Page 26 of Montana Freedom

“Usually.”

“Seems a little like a cult.”

Her voice was still teasing, but I saw the test in her eyes. I needed to answer this carefully. “Like I said yesterday, we’re a family here—everyone who works here, and everyone who’s related to us. We’ve gone through a lot, individually and apart. I tell people when I’m leaving, too. It’s not about keeping tabs on one another, it’s about making sure we know where everyone is in case we need help.

“More than once, we’ve…” I sighed. “We’ve had situations where we’ve almost been too late because wedidn’tknow. And after everything, it makes us feel better to share that with one another.”

She looked at me, wonder in her eyes, and I kept going. “We were almost too late to save Noah, Kate, and you. It was closer than we would have liked.”

“I didn’t think of it that way,” she said quietly and with longing. “It sounds lovely.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I glanced at it. Charlie was en route. “Okay, he’s on his way. Want to head over?”

Emma smiled, but it was more like a wince. “Sure.”

I helped her stand. She was slow, but moving. Even though it had been almost two weeks, seeing her get around on her own so easily was a small miracle.

We headed toward the lodge, but she was quiet. Quieter than she normally was when we walked together, and all I felt from her was nerves. I knew she was frightened, but the way her hands were shoved in the pockets of her jeans and her shoulders were hunched made her look smaller.

By the time we were approaching the lodge, Charlie was pulling in with his cruiser. I gave him a gesture to wait for a second, and he inclined his head. Emma needed to be settled in the room first and feel comfortable before he entered. For once, I was grateful to my instincts for reading people to know exactly what she needed.

“Something I haven’t asked you.” I kept my voice light. “Are you a tea or coffee person? We have both.”

“Coffee,” she said. Then she smiled. “Though I can’t remember the last time I actually had a good cup of coffee. The cabin didn’t have much, and what it did have was instant.”

“I promise our coffee has real beans,” I chuckled. “What do you like in it?”

Emma shrugged. “A little cream, a little sugar. Nothing too overboard.”

I led her to one of the armchairs. It faced the door and allowed her to sit alone, without me or Charlie on the same couch. “I’ll grab you some.”

“Thanks.” She rubbed her hands on her jeans. Another nervous gesture. I wanted to comfort her, but I didn’t know how I could allow myself to. If I did, I’d be letting herandmyself think this tension between us was something we could explore.

I set the coffee on the table in front of her and waved outside to Charlie, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He shook my hand as he came inside.

“Hello, Emma,” he said. “Thank you for talking with me.”

“Sure.” The single word was tight.

He sat down, and I stood back behind the couch where Emma could still see me. If I made her feel safe, then I wanted to make sure she knew I was here for her.

“Daniel mentioned you were with the Riders the night we raided that house. Is that right?” To Charlie’s credit, his voice was gentle.

“I was, yes.”

“Can you tell me about that? What you told Daniel?”

Emma’s entire body was shrinking in on itself, but she nodded. She repeated what she’d told me almost verbatim. I couldn’t help but notice how nervous she was. A little too nervous for what she was doing right now, but I wasn’t about to tell someone how they could feel while reliving traumatic memories.

When she finished, she seemed a little better, but still so tense I wanted to cross the room and help her undo the knots.

“Thank you for telling me that,” Charlie said. “I also heard about what happened to you in the parking lot.”

She nodded. “I had an infection.”

“And how did you get that?”

This was why she was nervous. Charlie didn’t have to be my level of observant to see the way she tensed. “I…” Her head fell. “I ran out of food at the cabin where I was staying, and I didn’t have any money. So, I broke in to Arrowhead Grocers late one night after they closed.”

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