her to find a way out of the mess she was in.
As a soft breeze floated through the leaves, she glanced around the trees. Sunshine created streaks of light across the dirt paths, reminding her of the joy and happiness bubbling throughout her and Erin’s adventures all those years ago. Soft and comfy sleeping bags had cradled her and her dreams.
Now, she was alone.
Once she put Drew behind bars, she and Charlotte would camp throughout New England, hitting all the best-known parks. Jamie would make sure to share her sister’s love of camping with the little one.
She scrubbed her palm over her face and shifted her gaze to the wallet-sized picture of her, Erin and Charlotte that she kept in her backpack. Inside the bag were a few changes of clothes, all the money she had in her savings account and everything she held dear: pictures, Erin’s favorite Bible, trinkets that friends and family had given Jamie over the years, her own journal documenting her emotions as well as her ideas about Drew’s failings as a sheriff...and as a man.
Men were supposed to love their families, take care of them, cherish them.
Drew protected himself and his reputation.
Her thoughts drifted to the bounty hunter who’d tried to capture her the other day. He was probably good to his family. He seemed to care about following the law, not abusing it. What would it be like to have a man like him in her corner? She pressed her back to the thick tree stump as the image of the man flooded her brain. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes.
But Jamie had no time for romance. Thoughts of Mr. Bounty Hunter were a luxury she couldn’t afford. She needed to stay focused on making up for her mistake, for not being there when Erin needed her most.
Jamie hadn’t heard her ringing phone while at breakfast with her friends on the last day of vacation. Before she got on the road to return home, she’d listened to Erin’s message.
She was ready to leave the marriage, she’d found some incriminating evidence of Drew selling drugs and she needed Jamie ASAP. Noises in the background made Erin whisper and rush her words. She told Jamie she loved her. She started saying something about Mrs. C., an old family friend, but her words were cut off, then the phone had gone dead.
Charlotte, though, the most important person in Jamie’s world, was safe. Jamie wished she could stop by her friend’s house to spend some time with the girl, but she’d never put the child in unnecessary danger. Plus, Greta lived in Massachusetts. The time it would take to get there was precious. Jamie needed to stay focused.
With a heavy sigh, she returned the picture to her backpack, then stretched out on her back. Sunshine through the leaves cast heat and brightness over her. Jamie closed her eyes and willed herself to relax.
With so much pain in her heart, such weariness in her muscles and so many unanswered questions, being at ease seemed a million miles away. Hey, God, do You think You could guide me through this journey so I can protect Charlotte and honor my sister?
