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“How do you know that?”
He slowed to make the corner. “What happened to your promise?”
“What promise?”
“The one to remain quiet?”
“I completed it,” she said. “It no longer applies.”
His sideways glance contained a glimmer of a grin. She smiled, too. She couldn’t help it. Her heart skipped several beats, too.
“He works for US Steel,” Scooter said.
“Who?”
“The man who brought us Dave’s car.”
Bringing her mind around full circle, she asked, “How do you know him?”
“I met him while looking for you this morning.”
“You just met him this morning?” That seemed unbelievable.
“Yep.”
He was frowning now, and looking awfully thoughtful.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.
“Nothing you need to know,” he said. “Not right now.”
They’d arrived at the highway, and had to wait for a break in the traffic to pull out. Dac was right behind them. Skipping over Scooter’s answer for a moment, she asked, “Is it safe to take this road home? What if someone is watching for us? For Dave’s car or Dac’s truck?”
“We’ll be fine,” he said, pulling onto the road.
“How can you be sure?”
“I just am,” he said. “I just am.”
A shiver tickled her spine at the way he repeated himself. For all her questions, she knew less now than she had before. These were things she needed to know. At least that’s what her insides said. “Scooter?” she asked.
“What?”
“What don’t I need to know right now?”
Chapter Thirteen
Scooter still hadn’t answered her question and they were driving over the railroad tracks on the road to the resort. She’d asked more than once and finally had decided she could hold out as long as he could.
He turned and drove through the parking area of the Bald Eagle Lake depot.
“Where are you going now?” she asked.
“Taking the bootlegger’s road into the back of the resort so no one sees us driving in with Dave’s car.”
“Oh.”
“Forgot that little piece, did you?” he asked smugly.
“No, I haven’t forgotten anything.”
“Good,” he said. “And don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t forget what happened today. Don’t steal Dave’s car, or anyone else’s, and head to Duluth by yourself. Don’t even step off your father’s property until I say you can.”
Tired of being treated like a misbehaving child, she growled under her breath before saying, “For one thing, it’s no longer my father’s property. He signed it over to us girls a few weeks ago. Plus, I can go where I want, when I want, and you can’t do anything about it.”
He hit the brakes so hard she almost flew into the window. Would have if she hadn’t caught herself.
“I can’t keep chasing after you, Josie,” he said. “I have a business to run. A family to feed.”
“I know you do, and I never asked you to chase after me,” she spluttered. Her insides stung, which fueled her anger. “You took that all upon yourself. Don’t start blaming me now.”
“I wouldn’t have had to take it upon myself if you’d been at home where you belong,” he said. “Why can’t you be more like your sisters?”
That question stung worse than he could ever know. “More like my sisters?”
“Yes, none of them are out trying to save the world. They are at home where they belong, running the resort.”
“For your information, none of them are home where they belong,” she all but shouted. Tears were burning the backs of her eyes now. She never cried. Never. And she wouldn’t start now because of him. “Ginger is in Chicago. Chicago, and married to Brock. Most certainly not home and not running the resort. Twyla is living in town, married to Forrest. Again, not home and not running the resort. In two weeks, Norma Rose will be married to Ty and on her honeymoon at Niagara Falls. A thousand miles from home. So who, Scooter, does that leave at home running the resort? Let me tell you who. Me. Me, the only sister home where she belongs.” She stopped before she could say she was the one who didn’t want to be there.
“Josie.”
The softness of his tone did more damage than his snarky tone had before. A tear broke loose. She swiped it off her cheek.
“I didn’t mean right now, I meant before,” he said. “When they were all home and you were the only one running around. The one I worried about making it back home before your father caught you.”
