“I guess it’s just tough stuff to talk about, huh?” Wyatt gave her a bright smile. “So how about we talk about something different today?”
Aubree hesitated before shrugging. “Sounds like a deal.”
They spent the next hour talking about their favorite movies and music. It was lighthearted conversation, and Aubree felt reckless, conversing as if she had nothing to hide.
Wyatt walked close to her and even pushed Scarlett’s stroller for a while. By the time they finished walking, the heat had made Aubree’s neck sticky with sweat. Scarlett had fallen asleep, and her head rested at an awkward angle.
“I’m sorry I kept you so long,” Wyatt said.
Aubree smiled. “I could say the same thing.” During their walk, Aubree had wondered if it was dangerous talking to a stranger. But Wyatt didn’t seem like a stranger. It felt so good to have someone listen to her, even if the conversation centered on media and entertainment.
The next morning, Aubree told herself it would be okay to talk to someone besides Scarlett once in a while, and she found herself looking for Wyatt. He didn’t disappoint, and he talked her ear off all around the campground.
A week passed, and Aubree visited with Wyatt a little bit longer each day. She tried to keep her defenses up, but he was slowly chipping away at her barrier.
“I’d really like to get to know the real Aubree,” he said one day after they had walked around the loop of the campground three times. They stood in the shade of a pine tree, and Aubree watched a chipmunk scamper through the pine needles on the forest floor.
“This is the real me,” she said.
“You know what I mean.” He touched her chin and looked into her eyes. “Something has you scared enough that you’ve closed off a part of you. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to know you.”
Aubree stepped back and shrugged. “I guess I’m a little shy.”
Wyatt’s lips twitched as if he were about to say more, then he shook his head. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Aubree smiled. “Sure.”
“Agent Edwards, I need you in L.A., not roaming the countryside checking out campgrounds,” Agent Napierski spoke forcefully, and Jason held the phone away from his ear. Jason had been arguing with his supervisor since he set out on Aubree’s trail a week and a half ago. “She had a full tank of gas when she left Aurora, and I’m almost certain she was heading west. I think she’s trying to get closer to her mom. Just give me a couple more days. I’ll find her.”
“I’m sorry, but I need your neurons firing on the information that just came in on this case. Leave the searching to Stokes and his team. They’ll find her.” Agent Napierski’s tone didn’t leave any room for argument.
“Sir, could you give me forty-eight hours? The enemy may already have someone in place.”
“Edwards, I want you in this office tomorrow morning,” Napierski barked.
“Yes, sir,” Jason said. He clenched his phone in one hand and squeezed the bridge of his nose with the other. If someone got to Aubree before him, would she be able to recognize the danger?
It had been almost two weeks, and Wyatt always seemed to show up when Aubree and Scarlett ventured outside. On day seventeen of Aubree’s stay in the Paris Springs Campground, Wyatt surprised her with a question. “Would you like to go fishing sometime?”
“I’m not very good at it,” she said. “But I’d like to try again. It’s been a long time.”
His smile widened into a boyish grin, and she couldn’t help smiling back.
“How about tomorrow? I can pick you up after I do my rounds.”
She lowered her eyes. “Okay.”
The next morning, Aubree experienced some nervous jitters as she packed a lunch and got Scarlett ready. Her heart jumped when she heard a light knock on the door. She smiled at her nervousness and took a deep breath before answering the door. “Good morning, Wyatt.”
He grinned, and the smile crinkled the skin around his eyes. “Good mornin’ to you too. Can I hold Scarlett?”
Scarlett giggled when Wyatt blew a raspberry on her hand and kept squealing all the way to his pickup. Aubree felt her nerves relaxing a bit once they were on their way.
“Now, there’s one nice thing about fishing with a park ranger.” Wyatt grinned and tapped his steering wheel to the country music on his radio. “We can park wherever we want and fish as long as we like.”
The lake was beautiful and secluded. Every so often, she could see small ripples of movement where a fish brushed the top of the tranquil water and broke the stillness. Wild grasses poked up between the rocks hugging the shoreline of the lake. As they walked, the dust billowed up in thick clouds along the trail, and by the time Wyatt found the fishing spot he was looking for, Aubree’s socks were covered with dirt. She hefted Scarlett higher on her hip and pointed out the sun above the line of pine trees in the distance.
“See the sun? It’s smiling at you,” she told Scarlett. The baby waved chubby hands at the sky and jabbered something excitedly.
Wyatt shaded his eyes and surveyed the area. He frowned for a second and seemed to be deep in thought. He lifted his eyes to meet Aubree’s and chuckled, then reached for Scarlett. “Do you want to see some fish?”
Scarlett clutched him happily as she continued to babble. Wyatt’s cheeks reddened with pleasure, and Aubree couldn’t help but smile. She tried to ignore the twinge of pain reminding her that it should be Devin holding this child. She pushed her hair behind her ears and felt the sun on her face. She would enjoy one day without guilt. Maybe.
Wyatt had his line baited in no time, and Aubree was surprised he didn’t use a worm. “What’s that?”
“It’s rainbow colored power bait, to attract the fish.” He pointed at a small jar filled with yellow and green goo that had orange stripes running through it. “It works ten times better than a worm.”
Aubree remembered going fishing with her father and trying to hold the squiggly worm for him to put on the hook. “That looks easier than using a worm anyway,” she said.
“Yeah, here you go. Would you like to be the first to cast out?”
“I don’t think I can. I’ll just watch you.”
“All right, but next cast you have to try,” Wyatt said. He stood and lifted the pole out to his side. “It’s really not too hard, you just press this trigger and pretend you’re like a big clock, and when your arm hits one o’clock, you release and boom! There she goes.”
His arm reached out gracefully over the lake, and Aubree watched as the line disappeared somewhere in the water about a hundred feet away.
“I’ll never be able to do that,” she said.
“Sure you will, it’ll come back to you.” Wyatt set his pole against a rock. He picked up a heavy blanket and spread it on the ground. “You can sit over here with Scarlett if you want.”
“Thanks.” Aubree walked over to the edge of the blanket and sat down. Scarlett pointed and giggled as she crawled around the blanket. Wyatt handed the baby a pinecone.
“Now don’t eat it, little chipmunk.” He squeezed her chubby cheeks.
Scarlett laughed, then patted her cheeks and smacked her lips together as if she were giving Wyatt a kiss. He leaned over to kiss her cheek and made a growling noise. Scarlett screeched, and Aubree couldn’t help herself. She laughed with them.
About five minutes later, Aubree jumped up, pointing at the fishing pole. “It moved! I saw it move!”
“Hey, maybe we’ve got one.” Wyatt clapped his hands. “Do you remember what to do next?”
“Umm, reel it in?” Aubree asked.
“Come here.” Wyatt took her hands and put them around the pole. “First you have to pull up fast so the hook will catch on the fish. Like this.” He lifted her hands up, and the pole jerked back.
Aubree squealed, and Wyatt chuckled in her ear. “Now go ahead and reel that baby in.” He moved a lever on the reel and put Aubree’s hand on the crank to get her started. Then he stepped back and
picked Scarlett up to watch. Aubree could feel a definite pull on the line as she reeled it in. She looked hesitantly at Wyatt and then grinned at Scarlett. “We caught a fish! Here he comes.”
She could see the speckled trout fighting in the water as she pulled it closer to shore. “Now what do I do?” Aubree asked, shrieking as the fish jumped and splashed in the water.
Wyatt held out his fishing net. “Grab hold of the line and drop him in.”
Aubree shied away from the wiggling fish but was finally able to get him in the net.
“Now how about we trade? You can put the pole down, and I’ll take it from here.” He grinned and held out Scarlett, who was watching the fish with wide eyes.
“Did you see Mommy catch a fish?” Aubree held Scarlett close and pointed at the wriggling trout.
Scarlett reached out and patted Aubree’s cheek. “Ma, ma, ma.”
“Yes, Mama did it!”
“Hey, how long has she been saying your name?” Wyatt asked as he cleaned the fish.
“Oh, she’s just babbling. But it sounds like she says all kinds of gibberish.”
“I bet you love to hear her pretty little voice every day.” Wyatt winked at Scarlett.
“I do.” Aubree kissed Scarlett’s cheek and sat on the blanket with her.
“You’re a good mom,” Wyatt said. “Now how about we try this again?”
Aubree’s throat tingled as she absorbed the compliment. “Thanks. That means a lot.” She brushed off her pants and stood up. “I guess since you’re being so nice that means I have to try casting, huh?”
“Hey, I’m always nice. But, yes, it’s your turn.” Wyatt grinned and held up the fishing pole.
It took several tries, but Aubree finally got a good line out. She tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach when Wyatt took her hands and guided her arms to cast the line. They were enjoying the calm atmosphere of the lake, and Aubree kept telling herself to relax, but she watched Wyatt closely. Several times, she noticed him surveying the area and chewing on the inside of his cheek. Finally she asked, “What are you looking for?”
“That’s just it—I don’t know. I’m following your lead.”
Aubree furrowed her brow. “My lead?”
“Yeah. Every few minutes you’re looking over your shoulder like you’re expecting to see someone.” He glanced around the lake again. “I’m just wondering who you’re waiting for.” His eyes flickered and then focused on her face.
Aubree froze and tension arced through her body. Of course. She was always aware of her surroundings, always checking out every person in proximity, but she didn’t want Wyatt to know why. She gulped. “Nobody—I just haven’t ever been able to . . . .” She pulled her shoe through the filmy dirt. “It’s paranoia. You know, panic attacks and stuff since my husband died.”
Wyatt groaned and covered his face with a hand. “Man, I was way out of line. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Aubree shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
He shook his head. “But I am worried about it. You’re hard to read, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
With a smile, Aubree waved her hand. “It’s okay. I’m having a great time today.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Let’s catch some more fish.”
Even with the questions flowing on a current of anxiety through her mind, she still felt attracted to Wyatt. It was foolish, and she knew it, but she couldn’t ignore how she felt and how much Scarlett adored him.
It was a first for her baby. Scarlett had never been around anyone else. But despite that, she couldn’t get enough of Wyatt. Aubree kept telling herself not to get too comfortable, not to trust, and not to let her guard down. But she wasn’t listening to herself very well.
After a successful day of fishing and a delicious fish fry, courtesy of Wyatt’s culinary skills, Aubree was exhausted. Scarlett slept in the trailer, and Aubree sat next to Wyatt in some old lawn chairs near the crackling fire. He reached out and took her hand. “Thanks for coming with me today. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.”
At first, Aubree thought about withdrawing her hand. But then Wyatt gave her one of his stellar grins and squeezed her fingers, and she shrugged mentally.
“You’re a good guy, aren’t you, Wyatt Erickson?”
“I hope you think so.”
“Thanks for taking me fishing. It was the best time I’ve had in—well, I guess it’s been too long.” Aubree stared at the fire and tried to think of a time during the last year when she’d been this relaxed. She squinted at the dancing flames, knowing there hadn’t been any.
“I guess you’re getting close to three weeks at this campsite. How long are you planning on staying?” Wyatt asked.
Aubree tensed and wished she had an answer for that question. “To be honest, I don’t really know.” She pursed her lips and listened to the wood popping in the fire. “I guess I’m getting low on supplies, but hopefully I’ll stay a bit longer.”
“I hope so, too.” Wyatt leaned toward her, and his eyes looked brown in the darkness falling around them. Aubree was suddenly aware of every heartbeat, and she looked down at their hands clasped together. Unbidden, the memory of the voice came to mind. She could see herself running out of the house in Omaha and driving for her life, with Scarlett sleeping in the car seat. Her palms began to sweat, and she released Wyatt’s hand.
“It’s getting late, and I need to check Scarlett. It’s been a while since she’s had a diaper change, and she’ll probably be waking up soon.” She knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t make herself stop. “Thanks again for the wonderful day.” She stood and turned to walk into the trailer, but Wyatt was out of his chair in an instant. He stepped in front of her.
“Wait. I did it again, didn’t I?” He rubbed his forehead with his hand and gazed down at her. “Don’t go. I don’t want you to go.”
Aubree swallowed hard. “I’m just—it’s getting late. I’ll still be here in the morning.” She tried to laugh, but it lodged in her throat when Wyatt reached forward and pulled her into his arms.
“Aubree, everytime I feel like I’m one step closer to getting to know you, you do the hundred yard dash and leave me in the dust.”
Her body was rigid in his arms, and a thousand thoughts buzzed through her mind. She tried to think what she should do. She thought about her FBI training and the witness protection program and about all the times she had distanced herself from her neighbors in Omaha.
Wyatt rubbed her back and leaned closer to her. “I know there must be a reason, but I can’t stop chasing you. Would it be that bad if I caught up to you just once?”
A lump of emotion rose in Aubree’s throat, and when she tried to speak, all that came out was a gurgling, “I don’t know.”
“I want to invite you to come down to Logan with me and meet my family. They could vouch for me.” He leaned back and smiled at her, but she could see all the emotions playing behind his eyes.
“I can’t. I can’t do that to you. I won’t hurt you, Wyatt.” She moved quickly—out of his arms and into the trailer. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and shut the door. She barely made it to the back of the trailer before a cry escaped from her throat. Scarlett was still asleep, so Aubree curled up in a ball and tried not to wake her as she sobbed into the blanket.
Tears of rage, disappointment, and fear poured out. Why did this have to happen to her? Why did Scarlett have to be born without a father and live on the run with her helpless mother?
She thought about Wyatt and shook her head angrily. There was no choice; she’d have to leave in the morning. She couldn’t risk hurting him—hurting someone else because of the mess she was in. A fresh surge of tears tore at her throat as she thought about Wyatt’s arms around her. She’d wanted so much to stay there and let him hold her. If only he could make everything right in her world again.
Aubree didn’t know how long she cried, but her throat was dry, and her eyes
were sore, so she stood to get a glass of water. She drank the freezing water and splashed her face in the enamel sink. It was dark outside, but she never had any idea what time it was in the mountains. She turned and held her watch up to the glow of the firelight outside. The watch indicated it was past ten o’clock. When she looked out the window, she caught her breath.
A figure sat in a chair beside the fire with his head in his hands. Wyatt was still there. Before she could move, he lifted his head as if he felt her watching him. He stood and moved toward her until he was standing right by the window.
“Aubree,” he whispered. “Can I please come in and talk to you for a minute? Or will you come out here?”
“I’m sorry.” She pulled the faded curtains closed. There was silence for a few seconds, and then she heard the crunch of boots on the dirt path.
TWENTY
WHEN SCARLETT WOKE THE next morning, Aubree fed her and then lay back down on the bed to close her eyes. She felt horrible. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her mind had run a marathon of thoughts all night as she continually mulled over her options.
The guide to campsites around the area showed several different choices, but Aubree wondered if they would be as remote as Paris Springs. Part of her wanted to leave to keep from hurting Wyatt and to ensure Scarlett’s safety, and another part wanted to stay. After sorting through her notes of the case and her scribbled transcripts of the conversation, Aubree felt sure there was still something in her memory that held the key to her case. But with the confused state of mind she was in, she might never be able to extract the detail that hovered on the edges of all her dreams.
Even though she wanted to skip their morning walk, Scarlett was fussy, and Aubree knew she needed to talk to Wyatt. Although it was later than usual when they strolled around the campground, Wyatt wasn’t there. She listened for the familiar clomp, clomp of his boots and glanced over her shoulder several times as they made the loop of the campground, but he didn’t come.
The day felt hotter than usual, and Aubree’s heart was heavy. “I ruined a good thing, but I guess it’s for the best,” she told Scarlett. She concentrated her energy on cleaning up the camp trailer and making a list of supplies they would need to move to another campground. Biting her lip, she told herself not to cry and to remember that if she really cared about Wyatt, she wouldn’t put him in danger.
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