Page 31 of Rescued Faith

“He loves it. I shouldn’t be surprised he stayed. I don’t know wherehisthirst for adventure comes from. I wish he could’ve found it closer to home though.”

“Aw, Mom, don’t be too down on him. He needed a change of scenery.” Bryce grabbed a roll from the basket in the middle of the table. “At least it’s not Australia.”

“I know. I just miss him.”

Andi smirked. “Don’t pretend like you don’t miss him too, Bryce. You two talk all the time.”

Penny looked over at Bryce. How could he not miss his brother? His twin brother, no less. Didn’t twins have special bonds?

“It’s not like I’m crying over him or anything. But Mom here is practically tearing up just talking about it.”

“Oh, just wait till you have your own children. Let’s see how you like it when you do everything you can to give them the world and then they up and leave you to live their own lives!” Elizabeth speared her two kids with a pointed look.

“Mom, we’ve already talked about this. You’re not going to pressure us for grandkids. We just got married.” Andi put her fork down, ready for battle.

“Who said I was pressuring?”

Probably no one at the table believed the innocent look on Elizabeth’s face. The familial banter made Penny want to laughand run away at the same time. It would be so easy to be swept up in the love and loyalty around this table. The way they enveloped her so easily, talked to her like she was one of them.

But she wasn’t. She couldn’t be. She was already committed to taking this case, but she’d need to stay focused or she’d find herself putting down roots where she had no business doing so. Last time she was here, Bryce had too easily slid past her guarded heart.

The scene with Ashlee had made it obvious. Deep down, it wasn’t the idea of Bryce cheating on her that shook her to the core. It was how much it hurt that clued her in she was already in too deep. Once she’d realized what was happening, she’d hightailed it out of there so fast she’d left pieces of herself behind.

He was easy to be with. Easy to fall for. But they both knew how it would end. Bryce was only a coworker now. No more family dinners. The lines too easily blurred.

She’d better get out while she could and solve this case quickly.

TEN

Bryce made a check mark on the clipboard. Nothing like the monotony of inventory checks to help shake Penny from his mind. He needed to be able to work this task force without her tying him up in knots.

Only, monotony wasn’t working all that well.

He could still feel the way her body had tensed when Mom had asked about her mother. Her father. Both were gone. She didn’t even seem that close to her sisters. Why hadn’t he noticed that before?

Back then he’d been all about the good times he and Penny enjoyed. How had he never noticed that hint of sadness, how uncomfortable she was talking about her past and her family?

John had said something in their discipleship group a while back.

As a new believer, you might notice things you never noticed before. Care about things you didn’t think mattered before. That’s God changing you from the inside.

Was that what this was?

Logan’s ringtone sounded from the phone in his pocket.

“Hey, little brother. How’s Montana?” Bryce asked.

“Awesome. When are you going to come out here and see for yourself? Not to mention stop holding it over my head that you were born, like, seven minutes before me?”

“Someone has to be the oldest. Apparently that meanssomeonealso has to stick around and watch over Mom and Dad.”

“Mom and Dad are fine. Sure it’s not because Penny Mitchell showed up in town?”

“How did you know she was back?” It had been two days since their family dinner. And yeah, his life was hardly recognizable from last week, what with the near-death experiences and all the shake-up Penny had brought with her, but that wasn’t why he was sticking closer to home lately. Logan was gone. Andi married. Who was left to protect his family?

“Dude. I moved away. It’s not like I don’t talk to anyone anymore.”

“Andi told you.” Pesky little sisters.

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