Page 102 of Stay With Me
I stand next to them and bend to kiss the top of Luna’s hair. I put my hand on Jess’s shoulder, and she goes stiff, so I pull my hand away to make her more comfortable. She isn’t the most affectionate child because of her upbringing, but I want her to know I’m here for her too, but only in ways she’s comfortable with.
“And what time do your ranch hands start in the morning?” Mike asks Joe.
“As long as it isn’t farmers’ market day, they start around six in the morning, but that shed is one I’ve been meaning to tear down for some time, so we don’t check that back area often,” he admits.
Mike nods as he takes some notes. He looks back up at me. “Did you find anything?”
I nod and give a brief version of what I found. We’ve worked together long enough that we’ll go more in-depth after this.
“Well, we have everything we need. If you do see someone, please call it in, and we’ll be back out. Do not approach them on your own.” He cautions Joe as he starts to stand.
“Collin is already heading back to the station. I’m going to take the girls home and call you after we get Jess settled in bed,” I tell him.
He gives a quick nod. “I’m interested in the ideas I can see bouncing around in your head,” he says softly as he walks by and heads out.
I turn to the girls. “Are you ready to head out, or do you have anything else to finish up here?”
“They’re good to go,” Ann says quickly.
Luna snaps her head to the side. “There’s a lot to get done for the weekend. Can you give me an hour or two?”
“Dear, you are so ahead and prepared for those guests that you can head home early. We can finish tackling everything tomorrow. Go home, spend some time with Jess,” she says as her eyes slide to Jess, who’s barely said anything since I got here.
“If you’re sure?” Luna says.
“We are. Have a good rest of your day,” Joe says and stands, walking over to Luna, making her stand to pull her into a hug.
We quickly gather all their things, say our final goodbyes, and head home.
I lean my hip against the workbench in my shed and stare at the map. The dots are scattered in the shape of a star and a moon.
There’s no way the pattern is a coincidence now that I’m looking at them all on a map.
My gut tells me that my girls have been found and we’re one step behind. I just have no concrete proof.
I switch the beer bottle to my left hand and wipe the condensation off on my jeans.
I turn back to the photos of locations and the evidence scattered around.
The door creaks, and Luna walks in.
“Is Jess asleep?”
“Yeah. She stayed up reading a little longer than normal, but I think she needed it. Are you okay?”
I pull her into my arms and breathe in her scent.
“Did you just smell my hair?”
“Yeah, it smells good.”
Her shoulders bounce as she laughs into my chest. “I need to wash my hair tonight.”
“Ahh yes, hair-washing night.”
I was shocked when I walked in on the girls talking about how they hated hair-washing day. I made the mistake of asking what was so bad about washing your hair since I did it every night. I got a fifteen-minute lecture about how I don’t get it because I use the same shampoo as my body wash and not a shampoo and conditioner or a hair mask. I just smiled and nodded and agreed with them. I know better than to argue with them about it.
She tilts her head back and looks up at me. “Are you going to come in soon?”
