Jades and Justice

She has discovered that pretending comes with a price – so does living on the run. He is looking for a lifelong commitment until he meets her, but can he soften her heart?

Maggie Collings has been running for far too long from people who want to put her in prison. Finally, after two years, she finds a place to call home, and she is able to be herself… to a point, anyway. But when a bounty hunter comes into her town, she is ready to run again.

Deputy Sheriff, Bo Remington’s heart softens toward the nanny, especially when she is desperate to find the man who tried kidnapping a child she was responsible for. But the stubborn woman doesn’t want his help. He’s as determined to show him he is no threat just as she is determined to prove she doesn’t need him.

Both need love and acceptance, but can they let the heartaches of their past go long enough to find what they are after?

If she had to describe what happiness was, she would say it was that moment – whether it lasted a few minutes or several days – of being relaxed and worry-free. Right now, at this very minute in time, contentment filled her.
Margaret Collings sat on the ground, watching from across the street as the children played in the schoolyard. Their teacher had them kick a ball back and forth with each other for their outdoor activity. The children laughed and teased each other, appearing to enjoy their leisurely afternoon.

The day was perfect. Late summer’s hot weather in Utah had sunshine but a breeze just gentle enough to take the sting of the heat off Maggie’s cheeks as she sat on a blanket in the empty field. On days like this, most everyone would find her dreaming away the morning. After the children were out of school was when her duties began.

Sighing, Maggie absently ran her finger across her jade necklace that had once belonged to her mother and smiled. It had taken her three years of running and hiding to feel this happy. She had been living in Box Elder County for nine months now. In all of her months of running and pretending to be someone else, this was the first place she had found where she didn’t have to look over her shoulder and doubt everyone who gave her a second glance.

Here in Box Elder County, people treated her differently, whether it was because most of the community was religious, she didn’t know. Yet, she felt that this was where she belonged. And although she still refused to tell people the truth about her past and real name, she didn’t have to wear wigs or make herself appear older. She could wear normal clothes and leave her hair the natural color of golden wheat instead of trying to make it darker. She didn’t have to hide her twisted pinky finger, either. It happened when she was a child, and when people asked, she told them she’d been injured… which was the truth, of course.

After leaving her good friend, Justina Watson, in Wyoming, Maggie found a wagon train that allowed her to join. With the money from the garnets she and Justina had found on their property, Maggie could live nicely for a while. She found a small house to live comfortably, and once her funds became low, she established a job as a nanny for a wealthy family, using the false name of Virginia Olsen.

Maggie sighed again, deeper this time. Indeed, for the moment, happiness filled her soul. She couldn’t recall a time in her life when she had been this relaxed both in mind and body.

She blinked her eyes, focusing back on the children. They were not kicking a ball back and forth any longer. Instead, they paired off into different groups to enjoy the remainder of their lunch break with their friends. Maggie tried not to recall her childhood since it only brought heartache, so once she was out on her own, she created her fictitious memories to keep her from withering away with sadness and regret.

Suddenly, a child’s scream ripped through the air, followed by other cries from the children across the street. Maggie sat up, focusing on the moment of terror as it passed quickly before her.

A man, perhaps in his thirties, had scooped up a child in his arms and darted away from the schoolyard, pushing other children aside as they tried to stop him. The child the stranger carried was Tommy Snow, one of the three children she was responsible for as a nanny.

Anger mixed with fear filled Maggie, and she scrambled to stand. “Oh, no, you don’t! Not on my watch.”

It had been quite a few months since she had to run like her life depended on it, but she hiked up the skirt to her calves and dashed after the unknown assailant. The man was fast as he headed toward the patch of trees leading into the dense forest. A few times, the struggling child nearly slipped from the man’s hold, causing him to slow his steps.

Perhaps Maggie’s next lesson with the children would be how to get away from a kidnapper. She would show them how to kick, hit, bite, spit… whatever it took to get free of those bad people who enjoyed controlling another person’s life by making one feel worthless and imprisoned.

Maggie had experienced that kind of life and vowed never to live like that again. She would also do everything she could so that other people didn’t fall into that pathetic routine. And if it took catching this kidnapper and beating him with a stick until he stopped moving, she wouldn’t regret it. Of course, she may be accused of murder… again.

Rushing past the school and the children still in the yard calling out to their teacher, Maggie focused only on the man carrying the child as if Tommy was nothing more than a sack of flour. Although her heeled boots weren’t made for running, her feet had been through worse.

She must reach him before he entered the thicket of trees up ahead. Trying to run through that would be a nightmare.

Not taking her eyes off Tommy, she realized he was slipping again. Her heart sank, and she prayed the six-year-old child would not become harmed. But when Tommy screamed as he fell to the ground, she knew her prayer hadn’t been answered. Again. That wasn’t anything new for her.

The kidnapper stopped and reached to pick up the child. Tommy rolled away from the man, using his legs to kick the stranger away. Maggie was proud of the boy, but he still needed help, which she must provide.

Not watching where she was going, she tripped over a large stick in her path. Thankfully, she regained her footing quickly, but her gaze wouldn’t move from that thick stick. Immediately, she knew she must use it, so she grabbed it before continuing on her run.

Now she was closer to the man. Tommy looked at her, and his frightened eyes widened. That must have given him more courage because the boy’s legs kicked faster, and he clawed at the man’s face as the kidnapper continued to pick him up.

Finally, the man was able to get his holding on Tommy and lift him again. Grumbling, Maggie tightened her fingers around the stick. “Tommy! Bite him.”

The boy nodded, opened his mouth wide, and sank his teeth into the man’s arm. The kidnapper screamed in pain – or it could have been anger – and dropped Tommy again. This time, the boy landed on his feet and ran toward Maggie.

The man turned to stop the boy but paused in his actions. He looked right at Maggie, and his eyes widened. She figured he didn’t know she had been running after him, but that didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to stop yet. Instead, she darted past Tommy, relieved that he was free of the madman, but determination kept her feet moving as fast as she could. She wouldn’t rest until she stopped the kidnapper from ever harming another child again.

She didn’t know why the man stalled as long as he had, but he finally spun around to run. Thankfully, she was upon him. Raising the stick, she waited for the right moment and then… whack!

The man stumbled in his gait, but she continued, hitting him again with the stick. The strikes to the man’s person must have hurt more than she realized because he dropped to his knees and covered his head with his folded arms.

After whacking him a few more times, she stopped. Her breaths were heavy, and she struggled to breathe. It had nothing to do with running, either. The memories she had wanted to keep buried had resurfaced. Once again, she had let her anger for the situation get ahold of her. But if anyone had been raised as she had, they wouldn’t judge her actions.

The galloping horses not far behind her pulled her out of the nightmarish thoughts. She quickly swung around, ready to face anyone who tried to harm Tommy. But when she saw the sheriff and one of his deputies, she released a heavy sigh. This kidnapper would be brought to justice.

“Miss Virginia,” the middle-aged sheriff said, bringing his horse to a stop. The man’s voice was lifted in worry. “Are you all right?”

Grinning, she held up her stick. “I’m just fine, Sheriff. I wasn’t about to let this lowlife get away with almost taking Tommy.”

The lawman’s mouth stretched as humor touched his eyes. “And we are all grateful for your assistance.”

He jumped off his horse, and the deputy followed. She kept her attention on the sheriff to ensure he slapped some iron cuffs on the stranger’s wrists and hauled his injured body to jail. She tightened her fingers around the stick, just in case of a problem. But after a few moments, she realized the sheriff had things under control.

As the sheriff tried to get the man to stand, he stumbled and fell back to the ground. Maggie scowled. Serves him right! Next time, he had better not take a child, or she would give him worse. Of course, she hadn’t realized she had whacked the stick on his legs, too. Then again, she hadn’t been thinking straight.

The sheriff glanced at the deputy and motioned with his head. “Come help me, Remington.”

The deputy’s name sounded familiar for some reason, but she couldn’t place it. She finally looked at him as he moved to help the sheriff. In fact, she didn’t just look at him but boldly studied his features.

He was built like an ancient God with sculpted muscles… and handsome to boot. His blond hair was longer than she figured it should be, and he wore facial hair and thick sideburns. The man needed a haircut and a shave. But something about him made her pause as mistrust crept into her mind.

Had she seen him before? Yet, she’d seen many men during her journey of running and hiding. She couldn’t count how many bounty hunters…

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt. Maggie had seen this man before. His hair had been shorter, and he was clean-shaven. Indeed, he was a bounty hunter. He was one of the reasons she left her good friend Justina in Wyoming at the gypsy camp. Mr. Bo Remington had been looking for her, and the night her house caught fire, the man eyed her carefully while helping to put out the fire.