Page 53 of Sunkissed Colorado

Her composure slipped, her small form swaying, and she reached out to brace herself on my arm. Her fingers tightened painfully on my wrist. “I miss my girl.”

My heart was breaking for her. “Can I give you a hug?”

“Alright.”

As I wrapped my arms around her, my eyes locked with Callum’s. He nodded and gave me a closed-mouth, sympathetic smile.

I breathed easier once we were back outside and out of the stale air of Paula’s home. We got in Callum’s truck, and he turned on the engine, but he didn’t drive away.

“There was a Mother’s Day card on that table by the door,” he said quietly. “It was sitting on top of an envelope. Already open. Did you notice that?”

“What? A card?” I was half listening, while the rest of me was still stuck in that house.

My responsible, adult side knew I should go back and see Mrs. Mackenzie again soon. She was lonely. Yet I couldn’t stomach the thought of returning to that oppressive space, surrounded by all those memories and nothing else. Like breathing in pure sorrow.

That had to make me a bad person, didn’t it?

I’m the worst, Jessa, I thought.I miss you.Please tell me to shut up and not be so hard on myself, because that’s what I need to hear.

“A Mother’s Day card,” Callum repeated. “I think it was from Leo. Which is odd, right? Didn’t she say she hadn’t heard from him? Doesn’t know where he is?”

“Maybe it was from last year,” I said, though even as the words left my mouth, I knew how weak they sounded. “Or maybe someone else sent it.”

Callum’s brow furrowed. “Who else would’ve sent it but her son?”

I understood what he meant. But why would Paula have lied to us?

FOURTEEN

Callum

“You looklike you could use a distraction,” I said.

“Hmm?” Zandra turned to face me, a few strands of hair falling over her cheek, and I fought the urge to brush them back.

Since we’d left Paula’s house, Z had been staring off into space. Clearly deep in thought.

There’d been something…off about Mrs. Mackenzie. I’d felt an odd tension during that entire visit, as if there was something wrong in that house. Not that I wanted to judge a poor woman who’d lost her daughter.

And her son, though in a different way.

I remembered Leo from high school. He’d been a year or so younger, but the type of guy you noticed in the halls, talking a big game and catching people’s attention. Not always in a good way. But a lot of us were stupid in high school.

Leo had all but disappeared inside himself after his sister died. From what I’d heard—mostly from Winnie Peyton—he hadn’t been back to Silver Ridge after he left. Which matched more or less with what Paula had said.

As for that Mother’s Day card, maybe I was blowing it out of proportion. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything to Zandra about it at all. She’d already been wound up after the visit.

Either way, I didn’t like the thought of driving her back to Rosie’s house and abandoning her after that.

“What would you say to a field trip?” I asked.

“Now?”

“Yeah. Unless you have plans the rest of the day.”

Zandra wiggled around in her seat. “Is this field trip work-related?”

“Does it need to be?”