Time would dull the worst of the memories, but they would never forget it.
She finished off her meal with one of the molasses cookies she’d baked, and after cleaning up the kitchen, she went to shower and get ready for bed. Normally, she undressed and showered without conscious thought of how she looked anymore, but tonight was different.
Stark naked, she paused in front of the mirror to assess herself. One thing about backpacking across country…nothing jiggled that wasn’t supposed to. Her belly was flat. The muscles in her arms and legs were lean and toned. As for the shape of her, that was God’s doing and her parents’ DNA. She turned from one side to the other, and then nodded.
“So, this is me, Duke Talbot. I hope you like what you see, because I am falling for you in a very painful way. Please don’t let this be a flash in the pan. I don’t think I could bear one more disappointment from a man I thought I could trust.”
Then she turned away, grabbed a hair band and put up her hair, and stepped into the shower.
* * *
The irony that Duke was doing the very same thing would have made the both of them laugh, but right now, he was operating on instinct. This woman called to his heart. And a second chance at love only happened once in a blue moon. Duke couldn’t change who he was or how he looked, but he wanted her in his life, and this thing that was happening between them had to work. He didn’t care how long it took her to be at ease with him, or to trust him with her whole heart. He just needed it to happen.
* * *
Gage Brewer, the new investigator Blaine Wagner hired, didn’t waste time on the job. Once he got the pictures Pamela St. James had taken of Cathy’s car and license tag, the trace he ran turned it up as belonging to a rental agency in a place called Blessings, Georgia. But he couldn’t tell if it had been rented as she was passing through, or if she’d taken up residence there. However, it was time to report what he’d discovered, so he called Wagner first thing the next morning, catching Blaine in the limo on his way in to the office.
* * *
Blaine was checking the stock market on his iPad as Paddy deftly wound the limo through morning traffic. Blaine paused to top off his cup of coffee and was making mental notes to pass on to his broker when his phone rang. Seeing it was from his new PI pleased him.
“Mr. Brewer. This is an early call. I hope it’s good news,” he said.
“Good morning, Mr. Wagner. I do have some information for you.”
“Tell me,” Blaine said.
“The car in Mrs. St. James’s photo is a rental from an agency in a place called Blessings, Georgia. I can’t say if that’s now your ex-wife’s place of residence, or if she simply rented the car passing through, but that’s what I know for sure.”
“Are you free to travel?” Blaine asked.
“Yes,” Brewer said.
“Then I want you to go to Blessings, and if she’s living there, I want to know where and what she’s doing. I’ll transfer some more money into your account for travel expenses. Get a hotel. Be discreet about your investigation.”
“Yes, sir. I can do that. If I can get a flight out, I’ll leave today.”
“Excellent,” Blaine said. “Stay in touch.”
Gage disconnected. He knew Rand Lawrence had been working off and on for Wagner for some years, and the fact that Rand had quit made him a little anxious. Why turn down easy money? Then he shrugged it off. One man’s loss was another man’s gain.
He got online to book a flight to Savannah, with a connection through Denver, reserved a rental to be picked up when he landed, and then began looking for accommodations in Blessings. He already knew the town was small, and was pleased by the looks of the website of the Blessings Bed and Breakfast. He booked a room with a late arrival this evening and an open-end for checkout, threw some clothes in a carry-on, added a few of his favorite tracking devices and his laptop, and headed for the airport.
With less than an hour before boarding, he barely made the gate, and sank into his first-class seating with relief. Since Blaine Wagner was footing the bill for this trip, Gage saw no reason to