a bad view either, his ass was amazing. She enjoyed the view for a few seconds then turned to see Joseph watching her.
His hand swept around toward the front of their tent and the table where they cashed out.
"That's why I left home to start over. Some folks will never let you forget."
22
Chase's jaw clenched and his teeth ground together. What LuAnn had done was wrong. It was criminal and Joci paid the price for a long time afterward. She still limped occasionally when the weather was damp because her hip hurt. And that bothered him. But over time he'd stayed in touch with LuAnn, visiting her in prison. She’d changed while she was there. He could see it during each visit. The hard, nasty, selfish woman had softened and a couple of times she'd told him how bad she felt. She'd found some older woman inside, Rosie, who'd taken her under her wing and counseled LuAnn. Hard to believe someone in prison for murder, or anything, would mother a troubled, young woman. Likely she’d needed to be a mother as much as LuAnn had needed one. Lord knew back in the day he’d needed Dog; the father figure who’d showed him love, respect, kindness and, most importantly, how to be a man.
Dog had tried helping LuAnn, but it was usually from afar, and for his good friend, her deceased brother, Lance. She’d grown increasingly attached to him as she got older. He’d tried extracting himself from her especially from her inappropriate attentions. That had made her act out more to get Dog’s attention; once he started seeing Joci, she treated her horribly and he only gave her negative attention. She'd told him after a while in prison that she realized his behavior toward her changed because he loved Joci.
When she’d first arrived at prison, she’d felt sorry for herself; it wasn’t her fault that Joci had taken off on her bike before anyone found out she emptied the brake fluid. She’d been in denial. Then, she’d continued saying she understood that whatever her motivations were didn’t matter; she was the one responsible for her actions and the consequences of them. She’d told him that she was remorseful for nearly killing Joci and the baby. That admission was what made him forgive her. She saw the wrong in what she’d done. She may not have accepted entirely the crime she’d committed, but she had started to and that was a beginning.
By her second year in prison, she'd not only softened more, she’d also matured. Rosie had begun to show her how to garden. When he’d visited her, she'd talked to him about the new flowers she'd learned to grow and how the dirt felt on her hands when she planted; she’d tell him about the smells that surrounded her in the garden and the colors so bright. He’d always had a crush on her and loved the sex. His feelings had begun to change toward her over her years in prison. He’d looked forward to his next visit before he'd even left the current one.
She’d write him letters and each one grew more positive. Granted, she’d told him she’d taken responsibility in her first year in prison, but not so much. During her second year, she’d stopped bemoaning her plight and took responsibility. She’d stopped being mad at the world and increasingly accepted the blame that was hers.
Now she was working with Greg to totally confront the crimes she’d committed and the pain she’d caused so she could move on. And she was doing well with her sessions with Greg. She didn’t talk about them much, but he could see she was more peaceful. And his heart soared. She was like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly and it was remarkable. The new LuAnn had emerged a beautiful, bright, light woman with dreams and ambitions of nurturing flowers and watching them grow. She’d taken pride in making that happen; she’d transformed a simple piece of landscape at Linda’s home into a piece of art alive with color and fragrance.
Working at Forget Me Nots had done wonders for her. Her employers loved her work and so did the customers. He was no expert, but the arrangements and the, what did she call them, bouquets were beautiful. Tonight, she positively beamed with pride as it appeared Gunnar and Ryder’s fiancés loved her work. He loved the way her deep blue eyes became alight with hues of lighter blue. The excitement in her