Page 2 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“This is not where you wanted to be,” Jack said. “I know. It was the quickest transfer I could do and we wanted you out fast. It was selfish of me to nottake that into consideration. I guess you lasted longer than I thought anyway.”

“Which is why you are letting me do this now. I’ll get dinner on the table and we can talk about the places I’m looking.”

“It’s going to have snow, isn’t it? Please don’t tell me Alaska.”

She smirked at his cringe.

“God no,” she said. “I want some nice weather, but I’d like to enjoy the cooler climate too. Maybe near some water. I don’t know. Something different.”

It was time she found some happiness rather than despair and heartache knowing she was all alone in the world.

Time to take this step and hope to hell life didn’t blow up in her face once again.

1

SEE THIS THROUGH

Six Months Later

Jarrett Bond heardthe birds chirping and felt the warm seventy-degree breeze on his neck and arms.

November first and it felt more like spring than fall and he was thrilled he’d taken the day off to get some peaceful fishing in before winter hit.

Thepeace and quietwas well deserved in his mind, as he’d been working close to seventy hours for the past few months on several cases.

And when his line tugged some, he started to reel it in only to find it empty, but his worm missing.

“Figures,” he said, baiting his line and tossing it again.

He turned his head when he heard a rustling but didn’t see anything. Probably some animals frolicking on this beautiful fall day.

He pulled his line in again and was going to toss it a bit more to the right.

When he pulled his pole back and was ready to let go and release it over his shoulder,heheard louder leaves cracklingand turned his head to see a person tumbling down the hill and landing close to the shore. They weren’t moving so he rowed there as fast as he could.

If he was any further away he would be diving in and swimming but knew it’d be better to not ruin his damn phone since he’d be calling for help.

He jumped out, quickly gauging the water would only be up to his knees, and ran the rest of the way while yanking his canoe to shore and abandoning it.

It was a woman with long brownish-red hair covering her face. He felt for a pulse and got one nice and steady, but the woman was out cold.

He pulled his phone out and dialed.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“This is Investigator Bond with the State Police. I need an ambulance in Sunshine Cove. I’ll drop a pin to my location.” He pulled his phone back and did what he’d said.

“The ambulance is being dispatched. Can you tell me what is going on?”

“Youngfemale just took a tumble down the hill and hit her head. She’s unconscious, but breathing and has a pulse. I don’t see any other injuries besides a head wound.”

He was just damn lucky her face hadn’t landed in the water, but it was close to it. She could have drowned before he could get to her.

He didn’t want to move her other than just doing an assessment with his hands. He had no idea if there was a neck or back injury at this point.

“The ambulance is about eight minutes out,” the dispatcher said. “Stay on the line with me so that I can give updates.”

“I know the drill,” he said.

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