Free Out of Focus by Nancy Naigle Page A

eyes to meet Von’s. “I need him. He’d help me find Jake. Everybody thinks I’m crazy to believe Jake’s still out there. He has to be. I can’t live this way.”
    “You can.”
    “I don’t want to.”
    “Come here, kiddo.” He hugged her close.
    She came undone in his arms, sobbing. It broke his heart to see her so sad, to know that Nick wouldn’t be back. Nothing he could say could change that. He held her and after a long moment, she quieted a little. “You better?”
    She nodded against his shoulder.
    “I need to call Riley and let her know you’re alive. She was worried about you.”
    “Sorry.”
    “We understand. Can you call her?” Kasey look whipped. She was dirty and sweaty. Von tipped her nose with his knuckle. “It would mean more if the call came from you.”
    Kasey looked down. “I’ll call her.”
    “Thanks.”
    Von descended the ladder first, then spotted Kasey as she climbed down in the oversized coveralls. They walked out of the barn, the extra long pants swishing with each step she took. Dutch followed behind them.
    Kasey wrapped her arms around Von’s arm and rested her head against it as they walked.

Chapter Nine
     

    Kasey had other issues to worry about in addition to finding Jake. Gracious volunteers had been running the farm, but they were only scheduled to help for two more weeks. Kasey wasn’t prepared to take care of the Rocking R by herself. It was time to find a farm manager, but she had no idea where to start. Pushing that thought aside, she decided to tackle something she knew how to manage.
    She walked outside to the RV to get her camera bag. When she pulled her camera out, Cody Tuggle’s card fluttered to the ground. She picked it up, her heart clenching when she thought of how kind he had been to come to Nick’s funeral and offer his condolences.
    She rubbed the raised letters on the card, thinking about the offer to photograph his tour. Maybe joining the tour would be a good escape while the authorities continued their work looking for Jake. She’d heard that the pace on a music tour was so fast that she’d hardly be able to remember what town she was waking up in each day.
    That sounds perfect
    The project would keep her name out there while she took some time to sort out her life, too. Downtime was the kiss of death for a freelancer.
    Am I really considering this?
    She went inside and picked up the phone. Then she put it back down and picked it up four times before dialing Cody Tuggle’s number.
    The phone rang on the other end. She tensed, almost chickening out, but he answered on the first ring.
    “Yeah-lo.” His deep voice vibrated.
    “Hi,” she said, her mouth dry. “Hi, Cody. It’s Kasey.”
    “Kasey? Hey, how are you?” He sounded surprised.
    “Makin’ it.” She drew in a deep breath. “Thanks for coming to...well, it meant a lot to me. Thank you.”
    “Just wanted you to know how sorry I was for your loss. Figured flowers would just get lost in the shuffle and, hell, you probably wouldn’t have known who they were from anyway.”
    “Right. There are so many Tuggles in the world.”
    “I’m glad you called.”
    “Did I catch you at a good time?”
    “Yeah, sure. I was just getting ready to head over to the studio. We’re cutting one last song before we head for the Midwest leg of the tour.”
    “How’s the tour going?”
    “We sold out in every city so far.”
    “No surprise.”
    “Hey, you never know.”
    “That’s why I was calling.” Don’t lose your nerve. “I was wondering. I mean, well, don’t feel like you have to say yes.” Just say it. “Does the offer to shoot your tour still stand?”
    “You kidding?” his voice raised a pitch.
    “I don’t think so.” She looked around the room for an answer. Was she doing the right thing? She didn’t have any better options.
    “Yeah. Absolutely. We’d love to have you.”
    “It would be good to be busy. I promise my emotions won’t interfere with the quality of my