Page 41 of Love on the Run

“Okay,” said Callie. “I guess that’s it, then.” She said goodbye to Agent Decker and then looked at Jake. “They say they’ll be out. Until then, I guess I just wait. What about the LAPD?”

“Feds get first dibs. You’ll have to talk to the LAPD later. Unless the DEA wants to get involved as well,” Jake added thoughtfully, as one familiar with the hierarchies of all these players. “Federal crimes always take precedence over state crimes.”

“Can’t I just tell one person everything and be done with it?”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“How do you know so much about all this?”

“I told you I was a US Marshal before I came here,” he said, and his eyes clouded briefly. The phone rang again, and he picked it up. He listened for a moment, then said “I will” and hung up. Then he smiled at her. “More bad news. Decker just reminded me, you have to remain in protective custody twenty-four hours a day until they show.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you need to be accompanied by an officer of the law at all times.”

“And would that officer be you?”

“‘Fraid so.”

“I’ll learn to deal with it, I guess,” she said, stifling a strange feeling in her chest.

Having done everything they could until the federal agents arrived, Jake led Callie back out into the brilliant day.

“You want the good news or the bad news?” he asked, when they were in the truck again.

“Um, the bad news?”

“You’re stuck with me until the Feds come to get you.”

“I already knew that. What’s the good news?”

“I have marshmallows back home,” he said, deadpan. Callie stared at him for a moment, then laughed out loud. He gave a lopsided grin. “That’s it, really. No actual good news.”

A day with Jake was pretty good news, Callie thought before she could stop herself. After they left the station, Jake headed down a different highway than the way they came. “Figured that since we’re stuck with each other for a few days, I might as well show you around. There is slightly more to this area than the doctor’s office.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“A good view. Nothing fancy. Not that we have a lot of fancy around here,” Jake noted.

“Fancy’s overrated.”

“Well, let’s see how you rate this place.”

He headed to a nearby state park, one of his favorite spots in the area. The road climbed steadily, and the forest closed in around them. They drove through a section of pine trees, dense and dark green. The smell of the trees rushed through the cab of the truck. “Mmmm,” Callie murmured, closing her eyes. At that moment, it was just possible for her to forget why she had ended up in Montana with this guy named Jake, and how it would all end so soon. “Why would you ever leave this place?” she asked lazily, not expecting any answer. Her eyes were still closed, since she was enjoying the breeze on her face.

Jake looked over at her, more affected by the picture than he wanted to be. “Plenty of times I wish I hadn’t.” But he didn’t elaborate, and Callie didn’t press him.

After a half hour or so, Jake pulled off the road and stopped the truck. “You feel up to a very short hike? There’s something I want you to see, but we can only get there on foot.”

“Sure, I’m feeling a lot better,” she said, reaching to undo her seatbelt. She had the sense to wait until Jake had come around to open her door again. As she climbed out, he smiled. “You’re learning.”

“Montana manners take a little getting used to,” Callie said, not adding that she’d be heading back to the coast in a few days. It wouldn’t do her to get too accustomed to manners.

“What would you do if I opened the door for you in LA?”

“You’d never get the chance. I’d never want to look like a helpless maiden. Nothing personal,” she added hastily.

“Of course not,” Jake said, then pointed out a path leading away from the road and uphill. He frowned. “I forgot how steep this trail is. I hope it doesn’t hurt your leg.”

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