He got up to work alongside her. “Where’s Caroline?”
“She’s around somewhere, but the lady likes to be discreet; she ate early even though I protested it. I think she was talking to Marsh last I heard. Something about a ring. I can’t believe my little sister is about to be engaged.”
“Let’s hope Marsh finds the occasion to give it to her soon; everyone is ready for it to happen and he’s stalling.”
“I knew the money would be a problem. I just didn’t figure it for this problem.”
Luke chuckled. “They’ll sort it out. He’s older than her and now she’s more wealthy than him too-it gets those reporters talking too much. You’ll like Marsh, Amy. He’s not that easy a guy to figure out, but he’s solid.”
“A wedding is going to be a challenge-they’ll want me there and I’m going to have to refuse.”
“Cross that bridge when we get there. You want regular knives or steak knives?”
“Regular should be fine.”
The meal on the table, Luke held Amy’s chair for her. “Would you like me to say grace?”
“Please.”
He kept it simple, sorting out the emotions of several days into thankfulness that the sisters had met together safely and the pleasure of a nice meal. When he said amen, her head stayed bowed for a moment, and he turned his attention to the food to give her privacy.
She lifted her head, blinking hard. “I’m always weepy eyed these days. I don’t know why.”
“Stress letting off. You’ve been wound pretty tight for a long time.”
“Probably. I used to pray for the next day to not bring trouble with it, and now-this place is pretty calm and it does surprisingly feel safe. My family is nearby. And that makes life so much easier. I used to always be running- now I know I’m planted, at least for a little while.”
“We’ll make it safe for it to be a very long while,” Luke said. “I’m glad you fixed dinner-I would have been bringing something like fast-food fried chicken or the like. This is good.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Amy reached for the fruit salad. “Can I interest you in staying for a movie tonight? Caroline brought a huge stack of DVDs along.”
“I can be tempted,” Luke replied, smiling at her.
Amy had already stacked wood in the fireplace, ready to strike a match and bring it to life. Luke moved to do that while Amy sorted out the DVDs. He listened and heard Caroline’s car pull out. She’d passed by, mentioning a quick trip to meet Marsh as the reason, but he thought that was more of an excuse to give them not only privacy, but time. Luke wouldn’t be leaving until she returned.
The fire going and beginning to draw so it wouldn’t smoke, he watched it for a moment, then turned. He pushed back the coffee table and sat down on the floor to use the couch as a backrest.
“Hardwood floors are going to get hard on the tailbone after a while.”
He laughed and patted the floor beside him. “Start the movie and come be a teenager again. We can pause it and move to the couch later.”
She started the movie and adjusted the volume, then settled herself down beside him. “I’m too old for this, Luke. I was out riding on one of those four-wheelers yesterday, and I’ve got sore muscles that make me feel like I’m fifty.”
He slid her a pillow for behind her back.
“Yeah, that helps.”
He settled his hand over hers and interlaced their fingers. She fit him well, in age, in spirit, and he liked the look of her more every time he saw her. He wouldn’t mind at all seeing this relationship finally slide past friendship to something more. She leaned her head against his shoulder to get comfortable. “So what are we watching?” he asked, amused.
“A legal thriller, I think. I’m so far behind what is out now that I don’t even recognize titles.”
“Want to make it a double feature?”
She chuckled and he felt it in his own ribs. “Only if we’re sitting on the couch.”
He smiled at her relaxed form and then turned his attention to the movie. His dogs were out here, his lady, a few more shifts in his schedule with his deputy chief’s help and he’d figure out how to be out here more often too. It would make a good next few weeks.
Chapter Fifteen
AMY PULLED A LOAD OF TOWELS out of the dryer and pushed the door closed with her hip. It was nice to be able to do routine tasks without pausing to think about what might be around every door and waiting down every hallway. She carried the towels into her room and dropped them onto the bed to fold. She could feel the tension beginning to fade away after three days in this place. Luke had been right about that-the fact the stress level had been too high for too long.
Caroline had called with news the arriving car was Connor’s; it would be good to have the boxes of clothes he was bringing out. Marie had promised to find the dresses as well as the winter clothes, and Amy about had closet space ready to hang them up; she’d found extra hangers in the guest bedroom.
The bedroom door burst open behind her. Amy turned, startled to see Tracey just before she was swallowed in a hug. Amy hugged her sister back, in turmoil over what it meant to have her here on an unplanned spur-of-the- moment visit.
“Marsh asked me to marry him!”
Amy leaned back to study her sister’s smiling face and had to smile back. “Did he?”
Tracey held up her hand to show off the ring. “I had to tell you. He’s taken so
Her sister was beaming. Amy wrapped Tracey in another hug. “I’m glad for you. Really glad. I don’t know if I’m ready for you to be marrying a cop,” she teased. “You’ve had such a sheltered life and all.”
Tracey laughed. “I know. We’re going to fix up his place, and I’m going to still finish my degree. He’s insistent about that. But maybe an early April wedding, so we can go south for our honeymoon and do some traveling together.”
Tracey had come to the safe house without them being fully ready for it and possibly put herself at risk, but it had already happened. She was too excited to share the news to realize it, and Amy wasn’t going to burst her bubble with a caution. She’d have that conversation with Connor shortly, if Caroline wasn’t already doing so. Amy tugged her sister down on the bed beside her. “Let me see that ring again.”
Tracey offered it and Amy fell in love with it too. Simple, nice diamonds, with a modern elegance to the flow of the gold. “Marsh has very good taste.”
“He swears part of the delay in asking me was finding the ring. Caroline said Marsh pulled her along to see at least two hundred rings over the last couple months, half a dozen of them ones she would like herself, and he was never satisfied.”
Amy laughed. “I love him already.”
“Would you mind if he stayed around tomorrow night so you could really meet him? I know I wasn’t supposed to come out with Connor today, but I begged so hard they finally gave in.”
“Bring Marsh along Wednesday and see if Daniel would also like to come out for the evening. The guys can make sure no one is being followed, and that’s the biggest risk short of someone saying something they shouldn’t.”
“They haven’t given us a phone number to you yet, afraid one of the reporters might be listening in.”
“I asked them to wait; being overheard really is a risk, Tracey.”
“I’m disappointed, as I could keep you talking for hours, but I’ll adjust.” Tracey stood up and held out her hands. “Come on, say a brief hi to Connor, and I’ll get out of here. Marie packed you like a gazillion clothes, and she already ironed every one. She hated the fact the guys insisted they get folded into plain boxes before they were carried out.”
“I appreciate that,” Amy replied, remembering one dress in particular she hoped Marie had packed. She
