Page 63 of No Bed Of Roses

“Me too. You want to go down to the Saloon, or do you need a break?”

No wonder she loved him. “I’d like to go to the Saloon if you’re up for it. I have to find some way to thank everyone for helping us.”

Addison and Nina appeared beside her. Nina bounced as she started talking. “I hear you caught one of the bad guys. Mom wouldn’t let me help. She said it was too dangerous and I was too young. But I could have helped. Can you tell me all about it?”

Nina looped arms with Isla, and the group started strolling to the Saloon. Addison walked along beside her daughter. Isla nodded to her, hoping to convey that she wouldn’t traumatize the girl or encourage her to do dangerous things. “It could have been dangerous. We were lucky to have Levi and Troy with us. They’re trained to handle things. If they hadn’t been there, things could have gone badly. But they were able to take the man into custody with no problem.”

Nina didn’t seem too disappointed. “You must have been scared.”

Isla nodded. “A bit. I’m used to a quiet life. Most of the danger I’ve had in my life has come from the books I read. I want to keep it that way.”

“My mom writes books. She’s really good.”

Addison’s face flushed, and she slung her arm around Nina. “My biggest fan.”

The connection between the mother and daughter had Isla’s heart aching for her mom. For so long, she’d been alone. Having her dad back in her life was a blessing, but she still missed her mom.

She glanced ahead to see her dad still chatting happily with Carl and Jim, along with another woman who walked a pudgy little dog named Potato. The group had reached the corner and were crossing the street toward the Saloon.

Isla’s smile dropped as she saw a car down the street pull away from the curb and pick up speed. It didn’t make a sound as it hurtled toward the men.

Isla knew it was aiming for her dad.

She screamed her dad’s name and ran, calling for him to get out of the way. He looked back at her, and she yelled again for him to run, but the car was almost there.

She couldn’t let him die when he’d come to help her. They’d just reconnected.

Her screams had alerted the men behind her, and she could hear their shouts and their footsteps.

Levi roared her name, but she couldn’t stop.

Her dad finally realized what was happening, but he was turning to protect her, not himself.

The car was almost there, and she used all her strength to throw herself at him, to shove him out of the way.

Then they were flying.

Levi drew his gun the instant he heard Isla shout for her father. It only took an instant for him to realize all the pertinent facts, even as he started to run.

One. An electric vehicle was silently racing toward Reg and the B&B owners. With the way everything had been going, it had to be Glen Hicks aiming to take out Reg before he could change his will.

Two. There were too many people between him and the car for him to use his gun.

Three. Isla was racing toward the speeding car and her father.

Four. He was a dozen yards further away than he needed to be. He couldn’t get there in time.

He roared out her name, hoping to stop her momentum because it was taking her right into the car’s path.

He didn’t think she even heard him. Her pace didn’t slacken as she raced for her father.

Levi watched helplessly as Isla threw herself in front of the car to shove Reg out of its path. The car didn’t slow at all. Isla and Reg flew through the air, but he couldn’t tell from his angle if the car had hit them.

Thanks to his training, Levi didn’t hesitate and didn’t stop to panic. The car raced past them, too far for him to reach but close enough for a shot.

He took aim at a tire and fired. Instead of following up on the shot, he left that for someone else to worry about.

All he had the capacity for was Isla. Be okay. Be okay.

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