Chapter 3

in which our heroine wonders what she has got herself into.

She didn’t expect him to smile, much less almost laugh. His eyes softened a little bit, as if the joke was on her and he realized she didn’t know it yet.

“No, Steph, I’m not a cop. Hard to believe, but that little tradition died with Dad.” He was obviously struggling to keep from full out laughing.

“You talk like a cop.”

Adam’s gave a half shrug, as if to say of course I do. “I’m a bail enforcement agent.”

“Is that a different kind of cop?” She shifted in her seat a little, feeling a bit of relief at talking about something else even if just for a while. Anything to keep the conversation away from Jessie.

 He was still grinning. “I’m a fugitive recovery specialist.”

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He looked right at her, the full force of those eyes making her gulp. They’d always looked like root beer. “I catch bad guys who like to run. I’m a bounty hunter.”

She stared. Her mouth dropped open and it took her a moment to shut it.

The father of her child was a bounty hunter. She burst out laughing.

“Is that funny to you?” He was looking at her dubiously, but she could still see a hint of his smile behind his expression.

“No. Well … yes.” She tried to regain her composure, but this situation was absurd. “I had a few pictures in my mind at what you might be doing with your life, but I can tell you that ‘bounty hunter’ wasn’t exactly on the short list.” 

She’d had a lot of pictures of him in her mind, actually. More than she’d ever admit to. But this?

“A lot’s changed since high school, Steph. But I guarantee any news on my end can wait. Jessie. Pam. The notes. We need to get back to that.” 

Steph shifted again, less comfortable now. She didn’t like it, but he was right. This wasn’t about her discomfort with Adam. It was about something much bigger than that. “I don’t know what to do, Adam. He knows where I am. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. It was supposed to be simple. Langford was supposed to be a fresh start.” 

“I know.” Adam reached as if to hold her hand, and then quickly adjusted his hat instead. “A woman’s supposed to have a safe place to land. I track down a lot of guys who don’t believe that, but at least I know who they are. So we’re at a disadvantage here. Where are you staying?”

“Half-Moon.” 

“You are not going back to the Half-Moon Motel.” 

Stephanie looked up, startled. “What do you mean I’m not going back?” 

“You’re just not.” Adam shrugged again. “First, it’s a hole. Second, there’s no security. They’re not exactly my number one choice for a safe haven. We’ll leave your car at the diner and get you somewhere more protected.” 

“I can’t leave my car there. It’s a rental. It’ll get towed.” She was getting nervous.  

“This isn’t New York, Steph. You think Misti’s going to call a tow on you? Your car will be fine. I want to get you somewhere hidden, at least until daylight.”  

Stephanie slumped back. “But still. I don’t like it. I don’t like this at all.” 

“I’m not such a fan of it myself.” He turned the key and the truck fired up again. “Come back to my place. We’ll keep you safe.” 

We? Who’s we? Her eyes darted to his left hand. No ring. But that didn’t mean anything these days. 

“Look, Adam. I have a room. I’m sure there’s security there. I’m not staying over at your place.” 

Safety. Security. Protection. She didn’t even know what they meant anymore. Had she ever? Maybe once, but that was a long time ago. 

Adam leaned in and looked her in the eye. She couldn’t ignore the seriousness in his expression. “For once in your life, I’d like you to listen to reason. If someone has followed you thousands of miles, I am not about to trust a clerk at the Half Moon Motel to keep his eye on your door, a hundred yards away and around a corner. We don’t know who this guy is or what he’s planning to do, but this isn’t a day trip for him.” 

She tried to turn away but he reached forward and nudged her chin so she had to look at him. His touch was terrifying and electrifying. “You’re a grown woman and you can do what you want, but the one thing you can’t do tonight is be stupid about this. You’re not going out there alone.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Stay tonight. We’ll figure out next steps tomorrow. For tonight, the word is safe. And that’s exactly what you’ll be with me and Ben in the house. You can have Jackson’s room.” 

“Ben and Jackson live with you?” 

“We got the house.” 

“Oh.”  

At that moment, the reality finally dawned on her. She didn’t have any fight left. She couldn’t argue. She couldn’t struggle. After the day, the week, the decade – she had nothing left. She had no more fire, no more strength. She would go to his house and they would figure it out in the morning. “Okay.” 

He looked at her, confused. “Okay?” 

“Okay, fine. We’ll go to your house.” 

“I thought you’d never ask.” He smiled, and it was just as devastating as it ever was. He was reversing the truck before she could think of changing her mind. 

“So Ben and Jackson… I thought they were getting out the minute they were legal.”  

“Long story.”  

“It’s a long drive.” Somehow, she managed a smile back. “I don’t exactly have any plans for the evening.” 

“Let’s just say they couldn’t stay away.” He had that look on his face, like he couldn’t wait for her to ask.  

Fine. She’d give him this one. “And what could convince the notorious Chase brothers to settle down in Langford? 

Adam laughed, pulling on to the road. 

“I hired them. They work for me now.” 

Stephanie leaned her head back on her seat and closed her eyes.  

Bounty hunters.  

All three of them, under one roof. 

Help me, God, she prayed silently to herself. What have I gotten myself into?

Adam braced himself as he walked up to the porch. He was going to have some explaining to do once he got inside. He’d been looking forward to getting some food, getting home in peace, and sleeping until about Wednesday. It looked like none of those were going to happen. 

“The plants are nice.” Stephanie’s voice was quiet. He was confused and didn’t reply until she pointed to the pots on the porch. 

“Oh, those.” He shrugged. “Mom.” 

“I figured.” She stepped to the side and stared at her shoes. She probably hadn’t expected to be back here any more than he’d expected to have her. His mind flashed back to the last time he’d seen her standing in his doorway like this. It may as well have been a million years ago.  

He gave his head a shake. This was not the time to be thinking about prom night. She’d been here one time since, or so he’d heard. Come to think of it, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that, either. It was probably never the time, and that was alright by him. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. 

“Watch out for –” Before he could continue, he was accosted by a tornado of blonde fur. Paws to the chest, nose to the face, he was a whirlwind of puppy love.  

“Hey, boy. It’s good to see you, too. Give me a minute, though. Barclay, sit.” 

The dog dropped to a seat instantly, tail wagging the whole time. It had been too long since he’d been home. I missed you too, buddy. Adam reached down and gave him a good scratch. 

“You have a dog named Barclay?”  

Taking his name as an invitation, the dog sprung back to his feet and onto Stephanie. His paws were on her shoulders and he was at least as tall as she was. 

“Barclay, get down. Leave her alone.” The dog dropped again. “It’s a respectable name.” 

“I see. Well, hello, Barclay. I think I’ve already met a lot of your fur.” 

“Sorry about that. He’s usually the one riding shotgun.” Adam hung up his hat and made his way into the house.  

“I can tell.” She bent down and nuzzled her face into the dog’s fur.
“I would’ve thought you’d get a German Shepherd.” 

“Shepherd’s a cop dog.” They were good dogs, but not for him. “Come on in. Make yourself comfortable.”  

Given the look of her, comfortable was probably a little optimistic. She walked like a woman on her way to a guillotine, not a safe haven. 

“It’s nice to get out of the heat.”  

Out of the heat and into the fire. He turned to her and had to laugh. “You have goose bumps all the way up to your shoulders.” 

It was all but impossible to stop himself from rubbing her arms to warm her up. He would add that to his growing list of things not to think about. Adam walked into the kitchen and tossed his bags onto the counter. “I’ve got to make a few phone calls. Grab some chips or whatever we have in here to tide you over.” 

“Hey,” a voice called out from the other room. This was about to get interesting. He steeled himself as Ben’s footsteps got louder. 

“You’re back early. Thought you were stopping for dinner before …” Ben turned the corner and walked into the room, then stopped completely, unable to hide his surprise. “Miss Palmer!” 

Ben cut his eyes to Adam, lingered a bit, and then looked back to Stephanie. Ben was squeezing his lips together and looked like he was having a very hard time suppressing a grin. 

“Hi, Ben. Long time no see.” Stephanie put her hands in her pockets and seemed to shrink in size. How did she manage to look like she was still 17? 

Adam cut in before Ben could say anything in response. “Looks like Stephanie got herself a stalker. We’re a little hazy on the details. She’ll be staying here for the night.”  

If he kept his voice short enough, he might be able to nip this conversation in the bud. He turned towards Stephanie, extending a bag in his hand. “Potato chips?” 

“Um… sure.” Her motions were stiff as she reached towards him. The chill of awkwardness in the air was so thick he could feel it. He had to say something before they all froze to death. 

“You can take Jackson’s room.” Adam said, and turned his attention to Ben. “Any leads?”  

“What?” Ben looked distracted and couldn’t seem to stop staring at Stephanie. Not a surprise, given the situation. 

“Leads. On Carter. Do you have any of them?” 

“Oh. Not yet.” Ben regained his powers of speech. “Waiting to hear back on four calls. Got off the phone just a few minutes ago. Got a few printouts, too, on his priors. You can take a look at them, might turn up something new.” 

“I’ll do that. Do me a favor and heat up the leftovers for us?” Ben gave a nod and headed over to the fridge. 

“Now,” Adam said, turning back to her. “You go get comfortable while I get those papers. I need to make a few phone calls when I’m done, and then it’s lights out. Got to get an early start tomorrow.” 

Stephanie sat at the table in the same spot she’d always had. “What’s going on tomorrow?”  

He really didn’t want to be discussing his personal life right now, but it wasn’t her fault he’d dragged her here. “I have a solo.” 

“What’s a solo? Is that some kind of bounty hunter thing?” 

Ben let out a chuckle, and Adam glared at him.  

“What? It’s an honest question.” Ben didn’t break eye contact, the challenge in his look so strong Barclay could see it. 

“A solo,” Adam said. “As in singing.” 

“You’re singing?” It was Stephanie’s turn to suppress a grin. She was just as bad as Ben. 

“You make it sound like I’m painting my toenails,” he grumbled. “A man can sing.” 

“And where are you singing, Adam?” 

Her dimple was threatening to make an appearance. This was about the time he should look away. “Creekside.” 

He should give her credit for at least trying to hide her shock, but she was failing. Utterly. “Are you surprised?” 

“It’s just … unexpected. That’s all.” 

Adam grabbed a cordless phone off of the kitchen counter and started towards the doorway. “Don’t talk to me about unexpected.” 

He shot a glare at Ben, silently daring him to say something. When he was satisfied that there wouldn’t be any witty retorts from that end, he walked away. He had more important things to think about than his little brother cracking jokes. First among them was finding a place to read in peace. Next was getting some food in him. 

He settled on the living room couch. “And Ben?” he called out. “Get a move on. It’s late and I need to talk to you about Carter.” 

“Take it easy, boss.” Ben called back. “Don’t rush the chef. You bring a woman into our life, we got to treat her right.” 

“I have a woman in my house,” Adam barked. “I do not have a woman in my life.” 

Didn’t have one, didn’t want one. The sooner this mess was over with, the sooner he could get on with his normal life. That was what he was going to tell himself, anyway. With Stephanie back in town, he didn’t know what his odds of normal were ever going to be again. 

Ben muttered something in response. Probably a joke at Adam’s expense. That was fine. If Ben wanted to laugh, he could laugh. In the meantime, he’d get some work done. 

He held the papers in his hand and stretched to get some of the tension out of his neck and shoulders. Long days and nights didn’t use to do this to him. He used to be able to do this and not feel a thing. He was starting to feel old. He could catch the scent of something delicious coming from the kitchen, and his stomach grumbled in complaint. 

He shifted the papers, barely glancing at them. Carter was one bad dude. If they could get him, that would be another feather in his cap and another psycho off the streets. 

He sat there for a minute looking at the words but not taking anything in. Staring at the printouts was pointless. He tossed them onto the coffee table and went back into the kitchen. 

“I don’t think I’m going to come with you to Creekside tomorrow,” Stephanie said when he walked back in. 

She had to be joking. “I think you’re mistaken on that one.” 

“I don’t have the clothes. It would be weird.” 

“It might be weird. You might not have the clothes.” He glanced over her outfit. “But it won’t be weird because you don’t have the clothes.” 

She gave him a confused look. “It’ll be embarrassing. People will be talking about me behind my back.” 

“The fine people of Langford are not going to be talking about your clothes behind your back, Steph.” 

“Has it changed a lot since I’ve been there?”  

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. They’ll be talking about you behind your back, alright. You are about to walk into a church where people haven’t seen you for thirteen years, flanked by two bounty hunters, after a quite public scene at the busiest diner in town. I can assure you that your fellow churchgoers will be whispering about many things tomorrow.” He gave her a level look. “Your clothes aren’t one of them.” 

He took a plate from Ben and sat down to eat. He could feel both of them staring at him but he was not going to give them the satisfaction of engaging in this. Barclay shuffled beside him, looking up at the plate expectantly. Adam shook his head, and the dog lay back down. 

Women and their clothes. He was glad he didn’t have any sisters. 

“I don’t want to go. I’ll go back to the motel.” 

“I will tie you up to a post if I have to, but you are not going back to that motel.” 

“I have to go back. All my stuff is there.” 

“Your stuff will fit here as well as it will fit there.” This woman would be the death of him. “The answer is no. You are not going back there and you are coming to church tomorrow.” 

“You don’t have to babysit me, Adam.” 

“You don’t seem to be doing such a spectacular job of babysitting yourself at this point.” 

Silence hung over the room. He looked over at Ben, who had his head conspicuously down. Stephanie was biting her bottom lip and looked like she was about to cry. She could cry if she wanted to, but he wasn’t going to let her get herself killed just because he couldn’t handle her misty eyes. 

“Are you completely sure you don’t know anything about this guy? He sends you notes, he sends you flowers. This long and you have no clues whatsoever?” 

She kept looking straight ahead, blinking hard, her food untouched. She was driving him insane. Having her back in the house was all but unbearable. 

“Are you taking this seriously at all?” His voice was harsh, probably harsher than it should be. But she was being completely unreasonable. 

“Please stop.” Her voice was whisper soft. Her gaze didn’t move. 

“Stop what?” 

“Please stop with the questions.” 

He dropped his fork, exasperated. “If you want me to help you, you have to – ”

She looked up at him, a hint of resolve hardening her face. “You see, that’s what you’re not understanding. I did not just walk into a private investigator’s office, or a detective’s office, or even into a bounty hunter’s office. I walked into a diner to get a burger and I thought, hey. Be brave. Get extra pickles.” She pushed her plate away and stood.  

“I did not come and beg for help. I am not being difficult. I’m sorry I’m not enabling your knight in shining armor routine. But I am tired and I am afraid and I miss my daughter. I’m not strong enough to keep up with your nasty remarks tonight, Adam. I can’t hold my own. So please, just tonight, stop bullying me with the tough guy routine, have some mercy, and let me get some sleep.” 

“Steph, listen – ”

 “No, you listen. I don’t know who he is, I don’t know what he wants from me. I have told you everything I know. I’m sorry that isn’t good enough for you.”

She ran out of the room. He was speechless as he watched her go. Was he really doing that? Every footstep up the stairs she knew so well echoed in his heart. Following her would be terrible, but what kind of a man would let her walk away? 

He turned to Ben. “Do you think I was bullying her?” 

“No comment,” Ben replied, more to his plate than to Adam. 

Adam leaned his elbows onto the table and let his head fall into his hands. “I mean it. I’m being genuine. I won’t get mad.” 

Ben took in a long breath and seemed to choose his words carefully. “I think she’s a stalking victim who’s terrified for her life and the life of her little girl. I think some bedside manner would have been in order. She needs compassion.” 

He was right. But still. “We need answers.” 

“I think you’re looking for answers to a different question, big brother.” 

Heat filled Adam’s face. His neck and shoulders suddenly tense, the trials of a long day finally catching up with him. Was that it? Was he being overly harsh with her because of their past? His hands clenched into fists around his hair. 

Ben raised his hands on mock surrender. “Hey, buddy. You said you wouldn’t get mad. I don’t like the look on your face.”  

“I’m not mad. I just need some time to think. You want first or second shift?” Adam lifted his head. He could at least look his brother in the eye. He deserved that much. 

“I could use the shut eye.” As if on cue, Ben covered his mouth to yawn. The fatigue was catching up with him. The case had been tough on him. This had been the hardest they’d had faced yet.  

“Go. I’ll take this one. I couldn’t sleep anyway. I’ll clean up.” 

Adam stood, abandoning his plate and walked to the kitchen window. He stood looking outward, his hands in his pockets, his head a mess. In the space of a few moments Ben had cleared out and Adam was alone with his thoughts. He should try and get some work done but he knew it would be pointless. He would just stare at the screen and think of Steph like he had so many nights before.  

Different year, different screen, different country even. Same thoughts. Same Steph. 

Adam wished he could be one of those men who stoically told themselves not to think about something and then didn’t think about it. He wished he could just calmly recite a list of reasons why thinking about Stephanie was a suicide mission and then get on with his night. But the truth of the matter was she’d shoved everything else aside and taken up residence in his mind and it didn’t look like she planned on leaving anytime soon. But he did have that list of reasons. Oh, he had a list alright.  

One, she left.  

Two, she didn’t come back.  

And three, he’d loved her since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. 

Those were good reasons. They’d worked, too. To a degree. He’d recited his list when he thought of calling. He’d recited his list when he’d thought of writing. He’d recited the list when Ben had to practically chain him up to stop him from driving all the way to New York to beg for her to come back. 

He never ended up calling. He never ended up writing. He never ended up driving to New York. So his list had given him that, at least. It had never succeeded in getting her out of his mind, however. Not even once. Not even close. 

And that was fine. He’d learned to work around the Steph-sized hole in his heart. The ache had become sort of comforting. It gave him something to think about when he’d been deployed, when training had taken all he had to give, when he couldn’t forgive himself for what he’d done before the funeral. 

He’d been with that hole longer than most people were with their spouses these days. It was like an arranged marriage, him and the hole. He never asked for it and he didn’t want it and he’d resented it for a long time. But it had been around long enough that he’d grown accustomed to it. 

And now here she was. Here she was, frail and in pain and afraid. Earlier in the diner, it had taken everything in him not to cruise every street until he found the guy and beat him senseless with the nearest blunt object. He wasn’t going to apologize for feeling that way, either. He knew fear. He knew terror. And it was bad enough for him, with three guns and a chip on his shoulder every hour of the day and night. At least he could defend himself. 

Steph was defenseless. The top of her head barely grazed his chin. She probably weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. She was this tiny, frightened kitten of a woman. The urge to protect her was a primal blow to the gut. And she had a daughter now? 

This whacko better know how to run. That’s all. 

But there was a difference between protecting the defenseless and becoming defenseless yourself. Isn’t that what they always said on airplanes? Put your own mask on before you help anybody else? Stephanie could render him defenseless with a glance. She could bring him to his knees – and had, many times. He and the Lord had many long chats about the effects of one Stephanie Palmer and the general lesson he’d taken from them was, “Adam, stay away. You’re just going to get hurt and do something stupid.” 

Those hadn’t been the Lord’s exact words, of course. The Lord had proven pretty ambiguous so far on the advice about Stephanie front. In the absence of a singing telegram from God, Adam was assuming He recommended the conservative route. The conservative route in this case said do not fall back in love with Stephanie Palmer.  

He hadn’t kept every promise he’d made in his life, and he regretted every one he’d broken. But this promise to himself was one he was going to keep. 

He stared at the clock. 12:17. All he had to do was get through the next three hours and forty-three minutes and he could wake up Ben. Then he could stop staring at the screen, thinking about Stephanie, and go to bed. There, he could stare at the ceiling and think about Stephanie instead. 

A little variety never hurt anybody. 

He would stay up and keep watch. If Weirdo found her here, he wasn’t going to like what else he found.

“You ready yet?” Adam yelled up the stairs. If they didn’t leave soon, they were going to be late, and he was hardly going to leave without her.

“Almost!”

He clomped his way back into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water in the fridge, grabbing a treat for Barclay on the way. He tossed it up and the dog caught it perfectly. He never got tired of watching that.

He cracked the water open and took a soothing sip. His mouth always got dry on the days he was singing. It was enough standing in front of a crowd, but to have Stephanie there just complicated things. The last thing he needed was to start squeaking at the front of the church.

Ben walked in as he took a long swig from his drink. “So what’s the story?” he whispered. “What is she doing here?”

“Told you. Stalker. Bad timing. Or good. I don’t know.” Adam sat down at the kitchen table. “He showed up last night at the diner, but he drove off before I knew what was going on. Not much else to tell, not so far anyway.”

“What’s the plan? Call the Duck?”

“I am not calling the Duck. Nothing to take to the cops yet. I don’t have anything on the guy.”

“Not anything? Name? Car? Physical?”

“Nothing. I tried to get her to talk last night, on the way back. She’s being evasive. We’ll figure out what’s going on after church. Maybe she’ll talk more if you’re there.”

“Understood.” Ben gathered his things to get ready. “It’s going to be a tight squeeze in there.”

“Tell me about it.” Adam sighed. It was driving him crazy only having one vehicle between them. It was bad enough before, but now? He needed this like he needed a hole in his head.

He reached down to give Barclay a pat. His tail swished back and forth across the floor. Who needed a mop when you had a dog? A broom, maybe, but the mopping was under control with Barclay in the house. He let out a quiet bark.

“Not today, buddy. No room for you. We’ve got company.”

He looked up and saw Stephanie standing in the doorway.

“I’m ready,” she said, “I think.”

“You think?”

“Well … as ready as I can be. I mean, my clothes are a joke. Great for Saturday night. Not so much for Sunday morning. It’s embarrassing.”

“Last time I checked, God doesn’t care,” he said, sounding harder than he meant to. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Nothing at all. She looked beautiful, not that he planned to say that anytime soon. He gulped and put his water bottle down.

He grabbed both of their keys from the hook on the wall. “Time to go. I’ve got singing to do.”

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