Page 115 of One Last Promise

“Yeah. I’m just trying to get my head around the idea that my dad isn’t missing anymore.”

“Yep.”

She swallowed. “Do you think God used my running to Alaska to, you know . . .”

“Protect you?”

She lifted a shoulder, because suddenly that sounded so hokey.

“Absolutely. You may not know how God is at work, but I can tell you that he always is. I might not have said that a couple months ago, but then God saved my life through—and this is going to sound equally crazy—through a ham radio. Flynn was on the other end and my ship was going down and I was trapped and in the middle of a storm and . . . it’s a long story. But God completely spared my life and then . . . well, he wasn’t finished. So yeah, if you ask me, God is at work even if we don’t believe it.”

“Or deserve it?”

“Especially if we don’t deserve it. Fact is, that’s his specialty. Rescuing the lost, the broken, the guilty.”

“Why?”

“Because he is love. That is the very nature, the character, of God. That’s why we can have hope—because it’s not about us but him. His faithfulness.”

“And we’re back at faith.” She smiled.

“We’re back at love.” Axel winked, then stoodup. “All I know is that God is sovereign. And even I can’t screw that up. I hope Moose brought some coffee in that pack.” He headed into the kitchen.

“I did.”

She looked behind her, and Moose had come down the stairs. He glanced at Axel, heading into the kitchen, then at her. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah. I guess it’s a thing.”

He was barefoot too, his hair tousled, a slight dark layer of whiskers on his chin, and he wore the same attire as his brother, the Mulligan flannel and jeans.

A longing for her sister washed over her. Her dad would be devastated at Pearl’s death when she told him.

No. If.Ifshe told him. In fact—“If Rigger is trying to find me so he can do something terrible in revenge, the very last thing I can do is go back to Florida. In fact, it might be better if my dad didn’t know where I was, ever.”

Moose had sunk down into the chair Axel had just vacated. He put his hands on the arms. Looked over at her. Nodded. “I thought that too. Because if your dad finds you, then?—”

“Then Rigger kills me and wins.”

He gave her a grim look. “I’ll call Ridge today and see if we’ve gotten any traction on the custody appeal. Could be his team has uncovered some of the same things we have—and if not, Flynn can fill him in.” He reached over to the Bible. “Pike’s Bible. Where’d this come from?” He picked it up and opened it to the psalms. “Hey, that’s my mom’s favorite psalm.”

“Axel has it memorized.”

“I have it memorized too. ‘Because Arlo loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him. . . .’”

“Arlo? From your grandfather?”

He looked over at her. “Good memory.”

“I likeArlo. It’s a good name.”

He closed the Bible, then looked over at the letter on the arm of her chair. “What’s that?”

“It fell out of the Bible.” She handed it over. “A return-to-sender letter.”

He looked at it and his expression slacked. “This was to his son, years ago.” He studied the stamp. “Seven years ago. Before I met him.”

“You said he couldn’t find him. Could be because he moved away, no forwarding address.”

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