Imperfect Justice

by Cara C. Putman

  “This is amazing.”

  “You can thank Whole Foods for that.”

  She leaned toward him. “I’ll thank you for getting it.”

  A light breeze ruffled her hair, and he leaned forward to tuck a newly loosened strand behind her ear. She stilled and he didn’t pull back. The sparks of electricity were almost enough to create lightning, and he knew he wanted to experience every charged moment.

  Emilie hesitated, the feel of his warm touch on her cool skin electrifying.

  She should lean away, break the connection, but all she wanted was for Reid to lean in and do exactly what his eyes promised. Oh, how she wanted him to kiss her. To feel his lips seal the promises his eyes were saying. Kinley was safe; surely she could now pursue her heart’s desire.

  He leaned a little closer, his thumb brushing her cheek in a soft stroke that had her resting against him. “May I kiss you?”

  The question startled her. Had he really asked for permission? She nodded, the words locked in her suddenly dry throat.

  When his lips touched hers, it was featherlike. Then she leaned in, and he deepened the kiss. Her arm reached around his neck until she could tangle her fingers in his hair. This . . . It was even more than she’d anticipated.

  “Get a room.”

  Emilie jerked back as the words were followed by laughter. She didn’t want to scan the crowd, but instead buried her face in Reid’s shoulder, her hat bobbing up as she did. His chest rumbled, and she peeked up at him. Laughter spilled from him as she met his gaze.

  “I guess we made an impression.”

  She wanted to whisper that he had certainly made one on her. Instead, she pushed away and started fumbling with the food containers. Why wouldn’t the lids fit?

  “Emilie.” His voice was like a caress.

  She didn’t deserve this. Her hands trembled and she looked for something else to do. “We should go get the chairs.”

  “Not yet.” He took her hands, and his thumbs began to caress circles on the back of her hands. How could such a simple motion make her a ball of putty he could shape any way he wanted? Is this how her clients found themselves with the wrong man? A simple touch? Perfect words? Then their defenses crumbled like hers?

  “Come on.” He tugged her to her feet.

  “But the food. The blanket.”

  “It will still be here when we get back. And if it’s gone I can get more.”

  “All right.” She chose to let go of the questions. Reid had proven himself to be the opposite of those other men. She would choose to believe in him, in the possibility of them. He was a worthy man.

  He led her on a stroll away from the crowds of the amphitheater toward the woods with the smaller children’s theater. Then they slowly made their way back, fingers interlocked, her heart content.

  The show was magical. Reid never did go claim the chairs from his car. Instead, Emilie leaned against him, safe in the circle of his arms as the music of a string quartet wrapped magic in the evening air.

  Later, as he walked her up the sidewalk to her front door, awkwardness filled her. What was she supposed to say now? Did he expect another kiss? Did she want to give him one? That was a ridiculous question; everything in her screamed yes! But was that the wise thing to do, or would this growing thing between them explode out of control?

  What had happened to her firm rule about not getting involved with a client? As she looked at her fingers nestled next to his, she reminded herself the worst was over. He didn’t need her lawyering as much as she needed him.

  He must have read the warring thoughts on her face, because when they reached the door, he pulled her closer and leaned down. “What you do to me, Em.”

  She loved hearing him say her nickname that way, in that voice. “You melt me, Reid.”

  He leaned down and captured her lips again, this time in a sweetly passionate way. Time stopped as she let herself trust this man. When he pulled back, he leaned his forehead against hers. “You captivate me, woman.”

  She giggled. “I think I prefer ‘Em.’”

  “Duly noted.” He tugged her close and sighed. She fit so well against him. Could she fit so well for the rest of her life?

  “Go out with me tomorrow?”

  She stepped back and laughed. “Can’t get enough of me?”

  “No.” He grinned and took a step back. “I thought we could take Kinley to the zoo. I’ve got a wheelchair for her and thought the fresh air would be good for her.”

  “I’d love that.”

  “We’re going to see where this leads, Em.”

  She couldn’t contain her grin. “All right.”

  “Thanks for a great evening.”

  “It was perfect.” And it was.

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  Emilie leaned back against her love seat. She held her laptop and felt the joy of words spilling from her. She’d talked to Olivia, and after she turned in this article she was taking a break from writing, at least for a while. Not because the words were gone. No, those had returned in a flurry of delight the week after Kinley’s hearing.

  With Robert under arrest for murder, thanks in no small part to Kinley’s testimony, the flood had been unleashed. She hadn’t let Kaylene down in the end. The story just had a different conclusion than she would have hoped.

  Kinley told the judge that her father had been yelling and threatening her mother, and then Kaydence suddenly appeared with a gun and waved it at him. As their mother tried to get the gun from her, it went off and hit Kinley. And then she saw her father take the gun and shoot both her mother and her sister. What had started as a terrible accident had turned into a heinous crime.

  In a week, she and Taylor would move over to Daniels, McCarthy & Associates. Emilie hadn’t expected the move, but Savannah had assured her she could take the pro bono cases, and she thought she’d keep them a little more separated by not working at the agency.

  With the Haven in disarray following Rhoda’s death, Emilie knew she didn’t want to become the executive director. She could do the job, but her heart was in helping people through the law. Until a new funding source could be found, the Haven needed the break from her salary. Jordan lingered in a coma, but the blood loss made it unlikely he’d survive if he didn’t have a fortune paying to keep him alive. If he did survive, he’d spend the rest of his days in jail.

  She hoped the distance from the Haven would help her hear what she was supposed to do now. She wasn’t sure, but even as it unsettled her, she knew she was taking the right steps. God was the best career planner, and He would lead her.

  Heavy footsteps sounded overhead, and she bit back the grin that wanted to explode across her face. Reid. Lighter steps double-timed after his. He’d brought Kinley. Her heart felt full as they reached the stairs. He was so much more than she’d hoped for, and Kinley was an unexpected blessing. Helping her heal soothed the aching places in Emilie’s heart. Kaylene and Kaydence were gone, but Kinley would recover.

  Emilie hurriedly clicked a few words and then hit send on the article as the two who held her heart clomped down the stairs. She set the laptop aside just in time, because Reid hurried to her and tugged her into a hug.

  “Em.”

  She sighed and let herself be loved. “Reid.”

  Kinley squeezed between them, and it became a hug of three.

  Justice might have been imperfect, Kaylene and Kaydence were gone, but they had saved Kinley. In the process she’d found Reid, and he was perfect for her. Her heart was full.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This book is the result of what-ifs, prayer, banging my head against the computer screen, more prayer, binge writing at a hotel in Dallas in between ACFW board meetings, and incredible edits. I pray the result is a book you will inhale and characters you’ll love. I really enjoyed getting to know Emilie better and creating a suitable hero for her. I hadn’t realized until this book that with Beyond Justice I’d created a series of heroines who are clambering for their own stories to
be told, but nary a next hero in sight. Thanks to Tricia Goyer for helping me flesh out Reid. I’m already excited to have him show up in future books alongside Andrew.

  Some stories grow out of experience, and this is one of those. I’ve had the privilege of working with women who were in the process of breaking free of situations that were intense and heartbreaking. It takes a village to help these women and men find the strength and make a plan. Locally we are blessed with agencies and leaders that come alongside them in a meaningful way. I worked with one of the best—Nora. She brings such grace to each situation and is a true help to those in need.

  My prayer is that this book, while entertaining you, will also help you see the other side of relationships. People in these hard relationships need a listening ear and someone to pray with them and not judge them. No matter how much one person wants to save a marriage, some simply are unsalvageable without God’s intervention.

  My thanks to the Grove Girls, who make this writing journey so fun! Can’t wait for our retreat! And to Colleen Coble, Robin Miller, Rachel Hauck, Tricia Goyer, and so many others who will brainstorm as soon as I e-mail or call. My husband and daughter, Abigail, were also great brainstormers from the moment the what-if hit me at our apartment table in Siena. I never expected to get this idea while teaching a study abroad . . . You never know where that next what-if will come from.

  Thanks so much to Amanda Bostic and LB Norton, my amazing editors. Thanks also to the rest of the incredible HarperCollins Christian Publishing fiction team: Paul Fisher, Jodi Hughes, Becky Monds, Kayleigh Hines, Allison Carter, Kristen Golden, and Karli Jackson. It has been a dream to work with you, and the dream-come-to-life is as wonderful as I’d hoped. Thank you for all you do to help craft my stories and then get them into the hands of readers. A book doesn’t come to life before it is read, so thank you for being a key piece of breathing life into my stories.

  Many thanks to Karen Solem, my amazing agent, who continues to believe in me and advocate for me.

  Last but definitely not least, thanks to my family. They have to live with me when I’m going crazy under deadline pressure. They understand the rhythms of a writer’s life and believe in me when I wonder how a story will come together. This book fought me, and they kept encouraging me and putting up with a really tired mom. Love you guys!

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1.Emilie just wants to make a difference, but it seems her ability to do important things is slipping through her fingers. Have you had a similar desire? How did you make it come to life?

  2.Reid has let the pressure to create a career replace family relationships. It’s so easy to do. The urgent presses out the relationships we need and desire. Are you able to balance career and family? Service and family? How do you strike a balance? Is it even possible?

  3.Emilie longs to be seen for who she is without external labels defining her. Is it possible to look past the labels to see people for who they really are? How can we do that?

  4.Kinley is a little girl in need of a protector. She is truly helpless. How can you step to a place of helping those in need? How can you live Micah 6:8 (NIV)?

  He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

  And what does the LORD require of you?

  To act justly and to love mercy

  and to walk humbly with your God.

  5.Reid engages in a contest at work. He creates a team around him while a colleague tackles the challenge alone. How do you prefer to work? Alone or in a group? Why?

  6.Reid wonders if it’s time to build a family in his life. Then Kinley needs him. He’s suddenly placed in a role of having a ten-year-old who needs him to protect her. What advice would you give him as he navigates that change?

  7.Have you known anyone trapped in a relationship like Kaylene’s? What happened?

  8.What would you tell someone trapped in a dysfunctional relationship? What about someone in a domestic violence situation? How would you encourage them?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Photo by Emilie Hendrix

  Cara Putman graduated high school at sixteen, college at twenty, and completed her law degree at twenty-seven. She has published more than twenty books, teaches college courses, practices law, and is a homeschooling mom. She lives with her husband and children in Indiana.

  CaraPutman.com

  Facebook: cara.putman

  Twitter: @cara_putman