Free Finding West by June Gray Page B

had ever managed to withstand the prickly hedges—I certainly wouldn’t miss the one person who had.
    Nuh-uh. No way, no how.
    After securing Josie back in the house and making sure she had food and water, I drove out of town towards Cormack Correctional, which was about twenty-six miles southwest of Ayashe.
    The guards at the correctional center knew me on sight, but I still had to sign in. Then I waited in a large room full of tables and benches, inmates and visitors, while they fetched my father from his cell. A few minutes later they brought him in, the guard reminding him to behave before going back to his post at the edge of the room.
    My dad came toward s me and wrapped me in his arms, but what used to lift my spirits now felt strangely lacking. At least, compared to the embrace I’d received half an hour earlier, when I’d felt both secure and warm and elated all at the same time.
    I felt awful, as if enjoying a stranger’s hug more than my father’s was some sort of betrayal.
    “Hey Dad,” I said, sitting back on the bench across the table from him.
    “Hey, kiddo,” he said, and I knew in the smile he wore that he was having a good day. Well, as good as it could be in prison anyway. “What’s going on with you? Was the snowstorm as bad as predicted in Ayashe?”
    “Yes, it was nearly waist-deep for a few days,” I said. “I let this man stay with me during the storm.”
    “What man?” my dad asked, concern rumpling his face.
    “ I found this unconscious man at the side of the road, so I took him to the house to get him out of the storm.”
    “Oh, Kat ie…” he said, shaking his head.
    “What?” I asked, instantly on the defensive. “You always taught me to help the needy. Wasn’t it you who made me go to soup kitchens during Thanksgiving to help hand out food?”
    He rubbed his forehead. “Yes, I wanted you to learn selflessness, but this… you could have been hurt or killed. Trust me when I say there are many evil men out there in the world who wouldn’t hesitate to cut down a girl. I live with many of them.”
    “I’m not a girl anymore, Dad . And I wouldn’t have hesitated killing him either had he shown any sign of wanting to hurt me,” I said and took a deep breath to keep my temper in check. “He was unconscious on the side of the road, face down in the snow. He would have died out there. What was I supposed to do?”
    “But the s heriff—”
    “Drew wasn’t answering the phone.”
    He gave me a disapproving look. “I want you to be careful, honey. You can’t just take bums off the street.”
    “I know. I’m careful, promise.” I leaned forward. “It’s just… he didn’t strike me as a bum. This man is n’t just lost. He has no idea who he is, not even his name.”
    That got my dad’s attention. “He has amnesia?”
    I nodded. “You should have seen him. He was so spooked when he realized he didn’t recognize his face in the mirror.” When Dad still looked unconvinced, I said, “He’s not dangerous. You always taught me that the truth is in the face, that if you really took the time to look someone in the eye, you would see their true character.”
    “And what do his eyes tell you?”
    I swallowed hard, remembering those luminescent grey orbs. “That he’s kind. Intelligent. Funny.”
    Dad nodded slowly, but his features were tight.
    “Don’t you believe me?”
    He gave a short laugh. “I do,” he said. “But you’re in danger, Kat ie-bug.”
    “No, I’m no—”
    “You’re going to lose your heart.”
    I laughed in surprise, slapping the table a few times with my flat palm. “ How cheesy!” I said between breaths. After collecting myself, I said, “But seriously, no, I’m not.”
    Dad sat up and smiled. “I’ve never seen you laugh so freely. I want to meet the man who did this.”
    “I’ve laughed before.”
    “Not like this,” he said, shaking his head. “At least not since you were a little girl.”
    All traces of laughter dropped