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"What were you looking for?"

"Nothing i important, his ass She wasn’t the type of woman to cli about her, it was that he couldn’t push for answers He needed a diversion for now, then he’d work his way back to the subject at hand "How’s Riley?" He’d heard back fro person, or even a person of interest, so there’d been no legal reason to interfere in her life again But he wanted to know that she was okay

"I haven’t seen her after the sleepover," Amy said "I know you orried about her, and also about one I’m sorry"

Unable to stop himself, Matt stroked a strand of hair out of her pretty eyes "I was never worried about you taking care of her"

"Maybe you should have been"

"Why?" he asked, confused

"Well, it’s not like you know me, not really I could be a horrible person, who’s done horrible things"

"I know enough," he said firer on her lips She stared at hion a way to kick his ass for shushing her Then her gaze dropped to his ood it felt on hers

Because that’s what he was re a little, he cupped her jaw and eyed her newest injury--the scratch It could use some antiseptic He ran his other hand down her ar?"

"Better"

He shifted his hand to her leg, his fingers brushing bare skin thanks to the shorts, before landing on the bandage there "And your thigh?"

She didn’t answer as quickly, and when she did, her breathing wasn’t as even as before "Better"

"And your…" His hand slid around now and cupped her very sweet ass

She choked out sorin Turning, he scooped up her sketch pad for her Before he could open it, she snatched it from him and shoved it into her backpack "Thanks," she said

He watched her fiddle with her stuff ahe’dto tellout here?" he asked "Or o But no Not hoping to find you"

"Ouch"

"Yeah, I’rando She used to tell s she’d seen"

"It’s a pretty unforgettable place," he said

"Her stories wereup Her trip out here was i to change your life?" he asked quietly

She shrugged "Maybe A little"

"Why now?" he asked

"What do you ht?"

"Yes," she said, looking surprised that he remembered "And then I went to live with my mom and her new husband Until I was sixteen"

He waited but she didn’t go on "What happened when you were sixteen?"

Soht went out of her eyes, but then she turned her head from him pretty quickly She looked out at the water

Okay, so this wasn’t up for discussion He stood at her side and looked out at the first lake as well There et prints on the rocky shore She’d gone swio at sixteen? Is that when you traveled around?"

"Yes"

"What did you do with yourself?"

"I grew up," she said flatly "That took a while And then, finally, I ended up out here in Lucky Harbor"

"To recreate your grande your life"

"Yes" She paused, clearly weighing her words "She wrote in her journal that out here she found… things"

"Things"

"Hope Peace" She paused, gri as if she was embarrassed "Her own heart Whatever that h and told him about the initials at Sierra Meadows, about Jonathon, his illness, and how Rose had found hope there at the base of the diamond rocks

"And what about you?" he asked "Did you find hope?

She looked into his eyes, and the air see," she said softly She held his gaze for another beat and then turned back to the water There was a light breeze now, rippling the surface of the lake, raising whitecaps

"What did Rose find here at Four Lakes? Peace?"

"Apparently Her initials are on the tree trunk, up about twenty feet I think she saw Jonathon swier, and she realized that they could fight the illness And before you ask, I don’t knohere she found her heart The journal entries aren’t as clear when it co around in a circle" She was quiet aI’ve ever seen No buildings, no people People always say the city is a scary place, but to "

He nodded He knew exactly what she ht in front of you A car, a building, people Out here there was nothing but space, wide open space "It’s just different froreed on a low, throaty laugh "And it takes my breath the way the ’s so tough and rugged"

"Like the people who roaot a smile out of her for that one He wanted to ask her more about her past but knew she wasn’t ready to tell him And he didn’t need to know, he reminded himself This wasn’t a relationship

She picked up a smooth, round rock and tried to skim it across the water, but it plopped instead "When you sawtrouble locating Sierra Meadows and the wall of rocks there"

He picked up a rock, flatter than the one she’d used "You could have told me" He skimmed the rock across the surface of the lake six times

"Show-off," she said "And I didn’t want help But then I fell down that ravine and found the meadows by accident Four Lakes was h…" She sent it a look "Not so much"