Tracking a Kidnapper
Author
Valerie Hansen
Reads
15.0K
Chapters
1
EPILOGUE
Vivienne had been more than ready to admit her feelings for Caleb. What she hadn’t thought through was how they could make a marriage work when they were both in law enforcement and both knew the daily risks and dangers. Would he be able to accept that she was a cop and a dedicated member of the K-9 unit without panicking every time he knew she was working?
Conversely, she thought she’d be okay with his future FBI assignments, but what if they sent him out of New York? What then? Would she go crazy with worry?
By the following day, when he was helping her move back into her Brooklyn apartment, her fertile imagination had come up with dozens of obstacles to their mutual happiness. She knew her nervousness was evident, she just didn’t know how best to bring up the subject.
Caleb solved the problem for her when he asked, “Are you sorry already?”
“What? No!” She slipped her arms around his waist. “Are you?”
“If I was, I’d say so. I expect the same honesty out of you.”
Standing her ground, she prayed he’d understand what she was trying to say without getting upset. “I think too much. I keep coming up with reasons why we can’t be happy together and it’s killing me.”
“I know what you mean.”
“You do?” Her spirits began to lift.
“Sure. How do you think I went from being a miserable widower to being ready for a new life as a husband and maybe even a father? As I fell in love with you, I kept thinking up reasons why we couldn’t be happy or why I wasn’t the right man to make you happy.”
“Happiness is an inside job, not a feeling dependent upon circumstances,” Vivienne said. “You can’t make me be anything, any more than I can do things that guarantee you’re always going to be delighted with me. That would be a terrible burden to have to bear.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“When you accepted a terrible event as something that could not be changed, you were able to anticipate a better future. Nobody could force you to let go, it had to come from inside you. You chose joy over grieving.”
Laying her cheek on his chest, she listened to the steady beat of his beloved heart as she went on. “Joy can bring happiness, sure, but it’s so much deeper. I believe it comes from knowing God cares and from trusting Him. We all fall short at times. That’s human nature. But beneath all the sorrow and angst and beyond all the terrible things we have to deal with on the job, there is a divine peace that’s beyond explanation. I think you’ll be able to accept that I’m a cop now.”
Caleb pulled her closer. “I can, Vivienne. You did a great job of explaining.”
“Did I? Well, don’t expect deep spiritual discussions from me on a regular basis. It’s taken me a long time to get this far and I know there’s a lot more I have yet to figure out.”
She felt laughter rumbling in his chest as he said, “I have no doubt you will tell me all about it. So when are we getting married?”
“Are you proposing, Agent Black?”
“You could say that.”
“Well, okay, as long as Hank approves,” Vivienne said sweetly.
Hearing his name, the border collie jumped to his feet and began to spin in circles, clearly anticipating something exciting, like a long walk.
Vivienne laughed and clapped her hands. “Good boy! Shall we all go to the park?”
Since Caleb had dressed more casually on his day off she didn’t hesitate to take his hand and pull him toward the door. “Come on, handsome, our furry family member wants to go out.” She slowed and sobered slightly so he would know she was taking his marriage proposal seriously. “We can go to the promenade and people watch while we plan our future. We’ll need a home with a yard like the FBI safe house, for starters. We’ll support each other in our jobs. We were both meant to be out there helping people.”
His nod and wide grin warmed her heart. “Is that all?”
So filled with joy and anticipation she could hardly stay quiet, she chuckled and gave him a look that she hoped conveyed even a tiny bit of her elation. “Oh, no,” she drawled. “I’m just getting started.”
When Caleb made a face and said, “That’s what I was afraid of,” she erupted into laughter that echoed down the corridor of the apartment building.
“Will you settle down and get serious for a second,” he asked.
“Why?”
The moment he pulled her back into his arms and gave her another kiss, she had her answer. No words were necessary.
Look for Jackson Davison’s story, Scene of the Crime, by Sharon Dunn, the next book in the True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn series, available in September 2020.
TRUE BLUE K-9 UNIT: BROOKLYN
These police officers fight for justice with the help of their brave canine partners.
Copycat Killer by Laura Scott, April 2020
Chasing Secrets by Heather Woodhaven, May 2020
Deadly Connection by Lenora Worth, June 2020
Explosive Situation by Terri Reed, July 2020
Tracking a Kidnapper by Valerie Hansen, August 2020
Scene of the Crime by Sharon Dunn, September 2020
Cold Case Pursuit by Dana Mentink, October 2020
Delayed Justice by Shirlee McCoy, November 2020
True Blue K-9 Unit Christmas: Brooklyn by Laura Scott and Maggie K. Black, December 2020
Keep reading for an excerpt from Hidden Witness by Shirlee McCoy.
