Free Finding Amy by Carol Braswell Page A

“Did you break into my apartment?”
    The questions took Carson by surprise. “What? ” He glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road. “No. Absolutely not. That’s illegal and I’m sworn to uphold the law; not break it.”
    She seemed to be satisfied by his answer and snuggled into her blanket where she stayed for the rest of the trip.
    The sun peeped over the top of the mountain in front of them when the sign for Hedge Lake appeared. Carson located a busy gas station and pulled in. Amy sat up in the seat, ran her fingers through her tousled hair and glanced around.
    “Where are we?”
    “We’re about three miles from Hebgen Lake. I’ll go ahead and fill up so we can get back on the road as soon as Jamie gets packed. The weather channel on my phone says a storm with possible blizzard conditions is due to arrive later today. So the sooner we head south, the better off we’ll be.” He inserted his card in the gas pump and proceeded to fill the tank.
    “I’m going to use the ladies room.” Amy grabbed her purse, climbed out of the truck and entered the station.
    Carson finished filling the truck and pulled it up to the front of the station. A few minutes later Amy appeared, holding two steaming cups of coffee. After buckling up, she handed him one of the cups and took the top off of hers. “Thank you.” The caffeine gave him the extra boost needed to keep alert. “We’re getting close; you need to give me directions.”
    Amy nodded. “Continue on this road until you get to Highway 191. Take a right and drive eight miles to Highway 287. There you’ll take a left and I’ll show you which driveway to turn on.”
    “Are you getting excited?” Carson asked.
    “In a way, I am. But I’m also a little apprehensive. Jamie is not going to like this new kink.”
     
    ****
     
    Thirty minutes later, Amy directed Carson to turn right onto a snow covered drive lined with white bark Aspen trees. Her stomach played soccer in her belly. Either hunger had found a spot or her anxiety level had gone off the charts. How would Jamie take the news? Would she relent and go back to Texas without throwing one of her usual fits? Maybe to protect her daughter, she would give in without a fight.
    Thr ough the trees, the quaint little log cabin appeared. The smoke curling out of the chimney welcomed visitors. Carson pulled the white Dodge around the circular drive and killed the engine. A curtain in the window next to the front door moved and a moment later, the door flew open. Jamie stood in the frame of the door with her right arm behind her back.
    “May I help you?” Jamie held the door open and yelled from the covered front porch.
    Amy hopped out of the truck a nd walked around to the front. “It’s me.”
    “Aunt Amy.” Trish barreled around her mother, nearly knocking her down, ran down the steps and jumped into Amy’s arms, wrapping both legs around her aunt’s waist. “Aunt Amy, I missed you. Where you been?”
    “Who’s with you?” Her twin asked, not moving from the porch.
    Trish snuggled in Amy’s embrace and stared at Carson. “Who’s that, Aunt Amy?”
    A my glanced at Carson. “This is Carson Garret. He’s a friend of mine.”
    Amy buried her face in Trish’s silky blond hair and carried her toward the house. “I’ve missed you, too. What have you been doing?”
    “Playing. Is it Christmas?” Trish asked.
    “Christmas?” Amy glanced at her sister as she climbed the steps.
    Jamie motioned to Carson who stood beside his truck. “Well, come on in, Carson. Any friend of Amy’s is a friend of mine.” Holding the door open for her sister, Jamie explained what Trish meant. “Remember, we told her you would be back at Christmas?”
    Amy nodded. “Oh. You know pumpkin, I missed you so much and I couldn’t wait until Christmas, so I came early. If the snow doesn’t get too deep, I’ll be with you for Christmas, too. How’s that?”
    “Can we still nice skate?”
    “We have to