Bill laughed. “Don’t count on it, buddy. There are guys out there all the time who think they can break the law and get away with it. Local law enforcement doesn’t always have the funds for officers to track down the ones who’ve jumped bail. I’m thankful we have an agency like your family’s to go after them for us. Keep up the good work.”
Adam nodded. “I will. Now, if you don’t need me anymore, I’d like to get to the hospital to see how Claire’s doing. Do you think one of the officers could give me a ride?”
“I think that can be arranged. Come on.”
They rose from their chairs and walked back into the main casino gaming room. Most of the employees who’d been under guard earlier were now gone, probably transported to the police station. Officers still questioned those who’d been guests.
Bill stopped beside the young officer who’d brought the blankets earlier. “Officer Truett, Mr. Knight needs a ride to the hospital where they took Miss Walker. Can you help him out with that?”
The man smiled. “Sure. Can I take you anywhere first and let you change clothes?”
Adam turned to Bill. “What hospital did they take her to?”
“Green Haven, just north of here,” Bill said.
“That’s good. I stayed at my aunt’s house there last night.” He glanced back at the officer. “How about dropping me at her house so I can shower and change. Then I’ll borrow her car to go to the hospital.”
Officer Truett nodded. “No problem.”
Bill followed them as they headed to the front door of the casino. “We’ll try to find out what they’ve done with your car and get it back to you, Adam. In the meantime, tell that young lady we appreciate what she did, and I look forward to seeing her again under better circumstances.”
“I’ll tell her, Bill.”
As they walked toward the car, Adam stared up at the moon and remembered how glad he’d been to see it when he’d emerged from the dark waters of the river. A shiver ran down his spine at the memory of what he and Claire had experienced tonight, but then a feeling of peace washed over him as the truth hit him. God had been watching over them in that river tonight, just as He’d been there all these years Adam had denied Him.
No matter how much Adam had protested His existence, He’d stayed close and brought him back to Claire and a change in his life that made him happier than he could ever have thought possible. As he stared up at the moon and stars in the night sky, he prayed silently that God would make him worthy of the great gifts he’d been given.
* * *
Claire sat on the table in the exam room and waited. Adam would come. She knew he would, but what could be keeping him? She’d already been here several hours, and she hadn’t heard a word.
Then her heart raced. He was coming down the hall. She would recognize his footsteps anywhere. She held her breath, and then he walked in the door. He stood there for a moment and stared at her as if he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She reached up and smoothed her matted hair, which was now dry. “I must look a mess.”
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Before she could reply, he rushed across the room and grabbed her in his arms. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“The doctor says I’m fine. And I am, thanks to you. I never would have made it alone, Adam.”
He held her away from him and stared into her eyes. “No, I’m the one who wouldn’t have made it. Thank you for being there with me and keeping me going even when I wanted to give up.”
“Did I do that?”
“You did. There have been times in the past when I would want to give up on something I was doing, and I’d think of you and I’d keep going because I didn’t want to appear to be a failure in your eyes. So you see, you’ve been prodding me on for years and didn’t know it.”
She laughed. “I’m glad. Does that mean I can keep doing it in the future?”
A small frown creased his forehead, and he stared down at her hand as he wrapped his around it. “That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
The look on his face frightened her. A few hours ago he had said he loved her. Maybe he’d thought about what he said and wished he hadn’t spoken so quickly. Maybe he was about to tell her what she’d suspected for a long time. He wasn’t the type to settle down with one woman. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held her tight.
“Claire, we said some things when we came out of the river we need to talk about.”
Her heart pounded so hard that she could barely breathe. “What do we need to say?”
He cleared this throat. “We need to decide where we go from here.”
“Wh-where do you want to go?”
He shook his head. “It’s not important what I want. I want you to be happy. You told me not too long ago that you wanted to go back to Nashville to your old job and your old life. If that’s what you want, I don’t want you to feel you owe me anything.”
“Do you want me to go back to Nashville?”
He jerked his head up and stared at her. “No. I want you to stay here with me. But I won’t stand in your way if you don’t want the same thing I want.”
She smiled and leaned forward. “What do you want, Adam?”
His gaze traveled over her face. “I want to marry you. I love you, Claire.”
She pulled her hand free of his and looped her arms around his neck. “I don’t want to go back to Nashville. I want to stay here and marry you, too.”
His eyebrows arched, and his mouth pulled into a big grin. “Do you mean it?”
“I do.”
He dropped to one knee and gazed up at her. “Then, Miss Walker, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and making me the happiest man alive?”
She laughed. “I will, Mr. Knight.”
He jumped to his feet and pulled her to him. When his lips touched hers, she knew she was right where she was supposed to be. In Adam’s arms.
When he pulled back, she stared up at him with a teasing look. “Since I won’t be going back to my old job and since I plan to close the bail bond business, it looks like I’m unemployed.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find you something.”
She reached up and trailed a finger down his cheek. “Since I’m going to become an official member of the Knight family, I think I’d like to join the Knight Agency as a bounty hunter. I think we’d make great partners.”
A shocked expression covered his face before he shook his head. “No way are you going to put yourself in danger again like you have the past few days.” He pulled her closer and trailed kisses down her face. “But I do have an idea.”
“What?”
“We’ve been shorthanded ever since our receptionist quit. Dad’s been filling in some, but he really wants to retire. I think you’d be perfect there. That way I could see you every day at work as well as at home.”
She smiled. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”
“You always have been independent,” he said as he brought his lips closer to hers.
Before she could respond, he captured her lips in another kiss, and independence was the last thing on her mind.
EIGHTEEN
Two weeks later Claire sat behind her desk in the reception area of the Knight Agency and sighed in contentment. The events of the Peter Willis hunt, as it now was being called by Adam and his family, seemed as if it had happened in another lifetime. Things had certainly changed for her since she started on the manhunt that would change her life.
She stared down at the engagement ring sparkling on her hand and then to the surroundings of her office located in one of the most desirable buildings in East Memphis. Sometimes she thought she needed to pinch herself to make sure everything she was experiencing was real
.
The door to the hallway opened, and Jessica hurried in. She stopped beside Claire’s desk and dropped down in a chair. “I overslept this morning. Has Adam asked where I was yet?”
Claire shook her head. “No, he’s in his office. He calls me every five minutes, but he hasn’t asked about you yet.”
Jessica grinned. “I didn’t think I’d ever see my brother so crazy in love.” She reached over and squeezed Claire’s hand. “Thanks for not giving up on him. I knew you’d get together some day.”
Claire laughed. “Well, you knew more than either of us did.”
“I had more faith, I guess. But tell me, how are the wedding plans coming along? We only have a few weeks left before the big day.”
“I know, but everything’s worked out. It’s not going to be anything fancy, just a private wedding in the sanctuary of your family’s church. And then a dinner at the Peabody. The only people coming are your family and Aunt Sue. We want her there.”
Jessica tilted her head to one side and directed a stern look at Claire. “You have to quit referring to them as ‘my’ family. They’re yours now, too.”
“I know. It’s just so hard to believe. I have to keep telling myself it’s real.” She paused for a moment. “Jessica, I know there hasn’t been anybody in your life for a while, but if you’d like to ask someone to come to the wedding with you, that would be great.”
Jessica pushed to her feet. “Nope. No one I’d want to ask. I’ll be content to be the bridesmaid and make your day the happiest it can be.”
Claire started to respond, but the phone rang. She glanced down and frowned when she spotted the number on caller ID. She rolled her eyes and groaned. “It’s Adam’s cell phone. He calls me all the time.”
Jessica covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. “Well, see what he wants.”
Claire picked up the phone. “The Knight Agency. This is Claire. How may I help you?”
Adam’s voice drifted into her ear. “Claire, would you come in here, please? I need you to take some dictation.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Adam, you know you don’t dictate to me.”
“Oh, right,” he said. “I forgot you are Miss Independence. Fortunately for me, though, your last name is going to be changing soon to Knight. So would my beautiful fiancée help her intended out and come into his office?”
She giggled in spite of herself. “All right. Since you put it that way.”
She hung the phone up and sighed. “He wants me to go to his office.”
Jessica laughed and headed toward her office. “Then go on and take him out of his misery. I’ll see you later.”
Claire walked down the hallway toward Adam’s office, opened the door and stuck her head inside. He was seated at his desk staring at his computer screen. “I’m here, Adam. What do you want?”
He didn’t look up but motioned for her to come inside. “I need to show you some sites on the internet.”
“What kind of sites?” she said as she walked around and stood beside him.
“Hotels. Places that sound good for a honeymoon. We haven’t picked out a place yet, and I wondered if you’d like to choose.”
She clapped her hands together and let out a shrill laugh. “How wonderful! You hadn’t said anything, and I was afraid you couldn’t get away from work. And then I have just started here.”
He smiled up at her. “Don’t worry. The boss will give you the time off. Now, let me show you what I’ve found.”
She pulled up a chair beside him and sat down to study the pictures. “I can hardly wait to see what you’ve found.”
He brought up the first site. “Here’s one on the beach in Maui in case you want to do two weeks in Hawaii.”
“Um, that’s nice.”
He glanced at her and pulled up the next one. “And here’s one in London, if you want to go to Europe. We could spend a week in London, then go on to Paris.”
“Sounds good.”
He sighed and pulled up the third one. “Or how about San Francisco. It’s a beautiful city.”
“It is,” she said.
He sat back in his chair and stared at her. “None of these seem to be what you want. If you could choose, where would you go?”
She leaned over and grasped his hand. “It’s sweet of you to want to please me with the perfect vacation, but as long as I’m with you, that’s the perfect honeymoon.”
“I feel the same way about you.” His eyes sparkled with love for her, and a warm rush flowed through her. After a moment he cleared his throat. “But that doesn’t solve the problem of where we’re going.”
She laughed. “You choose.”
“Okay.” He pulled up another site and turned the computer screen so she could see the picture. “How about this?”
Her eyes grew large at the picture of the rustic cabin that filled the screen. The mountains in the background could be none other than the Smoky Mountains. The Realtor’s information covered the bottom of the screen.
“This is beautiful, and it’s perfect. Do you think we could rent it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. The new owner is very picky about who stays there.”
She turned to him. “How do you know?”
He smiled. “Because I bought it yesterday.”
She gasped and fell back in her chair. “You did what?”
“I remembered how I used to hear you talk to Jessica about how you loved the Smokies and someday you were going to have a vacation home there so you could visit anytime you wanted. I found this one for sale and thought it would make a great wedding present. What do you think?”
Tears filled her eyes. “You remembered hearing me say that?”
He stood, pulled her to her feet and put his arms around her. “I did. I remember a lot of things about you.” He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I know your favorite candy is jelly beans, and your favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I remember how you would follow my mother around the kitchen and question her about recipes and how your eyes crinkled at the corners when you laughed at my father’s corny jokes. I also know that you have the most amazing ability to help people who are suffering from problems in their lives. But most of all I remember how you felt in my arms the night I danced with you at your eighteenth birthday party and how I never wanted to let you go.”
“Oh, Adam,” she whispered. A tear slipped down her cheek, and he brushed it away with his thumb.
“I also remember how you wanted to help me that night in my parents’ kitchen, and how I hurt you. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making up for how I acted when I was young. I love you so much, Claire.”
She cupped his face in her hands and stared up into his eyes. “And I love you, Adam. I can’t wait for our life together to begin.”
“Neither can I,” he whispered. “Neither can I.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from TAKEN by Lisa Harris.
Dear Reader,
I’m excited to share with you Fugitive Trackdown, the first story in my new Bounty Hunters series. Although the story is about the hunt for an elusive fugitive and the danger-filled journey of Adam and Claire who are tracking him, it is also about faith and trust in God. Adam has denied the existence of God for years and comes to understand what the Bible tells us in Galatians 3:26—For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
If you haven’t opened your heart to God’s love and put your trust in Him, I hope you will. God is waiting for you to invite Him into your life.
Sandra Robbins
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.
You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is c
entral in solving mysteries and saving lives.
Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired Suspense every month!
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ONE
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
Kate Elliot pressed her cell phone against her ear with her shoulder as she fumbled to open her sister’s front door with her spare key. The lock stuck. “My sister... I think... I think she’s been shot.”
“What is the location of the emergency, ma’am?”
Kate squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back tears as she gave the woman her sister’s address.
“The paramedics are en route now, ma’am.”
Thirty seconds later, Kate managed to open the door. She stepped inside the two-story house in the upscale Dallas suburb, her heart pounding. Dora the Explorer giggled on the flat-screen TV in the living room. The normally immaculate house had been completely trashed.
“Rachel!” She screamed out her sister’s name.
Kate picked up the remote, froze Dora’s character, then called for her sister again, but only an eerie silence greeted her. Trying not to panic, she checked quickly through the downstairs.
There was no sign of her sister.
She headed up the stairs straight for the master bedroom. Like the rest of the house, the room had been trashed. Bedding lay in mounds on the floor, framed photos had been ripped off the walls and dresser drawers dumped onto the floor. Their contents lay strewn across the bloodstained carpet—all telltale signs of the horror that had taken place moments before.
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