Finding Amy (8 page)

Reaching into the glove box, Max pulled
out a pint of Jack Daniels and took a swig. Maybe another one would help settle his nerves. He took another drink and another. Turning the bottle up, a single drop fell on his tongue. Max tried to focus on the empty bottle. Damn. He didn’t drink all that; did he? His eyes felt like they had lead weights attached. He couldn’t keep them open. Leaning his head against the back seat, he succumbed to the need to shut his eyes. He’d rest them for just a minute.

Chapter 10

Amy came down the stairs and the sound of a child’s giggles came from the kitchen. She walked in to find Carson with his back to her, standing at the stove flipping pancakes to the excited squeals of Trish who had pulled a chair up close and watched his every move.

“Do it again
, Carson,” the young child screamed with glee.

Jamie
walked up beside Amy, and the pair watched Trish laugh every time Carson flipped a pancake into the air and caught it with the skillet.

Jamie
leaned over, and whispered, “What’s he doing?”

Am
y grinned. “I think he’s making pancakes.”

Carson turned when
Amy spoke. “Trish told me she wanted pancakes, so we whipped up a batch and they’re almost ready. Want some?”

Amy’s
stomach rumbled at the thought of food. She went to the counter and took down four plates. “Do we have time?”

Carson turned the b
urner off and placed the skillet in the sink. “We always have time to feed a hungry girl. Besides, we would have to stop and feed everyone anyway.” He ruffled Trish’s hair. She hopped off the chair and scooted it back to the dining table.

Jamie
poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. After taking a sip, she leaned back. “How long will it take to drive to Texas, Carson?”

Carson carried the platter piled high with pancakes to the table, forked the top one and placed it on a plate in front of Trish.
“If we drive straight through, it will take about twenty-five hours. It’s almost sixteen hundred miles. Let’s eat.”

“Yeah.” Trish reached for the maple syrup. “Look
, Mommy, Carson made me a special pancake shaped like a heart,” she stated as Carson slathered butter on the cake.

“Wow! That is really cool. Let me pour the syrup for you.”
Jamie picked up the bottle of Log Cabin.

“I wanna
do it.” Trish protested and snatched the bottle from her mother.

The
four-year-old drowned her plate and pancake with maple syrup. When the sticky liquid approached the edge and threatened to spill over the side, Jamie took the bottle.

“You did a goo
d job but I think that’s enough,” Jamie told her daughter.

“Please, sit
, Carson.” Amy filled the glasses with milk and took a seat.

“This is such a secluded cabin,
Jamie. How’d you find it?” Carson asked.

Jamie
glanced at Amy before answering. “I asked around town and the old man at the drug store told me about this place. When I saw it, I knew it was the one so I contacted the owner and he agreed to rent it to me, with an option to buy.”

Carson sipped his coffee after finishing three pancakes. “You couldn’t have picked a better spot with that lake wrapping
half of the house like a blanket. How’s the fishing?”

Jamie
stood, walked to the sink and dampened a paper towel to wipe her daughter’s hands. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t fish. Rather, I never have.”

“I know how to fish.” Trish piped in.

Amy laughed. “You do? Where did you learn how to fish, young lady?”

“Papa Summers showed me. He
’s gonna take me when I get big and can hold the pole Can we go fishing, Momma?”

“Not today, sweetie. We have to take a trip.”
Jamie helped her daughter down from the chair.

Trish scrunched her face up while
Jamie wiped the syrup away. “Are we going to see Faithful?”

Jamie
picked up Trish’s plate and scrapped the syrup into the sink. “No baby. Not this time.” Jamie explained. “Now you and I have to finish packing your clothes for the trip.”

Amy picked up the glasses
and started putting them in the dishwasher. Carson gathered the plates and brought them to the sink where she stood. His hand brushed hers when he handed over the dishes. Shock shot through her and she hesitated. His thumb caressed her wrist, sending another bolt up her arm and she raised her head and gazed into his glacier blue eyes. Another electrical wave struck her when their eyes met. Carson moved closer. She inhaled the same spicy scent she had smelled the other morning. Half closing her eyes, she leaned into him.

****

Carson couldn’t believe how the morning sun flooding the kitchen lit up her long reddish hair and caused her face to glow. He had been shocked to see the twins together. They were identical. He knew they were twins but hadn’t expected them to look so much alike. After spending the last two hours with both of them, he could pick Amy out of the pair. Her generous nature, her energy and need to watch over her sister and niece set her apart from anyone he had ever met. Besides she smelled of roses and honeysuckle. The intoxicating smell drew him closer. He wanted to taste those lips again and knew he was going to kiss her. He couldn’t stop and didn’t want to. Leaning closer, Carson tilted his head to one side and tested her lips. She stepped closer and his lips pressed against hers, gently covering her mouth. He tasted honey and maple syrup. Moving the plates out from between them, he slipped his left arm around her tiny waist and pulled her to him. Her soft curves molded to the contours of his body. He could feel the passion building in her as his own grew stronger.

She fit so perfectly against him. When Amy’s free hand snake
d around his neck and she buried her fingers in his hair, Carson tightened his hand around her waist. His jeans tightened and he pressed his manhood against her. Her quick intake of breath heightened his arousal to an uncomfortable stage in his tight Wranglers. He moaned and deepened the kiss, tangling his tongue with hers. She melted against him. Her taunt breast pressed against his chest and her heart pounded against his chest. His own beat like he had just finished running a marathon. Her lips were soft and warm as she opened her mouth to receive his tongue. It sent shivers racing through him. He wanted to taste her long neck, her soft shoulders, her tempting breasts. Hell, he wanted to taste every inch of her. Blood pounded in his ears when she shivered in his arms.

What do you think you’
re doing? This is not the time or the place. You are not here to seduce Amy, you’re here to protect her. Get your priorities straight.

Carson pushed Amy a few inches away and rested his forehead against hers. “
We need to get going. I think I hear Trish coming down the stairs.”

They
separated just before Trish slid into the kitchen followed by her mother. Amy took the plate from Carson and placed it in the dishwasher behind her. He glimpsed her crimson cheeks just before she turned her back to the pair entering the room.

“I’m almost finished with the kitchen and we’ll go.” Her voice cracked.

“I’ll take your luggage out and get the truck warmed up.” Carson brushed past Jamie, grabbed the suitcases at the bottom of the stairs and went out the front door.

The sun had disappeared behin
d an ugly looking dark cloud that had moved across the sky. The wind blew small flakes of snow around until finding the perfect spot and added to the six inches that had already fallen. He didn’t like the signs. They had to beat this blizzard or risk being snowed in and possibly getting found by the killer. Carson stored the bags, started the truck and went back inside for the rest of the luggage and the women. They needed to leave soon.

Chapter 11

As soon as Carson had left the kitchen, Jamie turned on her sister. “What’s going on, Amy?”

Amy shrugged. “What do you mean? I’m cleaning the kitchen so we can
leave.” Amy draped the dish towel on a hook above the sink.

“You know what I mean. Is something going on between you two?”
Jamie gripped Amy’s arm.

Amy bit her bottom lip and stared
at Jamie, trying to figure out in her own mind if the kiss had meant anything or if it had been a spur of the moment emotion between her and Carson. She knew that kiss had sent a warm glow surging through her and holding on to the counter top had been the only thing to support her weak knees when he released her. Did he feel the magic that touched her or is the feeling all one sided? “Maybe. I’m not sure.”

Jamie
threw her arms up. “For God’s sake, Amy. He’s here to keep us from getting killed and you’ve set your hooks in him. What the hell are you thinking? Men don’t think with the head on their shoulders when a woman is involved.”

Amy opened her mouth
and closed it. Jamie was right. Carson needed to keep his mind on business and not romance. Or is the romance only on her side? Maybe Carson didn’t feel the way she did. Maybe he only wanted to gain her trust and seducing her would be a bonus. She vowed to keep her distance.

“The trucks nice and toasty,
” Carson yelled from the front door. “You ladies ready to go?”

Jamie
struggled to lift a large duffel bag over her shoulder. “Let me take that for you.” Carson offered.

Jamie
hugged the bag closer, grabbed Trish’s hand, and headed toward the front door. “I’ll keep this with me. It has some things I’ll need for Trish.”

With e
veryone loaded into the warm cab and Jamie had Trish tucked safely in her car seat, Carson put his arm on the back of the seat and looked across at Amy who sat in the passenger seat. “This is going to be a fast trip.” He pointed out the front window at the darkened sky, “I’m going to try to outrun that storm. So if you need a pit stop or get hungry, let me know and I’ll stop. Everyone ready?”

Amy looked straight ahead and nodded. She didn’t trust her voice.

“We’re set,” Jamie stated from the back seat.

Carson circled the driveway and
eased the truck onto the snow covered highway. He keyed in their destination on his GPS and requested the shortest route. The snow had started coming down harder requiring wipers. The GPS took them back through Yellowstone on Highway 287 all the way to Rawlins, Wyoming where they would pick up I-80 East. He hoped that would put them far enough ahead of the impending blizzard and Max that it would be clear sailing in to Texas.

Trish kept a steady stream of questions firing at anyone who would answer, keeping all of them on their toes. Everyone except Amy. She hadn’t said anything since they
’d left the cabin. During a lull of Trish’s questions, Carson couldn’t stand her silence.

“Are you okay?” He reached across the console and caressed her arm.

Amy pulled her arm out of his reach. “I’m fine.” She stared out the passenger window.

Puzzled by her sudden cold demeanor, Carson wondered if he had overstepped his bounds by kissing her.
Just thinking about that kiss set off a longing he’d not experienced before. A desire that could become addictive. She fit inside his arms like she belonged. He wanted to know Amy better as soon as they were safe and the law had Martin locked away. Maybe he’d take her to a movie, have dinner together, or go dancing. He would date her and see if the sparks they shared continued. In his heart, he knew they would grow stronger.

Trish had been quite for a while. Carson glanced in his rearvi
ew mirror to see if she had fallen asleep. She smiled at him. “I like your truck, Carson.”

“Thank you, Trish. What do you like about it?”

“Umm. It’s got neat stuff. What’s that black box next to Aunt Amy?”

“You mean the one Aunt Amy bumped her shins on a couple of times?” Carson
expected a response from Amy, but her silence puzzled him. “That is a police scanner. I never turn it on unless there’s an emergency and I want to see what the police know. It’s too noisy to leave on.”

Amy
, rubbed her leg where she bumped the scanner. When she turned, Carson’s gaze locked with hers. She placed her hand in her lap.

“Are you going to have a bruise?”

Amy shook her head and glanced down at her blue jean covered leg. “It’s just a bump. No big deal.”

Visibility through the falling snow set
Carson’s all ready taunt nerves at a peak. He turned the wipers on high. The snow had started coming down harder about a half an hour ago, swallowing the edge of the road. “This is getting worse. I’m afraid that storm has caught up with us.” He glanced down at the odometer. They had only traveled twenty-five miles in the past forty-five minutes. He needed to pick up speed if they were going to outrun the approaching storm. Carson pressed the accelerator. The truck’s rear tires spun and shoved the bed of the truck to the left. Carson let off the gas.

“What are you doing? The roads ar
e too slick for you to speed up,” Amy cautioned.

“I know. I don’t know any other way to get ahead of the
blizzard. I’ll be more careful,” Carson assured them.

“Mommy
, I need to potty,” Trish stated.

Carson glanced in his rear view mirror
at the little girl. “There’s a small town coming up. I’ll find a place to stop.”

****

Max awoke with a crick in his neck and a headache the size of Dallas. “Damn,” he moaned as he flexed his muscles. He could see his breath every time he exhaled. The temperature in the truck had dropped and his toes tingled from lack of warmth. He started the SUV and blasted the heater to high. Glancing at the clock on his dash, he groaned. He had slept for over two hours. Looking up through the trees, he couldn’t see smoke coming from the direction of the house. He didn’t like the looks of this. Shifting into drive, Max skidded out of his hiding place and raced down the drive leading to the house.

Jamie
’s black Toyota sat in front of the house but no white dually. Max slid in beside the Toyota, rushed up the steps, gun in hand, and kicked in the door. After a quick search of the house, Max’s worst fear is confirmed. They were all gone along with the bag Martin asked about every time he called.

“No problem.” Max smiled and went back to his vehicle. Opening the glove box, he took the tracking device out and turned it on. The red light blinked. They were still within range. He’d catch up.